NEW: Monogram Initial Pocket Watch

Do you know a groom-to-be or looking for a special gift for a man who has everything? We're delighted to have the beautiful new Personalised Heritage Monogram Pocket Watch now available! A classic timepiece with a charming vintage feel, they're the perfect accessory for the groom to have on his wedding day (to make sure he's on time!)

                                         

A stylish and memorable gift for any occasion, personalised with an initial to make it extra special! Also available in silver, they're fully working an d come with a clipable pocket chain - just like the originals!

www.ellieellie.co.uk

Classic Car Boot Sale!

Much loved by the British, car boot sales are a great way to buy and sell some goodies! But how about the idea of the finest vintage fashion, homeware traders operating from the boot of their lovely classic vehicles?

That's right, the Classic Car Boot Sale is back in London! After huge success over the past couple of years, this weekend it's setting up at Lewis Cubbit Square in Kings Cross, where the collection of vintage cars, walkabout entertainment and selection of yummy food on offer is expected to be its most impressive yet! Tomorrow and Sunday. over 100 exhibitors are expected to park up their classic cars.

Expect to hear a fabulous selection of vinyl-only music, played on an open-air routemaster!
From Classic car enthusiasts to those with an eye for retro furnishings and fashion, or anyone who just enjoys a fantastic, friendly atmosphere to have a browse around, there's something for everyone!

Head over to their website for more exciting details.

www.ellieellie.co.uk

NEW! Retro Style Cufflinks

Here at Ellie Ellie, anything vintage-inspired excites us. So we're delighted with our new Retro cufflink range, and we think you will be too!

From pinhole camera to paper planes, there's a style to suit every hobby or interest:

The Boombox, Jigsaw Piece and Cassette design can also be engraved with your very own special message - add names, a date, or anything personal to you and your recipient. They're sure to make a most memorable gift!

Whether he's a keen photographer, music lover, or a kid at heart, these are Perfect for Dad's this Father's Day, or for the man in your life all year round!

www.ellieellie.co.uk

Brighton Festival: Ellie's Ellie's picks! Part 2

We're halfway through one of Brighton's biggest celebrations of the year, and we haven't been disappointed! There's been something for everyone, from fancy dress and book-reading for kids, to plays and live music performances in the city's best-loved venues.

So what's in store for the last few days of one of the biggest highlights in the UK's event calendar?

Nina Conti: This Tuesday, for comedic fun for all the family, don't miss the ventriloquism talents of Nina Conti (along with her puppet friends of course). See a screening of her 'docu-mockumentary" her Master's Voice, alongside a live performance guaranteed to leave both adult and kids wanting more.

Carousel: What goes on at fairground after closing time? You'll find out in this enchanting journey through dramatic movement with an equally enticing soundtrack - meeting all the weird and wonderful characters along with way. For a breathtaking performance of energetic choreography and music, visit the Southpaw Dance company on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 to experience at atmosphere you won't find anywhere else. 

How We Used To Live: This is definitely one for history enthusiasts and vintage lovers. Narrated by Ian McShane, it's a film of rare footage of London from the fifties through to the eighties. See the transformation of England's capital and an insight into its developing nightlife, vehicles and housing. The brains behind the idea and who made it a reality are nineties band Saint Etienne and filmmaker Paul Kelly, who will be on hand to give a special treat to their viewers with a live performance of the intriguing soundtrack too!

www.ellieellie.co.uk 

Sshhhhh.... Sneak Peek!

I have been working on a new 'Coming Soon' feature on our website which is where you're able to see what we are launching at Ellie Ellie before it's launched! The reason for this brilliant feature? We simply don't want to keep new products and exciting new gifts a secret, we want to share them with everyone. 

Having their own snazzy megaphone, you can now see what products we will be launching, which gives you plenty of time to decide where they will best fit in your home, or who would love it as a gift (so we're helping really).  

Once the 'coming soon' megaphone has been replaced with an even snazzier 'new' megaphone, you know it is now in stock and ready to be ordered and delivered to you! 

This Strawberry Recycled Lunch Box Bag is just one of many exciting products coming to Ellie Ellie very soon... 

As always, keep your eyes peeled for our updates and sneak peeks on Instagram and Facebook too! 

Vintage Loveliness this weekend!

After a successful October car boot, The Classic Car Boot Sale is back this Spring (tomorrow, Saturday the 15th March, Sunday the 16th March) at the Southbank Centre in London, if you are wondering what marvelous activity you can amuse yourself with this weekend, this is a great idea!

