My Velvet Boutique

Closure of Online Store

noreply@blogger.com (Jeda Lewis) — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 09:04:00 +0000

It has been a great six years, but the time has come to move on to new projects.

The VB online shop will be closing this Friday, 10th September. You can read my official statement

or start browsing as it really is your LAST CHANCE TO BUY!!

http://www.velvetboutique.co.uk/

Jeda xx

April Shenanigans

noreply@blogger.com (Jeda Lewis) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 09:54:00 +0000

April has whooshed by! The kids had a choc-and-fun filled Easter with their grandparents while my other half and me dallied in London for three nights. We were down in support of his brother who had a lead in Beyond the Horizon at the National, and had the added perk of staying with one of my best buddies from art college.

Beyond the Horizon has been getting 4* and 5* stars in the Guardian, Independent, Telegraph, etc so it is a very exciting time for my brother-in-law. It's been years since we've been to London, there's never enough time to do an eighth of what you hope to. The Southbank would be a great spot to take the kids... next time.

I just about survived the Easter holidays, but, really, I reckon they have far too many days off! May is rift with them, but it happens to be the school centenary so I'm on the look out for kids Victorian garb. And soon enough it'll be the summer hols - six weeks of entertainment required! Come August it'll only be a year until my youngest is at school, then he'll be old enough to pack off to summer camps with his sister. ;-) "They're only young once" and all that. I've been struggling to practise the cello recently (blame it on the sore joints-see below) but have decided to teach my daughter the piano. I've got a couple of challenges: 1. I can read the bass clef perfectly (well, almost) as cello music is primary written in that one, but treble clef - I aint got a clue! 2. We only have a keyboard with about a 4.5 octave range. Hmmm...

I'm on a six week break from my hormone therapy which has lightened my mood, but it'll take another couple of weeks to see if it has any effect. I must admit I was gutted as just when my energy levels seemed to be clawing back to normal I got hit with 24hr joint pain! I have been threatened with a bone scan but I'm hoping I might get signed off the Tamoxifen. Hubby says not to hold my breath, but I don't know, constant pain versus low risk of secondaries - it's a tough decision in this constant countdown to year five (two down). :-)

In happier news, I have seen some amazing new collections from a few of the VB designers, so must put together a taster for you soon. And JUST IN are some new scribble socks by the lovely Hilary Laing. Been making some great connections on Twitter - catch you over there?

Jeda x

Wedding Fever

noreply@blogger.com (Jeda Lewis) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:01:00 +0000

I have a very excited flower-girl-to-be on my hands!

We have had the wonderful news that not only is my brother getting married, but also my partner’s sister as well – the same summer! The grand events may not be taking place until next year, but I am full of wedding fever, especially as one of my oldest friends is tying the knot this July. So all this wedding excitement has inspired me to create a Wedding Ideas page – full of gift recommendations and outfit options. And I will have to be organised as I have offered to make all the flower girl dresses – a total of four! But I cannot forget my son, of course, so will probably have to run up a couple of matching page boy outfits too – phew! Not forgetting the jewellery :-)

In other news there are some delightful door stops now available from Astrid Weigel (and a lovely hand-painted face doll) as well as a few new glam clutches from Dazed Dorothy.

noreply@blogger.com (Jeda Lewis) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:54:00 +0000

Talented knitwear designer Nicola McGhee is the fine lady behind Mini McGhee - a new label inspired by timeless traditional knit and embroidery textiles. Nicola has created a range of baby blankets in classic baby blue, pink and cream as well as bright stripes - worthy family heirlooms. To compliment the collection she also has a range of soft knitted cushions and drawstring bags made from specially selected vintage fabrics.

noreply@blogger.com (Jeda Lewis) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:45:00 +0000

New Collections Just In...

Nathalie is the delightful range featuring beautiful hand-drawn prints fusing state-of-the-art technology with traditional craft skills.

The prints are simply charming and have been evolved into belts, cushions and shoulder bags all in tactile satin.

Spring is in the air!

noreply@blogger.com (Jeda Lewis) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:44:00 +0000

It's still mighty cold but spring is well and truly in the air. I've been loving the sunny days but can't wait until I can cast off the winter woollies - hopefully by June!

