As many of you know Social Bite is our charity of the year. Those of you who have left a review of Lily Blanche on Trustpilot may know that we donate to Social Bite as a thank you for every review we receive. But we also support the charity in other ways too and donate throughout the year.
So were delighted this week when Social Bite invited us to come and visit the new village they are building in Granton on the outskirts of Edinburgh to help people transition out of homelessness. This is an incredible project and we are delighted to be backing it.
Social Bite was founded by Josh Littlejohn and Alice Thomson to help homeless people, initially in Scotland but with an ambitious model which can be replicated throughout the world. I have been privileged to spend time with Josh and have got to know a little bit of the work he and Alice are doing. Not only does Social Bite allow customers in their cafes to “pay forward” a coffee or a sandwich for a homeless person, it employs 25% of its staff from the homeless community. This often means giving people who have been written off not just a second chance but a third or fourth chance.
Josh Littlejohn with Leonardo DicaprioGeorge Clooney with the Social Bite staff.
Josh has brought Leonardo di Caprio, George Clooney and Bill Clinton to Scotland for Social Bite and has raised millions of pounds for this incredible cause.
The Original Tiny House ScotlandInside the Tiny House
Their latest venture is to build a village in Granton, using houses designed by Jonathan Avery of Tiny House Scotland and prefabricated by Carbon Dynamics. The village will provide a transition from homelessness back into society in a supported and nurturing environment for 20 people at a time. It will be drug and alcohol free.
The project forms part of a jigsaw of programmes that Social Bite is developing to help 800 people out of homelessness in the next 18 months. You can find out more on the video below
The first residents will move in at the end of this month. Before they do, we have been invited to view the village on May 21 at noon. I am hoping to post to Facebook Live from the village to let you see it. So please tune in then. We’re really grateful to all the Lily Blanche customers who have helped make this possible. To find out more about Social Bite visit their website http://social-bite.co.uk/
WHEN LILY BLANCHE designer Gillian Crawford wanted to create a really special family locket, she drew on the past – both her degree in archaeology and her family heritage.
“Family is everything to me and as my children grew up, keeping them close in a tangible way became incredibly important,” Gillian says. “In a fast-paced culture, we don’t always take time to cherish memories. I wanted to create a piece of jewellery with heirloom quality which is deeply personal and meaningful.
Actress Hermione Norris in the series Cold Feet
“We Want Our Lockets To Surprise And Delight”
At the Lily Blanche studio, there is rarely a single inspiration for a piece of jewellery. Ideas come together, often in unexpected ways. But running through the collections are the themes of celebrating life and expressing love. The team loves designing and creating pieces with hidden secrets. We want our lockets to surprise and delight their wearers.
We know that creating memories is more valuable than diamonds; that what makes your locket really precious are the photographs inside it. That a necklace is not just a necklace but a celebration of life and that the jewellery which is really treasured are the pieces that mark the moments on life’s journey.
At the heart of the Memory Keeper Locket is the idea of family, of keeping them close to your heart, and of treasuring precious memories. But we also wanted the Memory Keeper Locket to be something that is passed on through the generations. Quality and craftsmanship are really important to us. We were delighted when the Memory Keeper Locket was selected for the shops at Kensington Palace and the Tower of London in the run up to the Royal Wedding.
The Lily Blanche Memory Keeper Locket in Sterling Silver, Gold and Rose Gold vermeil
“Jewellery Connects Us With The Past In An Intimate Way”
Lily Blanche Memory Keeper Lockets are made in small batches and take weeks to complete. The Lockets are made of sterling silver and the gold versions feature 18 carat gold in a traditional technique known as vermeil. You can read more about this on our website here.
Each Memory Keeper Locket uses seven times as much precious metal as it takes to make a £300 Tiffany Atlas silver pendant. After the Memory Keeper Lockets are given a final polish, they are sent to the Edinburgh Assay Office for hallmarking, which guarantees the quality and authenticity of the piece. This Locket is often bought to mark a special occasion – a birthday, anniversary, wedding or the arrival of a new member of the family. It makes a lovely gift from a bride to a mother of the bride.
” Judy Tweeted That The Memory Keeper Locket Was Her Favourite Piece”
We were delighted when Judy Murray, the tennis coach and Strictly star, bought the Memory Keeper Locket and wore it to Wimbledon to watch her sons Andy & Jamie become champions. We were even more thrilled when Judy tweeted that the Memory Keeper Locket was her favourite piece of jewellery and wore it on the finale of Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway.
Judy Murray wers the Lily Blanche Memory Keeper Locket at Wimbledon
However, every customer is special to us. Our Memory Keeper Lockets are our bestsellers and we often get to hear amazing stories. Some are heart-breaking; others are joyful but all are really personal and precious.
