London Weekend

Two things I love in life - Food and Christmas. So last weekend was a particularly great one as I managed to combine both of these on a trip to London for the weekend. I also got to take my new camera for a spin so hope you like the photos.

No trip to London is complete at the moment without a trip to the Tower of London to see the Poppies. Yes there are crowds and yes it may take a while to find that perfect picture perfect shot but when you get there and stand and appreciate the symbolic nature of what the Poppies installation stands for, you cant help but be moved.

It really does make for a beautiful sight and makes me feel both proud and lucky that my brother who served his country in Afghanistan twice, made it home safely to his family. 

After the Tower of London we happened to stumble upon the annual Lord Mayors Show which is one of London’s oldest traditional events. The processions lasts just over 2 and a half hours and featured some 7,000 people and 180 horses, along with dancers, drummers and floats. We came upon the parade by Victoria Embankment and here are some of the floats we happened to witness.

 

Next up was one of my favourite places in London, Borough Market. A foodies heaven!!

I just love the hustle and bustle of the market and the great smells that you come across when meandering through the stalls. Wine, cheese, olives, cured meats, spicy street food, delicious. There is something great about buying local produce right there and then and not via the supermarket stalls. The food always looks so much more colourful and appetising too.

From Borough Market we then entered the labyrinth that is Harrods and got sucked into the vortex of the Christmas department. Endless amounts of Christmas baubles and trinkets. There was also this really sweet window display of a Christmas Teddy Bears picnic, and with the exterior of the store pumping out fake snow it certainly felt like December had come early.

After a busy day of walking, sight seeing and shopping I was ready for a Gin and Tonic and to stuff my face with mexican street food at Wahaca.

Thanks for reading x

Autumn

Eeeek, we are now in November. How did that happen?

I thought I would dedicate this weeks 'Loving' post to one of my favourite seasons - Autumn, and share with you all of the things I love about this time of year.

Here are some of the things I love about Autumn:

• Steaming mugs of hot chocolate
• Drinking Baileys
• Halloween
• Crunchy Autumn Leaves
• Sunny walks, wrapped up warm
• Buying more wooly hats then I probably need
• Filling my living room with hundreds of candles
• Pumpkins
• Bonfires
• Sparklers
• Mushy peas and mint sauce
• Cosy Novelty Socks
• Using my slow cooker to make yummy pots of chilli and casserole
• Chunky Knit Jumpers
• Not feeling guilty about eating a Terrys Chocolate Orange (after all its practically xmas already)
• Reading books my candlelight in the bath
• Rainy days under the duvet watching films
• Being able to watch Hocus Pocus
• Conkers and Chestnuts

What is your favourite thing about Autumn? x

Photo of the week - 10th October

Phew, thank goodness for Friday. A busy week yet again for me, with the annual trip to the Brand Licensing Exhibition at London's Olympia.

Here are this weeks photo highlights. Let me know your favourite in the comments section.

Photo A

BLE Swag - Glittery trollz

Photo B

Chupa Chups ski lodge themed stand at BLE

Photo C

Giant My Little Pony

Photo D

New notebook from Paperchase (Stationery geek)

Have a good weekend, I'm going to crank the heating up in my house and drink red wine x

Ibiza Madness

Wow, just over a week later and I finally feel I may be starting to recover from Ibiza and the cold germs I picked up while I was there (must be getting old).

5 x nights, 5 x clubs = 1 x tired NicNic.

Ibiza and the whole club scene has been on my bucket list for a while and so when my girlfriends started talking about booking a trip back in January I thought it would be the perfect closing party to my month long 30th birthday celebrations.

I knew that whilst I was on the white isle I wanted to head to Zoo Project and to watch the sunset at Cafe Mambo. For me anything else that happened along the way was a bonus and we certainly packed a lot into 5 nights.

Up first was a night at Paradise at DC10, followed by a day at Ocean Beach Club. To my surprise Ocean was actually really good fun. The music was a mixture of soul, r'n'b, and commercial house music. The whole venue also created a really fun and chilled out atmosphere. 

