Little princess' teasure box

As well as their Mummies little girls love to get dressed in new pretty outfits for special occasions. And what can be the best compliment to that outfit if not a cute designer custom-made hair accessory? 

I have made floral accessories in silk and other fabrics as well as fascinators in sinamay for young ladies.

One of my long-standing favourites is this original silk and lace butterfly headband in sugar pink. I painted all the fabrics by hand  using colours for silk. This allows me to create the accessory in an array of colours to perfectly match a little girl's dress. The butterfly is decorated with ostrich feathers and Japanese seed beads.

 This is an example of a delicate floral headpiece accented with pearl beads in a matching colour. I used pure silk fabrics of several types and painted them by hand. A headdress like this one is ideal for little bridesmaids at weddings.  Other colours are available to order.

 This alice headband decorated with a distressed denim camellia flower is a versatile hair accessory for the coming summer. Not only will it complete little princess' denim outfits, but it will also complement her light romantic dresses and skirts with floral prints. I would recommend it for everyday wear. To get  your own complete set of denim accessories you can order a brooch and hair clips made with the same fabric.

My latest creation for young ladies is this elegant triple bow of sinamay and birdcage veil on a headband. I embroidered the centre of the bow with Japanese seed beads and covered the headband in Indian dupioni sik in a matching colour. 

 This fascinator is perfect for special occasions and can be made to order in other colours to complement an chosen outfit and to complete the look.

I have more ideas to add to the collection of little princess' accessories so keep your eyes peeled for them :-)))

Fantasy fabric flowers

Last time I was talking about how realistic silk roses can be. The pictures I shared showed the variety of form and colour one can achieve when making them. In this respect painting silk by hand comes in handy by allowing for the gradation of colour, which mimics flowers in the wild.

But who said that we have to be restricted by any limits and only create realistic flowers? No one.

Depending upon the project I often require a fantasy flower to complete it. For my fantasy flowers I frequently use  precoloured fabrics such as the gorgeous Indian dupioni with its soft sheen, or satin silk, viscose velvet etc. I stiffen the chosen fabrics as I do the white ones (see one of the ways to do it described in my post here) and then use them to create fantasy blooms that can only be limited by the imagination.

Thus,  for making black flowers I believe it is easier and better to simply use black silks rather then dye them by hand as it is almost impossible to achieve a really intense rich black colour. 

Birdcage veil with a black rose

 I use lace, beads, feathers, freshwater pearls and other components to decorate my fantasy flowers and make them look more striking and spectacular.

Black orchid corsage

For this large rose I used soft satin in golden sand colour which makes it a perfect accessory to go with any earthy-toned clothing, such as browns, yellows, oranges, yellowish green and ecru.

Golden satin rose

Unlike the warm golden rose this one is created using silvery coloured silk and is set amidst hand painted double organza leaves in mauve and grey hues. The organza I used is enriched with a silver lame thread.

Bridal rose hairpiece

For wedding floral pieces sometimes it is best to use pure white, cream or ivory silks. By combining fabrics with different textures I add interest and volume to these flowers.

Bridal peony veil on a comb

Natural silks, lace, beads, ivory freshwater pearls... What can be more bridal? :-)

White rose halo

Should you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to share them in the comments below. I really appreciate your feedback.

Want to know how to create realistic looking silk rose leaves with a 3D effect? Here's how I do it

Please be kindly informed that we have moved! To read new blog posts, purchase our floral pieces and learn more about how to make flowers you are welcome to visit out new website.

A lot of you have commented on the 3D effect my silk leaves have wondering how I manage to achieve it. Now you can do it too with my new updated and extended e-book tutorial, which is available for purchase from my  website store for just £6

Click here to order

Packed with tips and hints this 20 page .pdf ebook  will teach you how to create impressive leaves for you projects every time. I have included the patterns too.

You can use an array of different fabrics, such as silks, velvet, lace to make just the right leaves you require. No more fruitless searches online when you can make them in a matter of minutes.

Who is this tutorial for:

• milliners

• accessory designers

• silk flower makers

• those, who know how to work with a flower iron and would like to improve their results.

