Showing posts with label fbloggers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fbloggers. Show all posts
Monday, 28 April 2014
Tuesday, 22 April 2014
Friday, 18 April 2014
Thursday, 17 April 2014
A day in and around London
Hello my lovely beauties..
I spent the day in and around London with my kid sister Monica on Wednesday, it was the half term and with the weather being so nice and sunny, i knew we had to take advantage of it before it disappeared again. (As always in the UK) We started off at my favourite spot in the whole of London, St Paul's Cathedral and then we walked on to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. I have to say how amazing London is to see on foot, forget the buses and tubes.. as long as you have two good feet, walking around London is the best thing to do. We walked for roughly 6 hours and we were exhausted, i mean literally.. by the end of the night, we just wanted to lay flat out on the bed. If you are thinking of doing this little walk around, then i do suggest, water and flat shoes. We did think of this in advance and were very prepared! We went by the South bank, Big Ben, London Eye, Houses of Parliament, Downing Street, The Mall, Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square all on foot. It was one of the most blessed days I've spent in ages, and it made me LOVE London a little bit more. We also went inside St Paul's and lit a candle after saying a little pray, way too Special.
Get ready for a photo heavy post...BUT a photo says a thousand words right?
Sunday, 13 April 2014
Lets spend a day at Coachella together!
Hello all,
One day, i WILL spend a weekend relaxing in Indio California, i will enjoy soaking up the sun, and i will have the buzz from the music playing. I will go on the huge ferris wheel, and i will pile up all the energy of the whole Coachella event.
If you were to ask me, what festival i would like to attend, i literally cant think of any, other then Coachella. Glastonbury doesn't do it for me like it does for some, i just want to go to the desert festival in the USA.
When you think Coachella, apart from the stunning views of the place, and the amazing artists who perform there, you think of the FASHION (At least i do.) One of my favourites to keep an eye out for is Vanessa Hudgens, as her Coachella outfits ALWAYS inspire me.
When you think Coachella fashion, think, flower headbands, think fringes and tassel's, think sunglasses and accessories. Lots of rings, necklaces, bracelets (All layered of course), think big hats and boots, think shorts and crop tops or bralets, think feathers and laid back. All in all, Coachella fashion has lots of different pieces that make an outfit truly unique and makes it stand out. I love the whole Boho Look and feel of the whole event.
With all that said, i thought i'd show you two quick outfits that i may rock up to coachella in.. if i was lucky enough to be there.
Thursday, 10 April 2014
I cant think of a good title, so lets go with "RED"
Hello all,
How pretty and amazing is the weather in the UK being right now? I mean, seriously.. we have had 2-3 glorious days of sunshine, and it just makes me more excited for summer to hurry up and arrive!
I went to meet some of my lovely ladies for a spot of lunch the other day, which also turned into us playing Mario Cart on the Wii by the end of the night, by the way..Women are super duper competitive, if you didn't know! :)
I LOVED my outfit and so thought i would share with you guys what i wore..
How pretty and amazing is the weather in the UK being right now? I mean, seriously.. we have had 2-3 glorious days of sunshine, and it just makes me more excited for summer to hurry up and arrive!
I went to meet some of my lovely ladies for a spot of lunch the other day, which also turned into us playing Mario Cart on the Wii by the end of the night, by the way..Women are super duper competitive, if you didn't know! :)
I LOVED my outfit and so thought i would share with you guys what i wore..
Sunday, 23 March 2014
An Outfit of the day ft some Flares
As its now officially Spring, and this means its one step closer to my favourite season, i thought i would do a little outfit of the day.
On Saturday whilst trying to pick out my outfit for the day i came across some flare trousers i had long since forgotten i even owned them. I was thrilled to have found them buried way to the back of all my clothes, i bought them a little over a year ago, and to be honest they don't get as much wear as they should. They were also a steal at about £5 from the Forever 21 sale that was happening at the time!!
My jumper is a white woolly one from Primark, although i bought in Portugal about a month ago, and all the Primarks I've gone into over here in the UK don't seem to stock the same one! I absolutely love this jumper, its the perfect light weight piece you need for the Spring weather we have been having!
The hat is from Forever 21 too, and the second i saw it i fell in love, its not a floppy hat as such its more a wide rimmed Fedora. I love to wear this when the sun is shining but there isn't the hotness of the summer just yet!
My boots are a new pair of favourites and i bought them while i was on my week holiday to Portugal, with these trousers i feel like you need a good pair of heels, flats just wont have the same effort, so these were just the obvious option for me.
