Things to do this weekend: 30th August

It's almost the weekend (woooooo! I appreciate this so much more now that I have a job), and so here is a pick of things to do on these sacred 2 and a bit days:

Future Cinema presents Dirty Dancing - Future Cinema's Dirty Dancing inspired event, is the ultimate night out for any wannabe 'Baby'. Starting with the screening of the classic movie, complete with bars, activities and my fave B.O.B's lobster, you are transported to everyone's favourite holiday destination, Kellerman's, without ever having to leave Hackney Downs. If you didn't get tickets for this, you can always watch the movie at home, preferably with the drinking game, then grab your watermelon and head on over to Kellerman's staff quarters (aka, Oval Space in Bethnal Green) for the ultimate after party! 

Monikers - such a kitsch 'back to school' theme which even boasts an indoor school bus with plenty of walls that you are welcome to graffiti on - what's not to love? The place is more than just good theming though; what really wowed my friends over at gradfoodies, however, was the incredible food. I'm really excited to try it. Mainly because my favourite meals are those made up of small, shareable dishes, and this place specialises in just that. 

Do all your Christmas shopping - to anyone who knows me, it is no secret that I am OBSESSED with Christmas. Seriously, expect to see a LOT of it here in the next few months. And ok, maybe it's a bit too much to ask to complete all of your shopping by the end of August, but with the summer sales in full swing (feelunique have a particularly good one), now is the perfect time to pick up a lot of bits. Also, with Harrods and Selfridges already opening their Christmas shops, you really have no excuse not to be prepared...

Harrods: Christmas in July

Housewarming gift guide

I have been completely rubbish at writing on here for the past few weeks, but I do have some pretty good excuses. Firstly, and (arguably) most importantly, I finally got a job! I'm talking real life, in the office for 9am, creating reports and spreadsheets. Every. Day. Weeeeeird.

Other news is that literally every member of my family has moved house in the past month to one place or another. Therefore, I've been travelling up and down the country a lot to visit the new abodes, help (ish) people move, celebrate birthdays (including my own, ugh) and play with these amazing beings:

So yeh, very little blogging... But, I am going to ease myself back into this with one of my favourite things to do: a gift guide! And, seeing as how I've had to buy a fair few of these this month, I'm going to make one for housewarming gifts.

Having quite recently moved into my own place, I think the best advice for housewarming gift-giving is to stick to useful things and no decorative items (that need to match a theme/take up a lot of space) unless you know the person REALLY well, and know exactly what they would like to display in there house. With that in mind, I have kept this list to either useful/overlooked items and inoffensive, universally popular house gifts:

Salt and pepper: Kitchen essentials like this (and things like olive oil/balsamic vinegar), are often forgotten items, and this is a really nice alternative to the standard grinders. I think this is also easier to use in cooking so you can just add a 'pinch' at a time.

Fragrance diffuser: Safer than a candle and a longer-lasting smell. Win-win.

Keyring: I've talked about this before, but a special keyring is a great gift to give to make the whole moving-in process a little more special. Even better if you can attach it to the keys beforehand...

Herb 'allotment': The only attempt I have ever made to grow my own herbs was when I bought a mint plant one time I tried to make mojitos. Not only did the drinks not turn out well, but the plant also died almost as soon as it crossed the threshold into my flat. However, if you're buying for anybody that is just a teeny bit more green-fingered, then this is a cute (and in no way unnecessary) gift.

Vase: When I first moved in, my friends very kindly brought flowers round. However, I did not have a vase in which to display them. Granted, I was pretty crafty and cut a large Evian bottle in half, but there's shabby chic and then there's just grim.

Champagne: Obviously, it does NOT have to be Cristal, which is ludicrously expensive. However, anybody who has ever watched MTV Cribs knows that it is completely essential to keep at least one bottle of this in your fridge at all times if you stand any chance of being taken seriously in your rap career...

Finally, as I have said, there are a lot of everyday things you forget about when moving; cleaning products, biscuits, condiments... Therefore, I think a very nice and thoughtful gift is to put a hamper together of such essential items, which may not be too glamorous, but greatly appreciated and can be spruced up with some fancy wrapping. Come on, who doesn't want a box of rubber gloves and Cillit Bang wrapped up in cellophane when they move into a new house?!

Tartan yourself up

I have a slight aversion to tartan. It may have something to do with the fact that my school uniform contained this:

(image from eBay)

But anyway, it has been on the cover of Vogue and it was the focus of Chanel's A/W13 highland collection, so I guess I have to accept that it's a THING again. So, here are a few ways that I think that I can embrace the trend without feeling like an overgrown schoolgirl...

(Comme des Garçons purse, Burberry cardigan, Mulberry scarf, Charles Philip Shanghai shoes, Chanel bag, Zara skirt)

Whaddaya think? Still too St. Trinians??

Save the Dates

This may seem like a slightly odd post, seeing as how I'm not in any way close to getting married/don't have any events on the horizon, but hey, what is life without whimsy; I blame my newly rekindled Pinterest addiction... But anyway, for no apparent reason, I thought I'd compile a list of 'Save the Date' alternatives from the boring old flyers through the post. Some of these do come in on the pricier side, so wouldn't be suitable for an event with thousands of guests/a tight budget, but most could also work as an actual invitation or even as favours/gifts during an event.

