Supplier Spotlight - Meet Daisy the Vintage Ice Cream Van

I’m thrilled to introduce you to the loveable character that is Daisy The Vintage Ice Cream Van, resplendent in cream, chrome and lilac, Daisy brings vintage fun and glamour wherever she goes. She will amaze, delight and excite your guests at weddings, parties, events, special occasions, festivals, fetes and fayres.

Fully stocked with delicious luxury Cotswold ice cream, sorbets, retro ice lollies, Champagne, Pimms, hot chocolate and winter warmers, served by Daisy’s handmaiden Tara in full 1950s vintage style dress. Perfect for summer or winter weddings Daisy will deliver mouth watering treats and that extra special wow factor. Dressed in fabulous bunting and fresh flowers, Daisy is the prettiest Vintage Ice Cream Van you will ever meet.

“I really love being able to personalise Daisy a little bit for each of her wedding and party bookings, from specific colour of flowers, to a personalised message I write on the back window, or working with a bride and Groom to invent their own special ice cream sundae, it's one of the best things about being a small business that you can adapt to your customers, my customers always get to choose the treats Daisy stocks for their event including all the flavours of the ice cream and sorbets.” Tara, loving owner of Daisy.

Serving the truly delicious and award winning Winstones Cotswold Ice Cream there are a host of flavours to choose from including; Strawberries & Cream, Chocolate Chunk, Creamy Vanilla, Raspberry Ripple, Banoffee, Cookies & Cream and Lemon Meringue or delicious Taywell Sorbets including; Pink Champagne, Orange, lemon, Elderflower, Raspberry, Strawberry, Gin & Tonic, Pimms, Limencello – the choice is never ending!

Tara can even include ice cream and sorbets for diabetics and the dairy Intolerant, and offer the option of a small pot rather than a cornet for the wheat intolerant and gluten-free cornets.

For those of who yearn for your childhood favourite lollies; Fabs, Mivis, and Cherry Brandy, Lager & Lime, Cider ice lollies are also available alongside a delightful array of old fashioned sweet jars for your guests to choose their own pick & mix including cola bottles, liquorice allsorts, sherbert lemons, love hearts and jelly beans.

New for this year Daisy will also be offering fresh strawberries & cream, delicious, bursting with flavour and locally sourced, a true English summer classic. Between May and September Daisy can be stocked with luscious fresh strawberries topped with the best yummy whipped cream or of course you can choose to have ice cream.

A real treat for your guests – why not let Tara devise for you a fabulous personal sundae with your choice of flavours and extras, then you get to give it a name, it’s your day so why not have your own personal sundae?

To find out more or to follow Daisy’s adventures follow Tara on Twitter or check out the website.

With so much choice the only problem you will have is trying to decide which flavour ice cream to go for – I think I’ll have a pink champagne sorbet please!

Love & Sparkles

Supplier Spotlight - Unique wedding themes from the Oxford Rosette Company

Today we are talking rosettes – maybe not a first choice for your wedding theme but for anyone who is a horse lover, gymnast or even a prize vegetable grower and looking for a way to incorporate your passion into your wedding, The Oxford Rosette Company could be just what you are looking for!

With products ranging from greeting cards, gift tags, bunting to wedding invitations, all items can be personalised creating a perfect gift or decoration. 

Using the theme of rosettes in some way or another but they can also incorporate other materials to either give a vintage or perhaps even a modern touch.  Buttons, sparkles, feather, fluff, leather and even tinsel can be used to create the rosettes.  Proving very popular especially with horse lovers and farmers who would like a subtle theme of country life incorporated into their special day.

Do you fancy a day out at the races – why not have a wedding reception with the theme of racecourses?   Jennifer sourced vintage race pass cards and used them to create table markers, the guests sitting at each table then had a rosette place tag to match the table marker.

Save The Date rosettes can be any colour theme and personalised with details of the wedding including location, date and names.  These can come with either magnets or with a safety pin attachment.

Thank you Cards – why not give an unusual gift and co-ordinate with the bridesmaids dresses!

The website is coming soon but for now orders can be placed through their Folksy shop or follow Jennifer on Facebook and Twitter.  If you are after a special theme or colour that you can't see shop please contact them and they will be happy to help you design something unique. 