Finally i have my trusty black leather jacket, that i tend not to leave the house without and also my long shoulder slouch bag which again is a firm favourite of mine, as the bag itself isn't too big for everything to get lost in but its not too small that you don't have space for all your bits. This bag was a gift from my auntie in the summer, and i am yet to put it down! :)
So there you have my little outfit, i really liked it, and felt so comfortable through out the day, so i was so super glad i found those hidden gems of flare trousers, or i would not have been inspired for this outfit!
Do you guys like flares? or own any pairs? (ha, yes, i just rhymed that, and noticed it and then spoke of it!)
Hope your all having a lovely weekend!
Don't forget to follow me on..
Ana
xx
Sunday, 9 March 2014
World Book Day: Pocahontas/Tiger Lily
Hello all,
So in this last week just gone, we had World Book Day, and at work we celebrated in style. I work in a primary school, so of course its only right that if the children are coming in dressed as a book character, then the teachers and staff should make the an effort too.
In the past i have been a baby owl, (Which was super easy as i just wore my onesie to work), and I've also been an alien in underpants, (Which got lots of laughs and giggles). This year however, we had done a topic on pirates and i had come in dressed as that only a few weeks before, so when World Book Day came around, i was in desperate need of a new costume and a new idea.
I struggled trying to find my favourite book character to start with (yes, i take these dress up days far too seriously, but that's okay). I mean, all my favourite characters are from stories that some of the kids would be unaware of, I thought of Harmonie Granger, (seeing as i have her hair from the first 2 films, in real life anyway), but then i thought i wanted something more. I then decided i wanted to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, as some of my children would know it and it was also a much loved character of mine growing up.
When i started the hunt for a costume, i was dead certain i wanted Dorothy until i came across a Tiger Lily Costume in a fancy dress shop, and i fell in love. For those of you who don't know me too well, i have a fascination with the Native American way of life, i love the way they think and feel towards mother nature, i love the values and the myths they believe in, I'm basically hoping someone will come looking for me one day and tell me I'm part Cherokee. Well anyways, as soon as i saw the Tiger lily Costume, i knew what i wanted to be. Not only am i fascinated by their way of life, but Pocahontas was my favourite Disney princess growing up. Something about her made her stand out from the other princesses, maybe it was the image of her..with her dark long hair and the little brown dress, or maybe it was the fact that her story wasn't like the other princesses, she didn't need to find a man to save her, she was independent in a sense, either way.. she was my favourite and so i bought the costume there and then.
I took it to work on World Book Day, and the reaction i got was amazing. Firstly, i was giving myself away as Pocahontas, but some of the younger children had yet to see her film or read her book, so they weren't too sure who she was and they kept getting me confused with Tiger Lily, saying stuff such as "You kissed Peter Pan and he got embarrassed" or "Caption Hook Kidnapped you and Peter saved you cause he liked you better then Wendy". LOL, you gotta love kids. So for the rest of the day i called myself, Pocahontas/Tiger Lily, depending on who it was that was asking me. All the staff however, got who i was and they greeted me with a "HAU" and a hand up every time they say me.. :P
Overall, World Book Day at work, was a success and i LOVED being Pocahontas for a day, its only a shame that i cant dress up like her everyday! :(
Did you dress up to celebrate World Book Day? Who is your favourite book character?
xx
So in this last week just gone, we had World Book Day, and at work we celebrated in style. I work in a primary school, so of course its only right that if the children are coming in dressed as a book character, then the teachers and staff should make the an effort too.
In the past i have been a baby owl, (Which was super easy as i just wore my onesie to work), and I've also been an alien in underpants, (Which got lots of laughs and giggles). This year however, we had done a topic on pirates and i had come in dressed as that only a few weeks before, so when World Book Day came around, i was in desperate need of a new costume and a new idea.
I struggled trying to find my favourite book character to start with (yes, i take these dress up days far too seriously, but that's okay). I mean, all my favourite characters are from stories that some of the kids would be unaware of, I thought of Harmonie Granger, (seeing as i have her hair from the first 2 films, in real life anyway), but then i thought i wanted something more. I then decided i wanted to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, as some of my children would know it and it was also a much loved character of mine growing up.
