Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market Review

  Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market

There is nothing more festive than visiting a Christmas market so after the Clothes Show Live I headed to Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market, the largest Christmas market outside of Germany.

I had heard so many great things about Birmingham’s Christmas market, having been recently ranked as the one of the best Christmas markets to visit in the UK by the Guardian, I was really looking forward to it. 

There are over 180 wooden huts and stalls selling festive gifts, jewellery, decorations, handmade toys, and delicious German food and drink such as my favourite Glühwein (mulled wine) and Bratwurst (grilled sausage) with a Brötchen (roll) for delicious hot dogs.

If you have a sweet tooth like me then you’ll love the cakes, pretzels, donuts, chocolates and crepes all at the Christmas market too! Although Crepes are traditionally a French dessert, this stall was my food highlight - who can resist the aroma of cinnamon and sugar crepe? So tasty! 

Opposite the Frankfurt Christmas market was the Christmas Craft fair with Birmingham’s traders selling their own selection of handcrafted items created by local artisans.

 

Christmas markets are one of the best ways to get into the festive spirit and a great way to avoid the busy high street with Christmas shoppers. Christmas markets stalls have unique Christmas presents and decorations so it makes ideal for last minute shopping spree too! Plus you get to soak up all the festive atmosphere under the glow of pretty Christmas lights. If you do visit Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas market, head to Victoria Square, Chamberlain Square and New Street for the best stalls!

For more information see Visit Birmingham.

Clothes Show Live 2014

Jacket - New Look
Playsuit - H&M
Bag - Forever 21

I spent the weekend in Birmingham and was invited to the Clothes Show Live by the lovely team at Good Results PR.

The Clothes Show Live is the biggest fashion and beauty event in the UK with five days of fashion and beauty stalls, makeovers, champagne bars, catwalk shows and lots more.

 Oasis stand at Clothes Show Live

Bare Minerals

The best part of the event was the Alcatel Onetouch fashion theatre, hosted by Hilary Alexander, guests were treated to a catwalk showcasing collections from up and coming designers.

 

Clothes Show Live runs until Tuesday 9 December. To book tickets visit the website here. 

*Disclaimer: I was invited to attend this event but all words and opinions are my own*

Christmas decorating for outside your home

 My attempt at outside festive decor

One of the best things about Christmas is decorating your home with festive decor. Christmas trees and fairy lights look great in indoors but don't forget to decorate outside too! Front doors and porches seem to get forgotten so give the outside of your home a festive makeover, all within budget of course:

Wreaths:

Your Christmas decor isn’t complete without a door wreath! There is so much choice:  from traditional green foliage, to something a little more colour and unique, door wreaths have never looked so good! Grace your door with one of these fab wreaths from the high street:

Welcome your guests to the door with this beautiful Tesco Berry wreath. I love the simple arrangement of green foliage, brown pine cones and those shiny red berries give a lovely natural effect.

 

If you’re looking for something a bit fancy how about this M&S Christmas wreath in rich green with natural decorations with golden leaves, berries and cones.

If simple is more your thing then this classic style Christmas wreath from John Lewis would be perfect for your front door.

This hand tied gold ribbon wreath from Homebase is perfect if you’re going for gold theme décor this year.

Doormats:
A doormat might be seen as one of the less important items to decorate   but it's use is not just for visitors to wipe their feet before entering your home! Update your doormat with a Christmas themed design or try something brighter to match the colour of your wreath for consistency in your decorations:

 

Set the festive tone to the entrance of your home with this John Lewis holly print door mat.

 

If you’re looking for something more fun go for this hand printed triple reindeer design from Tesco.

 
 Get into the festive spirit with this Argo stocking door mat.

Flower plants:

Give your plant pots a festive makeover and wrap Christmas ribbon around existing your plants and tie them with bows like I've done here:

 Getting the bay tree ready

The bay tree looks very festive with the red bow! 

Homebase have  a great range of value plants, this mini Christmas tree will add a festive touch to any area.

Hope you find these tips useful for making the outside your home the best dressed this Christmas!

