Cork Earrings from Trend Tonic Studios:  reviewed by Natalie Jayne Peeke

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What is Trend Tonic?

 

In 2018 whilst cooped up in hospital Kerry started a truly unique earring business. As of February, this year she started to handmake each pair using beautiful lightweight cork. Kerry offers a wide range of shapes and colours so that the buyer can customise a pair to their own taste. Finding inspiration for shapes and colours all around her from seasonal colours to a pattern on her bed sheet.  A lot of thought does go into producing a shape that will suit most face types as well as researching colour and shape anatomy. But it’s not only the shape – who else uses cork?

When asked why she uses cork Kerry explained that she did not want to use leather and products such as faux leather which contain plastics that can take up to 500 years to degrade. With this information a conscious and ethical decision was made to use cork.

Trend Tonic is rapidly growing in popularity, and its easy to see why. Stunning handmade, fully customisable, lightweight, eco-friendly earrings, which stand out in the crowd

Why do I love them?

Whilst scrolling through Facebook I saw a picture that a friend had posted of some beautiful statement earrings. I read the caption about how beautiful and lightweight they are. Up to this point I only wore earrings at special occasions as I find the weight uncomfortable. It was at this point that my editor on Frost Magazine suggested I checked out the Trend Tonic products.

 

First I selected what shape of earring I wanted, I chose teardrop, then I got to choose what colour I wanted, I chose a very neutral colour which was called ‘crocodile’, then I even got to chose what colour hook so I chose silver.

The cost? An appetising £10.

The earrings arrived promptly. The weight was perfect, and the look. But they aren’t just for the younger generation. My mum also loved them and went on to order two pairs herself – each pair was as unique and creative as my own.

What’s more they’re eco-friendly.

To find out more – go to:

www.trendtonic.co.uk

 

SISTER SCRIBES: SUSANNA BAVIN ON A CHANGE OF NAME

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In common with many women, I have gone through the process of a name change. I have twice gone through the hassle of changing my surname. Incidentally, if ever you have to send away your marriage certificate, do include in your covering letter a specific instruction that the certificate should be returned to you after the admin people have finished with it. Some years ago, I blithely sent off my marriage certificate… and it wasn’t returned. Not only that, but no one in the office could track it down. In the end, it transpired that someone had stashed it away in the safe – and all because I hadn’t given a specific instruction to return it!

Anyway, I am in the process of having another change of name, but this time it is to introduce a new pen name – Polly Heron – and it’s because I have a new publisher – Corvus, which is the commercial fiction imprint of Atlantic Books. The Corvus list includes women’s fiction, romance, historical fiction, sci-fi, crime and thrillers. As a saga writer, I’m not sure whether I come under ‘historical’ or ‘romance.’ Possibly a bit of both.

My first book for Corvus is the start of a series. Both the series and the first book are called The Surplus Girls. So who were the surplus girls, exactly?

They were the generation of young women, who, after the Great War, were left without the possibility of marriage, because of the appalling death toll exacted on the battlefields. This was at a time when marriage to a man who could support you and the children you would have, was pretty well universally regarded as the correct and desirable aim for any girl. So these young women, whose possible husbands had perished, found themselves – unexpectedly and without preparation – in the position of facing a future of providing for themselves. Not only that, but no woman could hope to earn as much as a man, even a man doing the same job (sounds familiar?).

Writing about the 1920s is something I have done before, in two of my books written as Susanna Bavin – The Deserter’s Daughter and A Respectable Woman. Although the decade was all but a century ago, to me it feels very close. My parents weren’t exactly spring chickens when they had their children and they were themselves born in the 1920s, so it is an era I grew up hearing about when family tales were told and, of course, I have family photographs as well.

It is in some ways perhaps a bit odd to write about surplus girls in the context of a saga in which, by definition, the heroine will end up with the hero and therefore no longer be a surplus girl, but I hope I have also conveyed both the universal shock and sorrow that pervaded society at the loss of such a large number of men and also the way that these losses brought the lives of individual girls and women into a new, sharper focus as they faced life on their own.

