Bespoke Furniture.com by Margaret Graham

A friend was practically bald, so often did I find her pulling out her hair, so I sat her down for a gin, and discussed the situation. The problem was to do with finding– no, not a person, but furniture that would fit into her life. All I could do was to pour several more gins, and suggest she tore up blotting paper instead.

If only I had known about Bespoke Furniture.com. We would still have drunk the gin, but she would have paid for it, so pleased would she have been with me. So just in case any Frost readers have a similar problem, read on. But don’t forget the gin.

How Moving into a Flat Made me Start a Furniture Business

by Adam Buchan

Nothing beats a room of one’s own and I was delighted when I moved into the flat above the pizza delivery parlour.

Next up was the thorny question of how to furnish it. I had a problem. Originally part of a bigger house, the rooms were an awkward shape and I found it impossible to find furniture that I liked and would fit in. Eventually, I ended up commissioning a kitchen dresser and dining table but they were both disappointing and badly made.

Two years later, having built the website myself,  I am running a company, bespokefurniture.com, which oversees the making and delivery of just such wooden furniture, including kitchen dressers, larder units, wardrobes, chest of drawers, and tables.

Welsh-Triple-Dresser-Glazed-Top

Description: Welsh Triple Dresser, Glass Door Top

Its aim is simple: to provide high-quality made-to-measure furniture from the best British workshops. All of our furniture is handmade to order, so customers can specify their exact dimensions, paint colour, timber and handles.

It took me eighteen months (much longer than anticipated) to find the right workshops, during which time I travelled the length of the country. There were a lot of individual craftsmen that were not geared up for regular orders but eventually I found the right partners, based in Staffordshire and Yorkshire.

After much deliberation over the blueprints for each piece of furniture, I launched the company, unleashed an on-line marketing campaign and held my breath. It took a week for the first order to come through… but then another soon after. I haven’t looked back since then, sales have been climbing month after month.

Bespoke Furniture.com by Margaret Graham

Description: Double Wardrobe, Four Drawer

I have learnt an enormous amount. Quality control has to be maintained at all times, and takes a lot of care and patience. Couriers can be unpredictable. Customers can change their mind. But all of these issues are part of any retail business. My original conviction was that if we could deliver excellent quality, affordable furniture within a reasonable timeframe, then there is a really significant market to be tapped – and this is definitely proving to be the case.

https://www.bespokefurniture.com/

 

 

 

The Most Decadent Christmas Gift Guide For The Incredibly Good

Had a good year? Got a good bonus at work? Been saving really hard? Well then let us begin with the most decadent Christmas gift list. A collection of the most beautiful jewellery for mum, daughter, sister, wife, girlfriend or yourself. Prepare to sigh.

Celebrity jeweller and founder of Vashi.com, Vashi Dominguez and his elves have put together a beautiful Christmas Gift Guide for Frost, featuring a treasure trove of diamonds and pearl accessories from as little as £199.

Diamond and Freshwater Pearl Pendant in Platinum £699

Diamond and Freshwater Pearl Pendant in Platinum £699

9k White Gold Stud Diamond Earrings £199

9k White Gold Stud Diamond Earrings £199

Diamond and Freshwater Pearl Earrings in 18k White Gold £499

Diamond and Freshwater Pearl Earrings in 18k White Gold £499

Diamond Snowflake Pendant £379

Diamond Snowflake Pendant £379

Snowflake Diamond Pendant in 18k White Gold £499

Snowflake Diamond Pendant in 18k White Gold £499

X Diamond and Freshwater Pearl Earrings in 18k White Gold £229

X Diamond and Freshwater Pearl Earrings in 18k White Gold £229

X Diamond and Freshwater Pearl Pendant in 9k White Gold £299

X Diamond and Freshwater Pearl Pendant in 9k White Gold £299

1.00 Carat Tennis Diamond Bracelet in 9k White Gold £1837

1.00 Carat Tennis Diamond Bracelet in 9k White Gold £1837

All available from Vashi.com Which is your favourite?

 

 

Forget Tattoos, ‘Tantoos’ Are The Safe Way To Achieve Beautiful Body Art

tantoosCancer Research UK announced this week that skin cancer rates have surged, with more than 13,000 people developing a malignant melanoma each year. Exposure to the sun or sunbeds before the age of 25 can almost double the risk of getting skin cancer in later life.

