Strictly Diary: Month 1

Ok, I have something to admit .... I haven't done my Strictly DVD in over 10 days - woops!

I am quite annoyed with myself about this because I love doing the DVD and this New Year's Resolution was going so well. For those of you who have been reading my Strictly Diary, here's where it went wrong....

A couple of weeks ago I was all set and ready to tackle 'Strictly Fit: Dance Fit' - the routines were going well, I got through to the Jive section and BOOM! I get a cramp, and not just a normal one that goes away after a few minutes, this one killed and then it kept coming back, and then again, and then again! At first I just paused the DVD and had a drink hoping it would go away - a lovely ex-colleague told me a lack of water causes cramps - but then when I realised it wasn't going anywhere I had to turn it off ..... and the cramp still didn't go! OUCH!

So then a few days later I attempted the workout again; everything was going fine when all of a sudden I got a stitch! I felt really unfit but I don't understand why? Now I am back at work I am eating healthier (no Christmas bingeing - well, not much!) and up until 'the cramp in my foot' I really was sticking to the workout, so as you can imagine I felt quite gutted. Since then, and this is completely my fault, I haven't attempted the DVD again.

On the positive side, when I was still practicing I could feel myself getting better at the routines; I could remember the steps which made it easier for me to practice and push myself more - it made me feel really good. Even the trickier steps were making more sense and I could really feel my waist, leg and arm muscles working.

So now February is nearly here I am definitely going to start all over again and get back into a regular routine of strictly dancing. It will be my 22nd birthday at the end of the month (eek!) so this is going to be my motivation to give this workout another go - I want to feel and look good for a big night out with my favourite girls! And I WILL stick to it this time, promise....

Creative Humber - January '11

Throughout the final year of my degree, my tutor and other staff members often talked, tweeted and facebooked about Creative Humber - a networking event for people in business in and around the Grimsby area. Up until June last year I was a student, but luckily now I am a full-time features writer it is now an event I can attend, and this Tuesday I did just that!

This month's event was a bit different to the usual meetings; East Coast Media ( @eastcoastmedia on twitter) were hosting their annual Media Industry week for their students, and one of the guest speakers was Lee Smallwood (@@leesmallwood), a brilliant social media / marketing expert! He spoke about furthering your businesses' potential through social media websites - but instead of me babbling on about what he said, you can see it for yourself! Just click on the link below for helpful tips and advice.

Lee Smallwood at Creative Humber

I really enjoyed this event, not only did I get to meet up with my tutor Emma (@rosereiki) and marketing extraordinaire Debs (@debscooper), but I also got to catch up with the lovely Hannah (@DREAMWALLS), creator of the fabulous Dreamwalls wall coverings, and I also met the lovely @sukesu! It was great going back to East Coast Media and seeing some of the old staff members and walking those corridors once again, and I also learnt a lot about the way social media works; my editor and the IT man from work seemed very impressed with what I told them! 

If you would like to know anymore about the event, then you can contact Creative Humber through twitter (www.twitter.com/creativehumber - I'm looking forward to the next time I can attend!

P.S. The buffet (especially the cakes) were LOVELY!

"All's fair in love and lipstick"

For the benefit lovers out there (just like me!) you may recognise the title of this post. It can be found in Benefit's full finish lipstick, and my personal favourite, which I am wearing in the following pictures, is 'flirt alert'.

I have always thought that wearing red lipstick, particularly if you are more of a lipgloss girl, can be very daunting, but you have to admit that, when applied carefully, it looks fantastic! So after experimenting with reddish lipglosses for a looong time (they were more of a dark pink to be honest) and realising they just weren't working I made the ultimate commitment and bought this lipstick and I am very happy I did! It is a rich red but it is not too dark which is what I love about it - I think the name 'flirt alert' suits it perfectly!

Benefit's Full-Finish lipsticks are available from most House of Fraser stores and cost £14. Trust me, it is worth every penny!

New new years resolutions ... just a bit late!

We're in the final full week of January - already! How are everybody's resolutions coming along?

