Results tagged “Christmas”

A few weekends ago, I visited the annual Christmas market in Winchester. The Christmas market isn't as large as Bath's, but there are still many shops to see, and it also has an ice skating rink. All of the stalls are located in the cathedral grounds. The day I visited was rainy, but this did not stop the crowds. The market was still busy, despite the poor weather.

In addition to roasted chestnuts and mulled wine, visitors to the market could try their balance on roller skates and buy crafts, local food items, jewellery, toys, clothing, and much more. They could also listen to singers singing carols and the visit the cathedral.

After visiting the Christmas market, I walked around Winchester to look at the Christmas lights and went into a few shops. I posted some photographs of Winchester below.  

Marmite, the spreadable vegetable-based product with Australian origins, is lighting up Oxford Street in London this year with its "You either love it or hate it" campaign. Many large 'Marmite Gold' branded Christmas light banners can be seen up and down London's famous street amongst other various Christmas themed banners. 

A part of the campaign involves using social media and the public. (Rob Messeter and Mike Crowe of DDB helped create the idea by wanting to allow characters to 'love or hate' the product and to have their moment of fame. (1).) 

Photographs can be uploaded via the Marmite Facebook application in the 'Love' or 'Hate' category. These photographs are then uploaded onto various banners dotted up and down Oxford Street. The Christmas light banners include the words "Merry Christmas from Marmite" with the company's brand phrase 'you either love it or hate it' with a picture of a member of the public shown inside the lights (with a Christmas hat). The banner alternates with one informing how to get your picture displayed, and this points to Facebook.

1. Gosling, Emily. Design Week. Designing Oxford Street's Christmas Lights. http://www.designweek.co.uk/whats-on/designing-oxford-streets-christmas-lights/3035554.article [9 November 2012].

The colour in Selfridges's window displays this Christmas was 'white' with mainly white products and a neutral colour scheme. All of the displays were featured primarily in white, and pine branches with white lights were used to decorate the entrance and in between the windows.

The Historic Dockyards in Portsmouth hosted a 'Victorian Christmas' event at the end of November. The ship museums were open to the public, and Christmas markets lined the streets and buildings around the dockyard. Actors and actresses were dressed up in Victorian costume to act out Victorian characters. I spotted chimney sweepers, a traveler, a criminal being paraded through the streets, Scrooge, women protesting for voting rights, and people on penny farthing bicycles.

I took my parents here while they were in town visiting. There was plenty to do and see, and this was perfect to mix shopping, watching the actors, and visiting the historic ships and the many museums. A few of my photographs are below.

We boarded the HMS Warrior and had a look around this battleship. There were many cannons.

These soldiers walked up and down the street, and they fired guns and marched to their drums. 

One of the small docks contained a sunken boat.

Actors and actresses dressed as Victorians rode on these contraptions, which looked like penny farthings.

More actors and actresses on penny farthings.

Actresses dressed as Victorian women protest about women's right to vote.

Steam trains feature in one area of the historic dockyard.

These children were dressed as chimney sweepers.

A makeshift hut serves as a bar and a brothel.

Christmas stalls are set up in the centre of Bath near the Abbey, selling a range of goods and getting everyone into the spirit of the holiday season. Going to visit the Bath Christmas Market has been a tradition for me in the past few years as I used to live in the city; I was not going to bother with it this year, but I had visitors who wanted to see it. The photographs below showcase Bath's Christmas Market (2011).

I can't believe that it is this time of year again, already. I've failed to really get into the spirit of the holidays this year as I have been so busy at work. I'm happy to have a couple of days off to recover and relax. To all of my visitors, I wish you happy holidays. I hope that everyone has a very special day. Please keep checking back here at Jenikya.com for more updates and entries to my blog.

Peppermint and candy canes are one of my favourite Christmas items. I have discovered a world of peppermint, and the photographs are below. 

1) http://www.etsy.com/shop/theblacksheepsoapco

This peppermint bath bomb has tiny red candy canes on top, perfect for the bath.

2) http://www.etsy.com/shop/soradesigns

Don't try to eat this ring, even though it looks like peppermint

3) http://www.etsy.com/shop/LemonCitrus

Perfect for this time of year when the weather dries out skin and lips - lip balm flavoured like peppermint bark.

4) http://www.etsy.com/shop/NakedMoonSoap

This peppermint bath bomb doubles up as bubble bath or a sugar scrub.

5) http://www.etsy.com/shop/BodyBloomsSkinCare

How cute are these peppermint body butters?

6) http://www.etsy.com/shop/ButterBlossoms

Another food item I love - shortbread. Even better as it is 'Candy Cane peppermint' shortbread.

7) http://www.etsy.com/shop/NimbuRu

A Peppermint Swirl cozy is perfect for the holidays and keeping your drinks warm.

