time to reminisce and resolve

2011 has probably been the quickest year of my life. Moving to another country induced a wave of "firsts" which might have had something to do with the speed at which this year has passed. We moved into our first home together, got our first car, spent our first summer enjoying the benefits of living on a mediterranean island, experienced the first proper waves of homesickness which at points, seemed relentless, bought our first christmas tree together and got our first dog.

It seems impossible that we abandoned the gloomy shores of England, found jobs and settled our lives on the far side of Europe just over a year ago. It would be fair to say 2011 has treated us well.

But as it draws to a close and we take the opportunity to reminisce, its also the best time to set the resolutions in motion for 2012.

1. Save instead of spend
2. Drink less coffee
3. Make more trips home to visit family and friends
4. Set my Greek language learning in motion
5. Read more books
6. Teach the doggy to say I love you.
7. Blog more frequently
8. Write letters instead of emails
9. Be more positive and less negative
10. Learn to cook our favourite Cypriot dishes
11. And be thankful for what we have

feeling festive

 Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing day have all flown by without me really realizing and tomorrow I return to the office! YUCKS. But for now its more food, relaxation and the cosy smell of my White Company Cinnamon candle to send me off to a afternoon snooze.

UNICEF

Every year since 2000, UNICEF Germany and GEO magazine have held the UNICEF photo of the year award, which recognises the outstanding work of photographers around the world who shoot the living conditions, emotions and depict the personalities of children worldwide.

Photojournalists have to be nominated by a renowned photographer to take part in the competition and the award is given on annually on an international basis.

Depicting both the joys and despair of childhood experiences worldwide, the photographs portray the emotion of living an everyday life far from what many of us know.

http://www.unicef.de/en/aktionen/unicef-foto-des-jahres/infos-zum-wettbewerb/

24th december

Presents are wrapped (except the ones the cyprus post office neglected to deliver on time) ferrero rocher in the cupboard, nails are painted, boyfriends snoring and the dogs sleep barking. Happy CHRISTMAS eve.

bird.

http://www.christinasaid.blogspot.com/

Turkish Vogue

Getty

Maffashion

Kate Moss Bird print dress

origami-kids.com

MUSE Magazine

With a sophisticated feel to the styling and a beautifully shot film, MUSE magazines new print and video editorial featuring the stunning Kendra Spears is a huge success. 

images from F Tape

MadameX from The Terrible Child on Vimeo.

Nothing says winter....

......like a great British storm. 

picture from the BBC

The power of a John Lewis Advert

John Lewis is one of those Great British institutions that reminds me of saturday mornings with my mum. It was probably my mum's favourite place (well alongside M&S of course) because for her, it was a one stop shop. Whether it was a birthday card, school tights, a new jumper, a face cream, a tv remote or a tie for my dad, John Lewis was the place to go. And the fact that she could pick up milk, bread and some other weekend necessity while we were at it was the icing on the cake.

John Lewis in England is like nothing else. Ok so its the middle class playground, but when it comes to service and quality, you cant fault it. Which brings me on to their adverts. Another area that you can't fault them on. 

The brains behind the John lewis adverts is one very clever person. It's almost fair to say the adverts are more like short films, with the story line narrated throughout and such a strong attention to detail. While the story is important, how they play out the story and all the supplementay features of the advert are equally as vital; the choice of soundtrack, the angles shot at, the actors and actresses and the most important thing....the style. The style is continuous from advert to advert so much so that you know instantly what store your watching.

But for me, its the emotions John Lewis always tap into and portray through their stories. Such a strong feeling of warmth, family values, care, compassion and happiness just resonate from the screen in such a way that I always feel a little release of awwwwwww at the end.

For the love of Burberry

Burberry is one of those iconic British brands with such a vast history and heritage, that persists in enriching its designs to this day. Since it shrugged off the chav status and regained its rightful place as a high end fashion house, Burberry has gone from strength to strength producing some amazing collections and even more delectable advertising campaigns. And Burberry Porsum AW/12 pre-collection is one to knock the cashmere socks off you.

With beautiful lines and stunning tailoring, the collection oozes autumn with its luxurious and warm colour palette of browns, oranges, greys and navy blue.

Images from http://www.ftape.com/

Petit Bateau online

I may be slightly biased when it comes to Petit Bateau (having worked there for over a year) but they produce amazing clothes. And not just for little people. While Petit Bateau does amazing stuff for babies and kid with super soft cotton and practical favourites like dungarees in hard wearing material....its obviously the adult collection I had a little more interest in. Every season they produce a capsule collection for women and men and a series of basics - a variety of t shirts and vest in multiple colours and styles to suit everyone. There are two things I love about Petit Bateau.
1. They use amazing cotton and 2. the simplicity of the style makes any piece you buy, a keeper for more than one season. They really tap into their French heritage, produce classically cut items that last year after year and bring the customer coming back for more and more and more. And while their price point may be slightly higher than, say you other high street go to's for basis t shirts and sweaters....the cost per wear exceeds the quality and convenience of any £5 white t shirt you have ever purchased.

And they have now launched their new online boutique in the UK which means you can shop from the comfort of your sofa and exchange or refund in store. Perfect. Now if only they shipped to Cyprus.

http://www.petit-bateau.co.uk/