Yes, Christmas day has been and gone, but we are still very much in the heart of the ’12 days of Christmas’ and so I thought I’d write a little blog post about some baubles I bought that both melted my heart and brightened up my tree. But like all unnecessary purchases, it starts with a drunken night out. So let me the story of how I met your mother found these baubles.
The other week, I was invited to a festive bloggers event with my good friend Luke (MrLukeChristian). We were having a mixture of festive cocktails and cheese toasties in the faux ski lodge built outside the Victoria Gate shopping centre.
I can’t quite remember what the event was but I think it was to promote brands inside of the Victoria Gate shopping centre – that much I feel semi-confident about.
And I have to say, the goodie bags were lovely. We were gifted some really nice things which made for a pleasant treat. Anyway, the grotto was rather cosy and warm which was nice. Not a bad haul is it?
The drinks were delicious and the grilled cheese sandwiches (all with brilliant Xmas themed pun names) were to die for!
I had ‘Oh Little Town of Bethleham’ and it was DELICIOUS. Honestly, the greatest grilled cheese sandwich (and crispy fries) that I have ever eaten. I strongly recommend you all follow @littlered_eats on Instagram and find out where they’ll be next!
Anyway, then a hypnotist shows up
I shit you not, there was a hypnotist at the event and none of us knew about it. In fact, when we got there, we were pretty much the only people who were at the event which meant he had to use us guys as the “willing” victims. Sadly, because he needs more than one to see who it will work on, we all agreed and headed into the back room for our ‘screening’ test to see if we were susceptible to hypnosis.
I honestly tried my very hardest but sadly, it didn’t work on me. In the photo above, Eddie (@ediadegbola) and Sandra (@the_idle_hands) were the only two who it worked on so they became the subjects of humiliation, phew. Katie (@comedowntothewoods) and I were sceptics, but we went in with an open mind and it just didn’t work for us – and I really wanted it to.
Anyway, after the event unfolded, we headed to East 59th to discuss what the hell had happened and what the strange event was all about. I promise you, this is where I discovered what the baubles were. Sandra and Katie (red dress next to Sandra in the above picture) are both incredible interior design/homeware bloggers and so they were showing me their homes, I was showing them my sassy new sofa. Why? Because I honestly can’t shut up about it.
But then one of Sandra’s pictures had these wacky baubles on her festive tree. I asked where they were from and she said a company called Muck N Brass. The very next day I began to stalk the website and I instantly fell in love. The designs were weird, whimsical, mental and very me. Please check out the website, their stuff is so so good!
The Muck N Brass baubles I bought:
I knew I had to get myself something quirky – it’s who I am. So of course, after discovering the shop, I bought an eclectic mix of weird and wonderful baubles that made me chuckle.
I started off strong by purchasing this rather amusing little decoration. Why not, I’m all about the meme life and why not do it with faux-ornate picture frame baubles?
The next I purchased, because I had to pay homage to my main man Jesus H Christ whose birthday we all celebrate by getting for ourselves, was this ‘I only had a starter’ bauble written over the top of ‘The Last Supper’ painting.
Then, because I am so politically aware and with my finger on the pulse of pop culture, I also got myself this wonderful Banksy tribute with the Mona Lisa. That’s right, I’m aware of the topical news in the world of art #2018
Following the trends of the other baubles, I wanted another traditional painting with a funny message over the top of it which is why the ‘Shit Gift’ bauble appeared in my home.
But the star of the show, the woman herself, Pat Butcher, was coming home with me for Christmas. Pam St. Clement, the iconic pot-smoking middle-class lesbian and former EastEnders legend fits perfectly with my aesthetic. The earrings, the leopard print, the brash attitude, she’s a woman of my own heart.
So yeah, please go and check out Muck N Brass, they have some incredible things for those of you who love kooky, kitsch trinkets, furniture and what not. And that kids, is how I got my Pat Butcher bauble.