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Hello lovelies, before I start with the photos I just want to say that if you're going to the Studio Tour soon perhaps you might
not want to look at my photos until afterwards. I didn't look at anyone's photos before I went - I think maybe it would ruin the
surprise. I'm not going to give anything away by telling you what happens or the order of things at the tour, but of course the
photos are going to show you things you might not have realised were there. I must say that all of this is a million times more
impressive in real life, and there are a million more things to see than what I'll show you here.
As a huge Harry Potter fan, I was beyond excited when I received tickets from Mark for Christmas 2012. We finally got round
to going on my birthday, December 1st. Now, Mark had never read the books or seen the films. Upon receiving the tickets, we
decided Mark had better watch all of the films so he could appreciate the tour too. He became totally hooked - he loved it! He
loved the tour just as much as me & I can honestly say it is so worth a visit. I want to go again!! As we visited in December, you
can see snow around (just look at Hogwarts!!). I'd be interested to visit to see how it differs when it isn't Winter too.
It took me such a long time to narrow down the photos to even this many! Now I have some advice for anyone who is going to visit the Harry Potter Studio Tour. Make sure you charge your batteries - we took a Canon DSLR, a Nikon bridge camera & our iPhone 5s. The two cameras died before we'd barely started - I was gutted! Take photos of everything you want to, and don't be afraid to pose with the props! The tour is split into sections, once you leave a section, you can't go back so spend as much time as you need to before moving on. Prepare to get a little bit emotional - awe, joy, sadness, excitement - you name it, if you grew up with Harry Potter like I did it's insane to see it set out like this and to learn things about the making of the films that will fascinate you and make you feel totally inspired. Make sure you take money or a card, the gift shop is amazing and you'll want to buy everything! Last of all, wear comfortable shoes because you're going to be on your feet for most of the tour.
Have you been to the Studio Tour? Would you like to go?
You can book your tickets here.
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Hello you gorgeous lot, I thought I'd come and share some of my Christmas snaps with you before the festive season has passed. I had the most wonderful time with all of my family and Boxing Day with our dear friends. Christmas morning in the Brown household was pretty chaotic, what with three young children and the usual mountain of presents to get through. We all got some fabulous gifts and I can't wait to show you mine! There were about 500 photos from the two days, so to have whittled it down to these few collages was some mean feat!
Christmas Day
Christmas day did of course end with us watching all of the hour long soap episodes (Emmerdale, Corrie, Eastenders!), drinking Baileys and eating Pringles. And what Christmas would be complete without Bridget Jones?! We watched 1 on Christmas eve, and 2 on Christmas day. How cute is Indigo's bunny eared blanket?! I got it from H&M.
Boxing Day
Boxing day was also a wonderful day, a lazy morning followed by getting ready in the afternoon to see some of our nearest and dearest at our local village hall, which we usually hire out for Christmas day but mixed it up a bit this year. There was a bit of a funny moment when we realised we'd only brought wine with a cork, and didn't have a corkscrew..! We sorted it out in the end, and ate lots of nice buffet food followed by lots of delicious dessert.
The outfit
Lace top Mango via carboot sale £3.00
Black denim jeggings M&S Collection £7.00 sale
Lois flatforms Carvela Kurt Geiger Christmas gift
Oversized tote bag Luella Birthday gift
Pink gold Gem Aurora earrings Vivienne Westwood £55.00
Dusky pink & black wool biker Maison Scotch via TK Maxx £30.00 sale
I wore this same outfit to Mark's family's Christmas meal on the Sunday before Christmas. I love how easy to wear it is, but it still looks like I made a bit of an effort with the pretty lace top. This Maison Scotch jacket was most definitely my bargain of the year - originally around £200, I found it hidden on a coat sale rail in TK Maxx with a red sticker on the label at just £30. I didn't need another jacket at all, but I tried it on and the splash of colour is so unusual for me that I had to have it. I think the dusky pink is a shade I can get away with against my pale skin. I've had these Vivienne Westwood earrings for a while now, I wasn't sure on the drop at first but now I've really fallen in love with them.
