London Zoo LATES 2013

We here at The Amazing Blog  we all work hard but enjoy letting loose every now and then (only occasionally mind!) Since it's now officially summer and we get to experience the longer lighter evenings;  it's great to  discover a new range of sun-down activities for you, our dear readers. So we have to tell you about this one which captured our attention, the little known London Zoo Lates which is now in its third year of happening. When we first heard about this, we couldn't believe our ears,  I mean who would have honestly thought about partying with the animals?!

London Zoo Lates is an incredible way to spend your Friday nights, chilling out and exploring the urban jungle - that is actually London Zoo. Leaving the stress of your week at the gates you'll enter into a giant sized adult carnival. Featuring there is a wide range of animals and entertainment; such as an adult sized playroom with ball ponds, cabaret sketches and improvised comedy. There's also an international street food festival, several pop up bars, carousel rides, and much much more…You can even get your face painted! You are never too old get your face painted (well, in our world you’re not.... Based in an exotic setting, the night is full of drinks, laughter  and all guaranteed to give you some great memories with friends to treasure.

Taking place since June 7 and continuing until the newly added Friday August 2, tickets are £25. With a group of 10 or more tickets are half price. Starting at 6 pm to 10 pm, all London Zoo Lates guests must be 18 and over, and by the way don't even think about bringing your own alcohol - they'll police you at the door. Drinks are available on-site with a plentiful selection (including alcohol) So why not live out your childhood memories and be a kid once more even if it is just for a few hours -  it'll be totally worth it.

The Mothership Group's New Addition & RAW Wine Fair

For us here at The Amazing Blog, spring weekends can never come soon enough. It seems that as we get closer to summer, getting out and about on Saturdays and Sundays becomes much more anticipated. While this weekend offers many different events, there are these two that we must highlight for our readers. One is attending the new Stories venue from The Mothership Group that opened earlier this month and the other is the annual RAW Wine Fair. Both are certain to provide you with a relaxing and social environment accompanied with good food and great drinks. Which is perfect because, quite honestly, I cannot think of a better way to start the weekend than with a nice big glass of wine :-)  

The Mothership Group has become well-known for both their Book Club and Queen of Hoxton venues in Shoreditch and now, with Stories, they are adding a new addition to their soiree repertoire. Over in East London’s Broadway Market, Stories will be a lively brunch restaurant complete with a magnificent collection of  cocktails. However, yummy food and drinks are not all that they'll offer. Much like their other venues, Stories promises to continue their creative take on socialising by fusing drinks and food with creative thinking and special events. Creative Director of the Mothership Group, Heather Lawton, has pulled together a panel of local creatives to ensure that this daytime hub is not only a delicious place to dine but also an inventive creative collection. For local creatives, thinkers, or anyone looking for a vibrant and intriguing atmosphere, Stories is a must.

For a nice concluding event to your weekend, the Old Truman Brewery will be hosting the annual RAW Wine Fair this Sunday and Monday. Boasting itself as the UK’s Biggest Independent Artisan Wine Fair, this event is truly a 'must experience'. With over 150 growers from all across the world will be showcasing their best wines. But don’t forget to try the local UK wines as well. And for all of you true wine aficionados, the fair will also offer exclusive tastings, incredible food pairings and lectures from the world’s leading experts. Attendees at last year's event claimed it to be 'the best wine fair ever...'  So personally speaking, I'll definitely try and swing by here.

We'll be attending both Stories this Saturday and conclude the weekend with the RAW Wine Fair. Both events are sure to be fun environments to go with friends for a perfect quick bite and drinkies. For more information on Stories and other Mothership Group events be sure to check out their website. And for a complete guide to the Raw Wine Fair including a detailed wine list refer to this website here. Who knows, maybe we'll see you there?

Crafty Fox Easter Market

Every year as spring slowly rolls around again, I begin to let my inner creativity come out. As Easter quickly approaches, Crafty Fox Markets are hosting a special event this weekend. At The Amazing Blog we try to attend something that is going on in London every weekend, while we have free time to ourselves. Many of my friends have told me that Crafty Fox Market is unique and fabulous with something for everyone – I surely will not leave empty handed.

