Shooting Snaps & Styling with Emily

Earlier this year I discovered a fabulous blog which I started to follow that was beautifully photographed and styled. The blog belonged to Emily Quinton at The Start Up Wife. Emily is a photographer who now specialises in lifestyle and styling, previously having been a wedding photographer, all this and a mum of 4 small children!.. I'm not sure how she does it. Last month I featured Emily's blog on my Social Media Sunday post as one of my favourites from March.
Having seen that Emily runs photography workshops, I booked myself onto one. A couple of years ago I bought a bridge camera, the in-between digital SLR. As with most cameras's the accompanying book is just jargon to me, and have up until now only really used the auto settings on it. I really hoped that by going to a day like this, I would learn to love my camera more, make greater use of its functions and understand the jargon in a language that made sense to me. I can say that Emily met all these expectations and more!

The workshop was held in a warehouse in east London, easily accessible from both Liverpool Street station and Old Street. Along with myself, 4 other ladies spent our Saturday together with Emily, all with different reasons of being there.
The day was split into practical sessions, tip sharing, formats for social media and blogging. I learnt lots about light, styling and can now confidently turn the auto button off my camera!... Emily also shared lots of tips on making the most of your i-phone and the best Apps for picture formatting etc. The whole day was relaxed, informal, Emily is incredibly patient asking all our questions and sharing lots of practical advise along the way.
Along with lots of styling props and beautiful spring flowers I made use of my Kate Spade mug & notebook to add a little bit of 'me' to the finished article... here's some of my snaps from the day.

I thoroughly enjoyed my day and look forward to following my fellow photo buds on Instagram and other social medias as they utilise the tips they learnt.
Mary Ellen - Hop Interiors - Blog & Instagram
Katie - My Style Diary - Instagram
Karina from PlastiKotes - Facebook page
and Emily herself - Blog, Instagram & Pinterest.
If this has wetted your appetite for a fun Saturday styling & shooting great pictures then check out Emily's blog for her Makelight workshops.

Mr S's Easter Treats....

Over the last few months the confectionery hall in the big yellow store has undergone a huge transformation, this was unveiled just in time for the Easter holiday's. The confectionery hall now houses a chocolate & candy confection that would give Willy Wonka a challenge in the sweet stakes.
The hall houses several chocolatier boutiques including Godiva, L'Artisan du Chocolat, Pierre Marcolini, Melt & Pierre Herme amongst many. Sweets are a plenty from Hope & Greenwood, It's Sugar and a huge American section complete with Hershey's and Reece's .
Along with these the room now houses a Chocolate Library ... arranged alphabetically the library houses over 200 chocolate bars with 30 exclusive brands.... a chocolate lovers dream!

With the build up to Easter, this space along with the foodhall completely transformed into Easter foodie heaven.
Here are some of my favourites:
A colourful confection of Easter eggs to meet every Easter bunnies needs!.

The Pierre Herme chocolate & macaron boutique is just delicious... even the big man himself seemed to like it on his recent visit.

It seemed everyone this year produced giant Eggs to showcase their brands & style ... I completely fell in love with this one from the team at Melt. The iced sugar flowers were stunning and completely epitomised Spring & Easter.

CocoMaya's boutique is new, showcasing their Jackson Pollock inspired confections and Glitzy & glamorous Eggs, this egg was tweeted and instagramed  lots.

Moving into the Foodhall, the bakery housed a host of treats from many bakers, including Kookybakes, Fiona Cairns and new this year Peggy Porschen. Peggy launched a range for Mother's Day which I blogged about recently. The Easter collection was delightful, from iced cookie lollipops, to mini egg cupcakes to some fabulous bags of carrot meringues.... perfect for any Easter bunny.

Lola's firmly put the glitz & chicks into their Easter collection... with confections awash with pastel icing, glitter & fluffy chicks.

Finally no Easter is complete without flowers .... The Real Flower company's boutique was filled with glorious spring flowers & foliage which just smelt gorgeous...

I hope that you have enjoyed my whistle stop tour of the Easter sweets & treats in the big yellow store... Mr S would be as proud as Willy Wonka himself!.... if you are not sick of chocolate after this weekend, then I urge you to pop in the doors of 400 Oxford Street browse the confectioners delights.

Words Wednesday - April reads

This months Wednesday Words are a mixture across the book genre's. Here's whats been keeping me entertained on my daily commute around London.

