Tights Tights Tights

Tights are big news this season, as they are every Autumn/Winter but this year they come with colour and pattern.

I think i need councilling, i can't stop buying them! I must have a pair in every colour but i'm not brave enough to wear these fabulous tights below or should i re-phrase that, not daring enough to show my legs above my michellin knees!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Another Fab Website!!

Whilst looking for gifts for my Daughter's Birthday this month. I came across a fabulous inspirational website, full of fab goodies!

I loved the Kitschness about it and the funky design. The owner also has a blog which i loved reading.

The name of this fabulous site? Temporary Secretary, what a fab name too! http://www.temporary-secretary.com/

Anyway enough of gushing, take a look at this lovely item i bought, there i go gushing again!!

ooops i'd better ask permission first! (off Gail goes to beg the owner).

Call back soon

Well i spoke the lovely lady from Temporary-Secretary and gave me permission to use her photographs so here is the fabulous necklace that i bought for Isobel's Birthday.

Isn't it just so cute!

Its a lovely site for those little cute stocking fillers for friends and family or for just a little something. I'll be back for more thats for sure, ooww look at me, i'm a poet!! NOT!

Cars!!!

I've had a bit of a nightmare with Cars the last 12 months! I bought a Rover car in April but have unfortunately had no end of trouble with it, the last job on the car the garage couldn't get a part without a struggle and the mechanic had been told that parts are becoming increasingly more scarce which has happened sooner than people thought! The clutch was going also on it and i was advised that it maybe very difficult to get one! So, i had to buy a new car as i need a fairly reliable one.

I bought a mini cooper after doing some research and found that they were expensive but hold their price, were made by BMW, were fairly economical on fuel etc. I love it BUT i had an oil leak! Luckily i got it into the garage before it did damage to the engine as there wasn't any oil in the filter!! Nothing serious though the filter has been changed as it had a leak and the dealer i bought it from will re-inburse me.

I've never had a cool car before so i'm really happy driving it, i love it!! My kids are no longer embarrassed by me dropping them off at School :)

So Long Barney!

Our Dog Sitting is coming to an end, well we think so! We can't get in touch with our friends who were supposed to be back this weekend.

Poor Barney the Dog is ready to go home i think now, although Isobel and Sam are going to miss him, they've loved looking after him but he's been bullied by Chomp the Rabbit for his own food. He's been head butted away from his Dog bowl and Bum Butted off the Grass! Grumpy Old Chomp will be glad to see the back of him as he's quite put out by him getting some attention!

Recovery!!

Well Isobel soon recovered when my Nephew came over for a sleepover! Take a look at the fun they had messing up and poor Barney the Dog (who we're Dog sitting for Friends) got roped in too! He doesn't look too happy :(

Look at the mess they've created! They had lots of fun doing it though but how on earth do kids sleep on a hard wooden floor! They're bones are like sponges though aren't they at their age.

It took me hours to clean up after them!

What a Day!

My Daughter Isobel was out playing with friends yesterday afternoon on her bike when her and her friend had a collision! Isobel fell from her bike and hit her hand on the pavement. She was in agony all night!! Me, not wanting to be dramatic put off going to the hospital as,as the evening got on it was getting late and didn't want to expose her to the Friday casualties!

7am, she was complaining after a restless night so up we both got and went to the A & E department which luckily for me is a 10 minute walk from my house but shame on us we drove (well Isobel had hurt her wrist!). We got there and she was examined by Triage and then had an X-ray.

Thankfully a very nice Doctor told us she had no broken bones but a very bad ligament sprain. She is such a drama Queen that when they said they were going to strap it up, she was thinking about all the pity she would get. Can you imagine her face when the Doctor came back and said they had thought about it and they were going to leave it as it were because she really needed to mobolise it to gain a quick recovery!

As we got in the car she said "Mum, can we go to the Chemist to get a Bandage"?

What did i say!? Drama Queen! "laughs"

A Sneaky Peek

Here's a sneaky peek at one of my Designs for my Autumn/Winter Ranges. As Tartan was all over the Catwalks and is featuring heavily in all the magazines i thought i'd be stupid not to include it in my Vintage Yum Label.

