Designer Day is here again!

Hi everyone! One of the most exciting events we have at QVC is Designer Day in my opinion. I think it's a great opportunity to showcase the fact that we are not just about steam cleaners and jewellery alone.

I don't know if you've ever come across someone who has had a preconceived idea about QVC and what we do. I certainly have but they soon change their minds and appear genuinely surprised when I proudly list some of the truly great brands we have. Then when I go on to tell them about our designer ranges I think they can see why we have come a long way since the early days.

Our Designer Day this Friday 20th November will focus on top jewellery designer brands such as Lola Rose, fashion designers such as Harald Gloeckler and many handbag greats including, of course, the wonderful Lulu Guinness.

Lulu was awarded an OBE by HM The Queen for her services to the British Fashion Industry and has been a true style icon since her brand launched in 1989. We are incredibly proud to have her on board. In fact, she is as much a fan of QVC as we are of her and she has designed a Today's Special Value especially for us for this Designer Day! Lulu has had two TSV's so far and each sold out by morning so make sure you tune in from midnight on Friday 20th November so as not to miss out.

I'm not going to give anything away about our Designer Day Special Value except that it is a bag! Ok then, the piccy above is from my recent visit to Lulu's flagship store in London. The lips are her trademark (don't you just love the lippy mug?) and line the inside of the bag. That's all for now!

Please tell me what you enjoy about shopping for designer brands on QVC. See you from midnight on Friday!

Love Catherine x

Dyson's number one fan!

Hi everyone.

I know it's a bit nerdy to get all excited over a vaccuum cleaner but WOW the Dyson DC24 is just perfect for my needs! I had presented it twice on QVC and decided I just had to have one. It's lived up to all my expectations and more!

Years ago my best friend, Mandy, bought a Dyson when they were pretty new on the market. She rang me up out of the blue and told me to get the kettle on. I did as instructed and minutes later she showed up on my doorstep with her Dyson and told me I had to use it, it was unbelievable, and she'd collect it later.

I tried it, I loved it, I saved up and I bought one for myself as I was so impressed! It lasted several years and when it did finally come time to part company with it I tried another brand. A great brand and a great machine.

Even though it did a great job I was still having to buy bags and filters for it and it didn't have the on-board capabilities of a Dyson so I thought I'd give the new Dyson a go. It's nice that with QVC you can try something in the knowledge that you're backed by the 30-day money back guarantee. Plus, because the Dyson is over 4kg in weight QVC will collect if you decide it's not for you.

Ok, so why have I loved it so much? It's so lightweight and compact, it can fit neatly just about anywhere. The filters are lifetime filters, just wash them out under the tap. There are no bags to buy so no further expense. The deal QVC does is brilliant for the machine itself (check for yourself and see) but QVC have a unique offer which includes an accessory kit which would be £20 on its own too!! Brilliant! It almost seems like a Today's Special Value to me!

The best thing of all, though, is the power it has to get to all the deep-down muck and cat hairs! I had read the glowing reviews (masses of five-star customer reviews on our website) and many had vaccuumed with their old vac and then gone over again with the new Dyson so I did the same. You should have seen me..I was so amazed at how much pet hair had been left behind by the old vac! Every home ought to have one of these, I'm serious. It's fantastic and it suits my needs just perfectly.

If you are around on Saturday 14th November we will be presenting a whole Dyson hour at 4pm and another at 10pm. We will be featuring Easy Payments so it's a great time to give it a try. Please call in to the show (or text) if you are Dyson devotee like me! Feel free to leave your comments below, too. I'd love to hear from you.

Right, gonna finish my cup of coffee, Dyson my home and then off to Mandy's house with the new model to knock her socks off this time!

Love, Catherine x

Rwy'n caru fy Nghlogau (I love my Clogau)!

Through my lovely partner Steve (with me left) and his gorgeous Welsh family, I have developed a fascination, respect and wonder for Wales. I've even tried to learn the language.

Not got too far on that one as yet due to the fact I don't get the opportunity to return to Wales as often as I'd like to hear Welsh being spoken. I may find I have more of an opportunity now though as Steve is a member of a new Welsh men's choir and they are already booked for some major events in Wales (I'm not allowed to say which ones just yet but watch this space).

I simply fell in love with the passion of the Welsh for all that they do and stand for. I also fell in love with the beautiful countryside. Where Steve's family live there are no streetlights, so on a dark night you can see all the stars - very meditative.

One day Angela and Nigel (Steve's mum and dad) and Steve and I went visiting some sacred sites (left). Pentre Ifan is a bronze age megalithic site dating back to about 4000BC. The 'Hill of Angels' can be seen from the site too. There's such a sense of magic and history to be felt there.

