Wintery Windows

Okay so they aren't THAT "wintery" per say but they are Christmas-y and they look like little portals into a much more fun world! While in London, I walked down Oxford Street at night, of course, to see the lights and the window displays at their best! I was OVERLY impressed with Selfridges window displays and really, they're toy department was incredible! I have to share some of the amazing finds I saw there and if you ask me, I want some of these "Ugly Dolls" for myself, they are incredible... especially the one that's made to look like Karl Lagerfeld! Hilarious!

Karl Lagerfeld "Ugly Doll" at Selfridges Toy Shop;
London UK; Photo By El K. B 

Okay, quick digression... posting this photo inspired me to Google Image Karl Lagerfeld as he is a pretty interesting individual (as a photo subject I mean) and can I just take a moment to "awe" at the photograph below...Photo courtesy of frillr.com. Who can look this cool while jumping in the air? Answer: No one! Have you ever zoomed in on the face of someone doing a Jump-in-the-air photo (you've all done one, admit it!)? It's impossible to make a normal face... unless you're Karl Lagerfeld apparently... maybe if you could see his eyes, it would give his smoothness away but I doubt it. 

Karl Lagerfeld; Photo Courtesy of frillr.com

Back to the dolls, aren't they so fun?

"Ugly Doll" at Selfridges Toy Shop; London, UK;
Photo By El. K. B.  

"Ugly Doll" at Selfridges Toy Shop; London, UK;
Photo By El. K. B.  

"Ugly Doll" at Selfridges Toy Shop; London, UK;
Photo By El. K. B. 

Thank you Selfridges Toy Shop! 


Back outdoors I "oo'd" and "aw'd" at the window displays which were brimming with fantasy settings. It's really interesting to see how window displays can become forms of artistic expression... this first one is a particular favorite. I love all the little camper vans...here's a personal tid-bit, I want to own a camper van like those ones some day.. full size of course! 

Camper Van window display at Selfridges; London, UK;
Photo By El K. B. 

Sweets window display at Selfridges; London, UK;
Photo By El. K. B. 

Barbie & Ken window display at Selfridges; London, UK;
Photo By El. K. B. 

It was such a riot just to walk around Selfridges and it was highlight (amongst many) of my mini-break to London! 


Big Hugs!
El. 


PS. Here is one last photo from Selfridges that I have to share! Have a look at these amazing sunnies I found... You'd definitely be making a statement sporting any of these... 

Sunnies at Selfridges; London, UK; Photo By El. K. B. 

PSS. Heading to Bath tomorrow to check out the Roman bath ruins, the Christmas fair and the last remaining natural hot spring in England... Looking forward to it and will be giving you updates first thing!

BIG NEWS - Scotland in Sight

BIG NEWS!!


I just booked a two night trip to Edinburgh for the 11th and 12th of December!! Really excited! My heritage is in Scotland but I've never been... It will be VERY cold but, hopefully, fun. When I get back I'm heading directly from the airport to the Bath Christmas Fair! Will be a jammed packed weekend :). It's a wonderful Christmas present to myself! 


Here is a picture of Edinburgh Castle which is very close to the hostel I'm staying at... 

Edinburgh Castle; Edinburgh, Scotland; Photo C/O pulsarmedia.eu.

Market Mayhem

Portobello and Spitalfields Markets were both on my list of things to see/do this past weekend during  my Mini Break to London but I was thrilled when we were also able to visit the South Banks Christmas Fair Saturday night and Brick Lane Market on Sunday along with the original. 

The Christmas fair was BEAUTIFUL and we were so lucky to have just stumbled across it... we saw/ate sweets, churros, smelt hand made food, soap and candles... it was so lovely and so christmas-y! We even rode on the Carousel...

Christmas Carousel with the London Eye on the South Bank;
London, UK; Photo By El. K. B. 

Carousel and Christmas Market on the South Bank; London, UK;
Photo by El. K. B. 

We headed out early from our Bayswater hostel (a BEAUTIFUL area, I may add as it's just down the street from Kensington Gardens...here is a sneak peak of what that is like...

Trees in Kensington Gardens; London, UK;
Photo by El. K. B. 