“They Are Precious Symbols of Life, Love and Memories”
Our jewellery is not for everyone. We are not interested in mass-producing these lockets. We want them to remain special and we want people to feel special when they wear a Lily Blanche piece. They are precious symbols of love, life, and memories.
Rose Gold Memory Keeper Locket
You can see what our customers are saying about the Memory Keeper below and you can read over 100 five star reviews on Trustpilot and on our Facebook page where we would love to connect with you. Please take a moment to discover the collection by clicking the button below.
Gillian Crawford, Founder and Creative Director at Lily Blanche
“Fabulous lady, fabulous jewels #gillian” Judy Murray tennis coach and Strictly Come Dancing star.
“I absolutely love it as do my family and friends. I’ve been singing your praises to anyone who will listen” Diane C.
“Love, love, love mine. It’s probably the best necklace I have,” Carole S.
“Excellent customer service, absolutely amazing delivery of a very special piece of jewellery and fantastic after care. Would definitely purchase again from Lily Blanche,”Emma L.
Lisa’s Memory Keeper Locket
“I have the silver one for my birthday and absolutely love, love, love it,” Stephanie L.
“Amazing service and beautifully wrapped and packed. A joyful gift,” Lesley McP.
“I have bought for my 2 daughters and myself. Love them,” Pauline S.
Nadin Dunnigan is one of Edinburgh’s top wedding photographers. She only takes on around 20 weddings a year but the couples she photographs can be assured of not just a memorable album but a wonderful experience. So we were absolutely thrilled when Nadin chose the Lily Blanche Gold Memory Keeper Locket as a memento of her own wedding which is happening on the Hebridean island of Harris next month.
Lily Blanche Memory Keeper Locket photographed by Nadin Dunnigan
Nadin and her husband-to-be Mo Thomson, a videographer, are always looking for something special for the couples they work with and a Lily Blanche Memory Keeper Locket full of images from the big day fits the bill. And if you have ever wondered if wedding photographers are romantics – the answer in this case is a resounding yes.
Mo proposed to a surprised and delighted Nadin on their beloved Harris using a unique ring.
Check it out in this fabulous engagement video he made of their proposal. It’s one of the nicest we have seen. The couple are planning to get married on the beach in March with close friends and family and a few wild ponies in attendance.
Having photographed hundreds of weddings, Nadin knows exactly what works and what doesn’t. Before she photographs a couple on the big day, Nadin organises a pre-wedding shoot in a picturesque location. It’s a relaxed informal occasion which often produces some of the most stunning images.
Photographs by Nadin Dunnigan
It not only gives Nadin a chance to get to know the couple free from wedding-day nerves and find out what their preferences are, it allows her to teach each couple a series of poses and compositions which will bring out their best looks on the day. As a result, she achieves wedding shots that it might take another photographer hours to perfect on the day and the couple are back with their guests in record time to enjoy the festivities.
Nadin’s website and blog are a fantastic resource for brides getting married in Scotland and cover everything from what time the sun sets in Edinburgh in winter to what to expect from a wedding photography package. There is a wonderful post when she reveals what she feels about her own wedding preshoot and how different it is for her being on the other side of the camera. You can see her work here.
You will need: A Lily Blanche Memory Keeper Locket Laptop; Printer; 15mm (0.6 inch) craft punch; 130gsm self adhesive photographic paper.
First choose your images. Pick strong portrait shots which are clear and unfussy and where there is a bit of space around the head (ie the top of the head is not cut off or up against the edge of the photograph) Single headshots work best at this size.
If they are not already uploaded to your computer, scan or upload the photos. (If you have physical photos you want to use you can skip this part but you should have copies made of them in case you make a mistake)
Sign up or open up your favourite graphic design site or photo –editing app. We like http://www.canva.com because it is free and easy to use. We will assume you are using canva.com for this exercise.
In the “create a design” page choose the custom dimensions option. Enter 65 x 65 in the blank fields and make sure it is set to pixels (px). This will open a new page with a blank square “canvas”.
Select “uploads” from the menu on the left hand side. Click on “upload your own images”. This will take you to the menu on your computer. Select the image you wish to use from the folder in which you stored it. This will return you to canva.com. Wait until the image is fully uploaded.
Next select “elements” on the left hand menu. Click on “frames” and keep scrolling down until you find the simple circular frame with no extra border and no thick green band in the middle. Click on this. The circle frame will upload to the square white box.
Select “uploads” from the left hand menu and click on the locket image you recently uploaded. This should automatically pop into the circle frame. Use the crop button and the resize dots to manipulate the image until you have the desired effect. Click the tick sign in the white band at the top of the canvas when you are happy. Click the dustbin symbol to delete the image and start again.