I've been a bit quiet on here - naughty girl! Christmas was busy (of course) and January was spent on a secret project and February just flew by. I had my last op in Feb and although it was only a one night stay I ambitiously thought I'd only need two days off work. Well it was a much faster recovery than the big op of 08, just a couple of weeks really :-) So that's me all tidied up now and trying to put the breast cancer behind me. Which is tricky at times, what with my family history of BC and being a mum of two and being a sister of two lovely young ladies...

Well the sunny days have certainly been reflecting my disposition and I am so pleased to be getting my energy levels back. I can't believe that I've just passed 2 years since diagnosis. It's wonderful, but where did those two years go? Recovery, respite, re-cooperation. 2010 is going to be quite a year, I feel like yelling "I'm back!"

Well I am pleased to announce two new fab designers Mini McGhee & Nathalie and new bags from favourite Dazed Dorothy. I'll post pics shortly, but in the mean-time for the latest instant updates best to follow me on Twitter or Facebook. I've just joined Twitter - it's fun!

Jeda x

noreply@blogger.com (Jeda Lewis) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:05:00 +0000

I am so proud to have another of our designers be featured by Vogue. Eclectic Shock's divine one-off pieces of re-worked vintage jewellery are a joy to behold. You are always complimented when wearing one of her bracelets or necklaces. I have just updated the site with a new range of delightful items from her treasure trove...

To ease the pain on your purse this party season, Mark Conlin has just reduced his prices and with the new VB Members only offer of a further 20% Off (until 25th Nov) his fabulous dresses are now a steal!

What's New on VB!

noreply@blogger.com (Jeda Lewis) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:05:00 +0000

I see it's been quite a while since my last post - I have been neglectful! This year is just shooting by! After the challenge of dealing with breast cancer last year, this summer was all about just spending some quality time with family, particularly my kids. I am happy to report that my energy levels have finally started improving, so I can now pour more hours into VB - yey! I think I really turned a corner this Summer and I am starting the process of putting the cancer behind me and being able to welcome the future rather than fear it. It's quite liberating!

So, I must now introduce some wonderful new fashion and accessory designers I am honoured to have on VB...

First up Iona Crawford. Iona is quickly becoming a rising star on the international fashion scene. Quoted on Vogue.com as "One of the most avant-garde young designers emerging today", Iona Crawford manipulates contrasting weights and textures of fabric, exploring structure and silhouette. Immaculate tailoring and impeccable garment construction marry with the finest cashmeres, wools, linens and tweeds, complimented by handknitted pieces and laser-cut Scottish leather. Iona is highly acclaimed as winner of the Betty Davies award and she was shortlisted for the Scottish Fashion Awards for the past two years running.

Pure by Catriona Garforth is a bespoke fashion label offering hand made, unique dresses featuring beautiful draping to flatter our feminine curves. Made from hand-dyed soft cottons and featuring boned and structured bodies with subtle detailing giving the collection its edge. Prices start at £145. We say: "Stylish, sexy and superb shades!"

Mark Conlin's glamorous collection, hailed by fashion icon Vivenne Westwood as "exciting" and "avant garde" is inspired by the opulence of Bollywood whilst incorporating an element of distress. Accentuate your curvy assets in luxurious silks, satins and leather feature with sparkly hand embellishments of Swarovski crystals, distressed sequins, precious stones and pearls. Along with Iona, Mark showcased his collection at Dressed To Kilt in NYC earlier this year. Mark has just told me he is showing at the Scottish Style Awards!

As seen on Vogue.com, Kingdom of Style blog and in LOOK Magazine

Shortlisted for 'Accessory Designer of the Year' at the Scottish Fashion Awards 2009

Hilary Laing designs are cheerful, fun and will brighten up even the darkest day. All her designs are quirky, originating from a personal experience and response to children and their creative outlook on life. Laing's delightful screen prints appear on a wide range of clothing and accessories, including colourful printed dresses, cravats, bangles, ties, scarves, headbands and underwear. I have always been a fan of bright and bold tights - I just love her scribble tights!

We've got lost more new collections coming in the next couple of weeks and great new VB member's promotions... so watch this space!

Renew, rebirth, replenish

noreply@blogger.com (Jeda Lewis) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 09:44:00 +0000

It's been a busy few months since my last post. What have I been doing? Well my daughter's dance school (which also runs professional dance courses) asked me to design their website as they loved the rebranding work I did for them last year. Dance For All kept me pretty busy, but I have also been immersed in the murky soup of advertising while preparing new designers collections for VB.

