Christmas drinks

One of my favourite parts of the Christmas season is when the festive drinks start to appear. It really is something I look forward to. My first eggnog of the season is always a favourite event, and I look forward to that first red cup with David. I have managed to have a few wonderful Christmas drinks already. 

What are you favourite christmas drinks?

Autumn-Winter vibes

It's December! Oh my goodness, how did that happen?! This year seems to have gone ever so fast. I just feel like I was getting ready for Christmas not so long ago. Happy 1st December! Anyway! Let's talk about Autumn-Winter vibes. The days are getting colder, I can really feel the difference. Mostly when I get up in the morning as it takes ages to warm up. Lots of extra coffee and porridge helps! 

The leaves have been so beautiful recently. Every time I look up or down I love seeing those beautiful leaves all over the place. Autumn is really here and alive indeed! I have been getting super excited for Christmas. Time seems to be going so fast, so I'm making the most of everything Christmassy. You know how it is when you keep working, and time passes by. I always think I have loads of time for christmas actives, movies, food dates, coffee dates, but work gets in the way, so I am trying to start early so I can get it all squeezed in.

I am pretty proud to say that I have done most of my christmas shopping. I mostly wanted to get it done because when you work in retail, you don't really want to be going out shopping in December. When you come home from long hours in a store, the thought of going out through the shops fills me with dread. So just a tiny little bit left to do! Thank goodness. Other than shopping I have been listening to my favourite christmas albums. These include She and Him, Cameron Mitchell & Aprilemade, oh and listening to this song over and over and over. This song really makes me feel christmassy. It's now one of those traditions for myself and David to watch A Very Murray Christmas every year now.

Visting Dunham Massey

So while in Manchester I had rather a lot of fun. On the second day there Jenny took me to Dunham Massey. Which is a beautiful place, and I was very excited to go and visit. But before we ventured out we went to Moose to get their amazing pancakes for breakfast. While we sat there waiting, both our mouths were salivating at the view of the most yummy looking breakfasts passing us by.

Fuelled up for the day it was time to catch the tram to Dunham Massey. The National Trust's Dunham Massey is a Georgian House, which has beautiful gardens and an amazing deer park. The day before in Manchester had been so rainy, but the day we choose to visit Dunham Massey, the sun came out. It was the perfect Autumn day!

We wandered the grounds and enjoyed the wonderful sunshine. While there we thought it would be the perfect place to take some autumnal photos. We wandered through the trees and did so much walking. I loved seeing all the leaves on the ground. Autumn really was here.

We wandered through the house, and I felt like we had gone back in time. It was so magical. The decor was so beautiful and grand. The tiny details always stand out to me. I love that feeling you get when you wander around a grand house like that, it really does take your breathe away.

I had a pretty amazing time while visiting this beautiful place. The Autumn weather and fresh air made for such a great day. Long walks, soup for lunch, photoshoots among the trees, crunchy leaves, and then a long train journey home. 

Hello Manchester

So the world is a funny old place. I feel very lucky to be able to meet the most amazing people through going to conventions and the brilliant world of twitter. Due to both of these I am now friends with the coolest gal ever! This gal is Jenny. She is one of the coolest people I know. 

On Tuesday I packed my bag and jumped on a train all the way up to Manchester. I have always wanted to visit but never got the chance until recently! Jenny lives near Manchester, so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to visit, while having Jenny as a tour guide. As soon as I arrived we went straight for lunch at Sugar Junction. We ordered yummy sandwiches and I had this amazing caramel Northern tea blend, which was so good! Sugar Junction was very beautiful, and I loved the decor inside. Brick walls and mix-match teacups will always been a plus. We chatted while we eat lunch, which was so tasty, and planned our next two days ahead.  

After lunch we went to Fred Aldous. After seeing this store on so many people's instagram accounts I had fallen in love with this store, and I have been dying to visit for years! I was very overwhelmed when I walked in! It was basically heaven on earth. I knew I would like this store purely because the tagline of the store is; Make Anything. This makes me smile, and believe me when you walk through the door you realise you really can make anything due to the amount of art supplies they sell.

Another amazing thing about Fred Aldous is that they have two working vintage photo booths! They have a black and white one and also a colour one. As you all know I am a huge fan of a photo booth, and every time I see one I have to jump in. Myself and Jenny jumped into the booth and took a few snaps. I normally choose black and white, but we went for the colour one. Mostly because this is the only public colour analogue photo booth in the whole of Western Europe. So I thought that was pretty cool and a must!

After we got our photos, looked at them and laughed, I then purchased a few bits and pieces. I think I could of brought quite a lot in the store, but I was restrained. Right outside Fred Aldous there is the amazing David Bowie mural by the graffiti artist Akse. I am a huge fan of this piece and I was so happy I actually got to see the piece in real life. We went to wander more around Manchester! More of which I shall talk about soon.

Sunday art trail

So this morning I woke up and the sky was bright red and orange, and I knew it was time to rise just like that beautiful sky. There is something quite nice to get up early when it's your day off or your holiday. I'm normally up super early for work, but it seems much more rewarding when you aren't going to work. Anyway, I got changed, grabbed my bag and headed out to catch my train. 

General Sunday morning chat with the coffee guy at the train station happened like normal. We normally have rather odd conversations that vary from the latest movies to the weather. Oh and on the topic of the weather, as soon as I left the house it started to rain but I thought it would be OK. By the time I get to the station it's raining so much. Trust me to leave without one.

