I wish it could be Fakemass everyday....

So last night, we celebrated our own Fakemass. Yay!

Our beautiful big tree, complete with perfectly wrapped boxes and family presents
underneath.

Stu and I still go home to spend Christmas with our own parents - him to Livingston, me normally staying put and hosting Christmas in which ever flat I'm living in. It's nice to host Christmas, it's nice to have the parents in my flat. It means Gran has less of a distance to travel since my Parents live WAY up north in Inverness, and it means that someone can feed Max and he's not left along on Chirstmas. The only downside to hosting away from home is that I don't get the usual catch up with old friends that everyone else seems to. Been YEARS since I've ever been able to. But I don't really mind. I enjoy our Christmas' just as much.

Pretty festive wine bottles.

So yeah, we celebrate our own 'Fakemass' as close to the real Christmas as possible. This year we've managed to celebrate it on the 23rd, which is much later than normal.Yay!


We treat it just like the real deal.... massive amounts of delicious food, excessive amounts of desserts topped off with a few glasses/pints of alcohol! It's a very special day for us! Max even joins in too.


This year we decided to keep it low budget, special presents with meaning and thought behind them, but not costing a lot. And I LOVE everything that I got! They are perfect, and SO ME! My man knows me well :D as does his Mum. Yay! I'll put up photos of my wonderful presents a bit later on.

Max enjoying the paper. He's just Puss in Boots!

I got lovely pretty necklaces from the wonderful Katy Cupcake's shop. Things I'd been eyeing up for a while but wasn't sure if Stu would notice. HE TOTALLY DID! Yay! And he wrote a lovely wee heart warming card to go with them, makes me teary just reading it.

Stu's beautiful festive boxes.

Stu puts in so much effort wrapping up his presents for people - even MAKES boxes for them, then beautifully decorates them. He's done it for a few years now, since we've been together really, one for each year starting with my 21st Birthday box. He's been getting better each time and this years were the best yet. He made 4 this year - one for me, his brother and parents. He really put a lot of thought into each gift to go inside the boxes, then made the boxes to fit - just as well I hoard lots of cardboard. They are so festive looking too. I'm going to use mine to keep special things in. Yay!





Me opening the thoughtful and perfect presents from Stu's mum. A Bow from Savy-Sailor and a delicate and perfect butterfly ring from a wee shop on Cockburn street. Lovely! Think I'll wear it on Hogmanay. Yay!


I'm wearing my festive snowman jumper. It's so festive and so over the top! YEAH!


Apparently Katy insisted on wrapping my bow, she did it so beautifully too, with a wee heart shaped wooden tag, and then Stu wrapped both the bow and ring together. Was a bit like pass-the-parcel. Only I got all the layers! Woo! And it just added to the exciting anticipation that I was feeling.

Ha ha, we were opening these presents while the dinner was cooking, and we were totally not coping with multi-tasking. We put in the pork which took the longest (neither of us like turkey), and then remembered about the yorkshires, and then the potatoes, and the parsnips, and we needed to prepare the carrots and sprouts (I LOVE sprouts!) and it all got a bit hectic. But considering how unprepared we were and frazzled, it turned out really delicious, filling and perfect! So it was all GOOD!

Stu in his new hoodie from me.  

Presents opened, food eaten, and Christmas films in the background. Yay! Just like the real day! Followed by board games. YEAH! Such fun and such a special day. I kind of like that we have it on a day that, as far as I know, no-one else celebrates on, it makes it our own, unique.

We're both a little obsessed with Zombies, and everything related to Zombies.... including the game.... Zombies! If you've not tried it and you also like the living dead... then give it a go! You won't regret it. We both get so involved and childish playing it. And actually, it was Adam that introduced us to the wonders that is that game. We became slightly addicted to it before he left. Hopefully play it with our visitors at New Year too.

Intense strategical thought required for optimum apocalyptic world!
Good times!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas - whether you celebrate it with your special other half or family, or both together - I hope you have your tummies filled with good food, good liquid and good treats and that Santa is good to you all! No lumps of coal I hope.

