Timeline of a Birthday Weekend in London

FRIDAY NIGHT-
Glam Factory at the National Portrait Gallery with friends followed by dinner at a Portuguese cafe Canela. Then off to Victoria for some beers with more friends.

Cakes and Carbs at Canela

SATURDAY-
Veg around at home watching the Importance of Being Earnest. Inspired, decide to ditch the plans for Italian to eat at Oscar Wilde's former haunt, Kettners.

Kettners, a British institution

Barely make the reservation, but still have enough time to soak in the historic ambiance. Indulge in some cheesecake while pretending Oscar is sipping some absinthe in the corner and Bing Crosby is crooning at the bar.

After dinner surprise with Priscilla Queen of the Desert tickets. Hilarious and almost as much fun as a real drag show in the beautiful (but way too hot- I think I went through menopause in the second act) Palace Theatre.

Remember going out to clubs all night for birthdays? This time wander the streets of Leicester Square to get Honeydew Bubble Tea and Passion Fruit popping boba from Bubbleology.

SUNDAY-
Wake up to a delicious birthday treat of Pumpkin Whoopie Pies from Hummingbird Bakery (from my Birthday list).

After opening presents, take a ridiculous bus journey (curse you TFL!) to see the first Renegade Craft Fair in the UK in Brick Lane.

Check out all the cute hip craft stands and find this gem:

Viva Las Vegas by Patrick Edgely

A print by Patrick Edgely with Viva Las Vegas on it. For people who got married in the Viva Las Vegas wedding chapel? YES, PLEASE! 

Shopping for crafts can make you hungry. Conveniently the Sunday Up Market on Brick Lane is downstairs, so pick up some dumplings.

Maybe the vintage start to the weekend is to blame, but the urge to get 'Chips' served in newsprint from a retro Fish & Chip shop strikes, so its good Poppies is on the way back from Brick Lane.

SUNDAY NIGHT-
Return home to west London exhausted. Cancel the plans for dinner and drinks in Fulham in favor of Mexican delivery from Tacuba and the Red Riding Hood dvd.

While Amanda Seyfried may disappoint, pulled pork nachos never do and it is the perfect way to unwind after a great weekend.


Hope you had a good weekend too!

Working a Late Shift in the Glamour Factory at the National Portrait Gallery

The National Portrait Gallery and a few friends helped me kick off my birthday weekend in style with their vintage Glamour Factory museum Late Shift. Old time studio star factories- where they invented and churned out their contract actresses was the story of the event.

A chic black and white dress code was enforced and I wore a variation of this outfit, but with silver screen Giuseppe Zanotti heels and a faux fur collar.

Upon entrance I was handed a studio contract, christened with a stage name and was typecast before I even took a sip of my fizzy Gin & Ginger cocktail.

Meet Brenda the Sophisticated lady.

Ok, maybe not too sophisticated if my Walk of Fame hand print has anything to say about it.

My friend Nat works on her Hollywood John Hancock.

If you had the will power to stand in a queue, there was a fancy retro salon where you could get a glam pinup makeover.

I, however, was more drawn to the Broken Hearts Cocktail Lounge, though over-crowded had some great 1920s & 30s tunes playing while we were there.

Seeing what people were wearing and how they did their gorgeous pin-up hair was the best part of the evening. Unfortunately the planning did not live up to the amount of publicity and many more people were in attendance than they anticipated so it ended up being a lot of waiting around in a queue for those of us lucky enough to get in, as many had to be turned away.

We ended up skipping the talks and the pinup makeup for some breathing room elsewhere in the city.
 However if they run this event again and have it much larger, or ticketed I would definitely go back and try the things I missed!


See future Late Shifts at the National Portrait Galley and read about my experience at the V&A Friday Lates. Have you been to any museum lates?

Two.Seven

October 2009

Two years ago today I touched down in Heathrow to join my new husband in the UK.

.

Seven years ago today I turned twenty, I hadn't been outside of North America, was just starting my second year of University and still dating my high school sweetheart.

One of my oldest friend's sent me a birthday card that said: "this is the decade that we will travel the world, discover our dreams, meet our husbands..."

.

Today my friend has lived in two countries and just settled into her new married life in Washington, DC. I turned a weekend European vacation into a romance of a lifetime.

Here's to anniversaries, birthdays and psychic best friends.

Celebrities, canapés & champagne at Bluebird Chelsea's Celebration of British food

Celebrities, canapés and champagne were served up at Chelsea's Bluebird Restaurant British regional menu preview. Londoners favorite summertime brunch hangout and now UK-famous due to repeated appearances on the guilty pleasure show Made in Chelsea,  it is "the place to be and be seen" (as the website tagline declares) on the ever fashionable King's Road.

This October the restaurant is debuting a new rotating regional menu, serving fare from a different region in Britain every month. On Wednesday I was part of the lucky group to try out a selection of the food will be gracing Bluebird tables over the next year.

As a feast of canapés were offered those in attendance, I offer you the photos of what we ate as a feast for your eyes:

Red Mullet Soup from the South West

This tasty creamy fish soup had a nice blend of flavors, though the chopped parsley on top a little over powering. Might be my American palate, as I find parsley to be a much overused garnish in a lot of British dishes.

