Go! Join the Hackney Circus

If the thought of the West-End and generic Christmas gifts make your skin crawl, then you need some Circus in your life! The artistic force behind House of Hackney, Javvy M Royle and Frieda Gormley, have pulled together the cream of the British creative crop with this Christmas festival of design. I popped in for a peruse on Wednesday and sure enough, proceeded to fall in love with pretty much everything on offer. There are some awesome designers and labels on show and all in the amazing setting of a disused power station in Shoreditch. Check out this line up...

CIRCUS
14-18 December 2011, 10am – 8pm daily

The Tramshed, Shoreditch

14 Garden Walk,

London, EC2A 3EQ

London 2012 Exhibitions

What with all the craziness surrounding the Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition at the National Gallery at the moment, it's definitely worth looking ahead to up-coming shows. Especially as, with the Olympics coming to town next year, the cultural calendar is set to explode! Here are the ones i'm already excited about... Get them penciled into the new 2012 diary over Christmas!

David Hockney RA: A Bigger Picture - 21 January - 9 April 2012 – Royal Academy.Booking open Now!

Bauhaus: ‘Art as Life’ - 26 April 2012 - 12 August 2012 - Barbican Art Gallery

Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton: A Diamond Jubilee Celebration – 8 February – 22 April 2012 - Victoria and Albert Museum

Damien Hirst - 4 April - 9 September 2012 - Tate Modern

Christian Louboutin- 28 March 2012 – 01 July 2012 - Design Museum

Technically not an art exhibition, but still, this one is a real coup!  Sundance London Film Festival - 26 - 29 April 2012 - The O2. Don't miss this...buy tickets NOW!

best buns in town...

...Cinnamon buns that is. Been meaning to pop into this delightful cafe for too long now. The interior is sparse but stylish, in that effortless Scandinavian way. but you won't notice any of that until you have finger licked every crumb off your plate. My new nemesis is their delicious, sticky, cinnamon bun. And i don't even like cinnamon. Counter-balanced with some gravadlax on rye and a nice earl grey, it made for the perfect 11's. Another visit is definitely on the cards -  i have to explore the other counter-top delights.

Interiors Focus - The Elk in the Woods

 i fell hard for this Art Deco wallpaper...It was specially made for the restaurant from a vintage sample - just gorgeous! 

Not only does this place look amazing, but the food is gorgeous and the staff are super friendly too! A must visit in Angel.

walking in a Hyde Park Winter Wonderland...

The countdown has officially begun. The 'C' word can now be be spoken, although with slight apprehension, due to the fact that it has, as always, crept up on me. So to welcome the festivities in style, I decided to jump right in and Christmas it up to the max. Enter Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland. We are talking ice skating, the main man Santa, Angels gorgeous Christmas market, scary ass rides and lots of yummy food, all in gorgeous surroundings. It's free to enter with add-ons for things like ice skating, the observation wheel and the circus...yes, i said circus!

Scream if you wanna go faster!!

Now here comes the food bit...the German's do it best...

Mishkin's

Thanks to Russell Norman's endless imagination and ambition, Londoner's have another exciting restaurant to feast at. If you are yet to sample this guys style, then you have some good stuff to work through. In a little over 2 years, we have gratefully received Polpo, Polpetto, Spuntino, Da Polpo and now, from TOMORROW, Mishkin's. This new venture is kind of like a New York Jewish deli meets East End caff, but with cocktails! Sounds good, no? And we are talking proper comfort food here...salt beef, meatloaf, duck hash... Feast your eyes on their twitter pics to start the salivation process. Oh, and one more thing. Another new edition to the Norman empire...reservations! Get calling now - 0207 240 2078.

clerkenwell vintage fashion fair @ The Old Finsbury Town Hall

Vintage Fair's and Sunday's are made to be together. Kind of like wine and Friday's or Monday's and depression...it just fits. So, with the draw of being the last of the year, Clerkenwell Vintage Fashion Fair had me out of bed and driving 'north of the border' before breakfast (calling for a Lantana pit stop on the way). I had been told that this vintage fair was one of the best, and that was no lie -  the goodies on display were awesome! Fave pieces included a Victorian, black (of course), jet beaded cape and an amazing patterned, gold foil Dior dress (nicer than it sounds, but too small anyhow). But the star of the show was the venue..Who knew The Old Finsbury Town Hall was such a gem. I was so distracted, i actually walked away with nothing - a first for me - but very satisfied all the same. 

Halloween for Dogs!

I literally barked with laughter when I saw this the other day - genius. So gutted I missed it, but that's Halloween sorted for next year... just got to get me a dog!

Of course, a dog is for life, not just Halloween. Especially as they're hard to sell once you've painted them green!