Taking care of business....and a baby

Wearing Nike High Tops from the kids section. Oh yeeeaaaaah!

A few months ago I drew out a huge brain map of all the things to consider when going on maternity leave from The Wardrobe Angel: networking memberships, tax and my accountants, my monthly column in Sew Now magazine and my radio show at Phoenix FM. Now the bump is just shy of 6 months old all this planning has come swiftly into real-life reality.

This month I stepped away from my radio show for the rest of the year. Producing, writing and presenting my show each Tuesday morning on Phoenix FM for the past year has been an absolute pleasure. I honed skills which had lay dormant since my university radio days: driving the desk, choosing the playlist, back-timing songs and writing jingles. I've even added to my skill base by learning how to use Cool Edit (yep, that's a real thing) and after having an hour long interview with a business guest each week my interviewing skills are pretty damn sharp now. As a side note I have felt extremely honoured that members of the local business community in the Leeds City Region have gotten up early and trekked over to Halifax to join me in the studio each week.

My actual WORDS IN PRINT!

Having an actual print column YOU CAN HOLD IN YOUR HANDS in Sew Now magazine has been a dream come true this past year. Each month I have been taking the trends and translating them into ways-to-wear which has fed into the sustainable aspect of my business. I have also upskilled myself in the world of sewing, fabrics and print journalism.

This year has been chock-full of business opportunities and I am grateful for each and every email and phone call that came my way heralding the sound of my professional dreams coming true. So naturally I have felt anxious that when I take my foot off The Wardrobe Angel pedal in June that things will change. Well, of course they will - I'll be a mum and have a completely new focus and love of my life. But I take heart in women like Annie Mac who was back at work on her flagship Friday night Radio 1 show after the birth of her first child and I thank my lucky stars that I have such a wonderful network of awesome women who have answered my emails and sat face-to-face with me over a brew to re-assure me that my business will be intact when I return in 2018.

If you look closely you can see my finger marks on the mirror in this pic!

So for now I have my Wardrobe Angel pedal to the metal and I am fully booked until mid-May. Absence certainly does make the heart grow fonder for my wonderful clients!

Take care ...x

The Wardrobe Angel

Things I'm looking forward to in #July!

Is it July? I hadn't noticed.

We really are half way through the year now. GULP. STEADIES SELF ON COUNTER SIDE. Yes, I do understand how time works, I own a calendar and a watch, I get how time moves along and that yes, despite much protestation, the year flies by. It's because I'm a goal orientated person that when I lift my head up from the awesome grind stone of self-employed life, I feel I have so much more to do and that time, sometimes, isn't on my side. So, July, you tricky bugger, here we are and here's what I'm looking forward to this month:

1. Bringing back my Teacher 10 campaign for the summer. Teachers ROCK. FULL STOP.
2. Decorating our bedroom. The last room in the house to be done and by jove it needs a hefty dose of everything: plastering, carpets, curtains and some form of wardrobe. Now this is the weird thing that has held me back from moving the bedroom up the list of house priorities: I've seen a lot of wardrobes in my time and almost all have design features that don't work. I've seen a pull down wardrobe that had to be reached with a pole, a wardrobe that covered  half  a room but with only one sliding door it made it nigh on impossible to get to most of what was inside in a hurry, and many, many wardrobes which conceal the clothes in a way that makes things hard to find. I'm talking about draws, hanging spaces, nooks and crannies that have no real purpose for the clothes they are supposed to be serving. So for the last 8 years I have kept my clothes on rails, open rails with jumpers, jeans and tees folded in an upright chest of draws. My friend Clare always thinks it is hilarious I am called The Wardrobe Angel and don't have a wardrobe but I've seen enough to know I'm scared of committing to the wrong wardrobe. 
3. A cheeky weekend away in Oxford. Rich and I fancied seeing some more of the UK so first up: Oxford. And a trip down memory lane for Rich as we visit Banbury where he was born.
4. Lunch with a old friend. Haven't seen for her ages and she only lives 30mins away! Life man! It just kinda happens unless you are intentional about it!

Who stands in the sea with their jeans on?! Image from Daily Mail.

And finally - getting stuck into my radio show - 4 weeks in and the nerves have steadied! Filling 3 hours is no longer terrifying and the guests through the door have been AWESOME! You can listen live by clicking here. I'm on every Tuesday morning from 9am-12noon. My favourite feature of the utmost awesomeness is: 

3 songs you shouldn't like but secretly do

This week I played Darius, Peter Andre and Mambo number 5. Ear Candy or what?!

What are you doing this month? 

Til next time....The Wardrobe Angel x

Things I'm looking forward to in #June!

Dial up your workwear game with a Cecily dress

So we are nearly half way through 2016!! Crikey - how time flies. This month sees the manifestation of a couple of long held dreams when it comes to my business, The Wardrobe Angel.

1. First up we have me landing a radio show! I did student radio when I was a first year at Nottingham University and loved it. Since then I've been invited to talk about all things wardrobes on BBC Radio Leeds, Manchester and Humberside. Now I have my own show on a Tuesday morning from 9-12 noon on Phoenix FM, talking to awesome people who are doing awesome things in awesome businesses. You can listen online, text in for shout outs and request songs. See you there - I'll be live every Tuesday from 7th June!
2. Secondly I've been asked to contribute to a book about wardrobes. Erm, hello? How perfect is that?! The book's purpose is to investigate the space of the wardrobe: