'People are like stained - glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out..'-Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Rejoice, rejoice! The Sun is here! Hurry up and catch some rays because we could wake up tomorrow and be back to poxy normal Irish weather! One of the bestest things about seeing the sunshine is blocking it out! We know the whole point of sunglasses is to protect your eyes from the sun so of course we always choose our shades based on their UV protection qualities...right?!Let's pretend that this is true and that looking and feeling cool is just a bonus. Unlike Audrey there I don't normally wear my glasses with a tiara and pearls but if not why not eh?! 
Aviators were cool in Top Gun and its no different in real life! If you want to add that extra bit of celeb luster than why not go for mirrored aviators and you can act totally aloof. Wayfarers have that trendy creative type look and Teashades(John Lennon)glasses have seen a resurgence in their popularity thanks to Riri and Gaga. My personal favourites are the cat eye frames that add that touch of old school glamour-puss!

If you are willing to splash out then Tkmaxx has a huge selection of great brands for glasses including Pepe Jeans, Guess & French Connection. If like me you will probably end up sitting on your glasses in the car or losing them somewhere than perhaps a cheaper option would be tortishell wayfarers from Dunnes Stores, cats eyes from Retro in the Georges St Arcade or for oversized, bug eyes and any other style then you just can't beat Pennys or Forever 21.

'I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond' -Mae West

I think I must have been a magpie in a past life because I am drawn to sparkle and shine(and I also love black and white). The best thing about jewelry for me is that it doesn't matter if you are having a fat day or not or if you're tan-less it will always look nice. Once upon a time I would have said that saving up for a piece from a jewelers was much more advisable that buying lots of cheap costume jewelry but life is too short and I am terrified of wearing good jewelry anywhere in case I lose it. So once I decided that buying cheap stuff was OK I expanded my jewel collection to epic proportions! I then needed to create something to house my rings so here is my Picasso inspired pottery jewelry holder head.

When I'm on the hunt for something ethnic or vibrant colored I head straight for the George's St Arcade as they have a huge selection of intricate beaded pieces in every colour of the rainbow and they also have very affordable Egyptian style cuffs AND beaded cuffs. Dorothy Perkins always has exceptionally good value on their sale jewelry and a great place to pick up any gold accessories and dainty earrings. I picked up two of my favorite rings including the blue and black wolf head in the pictureabove in Om Diva...they always have something that's a little bit different. H & M provided me with the large gold link chain on my model above as well as many other lightweight statement necklaces. The great thing about jewelry is that you can have it in a drawer for years with no use and then suddenly you find that its that very item that completes a brand new outfit. The silver lining of the cloud that it tidying my room is that I spend at least an hour 'tidying' my jewelry and most of the time feeling rather pleased with myself that I have such an extensive collection. Diamonds(and high-street gems) really ARE a girls' best friend!

Love, love, love this quote! So very true, anyone can pick the outfit from the mannequin in the shop window but a true fashionista will see potential in even the most hideous of garments! If you can take something with no 'hanger appeal' and make it fabulous then you've got style. I used to panic slightly when I would find something which I thought was an absolute steal because it was still left on the sale rack but then doubt would set in and I'd start to wonder WHY is this on sale and am I sight impaired because I think its a miracle that it hasn't been snapped up already. Now I just think to myself, you're not cool and you never were and maybe you're not fashionable(and there are plenty of pictures to prove that one) but you like what you like and when you wear it you feel good about it(and yourself). This year I will be debuting my white jeans, I've always wanted white jeans but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't slightly fearful of them BUT they were on sale in River Island and for 12 euro I'll risk looking a bit silly(or not with a bit of luck). Life is too short so go forth and dare to be different!  

