The Restory: To Be Fashion Thou Shalt Restore Not Replace

Posted on January 18, 2018 by Catherine Balavage

Our consumption of fashion is evolving. The throwaway days of ‘new season, new wardrobe’ seem to be numbered as we seek a more sustainable approach to all aspects of our lives, not just the fashionable ones. This evolution is fuelled for some by pragmatism, for others by altruism, but for the majority by a desire for our purchases to exist beyond a few seasons, or even just a few outings. Maximalist founder of the website, Man Repeller, Leandra Medine, recently told British Vogue that she wished she only owned 15 things.

A more circular approach is taking hold; yes, we buy – both new and pre-loved – but we also repair and rent and sell. We buy less but we buy better and we expect more. Some brands have always understood customer’s demand for products that have longevity and therefore provide aftercare and repair services to that end; heritage names such as Mulberry and Hermes spring to mind. Whilst eco-brand Patagonia has a lifetime guarantee on all its products.

However, it seems that for many luxury brands, everything beyond a legitimate product defect is simply outside their scope … and maybe that’s true but it can still leave the customer in a lurch.

This is what happened to native New Yorker, Vanessa Jacobs when she moved to London in 2006. “A high-street cobbler made an unapologetic mess out of what should have been a simple heel tip replacement,” recalls Jacobs. It was this experience, and nearly 10 years of subsequent ones of a similar nature, that spurred her to launch The Restory, an on-demand shoe and handbag restoration service that brings together quality, service, convenience and craftsmanship.

“It felt like moving heaven and earth to find someone you trust only to realise you could trust them with some things and not others,” continues Jacobs. “I had to make up a web of lies to take a half-a-day off from work to travel to their out-of-the-way shops and then do it all over again to collect my things. Often, they were nice but wouldn’t really go out of their way. I thought someone ought to do something about this and it turns out that someone was me.”

Jacobs spent 2 years assembling an A-team of cobblers, leather restorers, shoe blacks and cordwainers from across Europe; she even relocated several here to London. Coupled with charming service-oriented consultants, the company prides itself on devising solutions to almost any challenge.

“We use the term restoration because it connotes a what-ever-it-takes-to-bring-it-back approach,” says Jacobs.

Boasting a collection of services ranging from bespoke repairs to leather restoration to complete refashioning, The Restory is earning some impressive admirers. British Vogue recently crowned the company its’ go-to specialist and Vanity Fair and Fabric have also praised the company’s work.

“Currently, we are concentrating on providing The Restory’s services in London but we will be expanding across the whole of the UK,” continued Jacobs. “Looking further ahead, the plan is to offer new services and products and then we will look to bring The Restory’s much needed skills to other markets.”

So, how does this service work? Simply book a collection online (and soon via app), and a consultant will collect your items from any home or office in Central or West London. Your items will be taken to their atelier, beautifully restored and returned at a time and place of your choosing. “It’s like buying you favourite pieces all over again.”

www.the-restory.com

Playing with Fire by Paul Heiney – book review by Milly Adams

Posted on January 17, 2018 by Margaret Graham

Playing with Fire by Paul Heiney

I was going to call this a quirky book, and then stopped myself.

Perhaps it’s a sign of the times, what with central heating, and small gardens, that a book that explores the art of chopping and burning wood is considered any such thing.

Paul Heiney, the author, reminds us of the Zen proverb:

Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.

After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.

Indeed.

Playing with Fire is actually a fascinating history of wood, and fires, and an illustration of the magic of fire and flame. It is a hands on exploration of the care of woodland, the most suitable woods for burning, and the tinder for getting things going in the first place. And once the tinder is lit, how best to make the fire draw – inside the house, and out. It is a wood lover’s book, or for someone who wants at least one foot in the real world, and to smell the woodsmoke, and watch woodland flourish – the illustrations are superb.

Being of a certain age, I thought it the simplest thing to make a fire burn, having been taught by Mum and Dad. Clean out the fireplace, put the ash on the garden, and lay the fire again. And how best to make it draw, and then moving on from the open fireplace to the wood burner, and how to manage that. Though aren’t those soon to be politically incorrect. There are so many things added to the list now, one loses count.

And how to build a bonfire, and even put some spuds in the ash to eat when the day is done. Probably outlawed too.

I happened to hear of a friend who didn’t know how to get her log burner to work. First a bit of paper, then throw on a log. Er, no. She needs this book.