What are you hoping to get for Christmas? Do you have a special 'fakemass' date with your other half? Do you set a budget or a certain number of presents? I love finding out how other people celebrate, especially those that don't get to spend it with each other.

What is Christmas about for you? Do you enjoy the anticipation more than the actual event? Are you about the giving or receiving? I really do enjoy the lead up to Christmas, I feel like that's what the important side of the season is, not the presents, but the feelings before, during and after. And coming together with family and friends.

Whatever you do, whatever you get and where-ever you are, I hope you all have a wonderful time. Merry Fakemass one and all!

Stu's just left for back home and I'm off to get the flat a little tidier for the arrival of my parents and Gran to distract me from the fact he's abandoned me (I know he's not really, but it's still a little sad to see him go... a whole 5 days without him, thank god I've got Max).

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

Yay! Christmas! Santa on a polar bear! YEAH!

Just a short, heavily photo-filled, post to share my excitement for CHRISTMAS! EEEEEE!!! Not long now! I really am so very festive this year, more so than usual. I can't help but think it's because I've got an advent calendar again this year. I didn't have one last year so nothing to visibly move the days forward. Although I did have a major Christmas binge in my classroom last year, so I was excited during work, and then maybe the excitement had run out of my system by the time I got home - like most of my energy did, life of teaching 6 year olds. We did have our major snow week too last year.... ok.... maybe I was equally as excited as this year. (I might actually put up some snow pics from last year since we've still not had any snow!) But I love it! I'm filled with ripples of excited anticipation for the big day! And I know the anticipation is almost always better than the real thing, so I'm enjoying it lots while I have it. Yay! 

Saw this in a shop window. Not Christmassy, but I love it,
it's just such a Scottish take on an English craze! I'd love something of this - necklace maybe?

It's also really nice to walk around the town, look at wonderful Christmas window displays, and see all the street decorations varying with each street. The shops really do go all out on their displays. They just add to my excitement - I'm like a little kid and I really hope it never changes.

Empty Princes Street for a change.
Crisp clear day! Cold! Beautiful!

So this post is really just to share my excitement with the rest of the internet world. A few photos to mark my travels over this month and the lead up to the most celebrated two events of the year - Christmas and Hogmanay! Woo. Can't wait for both. I can't believe there's only a week to go till Christmas Eve. Wow! And only 6 days till Stu and I celebrate Fakemass. So technically I get 2 Christmas'.

This weekend was the last real time to go shopping and my gosh were there a LOT of people out! Was a good day though. Stu's lovely Mum came through to go gift hunting for me (how lucky am i?!) and then she and I went hunting for a few more things for Stu. Easy peasy! Then we stayed in town and wandered round with a couple of other friends through from Dundee. I'm really enjoying going into town and enjoying Edinburgh at this time of year and not having to hop back on a train to head back to Dundee. I live here now :-D sometimes I need reminding of that.

Same day, hours later - almost same place.

Another reason I'm so festive this year, I think, is being able to stay at home and watch all the Christmassy films that are on TV during the day - one of the benefits of being jobless just now. Every cloud eh?

I really get a feel for the seasons by the weather. Do you ever get that? You're out and about on a day and suddenly you think - hmm it's cold and dry and crisp, feels like today should be Halloween? It happens most around the Autumn/Winter time, probably because so many things happen during this time. I may be the only one that feels this - I hope I'm not alone. 

But recently, looking out my window to Arthur's Seat, and walking through the park into town, I really do get the feeling that its Christmas, or very close to. Ah its a good time! I'm glad I've got such a positive outlook on things just now, it would be so easy to let the negativity get the best of me. And I really hope Hogmanay is good on the 31st, so many years have just been meh when they had so much promise, but hopefully living here now will be much better. Bring it on!

The Red Bus - selling Pizza and a Pint. Not bad!
Snapped with Santa's sleigh coming past, with Stu and Ewan enjoying mulled cider. 

