Vintage Hair Inspiration

We love this cute girly style, especially as it's pretty easy to create! Get perfecting it now before the summer season begins- would look amazing with a vintage tea dress and some retro shades.

Ellie Ellie Wears

We love this sunny palette with a burst of yellow surrounded by a beautiful shade of emerald green. Such an easy, casual outfit for daytime activities! These trainers are destined to be a wardrobe staple, uber comfy and ideal to brighten up any outfit! The Upcycled Vintage Sixpence Necklace compliments the vintage dress perfectly, for a Spring chic outfit- you can even choose if you'd prefer a 18 or 22" chain, depending on what look you are after!

Brights are bang on trend for Spring/Summer 2013! You can't go far wrong with this outfit!

Yellow Dress- Instant Vintage

Green Trainers- Pebble Boutique

Sixpence Necklace – Ellie Ellie

Green Briefcase – Bohemia

Ellie Ellie's DIY Inspiration - Turn Old Jam Jars into Colourful Vases!

 

Gorgeous aren't they? We found inspiration for these on Pinterest- great addition to your home to let a bit of Spring in! The best news is that they are super duper easy to make and up-cycled too!

All you need to do is collect yourself some vintage jam or pickle jars, which you can pick up from charity shops or even in your cupboards at home!

Grab yourself some paint- why not select your kitchen's colour scheme of some traditional Spring shades?

And...follow the simple instructions below, leave to dry and fill with beautiful fresh flowers from the garden!

Ellie Ellie Wears

We at Ellie Ellie love all things British, so it's no surprise that we have a soft spot for TOPSHOP's 'Made in Britain' collection. Packed with everything from hats, shoes, accessories, dresses and everything in between it's great to see this high street brand embracing it's heritage!

We've taken 3 items from the collection and slung it with Ellie Ellie's Upcycled Building Brick Studs to compliment the colours in the retro comic tee! Our studs are handmade using old LEGO bricks, which we transform into these cute little studs which are also available in blue, black and white!

This casual-chic outfit is perfect for a mooch around the shops or a coffee date with your girls!

It's increasingly important for us shoppers to support British trade- we've all heard of the doom and gloom soaring around UK bank accounts so it's vital that we shop British and support UK based manufacturing- everything doesn't have to be made in China.

Trousers, Fedora and Top - TOPSHOP Made In Britain
Upcycled Building Brick Studs- Ellie Ellie

Pinterest Love

Join Ellie Ellie on Pinterest to get an insight to all things that inspire us, our products and general things that we love. Here's a few of our recent pins to wet your whistle!

 Like what you see? Follow us on Pinterest here and jump on the Ellie Ellie bandwagon!

Margaret Thatcher Quotes

Margaret was the first female Prime minister- the only one the UK has seen. She was a powerful women, nick named the 'Iron Lady' for her ability to make decisions and stick to them to the very end.  She was a highly inspirational to British women, who under her power received the highest pay rates ever seen in the UK.

Maggie was one of the finest British orators of all time so, we thought we'd gather some of her most famous quotes to share with you guys!

''Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't''

 "What is success? I think it is a mixture of having a flair for the thing that you are doing; knowing that it is not enough, that you have got to have hard work and a certain sense of purpose."

  "If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman."

 "To wear your heart on your sleeve isn't a very good plan; you should wear it inside, where it functions best."

"You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it."

 "To those waiting with bated breath for that favourite media catchphrase, the U-turn, I have only one thing to say. You turn if you want to. The lady's not for turning."

Ellie Ellie Wears

Today is the anniversary of the creation of the Union Jack flag, so we thought we’d go heavy on the patriotism. Fallen quite hard for these adorable brogues from Russell and Bromley, a brand long famed for their incredible designs, quality and style. A pair of R&B are near on impossible to wear out- family heirloom material.

John Zacks ultra cute pinafore dress is a perfect little Springtime move, with a mix of pale denim and a fine off-white polka dot shirt. Red is a strong theme for this outfit so we’ve partnered up Ellie Ellie’sUpcycled Stamp necklace with a trusty Ollie and Nic leather shoulder bag t’boot making it a great opportunity to colour block.

Want to take it further? Cobalt blue nail polish. You know it makes sense. 

Dress – John Zack (available from ASOS)

JEEVES Brogues - Russell and Bromley

Bag- Ollie and Nic

Upcycled StampPendant –Ellie Ellie

Get baking - Chocolate and Banana Bread! Perfect Easter Recipe.

Looks good, huh?

Here's what you'll need:

• 100g plain chocolate
• 150g unsalted butter , softened
• 175g golden caster sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 175g self-raising flour
• 1 level tsp baking powder
• 25g cocoa
• 2 large banana peeled and mashed 

For the streusel topping:

• 25g unsalted butter
• 2 generous tbsp plain flour
• 1 level tbsp demerara sugar.

1. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and line the bases of 2 x 450g loaf tins with baking parchment. To make the streusel topping, rub the butter into the flour, then mix in the demerara sugar and chopped pecans. Melt the chocolate either in the microwave or in a small glass bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until smooth and remove from the heat.
2. Cream together the softened butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy. Gradually add the egg, beating well between each addition. Sift together the flour, baking powder and cocoa and fold in using a large metal spoon. Add the mashed banana and chocolate and mix well.
3. Divide the mixture between the 2 tins and top each with the streusel. Bake for about 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on a rack, then wrap in baking parchment or foil.

Introducing the latest Ellie Ellie team member!

Meet Hanh, 23, our new Dispatch and Office Assistant! It's so exciting that Ellie Ellie is growing at such a rate that we can employ young and talented people to enhance our team. Hanh is currently learning the 'ins and outs' of our dispatch system. Her plans are  to develop within Ellie Ellie into customer service too as she has previously worked in the field so we are hoping that she will be a fantastic string to our bow with customer relations!

Hanh started with Ellie Ellie after Easter and is looking forward to growing within the company!

We asked Hanh a few ice- breaking questions!

1.  What made you want to join Ellie Ellie?
I've met the team several times before and I have never met a more lively, productive and motivated bunch! They have incredible energy individually as well as a team. I just knew that I wanted to be a part of that. I heavily believe and support the concepts and objectives of the company in regards to sustainability and creating new and fun products out of materials that otherwise would go to landfill sites. The team works incredibly hard and are so dedicated, but are fun loving at the same time which makes it a great office atmosphere!
2. What's your role within the company?
I am currently a dispatch and office assistant, but my role is quite varied at the moment as  the team are showing me the ropes and I'm familiarising myself with lots of different aspects including software systems and production methods. There is a lot to learn in a fast paced environment, but I'm up for the challenge! There is never a dull moment in the Ellie Ellie office, I'm looking forward to becoming part of the furniture and learning more about our products!
3. What are your ambitions within the company?
I am currently keeping an open mind, there are lots of areas I'd like to be involved with! Ellie Ellie is an ever growing company and there are so many directions it could go in. There are a few things in the pipe line which is very exciting. I just know that I want to be involved with the Ellie Ellie roller coaster and that big things are heading our way. The girls aren't afraid of hard work, which is a great motivation for me!
4. What is your fave Ellie Ellie product, and why?
Personalised Map Pendants. You can wear your home on your heart, or choose anywhere in the world that is significant to you. I just think it's such a beautiful sentimental gift for someone, they also look so lovely on! It is one of our best selling products and I'm already enjoying seeing the locations our customers choose.
5. Tell us an interesting fact about yourself!
I can speak fluent Vietnamese!
6. If you could grant one National holiday what day would it be and why? 
It is a tie between National Chocolate Day, or National Hanh Day! Any excise for a second birthday and presents without my physical or mental age going up!

Ellie Ellie Wears

This week we take a look at Vogue's fave colour of Spring- black. Designers such as Dolce & Gabbana and Stella McCartney have all been designing simple dark outfits for a moody British spring. 

I know it's a shock. Who'd of thought black would of been a colour for Spring. LBDs have long been a staple for every women's wardrobe. This little number from Miss Selfridge with it's sweet Peter Pan collar adds a hint of femininity!  Loafers are another essential- these give a bit of balance to the prettiness of the dress, making it a fab outfit for work or a smart/casual dinner date. Ellie Ellie's necklace made from Upcycled Lego is a great bit of nostalgic humor and a great conversation starter with the lads. Check out Ellie Ellie's full up-cycled brick collection here. 

Dress- Miss Selfridge

Building brick necklace- EllieEllie

Loafers- Topshop

Black Tights – ASOS 

Any excuse for horsing around!

Today our Ava turns 22 (what a grand age!) so we thought we’d share with you one of her favourite things to do. A few of you will know that she loves her horse related activities, how she copes in the office all day we'll never know!

So after a weekend of eating chocolate, a few us might be thinking that we need to take a long hard look at ourselves..maybe, just maybe, toy with the idea of joining the gym. What better way to get yourself out and about and doing something active, then having a bash at horse riding? 

If the gym is too intimidating then there really is nothing better then saddling up at your local riding school for an hour. It really is the best fun. You don't have to worry about attire, give the riding school a ring and they'll be sure to give you some tips or lend you some gear! You can book yourself in with a beginner's group, so you can take it as steady (or as speedy) as you fancy. Some of you may of already been riding and never really thought of it as exercise, most probably watched it on TV during the Olympics where our GB team won numerous golds..or maybe you used to love it but life got in the way? There really is no better way to spend a Sunday morning. So, google some riding schools near you and give it a go!  

Ava horsing around with her pal Jigsaw.