Spring has officially sprung at Super+Super HQ. Whether it’s a frock, a vest top, a jumper or our nails we are all about pretty pastels this week. Pastels are where it’s at this season. Whether it’s chiffon, cotton or denim, the colours will be tastier than a sweetshop with sugary shades of pink, pale blue, mint green and lilac. Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton took the lead on the runways with lovely pastel colours and high street shops are already doing the same. Get some in your capsule wardrobe this spring!

Amy is wearing vintage high waisted chinos and pale blue roll neck jumper complete with beehive to boot. HELLO Dynasty! Claire is sporting a floral number bought from Beyond Retro on Vine Street, Brighton last summer.

A date for your diaries! We are hosting our first pop up shop on Sunday 15th April!

We are SUPER (pun intended) excited to reveal that the Letter Lounge is migrating down from London Town to the seaside for an event with Super+Super. We will be opening our doors on the 20th May between 2-4 for you to come along, write some letters to your favourites and enjoy some tea and cake. Is there any better way to spend a Sunday afternoon?!

Be sure to follow the letter lounge on Twitter @letterlounge and check out their website… http://letterlounge.co.uk/

For our next installment of Q&A’s we are very excited to introduce you to a collective of ladies called ‘Ladies Like Us’. These lovely gals will be doing some amazing fashion, food, fitness and beauty events with us in the future and we are so excited to be working with them!

Bethanie Lunn - Author of The Modern Girl's Guide to Fabulousness. Image by www.stevestensonphotography.com

Korin and Sasha - Authors of How to Cook in High Heels

Tell us a little bit about you.

Ladies Like Us a collaborative approach between Bethanie Lunn, stylist and author of The Modern Girl’s Guide to Fabulousness with Sasha Parker and Korin Nolan, food and fitness specialsits and authors of How to Cook in High Heels. Together, these fun, refreshing yet informative women teach other busy women with classes, tutorials and videos concentrating on four main areas: food, fashion, fitness and beauty.

Where do you draw the inspiration for your work from?

B: All around me! Real women inspire me after all, I am one! I love turning to the streets as much as I do the catwalks for style ideas and having over 11 years experience in the fashion and beauty industry has taught me a wealth of knowledge including some amazing insider tips and ideas from all sorts of people!

K: I love watching chefs prepare recipes on TV, reading recipes in magazines or tasting something new in a restaurant and then trying to recreate it in my kitchen at home with my own little twist making it easier and more do-able, with ingredients I already have in my cupboard.

S: Growing up, helping in my nans kitchen was mandatory! I used to love watching my nan and granddad throw ingredients together and it has definitely made me more experimental.

What three words would you use to describe yourself?

B: determined, loving and optimistic.

K: ambitious, fun loving and emotional at times!

S: Loud, full of drive and just plain old happy!

How do you take your tea?

B: Builders- strong with 1 sugar please!

K: not too strong, milk, no sugar

S: milky with 1 and half sugars

What encouraged you to get into your fields and what was your route into it?

B: I knew I wanted to write from age 7 when I wrote my first book (ok, it was 10 pages long but that’s a novel at that age!) It was called The Green Cat and my teacher was so proud, she had it bound. I was always interested in fashion and beauty too which started supporting my sister backstage at her shows and shoots during her career as an international fashion model. I picked up so many amazing insider tips this way!

K: I’m a Gemini; a typical communicator, plus I love being creative, thinking outside the box and not necessarily following a traditional route in life. The mad media world suits me perfectly! There’s nothing I love more than being in front of the camera, it makes me feel alive.

S: I’m a born entertainer, I love making people laugh and having lots of fun. I love being over the top at times and nothing fazes me at all, if the people at the next table were taking a picture, i’d probably still smile just incase I was in the back ground

How do you like your eggs?

B: Sunny side up. If the yolk doesn’t run when I dip in my soldier, I’m incredibly disappointed! My fave though is eggs royale, yum yum!

k: Scrambled cooked with chopped tomatoes and fresh parsley

s: Poached with salmon

Who are some of your favorite designers/artists/illustrators/authors?

