One for all your business owners...

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that fact that I had a lovely little compnay helping me with all my Google Analytics, SEO etc which has made my web traffic and blog visits sky rocket......not to mention increasing my sales which is amazing but also knackering as I have spent the past few weeks making underwear and wrapping up dresses to be sent out....but I digress.

After I posted the blog I had quite a few of peopl asking about the company and whether it could help them. I told my Analytics Gurus all about it and now they are organising either a conference call or meet + greet so they can tell you in person what they can do for you.....how lovely.

So...being the lovely lady that I am I have offered to organise this so if you are interested please drop me a line at lucy@hummingbirdvintage.co.uk and I will arrange xx

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Fatty in Ibiza...

I am sure some of you remember that about a month ago I embarked on a radical diet in order to get to my dream shape for my upcoming Ibiza hen do (not mine by the way), my 30th birthday and my wedding which is far away but it is never too soon to start.

By now I hoped to have a body like this....

Sadly I have failed as I love food and socialising far too much.

I often buy magazines on the basis that there is a miracle diet inside or that a Z-list celeb has lost three strone in a week on a bootcamp.

Well....I now have 22 days until Ibiza and I am going to embark in an almightly bootcamp....maybe I will call it the Hummingbird Bootcamp and offer it in the shop along with the vintage dresses and bridal services.

So....for the next 22 days as well as my normal witterings about all forms of fashion I will also be giving you a small update on my mission.

Tonight is my weigh in...this includes body fat and my metabolic age.....I am gutted that alcohol will be off the menu as I think I will need a large gin after the results!!

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Best short haircuts fashion for 2011

Best short haircuts fashion for 2011

 Full Finding Haircuts Pictures Online There are many hair styles that are available online to choose from, which canp rovide you with the inspiration you need to choose the most suitable hair style to your appearance. When it comes to choosing a hairstyle, more and more people choose.Although there are many images are available, know where to look and how the view can be important. Choose between the popular hair style can be difficult,because there are thousands who can see. Knowing which style you're lookinghair, and hair styles that will suit your face shape and hair type you have can be an effective way to ensure that you can find the right style - but also ensure that the force is feasible.While it may be difficult to determine the appropriate style your hair the best, there are many people who have decided to take advantage of short and wavy hair styles. Through the hair style, you can find many styles to suit you, through the use of hair gallery you can find lots of wavy hair styles that are available, whether you are looking for long wavy hair, or wavy hair cut short. Regardless of hair length, there are many techniques that can be used to make the ends of the hair appears choppy.
Look for images that have a face similar to themselves, as well as hair styles thatwere created from the same country of hair, including hair style that has beencreated for thin hair, and hair that was created for thick hair.When it comes to styling hair, most people choose to wear hair pieces have been made straight, wavy, like wearing straight hair style is the best way to ensure that you can use the tip of the hair arranged in the order. Through the end you can see the style, you can easily use the end product to create wavy hair, and use a finger to emphasize the choppy nature of the tip that can be created in the hair. Using hair oil is the best way to get a wavy look so popular in this style hair style.

 Best short haircuts fashion for 2011

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Short but sweet....

Today's blog is a short and sweet one as have just launched a  half price sale on everything inHummingbird Vintage (http://www.hummingbirdvintage/) and now I am slightly manic and panicking...!!

However if you do see anything you like on there then drop a quick email and I will send you the discount codes....!!

So today I am going to do a quick round up of my today's holiday lusts as Ibiza is approaching and I need all the help I can get to face the Island of Beautiful People....enjoy!!

ASOS - £50

River Island - £16.99

River Island - £7.99

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Internet shopping....Friend or Foe..?

This weekend I have yet another wedding.....I am actually quite happy about this as I love a chance to get dressed up and have a dance.

However the lead up to this wedding has been marred with what I like to call the 'Bastard Internet Shopping Situation'.

You see I decided to treat myself to a nice new dress for the wedding under the guise that I don't really know anyone at this wedding so would be able to wear it to another one without anyone noticing.

After careful deliberation I choose this beauty from Monsoon.....



£130

I ordered it last Friday and was assured that it would be with me by mid week.

Unfortunately they mucked up my delivery address to rather than it coming to work my lovely dress would be delivered to my house where there would be no one to sign for it.

I rang up Monsoon to explain this and was told that there was nothing they could do and I would have to find a way to making sure I was at home....!!

So for the past three days I have been running home at lunch and on breaks to see if it had been delivered or if there was a delivery card waiting for me....but alas...there has been nothing.

So today in a panic I rang Monsoon again who told me that the dress had tried to be delivered several times but there was no one in....when I mentioned the lack of delivery card I was told that the courier will not leave a card but just keep trying until he finally delivers it.

So this leaves me a. Mad as a fish as I WANT MY DRESS and b. Potentially without anything to wear for the wedding....TOMORROW.

So on a mad hunt to find same day delivery dresses I stumbled across Oasis who do a 90 minute delivery to certain postcodes.....and clearly the delivery Gods were smiling upon me as my postcode is in the delivery area.....HURRAH.

So now I have this baby on the way.....

£150


So although this experience has made me long for the god old days where I went to a shop, tried something on and then bought it (rather than being lured by the simplicity of internet shopping and spending waaay more that I can afford) it has shown me that the internet world of shopping can also be a lifesaver!!

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A Mexican Kitsch Fest....

Last night I met up with some old work friends for an evening of Lebanese food.....well that was the plan anyway.

Infact it was more a case of eating anywhere we could as London was packed last night for some bizzare reason so everywhere we tried involved waiting for a table for a good hour. In the end we admitted defeat and put our names down at possibly the nicest Mexican restaurant ever (back in Essex Mexican restaurants involve wearing a sombrero and downing tequila shots....classy!!) and then went to the pub to wait.

By the time our table was ready I had drunk a bottle of red wine and was very happy indeed which may have led to my huge excitment when I saw these little beatuies in a shop window....

The brand is Les Nerieds and I am totally in love with everything....especially the heart locket with the little pop-up figures and of course the hummingbird neckalce for obvious reasons.

So....if any of you think I deserve a treat then it is my thirtieth birthday coming up so please feel free xx

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A day at the races...

This weekend saw my first venture into horse racing at Royal Ascot.

I had been looking forward to it for weeks and had my outfit carefully planned so you can imagine my dismay when I opened the blinds on Saturday to find it literally pissing down.

It was then all hands on deck to find me a new outfit that would withstand the rain and the cold and yet still make me look ok and sort of dressed up.

In the end I went for an old faithful black and white Oasis dress with a black blazer and huge white corsage. I do have to admit though that my lower half was incased in tights and white pumps from Primark...not the classiest of looks but hey-ho.

So off we set...mini bottles of fizzy wine in hand.

The first thing I noticed about Ascot is the amount of effort the women go to....it is bloody amazing but did make me feel a bit like a tramp for not wearing skyscraper heels, a huge fascinator and for not having amazing hair and make-up that seemed to last all day (I need to find out how and where these women do this!!).

After having a good nosy around I found my outfit of the day...

She looked fabulous and totally different from most people there which is what drew me to her....totally gorgeous.

After I had had a fashion round up I managed to drink my body weight in wine and win £76....so all in all a good day.

I will definitely be going next year but will be armed with non moving hair, smudge free make-up, high heels and a fascinator the size of the sun....afterall if you can't beat 'em...join 'em!!

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Monsoon Season...

I thought that was a good title considering all the rain we have been getting....but in fact this blog is a small homage to the shop Monsoon.

I love Monsoon for many reasons....the quality of clothes is very good, the pieces are unique and I am a size eight in the land of Monsoon which, even though I know this is not my real size when I slip on a size eight and it fits it makes me feel very slinky and also makes me want to wear my clothes with the label hanging out (if only all shops could adhere to Monsoon sizing)!!

So as payday is approaching and as per my self inflicted rule I get to buy one piece of good quality clothing each month I have been doing a little (ok a lot..!!) of internet window shopping.

Here is my current Monsoon favourites list....

£60

£130

£75

£55

£65

...all totally gorgeous I am sure you would agree...!!

However....although I am a big fan of Monsoon I am also a big fan of bargains and whilst I was having a little peek through all the lovely dresses I found this one...

