Looking Backwards & Forwards

First off - happy Yule to you all!  I hope you each had a wonderful time with plenty of food and drink, cheer and laughter and a huge amount of love.

Rather like a lot of other bloggers at the moment, I'm saying goodbye to 2011 and hello shiny new 2012.  And like Janus, who presides over gateways, I'm looking back over 2011 and forward to 2012.

2011 was a turbulent year, with a lot of hard work towards a teacher training course, the messy business of finding a job (which, thankfully, I managed to do), doing two jobs for a while and then falling ill.

It's strange, but I keep thinking that I didn't achieve anything this year, because I did little to no writing on my novel-in-progress and hardly any sewing, at all.  I kind of forget that I didn't just scrape by on the bare minimum teaching qualification, I actually challenged myself to study for a higher level than the one I needed (I did a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education with some modules at Master's level, rather than the slightly lower level Professional Graduate Certificate in Education) and I didn't just do enough to pass, I bloody passed with flying colours (if I do say so myself).  I worked really hard and that seems to have paid off, with getting a teaching job, despite cuts in funding, and receiving lots of glowing feedback on my teaching.  So to think I didn't achieve anything is, I suppose, being rather harsh on myself!

Let's gloss over the whole sorry business of being ill, because I feel that I've gone on about that more than enough.  I'll just say that, again, I have to be a bit more gentle on myself because of this horrible bump in the road that has definitely affected my productivity.

As for 2012 ... Well, we never really know what the future will hold, but I have plans for my sewing and writing, which should hopefully come to fruition.

Sewing-wise, I've been thinking about that conversation with my manager, looking at what I already have and working out what I need in my wardrobe.  How organised!  I would definitely say that I've been inspired by The Colette Sewing Handbook (love it!) and its approach to knowing what suits you and what you feel comfortable in.  (That might have had something to do with me then buying a couple of Colette Patterns (Macaron and Peony) - I can't believe I haven't tried them before!)

To that end, I've been writing up lists (yay, love lists!) and thinking about colours and coordination ... but more on that soon!  I have loose plans to make the following:

A grey version of the New Look 6000, which lots of other stitchers have been having fun with, making some absolutely gorgeous dresses - I'm feeling very inspired. 

I'm going for view E, but adding in the collar (or you could think of it as view C with darts instead of pleats.  Either way, I already picked up some fabric for this from Franklin's while I was visiting Ipswich, but more on that with photos on another day.

Speaking of this pattern - is it sad that one of the things I love about it is that it doesn't use much fabric?  I only had to get 2m of 150cm wide fabric to make this dress, and it has sleeves and a collar - how awesome is that?!  It is sad isn't it?  Oh dear.  Well, I'm just pleased that it means I'll be making a dress that, including fabric and all notions, is actually cheaper than it would cost me to buy it ready-made!  I even treated myself to some quite expensive buttons, but as you only need one large and four small, it was still cheaper!

I'm also thinking about making a blouse out of view E of this pattern (yellow polka dot on the pattern envelope) - how pretty would that look in silk dupion?  I'm thinking teal, off white or coral pink (lovely for spring/summer).

There will also be one or more Macaron dresses in my life in 2012 - I just can't quite decide what fabric combos to go for.  I picked up 2m of navy and white polka dot stretch sateen originally to make the slim version of this skirt:

But then I got the Macaron pattern and realised that 2m is exactly what you need for the main fabric of that ... so now I'm torn!  And what could I put with it?  I'm favouring shamelessly stealing this idea of using a sheer fabric for the contrasting yoke.  If I can find dark blue silk organza, I might well do that.

I also like the idea of using a dobby spot as the contrast, perhaps with something like chambray on the body for a more summery, laid back vibe.  Or then there's the option of using velveteen for the main fabric and more organza for the contrast.  And what about piping - I'd like to have a go with that.  You see my problem?  So many ideas ...