When i started the hunt for a costume, i was dead certain i wanted Dorothy until i came across a Tiger Lily Costume in a fancy dress shop, and i fell in love. For those of you who don't know me too well, i have a fascination with the Native American way of life, i love the way they think and feel towards mother nature, i love the values and the myths they believe in, I'm basically hoping someone will come looking for me one day and tell me I'm part Cherokee. Well anyways, as soon as i saw the Tiger lily Costume, i knew what i wanted to be. Not only am i fascinated by their way of life, but Pocahontas was my favourite Disney princess growing up. Something about her made her stand out from the other princesses, maybe it was the image of her..with her dark long hair and the little brown dress, or maybe it was the fact that her story wasn't like the other princesses, she didn't need to find a man to save her, she was independent in a sense, either way.. she was my favourite and so i bought the costume there and then.
I took it to work on World Book Day, and the reaction i got was amazing. Firstly, i was giving myself away as Pocahontas, but some of the younger children had yet to see her film or read her book, so they weren't too sure who she was and they kept getting me confused with Tiger Lily, saying stuff such as "You kissed Peter Pan and he got embarrassed" or "Caption Hook Kidnapped you and Peter saved you cause he liked you better then Wendy". LOL, you gotta love kids. So for the rest of the day i called myself, Pocahontas/Tiger Lily, depending on who it was that was asking me. All the staff however, got who i was and they greeted me with a "HAU" and a hand up every time they say me.. :P
For my costume, i bought the dress in the costume shop for 15 pounds, i found a head band that i had laying around (good job it was orange, it fit in perfectly). I tied my hair into plaits, mad i put a black choker necklace around my neck, I topped it off with my fringe boots that i bought last spring which i included in a post here and some war paint on my face and i was good to go..
Did you dress up to celebrate World Book Day? Who is your favourite book character?
Don't forget to follow me on..
Anaxx
Friday, 7 March 2014
My mini break to Lisbon Portugal
Hello my lovelies,
So as you may have noticed, (or may not) i got a little tired of my blog design, (not saying i didn't love it, because i did and Abby from Baggle Design did a great job on it..), but i just wanted something a little different, and so i asked on twitter for anyone who did blog designs (baring in mind.. I'm on a budget!) I got a few girls that i could check out and maybe get them to make one for me, but i started to think.."why don't i have a go at designing my own layout?", so using the template i had from before, i sat on my laptop and used different tutorials that i found through everyones best Internet friend.. Google, and i made up a relatively simple header and an overall design to my blog that i am for the most part happy with. (Lets face it, i do kinda tend to change my mind often about these things, so who knows how long this one will last). What do you guys think of it?
It's also been nearly two weeks since i got back from my mini holiday to Portugal.. I had never been in February before and i went as it was my cousins birthday and i wanted to spend some time with him, it was so beautiful and different to the summer months. It was also the first holiday i ever took on my own completely, (meaning, the first time without having to be the guardian for someone other then myself). At first i was a little nervous about flying out on the plane alone, but i soon got over that as i enjoyed doing the whole airport thing maybe a little too much! :)
Here are some of my snaps.. Get ready for a *photo heavy load*
There you have it, my mini break to Portugal, i had an incredible time while there, mostly for the simple pleasures of being alone away from everything and all responsibilities, which hasn't happened in over 6 years! :D I enjoyed spending time with my family, catching up with old mates that i hadn't seen since i was little, and i got to go and discover a new part of Portugal that i had yet to visit (doing some illegal stuff along the way with my cousin, but hey ho) :)
Have you ever been to Portugal before? or on a holiday by yourself?
I would love to hear back from you guys!
Don't forget to follow me on..
Twitter || Instagram || Youtube || Bloglovin
Ana
xx
So as you may have noticed, (or may not) i got a little tired of my blog design, (not saying i didn't love it, because i did and Abby from Baggle Design did a great job on it..), but i just wanted something a little different, and so i asked on twitter for anyone who did blog designs (baring in mind.. I'm on a budget!) I got a few girls that i could check out and maybe get them to make one for me, but i started to think.."why don't i have a go at designing my own layout?", so using the template i had from before, i sat on my laptop and used different tutorials that i found through everyones best Internet friend.. Google, and i made up a relatively simple header and an overall design to my blog that i am for the most part happy with. (Lets face it, i do kinda tend to change my mind often about these things, so who knows how long this one will last). What do you guys think of it?
