EA LOVES

#ealfestive2014, #ealsmallbizfeature, cross stitch, red bear designs

Claire from RedBear Design is Taking over EAL Today!!! #ealsmallbizfeature

6:23 AM

Today we have the wonderful and super talented Claire, from RedBear Design, taking over the blog! She creates the most adorable modern cross-stich patterns, that I have completely fallen in love with and to which I have become a little addicted;) Not only are the patterns ADORBS, but they are very well written and easy to follow. Each PDF pattern comes with basic information, a color block chart, a black and white symbols cart, and a color chart with DMC thread and fabric recommendations. Clair also offers kits in her Etsy shop, so if you are just beginning cross-stitch these would be a great for a starter project.

Here are some of my little Christmas themed cross-stitch projects from RedBear!

“Hello, My name is Claire. I was a graphic designer when I was in Hong Kong and have always had a passion for handmade items and design.

At the very beginning, I made stuffed dolls for my friends as Birthday gifts. And also tried to sell these on Etsy, but my sewing skill was not good enough, so it didn't do so well. However, I was still in love with handmade a lot and wished it could be part of my life more and more.

A few years before, I bought a cross stitch magazine in UK and found out cross-stitch is quit fun and easy to make. I fell in love with it, I tried to keep up with it off and on, but I was too busy with my day job in Hong Kong. After I quit my job and came to the UK, I picked it up again, but discovered there were not very many cute patterns that I wanted. So, I started to make my own patterns and thought maybe others will be interested in them too. So, I established Redbear Design. Even though it hasn’t been established very long, it can bring people happiness and fun. It really is my way to connect with other handmade lovers.

Some of Claire's beautiful work!

My cross-stitch patterns are inspired by a lot of things around me. I always have ideas about what I should make. I collect pretty things everywhere… from the real world, magazines and the Internet. I love to do it! I have an archive folder, which have different kinds of categories, such as interior, fashion, toys, etc. They all inspire me. I love to mix and match different pretty things to see what it will look like, and try to put those elements into my design.

Beside that, I love to get inspiration from my lovely customers, some of them love to re-create my patterns in their own color way, which surprises me and gives me fresh ideas for my patterns. I love when my customers become creative, it’s good for both of us.

I'm a bit of a workaholic. I’m always thinking about new patterns and how to make cross-stitch not only on wooden hoops and frames but other items as well. I ‘m always trying to put more and more new elements to cross-stitch. It might sound silly but my vision for cross stitch is to make more people become a handmade lovers and make this old lady hobby become more fun, cute and modern. Cross-stitch really makes me happy because I love what I do, I hope I can share happiness and luck through cross-stitch with everyone.”

So if you love cross-stitch, know someone who loves to cross-stitch , or have been thinking about trying it out, be sure to have a peep in her shop! You are sure to find something you like :)

Emily x

#ealfestive2014, Alfie the elf, christmas, elf on the shelf, Pinterest

#ealfestive2014 Elf on the Shelf

5:09 AM

Hello lovelies happy #ealfestive2014 ... Aideen here today to talk about 'Elf on the Shelf' some of you may be familiar with the elves already but they are only starting to get more popular in Ireland this year. In fact.... Yesterday the maker of the elves was on Ireland am-a morning tv show here.

I really noticed them last year as I was seeing them on people's pages on Facebook and also there were loads of ideas on Pinterest-in fact I made a board last year called 'I want an Elf on the Shelf'. You can see the pins on there if you look up my Pinterest page-Aideen Fallon.

This image is from my Pinterest page-some people really do go all out with their elves and there are TONS of fun ideas.

Where can I get one??? This year the Elf became available here in Ireland-last year when I was looking at them they were internationally made and the postage was crazy!!! So I got mine on www.elfontheshelf.ie and it cost €34.99.

What happens next??? The elf arrives overnight at your house in his beautiful packaging and with a storybook explaining all about him! He can arrive late November/ early December-our guy arrived December 1st and the first thing you must do to start his magic is name him... So we decided on the name Alfie.

What now?? The story says the every night the elf returns to the North Pole to santa letting him know of the children's good or indeed bad behaviour to help santa decide whether they are indeed naughty or nice!!