Mine aren't going too badly, which I'm very pleased about. If you saw my previous blog "... Hello 2011!" you may have seen my resolutions, which were:

1. Taking the next step in my career
2. Dance, dance, dance!
3. The personal life
4. The LC Issue

Work is going very well for me, I am still very determined to make some positive changes and my first real opportunity of this year is in our editorial meeting on Tuesday, so fingers crossed! I am also still keeping up with my Strictly Come Dancing fitness DVD, although to be perfectly honest I could probably practice it a bit more. I originally planned to post a weekly diary, however I have made an editorial decision (cheesy!) and decided to do this monthly instead; that way I will be able to talk about my progress more - so keep an eye out! The personal life is still going to remain very personal but I *think* I am heading in the right direction considering how I was feeling and what happened before Christmas. I know this probably doesn't make much sense, but I know what I mean and for now I am going to keep the main details of this private - sorry!

And finally The LC Issue - brilliant! I am writing regular posts, always thinking of new topics and I have even signed up to bloggers.com! I'm still finding my way around this site and trying to figure it out; all I know is I have had plenty of people 'voting' for me - not sure what for but I'm getting good responses about my blog! If you are on bloggers.com, then you can find my profile here. Finally, I have had 500+ bog views in just over a month - chuffed to bits! So thank you to everyone who takes the time to read my posts or even just have a quick look, as I have said before it is greatly appreciated!

Now onto my new resolutions - yes I know it is a bit late, but surely there shouldn't be a time limit on this sort of thing? So here it goes .....

5. More pictures!: I am the person who always takes her camera on a night out but only takes 2/3 images - if that! I love looking at pictures, not just from nights out but from days out and special occasions, so I am definitely going to take more this year. Luckily I have only had one night out so far so I haven't missed many photo opportunities, but I will definitely make up for it this year!

6. Go and see a psychic: This is something I thought about a few times last year but never actually did, so this year I want to go just to see what happens. I have always read horoscopes but lately I have been reading them more, thinking about what my dreams mean and just generally been curious about it all. My star sign (Pisces) mentions something about psychic abilities, so I'd love to go just to see what happens .....

I'm sure as the year goes on I will think of more resolutions, but I will deal with them when they come to me. I hope all of your resolutions are going to plan and here's to (what's left of) January 2011!

Lincolnshire in Focus: February 2011

2011 marks a big year for Lincolnshire in Focus - it's our 10th anniversary! And to celebrate this milestone, the magazine has been given a brand new facelift, and (even though I am *slightly* biased) I think it looks fantastic!

As well as the essential features of County News, What's On, Heritage, Health and Beauty, Food in Focus and Homes and Gardens, the new issues also include the revamped Fashion section - reintroduced especially for 2011! I've included a sneak peak of some of the pages for you to enjoy, however the whole magazine (which includes a lot, lot more!) can be viewed at www.lincolnshireinfocusonline.co.uk

Now for a bit of selfish promotion: If you would like to have a read of the features I wrote, then you will find them on pages 7 (What's On and Music Scene), 9 - 11 (Celebrating 10 Years of Success), 13 (Valentine's Day: The Story Behind the Romance), 29 (New Year, New You) and 36 (Nature Watch).

If you would like to know anymore information about Lincolnshire in Focus, have a look at our new website here, or otherwise feel free to contact me at lindsay.cowie@waltonspubications.com

Hope you like it!

The Perfect Wedding: 2011 edition

I have been working at Walton's Publications for over six months now; I have written lots of features for various titles of theirs, but I have to say that working on The Perfect Wedding was definitely my favourite!

This magazine is published annually and it goes out to wedding fairs, shops, boutiques and various venues around Lincolnshire, and features everything you need to know - from choosing a venue, the dress, the honeymoon and ideas for the groomsmen to transport, cuisine and even insurance (not very romantic, I know, but it is definitely an option that needs considering!) The finished product looks absolutely stunning and I am so proud to be a part of it, so now I am going to give you all a sneak peak of this beautiful magazine.

This is just a quick preview of some of the pages; the full magazine contains lots, lots more! If you would like to see the whole publication, then you can view it at www.theperfectweddingonline.co.uk, or better still, feel free to get in touch with myself so I can send you a copy!

If you would like a copy, or would just like to know more, then please email me at lindsay.cowie@waltonspublications.com - I hope you like it! 