It's also been nearly two weeks since i got back from my mini holiday to Portugal.. I had never been in February before and i went as it was my cousins birthday and i wanted to spend some time with him, it was so beautiful and different to the summer months. It was also the first holiday i ever took on my own completely, (meaning, the first time without having to be the guardian for someone other then myself). At first i was a little nervous about flying out on the plane alone, but i soon got over that as i enjoyed doing the whole airport thing maybe a little too much! :)
Here are some of my snaps.. Get ready for a *photo heavy load*
There you have it, my mini break to Portugal, i had an incredible time while there, mostly for the simple pleasures of being alone away from everything and all responsibilities, which hasn't happened in over 6 years! :D I enjoyed spending time with my family, catching up with old mates that i hadn't seen since i was little, and i got to go and discover a new part of Portugal that i had yet to visit (doing some illegal stuff along the way with my cousin, but hey ho) :)
Have you ever been to Portugal before? or on a holiday by yourself?
I would love to hear back from you guys!
Don't forget to follow me on..
Twitter || Instagram || Youtube || Bloglovin
Ana
xx
Monday, 3 March 2014
The Oscars 2014 - A round up
Hey guys,
I haven't posted in little over a month, i know, i know.. bad blogger! Truth is, i felt like i was in a little rut, like i didn't have anything to post, well, nothing worthy anyway.. (do you guys ever get like that!?)
I am however feeling a little more motivated after watching The Oscars last night, nothing like a few fancy gowns to get a girl back into the swing of blogging right?!
I actually enjoy doing the annual Oscar post and i seem to get a lot of good feedback from it, so here's hoping you guys like this years too. If you want to read last years you can by clicking HERE!
Onto this years..
The Oscars for me are about 4 things, Who wore what? Who won what? Who said what? and What were the highlights? This year didn't fail to impress. As soon as we heard Ellen DeGeneres was presenting, i can safely say we all cheered. She did it 7 years ago and did such a fantastic job, that why not have her back for another slot. She has to be one of the best presenters, and all round entertainers, she is hilarious and beautiful and she always shows great courage with everything in her life. So when we heard it was her presenting, you knew you were going to get off to a good start.
Onto the winners, I'm not going to lie and say i wasn't rooting for Leonard DiCaprio (like the majority of the world), because of course i was rooting for him, i wanted him to win, SCREW IT, He should have won.. he should already have one for Pete's sake, but i strongly believe his time WILL come around. I was however, rooting for 12 years a slave and for Lupita Nyong'o and her role in that film too.. so was chuffed when she won. I was also happy The Great Gatsby won for best costume, as the whole look and feel of that film was spot on, and finally i could not be any more happier for Jared Leto winning an Oscar, as i feel the role he took on was an intense one and i was so proud for him.
The speeches that impressed me were Lupita's and Jared's, i love what they spoke about and how they put what they wanted to say into words. :) The highlights, that i suggest everyone go and google or look for were, Jennifer Lawrence falling over on the red carpet, (does that chick ever stay up?!) Ellen ordering pizza and then making everyone cough up money for the pizza into Pharrell's massive hat (yerp, the hat made an appearance again), Pharrell dancing with some stars to his hit song "Happy", Benedict Cumberbatch photo bombing U2 (one of the best photo bombs ever), the opening sequence and finally the most famous selfie to ever grace the net.
After you are done having a look through for all of that, time to go and check out what the celebs wore on the red carpet.
These were all of my favourite gowns, and I'm going to be honest i was expecting more from Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lawrence, Jennifer Garner and Anne Hathaway, but none the less, all these ladies looked beautiful. Can i also point out that some of these photos do NOT do the dresses enough justice, Jada's dress was a beautiful tone that does not get picked up enough here, neither does Sandra's or Jenna's. Also, some of the dresses from the after party made it on to this list and were just as gorgeous as the Red Carpet ones.
To the beautiful Kate Hudson, whose dress was beautiful, and stunning and basically i drooled when she arrived! :) She also had a beautiful gown that she wore to the after party.. basically Kate did no wrong in my eyes at the Oscars.
Did you watch the Oscars? Is it something you take to every year? Who was your best dressed? and did the right people win for you?
Leave me your comments below, i always reply back :)
Don't forget to follow me on.. Twitter Instagram Youtube Bloglovin
Ana xx
I haven't posted in little over a month, i know, i know.. bad blogger! Truth is, i felt like i was in a little rut, like i didn't have anything to post, well, nothing worthy anyway.. (do you guys ever get like that!?)
I am however feeling a little more motivated after watching The Oscars last night, nothing like a few fancy gowns to get a girl back into the swing of blogging right?!
I actually enjoy doing the annual Oscar post and i seem to get a lot of good feedback from it, so here's hoping you guys like this years too. If you want to read last years you can by clicking HERE!
Onto this years..