B: Tom Ford for his entrepreneurial spirit, Mary Katrantzou for her quirkiness. Si Scott for his vision. Edward Monkton for the humour. Me, Korin and Sasha as authors. Ha ha!

K: I’m a high street kinda girl ad live in Top Shop, although I’ve just got my hands on a beautiful Prada bag which is my current pride and joy! As for authors, I agree with Beth!

S: Can’t not agree with the girls on the authors side of things, and in terms of fashion I kind of just do my own thing and not tend to really have any favourties. If I like something I like it regardless.

What would your dream outfit be?

B: Marilyn Monroe meets Sarah Jessica Parker at a Mad Hatters tea party so think glamorous but playful and fun. A tutu skirt with a plain quirky slogan tee that flatters my curves, sky scraper Charlotte Olympia hees and a classic Mulberry tote!

K: A long sleek evening dress that skims my curvy bits, nips me in at the waist and gives me a cleavage to die for…. oh and accompanied by some expensive jewels ..

S: A knee length number thats fairly tight but yes nipping in at the waist, elegant and classy with massive heels!

What can the public expect from your upcoming events at Super+Super?

K,S & B: To come away armed with lots of fabulous tips, advice and ideas on how to be a modern day multitasking woman who aspires to ooze style and gorgeousness!

What’s your favourite cake?

B: chocolate brownies or red velvet cupcakes. It’s a tough call.

K: Banana and Walnut – I love wholesome flavours that are still a bit naughty

S: a good chocolate cake with a creamy centre

How would you spend your perfect day in our fair city?

B: Breakfast al fresco on George Street followed by browsing the charity shops and independents in Hove before visiting one of the quirky coffee houses in The Lanes and getting lost! Admiring the Pavillion and listening to live music in the gardens, oysters and prosecco at English’s then glam cocktails at Merkaba myhotel and ending the night on the beach at So Bar!

K: I haven’t spent a lot of time in Brighton, but I remember this fabulous little cake shop that I can’t remember the name of but I would definitely like to try and find again – so I would look for that!

S: I’ve not been to Brighton so i’d do as much as possible. I’ve heard you guys can get pretty wild in the evenings so be sure to find me in a good bar after my sight seeing.

What’s next for Ladies Like Us?

We want to inspire women across the world and help them look and feel their best and give them the cheats guide to living a full, modern life whilst finding time for number one minus the guilt! We will be hosting classes and events across the UK with Brighton being our first followed by webinars. Our dream is to bring this inspiration, fun and education to your TV screens! See you soon xxx

For this weeks tutorial we’ve handed over the ‘how to’ reigns to none other than Tom of Holland. As a little extra-curricular crafty activity Tom shows us how to make a leather rose brooch with this simple step-by-step tutorial. Tom will be running his Tom says Darn it! classes with us next month so be sure to sign up!

Things you need:

scraps of supple leather

pair of scissors

button twist (this is stronger than regular sewing thread)

leather needle (be careful, these are very sharp)

small brooch pins

Step 1: cut out strips of leather, approximately 6x1in, slightly tapered at each end. The exact shape is not important. Also thread your needle and make a knot in the end, so you don’t have to fumble about when you need to make a stitch.

Step 2: starting at one end of the leather strip, fold it together to make the centre of the rose.

Step 3: scrunch and fold the leather around the start. Make sure to hide the cut sides of the leather

Step 4: at the back, secure the folds with the button twist as you go along. Be careful, as the leather can be a bit difficult to pierce. You might want to use a thimble to help push through the needle. Be careful not to stab your fingers, leather needles have very sharp points!

Step 5: When the rose is finished, tie the thread at the back. Depending on how much leather you have, and the look you’re going for, you could make some more.

Usually an odd number looks best.

Step 6: cut out some leaf shapes, making sure to keep the base wide. This makes it easier to sew them in place and they won’t tear off.

Step 7: sew the brooch pin to the back of a leaf. If the leather is really thin, you can use a small square of canvas or other sturdy fabric on the other side to stabilise your stitches.

Step 8: if you have made more than one rose, sew those together first, then sew the leaves to the back. Make sure to secure some of the stitches through the holes of the brooch pin, to make it sturdy.

Step 9: voila, one finished leather rose brooch!

