Lou Lou Chic

Butterfly Love – gorgeous butterfly jewellery & accessories

loulou — Thu, 26 May 2011 11:51:29 +0000

I love Butterflies. I love their vibrant colours, the bow-like shape of their wings and their magical fluttering flight. They are widely regarded as a beautiful symbol of rebirth and transformation, and are popular images in many types of art and craft.

In chinese culture, two butterflies flying together are a symbol of love. Japanese superstition says that if a butterfly enters your room and perches then the person you most love is coming to see you! In other cultures their presence can be seen as either good or bad luck.

I love to wear butterfly prints and jewellery and have them around the home on pretty accessories such as our gorgeous butterfly metal and glass hooks. Perfect in the bedroom for hanging my butterfly necklaces!

Get some butterfly love…

Image – Sibella Court

Image – www.martindorgeval.com

Dress – www.missselfridge.com

Dress by Oasis via www.johnlewis.com

Shoes – Irregular Choice

Click to buy Vintage silk Cornelia James scarf

Click to buy silver butterfly necklace

Click to buy silver butterfly bangles

Click to buy silver butterfly ring

Click to buy silver filigree butterfly ring

Click to buy Rosie Fox peach bead butterfly necklace

Click to buy sparkly butterfly cuff

Click to buy vintage Royal Worcester plates

Click to buy butterfly and crystal hook

With love,

LouLou. x

Street Party

loulou — Fri, 06 May 2011 16:26:41 +0000

Hope you all enjoyed the Royal wedding on Friday. I know I did!

At a street party in Sidmouth in East Devon we ate sandwiches, drank Pimms and sang Land Of Hope And Glory. All before teatime. Later, we had the good fortune of winning a magnum of champaign in the local raffle in aid of the Princes Trust. It was a lot of champaign but it didn’t last long!

Here are the pics…

Here are some accessories fit for a princess (or a duchess…)

Gold Crown Hook

Silver 3 Crown Necklace

Silver Crown Bracelet

Union Jack Cushion

With love,

LouLou. x

I wanted to be a princess…

loulou — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 21:25:53 +0000

Can you remember the summer of 1981? More specifically, the day Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer. It was a warm and sunny one and I have some very warm if slightly fuzzy memories of running up and down the street with a plastic union jack flag, playing with the neighbourhood kids and eating lots of cake! I had never been to a street party before so it was unbelievably exciting that our little Crescent was closed off and I was able to run in the road without being told off. I wore my favourite white brodery anglaise dress with a red, white and blue paper hat. I was 6.

Check out my cool budgie bike! It’s a shame my parents weren’t better photographers but you get the idea…

It’s easy to be a bit miserable about the forthcoming wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, the media feeding frenzy dampens the enthusiasm somewhat. But I have to say, Charles and Di’s wedding was one of the stand out memories of my childhood. I hope the current generation of kids will enjoy a street party this year.

This Friday I will be at a street party in Devon with the same terrible photographers (Mum & Dad) plus husband, sister, and cousin and I’m pretty excited! It’s another long weekend off work, some quality family time and an opportunity to dress up. The theme is red, white and blue of course, so I’m planning to wear a red peter pan collar dress and vintage silk red, white and blue Jaeger scarf.

Have a lovely day this Friday!

With love,

LouLou. x

A very good Friday

loulou — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 17:05:05 +0000

It’s good Friday and we’re at home in the garden. With a glass of wine in hand I’m preparing our surroundings for a cosy evening huddled around the chimnea. The perfect finishing touch will be lighting the candle in this sweet hanging bird cage…

Ornamental birdcages

Happy Easter!

Love,

LouLou. x

Ice Cream Colours

loulou — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 15:52:23 +0000

Following my previous post on using pastel colours in your home, I have noticed lots of new fashion and accessories in ice cream colours for the summer.

Shades to create a really soft and girlie look are peach, lilac, mint, pink, ballerina nudes and baby blue in chiffon, jersey, pleats and ruffles.

As featured in this month’s Elle Magazine…

Candy colours in Grazia…

New additions to my wardrobe include, a cute mint green linen scarf, lilac flats and a pale pink skinny belt.

Mint scarf and pink lace belt – Primark. Pink bag – Zandra Rhodes

More pastel inspiration…

Images – Tumblr.com

Lilac converse – Very.co.uk

If you’re not that keen on looking like a ballerina or a scoop of neopolitan, a pastel piece of jewellery against a black or neutral toned outfit can soften your look. Pale pink, peach or lilac accents look great against slate grey, cream or nude tones.

Peach charleston necklace

Nude Bracelet

Pink freshwater pearl fairy bracelet

Lilac enamel flower cuff

Pink Enamel and silver egg pendant

Get your girlie chic on!

With love,

LouLou. X

Decorating with Easter colours

loulou — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:53:15 +0000

If you are planning on spending Easter weekend decorating, go for soft ice cream tones to create a light and relaxing space ready for summer. Sugary sweet pastels are the new trend in interior decor for Spring/Summer so experiment with pale coloured wallcoverings, paint, furniture and accessories.

Here is some inspiration for the sweetest Easter home…

The beautiful pastel living room in the home of Lulu Guinness

Images – Living etc.

images – Tumblr.com

Gorgeous pastel paints and wallpapers…

Colour – Sugared Lilac

Laura Ashley pale cobalt

Laura Ashley pale peony

Laura Ashley Lille stripe wallpaper in Pale colbalt blue

Interior accessories in neopolitan colours…

Round silk jewelled cushions

Square silk jewelled cushions

Pink egg shaped glass trinket box

Mint egg shaped glass trinket box

Lilac velvet jewellery box

Have a sweet Easter!