Where's the fun?? So the fun part is that every morning when you wake you have to find the elf who....after returning from the North Pole is now hiding out in your house!! There's all sorts of weird and wonderful ideas for how to set up your elf on Pinterest...

So far our Alfie has gone down a treat-the kids LOVE looking for him and seeing what he's up to! The first morning he was surrounded by the army and today he was doing a Miley Cyrus wrecking ball tribute on my Christmas decoration!!

How long does the elf stay?? So your elf friend is with you until Christmas Eve and when Santa arrives they must go home with him but they will be back again next year for more fun!!

I am so happy I decided to get the elf and it's the kind of thing I love to do so it was an easy decision!! There's all kinds of goodies you can get on the Elf on the Shelf website including outfits for your elf, DVDs of the story & also I must mention you can pick if you want a boy or a girl....

I hope you liked this post, I'll have to keep you updated on Alfie's antics!!

Aideen & Emily x

#ealfestive2014, candle, christmas, gift guide, max benjamin, support local, tea collection

#ealfestive2014 Max Benjamin Teatime treats!

6:57 AM

Hello lovelies we are kicking off our #ealfestive2014 posts with this one all about these delicious candles we received from Max Benjamin to review.

The candles are from the new 'Tea Collection' by Max Benjamin and are perfect little treats for Christmas. There are five mouth watering flavours-Assam & Lemon, Lime flower & Lavender, Raspberry & Ginseng, Serene Jasmine and Victorian Earl Grey.... We have had the pleasure of getting to smell both the Raspberry & Ginseng and Victorian Earl Grey here at #ealhq and they are fantastic!!

The candles come very attractively packaged in a lidded tin which is similar to a tea caddy. The tin itself is very pretty with its duck egg colouring and luxurious gold detailing-gold details are HUGE right now and it adds a very nice touch to the packaging.

As we are talking all things Christmas this month on EALoves we have to say at €15 these are perfect for Secret Santa, teachers, stocking fillers and also just as a treat for yourself of course!!

AIDEEN:

So my candle was the Raspberry and Ginseng available HERE. I was the lucky one who got to open the package from Max Benjamin and was immediately impressed by the candle packaging...I love love LOVE duck egg blue and gold and it looked so fancy. I could not wait to light my candle to really release the scent and I have to say it smelled good enough to eat or should I say drink seen as they are tea themed! The price point is perfect for these candles and the recipient would certainly know they were receiving a little piece of luxury. I now have the Lime flower & Lavender candle firmly on my wish list.

EMILY:

I got to try out the Victorian Earl Gray Tea Candle, which I was really excited about because I LOVE Earl Gray tea. Right away, I was super impressed by the elegant tins that these candles come in. They would be absolutely perfect to give as a gift to someone, especially this time of year as the cold weather starts to roll in. These candles also come in at a great price point. All are hand-made in Ireland with a blend of 100% pure natural waxes and lead-free Italian cotton wicks. I tend to prefer candles that contain natural waxes and don’t contain any harmful chemicals, since you would be breathing that in for the entire time you burn the candle – so a big thumbs up on that from me!

The scent is really is very relaxing and boyfriend tested and approved!!! My guy was around when I was opening my happy mail and really liked the smell. It’s not too overwhelming, yet fills the room with a nice aroma. I may have the White Pear and Victoria Plum and the Black Lily candle from the Gold Collection on my wish list ;) teehee

The Max Benjamin 'Tea Collection' candles are also available from Arnotts, House of Fraiser, Kilkenny, Avoca, Meadows & Byrne and Carrig Donn.

Emily & Aideen x

#ealfestive2014, christmas, December, festive

#ealfestive2014 let the celebrations begin....

11:03 AM

#CosmopolitanChic Blog Challenge

6:30 AM

Hello Lovelies,

We have a very special #ealfashionfriday post for you today, featuring a recent challenge Aideen and I were invited to participate in sponsored by Vegas.com.