And as for the paper bag waist skirt, I'd like to make that up in pique, wool or sateen ... not sure on colour, yet.

I've been taking a lot of inspiration from other sewing bloggers during my own sewing drought, which led me to buy a copy of this out of print pattern:

I would never normally have looked twice at this pattern from the beige-y boring cover (Do they actively try to make their patterns look dull and frumpy or does that happen by accident?), but when I saw Handmade Jane's version, I realised that these trousers were The Ones.  I'd been eyeing up the Wearing History Smooth Sailing 1930s trouser pattern for the while, but I can't really afford to ship these in from the US, and I was a little put off by the width of the leg in these - being short, I'm wary that they're perhaps a little too wide for me.  I'm also liking the high waist detail on the front and the straight skirt view.  I think another appeal of these is that they remind me of a pair of trousers that don't fit me any more, which I love - navy blue, brushed cotton with brass anchor buttons.  So that's what I'll be going for with this pattern.  I am a little scared about my first foray in trouser-making, though!  If it works well, I would quite like to try a version in a lightish/medium-weight denim, with more buttons on the front (it's all about the buttons for me, clearly).

I might have to go for a similarly nautical version of the slim skirt in navy with cute buttons.  This would be especially good as I've realised I simply don't have enough skirts and I tend to wear them a lot.  Which means I'm also planning to make a grey or black wool/mix version of this vintage straight skirt with inverted pleat at the back (view on the right):

And to go with those skirts, I've got a couple of blouses planned (some of which I've had in the 'to make' pile forever).  I was thinking of making this vintage pattern up as a blouse:

I can't decide whether to go for the plan version or the one with contrasting collar and sleeves - it's just too cute!

Finally, for spring, I'd like to make the cropped jacket from this pattern in silvery grey dupion:

I don't know why, but that fabric and colour combination is just what I can picture this in.  And self buttons - yum!  Plus, I have a small piece (90cm) of printed haboutai I got in the John Lewis sale ages ago, which I can use as a super cute lining - the jacket only requires 1m of fabric, so I like to think I can afford to go a little luxe!

Phew!  What a lot I have planned!  I'd better get to it!

Wishing you all a fabulous and joyous New Year - love Clare. x

Tea Parties & Reassurances

Good afternoon all!

Again, I’m here with reassurances that I’m OK, just exhausted and insanely busy.  My medication is starting to kick in, so I’m slowly getting my energy back. 

Last month I had a vintage tea party for my birthday and I had intended to wear The Dress (see previous post!), so I thought I’d take photos for the blog then … but an unfortunate side-effect of my illness is fluctuating weight and it just so happened that The Dress didn’t fit that day (damn!).  I did get to wear a different vintage dress that day, so I still had the look (and it’s a rather fabulous dress – 50s slim skirt with boat neck and flocked polka dots in black).

I also received The Vintage Tea Party Book by Angel Adoree for my birthday, which, luckily, was a few days before the party, so I had the chance to read through and get some ideas for my day.  I had fun with flower arranging (chrysanthemums in a teapot), sandwich making and baking – lots of baking.

The Vintage Tea Party Book is primarily a cookbook with ideas here and there for decoration as well as a section in the back for styling yourself.  My hair’s a little too short for the hair ideas, though some time I’m definitely going to have to try out the poodle as it’s far too cute not to try. 

The book is also incredibly pretty with some fun, quirky illustrations.  My only gripe, really, is that I would have liked to have seen a little less cooking and a bit more in terms of decoration and style.  But that's more to do with my expectations and I do still adore this book.

Have you got The Vintage Tea Party Book yet?  Is it on your Yule list?  What do you think of it?

The Summer Blues - On Snoods & Sewing Disasters

Hello my dear readers ... It's been a month, but I am still here, just severely lacking in motivation at the moment.  I tend to get a bit fed up and worn out at this time of year, and I think finishing my teaching course has left me even more tired.