Some tips:

- practise the folding and scrunching technique a few times before sewing up a rose

- supple leather is easier to scrunch and sew up, but once you’ve practised a few times, a slightly stiffer leather may make more pleasing shapes

- when sourcing leather scraps, try out the fold and scrunch technique, you will soon learn which leathers are suitable

- use a leather needle to make the sewing go much easier. They have a special shaped tip for piercing leather. The needle has an even thickness from point to eye, so that it can’t get stuck when you pull it through

- use button twist instead of regular sewing thread. It is stronger so you don’t have to worry about it breaking when you tighten up stitches.

Be sure to follow Tom on Twitter and enter the competition we are running with him right now! http://supersuperhq.com/2012/03/06/giveaway-win-a-tom-of-holland-brooch/

After a week of painting and decorating for 12 hours a day, Super+Super has finally opened it’s doors to the public for classes and events! The last week has been quite frankly just amazing and we couldn’t have done it without the support of our friends and family who have been beavering away helping us at our ‘painting parties’ which pretty much consisted of wine, cheese, pulling shapes, oh and the decorating of course!

Our classes are already filling up, studio members are being recruited, the launch party has been planned (expect your invites soon!) and we have smiles on our faces.

We’d love for you to all pop in and say hi but in the meantime here is a sneak peek at our teaching/classes/events space…

Inspired by brightly coloured and highly ornate Mexican Sugar Skulls this project is the perfect crafty way to personalise your phone.

You will need:

A perforated plastic phone/iphone case aka hard mesh snap on case (who’d have known!) These can be found easily on Amazon for approx. £2 http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=perforated+iphone+cases&x=0&y=0

A sharp embroidery needle with a medium sized eye, and a selection of brightly coloured sewing and embroidery threads (floss)

This project uses 2 embroidery stitches… running stitch and cross stitch.

Start from the outside working a row of running stitch around the very edge as a border. These cases are great because you can only stitch through a hole! Knot the very end of your thread and in an up and down motion (wave like) motion sew a running stitch through every hole.

http://www.fidella.com/webstitch/stitch02.html#running1 Stagger several rows of different colour threads to create a jazzy chevron style boarder. The more contrasting the colours, the better the effect!

Now using cross stitch, fill in the main body of the case with stripes. http://www.fidella.com/webstitch/stitch04.html#cross2

Work in rows, wrapping the long ends of your threads around the case to keep them from tangling as you work. To finish a colour and change your thread, sew into the back of the last stitch over and over a couple of times. Try to keep it neat!

It might be worth drawing out your design on a piece of paper before you begin sewing… and trim back all long threads at the end.

Happy stitching.

Get your hands on one of our limited edition darned brooches hand crafted by our very own Tom of Holland. Featuring the finest Tweed and Shetland wool this crafty brooch showcases VPM to it’s finest! For more information on Tom’s work check out his blog or come to Tom says Darn It at S+S HQ in April.

All you have to do to enter is simply tweet the following:

RT and follow @supersuperHQ and @tomofholland to win a VMP hand made brooch http://bit.ly/yFnOiz

Winner will be chosen in two weeks!

A deliciously fruity take on a trad’ pud’ perfect for using up all those hot cross buns bought on special offer in a moment of madness! Very simple to prepare and amazing with ice cream.

You will need:

2 medium eggs
350 ml milk
4 Hot cross buns 1 tbsp brown sugar
Medium sized baking dish
Butter or marge
*ice cream to serve*

Slice your buns in half and butter. Now cut each half into two pieces (semi circle chunks) Start by lining the pieces around the edges of your dish and work your way inwards. Pack them closely but not too tightly, you need to leave room for your mixture to expand. Pre heat the oven at 160 oC.

Now pour your milk into a measuring jug, crack in two eggs and beat til combined.

Pour this mixture evenly over your neatly filled dish and let it sit for 5 mins to soak up the liquid.

Sprinkle with sugar and pop into the oven. Check it at 15 minutes. After 20-25 minute your pudding should have risen and be golden brown on top. Mmmmmmmmmmm. Ready!

Serve with ice cream. Go on.

For more info on our classes and tutors click here. You can also book onto each class via Facebook or email us at supersuperhq@gmail.com