Christmas Craft Fair 2015

A few weeks ago, I attended a Christmas arts and craft fair in a small village just outside of Glasgow with my Mum, Gran and younger sister Laurel. We've been attending craft fairs in the village ever since I was just a little girl. Both my Mum and Gran have a stall each at the event selling handmade jewellery (Mum) and handbags (Gran). In recent years, both my sister and I have been running a stall on behalf of a friend of ours who helps out in the tea and coffee area. The lady we run the stall for paints some beautiful artwork and has then printed onto cards which she sells at the fair. Not only this but, she also allows me to sell cards with my photography work printed on them at her stall which I'm so grateful to her for!

I actually took a long a camera to the event in order to vlog my day but my laptop is currently broken due to wear and tear as I've had it for quite a few years which means I'm unable to edit the video footage and upload it to YouTube. My parents have agreed to replace it for me for Christmas so I'll get it edited and uploaded as soon as I possibly can. But until then, thank goodness for my iPod so I can still update my blog on it! My sister spent the day taking photographs on my behalf to post here on my blog so a huge thank-you to Laurel! I think she's actually considering starting her own blog/YouTube channel at some point so if she does I'll be sure to share it with you guys so that you can check it out!

Anyway, it was another early start for us and as I'm sure you'll have gathered by now; I'm not much of a morning person! But I just go with it and do my best to get ready without nodding off whilst eating breakfast! I flung everything I needed in my bag, made sure I had my camera with me for vlogging. And of course 'The Hat Hippie' was not going to attend a Christmas craft fair without looking the part and wearing a festive hat, so out came my Santa hat! I look forward to brining out my Santa hat every year, it brings back good memories of wearing it to primary school almost every single day in December on the lead up to Christmas.

On route to the fair we stopped by at my Grandparent's house to pick up my Gran and all of the bits n' bobs that we needed for the fair which were stored at her house. Once the car was all packed we were off and on our way. My Granddad made my Mum a small tree to display some of her jewellery on, so my sister and I spent the journey trying to keep it still as every time the card stopped or pulled round a corner it sprung forward-that was fun and games! But it certainly get us on our toes and woke me up a little!

Before long we arrived at the community hall and hauled our stuff inside, found our tables for the day and began to set up. My sister and I met up with the lady we were taking care of a stall for and got the information we needed such as how much everything was to be sold for and how the cards were to be displayed. Once we knew exactly what we were doing we got to work and started setting up the table and creating a display of cards which I really enjoy as I get to have a look through the cards which are so pretty! I also popped out a range of my own cards with some of the photography that I'd been working on all year printed on them.

No sooner than all the bits n' pieces were out on the table a flow of people began to come through the doors and became busier and busier as time went on. I love craft fairs as it always nice to catch up with familiar faces who return every single year and of course meet new people too! Everyone is so lovely and are always so interested and enthusiastic about the artwork and very encouraging towards someone like me who is fairly new to it all.

So we spent the day chatting with people, munching on the bag of snacks we'd brought along to keep us going throughout the day, (you really need them to keep you going!) selling handmade arts and crafts and in my case attempt to vlog without looking like a right weirdo! It's hard work trying to hold a camera in front of your face without receiving funny looks from other people, although I think I did pretty well considering how busy it was! I also tried out my new Polaroid cube camera (I have a ton of video ideas that I'm going to use it to create) which is absolutely tiny which helped make it not seem as obvious. Anyway, I'll try get the video edited and uploaded as soon as I find a working laptop as mine decided it's time was up-goodbye old fella! I'll miss you!

As three o'clock approached everyone began to pack up their stalls as it was almost time to make our way back home again. We packed up the stall fairly quickly as well as our own personal belongings. My sister went and found the lady we'd been taking care of the stall for and got her car keys so that she could begin taking stuff outside and packing up her car.