During March 23^rd and 24^th there will be around 100 designers set up with their handmade crafts and art work at The Dogster in Brixton. Each of these designers are hand picked to represent their crafts and go through a thorough selection process in order to gain a spot.

Each of these designers display their handmade and unique crafts for only one day, in order to allow other designers to showcase their crafts on the second day of the market. As you walk around the market you will notice a foxy theme. You cannot go wrong with this craft market as you can pick up cards, prints, jewellery and homeware.

Some designers showcased on Saturday include Yas-Ming Ceramics, Superfumi, Hope and Eden, and Lucie Ellen provide you with homeware, unique toys, ceramics, and stationary.

New designers that are showcased on Sunday include Jimbobart, Agata Duda, Kirstin Stride, and Georgia Bosson offer eclectic cushions, hand drawn jewellery, and expressive animal drawings.

This market is spread out across three floors of the Dogstar and if you are feeling inspired after shopping around, attend a screen-printing workshop for only £5 and let your inner creativity shine. Feeling a bit hungry or thirsty after a full day of shopping? Stop in Tea’s Knees pop-up shop and indulge with the best British cream teas, cake, and sandwiches.

Come out either Saturday or Sunday from 11am until 5pm to discover new and exciting artistic pieces of work at Dogster. View the different designers and stalls here to have an overview of exactly which people will be displaying what on Saturday and Sunday. Families are more than welcome to come with their children and spend the day browsing, eating, and drinking. I have no doubt in my mind that Crafty Fox Easter Market will surpass my expectations from the reviews I have received.

The Spirit of Christmas Fair

Looking for a fun and productive weekend activity? With November just beginning, and the cold weather setting in, people are starting to think about Christmas shopping and getting frantic about the holidays. Since the holidays are quickly approaching, what better way to kick off your shopping by heading to the Spirit of Christmas fair happening this very weekend. The fair started 30^th October and goes until 4^th November. Whether you are looking for some gift inspiration or Christmas present ideas, or even just want a fun day out with friends, the fair offers an abundance of options to tickle your fancy.

Throughout the day numerous workshops are held. You can learn anything from decorating cupcakes to gift wrapping. Food and drink will also be served at the fair. You can have a delicious bite from Mosimann’s Winter Restaurant or sit down for a glass of champagne at Louis Roederer’s Champagne Bar. Hundreds of companies will have their gifts displayed, and will include fashion, interior accessories, and gifts for men, children, and babies. The fair includes a unique array of gifts that you can not ordinarily find on the high street.

Be sure to check out one of our favourite gifts at the fair…Possmere. Possmere is a luxury brand of knitwear for men, women, children, accessories, and interiors. All their products are made from 40% Possum fur, 50% New Zealand Merino wool, and 10% Nylon. Possmere products are so incredibly soft, light, and comfortable. It even provides more insulation than cashmere. These products are truly one of a kind. Who wouldn’t want to bundle up with one of Possmere’s products this winter?  We sure do! You can find them at stand F86.

Really Wild Clothing was another favourite. Their stand located at G31, offers an array of country clothing for men and women. The brand originated by designer and founder, Natalie Lake, who wanted to create stylish shooting clothes for women. This was a success considering her whole line is cute but casual. They have a versatile collection of tweed wear as well that offers a trendy, but comfortable look for the city or country. Really Wild Clothing is offering great deals at the Spirit of Christmas fair that you won’t want to miss.

Looking for some great skincare products to give as gifts? Rhodes to Heaven has an array of natural skincare products that appeal to all skin types. For Christmas, Rhodes to Heaven has put together a kit of their most loved All in One products. Each one is packed with all natural ingredients which are great for the skin and help give a radiating and natural look. Packaged in their signature Little Black Bag, these beauty products are a must have for this Christmas season. Be sure to stop by their stand at G81.