But actually we all need books like this. Wonderfully illustrated and written with love – about one of our most precious and sustainable commodities. Trees have leaves that produce oxygen. Careful husbanding of woodland not only provides a better environment, but heat. There’s a synchronicity

Read this. It is wholesome, healing, evocative, and fascinating. A gem.

Playing with Fire – The art of chopping and burning wood by Paul Heiney.

Pub The History Press hb £20

THEATRE REVIEW by Paul Vates – East at The King’s Head Theatre, London

Posted on January 17, 2018 by Margaret Graham

‘With brains, heart and guts it still hits home’

I ventured to trendy North London to watch an iconic play about gritty East London. Something ironic in that.

East arrived in 1975, from the Edinburgh Festival premiere, transferring to The King’s Head and launching Steven Berkoff’s raucous style. This revival shouldn’t work. Theatre – and audiences – should have moved on. But it – and we – haven’t. I wanted to write about the play’s unworthiness in the modern age, how it has dated and seems lacklustre. So out of touch. But the play still shocks, no-holds-barred; it is funny as some things never change; it is tragically brutal in a way that smacks so many new plays across the jaw and shouts into their faces ‘Wake up! Do your bloody job! Say something worthy…’

Director Jessica Lazar has assembled an amazing cast, who throw themselves into the style. Physical theatre is not everyone’s cup of tea, mime makes many run for the hills – but this is for adults, it is not cutesy. It sidles in alongside the prose: Berkoff’s quasi-Shakespearean text testing the audience, stretching plausibility as East End thugs and lovers fight verbally and physically in battle.

Boadicea Ricketts – (c) Alex Brenner @ King’s Head

I think the star of the show is debutant Boadicea Ricketts, playing an angry, sleazy and sexy Sylv. She shines and shows no fear. Aided by Jack Condon, another making a professional debut, as Les.

Jack Condon – (c) Alex Brenner @ King’s Head

Condon’s presence is assured and confident. Throwing himself around the stage with ease – it is somewhere he belongs. His counterpoint is James Craze, playing Mike.

Together, they live the best life can give them, albeit tough and frustrating. The parents are no better – exaggerating about their own youth, constantly comparing and bigging themselves up into more grotesque creatures than their offspring. Debra Penny and Russell Barnett play Mum and Dad – always on the verge of murder or enlightenment, neither of which arrives. Instead, they dream.

Debra Penny and Russell Barnett (c) Alex Brenner @ King’s Head

There is live piano accompaniment courtesy of Carol Arnopp, supplying a Cockney pub atmosphere as well as a soundtrack to the story.

What’s not to like? Well, the dancing’s a bit fuzzy and could be neater. At times, there is roaring where a whisper would suffice, but this is in-yer-face theatre. The East London that Berkoff knew may have changed – it’s probably trendier than the North of London now – but the memories linger and their relevance still reverberates. With brains, heart and guts it still hits home.

Paul Vates.

Producers Atticist

Photography Alex Brenner

Design David Doyle

Venue The King’s Head Theatre, 115 Upper Street, Islington, London N1 1QN

Performing until February 3rd 2018

Tuesday to Saturday at 7pm (no performances on Mondays)

Sunday Matinees at 3pm

(additional Matinee on Saturday February 3rd at 3pm)

Length 2 hours, plus an interval

Box Office website www.kingsheadtheatre.com and telephone 020 7226 8561

Tickets £19.50 (concessions £15/£18)

Premium are available priced at £25

Twitter @theAtticist, @KingsHeadThtr, #BerkoffEast

BUSINESS OF BOOKS: TAKE FOUR WRITERS – INTRODUCING JACKIE BALDWIN

Posted on January 17, 2018 by Jane Cable

Hello everyone! I’m so excited to be sharing with you all the steps towards publication of my second crime novel, Perfect Dead. I’m a Scottish crime writer and live in Dumfries, SW Scotland which is where my series is set. For most of my working life I was a solicitor practicing in family and criminal law but for the last five years I’ve been working as a hypnotherapist which I really enjoy. I’m married and have two grown up kids and two golden retrievers. This is a great area to walk dogs as it has an abundance of forests, rivers and coastline to let them run free. Consequently, I spend a fair bit of time spattered in mud and with twigs tangled in my hair. Don’t be fooled by my author photo!

Writing my second book was very different to writing my first one. Writing a first book you can take all the time in the world. And I did! About 12 years to be precise, including three years when I didn’t write a single word. Friends and family viewed the whole tortured process as a harmless eccentricity. After a final rewrite I sent it to Killer Reads, a digital imprint of Harper Collins. Two weeks later I was holding an acceptance. I didn’t stop shaking until the next day. It was such a shock!