Know these 5 Easy Travel Hacks

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from https://unsplash.com/photos/SaVlzqe9068 free Travelling can get insanely overwhelming. Just when you get to the airport, you might realize you forgot your air ticket or even your credit cards. The thrill of traveling can quickly get under your skin and cause a lot of confusion.

Whether you are traveling alone or not, how you travel matters. Even though it is just for a few days, some tips can help you travel better and remain happy throughout your trip. Here are five simple and easy travel hacks that should make to your checklist before you leave your house:

1. Pack early enough

Trying to get everything done last minute is the reason you end up forgetting a lot of your stuff. If you know you have to travel, pack your items a day or two in advance. It is a great way to make sure you put some thought into what you are packing for your trip. Besides, if you find that you do not have some of the things you might need for your journey, you will have ample time to go shopping and get everything you need.

Make sure you start by packing the most important items before anything else. This includes tickets, passports, to mention a few. You also want to separate the items you will need to retrieve along the journey and those that can’t wait until you get to your destination.

2. Use See-through packing bags

 

The one way to make sure you have packed everything before you leave is by checking what you have in your suitcases or bags. However, this can be problematic if you used the typical colored packing bags. It takes way too much time to check through every packing bag to account for all your items.

Instead, see-through packing bags makes it a lot easier for you to see what is in your bags without having to disorganized everything and start from scratch. It may also help to have a list of what you need to pack for your trip way in advance.

3. Pick a Travel Jacket with Lots of Zip-Shut Pockets

A lot of the forgetfulness comes when you have to pack too much but do not have enough space for everything. Every time you have to reopen your bags to add or remove another, you stand the risk of forgetting some of the most important things.

Regardless of how many bags you plan to carry with you, consider a travel jacket with several zip-shut pockets. This will create more storage room for the tiny items that are still important for your journey. It is also the best way to make sure you can easily trace the small stuff, including the best dog shampoo for dry skin, if you are traveling with your dog.

4. Park in the Same Area at the Hotel

The last thing you need is to spend hours finding where you parked your car in a foreign place. At the hotel you stay at, make sure you establish a routine on how and where you park your car. This is very important especially for big hotels that have people coming in and out from different places. It is even more important when you have a rental car. Since you are not used to how the rental car looks like, avoid any mishaps and confusion by parking in the same area all the time.

5. Mark your stuff as fragile

If you are flying to your destination, the way your luggage is handled at the airport can be annoying. Trying to protect your designer clothes, bags and shoes may not sell it at the checkpoints. Instead, mark your items as fragile. This does not mean they will not be checked, only that they will be handled carefully. Airline workers will not want to break any stuff, which means the fragile marking will be worthwhile.

 

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Derrière On A G-String – Sadlers Wells Theatre. Review by Paul Vates

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at Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadlers Wells Theatre, London

 

“Utterly, utterly magnificent.”

 

 

 

The director of this ‘cheeky’ dance/sketch/comedy show is Alfred Taylor-Gaunt. He thinks people have a fixed idea of what dance is and that it can put them off going to see it.

 

So – collect half a dozen dancers, let them co-create sketches with classical music as a background and anything can unfold. The result is 100% a clowning show – they just happen to be dancing beautifully.

 

The sketches come thick and fast, with over a dozen in the first half alone, all choreographed to music. Covering so many topics: losing a ticket at the airport (Flight Of The Bumblebee) to putting a duvet cover onto a duvet (Dance Of The Hours), getting mugged by charity collectors (Dambusters March) to queuing at a bus stop (Sailor’s Hornpipe). There is an operating theatre scene and a football match, there is romance and there is laughter. Plus the running gags – never forget the brilliant running gags!

 

 

I am a massive fan of Slava’s Snowshow – the Russian clown spectacular that keeps reappearing because of its popularity. I saw it in its first incarnation in the UK and have watched it blossom. Derrière On A G-String has that potential. It is a pure joy to watch. Still a little rough and ready at the edges – nothing a few clown workshops couldn’t smooth out – but Taylor-Gaunt’s creation will make you laugh. It is rude, risque and naughty all at once, but it is pure, honest and magical. Funny sketches – tick. Classical music – tick. Excellent contemporary dancing – tick. A standing ovation to the whole company and, especially, the performers: Jonathan Mewett, Sammy Moore, Alex Murray, Ruth Emily Plaxton, Joshua Sinclair-Evans and Aisling Tara.

