From ebb&flo with love…

Love books…book love, call it what you want…or you just want a beautiful wedding gift about love, well read on…

I came across a little local book shop the other day in my adopted town of Chorley and what a little gem it was. Tucked away in a street just off the main shopping are of Chorley it had a quaint, quiet and quirky ambience. It was stocked full of…well…books, haha.

The wording in italics is from the book shop web site itself.

Each of our books is hand-picked. We want to offer a selection of interesting reading to our customers and for you to discover books you didn’t know you wanted or, perhaps, that even existed. Like all bricks and mortar bookshops, ebb & flo is a place to browse, hold a book, smell that new book smell, have a sit-down and chat about books.

With our speedy ordering service, we can order a book and usually have it for you within a day or two. We can also search for out-of-print books.

We will try to answer your bookish questions straight away, but if we can’t we will try to find the answers as quickly as possible. We like a challenge.

The bookshop is an exciting place for children to explore. We have a den, crafty things to do, story time, events and lots of beautiful children’s books to fire imaginations. We love Chorley and want to be an important part of the community. We have reading groups, workshops, events and meetings, both in the shop and in our upstairs room, which is available for hire. If you’re looking for an unusual gift, card or wrapping paper, we have a great selection in the shop, including Djeco, Melissa & Doug, Shreds and hand-made crafts by Darcey Fleur.”

I have no affiliation with the shop, I just really, really liked the little independent store, it was a delightful emporium of books, gifts, crafts and beautiful cards. I also liked their motto on their Facebook cover photo about independent businesses! I don’t know about you but I find it so refreshing to actually handle a book, smell it and look at the lovely colours and designs of books. For anybody who knows my ‘Behind The Lens’ on my Photography Wedding Site, I have a saying, well I have 2 to be precise.

Libraries are for getting lost in literally

I love the smell of books…”

As much as I love online ordering (and I do) I’m actually at the point where I see the High Street in decline and I think I would like to do something about it. I saw a FB article late last night about just that. I said years ago that we would hit a point that we would go back to the Independent Shops. Saying that I think there is room for both. I adore the independents, I think they try so much harder and give a better service…that’s just my humble opinion, though?

Anyway if you’re in or near Chorley and love books, then check ebb&flo out.

Peace out for the mo…Nance x


LITTLE MISS FICKLE AM I…

Looking for an app/software where you can save all your wedding notes, ideas, your appointments and photos too, then carry on reading…

A while ago I wrote about what a great piece of software Evernote was…and it still is…but I’ve/you’ve got to pay to get more space now. I don’t like that, I want something for free like it was in the beginning. It’s like shifting the goalposts when they do stuff like that. So…I decided to try and hunt for something else. I tried a few, they were ok but sluggish, I like to wait for a nano-second for things to load haha.

Anyways, fast-forward to Google Keep…it is mega magnificent with cherries and cream on top. If you’re looking for an app/software for keeping notes, “voice” notes (whilst you’re on the move) which record you and also show you as text (make sure you speak clear, haha, and that’s alls I’m going to say. But jesting apart, it really is a neat bit of kit and works on so many platforms and you can share your ideas too. You can also prioritise and get reminders…they have kept it simple which is important and it runs at the speed of light.

I needed to get all my hard-copy material on-line yesterday and it is perfect for what I want…Google…you rock…and then some!!!!

Want to know more? Then check out this very helpful tutorial:

GOOGLE KEEP

Photo above: Nancy Lisa Barrett Photography

Peace out for the mo…Nance x

If You’re ‘Appy And You Know It…

Tis well known in my photography circles that I adore techno things, be it some new software, a free programme, a new app or a free app. Well i’ve been researching all this morning for a free app for planning your wedding. I have looked at a lot and downloaded the ones I ‘thought’ would be uber cool and time saving…hhmmm…some were, shall we say, not very good. Some crashed!! Some had adds on them and a few looked a tad suspect, haha…say no more. Just as I was losing the will to live and was thinking about changing the content of my new blog  I came across a little gem. Not only was it a gem, it was a Lancashire gem too. Not only did the app work perfectly but it was crystal clear on what to do and how to do it. Could it get any better…well yes it could and did. They had a little video tutorial to show you what to do, just in case. Could it get any more better (is that the Queens English lol)…oh yes…they also have a super web page and blog.

If you’re planning your nuptials, you need to check the app, the video and their website out…if you know what’s good for you.

Webpage: LITTLE WHITE BOOKS

Video Tutorial: LWB TUTORIAL & LINK TO APP

I hope this has been of help to all you brides and grooms to be…peace out for the mo, Nancy x

My photo above is from the very beautiful and talented ladies at: ICED OF GARSTANG

 

From Wood With Love…

A couple of months ago I wrote a blog about coat hangers (yes, you read that right and yes I need to get out more). The blog was about choosing the right coat hanger for your wedding gown. Well fast forward a few months and one very creative Bride-To-Be who read my blog, decided to go ahead and make her own, not just for herself, but for her bridesmaids too. She kindly sent me some photos so I could share them with you all, which was jolly decent of her. Ruth, you’re a star…thank you very kindly. I hope this inspires you all to get your creative heads on. Enjoy Ruth’s photos and for the mo…peace out, Nancy x

On The Buses…

Are you up to the stage where you are planning your transport for your wedding or have you just cut to the chase and already done it. If you haven’t, here’s a little tip for you. There are many wedding transport arrangements that you can google, but an absolutely awesome one is hiring a bus. I especially like the older type buses, they really have a lot of character. Besides being a super transport option for you or your guests, they can also double up as a very quirky place to take some of your wedding photographs if the weather turns rainy on your big day. This is maybe worth a thought for all you budding brides and grooms.

