Spirit of Christmas Fair 2016

Yesterday I was invited to visit the Spirit of Christmas fair* at London's Olympia, home of over 750 independent retailers and designers which is described in a nutshell as the UK's biggest high-end Christmas shopping event. A vast number of boutique brands with products ranging from the eye watering expensive to the more affordable, all offer something different than you will find in your typical shopping centre. I defy you to be unable to find a gift for even the trickiest person on your list and if you're looking for something different, unusual or truly special you will find it here.

In addition to being a shopping mecca you will find interactive workshops offering advice on everything you might need to know at Christmas from flower arrange and gift wrapping to champagne tasting. You really could spend a couple of hours or a whole day walking round and taking everything in. I saw many people taking advantage of the seating areas around the hall laden with bags even so early in the day.

There is also a food market and I could've become quite tipsy walking round from all the booze samples on offer, from gin to flavoured vodkas and all manner of cheese and meat offerings to liven up your festive dinner table. Keeping along the alcohol theme if you need to take a break from all that shopping there are a number of Louis Roederer Champagne bars located around the floors as well as coffee shops and Mosimann's exclusive pop up Winter Restaurant. 

I arrived at the Spirit of Christmas fair an hour after it's 10am opening time on a Thursday and whilst busy it was still a pleasant environment to shop in, although do expect some bustle at particular stalls. I imagine it gets busier throughout the day and also over the weekend (you still have until Sunday to attend).

So what are my thoughts on the Spirit of Christmas fair and is it worth a visit? If you're happy to pay £20 for what is essentially a shopping venue and you like to buy from boutique brands then this is perfect for you. It is a lovely day out and if you're so inclined Westfield Shopping Centre in Shepherd's Bush is 5 minutes away by train if you want to have a full day of shopping.

My mum and her friends often go to these types of events and will spend the whole day shopping and enjoying some lunch and I did text both my mum and the BFF on way round and said we should visit next year.

Despite an abundance of Christmas trees decorating the venue and hanging from the ceiling it didn't feel as 'Christmassy' as I'd have liked and also a lack of Christmas decor available to buy. Both maybe a plus point for many and that does me more varied choice of items to buy that other Christmas fairs I've intended. Nonetheless perhaps a little more emphasis on the season or 'spirit' would've been good.

Prepare for photo overload as I give you a walk through some of the great items I saw for sale and I've tried to include links where I can. Starting with the gorgeous clutches from Tea & Tequila Trading which really caught my eye. If I opened one of their gorgeous clutch bags on Christmas morning and saw a sequinned flamingo or pineapple staring at me I'd be very happy.

Next to catch my eye was Proud Couture and the amazing fashion illustrations available as prints or cards. If I didn't want to damage the print carrying it around for the remainder of my day in London I would've made a purchase there and then. Proud Couture's website is currently under construction but you can find them on Facebook and Instagram and just drop Rosie an email if you'd like to make a purchase.   

For my beauty friends there were only one or two sellers from the well known brand Elemis to LouLouBelle London, a boutique aromatherapy brand founded by Magda Thompson who was herself manning the stand on Thursday. Abandoning work as a PA Magda retrained at London Esthetique Beauty College, trained further with a number of well know brands before she developed her own skincare range.

If anyone is feeling generous this Christmas and needs an idea of what I like for Christmas then please see Rosanna Lonsdale and treat me to one of fabulous Flamingo lamps. I was able to meet Rosanna and she talked through the process of making these lamp bases; how each is hand made through a process of both painting and decorating glass vases using an 18th Century technique called Decalcomania.

The prices are high but when you realise you're purchasing a piece of art that can be bespoke to your requirements you realise they're worth every penny and would be a real talking point in any home.

If like me you're not a fan of the hype surrounding beauty advent calendars (see last years post on the topic here) then you might be as taken with The 12 Days of Christmas handcrafted wooden advent calendars as I was. I love the idea of something you bring out year after year and can fill with treats for children. 

Don't we all love anything with a monogram so of course Apatchy caught my eye straight away. Whether you want to pick a personalised 'ready made' item such as these cosmetic bags or pick from the range of patches (including Liberty and Sequinned variations) and personalise your own item the choice is yours. 

Louisa Elizabeth was creating quite a stir as I walked past with people expressing what a wonderful idea she'd had and what perfect gifts they would make. Louisa actually designed her first map as a gift for a man who had everything. Drawn by hand and personalised as you wish they would make an excellent wedding gift. 

Mackenzie & George

Culinary Concepts

I'd love to know your thoughts on the Spirit of Christmas Fair if you have been before, or if indeed its somewhere you'd like to visit.

*I received complimentary tickets for the Sprit of Christmas fair

Buckingham Palace | Royal Childhood

Buckingham Palace The State Rooms link

When my mum mentioned that she was visiting Buckingham Palace's State Rooms to see the Royal Childhood exhibit I decided to tag along and have a nose for myself and of course share some details with you.

We travelled to Green Park and took a leisurely stroll through Hyde Park arriving outside a very busy and bustling Buckingham Palace. As you would imagine tourists were in their hundreds waiting patiently at the gates for the changing of the guard and maybe a glimpse of the queen herself who was in residence.