I am well past owing completed snood photos, but fear not - I'm more than happy to oblige!  Here is my version of Hilary Hunt's Holy Cowl pattern (free on Ravelry!):

Apologies for the photo in a mirror - I really need a dedicated blog photographer!

I really enjoyed knitting this one - knitting in the round was less scary than I thought it would be and once I got the hang of the pattern it was pretty simple.  I've been wearing it loads, too - it's warm and comfy and the crazy colours kind of go with everything!  I'm super pleased with it, considering it's my second knitting project.

Remember that first knitting project?  Well that's finished, too, and my Gent has claimed it as his own, so it can't be too bad (or he's just too kind!).

Which is more than I can say for my attempts at this pattern:

It's such a pretty pattern and only a size too small ... so I thought I'd attempt to alter it to fit on Dolly ... how hard could it be?  Well it was a bit of an epic fail.  Thankfully I was just playing about with cheap calico, but it has still left me feeling a bit bummed and unmotivated.  Meh.

So I'm now trying a different tack - I got this book the other day:

Some of the designs are awesome, some are not so great, but the main pull for me was the chapter at the beginning that shows you how to draft your own basic blocks from your own measurements.  The rest of the book shows some pretty cool ways of adapting those patterns for different designs and I think will be a good companion to 'Make Your Own Dress Patterns' by Adele P. Margolis, which I already have, but is a little intimidating for my first foray into pattern drafting.  Little Green Dresses looks like a more gentle introduction and gives the instructions on how to draft that initial block that Margolis' book requires.  Score!

Anyway, I think I could use that block to draft a bodice in my size for that vintage Butterick pattern (such a pretty neckline!) ... I think ... We'll see!

And I might be getting ahead of myself, but I'm really loving this owl jumper pattern on Ravelry - I want!!  More realistically, I'd like to do The Newbie and the Knitter knitalong hosted by Kristen Makes, but I don't really have the money to buy that much yarn at the moment (boo!), so I'll have to read the posts and knit it up later.  Looks like it'll really help anyone learning to knit.

Anyway, hope all of you are well and that has given a little bit of an update.  

x

A Room of One's Own - My Sewing and Writing Space

It's done!  At last! 

It's not the prettiest sewing space, it's certainly not the largest (it might even be a contender for the smallest) and it doesn't have any natural light, but it's mine and I love it.

This room is essentially a glorified storage cupboard with a light and a plug socket (and a heater, but it gets so hot in there, I don't know why anyone would ever want to use it!), but when we first looked around the apartment I clocked that it was big enough for a desk.  That was over a year and a half ago, but hey, you can't rush these things, right?

It's funny, but I've noticed that a lot of other bloggers have been organising or rearranging their sewing spaces recently, too - it must be something about this time of year.  For me, it was the fact that I'd saved up for the necessary furniture and had the time after finishing my uni course.

To give you an idea of the size, it measures 1.5m by 1.8m (4'11" by 5'10"), plus the little alcove with the shelves.  And it's a hard-working little space - it multi-tasks between being a storage cupboard, the tool-shed, sewing space and writing room.  Just look at all the stuff I share my space with:

You know I said that Ikea owned my soul?  Well, when you've got so much to fit in so small a space, you really need great storage.  These shelves are perfect - they fit in a small space and you can put so much on them, plus their clear storage boxes fit on perfectly:

I love it when companies like this actually consider their items working together and harmonising - the middle shelves accomodate one deep box, while the bottom shelf fits a deep and a shallow box stacked on top of each other.  Genius!

Their cardboard boxes are the perfect size for patterns:

(And my knitting patterns are in that folder to the right.)

And last, but not least, little drawers!

I think loads of stitchers have these Helmer drawers - they're so useful and great value.  Plus, in a strange way, I enjoyed putting them together - yeah, sad, right? 

