King's Daughters

Hi girls, The last couple of blogs have been all about ‘ ethical fashion ’ and I told you that this time would be about planning your wardrobe. This is really important if you want an ethical wardrobe. It means NOT buying on impulse, without any thought, poor quality clothes that quickly get chucked out. Rather this is buying where each piece is important, valued and looked after, (even mended rather than thrown away). Buying this way is buying less and better quality. (Many of the more expensive clothes for sale will not have been made for fair wages BUT you can be sure that really cheap ones guarantee unfair pay). This is buying thinking of the lifespan of the item and shopping with a plan and budget in mind. It’s a reason discovering your personal style is helpful so you can build up a wardrobe of things you actually like in a style you feel comfortable in. A few ideas on planning your wardrobe: Consider the way you spend your time and how much of your wardrobe is dedicat

After being totally inspired by Anna's recent posts on Ethical Fashion and Jazmine's story , I hit the charity shops to do some 'ethical shopping'!  I tried of loads of dresses as I really need something summery for the last bit of summer.  Nothing really suited me but I found one skirt and one top which I absolutely love! Fun floral skirt from Sue Ryder , Winchcombe, £4.95 with strap top from Tesco, £3 White top from Sue Ryder, £1.25. I mixed the white top with a cream top I already had so that I covered any cleavage that might have shown, to make sure the outfit was modest . Photos by Lorah-Kelly with thanks. And then, much to my delight, I discovered that my favourite cardigan matched the colours of my new skirt perfectly!  All in all a really fun day of shopping and playing with clothes while keeping it totally ethical :)  So how about you? Do you want to share your finds?  Send me an email with the photos, price and a little bit of

I have been TOTALLY inspired by Jazmine Rocks, a nineteen year old art student and charity shop volunteer from London.  Actually, I knew Jazmine and her mum, Barrina, from quite some time ago when she was still a little girl having sleep overs at our home with Lorah !  I am so proud of the woman she has become and am totally inspired by what she is doing with her life!   Jazmine loves second hand shopping, in fact she has taken something that many people turn their noses up at, and turned it into something quite trendy!  I was never sure about the whole charity shopping thing but since discovering what Jazmine is doing I have become a fan.  Today I plan to hit the charity shops and see what I can see and I hope I can put a decent outfit together as well as Jazmine does.  This is a fantastic part of our Wardrobe Tips series and fits in really nicely with our Ethical Fashion convictions too.  If you have done any ethical shopping lately or put together a nice outfit from the charity

Hi girls, In my previous blog , I wanted to highlight just a few of the issues involved in ‘ethical fashion’. This time I want to make some suggestions of how we can find clothes that won’t have caused suffering or death to the people who make them. So here goes: Plan your wardrobe (more on this in the next blog ). Be aware that retailers do take notice of YOU. Every £ spent is a vote cast for a particular way of production. Retailers look at sales figures and ask if people cared about conditions of production, would they keep buying these items. So tell them and show them you do care. According to Katharine Hamnett, we really do have influence. She recommends that you write to shops you like and ask them about their ethical policies, tell them where you stand and how you will not be able to continue shopping at their stores if you don’t see them caring about workers and the planet. She says they will definitely listen and take notice the more they are challenged. Resea

Hi girls, I’m back for another guest wardrobe tips blog and this time I wanted to highlight a subject that I think is very important to us as King’s daughters: ‘ethical fashion’. When I say to you… “I don’t want people to suffer or die to produce clothes for me to wear” …perhaps it sounds like I’m just trying to shock you and get your attention. But the awful thing is that although we don’t know it, that’s exactly what we’re responsible for when we buy a lot of the clothes that are for sale today. The reality is that much of what we wear is made by women in ‘sweat shops’. This means they work in unsafe conditions with no proper toilet facilites in oppressive temperatures. They are often sexually assaulted, forced to have abortions and take contraceptives and abused and threatened by managers. They work for long hours, get low pay (not enough for proper food), are not allowed to join a union or any organisation that would represent their interests, have no career development an

I have recently been doing a series on wardrobe tips , to help us girls get the most out of our clothing.  It's had been a lot of fun looking into this and there is much more to come from both Anna and I and hopefully some other lovely ladies from the fashion world too.  The Wheelie Case has also been doing the rounds and we have been having loads of fun with that too.  Dressing up is fun and so is finding our personal style - we are girls and we love to play around with clothes and makeup. There is nothing wrong with feeling beautiful in your own skin and in the clothes you wear. What is not healthy though is when we get our identity from what we wear.  Clothes should not define us at all.   1 Timothy 2:9-10 In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works. Braided hair, or gold or pearls ref