Cuff at Sankeys and a hard night of Drum and Bass came next before one of the holiday highlights for me - Jaguar Skills and Prodigy at Ushuaia. Not only was the music incredible but Ushuaia as an open air venue was just stunning. Steer clear of the gin and tonics though unless you want to take out a bank loan - 18 euros a pop. Ouch!! 

Zoo project was our Saturday event and to my surprise actually takes place at the old Benimusa Zoo. The event makes use of some of the old zoo facilities with mermaid and penguin dancers splashing about in the seal enclosure in front of the DJ decks. Zoo project is a great excuse to get dressed up and for me the music was some of the best I heard on the island.

Sunday night and our final night on our Ibiza whirlwind was We Love Space at Space nightclub over in Playa den Bossa. 

I'm exhausted from just typing all of that.

 

As I sit on my sofa writing this with a nice big cup of tea I can happily say Number 23 on the bucket list has now been ticked off.

Ibiza you were lots of fun and have given me some great memories. This song definitely has Ibiza written all over it.

Thanks for reading x

Photo of the Week - 26th September

I should actually have a word of the week this week and that word is 'TIRED'. Ibiza you have beaten me and now I feel I could sleep for a week.

But here is this weeks Photo post showing a little bit of what I have been up to the past week. Let me know which one is your favourite.

Photo A

Ibiza Sunset

Photo B

Ibiza Street Art

Photo C

Smileys at Space

Photo D

Being reunited with my fur ball and a nice cup of tea

Photo E

New Desk Friends

Have a good weekend, I'm off to a spa to relax and be pampered x

Olivia Burton Watch

I have had my beady eyes on one of these for so long now, so when I was asked what I would like for my 30th birthday, this made the top of the list.

Olivia Burton watches have caught my eye for a long time now with their gorgeous vintage faces and classic styling, that after spending several lunch hours browsing and falling in love with the collections I managed to narrow down my choice.

It was a hard decision to make and I was definitly torn between the woodland butterfly or one of the animal motifs. But in the end I fell in love with the simplicity of the hummingbird.

The watches are a little bit more expensive then I would usually pay for a watch or expect someone to spend (my good old £30 Casio had a good life), but I thought a watch is a signature piece that will last for a long time and something I could treasure and remember a great birthday from.

On the big birthday my mum proudly handed over the square shaped box and I may have done a little girly squeal when I tore off the wrapping paper to reveal the gorgeous green box underneath.

The ivory leather strap has a cracked weathered effect and is sure to go with almost anything I wear and I just love wearing it.

This particular watch was purchased through Topshop.com through one of their online concessions but you can view the full Olivia Burton Watch collection here www.oliviaburton.com

However if you are an Instagram addict like myself then you can check out the range here www.instagram.com/oliviaburtonwatches

Have you got a favourite in the OB collection? Let me know.

Thanks for reading x

Photo of the Week - 12th September

Ahhh this time last week I was a birthday girl, but this week has still been filled with lots of loveliness and exciting things.

Here is this weeks photo of the week collection. Let me know which is your favourite in the comment section.

Photo A

Birthday Flowers delivered to work from my boss

Photo B

My Amazing Rainbow coloured Inkkas shoes

Photo C

Tea Dilemma!! Which Cath Kidston mug to choose from?

Photo D

Harry Potter Geek in my Primark t-shirt

 Happy Friday, have a good weekend x

Inkkas Shoes

Woohoo was the sound I made when I received these beauties for my birthday from my friends at work.

I blogged a few months ago about my love of Inkkas shoes and how I was dying to get my grubby little paws on a pair and hooray now I do!!!

Inkkas is a company that was born during a backpacking trip to South America in 2012. Danny Ben-Nun, a designer and an avid traveler, was wandering through the alleyways of Cusco - Peru, when he discovered a pair shoes made from authentic, local fabrics. The shoes were so beautiful that he knew from the moment he laid eyes on them, that he had to help bring the product to the global market. 

After browsing through their collection I set my heart on this Shadow pair. 

I loved them before I even opened the box with their simplistic design and packaging telling a little story about the brand and its heritage. 

The company also supports the OneShoeOneTree project which means that for every one pair of shoes sold, one tree is replanted back into the Amazon rainforest in the battle against De-forestation.