The Oscars for me are about 4 things, Who wore what? Who won what? Who said what? and What were the highlights? This year didn't fail to impress. As soon as we heard Ellen DeGeneres was presenting, i can safely say we all cheered. She did it 7 years ago and did such a fantastic job, that why not have her back for another slot. She has to be one of the best presenters, and all round entertainers, she is hilarious and beautiful and she always shows great courage with everything in her life. So when we heard it was her presenting, you knew you were going to get off to a good start.
Onto the winners, I'm not going to lie and say i wasn't rooting for Leonard DiCaprio (like the majority of the world), because of course i was rooting for him, i wanted him to win, SCREW IT, He should have won.. he should already have one for Pete's sake, but i strongly believe his time WILL come around. I was however, rooting for 12 years a slave and for Lupita Nyong'o and her role in that film too.. so was chuffed when she won. I was also happy The Great Gatsby won for best costume, as the whole look and feel of that film was spot on, and finally i could not be any more happier for Jared Leto winning an Oscar, as i feel the role he took on was an intense one and i was so proud for him.
The speeches that impressed me were Lupita's and Jared's, i love what they spoke about and how they put what they wanted to say into words. :) The highlights, that i suggest everyone go and google or look for were, Jennifer Lawrence falling over on the red carpet, (does that chick ever stay up?!) Ellen ordering pizza and then making everyone cough up money for the pizza into Pharrell's massive hat (yerp, the hat made an appearance again), Pharrell dancing with some stars to his hit song "Happy", Benedict Cumberbatch photo bombing U2 (one of the best photo bombs ever), the opening sequence and finally the most famous selfie to ever grace the net.
After you are done having a look through for all of that, time to go and check out what the celebs wore on the red carpet.
These were all of my favourite gowns, and I'm going to be honest i was expecting more from Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lawrence, Jennifer Garner and Anne Hathaway, but none the less, all these ladies looked beautiful. Can i also point out that some of these photos do NOT do the dresses enough justice, Jada's dress was a beautiful tone that does not get picked up enough here, neither does Sandra's or Jenna's. Also, some of the dresses from the after party made it on to this list and were just as gorgeous as the Red Carpet ones.
My BEST DRESSED award for the night goes to...
Did you watch the Oscars? Is it something you take to every year? Who was your best dressed? and did the right people win for you?
Leave me your comments below, i always reply back :)
Don't forget to follow me on.. Twitter Instagram Youtube Bloglovin
Ana xx
Sunday, 24 November 2013
The Christmas Tag
Hello all,
I'm so super excited that Christmas is literally around the corner, (also a little nervous, as i haven't started my Christmas shopping yet) but very excited, i mean the Coke a cola advert came on my telly last week, and that literally means "It's Chhhrrriiisssttmmaasss time" no?!
I've seen this post floating around on a few blogs and even though i haven't necessarily been tagged to do it, i have loved reading what everyone has had to say and how they each celebrate Christmas, so i thought i would get in on the action too. The last one i read was from Cat's blog. After reading hers, it made me even more Christmasy and so i thought why not do one too, besides everyone loves a good tag right? Lets get in to it.. The Christmas Tag.
What time of year do you start your Christmas shopping?
I'm such a late bird, when it comes to Christmas shopping, I'm usually working all the way up till right before Christmas and so then spend the last few days running around like a headless chicken trying to make sure I've got everyone the perfect gift! If I'm shopping from online, i try and make it a little earlier like the beginning of November, just to makes sure the presents arrive in time and in good condition. To me Christmas is all about giving, I'm such a sucker to see people's faces light up as you hand them a gift.
Do you have any festive recipes for food or drink you limit solely to the Christmas season to share?
Being Portuguese we have some foods that we only make during Christmas, one of my favourite has to be "Bolinhos de Bacalhau" or more commonly known as "Portuguese Cod Fritters". I am not too sure on the recipe myself, although i know it involves Bacalhau (cod fish) and potatoes. It is literally the nicest thing ever and a very strong favourite of mine, that i always look forward to eating on and around Christmas. I DO need to learn how to make them as when i move out and move in with Danny i will have to make them for us around Christmas, so maybe this year will be the year i learn! :) If you guys want to have a try making them then click here for a recipe. Another strong tradition from Portugal that only comes out at Christmas is our famous "Bolo Rei" quite literally known as a "King Cake" its a massive round cake with a hole in the middle and decorated with dried fruit on the top. Growing up our Bolo Rei was always present at our Christmas table and it had a one pound coin hidden in the inside of it. The kids used to love getting slices just to see who was going to be the lucky one to receive the pound coin, it is said that whoever does find the coin will have a happy, lucky and successful year ahead! If you want the recipe for that cake then click here, and have a go at making one too!
