Something for the Weekend...

The Secret Garden has always been magical in my eyes and even now at the age of 26 I wouldn't mind stumbling across a mysterious landscape, with overgrown bluebells and an old fashioned swing.  There is a walled vineyard behind my house which, upon first glance, does emulate the film's version but I've never been in and I doubt it houses the fantasy I've envisioned.  Maybe the fascination with this cosy movie has nothing to do with a pretty garden, maybe it's actually a nod to todays obsession with voyeurism.  Reality tv shows are rife and we can all admit that at one time or another we've nosily looked around a house for sale, not because we plan on buying but purely because we're curious.  The Secret Garden is also very British in my eyes, it reflects a very elegant era that for some reason I always associate with proper afternoon tea. 

Today I'm heading out to Regents Park to play croquet.  This makes me sound like I am entering a professional croquet tournament.  I'm not.  I'm just planning on playing it whilst I'm there.  This also makes me sound incredibly sophisticated "Oh yes darling, well no darling I can't meet today darling, I'm playing croquet on the lawn darling".  See, elegantly British.  This long drawn out introduction has a point, I promise.

Therefore I bring you my British/Secret Garden themed Something for the Weekend...

Unfortunately the weather's not looking too perky this weekend, unfortunate for some of the offerings I'll be mentioning below (and my croquet session) but quite apt for Britain.  Can you believe it I've even managed to supply truly British rainy weather for this blog post.  Woop!

So, if you fancy yourself as a bit of a Mary Lennox then you want to head to London this weekend for your very own Secret Garden adventure.  Gardens all over the city, that are usually closed to the publics prying eyes, will be opening up their gates.  You'll get to wander around some beautifully tended oasis' of the floral variety, with some even providing entertainment.  There's even the possibility of visiting prison gardens....hmm...not sure of the allure of this one, they may not want to headline with this.  Check out this site to grab all the information.  They have a wonderful little key beside each garden that highlights if you can picnic there, whether there are any activities and for what age group, if dogs are allowed, if you  have to purchase tickets for entry and of course a Secret Garden-esque key to emphasise whether the location is usually closed to the public.

My pick would be, The Goring Hotel, which of course will most likely be the most populated, due to it being the recent witness of the Duchess of Cambridge blossoming, from Kate Middleton, into her now rather grand title.  There's also a couple of gardens featuring singers from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art which I think you should check out purely because I teach LAMDA Acting at the weekend, so I can guarantee the performances will be great *wink wink*.

If you're too far away or simply aren't fancying the trip back into the big smoke, why not create your own Secret Garden festivities with a gathering of your nearest and dearest to sip tea and scoff scones.  My mum and I threw a garden party last year for my Godfather, for some fun ideas why not check out the "how to" here.

Or if all else fails and the weather is horrifically grotty then why not cosy up at home with your tea and cake, The Secret Garden in the DVD player, with this adorable tea cup candle from Mor burning in the background, available in House of Fraser for £50.50...

 

*Images taken from http://www.imdb.com/ and http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/

Hot 100

The other week I attended the Jewellers Hot 100 in association with Swarovski at Kensington Roof Gardens.  I have been dying to visit this venue for years, ever since an ex boy band member told me they had flamingo's there.  Alas there was not one pink feathered bird in sight.  Another guest claimed the flamingo's had been removed due to people trying to throw them over the roof-can somebody please confirm this?!

Despite my flamingo dreams being shattered I did adore the venue with its secret garden like outer areas, although I seemed to not venture far enough once viewing the pictures the following morning.

As you can see the peach tulle dream dress I blogged about here made a further appearance, therefore must be locked away until 2011 now!  I teamed it with a grey multi chain necklace which I received numerous fabulous coments about as per usual, with the little glint in my eye knowing I purchased it for 20p at a Sugar Magazine Fashion and Beauty sale at my old job.

I also ended up staying at my friend Jess's (the girl with the red hair in the photo above) hotel room which left me returning home a tad overdressed the following morning, only to be stared at and pretty much judged by every member on the tube and train.  Yes I had been a stop out but of the purest kind.  I promise.

How to throw a FABULOUS Party, McNally style, for under £200: Part Two

As expressed in an earlier post, my mum and I love throwing a soiree or two and this year we've managed three already and we were super impressed with both the results and the compliments we received!  Each event has been incredibly different and priced around £200, basically cost effective sophistication and so I wanted to document all of them via pictures and with a little "How to...." vibe to them.  By no means are either of us the next Martha Stewart but we sure as hell gave it a try!  There were too many pictures to document in just one blog post, so I have seperated them into their three respective categories.  Part one was "How to throw a Sex and the City themed Cocktail Party", so if you haven't checked it out yet, you can do so here!  Part two is a little more season specific and would be fairly impossible to re-create in England any time soon due to our British Summer time ending back in early August.  So without further ado here's Part two....

We donned our summer dresses for a tres chic Garden Party........

My Godfather's 60th Birthday was fast approaching and being that they had attended my Grandfathers Garden Party organised by us five years back, my Godmother decided she wanted us to throw a surprise one for him. This was subject to many lies due to the fact they were staying with us at the time. Therefore the sheer concept that we managed to pull this off as a success along with keeping it a secret was pure genius, even if I do say so myself!

Tables were dotted around the garden with miss matching shabby chic tablecloths and a jar of sweet peas from the local country shop decorating them. Canapes were served upon arrival teamed with a glass of Champagne.

This was my favourite table

My mother and I have been collecting shells from random canapes we've been purchasing over the months from Marks and Spencers. We used these then to fill them half with smoked salmon and half with prawn cocktail, to be eaten with a mini fork. We also served tartines which are chunks of dried baked ciabatta topped with something of your choice. We chose parma ham, cherry tomatoes and basil.

The Ice Bowl

My mothers Ice Bowl! Fill a largish bowl with water and place in sliced lemons, juniper berries, basil, flowers or any other decoration of your choice and then place a smaller bowl in the middle. Place in the freezer to set and then fill with prawns or another ice cold delicasy.

My Magnolia Bakery cupcakes graced this partys presence also, although this time they were Charlton Football Club themed for my Godfather, unforutnately the red dye ended up being hot pink, which was slightly dissapointing.

We finished the day off with afternoon tea, which included homemade millionaire shortbread, birthday cake and the themed cupcakes.

Truly Scrumptious Cardboard Cake Stand £11 John Lewis