Conversation Pieces

Hello everyone… how was your Monday? I just wanted to say a huge thanks to all of you who have left comments here, sent emails and given me some very helpful/sound advice, you’re the bestest invisible friends a girl could have!

Anyway, with all the excitement that was last week, I totally forgot to share this pic I took recently at the Underbelly – it’s my new reference for how I would like the lighting in my hall to look. Not sure it would look quite so pretty with energy-saving bulbs but I love the different heights and the way they’re clustered together. Now I just need a drill, lots of light cables… oh yeah and an electrician.

I’m thinking it would look stunning in our long hall which has this colour scheme going on…

Well, we have a black wall and a front door that’s in the process of going yellow. (Need to get my butt in gear and paint it in other words!) As much as I love the black (which I really really do) I think having a lot of lights will help balance out the darkness. What do you think?

P.S. I know many of you were probably expecting a wedding-related post but I’m still going through all the blogs and sites you all suggested! Great fun but making me go ekk slightly too!

P.P.S. If you guys approve, I thought for at least now I would do a weekly weddingy post – probably on a Weddingnesday – that way I can still share some of my finds/thoughts without going too bridetastic on you!

Second pic via Living Etc

It’s strange how one question can open up a whole world of other questions… And here’s the thing – I know almost nothing about weddings! Sure I know there’s a bride, groom, guests etc but I have no idea how you go about having one. Thankfully everyone else I know who’s engaged says they feel like they know nothing either so I’m not the only one.

So for this Friday, I thought I would share a few of the (very random) things me and the other half have discussed. At the moment, all we know is that we want to have a wedding that’s different – fun, informal and very us – but in what shape or form that will be we have no idea. But I like that. I like that we have no definite theories… because currently anything is possible and we can dream big (without even thinking about the budget for the moment!)

Anyway, here’s some possibilities…

P.S. Don’t you just love how happy all these people look? Makes me go awww!

P.P.S. I can so start to see a theme in the pics I’ve picked! (At least in the length of the wedding dresses anyway!!) Anyone know of any other weddingy blogs that are good for my ‘research’?

All pics via A Cup of Jo and Smitten, except photo 6 which is via Ali Blair’s blog.

On Friday night, the other half got me to pack a weekend bag. He then called a taxi and within half an hour we were on the overnight sleeper train to London.

At this point I had no idea what was going on as he’d told me he was taking me somewhere I hadn’t been before. He then explained yes we were going to London but that he had a list of places (that I was allowed to google one at a time) that I’d never been to in London – either ones I’d mentioned wanting to go to or places he’d found that he thought I would like.

So my googling led me to a gorgeous French patisserie for breakfast, then to The Peanut Vendor for some mid-century furniture hunting (regular readers may remember I really wanted to go there last time I was in London but ran out of time), to an exhibition, to St Paul’s Cathedral (to feed the birds!), to a very posh Japanese-style hotel… and then to see Wicked at the Apollo Theatre.

(I first saw Wicked in New York about 5 years ago and absolutely loved it – I’ve even been Elphaba at Halloween – so the other half thought it would be a guaranteed hit.) After all this, he took me out for dim sum (my favourite) and I must admit I was beginning to feel a bit freaked as to what I had done to deserve all this!

Then on Sunday morning, he said I had two locations left to google… one of which turned out to be the Cupcake Emporium.

There was no-one else in the place so the other half (who had been planning to propose at the last location) decided this would make a better place to pop the question… and one Red Velvet cupcake later I was a future Mrs! (We were both shaking and grinning so much that we nearly couldn’t eat our cupcakes!)

The last location turned out to be London Zoo. (If you know us, then you’ll know how our relationship seems to have been punctuated with trips to zoos and aquariums! So it’s amazing that I’d never made it to London Zoo before!) So we spent the rest of the day here, taking pictures of otters, meerkats and monkeys (and the carousel!), phoning our friends and family… and generally pointing out how much the other was grinning. (We both had such sore cheeks by the end of the day!)

Then we went out for some dinner and celebratory fizz, before heading to catch the sleeper home.