Hi girls, Angela has asked me to do a guest blog of wardrobe tips ahead of King’s Daughters Conference 2011 . The plan for the day sounds so amazing I can’t wait to meet you all and I’m looking forward to talking about ‘ On Beauty, Body And Clothes ’. The work I do is all based around introducing girls and women to Jesus, to His unconditional love and all He has done for us. Among other things, that has included me dealing with subjects like beauty and clothes because they are connected to the way we feel about ourselves which has everything to do with us knowing Jesus. But more about that at the conference…! In the mean time, I wanted to tell you a little bit about the session I will be running during the dinner break: HOW TO FIND YOUR PERSONAL STYLE . I believe that because we are all unique, each of us has an individual style – our own taste and way of putting clothes and accessories together. I don’t believe that any one person’s style is better that another person’s. I

Have you ever been distressed because you have nothing to wear!  You know, one of those days when nothing fits, you don't feel pretty and you would rather cancel the day and go back to bed than get dressed.  Well I have those days. Now I know our clothes don't define us and our identity and beauty should not stem from what we wear, but having something nice to wear does help doesn't it?  So, I have come up with a solution to minimise those bad days.  My solution is "The Wheelie Case"!  This morning I sorted out my clothes and popped the following clothes into a wheelie case: All the clothes that are too small for me that I am hoping to fit into again one day.  These clothes just make me feel fat and depressed.  They stare at me from my drawers telling me that I can't fit into them anymore so now I am fat.  Lying clothes simply have to go - no more lies, I am not fat. All the clothes that are too big for me that make me feel thinner but make me look shabby an

The theme of the King's Daughters Conference 2011 is BEAUTY! Did you know that only 2% of women think that they are beautiful. Watch this video and see why most of us feel like we no longer measure up to the worlds standards of beauty!  This year's conference is going to focus on how we as King's Daughters can KNOW that we truly are beautiful - inside and out.  We were made in the image of God to reflect His beauty. I have so much more exciting news to follow soon. xxx

I was at the gynaecologists’ office joking around about how I have never had this sort of check up in my life. He took some medical history and then asked me to lie down on the examination table. My palms were sweaty and my heart racing a bit as I was dreading what was to come. Pap smears and internal examinations are just not very comfortable and since this was my very first time having a smear I was feeling a bit embarrassed.  To break the ice a bit I thought I would chat about something unusual that I had noticed in my body. When I lay on my back and my bladder was a bit full my lower abdomen seemed to be swollen. Thinking this was just my full bladder I made a casual joke about it and pointed it out as my bladder was getting quite full at the time of this examination. He had a look and remarked that it did seem rather swollen and asked if it would be alright for him to do an ultrasound scan so that he could take a closer look at it. I was thrilled to delay the internal exami

Chapter 2 - Eat, Sleep & Exercise One of the first things I tackled when cleaning up my act and getting my life sorted out with God was to sort out my physical body. I was after all pregnant and I wanted this precious one inside of me to have a perfect life, totally opposite to mine thus far. I would do anything and everything to ensure that this little life inside of me was pure. It was as if I was having a new start through her. Everything I did wrong in life I could make right by making her life lovely, wonderful, peaceful and pure. This was the mind of a pregnant seventeen year old that had just been given a fresh start in life. In many ways even though it wasn’t the truth of how it all worked it did help me change the way I saw life. The first step back then was for me to eat well and exercise, and that is the first step now too. Time passed, my precious baby girl Lorah was born. Life continued, along with all its ups and downs, and although I really tried my best I

Jordan & I had a bit of a girly night last night. Jordan found a recipe for a home made facial mask and a solution for refreshing our eyes - tea bags! As you can see in the photo, the mask didn't stick too well onto our face. I think we should have ground the oats a little finer. Also, we had to alternate which eye we had our tea bag on as we were watching a movie while allowing our mask to work it's magic on our skin. So if you are in the mood for a bit of a pamper or just a really good laugh, here is our recipe: 3 tablespoons of pulverized oats whole milk yogurt 1 tablespoon of olive oil Juice of half a lemon Apply the mixture to your face. Leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water, then pat your face dry.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am passionate about healthy living! I don't always get it right, I do eat McDonald's sometimes and drink coke way too often. Never-the-less I do work at healthy living and one day will stop drinking coke... In the meantime here are some things that I like to use at home: Teeth Whitening - I use bicarbonate of soda on my toothbrush after regular brushing to whiten my coffee stained teeth! It really works & is way less expensive than whitening products. Household Cleaner - Much to my children's disapproval I use white vinegar for cleaning most things in the kitchen. I shine stainless steal, clean my windows and wipe down my surfaces with vinegar. It kills mould & bacteria and gives everything a nice shine & again costs very little. I actually came across a website that gives 1001 uses for white vinegar - check it out www.vinegartips.com Hair Treatment - In the Bible it says that you should anoint your head with oil so base