When you are happy with your image, click “download” in the blue band at the top of the canvas. Click the green download button to save the image to your computer. Remember to name and store the image in a folder.
Repeat this process until you have all the images you require.
Open a word document and copy the small circular images onto it. It is good to make a number of copies of each image in case you accidentally damage one or in case you require spares at a later date. Leave a bit of space around each image.
Once you are happy with the images on the page, print a test page on ordinary paper to ensure you are happy with the results.
Practice punching out the images with the punch – we use the Hobbycraft 0.6 inch paper punch – and placing them on the locket to ensure you are happy with the order of the images etc.
Once you are happy with the test images, choose your final paper, select “photographic paper” if you are using it and best quality print on you printer properties and print the images out. (Remember to reset the printer to normal print for the next time you use it).
If you are using photographic paper please make sure it is lightweight. We use ICE 130 gsm self-adhesive photographic paper which you can buy in small quantities. Thick or heavy paper will jam the locket and is likely to damage it.
Punch out the images with the punch. If you are using self-adhesive photographic paper, simply peel off the backs and stick them in place. If you are using ordinary paper, use the little sticker seals which come with the locket. Let it rest for ten minutes before closing the locket. Your highly personalised unique Memory Keeper Locket is now ready to wear.
If you need any help, please get in touch via the website www.lilyblanche.com
The Pantone Colour of the year 2018 has been announced and it is – drum-roll please – 18-3838, ultraviolet. We’re going to be seeing a lot of purple in the new year. Lily Blanche Purple Amethyst lockets, earrings and rings are bang on trend.
Here is what Pantone has to say about its choice. “Complex and contemplative, Ultra Violet suggests the mysteries of the cosmos, the intrigue of what lies ahead, and the discoveries beyond where we are now. The vast and limitless night sky is symbolic of what is possible and continues to inspire the desire to pursue a world beyond our own.
Enigmatic purples have also long been symbolic of counterculture, unconventionality, and artistic brilliance. Musical icons Prince, David Bowie, and Jimi Hendrix brought shades of Ultra Violet to the forefront of western pop culture as personal expressions of individuality. Nuanced and full of emotion, the depth of PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet symbolizes experimentation and non-conformity, spurring individuals to imagine their unique mark on the world, and push boundaries through creative outlets.
Historically, there has been a mystical or spiritual quality attached to Ultra Violet. The color is often associated with mindfulness practices, which offer a higher ground to those seeking refuge from today’s over-stimulated world. The use of purple-toned lighting in meditation spaces and other gathering places energizes the communities that gather there and inspire connection”. Prepare for a purple patch!
A number of cutomers have asked us if we are participating in Black Friday. This year we have decided we will. Our code is Friday15 and you can use it throughout the Lily Blanche website now. It is valid till midnight Monday November 27. We are doing so mainly because some of our stockists are participating in Black Friday and our over-riding philosophy is that our most loyal customers should always get our best offers.
The code works for everything except Memory Keeper Lockets. I hope it helps a bit with the Christmas shopping. Remember there is free UK delivery on all orders.
Happy shopping and if you need any help, I’m only a phonecall (01786 464251) or an email away.
Christmas falls on a Monday this year which means that there are fewer posting days than usual before Christmas. Below are the last possible posting dates for Christmas delivery but to guarantee your jewellery arrives in plenty time, do please order as early as you can, firstly because we will sell out of some popular items and we’d hate to disappoint you and secondly because although the postal service is heroic, it is human and fallible and very occasionally things will go wrong. Happy shopping!
They say that one good deed deserves another and while I’ve always been a bit suspect of the concept of karma – bad things happen to good people too – I do like the idea of spreading a little bit of love or joy. I believe small acts can, cumulatively, make a big difference.
Recently we’ve started working with the review company Trustpilot. Trustpilot sends out an email on our behalf to every Lily Blanche online customer asking them to review their experience with us. I was quite nervous about this but I’ve been really touched and bouyed up by the lovely messages our customers have left. You can read them here
Reviews are really important to our business and help other customers make decisions but I always feel slightly awkward asking for them. We all lead busy lives and we are all bombarded by companies asking us to reveiw things. So I’ve been thinking about how we can say thank you to those who take the trouble without influencing what they write or think about us. And I think I might have come up with an idea…
If you followed us last year, you will know that our charity of the year last year was Social Bite. This is an amazing organisation established by Josh Littlejohn and Alice Thompson which helps to feed – and more importantly – employ some of the most marginalised people in society – those who are homeless.
I have been privileged to spend time with Josh and have got to know a little bit of the work he and Alice are doing and it is incredibly impressive. Not only does Social Bite allow customers in their cafes to “pay forward” a coffee or a sandwich for a homeless person, it employs 20% of its staff from the homeless community. This often means giving people who have been written off not just a second chance but a third or fourth chance.