And for the final detail… the ring. After much wrangling, the other half decided that I would probably lose the plot if he spent lots of money on a ring before we even have a kitchen. (He knows me too well!) So until we get a kitchen, I have a perspex diamond ring and after that I get to choose whatever I would like. (Except I have no clue what that would be! So any suggestions welcome!!)

So I’m back home after my weekend of surprises of which there were many mini surprises along the way – but the biggest one of all was…

Yup, that’s right the other half has asked me to marry him (and I said yes obviously!). We spent all yesterday grinning from ear to ear and giggling at how strange the word ‘fiancee’ sounds! Will tell you more later but right now me and the other half are off to enjoy some sunshine and some more grinning at each other like idiots!

So it’s Friday which means I get to know a wee bit more about the other half’s surprise he has planned.

Here’s the clues I’ve been given so far:

• We’re going on a mystery trip

• We’re not camping

• I’m going to be given a map with addresses on them and I have to google them

• It’s somewhere I’ve never been before

• I need to bring a posh dress

• And we’re leaving tonight

Needless to say I haven’t got a clue where we’re going!! But the other half has said it’s bloggable so I may be able to do an update from my iphone (which I don’t know how I lived without now!)

Anyway in honour of the surprise, I thought I would share one of my favourite decor ‘surprises’… hidden doors. How cool are these?

First door from Hannah Zakari’s blog. Second door from Jangus’s sunny edinburgh flat… via Living Etc

So yesterday me and the other half went to see U2 at Hampden in Glasgow… which looked a bit like this…

Where I looked a bit like this… slightly damp and with far too much flash on me (if I ever needed confirmation that I might be one of the palest people in the universe!)

Anyway, it was a fab gig and the 360 degree stage was very cool (that’s the spider thing!)… and the other half (he’s the real U2 fan) certainly seemed to enjoy singing along to almost every song – though not as much as the drunken dads in front of us!

Today we took a trip to The Lighthouse, had a nose at a few of their exhibitions including one about Swiss design studio BIG-GAME who are responsible for ‘that’ moose head…

And then decided to look at a few of Charles Rennie Mackintosh‘s chairs… I want this one (though I think it might be a bit out of my budget!)

We then took a venture up the spiral stairs (that are suspended in what was a water tower) to the top of the building…

Where the view (on a typically grey Glasgow day) looked like this…

After all that we popped into Che Camille. I’d heard many great things about this place and it really didn’t disappoint. It’s a showroom for independent design, with a designer workshop onsite, and an exclusive range of design items. The resident design team is called The Glasgow 10 and their stock includes men and women’s fashion, millinery, jewellery, shoes, fabric and furniture. The only downside was that I didn’t have enough brain power left (too little green tea!) to choose between all the beautiful things… so I’ve made a deal with myself that next time I will go back prepared to try things on and part with my cash!

However one of the standouts (of which there really were many) was Gillian Kyle‘s work… which included the Scottish Pride at the top of this post, as well as Glasgow Tea and Teacake. Perfect for presents I feel and that gives me the perfect excuse to go back and buy myself a present too!

Hello everyone. Hope you’re having a lovely Tuesday (especially Girl with a Golden Touch since it’s her birthday!). We’re off to see U2 today which the other half is every excited about as he’s a big fan – and then spend tomorrow in Glasgow, where I may have my usual rummage in the junk shops (yay!). After that, we’re apparently going on another ‘mystery trip’. Yup, the other half has another one of his secret plans in which he drives me slowly crazy by planning things and telling me absolutely nothing. I’ll let you know when I know!

P.S. Just realised that I’ve recently received another two Lemonade awards so I really should get round to passing them on. Will do that soon… along with all the other things I’m planning to get round to on this break. (Yup I am under the delusion that two weeks is longer than it really is!)

You and me card from bread + butter

Things to do on the first morning of your holiday (if you are me)…

Lie in bed (well you did finish work last night at 12.30)

Download some apps to your new iPhone (I resisted getting one but must confess I love it!)

Work out how to blog from said phone

Take pics of the cats with phone and use an app to turn them into polaroids

Drink some green tea… and eat a fudge donut

So far so good! Happy Saturday everyone