On my way out to our car I got to have a hug from another of the crafter's (who I've known for years gorgeous) Spaniel named Daisy. Daisy is such a lovely and friendly dog who we all adore and look forward to seeing every year at the fair. Once we were all bundled up in the heaving car we drove back to the town my Gran lives in and picked up some Chinese takeout for dinner. The food they make in the local Chinese takeaway where my Gran and Granddad lives is absolutely delicious! I always love when my Grandparents suggest ordering it for dinner!

Anyway, enough about food! The craft fair was yet another lovely event and the perfect excuse to give my Santa hat its first airing this year! Below, are a selection of the photographs that my sister, Laurel took so I hope you enjoy having a look through them! Hopefully, I'll get the vlog edited at some point soon so keep an eye on my YouTube channel and social media accounts in order to be the first to see it! 

A Few Extra Pics Of The Fair



This is Willie, the gentleman who used to work tirelessly to arrange the craft fairs and made sure everything ran smoothly. His daughter, Elaine now organises the fairs which are always so lovely to attend!



The Card Display

Some of the cards on the stall

Working hard

My lovely Mum & Gran

Little Old Me!

   

Top 10 Christmas Songs

In today's post, I will be collaborating alongside a fellow teen blogger; the lovely Geraldine from "Geraldine's Wonderful World"! We both wanted to get into the Christmas spirit and create a post to tell you about our favourite Christmas songs and share any special memories that they might bring back and generally, why we love them so much. So click here to pop on over to Geraldine's lovely blog and read all about her all-time favourite Christmas songs! I for one, am very excited to check them out and enjoy listening to them!
I hope this post leaves you feeling full of Christmas cheer and that listening to these amazing tunes bring back some special memories for each and everyone of you out there! So where shall I begin?

1. "Wonderful Christmastime" by Paul McCartney

Wonderful Christmas time by Paul McCartney is most definitely my all-time favourite song! Every time I hear it, I instantly feel extremely festive and can't help but smile and sing along (very badly and very out of tune might I add!). Wonderful Christmas time always brings back happy memories of going with my family or school to the Christmas pantomime at my local theatre every year. As we were being seated inside the theatre and were waiting for the show to begin, a playlist of Christmas songs filled the room and for whatever reason out of all the songs that were played, Wonderful Christmas time is the song that always brings back fun and exciting memories of the pantomimes! Pantomimes are one of my very favourite parts of Christmas; they are always so much fun and have me in heaps of laughter! So this song really makes me feel happy and very festive! And of course, to top it all off, Paul McCartney was a member of one of my very favourite bands The Beatles-although I had no idea it actually his song until I started properly listening to The Beatles and Paul's solo catalogue a good few years ago.

2. "Christmas Wrapping" by The Waitresses

I first heard Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses back in 2007 in when I went to see what would become one of my very favourite Christmas movies "Fred Claus" in the cinema with my sister and Dad. I really loved the song back then and still do to this day! (otherwise it wouldn't have be included in this list!) Every time I watch Fred Claus now, I spend the entire film waiting for this song to play during the scene where Fred is flying in Santa's sleigh, delivering presents all around the world. I don't really know why but it gives me an absolute buzz to hear that song and to watch that paticular scene!

3. "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" by Michael Jackson

I was a huge Michael Jackson fan when I was younger and still love his music to this day. I remember coming across the Jackson 5's Christmas album on iTunes for this time and downloading it in the middle of July as it was only 79p which was a real bargain! Eventually, I came across the physical copy of the album in HMV when I was around 11 or 12 and decided to buy it too. I think the song Santa Claus is Coming to Town is a favourite of almost every child and as we grow older it still holds a special place in our hearts. There are so many different versions out there and I have to say I really love them all but Michael Jackson's version which he recorded as child has always been a firm favourite!

