Monday 12 September 2011

Janey Lee Grace Photo session -Tabitha James Kraan and Chris Stevens



Janey loves - Chris Stevens Photography !
Lets face it, I sure needed some new publicity pics but its a tricky business getting the right photographer with the right venue and the right hair and make-up.   So imagine how overjoyed I was to find that my favourite organic hairdresser Tabitha James Kraan is not only also a make-up artist, but that she works as a team with a hot new photographer on the scene Chris Stevens.   Add to that the great opportunity to use Tabithas light and airy hair salon in Stow on the Wold as the venue for our photo shoot.

We only had the morning but these guys work quicky and efficiently, after doing my hair (always looks fab when Tabithas been at it, and applying my make-up, Tabitha uses a few different ranges including Dr Hauschka, Green People and the amazing new mineral make-up shes just brought over from New York (more on that to follow) and somehow made me look - well ok - I mean I'm never delighted with my face, I seriously feel at least 20 years younger than I look so its always a shock to see myself in the mirror but Tab did a pretty fine job !

I'm quite used to strutting different pose but Chris work quickly, somehow gets the lighting absolutely right and encourages some interesting and really different shots.  We did a few outdoor ones also.  The end result ?  A set of great pics that I can use everywhere, let me know your faves and if you need a set of publicity pics for your business or just fancy half a day treating yourself to great hair and make-up and some excellent shots this combo of Tabitha and Chris take some beating !!  Check out the wonderful hair model shots he did for Tabithas website. - Oh so retro.
http://www.tabithajameskraan.com/   Email tabitha@tabithajameskraan.co.uk
http://www.chrisstevensphotographer.com/  Email:  info@chrisstevensphotographer.com

Wednesday 3 August 2011

Are colonics really bad for you?

After the recent negative press around colonic irrigation, I'd like to point you to an article by Dr Enid Taylor on the many benefits of this therapy, as you know I wrote about my first experience of  colonics in Look Great Naturally - without ditching the lipstick (Hay House) but recently theres been lots of controversy around the subject, you may have heard the Jeremy Vine on radio 2 where there were conflicting views on its efficacy.  One thing is for certain you need to be recommended to a 'holistic' therapist who offers more than just a 'pipe' !!   That was a horror story from the guy whose practitioner simply went out of the room, good practitioners are usually trained in nutrition and can help with the emotional issues that can arise from colonics.  Dr Enid Taylor is a naturopathic doctor and really knows her stuff, she also runs accredited training courses for therapists.
http://www.imperfectlynatural.com/_webapp_1152838/Colonic_Hydrotherapy

See http://www.taymount.com/ for special offers on treatments

Monday 21 March 2011

Janey Lee Grace and Lee Mead at Tommys awards


What a fab event ! delighted to have been asked to host the Tommys Lets Get Baby Freindly Awards (some video footage to follow courtesy of imama.tv) and also to present the new Green Award sponsored by Environmental Busines Products (won by The Organic Baby Company)
Got to meet some lovely celebs including Lee Mead who tells me hes gonna be starring in Legally Blonde (brilliant musical) and Patsy Palmer (she is SO lovely and just had another baby, also presenting awards were Nancy Sorrell, Terri Dwyer, Tana Ramsey to name a few.
Tommys Lets get Baby Friendly Awards is such a worthwhile charity and when you hear some of the work they do including innovative new research into stillbirths (still astonishingly the same rate as 50 years ago !) and supporting neonatal units it makes you feel very blessed to have healthy children and very determined to assist them in their cause.

Wednesday 2 March 2011

Energise and Revitalise - a day with Janey

Only a few places ! Energise and Revitalise with me...

Energise and Revitalise with me on an intimate one day 'retreat' Friday April 8th 10.00 - 4.30pm
Don't miss this amazing day, I've been planning a workshop day with Nia dance (suitable for all) - as you know I'm a trained Nia whitebelt - if you haven't expereinced Nia you're in for a treat, its a blend of jazz dance, tai chi, yoga, alexander technique all set to amazingly funky and inspirational music.. There'll be a Yoga session, perhaps Tai Chi, relaxation and of course some inspirational talks, but what was going round my head for ages was...how could I offer a Gong bath? ....I then discovered that an old mate of mine who used to be a fabulous rock drummer and percussionist Gordon Coxon (not pictured in this image) has become a Gong Master and offers this amazingly therapuetic 'sound healing' sessions with gongs.