Blast from the Past: Kennedy Purple

If any of you happened to see my last blog (the first LC Issue - was Lindsay's Fashion Blog) then you may have seen this post about the wonderful Kennedy Purple, a company where you can rent designer goodies - genius! Nearly a year ago (oh how time flies!) I was lucky enough to rent a Steven Shein bangle and after thinking about the service again, I decided to repost this blog (with a bit of a revamp) for all my lovely new readers to see! So here it is, my first Blast from the Past blog post!

www.kennedypurple.com

If you're going to a fabulous party, an incredible holiday or even just fancy a piece from a designer collection then you no longer have to save and save to be able to afford these incredible pieces. Kennedy Purple are making designer items even easier to get your hands on with their rental scheme!

Rent-a-bag got it's first major break in the first Sex and the City movie when Jennifer Hudson's character admits to renting her Louis Vuitton bag, and today the idea is becoming more and more successful. Kennedy Purple is the place to rent yours! The company is run by the Kennedy Purple girls, lead by Joanne Halley (twitter: @kennedypurple / @Joanne_KP) who told me a bit about their exciting venture....

How did you come up with the idea for Kennedy Purple?
The idea for handbag rental was mentioned in Sex and the City (I wish I had come up with it) and I owned one designer bag myself - out of curiosity I looked up how much it would be to hire it and thought it was a great idea for a business. I had a look at the sites that do it in the UK and saw various areas that I thought could be different or better, and hopefully Kennedy Purple addresses them. A lot of our stock is not available to hire anywhere else in the UK. For example, we're the only company that hires the Eiffel Tower bag that Carrie had in the SATC movie, and we're the only one to hire Angel Jackson products. Rather than waiting lists, every product has a booking diary so people can book in advance and choose exactly when they get the bag and how long for. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, as many items on the site as possible have been spotted on celebrities - a lot of people take style inspiration from celebrities, but few of us have their budget, so the site lets people have eg. Cheryl Cole's handbag for a few weeks. Everyone deserves a bit of luxury afterall.

What is your fashion history?
I just have a love for it, especially accessories. Like most women my weight can go up and down and outfits don't always look the way we want them too - but accessories always 'fit', and can make or break an outfit. I have been making jewellery since I was twelve so my passion for accessories started at an early age. I've worked for myself as a freelance television editor for a few years, and enjoy being my own boss so was toying with the idea of starting my own company for a while, and this business seemed ideal for me. I love fashion, and if I hadn't worked in television, I would have liked to work in the fashion industry - this way I get to do both, and not many people are lucky enough to have two jobs, let alone two that they love.

How did you find setting up the company?
Setting up the company was, and still is extremely hard work, but as it was something I was so passionate about doing I didn't mind. My social life definately took a big hit, but luckily I have a very understanding group of family and friends around me. There are, of course, fun bits - like choosing the stock, but the business side of things was a real challenge - but hopefully one I met head-on. I'm naturally a perfectionist and so I wanted every aspect to be perfect, and hopefully have or will achieve it. I went to the Business Gateway for advice on the all the legal, and business issues as well as speaking to other women who had set up their own companies, which was invaluable.

How can fashionistas rent your items?
Orders can be placed via the website - meaning people can order 24/7. They can browse by category (The Accessories Closet, The Bag Bank or The Jewellery Box), or they can use our drop down menu's to search by designer, colour or celebrity. Then once they have chosen their product they can select either a week, or four-week hire period and their start date, then as with most websites they pay by credit card. (The site has been carefully set up to ensure credit card transactions are completely secure). Then they just have to wait for their chosen piece to arrive on the date the they chose to start the hire period. Once the period ends they have to return the item to us.

What are your favourite pieces that are available for hire?
The first bag I bought was the Alexander McQueen black Elvie, and it will always be one of my favourites - along with the purple one of course (purple being my favourite colour). I also love the Angel Jackson Jaguar bags which we have in yellow, red, black or bluebell; the Jimmy Choo Mandah, as seen on Cheryl Cole is gorgeous as well. From the accessories and jewellery sections - I love the large printed Alexander McQueen scarf, and the Erdem scarf is so luxurious! I love the White Trash charms and CC Skye jewellery - they're fun costume statement pieces that go with everything! I admit that not everything on the site is my taste, but I've tried as hard as I can to have as big a range and to cater for as many different tastes as possible, and hopefully I've managed to do this.