4. "Happy Xmas (The War Is Over)" by John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band

Every year at Christmas when I was younger, my Mum and Gran used to attend a craft fair inside the most beautiful castle in the middle of a country park not so far from where we live. The craft fair was usually held over the weekend and it is by far one of my favourite Christmas memories. We used to get up really early in the morning to get there to set up and usually my Mum and Gran's stalls were in the first room next to entrance so it was pretty cold I must admit yet, at the same time there was something pretty comforting about the crisp, Winter morning outside. We sometimes bought homemade soup from a small food stall outside to heat us up and by the time we left at night it was really dark outside. I love when it's dark outside around Christmas time-it's so atmospheric particularly on the grounds of castle! I know it may sound strange but that for me, brought the magic of Christmas alive. Anyway, the long and the short of what I'm trying to say is that throughout the day, they used to play a compilation CD filled with Christmas hits and I remember that this particular song was played over and over again throughout the day. It was played so much that it began to freeze which became a little annoying after a while hearing the same lyrics repeated a million times. Nevertheless I still really love this song!

5. "Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues and Kirsty McColl

This is yet another Christmas classic loved by so many including me. I love the folk vibe within this song, it's so upbeat and cheery that you just can't help but smile when listening to it! So why not sit back, brighten your day and enjoy listening to another of my Christmas favourites!

6. "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid

This song is an absolute Christmas classic filled with the voices of some incredible artists who all came together for an amazing cause! Do They Know It's Christmas? has been recorded on a handful of occasions over the years in aid of different causes, the most recent one of which was recorded almost a year ago to date to raise money in aid of the fight against the deadly disease Ebola. The latest recording saw some of the most popular artists of today's music industry including One Direction, Ellie Goulding, Ed Sheeran and even some of my favourite YouTube sensations; Zoella, Joe Sugg and Alfie Deyes. And of course there was also the appearances from Bono, Rodger Taylor and the gentlemen who made it all happen Bob Geldof and Midge Ure! My favourite out of the 3 recordings however, has to be the original as it's a classic but overall; they're all great!

7. "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" by Wizzard

This is yet another Christmas classic that to be honest with you, I don't really have a particular memory of it to share with you but I just had to include it in my list as it is definitely a favourite of mine! It never fails to make me smile and I just can't help but sing along to it! Let's face it; it wouldn't really be Christmas without hearing this song! And of course this video is great fun to watch!

8."White Christmas" by Bing Crosby

I couldn't not add the all-time classic to my list, I absolutely love the film and actually went to see an amateur production of White Christmas at my local theatre just last month. I may or may not have sung along to the lyrics much to my Mum and Sister's amusement during that iconic scene at the end of the show. Yes, that spectacular scene at the end where the cast all come out dressed in their red Christmassy outfits! Well, I couldn't help but sing along! It just sort of slipped out my mouth without thinking!

9. "Walking In The Air" from the Snowman

Walking In The Air reminds me so much of being little and watching The Snowman every single year on Christmas Eve. It's became a bit of a tradition for me as I cannot go a single Christmas without watching The Snow as well as the sequel released back in 2012, The Snowman and The Snow Dog which is  also such a sweet film! I spend the entire film oohing and ahhing at the little dog made out of snow wishing it was real-I'm such a big kid at times!

10. "Merry Christmas Everybody" by Slade

Merry Christmas Everybody by Slade brings back good memories of going to the local Christmas light switch every single year in town. This cheery and upbeat song is always played immediately after the lights were officially switched and everyone just can't help but smile and sing along! So go watch the video and don't forget to sing along!

Seeing as it's Christmas, I thought I'd be extra generous and throw in an extra song for you guys to check out!

11. "Silent Night" by Stevie Nicks

Now, I didn't even know that Stevie Nicks had record a cover of Silent Night up until just a couple of years ago. Silent Night is a beautiful song anyway, but hearing one of my all-time favourite singers, the beautiful Stevie Nicks singing it makes it all the more special.

