How do you know how high you can fly if you never spread your wings?

So here it is. My first blog post…thank you so much for dropping by to read, I appreciate how busy people’s lives are, and I’m so grateful for you taking the time to visit my little corner of the internet 🙂

I’m Libby, mummy to George (age 6), and Jemima (age 4). I’m married to Andrew (always known as Cookie), the love of my life. I live with my little family in Stoke Newington, London.

I work as a personal stylist and personal shopper for Whistles (come and say hi at the St Pancras store, and I will show you some beautiful clothes!) and I have my own personal styling business ‘A Style Bird’ (I will help you shop for clothes that make you feel great – get in touch)! I’m truly passionate about making other women feel amazing. I love being able to help women feel happy and confident, by finding them clothes that make them look and feel incredible. When I love what I’m wearing I kind of buzz. I love that feeling and I want to be able to pass that to as many ladies as possible. I’m on a mission!

I love the everyday interactions I have when styling ladies, but I’ve felt for a while that I want to have a platform for all my inspirations (in order to perhaps inspire more women along the way). I love clothes. My mind has been full of clothes, outfit combinations, and style ideas since I can remember. I love thinking and talking about clothes, planning outfits, visualising garments, and imagining how things will work together. But most of all, I love helping women to feel happy and confident.

I grew up spending a LOT of time in Hobbs, Laura Ashley and Jaeger with my Mum and Granny. They both have impeccable style, and a true passion for clothes. From a young age I witnessed the pure joy they shared over a jumper or new coat, and was hooked. My mum often made her own clothes, and I loved sitting watching her at the sewing machine for hours, creating beautiful outfits which I’d then wait at the bottom of the stairs for her to appear in.

Since I can remember, my Granny has loved clothes. She is without doubt one of the most stylish ladies I know. Until recently, if she was there when I brought something new home, she’d be up and trying it on. She couldn’t help herself reaching for it. At 92 (and now with quite advanced dementia) my granny may not recognise us at times but she will always comment on an outfit. The time I visited her, and she didn’t recognise me for the first time it felt heartbreaking, but I couldn’t help but laugh when she told me she loved my leopard print skirt and faux fur coat. You might ask why I was wearing that to a convent care home in the middle of Hampshire but hey – that was what was making me buzz that day!

Shortly after leaving a job in Human Resources at an investment bank to spend more time at home with our two young children, I went to visit my gran. I’d been feeling frustrated about my career in HR for a while, and I felt increasingly that I wanted a change of path. I sat next to her and said ‘I just wish I worked doing something creative. Something with fashion. Something that I really love.’ She looked up at me, looked me straight in the eye and simply said ‘Do it Lib. Do it now, while you’re still young, while you have the chance.’ She really meant it, and I looked at her realising that she would do anything for more opportunities at life. It really hit me, and I really listened. That day I left there feeling that I needed to do it. Not just for my granny but for me, and that day the idea for A Style Bird was born.

The name comes from my pre married name, which was Finch. I’ve always been called Finch or Finchy by friends, and am often drawn to art and prints with birds on. Once a Finch always a Finch! When I was deciding what to call my business I knew I needed the Finch to be in there somewhere! My childhood influences have had so much to do with who I am today, and I am ever grateful, so wanted a nod to my family. I also wanted something that symbolised how I was feeling at the time about starting this venture. I love the thought of a bird spreading its wings and setting off on a journey, not knowing entirely where it is going but excited to learn along the way. I also love the idea of helping other women spread their wings in the sartorial sense, and really giving them the confidence to fly. So there it is, A Style Bird.

Thank you so much if you’ve found me here through my Instagram feed. It means the world to me that you take time to follow, like and interact with me over at @astylebird. I’m so so grateful for all of your support and I love sharing my inspirations with you. The comments, the chats, the interactions are what makes being on Instagram worthwhile so if you have something to say I would love to hear from you!

Check out my beautiful logo!! I am SO grateful to the wonderful Emily from @doodle_moo who has created this. Check out her amazing handmade prints at doodlemoo.com Emily has helped me get up and running with my blog, not only with the techy side of things but with a massive kick up the butt! She really is a total legend. So kind hearted, and so creatively talented. I feel so lucky to have met her on this journey so far. Thank you @mothersmeetings for throwing us together! She really listened to what I had envisaged, and totally got the look and feel of the logo I was after. She has done an amazing job, thank you Emily. Now I think she should set up a creative agency making logos for start ups, don’t you?! Watch this space…

The images I’ve used throughout were taken by the lovely Amanda of @gingermumblog. I told myself these would be my first blog post images after the amazing prep talk her and Martha from @thecolourfile gave me during an event we were at. It really was right place, right time. Those ladies spoke so much sense and made me decide not to waste any more time. I’d got ready so quickly, and was sweating in my jumper and my hair band had snapped out of my hair that evening leaving me with total ‘arghhh’ hair. So these are very much taken in the moment, and I’m grateful to Amanda for literally marching me to the wall to have them taken! I’ve had to do a lot of work the last few months with accepting that if this is what I want to do, I need to have photos taken of myself and post them! I’m still getting to grips with it but I’m definitely getting there.

It feels amazing to be following a dream, and helping women in the process. It’s exciting to think about where all this might take me. Styling has always been a passion of mine. I might sound crazy, but I feel like it’s in my blood. Its part of me, and it’s what I want to do. If you don’t act upon a feeling how will you ever know? You get nowhere by not trying. After all, how do you know how high you can fly if you never spread your wings? It feels like I’ve had a mental to do list since that one particular visit to see my granny…help ladies to find amazing clothes, make ladies feel amazing, start a blog, follow a dream.  This is one more tick off the list and it feels good. It’s the first of many blog posts to come, and marks the beginning, I hope of many exciting times ahead.