 

TanOrganic is urging young people to limit their exposure to harmful UV rays, and has teamed up with an aspiring artist to create a form of body art to convey their message. Tantoos are semi-permanent, safe and effective. They use fake tan to create beautifully intricate patterns that last around a week – allowing the subject to express their creativity without regretting it!

 

This picture shows a design by aspiring tantoo artist, Lucie England, 17, using TanOrganic’s certified organic self-tanning lotion. The tan was applied using a brush, with the tantoo drying in less than 10 minutes. Visible upon application, the design fully develops within six to eight hours.

 

The tantoo is made from food-based ingredients including caramel, honey, sugar, beetroot and orange peel, and is free from harmful parabens, perfumes and synthetic ingredients. Lucie used TanOrganic’s original self-tan lotion for this particular tantoo, which is aloe vera based and nourishing to skin.

 

Noelle O’Connor, founder of TanOrganic – who appeared on Dragon’s Den in Ireland and successfully gained investment for the brand – said:

tantoo

“Tantoos allow people to have a safe alternative to permanent tattoos they may regret later. Using fake tan is a great way to express creativity and adorn our bodies, especially in the summer months when more flesh is on display. We foresee them being popular at festivals and events where people like to express themselves and just be unique.”

 

“Of course for a tantoo to show up you have to have tanless skin in the first place, which is an important message to convey. If your skin is sun damaged before the age of 25 you are almost twice as likely to develop skin cancer later in life. I devote a lot of time to educating young people about the dangers of getting lucieenglanda real tan; it’s shocking to think that nearly 90% of skin cancer cases can be prevented with simple lifestyle choices. I hope that our work with Lucie on tantoos promotes this message to young people and literally saves their skin!”

 

Unlike henna tattoos, tantoos are cleaner and easier because they take minutes to apply and dry, and there’s no messy paste to wash off afterwards.

 

Aspiring tantoo artist Lucie England (pictured left), aged 17 and from Surrey, is currently studying A-level art & design, graphics and psychology and is aiming to be the UK’s first tantoo artist.

 

 

Lupita Nyong’o Is People’s Most Beautiful. A Win For Diversity

This is definitely the year of Lupita. The Oscar-winning actress has been names People’s Most Beautiful. A win not only for Lupita, but also for diversity.

Lupita Nyong'o Named People's Most Beautiful

Do you think People made the right choice?

Beautiful Jewellery By Alexis Dove

Touched by the nature of the South Downs, Alexis Dove works tirelessly to produce quintessentially English jewellery collections from her Sussex workshop.

Sarissa and Helios are part of the new ancient and modern-inspired collections by Alexis Dove. The thoughts behind the new pieces are to bring design elements from her fine jewellery pieces into the silver collections, connecting the two areas of her design work more closely.

AlexisDove

Inspired by jewellery from ancient cultures, using natural motifs such as leaves, flowers and other wildlife along with images from nature that were important to everyday ancient life including the sun, hand-hammered textures and granulation bring this beautiful jewellery to life, with the Aphrodite collection being an extension of her 2013 summer Helios collection, gorgeous feminine pieces of cascading olive leaves and twinkling faceted olive stones.

alexis

As with all Alexis Dove collections, each piece is available in a variety of finishes, from silver to yellow and rose gold vermeil and with black rhodium. All Alexis Dove jewellery is handmade in Sussex and includes a signature clasp which is part of the hand-finished look. Prices start at around £40 and are available to purchase online with exclusive and bespoke pieces available at her stand-alone store in Lewes.

Alexis Dove Jewellery


facebook.com/AlexisDoveJewellery
@AlexisJewellery

Frost Loves…Kate Spade Watches

We love these funky watches from Kate Spade. They really brighten up your day and they look fabulous.

kate spade

Kate Spade Ladies’ Carousel Watch

WatchShop.com Price: £250 and free next day delivery within the UK

Bringing arm candy to new heights, the Kate Spade Ladies’ Carousel Watch is a signature timepiece in the watch collection. Inspired by the sweet, whimsical carousel in Manhattan’s central park, it’s crafted of gold-plated metal and colourful patchwork enamel with a turn of phrase delicately engraved inside.