 

 

If this show manages to tour – I can only but cheer and fist-pump the air. We may be living in dark and scary times, full of doubt and fear. But this show is a perfect antidote. 90 minutes of escapist theatre. Utterly, utterly magnificent. Bravo. Bravo.

 

Photography                             Jamie Scott

Director and Choroegrapher       Alfred Taylor-Gaunt

Producer                                   The VERY Top Secret Dance Company

Designer                                   Libby Todd

Sound Design                           Thomas Cheeseman

Twitter                                      #derriereonagstring, #putyourcheeksontheseats

@taylorgaunt_uk, @verytopsecretdc

Age 14+

 

 

DISNEY CHANNEL COLLABORATES WITH THE BRAID BAR FOR ‘DESCENDANTS 3’ INSPIRED HAIR BRAIDS,

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TO TRANSFORM FANS INTO THEIR FAVOURITE TEEN VILLAINS

 

 

 

London, UK, 2nd October 2019: In celebration of the highly anticipated Descendants 3 making its UK premiere on Disney Channel on Friday 11th October, Disney Channel has collaborated with London’s hottest hair braiders, The Braid Bar, to transform fans into their favourite characters with dedicated Descendants 3 inspired braids.

The premiere of Descendants 3 on Disney Channel US (2nd August 2019) saw an astonishing 8.43 million Total Viewers watch the movie, making it the #1 telecast of the day across all television*, a figure that rose to 11.2 million just over two weeks post-premiere. To celebrate its premiere from across the pond, the Descendants 3 braids are inspired by the film’s key characters and iconic hairstyles. As braids have become a top trend** and the ultimate style statement with young viewers, the braids will be available to customers to emulate their ultimate characters, in time for half-term, from Monday 7th October until Sunday 3rd November.

Located in Oxford’s Street’s Selfridges store, The Braid Bar is renowned for brilliant braids and chic styles, often adorning the crème de la crème of A-listers with their famous braids – from Cara Delevingne and Suki Waterhouse to Mabel and Lila Grace Moss.***

Furthermore, Disney Channel has also collaborated with four of the next generation of young, talented content creators; Ruby & Raylee, Ambi C, and Tianna, who will emulate The Mal, The Evie, The Uma and The Audrey looks. With tutorial and ‘how-to’ videos revolutionising the internet, proving one of the most popular types of video search terms, to mark the launch, each content creator will film their own tutorials, showing fans how they can revamp into VK’s (Villain Kid’s) and style their own Descendants 3 braids from home. Tutorial videos will be released from w/c 7th October. To watch their videos and get the look, head to https://www.youtube.com/user/DisneyChannelUK.

The exclusive Descendants 3 inspired menu at The Braid Bar will showcase the various braids on offer, including stylish Descendants 3 initials, colours and character inspired braids, such as:

  • The Mal The Evie  The Jay  The Uma  The Audrey The Carlos

Descendants 3 style braids will start from £15.

Descendants 3; which stars Dove Cameron (Mal), Sofia Carson (Evie), Booboo Stewart (Jay) and Cameron Boyce (Carlos) playing the teenage children of Disney’s most iconic villains; sees the VKs return to the Isle of the Lost to recruit a new batch of villainous offspring to join them at Auradon Prep. In the film, the safety of Auradon is jeopardised with an unfathomable dark force threatening the people, and it’s up to Mal and the VKs to save everyone in their most epic battle yet.

 

The Braid Bar, located in the heart of the Beauty Workshop of Selfridges, was founded in 2014 by artist Sarah Hiscox and Creative Director Willa Burton, and counts the likes of Cara Delevingne and Suki Waterhouse as celebrity fans. The concept of Braid Bar is a free-standing bar, offering quick and affordable braids from an a-la-carte style menu.