Even better, you can label them with exactly what's inside each drawer (yay, labels!) and they make little plastic inserts that divide the drawers into separate sections, if you want - so useful:

Another great way of maximising your space is by using the walls - I've already blogged about that wall-hanging pocket I made from One Yard Wonders, which is hanging right above my desk (it's a bit overflowing at the moment, but nevermind!).  I'm a bit scared of power tools, so I got my gentleman to put some wall-shelves up for me, giving a home to his beast of an A3 printer as well as other computer-related bits, like paper and blank discs.  And finally, there's a little pinboard for me to add inspiration pics and reminders for my sewing (like a list of the best needle sizes for different fabrics) and writing.

I've already been busy in my little cupboard, so expect some completed projects soon!  x

Pretty Things 3: Get Your 18th Century Shoes!

Well, I was excited when American Duchess released her silk 18th century shoes ... and now the pre-orders are open for the leather versions.  Check these out:

Drool.

Sorry, excuse me ... *wipes mouth* ... Aren't they lovely?  If you'd like a pair, they are now available to pre-order in your size and you can even get them custom dyed - fabulous!

Radio Silence, Laptop Woes

Hello my friends!

You may have noticed, particularly if you've been reading since JoaT, that I've been quite quiet since around February/March kinda time.  Well that's been partly because of all that uni work I kept going on about (I passed the course, by the way!  I'm a teacher!), but also partly because my laptop died back at the end of February.  Yeah, I wasn't impressed.  Thankfully, my harddrive was OK, so I didn't lose my files (I don't know what I would have done if I had ...) and doubly-thankfully, my gentleman has been good enough to let me use his laptop.  But, sharing a laptop isn't the same as having your own (for me, anyway - I'm a bit of a technophile) and I haven't been able to get the time to post as much as I'd like. 

But I've been saving up and my new laptop (which was a bargain!) is due to arrive on Friday - huzzah!

I'm with Gertie - Taking the Bombshell Dress Class

Although I've been pretty busy, I have been planning and getting rather excited about some sewing projects.  Specifically, I've signed up for Gertie's Bombshell Dress Class on Craftsy.

I've got the fabric and I've been watching the videos in spare moments so I'm prepared to get going.  I'm really enjoying the videos, which are very clear and helpful - I'm learning a lot about different ways of doing things (thread tracing looks like a brilliant idea for very fitted garments) and I love that I can ask questions and see what others have suggested or asked already.  What an exciting learning possiblity to add to all the different ways of learning!  I'm raring to go!

What about you, have you done any sewing courses/classes?  Have you taken any online courses?

Cherished Collections Blog Tour - Vintage Jewellery

This shell box was my Nan's.  I remember when I was little, I would go to her house with my Mum and often one or two of my Aunts would be there.  They'd sit in the kitchen drinking tea and talking grown-up talk, which, of course, I found terribly dull.  So I'd go to Nan's room and play dress-up, which generally involved me putting on her jewellery and some heels.  And by putting on her jewellery, I mean all of it.  At once.  Then I'd appear in the kitchen in all my regalia and Nanny would say "Ooh, here comes Lady Godiva!" or "Look at Fanny Adams here!"  (She often called people Fanny Adams, though I only recently found out where that came from.  Slightly macabre when you find out the origin!)  This box was always on her dresser along with other trinket boxes and pots and perfume sprays and powder puffs and all those other obligatory old lady things.  In it, I keep a few pieces of my most special jewellery, those things with the greatest sentimental value.


By no means do I have a massive collection of vintage costume jewellery, but because of those childhood memories and because I'm lucky enough to be left with a few items that were my Nan's, the pieces I do have include some that are very special to me.  I'd like to share them with you as part of Casey's Cherished Collections 2011 Blog Tour.  If you don't know anything about this fun venture: dozens of bloggers have been photographing and posting about their own collections, whatever they may be (and there are some amazing ones out there) and Casey has organised us into daily roundups.  Check them out and be prepared to drool and squee!

Here is my little offering (not all of which fit in that box, of course - it's sadly not of Tardis proportions!) ...

