A blog post about posting blog posts...

HEY! It's been a while! And what do I have after all this time? A blog post about posting blog posts of course! 

I'll start from the begining... It's been a while because this summer has been jam packed full of super fun things! I've traveled here there and everywhere, taught some really cool lessons, had a handful of really exciting commissions and to top it all off I went to some really beautiful weddings... I've been full of so much inspiration... But also a ton of writers block (they always say getting started is the hardest part). 

I took to Twitter a few weeks ago to try and find a starting point and found I wasn't alone...

I decided it was going to take a lot more than just one blog post to explore everything that I've done this summer... And so we have come to this, a blog post about all the blog posts I plan to write in the next few weeks! 

Blogpost 1 - Travel

This summer I've managed to see all the lovely sights in Copenhagen, rediscovered my love for Brighton, found crafters to die for in Lecistershire and walked historic old Portsmouth - and I'm not even done yet! I'm ending summer on a high in Iceland (everyone should keep their fingers crossed for the northern lights!) 

Blogpost 2 - Wedding season

I LOVE wedding season - mainly because well, I love... Love ❤️ but also because I get so excited about seeing all the amazing craft work and imagination that goes in to the day. The food, the setting, the handmade pretty details... It's what makes the day... And the best bit? So much of it is handmade! 

Blogpost 3 - Projects, Lessons and Comissions

Because it wouldn't be a REtrose blog without knowing what's been going on with REtrose! I've planned some really cool projects for the new year, and I've used this summer to try my hand at teaching some textiles techniques as well as getting on with some awesome commissions! 

So... That's a blog post about posting blog posts...see you on the other side of Iceland! 

REtrose

x

Project stitch

It's been a while! But only because I've been super busy filling my time with crafting and thrifting joy! 

I've set myself a challenge to do more sewing this year, and get back to the basics I'm a bit rusty at...I set myself this challenge back at Christmas time when I got the greatest all you need to know about sewing book ever - the merchant and mills sewing book. 

This book starts you off with the very basics of pattern cutting and sewing, and gives you a range of projects to complete varying in difficulty.... It's been a slowly but surely labour of love for me, but I'm currently finishing up the ironing board cover (project 3) and I'm determined to finish all the projects and get my sewing back up to scratch! 

I've also fallen back in love with thrifting and re-making... And as its only a week until fashion revolution day...I've decided it's more important than ever to make sure I not only try and buy my summer wardrobe consciously, but I've set myself a little project to remake my wardrobe... Be it re-vamping my own clothes, or re-inventing 'ugly vintage' (I'm very fond of ugly vintage!) found while scouring charity and vintage shops. 

This ugly vintage dress I bought from the relief rail at blue honey. (if you haven't been to blue honey and you're in the Cardiff area, check it out, they've got a great vintage stash!) it's got a bit of work to go, but I loved working on this and making it a summer staple, and because I bought it from the relief rail, all the money I paid for it goes to charity. It's a win win! 

Re-making and re-vamping my wardrobe from 2nd hand finds and old clothes can be a great deal of effort, but money can't buy you the satisfaction of knowing you've made your clothes and you won't bump into anyone wearing the same thing...so give it a go! 

Fashion revolution day is on April 24th. 

Who made my clothes? Me! 

REtrose 

x

Crafty Cardiff

I love how crafty Cardiff is becoming. It's a great thing to see communities get involved in new activities, trying new things, and meeting new people. I recently got asked about my favourite crafty places in Cardiff for a piece in Cwtch magazine. http://www.cpshomes.co.uk/cwtch

The piece explored what Cardiff has to offer for complete beginners, and from MADE Cardiff, Chapter and even crafty beginner workshops in interior shops such as Betti Biggs, it's great to see how crafting is not only widely accessible in the city, but growing, with more and more people getting involved and having a go. 

I love learning new crafts, and have recently given myself the challenge of learning how to knit. 

Taking on something new, and from a beginner perspective has made me do a lot of research, particularly as this is a craft I have aimed to teach myself, and along the way I've found some great crafting help from a wider community. 

Wool and the gang has some great products, patterns and start up kits for complete beginners. They also have some great social media campaigns that encourage anyone to #shareyourknits I still use their YouTube tutorials to learn new techniques and love their chunky wool! 