Josh Littlejohn with Leonardo Dicaprio
Social Bite’s latest venture is to build a village in Granton, Edinburgh to house people who have lost their homes. We want to keep supporting this cause so we’ve decided to give a minimum of 10p to Social Bite for every Trustpilot Review we receive, irrespective of the rating. It’s our way of paying forward the kindness of our reviewers.
We will, of course, keep supporting Social Bite in other ways too. This is a bit of an experiment and I hope our customers approve. It fits with the ethos of what we are trying to do here at Lily Blanche, which is to do business in a caring and responsible way. Leave a comment below or on our Facebook page and let us know what you think.
“No matter who my dad met, he always seemed to touch people and leave that special something”
When Lily Blanche customer Helen Thompson got in touch last month to tell us she had chosen the Gold Feather Locket for her mum Beryl and wanted to give it to her on her birthday in memory of her father, David we were touched by her thoughtfulness and offered to fill the locket for her.
When we saw the photo of David in his hat, we were smitten and wanted to know more about the charmer in the panama. Helen told us that David and Beryl had met at a mutual friend’s wedding when Beryl offered to buy David a drink. It was the start of a great romance. They were engaged and married within the year. That was 40 years ago. Sadly David lost his battle with cancer just before their ruby wedding anniversary and so Helen’s parents didn’t get to celebrate their special day together.“I took mum away to a place we went as kids and we celebrated it together with dad in spirit,” Helen says.
“The picture of my dad in the hat just epitomises how he was always – happy and laughing and the most loving person you could meet. No matter who my dad met, he always seemed to touch people and leave that special something. I’m heartbroken he’s gone I miss him every day he was my best friend as well as my dad. But I believe we will all be together again one day so I look at it as not saying goodbye to him just see you later”.
Lily Blanche Gold Feather Locket
The Lily Blanche Feather Collection is inspired by an old saying of my grandmothers: “Feathers appear when angels are near”. A feather is a small reminder that you are loved and protected.
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The Feather Locket, chosen by Helen is designed and made in our studio in Stirling. The Locket is made of sterling silver and the feather is 18 carat gold vermeil. It was an absolute privilege and joy to work on the photographs for Beryl’s locket.
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Helen emailed to tell us Beryl loved the locket. “Well it was my mum’s birthday and she absolutely loved the locket. She had a little cry as did I and said she will have dad with her everywhere she goes now. So thank you so much for everything you have done for us”.
The privilege was all ours. Helen’s review of the Rose Gold Feather Locket is on our Facebook review section. You can read more of our reviews here
We love hearing the stories behind the photos in the lockets so please do share them. If you need any help or have any questions please email gillian@lilyblanche.com. You can see the Lily Blanche Feather collection here
Thanks
Gillian Crawford Designer at Lily Blanche
Lily Blanche – lockets for those who love and are loved. #everdaylovestories
It’s back to school for us this week – a ritual which has been performed annually in this household for twenty years, since my eldest started at nursery as a tiny tot. But this year, it is different. With just one of my three children still at school, this is the last autumn we will be looking out uniform, buying new stationery and hunting for lost kit of a morning before rushing for the school bus. The baby has started sixth form. How did that happen?
If you have young children, it is almost impossible to imagine such an ingrained part of your life coming to an end but this year, for us, everything will be poignant – the last Christmas dance, the last parents’ night, the last school report. I still have all the projects from primary one -all wobbly handwriting and wonky drawings – in a cupboard, all the school photographs, all the reports…
These things are about to become part of our family history, to be dug out at future family gatherings, cooed over and laughed over. Do you remember when…? Threads of a tapestry binding siblings together in shared experience.
We are good at marking special occasions – birthdays, anniversaries, Christmases. But all too often it is the occasions for which there is no ritual or tradition which are the most affecting. How do you mark an empty nest or a fledgling about to spread their wings?
Charming Chick Pendant by Lily Blanche
For my dchildren, a tiny reminder of home and childhood is a comforting thing. My eldest daughter is forging a career in Manchester – experiencing the joy of a smart suit, a morning Starbucks, a grown up pay cheque. But it is comforting for both of us to know that she is still wearing the little sterling silver teddy pendant she got all these years ago. It may be tucked away beneath the collar of a business shirt but we both know it is there – a link with home and with the past.
Lily Blanche Tiny Ted Pendant
Often it is the little things, a picture in a locket or a shell from a much-loved holiday spot slipped into a blazer pocket that lets them know that you’ve remembered and that while they stand on the brink of a scary and exciting new world, some things endure – home and happiness and family and security and love and laughter.
How do you mark these precious moments in your family? We’d love to know.
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