#DearSally Long Tall Sally Christmas Wish List

 

#DearSally Christmas Wish List

With less than 30 days until Christmas I’ve started thinking about my Christmas wish list. Long Tall Sally, the fashion retailer that design clothes that fit taller women like me over 5'8, have asked me to share my festive fashion wish list:

Christmas shopping

Jacket

Jumper

Jeans

Boots

If you’re anything like me I can spend hours Christmas shopping visiting different stores so wrap up when you head to the shops in this warm hooded parka jacket and team with these skinny ripped jeans and this cute festive robin top.  I love these flat knee high boots, they’ll help keep your calves warm and with the low heel your feet won’t get too sore from all the walking around the shops either!

Christmas party

Cami

Skirt

Shoes

It wouldn’t be a festive outfit without some sparkle and shine! If you’re like me and sequins aren’t your thing then glam up for the party season with this rose gold metallic slinky cami. I love the soft drapey fit and fine spaghetti straps too. I would team it with this leather look pencil skirt that has a thigh split and add some these pointy heels to finish the look.

Christmas day

 Dress

Boots

Christmas time in my family is always a dressy affair where everyone sits down to the Christmas meal in their fancy frocks and outfits dresses. I picked this figure-flattering bodycon, with it’s metallic shimmer fabric the dress is both sophisticated, stylish and suitable for a Christmas meal with the family. Pair with red lips, a sparkling manicure and these double buckle chunky heeled ankle boots.

Gift Ideas

 Shirt

PJ Bottoms

Gloves

I fell in love with this black and white stripe wrap top when I spotted the stunning model Jourdan Dunn wearing it and it’ll make a great gift for your sister or friend too.

Every woman needs a pair of gloves for the winter and these soft leather gloves is the must have accessory for your wardrobe. I love these aztec print PJ bottoms, a nice change to the usual stripey or spotty PJ styles. Made of micro fleece they are sure to keep you warm during the colder months.

The River Grille Restaurant Review

River Grille Restaurant

I love visiting Bristol and was looking forward to dining at the much heard about River Grille restaurant at the Bristol Hotel.

The River Grille is located in the centre of the city and has beautiful views of the Harbourside. The restaurant has two entrances: the hotel access is via Prince Street and also a separate entrance for non-guests on Narrow Quay by the Harbourside. 

 View of the River Grille from outside

The restaurant is light and airy, the entire front is glass cased with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the river, so we got to see the beautiful view during our dinner.

 Lovely view of the river from our table

The River Grille serves modern British cuisine using local produce from the West Country. The menu changes with the seasons to reflect the best in seasonal produce: for starters we had the goats cheese and manuka honey with walnut sourdough and rocket salad and severn and wye smoked salmon, rilletes and pickled cucumber. 

 Goats cheese and manuka honey with walnut sourdough and rocket salad

For mains we both chose seafood dishes, inspired by the stunning view of the river: the Cornish mussels and special of the day market fish. The fish was fresh and very tasty and the mussels were delicious, full of flavour and generous portion too! 

 Fish was the special of the day

Cornish mussels

If you’re a fan of rich indulgent deserts then try dark chocolate mousse, pumpkin custard and pistachio ice cream, delicious!

 Tasty chocolate desert

The River Grille is a sophisticated restaurant with the perfect mix of a relaxed and informal atmosphere. The à la carte menu was not complicated, with a good selection of dishes to choose from. The quality of food was fantastic, freshly prepared using the best local produce.

What really made our experience at the River Grille so special was the attention to detail and excellent service. The staff were polite and took time to explain the menu to us and make recommendations on the choice of wine. The River Grille is a perfect choice for a special occasion or just to experience sophisticated dining in a beautiful setting.

To book visit River Grille Restaurant website here
Prince Street, Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QF

Tel: 0117 923 0333

*Disclaimer: I was invited to review this restaurant but all words and opinions are my own*

The Bristol Hotel: 10 reasons to marry in Winter

My winter wedding

As temperature drops and we are approaching Christmas, it got me thinking about this time last year I was planning my winter wedding.

Winter weddings are increasing in popularity every year as more couples are choosing to get married in the winter months. Let's face it, UK weather can be unpredictable so there is no guarantee your summer wedding will have summer weather. 

There's something about winter weddings that look so glamorous and magical, especially if it snows, which it did on my wedding day! 

