Christmas Decor: Part 1

Christmas is nearly here! One favourite holidays of the year and this year I will be spending it at home in England. Last year was spent in Hong Kong  and it was such an eye opener for me. To kick start the festive celebrations I have been doing some DIY decorating. Nearly everything here is vintage and recycled...   Let's all try to Planet Earth Friendly this Christmas! This year I seem to have gone for a rather masculine, rustic and tonal style for some reason...but so far I'm liking it! Let the Christmas count down begin!

Vintage Christmas tree baubles... don't they look delicious?

DIY advent calendar made from vintage tins.

Vintage brooches... per

fect little stocking fillers!

Present for a gentleman in the making

DIY xmas tree... perfect for a those with a smaller home or on a budget! 

Recycled light bulbs as decorations. 

Old crystals, hand made hearts and old lights make an unexpected

excellent festive display...

The most simple way of gift wrapping without wasting too much paper...Let's do our bit for Planet Earth right?

Charlseton Brunch

As part of Glasgow does Vintage, the city hosted a 1920s brunch... where pancakes and waffles were served with Charleston dancing!!! What a fabulous idea right? Although we were amongst the youngest ones there that day, my cousin Craig and I still had a great time learning some new dance moves haha!

Chateaux of Dreams...

After class in the morning (wine appreciation for absolute Beginners), we were whisked away by our lovely wine tour guide Cyprian to a couple of wineries in the St. Emilion region on the Right Bank. Only a short 30 minute car ride, we were taken to the gardens of Eden! Although they were no Premier Cru Chateaux, it was still the best experience and we were blessed to have been taken around by such lovely people who were passionate about their wines. In the first wine tasting session, we had a challenge for our sense of smell. We were given unmarked bottles of different flavours and we had to detect each smell by memory. It was certainly a very difficult task, with flavours like smoke and Euclayptus being the hardest and most horrid to smell! We were taken through the journey of hand picking the grapes to finally boxing and then distributing to wine brokers and merchants. The whole experience was just so wonderful. 

Spitalfields Market

Spitalfields Market has been open for for nearly years now! Although the market stores sell mostly imported goods from China etc, I still enjoy taking a peep at the quirky stores around it, especially the fantastic antique furniture shop, Elemental. I remember a few years back the stores were full of unique hand crafted goods, but they seemed to have moved elsewhere, perhaps Bricklane's Up Market. This is a great visit if you are en-route to Bricklane on a busy weekend. There are many restaurants surrounding the market stalls, so you sure won't get hungry from all the shopping... we had an early lunch at 'Canteen', a chain restaurant that celebrates and revives simple British foods. 

The most amazing antiques shop... Elemental. They are very strict on not letting you take photos, so these are from their website. They stock real high quality and vintage furniture from the Victorian era to 1970s. I especially like their industrial lights, chairs and old mannequins. My dream home would be furnished with pieces from here! The prices are so insanely high that a poor student like myself can only look with admiration... 

Fish and Chips at 'Canteen'. Although nothing too special, the place and staff were friendly. 

Fish and Chips at 'Canteen'. Although nothing too special, the place and staff were friendly. 

Red Hot Florals

The weather in UK is still falling behind. The trees are still bare, flowers are still sleeping, nature seems to be a little lazy this year. It's already May but the temperature reminds me of winter in Hong Kong. To bring myself a little closer to Summer I decided to bring florals to my clothes. Modelling is my 6ft tall friend Ailsa, the sailor girl with the never ending legs! It also happens to be her Birthday today. Happy Birthday my dear friend of 13 years! You are beautiful inside and out and certainly one of the most wonderfully weird people i know! Please don't ever change yourself for anyone!

Barcelona in....Muted

Although Barcelona is a vibrant city, there is a much gentler side to the city than you would expect. The city is full of art, music, history and culture. Take a stroll down Barri Gotic to absorb the beauty of all the historical buildings. Enjoy the interesting bric-a-brac at the local market, but make sure to haggle as things are very over priced! For classical music lovers, a visit to Musica Casa Beethoven is a must. The shop is filled with music scores from wall to wall. For a Beethoven fan like me, it was pure heaven!