We at The Amazing Blog love this fair and know you will too! The Spirit of Christmas Fair is located at the Grand Hall, Olympia Exhibition Centre, Kensington, London. See their website here for details regarding times and ticket prices. We hope you enjoy the fair and even get some inspiration or make some purchases for this holiday season.

If unfortunately you can't make it to The Spirit of Christmas Fair, do visit Spirit Boutique - a natural extension of the Fair which changed the concept of Christmas shopping when it launched at London's Olympia in 2001.

Our Spooky Picks for this Halloween

This time of year is always crazy with the holidays quickly approaching and a bitter cold winter around the corner, but today is the one day of the year where you can dress in crazy costumes and acceptably eat as much candy as you desire. A day filled with spooky ghosts and blood-drinking vampires, Halloween is a fun treat for all to kickoff the start of the holiday season. To get into the Halloween spirit, we at The Amazing blog have found some fun themed goodies that will be sure to add some excitement to this unforgettable day of the year.

The American drinks brand, Royal Crown Cola, has launched a limited edition drink for this spooky holiday. The Dracola is a fizzy blood-red drink that is perfect for any Halloween party. Not only is the drink appropriately themed, but the label of the bottle is glow in the dark to give a twilight effect. You can get a 2 litre bottle of this “fang-tastic fizz” for only £1. You can even mix the drink with other delicious ingredients to create a Dracola ice-cream float or even to make a bowl of punch. The drink can be purchased at over 217 Asda stores throughout the UK.

Whether you’re celebrating Halloween or Mexico’s Day of the Dead, why not pick up one of Alhambra’s festive skull cushions. It is believed that the origins of Halloween trace back to the Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts believed that the spirits of the dead would return at this time of celebration. Today, although the holiday is much more about wearing scary costumes to “ward off ghosts” than it is reflecting about the dead, these cushions are a fun way to decorate your home. Alhambra’s colourful skull cushions are inspired by this holiday as well as Mexico’s Day of the Dead. They have a range of designs to choose from. The cushion covers are £14.50 plus p&p and the stuffed pillows retail from £18.50. The cushions can be found at their website here.

One of our favourite beauty products from LUSH fresh handmade cosmetics is their Twilight shower gel. Having a mysterious lavender scent, this shower gel shimmers like the night sky while hydrating your skin. Packaged in a black bottle, this shower gel is meant to calm, relax, and sooth while taking you from day to night. Add this product to your bathing routine for only £4.25/100g from LUSH’s website.

A big part of Halloween is all of the fun treats sold in stores. We came across this cute bag of chocolates from Hotel Chocolat. The Little Bag of Horrors includes Zingy Zombie Eye Truffles, a chocolate ghost, and a Tiddly vampire. The Little Bag of Horrors retails for £6.50. You can purchase this spooky bag of chocolates from their website here. Hotel Chocolats also offers other Halloween related candy for purchase on their website. There’s nothing like a sweet treat to celebrate this day with.

Ever wanted to break out a pair of funky red pumps to wear on a night out on the town? Fury has launched a new pair of heels that would be the perfect accessory to any outfit including a fierce costume for that Halloween party you have coming up. Fury’s designs combine aggressive studs with a feminine shape for the ultimate trendy shoe. These shoes are scandalous and have a rock n’ roll feel to them. Fury’s red pump combines multiple runway trends from this season onto one shoe. From leather to studs to python print, these heels are guaranteed to turn heads. Fury’s new line starts at £275. They can be purchased at their website.

From head to toe be decked out for Halloween. Paperself eyelashes’ Rocky Punk Collection contains the perfect mix of a mysterious black appearance with real figurines that will spook anyone who takes a look at them. You can choose from the Scorpion: Fatal Attraction or the Spider: Mysterious Power. What a perfect way to accessorize your costume with these funky false eyelashes. They both are on sale now for £10.00 on the Paperself website here.

Why not deck yourselves and even your homes out this Halloween with our spooky picks. Happy Halloween!