Some shops really do put a lot of effort into their displays! Especially the high end shops like the two here. They are both jewellery shops, with very very expensive beautiful items. I really love the wee snow-y scene with the park bench. Such a simple idea but executed so brilliantly. The wee LCD screen actually had a film playing snow falling. Really did make a wonderful display. Even the wee post box. They had 4 of these wee things, I'd love one, just to sit and watch. And the image next to it, my word! They had watches costing 50K+! 

Incredible! But they were Rolex. They had a lovely wee snow-y scene too, and had a wee toy train on a circular track, pulling trailers of rings and earrings. I took Stu back to see it later but they'd cleared the display of everything valuable, just had price tags and empty stands, and a dead track. So sad compared to earlier - but I did manage to snap Santa's sleigh!

And some pubs just go all out! Like the Dome on George Street. It's legendary at Christmas so I had to pop in and have a look. I've driven passed it loads and always marvelled at the huge wreath covered columns outside and wondered what it was like elsewhere. It was wonderful! Like stepping into a M&S advert! It even smelt of Christmas! My photos don't do it justice, but my emotions thinking back do!

The columns outside.

There was even a red carpet to walk up and get in. And a waiting list, it was THAT busy! But worth the wait to get inside, to the Christmas scented warmth.

Main bar, with stunning door decorations.

You can see the centre-piece Christmas tree in the centre of the main bar. They had loads of other ones, smaller but equally as beautiful, on each of the stairways.  They apparently have had an upside down tree hanging over the bar before. I'd love to have seen that.

Door to foyer and red carpet.

The place is huge. I'd love to go back sometime that it's not packed! They have a huge outside area too, with a huge tree, all lit up, with bows and presents and everything. It was like a Christmas dream! Definitely worth braving the cold to see.

Review: Leopard's spots and Polka-dots.

Mini-review: Misguided Lorette Skater Peter Pan Contrast Dress.

Back to Glasgow I go :-D I'm being banished from the City so Stu can buy my presents without the risk of me seeing where they are from. But it does give me another chance to see Sarah before 2012 arrives. I vowed to myself that I'd wear more skirts/dresses during winter, so now I'm starting, a bit late but better than never.

Just a short post, only an outfit post really. No one was in the flat when I left and I don't have a tripod - really need to invest in one - so had to make do with a trusty mirror shot.

I really love my new dress and overall outfit and makes me feel really bold and confident when I'm in it. It's a lovely Missguided peter-pan collared dress, covered in delicate polkadots - I LOVE polkadots and love anything with it as a pattern. My wardrobes are slowly filling up with spotty clothes but I really do like them. I think they add a childish, expressive, free-spirited feel to clothes whilst still being able to maintain maturity in the design of the outfit.

I really love this dress though. I'm always a bit wary of buying online because of sizes - especially since I seem to be gaining weight these days so I'm not actually sure what size I am any more. This is a 10, but it feels kinda snug with the t-shirt underneath, so I'm contemplating buying a 12 so that I can wear it longer if I keep gaining weight. But this size is very comfortable on - and I was wearing 2 layers under it so I dare say in warmer weather it will be ideal. The delivery was superb - free next day delivery - they even text you to let you know that your beautiful order will be arriving that day. Wonderfully packaged too. I found Missguided through a lot of my twitter people - so for anyone that reads Brag Doll and that I follow on twitter, thank you for introducing me to a wonderful, friendly, social company! With a great variety of clothes, at very good prices, and incredible delivery. Here's to you Missguided!