I haven't a name for it yet but i love it and is one of my fav's!

Its made from Boden Tartan and has a kilt pin with a handmade beaded design attached to the front.


I hope you like it! X

Busy Busy Busy

I'm busy creating Designs for my Autumn/Winter collection. The problem is i'm trying to create ranges but have allsorts of idea's floating around in my head so always end up making one off designs!! How am i ever going to get it finished?!

I have lots of fabric also that i need to get rid of so i'm going to make up little one off bags with it all i think and list them in my new shop on ebay which i'm going to use i think solely for this purpose.

The weather is awful today in Manchester, drizzling and grey :( Is is just Manchester that gets all the rain? Ah well, im going to try and take two weeks away from working from the 11th august but the problem with that is i always find something i have to make!! I have promised my children that i will make a special effort to go to Chester Zoo and the History Museum. They have also promised me that they will come to the City Art Gallery with me.

We usually take a trip to London to see our Friend but she's off galavanting the world and is currently in LA. How inconsiderate of her we're all missing Covent Garden!! "laughs". We'll see her in December though for my 40th Birthday Celebrations..... Oh God it will be here sooner than i think aaarrrgghhh!!

Have i woke up this morning in September? Its blumming freezing!!

Well off i go back to the grind stone.

Gail X

New Designs

Emma Gordon is a London based Designer who is a Designer/Maker of handmade bags. Her Designs are made up of girly fabrics and feminine embellishments.

Emma's Cherry & Dolly stripes are very 1950s retro with a really funky touch

Cherry Green

Beautiful Cherry & Peach Print

Cherry Blue

Above are Emma's Isabella Range made with canvas and beautiful rich vintage style lace in Fushia Pink and Apple Green

Owwww, we love em!!!

Vintage Inspired Bags from Movie Stars of the 20s,30s and 40s

Isobel Lloyd's Hayworth Inspired Handmade Clutch Bag

I love the glamorous style of the Movie Stars of yester year.

Rita Hayworth

Rita Hayworth (October 17 1918 - May 14 1987), was an American actress who rose to stardom in the 1940s as the era's leading sex symbol. She was known as "The Love Goddess", and was celebrated as an expert dancer and great beauty.

Margarita Carmen Cansino, better known as Rita Hayworth, was born in

Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Spanish flamenco dancer Eduardo Cansino (Sr.) and English/Irish-American Ziegfield girl Volga Hayworth.
Hayworth was on stage by the age of six as a member of The Dancing Cansinos, a famous family of Spanish flamenco dancers working in vaudeville. Her father had performed in a dancing duo with his sister Elisa earlier in his career, and later he revived the duo with his daughter Rita as his dancing partner, performing in nightclubs in California and the Foreign Club in Tijuana,

Mexico. At age 16, already an accomplished professional dancer, Hayworth attracted the attention of film producers and was signed by Fox Studio's in 1935, where she appeared mostly in small roles.

Get into Summer!

A new style of bag.

Bright funky florals with a vintage edge or spots and stripes. Whichever you choose i'm sure you'll agree they get you in the mood for Summer 2008!

For more designs please visit Isobel Lloyd.

Becoming 40

I'm the 40 this year and beginning to get a real 40 thing! Each day i look in the mirror i swear i have one more wrinkle around my eyes! I don't do wrinkle creams as i'm not sure they're just a gimmick but i have started on the water as i think that is the best de wrinkle solution you can have.

I have noticed grey hair too! More and more of the blighters! Im a red head and was told that red heads don't go grey their hair fades? You can imagine that believing this for all those years and finding that awful first grey strand was devasting! Fickle? Yep but for God sake i am a red head, NOT GINGER! I've put up with being teased for years at school, freckles and the usual pale skin BUT now i'm grey, i want my RED roots, its costing me a fortune in having my hair tinted back to my natural colour!

The other thing i'm on a diet! Yep the usual but i think i have middle aged spread already! :( Its been easier than i thought and have lost half a stone in 4 weeks which is a good healthy weight loss but i have to lose another 2 stone!