8) http://www.etsy.com/shop/soapcafe

Peppermint bark soap sounds delicious for the bath.

9) A chocolate and peppermint cookie (not Etsy).

1) http://www.grandinroad.com

Peppermint candles would brighten up any house.

2) http://www.bhg.com/christmas/indoor-decorating/deck-the-halls-with-interior-designer-kenneth-brown/

These table decorations are made from peppermint candy pieces.

3) http://www.williams-sonoma.com

Yummy peppermint candy from Williams-Sonoma; I love the design of this jar.

4) http://shaunayounge.blogspot.com/2011/12/dessert-table-peppermint-party.html

Nice peppermint-coloured cupcakes are featured in this peppermint party.

5) http://www.thewhitelibrary.com/design-by-holiday/christmas/our-peppermint-candy-cane-inspired-dessert-table/

Red and white candies feature in this dessert table.

The above pictures are of a peppermint Christmas party, using peppermint and red and white in the design of the sweets and the cards and table decorations. To see more photographs, follow the link below.

http://blowoutparty.com/blog/2010/11/christmas-candy-cane-party/

 

The gingerbread house decorating party, above, uses a lot of peppermint and red and white colours. I love this idea.

http://wantsandwishesdesign.blogspot.com/2011/12/gingerbread-decorating-party.html

Thanks to the good people at "Cooking Gorgeous", sellers of designer kitchen accessories, I won two free tickets to "A Taste of Christmas" food festival in London at the beginning of December. I had a wonderful time trying new foods and spending a lot of money on some of the best finds. The festival had everything, from areas dedicated to chocolate, wine/alcohol to baked goods, meats, dips/sauces, and kitchenware/accessories.

Part of my adventure was enjoying the Jamie Oliver restaurant, which was set up in the middle of the venue. This included being seated in the middle of a rectangular table with about  forty strangers and sharing good food and wine.

Some of my buys included gold-flaked alcohol, crackers from East India company, sausages, crackers for cheese, ginger wine, a cupcake, and curry sauce. The curry sauce is possibly the best gem of the day, (though, that said, I have yet to open the alcohol) and it has a lovely flavour. Although the curry range from this particular brand features mild to spicy curry, and I love spicy curry, I am proud to say that the curry lived up to my demands and love of spicy hot food, unlike most pre-made curry sauces. (Do not worry; the spice is not over-powering, but it uses an excellent blend of spices for the flavour.) The company is called "Heavenly Curry" (www.heavenlycurry.co.uk), and I suggest that you check them out if you love curry, particularly if you enjoy a blend of spice and gravitate toward the hotter varieties, which are so difficult to come by.

And lastly, one of my other buys was from the company that gave me the two winning tickets, "Cooking Gorgeous" (http://www.cookinggorgeous.com). The company sell everything from aprons to potholders to tea towels to cake stands. I fell in love with their tea towels, featuring Queen Anne's Lace and wheat designs. I bought one of these, and it came wrapped in a little tin with a bow, gift-wrapped for Christmas. The only problem is, I do not want to use it because it is too pretty. (The below images are of the tea towels, taken from their website.)

Perfect for the graphic designer, web designer, or design geek are these colourful Pantone Christmas ornaments. However, these will not be available until 2012, but they will be available next year from: http://www.seletti.it/pantone/pantone_xmas_ball.htm

I also thought that the following little gift box ornaments were cute. These ornaments could work well as little gift boxes or advent calendars to hang on the tree. The boxes can hold a bit of chocolate or a surprise. These were initially designed by Purpose (www.purpose.co.uk) for Greenford Printing to give to their clients with a panettone cake. 

In addition to the Christmas ornaments, there are Pantone-inspired cards and gift bags. 

Last year, Raw Design Studio (www.weareraw.co.uk/) created a project (Christmas by Colour) for people to associate new colours for the holiday season, other than the greens and reds and whites of Christmas. These were sold as posters and Christmas cards to benefit charity. Some of the names, associated with a colour, include: 

• Mince pies
• Sprouts
• Mulled Wine
• Batteries Not Included
• Nan's eggnog
• After Eights
• Bank balance
• Yellow snow
• End of the sellotape

A photograph of all of the colours is below.

Gift bags, gift boxes, and Christmas cards for this year can be found at: http://www.colloco.co.uk/

Note there is a plain, solid colour style, and there is another style with a snowflake pattern.

After leaving Selfridges, I took a short walk (in the snow and cold) down to Marble Arch to Hyde Park to visit the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland. Although very cold and snowy, the winter-themed entertainment (amusements, funfair rides, ice skating rink) and Christmas market was nice to visit to take in the sights and the smells (mulled wine, cooking sausages, etc). The weather added the extra 'winter wonderland' feeling.

The "Mental_Floss" blog also contains an article with photos of creative gingerbread houses from various competitions. The article can be found here: http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/75485