Monday, April 30, 2012

The spare room ...

At this present time I am in a rush to complete the makeover of our second bedroom. Although I am loving it what I am not loving is the fact that we can't find a colour for the walls that we have in mind. Light grey is our preferred option but it appears that non of the greys we try are light enough when painted on to our walls ... frustration .... yes indeed. I want to do something different to magnolia but this is proving a headache. 


Besides that I am battling in my mind of what to do design wise in the room. It's fairly smallish and there are two giant built in wardrobes and a big Ikea chest of drawers. I would like to make it an office / guest room. But the dilemma is where would I put a desk ?! I was thinking of a desk something similar to this foldup one from IKEA. But my worries are that it might look a tad outta place on the wall in a small room. ?!


Or then there is the option of a pull up one that easily folds away for when the sofa bed is opened up and prepared for guests. I really like this idea but I just can't seem to find what I am looking for. Have any of you come across a desk similar to this drawing because basically this is what I want ! It folds up nicely as you can see and pushed to the side of the room it can be used as a side board for my girl friends to put their perfumes, makeup, jewellery on etc ...























You see I really want a desk to work from instead of my laptop on my sofa. Pictures such as these have me drooling for a cutely dressed desk with pretty flowers, beautifully arranged pens, a cute paper weight, a letter holder oh the list is endless ...


(source: heygorg)


(source: simplystated)

I feel inspired right now. And I just took one last look at the Farrow and Ball paint sample on our wall and have decided I actually quite like it ! It really works with the white. I'll keep you posted on what we decide !

Chrissi x

Friday, April 27, 2012

My week in instagram ... 







Spring is certainly here everything is starting to look so fresh and green which is really not surprising considering the amount of rain we have been having lately. The flowers are being whipped by the lashing winds and my hair has seen nothing but a pony tail all week; I feel so unglamorous, I am in desperate need for some sunshine. 

And a spring clean. I think we all need to have a good clean from time to time and why not at the beginning of a season of fresh new beginnings. Now I am not talking in terms of scrubbing and dusting your home from top to bottom, but our own bodies. I think I mentioned previously that I was somewhat of a bit of a health freak and whilst I was going through a raw vegan stage and cleansing like mad I had never felt so great. Now I am not suggesting that you need to go to such extreme measures but that I think it is important to look after ourselves and support our bodies in a more natural way than feeding it with artificial and fake foods which are of no benefit to us whatsoever.

So with thoughts like this on my mind why would I go and eat 'Australian Fairy Bread?'. Well actually I had no idea at the beginning of the week what fairy bread was ! So my Aussie friend suggested that she would make some for the children we look after. Now when she was collecting the ingredients at the grocery store horror struck ... white bread and sprinkles .... WHAT ?! She must be kidding me ?! But no when I turned up at her work later on that day there was indeed triangular slices of bread with sprinkles on. OMG I thought that's just wrong. No way. How could anyone eat that ??? Giving her the benefit of doubt though I tried that fairy bread and in fact it was actually rather nice believe it or not ! My other English friend though refused point blank to try it !! Lol ... can't say though I love it that much I will want to make any myself lol but at least I tried !

Last but not least I have seen my fair share of cute animals this week. Baby bunnies, tiny tiny hamsters, puppies and this cute little cat who is just so uber friendly. He/she comes to greet us every time we pass their house and my how Catherine loves her. This cat can seriously turn her life around (not that she has a bad life but you know toddlers everything is just so unfair !) I think I need to kidnap the cat it's a legend in my books. 

What has everyone else been up to. How's your weather been hopefully better than here in London !

Have a wonderful weekend !

Chrissi x

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

I am swooning so much for calligraphy ...


I don't know if you are anything like me but who has seen the beautiful calligraphy addressed envelopes in the fabulous Handmade Weddings book ? I mean seriously it's just to die for. 




Can you imagine receiving a letter via snail mail if it looked like this I would float up to the sky; I'd be lost amongst the clouds in paradise ! I really need to learn how to write so beautifully, but from what I hear it will take time. But I sure as anything am prepared for the challenge which I am hoping I will win in the near future. I would love to write out our wedding invitations in this style and of course written with a gold pen. *Sigh*


Just wanted to share that small post with you. Please don't tell me that there are any of you out there that are able to write like this I will be very very jealous !!


Love Chrissi x

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Inspiration overload ...


(source: pinterest)

Don't you find that there are too many inspirational ideas out there on the internet be it either for weddings, parties, home decoration even baking which are preventing us from finding our own voice and creative side ?