Kensingston Palace/Gardens; London, UK;
Photo By El. K. B. 

..and headed towards Notting Hill, the area that Portobello Market is located. We walked past some INCREDIBLE houses in Pembroke and saw were George Orwell lived but sadly, the market was a little disappointing this time of year... it was 10am and I fully expected the stalls to be in full swing but there were hardly any out and we ended up moving onto the next market about half way through. I've been to Portobello Market before and it was fantastic but I think it was a Saturday and in the spring so maybe this is one to save for that time next year!


We then headed to Spitalfields and Brick Lane (they are mere steps from eachother)...

Spitalfield Market Building; London, UK; Photo By El. K. B. 

I'd say the jist of Spitalfield Market was handmade or refurbished clothing, jewellry, and accessories... beautiful ones at that... 

Hand made coats at Spitalfields Market; London, UK;
Photo By El. K. B. 

One of a kind coats at Spitalfields Market; London, UK;
Photo By El. K B. 

Hand Printed Scarves at Spitalfields Market; London, UK;
Photo By El. K B. 

There may have been more to Spitalfield Market as we didn't explore every corner (you'd need days!) so I'm sure there were some other treats... food, etc to be found amongst the massive crowds... speaking of crowds... look at what we battled for our "Market Mayhem" day... 

Bustling Christmas Crowds waiting for Tube; London, UK;
Photo By El. K. B. 

You should be impressed... that was nuts! There was a lot of shoving involved :) Hard for small town Sidney girl to get used to... everyone got a very sincere "I'm sorry!", I promise. 


Then we were off to Brick Lane market which, being full of lovely, untouched, vintage finds was probably my favorite market of the day... if I lived in London, I would be a regular at Brick Lane! Incredible vintage finds were piled in each corner but you may ask, what was my favorite? A girls got to eat and you know how they say "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach".... I think it should have "[elisha's]" just after the "man's" in that particular phrase so we attacked the food huts! And what incredible deals!! 

Crowds at Brick Lane's outdoor section; London, UK;
Photo By El. K. B. 

Food huts at Brick Lane Market; London, UK;
Photo By El. K. B. 

 Amazing Street performers at Brick Lane Market;
 London, UK; Photo By El. K. B. 

Phew... okay I've reached the end of "Market Mayhem" and although it was a FANTASTIC day, take a good pair of shoes and don't go when you have to carry your bag around you with all day... my shoulders were a tad bit sore by the time I got on the bus back to Bristol the same night. 


What an incredible day! I will do that all over again soon and take more money with me next time :) Uh oh, trouble trouble! 


Much Love and Big Hugs
El. 

Cool....

Okay so that's pretty much all I have to say about the following... they're just plain cool! I wish I was that cool... as cool as the people who do cool things like this... it's just screams "I'm cool!" The fact that I wish that probably means that I will never be that cool.... oh well, I'm over it. 

Cool Street Art at Brick Lane; London, UK; Photo By El. K. B. 

Cool street Art at Brick Lane; London, UK; Photo by El. K. B. 

Big Hugs,
El. 

Taking in the Tate

Me, Excited to be at the Tate Britain;
London, UK; Photo by El. K. B. 

I spent a FANTASTIC weekend in London and it started, honestly, with more than a few drinks at a friends local Pub... was a lot of fun. The next morning, I refused to let those few drinks get me down and I was off to the Tate Britain... I could NOT let you or myself down by wasting my time in the big city! 


The range of amazing masterpieces at the Tate Britain is vast with an incredibly vast and amazing compelation of masterpieces. Here are a few of my particular favorites: 




First, "Head of a Man" by Nigel Henderson. I am fascinated by portrait painting and the National Portrait Gallery in London is one of my favorite places but this contemporary portrait really drew me in... 

"Head of a Man" by Nigel Henderson at the Tate Britain; London, UK; Photo By El. K. 

I couldn't say much about this sculpture by Eduardo Paolozzi except "whow"... I don't think I need to tell you why I was drawn to this piece... it exuded such an incredible energy... it's (he's) beautiful!!

Sculpture by Eduardo Paolozzi at the Tate Britain; London, UK; Photo By El. K. B. 