Everyday items:

One great way to send your 'Save The Date' (I've seen this shortened to STDs around the Internet - if ever there was something that should not be made into an acronym that would be it) is to print it onto an everyday item that people are going to see/use all the time so that they are constantly reminded of the most important day of your life. There are plenty of options for this:

(tea towel, mug, magnet)

Consumable:

The complete other end of the spectrum is to put the date on something consumable as almost everybody enjoys sweets and alcohol. The risk here is that, as these things are meant to be eaten/drunk, the date will not be 'saved' at all, so it is advisable to send a card along with these, or at least a caveat that the recipient should make a note of the date, rather than it being forgotten almost instantaneously.

(cookies, alcohol miniature, rock)

Interactive:

These are great as they require the recipient to really study your 'Save The Date' and are all pretty fun too. All of these need the 'user' to stare at them for prolonged amounts of time, so hopefully the date should sink in pretty quickly, but you may want to send along a card with all the information too, in case these prove a little too challenging...

(viewfinder, message reveal, rubik's cube keyring)

Cheap and Cheerful:

These are great alternatives to a simple flyer for anyone on a budget. If you're going for a theme, then this could be the time to get creative and give people a bit of a heads up... The keyring here is a bit pricy, but you could just bulk buy plastic keyrings and use your own design. Or you could take your own creative, in no way cringe-worthy, Pinterest-inspired photo and send that out to your guests.

(movie ticket, key ring, photo)

Gift guide for mums

It is my mum's birthday this Friday (yay, another gift-giving stress) so I thought I'd put together another gift guide - again under £25, £50 and £100 - to give me a way of looking at all my 'research' and to possibly help others who are looking for a little inspiration. My mum is very much interested in beauty and fashion, so these choices do all tend to lean towards that kind of thing...

Under £25

(Liberty notepad, YSL lipstick, Joy photo frame, PiP Studio cup and saucer, Vistaprint personalised iPhone cover, Radley umbrella, Chanel vernis, Rococo chocolates, John Lewis candle holder, Mary Berry cookbook)

Under £50

(Biscuiteers biscuit tin, Jane Packer flowers, Laurent Perrier champagne, Jo Malone candle, Umbra Aquala bath caddy, Smythson notebook, Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair, Personalised 'Thanks Mum' poster, Calvin Klein pyjama bottoms)

Under £100

(Harvey Nichols hamper, Ted Baker purse, Marc by Marc Jacobs cosmetic case, Karen Millen jacket, Tom Ford palette, Tiffany charm, Mulberry iPhone case, Acne scarf, Chanel perfume)

As much as I am a fan of the birthday list (you get what you want and the present-giver can be happy in the knowledge that you're really going to love what you get - win-win), if you're up against the dreaded 'I don't know, surprise me' response, then I think the best gifts for mums are ones that they might not usually buy for themselves.

Whaddaya think? Would your mum be happy to unwrap one of these bad boys on her birthday?

It doesn't matter if you're (wearing) black or white

As the weather is cooling down a little again, I'm excited for covering up. As much as I enjoy the sun, I'm much more of a winter-dresser than a summer one. Similarly, I like that it allows me to revert back to my monochrome (ish) ways. So, here are a few ways to wear my favourite colour combination as the weather cools off a little...

(Whistles sweater, Mulberry clutch, All Saints leggings, Pamela Rose necklace, Aurélie Bidermann ring, Topshop ring, Saint Laurent heels)

(Helmut Lang leggings, LPD New York T-shirt, Vans trainers, Tiffany ring, Vita Fede ring, Eddie Borgo bracelet, Topshop backpack)

It's not just me that gets really excited about getting to wear black and white without looking 'unseasonal' is it!?

How to throw the perfect dinner party...NOT

On my 101 list, I challenged myself to throw a dinner party for reasons I'm not entirely be sure... I am pretty awful in the kitchen and have absolutely no confidence in my abilities (due to the fact they are so lacking) and live in constant fear that I am going to give my 'victims' food poisoning. Therefore, I like to seriously overcompensate with decorations and alcohol (I apologise for the differing lighting throughout, they were taken at various points throughout the day):

I picked up the table runner, place mats, napkins and candles from a cracking shop called Butlers that is quite similar to Crate&Barrel but on a much smaller scale; it is the type of place that sells things that you didn't know you needed until you saw them. It's also pretty affordable, the candles were only 99p for instance. I tried to keep costs low as much as possible so, as it was a very informal evening, I just used paper napkins and little plastic kid's bowls as side 'plates' for bread, as my little flat is definitely not well stocked enough with crockery. I realise that the table could be viewed as a little gaudy, but I think that it works well in this sweltering summer heat. I personally really like the colour clash and think the massive white hydrangeas break it up well. As for the bubbles, well, what is life without whimsy. 

I also set up a little 'bar' which later had olives, flowers and prosecco, but unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of that. I tried this funkin' bellini purée as I didn't want to be messing about trying to make my own, but I wasn't impressed really - it took a lot to get any real taste from them. And as for the cocktail shakers, I LOVED them when I got them as they're really bright and fun, but before even using them two of the 'heads' had broken off, which was very upsetting. I picked these up at Butlers, so just as a warning, they aren't the most fantastic quality.

As for food, it was definitely not haute cuisine. The menu consisted of scallops and butternut squash purée (that was it, I forgot to put the other ingredients in), salmon with ratatouille and couscous, Eton mess (which I forgot to get a picture of, but I served them in Kilner jars as I didn't have enough bowls) and my amazing cheese board - this is the bit I'm most proud of, mainly as I wasn't responsible for any of the food. I stuck with the classic rule of one hard, one soft, one blue and one goats with crackers, grapes and chutney and it was pretty darn good. Sadly, though, I had plied my guests with so much food and alcohol that they didn't want any more by the time this came out and so this is now sat in my fridge and stinkin' up the joint. Marvellous.