With love,

LouLou. x

Mother’s day gift ideas for under £30.00

loulou — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 11:38:01 +0000

Looking for affordable gifts for Mother’s day? Show your Mum some love with these gorgeous gifts under £30.00

Silver heart and freshwater pearl necklace – £24.95

Smokey quartz and silver bracelet – £26.95

Silver circle link bracelet – £26.95

Double oval silver earlings – £12.95

Heart & freshwater pearl silver earings – £14.95

Silver stud ring – £22.95

Mauve bead and diamante necklace – £11.95

Ribbon heart bead necklace – £14.95

Chunky grey/pink bead necklace – £15.95

Water lilly tea light – £14.95

Cream ceramic vase – £9.95

There are lots more gorgeous gifts under £30.00 in our boutique.

Order by 10am Thursday 31st March for delivery by Mother’s Day (UK only)

Happy Mother’s Day to Mums everywhere!

With Love,

LouLou. x

Spring Knits

loulou — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 13:06:17 +0000

So, despite the recent warm weather, I was quickly brought back to reality on a brisk walk with the dog this morning. It’s definitely not summer yet. The cold drizzle on my face hit that one home.

Here’s a look at some cute knits in spring colours to keep the drafts away!

Take off the heavy coat and layer with knitted scarves, cuffs and socks…

Lauren Conrad does spring…

Coffee cup image – Ooh.com

Click to buy Rose lurex scarf

Click to buy rose lurex knee socks

Click to buy cream or pink pearl knit socks

Buy pink pearl knit cuffs

Buy pink pearl knit scarf

Mmmm, cosy…

With love,

Loulou x

Pics from Tumblr.com

At the hunting lodge

loulou — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 09:55:46 +0000

An interiors trend we really love at the moment is borrowed from the hunting lodge/country estate look. This ‘hunting lodge chic’ is a rustic but grand style of decor identified by decorative items, light fittings, wallpaper and furniture that reflect country pursuits. You don’t need a lodge or a manor house to recreate this style, it’s it’s all in the detail!

The wall mounted animal skull and freestanding swans in this room add interest to a pale neutral living room.

Taxidermy and antlers are used to great effect in this room – even on the coffee table.

Image from Thom Felicia’s book, Style

Stag and antler detailing

Key to this look is texture and tone. Build texture with animal skins, particularly reindeer, against solid wood or stone floors and worn leather furniture draped with neutral coloured chunky knitted throws. You get the idea, layering these textures creates warmth and interest.

Image – London Cows

Tartan really compliments this look, as shown in this amazing footstool…

Image – Clockhouse funiture

Love the way tree branches are used both decoratively and functionally in this laid back bedroom…

For a bold statement add antler trophy plaques and animal taxidermy – not everyone’s cup of tea but can make a big style impact if used well.

Click to buy vintage Roe Deer Antlers

Add a touch of glamour with guilt framed mirrors and for a modern take on this trend, hang a polished chrome stag head to create a feature wall.

Click to buy Stag and Antler Head Wallmount

Click to buy Metal Stag Head

Click to buy Metal Antler Coat Rack

Click to buy Metal Stag Hook

Statement objet or jewellery tree.

Click to buy Metal Antler Tree

We love the Cole & Son wallpaper ‘The Woods’. It really adds drama and a touch of the outdoors to a room.

Image – Cole & Son at Designer wallpapers

Have fun creating your very own hunting lodge!

As well as your home, this trend can be seen in jewellery and accessories. For a really edgy look go for antler rings and stag head pendants.

Rings designed by Anneke Van Bommel

Silver necklace by Fuzz Design

We found this cute vintage stag head brooch and couldn’t resist…

Click to buy vintage Stag Head Brooch

Make a statement with this amazing ring…

Click to buy Stag Head Ring

After all this hunting lodge inspiration i’m craving a cabin holiday in the wilderness. Maybe somewhere like this…

Crystal Cove, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

With love,

LouLou. x

We love victory rolls!

loulou — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 14:27:58 +0000

Being lovers of vintage style we had to share our appreciation of the hair do known as victory rolls. The name ‘victory rolls’ was inspired by celebratory fighter pilot maneuvers during world war two and this striking look really embraces the style and spirt of that era.

Vintage hairstyling has become a big trend of late as women express their unique style and emulate the sophistication of earlier decades. Victory rolls are a high glamour look but they’re also a very practical style, a must for wartime beauties who worked incredibly hard to keep calm and carry on!

Modern fans of the look include Gwen Stefani and Rockabilly queen Imelda May.

Get inspired…

This look is really pretty and sweet. I love the natural looking eyes with striking red lips.

Image – Lipstickvogue.com

A really fresh take on the look for day time with quite a casual, loose ‘do’.

Image – the sartorialist

Real rockabilly style for What Katie Did…

Image – whatkatiedid.com

Inspired yet?

This look is not the easiest to re-create and how they did it back in the day without heated curling tongs and the like is amazing. Of course, in the 21st century there are a number of web pages and videos out there to help.

For vintage hairstyling tips and a step by step guide to creating these fabulous rolls, check out Lisa Freemont’s blog.

Here’s the lovely lady herself…

There is also a Facebook page dedicated to victory rolls.

If you’re struggling with the DIY attempts and you fancy a makeover or have a special occassion coming up, there are a number of salons and stylists out there offering packages for weddings and hen do’s or even a vintage pin up session!

National mobile salon services -

www.Lekeuxevents.co.uk

www.Lipstickandcurls.co.uk

I was recently ‘done’ by Lynsey LeKeux for a vintage fair. Thanks Lynsey!

Hope you enjoyed the post! See our Twitter and Facebook page and send us comments about your favourite vintage looks.

Love,

LouLou x