Tell me how Christmas goes down in your house?
Christmas day in our house consists of a huge lie in (more about that in a bit) and when we do finally wake up its all about making the huge lunch we will eat that day. We would still have our table laid out with all the cakes and extra bits from the night before but Christmas day means food, and making sure all the family know to come round our house. What we have been doing for the last few years is going to my boyfriends parents house and spending our Christmas day there, which means the same thing, a big meal is being cooked while the kids have the play station or wii on and some of the older generations are playing card games, you have some family members watching Christmas movies like "Home alone". Everyone is getting merry on the drink, having laughing fits from the memories being shared and generally enjoying each others company!
Do you have any Christmas traditions?
Urm, not really except we don't do Christmas the English way. Our family keeps it very traditional in the sense we don't open our presents on Christmas day, rather Christmas eve. This is the Portuguese way and its the way we have been raised to do it, so to us its just the norm. We do however, have to watch the movie "Home Alone" altogether at Christmas, that's tradition, as well as maybe putting "The Wizard of Oz" on too, and there will always be Christmas music playing in the background as we put up our decorations. Most Portuguese people go to Mass at midnight on Christmas eve, where they say their prays and then an image of the baby Jesus comes out for everyone to see/kiss/touch! Then when people return home they go and look under their tree where they should be a nativity scene already in place and people come home after Mass and check for the baby Jesus in the crib! My family don't do this tradition, but for the majority of Portuguese families, it is just a given.
Do you have a favourite festive coffee?
This is easy, I'm not a big tea or coffee drinker so nope.. i just drink whatever is around or whatever I'm in the mood for!
Whats your favourite Christmas song?
Okay, this was hard at first, but I've got it down to a T now. My favourite Christmas song is "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas". I love the old fashioned tones it has, i love the melody and its just from a beautiful era, when played around the house as we put up our decorations, it's just perfection!
What do you do on Christmas eve?
Christmas eve to us, is like the Christmas day that most celebrate. We wake up normally and usually get all dressed up, then we spend the day making our big main meal of cod fish and boiled potatoes with vegetables. We also make sure we make a stop at peoples houses to give them their presents and wish them a merry Christmas. We have our dinner, and then watching Christmas films, while setting up a whole table with extra food that will consist of cakes and other goodies, this table will stay like this for the next 2 days, during Christmas and boxing day also. Then roughly around midnight we open our gifts surrounded by our family, we do the whole exchange gifts, saying thank you and getting the warm feeling inside, the feeling you get when you make someones day that much better by giving them a little something! After we've opened gifts, we tend to stay awake a little while longer, and then usually we leave our gifts under the tree, ready for us in the morning and then we head to bed. Some Portuguese families tend to go to mass at midnight and only arrive home near or after 1am and then do the gift bit before hitting the bed. Hence why we have a huge lay in on Christmas day!
Whats your Christmas wrapping strategy? Do you have a strategy?
YES. I have slight OCD and so my wrapping has to be neat and tidy, if i could, i would make all presents in the world be square shaped as they are much easier to wrap. Sometimes i buy little boxes that the present fits inside so that it looks amazing. Each present will be wrapped up with a little tag that says who its from and who its to, and each present will have a BIG bow on the top too, it may also have some ribbon tied around. However presents by other people to me don't have to be this neat and tidy! I accept any!
Whats your dream gift this year?
This is one of the first years that there is nothing i actually want. Every year i am lusting after something, this year, nothing. All i would like this year, is to save money.. so i guess money would be a dream gift for me this year. I have a lot i need to save up for! :)
Describe your Christmas tree. How tall? Real or artificial? How is is decorated?
My tree is a Green artificial one and around 6ft tall. It has a golden star on the top, and is decorated with tinsel of a variety of colours and two sets of lights, ones that flash one and off and ones that stay on the whole time, it has a mat underneath it made to look like snow, and has the nativity scene underneath it too, there are also some fake mini pine cones scattered around it, we add a touch of fake snow to some of the branches and of course there is baubles. Some home made from my sisters when they were little. Its such a pretty tree.
Do you decorate just the tree or other areas of your house? e.g doors, banisters?