Lots of Love

Ruby Loves ~ Saturday Special

The week of love and what a week it has been!  With everyone going crazy over Valentines Day and questions flying all around - is it just an over rated cliche invented by the card companies?  It may well be but I say what is wrong with one day of the year being dedicated to love and all things red, sparkly and pretty!?!  Check out my blog for some great gift ideas - not just for V Day!

Here's a little selection of the things I'm loving this week:
Y Wedding dresses made out of toilet paper! Y Midweek cocktails with friends Y Jimmy Choo goes bridal Y Surprise flowers from my boyfriend Y Amazing stories of courage and the kindness of the human spirit Y Winning a Aussie Hair competition Y Friends romantic proposal stories Y

This was also a sad week with the shocking loss of the amazingly talented, some times troubled but always beautiful Whitney Houston.  Miss Moem, another lady with a fabulous talent, paid tribute to her with a poem 'In Memory Of Whitney Houston'.  RIP Whitney, you will be missed.

 Love & Sparkles

Supplier Spotlight - Next generation photobooths with Fotopod

Unique. Quirky. Different. Fun. What will help make your wedding stand out, ensure your guests enjoy themselves and make your wedding memorable? What keepsake will help you remember your guests, and the fun they had?

FotoPod are using touchscreen iMac’s and a super-slick and stylish application to capture your Big Day like no other photo booth company can. Their photo guest books are truly gorgeous, and unlike any other I've seen. Most photo booth companies are offering on-the-day guest books, with photos tapped or glued into a blank album which guests then leave a message next to.

It is obvious that FotoPod has put a lot of thought and effort into their photo guest books. Using their online customisation portal, you choose the design template, page layout, colour scheme, font style, cover type (e.g. leather, photo hardcover) and inscription. You can even choose to include an About Us page, and can include up to 25 of your own pictures, either from your photographer, or photos from holidays, childhood, etc.

On the day, your guests use the FotoPod touchscreen kiosk to have their picture taken and then leave a handwritten message using either the FotoPod digital pen or an ink pen of your choosing. The application links guests’ photos with their handwritten message. Following the day, you upload your photos and can edit your guestbook design choices. FotoPod designers then put together your custom guestbook. Once your approve the final design, the books are printed on high-quality archival paper with lay-flat binding. The finished product is beautiful.

The FotoPod photo guestbook is not the only thing that separates them apart. Their modern, low profile, stylish photo kiosk is very different from the average step-inside booth. Incorporating 21-inch touchscreen iMac’s, the flexible and versatile set up is mobile, and enables them to meet your bespoke ideas. If, for example, you would like the kiosk in one location during cocktail hour and a different location for after dinner, this is easily done. Minimum set up involves a 21-inch touchscreen iMac’s, professional studio soft box lights, high-speed HiTi photo printers, and a poseur table. Beyond that they can provide 2m x 2m x 2m cube light tents, and backgrounds of various sizes and colours.

The FotoPod application itself is fully customizable and packed full of great features. Top quality photo booth pictures print on the spot in less than 10 seconds, giving your guests something to take home. Unique features include multiple prints of the same photo for those group shots, and custom colour settings where the guest can choose whether the photo is printed in colour, black & white, or sepia toned.

Another super impressive function is their fotoShare feature, an excellent alternative to disposable cameras. Your guests visit the FotoPod kiosk, slide their camera memory card into the universal card reader, type their name in, and select which photos they want to share. The FotoPod application does the rest – your guest’s pictures are captured for you to enjoy.

My Fotopod experience at the National Wedding Show

When it comes to photo guest books and photo booths, FotoPod have certainly set themselves apart from the rest – this is a truly unique and bespoke product and service. Better still - FotoPod is currently offering a 10% discount for Ruby’s Readers for all 2012 weddings!

Lots of Love

Ruby Loves ~ Valentines Day Inspiration

Are you stuck for ideas this Valentines Day? Bored of chocolates and flowers? Want something a little unusal? Well look no further, I've picked a few of my favourite ideas for a romantic Valentines day treat!

www.iwantoneofthose.com

This set of wooden Russian Dolls comes in the 'sweetheart' theme. Decorated in red and white colours, with heart decorations, the dolls are perfect for the sweetheart in your life! If they are set out beside each other in size order they display the message, 'I will love you all day, everyday, forever'.

www.gettingpersonal.co.uk

Go retro and make a Mix Tape!! The 64MB memory stick is housed in an old school style cassette case, in true nostalgic style the stick stores up to 60 minutes of quality recording time and can be re-used as often as required.