The experience ....
I was able to rent a fab bangle from The Jewellery Box, the Steven Shein for Lazy Oaf multi-coloured bangle as seen on Jessica Alba, Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton. I rented it for a week and was able to wear it at uni, at my part time job at House of Fraser (where it received lots of lovely comments!) and with my friends, allowing for plenty of time to proudly show it off!

The package arrived wrapped up beautifully in purple plastic and black ribbon. Inside the box was the bangle complete with a little, very pretty compact mirror and a cosmetic bag (so your make-up doesn't ruin the lining girls!) - all completely free gifts that the Kennedy Purple girls give you to show their appreciation of your business. I was not expecting this at all, so opening the box and seeing the goodies definitely put an even bigger smile on my face!
The bangle itself was a joy to wear; because it contained many colours it went with practically anything I wore and it jazzed up any outfit! It is definitely a statement piece that has been made to show off.

But, as Joanne mentioned, it is not only jewellery you can rent, you can hire bags, scarves, necklaces, watches, belts, anything to complete your outfit! The website is easy to navigate through and you are sure to be pleased with their service.

So if there is something designer you ache to have, seriously consider renting it, especially from Kennedy Purple!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since late 2010, the Kennedy Purple website (www.kennedypurple.com) has been revamped, making browsing even easier, and there you will find a link to the Kennedy Purple blog which is written by the lovely Joanne. Not only will you be the temporary owner of a fabulous accessory that is bound to draw attention but you are also getting a friendly, efficient service with guaranteed satisfaction. For more information about Kennedy Purple, visit their website or find them on twitter - go on! You won't be disappointed...........

Had a bad day? It's my dad to the rescue!

Don't you hate it when you wake up in the morning, a small occurrence happens and that's it - you know that's going to be the theme for the rest of your day? Well today has been one of those days for me, but luckily, I have a great dad who is on hand to handle just about anything!

Myself with mother and father at
my graduation ceremony; October 2010

My day started as normal; I woke up in a pretty good mood, had a shower and settled on my bed with my iphone ready to listen to some tunes as I dry my hair - I should have known that my day would be full of little mishaps, nearly every song that played was sad - and it was on shuffle?! I carried on with my morning routine anyway and I decided to wear a lovely new dress of mine; it is a grey, pencil dress from New Look that was £15 in the sale - bargain! I got in my car, drove to work, got to my desk and I hear *riiip!* - luckily I hadn't yet taken my coat off because the back of my skirt had split right the way up to my bum - nightmare! So I sat down at my desk and contemplated what to do; go home to change and be late coming back to work? Wait it out until dinner and leave my coat on? See if I'm allowed to nip to the shops to buy a new dress? I didn't want to risk the latter choices so I went with my instincts, had a quick word with my editor (I'm very lucky to have such a lovely boss) and left!

As I was walking to my car, I realised that my other, clean work clothes were still at the parents house (yes, I take my washing home as I still do not own a washing machine) so I rang home to speak to good old Mother, she wasn't in but Dad was so he got my skirt ready (took it off the hanger) for when I got home and even made the effort to look for a top for me! There wasn't one there, however, so I drove back to my little flat and got changed there. I was literally FIVE minutes when I leave my front door and there was a parking warden there ready to give me a ticket! I wasn't on any yellow lines and you're allowed to be there for an hour Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm ... did he not have anything better to do?! So as I got in my car he walked off ... that was another mishap averted!

By now it was 9:20am, I was back at work ready to send a piece of editorial to a client, and my email breaks?! I tried closing the programme and restarting my computer but it didn't work so I had to get the IT man to rescue me - he did something technical and changed a setting but even he said he doesn't know how it had stopped working? Bizarre!

Mid-morning time I had a sneaky look on my mobile (sshh!) and I had a voicemail and a text from a guy who said he did the heating and plumbing for my flat building; he wanted to arrange a time to come and do a 'check-up' on my flat so I called him back at dinner to try and arrange a time, only he'd rather not work after 5pm even though I can't leave work until that time! So that's when Superdad came to the rescue for a second time - He offered to go to his volunteering job late on Thursday afternoon so he can be at the flat for when the boilerman arrived; I owe him big time!

But not just for today. Over the past three months he has done so much for me, whether it's been coming with me to sign the lease for my flat, helping me to decorate, putting up pictures and moving in furniture or giving me a lift for a night out, or even coming to rescue me from the doctor's car park with petrol in the thick snow! I honestly do not know what I would do without my dad, and my mum!

