Wee Birdy

Sponsored birdy post: Hello!Lucky

Three cheers for the newest addition to the Wee Birdy nest, Hello!Lucky. As regular readers may recall, I’m quite a fan of their endearing retro-inspired designs and stunning letterpress invitations, which have also captured the attention of U.S. glossies including Martha Stewart Weddings, InStyle, Real Simple, Marie Claire and InStyle Weddings.

 

Based in San Francisco - with another office in London - Hello!Lucky offers some of the very best stationery available online, including the most unique wedding invitations, greeting cards, personalised stationery and baby announcements.

Founded by sisters and best friends Eunice and Sabrina Moyle in 2003, (that’s them looking gorgeous below) the company is ultimately renowned for its unique personalised letterpress stationery. Read all about their letterpress process here. But if you're on a tight budget, their new digital printing line is a more affordable option.

Eunice and Sabrina, sans-moustache


Eunice and Sabrina, with moustache

Hello!Lucky just launched a unique range of destination wedding invitations featuring exclusive designs by another Wee Birdy favourite, Lab Partners. Naturally, the London invitation featuring the Routemaster, scooters and Eros is my pick of the bunch, but other fabulous wedding destinations include New York, Hawaii and San Francisco.

 

The website is also the go-to for the most adorable range of Valentine’s Day cards. I love the brilliant Simpsons-inspired “I choo-choo choose you” card designed by Kate Sutton (a reference to the card Lisa gave a rather lovesick Ralph Wiggum).

If you’re more of a crafty type and like making your own cards, you should check out their new-ish DIY book Handmade Hellos. Giving naff paper-crafting QVC-style a wide berth, the book is packed with loads of cool card projects to inspire a “wardrobe” of your very hand-made designs. And while you're at it, you might like to have a peek at Hello!Lucky's crafty and design-inspired blog - it's quite addictive reading.

Handmade Xmas Part 1: Cakes and cookies

Peggy Porschen is standing in her gleaming Battersea studio and demonstrating how to make perfect squiggles using a piping bag she’s fashioned out of a piece of paper. But I’ve only got eyes for the bowl of edible glitter in front of me, appropriately named, “White Disco Hologram”. Which might explain why my subsequent squiggles are considerably less than perfect.

 

As London’s Queen of sugarcraft, Peggy’s cakes are sold in Fortnum and Mason and her clients include Elton John, Gwyneth Paltrow and Stella McCartney. In fact, she made Stella’s wedding cake in 2003.

She has just launched a series of masterclasses where students can learn the secrets to decorating cookies and cakes, in Peggy’s irresistibly pretty signature style. 

 

After some initial apprehension about my distinct lack of decorating/kitchen skills, I was relieved to learn that I wasn’t the only beginner in the class. There were, however, a couple of skilled decorators taking part, with one girl travelling all the way from Germany to learn Peggy’s tricks of the trade.

Taking our places around a huge granite tabletop in Peggy’s airy commercial kitchen, we set to work straight away, learning how roll out marzipan and cut out a pile of holly-shaped leaves. These were the main decoration for our traditional Christmas fruitcake.

It didn’t take long to get to the fun stuff – playing with gorgeous shimmers and edible glitter, and learning how to make veins in our leaves using a moulded stamp.

There’s no need to worry about cleaning up as Peggy’s staff are on hand to whisk away bits and pieces you’ve finished with. And when it comes to learning the art of piping, we’re presented with our own set of freshly baked gingerbread snowflake cookies, ready to decorate.

 

Peggy shows us how to hold the piping bag and and demonstrates the correct piping technique. This is where it’s easy to just sit back and watch Peggy’s mesmerising and deceptively simple control of the piping bag. She makes it look way too effortless, but after several botched attempts (which are hurriedly disappeared down my throat) I start to weave my own little sugarcrafted magic.

