Category: New Collections

1. Fairy Dreams - A gold and grey collection of hair accessories for the alternative bride

   Posted on 12:00pm Saturday 29th Jul 2017

    

    

   Introducing a new collection of hair accessories for the alternative bride - Fairy Dreams. A small ecclectic mix of headbands and crowns in golds and greys, for those venturing a little bit away from the traditional route for their wedding.

   Inspired by an autumn woodland wedding, with a little bit of fairy tale added to the mix, and a slight touch of princess too, this small collection is definitely not for those who are having a traditional wedding. The range is based on golden wire shaped into irregular leafy forms and embellished with gold and grey rhinestones, crystals, beads and seed beads. For some of the items, I have added some golden sheer organza leaves, and for the birdcage, a rich golden Russian veil was just the thing required!

   Each item has a little bit of its own quirk:

   - The birdcage would make a fantastic addition to a vintage theme wedding, and would suit a lady who loves her glam! The golden diamond netting is diagonally placed across the face, and the decorative feature sits off-centre on the top of the headband. Wear this with a bright red lipstick to stand out!!

   - The simple circlet or halo is delicate and beautiful, definitely a woodland fairy type of accessory, which works great for a bride with or without a veil, but would equally be great for bridesmaids.

   - The headband with its sparkly tiara-like feature is small enough not to detract from the rest of the outfit, but different enough to feel special. Again, this can be work with or without a veil (a golden one would look amazing!), but I also think that it would work well as a prom hair accessories, or for any other special occasion where you want a little bit of shine in your hair.

   - Finally, the small crown is a real princessy show stopper! Small enough to fit into one hand, this coronet is delicate but impactful. This is definitely for a princess, fairy tale wedding!

   With the exception of the circlet, all the items in this collection are one-of-a-kinds, and therefore totally unique. As much as I loved working on them, I love to know that there are some pieces that are totally your own, and will not be seen worn by someone else! All the pieces are currently available ready-to-go from my Etsy shop.

2. Little Cuties - A collection of pretty baby and toddler headbands for special occasions

   Posted on 8:00pm Wednesday 17th May 2017

   Here's my Little Cuties collection. It's all in pretty pastels, mostly pinks and ivory, and it's not for any bride, or even bridesmaids - it's been specially made for 4yrs and under.

      

   This range is unusual for me because I tend to focus mostly on adults. However, I did decide to participate in a recent Baby and Toddler Fair, to support the students at Reaseheath College through the Etsy South Cheshire team, and this was the fun outcome.

   The headbands are all made with a soft elastic base, and all embellished with a fabric flower or two, embellished with lace, beads or just completely with fabrics. The hair clips are all fabric flowers set onto a white hair clip. The colours are all pastels, all from a rainbow pastel range of fabrics that I had in stock - lemon yellow, salmon pink, baby pink, berry pink, the soft blue that I have been using for most of my 'Something Blue' items, a tiny bit of sage green, and of course, ivory.

    

   The headbands are £5 per headband for those with a single fabric flower, and £8 for those with 2 flowers (plus P&P or free collection), and the hair clips from £4. They can be purchased from my ETSY shop, or simply by getting in touch directly.

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   As with any item for babies and very little ones, please be cautious with headbands and clips, and never allow your child to play with the accessories without your supervision. The flowers may have small parts such as beads and while care has been taken to attach all embellishments very securely, these are not toys to be played with. Headbands and hairclips should also never be worn without constant adult supervision - and should be removed when a child falls asleep.

3. Peek-a-blue: A Mini Collection of Wedding Garters

   Posted on 10:31am Saturday 11th Feb 2017

   
           

   Peek-a-blue! is the latest of my mini collections, and this time I have had lots of fun making wedding garters. Not everyone wears a garter at their wedding, and I must admit that I didn't wear one myself. Why I didn't embrace this lovely tradition is simply because I was wearing a silk gown which mostly clung to my hips, so a garter was more than likely going to ruin the smooth lines of my dress. However, with hindsight, I think that it would have been nice to have a garter that I could have worn on my wedding night (not while wearing my wedding dress though), if I did find a style that I liked. At the time of my wedding, I wasn't acquainted with Etsy, Folksy, NOTHS and other handmade marketplace, so all the garters that I saw were the shiny frilly type and frankly, not very exciting. 

   For this collection, I have tried to make bridal garters that are different to what you would normally see in a high street shop. I have designed them as items that I could actually wear myself, whether under an A-lined wedding dress, or under a nightie or other nightwear. As usual with my accessories, all the flower embellishments were handmade in my studio and this collection is characterised by the little dangling pearl bead strands or dangling crystal in each garter. For the ready-to-go sets, I used a lovely light blue, but everything can be customised to your liking, including using a flower colour of your choice to match your colour theme. 

   Here's a little more description on each of them:

   Ava:  Three circular layered flowers and a couple of beaded dangling strands adorn this ivory elasticated lace garter. This style is simple and basic, yet unique and beautiful. Great for someone who's looking for something different and handmade. 

   Belle: A single romantic blue flower flanked by a light ivory one and two strands, onto an ivory elasticated lace garter. This style is reminescent of the first garter I made, and  has one of my favourite flower styles.  Perfect for the romantic ones. 

   Clara: Three tiny blue fabric roses in a row, flanked on each side by light ivory leaves, and with a strand of beads hanging from one side to the other. This garter is made with a darker cream elasticated lace with a vintage style effect, and the beads supplement the vintage, 1920's look.  This is spot on for vintage style lovers. 

   

   Donna: A non-frilly lace garter - if you don't like the bulk of the gathered ones, this is perfect. The little flowers are not totally flat, but this type of garter is definitely more slimline, and I tend to think, more modern looking too. In a way, they look like what hold-up stockings might have at the open ends. Ideal for the modern bride. 
   

   Eleni: The classic style, with a stylish corded blue ribbon and bow, and just a little smokey blue crystal to dangle from the bow to add a little bit of extra. This is the style favoured by the traditional bride. 

   Coming from a bride who did not wear a garter, I now think, why not?! If I had the choice of the above, I would personally have probably gone for the Donna style, flat lace, more modern garter, worn after the wedding party. In fact, my husband loves this style too, so it would have been perfect. If I was going to be tossing a garter in line with tradition, I probably would have gone for Eleni, the classic style. Not tossing any garters anytime soon, but just saying! 

   If you were unsure of whether to have a bridal garter or not, go on, have one!! And for a little bit of trivia on garters, have a read of this previous blog: Garters, a Little Bit of Trivia.  

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   Blue Lily Magnolia makes bespoke and unique bridal accessories and accessories for special occasions. Everything is designed and handmade by designer / maker Vanessa Gilding (aka Sharon) in her studio in Nantwich. Vanessa particularly loves creating unique commissions, and has a growing interest in alternative weddings. So if you would like to get something unique made, why not get in touch!