The Other Side Of Christmas

If you've been following my blog since I started it over a year ago, you may remember a post I wrote about meeting James Bowen and Street Cat Bob when they visited Glasgow to sign copies of James latest book "A Gift From Bob". The book was written about James' life living on the streets during the Christmas period before he met Bob. It also focuses on one particularly cold and snowy December in London back in 2010. I wanted to write a few festive blog posts throughout the month of December and where Christmas is supposed to be the season of goodwill and joy to all men; there is another side which is often forgotten about by each and every one of us. So in today's post I'd really like to highlight that side of Christmas and bring it to everyone's attention.

Whilst we are all curled up in front of the Christmas tree in the warmth of our homes, there are thousands of people roaming the streets with nowhere to go and no place to call home. I'd been planning to write about this subject for a little while now as it's something I'm very passionate about. Coincidently, whilst watching TV the other day I saw an advertisment for a documentary on being homeless at Christmas and it actually made me think about this subject all the more. So I decided to sit down and actually write a bit about it. 

If you've read my previous post about James and Bob you'll know a little bit about them and how I first discovered them but just to briefly fill you in; James Bowen was once a drug addict (now recovered) who for a period of time (prior to meeting Bob) lived on the streets of London. He met Bob, a gorgeous ginger Tom cat at what I'm sure was a very difficult time in his life. James found Bob on a neighbour's door step so presuming he belonged to one of his neighbours gave Bob a stroke, said 'Hello' and walked on by. Noticing that Bob was injured, James realised the little cat must have been a stray so decided to help him out and nurse him back to health. Once Bob's injury had healed and no longer showed any sign of infection, James sent Bob on his way. However, as James set out on his way to busk in Convent Garden, the little cat followed him onto the bus and sat down on the seat beside him-pretty unbelievable! 

Before long James and Bob were inseparable and little Bob began to turn James' life around leading to James taking the final step to come off of the methadone programme. One day, James was approached by a lady he often spoke to whilst selling copies of the Big Issue and was asked to write a book about his life with Bob and well; the rest was history really!

He's since released a number books; some of which are for older readers, some suited to younger readers and even children's picture books. One of his most recent books, takes place during a particularly cold winter that hit Britain back in 2010. A Gift From Bob really touched me in a way that very few books have ever done before. If I remember right, I'm pretty sure this was James and Bob's last Christmas living it rough before his first book was written and released. Money was tight meaning that it was difficult to afford to pay for heating and electricy forcing James to go out in the freezing tempratures which caused him to on ice slip and injure his leg. Yet, he still had to brave the cold weather as well as the pain in his leg to busk as well as selling copies of the Big Issue in order to make just enough money to get by and take care of both himself and Bob. Around this time, James saw a few things which brought back what I'm sure were painful memories of his time living on the streets.

I don't want to write too much about the book as you guys really need to go out, purchase a copy and read it for yourselves but there is a point I want to make through writing today's post. Reading James' book about Christmas on the streets and how Bob the cat changed his life really opened my eyes and made me think. As you know, I've spent alot of time in London throughout my life having treatment in hospital and attending medical appointments. Due to this I've spent alot of time with my family walking through the streets of London. From a young age I've seen alot of people sleeping in cardboard boxes outside in the streets at all times in the year. Some of these people were young children and it was absolutely heartbreaking to witness. My parents always took us into the nearest coffee shop/McDonalds and ordered coffee and a muffin/pastry or somethling like that and gave it to some of the people sitting outside/sleeping in the streets. Sadly, we can't change their situation as much as I wish I could right there and then but, at the very least we can give them something warm in order to help heat them up and keep them going throughout the day.

