Sunday, 6 December 2015

Exploring Notting Hill Carnival

I know...This post is more than a little late. I’ve been a little busy exploring, and am totally guilty of neglecting the blog this summer. I’ve also had a lot of life changes, all for the good, and have been focusing on forging happinness, proving to myself that it really is a choice.

But enough about that…I wanted to share with you some photos from August’s Notting Hill Carnival, an event I have been going to for years now. It truly is a very unique event that captures one of the many cultural spirits of London.

London: Groupon opens first ever 'shop'

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas, isn't it? I've been in this mood since the beginning of November, thanks to the absolute madness and chaos of London's Oxford Street! It's always a little better when I get to really feel the spirit of Christmas (mulled wine and all that) so I've started to go to a few festive events and markets...

One of the events I attended this week was the super cozy Groupon Grotto in Soho...the first ever one off pop up 'shop' that the online marketplace has opened to show customers a little taste of what they offer.

If you don't remember Groupon, it is a great website with lots of discount offers ranging from spa days and holidays, to home appliances and restaurant deals at a high discount rate. I've used the Groupon website several times when it first opened, and then eventually forgot about it as there were so many competitors. This event was a nice little reminder of what I was missing out on!

The grotto was so beautiful, like an enchanted forest! We had delicious mulled wine on arrival, and then tucked into some mini mince pies that were handed out throughout the evening.

We also got to make our own gourmet confit duck filo pastries with L’Atelier des Chefs and tasted some yummy chocolate churros from The Burrito Cafe.

Other activités on offer were make up master classes from Studio 52, whisky tasting with The Soho Whisky Club, and endless amounts of prosecco (my kinda place!).

Groupon were feeling very generous it seems so they gave everyone a £10 voucher, I spend mine today and can confidently say I was pleasantly surprised at how good the revamped website looks. All the deals look handpicked, and offer trips to Paris and 5 star michelin restaurant deals!

Here are some of their latest Christmas offers to give you a little taste of what you can buy for yourself or as a gift for someone:

Hammam Experience, Massage and Use of Spa Facilities for £89 at 5* Le Kalon Spa (51% Off)

Three-Course Meal With Champagne Cocktail from £24.50 at Shaka Zulu, Camden Lock (Up to 62% Off)

Christmas Special: Preview Tasting Menu and Bellini Cocktail from £29.50pp* at The Crazy Bear (Up to 59% Off)

Paris: 1 to 3 Nights With Eurostar Tickets, Breakfast and Cruise from £135 Per Person*

New Finds: Emotional Baggage

Ever heard of The School of Life? It's a great little company in Soho, London (global, too) with experts and classes devoted to helping people like you and me develop emotional intelligence through the help of culture. They address issues such as fulfilling work, how to master the art of relationships, how to understand one's past and how to achieve calm. I haven't had a chance to attend a class yet but have checked out their little shop and I just couldn't resist buying this bag (£35) when I saw it

Perfect for gym gear, groceries or notebooks, etc. when you are dressed down for work or just going to a cafe...The best thing about it is that it'd pretty amusing...and it's really good quality (it better be for that price!). The tote comes in blue as well.

As told by The School of Life: It’s not possible to go through life without burdens of this kind. But it makes an enormous difference whether we know how to acknowledge them and whether we understand them. When we fail at this, we get defensive and bitter. We claim we're not lacking self-confidence, it's just that other people are full of themselves. We insist we're not envious; it's that other people are greedy. We say we're not rebellious, but the world is too conformist. And we're definitely not hard to live with; it's just our partners who have turned out to be pathetic.

This is emotional baggage badly carried. At The School of Life, we believe in trying to learn ways to be more deft about the damage we are burdened with: how to fathom it, how to set it in context and how to warn others of its existence in good time (when we are still calm).This bag celebrates one of the most glamorous projects any of us can undertake: learning how to carry our emotional baggage well.

Another little gem I found online for just £9 from CafePress...Have fun! :)

Images from respective product websites

London Food: Cocktail & chocolate making class

I've always wanted to go to a chocolate making class, and finally got to do it a few weeks ago with My Chocolate. Best thing about it? We got to learn how to make cocktails, too!

The venue was quite big and they were equipped with every type of tool you would need, plus lots of sprinkles and infusions like lavender which I used in my truffles!

You will make a Daiqiri and whisky cocktail, as well as with some chocolate-y twists.

Easily done and looks gorgeous!

We were then taught step by step how to make smooth and rich dark chocolate truffles from fresh organic ingredients with the best quality cocoa.

You then have the option to use decorations or add anything you like, including chocolate flakes, strawberry curls or hazelnuts.

A little marshmallow found it's way into a chocolate making class!

Well we just had to eat the messy ones...

These beauties were also done by hand, with a small cutter and gold transfers on top

Ooops...

Once finished, you can wrap each truffle individually and box it to take away.

Check out their website for a variety of courses, with prices ranging from £49 for one person, or £98 for two.

The whole thing lasted around 3 hours and was great fun! It's a lovely and inexpensive gift for a friend, a fun day with mum or just something to do with your partner that's a little different!

Check out their website for a variety of courses, with prices ranging from £49 for one person, or £98 for two.

London: Exploring Portobello on a Friday

Portobello Road and market is one of London'smost popular must visit shopping areas, and by far my favourite. It's a real shame that the swarms of tourists in the summer pretty much block out the streets and walkways, so it's hard to enjoy the beauty of exploring every nook and cranny here, including the lovely cafes and restaurants.

I would recommend to everyone to go on a Friday if possible...Saturday is the busiest and hardly anyone goes on the Friday...but the plus side is that everything will still be open. I took a day off to explore and meet up with a friend for coffee and really enjoyed it...check out what I found on the way (and had to refrain myself from buying!)

Vintage sweet and food tins are cheap and make for great colourful storage tins in the kitchen

See? Empty :)

You can find new things and old things...here are lots of cute vintage silver trinkets for necklaces or charm bracelets

Great gift finds

Even if you don't buy a lot of vintage, Portobello is almost like a treasure trove or museum for some beautiful antique garments - pretty to look at!

Door knobs, mini bottles, kitchen utensils...Portobello has it all

My favourite homeware store

Lots of stalls fill the streets where you can get inexpensive gems and gifts

These letter boxes make great decorations on the wall

I managed to snap this before I was told off by the vendor!!

If you are looking for a cool camera, this is the place

One area of the market, filled with new and vintage clothing

A sweet ending to the day with fresh juice and handmade cake at Granger & Co (Great for celeb spotting!)

London: Most beautiful beer gardens

With pub closures averaging twenty-eight a week, Cuprinol, the woodcare specialist, this summer launched 'Cheers it up' - a nationwide initiative to cheer up unloved beer gardens and encourage communities to support their local. And what a perfect time to do it while Londoners are finally enjoying a hot summer!

To launch 'Cheers it up', Cuprinol announced a nationwide search for an unloved British beer garden in need of cheering up. The winning pub was rewarded with a complete makeover, and as inspiration Cuprinol completely revamped the beer garden at The Avalon pub in Clapham, London.

The makeover took a team of 12 four days to complete, using over 120 litres of Cuprinol Garden Shades and 140 litres Cuprinol decking stain.

I went to check it out and loved the little area in the back with the fountain...so cozy!