So, to go from that timescale to writing the second book in less than a year took some doing! It didn’t help that last February I developed angina culminating in a blocked coronary artery which required 3 stents in August. I have to say that my editor at Killer Reads was fantastic, no pressure whatsoever. The pressure came from within. Readers were asking for the next book in the series and I didn’t want to let them or my publisher down.

My first novel, Dead Man’s Prayer, I had plotted in advance of writing but, just to make life harder, I started the second novel deliberately with no idea of who had committed the crimes. This resulted in a bad case of ‘saggy middle’ where I had a complete crisis as my plot strands threatened to spiral out of control. It was time to commit and knit it all together. ‘It can’t be done,’ I wailed, adding my echo of despair to all the writers before me. I swear there have been times when I felt the words of this novel were bleeding onto the page a drop at a time, progress seemed so slow. But, to my surprise, and to the relief of my long suffering husband, it all came together in the end.

Perfect Dead will be published in ebook on 15^th June and the POD paperback will be available on 23^rd August. The action mainly takes place in the ‘Artists’ Town’ of Kirkcudbright, (Kircoobray). DI Farrell is faced with the apparent suicide of a promising young artist shortlisted for a major art prize. Human remains are then discovered on a MoD firing range. Both victims are connected to a shadowy Art Collective. The local police are further stretched investigating a forgery ring. Both investigations are hampered at every turn by secrets people will do anything to keep hidden. DI Farrell and his team are pushed to breaking point as they strive to catch a callous killer before he strikes again, this time much closer to home.

As you read this, I am waiting for my editor’s Notes to arrive so that I can start editing. A rather scary prospect! See you next month!

The Ultimate Guide To Clearing Your Clutter

Posted on January 16, 2018 by Catherine Balavage

Last year I became quite obsessed with decluttering. In fact, thanks to Marie Kondo I think we all did. I have never liked being surrounded by a lot of stuff. I have always hated clutter. Which is why I am feeling rather proud. My husband and I have got rid of thousands of things. There are still a few things earmarked to go, but we are the closest to minimalism we have ever been. The flat looks fundamentally tidy even though we have a toddler. Things are also much easier to find and we have even made some money selling things. Here is my quick, but comprehensive, guide to decluttering. It will change your life, trust me.

You need to put things into different bags,boxes or piles. The options are: Recycle, Sell, Keep, Mend, Give to Charity.

You don’t have to do it all at once so don’t get overwhelmed. You can do a room at a time, or even just a drawer of cupboard. Slow and steady is just as good as one full-on day.

My biggest tip is to keep a charity bag somewhere you can easily access. Put things in there you want to get rid of, and then when it is full you can take it to the charity shop.

You can make decluttering fun by doing it while you watch your favourite TV show or listen to music. You can even get all of the family involved. Getting rid of old stuff always feels great.

Declutter for 5-10 minutes everyday. It all adds up.

Put the handle on the hanger in your wardrobe in one direction, if you wear the item, turn the handle around. Wait a certain amount of time, say, six months, then throw out everything you have not worn.

You can give away unwanted stuff while doing good for the environment via Freecycle.org

Get rid of all your old phones. Just remember to delete your personal information and remove the SIM card. There are plenty of good websites and companion websites which will give you the best price. I use https://www.mazumamobile.com/sell-my-mobile. Just make sure you check out their reputation on trustpilot.com

You can also sell old ink cartridges. The amount you can earn is so low that I would give them to chairty instead. Cash for Cartridges pay for old ink cartridges but you have to set up an account, the withdrawal limit is £25, and their prices are so low it would take an age to get there. http://www.cashforcartridges.co.uk/ink-cartridge-recycling-prices

Personally I think it is better to donate them to the British Heart Foundation. You can download their free post label here. https://www.therecyclingfactory.com/bhf/. Other charities that take old printer cartridges include the British Institute for Brain Injured Children, RNLI, Barnados, Sense, and the World Cancer Research Fund.

I have sold all of my old gadgets. After removing my personal data of course. I used eBay.co.uk as I found they had the best prices. There are other places of course. cashinyourgadgets.co.uk, musicmagpie.com and even Apple itself will buy your old technology. It is best to remove your old hard drive before selling your old computers. Note that Apple will give you a gift card in return. They also recycle things for free that they do not buy, including PCs.

Amazon.co.uk marketplace allows you to sell books, DVDs and some other stuff. They do take a huge fee however, a massive 17.25% commission. The good news is that it is free to list. They also give you a postage credit which does not always cover the cost of posting the book, then take it away in fees.