I’ve just come across a lovely little site that does the above (I have no affiliation with this site, I google just like you guys, the photo is mine from another company)…it seems like a cool site and it’s in Lancashire which is always a good thing. Hope this little snippet helps…peace out for the mo, Nancy x

Saddleworth Vintage Bus

‘Saddell’ Up…

I’ve recently had the good fortune to visit The Kintyre Peninsula and visited many lovely places which assisted me in my Landscape & Wildlife Photography (my hobbies when I’m not shooting Weddings). There were many lovely beaches and many of these were without people…haha…which makes me sound a tad unsocial but worry not…I was thinking that some of them would make ace Wedding/Honeymoon destinations. Bear with me…I know I’m a Lancashire Lass and my blog is mainly about Lancashire Wedding Ideas but this was too nice of an idea not to share…and as a friend of mine used to say, “sharing is caring.”

Anyway, on my last day I happened to come across a very secluded beach which just happened to have a castle on it, a little fisherman’s cottage and a couple more beautiful little and one large white-washed houses. The beach isn’t private, but whilst I was there (which was a good few hours) there wasn’t another soul. There was seals though and numerous types of birds and a resident sea otter who visits on occasion too. It really is a little bit of heaven on earth!!

I noticed when I got back to Lancashire that the Landmark Trust who own the castle and houses don’t have a licence to do weddings but you CAN get married on the beach because I’ve just come across another couples/photography blog. Link To A Saddell Beach Wedding The video below is about the houses and the beach, it really is a beautiful piece of work. The castle and houses could hold a lot of guests potentially, and if you get the weather…well, you could save yourself a small fortune (and the savings should be spent on an excellent photographer haha). I hope this has been a little bit of help for all you lovely brides and grooms to be…Peace out, Nance x

Saddell Bay Landmark Trust Video

Oil Painting Photo by Yours Truly of the beach at Skipness (which is awesome too) 😀

I Best Get A Hat…

I’ve been out of the loop for a few weeks…so to get me back into the swing of things, how about a few sites that I like to frequent to get ideas and inspiration…hold onto your wedding hats, here goes:

Rock My Weddingin their own words: rockmywedding

Launched in October 2009, Rock My Wedding was created by Charlotte O’Shea, a newly-wed with a passion for the pretty and the realisation that UK brides would benefit from a frequently updated on-line platform featuring achievable and unique Big Day inspiration. Rock My Wedding is now one of the UK’s most popular planning resources with 330,000 visitors viewing over 800,000 pages every single month. We aim to bring soon-to-be-brides a wealth of ideas through fresh and innovative content, daily “real wedding” features and access to the industry’s most desirable vendors. You can read more about the team and our other blogs on our company website rockmyltd

Rock & Roll Bridein their own words: rockandrollbride

Launched in 2007, Rock n Roll Bride is one of the biggest wedding blogs in the world. Updated daily, the site and it’s accompanying print magazine attracts quirky, alternative and creative readers from all over the planet.The brainchild of Kat Williams, the site came about while she was planning her own wedding in 2008. After becoming jaded by the limited offerings of the UK wedding industry, Kat saw a niche for alternative wedding inspiration and ran with it! Rock n Roll Bride magazine, a bi-monthly, nationally available magazine was launched in 2015. Issue 1, released in January of that year, was reported by the distribution company as the fastest and best selling debut issue of a magazine ever. It also sold out for online orders within 72 hours, with over 1000 copies selling in the first day alone. The magazine is available to buy in WHSmiths, selected independent newsagents and online via rocknrollbride.com/shop and is currently the best selling bridal title in WHSmiths. If this is your first time around these parts, you should check out the idiots guide to rock n roll bride

The Knot: a FAB Wedding planner…check it out! theknot

Hope these are of help to all you budding brides to be…peace out for the mo, Nancy x

…and You Think You Know People

When I started this blog a while back, I received a message from an old school friend – we’ve known each other for about 40 odd years I think. Anyway, she sent me a message saying that she liked the blog idea and that she wanted to share a poem with me that she had wrote for a speech she made at her own sons wedding…wait, what…”I never knew you wrote poetry”…where did that come from??

Well, lo and behold, this lovely little poem came through and I began to read it to a friend who was sat behind me on my computer and then I choked on the 3rd verse…haha…haven’t done that for eons. I had that bitter-sweet moment when you want to blub but at the same time you think you’re going to be laughed at…it was nice laughter though…

I think poetry is the same as photography, if it can affect you emotionally, then you’re onto a winner in my books. She also does many other types of poetry for a multitude of occasions…just saying 😉

She has allowed me to share it with you and kindly let you use it – just credit her if you do use it…many thanks, Nance x

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A Little Bit of Mono

I adore Black & White Photography at Weddings…I especially liked the shadows…

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From Samlesbury Hotel 2015
Photo by:  Nancy Lisa Barrett Photography