I originally took lots of individual photos of the pieces, then took a couple of shots of them all jumbled together, but I decided the 'group shot' looked much better - it's like a jewellery party!

Some of these pieces used to be my Mum's and some were my Nan's (her Mum), others I got on Ebay or at charity shops (for a couple of quid here and there).

To the right you can see two small fake pearl necklaces - I love the clasps they used to put on jewellery, they're so pretty:

These were my Nan's and are probably from the 40s or 50s. 

We always thought Nan's pearls were all fake, since our family is working class and was never exactly well-off (I remember whenever I moaned about not having this or that, my Mum would always tell me about how she and her brothers and sisters had to share a bed when she was a child, so I was bloody lucky.  Fair point, Mum!).  However, for my BA graduation, my Mum re-strung a particularly pretty set of pearls that used to be Nan's and discovered that they were, in fact, real!  I should imagine they're cultured, but I don't care, they're lovely and I can remember these from my forays into Nan's jewellery boxes:

It was wonderful being able to wear these for my graduation, like Nan was there in some way.

They can be worn with the clasp at the back ...

... or at the front ...

(I look so pissed off, don't I?!  Hahah!  I don't mean to, I had just finished work and I was trying to get the photos while I still had some daylight and I was concentrating on getting the camera at the right angle into the mirror!)

My Mum's Dad used to buy her marcasite jewellery and I have a couple of pieces of that, my favourite of which is the matching snake brooch and necklace you can see in the jewellery party picture.  My favourite bits are their green eyes:

My Nan and I shared the same initial, so another favourite for me is one of her brooches:

And it's got a bow - what's not to love?  Despite missing a couple of rhinestones, this one looks great on a jacket lapel.  The diamante necklace was also Nan's, though I worry about losing it, so I picked up another one at a charity shop that I can wear more often, though it's a bit more glitzy (it's at the bottom centre of the jewellery party pic).

Well, I think I've taken you through the key pieces - I don't want to bore you by going through each item, but I hope that's given you a taster of my little collection and I hope you enjoyed this one and the others on the tour. Do you have a collection, yourself?  (Or maybe even a few!)  I'd love to hear about your collections or jewellery-related memories - I think it's the stories that make objects special, not the carat of the diamond or the maker's mark.

Happy collecting!

Ikea Owns My Soul, or setting up a sewing room

I love storage.  I love organising.  I was actually really happy that at work yesterday I got to arrange rings in a set of tiny drawers according to their size.  Sad, but true!

So, I'm taking a very short coffee break from making a desk and drawers and storage boxes and re-sorting through the store-room-come-office-slash-sewing-room to get it perfectly set up and organised.

I had an Ikea trip on Wednesday night, so I'm armed with all the organisational bits and pieces I need for there to be a place for everything and everything in its place*.  BLISS!

* I might have to make a cute little sampler of that phrase, actually ...

First Forays Into Knitting

I was never very interested in knitting ... until I saw these gorgeous vintage patterns that Liz has posted over at Zilredloh.  Even better, that lovely Liz has shared these knitting patterns with us lucky stitchers for free!  In particular, the 'Aqua Waves' and 'Diamond' jumpers caught my eye, but I also love the two striped jumpers further down the page.

When I saw them, I knew I had to take up knitting so I could become good enough to make these pretties.  It makes sense really, I do love a nice piece of knitwear (one of my nicknames is 'Cardi Clare' because I'm rarely seen without a cardigan - sad but true!) and I said a while back over at JoaT that I needed some stitching to do while sat relaxing on the sofa, away from the sewing machine, so knitting is just that!

After reading some book reviews, I got my hands on Purls of Wisdom by Jenny Lord (over on the right), which I'm loving and I've gone back to a scarf I started waaaaaaay back at the beginning of last year (sorry scarf!):

And it's now nearly finished!  Those pink arrows mark where I was up to before I picked it up again two weeks ago.  See how wobbly it is!  Ooops.  But, unlike my previous attempts at knitting, I've not made any mistakes in the knitting or dropped any stitches, and I think I've kept the tension quite even since I picked it back up.