London is a very lonely place at times and I for one have had first hand experience of just how unfriendly a place it can sometimes be. It's difficult to get to know anyone and due to how big a place it is makes it all the more difficult to even recognise someone's face. Despite this, I was actually taken aback with the kindness of people mentioned in the book and to be honest it helped restore my faith in humanity. Reading James' experiences during the Christmas period in London gave me that warm and fuzzy feeling inside. I felt touched by his story and I'm so pleased to see that James' life has turned upside down and that he is now able to help others who are in similar situations. At his book signing that I attended last year, James invited a gentleman who'd been selling The Big Issue outside the shop to come inside and sell copies of the magazine to those waiting in the signing queue. He was such a friendly gentleman and the support he recieved from James and all of his readers evidently meant the world to him.

Both reading James' book as well as seeing the look upon people's faces when you hand them as simple a thing as a cup of coffee and a pack of mini muffins makes you realise that it's the small things in life that really count. Perhaps we should all take a step back from the craziness of our lives every now and then and consider just how lucky we really are! What we often forget is that none of us know what the future beholds for us; any one of us could easily encounter difficult times . "A Gift From Bob" is such a positive yet very touching book which certainly made me think and feel grateful for the live I have. Yes, life isn't easy and i've encountered my own fair share of problems but at the same time I'm one very blessed girl. 

So this Christmas please spare a thought to all the people out there who aren't as fortunate as us. If you walk by someone on the streets pop into the nearest coffee shop and buy them a hot chocolate. Or even just spare them a smile and wish them a merry Christmas as you pass on by; that one smile might just be what they needed to brighten their day! 

Christmas Day 2014

Hello everyone out there!

As Christmas has now come and gone (how did that happen so quickly!?) I thought I'd write a post about what I did for Christmas alongside a few photographs that I took on Christmas day.
 My mum woke my sister and I up around 9:30 am on Christmas morning , who knows when we finally would have gotten up had no one woken us. 


The beach on Christmas morning

As a family, we spent a couple of hours that morning opening presents that we each had received. I received some really wonderful presents that I shall truly treasure- thank-you to all my lovely friends and family who kindly gave me a gift! 
 After eating breakfast we got dressed and my Dad, sister and I went out for a walk along the beach to enjoy the fresh air. It was a cold and crisp morning so my much loved companion; my hot water bottle (which is like a magnet to me in the winter months) came along too! The heat from it helps to ease my knee pain when we're out and about, particularly in the winter months.

 We arrived back home where my mum was preparing our Christmas dinner. This year we all had decided that rather than having a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings, that instead we'd have a buffet with a range of different foods so that everyone could help ourselves to whatever they pleased. At Christmas we often feel that sitting down to a big three course dinner in the afternoon isn't the best of ideas as we usually feel quite full-particularly when you munch your way through some chocolates in the morning! 


The buffet

 There was a bunch of foods such as: chicken pakora, rice, sausage rolls, a selection of meats, potatoes, breadsticks, vegetables and dips, garlic bread and lots more-there's too many to list! And for dessert there was homemade chocolate cheesecake.
 My Grandparents arrived in the afternoon and we exchanged gifts with them before tucking into our lovely buffet-our Christmas dinner. We then spent the rest of the afternoon chilling out watching films on the television. It's lovely to be able to sit down, relax and not need to rush around like you do on any other day of the year. It felt like complete and utter bliss!


Oh Christmas Tree....

 
 Our Christmas day came to an end with us calling my lovely Aunty who lives in New Zealand to have a catch up with her. I'm so grateful that there are such things as telephones and the internet; without that it would be extremely difficult to keep in touch. I miss both my aunt and my cousin dearly and wish that we all could spend Christmas together....maybe one day!

 As I bring this post to an end I want to say that I hope that you all had a special Christmas this year! I send you all my best wishes for 2015 and hope that it will be good one for each and everyone of you!

Lots of Love,
Robyn x
 

Preparing for Christmas Festivities

I can't quite believe how quickly this month has flown by! It feels like not so long ago we were enjoying the sunshine in the midst of summer and all of a sudden Christmas has arrived. During the couple of weeks I have been pretty busy preparing for the festivities so with that in mind I thought I'd share with you all what I've been up to.