I read an interesting article in Mollie Makes the other day about a designer called Lotta Anderson and her business. When asked by her interviewer to name the top three creative blogs she finds most attractive and appealing she replied 'I actually try to stay away from them ... as a designer, the danger is that everything is looking the same. There's too much recycling. I don't want that in my head, I don't want to be too affected by what other people are doing around me'. Well I couldn't agree more. Not only that but don't you agree also by looking too much as these blogs and yes I will include pinterest here, that we are all finding it increasingly difficult to find our own creative style ? I am sure I am not the only one struggling with this ?!


I don't want a wedding that doesn't reflect our personalities but of some other random couple off the net; that to me is just pointless. I want our guests to come into the reception room and yes be wooooed but most importantly to say 'that is so Chrissi and Eddy we love it !'


So from now I will be keeping my distance from wedding blogs for a while to search for our own style that makes us both tick and NOT just ME ! Lol that will be difficult I know but I will do it. I don't want to turn into some freaky bridezilla. I want to have fun, not feel stressed that our ideas aren't up to scratch with the top 3 wedding blogs whoever they are ! That to me is nonsense. Our wedding can be just as good and I whole heartily believe that.


Have a lovely Sunday !


Chrissi x

Friday, April 20, 2012

My week in instagram ...


I want to start a new weekly post of things that I get up to during the week. I don't suppose you want to continuously hear about weddings, weddings, and even more wedding stuff if you are single or even already married ! I mean how boring is that I am sure most of you would agree ! 


I do like to do other things like decorating, getting crafty, baking and styling parties (that you already know !), oh and health is another hobby of mine. I have been known to be a bit of a health nut in the past lol but I can assure you that although I am still pretty healthy my weird eating habits have somewhat balanced out and am back to being considered fairly normal again ! At least I hope so ??? lol ...


So what have I been up to this week ?








(source: myownphotos)

First things first I have to warn you that although I am 30 I am still a big kid at heart so when the rain appeared on tuesday, wednesday, thursday and yes friday what better things did I have to do other than jump in puddles and splish splash around like some mad old hatter, urm nada ... nothing ! Yes I love it and who wouldn't in these delightful welly boots?! I heart Cath Kidston so much she rocks big time.

Now while I love the rain when I am at home, I don't like it when I am at work looking after children it depresses me, literally. The children are so friggin exhausting when they can't be let loose outside. I go stir crazy and the kids are about to throttle each other. So I have had to rack my brains this week of things to do and my old favourite cropped up ... baking ! Oh and it must MUST be a recipe from the Primrose Bakery recipe book ... every page is just so pretty to look at it puts a great smile on my face and the smell of biscuits and cupcakes baking in the oven .... delish yum yum the house always smells so divine afterwards ! I could bake all day if I was allowed to .... is anyone willing to come round to my flat to help me eat it all ?! I promise if you did visit me there would be lots of fresh food mostly Mediterranean meats, cheeses and bruschettas to help keep the savoury tooth also satisfied. I love fresh food and yes the less cooked the better for me anyhow. This bruschetta I made last Sunday was just to die for not sure my fiance though appreciated the garlicky smell afterwards oops !   

The other thing that I have a weakness for are sweets and when I discovered the cutest of little tea rooms in Crouch End this week I just could not believe my luck, there were adorable tea cups and saucers, beautiful illustrations created by artists from the local community and sweets .... yes sweets HEAVEN ! I must state though I behaved myself and kept my distance choosing a healthy tea and a not so heatlhy pain au chocolat ... satisfied with that I made a quick dash for the door with a screeching toodler in tow demanding I 'buy the sweeties, buy the sweeties Chrissi' was like a bloody evil voice in the head ... please Catherine they are not at all good for you they rot the teeth and send you a little bonkers (hope you are listening Chrissi !).

And there you have it my week ! Hope you like the pictures my instagram photos can be viewed here christianaholt. Enjoy ...

Chrissi x

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Save the date ...


I am so confused. I have been looking at 'Save the Dates' and there are just so many to choose from. I mean seriously there are far too many that I like and I have no idea of which way to turn.


a) do I style my own and go for something fun



(source: elizabethanne)


(source: sandiego)


(source: ohsobeautiful)

b) or maybe something a little simpler or more traditional (whatever that is !)


(source: ohsobeautiful)


(source: minted)


(source: minted) 

I like the idea of making my own but then I want them to look professional and not like I was trying to be cheap.  Lol this is going to take me sometime to choose. I might just start trying to create some myself now to see if I am happy with the way they turn out. So i'll keep you posted.