£65

...totally lovely dress for a wedding or a day out...however it is similar to this dress from good old Primark

£25

I actually have this Primark dress and wore it to a wedding recently and I have to say that this pic doesn't do it justice as it is simply gorgeous on and at under half the price you is a total winner!!

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Shoes....

Now...whilst I think it is fine to spend alot of money on vintage dresses, underwear and make-up, I don't actually spend alot of money on shoes.

I am a Primark pump sort of girl. I wear these shoes come rain or shine....although after a couple of trips in the rain they start to smell.....bad!!

So after I awoke on this fine June day to rain of biblical proportions I realised that I need to fine some more solid shoes (I am currently typing this whilst wearing wet shoes....it is not fun).

So I am on the hunt for shoes....but a few things you need to understand first.

I have legs of the tree trunk variety so shoes like converse and brogues do not do me any favours and only make my legs look dumpier. I need to have flat shoes as I can't walk in heels for long periods of time and I don't have the wardrobe to compliment lovely heels. And last but by no means least they need to be on the cheap side as I have many other addictions so expensive shoes can definitely not be one!!

Unfortunately I paid no attention to the last rule and have now fallen in love with these beauties....

French Sole...

GOLD BALLET PUMPS....who could resist...??

Sadly these gorgeous creatures cost £98 and that is slightly more expensive than my usual £4 Primark pumps so I am unsure I can justify it both to myself and the boy who is unlikely to approve of expensive shoe purchases when we have a wedding to pay for.

So sadly these French Sole shoes of delight are going to have to stay in Topshop for now until I either save up enough money by not socialising as much (unlikely) or until I convince the boy that these are an integral part of the wedding and therefore I have to have them immediately....I like the second option a lot more!!

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Today I am loving....

This amazingly beautiful lingerie set from ASOS.....

£20

£12

...and Stevie Wonder.....

I am not loving the fact that after practically starving myself for a week (ok, yes I fell of the wagon in spectacular fashion on Sunday but still...) I am no lighter on the scales and have now bought the lingerie set above and a new camera to take the edge off.....retail therapy I LOVE YOU xx

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Life is too short....

I always knew that I would get to an age when bad things would start happening to both my family and that of my friends.

And now...it would appear that I am at that age.

Last year Mother Hummingbird was diagnosed with cancer (she is doing ok and is loving her wig collection) and last week the Mum of one of my oldest friends was also diagnosed......totally rubbish.

It does make you realise that life is too short to worry about the crap that doesn't need worrying about and also too short not to do the things you really want to do.

So I have decided that one afternoon a week I am going to go off and do something I really want to do...whether it be...

Afternoon tea with the girls

A random tourist attraction....I have always loved the crown jewels

a dance class

....or just going out for an afternoon of gin in a fine London establishment..!!

I am going to have a purely selfish afternoon every week as I am sure there will be a point soon where this will be impossible and also...I have decided that life it waaay too short not to have the odd selfish moment.

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The Wedding Diet...

As I am sure most of you know by now I AM GETTING MARRIED....not until next year but still very exciting to say the least.

However this year I also have another big event....my 30th....eeekkk!!

I have always said that on my 30th birthday I want to have my dream figure. I have achieved this figure twice in my life....once after going travelling and living off of nothing apart from rice and vegetables for six weeks due to lack of cash and once due to an extreme starvation diet....three weeks of pure torture!!

I have not however managed to achieve again in the past eight years, so after the two weeks of weddings and celebrations that just occurred I decided to put myself on a VERY strict diet to start me on my way to my 30th birthday dream figure and hopefully keep that figure for the wedding (although this is very doubtful).

Sadly the boy has also embarked on this so this week has seen alot of shouting in Casa el Hummingbird due to the fact we are so bloody hungry.

So...after four days (I started on Monday) things were going really well. Yes there were times at which I felt light headed but it was all for a good cause. Then last night we went out for a dinner that we pre booked a while ago. I say dinner but infact it was a seven course tasting menu at a Michelin Star restaurant (Ristorante Semplice) that we got an internet deal on!

So there I was....determined not to throw away all my hard work..and then the bread basket came out. I practically inhaled three pieces of bread within the first minute (even the boy was impressed). The seven courses then started to come out....although they were small they were totally gorgeous....however by the fourth course something odd happened...I couldn't eat anymore.