Oh i hate being nearly 40, someone tell me its not that bad!?

April Showers

Well its been awful weather in Manchester. Snowing in April! We expect rain showers but not snow my poor daffodils that were looking so lovely and spring like in my garden have withered in the frost. :(

I have managed though to work on some new styles for missy moo moo and sam. I'm currently making up some funky fashion bags for teens BUT you're never to old to have one of missy moo moo and sam's bags.

The range will consist of really funky quirky fabrics, above is a taster of the type of thing you'll see.

Hope you like them!

Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter on Isobel Lloyd and missy moo moo and sam so you can take advantage of the offers we often have! :)

funky clutch bags

60s Swirl Pucci-esque Darling!

Very Cold here in Manchester really really windy! We have had a light covering of snow and more is expected tomorrow! Someone told me Spring is on its way???

Candy Damask

Well ive been busy Designing my Funky Clutch Bag range. Clutch Bags are big this spring Summer so if you're a fashionista, don't be seen without one!


Biker Chic

I love a bag to look different and my Biker Girls one looks just that. I can picture it with a pair of this seasons above the ankle skinnies, wide shades and a pair of the roman style sandals that are big too!


Angel Chic


I love this clutch bag. Its covered in words such as Chic, Angel, Style, Girls, goreous, vibrant angel, oh to many to mention. Don't you agree this is another clutch to be seen with!

Whats more?? All my bags are handmade and not mass-produced!

NEW!!

Here's my new Linen Range!

I added this to my website on 10th March 2008

I used 100% Linen and all bags are completely handmade!

No mass producing here!

Linen is a fabulous fabric to use it has lots of character and a classic!

Well i got up this morning bright and early thank goodness as my son began to tell me at 8.00am it was at an Ice Skating party this afternoon! Heeelllpp! Thank fully because of the business i'm in i always have fabric around and my new spring summer fabric for my childrens line at missymoomooandsam.co.uk is here. I quickly cut out a storage bag which could be used as a hair straightener bag, brushes and comb bag, shoe bag, ballet bag etc. I personalised it with the young ladies name and added a flower which will be one of my spring summer 08 features for my childrens storage bags. Phew!

I was so pleased with it i've added to my website! I hope Sophie likes it as he then tells me after sweating over my sewing machine that she isn't really a girly girl! Oh Great!

Here's a pic of it above. If Sophie doesn't like it i hope you do!

Spring/Summer 2008

Our Spring Summer Collection Coming Soon!

Oversized clutches are the only bag to be seen out and about with this season.
Whether they're gold and glamorous, smart and black or colourful and funky they're an instant way to bring an evening outfit bang up to date.
They're a great alternative to shoulder or strap bags and were all over the catwalks.
Chloe sent their models down the Catwalk with unusually shaped, brightly coloured creations, while Kenzo and Valentino both got to grips with feathers on their bags.
Acid bright colours such as orange, yellow and green were also popular with many designers.
All kinds of celebrities have been quick to catch on to this trend as it is so easy to get right. Mary-Kate Olsen, Ashlee Simpson, Kate Moss and Hilary Duff have all been seen with them
Plus, because of the huge range of different styles and colours clutch bags as very versatile and can be teamed with any outfit.
The only rule to remember with this trend is the bigger the better!
Think Crayola Crayons! The big colours this season are bright hues of Red, Cobolt Blues, Yellows, Greens, Oranges, Limes, think Pink like mui mui!
Just the colours you need to get into Summer!

Welcome to the Isobel Lloyd blog!

Isobel Lloyd was founded in March 2006 by designer Gail Winstanley who embarked on a quest to create unique, timeless, quality handmade handbags for women aside from her very popular childrens range at missy moo moo and sam. By pairing vintage retro styles and classic fabrics, Isobel Lloyd put an inspiring new twist on fashion favorites.

All of Isobel Lloyd handbags are completely handmade from the design stage to the pattern drafting to the make-up. Adding handmade features to the bags which add that little touch of glamour to that essential fashion accessory every girl needs!

Isobel Lloyd bags make a truly unique handmade gift!