Smoked Salmon Blini from London

The smoked salmon was served on a blini which complemented but let the fish shine.

Due to stuffing them in my face with glee technical difficulties I managed to not get a photo of my favourite menu item: The Potted Shrimp & Crab from the North. Just imagine a bite of melt-in-your-mouth creamy shellfish with a bit of cucumber that really drew out the flavour. I am salivating just thinking of it.

Welsh Rarebit from Wales

Truth: When I first moved to the UK I thought Welsh rarebit was probably a gristly cut of meat. Thankfully I was wrong!- it is Cheesy Toast and Bluebirds version was mouthwateringly good.

Summer fruit and Elderflower Jelly from The South

Dessert started with a fresh summer berry jelly (Jell-O to Americans). The elderflower keeps it from being too sickly sweet and brings it out of school lunches for a more adult treat.

Apple and Guinness fritters from Northern Ireland

When I first saw "apple fritters" on the menu my heart hoped for Amish apple fritters. Though they were not the same thing- Bluebirds version was an apple fried in a light dough and sprinkled with cinnamon & sugar- they were extremely tasty and deceptively light-tasting. It is impossible to say 'No' to anything served with a dollop of clotted cream.

Selection of British cheeses from around the country

To finish off the night was a good selection of cheeses from around the country, a little cheddar heavy, but it wouldn't be British without cheddar!

Piper Heidsieck Brut Champagne

Accompanying the menu was champagne. "Champagne Thursdays" happened at my house all through university, so I do think champagne is always a good idea. However, it would have been nice to have a British wine to match the regional theme and Bluebird's overwhelmingly local, sustainable menu. Even better- the only way to improve this delicious menu would be to serve it with a flight of regional ales.

The champagne and canapés have been covered- but where are the celebs, you ask? A LONjawn blind item: A certain favorite AbFab-er was spotted strolling with her long time husband in front of Bluebird by me on Wednesday. (side note: How excited are you for the new episodes?!)

So whether you have been featured in Hello! or just want to be wined & dined like those who are- Bluebird is definitely the place to be.

You can try the Red Mullet Soup I sampled until the end of October to get a taste of the South West at Bluebird, before they move on to a new region. For more info visit Bluebird Restaurant website or check them out on twitter @bluebirdchelsea

Have you been to Bluebird?

gpoyWTF? High-Waisted Wide-legged jean nightmare

Where I post unflattering photos of myself for your viewing pleasure.

So over on my previous blog platform Tumblr, there is a "Gratuitous Photo of Yourself Wednesdays" or gpoyw. Well I was going to add this little number to it, with what I wore, but this photo turned out to be more of a gpoyWhat The Fug?

Wearing: H&M jeans (original color on right), Silence + Noise tee, Topman cardi (formally my husbands),
Bandalino ballet flats, awkward pose by Danielle

I purchased these H&M high-waisted wide leg jeans on super sale (£7) for a 1940s themed party where I planned on doing a "hello, sailor" themed outfit. While I ended up going a different route with the fancy dress, I decided to try to get my seven quid out of these jeans.

And I CANNOT figure out how to wear them. I have wide hips but a flatter stomach so I get weird creepy-old-man bunching in the crotch (cue Curb Your Enthusiasm episode)and my hips push out my jeans which is extra unflattering on the legs.

The light color doesn't do much for this look, so I was thinking of dyeing them a darker blue to maybe slim down the leg area (as seen on right).

What do you think of this type of jeans? Universally fugly mom jeans, or is there a way to wear this look and be above an XXSmall? I hate wasting £7.

*UPDATED: Remembered the 70s trick of sewing in the crotch tight and to aid the fit and fight the buldging, next time I take out my machine I am going to tailoring town on these! With an adjusted fit, and using Belle's advice of using structured tops, it just might work- and for the meantime- it can be my inside jeans / sailor girl costume.

My Crafty Christmas Preview

It's only four days into October, but already the stores are brimming with advent calendars and holiday cards, Harrods Christmas Grotto is already booking, and E4 has even aired the Christmas episode of Glee today. My notebook already has a gift list and my Pinterest is filling up with winter wonders- I am officially in holiday spirits!

This year I want to give a lot of handmade love out- I am stalking etsy, folksy and local shops for
I also happen to LOVE knitting, crocheting and embriodery and have decided to craft up some handmade holiday presents of my own this year (and not just last minute!).  Here is a little preview of what is keeping me busy for the next two months:

 

Are you choosing handmade gifts this year?

Warm Weekend in Hertfordshire

This weekend was the warmest weekend of the summer, even if it is October. We headed to the town where we used to live in Hertfordshire for some country park strolls and sunshine.

our old street

last of the Kopparberg summer cider

what happens when you won't pose for a photo

It was such a nice relaxing weekend which we finished off with drinks in Parson's Green and a walk with the Thames. We haven't had a 'real' vacation this summer, but this break is what I needed to unwind. Just getting back into the weekly routine that has been a challenge today.

How was your weekend?