Once we had deciphered where to go through the crowds to collect our tickets we then waited to be allowed to queue again for entry. Not that you will not be allowed into the entryway more than 15 minutes before your tickets start time. That said everything moved swiftly and the airport style security measures were significantly quicker than those you'll experience prior to your holidays.

Free audio guides then take over as you make your way through the various State Rooms. Unfortunately photography was not allowed hence a lack of photographs in this post but that does mean that you can fully appreciate walking through each room without being behind a camera.

As one would expect each room exudes opulence and it appeared everything was trimmed with gold. There was so much to take in and it was enjoyable to walk through rooms and recognise them from familiar images that have been in the press of Royal Weddings and Christenings. I particularly enjoyed the picture gallery and seeing works of art from Rembrandt to the typical royal portraits, one favourite being of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their children.

This year's exhibit was the Royal Childhood and various articles were encased along the route from early years leading up to Prince George's birth announcement. The Palace Ballroom exhibits clothing and toys from over the years and could be a struggle at times to fight to the front but luckily there wasn't an overwhelming number of items that you missed something once you got your place. Continuing through into another area filled with the most impressive tiny replica of the DB5 used by James Bond in the films Goldfinger and Thunderball which was presented by Aston Martin to Prince Andrew when he was six. Alongside the displays images are flashed onto the screens and home movies are playing on a loop for you to sit, watch and enjoy.

If I'm honest I enjoy tourist activities in bite size chunks and the timing for this tour was perfect. The audio guide last for one hour and spot on we found ourselves outside the palace gardens. If you had time on your hands you could enjoy the gardens and/or garden cafe but I'm sure there are no surprises that we dived into the giftshop so I could purchase the standard magnet and Christmas tree decoration for my collection.

The website does warn you that there is a half-mile walk through the gardens to the exit and then depending on where you're picking up your train even more of a walk to contend with. Mum and her friend were heading back to Green Park (again no surprises she was paying Fortnum and Mason a visit) which they both complained was further than they thought and I was shooting off to meet a friend so picked the closer Hyde Park Corner station but still managed to get myself lost in the maze of subways - so do, as they suggest, where your comfy shoes and plan your route carefully.

Buckingham Palace State Rooms are now closed for the Winter so if this is of interest it's something to plan for next Summer unfortunately and even better for us we were able to validate our tickets so they become a yearly pass so fingers crossed for another good exhibit next year for us to visit.

Are you a fan of these types of tourist attractions or maybe you've been to Buckingham Palace before?

Legoland Windsor Day Trip

When my brother text me a few weeks ago asking if I fancied taking my nephew Brody to Legoland I jumped at the chance, as did mum and into the car we climbed and made the trip to Windsor. The first thing that struck me on our arrival was that the park doesn't open till 10am.

In my experience most children have been up a good few hours by 10am and I can imagine if staying at the hotel on the complex that by 10am parents will be pulling their hair out with excited children desperate to get into the park.

We were able to pay before 10am and enter 'The Beginnings" which is essentially a central area of the park with a Lego shop (no surprises that was open!) and a shop where we grabbed ourselves a coffee and mum friends with Luigi.

I really think Legoland are missing a trick not having refillable coffee cups available for purchase!

At last the gates opened and we were let inside the park and made our way to the first of many rides. Any thrill seekers this is not the park for you and all attractions are very much geared towards the younger Lego fans out there.

Legoland very much follows the themes of Disney and Universal Parks in Florida split into areas such as Adventure Land and Pirate Shores that are comfortably spaced apart with much to look at - all made of Lego of course (even the hygiene certificates in the toilets were inside Lego frames).

Despite the park being busy we didn't have too long waiting times, 15-20 minutes at the most although I was surprised that many of the food stations were closed or didn't open till late in the day. Again I think most children start to feel peckish and can't hold out as long as us adults. We hit the newly opened Burger Kitchen for lunch, essentially your typical fast food burger joint. For three adult and one childs meal it came to around £30 so it was no surprise many families were sitting in the sunshine enjoying picnics of packed lunches.

I was a little disappointed by the lack of characters dressed up floating around the park but thankfully there were plenty of Lego brick ones to take some selfies with - I even found my twin!

Mum's favourite part of the park was the model village with some familiar landmarks

and of course mine was spotting Lego flamingos!

Then much to Brody's delight it was time to visit the Lego shop before heading home and he was able to build some characters (with nan's help)

So what did we make of Legoland and is it worth the visit?

My main thoughts as I left Legoland were how do families afford such day trips. It cost us £86 with half price tickets plus lunch not taking into account the Lego shop spending. There are always half price tickets around so I would definitely say it isn't worth visiting at full price so keep an eye out for those. Also if your children are older they may find it a little tiresome. Brody at five was just the right age and thoroughly enjoyed it although dare I say he said his favourite thing about Legoland was the shop - we could've saved ourselves a fortune and taken him to Westfield.

It was a great day out which I thoroughly enjoyed but would I go again, not for a few years.

Have you ever been to Legoland, let me know what you thought of it.