Get glammed up and hit the town! Follow Fearne Cotton's look, from this weeks BAFTAs, with a stunning vintage-look coral dress by Moschino, with a ruched, embellished neckline and a pretty black waist bow. Keep it simple with polished curls and complete the look with a sparkly bangle on each arm.                                                                     

www.esemeefascinators.com

This quirky fascinator will tick both the chocolate and unusual boxes at the same time, although they are real chocolates they aren't really for eating!

http://www.fyeoportraits.com/

Spice things up with a personalised boudoir picture for your loved one! Your specialist, body-sculpting boudoir photographer will look after you throughout your entire photo shoot experience. She will shape your body into sensational poses, creating stunning photos that you will LOVE!  From initial consultation, right through to putting the finishing touches of your collection together, your photographer will help you every step of the way. Your experience will be very comfortable because it's just the two of you in your private studio.

http://www.fabulousflowers.biz/

Make a real love statement with half a dozen Birds of Paradise in an amazing handtied bouquet - so much more imaginative than a boring bunch of roses!

www.williamandson.com

Who said diamonds are a girls best friend? You can't go wrong with this sort of bling! A red garnet ring from the Whirlpool Collection with 18ct white gold mount pave set with just a few diamonds.

http://www.baileys.com/

Valentines Day wouldn’t be complete without a tasty cocktail, why not try the Baileys Heart recipe. You'll need 50ml Baileys; 10ml Raspberry liqueur; and 25ml Grand Marnier. Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake well and strain into a chilled martini glass, serve with whipped cream and a heart-shaped strawberry.  1.5 units of alcoholic loveliness.

Whatever you get up to on V-Day, I hope you have a wonderful time!

Love & Sparkles

Ruby Loves - Saturday Snow Special

Will it ever warm up?  I must admit to feeling the cold this week, it has been as low as -9 in my town!!!!

Here's a round up of what I've been loving this week:
© A Day off to celebrate my 3 year anniversary with my BF © Getting ready for the next Big Fat Gypsy Wedding © Domino's pizza © Being interviewed for my local paper © Finding a bottle of Glühwein in the cupboard © Making snow angels in the garden © Heart shaped cake pops ©

From http://www.flickr.com/photos/janoid/

Love & Sparkles

Ruby Loves - Luxury Vodka with a Precious Twist!

The Sparkly Bit
Precious Vodka is bottled in a unique diamond shaped bottle, every bottle of Precious Vodka contains a beautiful natural gem stone from a collection of fully certifiable precious stones which include sapphire, emerald, ruby, topaz, and peridot.

The gem stones are specially crafted so that customers receive only the finest genuine jewel stones. The gem stones add a unique quality to the overall experience that is only available when you purchase a bottle of Precious Vodka.

The Science Bit
Precious Vodka is produced from distiller grown and harvested winter wheat and post glacial subterranean spring water of central Bulgaria. The wheat used in Precious Vodka is carefully selected with only the top 10% of the seasonal harvest making it to the distillation process.

From there master distiller distills 6 times to produce the distillate, which is then diluted using locally sourced natural spring water. The water is high in mineral content and adds a very strong citric aromatic and peppery nose.

To find out more about this exciting new product check out the website or follow the precious vodka journey on twitter.

Wow - for the ultimate indulgence this is a must for the vodka connoisseur and a perfect gift for Valentines Day, the question is which gem stone would you choose?  I think I'll go for the ruby!

Love & Sparkles

Supplier Spotlight - Bespoke Bridal Wear from Lottie-Emile

I first discovered Charlotte when she saw my blog about my AntiBride photo shoot last year.  She is a dream come true for any bride looking for something unique and personal to them, designing and making bespoke wedding gowns, creating everything with her own hands.  She has an infectious enthusiasm for design and I love her motto "More is More!"

"I love Ruby’s idea of the Anti-bride, a girl who wants to be herself when she walks down the aisle, many brides who I make for actually feel unsure that white suits them. In fact, the idea of a white wedding dress worn to be married in was not popular until Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in 1840. Before this date, blue amongst other colours, was popular choice.