Descendants has been the number one UK Disney Channel Original Movie amongst girls for the last 11 years, with Descendants 2 becoming a global phenomenon with more than 72 million viewers across 159 countries and 32 languages. In the UK, Descendants 2 was the highest rated kids’ channel telecast with kids 4-15.

Descendants 3 is dedicated in memory of one of its beloved stars, actor Cameron Boyce.

 

 

 

 

 The Descendants 3 limited edition Braid Bar menu will be available in Selfridges from Monday 7th October until Sunday 3rd November,

Descendants 3 airs on Disney Channel on Friday 11th October. Descendants 3 braids are available at Braid Bar from 7th October. For more information please head to www.thebraidbar.co.uk.

Descendants 3 style braids will start from £15.

Free Poetry Book To Celebrate National Poetry Day

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poetry, poetry book, poems, women authors, Scottish writers, poetry book, female writers,Today is National Poetry Day and to celebrate you can get a copy of What Do You Think? A collection of poetry from Catherine Balavage, Frost Magazine’s owner and editor-in-chief. One of her poems is below.

 

Loved person

Broken promises I knew you could not keep
You only ever tried to love me and in gratitude I lay at your feet Because I was in love too, but my love was different

My love was the notion of life, a good one
All I wanted from ear to ear; a smile from my own mouth
It did not work
You loved me so selflessly I could not leave
Although I know now it was only through your love for me that I loved you You lost your own identity
You chose mine but I wanted mine to keep

Still. Here I am
This time only crying at your ever loving feet
I owe you too much to leave
So for the rest of my life. If I never find the courage I will be the living, loved dead
Even though I see
Your love in an otherwise cruel world binds me Forgive me. I doubt for all that I was ever worthy

 

Get your free copy of What Do You Think? now.

SISTER SCRIBES’ READING ROUND UP: SEPTEMBER

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Jane:

Sometimes I catch sight of a new book I just have to read as soon as possible. It doesn’t happen often and it’s always a leap of faith; will a favourite author dash my expectation of brilliance – or will they, once again, triumph.

Elizabeth Buchan’s The Museum of Broken Promises is, like her other books, a slow starter. I have learnt to be patient while she creates a tapestry of detail so rich and wonderful, holding my breath until to story tips into second, third and fourth gears and becomes unputdownable.

The book is set in Paris in the present day and in Prague in the 1980s. The end of the Cold War was in touching distance, yet nobody knew it, and this adds an additional poignancy to the narrative. Laure, a young woman coming to terms with the death of her father is an au pair to a businessman and party insider, and while trying to make some sense of life behind the Iron Curtain, meets a dissident musician who steals her heart and soul. Years later in France, she sets up the Museum of Broken Promises, full of artefacts people donate in attempt to avenge or assuage the pain of betrayal – and some of them belong to her own past.

Slowly the book teases out truths from a long ago Czechoslovakian summer. One moment achingly beautiful, the other shocking in its violence, the whole fits together like a handmade glove. It stayed with me, too – and it’s only now I’m writing this review I finally understand the most important promise. And who broke it. A must read. Honestly.

 

Kitty:

This month I have been racing through the romcoms. I have just finished Lindsey’s Kelk’s One in a Million and absolutely loved it. She writes with such quick-fire wit that every page had me giggling and a little bit in awe. I enjoyed myself so much, I read it over two days, that I have gone and bought lots more of her books and am looking forward to laughing my way through autumn.

I also devoured The Man Who Didn’t Call by Rosie Walsh. I was immediately drawn into this novel. It tells the story of Sarah and Eddie and how they fall deeply and desperately in love over the course of a week, the reader is in no doubt that these two are bound to be together, that anything else would be ridiculous. Then Eddie goes on holiday and Sarah never hears from him again. This provides a thriller-like element to the story, where is he? Why has he not called? What on earth has happened? This is combined with their romance, the angst of the waiting for a phone-call, a connection that you know was special, that simply can’t peter out. I won’t give anything away and reviews show this is a little bit of a marmite book, but I absolutely adored it and suffered that sad book hangover feeling you have when a story you have loved has come to an end. Highly recommended.