We decorate the banisters with tinsel going down, and when we had the big old fashioned fireplace we also decorated that. Now we have a wall where we hang our advent calendars, as well as a wall for all our Christmas cards to be hanged. We have a Central piece that hangs from the ceiling above the dining room table, as well as some tinsel and other long floaty decorations which go around the house. Our front door is decorated with a wreath. Our windows are also decorated with some sticky decorations of Santa and his elves and reindeer's. This yea I'm hoping to put lights on the windows.
What do you wear to Christmas parties and what do you wear on Christmas day?
To Christmas parties, i tend to wear a party dress, with a statement necklace and some killers heels, i also take a pair of flats with me just in case i need to change throughout the night. This year for Christmas day I'm hoping to find a gorgeous RED dress. I want to wear the colour red this year, red and white. So I'm on the look out for one of those. Although Christmas jumpers work brilliantly well too! LOOL. As for like the Christmas work do, i will just find a nice party dress and wear that. I do often get clothes at Christmas too, so depending on what it is i may even wear that! :)
I loved doing this tag, it got me in the Christmas spirit and has made me realise i need to start my Christmas shopping as soon as possible. Why not check out Cat's blog, where i got the idea and i tag anyone and everyone who reads this to have a go too. Leave me your links if you do it, as i love having a good nose at a lifestyle post and what better way then with a Christmas inspired one.
Ana
xx
I'm so super excited that Christmas is literally around the corner, (also a little nervous, as i haven't started my Christmas shopping yet) but very excited, i mean the Coke a cola advert came on my telly last week, and that literally means "It's Chhhrrriiisssttmmaasss time" no?!
I've seen this post floating around on a few blogs and even though i haven't necessarily been tagged to do it, i have loved reading what everyone has had to say and how they each celebrate Christmas, so i thought i would get in on the action too. The last one i read was from Cat's blog. After reading hers, it made me even more Christmasy and so i thought why not do one too, besides everyone loves a good tag right? Lets get in to it.. The Christmas Tag.
What time of year do you start your Christmas shopping?
I'm such a late bird, when it comes to Christmas shopping, I'm usually working all the way up till right before Christmas and so then spend the last few days running around like a headless chicken trying to make sure I've got everyone the perfect gift! If I'm shopping from online, i try and make it a little earlier like the beginning of November, just to makes sure the presents arrive in time and in good condition. To me Christmas is all about giving, I'm such a sucker to see people's faces light up as you hand them a gift.
Do you have any festive recipes for food or drink you limit solely to the Christmas season to share?
Being Portuguese we have some foods that we only make during Christmas, one of my favourite has to be "Bolinhos de Bacalhau" or more commonly known as "Portuguese Cod Fritters". I am not too sure on the recipe myself, although i know it involves Bacalhau (cod fish) and potatoes. It is literally the nicest thing ever and a very strong favourite of mine, that i always look forward to eating on and around Christmas. I DO need to learn how to make them as when i move out and move in with Danny i will have to make them for us around Christmas, so maybe this year will be the year i learn! :) If you guys want to have a try making them then click here for a recipe. Another strong tradition from Portugal that only comes out at Christmas is our famous "Bolo Rei" quite literally known as a "King Cake" its a massive round cake with a hole in the middle and decorated with dried fruit on the top. Growing up our Bolo Rei was always present at our Christmas table and it had a one pound coin hidden in the inside of it. The kids used to love getting slices just to see who was going to be the lucky one to receive the pound coin, it is said that whoever does find the coin will have a happy, lucky and successful year ahead! If you want the recipe for that cake then click here, and have a go at making one too!
Tell me how Christmas goes down in your house?
Christmas day in our house consists of a huge lie in (more about that in a bit) and when we do finally wake up its all about making the huge lunch we will eat that day. We would still have our table laid out with all the cakes and extra bits from the night before but Christmas day means food, and making sure all the family know to come round our house. What we have been doing for the last few years is going to my boyfriends parents house and spending our Christmas day there, which means the same thing, a big meal is being cooked while the kids have the play station or wii on and some of the older generations are playing card games, you have some family members watching Christmas movies like "Home alone". Everyone is getting merry on the drink, having laughing fits from the memories being shared and generally enjoying each others company!
Do you have any Christmas traditions?