I've always been interested in photography but traveling (especially to a place so photogenic) really brings that interest back to me... these iconic photographs by David Bailey would make every amateur photographer marvel....

David Bailey photographs at Tate Britain; London, UK; Photo By El. K. B. 

"Inverse Reverse Perverse" by Cerith Wyn Evans turns you, the viewer, into the subject... I loved it... hah, that sounded narcissistic but there isn't a lot of work out there that turns you into the art piece and it changes with every movement, it was unusual and fun to interact with. 

Me in the "Inverse Reserve Perverse" by Cerith Wyn Evans at Tate Britain;
London, UK; Photo By El. K. B. 

And the building wasn't anything to turn your nose up to either!! The walls could be bare and I would have still found this visit captivating!

Exterior Sculpture at Tate Britain; London, UK; Photo By El. K. B. 

Ceiling at Tate Britain; London, UK; Photo By El. K. B. 

Rotunda at Tate Britain; London, UK; Photo By El. K. B. 

I could go there a million times and still love every second of it!! MUCH more to come to catch you up on my trip into the big city.... 


Much love, 
El. 

Royal Ticket Prices

ATTENTION ALL who may be coming to this side of the world next spring or summer, buy your tickets soon because a certain Royal Engagement may have just increased ticket sales for next year!! I want all of you to get your butts over here, so book soon!!! 

Love, 

El. 

Curly Q's

Had to add this one last thing before I pop off to bed... found this really cute boutique near my work that has fantastic clothing but what really drew me in was their INCREDIBLE light fixtures... 

Retail lighting; Bristol, UK; Photo By El. K. B. 

YES, that IS a light fixture! Made for an amazing photo hey?!
I love it! Brilliant, creative design warms my heart :)


Much Love. 
El. 

Coming up!

Westminster Abbey Cathedral Doors; 

London, UK; Photo By El. K. B. 

I am off to London this weekend and I'm so thrilled about it! It'll be nice to explore more of the "off the beaten track" areas. I'm going with a lovely friend from work who has lived in London and hopefully she can take me and/or point me in the direction of some really cool sites! 


I already have a "small" (those quotations hint at sarcasm if you didn't catch that) list of things I want to see and do this weekend:


1. Gordon's Wine Bar - Oldest Wine Bar in London so being so... probably one of the oldest in the world! Very exciting and it looks GORGEOUS! So definitely expect photos :)


2. Portobello Market - Located in beautiful Notting Hill (which I KNOW you know about and don't deny it because everyone has seen the movie and had their heart strings pulled, even those who don't like to say so!) I admit, this will not be my first time to this world famous market but I can't wait to return! Full of antiques, clothing, food... everything the heart (and stomach) desires!

Foggy London, UK; Photo By El. K. B. 

3. Suffridges/Oxford Street/Harrods - Now, I'm not usually one to check out notorious shopping hot spots when there are museums and galleries to be seen but what I'm particularly interested in are the Christmas lights and window displays at these particular "shops"! Can't wait! It could depress me actually because I've NEVER spent a Christmas away from my family/friends, so this year old St. Nick will bring a touch of sadness to my stocking :(

London Eye; London, UK

Photo By El. K. B. 

4. Spitalfields Market - A street fair that has been running, in this location, since the 17th century! This particular market is located in the up and coming stylish East End of London, filled with food, crafts, vintage shops and uniquely designed one-of-a-kind accessories by young, hip designers! Just my cuppa-tea!


5. The V&A (Victoria & Albert Museum) of Children - this sounds so intriguing and I think it would bring a big, BRIGHT smile to my day... it's a museum filled with toys from history... vintage and OLDER! I think it would be such a fun way to spend a couple hours and is a little different from the average museum.


6. The Tate Britain - Need I say more than "Tate"... the last day I spent in London I dedicated a large chunk of to the Tate Modern and was BLOWN AWAY... Shamefully, I spent approximately 5 hours there!! That may have been a bit excessive :S

Seats at St. James's Park; 

London, UK; Photo By El. K. B. 

Oh goodness, the list goes ON AND ON AND ON but for this trip, that may have to do... I'm only there for two nights...the first night I won't get in to London until 10pm so it's going to be a jam packed weekend of cultural saturation! The beauty of this is, I'm so close... I know that I don't HAVE to fit it all in because I'll be back before long!


