Bauble close up

I've had a couple of requests to get a better look at some of my Xmas baubles so here you are... enjoy!

Silver heart - Tesco

Snowflake - Tesco

Pink reindeer - Home Bargains

Chanel - handmade

Bird - eBay

Selfridges 

Angel - Tesco 

Pink & Gold - Tesco

Angel - granny hand me down

Ho ho ho - Home Bargains

Pearl - Tesco

Pink heart - Tesco

MERRY XMAS!

Sunday vamp

Sunday vamp by CutsieLife @ Polyvore

Popcorn and Beer night

Now, if you're wondering why we had a popcorn and beer night,  we didn't. This is how my 'quiet drink with a friend' nights tend to digress. 

We started on a couple of bottles of rouge, but this wasn't enough. Come 1am and having a rather dry mouth from a popcorn eating competition (I managed 84 pieces btw)  we decided to see what was gathering dust at the back of my drinks haul -  and this was it. 

The Belgian beer Kwak. 

I picked this bottle up in Bruges back in April 2011 on a European campervan trip, and it's been lurking around ever since. 

The beer is traditionally served in a special glass on a wooden stand, I failed to bring one of these back so a standard glass would have to do!

I'm usually more of a cider drinker than anything but I thought I'd give it a go, and at 8.4% for an ale I was rather excited.  It came in a chunky  75cl bottle with a cork similar to a champagne cork. Once popped we were away..

I was pleasantly surprised, although bitter and dry it was quite a fresh tasting ale with a toffee and banana aftertaste. Letting the first couple of sips settle was a task as it was quite bitter at first, but once I understood the taste I actually couldn't put my glass down. 

I'm no ale connoisseur but I really enjoyed this and will be quickly tracking down a few more bottles :)  I'm sure you can get smaller bottles of this in the UK but if you're visiting Belgium then Id grab a couple of these larger bottles, just for the fun of popping the cork! 

I'm glad I managed to sample this beer almost 2 years after buying it, now I'm off to reminisce about my European adventure...

Pink rebel

A cutsie winter look
Pink rebel by cutsielife @ Polyvore

Seasonal nails

I'm fully into the festive spirit now so fancied some seasonal nails. I didn't want anything too showy so this look is quite understated, not overly festive but it adds a bit of sparkle! 

I used 2 coats of Urban Outfitters nail polish in 'Grey 1' ($5), it goes on like a dream and lasts ages without chipping.  It's a fab colour, almost an inky blue grey, it dries with a nice shine.

I bought this particular bottle in Las Vegas nearly 2 years ago and it's just as I bought it, no clumping or stickiness. 

Once dried I added 1 coat of Boots 17 'Dazzle The Night' nail polish in 'Glimmer in the Night' (£2.99) to my ring finger on each hand. One coat is enough to cover the nail with a thick slick of silver glitter, mostly tiny glitter sparkles with a few slightly bigger ones that catch the light. 

I'm pleased with the overall effect, a little bit of Xmas bling.

Secret Santa

My friends and I like to get together annually for Christmas gatherings before our own family festivity commitments on the big day itself.

Secret Santa is always the main event, only a small amount spent per person, but it's so exciting!
This year I was rather happy with my haul, an Eco friendly travel cup (New Look)  for the morning commute from Natasha.

and a 'I'm the kind of dirty you can't wash off' ceramic toothbrush holder and handbag mirror (kitschagogo.com/ Amazon) from Danielle.
These girls know me well!

Danielle hosted a great Xmas dinner with gorgeous food, charades and a fabulous music quiz(which I won :)) 

This year I held a Christmas Party with plenty of fun games and festive antics.

U

Festive touches

I've succumbed to the snow in a can and jazzed up my living room window.

My favourite Xmas card so far...from my friend Kayleigh - she knows me too well!

Marks & Spencer chocolate coins & notes <3 yummmm