Steamboat Bordello

I am off to Cardiff for the weekend for a Hen do... but I am making sure that I am back in time for this on sunday!... described on their website as....

'1840 - 1930 - the heyday of the Mississippi paddle steamer. These floating palaces of sin plied their trade up and down the mighty Mississippi from New Orleans to St Louis.

Specialising in unlicensed gambling, prohibited liquor and transactions of a carnal nature, the pleasure boats were the last bastion of Southern lawlessness. Now, step aboard the majestic Dixie Queen as The Last Days of Decadence brings a little of this lost age to the River Thames. A floating fantasmagoria of rogues, riverboat gamblers, good time girls, snake oil salesmen, fallen southern belles, confederate rifles, yankee doodle dandies, bootleggers, carnies, gypsies, tramps and thieves.

The Steamboat Bordello sets sail with 600 passengers from Tower Pier at 5pm sharp on Sunday 31st October, passing through Tower Bridge (opened especially for the occasion) and sailing onwards towards the Thames Barrier before returning to disembark St Katharine Docks at 10pm.'

Hot club of Cowtown, The correspondents, El Nino,Gaz Mayall , John Drain and Ruby Blues are all playing.. now to pick a costume!

10 years of 10

last night I went to the 10mag party sponsored by converse to celebrate 10 years of 10... Roland Mouret was there, Chris Kane, Henry Holland.. I drank far too many free drinks and my phone broke... ow! x

A vintage desk...

Those of you who follow my Twitter will know that I have a new work desk!... it hangs from the ceiling and is incredibly modern.. but there was no way i was going to ryman's to buy boring pen pots!.. instead I have been scouring etsy... im looking for anything from a biscuit tin to house phone chargers and bits and bobs.. vintage book ends and a pen holder. I already have my paperclips in a teacup from Tart...

Pen Pots...

Marmalade Jar

Moustache Mug

Book ends...

Bambi

Carousel Horses

Bits and Bobs pot..

Cherries

Apothecary Jar

Can you guess which ones I went for? x

Halloween dinner

Even though we're not American when I was a child my mother always went all out on Halloween.

One year our entire house was transformed into a cave, cobwebs everywhere and with our playroom dark and all the walls lined with bits hanging off to scare us, another year we had apple bobbing, sweets hanging on string from the ceiling and boxes full of different objects to represent worms or brains. We had so many masks and costumes hidden away that my brothers continued to drag out all year round - a favourite was the all over rubber warewolf mask and a wall mounted skull that used to yell 'I can see you' as you walked past.

My father favoured more the trick aspect of trick and treating and used to give us little boxes of raisins filled with salt!.. Either way Halloween was always celebrated.

Now as it has bcome so much more commercialised and Americanised here it is hard not to celebrate Halloween, lined up next to the christmas items are hundreds of products repackaged to feature a ghost or witch on them. I was shocked when in Marks and Spencer the other day how every item is renamed to flog it for Halloween... cheetoes are witches toes and candy floss becomes cobwebs...

well in the interests of saving money, and of keeping with tradition.. here are some meals that we used to eat at Halloween...

- Spaghetti - in many forms!.. extra garlicy to ward off vampires, with meatballs that you can pretend are eyeballs

-chicken (bat) wings

- food colouring in anything (even mashed potato)

- jelly with worm sweets set in.

- carrot sticks (fingers)

- mini cocktail sausages (also fingers i think!.. or toes!)

_ fish fingers (can you guess what it is yet!)

- any green soup - broccoli, pea - pond algae

- ketchup or any tomato (blood) based sauce

- blue cheese (mould)

- toffee apples

and anything else that you can rename or style to be ghoulish!... all served by candlelight with goblets of blood. x

Twin Peaks festival

I'm sure you all by now know of my Twin Peaks obsession.... which I have mentioned here, here and here!

well there must be enough like minded people out there as my boyfriend sent me a link today to a Twin Peaks Festival!!

The reason for the festival is the programme's 20 year anniversary and it is being held at Riverside Studios in Hammermith. It will include the screening of 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me', conversation with special guests, cherry pie, doughnuts and of course coffee!

Also Michael J Anderson and Kimmy Robertson will be there, there is a costume contest, quiz and a DJ to perform your own Audrey dance!.. ok I need an outfit!! xx

The Old Cinema

Now that we have moved offices to near Turnham Green The Old Cinema is just a short cycle ride away, with the excuse of furniture hunting for the office this place is such a treasure trove of refurbished vintage finds.

While it is quite expensive and a lot of pieces are a little too modernised it stil has some bargains to be found and some great pieces..I particularly love the kitchen department and the more rustic pieces.

Sunday in Pictures

x Here's what I got up to today in pictures...

After waking up at 8 I had to wait around for Sam to wake up at lunch... then we went for Eggs Benedict at Base

Then we wandered around the little Market and down to Camden...

Where we looked through the clothes at Dappa Boutique - a vintage shop and Hair Salon in one!... they had this amazing Mary Quant dress but even if it fit it is £220!

Then off to the lock where we wandered down the canal to Little Venice.







and into a pub...
then we walked to the cinema to eat a lot of popcorn and minstrels and watch The Social Network


and finally home to Pizza and RED.



I hope you all had a lovely sunday :) night xx

Chloe Alberry

Portobello road is packed with antique stores.... I love trawling through them on the rare saturday (the crowds i do not love) but i had never really been into Chloe Albury... probably because all the front of the shop is door handles! and i've never really been in the market for some new door handles.... however with our new office we needed some!... while my boss looked at boring kickplates and handles i rummaged through the back room which houses some beautiful enamelware and old cigarette card books. I felt it was a bit overpriced but if I ever have some spare cash and a particularly strong enamelware craving i will be back!

The Sounds

Last night I saw one of my favourite bands at the Garage - it was Awesome! x

The Selby

The Selby always features amazing houses.. but I am totally crushing on this one owned byPamela and Jordan

Gin Gifts

When I got home yesterday this lovely little book was waiting for me from Hendricks Gin... so cute!...