As much as I don't want to write about this subject I know that I should. I don't want to write about it because I like to leave the past behind me and not dig up things that can be difficult to talk about. On the other hand I know that so many people are struggling silently out there and it would be plain selfish if I didn't share my journey. So from time to time I am going to post some thoughts on this as well as my struggle with suicide, insecurity & other similar subjects. If you or someone you know struggles in these areas and have questions or thoughts or suggestions please leave a comment in the comment box below. Before I get into this I do want to make it clear that when I offer solutions they are purely what worked for me and are not going to work for everyone and my views are definitely not medical views at all. My first real experience with depression as about 10 years ago when I was 26 years old. I may have suffered a bit as a teenager but that's

Hypertension, acne, constipation & depression are a few examples of some of the medical conditions that many people face today - the list could go on forever! I was researching hypertension for a friend today to see what food best deals with this. I came across; garlic, red wine (in moderation of course) , celery, banana, watermelon, potatoes, spinach, almonds, oranges, fish, oats & brown rice. This got me thinking about the food I eat to help me keep my skin clear of acne & the food I eat so I don't dip into depression & the way I try to exercise for all the same reasons. It seems that most physical ailments & mental conditions can be prevented or often cured simply by eating a balanced healthy diet. So why is that most of us panic when we get ill & only then start finding out what is best to eat to cure our ailment? It's so silly isn't it? So I have decided to stop being silly & work even harder at maintaining a healthy balanced diet so

I really enjoyed Eric's message yesterday, it is essential that we understand the basics of our identity isn't it. We were made male & female - this is as basic as it gets & if we remain confused about what that means then I don't see how we can get any other identity issues sorted out. As a woman we not only need to support who God made men to be but we also need to know how to support them. It's easy to say yes I agree a man should be a warrior, but what are you doing to support him in being a warrior? How easy do we find it to criticise men for all their failings? Think about it. As women we are very guilty of taming our men, undermining our men & domesticating our men. This is not just wives I am talking about, all women come into contact with men every day, how we treat them, speak to them & feel about them has a huge impact on them. I have learned over the past few years how important it is to be try be a Godly woman by respecting the men in m

With all these nasty bugs going around I thought it would be good to chat about what we can do to avoid them! Here are some tips on boosting our immune system so we can lead a healthy, fun filled life together. 1. Sleep. On average we need 8 hours of sleep each night but this varies from person to person. Whatever your personal sleep needs are make sure you get it! Sleep has been linked to balancing hormone levels, keeping weight down, having a clear mind & healthy skin. (Perhaps I shouldn't be working on this post at 2am then?) 2. Water . On average we need 8 glasses of water a day! I have covered this in a previous post & am very passionate about it. My children will tell you that my response to most of their complaints is, "Have you been drinking enough water?". 3. Coffee. There is a lot of conflicting information on this one, but I would say that if you drink too much coffee you are damaging your body! The guidelines I've come across is 3 cups a da

A little more on " Less is More " because I have found another simple key on my journey of decluttering... a little goes a long way!!! It's quite simple really, I am replacing some bad habits with some good ones by using the 10 minutes a day principle (I just made that principle up ha ha). I have been complaining (bad habit) about being out of shape for ages now so have decided just to do something about it. I have started exercising just 10 minutes a day and I can't believe how much difference it is making. My tummy is flatter already and my energy levels are on the rise. I feel so much better for taking this very small step and am inspired to find other good habits I want to develop by just taking 10 minutes a day to implement them :) Other areas I thought this could be applied to could perhaps be taking time to develop stronger friendships, marriages or for special time with children - starting with investing just 10 minutes a day to build that relations

Do not let your adornment be merely outward, arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel, rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. - 1 Peter 3:3-4 These beautiful women in the photo are my mother, Rosalind, and grandmother, Letty! I want to honour them today as woman who have lived a big part of their life already and can teach younger women about what really matters! Incorruptible speaks of integrity and not being subject to physical decay! Now I don't know about you but not being subject to physical decay sounds really good to me, do you think God was trying to tell us something here? That if we spend more time tending to the hidden person of the heart we are actually also taking care of our external beauty and how we age? Perhaps we were being given a beauty tip that goes far beyond "arranging the hair or putting on fine apparel". It s

"She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks"  - Proverbs 31:17 Being a King's daughter is not sitting around all day wearing a tiara, looking pretty and doing nothing. Quite the opposite - we should be working hard and playing hard, living life to the MAX! Life is full and busy and  we have a great deal that needs to be done each day. We need to take care of our bodies if we are going to live the life we are created for. A healthy body means we can get a lot done each day and sleep well at night. An unhealthy body means we will be limited physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. I am very passionate about healthy living and  would like to recommend The Maker's Diet book to you! This is a fascinating book based on biblical precepts and scientific resources. After reading this book I radically changed my eating habits, my exercising, my cleaning products, my toothpaste... ha ha! Often the thought of getting healthy is so ove