The Classic Car Boot Sale is not an ordinary car boot, full of retro bits and pieces, the car boot sale is jam packed of more than 100 traders, who all come along to sell their retro goods. Wonder round all the stalls while tucking into some yummy food and quality drink too!

If you are lucky enough to own a vintage vehicle, you can register for the car boot to sell from your boot, basket or trailer! Be ready to spot an array of vintage wears, accessories and household goods and make a good ol' day of it!

Find out more about the car boot here!

Ellie Ellie Wears - Tailored Chick

The summer holidays are over for the kids this week, and you could be back at work after some time off in the summer. This weeks inspiration is tailored chick, an ideal back to work outfit that’s comfortable and looks great! 

This contrast collar shirt is on trend and very versatile, tucked into a high waisted skirt or paired with black trousers like these from Reiss. Adding a touch of vintage to the outfit are our Ellie Ellie Music Score Sheet Stud Earrings, made from authentically vintage sheet music! Finish off the look with these statement flats by whistles, which add a great touch of monochrome to the whole look.

Fairly made contrast collar shirt - Ruby Rocks
Black Trousers - Reiss
Music Score Sheet Stud Earrings - Ellie Ellie
Lexie Panelpoint Flat Pump - Whistles

Crazy Customising!

Here is a little crazy customisation we’ve stumbled upon this week. We aren’t sure about these customised Lego shoes here at Ellie Ellie HQ, love or hate?

If these Lego shoes don’t quite take your fancy why not try and customise an old pair of shoes you were going to chuck out and give them a new lease of life.... go on!!

Here are a handful of ideas inspired by Ellie Ellie’s favourite things… Have a go using scrap comics, maps or sheet music with Papier Mache, or you could try it with your favourite wrapping paper or old stamps.

For a fun, personalised look you could use locations that are special to you, and we love the idea of personalised insoles for your wedding shoe, a great way to have your memories with you on the day...

Another favourite of ours at Ellie Ellie is these stamp pumps, we think this is a lovely way to reuse stamps and create an individual look. 

 

Not forgetting our love of old vintage comics, personalising your old pumps and heels with comic print is a fabulous idea, use your favourite comic book characters and stories to make your shoes tell a story.

For a step by step guide to mastering papier mache, the perfect way to customise your shoes, have a look at this tutorial  Getting started with papier mache

Ellie Ellie Wears: Party Outfit

This week we've thrown together an outfit fit for even the most glamourous event or wedding reception! A mixture of cream, mint and pastel pink with a sprinkle of sparkle, this outfit is sure to be a hit for that evening occasion! We love this skirt from Ruche with it's simple structure and feminine design! A compact mirror is the ultimate accessory for the girl about town and these from Ellie Ellie are just the ticket! Handmade from vintage music score sheets in our Sussex HQ, these are sure to be a handbag staple.

Blush Pink Clutch - Shruti
Cream & Gold Top - Frock & Frill
Upcycled Music Sheet Compact Mirror - Ellie Ellie
Mint Green Skirt - Ruche

Ellie Ellie Wears - Wimbledon Style

The Wimbledon finals are upon us. If you're lucky enough to have tickets to the final, we are green with envy. We've been inspired by the ladies of the courts this week and our outfit features a gorgeous little off-white dress by Ted Baker, complimented by these awesome heels/wedges (we don't think they can make their mind up). Grab yourself one of these gorgeous leather clutch bags from Amy George  to seal the deal. Accessorize with these beautiful Ellie Ellie charm bracelets, which you can personalise with locations from all over the world.

Bow Dress- Ted Baker
Leather Clutch- Amy George
White Heels - Topshop
Personalised Map Bracelet- Ellie Ellie

Ellie Ellie Wears

Going a bit '80s here folks. Acid washed/high waisted denim teamed with this madly floral top from Jolie Moi is a match made in heaven. We love the bat wing cut and the style of this top, which in our minds need no accessories, except from these gorgeous little music sheet studs handmade at Ellie Ellie's HQ in Sussex. Each pair is totally unique and made from recycled music sheets! Dress your feet in these beautiful tan loafers from Rocket- classic but yet oh so stylish these shoes are a certain investment!

Acid Denim- Warehouse
Floral Bat Wing Top- Jolie Moi
Recycled Music Sheet Studs- Ellie Ellie
Tan Loafer - Rocket

Ellie Ellie Wears

This week's Ellie Ellie Wears features a Joules vs Cath Kidston mash up. That beautiful blush pink from the blouse, plucks the feminine colours from the country styles high waisted skirt. Tuck your top into the skirt and pop on a pair of these cute little floral pumps to finish your outfit off. Ellie Ellie's Personalised Map Cluster Pendant is an ideal accessory- you can personalise each charm with a location from around the world that you hold dear. You can have between 1 and 6 charms, and of course it's a great piece to add to over time as the memories are made!

