Poisoned Apple Bags Review and Q&A

Hi!
I finally got to ask the lovely lady behind Poisoned Apple Bags,

some of the questions you asked via my instagram and twitter! Also i got my hands on one of her EPIC creations, which i have reviewed below after the q&a;

Q & A

#1 How long have you been into making your own items? And what were the original creations before bags?
  > I've always been a bit 'crafty'; making jewellery or a bit of cross stitch. Before i started making bags I made handmade candles and then developed into decoupaged shoes and bags. I was taking lessons from my mum into how to sew with a machine, and many, many tutorials on Youtube later I now make my bags :)

#2 What was the hardest thing for you, when you first decided to start up your own buisness?
  > Last year when i started with my shoes . It was a bit of an accident to start a business from doing something I liked to do. It was the same with my bags, I made some and people liked them... and boom! Almost a year later I'm establishing a little fanbase in my corner of the world.

#3 What are the key three things you'd go back and tell your younger, pre-bag making, self?
  > First thing would be just to try everything! Don't be afraid of anything. If you want to learn - learn! The second thing is to just enjoy everything and the minute you stop enjoying it - stop doing it. The 3rd and final thing would be just to be prepared for negativity. Unfortunately there are a lot of keyboard warriors out there- so develop a thick skin, keep your head up and just have faith- you'll be ok!

#4 What are your top tips for first-time bag makers, or people who want to get there own crafty buisness up and running?
  > My top tip is just to keep trying things. If something doesn't work, try something different. Watch tutorials, read some books - there are some fab free patterns out there too so give it a go! Social media plays a big part in a business these days so get out there!

#5 What inspires you and your bags?
> I take inspiration from everywhere really. Fabrics of all colours and patterns.

#6 Why did you choose the brand name "poisoned apple"?
> Poisoned Apple was inspired by Disney. I am obsessed with the Disney movies and especially love the villains so when thinking of a brand this did stick out to me :) Its fun with a darker edge which i think matches my style :)

#7 Where can we find you- any up coming events and website links?
> I'm slowly winding down for 2014 now but you can always order from my website HERE or find me on twitter @poisonedapple14 - look out for next years events soon!


THE BAG...

 There was one word i kept repeating when i got my amazing bag in the post; Unique. Every bag from this store is! And usually featuring belovid characters or villans from tv and film.
 I was literally over the moon when i opened my box, it was wrapped beautifully, with personalised 'Poisoned Apple' Ribbon, all colour co-ordinated wrapping too! It's definetly the little details that add to these items.
My bag was featuring Malificent... which that in itself had me hooked, but not only does it feature one of the best Disney Villans, it also has plenty of beautiful embelishments and ribbon, a detachable shoulder chain, and its fully lined and feels sterdy enough to handle all your bits and pieces when you're out and about. And because it's such a unique item it definetly stands out in the crowd, and anyone in that crowd with a gd-ye will immediatly seek you out and compliment you endlessly! (Trust me i know first-hand).
I had one of the smaller ones and still managed to fit my phone, purse, keys and a few make-up essentials in it for my staff Christmas Meal. It's ideal and i genuinely cannot fault it. It's practical and stunning to look at and is made to a high quality standard. Im thorougly impressed!

Poisoned Apple Bags Collaboration!

I am excited to announce i shall be working along-side the lady behind Poisoned Apple Bags. 
These unique and quirky bags are INSANE and will leave any fan of Nerd/Geek paraphernalia DROOLING.  
 Between her light-heated approach and amazing designs you'll be as addicted as i am. Every time she posts a new creation i get all excited insinde. 


Also if  YOU want to work for her for a night at a London Catwalk show- brick lane, on November 13th contact me or go over to Poisoned Apples Twitter HERE -It's unpaid unfortunately but there will be catwalk pictures offered for your portfolio as well as being featured on my Blog!



Also check out her website: http://www.po-ap.com/, and her etsy store https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/PoAp?ref=l2-shopheader-name to have a look through all of her pretty things, and keep an eye open for me too! :p 
Lots more awesome things to come, but please do go and check this awesome lady out! You wont regret it. 
XxX

June/July Faves, what I've been up to, why i've been quiet and HOW MANY VIEWS?!

In simple terms...there have been a lot of issues.
The End.

...But please read on for more!

Smells amazing!

After many job/money issues my partner and I are now moving at the end of the month and downsizing, to a much nicer and may i add Warmer house! Right next to a beautiful park with a river, and when i say next to, i mean literally i can hop over the wall and i'll be in the park! Whoop! so i've been busy packing this month- (as in august) so nothing really interesting to report. BUT, June and July were pretty darn good months! Although we were having to be frugal with spending i did hit up a few charity shops (thrift shops) and found a couple of awesome finds!

 I also found this awesome quilted folder, seems to be hand made, or hand-repaired. Its so soft and looks amazing. I love this kind of "weathered" vintage look to things. Its just larger than A4 Size so i've been using it to keep my sketch book in.