Just you wait, I will be sure to update you on all the exciting things with photos, comments, etc. etc! 


Much Love!
EL. 


PS. The photos seen throughout this post are simply ones I took last time I was in London. I love them but haven't had the right post to share them in. They definitely deserve to be seen though, no?! I'll continue to trickle in those missed photos from time to time :)

Street Art at its BEST!

Banksy is one of the worlds LEADING Street Artists, has really revolutionized the graffiti art form and has turned something often looked on as illegal into a revered artistic method. I feel LUCKY to now be staying in the city he's from and, apparently, still currently lives in! 


Here is a Banksy piece just down the street from my work:

Banksy on Park Street; Bristol, UK; Photo By El. K. B. 

Awesome eh?! (Of course I still use my Canadian slang!) I'll be sure to post more photos of Banksy's work as I see it around town :)


Big Hugs, 
El. 

Shifting Gears...

Bicycle Art in Bristol by 
Sara Theilker; Photo By
El. K. B. 

If you've come to my blog from Facebook you will already know that the Livtona "Design Travels" blog is, sadly, no more! 


But I AM happy to say that means I will have a little more time to fill you in on my everyday going-on's here on my personal blog, El. K. B. You can look forward to, as in, I grant you to look forward to the following: (hah, oh the English dry humor is starting to rub off on me) blurbs about design, art, history, fashion, pretty things I see on the street, pretty people I see on the street, and just random loveliness here on this beautiful planet we often take for granted... ALSO, I may throw in a mix of lists from time to time...events, books, music, films...all of things I look forward to seeing, hearing, reading, doing, etc. 


So basically this blog will be about seeing a bit of the world from my eyes... and I hope you love this world as much I do! It's... usually... a pretty happy place :) So please enjoy!!


Firstly, rather fittingly, I have some photos of a Bicycle Art exhibit, entitled "Pedal Power", I photographed the other day and as I'm now "Shifting Gears" to work on my lovely new personal blog, I thought it fit perfectly as the first blog post related to this new "Shift" in focus. 

Bicycle Art by 45 RPM; Photo By El. K. B. 

You will come to notice that I make bad jokes... I know it, accept it and tell people it's endearing; if they don't like it they can step off.... that's how I sleep at night knowing I'm a little dorky. 




Okay, back to the beautiful bicycle art! All the art pieces were focused around, you got it, BIKES! Some of the pieces were stunning (LOVE the drawings seen above by Sara Theilker or the painting/photo groupings done by 45rpm) and, as I whipped down to see this exhibit while on my lunch break, the whole exhibit really brightened my day! I finished my work day with a smile on my face and some laughter.


I recommend, if you have a long enough lunch break and you're near a gallery, go take in some funky/whimsical art mid-day and you WILL be a happier person!


I was well impressed (British wording for those thinking... "uh, what?") by the T-Shirt bicycle prints displayed by Sara Theilker as well!! 

Bicycle T-Shirt Print 

by Sara Theilker; Photo By 
El. K. B. 

I LOVE woodland creatures... how could you not?! You have to be a cold hearted, crazy person (full extent of my harsh words, not good at thinking those up, goes with the whole "dorky" thing) 


And how could you not love them even more when they're riding bicycles? Oh so great in so many ways!

Bicycle Photography by Filipe K.; Photo By El. K. B. 

On top of all those good things at the "Pedal Power" Exhibit there was a fantastic display of a bicycle photography project called "Documenta Ciclista" by photographer Filip K. 


I was intrigued by the simplicity of this idea...plain white backdrop in natural, public setting...people with their own bikes... just to document man-with-bike...wonderful! 


Definitely check out the website for the "Documenta Ciclista" because its worth seeing the photos on a larger scale! 


Well I will be wrapping up here any moment now, I've discovered I'm exceptionally good at rambling (is that a good skill or not? I'll go with yes!), and I hope you've enjoyed this first blog post with my new focus! 


Chat with you all VERY soon! 
El. 


PS. I leave you with ONE MORE bicycle photo that can't be left out because its just far too fun to not be seen.

Bicycle Art in Bristol; Photo By El. K. B.