Have you posted a Christmas period OOTD? Or a Christmas present post? Link me in the comments :)
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Rufus, Mark & I would like to wish you lovely people a very merry Christmas! I'm posting this on Christmas Eve because Christmas day is sure to be crazy in the Brown household! I hope everyone gets what they wished for, and I hope you all have a wonderful day surrounded by the people you love. See you in a few days! x x x
Rules
Answer all ten questions below, make sure to add The Christmas Cracker Tag logo (above) somewhere in your post, tag as many bloggers as you like to do the tag, comment on the blogs you have tagged to let them know!
One: What’s on your Christmas list?
I don't really have a Christmas wishlist, with my birthday being December 1st I usually ask for anything I want then :) I'm excited to see what I get though!
Two: What’s on your Christmas Day agenda?
For the first time in a few years we're all staying at home, my brother Zach and my brother Josh and his family are coming round for presents and dinner so I'm really excited to have a more relaxing version of Christmas this year!
Three: How much Christmas shopping have you done?
I shop throughout the year because I have so many people to buy for, I always aim to be finished by December because there are so many birthdays in my family at this time of year too.
Four: What’s been your biggest ever surprise gift?
I have an awful memory but last year Mark got me tickets to the Harry Potter studio (I promise to post the photos in the New Year finally!!) and I was so surprised and excited! Even the letter I got saying I was going to the tour was so exciting to me haha, I'm such a Harry Potter geek and I've made Mark one too now.
Five: When do you usually put up your Christmas tree?
It's tradition in my house for it to go up on my birthday, December 1st! Though I think it went up on the 2nd this year because on the 1st we were at the Harry Potter studios :)
Six: Do you have a special outfit planned for Christmas Day?
I'm not entirely sure this year! Half of the day is inevitably spent in pjs because it takes so long for all of us to open our presents!
Seven: Do you have any plans for Boxing Day?
Usually each year for Christmas us and all of our family friends have dinner together in our hired out village hall. We eat, sing Christmas carols and have a lovely time together. We're doing it on boxing day this year instead!
Eight: When did you stop believing in Father Christmas?
I have no idea!! But I'm still managing to keep my little sister Indigo convinced that he's real, she's 5 in January :)
Nine: What’s your favourite Christmas scent? (Candle/Perfume)
I love the smell of cinnamon but find it a bit strong in a candle!
Ten: What do you love most about Christmas?
I have three whole weeks off work and I'm spending time with my family and friends, and soon Mark too. I love Christmas because I get to see everyone and eat delicious food and even drink a Baileys or too (chocolate flavour this year!).
I'd like to tag anyone who'd like to do this, I know I'm a bit late with it though!!! Enjoy your day lovelies :)
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Hello lovelies, I can't believe another week has passed already. It's edging closer and closer to Christmas! Has anyone started/finished their Christmas shopping yet? I'm almost finished! I hope these little Handmade Mondays might provide you with some gift inspiration (even if that gift is to yourself!). This week's Handmade Monday is featuring Ohh Deer, an artist collective currently working with 35 illustrators across the globe. Ohh Deer is full of quirky illustrated gifts, clothing, homeware & more.
01. Fox Tree Phone Case by Sandra Dieckmann
Sandra Dieckmann is one of my favourite artists, her work is beautiful and her Huntress work is one of my favourites. I'm
sure you won't be surprised when you see that her work is full of bears and other animals. This phone case is available for
a variety of phones, and would definitely make me smile if I saw it every time I picked up my phone. I actually already own
an A3 print of the Fox Tree (and maybe a few Sandra cushions..!). The details are so intricate, I notice something new
whenever I look at this print.
02. Forest Friends Women's T-Shirt by Kris Tate
Kris Tate's designs are recognisable for her bold use of colour, which often remind me of the patterns in a kaleidoscope. I
love the shapes and patterns she uses, and of course the animals. I love this design, which is almost symmetrical but not
quite. The patterns Kris adds to the animals faces and fur add something very unique to her designs, and they look
particularly fabulous on the t-shirts and jumpers I think.
03. Bear Necklace by Black Bear / White Bear
There are so many amazing bear related products on Ohh Deer that it was hard to pick just one, but this is my favourite and
I love, love, love it! Does it get any better than wearing a bear on a necklace? It does! This bear necklace is hand carved and so
each one is completely unique. You can choose beech or teak wood, and a leather cord or sterling silver chain. Best of all, he
comes with a little leather pouch and a hand printed blanket so you can tuck him in and keep him warm at night.