I've also gone back to basics and found some great books that have helped me master the tricks of the trade! This beauty gave me some great tips about casting off-

My own crafting experiences have let me in on some great online crafting communities, as well as the more local ones down the road. It's easier than ever to try something new, so GET CRAFTING! 

Happy making! 

REtrose

x

HAPPY NEW YEAR

It's only bloody 2015! 

Here's hoping you had a wonderfully festive christmas and a super duper new year! 

We've been taking some time off, and have been filling it with festive bakes and makes, drinking too much and catching up with friends and family....

it's been great fun, but we're now ready to hit the ground running, with some cool new projects, and get our teeth sunk into some new challenges! 

Keep your eyes peeled for all our new bits and pieces! They'll be some cool special editions hitting our etsy shop for spring! And don't forget to check out etsy and big cartel this January! There's 15% off our range all month with the code 'jan15' just because... 😁

New year, new stuff... Let's get cracking! 

REtrose 

X 

Birthday treats.

We've turned 1! 

And to celebrate we wanted to give all our lovely customers a special treat! 

That's right. Whether you've bought from us here in the UK or even abroad, a little THANK YOU is on its way...and just in time for Christmas! 

Just discovered that revamping is awesome? Well you're in luck too! We've decided our next 10 customers need a thankyou treat too! HAPPY FACES EVERYWHERE! 

If you're one of the lucky 10, a lovely thank you treat will be included in your order! 

Birthday love for everyone! 

REtrose 

x

Made in Roath 2014 - Roath open

This year, we've been lucky enough to be exhibiting at made in Roath's open exhibition at The Sho Gallery just off Albany road. 

Firstly, if you've never been to the Sho Gallery...GET DOWN THERE! it's an incredible shop and gallery that's constantly showcasing new, local artists, and is a great stop if your looking for something new and alternative. 

 This year saw so many exciting entries, from embroidary, to video, this exhibition has it all, and celebrates all the exciting emerging artists Cardiff has to offer. 

The exhibition runs until the end of next week, it's a great chance to see some new and exciting material, and if your a lover of art it's a great place to explore. Pop in this weekend! 

REtrose 

x 

Shine on.

With autumn upon us, we've not just seen a change in the weather, but a change in our wardrobe! 

One thing that's helping us beat our grey day blues is our shiny tees!  Perfect layered under a snug knit and a cosy scarf these tees brighten up any gloomy day... Layer over leggings for a laid back look or tuck in to high waisted jeans for edgy chic. 

These t-shirts are 100% recycled, and hand made to order...we've got tons of different styles, but if your looking for a one off design just for you, we can certainly do just that! 

Keep your eyes peeled for new autumn/winter foiled faves coming soon! 

REtrose 

x 

We're Made up we got to be involved with Cardiff Made.

For a week we've been exhibiting our prints as part of alzheimers awareness month, In Cardiff Made.

The exhibition followed a series of auctions, and 50% of any art sold went to the dementia Charity Cross roads.

 

As my prints are very personal and came directly from my mamgus own experiences with Dementia, I was extremely privledged to be a part of such a great cause,

with tons of other talented artisits.

 

Thanks Cardiff Made!

We hope to work with you again soon!

REtrose 

x 

Auntie sue in stitch.

This weeks top pick our hand sewn print - Auntie Sue in stitch. The original photo was taken of my Auntie sue and Auntie Shelia in the 1960's on the old knap lido in Barry, South Wales. Neither auntie can remember who their friend is! We love the brightly coloured stitch on this piece, it's great how it brings back the fun of the day! 

Check out www.retrose.bigcartel.com or search us on etsy to find the print. Its avaliable on tons of products! 

Want to bring an old photo back to life? 

Get intouch and we'll make it happen. 

REtrose 

x

Top picks... Foil yourself happy!

This week our top pick is our fresh foil silver tee... Cool oversized look, perfect with your fave pair of jeans! 

This week we've teamed ours with our fave pair of mom  jeans, cons and a chunky vintage knit, perfect laid back wear for moody weather! 

How will you wear yours? 

Find it at: www.retrose.bigcartel.com

On on etsy 

HAPPY WEEKEND! 

REtrose x 

Vintage love birds.... A pretty lovely story.