Now I am an eater...I love food and especially love going out for dinner so the fact I couldn't eat everything both shocked, upset and made me angry (according to the boy from that point on I was throwing around filthy looks to anyone who dared look at me).

I was so full that the boy had to practically carry me home and then I had to lay very still for a long time.

After having a good old think I have decided that I love food too much to not eat it so am now going to exercise like a crazy woman instead to get the dream figure/lollypop head look so that I can eat what I want when I want. And on that note I am off for a bacon sandwich....yum!!

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Three times a bridesmaid...

I have a very good friend who is getting married this year....it is going to be the wedding of the year due to it's quirkiness and general feel good festival factor.

The bride is wearing a gorgeous dress (can't say too much) but it has a vintage twist. However the bridesmaid (also a very good friend) is having trouble finding a dress that fits with the vintage look but isn't a. too expensive and b. too gorgeous (can't outshine the bride!!).

So I put my vintage hat on (not that I really take it off) and off I went set with a budget of £100 to find the perfect dress and here they are.....

To be honest it was harder than I thought to find a fabulous dress within budget and not too glam as a lot of vintage prom dresses could easily be worn as an actual wedding dress..and...lets be honest two girls looking bridal at a wedding just isn't a good look!!

Another way around this is going down the high street route. Thanks to Mad Men the 1950's style is very much in at the moment so a vintage style dress is relatively easy to find.

Here are my faves....

Oasis £150

Monsoon £65

Monsoon £130

Oasis £125

And the fab thing about all the vintage/vintage themed dresses is that people can actually wear them again...!! All I need now is for someone to ask me to be bridesmaid so I can bag myself one of these fab dresses!!

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Loss of Faith...

As some of you will know the past few weeks for me have been crazy...!!

I have had two weddings....

...and my own engagement to the boy...

...and it has made me less focussed on the business which is bad. It has also made me think that maybe I am not suited to all this 'work for yourself' lark and not all that good at it.

Looking back now I think it is less to do with my capabilities and more to do with a three week hangover....as....lets be honest...the morning after a night on the white wine is never fun!!

However it also made me realise that time away from twitter peeps who are all going through the same thing is not good as it can make you feel like you are the only person in the world going through business worries.

So I have given myself a good talking to and I am back and ready to go....HURRAH....so watch this space people!!!

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Business Brain...

This is a little tip for all you lovely people trying to run and online business....

Now I have been running the lovely Hummingbird Vintage for around six months and it is going rather well....we have branched out into undies and wedding dresses and all is fabulous even if I do say so myself.

One thing I found when I started was that I had no idea how to run an online business...and lets be honest...for a novice it is quite complicated.

I thought I had done everything correct..I had my Google Analytics, my Adwords and I was all set for an influx....sadly this wasn't to be and I spent alot of time staring at my 'stats' page willing the numbers to go up wearing a vintage dress (of course) and a sad face.

About three months ago I came across a lovely company who help little business's like mine get off the ground and do all the tech stuff for you...and then they send you lovely (they do mine in pink) presentations telling you what else you should be doing to increase sales....and....IT WORKED.

It has allowed me to not work as many hours in the real world and have time to do more vintage fabulousness....totally amazing.

If any of you need a helping hand let me know and I can put you in touch as their website is being re-done....!!

For those of you who are not interested in tech stuff then here is a gorgeous vintage gentleman for you to enjoy on this lovely sunny Friday....

...Rhett Butler...YUM!!

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And I'm Back....

Since Friday I have done nothing except drink champagne, eat fine food, celebrate the engagement of the year and go to weddings....it's a tough life but someone has to do it.

After yesterdays wedding I am feeling rather delicate due to alot of white wine and a considerable amount of dancing (one of my best friends ended up in A&E due to a fractured wrist caused by excessive dancing!!).

So today I have my grumpy face on and I am shouting alot at people who haven't done anything wrong....I am a naughty lady.

So to cheer myself up I have been doing some vintage hunting for the shop....yes....I will admit it has mainly been wedding dresses but I am allowed to do this now.

So ladies...if Wednesday is getting you down then feast your eyes on these beauties....

.....I may have to have either a very long wedding or lots of renewals so that I can were at least a few of these gorgeous dresses...!!!

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