I also felt it was high time I took stock of my Jeda Pearl range, so I took a few precious hours out of VB to replenish my soul by renew my own collection. I have added four new colours to the Aeshna dragonfly range, bestowing the title “Debutant” upon them: Amber, Emerald, Chrysolite and Black Diamond. For the first time I have also dabbled in semi-precious gemstone necklaces. I love the sparkle of the Swarovski beads, but gemstones have this extra depth and subtlety to them - what do you think? (Click on images to link to collections)

New jewellery and accessories...

New funky, quirky and stylish home decor...

noreply@blogger.com (Jeda Lewis) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:38:00 +0000

I've just started teaching my seven year old daughter to sew and she loves it! When she's not hand sewing, she's using my old faithful "New Home" [now Janome] machine which was my Mum's old faithful. I'm now lusting after a Bernina Artista 730E Embroidery Machine, but while I'm saving up the £4,000, I think we could have fun making Barbie ballgowns with this mini-sewing machine from John Lewis. I'm a sucker for pillar-box-red home accessories, so much so there's now a ban on red kitchen accessories in our house! It's so cute in retro red. Will Santa deliver?

Back-up your back-ups!

noreply@blogger.com (Jeda Lewis) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 23:06:00 +0000

I am so relieved to have completed the website re-build! When my old computer died on me and I discovered that my website back-ups had not saved to the portable hard-drive where I thought they were automatically saving, I really thought I couldn't take much more. I was so pleased to be throwing myself back into Velvet Boutique after having to take most of the year off to deal with and recover from breast cancer, that I started to think that maybe I was cursed! Well, it's definitely a lesson to always have two back-ups and double check that they are where you think they are. Luckily we didn't lose our extensive family photo archives, which could have been the straw that broke this old camel! Well, tonight I am triumphant and undefeated. Yey!

Have a browse, there are so many lovely items for all budgets...

http://www.velvetboutique.co.uk/acatalog/index2.htm

Happy Halloween Memories

noreply@blogger.com (Jeda Lewis) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:51:00 +0000

I miss art college! I miss the infamous Halloween parties. I can’t decide which was my favourite year? The one we all went as Batman characters or the Austin Powers themed one…? I will never forget a fellow student who would spend months on his costumes and would inevitably win the “best costume” every year. One year he was Jabba the Hut – brilliant! And the next year he really out-did himself: a “Borg” from Star Trek – it was so realistic, I was scared that “resistance was futile” and I would be assimilated into the Borg’s single consciousness to wreak havoc across the universe!

How was your Halloween? I have spent the last three years living Halloween through my children :-( Daddy is pretty good with the scary face paints wouldn’t you agree?! This year I really wanted to dress up too, so I painted a pretty big bat flying across a moon on my cheek and then realized I’d have to walk to the office on my own after dropping the kids at school and nursery! Let me just say that most of the people I passed that morning seemed to have forgotten it was Halloween.

Just to prove our two are adorable under all that freaky face paint!

Bounding Back

noreply@blogger.com (Jeda Lewis) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 21:39:00 +0000

This year I’ve been forced to keep Velvet Boutique on a low profile, which was so frustrating. Since my breast cancer diagnosis in January, I felt that 2008 was getting sucked into a black hole, but it turns out that I am one of the lucky ones – early detection ladies – be breast aware! Now that I’ve been expertly patched back up, I am in a constant state of optimism. I am [metaphorically] bounding back this Autumn in a design fever and with a new accolade:

REGIONAL SHORT-LIST IN THE O2 X AWARDS
- FASHION BUSINESS CATEGORY, SPONSORED BY GRAZIA

Yey! How utterly fabulous! I’ve posted the show stopping neckpiece I wore on the day of the panel interview – everyone loved it. I must confess that Lorraine Linton is one of my favourite designers. Her tactile label “Into” is one I drool over. We are now discussing an exclusive capsule collection (picture secretive whispers over a bottle of Shiraz). If you cannot wait, then check out her knitted accessories in the boutique.

Talking of neck adornment… I am loving that new-vintage look just now. Eclectic Shock is really a trend-setter in this genre. What’s not to love when you are getting a one-off piece of jewellery which has been created from antique curios which the designer, Louise, has painstakingly collected from antique markets up and down the country? And they sparkle!