Thursday 26 January 2012

London Cafe - To the Jungle





I admit, I am a coffee snob. I drink flat whites and they had better be good.

When I first arrived in London good flat whites were few and far between. There were chain stores and caffs. At a chain store like Costa or Starbucks the emphasis is on what you can add to the coffee, not how you make it. Grande, mocha, soya latte, anyone? Similarly, a caff is not a cafe. The coffee is hot and contains caffeine, and that is its only requirement.

I need more than that. I need a coffee to be made with love. I missed home.

5 years on and London is catching up.

Unfortunately, double prams and cafes don't always mix well. This is something I did not bargain for about motherhood. Still, I scour the East for any new cafe to try to get my fix. It is a thankless job (lie - I love it).

Anyway, today some friends and our respective troop of toddlers and babies went to our regular Thursday all-singing all-dancing break from reality, where the kids can wear themselves out stomping and cheering and clapping.

Afterwards, when they're all exhausted, we like to grab a coffee and catch up. We chose To the Jungle, a newish cafe near Dalston station. The coffees are good, the cakes are amazing and there's just about enough space for us to cram in!

If you get a chance, I recommend the Red Velvet cake, it's delicious!

Wednesday 25 January 2012

Etsy Wednesday

I have been thinking a lot about bags recently and how horrible mine is!

At the moment I have a small handbag which hardly fits anything in it and acts as a small black hole into which things seem to disappear forever. So, I'm looking for a big bag that I can fit my purse, phone, and a few baby essentials into without losing out on style.

After scouring Etsy, I've found a few that I'm loving at the moment:


This rucksack from Infusion is really pretty and would be great for summery picnics in the park - yes I'm dreaming of summer already!



Artifact Bags have a small but brilliant collection of wax totes, perfect for throwing large amounts of baby stuff in. Plus, they have really useful compartments inside to help me keep track of where my phone is...



Loving this gorgeous Pendleton bag from Carol S Miller



...and this one from Art of Leather is probably the front runner at the moment!

Which one should I get?

And the winner is...


It's Oscar nomination time again and I am always interested in who's in the running. I hardly ever agree with the winners but it's fun to try to predict who it's going to be.

Back in my pre-mother days I used to do my best to see as many of the nominated films possible before the awards ceremony, now I just make do with the trailers until they appear on my Lovefilm list.

This year I'm really keen to see The Artist - I can't believe people asked for their money back because it was silent hilarious! I'd also like to see Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Beginners.

To be perfectly honest, the best part of the Oscars ceremony, for me, is the red carpet.If I could click my fingers and my sister would magically appear in London,I would sit down in front of E! with her, a bottle of wine, and some crisps, and bitch to my hearts content.

We don't have E! so the live blog from Go Fug Yourself will be a pretty good replacement!

Tuesday 24 January 2012

Sick kids are no fun.

My 2 yr old has been sick since Friday with conjunctivitis, poor thing, and it's pretty much meant we've been house-bound. I have barely been outside for 4 days and I can feel the cabin fever setting in.

In the few moments when both kids were asleep, I managed to give my brain a break from Timmy Time and Peppa Pig and did a little internet window shopping...


Fortnight Lingerie have the most beautiful collection of vintage-feel pieces that I am keeping in mind for my wedding next year.



...or maybe something a little present-like from Amourouse? So pretty! It reminds me of the costumes in LA Confidential. Oh to have the wardrobe (and hair) that Kim Basinger's character has in that film...

Wednesday 18 January 2012

Etsy Wednesday


I usually just add things to my favourites in Etsy knowing that I'll probably never actually holding them in my itching hands, but last week I received a belated Christmas present from my sister-in-law that just happens to be an Etsy item, from Thief and Bandit, that I have been eyeing up for a while now...

Isn't it gorgeous - I keep looking at my wrist and smiling!

Taking the kids to the Tate Modern



Anyone who is crazy enough to have two babies 18 months apart will know that leaving the house in the morning to go to the local shops is on par with a military operation - which is why I haven't been venturing far from home a lot lately!

I was feeling brave this morning, and joined some friends of mine (and their toddlers) for a run around the Tate Modern... going to an art gallery with toddlers is a very different beast to wandering around by yourself. Fast and loud, but a lot of fun!

The kids loved the Tacita Dean film - it's just a shame (for them) that it was projected onto silver screen and not a wall - they so wanted to touch it.

This is my daughter, Coco, playing in the light tunnel in the under-5s area.

Wednesday 11 January 2012

Etsy Wednesday


My favourite Etsy find of the week...

It was my little girl's second birthday last weekend and I would have loved to have had these invitations:

In the beginning...

Hi, I am a stay-at-home mum living in East London with my partner Bob.

I love art, fashion, film, and anything crafty. I love hanging out with my kids Coco (2) and Alfie (6m)and exploring whatever London has to offer us.

This blog is all about the stuff I love and all the things we get up to...

I hope you like it!