There are plenty of reasons why getting married in winter is a great idea. The Bristol Hotel, in the centre of the city overlooking the Bristol Harbourside lists their top ten: 

It’s cool 
Winter is undoubtedly the most romantic season; cold weather provides the perfect excuse to snuggle up to the one you love and where better than on your wedding day? Moreover, grooms will be more comfortable in their suits and brides need not worry about their make-up melting in the heat, as they would in summer. 

Wedding dress 
Brides can cover up in something super stylish à la Dr Zhivago, like a beautiful fur wrap, a fluffy bolero or a romantic silk velvet cloak, eradicating the self-consciousness that so often comes with a strapless summer dress. 

Bouquet 
Winter provides an opportunity to get creative with your bouquet; instead of going for fresh flowers, introduce feathers, silk flowers, crystals or even Christmas baubles if the timing is right! Better still, you can keep it and treasure it for life. 

It’s Different 
A winter date makes a wedding special in more ways than one – it will brighten up the dark days of your winter and guests are more likely to remember it, as winter weddings are few and far between compared with summer weddings. 

Guests 
You’re more likely to get all the people you really want at your wedding, as there is less likelihood that your wedding clashes with another wedding or someone’s summer holiday. 

Availability 
You’re more likely to secure your hairdresser, your favourite bridal photographer, you name it, because there are less weddings taking place. 

More time
Less brides asking questions means that every wedding supplier that you use will have more time enabling them to provide a higher level of personalised service than usual. 

Fun & Quirky 
There are lots of fun and quirky elements you can introduce to a winter wedding, such as fake fur earmuffs on your flower girls, a snow globe as a topper and mugs of mulled wine or hot chocolate instead of sparkling wine or Champagne. 

Honeymoon 
Think about it: as a bride and groom that overseas honeymoon is going to be appreciated so much more when you’re escaping the depths of a British winter! 

Value

Most services (venues, photographers and sweet buffets to name a few) are prepared to offer a discount during the “off-peak” winter months, making a winter wedding perfect for those brides on a budget, including The Bristol Hotel, which has put together an amazing value for money package that is valid till Spring 2015. For more info visit their website here.

 Wedding at the Bristol Hotel

Bristol Hotel are holding two wedding fairs planned for 2015.

Thursday 12th March - 16:00-20:00

        and
Sunday 11th October - 10:00-15:00

For more information visit the Bristol Hotel website.

Zazzle Home Decor

Customised monogram throw from Zazzle 

I love customised décor and after discovering Zazzle has a home décor collection, I couldn’t wait to see the designs and select some items for my home.

If you’re looking to lighten up your space with a new lamp or update your pillow collection, Zazzle has a  range of stylish products for your home that you can customise and add your own stamp on items like mugs, pillows, coasters, throws, cake tins, lamps and lots more.

Whether your style is contemporary, rustic, vintage or classic there are designs to fit every personality available in hundreds of different designs. I love customising items and have used Zazzle in the past for my wedding stationery so it’s great to see that they’ve extended their collection to home products for customising.

  

 The woven throw is poly/cotton blend material 

Decorating with cushions and throws is one of the easiest and most effective ways to transform a room and my living room was in need of a serious winter makeover. I’d been looking for a damsel print throw for a while and knew this would be perfect for my living room sofa.

  

Customised vintage floral pillow

If you thought you had seen every colour, print and style of throws wait until you see the pillows! I picked this one – a vintage print of pink, yellow and blue roses, it reminded me of an old cushion my mother had years ago and would go great with the other pillows on my sofa. But there are lots of other styles and designs to choose from.

Finally, to add a bit of colour to my living room, I choose this jade, grey and black coaster, made from wood I loved this design it is probably my favourite.

Customised wooden coaster

But if pillows, throws and coasters aren’t your thing then they have lots of kitchen items to choose from like tea towels, cutting boards, serving trays, table lamps, stickers, magnets, there really is something for everyone! You can even create your own design and share it with others so they can order it.

I’ve already started thinking about Christmas gift ideas for family and friends and with the option to upload images (with a preview box to see how your item will appear) a customised gift would be an ideal Christmas present.

Zazzle have a good collection of Christmas stockings which can be customised with initials or names.  For more Christmas themed decor items and ornaments visit Zazzle's Christmas section here.

*Disclaimer: The products featured were gifted to me for review however all words and opinions are my own*