One of my favourites to visit was the Ty Canol woods (left), a stunning ancient wood which seemed to be alive with energy and nature.

The Clogau Today's Special Value, coming up on Monday 16th November, is extra special to me because it features a theme that reminds me of the delicate vinery of the woods we visited.

The pride of the Welsh is evident to me in the Clogau Collection. Never compromising on detail or quality each piece is a work of art. I bought Steve Clogau cufflinks last year for his birthday. He bought me a bangle that I'd chosen from the range. His family also own several pieces.

All in all we are massive fans and I can't wait to present the show on Monday at 6pm with Julian Roberts, our Clogau expert. Julian has incredible knowledge to impart and heartfelt enthusiasm for the treasures we present. A joy.

I would love to hear from you. Are you familiar with the sites I've mentioned? Do you already own pieces from the Clogau Collection? Why is it special to you?

I hope to see you on Monday!

Love, Catherine x

Take a look at the Clogau Collection

Three years of paper crafting with Dawn

Like many of you Dawn Bibby has made a crafter of me and I’m totally hooked. As well as being our multi award winning resident craft expert, she is also a wonderful person. Fun, silly, cheeky, caring, etc etc!

Although Dawn has been crafting with us for many many years, this Tuesday marks the third anniversary of her Paper Crafting with Dawn Bibby shows. Every Tuesday at 2pm Dawn shares her expertise and brings us a two-hour craft extravaganza! This Tuesday 3rd November we have an extra hour in honour of the occasion and some great offers, too.

I just thought I’d share some of my personal photo collection featuring Dawn from crafting fairs, her 40th fairytale birthday party and nights out on the town to lovely girly sleep-overs…don’t worry, she’s a good sport and won’t mind at all…I hope!

I’ll just have to bring chocolates along on Tuesday as a peace offering in case, hee hee!

It’d be great to hear from you so please write in and tell me what you love about lovely Dawn and her craft shows.

Lots of love,

Catherine x

See a few more pictures of Dawn

Read Dawn's Craft Corner blog

Gatineau's 13th Birthday

Hi everyone,

I am so excited to be celebrating 13 years of Gatineau skincare with Andrew this weekend. Some may think that 13 is an unlucky number, but there is an exception to every rule and I can assure you that you are certainly the lucky ones this Saturday 10th October!

In preparation for the shows, I had a great meeting with Olivia from Gatineau, and boy, are you in for a real treat with a brand new launch, exclusive to QVC!

I've been lucky enough to try these products so I couldn’t wait to tell you all about them. The range is called Aquamemory and it's a new hydrating range of Gatineau skincare. Suitable for all skin types and all ages, what I instantly loved was the textures and the fragrance. 

The Moisture Replenish Cream is a cream gel texture, so it’s light in texture but rich in comfort. So clever! I have quite oily skin but this is so beautiful on my complexion. And the Concentrate? Wow, this sinks in immediately and left my skin feeling literally dewy fresh.

What I didn’t realise is that we all suffer from dehydration at some point whether we have normal, dry, oily or combination skin.  As I mentioned my skin is quite oily, but with harsh studio lights, and a hectic schedule (especially this week) my skin can feel tight, which is apparently dehydration.  Age may also have something to do with it. Well, age, beware! I come armed with a great skincare brand, like Gatineau!

So this new line of products is fantastic for me as a burst of moisture for when my skin is a little thirsty.  I am currently slotting this into my skincare routine and using the serum and cream for a month to give my skin a pick me up as we head into autumn.

After just a few days I have already noticed the difference. I love, love, love them! Thank you Mr Bagley, another great find for my bathroom cabinet!

Love, Catherine x

My ever-changing hairstyles!

Hi everyone.

Don't know how many of you have noticed but my hair has changed yet again! What can I say? I've always loved the joys of being a girl - make-up, hair, nails, fashion. There's just so much to try. I find it's a lot of fun to experiment with different looks.

If I had to pigeon-hole myself into one genre or 'style' I think it would be impossible. Much like my vast and varied musical tastes my image is also very 'eclectic' shall we say? I've had almost every hair colour you can imagine and have had extreme styles like shaved sides and spiked hair to the more conservative dark brown bob and everything in between.

I've always been this way from as far back into childhood as I can remember! I always had dolls, Girls' World, make-up and a mass of dress-up clothes. One thing I asked Father Christmas for from around the age of seven was long blonde hair. He brought me other great things but not the hair.