Anyways isn't it fab when it all comes together ? The most incredible yoga teacher I have ever met is on board too so its gonna be an unmissable day. its all happening at Buddha Grove a wonderful place in rural Herts, only 25 mins by train from London but totally peaceful. After a day here you really will feel energised and revitalised. I'll be offering talks and because theres a maximum of 15 people there will be lots of time for personal questions and discussion.

Get in quick - only a few places and if you book before March 15th you catch the early bird price. Book HERE. Look forward to meeting you !

Saturday 19 February 2011

Watch Janey on TV making DIY skincare

Check out Vanessa Feltz show monday 21st Feb. I'm the 'kitchen guest' but no cooking no sir...in fact not even any raw food...(although I think the lovely Vanessa will be digging into the choccy) I'm gonna introduce her to the whole concept of skincare and beauty without chemicals and indeed rustling up easy peasy DIY skincare, raw choccy face masks et al !
See you there
Vanessa Feltz show Channel 5 11am

Tuesday 8 February 2011

Want natural alternatives ? The re-birth of Janeyleegrace.com

Hurrah ! Our new look re-freshed website is up and rocking ! Hope you recieved the latest ezine flagging up our wondrous new competitions, you could win a pampering day out for two at Champneys, a full organic hair make over with Tabitha James Kraan, Karen Knowlers latest raw food book and lots more.

Come on down and check out the brilliant articles on everything from Natural Tips for Avoiding Cancer, Easy Breastfeeding, Anti-ageing Naturally, Toxic Dentistry, Juicing, Raw Food, yummy vegetarian recipes, Choosing supplements, Natural Sun Protection, How to protect yourself from radiation from mobile phones and much much more. Check out the Janey Loves section where I direct you straight to the companies whose products and services I love. We've got a new look store too, hopefully much easier to navigate your way around and special offers on the mobile phone protective 'sock', and various other goodies, also a discount on some yummy raw biscuits.

In addition to my facebook 'fan' page we also have a very succesful free forum with some wonderful like-minded people who really know their stuff so if you're not already a member it would be great to have you there.

I'm already inundated with requests for my 'free report' - bear with me while I wade through the backlog of stuff that went on hold while the site went live !

By the way it looks like my first Feel Good Friday event will be near Berkhamsted Herts, April 15th - reserve the date and more info coming soon...

Tuesday 1 February 2011

Only a few days till we relaunch....

Bear with us - is it me or is technology unbelievably frustrating ! Our new look refreshed janeyleegrace.com website is in the wings but with technical problems, in fairness I don't even know what questions to ask, but save to say they tell me it will be ok ! Twill be worth it, we have a spanking new branding, a new Janey Loves directory and a couple of wonderful competitions to launch including a chance to win a pampering day at a spa and a total organic hair makeover.....
coming soon....honest !

Wednesday 5 January 2011

The Natural alternative to new years resolutions


Transferring stuff into my new diary I came across my new years resolutions list from a couple of years back.

• Resolve to join a gym.... (I’d ticked that one off but actually going to the gym proved slightly more difficult to do)

• Give up coffee.... (That one lasted a day or so till I remembered that my gym did really good cappuccinos with organic milk)

• Decorate the whole house with eco paints... .(Incredibly moving into a new house gave me the opportunity to do that, but sadly the felt pen the kids have written across the walls with certainly isn’t organic.)

• Plan menus and set up online shopping.... (that lasted exactly 4 days, I ran out of most essential ingredients for the planned meals and the online shop proved disastrous.)

The start of a new year brings a new chapter, a time to reflect and plan ahead but somehow our new year’s resolutions lists are often just another way of setting ourselves up for failure and beating ourselves up for all the stuff we haven’t done that we feel we should have. Thank goodness I work under the brand-name ‘imperfectly natural’ If I’d left out that all important ‘im’ I’d be lynched by yoghurt knitting earth mothers who spot me having that quick glass of non organic wine, or eco warriors sifting through my bin bags to make sure I’ve re-cycled properly.

It’s the small steps that count though isn’t it, ‘small change big difference and all that’

So this year I’ve decided to ditch the list of resolutions, it’s great to set goals but to ‘resolve’ to do, or worse still to NOT do something is usually fraught with problems, The chances are you’re feeling frazzled and your resolutions will be something you feel to OUGHT to do rather than really want to. There’s also no real motivation or commitment to do what you simply feel you ought and so you fall at the first hurdle, look how many people resolve to diet, or give up drinking or smoking then come down with a bang as soon as the stresses of the new year kick on back to work day.