To read more please click here

Realistic looking silk roses

Please be kindly informed that we have moved! To read new blog posts, purchase our floral pieces and learn more about how to make flowers you are welcome to visit out new website.

The rose is often called queen of all flowers. And indeed who can resist its variety of form and colour, the velvety petals and sweet scent?

I love roses, both real and made of silk. In our garden we have 5 potted rose bushes and 3 old  climbing plants. David Austin varieties are probably the best for spectacular blooms and they are  often  scented. Just flicking through the pages of his catalogue provides endless inspiration for a silk flower designer!

Last week I finished two pieces with English roses, a hair comb and a corsage. They are both multi petaled flowers but look rather different, one being open with stamens and the other being packed with small frilly petals.

This English rose hair clip can add a romantic touch to your summer look or your bridal image. 

Golden rose hair comb

Made of pure silk of several kinds, hand shaped and hand painted the rose hair clip is a unique accessory which can be customised in colour and size to match your outfit or your wedding theme. It can make an equaly nice brooch, or a hair comb, be mounted on a headband, sewn onto a dress or your favourite summer hat. Being hand crafted the rose hair clip is an exclusive one of a kind accessory.

The other English rose looks equally spectacular with its swirl of petals in the middle and a circle of outer petals.

Again made of natural fabrics and painted by hand the rose is customisable and can make a versatile accessory. Here I have it in rich mauve and burgundy colours set against shiny leaves and finished with a brooch base. It makes a great and unique gift too for any rose lover.

As with all my creations the English rose brooch is shipped in a gift box ready to be presented. In addition I can offer a complimentary gift wrapping service on any gift order and post it on your behalf to your addressee.

I would love to read your comments about my roses and ideas you have on where else they can be used either as accessories or decorations.

Leather and suede flowers

Please be kindly informed that we have moved! To read new blog posts, purchase our floral pieces and learn more about how to make flowers you are welcome to visit out new website.

As I have mentioned before the techniques similar to the ones I use for silk flowers can be used for genuine leather and suede in order to make floral accessories. Although there are some specifics when working with leather I use the same set of tools to shape leather petals and leaves. 

I must say that leather being such a rich and luxurious material requires less work done to it to make an accessory when compared to using silk. In my experiments I have tried both leather and suede and as any natural material they proved to be great to work with.

I would like to share several of my latest leather accessories with you.

 To continue reading please click here

Happy Easter everyone!

I hope you all had a lovely Easter weekend. We spent Sunday doing very little, in fact nothing apart from hot cross bun baking (with stem ginger and dark chocolate chips) and little soft sheep toy sewing. The sheep turned out to be really sweet. Just look at her:

I am really becoming addicted to these soft tilda toys! I just have to make sure I do not sew too many to clutter the house :-)

Earlier this week I finished a hairpiece with a black rose. It is a evening fascinator completed with French veiling and decorated with a  large silk rose set amidst lace and velvet leaves.

The hairpiece is finished with a thin metal headband.

As with most of my creations I can offer this fascinator to be made to order in other colours to perfectly match your outfit. Please head to my Etsy store to check this fascinator out or alternatively place your order for a bespoke piece. It would be lovely to hear from you :-)

Hairpieces galore!

Please be kindly informed that we have moved! To read new blog posts, purchase our floral pieces and learn more about how to make flowers you are welcome to visit out new website.

It is very cold in England. Despite the fact that the astronomic spring arrived in Blighty last Wednesday we continue to suffer from strong winds, snow and overnight frosts. People are desperate to see a bit of sunshine and the social media are full of signs of their despair such as this one:

So to cheer us all up we've made a photo shoot starring my friend Katya from Moscow, wearing a number of my floral accessories and cocktail hats.

One of my recent wreaths is this double cherry blossom open wreath which is perfect for a romantic, countryside or beach wedding. As the name suggests it will fit any size as it fastens up with a pure silk ribbon at the back.

 My long time favourite, the black silk and lace butterfly hair fascinator is decorated with beads and ostrich feathers. The  butterfly is finished with a thin headband and available to order in other colours to match your dress. 