The best Thing about our products? They all come with lovely little stories. We don't know all the people in the cute vintage photos we hunt down, but there's always a story to how we found these photos, and why we choose them. 

Our vintage love birds are anonymous. I found this photo in an old satchel my mamgu had tucked away in her house. The satchel was full to the brim with anonymous photos, all from day trips and events from a bygone era. It's pretty special. 

All the photos we're organised and labelled. So although I don't know who these lovely people are, I know this photo was taken outside the Sea view Labour club in my home town, Barry, South Wales. 

I adored this photo, I loved the couple (they were probably friends of my great grandma) I had to have a go at bringing this photo back to life! 

These love birds have made it on to so many of our products, from postcards and prints to t-shirts, and it's great to see you love these love birds too! With our t-shirt making it to our top picks.

Stay tuned for how to wear and more stories behind the prints. 

REtrose

x

FRESH PICKS!

Dear bloggers, 

We're sorry we've neglected you for a while... We've been busy giving REtrose an upgrade! 

Not only have we got a brand spanking new website... But we've also given our etsy a lovely upgrade! 

and now, we promise we're back... And we'll be giving you a weekly low down on our top picks. We chose our top picks from what you've been buying, browsing and sharing, so keep your eyes peeled! We might be focusing on a product you LOVE! 

This weeks top pick is our vintage lovebirds printed tee 👉👉👉 

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/192196944/new-vintage-love-birds-printed-crop-t?ref=shop_home_active_23

Keep a look out this week on Facebook Twitter and Instagram for our story behind the print, how to wear and other products that you might love. 

Bloggers. We're back. 

REtrose x 

NEW WEBSITE! www.retrose.bigcartel.com

Now, you may have noticed our absence from blogging recently...WE'RE SORRY! But it's only because we've been launching a brand spanking new website! 

www.retrose.bigcartel.com 

GO LOOKIE! 

We've launched tons of new products too! From cushion covers... To tees, to prints! (We've been busy!) 

REtrose 

x  

The fashion revolution... Where are your clothes from?

We're getting involved in the fashion revolution tomorrow... We're passionate about understanding where our clothes have come from, and what they're made from. We want to raise awareness. Because this stuff matters. And the great news is our fashion savvy customers can get involved too! We're your clothes inside out tomorrow and tweet a pic #insideout it's that simple! 

Oh. 

And for tomorrow only... For fashion revolution day, it's free shipping on EVERYTHING, EVERYWHERE. 

So get involved. Play a part. Be cool cats with an ethical ethos. ✌️

REtrose x

Ohhdeer competition

This weekend, I entered a competition with ohhdeer. For 2 weeks anyone has the chance god buy my designs on the ohhdeer website. 

www.ohhdeer.com/competition

Search Emma Rees as the artist.

FOIL ME!

So... You know how your wearing our clearance now.... But what about the best buys from our mid season sale?! 

This week...our blog on asos marketplace is celebrating all our things foil...and their up to 50% off... How good is that?! 

Stay tuned for all our #ootd! 

Read up on how to wear here: 

https://marketplace.asos.com/boutique/retrose/blog?WT.ac=Mktp_Breadcrumb5

Keep foiling yourself happy! 

x 

How are you wearing that?!

We're busy on ASOS marketplace this week looking at how to wear our bargain clearance pieces. Keep your eyes peeled. You might find something super cheap, that'll look super great with your wardrobe... 

https://marketplace.asos.com/boutique/retrose/blog/how-to-wear-clearance-treatsorange-is-the-new-black

#retroserocks

Hey, 
We know that feeling. When you’ve bought the greatest one off you could ever buy and you just want to show the ENTIRE WORLD. 
Well. Now you can! 
And even better… We’ll give you 30% off you next purchase when you do! 
Just tweet us or Instagram us @REtrose_ and use the hashtag #retroserocks 
And we’ll get in touch with a 30% off promo code just for you!

So go on… Strut your stuff… And remember #retroserocks

X

TEES ARE HERE.

Hand printed foil tees now on asos marketplace for your pleasure. Tees.are.here. x

Shoot babes.

Sneak peak from the contact sheet of our most recent photoshoot? Oh ok! Cool tees GALORE for ss14... New product will start going up this week, so you can get your mitts on it super duper soon!