I don't remember what yarn this is, but it was in a set I got in the January sales last year to make a 'lacy scarf', so the instructions, yarn and 8mm needles were included.  So I'm planning to finish this off and then start on a chunky patterned snood (or cowl) from Ravelry in this fabulous aran:

Those colours!!!! 

Pretty Things 2 - Kittens!

Hello lovely readers!  Well, my trip to my mum's ended up being a bit longer than I expected!  I had a lovely week, first visiting her, then she came back to Nottingham with me for a couple of days.  I was planning to do a blog post or two while I was with her, but I actually enjoyed having a bit of time away from the computer.

Plus, I was a bit distracted by KITTENS!

Mum lives with my sister and nephew and they recently got two kittens.  They are too cute!  I had planned to try to steal them, but Mum was watching me too carefully (damn!).

Here they are:

The black one is Gizmo and the black and white is Rizzo - they're both boys, but were named when they first thought Rizzo was a girl.  Oops!  Anyway, that's them asleep, but the camera woke them up:

But then I must have been too boring, because they yawned and went back to sleep:

Yes, the great thing about kittens is that they can make anything into a toy.  Really.  There are bits of my mum's potpourri all around they house where they've been batting it between the two of them.  And if you put anything in Mum's seagrass waste paper basket, well, that clearly must be a toy for them, why else would you put it there?!  That boor bin gets knocked over, climbed over, jumped in and bits of paper get pulled out and torn up.  That white thing under the chair is a piece of kitchen roll that the kittens got out of the bin and attacked!

As well as playing with kittens, I did some knitting (more on that another day!), mooched around some shops with Mum and watched some films with the family.  All in all, it's been a very relaxing week - aaah  :)

Pretty Things 1

Good morning all!  I've been working on a couple of bits to share with you, but last week was a bit hectic, so none of them are quite ready.  I'm also visiting my Mum this week (and I'm going to try to steal her kittens ... or at least take some photos of them to share with you!), so I might not be able to get them finished until the weekend.

I am working on the aprons, so I hope to have those ready around the end of next week - they're looking rather pretty, if I do say so myself!

But in the meantime, I've got some pretty things to show you ...

I recently started working part-time in a jewellery shop.  Which is a dangerous occupation when you love jewellery as much as I do!  I've been really loving Lola Rose lately and treated myself to a couple of bargains in the sale (half price - yay!).  Anyway, I just wanted to share some of my favourite bits with you (I'm not trying to be a salesperson, just a jewellery fan - Lola Rose doesn't pay me, and I'm deliberately not mentioning the name of the shop where I work!).

If you've not heard of Lola Rose, they make really fun, fresh jewellery that's carved from semi-precious stone - it's not moulded from plastic or resin, this stuff is real jade, agate, quartzite, etc.  And because it's stone, it's actually cold when you first put it on, which is strange, but a very Good Thing in this hot weather we're having at the moment.

Isn't this ring a pretty colour?

I'm also loving coral colours at the moment, as I've just discovered they suit me quite well (who'd've thought I'd be wearing what is effectively orange lipstick?!  Not me!) and it's a great spring/summer shade.  It's no surprise, then, that I'm a fan of the coral quartzite in the range at the moment:

I got a necklace that goes with that flower bracelet and this ring:

Which is great because it's elasticated, so it fits a wide range of people - huzzah! - and I can wear it on most of my fingers - double huzzah!!

Even cuter, apparently Lola Rose refer to their pretty velvet packaging as 'sleeping bags':

How fun!  And practical: these semi-precious pieces need looking after as they can chip or even shatter if dropped onto a hard surface, so their 'sleeping bags' keep them safe and look pretty in my jewellery box!

