Wednesday 18 February 2015

Review - Bow Hoe Brighton

Handcrafted bows and accessories using vintage fabrics


I was really excited when this beautiful parcel arrived:


Bow Hoe Brighton sent me two of their gorgeous handmade bows to review. They were packaged beautifully with logos on the packaging and stickers and a cute pink badge too.

Bow Hoe Brighton make their bows and accessories from vintage and unusual fabrics. Each of their bows has a history which is something I love in my clothing and accessories and why I will always opt for vintage over new. Bow Hoe transform old unused dresses, curtains etc into something new and beautiful, whilst retaining the history of the garment. Each bow comes with a label telling you what it used to be.

They were much bigger than I expected! I thought they'd be around the size of the type of bows you see on hair clips but I got a pleasant surprise when I opened the package and saw that the bows were much bigger than that - definitely statement hair accessories!

The first one I wore was this lovely grey floral-patterned bow that was once a curtain! 


The pink and grey colour combination on this bow is beautiful and feminine. I'm wary with florals and don't often like flowery patterns, but I fell in love with this bow immediately and wore it right away. It's funny to think that years ago it was hanging up at a window!






The other bow in the package is this stunning nautical creation, made from a 1960's sundress and a vintage button. 


I love all things nautical so I had a little squeal when I found out that I was going to be reviewing this little number. 

I have lots of outfits that will be topped off beautifully by this amazingly eye-catching bow. And knowing that someone wore it as a dress in the 60's makes it even more special. This will look lovely with many of my Summer dresses, but for now it is creating a colour pop with my Hell Bunny Winter coat.


As you can see, it's a great big beauty so definitely a statement piece which will top off any hairdo nicely and make even really bad hair days (like the one I'm having here) pretty!

I am delighted with my beautiful bows from Bow Hoe Brighton (and I also LOVE that name!) 

Most of the bows range from only £4.00 to around £8.00 depending on the fabric, style and size (Bow Hoe do mini bows too).

I definitely recommend checking out their other stunning bows and accessories (they also make 90's scrunchies!) on their Facebook page and Etsy shop. Follow them on Instagram and Twitter too to get the first look at their new items.



Instagram: bowhoebrighton

Twitter: @bowhoebrighton

Lots of love and bows,

Laura Dolly Cupcake xxx



Tuesday 3 February 2015

Review - Little Miss Savage

Gorgeous retro inspired handmade bandanas and accessories


I was a very lucky blogger on the day that this pink and perfect little package arrived for me to review...



Little Miss Savage is a haven for gorgeous one-of-a-kind retro inspired pieces, all handmade by the creative and very talented Emily Savage, who sells them on Ebay and Etsy.

Emily makes bandanas in all sorts of gorgeous fabrics and she's also a polymer clay artist, sculpting beautiful details on cardigan clips, earrings and necklaces. Her bandanas are made to order with a choice of fabrics on both sides. She also makes personalized tattoo heart jewellery, make-up rolls and beautiful pinup girl brooches.

The first thing I tried on were these fabulous pink glitter stud earrings from The Retro Collection.



The photos don't do these earrings justice - they are so sparkly and the colour is a stunning deep pink.



They are chunky but not heavy - they are so light and comfortable to wear. I didn't have any earrings like this in my collection. They are so unique and eye-catching. Little Miss Savage sells these beauties for £7.99 a pair on Ebay, along with a huge variety of other shapes and colours. I have my eye on the pink square studs with the glittery stars, but there are soooo many beauties to choose from! 

Next, I wore the beautiful flamingo print bandana. The bandanas are Little Miss Savage's signature pieces and what Emily is most known for. There are around 30 main fabric choices and 20 reverse-side fabrics. There are three types of bandana style too - original, bow and skinny. Emily makes bandanas to order, so you can have fun choosing two pretty fabrics!



Mine has flamingos on one side and pink polkadots on the other (I adore polkadots). 




The bandana is beautifully made and very soft (some bandanas I have are quite stiff and uncomforatble to wear - not this one!) The flamingo print is bright and fun, while the polkadot side is more subtle - I like wearing the flamingo side and turning over some of the polkadot side to create a cute trim. Flamingo bandanas made to order with custom choice of reverse fabrics are £6.49 from Ebay or Etsy. 


I teamed mine with this cute sweater by Miss Fortune (can you tell I love pink?)




I think my favourite thing from the little box of goodies are these amazing flamingo cardigan clips.



This is the first pair of cardigan clips I've owned and I'm addicted! They are so pretty and well-made and make a nice change to my usual statement necklaces. 



The detail is gorgeous - knowing that Emily made them herself makes them all the more beautiful and unique. The quality is so good and they just look beautiful. I teamed them with this flamingo cardigan by Banned because there's no such thing as too many flamingos!
The flamingo cardigan clips are available from Little Miss Savage's Ebay shop for £6.49.

All three of my Little Miss Savage treats are stunning - beautifully made, extremely high quality, quirky and unique.

I think I've found my new favourite shop.... and I think it may soon be yours, too. 


Facebook - Little Miss Savage

Instagram @littlemisssavage

Lots of love,

Laura Dolly Cupcake xxx