Urm, not really except we don't do Christmas the English way. Our family keeps it very traditional in the sense we don't open our presents on Christmas day, rather Christmas eve. This is the Portuguese way and its the way we have been raised to do it, so to us its just the norm. We do however, have to watch the movie "Home Alone" altogether at Christmas, that's tradition, as well as maybe putting "The Wizard of Oz" on too, and there will always be Christmas music playing in the background as we put up our decorations. Most Portuguese people go to Mass at midnight on Christmas eve, where they say their prays and then an image of the baby Jesus comes out for everyone to see/kiss/touch! Then when people return home they go and look under their tree where they should be a nativity scene already in place and people come home after Mass and check for the baby Jesus in the crib! My family don't do this tradition, but for the majority of Portuguese families, it is just a given.
Do you have a favourite festive coffee?
This is easy, I'm not a big tea or coffee drinker so nope.. i just drink whatever is around or whatever I'm in the mood for!
Whats your favourite Christmas song?
Okay, this was hard at first, but I've got it down to a T now. My favourite Christmas song is "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas". I love the old fashioned tones it has, i love the melody and its just from a beautiful era, when played around the house as we put up our decorations, it's just perfection!
What do you do on Christmas eve?
Christmas eve to us, is like the Christmas day that most celebrate. We wake up normally and usually get all dressed up, then we spend the day making our big main meal of cod fish and boiled potatoes with vegetables. We also make sure we make a stop at peoples houses to give them their presents and wish them a merry Christmas. We have our dinner, and then watching Christmas films, while setting up a whole table with extra food that will consist of cakes and other goodies, this table will stay like this for the next 2 days, during Christmas and boxing day also. Then roughly around midnight we open our gifts surrounded by our family, we do the whole exchange gifts, saying thank you and getting the warm feeling inside, the feeling you get when you make someones day that much better by giving them a little something! After we've opened gifts, we tend to stay awake a little while longer, and then usually we leave our gifts under the tree, ready for us in the morning and then we head to bed. Some Portuguese families tend to go to mass at midnight and only arrive home near or after 1am and then do the gift bit before hitting the bed. Hence why we have a huge lay in on Christmas day!
Whats your Christmas wrapping strategy? Do you have a strategy?
YES. I have slight OCD and so my wrapping has to be neat and tidy, if i could, i would make all presents in the world be square shaped as they are much easier to wrap. Sometimes i buy little boxes that the present fits inside so that it looks amazing. Each present will be wrapped up with a little tag that says who its from and who its to, and each present will have a BIG bow on the top too, it may also have some ribbon tied around. However presents by other people to me don't have to be this neat and tidy! I accept any!
Whats your dream gift this year?
This is one of the first years that there is nothing i actually want. Every year i am lusting after something, this year, nothing. All i would like this year, is to save money.. so i guess money would be a dream gift for me this year. I have a lot i need to save up for! :)
Describe your Christmas tree. How tall? Real or artificial? How is is decorated?
My tree is a Green artificial one and around 6ft tall. It has a golden star on the top, and is decorated with tinsel of a variety of colours and two sets of lights, ones that flash one and off and ones that stay on the whole time, it has a mat underneath it made to look like snow, and has the nativity scene underneath it too, there are also some fake mini pine cones scattered around it, we add a touch of fake snow to some of the branches and of course there is baubles. Some home made from my sisters when they were little. Its such a pretty tree.
Do you decorate just the tree or other areas of your house? e.g doors, banisters?
We decorate the banisters with tinsel going down, and when we had the big old fashioned fireplace we also decorated that. Now we have a wall where we hang our advent calendars, as well as a wall for all our Christmas cards to be hanged. We have a Central piece that hangs from the ceiling above the dining room table, as well as some tinsel and other long floaty decorations which go around the house. Our front door is decorated with a wreath. Our windows are also decorated with some sticky decorations of Santa and his elves and reindeer's. This yea I'm hoping to put lights on the windows.
What do you wear to Christmas parties and what do you wear on Christmas day?
To Christmas parties, i tend to wear a party dress, with a statement necklace and some killers heels, i also take a pair of flats with me just in case i need to change throughout the night. This year for Christmas day I'm hoping to find a gorgeous RED dress. I want to wear the colour red this year, red and white. So I'm on the look out for one of those. Although Christmas jumpers work brilliantly well too! LOOL. As for like the Christmas work do, i will just find a nice party dress and wear that. I do often get clothes at Christmas too, so depending on what it is i may even wear that! :)
I loved doing this tag, it got me in the Christmas spirit and has made me realise i need to start my Christmas shopping as soon as possible. Why not check out Cat's blog, where i got the idea and i tag anyone and everyone who reads this to have a go too. Leave me your links if you do it, as i love having a good nose at a lifestyle post and what better way then with a Christmas inspired one.
Ana
xx
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