This past weekend, Richard and I decided that we just had to get out and do something. Too often when we have a day together, we waste it by relaxing around the flat all day. Now, I say wasted loosely here, as a day spent sleeping in, eating brunch, and watching a movie on the sofa is not a wasted day per se. It’s just that we often look back at months at a time, and feel like we haven’t really done anything.

I always seem to take photos of Richard on trains – he hates it. I’m thinking of starting a series… or a coffee table book.

So we considered our options and settled on visiting the market at Brick Lane! We had both been to Brick Lane on different occasions, but never on the weekend, when their markets were open.

To be honest, I was a bit disappointed. It was kind of small despite how much space there actually was. We’re both more into antiques than handmade stuff, and the market seemed full of screen-printed clothing, or similar items. Not quite what we were looking for.

What they didn’t have in terms of stuff to buy, however, they made up for in stuff to eat! Nowhere near the options at Camden or Borough Markets, but they had momos! After living in Nepal, Richard has quite the affinity for those little Tibetan dumplings… so to say that he was ‘chuffed’ to see that stall would be an understatement. And of course, we had to share a sampling! We tried all the varieties except for vegetarian and enjoyed them all. The spicy dip had quite the kick!

Now, sharing a few dumplings isn’t quite enough for a full meal. There were some other amazing options available in the Brick Lane market, but we had another lunch in mind… salt beef bagels!

I had heard about the bagels here at Beigel Bake, as being the best salt beef in London. I’m a huge fan of spicy mustard and pickles… so these seemed right up my alley! But, if I’m being honest, I think the ones at Borough Market are better (controversial, I know). Maybe it’s the better pickles, but a lot of it is probably due to the fact that Beigel Bake cranks out a bazillion of them each day, and they sort of just slap them together. Seriously, the lines there for bagels are mental. I like a bit more care with my food.

So after our salty lunch, we wanted to find a good place to sit down and have a coffee. And not only did we find great coffee… but cats as well!

that sign suited this sleepy kitty purrfectly…

I’d heard a while back that there were a couple of cat cafes in London, but we hadn’t checked them out yet. Richard and I both love cats (and dogs) and wish we could have one. However, Richard’s job, traveling, and our possibility of moving in the next couple of years have kept us away from the adoption centers. We’re both such suckers that if we ever went, we’d 100% come back with a cat. Or two.

So for a couple of cat-starved crazies, the idea of getting to spend an hour stroking a bunch of furry companions was the ultimate draw! We checked out the website for This Is a Coffee Shop (with cats) and thought that the food/drinks looked good enough to be a draw even without the cats.

As with the Brick Lane market, there was a bit of a letdown in terms of our expectations vs. reality. The coffee shop had undertaken a transformation from a cat café, to a coffee shop (with cats), and one of the biggest changes was that you couldn’t touch the cats unless they came up to you. It makes complete sense, as the cats can get quite stressed from constantly being picked up and stroked by strangers all day.

We knew this going in (as they explicitly mention it on their website), and both support the idea as it’s kinder to the cats. However, we ended up being sat next to a couple of cats who after saying hello, promptly fell asleep ha.

The saving grace of the experience was the food and drinks. I had looked on their website and Instagram before we decided to go and thought that the menu was worth going. My perspective was that the coffee options, food, and atmosphere, would have been enough to draw me in – the cats are just a bonus!

I ended up having their flower latte with hibiscus and rose (yum!) and Richard got out of his comfort zone with the turmeric latte. Both were nice and flavorful and oh-so-pretty! We shared a berry cake (very sweet) and just sat there trying to mentally encourage the various sleeping cats around us to come and say hi. If only they knew how much love and attention we would have provided!

the sole curious cat who came to say hello

I’d be tempted to go back another day, perhaps during a weekday when it’s quieter, and see if I can’t get some cat time. Who knows? But if not, then I’m perfectly content to enjoy another pink latte and read a book… it might not be my favorite color, but it tastes awesome!

The main street is the kind of place to head if you’re in the market for a cheap pair of sunglasses or a phone case. But it’s the market itself that draws me in! Part food market, with open-air stalls, and part handmade/antique sellers hawking scarves, jewellery, and the like. In the fall, it’s the perfect place to find a new scarf or toque, and in the summer it’s a great place to find a new pair of sunnies or a new bag! But in my case, it was the perfect excuse to try a fancy hot chocolate I had heard about.