Dressmaking update...this week I sewed stuff! After carefully cutting out all the pieces of fabric for my dress I then zig-zag stitched the pieces today to keep them from fraying.  I still find the sewing machine a bit terrifying and hopefully I will master soon as I have a tendency to form strong dislikes of inanimate objects that won't do what I want them to. And the best news...I have enough material left over to make a matching Turban! Now I am on the hunt for some amazing  trimmings and embellishment . I'm also excited for my second instalment of the Great British Sewing Bee, in the same way that the Great British Bake Off inspired me to cook (EAT) the Great British Sewing Bee is great example of what you can do with a bit of talent and a lot of creativity. There are some great characters in it. I cannot wait to see how the remaining man survives with seven women.  

The Vintage Fair was a great success on Sunday. Luckily for us we got to meet the lovely Deborah and Elaine from Closer2Fabulous and got some delicious cake samples from Bake My Cake. There were some stunning wedding dresses and very dedicated models who probably lost half their body weight walking round the very vast Carton House.  We almost lost a pair of our fancy-pants briefs in the car park but aside from that it was a spiffing day and lovely to step back in time for a bit.

This Sunday, 2nd of March, When Poppy Met Daisy will be appearing at the Spectacular Vintage Wedding Fair in Carton House, Kildare. We'll be promoting our hen parties and DIY bridal workshops and also soaking up all the vintage vibes from the fashion show and live performances! Bash magazine will be giving DIY demos and tips which is great as more and more brides are taking elements of the wedding into their owns hands and putting personal touches to each aspect. 

We'll be dressing to impress in our vintage themed clobber which I am super excited about as vintage to me spells glamour. I love love love vintage jewellery and luckily for me I have handmade drop pearl earrings and a matching hair slide that I have been to wear since March last year. Weather permitting I may have an excuse to finally don my fur coat although I reckon my tk maxx 'Doris Day' coat will get a dusting of if this glorious sunshine continues and any excuse to wear a fringed dress is fine by me. Lorna has fabulous samples of black & dusty pink lace garters as well as samples for the customize your own knickers class AND last but by no means least...nipple tassels! The dusty pinks and peaches and beiges of old style clothes are so opulent and regal and I am really looking forward to seeing the outfits at the fair.

The only thing cuter than a baby hedgehog is a fashionable baby hedgehog!

I thought it was about time I actually did a class instead of talking about how I'd love to do something creative! My first class was great! I hadn't been near a sewing machine since school and I was a little bit unnerved at the sight of a bobbin as it brought back memories of stressful Home Ec classes! But...once I was shown how to thread my machine sure I was flying along my piece of paper(practicing on paper is brilliant because you follow the lines yay) The other girls in the class are lovely and there is a great atmosphere as everyone hammers away on their machines!

This week I got my pattern and as you can see its très chic! I got it in the 'very easy' section of the vogue patterns. My hope is to do the one with the sleeves in a navy cotton twill. Once I have made the basic pattern I have two ideas on what to do next...One option is to make a Moroccan princess type frock with gold trim on the neck and sleeves and maybe some thin gold rope and considering I have a drawer at home overflowing with beads, buttons and sequins I think I will have no trouble finding supplies! OR I could do an African queen type kaftan dress with a multi-coloured Aztec trim. I am leaning towards the African theme as I discovered Lorna can teach me how to make a Turban!! I was quite surprised that it took me the full two hour class to cut out my pattern and then my materials but sure if a job is worth doing its worth doing well! I cannot wait for next week's class so I can get back on the machine of get stitching! In the mean time I will be keeping my eyes peeled for any bits of treasure that can help me make a dress of optimum Fabulosity!

Emma xx

Here at When Poppy Met Daisy we've decided its about time we share a bit more about us with you! Over the next while we will share our insights into the world of When Poppy Met Daisy, who we are, what we love and what we do!

We will be discussing our progress in our weekly Dressmaking course sharing with you the fun bits from each class and maybe even the end result if your lucky!

We will discuss events that are upcoming both in relation to WHen Poppy Met Daisy and also other fashion events that interest us!

We will be talking about shop that here we find

Feel good photo of the week