Chrissi x

Monday, April 16, 2012

Will you be my bridesmaid ?

People keep asking me why have I spent so much time preparing these sweet little things when the bridesmaids have always known who they were going to be ?! Well in fact I never officially chose my maids up until well right now !  Although I am afraid that who they are will have to be kept quiet until I get a response from them all, which really shouldn't be that long.

As most of them but 1 live at least 2 hours away I couldn't exactly just pop here and there to treat them all to a special luncheon; it would have been rather difficult with at least two of them living abroad ! So bridesmaid cards it is and yes via the royal mail ... is there anything wrong with that ? I think not. I miss those sweet days where we would send each other pretty letters through the post. So here's to hoping this will reignite a desire to write to each other more often.





(please excuse the lighting)

All round these cards were pretty easy to make. The most trickiest part was deciding on a pattern and the colours. 


I drew the flowers and the letters and then painted them with some watercolour paints. The writing is not my finest and now I wish I had found another way of printing them onto the cards, but either way I am pretty happy with the way they have turned out. They are simple and to the point.


Later on I plan on another project to inform my ladies a little more, but in the meantime I hope that they will appreciate the time and effort I have put into making these !


Now onto my next project !


Chrissi x


ps If any of you have tips on how to improve my lighting please share !

Friday, April 13, 2012

A little girl's birthday party ...


Hello all ! Well well it has been a long time. I am sorry for neglecting you all recently, but it has been busy busy my end what with France and the wedding and then having to crazily get a few decorations ready for a sweet birthday party. It has been tiring and I am absolutely pooped now definitely ready for an early night. But I just wanted to pop up a couple of wonderful pictures I took of a lovely little girls birthday party today. 


The theme was a Mini Boden party; lots of colour and pretty flowers. As soon as I set up the table I couldn't help smiling I was so happy with it and  luckily the little girl loved it too especially the pom poms ! I think I succeeded would you agree ?








One thing that I really need to work on is entertainment for children. Have any of you thrown children parties before ? What did you do activity wise ? 


I would love to hear back from you all !


Chrissi x




edit: There aren't any photographs of the children enjoying themselves unfortunately as I am not too keen on publicising them for reasons you can understand. I am a nanny and I take my job seriously :)

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Just a couple more days ...


I know that it has been quiet around here lately and I apologise for that.  Time is precious right now for me so please stay tuned as good things are to come ! This coming weekend I will blog about 2 special events, a wonderful wedding and a little girls birthday party. 


I hope you are all well and enjoyed your Easter break.


Chrissi x

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Bye bye ...


I am off for a week to what I hope and am certainly praying for; the sunny South of France, Jouques to be precise, for that long anticipated 1920s themed wedding. I have my glitz and definitely a load of glam all lined up. I'll have my dancing shoes on and ready to show those Frenchies how to really party 'Chrissi Style' lol. 



(source: Jouques)




Upon returning I will be in a crazed frenzy trying to get a few party essentials together for a little girls 4th birthday party and believe me I won't have much time.  The theme is lots of colour ! She is a Mini Boden babe and a really cutie too.  And in this house they are not really all that big on tons of girly pink which is a real shame but hey ho it'll all be lots of fun.



(source: boden)




So until then have a truly fabulous Easter and don't eat too much chocolate !


God Bless you all


Chrissi x

Monday, April 2, 2012

Oh what a LOVELY day ...


For my 30th birthday last September (yes I am 30 !) my lovely boss brought me vouchers for a day spa in Notting Hill. Now with the wedding of the year only a few days away I thought it was about time that I took advantage and got myself down there for a spot of pampering.


For the first time ever I had a hot stone massage and boy was that an experience.  I mean I was kinda freaking out a tad bit prior to the treatment lol hot stones WHAT ?! But having survived and enjoyed a traditional Thai massage I thought oh heck I can handle this. 


Why was I all panicky ??? The massage was AMAZING. She applied the perfect amount of pressure and upon first contact yes the stone was hot but not that hot; for crying out loud Chrissi she has to hold it in her hand ... uh doh ! Gosh I could have lay there all day. If only !
Truly and honestly I loved it and I sure as hell will be saving for another !



(source: Completetherapy)

And that wasn't all after lunch I went back for a manicure and now my nails are ready for partying ! They are very very red and I am totally smitten by them. I sure as hope everyone else likes them.


(source: instagram)

And now I am more or less ready for the wedding wahoooo.

That's all for now.

Chrissi x