A note from Abi

Hi! I’m Abi Silvester, fashion and lifestyle journalist, web editor and blogger.

If you’d like to find out more about the type of work I do, you can check in here any time to see what I’m up to – just scroll down for news on my latest projects

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have a query regarding any of the following sites:

Kiss & Makeup
Shoewawa
The Bag Lady
Crafty Crafty

Snark is alive and well in the craft community

‘Craft’ and ‘Snark’ are not words you’ll often hear in the same sentence. The gentle, supportive craft community is usually exempt from the scrutiny and bitchiness applied to policics, music and celebrities, and most people like it that way.

Top 5 worst times to go shopping

Everyone knows that supermarket shopping when you’re hungry is bad news: you come back with twice as much food as you need, most likely including the more expensive ‘treats’ you’d normally consider out of bounds, and it never ends well. But when else should you lock up your credit card and avoid going within a mile of any shops?

Head over to Walletpop for five examples of when we’re at are weakest and most vulnerable to temptation — and read my tips on how to avoid it!

Pinnie porn: Aprons that rock!

When I’m entertaining guests, my usual strategy is to select and put aside a fabulous outfit, pull on something old and slobby to cook in, only to notice three hours later that time’s up and I’ll have to greet my friends in the same filthy old rags I’d started work in. I’m usually still pulling on my best shoes by the dessert course…

The answer is, of course an apron. And happily there are plenty out there that are far from frumpy! The ‘cupcake apron’ pictured above is part of a range of pinup-inspired aprons by Etsy seller World Famous Aprons, who has a nice selection of printed pinnies, including polka-dot, leopard and zebra. It’s so pretty I can’t imagine wanting to take it off! 

More at Domestic Sluttery

Is Climate Change killing off the Daddy-long-legs?

I’m certainly not in the habit of applauding the action of climate change, but can I please make an exception in this one instance? The crane fly is surely the most pointless and bothersome insect ever, and I for one would be happy to never have one fly into my face again. And if their numbers continue to dwindle, maybe I’ll get my wish! The fact that it’s due to climate change is…beside the point.

Getting married in a credit crunch? Read this first…

Budgeting will always be an important part of wedding planning, and never more so than now. But you can’t put a price on friendship, and nobody wants to start married life sent on a long honeymoon in Coventry. So here’s some advice on how not to go about holding a cut-price wedding, with suggestions on how you could do it better!

1. Hold a ‘Dry’ wedding

Booze accounts for a large part of your wedding expenses, so it can be tempting to try and cut costs here. But unless you’re part of a strict religious sect, the odds are at least some of your guests will be looking forward to a drink or three at the reception, and will be decidedly unhappy if you announce on the day that it’s OJ and mineral water only. As a serial wedding attendee, I can honestly say you’d gain more popularity serving beans on toast at the wedding breakfast…so how can you make it affordable?

Read on after the jump for some solutions to this and more cost-cutting no-nos…

[originally published on Bridalwave]

Crafty fun with Qype at Fabrications

It never ceases to amaze me how many independent craft shops exist in London. Every time I tell myself I *must* have found the last one, along comes another and I’m impressed and inspired all over again.

The other night provided another such revelation as I was tipped off to the existence of Fabrications; a shop, studio and gallery in Broadway Market that runs regular classes catering to several disciplines, though knitting is a particular focus. I’d gone along to join the guys at Qype, who had organised an event that promised the opportunity to ‘learn a brand new craft’, so off I went to the wilds of East London in search of a novel experience (and a French Fancy, which may also have served as motivation!)

Red all over

Want to do something for charity right now without having to leave the virtual comfort zone of your workstation? If so, Comic Relief have just the thing for you, with their ‘digital red nose’; a nifty fundraising tool for the online generation. Hear I am wearing mine!

All you need do is fill out your details here, make a donation of £1, and hey presto – you’ll be the proud owner of a new nose, ready for presentation on your Facebook or Bebo page. So why not do it now? It takes less than five minutes and it’ll improve your day enormously knowing you started it with a generous gift to people in need. [Source: Hippyshopper.com]

Marching on

Wow. Is it really March already? The last few weeks have certainly been busy, and I’ve been getting my teeth into some cool new projects…

I’ve been working on a home improvement series for Yell.com, where I was drafted in to advise on how we can all make our homes lovely while we’re stuck indoors sheltering from this nasty recession thing. This has been keeping my fingers busy and my imagination fired with ideas on how I could make my own place into the creative haven I’ve always wanted it to be!

Here are a few of my posts:

• Tardis tips: how to make a small space look bigger

• ‘Date-proofing’ your home for a romantic encounter

• The art of de-cluttering your home

My own ‘domestic goddessery’ has mostly been limited to knitting with bloody huge needles while eating exceedingly nice cakes…