I first visited Camden Market waaay back in August 2015 when I came over for a few days to see Richard. It was a quick whirlwind trip, where he tried to show me London as much as the limited days allowed, Camden included. He knew I would enjoy wandering the indoor market full of antique clothing and accessories, but my favourite thing had to be Chin Chin Labs. They are an ice cream shop that specializes in liquid nitrogen frozen ice cream! They make it to order, and it looks all sciency and cool! But this time of the year, and especially the recent weather, meant that even a diehard ice cream fan like myself was tempted by something a little warmer. (But honestly, ice cream is always a good idea, no matter the temperature!)

The hot chocolate at Chin Chin comes either plain or with a toasted marshmallow topping. I decided to try it with the topping, despite not being that into marshmallow frosting, as it was voted the best hot chocolate in London. They gave me my cup in a bowl, which I thought was confusing until I tried to actually drink it! That marshmallow doesn’t come off easily! Anytime I tried to scoop some off, it ended up spilling cocoa all over the bowl. Quite a messy drink!

The hot chocolate itself was nice and rich, but I found the frosting too sweet (and too much). It kind of feels like you don’t get enough of the hot chocolate to make room for aaaaall that sugar. If I had it again, I would definitely forgo the frosting in favour of more of what I came there for – the drink itself. Or maybe I’ll just get ice cream instead

After that sugar intake, I wandered the antique stalls for a bit and considered trying on some hats, before realizing that I had to run for the subway, as they were closing Camden station early that day. Much as I enjoy the market, I didn’t want to get stuck there or have to walk to the nearest tube station to get home.

So if you’re in the neighbourhood, or find yourself on the Northern line, why not visit Camden Market? I’d especially recommend it on a sunny day when you can enjoy ice cream outside, or eat along the side of Camden Lock… but then again, those days are the busiest!!

Every Monday the Apple and Jubilee markets at Covent Garden make way for antiques! Once home to fruit and vegetable sellers back in the day, these markets are usually home to stalls selling handmade wares and lots of touristy kitsch. The antiques you find on Mondays are a refreshing reprieve from what you find the rest of the week. They tend to set up a bit later than most markets, so if you end up there too early, just wait until closer to 11 or 12. I thought that being there around 10:30 would be late, but half the sellers were still setting up their wares.

Most of the sellers are peddling jewellery, silver cutlery and other tableware. You can find the odd stall with some artwork, or other housewares, but it’s almost all the same stuff. I almost bought some vintage Kuba cloth fabrics but was unable to get a hold of Richard before heading home. Maybe they’ll still be there next time? £20 (asking price, which means there’s room to reduce) for Kuba cloth isn’t too bad! Now I just need to find someone selling mali indigo fabrics and I’ll be sorted!

So if you happen to find yourself in the heart of London on a Monday, and wish to look at something other than brand names, why not stop by? Even if you’re not too into antiques, you can still peruse the fancy perfume and tea shops located in the market, or listen to the music! There’s always a musical quartet or some such, playing in the East Collonade of the market. When I first arrived a woman was singing opera! She was amazing!

While the kitchen progress is ticking along slowly, I can’t help but look ahead and think about accessories. All the white cabinets and pale walls have me craving warmth and texture. I’m thinking of a funky wood clock, a patterned faux Roman blind, and a vintage rug!

Okay, so the rug may not actually happen. See, Richard isn’t a fan of having a rug in our kitchen. He sees it as a place for crumbs and germs to live, while I see it as much-needed warmth, texture, and style in our all-white kitchen. I have been eyeing this rug on Etsy, but am worried it might be a bit too small for our space.

I’ve debated spraying a rug with some sort of repellant fabric spray, but am not sure if that would help (or convince Richard). For now, I would be content to vacuum it regularly. See, I have always lived with some sort of rug/mat under our kitchen sink areas, while Richard has not. My mom always had flat weave mats to stand on, and I loved the feel underfoot. All soft and cushy…

But enough about how they feel, look at them! Doesn’t a rug just add so much color and interest to these kitchens?

bright pink kilim in a tuxedo kitchen via laurengrant

dark kilim in a pale sage kitchen via Glitterinc

colorful rug in a dark green kitchen via wtf

red Persian rug in a white kitchen via home deco

So where do you stand? Rugs in the kitchen – yay or nay? Gross and crumby, or stylish and awesome?

Cleaning silverware with baking soda | Hello Victoria

As I mentioned before, Richard and I collect antique or vintage silverware, instead of getting a proper set. We love the idea of using these pieces that often get relegated to a “fancy cutlery” drawer, in our day-to-day use. But there’s a reason that people avoid silver cutlery in favor of stainless steel – tarnish. So how do we go about keeping our mismatched set looking nice?