 Other things i've done the past few months, i've been focusing mainly on beauty or haul related blog posts, and this seems to be what all you guys love! I've had OVER 2000 views on my blog now! Which is INSANE for a small town girl like me, but not only that my Google+ page has been viewed so many times i'm literally blown away! Over 33,000! i tell no lies!

I've been catching up with Supernatural, seems as they are on season 10 now i thought i'd best get up to date! I've been slacking! And in true fan-girl terms this means I've power-watched through from season 1 to 5 in a matter of weeks (around work and packing). and i have also re-discovered my 9 year long obsession with that damn Impala! OMNOMNOM

Also for my sins i discovered the American section in Tesco where i live, i now have an possible incurable addiction to Peanut butter Oreo's.

Sorry things have been so boring! As i said i am moving the end of this month and once i am all moved in i will hopefully begin my Vlog! whoop! especially with my nice shiny  new surroundings! Plus MY BIRTHDAY is the end of the month too so hopefully if I've been good enough i'll have a birthday haul to show you guys too!

As usual please follow me via;
    Instagram (@sway1988)
   Facebook
   Twitter (@swaytenshi)
   She Said Beauty
   Blog Lovin'

Thanks again for all your support so far!
XxX

Wreck this Journal!

Thought i'd do a fun keep-track of my Wreck this Journal Stuffs! So you can steal ideas or just keep up to tabs with what im doing! Im not doing it in any order and i may not even get all the pages done but i'll post up my wreck-it updates as soon as i do them! I bought my paperback copy from tesco for £5.

My Hair from Long to Short of it- and pros and cons.

(Basic pros and cons are at the bottom if you want to skip past my tale) 
  Like any modern day woman i'm in-decisive and constantly wanting to change and update my look. And up until two years ago, my look with my hair anyway was always long jet black hair, right from the age of 15/ 16. 

 

Even on my wedding day i still had my long black hair, i have had it cut a few times, or a few red streaks added etc but its pretty much always been like this. But then

apparently like most other "new brides" i went through the usual crisis of wanting a dramatic change now that i was a married woman. I'd realized that my fashion sense was my own and i didn't have to follow any trends so in order to make myself more unique and more like who i felt i should be, i had all of my hair lobbed off!

I believe it was one of the best things i've ever done. It was like i'd chopped off my security blanket that i was hiding behind and stepped out from the crowed, now i could have some fun! as sad as that sounds that's what changing my hair meant to me! it's exactly what it did! i was more confident in myself, in my style and more inclined to try new looks and that lead me to lightening my hair and eventually going blonde.

 Again stepping away from my security blanket of long black hair... i now had short blonde hair! Which also meant i could do a lot more with it! i ended up being able to do so much with my hair i think its one of the best things i've ever done! I'd had it white, lilac, pink...even multi. i felt i could express myself easier.

And now i'm right up to a pixie crop!

ANYWAY thats my quick hair length journey, now to the part you're really here for, should you cut your hair or grow it out? Here's a list of my personal pros and cons i've discovered. 

Pros and Cons:

• Long hair was easy to hide when it was getting a little dirty, you could easily whack it up in a bun or pony tail and no one would know, so with short hair its more effort - BUT the miracle that is Dry shampoo covers a multitude of sins with short hair! 
• Short hair uses less products, You may have to wash your hair more often and use some styling products like wax etc but over-all your shampoo usage is halved and the excuse "i'm washing my hair" doesn't work anymore. 
• Its quicker and easier to work with when its short, and you don't really have any of those "my hair wont do what i want it to" with styles etc.
• You can still have different hair styles day to day with short hair, especially as short as mine, you can pin back the fringe for a cute quiff or spike it up and volumise it for an edgy OTT quiff or even gel into a mow-hawk.
• Its easier to change your colour- there's less hair to actually damage, you don't need to use as much dye and you can go for bold bright colours without investing hours in bleaching, conditioning, re-bleaching to get the colour out of the saturated long ends where you've been dying it for years. 
• Lastly- and not meant as a 'dig' at people with long hair but i find personally i stand out from the crowd more, i'm not mixed with the generic long hair- pretty girls. Not that that's a bad thing if that is what you like, but personally I've never been a "pretty" girl, I've always been a Kick-your ass, tattoos, motorbikes and decorate my house with skulls and roses kinda woman. And for me short hair was the best choice I've ever made. Its made me step out of my shell and away from the usual conforms of what i thought was my personal fashion- when actually i was just trying to be like everyone else. Girls with their long luscious hair are beautiful but i was trying to be them and it really just wasn't me. 

   I'll be the first to admit i do get hair envy when i see someone with long blonde hair, but it last for a second and then i remember why i got rid of my curtain and stopped hiding myself away behind it all. There's no hiding now! It's the same as women with straight hair will always want curly and people with naturally curly will always want straight. I guess were blessed with being able to have the choices we do now. You can cut it off or grow it out, or straighten it or perm it.

   If your thinking of going short its a long-term commitment you have to live with for years before it'll grow back out again so think long and hard, but if you're doing it for the right reasons it'll be the best thing you've probably ever done. 

Just think before you chop!

XxX