So why not choose a bright coloured dress for you wedding gown, dare I say it? You could wear it again! But let’s not get into bridesmaid territory! You can still stand out wearing a coloured dress instead of white on your wedding day.

I have a motto that I use, and that is ‘More is more!’ When designing a dress, I like to make a dazzling sensory overload of bright and clashing colours and crunchy and sparkling textures. Mixing and layering lace and flowers, beads, vintage jewellery and sequins. I like to hide details, special things to be discovered, things that only the bride knows about. I love this idea of such extravagance that jewels can be hidden amongst the layers of the dress.

For me, I have to feel like every bead, every stitch, is positioned to be show its best and to be special, it must look beautiful as part of the whole, but also stand out in it’s own beauty.  Some people like to have one special detail that stands out, a pair of shoes (like my gold, silver and pink studded stilettos), or a sparkling belt - but why not have it all, or at least all that you want!

I love a bride who can’t make up her mind about what details she wants to incorporate into her design, because then I get to say “Let’s just use them all!!”

You can’t deny however, that my brides here look fantastic in white! They have chosen other bold elements for the wow factor. Daring Linnea wanted to go super-mini in her 60’s styled swing dress, using 100 metres of tulle alone in the skirt!

For Amber, we used beautiful french chiffon, cut up her Mother’s vintage Edwardian embroidered veil (eeek), which she had worn for her own wedding. I embellished it with multi-silver tones of Swarovski which gave a very much stated, vintage sparkle.

And for Laura, I made a beautiful 50’s style corset and Dior inspired tulle skirt, complete with giant bow at the back. All over the bust, I painstakingly cut out hundred of petal templates, paired them all up, and embroidered them one by one, with tiny glass bead clusters in the centre of each one. But it was worth it, Laura looked amazing!

I am creating a collection, but it’s mostly to display what I can do with my various techniques and talents, and to provide a little inspiration for my brides.  A bridal gown is a special purchase, a once in a lifetime, and I don’t think I’ll ever depart from designing bespoke bridal dresses. I get a huge sense of satisfaction to know that one of my brides has an absolutely unique dress, to which they have collaborated on in its design. A wedding gown is almost an imprint in time of the bride and her wedding day, memory, good times, feelings, her style, her dress size."

For more fabulousness and inspiration check out Charlotte's website.  Watch this space for a future special feature on the bespoke design process - how exciting!!!

Lots of love, glitter & sparkles

Ruby Loves - Saturday Special!

Brrrr it has been cold this week, so cold that I am wrapped up in many, many layers - I have been rocking out in my purple stripey fingerless gloves, my purple fur stole and my leopard print faux fur coat - I might not always be co-ordinated but I am always warm!  The things I've been loving this week are:

Saying good riddance to my roots © Seeing David Beckham in his pants! © Plotting a new secret project © Hot chocolate with mini marshmallows © Bridal capes © A weekend off with my boyfriend (rare) © Good news from an ill relative © Booking flights to Edinburgh for my birthday © Laughing at Asda's Budget Valentine cards

I feel like I am juggling lots of projects at the moment but I am loving it!

Have a great weekend and keep warm!

Love & sparkles

Supplier Spotlight - personalised coast line wedding rings from Damson Jewellery

If you are looking for a truly unique wedding ring then look no further!  Damson Jewellery specialises in luxury handmade jewellery that can be tailored to the individual from some of Britain's most innovative and exciting designers so if it's extra diamonds on that ring that you want, they're yours!

The romantic 'coast' ring with matt and polished interlocking halves is truly original and makes the perfect personalised gift. The join of the ring is created from a stretch of coastline you choose yourself, making your ring unique.

Enter the details of the stretch of coast you would like on the Damson website, you can specify a general area such as Cornwall or a more specific stretch of coast, for example between two towns.

Founder, Fiona McInroy sources jewellery that combines originality with fantastic workmanship creating a collection of covetable, contemporary pieces you’d never find on the high street. Everything is made in small quantities guaranteeing a unique piece and, upon special request, Damson can often adapt a piece just for you – adding a sprinkling of diamonds for example or making a ring in white gold instead of yellow gold.

I love the idea of a wedding ring that tells your own personal story and what could be more personal than the coast line between the towns in which you live or your favourite beach!

To find out more check out the gorgeous website.

Which coast line means something to you as a couple?  Were you proposed to on a beach?  I'd love to hear your stories!

Lots of love