The fabric is a really floaty viscose-y fabric, with lining all the way through. Love the dark red colour too, I'm seeing so much of it this season and I really love it. There are so many colours that go with this red, and indeed with this dress. Yipee! I teamed with with the long sleeved mustard coloured top, and thick blue tights, and fluffy winter boots, but you wont see them till later. I feel like I've just stepped out of the 60s in this outfit and I LOVE it! The cut of the dress around the bust is great, made the most of the little I've got, so that adds to the confidence boost. And for such a light fabric it was very warm in Glasgow too. The belt I borrowed from another of the Missguided dresses I bought - I got 3 at one time - a bit risky for a new found shop, but very worth it. The other two dresses are equally as beautiful - in fact, one is very simliar, but much nicer, than a dress I found in New Look in Glasgow but had no luck finding online or in Edinburgh, very strange. But it means I bought the better, and cheaper, option from Missguided. And since then I've been into the Glasgow store again, found the original dress, and I'm glad to say the one I purchased is much nicer! Better cut, bolder colour, softer fabric. And much cheaper! Yay! Another point to you MissG!

I apologise for the mirror shots - not even particularly good ones - I just wanted to document how I looked before I left the flat incase I wasn't able to take any outfit pictures the rest of the day - just as well I did too, we were only able to take 1, and that was a bit of a disaster. I wore my new Leopard Print fluffy cardi that I got from here on ebay. Again, super fast delivery. And it's such a lovely, snug piece! I've been wearing it non-stop. And again, goes with many pieces in my wardrobe. Yay. I found it from fellow blogger and tweeter @frithalouise - I think she loves it as equally as much. I hope I can inspire other to follow our lead and purchase this cardi, you won't regret it. And I definitely think I'll be going back to Missguided for more. There dresses are just so lovely, and SUCH a variety too. And they won't break the bank - so you can get lots for a reasonable price. Yay!

Oooh I've not mentioned the skirt of this piece yet - the floaty material makes it ideal for twirling around, I just want to spin and spin in it. I tried to capture it on the camera too.... but not very successfully, still, I think it shows the floaty fabric quite well, and it's quite fun looking I think, just not very focused. Really need a tri-pod!

My only one criticism of this dress - and it's very weak - it's very high at the neck, and I found that with the beautiful back button and cut out detail, I seemed to get a little choked if I bent forward. This will be easy to fix though with a wee snip and sew so I'm not worried about that, and certainly wouldn't let it put me off wearing it. I also love the length, not too short to put the 'derriere' into inappropriate view, but also not so long that you look stumpy - a particular issue for me at times since I'm a wee Scottish lass of 5'2.

Wee picture of Edinburgh just before I got on the train... the first (and so far only) snow of the year! Yay! Hope we get some after Christmas - any before might mean I spend it on my own since my parents could get stranded up in the frozen North of Inverness instead of coming to me.... we shall see. It had turned to slush by the time I'd made it into town, but the grounds of the flat were still all white, and the roof tops had a smattering too. Yay! You can see the white of Princes Street Gardens too. Waking up to the white outside just added even more to my festive feelings! Yay for Christmas!

Made it to Glasgow, to find wind and rain instead of snow :-( was much colder than Edinburgh too. Always seems to be actually, but I still love it! Here I am in the St Enoch centre. I love their giant reindeer situated around the centre. And the giant snow globe behind me too. Really tempted to go in one and get a Christmas snapshot of fake snow. Next time.

It was really difficult to get a decent photo - there were just so many people running by doing Christmas shopping, it took forever, and lots of standing still. Eventually this lovely security guard stopped the 'traffic' and let Sarah take a shot - but just the 1 before the people crowded back around. So I'm glad I have the mirror shots from earlier. Apologies for the grainy-ness, I've had to enlarge the original quite a bit. You can see my fluffy boots and my penny farthing from Hannah Makes Things, and how the outfit works all together.

Dress: Missguided

Tights: Lidl

Mustard T-shirt: H&M

Cardi: ebay

Boots: gift

Penny Farthing Necklace: Hannah Makes Things.

What do you think of my outfit? Do you think the polka-dots work with the leopard print cardi?

Do you use a tri-pod to take self portraits? Are there any you'd recommend to use with a small Canon IXUS? Any tips on better angles than those above?

High in the rooftop trusses. There were loads of them, all different poses. Some reaching from one floor down to the next like they were looking for food from the shoppers.