04. Christmas Cards by Jamie Mitchell
Jamie is the co-founder of Ohh Deer, along with Mark Callaby. As I mentioned before, Christmas is sneaking up on us! What
better way to celebrate than by sending out these awesomely illustrated cards by Jamie Mitchell. You get 9 in a pack, 3 of
each design. Animals wearing clothes!! I know my sister Willow really loves Bob the polar bear with his woolly hat on. You
can find Jamie's designs on all manner of items, and again his designs are very distinctive of his style. If you like Grumpy
Cat, you should definitely check out Jamie's Grumpy Cat design.
05. Lights Out Cushion by Jamie Mitchell
Another wonderful design by Jamie Mitchell, and this one is my favourite of his designs. I ordered a greeting card with Lights
Out on just so I could stick it above my desk to admire. I love everything about this design, from the dark to light gradient of the
circle to the fact that the foxes are interacting with one another via string. The foxes' fur reminds me of waves which just makes
me love it even more if that were possible.
I can foresee my own house being filled with Ohh Deer products, is there anything you'd like?
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Willow, mumma bear, Zenobia, Gemma
Willow, mum, Zenobia, me
Willow, mum, me, Gemma
Willow, mum, me, Gemma, Zenobia
Zach, Josh, me, Zenobia, Willow (a rare photo of us older siblings!)
Zach, mum, Josh
Gemma and her brother, Jamie
Jamie and my nephew, McKenzie
Joe as Batman, Phoenix, Indigo, Ty
Maxine, Mark, Lynn, Phil (Molly, Bronwen, Ben behind)
Caitlin (my niece), Jamie and McKenzie
Christmas was as always a lovely, family and friends orientated affair. We spent hours opening presents (as can be seen here), being visited by a family friend Bronwen who brought more presents, and at last my brother Josh and his family coming round. Zach also came later on in the morning to open his presents, as 2012 was the year Zach got his own flat. And, as has been tradition for the last few years, along with some of our friends we gathered at our local hall which we hire out to have dinner together. This year there were less of us than any previous years, but it was still lovely to have everyone in the same place. Mum had bought a bouncy castle for the children a few months ago, so it had it's first use at the hall as you can see! We didn't go for the traditional dinner this year, we instead had lots of cooked/roasted meats, bread rolls, stuffing, gravy and sauces... it was delicious!! Of course, we also had plenty of desserts including homemade ice cream as supplied by Phil. It was lovely to get some of those family photos above, as it's not very often we manage to get everyone in a photo. I think my favourite has to be the one of me with my two brothers and two sisters. Although this isn't all of us (there are 8 of us children in my family!), I don't think we even have a photo of the 5 of us together until now.
I know this is an overdue post, so I am sorry but there were so many photos from Christmas it took ages to decide on some to share :) also, I stupidly left my camera lead at my mum's so until she posts it to me (along with my next course DVD!) I won't be able to upload any new photos. I had my final hospital appointment come through today, for the 28th of this month. Two CT scans, one with contrast dye (I think this means an injection, yuck!). I am looking forward to the end of Feb when I meet with my consultant again, and hopefully get some positive news after all these upcoming tests. I have been doing some painting lately, and I am going to be changing things a little on my blog design soon :)
This year, Mark labelled all my Christmas gifts with a number and a little hint, and he wanted me to open them in this order. I had to share it with you, as it was so sweet and he got me the most thoughtful gifts. As you can see, I was very spoilt!! I love each and every gift I received, and I haven't stopped playing Princess Peach on my DS. In fact, I'm on the last level and that makes me quite sad! The little gold bear earrings haven't left my ears - hello new favourites :)
Yesterday I went to the dentist for a check-up, and came away with a numb face and a new filling. I was so not ready for that! I hate dentists at the best of times, and wasn't very impressed that my face took until the evening to start feeling normal again! Tomorrow is the last day Mark & I will be spending at my mum's house, as we travel back to Liverpool on the 4pm train tomorrow. We will be sad to leave, but I'm sure we'll be back here soon what with all my hospital appointments. Is everyone else back in reality now after the festive season? I've been very lucky this year, as I've been off work from the 17th December (due to a hospital appointment) right up until the 9th of this month :)