Telling ourselves determinedly that we’re going to ‘change our ways’ or do something differently can only work if our subconscious minds (our inner self) also believes it.

In an enlightened moment one cold wintry day, between Winnie the Pooh DVD's and bathing down my kids itchy skin with porridge oats (they got an inconvenient bout of chicken pox) I was feeling ridiculously stressed that I ought be working, cleaning the house, earning money - but suddenly I realised that the richest and most content people of all are those who accept themselves just as they are. Yes they strive to reach their goals but life is not a struggle for them and they’re capable of enjoying the moment, I remembered that line from a poem…..’I’m cuddling my baby and babies don’t keep’…..and realised there’s nothing more precious than being ‘present’, spending time with your loved ones in sickness and in health, somehow life does go on whatever the current stresses and no one is indispensable. I vowed then that my only new years resolution for the following year would be to lower my expectations and stop chasing my tail.
That’s not to say I don’t want to be happy though, deliriously so, indeed I think that’s the most important resolve but it’s the definition of happiness thats all important.

The kingdom of Bhutan has recently been hailed as a role model for legislating that happiness had to be considered when making policies. Politicians are being encouraged to consider Gross National Happiness (GNH) as well as Gross Domestic Product – (GDP) President Sarkozy of France praised this view and commissioned a report to examine how France measures indicators such as health family and leisure time.
Lisa Grainger in The Times newspaper 2.1.2010 said - ‘Starting to rationalise our world in terms of smiles not pounds seem well overdue’ I agree wholeheartedly, happiness, laughter and wellbeing are indeed more important than pounds and dollars.

I’m reminded of a wonderful yoga teacher who reminds himself to smile a lot in order to ‘practice contentment,’

But aside from forcing a Cheshire cat grin onto my rather harassed face what can I do? Well I kicked off the new year with a Nia class – Nia is a dynamic mix of yoga, martial arts, and different styles of dance. You work barefoot to music and work at your own level of intensity. It’s exhilarating and fun!
After our warm-up our inspirational teacher suggested we step sideways and leave behind all that we want to let go of from the last year and at the end of the class we step forward into whatever we want to embrace for the new year ahead.

I have so many hopes and goals and wishes that I wanted to try and simplify my long list. Finally I decided to focus on releasing stress – I’ve had far too much of it during the last year and allowed it to affect my health and wellbeing but in the process of writing my new book and interviewing all manner of experts on conscious living, I’ve come to realise that we aren’t born with stress, its a learned concept and as such it can be ‘unlearned’ So I stepped sideways and let go of the years debilitating stress.
I wondered what I could choose to embrace for the coming year and again my list went on for ever, I decided simply to step forward into Joy – I figure if I focus on joy everything else will fall into place.
It seems like a good plan, so I’ll be the one grinning wildly even in the face of adversity – smiling uses a different set of muscles and increases happy hormones, talking of using my muscles I intend to dig out the rebounder from under the pile of kids toys, I’ve been telling everyone about the benefits of rebounding but forgotten to practice myself ! I do remember however, that its the best full body workout aside from swimming and best of all its fun, its impossible not to smile while you’re bouncing – just ask Tigger from Winnie the Pooh !

Gratitude is pretty important too, I’m going to count my blessings and remember how lucky I am. I‘ve read the books that suggest I keep a ‘gratitude journal’ well basically any old notebook, but its important to keep it by your bedside and before you go to sleep jot down at least three things that you’re thankful for, its a lovely exercise for children too. I also intend to set up a Vision Board, - a noticeboard or even a piece of card with ideas, pics, and photos stuck to it, I’m going to find some images that represent what I want for the coming year and manifest them ! Bring on the recipes for raw chocolate truffles!

Its not all about me though, studies show that true happiness comes from giving rather than taking. As Wayne Dyer says in The Power of Intention ‘Purpose is not about vocation – its about service’ Giving to others, whether it be a random act of kindness to a stranger, a smile, a gift, or time spent with a lonely relative, helping or giving to others is said to increase feelings of happiness and wellbeing quicker than any materialistic retail therapy might. For most of us even if we gave away ten per cent of our wealth we’d still be amongst the richest 5 per cent of the world.

So that’s sorted then, if you should come across me frowning and bemoaning my lot I hereby give you full permission to reprimand me and remind me of my intent.

Hopefully (albeit imperfectly) I might succeed.
I wish for us all a happy stress-free joyful 2011