Night Stand Makeover

One fine Saturday afternoon, as I was walking home after a long expedition around London (a casual weekend activity) I found... a night stand. 

I have an unquenchable need to give life to old furniture and - pretty much - repaint everything in black and white patterns... so I couldn't just leave an abandoned night stand in need. Even if it was exceptionally boring-looking.

So I invited it home.

I spray-painted the night stand in white and let it dry completely for a couple of hours. I used black acrylic paint for the patterns and some paper tape for the reversed patterns on the drawer. And it was no longer exceptionally boring-looking. 

Mind you, the place you see in the pictures is not how my room looks like. Only showing you the night stand in his... so to say... natural habitat. I can assure you it is now in my room, keeping all my books and art supplies and Honeydukes sweets safe. 

By the way, speaking of Honeydukes... Sherbet lemons are the best.

Things I Like in London: Columbia Road Flower Market

Markets are a big thing in London. Food markets, vintage clothing markets, antique markets, flower markets, flea markets, all-kinds-of-markets. 

Although I often find myself in Spitalfields market (near a cupcakery. oh-oh!) and every other Sunday go to Bricklane market for a salmon bagel... my favourite London market so far is Columbia Road Flower Market. It's a wonderful place that makes me want to read all the gardening books in the world, move to the village and have a huge garden.  

Columbia Road Market is the kind of place you want to be on a Sunday morning. Londoners are crowding only to buy some fresh flowers, sellers are shouting, dogs are barking excitedly. And it smells of roses and lilac and coriander and lavender and rosemary and lily of the valley altogether.

I couldn't resist buying a bunch of smiling sunflowers. And a succulent. 

But I would have bought everything if I could. 

I definitely need more plants in my life. But after killing an innocent succulent I might need to educate myself on the matter first.  

Markets have become my little weekend ritual here in London. How about you? Are you in the mood for a salmon bagel and some flower shopping?

What's in my bag?

I rediscovered tote bags.

Rediscovered as in I used to hate them and now they're my favourite choice. Plus, they come in really handy if you carry around a lot of things. And I always do. 

On weekdays my Lego lunchbox is somewhere inside, too - but usually I only bring the tiny version of it (which is packed with chewing gum). I carry raw bars (you never know when you're going to be needing a snack!) and tea (same goes for drinks... and when it comes to tea - I might as well bring a cup for it, no?) and water (you've already seen my beloved bobble bottle). 

I always carry around my Moleskine and some pens and pencils, although - to be honest - I rarely use them when I'm outside. But I know - the moment I leave them home I'll come up with the coolest idea and I wouldn't be able to write it down/make a sketch. I have to be on the safe side here. 

I carry the usual stuff, too - a wallet, house keys (can you see my super cool chocolate frog key holder?), sunnies, sanitiser, phone and - of course - an umbrella.

Because now I live in a place where I have to carry an umbrella all the time. 

Things I Like in London: Harry Potter Studio Tour

I visited Hogwarts.

I still cannot believe it but yesterday I actually visited Hogwarts.

And it was magical.

Harry Potter and all the hype around it will always have a special place in my heart. I grew up with the books. I've read them at least a million times. I used to spend hours in the library checking what names and symbols and places meant. I wrote letters to whoever was involved with this magical experience. I made all props I could think of using whatever I had at hand. And yes, I had a hand-knitted Gryffindor scarf. I was that crazy kid. At least I didn't wear round glasses. But hey - now I do.

But seriously - I was a huge Harry Potter geek. I knew every single name, every single spell, every single potion. I dreamt of buying a book from Flourish & Blotts, I dreamt of trying pumpkin juice and Butterbeer. I dreamt of chocolate frogs and magic wands and invisibility cloaks and flying broomsticks - and it all came true yesterday.

I guess Harry Potter Studio Tour would be exciting for everybody - just because it is truly fascinating how a magical story is turned into reality, to touch all the costumes and see all the sets and have a look at all bits and bobs crafted in such detail.
It was a lot more than that for me, though - you could imagine. I was more excited than all the kiddos there combined and I honestly cried of joy during the whole experience. I wore the Sorting Hat, drank butter beer, ate chocolate frogs and fizzing whizz bees, tried magic wands... I visited Hagrid's Hut, The Burrow, professor Dumbledore's office, the Dungeons, and my most favourite Diagon-Ally. I met Dobby and Fawkes and Buckbeak and Aragog. I knocked on the door of Privet Drive Number 4, I rode the Knight bus, read the Daily Prophet and almost rode a broom. It was amazing.

This was probably my biggest childhood dream - to enter this magical world and be a part of it.
It might sound cheesy in a blogpost about Harry Potter... but let me tell it to you either way: dreams do come true - and you get a warm fuzzy feeling in your stomach. Or it might just be the butterbeer.

I am definitely doing a Harry Potter movie marathon this week - I'm sure I'll see all things differently now that I've taken a closer look at how everything has been made. I'm packed with sherbet lemons and every flavour beans, so it's going to be great.
Unless I get an earwax flavoured bean, that is.

Things I Like in London: Mayfield Lavender

London is... lilac.

If you get up early on a Monday, London's everything but lilac. 

If you get up early on a Tuesday or Wednesday - it's mostly gloomy and dark and grey.

If you get up early on a Thursday you might catch a sun beam or two.

If you get up early on a Friday - gloomy and dark and grey again.

But if you get up early on a Saturday, you might find London lilac. Let me tell you how.

Essential is to get up early on a Saturday. Eat a spoonful of chia. Go out for a quick run. Take a long shower. Put a raw bar or two in your bag, pack a good book, throw a coat on and catch the first train to south London. Get lost a couple of times. Take the underground. Take the overground. Take a bus and then another bus and then walk a little. Or just check a map before you do anything like that and go straight to the place. 

When you get to Mayfeild Lavender dark and gloomy and grey London has magically turned lilac. 

Bees are buzzing around, it smells of lavender and you get the feeling that you're someplace far far away from everything you know. It is nice and lilac.

You are nice, London. I like you way too much now.