Just over a week ago we visited our local theatre to see this year's Christmas pantomime which they have chosen to do a production of "Beauty and The Beast". I'm unsure whether pantomimes are performed worldwide or just here in the UK. For anyone who has not heard of a pantomime; here is a brief explanation. Basically, it is a re-enactment of a classic fairy-tale such as Cinderella or Jack and The Beanstalk the plot is usually filled with popular songs and jokes relevant to today's society. A pantomime also involves a lot of audience participation so being an audience member means you never know what to expect.

A few years ago our town's little theatre was closed due to the lack of funding to renovate and maintain the building. It was devastating to see the theatre close, it was the heart of the town and was sorely missed by each and everyone of us. Fortunately, enough money was raised to begin some of the much needed renovations and the theatre was eventually reopened to the public in December 2012! Everyone was delighted to see it open again and has been well supported by theatregoers ever since.

The pantomime is always held during the months of December-January and is most definitely the highlight of the year in the theatre's programme. I personally, had never seen "Beauty and the Beast" as a pantomime before and thoroughly enjoyed the show. The hilarious cast had every member of the audience in heaps of laughter-it was certainly a great start to the festive season!

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Last Monday my lovely friend and I visited our local Sainsbury's store to wrap Christmas presents for charity. We'd visited the week before and made a start on the wrapping. However, we soon realised that we wouldn't be able to work our way through the entire three trolleys full of gifts. We decided that we both would come in a second day to complete our duties as Santa's elves! So we did just that.

The gifts are donated to a range of different charities who give these gifts to people (children in particular) who would wake up to nothing on Christmas morning. I find it really devastating that unfortunately there are people out there who have nothing but it's so lovely to think that these gifts that are given to them will put a big smile on their faces.

My friend and I both enjoy wrapping presents so we had a good old time working our way through the gifts. It was a good way to improve on my present wrapping skills-although I think I still have a long way to go before I perfect that skill! There is of course no forgetting that it was also nice to have a good old chat whilst in the process of doing so!

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Over the week I've also enjoyed some Christmas festivities such as baking red velvet cupcakes to give to friends who visited us at different stages last week. I confess that I somehow managed to cover myself (and the kitchen) in icing sugar-yet again! It's all part of the fun of it though! 

Apart from that Mum and I have enjoyed working our way through a selection of Christmas movies that were aired on television throughout the past few weeks. In my opinion we recon that the best ones are televised on Channel 5, they're proper feel good movies. Definitely worth checking them out if you have a few hours to spare and since it's Christmas you can't forget a mince pie or in my case a slice of chocolate yule log-mmmm!

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Finally, my week finished off with a visit to the theatre (in Glasgow this time) to see Saturday Night Fever the Musical. Saturday Night Fever was absolutely brilliant! You can't help but dancing in your seat and tapping your feet to those catchy tunes. You just can't help but love the Bee Gees' music!

 I must admit whilst at any show I like to pay attention to the smaller details as strange as that may sound. I've had a couple of backstage tours in theatres which was so interesting as I had the opportunity to see what happens behind the scenes. I have such a fascination with the sets, the costumes, the orchestra etc. It's so interesting to learn about everything that goes into putting on these popular productions. I don't think I realised how much hard work and effort goes on behind the scenes to put on the flawless performances that we see on the stage.

The music was great too! In this particular production rather than having an actual orchestra members of the cast played the live music which was wonderful to watch. There was a keyboard player and drummer who played in an orchestra like tradition. But the rest of the music was performed by the cast on stage which in my opinion was an excellent idea. As I am currently learning to play bass guitar, I spent a lot of time during the show focusing on the bass players to see the techniques they use whilst playing as I pick up on the techniques that they use helping me to improve on my playing.  

This will probably be my final post prior to Christmas so with that in mind I wish each and everyone of you out there a Very Merry Christmas!

Lots of Love, Peace and Best Wishes,

Robyn x