I recently tried Clix clip-in hair extensions on QVC with the lovely and stylish Lizzie Cundy. They looked awesome. They are from Racoon, who specialise in professional hair extensions.

It just so happens that my hairdresser, Richard Ward, offers these so I decided to take matters into my own hands and take the plunge as my old school reunion was looming. I love them! I've had quite a few people ask me how my hair has grown so fast! People who haven't seen me for while, mostly.

I thought it'd be funny to share some pics of the changing styles during my time at QVC. Have you been a bit of a style chameleon over the years? Tell me about it!

Love, Catherine x

A return to the enchanting Forbidden City

It was around a year ago that I had the pleasure of launching the stunning Forbidden City jewellery range with its designer, John Cooney.

This is definitely one of those shows I would class as 'not to be missed'. If you didn't catch its debut then make sure you put Friday 3pm in your diary!

I caught up with John, who is delighted to be joining us once again for an hour of breathtakingly beautiful treasures.

Q. John, great to have you back. For anyone who missed the show last time can you tell us about your inspiration for the range?

I started my whole quest to the Forbidden City as a student of Asian Language and Cultures and ended up spending two years in Beijing to perfect my Chinese.

As a designer, I found truth in the elements of Asian design and a balance in Asian thought that I had not experienced anywhere else. It was from this that my Forbidden City Jewellery Collection was born.

I simply fell in love with the Forbidden City, this Palace of 9,999 rooms - the infinity of it all influenced my designs tremendously.

From imperial craftsmanship, I learned how to make jewellery truly fit for a queen and no matter where I sell my work, my quality doesn’t change. It’s luxury plain and simple.

Reunited!

Hi everyone!

In my life time I've always moved around and been to countless schools but the one I definitely have the most memories of is my dance school from back in the 80s.

I left home at fifteen to join the Melody Urquhart Master School where we lived-in and learned all sorts about variety performance. I was soon being sent out on assignments at holiday camps, cabarets and abroad dancing my little socks off (take a look at me in Pontins when I was 15, right).

Well, the last time I saw most of the people from MUMS was around twenty years ago. Thanks to our fab music teacher, Tony Young, we have been reunited at last. We spent a whole weekend reminiscing, having girly chats 'til the wee small hours and dancing 'til we dropped (see top left)!

The long-awaited Diet Chef programme

It's been seen on TV, talked about on the radio, featured in magazines and newspapers, and it's coming to QVC at the best price imaginable! We'll have a whopping saving as opposed to buying direct from Diet Chef, for a month's programme!

Does it work?

Saving money means nothing if it doesn't work though, so does it work? Well I have to say I've been massively impressed with not just my weight loss but the inch loss! Inches from my bust, hips, waist and thighs have melted away and the feedback from my colleagues who trialed it has been the same too!

Join us on Monday

You'll get to see several of our before and after piccies during the presentations on Monday 24th August when the diet is launched. Kathy Tayler's piccies are phenomenal!

I'll be with you for the midnight show on Monday morning and then 4pm and 7pm later in the day on Monday. I can't wait to show this system off.

How does it work?

It's so simple. It's like having a personal chef, like the celebs do! All your meals and snacks are delivered to you. All you have to add is a bit of fresh fruit and veg. I like that there's hardly any washing-up to do, too. Lazy me, eh?

Seriously though, I've had people asking me repeatedly how I've lost this weight and when the diet is coming so here you are.

The wait (and the weight) is almost over!

See you then! Lots of love,

Catherine xx

Find out more in our Diet Chef forum

Stunned by the gorgeous Earth Stone Collection

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to let you know about a premiere show that I'm presenting on Saturday 22nd August at 2pm called Earth Stone Collection.

The range is lovely. How can I describe it? Hmm...well, if you're a fan of unusual gems and a large gem presence with sterling silver clasps, you'll adore this highly collectable range.

The stones themselves have taken thousands of years to create in an environment of volcanic eruption, meteor strikes and intense heat and pressure. Then there's the mining, the sorting, the cutting, polishing and the setting of the stones. Of course the designer has a massive role to play in showing them off to their best, too.

We're going to have stones such as pink opal and poppy jasper but so many more I'd never even heard of before as well. Fascinating!

I hope you can join me for this show. The pieces are show-stopping. You may have noticed my bracelet and ring when I was presenting with Dawn Bibby on Tuesday 18th August, well they are from this stunning collection.

I'll be joined by an expert guest on the day too, who will enlighten us further on the background of the stones and designs.

See you then and don't forget to text in and give us your feedback. I think you'll love it!

Love,

Catherine x