Aideen and I both love to travel, so to have the chance to spend time at Cosmopolitan Las Vegas would be an absolute dream! We were lucky enough to be selected to participate in the #CosmopolitanChic Blog Challenge, have the opportunity to daydream about such a lovely trip, and share how we would dress to impress for a day at Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and an evening at The Chandelier! Here are the looks we put together.

So, we like simple when it come to fashion. Basics are our best friend for sure! We are certainly not ones who like to fuss over our wardrobes. Great basics are the Holy Grail in both of our books because it is so easy to dress up a look by adding some fab statement jewelry, or a great bag or pair of shoes! We love options because it can be hard deciding on the perfect outfit sometimes, so simple is GOLDEN!!!

We started this look with a pair of Cream leather-look, high-waisted jeggings from River Island and added a tan/gold Glittery Knit vest top from houseoffrraser.co.uk

We added some "dream" black calf leather GUCCI platform pumps and accessorized the look with a 50’s black velvet clutch with gold trim from Etsy, believe it or not! What look doesn’t need a little vintage flair? We finished things off with a House of Harlow 1960 Jewelry Noveau statement necklace in black. We also put together this second option with a black wool crepe blazer from ETRO, just in case an extra layer was needed!

For our evening at The Chandelier look we switched out the top for a DKNY sequin embellished racerback tank, and, since the top is already beautifully embellished, we traded in the House of Harlow statement necklace for a Tiffany and Co. Elsa Peretti Onyx Gold Bracelet. By switching out just a few items our first look daytime look we can easily transition into a trendy evening ensemble.

A BIG thank you to Vegas.com for inviting us to participate!!! What a fun Challenge.

Have a lovely Friday everyone!!
Emily and Aideen x

#ealwantitwednesday, bare minerals, lorac, loreal, make up, maybelline, mememe, Rimmel, the balm, urban decay

#ealwantitwednesday Our current FAVE make up products!

5:16 PM

Hello lovelies for #ealwantitwednesday today we shared our top make up products that we can't live without and that we highly recommend for Christmas gifts and stocking fillers!!

Aideens picks: These are all products that I have been using recently any time I have been wearing my make up and I just LOVE them all..... They do not disappoint!!

Lorac Pro palette 1-my sister got me this is in America and I love the colours in it-they are all so wearable and all colours that I would normally use.

L'oreal volume million lashes so couture-this mascara is UNREAL... Falsies in a tube :)

Mememe blush box in Coral-I just love coral coloured blush and this is my current go to.

Rimmel Kate Moss matte in 107-this is the perfect shade for autumn winter as a newbie to lipsticks I'm enjoying all the lovely colours.

Bare minerals brow powder-perfect for defining and not looking like you have fake brows!!!!

The Balm overshadow in no money no honey-this is MUST BUY..... It's a mineral shimmery powder you apply on its own or over your shadow for the most perfect shimmery finish-I adore it :)

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Emily's picks: These are my current go to faves! I use all of these products nearly every day and I would reccomend them all… especially if you are on a budget !!

Urban Decay Perversion Mascara: This is a new fave for me. I received a sample size in my ipsy glam bag a few months back, and have been hooked ever since! It is a really lovely dark shade of black and does not clump at all - LOVE IT!!!

Rimmel London Kate Lipsticks: I love all of these and own quite a few … ok let's be honest here... quite a lot ;) They come in such a nice variety of shades and are super affordable, and definitely wear like a more pricy lipstick.

Maybelline Face Studio Master Hi-Light Blush bronzer: I have both the Nude and Pink Rose shade, and really could not pick a favorite. They are both super pretty and give your skin a nice glow without looking over bronzed.

Rimmel London Scandaleyes Precision Micro Eyeliner: We were sent product this to try by the lovely folks at Rimmel over the summer, and it has been my go to eye liner ever since… I actually had to just purchase a new one, because I used up the sample we received!!!

Urban Decay Naked2 Palette: I don't know what else to say except… I LOVE THIS PALETTE!!! It has the prettiest neutral shades that are perfect for everyday wear, but can certainly be used for a more smokey eye "night-time" look as well. Even though it is a little on the pricy side, it is worth EVERY penny in my opinion.

Thanks for stopping by to check out our current makeup faves!! Have a great day!

Emily and Aideen x