Welcome to Hats = Happiness: EleanorLucy Millinery blog's new home! As well as a cleaner, clearer layout, there are a few extra bits and bobs to make it easier for you to get in touch, get involved and get updated: you can share your favourite posts using the 'Spread the Word' buttons; keep up to date via the 'All Aboard' section by subscribing to receive new posts by email and following me on Twitter or Facebook for pictures and updates in between; and as always your thoughts are much appreciated via the comments box underneath each post. And you can of course explore the rest of the website more easily from here if you haven't done so already! ;)

You can still see all the previous posts (if the mood takes you!) via the 'Previous Address' link (under 'Archives') to the old blog, but from now on this is the place to be!

And so, without further ado, here's what I've been up to in the studio this week...

With just under two weeks to go until the Ladies' Night do, I've added another two pieces to the new collection - just a couple more to go and I think I'm done!

After some more internet research (including several visits to variously weird and wonderful taximdermy sites!), I managed to gather everything I required to clean and shape pheasant feathers - hardware included a freezer and hair straighteners(!?) - to adorn this fab tweed perching topper. It's already been claimed by one of my Ascot Girls, and will hopefully be spending a couple of weeks in Linda Harper's window in the meantime! I think Lady Rachael has some serious adventures coming her way! :)

Lesson Number Three for those who have followed Elton's story so far and want to have a crack at thread doodling yourselves - do not (I repeat do not) use permanent marker to draw your template onto the aqua film: turns out that when the film dissolves the ink is left to its own devices...! >_< Luckily it wasn't too disastrous - I touched up the offending keys with a teeny tiny paint brush and fabric paint, which has actually been a success in itself because it really made the keys pop against the black piano body! I'm putting this one down to fate ;) (And three cheers for Shrek the Sewing Machine!)

Don't worry, we're still linking up through Handmade Harbour! Pop over here and see what my fellow creative types have been up to this week.

Have lovely sunny days in the meantime - I'm off to see Rose to learn how to work with straw, frankly beyond excited! There'll be some sneaky peak pictures on Twitter and Facebook in the interim, and I'll catch you back here in a couple of weeks!

It's here!! The sunshine is here!! Well, perhaps not that much sunshine today, but there is a distinct lack of snow, ice and the North Wind, so I'm calling it. With this in mind, and because I'm (hopefully) hosting a table at a local Ladies' Night event (details tbc), I have made some strident headway with a proper S/S2013 Collection!

I have also learned a valuable lesson: it's really a lot easier to get a collection on the go for a specific audience - from designing to styling to pricing to business planning, a bit of focus seems to have made a significant difference! (Does everyone else find this too!?)

Anyway, as a result I have made great progress this week:

I have also made the somewhat obvious but nonetheless executive decision to become a walking advert for my millinery ventures, and will now endeavour to wear a hat whenever I'm out and about. Once again, a specific brief (not-to-extravagant-to-wear-with-jeans-but-must-be-originally-chic-and-have-a-personality-more-of-a-headpiece-but-definitely-more-than-a-hairband) made the design and creation very easy.

 Lola: Black felt origami rose with shot silk dupion leaves