As the lovely Sophie Mayat said to me: "Dad's are supermen in disguise ... that's my theory ;)" (follow her on twitter if you're not already! @Precious_UK), and right now I couldn't agree more! I know my day hasn't been THAT bad - it could have been SO much worse - but it has been very annoying, and thanks to father Cowie I avoided a serious wardrobe malfunction and arranged a time for the boilerman - next time we're at the pub, have a pint on me - but just one! ;)

Strictly Diary: Week 1

Me ready for my first dose of Strictly Fit!

So the first full week of 2011 is nearly over, how has everybody's been so far? Mine has definitely been full of ups and downs, I have a feeling this is going to continue for a while yet, but luckily my New Year's Resolutions are still on track ... boom!

One of my resolutions, as mentioned in my last blog, is to start dancing again, and to kick start this I have been doing the Strictly Come Dancing: Strictly Fit DVD. OK, I admit, I have only done it once this week but I have no plans tonight and a whole day tomorrow to make up for it!

I had a sneak peek and tryout of the DVD before New Years (just so I knew what I was getting myself into) and I was very excited about getting this resolution underway - and I still am! I have noticed one slight problem with the DVD, but you'll find out about that a bit further down ...

As I mentioned, the DVD starts with a Warm-Up which stretches you, gets you moving and ready for the workout ahead, and is very easy to do! I loved doing this as it reminded me of the warm-ups we used to do when I danced years ago.

After this, the first section is the Paso Doble which is definitely my favourite so far. The dance is taught by Artem (Kara Tointon's partner in this year's Strictly) and he is a very good teacher. He teaches the steps slowly; footwork first and then he adds the arms, repeating each one several times until the steps are performed at double time. I could really feel my stomach, legs and arms working whilst doing this and I felt I kept up with the routine quite well considering it was my first proper attempt, although there was a step in the middle section and towards the end that left me slightly confused - I'm sure I'll pick it up next time!

Next up is Ola (who was teamed with Paul Daniels in the 2010 series) with the Cha-Cha-Cha. This is definitely faster paced, and unfortunately Ola does not take as much time to explain her movements like Artem does, which left me feeling a bit behind in some parts. This section introduces spins, some of which were very quick, so this dance definitely felt like more of a challenge - which is exactly what you need in an exercise video. Once you get into the spirit of things, and it is very easy to once you get your arms flying about, you can see why it is a very sexy, girly dance.

The Jive section is taught by all three professionals (Natalie is the third - she was teamed with Scott Maslen this year - lucky her!) First up is Natalie, then Ola followed by Artem. They each take turns to teach a section, which do seem very different at first but at the end of the routine it all comes together very well. My personal favourite was Artem (again!) as I found his Kick section fun and very easy - I just hope my neighbours didn't mind the banging?! There was one step, the 'toe - heel - swivel' as taught by Ola, that is very fast but again with practice it will all come together, I don't think the stitch I had helped!

The final routine is the Samba which again is very girly and fun - once you get the hang of the timing you definitely feel like you'll be able to let go and enjoy it. Natalie teaches this section and she definitely has the figure to keep you motivated! For me this is the hardest dance, particularly towards the end when there are lots of spins, turns and heel-toe steps!

Unfortunately, she also makes a whopping mistake! She teaches the first section which contains Cha-Cha Rolls, moves onto the second which was when I noticed that she repeats the move - at first I didn't think too much about it and assumed it was deliberate - but after learning the third section and putting the whole dance together, the Cha-Cha Rolls change - where did they go? I carried out the rest of the DVD anyway and rewound it afterwards to make sure I wasn't having another one of my blonde moments - and I wasn't! It's not a big deal, it doesn't affect the workout and the new move is not difficult to pick up yourself, it just put a slight downer on the workout for me. Once the Samba is over, it's time for the Cool Down; it definitely does its job of stretching you out and making you feel relaxed.

Overall I enjoyed doing this DVD, it doesn't feel like a workout but you can definitely feel it working your muscles, particularly if you put your all into it! I think it is going to be a great way for me to get back into dancing, and I am already looking for local dance classes to attend so I can show off my new moves!