• Take Mum Out - Fiona Gibson  Alice is rapidly approaching her 40th birthday, plodding along with her life being a single mum to 2 teenage boys and managing a small meringue business.  Alice is quite content, however her 3 best friends have other ideas and embark on setting her up on 3 blind dates - this is met by mixed reviews from her 2 sons, ex-partner and difficult to please mum, but with much glee from her friends. This book was much fun, some very laugh out loud moments along with some very heartwarming moments of juggling life on the rapid approach to 40. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, perfect way to de-stress on the tube.
• A Hundred Pieces of Me - Lucy Dillon  Gina Bellamy finds herself evaluating her life, when suddenly having overcome many obstacles she finds herself living a single life after many years of marriage. Dealing with a divorce and moving into a small flat, her possessions don't seem to fit into her new life, so she decides to keep 100 special things and let the rest go. On her journey she becomes a foster mum to a rescued greyhound, collectively they begin to mend each others hearts. As she works through her things she learns to deal with her past and look forward to the future. This book is beautiful, it touched parts of me that have been locked away for a long time, it is funny, heartbreaking and wonderful all in one read. I loved Gina as a character, brave, courageous and forgiving... on finishing this book it made me evaluate so much, things may be things, but the special things filled with so many memories are pieces of you... gorgeous.
• Soldiers Wives - Fiona Field This book follows the lives of 3 women in the military. Chrissie, Maddy & Jenna. Chrissie is a medic in the regiment, orphaned at a young age, she finds herself falling in love with a married man. Young, glamorous and very naughty Jenna, married to a up and coming soldier she has little regard for the rules of military life. Maddy, Oxford graduate, now mum to a colicky baby finds herself married to an newly appointed ambitious Officer.  You can tell instantly that Fiona has a military background to write in the detail that she does, taking you from the daily life of army housing to the war torn life of Camp Bastion in Afghanistan. If you loved Soldier Soldier in the 90's or the US Army wives, then this is the read for you, an enjoyable book that brings it home what living life with a soldier of life on the front line is like....
• Mark Billingham - the Dying Hours.  This is Mark Billingham's 11th novel in his Tom Thorne series, and one of his best. Having found himself back in uniform and being stationed south of the river,  Inspector Thorne is finding life in the police a little challenging. With a series of apparent suicides across the elderly generation, no one will take his claims seriously that fowl play is involved. Embarking on a covert investigation, Thorne finds himself in danger from many sides from the off. A fabulous read from start to finish, not for the faint hearted or squeamish! Glad to see Thorne back on form, filled with suspense, and some very funny & ironic observations of the police force and its politics.  
• Jenny Colgan - Little Beach Street Bakery  Polly finds herself moving into a flat above an old bakery shop on a small mount just off the coast of cornwall. Polly's move is the result of both her business and relationship failing at the same time, with little money and limited options this is all Polly can afford. To cope with daily life she starts to bake bread, word soon gets out and a covert baking business begins on the island. Over time she slowly begins to overcome the deep ingrained traditions and politics of the island and feel part of the community. Befriending an injured baby puffin named Neil helps her overcome some of the barriers on the island.  I loved this book, it took me back to many a holiday on the cornish coast with my grandparents as a child, walking across the inlet to St Michaels mount. This story captures what seaside village is all about, from community to sacrifice and the bleakness and joy of the seasons. I completely fell in love with Neil the puffin; this book bought a tear to my eye on many occasion, catching me out twice on the tube!... a great read.

I hope that you have enjoyed my Wednesday Words.... Here  are previous months posts of what I've been reading in 2014. What have you been reading this month?... would love to hear what has been grabbing your attention. Enjoy x

5 London Loves - London Heights

This year I have been sharing my New York Loves over bi-weekly posts, a number of you have asked for the London equivalent. Last week I shared my favourite ways to view New York from above so this week I am sharing my London equivalents.

 The London skyline has changed dramatically over the last 20 years from the build of Canary Wharf, to the London eye and the newest height The Shard, London manages to mix the old with the new effortlessly.

London Eye - opened in 2000 to celebrate the turn of the millennium, this London landmark has become one of the most visited and recognised attractions of the London skyline. Reaching a height of 135m the Eye offers 360' views of a city in comfortable style and  at a leisurely pace. I circled London on the Eye several times and have always enjoyed the journey and the changing landscape of the London skyline.

Duck & Waffle - sited 40 floors on the top of Heron Tower in the heart of the City of London, this cool 24 hour eatery provides some spectacular views over the East of the city and old London, including the adjacent buildings of The Gherkin, Tower 42 ( which reminds me so much of the original World Trade Centre Towers in New York) and the new 'Walkie Talkie' building being built.

Thames Cable Car - opening in 2012, this cool air tramway links the Greenwich peninsula and the Royal Docks. Reaching heights of 90m, this London height offers very cool views over the river and the East of London which has seen a huge re-generation in the last couple of decades. This fab little service is all accessible via the London Oyster card and is a great family outing at really affordable prices.

The Monument - This is the original London height, built in 1671 & 1677 to commemorate the Great Fire of London and to celebrate the rebuilding of the city.  Designed by Christopher Wren it is built a stones throw from where the Great Fire started in a bakery in Pudding Lane, 160ft to be precise, the exact height of the monument. The fire started on Sunday 2nd September 1666 and raged for 3 days until finally being extinguished on Wednesday 5th September, desolating much of the city. The viewing platform is accessible by a 311 step spiral staircase which offers resting posts and viewing slots on the ascent. Another fun family climb, all for the bargain price of £3 per person.

The Shard - opening in 2013 this is the newest London height, reaching a height of 305m the panoramic views of the London landscapes and suburbs in the distance are beautiful.  This  height is my New York "Top of the Rock" equivalent.... from the supersonic lift ascent to the feel of the viewing platforms it is the perfect way to see the sunrise and set over the city.

I hope that you have enjoyed my whistle-stop tour of London heights... pop back in a couple of weeks for another London loves.

please note all views are my own and I have received no payments / offers  for these.

Master of Macarons

Last Friday the Master of Macarons; Pierre Herme visited the big yellow store on Oxford Street to see his new chocolate & macaron boutique in the Confectionery hall. Whilst there he caused a confectionery queue of epic proportions for macaron box & book signings...

......the new space opened in Selfridges last Friday and is a feast on the eye and the taste buds, nestled alongside Pierre Marcolini, and L'artisan du Chocolat it really is a chocolate lovers paradise.
Pierre was delightful, in his unassuming style, modest and a little shy.  I am sure he is the polar opposite in the kitchen, when he is developing and creating his confections, but completely made my Friday.... another Food hero met :-)

So next time, if you are passing through the confectionery hall of the home of Mr Selfridge stop and gaze at the chocolatiers confections.... gorgeous and decadent treats galore.