I’ve just started Evie Dunmore’s Bringing Down the Duke and as a life-long fan of Julia Quinn I am over the moon to find another writer who can deliver such well-written historical comedy gold, this time set in Victorian Oxford rather than the Regency period. With whip smart dialogue and a fabulous premise, a bluestocking gathering support for The Women’s Suffrage movement, how can I not fall in love?

Murder, Margaret and Me: theatre review by Paul Vates (Winner of The People’s Play Award)

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at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley, Kent

 

‘So much theatrical experience they make it look easy.’

 

A lady sat down next to me and grinned. She was excited, waving her complimentary ticket at me. It transpired that she is a regular visitor to the Churchill Theatre – one of the Friends of the theatre – and, due to a clever PR move, she got a free ticket offered to her because her name is Margaret. Brilliant!

 

I explained that my ticket was free, too… because I was a murderer. She glanced at me, then laughed. We chatted over the 1960s pop music that was playing in the auditorium – each song bringing back memories of more innocent times.

 

[Lin Blakley and Gill Tompkins]

 

Murder, Margaret and Me – a new play by Philip Meeks – is set in that decade. Agatha Christie is angry that Miss Marple has become ‘a brand’. Moreover, films are to be made and they have cast Margaret Rutherford in the part. Agatha is not amused.

 

The first few meetings do not go well, but the frosty relationship begins to thaw, especially as soon as Agatha realises that Margaret has a secret which she is determined to dig into until the mystery is solved.

 

[Sarah Parks and Gilly Tompkins]

 

Agatha is played by Lin Blakley, strutting around with an arrogance far greater than her diminutive stature. Sarah Parks play Margaret – a full-on performance littered with classic Rutherford mannerisms. A joy to behold. The triumvirate is completed with the presence of Gilly Tompkins as The Spinster – a fictitious presence, sometimes Marple, sometimes a make-up artist, but always a clever device to guarantee the scenes flow.

 

Directed by Damian Cruden, the piece is visually large in scale and wonderfully designed by Dawn Allsopp. The three ladies hold court magnificently, even though the script is heavy and slow – lacking Christie’s own pace. Billed as a thrilling comedy, the play does not quite fulfil its promise in tension nor laughter. Instead, it is more a dramatic exploration of the real-life friendship that the two ladies shared. It struggles a little towards the end of Act One. After the interval, there is a fresh crispness to the action and the mystery begins to resolve.

 

It is a strange play – sometimes a biographical show, with speeches directly to the audience – sometimes the action is akin to a normal drama – sometimes the story is told through puppetry. This latter bit could be better.

 

[Sarah Parks, Lin Blakley and Gilly Tompkins]

 

At its height, Murder, Margaret and Me works when the three actresses hold the stage and simply banter their way through the story. They are a tour de force and joyous to watch – so much theatrical experience they make it look easy.

The show now tours the UK for a couple of months.

Paul Vates is: Winner of The People’s Play Award

Photographer    Craig Sugden

Writer               Philip Meeks

Director            Damian Cruden

Producers         Tilted Wig, Malvern Theatres and Bromley Churchill Theatre

Designer           Dawn Allsopp

Running Time   2 hours 10 (including an interval)

Ages                 12+

Twitter              @tiltedwiguk, #murdermargaret&me

 

Tour dates:                               (contact individual box offices for ticket information)

30th September-5th October      Theatre Royal, Windsor

www.theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk

8th-12th October                       Malvern Theatres

www.malvern-theatres.co.uk

22nd-27th October                    Devonshire Park Theatre

www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk/venue/devonshire-park-theatre

28th-30th October                     New Wolsey, Ipswich

www.wolseytheatre.co.uk

31st October-2nd November      The Haymarket, Basingstoke

www.anvilarts.co.uk

5th-10th November                    Kings Theatre, Portsmouth

www.kingsportsmouth.co.uk

11th-13th November                  Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds

www.theatreroyal.org