Pink Blouse - Joules
Country Skirt - Cath Kidston
Floral Pumps - Joules
Personalised Map Pendant - Ellie Ellie

Ellie Ellie Wears

 

 This weeks Ellie Ellie Wears features this fab Parrot print Dress from Instant Vintage! We love the bold and quirky print and when put with these turquoise office sandals it makes a perfect outfit for Spring/Summer activities (we don't know when Summer's meant to turn up either, but hey lets stay hopeful!) Alphabet bags have produced yet another lovely product. 'Dance All Day' is such a fun sentiment and frankly it's how we wish we lived! After all, nothing better than a boogie with friends to your favourite song. Our Sixpence Necklace is the perfect accessory for the outfit and to make life even sweeter, you can even customise the coin date making it extra special to you.  

Parrot Dress - Instant Vintage

Dance All Day Shopper- Alphabet Bags

Sixpence Necklace - Ellie Ellie

Turquoise Sandal- OFFICE.

Handmade little memories

Ellie Ellie is quickly building a reputation for handmade and sustainable products, which give a whole new take on personalised gifting! Our Sussex HQ is packed to the rafters with materials, such as our beautiful vintage maps which we use to hand make our jewellery and cufflinks.

We thought we'd give you an insight to what happens behind the scenes!

We have thousands of vintage maps and atlases which we use to make our products with! We are always on the look out for beautiful old prints, whether we're rummaging around jumble sales or riffling through a charity shop!

Is it slightly weird that we have favourite maps? These are our 'old faithfuls'. This title is given to any map that never lets us down, having almost impossible locations in beautiful colour palettes and the highest print quality!

This is Lindsay our Head Maker, selecting map segments ready for jewellery making! She hand selects each piece of map that we use, making sure each piece is as beautiful as possible. By producing them individually by hand, it allows us to give our customers the individual attention they need to make their product as special as the memory it represents.

Some of our Personalised Map Cufflinks ready to go out to our customers! You can see how unique each one is, which we feel add a whole new level to the personalisation- no two are the same but they are all as beautiful!

Enter Ellie Ellie's Father's Day Competition!

IT'S COMPETITION TIME!

WIN one of our best selling Personalised Map Keyrings plus your choice of gift wrap & matching card for your Dad this Father’s Day!

All you have to do to win is head over to the Ellie Ellie Facebook page, 'like' us and comment on our competition post telling us which TWO locations you would choose for your Dad and why?

The best personalisation story will be chosen on the 10th of June by a sophisticated panel of the Ellie Ellie team! So dig deep people, it’s all about the location & good luck!

For more information about our Map Keyring, check it out here!

How to transform vintage tea cups into candles

Wednesday 8th May= National Tea Drinking Day. I kid you not. This does actually exist, I've googled it and it's totally kosher.

We love all things vintage - you literally have to surgically remove Danielle from any vintage china at the jumble sale. She's brought so many her house looks like a tea cup convention.

So it got us thinking, what else can you do with them (apart from the obvious). Tea cup candles are a great way of getting your old china out of the cupboard and out into your home to be admired, or of course they make fantastic presents for friends and family. 

You can use different oils and colourings to make no-end of different teacup candles!

We stumbled across this great idea from Martha Stewart - it's a great way to up-cycle your tea cups and old candles.

"Here's what you need -

Pans
Partially burned candles
Candy or candle thermometer
Tongs
New wicking
Teacups
Wick sustainers
Wooden skewers

How you do it -

 1. In a small pan set over a larger pan of simmering water, melt down old candles; clip the thermometer to the upper pot, and keep temperature at about 185 degrees. Remove old wicks with tongs.

2. Cut a piece of wicking to the cup's height plus 2 inches. Clamp one end to a wick sustainer; tie the other end around a skewer. Dip wicking and sustainer into melted wax to coat them. Remove and stick sustainer to cup's bottom.

3. Pour in the wax, stopping 1/2 inch below the cup's rim. Allow wax to set, about 1 hour. The candle will harden with a well in the center. To even it out, use another skewer to prick a circle of holes about 1/16 inch deep around the wick. Pour in melted wax until surface is 1/4 inch below rim. Cut wick."