In other news my cold is getting so much better, plus I feel so much better. The only problem is that I seem to have lost my voice. Which is rather annoying, but maybe some people will see it as a blessing. Lots of advice from lots of friends to drink so much tea.

Yesterday was the start of this years East Kent Open Houses. This year some of the Made in Herne Bay gang are showing our work in Beach Creative. It's really nice to be showing our work together, I always love our events, and I'm looking forward to the next 3 weekends.

If you are local to Kent, please go check out our little space in Beach Creative, Herne Bay. Or even just have a look on the website! EKOH will be fun this year, but it's also time to start thinking about the MIHB Winter Market which will be fast approaching in November! I think I need to get planning and making! No rest for the wicked.

Pumpkin everything!

So I have a cold. UGH. It's just the worst thing ever, I really don't have the time to be ill right now. But of course when you have so much to do, you end up getting sick. I have been working so much, and never stopping and then it's just hit me. All I seem to be craving is hot drinks with marshmallows, netflix and ice cream, you know fancy ice cream. When I'm sick, I deserve fancy ice cream. 

Layers is a must at the moment. I'm loving the weather changing and the need to wrap up. Fashion is always the best in the Autumn/Winter. I purchased a new jumper which seems like such a normal activity but it makes me so happy and excited. Today I also purchased some Halloween sweets and of course a tiny pumpkin.

I have been getting super excited for Halloween. When I walk through town I always seem to pick up something Halloween inspired or some cute candy. Basically I am just obsessed. I am in need of some horror movie recommendations! So please let me know! I'm now off to make more tea, eat pizza and watch netflix. 

Let's catch up

So it's Autumn again. It's currently October, and I can't believe its actually here. October is a perfect month, mostly because the weather and leaves start to change. It's time to grab your coat and scarf and horror movies! It's the perfect time to crack out a pile of DVDs, ready to get snugged on the sofa with. Plus I'm currently wearing a giant thick cardigan and eating warm chocolate pudding while I type this.

My mind is currently in a good place. It's been working hard recently. I finally get up in the morning ready for the day ahead. I look forward to going to work in the morning, I look forward to the challenges ahead. I have been lucky enough to get a new job role at work and it's hard work, but I'm so ready for it. getting to travel around and meet lots of new people really has been rewarding. I needed that.

I really need to start Christmas shopping. It's coming, we all know it! I really want to get most of it done because in December I always seem to run out of time. When it's December I seem to get booked up with plans and work lots of over time, so time to go out and shop falls to the back of the list of things to do. I have two presents already, but I really need to get my head in the game.

In other news;

- I am currently on episode 6 of Gilmore Girls. I have never watched this show until 2 days ago, needless to say I'm enjoying having Netflix.

- I'm pretty bummed about the recent person to leave Ru Paul's DragRace Allstars 2 this week. Mega sad face.

- I keep forgetting that Rogue One is coming! I had the worst Force Friday with countless toy shops saying they had no clue what I was talking about, even though they did it last year. After lots of searching and an amazing boyfriend and fab gal pal, I managed to get what I wanted. However the pops are another story. Hopefully soon.

- I'm on holiday after this next week of working. Lots planned including a trip to see a new gal pal, and lots of creative meetings, exhibition set up, and more!

- Also I feel like I have gone pumpkin mad. I need all the drinks, pie and decorations I can find. ALSO I need candy corn. I'm craving it. 

Enjoy Fall/Autumn! Its the best!

Recent trip to Tiger

The other day I visited Flying Tiger. I went in to pick up my normal art supplies that I always purchase regularly. I walked in the doors and of course I was greeted with lots of brand new colourful items staring back at me.

I was really surprised to see a notebook with a familiar drawing style on. I then picked up the notebook, turned it over and realised it was by David Shrigley. I couldn't quite believe it, then I saw that there was lots of different pieces around! I picked up the bright yellow notebook and carried on walking around the store. I then spotted some pencils with various quotes on by David Shrigley again! I instantly fell in love with them, so of course I added them to my basket. 

While I was paying I spotted a tote bag with the quote; "The greatest things and the worst things together in one bag." Of course I had to buy this, plus it was only £3! And it's HUGE, and it has two different straps. I definitely recommend buying as it's super strong and you can fit lots inside!

Coffee date for two

One morning I decided to take David out for breakfast at Stag Coffee in Ashford. I have been to Stag Coffee quite a few times and I have always enjoyed it. The staff have always been so lovely. We walked in and friendly smiles greeted us. We choose what we wanted and then waited for our coffee (which is always AMAZING). The food and coffee came and it was beautiful like always, and David loved it! So can't wait to take him again. We eat our food, chatted about our day ahead, caught up on stories, and browsed our social media sites of course. 

We then went for a wander around town. It always surprises me when I find pockets of cuteness in my home town. I found a mini library in a tiny wooden house box. I knew there was a few of these in various locations, but I was lovely to see this one! Plus I loved all the green plants growing around it.

I also picked up the new issue of Empire magazine. I knew there was going to be a lot about Rogue One in this issue. I was talking to David while looking for it, and a guy working overheard me. He then joined in our conversation, and said he had the new issue and went to go get them from out the back. He came back with two covers, and of course I went with the one with Jyn on, because Felicity Jones is everything. 

Then it was the afternoon and I had to look after the Made in Ashford shop. It was a lovely sunny day and lots of people came in and spoke to me, laughed, looked and purchased lots of items. I also got to play around with my new items and start to plan some new ones!