I hope you've all had a great weekend (it's been sunny in the UK - wewt!) - I'll be bringing you more pretty things in the future, little visual treats of all kinds  :)

Suits You: Colouring (a bit more Sewing with Singer)

Sorry I've been a bit quiet - I had family visiting, so I've had a rather busy, but rather lovely weekend!  I got to pop to a craft fair with my sister on Saturday and got this lovely necklace:

And it opens!

Isn't it pretty?  It's made by Owl Loves Panda, who also has lots of other pretty costume jewellery bits - check them out.  (I was tempted by the colourful cameo necklaces, too!)

I'm not generally into gold-toned jewellery, I'm more into silver, but this was too cute to pass up.  I think part of the reason I avoid gold is because I don't think it suits me - wearing it, I become all a bit too yellow. 

Which brings me to the Singer Sewing Book's colour charts from last week. You had some great responses in the comments - quite a few of us are, perhaps understandably, a bit cynical about such things.  Do they ever really work?  Are they too generic?  Let's see ...

Here is my colouring:

I'm not wearing make-up, so you can see my skin tone without powder or blusher and to get as accurate a picture as possible of my eye-colour.  My eyes are a bit of a weird colour and that doesn't show too well in photos - I think of them as being a similar colour to olives or olive oil. 

When I worked in an art shop and had to straighten up all the tubes of artist's watercolours, I thought Windsor and Newton's green-gold was a close match:

Though there it looks rather more yellow than in the tube. 

What I mean to say is that my eyes are hazel, not quite green, not quite brown.  But "hazel eyes" can mean a hundred, even a thousand, different things, and even in the same person - when I'm unwell, they look more greenish, in the light of the setting sun they look more golden, when I wear purple shades of eyeshadow, they look more green.  My boyfriend's eyes are hazel, too, but his are lighter, more green and even have flashes of light blue.

My skin's probably a bit more yellow-ish than it looks in the photo and my hair is a very, very dark brown, nearly black at the roots.

So, what colours does Mary Brooks Picken say I should wear?  And is she right?!

Well, the first things she says that definitely applies to me is:

An olive complexion may lose all its blush tones and appear only sallow when it is matched with a dress of drab or mustard brown colour.

I don't wear yellow.  Of any shade.  Not next to my face, anyway (I have a yellow bag).  MBP is absolutely right here - if I were to wear a mustard-y colour, I would just look yellow (or like I'm from The Simpsons, as I always say!).  One point to Gryffindor ... I mean, MBP!

As for the colour-fans themselves, I (black-brown hair, hazel eyes, light olive skin) probably fall into the "Dark Brunette Type":

In the description, she says that "sallow skin brunettes" (me!) "should avoid yellowish greens or orange."  Well, she's half right.  Yellow-toned greens are a no-go for me (which I learnt when trying on a pretty knitted cardigan as a teenager - that was a nasty surprise!), but certain shades of orange (burnt orange, for instance) are fine.  Only half a point to MBP, this time.

I think "high colouring" means reddish cheeks or skin prone to blushing - is that right?  In which case, that might be a lucky thing for you as she claims it means you can wear almost any colour, though I would have imagined that green, being the complementary colour to red, would make that redness stand out all the more.  I can't grade MBP on this one, though, as I don't have that colouring and can't say whether it's true or not - do you know?

As for the colours on the fan: the reds, purples, blues, greens and greys do tend to suit me, though she's missed out a coral-pink and darker, more graphite greys and turquoise and teals, which are colours that suit me very well (apparently).  But, in all, I'd say MBP's doing pretty well again, here.

In fact, I'd say MBP has done pretty well with colour advice for me overall - I'm pleasantly surprised!  Often colour charts suggest that I should wear 'warm' colours, but I don't generally like them (in particular, I hate brown, unless its leather).  I think one of the benefits of her fans is that there are cooler and warmer colours suggested for every type, which allows you to choose colours that you like from within those that suit you.

What about your colouring?  I'd love to hear whether or not the fan for your colour "type" works for you - let me know in the comments!