Another perfect bridal hair accessory is this delicate fantasy clematis flower set against classic spotted French veiling and embellished with ostrich feathers. For the flower I used pure silk of several kinds, as well as thin floral lace. The clematis veil fascinator is finished with a hair comb.

Now this is an unusual cocktail hat fit for a beautiful equestrienne or a woodland princess. It will look equally charming at a party or an occasion to impress. The rigid base is covered with pure chocolate silk and adorned with a long golden pheasant feather. I used seed beads, bugle beads and faceted glass beads to embroider the base of the feather and add a bit of sparkle to the hat. The piece is finished with hat elastic.

One more veil fascinator for a wedding this time with a large peony. The silk flower is made of silk habotai and silk organza and embellished with freshwater pearls. For the leaves I used floral lace doubled with silk organza. The delicate flower is finished with a comb and French veiling.

And last but not least is this fantasy flower hair fascinator made of black sinamay. I used some peacock feathers to decorate it. To perfectly match your outfit the flower fascinator can be made in an array of other colours. The piece is finished with a hair comb.

I'd like to think you have enjoyed the pictures as we have enjoyed shooting them for you. It would be lovely to hear what you liked most and why. And for now let's hope the spring is just around the corner 

             :-)

My second Wedding Fair, bestsellers and more

You know this feeling: you are waiting for something, the time is dragging on and it seems that it will never happen. But voila, with a blink of an eye the long-awaited event has come and gone! After 2 months of rather intensive preparations yesterday I took part in my second Wedding Fair ever and the first one in the new area. The event was organised by Norfolk Brides (many thanks to Dalia) and was held at the beautiful Drayton Old Lodge wedding and conference centre. As a result of a lot of advertising on social media and in the local press, we had a decent footfall. 

Here is how my stand looked at the Fair:

Despite a very chilly day the morning started very busy and continued up until lunchtime. The second half was slower partially probably due to the local football game. I saw many more genuinely interested brides and their mothers than at my first Fair. The most popular item turned out to be my wedding butterflies as hair clips, brooches and headbands.

The oat pearl headband with a large white rose was second most popular along with veil fascintors and wedding hats.

This unique headband in the roaring 20s style can be purchased from my Etsy shop. I can also make to order similar headbands in silver grey and golden colours.

 Given the number of business cards and leaflets handed out let us hope for a busy forthcoming wedding season. Meanwhile I shall continue working on new wedding designs which I will share with you here :-)

Mother's Day rose brooch

Please be kindly informed that we have moved! To read new blog posts, purchase our floral pieces and learn more about how to make flowers you are welcome to visit out new website.

As we all know 2 days ago the country celebrated Mothering Sunday. And we were pleased to have my mother-in-law visiting us  for the weekend. Traveling to us by train meant that giving fresh flowers was not an option. That is why I decided to give her a ... silk flower of course :-)

This is one of my latest roses and it is particularly good for using in accessories thanks to its shape, double middle and large petals which make it very durable. 

 I chose the rich colours which I thought would match my mother-in-law's style. And I was not wrong! She found the silk rose brooch very nice and most suitable for her wardrobe.

Hope you all had a lovely Mother's Day too :-)

A pillbox hat with silk roses

Please be kindly informed that we have moved! To read new blog posts, purchase our floral pieces and learn more about how to make flowers you are welcome to visit out new website.

It is natural to use my handmade silk flowers to decorate hats and fascinators. That is why I would like to master the art of hat making and from time to time I try and create a hat which I can then embellish with my flowers.
As I am in the process of getting ready for a Wedding Fair with a vintage twist I have decided to make a wedding pillbox hat.

As you can see the hat is made of buckram frame covered with silk dupioni and finished with hat elastic. For decoration I created an English rose with a bud and foliage (several types of silk fabric) as well as goose biot feathers and a couple of diamonds of French veil.

The diameter of the pillbox hat is 15 cm.
The hat is available for purchase from my Etsy shop

I would be pleased to read your comments about the hat and the flowers.