Another hidden little gem is that on the soles of each shoe it carries the pattern of the Andes mountains and the Andes cross. Having fallen in love with Peru back in July (see my Cusco Post) this little touch made me love these shoes even more.

You can buy Inkkas direct via their website or on Topshop, USC and Schuh.

You can also follow them on Instagram here - http://instagram.com/inkkasshoes

Daniela Sigurd Bracelet

I feel like the luckiest girl in the world at the moment after being showered with amazing gifts and kind words for my birthday.

I may feature of few of the gifts I received on my blog, so first up is this gorgeous bracelet from Daniela Sigurd courtesy of my Step Brother and Step Sister.

Daniela describes herself as a 'Dog loving Scandinavian jewellery designer based in Brick Lane, London'.

The great thing about Daniela's jewellery is that it can be personalised to the recipients tastes.

The blue ditzy print fabric from Liberty's makes for the perfect adjustable charm bracelet. My love of cats is also immortalised with this pearlescent cat charm and a gold effect initial. 

Her website also carries this great quote about the inspiration behind the collections. 'Taking inspiration from travels, animals, the symbols and meanings of charms, we want our jewellery to have a sense of fun, be quirky and feminine at the same time and feel personal to you'.

I definitly feel like that about my bracelet. I love it!!

Do you like any of the pieces in Danielas collection?

Image copyright of Daniela Sigurd

Thanks for reading x

Photo of the Week - 5th September

Ooops a few days late with this weeks post, but its been such a busy few days with my big 30th birthday on Friday.

Photo A

Receiving my gorgeous Hannah Maggs make up bag

Photo B

Tickets to see the brilliant Book of Mormon in the West End

Photo C

Wahaca cocktails on my last night as a 29 year old

Photo D

Birthday Breakfast at Duck and Waffle

Photo E

Cath Kidston inspired birthday cake

Phew, what a busy week!! Thanks for reading and if you have a favourite photo leave a comment in the box below x

Photo of the Week - 29th August

So seeing as I already take a lot of photos I thought I would start a new section to my blog titled 'Photo of the Week'.

This will give a snapshot of what I have been up to in the week and if you have a preferred photo leave a comment and let me know your favourite.

Photo A

Victorious Festival in Portsmouth

Photo B

Kite Flying in Southsea

Photo C

Stumbling upon Neals Yard in London

Photo D

Devouring a 20" inch pizza at HomeSlice London

Have a good weekend, thanks for reading x

Cake Decorating - Cath Kidston

It's been a little while since I did a post like this as I have been busy reminiscing about Peru in my travel blog posts. But here is something a world away from that.

Its that time of year again when we all become engrossed with what has now become a British Institution - The Great British Bake off is back on TV.

In keeping with that I wanted to share a bit about what I got up to at the weekend. Last Sunday my Mum and I spent the day taking part in a Cath Kidston inspired cake decorating class.

Both keen bakers ourselves I was really excited to see if I was actually any good at the decorating part and I absolutely love Cath Kidston prints so it was win,win.

The class took place at the Ganache Cake House in Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire. Nestled right on the edge of the legendary Sherwood Forest.

The class lasts around 4 hours and costs £40 and at the end you come away with your 12  beautiful little cupcakes.

The class guides you through the art of decorating using both moulds and your hands. We created tiny pink roses, hand sculpted leaves and even used edible paint to add the little details. We learned how to pipe the buttercream and then dome your cakes using the coloured fondant to give you the perfect decorating platform.

As you can see, the end result is very typically Cath Kidston, with florals, spots, stripes and strawberries.

The class takes place in the library next to the bakery and is a really calm and relaxing environment to do the classes and they keep you topped up with plenty of tea and coffee and chocolate biscuits as cake decorating is thirsty work.

Once your class is finished you can pop next door to the bakery and tuck into a well deserved slice of cake. The bakery itself is gorgeous and all decorated in pastel colours and shabby chic decor. 

The Cake House also offers classes for birthday parties and baby showers. So if you are from Nottingham and looking for a nice way to spend a Sunday with your mum, your Nan or friends, then I highly recommend the Ganache Cake House. I cant wait to go back again.

Thanks for reading x