A few years back I was told this magic trick by an antique store owner on Fort Street in Victoria. Simply combine baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and boiling water in a container, with aluminum foil covering the bottom. What happens is some sort of chemical reaction where the tarnish is attracted from the silver to the foil, removing the tarnish almost instantly! I don’t know how, but it does! Trust me.

I’ve read various recipes for this – some specify that the foil should be shiny side up, some add a bit of salt, and others use water softener instead of baking soda. The general rule of thumb tends to be about 2 tablespoons of baking soda, to one litre of water.

To be honest, I don’t often measure how much I use. I simply line the bottom of my container (or sink if yours is stainless like mine, and has lots to clean) with foil, sprinkle on some baking soda, and pour over the boiling water to dissolve the soda. Then add your pieces either by dipping, or submerging, depending on how bad the tarnish is. Mild tarnish will come off instantly, while more build-up can take a few minutes.

You can see the line where I dipped the spoon. It took only seconds to do that!

If you find that you still have discoloration after about 5-10 minutes of soaking, try making a baking soda paste and rubbing the tarnish with it. In some cases, it could be that the silver plating has worn off and nothing you do can fix it. (I say that after having a few recent spoon purchases with this very problem.)

And that’s it! Simply remove your pieces, give them a quick wash to remove any residue, and dry them! Easy-peasy no?

One important thing to note – never use this on anything with stones in it, only use it for full silver pieces. Also, any modern jewelry with “antiqued” detailing – like faux darkening in the etching – shouldn’t be treated this way. That dark stuff in between the detailing will simply turn white, not silver.

I know that from experience 

So if you’re into old stuff, but don’t always want it looking that old – give this method a try!

Modern rosewood media cabinet from Swoon Editions | Hello Victoria

We finally got some new furniture for our flat! Isn’t she beautiful?

Before moving to England, I googled some alternatives to IKEA for finding affordable furniture. As much as I love IKEA, it tends to have a “look” to it, don’t you think? Maybe that’s just me (because I know their products so well), but I didn’t want an entire place that said “IKEA”.

fern, and wood planter from Flower & Glory // cement planter from the Red Mud Hut

I’ll definitely shop there (and already have for the flat), but I want to have furniture from all types of places and styles so that our flat feels like a true representation of our eclectic tastes.
One of the shops that came up in my search was Swoon Editions. It’s an online store with a cool concept – ditch the storefront, middlemen, and everything else that jacks up the price of furniture, and just connect directly with the people who make it. All of their items are online only, which poses a bit of a problem – you might end up waiting months to receive a product you have never even seen in person!

Made.com (which I also researched) has a similar concept but actually has a few showrooms in and around London, so you can see stuff in person.

Zabel media cabinet from Swoon Editions

Richard and I both fell in love with this media cabinet, called Zabel. Despite being a bit more money (double) than we had hoped to spend, we couldn’t find anything else we liked quite as much. It felt unique, and modern, while still being “warm” – I tend to find lots of modern furniture lacks warmth due to all the chrome/glass etc. The only problem was that we had to wait about 3 months (!!) to have it delivered. Some items on their website can be delivered right away, but others have to actually be made and shipped from their manufacturing country (in our case India).

As much as a nicer sofa, or bed with storage would be nice, the media cabinet turned out to be our first priority. It doesn’t take much to convince me to buy something new and nice, but Richard’s a bit tougher to crack when we aren’t exactly flush. However, he absolutely hated our former media setup and was determined to find something to replace it. (Woohoo!)

fiddle leaf basket from Homesense

Oh, and did you notice our beautiful plant in the corner? I was beyond excited when I came across this plant in our local Lidl. They had a small section of plants on sale for £9.99 and I couldn’t believe it when I found this fiddle leaf fig (the only one) amongst the rest. I cut the top off to encourage branching (and replanted the cut to make a new plant). So basically I get two fiddle leaves for the lowly price of £9.99!! And if you’re looking for your own fiddle leaf here in the UK, well you’re in luck! The Columbia Road flower market always seems to have them, and not for much more than I got mine!

But back to the media cabinet. We’re planning on mounting the tv on the wall, once we finalize exactly where we want it to go. I am looking forward to accumulating a few decorative items to dress up the top once the TV is out of the way.

my humble rendering of our planned bookshelf and wall-mounted TV

Beside the cabinet, we’re planning on building a bookshelf just like this one, from CB2. I’m thinking of making the shelves wood, and either staining them black or a mid-toned wood. I’m torn, as I love the warmth of wood, but think black will allow the items on the shelves to be the focus. Thoughts?