After breaking for afternoon tea – delicious finger sandwiches and cake – we’re back in the kitchen and standing behind our own individual (and marvellously alcoholic) six-inch Christmas fruitcakes. We learn how to brush the cake with apricot jam, before rolling out a sheet of marzipan and carefully draping it over the cake.

Next, after brushing the marzipan with a layer of vodka, we’re rolling out a perfectly smooth layer of sugar paste to drape over the cake. This is where cake smoothers become your new best friends in your quest for sugar paste perfection.

 

With the tricky bits out of the way, we get to the fun part of decorating our (mostly) smooth iced creations with the holly leaves we’d made earlier, creating a simply wreath around the top of the cake. So pretty!

 

"I can't believe I made them!" ... the finished snowflake cookies

Want to learn Peggy's cake decorating secrets? Ask about the next masterclass at www.peggyporschen.com.

Peggy's beautifully designed Christmas bauble cookies are also available to order for Christmas, with prices starting at £8. To guarantee delivery in time for Christmas all orders must be received by Sunday, December 7. See the full range at www.peggyporschen.com or call 020 7738 1339.

London shopping: VVRouleaux

VVRouleaux is London’s legendary emporium of ribbons, trimmings and braids, and oh, so much more. It’s the kind of place that instantly makes you bug-eyed with excitement, recalling childhood days of coveting ribbons, buttons and other “fancy” bits and bobs to add to your most precious and treasured collection.

But it’s the grown-ups who flock to this beautiful bazaar of inspiration for specialist ribbons sourced from all over the world, like Japanese organdie and French wire-edged taffetas in every shade imaginable.

In fact the large light-filled entry-level room in the Marylebone store is literally a Pantone book come to life, with reels of ribbons in every size, pattern and colour. No wonder brides make a bee-line to the store for that exact shade of caramel to work their bridesmaids’ sashes back to the reception chair tie-backs.

Speaking of brides, there are double-sided velvet ribbons which make perfect belts and sashes, as well as double-sided Japanese satin ribbons. And downstairs, there’s a fabulous collection of vintage bridal accessories, including hand-made veils, headpieces, hats and birds (birds!) from the late 1950s.

Ribbons aside, there’s a glorious range of silk, organza and velvet roses in a myriad of fashion shades, as well as a vast collection of fancy feathers. Apparently the shop does a roaring trade in June and July during racing and wedding season.

Don’t miss the tables crammed with vintage pieces like hand-crocheted butterflies and clusters of velvet violets (I spied the same violets behind a glass cabinet at the Golden Age of Couture exhibition at the V&A). I particularly love the selection of vintage French earrings and hair combs as well as the double-sided velvet belts with vintage buckles (from £14.95), delicate feather brooches (from £12.95) and bird decorations (from £3.95).

Downstairs is haberdashery heaven, dedicated to heavier furnishings like acrylic and glass tassles in traditional and modern colours, as well as vintage braids, faux-fur trims, cotton lace trims, and leather and suede ribbons for fashion and furnishing. I found a bunch of Chanel-style braids that would make chic suit edging. There’s also an extensive range of wax cords in all shades, which was raided by the wardrobe department from Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

From October onwards, the store introduces its Christmas collection, with tree ornaments, wreaths, garlands and berries for decorating the home.

For more inspiration, buy a copy of owner/creative director Annabel Lewis’ new book, Ribbons & Trims, for £20.

VVRouleaux
www.vvrouleaux.com


LONDON
102 Marylebone Lane
London W1U 2QD
Tel: 020 7224 5179
Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday (excluding Weds) 9.30am-6pm
Wednesday 10.30am-6pm
Nearest tube: Bond Street and Baker Street

For more shops in W1, click here.
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

54 Sloane Square
Cliveden Place
London
SW1W 8AX
Tel: 020 7730 3125
Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday (excluding Weds) 9.30am-6pm
Wednesday 10.30am-6.30pm
Nearest tube: Sloan Square

For more shops in SW1, click here.