Sophia's Choice

As soon as I saw a pair of Sophia Webster shoes, I knew they were for me – bright, colourful with a witty, fun approach to design. I knew that if I were a shoe designer, I would create similar styles.

But I’m not a shoe designer – I’m a copywriter, so I settled for working hard, saving my wages and starting my own collection of Sophia Webster heels, these ones, so far:

Olivia

Jessica

As soon as I saw I saw the #Pimpmycoco competition, I knew I had to enter. Hosted on Instagram, Sophia Webster provided a blank template of her popular Coco style, for her loyal fans to customise. I printed off about 10 copies and got busy with my Sharpies and highlighters. A sneaky lunchbreak doodle at work, a scribble in front of the telly and before I knew it, I had amassed quite the collection! I posted all of them on Instagram but had a feeling when I did it that one pair stood out against the rest, my Neon Leopard design:

You can see my other designs over on Instagram.

I followed the competition avidly – there were so many amazing entries – Sophia's fans were really going to town. It was such a fun, creative outlet and I thought it was lovely how all the fans supported each other with comments and likes.

Then one day, my friend Becky texted me – she had seen on Snapchat that I had made it to the final of the competition. I was amazed, given the standard and sheer volume of entries (there were over 1000). Wow, that was exciting. But that was nothing compared to the day I was in an Uber home, after a long photoshoot and got an Instagram notification saying I had WON with a video you can watch here. 

There was no other feeling like it, and now I am excitedly awaiting the arrival of my very own pair of custom-made Neon Leopard heels, designed by me and made by the Sophia Webster studio.

Big love and thanks to everyone who supported me, I’ll show you all a photo of the shoes when they arrive.

Going Potty with Camille Walala and Ted Baker

“I painted a pot last Thursday and it was so much fun.” Not necessarily a sentence you’d expect from an outgoing young(ish) person, but I genuinely mean it!

Ted Baker has started hosting free events on Thursday nights, to celebrate their latest collection, the artistically titled ‘Colour by Numbers’.

I was excited to attend and was especially intrigued to meet Camille Walala – I pass her building in Old Street every day and love its bright colours so much. It makes me sad that it is now being covered up with advertising – but at least you can still see the edges of Camille’s work!

So, we set up and started painting our sizable pots. We used stencils, free-styled, masked. It was so fun and very satisfying to see the paint sink into the pot – it dried really quickly. And there was prosecco, which helped our creativity flow quite nicely.

If we struggled, Camille was more than happy to offer some guidance and inspiration. The pots all looked great, and we got a quick run-through of the new collection while they were drying. I can’t recommend Ted Baker events enough, you can see a full list of their future plans here.

Some inspiration was provided 

Such great colours

Such tasty fizz!

Charlotte Cameron displays her pot

There were some great pots

I show my pot to Camille Walala!

The new Ted Baker 'Colour by Numbers' collection

Loved these shoes

More pot painting

My finished pot 

Hox on the Locks

I’ve long been a fan of The Hoxton Hotel and when my lovely friends Jaime and Jason hosted their wedding reception in the Hoxton Apartment, it made me like it even more.

I started following Hoxtown to stay up to date with all their news and events and it was here that I saw a competition that was begging to be entered.

To mark the 1^st birthday of The Hoxton, Amsterdam, the Hoxton ‘jumped ship’ for two weeks to a Regents canal boat here in London. The competition prize was a stay on this boat – I won! A few Wednesdays ago, I eagerly packed my bags and invited my friend Laurel.

Before heading to the boat, we enjoyed a delicious dinner in the Hoxton Hotel (‘Hoxton on Solid Ground'). The food there is so great -  sometimes naughty, always hearty. I had a fabulous piece of cod with samphire. We walked off supper and headed to the boat which was moored in Gainsborough Wharf in Haggerston. It was furnished similarly to the hotel with beautiful linen wallpaper and the sort of muted, stylish accessories a bright-colour-lover like myself imagines for her future, far more sophisticated self.

The boat had a projector, but after a big dinner, it was all we could do to stay awake for deck-side champagne (a hard life, I know) before snuggling in to the amazingly comfy bed.

In the morning, I happily worked ‘from boat’, enjoying my little breakfast in the sun. It really floated my boat.

I mean, I don’t really want the extra competition, but Hoxtown are always offering cool prizes like this – so make sure you check the site – you have to be in it to win it, after all.

Noir Mood

If his crappy excuse for 'summer' is getting you down, I suggest a swift trip to the Howard Griffin Gallery in Shoreditch. They will be showing work by Thierry Noir until 31st December, 2016. Noir was the first person to paint the Berlin wall.

Go and get yourself some colour therapy, then maybe a holiday. 

189 Shoreditch High Street

London E1 6HU

Redemption at Last

Vegan, sugar-free, wheat-free, alcohol free? Surely Shoreditch-based restaurant Redemption must also be fun-free? Nearing breaking point on my diet wagon, I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and headed there for a mid-week dinner with a similarly well-intentioned friend. 

I was very pleasantly surprised - my alcohol-free cocktail was really fresh and delicious, as was my veggie sushi. The Bliss Balls were very tasty too. It's perfect for the times when you're desperately trying to be 'good' without being a hermit. After all it's no good being all thin and clean-eating when there's nobody else around!

Pop in and experience it for yourself - your body will thank you for it.

Redemption Shoreditch
320 Old Street
EC1V 9DR 

Summer Styling: the 70's

I recently had a shag.

Not THAT, smutty, I had a haircut, 'the shag'.

I love it - it makes me feel all Freja Beha Ericsson and 70's and that. But there is a problem: my clothes don't match my image anymore, they're not retro enough. I think these pieces by New Look, Paige and Monki will help.

New Look jacket in my signature leopard

My new Paige top with a Kit Heath necklace from yonks ago

The full outfit - the jeans are also by Paige, bell-bottoms, let's bring them back for their unbeatable hip-balancing qualities alone.

My new fave Monki sandals, you need a good, solid heel with any kind of flare.

I think this Monki is so convincing, great for piercing commitment-phobes like me!