You can also sell by Car Booting. Car boot sales are not the best place to get the top price. I have never done it personally but there will be plenty in your area. Just do a search. They tend to charge a fee to pitch up your car and sell. I would mark your prices up a bit as people like to haggle.

Other good places to sell your stuff.

Facebook groups

There is even a sell option on Facebook. You can also join groups and sell your stuff on the group.

The best way I have found of getting rid of stuff is to give it to charity. You do good and give back to the community while clearing out your home. Win win.

You can donate pretty much everything. For instance, the RSPB, DHIVERSE and the World Owl Trust will take old stamps. Your old glasses and sunglasses can go to charity shops. Branches of Boots Opticians and Dolland and Aitchinson usually have recycling bins for old glasses. You can donate your foreign currency. RNIB will take it. Help the Aged, Marie Curie and Age UK will even take old currency that can no longer be changed. Many charities will also take your old phones.

Take your old clothes to a charity shop or a local clothes bank. H&M, Uniqlo and Marks & Spencer’s all take old items of clothing.

It is best to sell furniture on Gumtree.com, Facebook groups or other local resources. Furniture and homeware does not hold its value well. If you do want to get rid of your furniture and don’t want to sell it do not spend hundreds getting someone to take it away for you. We were quoted over £400 for someone to come and take our furniture away. I donated it to the British Heart Foundation instead and they came and took it away for free.

When it comes to donating furniture the Furniture Reuse Network will take your goods and then distribute them to a charity organisation in your area. Oxfam and the British Heart Foundation also take furniture. You can also try Freecycle and Freegle where you offer your good for free to anyone who can collect them.

Gone For Good is a great social enterprise that puts people in touch with charities that will come and take away their furniture or anything else they want to donate. You use the Gone For Good app by taking a photo of your unwanted stuff on our phone and then one of the charities will come and take the goods away based on your postcode. The app is free to use and the charity will pick up your goods for free too. Great for people who don’t have a car.

When you give stuff to charity make sure you sign up for Gift Aid. This allows the charity to claim an extra 25p for every £1 you give and also lets you get some money off your tax bill. Don’t do it unless you pay tax though, you will have to pay the extra gift aid. To learn more about tax relief and gift aid go here.

My last tips are to get rid of old change via self services machines. No, the staff from the supermarket don’t like it but as long as you don’t overdo it I am sure it will be fine. I also find eBay.co.uk the best place for selling stuff. Even if there are some people on there that just want to steal your stuff. I send valuable things signed for. My other, and biggest, tip for decluttering is also the one that is best for the environment: stop buying so much crap. Seriously. I rarely buy anything these days other than food and it has changed my life. My sure everything has a place and goes back into that place. Everything else can be sold or given to charity.

Thank you for reading. Please add your own tips below.

Great decluttering books:

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying: A simple, effective way to banish clutter forever

Stuffocation: Living More with Less

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

A Day in the Life of Kaira Rouda

Posted on January 15, 2018 by Catherine Balavage

My life has changed a lot over the past six years. Not only because I finally became a full-time author, but also because my nest has been emptying year by year. Our four kids are five years apart, so that’s made my life filled with a lot of goodbyes lately. Without daily kid duties, life is certainly a lot less complicated. And, apparently, a bit darker. I’m not sure if Paul Strom, the protagonist in BEST DAY EVER, popped into my mind because of my empty nest, but maybe it gave him room to appear. I’ll blame him on the kids’ departures into the real world.

So now, a day in my life is quiet. I’m blessed to live at the beach, in Southern California, and most every day is sunny and warm. I try to hike or go for a walk everyday and soak up the sunshine. I have two dogs and they are both my walking and writing buddies. In fact, Tucker likes to sit ON my desk as I’m writing. (photo of walking desk and tucker)

I don’t usually start writing until the afternoon. I’m a night owl, so mornings are for exercising, emailing and drinking A LOT of coffee. My husband also has a second act of a career, deciding after the most recent US presidential election that it was time to get involved and be the change you want to see. I’m proud to say he’s running for congress as a first-time political candidate. That makes me a first-time political candidate’s spouse. I’ve been having fun meeting so many new people, and helping him as he follows his dreams.

All in all, it’s a blessed life. And, even though the kids are all busy young adults living their own dreams, they all live in Southern California, too. So I get to see them often. (family photo). And, they’re all doing super interesting careers. My oldest is in commercial real estate, but also is an amazing photographer. My daughter is a screenwriter in Hollywood, my middle son invented an app while in college that let’s you round up spare change to a charity of your choice and my youngest is a singer/songwriter pursuing his dreams in LA with his band, Firstwave.