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Kate Spade Ladies’ Metro Metallic Effect Leather Strap Watch

WatchShop.com Price: £175 and free next day delivery within the UK

Inspired by New York, this playful Kate spade new york design sports a PVD gold case and cream dial, with multi-coloured geometric shapes standing in as hour markers, and the iconic logo at the 12 o’clock position.

Powered by a three-hand quartz movement, the watch fastens with a supple leather strap, with chic golden colouring.

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Kate Spade Ladies’ Metro Candy Watch

WatchShop.com Price: £195 and free next day delivery within the UK

This Kate Spade Metro timepiece features a cream dial set with baton hour markers. The pink seconds hand and iconic Kate Spade logo at the 12 o’clock position add a vivid splash of colour.

Powered by a three-hand quartz movement, the watch fastens with a candy stripe black and white patent leather strap.

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Kate Spade Ladies’ Metro Pink Polka Dot Watch

WatchShop.com Price: £175 and free next day delivery within the UK

A glossy polka dot leather strap brings a dash of playfulness to a classic round watch with a clean, stick-index dial. The patent leather polka dot strap brings a dash of playfulness to a classic round watch with a clean.

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Kate Spade Ladies’ Metro Dot Dial Watch

WatchShop.com Price: £175 and free next day delivery within the UK

This Kate Spade Metro watch features 12 fun dots where the hour markers are placed along with three gold-toned hands. The watch has a gold plated stainless steel case and features a black leather strap.

 

Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2014

Here it is: a list celebrating the most desirable women. AskMen Readers Celebrate Actresses, Performers, Athletes and Other Leading Ladies in Global Poll.

After more than one million votes were cast internationally, Game of Thrones darling Emilia Clarke was voted No. 1 on AskMen’s Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2014. The 13th edition of the Top 99 poll called on readers to elect women who most closely match their ideals, voting on criteria including sex appeal, character, talent and potential for 2014.

mostdesirablewomen

Rounding out this year’s top five are Mad Men’s Alison Brie (No. 2), Blurred Lines music video model Emily Ratajkowski (No. 3), The Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence (No. 4) and Harry Potter’s Emma Watson (No. 5). After an eventful year, Miley Cyrus was featured on the list for the first time ever — at No. 99. “AskMen readers are big television fans — the proof is the 27 current and former TV stars that they voted to this year’s list. Emilia Clarke being crowned Khaleesi of the Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2014 is attributable to the strength and character she portrays onscreen, as well as the global popularity of Game of Thrones. It’s great to see a Brit top our list this year,” commented Mike Goldstein, Publisher of AskMen.

Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2014

British women are appealing to men across the globe: 28 British ladies were voted into the Top 99 this year – with Emma Watson (No.5) and Kate Moss (No.10) also making it into the coveted top 10 spots. There were also spots for It-girl of the moment Cara Delevigne (No.13) and the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton (No.35).

The Year of the Musician: Female artists were also incredibly appealing for men around the world, with AskMen readers voting in their droves for Beyonce (No.11), genre-blurring singer Rita Ora (No.18), Harry Styles’ ex-girlfriend and singer-songwriter Taylor Swift (No.30), Brit award-winner Ellie Goulding (No.34), Australian recording artist and model Iggy Azalea (No.95), and Brit singer-songwriter Eliza Doolittle (No.86).

The Reign of the TV Starlet: AskMen’s readers are clearly fans of fantasy series Game of Thrones, electing Clarke’s co-stars Oona Chaplin (No. 43) and Rose Leslie (No. 61) to the 2014 list as well. Additional TV favourites who secured a spot include New Girl’s Zooey Deschanel (No. 17), TV presenter Holly Willoughby (No. 37),  Modern Family’s Sofia Vergara (No. 40) and Fresh Meat’s Zawe Ashton (No.51).

Athletes are hot and coveted this year! AskMen’s readers are seemingly impressed by the drive, dedication and healthy figures of the likes of British Olympians Jessica Ennis (No.59) and Laura Trott (No.93)
and surfers Alana Blanchard (No.36) and Anastasia Ashley (No.67).