Sunday Serving ~ My Amazing and Magical Week in London….

This week, I have spent time with the most incredible and talented team of people – a team I curated myself to work magic on something special and very close to my heart. Something that will allow me to see a lifelong dream be fulfilled. And work some magic they did – in droves.  I have been blown away and inspired like never before. It really was one of the most magical times of my life.

During this time, I have bonded with new friends and old, got frustrated, felt elated, almost burst with excitement, drank way too many dodgy energy drinks, laughed uncontrollably at the camaraderie, almost cried with fatigue, misplaced my pen/iphone/ipad way too many times to remember, had several light-bulb moments and consequently hatched some exciting new plans for the future, raced up and down and up and down and up and down stairs taking deliveries {and still sporting the huge blister to prove it!}, put the world to rights over pizza and wine and collapsed with exhaustion at the end of it. It has been an exhilarating experience.

Those of you wondering what on earth I've been up to will find out soon, I promise.  In the meantime, I thought I'd share some of my Instagram memories of the past few days.  The images are just a small collection I took myself on Instagram during the three busy days of work last Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and they provide a tiny insight into where I was and what I was doing.

They include a broken but beautiful chair {top centre} I enquired about purchasing it and taking it home – sadly it was not for sale.  Top right, some magazine inspiration to aid our reative juices.  Second row down in the centre, one of my collection of original vintage Vogue magazines, this one, from 1949 {I have magazines dating from the 1920s through to the 1970s}. Joanna Brown's pretty pale green Diana camera. Second row from bottom, centre, an original 1960s advertising board I picked up from an antique store during another recent trip to London and bottom row – just a tiny glimpse into the space I was working in in London last week. It was all kinds of awesome…

All Imagery Copyright (c) 2012, Love My Dress on Instagram

Some more memories from my trip to and time spent in London last week are below; a deserted train station {Darlington} on the East Coast train from Newcastle to London Kings Cross last Saturday {1}, making notes in a pretty notebook on the train – a gift from Eliza Claire {2}, our view from The Hoxton Hotel in Shoreditch – with 'The Shard' in the very distance {3} – as ever, excellent service and a lovely relaxing stay.

Columbia Road Flower Market on Sunday morning – "eeeeeeverything a fiva!" {4}, a wonderfully delicious meal at Busaba Eathai on Old Street {5}.  Solar powered Queen in one of the cute shops on Columbia Road {6}, The Powder Room on Columbia Road {7}, a fabulous book in the window display of The Powder Room – 'Style Me Vintage: Make Up: Easy Step-by-step Techniques for Creating Classic Looks'  {8} and our view from Busaba Eathai on Sunday, of England and Italy flags waving in the warm gentle breeze, ahead of the big match that evening..

There are a sea of people, literally {way too many to list here} that I wish to acknowledge, thank and praise highly for making this week possible, and in due course, when the time is right, I will be doing just that.  For now I'd like to focus on the core team whose magic sparkled brightly for three whole days, who worked so hard and made me laugh so much.  The support, friendship, trust and love shown by these people over last week has been immense.  massive love to you all my friends {in no particular order}; Joanna Brown, Britt J. Spring, Debs Ivelja, Zoe Lem, Amanda from Lipstick and Curls, Severin and Roz of Hepburn Collection, Sharon of Minnie Moons, Lizzie of Odette Toilette, Michelle of Pocketful of Dreams, Leyla Seydo, Lizzie of Wedding Yurts and The Raw Chocolate Parlour, Kate of Vintage Style Hire, Frances of Reellove Films and my darling Husband. Huge thanks also to Cutture, Emily&Jo, Berinmade, Blush Floral Design, The Utterly Sexy Cafe, Olofson Designs, Zoe Clark, the Real Cut Flower Garden.

There are so so many others to thank and I promise I will be singing your praises loud and clear in due course, but final thanks go to my readers and sponsors for allowing me a little space this week to focus on something amazing.

I would love to know what you have been up to this week? 

Love My Dress will be back from early tomorrow morning with a normal weekly schedule of 2-3 daily blog posts. It's going to be a good one peeps 😉

Much love,

Annabel

ps – and now to plan the party…. ;))