In other living room furniture news… we still have the same sofa, and coffee table (which Richard loathes), but they are now grounded by this awesome rug! I’ve always wanted a cool antique rug and searched for a while before coming across this beauty on eBay. It was right in my price range, and the perfect size to have all the front legs of our furniture on it.

Eventually, we’ll have a side table or two and will pull the rug out from the wall a bit. I’m thinking of doing a modern box frame coffee table with a couple poufs tucked underneath it. Maybe DIY something like this coffee table from West Elm? I was first inspired to do this after seeing the living room at Orlando Soria’s condo – he even has the sort of pouf I have in mind!

doesn’t his place look amazing?

Richard is dying for something to put his feet up on, but I don’t think a sectional will fit in here. So poufs it is! (Or is it poufs?) Maybe light grey ones like these? I’ll DIY them if I can make friends with someone who owns a sewing machine… I really love those French seams.

Oh, and you can’t really see in the photos, but our living room window is currently home to a lot of plant happenings.

Richard is trying to grow more Nepali chili plants, from cuttings of his two larger plants, and I am still trying to propagate succulents! I Instagrammed about these ages ago, and they are finally starting to do something. Just when I was thinking about getting rid of them…

On the other side of the room, we have our mini dining space. In the corner by the window is our freezer (not shown) which we plan on eventually building a cabinet to hide. But beside it, we have our new, wee, farmhouse table! I found this one on eBay, and then we went to pick it up. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t fit through our front door (too sharp a turn just inside the door) so we had a friend help us get it through our second-floor window!!

I still want to replace the knob on the tiny drawer with a smaller wood one, stained to match. I even have the knob and just need to find some stain. Procrastinating – 1, Amy – 0…

Our chairs are old church seats but are missing the bible holders on the back. You can see where they used to live, and I kind of wish the people who had these before us didn’t remove them. I want to stain them or possibly use some Danish oil on them to darken the color a bit. Make them slightly richer in color than the table? I’m still not sure.

don’t you just love those legs?

The room is still so far away from being anywhere near done – curtains, lights, artwork, side tables, sofa, freezer cabinet, accessories, bookshelf, etc. are all still to come. However, I am very pleased with the things we have bought so far.

Hopefully, it’ll all come together before the year is up?

Shopping the Sunbury Antiques Market | Hello Victoria

One of the things that Richard and I looked forward to doing after coming back from Greece (while we still were on holiday), was to visit the Sunbury Antiques Market. It’s a twice-weekly market located at the Kempton Park Racecourse and features over 700 vendors both inside and outside.

We’re both huge fans of eclectic spaces, filled with a mixture of antique and new pieces, and were hoping to find some furniture or accessories for our flat. One of the best and worst things about this flat is that the woman who sold it left a few pieces of furniture behind; it’s great since we can take our time finding the right pieces (and the money to pay for them), but it’s also kind of frustrating as the furniture is bland and boring. We pretty much need everything for the flat – sofa, coffee table, rugs, dining table, chairs, bedside tables… you name it, we need it.

With over 700 stalls, we were hoping to at least find something to take home.

Alas, we found only a few small items, no furniture. But despite our lack of finds, we still had a good day out in the rare English sunshine. There was so much to see – we didn’t quite realize just how big the market was until it just kept going, and going… and going! There was a huge selection of everything from antique jewelry to old farm tools, with a lot in between. I found an amazing little antique painting (like tiny), only to find out that it cost £250!?! I thought maybe it would be £50 but never imagined so much!

Aren’t some of those taxidermy guys hilarious-looking? I also found this Canada Dry box on one of the outside stalls, and couldn’t help taking a photo of it (although, the woman who owned the stall was none too pleased about that). I am still learning that you have to ask before taking photos of people’s stuff, or petting their dog…

In the end, we bought some old wall hooks,  as well as silver teaspoons and dessert spoons for our burgeoning collection.

A while back, Richard and I were discussing how it’s such a shame that people have these “good” cutlery sets that almost never get used – it’s such a waste of craftsmanship. So we’re collecting mismatched silver cutlery in patterns/styles that we like, instead of purchasing a whole set. I was a bit unsure about having it not match, but a quick Google search showed that Anthropologie used to actually sell mismatched silver, and it looks quite nice together (not to mention being cheaper this way).

We’ll have to come back again, on another nice day, to see if we can’t find a nice dining table or chairs to take home. Lucky for us, it takes place every other week.