this week.

1. The three day week - I don't know if I could do it all the time as I actually quite like working and having a routine, but it was very good having a three day week due to the mega bank holiday weekends.
2. Having a tidy flat - we've had a bit of a spring clean and the flat is looking really great. I love it when everything looks fresh and tidy and there isn't any clutter.
3. Kick Ass - we finally got this on DVD (and I got IDed in the process - rather embarrassing!) and we were not disappointed. Hit Girl is my new hero. Cardy bought me the graphic novel for Christmas so it's my current bedtime reading.
4. My friend's roller derby blog - she's working on a book and has started a blog telling the story of her trials and tribulations as a trainee roller girl. Well worth a read!
5. Fire and Stone in Covent Garden - Peking duck pizza, need I say more?

this week.

1. Hairy Growler Jewellery - Cardy bought me some gorgeous jewellery from the Hairy Growler for Christmas. I love it so so much, especially the lock and key necklace. Cardy is most definitely in my good books.
2. Follow the White Rabbit on Etsy - I've been admiring Follow the White Rabbit's plush deer on Etsy for some time so I was overjoyed when Cardy bought me one for Christmas. I'm now the proud owner of Blueberry Ice. So cute!
3. Mario Kart on Nintendo Wii - the parents bought this for myself and Cardy for Christmas. Not only do I love it because it's Mario, I also love it because I won a race!
4. Christmas in general - I had a really good one this year. I got to spend it with my family plus Cardy, his dad and his sister. We ate good food, exchanged lots of lovely gifts and watched Doctor Who. Bliss.
5. Staying in for New Year's Eve - myself and Cardy don't really go out so we didn't see the point in going out on the one night of the year when everything costs more and you can't actually move. So we've had a Chinese takeaway, watched plenty of Futurama and will spend the evening on the sofa.

christmas.

A huge Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful day. Mine has been spent in the company of my loved ones, I've eaten loads of beautiful food and received gorgeous gifts. All in all a perfect day.

this week.

1. Urban Decay's Preen Shadow Box - the three of us in the office decided that we would do a 'not so secret Santa' for Christmas. My gift was Urban Decay's Preen Shadow Box. I really love the peacock hues so it's going to get a lot of use.
2. My MacBook case - I finally had an excuse to use my MacBook case from Kitsch Confection on Etsy. I love the matching pouch for the power lead!
3. Stollen - I had my first taste of stollen this week. Marzipan goodness!
4. My work colleagues - everyone has been so happy and generous this week. They've really made the run up to Christmas special.
5. Going to my parents for Christmas - I travelled up to Cambridgeshire today to spend Christmas with my parents. Cardy and his sister have gone to their dad's and will be coming over tomorrow morning. Very exciting!

this week.

1. Launceston Place - I've never done fine dining before, so going to Launceston Place this week with some girls from work was a real experience. I'm not usually good at trying new food but each of the courses I ate were things I hadn't eaten before. And the port... oh, the port. I'm already looking forward to next year's Christmas treat!
2. Paperchase's Christmas cards - their selection of wrapping paper is pretty dire this year but they have a rocking choice of cards. I am especially fond of the Eskimo card set - nothing says Merry Christmas! like a smiling narwal.
3. Wrapping presents - there is nothing that gets me in the mood for Christmas quite like wrapping presents. As most of my presents are already at my parents' house I haven't had much of an opportunity to get wrapping, so Christmas Eve is going to be busy!
4. My job - I don't think I've really felt this happy when it comes to my work life. I'm really loving working in HR (this is where I hear my Mum shouting 'I told you so!' from a few counties away) and the people I work with are so supportive and nurturing. There's even the possibility for post-grad study if and when I feel ready for it. Exciting! I passed my probation period on Monday so I'm now officially permanent. Hurrah!
5. Getting dressed up - I have a gorgeous silk dress from Monsoon that I don't really get to wear that often, maybe once a year if that. So going to a fancy restaurant this week was the perfect excuse to give it an airing. Just a shame that the only shoes I have to go with it stripped the skin off the top of my feet - no skating for me this week!

this week.

1. Scrimmage - we had our first roller derby scrimmage session on Saturday and, if such a thing is possible, I'm in love with the sport even more. Absolutely amazing. I got some beautiful bruises!
2. The work Christmas party - having worked exclusively in schools since graduating I haven't really had the opportunity to go to a proper work do. So I was more than happy when the Routemaster bus turned up to take us to the London Transport Museum. A good time was had by all.
3. The Kill Bill films - myself and Cardy have watched both Kill Bill films over the last two weekends. I hadn't seen them in far too long. Uma Thurman is the only person who could work a canary yellow tracksuit.
4. My new Irregular Choice shoes - I'd been looking for a reason to buy Irregular Choice's Mini Magical Floral shoes in purple and this week's Christmas party was a brilliant excuse. I'm already looking for the next occasion on which I can wear them.
5. Timesplitters 2 - because we all need to shoot stuff up sometimes. One day I will graduate from playing it on the easy setting. One day...

style7&8.

I rather stupidly forgot to upload a cap of my previous layout, and even when I managed to remember today I forgot to log out so I've still got the silly little icon on my widgets.

This template was created using the palette (i ♥ raymie) by sugar!. It was inspired by the gorgeous Christmas decorations near my place of work.

And now for something a little more festive...

I couldn't resist using nancythequilt's leatherbound palette to create a Christmas template. Bring on the roast chicken and pudding!

this week.

1. Cinnamon and Nutella cake - I found this recipe in a book that my mother sent me to London with and my second attempt to cook it this week has been a great success. I baked yesterday morning as my parents were coming for lunch before we had a day out in London and it went down a treat.
2. Winter weather - I will be the first to admit to being cold, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I'm complaining. I'm quite small so I do feel the chill quite easily, but I actually prefer the winter to the summer months. I like coming in from the cold and sitting beside a radiator or curling up in a blanket with the laptop warming my legs and a cup of hot chocolate on the go. And you can't really snuggle that much when it's stifling hot.
3. Dressing up my dolls - I had the day off today and decided that it would be silly to go outside when I didn't really have to. My girls have matching underwear sets so they've been lounging around in them since January. As the weather has turned I thought it was time for them to wear something a bit more substantial. They look good in anything since they're thin and have legs that go on forever, so it's fun to play with different styles.
4. Liberty's Christmas Shop - I adore Liberty in general. There's just something about it, a combination of the rich woodwork and the elaborate displays. So going to their Christmas Shop with my parents yesterday was a trip well made. More fairylights than you could shake a stick at, cheery Christmas music and the decorations on offer were beautiful.
5. The new series of Peep Show - it started tonight and it looks like it's going to be a good 'un!

1. Kensington and Chelsea's Christmas decorations - I have never seen such pretty decorations. They've attached little Christmas trees to the top of the lampposts and iridescent stars have been suspended above the streets, casting purple and green reflections on the white buildings. Even the shops have put up their own beautiful displays. Beautiful.
2. The 'local' - the girls took me to the local pub for lunch today and we ate toasties in front of a proper fire. We all felt a bit drowsy when we got back to the office.
3. Desigual's 'MULA' jacket - so cute! I especially like the star detail on the collar and the asymmetrical buttons. And at 30% it's almost a bargain...
4. Homemade flapjacks - I did some baking on Monday and it seems have gone down well with Cardy. If anything the flapjacks have got better since I made them. Yummy!
5. My new bag from Sakura Urban - I've been a huge fan of Sakura Urban on Etsy for a long time and I'm so happy to finally own a piece of her work. She's going to be making me a bigger bag for everyday, but I am really enjoying my small poppy bag. The quality of just astonishing.