So, it’s a busy, creative fun life. I hope yours is, too. And I hope you’ll give Best Day Ever, my first UK published book, a read!

Girls Who Code: Learn to Code and Change the World By Reshma Saujani

Posted on January 12, 2018 by Catherine Balavage

Getting women into STEM is a passion of Frost Magazine. We need more girls who code and Reshma Saujani has founded the leading international movement to close the tech gender gap. By 2020 1.4 million jobs will be open in computing fields in the US alone, yet only about 30% of them will be filled with computing graduates, and only 3% of those will be filled by women. This is despite women using social media apps 600% more than men. Girls are getting left behind. Girls Who Code is an organisation that aims to teach 1 million girls to code by 2020. This is the project’s first book and is a New York Times Bestseller and it is easy to see why. The back cover has glowing endorsements from Jack Dorsey, Sheryl Sandberg and Melinda Gates. It is part how-to and part girl-empowerment. It is written in an engaging way that is easy to understand and fun. This is a brilliant book which should be bought for any girl in your life. Books have power and this book has it in droves. The perfect mix of inspiration and knowledge, all written in an accessible way. Frost loves.
Crack the code to your future dreams

Since 2012, the organization Girls Who Code has been leading the charge to get girls interested in technology and coding. Now its founder, Reshma Saujani, wants to inspire you to be a girl who codes!

Bursting with dynamic artwork, down-to-earth explanations of coding principles, and real-life stories of girls and women working at places like Pixar and NASA, this graphically animated book shows what a huge role computer science plays in our lives and how much fun it can be. No matter your interest—sports, the arts, baking, student government, social justice—coding can help you do what you love and make your dreams come true.

Whether you’re a girl who’s never coded before, a girl who codes, or a parent raising one, this entertaining book, printed in bold two-color and featuring art on every page, will have you itching to create your own apps, games, and robots to make the world a better place.

Part how-to, part girl-empowerment, and all fun, from the leader of the movement championed by Sheryl Sandberg, Jack Dorsey, and other giants of the tech world.

Girls Who Code: Learn to Code and Change the World By Reshma Saujani is available here.

The Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards Announce 2018 Shortlist

Posted on January 11, 2018 by Tracy Baines

The Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards, in association with luxury tailor made travel specialist Hayes & Jarvis, has announced its shortlist for 2018. The Awards celebrate the best travel writing and travel writers in the world.

With 43 titles whisking readers to over 150 countries across seven categories, these awards celebrate both multi-award-winning authors and inspirational debuts from over 15 countries. These awards recognise the escapist, ingenious and inspirational qualities of travel writing in all its forms, including fiction, nonfiction and memoir, children’s books, cookery books illustrated adult nonfiction and Travel blogs.

The award categories are:

Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year, in partnership with The Authors’ Club
Hayes & Jarvis Fiction, with a Sense of Place
Wanderlust Adventure Travel Book of the Year
Food and Travel Magazine Travel Cookery Book of the Year
Destinations Show Photography & Illustrated Travel Book of the Year
Marco Polo Outstanding General Travel Themed Book of the Year
London Book Fair Children’s Travel Book of the Year
Bradt Travel Guides New Travel Writer of the Year
Lonely Planet Pathfinders Travel Blog of the Year

In addition to the above, the awards also include the Outstanding Contribution to Travel Writing award. Six of these categories are open to a public vote which, combined with the judges’ verdict, will determine the 2018 winners. These include: Fiction, with a Sense of Place, Adventure Travel Book of the Year, Travel Cookery Book of the Year, Illustrated & Photography Travel Book of the Year, Outstanding Travel Themed Book of the Year and Children’s Travel Book of the Year. Readers can cast their vote here edwardstanfordawards.com/vote, and two voters will be in with the chance to win a set of 10 travel books.

The winners will be announced at a star-studded dinner on 1st February 2018 during the Stanfords Travel Writers Festival at Destinations: The Holiday and Travel Show at Olympia.

The winner of the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year (in partnership with The Authors’ Club) receives £5,000 and all winners receive an antique globe trophy, to be presented at the awards ceremony.

The first Edward Stanford Award for Outstanding Contribution to Travel Writing was awarded to Bill Bryson and last year the award was presented to Michael Palin by Levison Wood who also won an award for his book Walking the Himalayas.

The full shortlist can be found at www.edwardstanfordawards.com

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Monthly Archives: January 2018