Happy Birthday Jurys Inn

I don't know about you, but I love birthday parties. So when I was invited to Jurys Inn's 10th birthday party in Newcastle, I couldn't resist.

Stepping across the light-filled threshold, our group of six walked up the red carpet to an arch of balloons. Stepping into the lift we ascended into a fantasy world none of us wanted to leave. After depositing our coats with some of Jurys helpful staff, we were rewarded with a glass of champagne. Excellent start I thought.

The party comprised of numerous rooms, each one more delicious than the last. The first we encountered was filled with bodies, the tinkling of glasses and unmistakeable smell of Krispy Kreme donuts. My heart leapt as I noticed the huge oven in the corner, and like a curious child, I itched to go over and explore. We were soon invited to decorate our very own sugary ring of heaven, a queue of adults turned five year olds waiting excitedly in their paper hats to dip a donut into chocolate and sprinkles, then devour it just as fast. We were also given a box of DIY donut decorating to take home with us and share with/goad loved ones. Nice touch.

With all of the excitement going on from Krispy Kreme, I only just noticed the enormous cart filled with pick and mix from Deluxe Occasions. Invited to pick up a pinstriped paper bag, we filled our boots. Despite a recent trip to the dentist, I gorged on chew bars, chocolate eggs and sherbert spaceships... well we were at a party after all.

The next room was a slightly more grown up affair, a cocktail demonstration and rather professional looking powerpoint that explored the science behind our drinks. Pink in colour but strong and sugary, I sipped mine inbetween intermittent bites of donut and a drumstick chew bar. It's fair to say that after a busy day we left the office feeling tired and weary, but 10 minutes of being in this 10th birthday party certainly brought colour to our cheeks. We laughed our way through the games room, playing lifesize versions of family favourites operation, connect four and kerplunk, before trying our luck in the balloon room to see if we could win a prize.

No doubt bemused by the sheer happiness and excitement on the faces of the adults before them, Jurys staff were wonderful and very helpful. Being a big foodie, my favourite part was what I call the networking room, filled with tiny tasters of beckleberrys ice cream and their indulgent mini desserts. Canapes of chicken kebab, mini sliders and sweet treats floated around the room while we propped up the bar with Wylam Brewery, posed in the photobooth with deluxe occasions, and chatted to other party-goers.

The night flew by and before we knew it, it was time to get a taxi home with our bag full of goodies and go to bed with a big smile on our face, but not before trying our hand at Jurys final surprise. Each of us were given a key and if that key flashed green in the mystery door somewhere in the hotel, we would win a trip for two to Prague. Sadly none of us won, but that didn't matter, we had a brilliant night and look forward to the next big birthday!

Thank you Jurys Inn for having us, and to Krispy Kreme, Beckleberrys, Deluxe Occasions, Wylam Brewery and everyone else for making our night great.

You can follow me on twitter (@proseccoandpie) for more photos of our evening, and say hello if you attended too!

Pinspiration

As a writer, I'm often in need of a little inspiration. Sure I'm inspired by nature, especially the gorgeous Northumberland Coastline I'm so lucky to live beside, but when I'm writing interiors features or food reviews, there's always one place I can go to to be inspired!

For those uninitiated in the wondrous world of pinterest, it's basically a photo sharing website that allows users to 'repin' other images they like onto their own moodboards.

Like so: 

Pinterest never fails to amaze me, and as cheesy as it might sound, impress me with people's creativity. Clever, crafty, witty people from all over the world share this space to showcase their humble ideas, hopes and dreams, and especially given the cruel world we live in today, I'm not ashamed to admit I actually find pinterest very refreshing. For me, it's a guilty pleasure, trawling through pages of gorgeous imagery, promising myself I'll try bake that cake or make my own rose topiary. 

So if you're looking for a little pinspiration, why not sign up and see what all the fuss is about? It's completely free and I promise, you'll soon be addicted once you get the gist of it! Working for a magazine has certainly instilled one thing into me; a love of good imagery, especially gorgeous lifestyle imagery like this:

Here's a few of my favourite pins today: 

(I don't own any of the credit for these images)

Happy Pinning! x

p.s) if you'd like to follow me, search for cj2323 or follow me on twitter @proseccoandpie

La Viña Launch

One of the best things about working for press is the unexpected treats you get to enjoy along the way!

Just last week a lovely PR lady sent me the most gorgeous cupcake stand and tea set (pictures below) from the pretty Katie Alice range (view them at www. English-table.com) so I was pretty excited that after a busy week we were invited to the La Viña launch.

As the clock struck 5:30, our glorious four day Easter break began! A group of us headed to Grey Street for what was a fantastic night! Greeted warmly by a member of staff on the door, we were ushered out of the cold down into the bustling bar. Greeted almost immediately by a very welcome glass of champagne, we headed into the crowd to find a seat.

Almost before we had eagerly drained the last drop from our glass did our host Giuseppe come over to introduce himself and offer us more drinks. A Spanish themed tapas bar and restaurant; La Viña is sumptuously furnished with flickering candle light, chunky tables and spacious booths. The staff are friendly and eager to help, especially when it came to making sangria!

Unfortunately I didn't get her name, but our teacher whipped up a range of traditional, white and mohito flavoured sangria for us to try! In between sips of gloriously fruity sangria, we shared traditional Spanish nibbles of cheese, quince jelly, garlic infused chorizo and the most delicious mini burger sliders, generously swaddled in cheese and a tangy sauce.

With the drinks flowing and tapas being passed round we shmoozed, laughed and had a fantastic evening. The highlight for me was the enormous platter of homemade paella though! Being a total foodie, the rice was delicately fragranced with zesty lemon, the prawns were juicy and mussels divine! I had to sneak back for a second course!

Just before we left we were presented with a goodie bag of sweets, a beautiful candle and our very own VIP card. Watch out La Viña, we'll be back!

Thank you very much to everyone involved, the night was a roaring success!

I must apologise for my terrible quality iphone pictures, after one too many and a past its sell by date phone, thats the best I could do!

I highly recommend La Viña, find them at 40-52 Grey Street, Newcastle.

www.lavina.co.uk

Prosecco and Pie?

The best things in life are usually free, or laden with calories...

This is where I got my inspiration from when coming up with a blog name. I don't know about you, but I find it incredibly hard to be decisive, especially when blog names etc are like a first impression, and everyone knows you only get one chance, so I simply thought of the things I liked best, and added a little alliteration for good measure! 

Prosecco reminds me of warm summer evenings sitting in the garden with friends (a bright red strawberry swimming happily in our glasses of course), and pie, well as a Northern girl, that goes without saying. Whether it's mince pie and chips, steak and ale with mashed potato and gravy or pork pie, what's not to love? 

As they say, I live a champagne lifestyle on a beer budget. While it would be lovely to have a nice new car, holidays abroad twice a year and buy this season's must-haves, I am a huge believer in the theory that it's the little things that make you happy. 

'Small Pleasures To Save Your Life' by Maeve Haran (£8.99, HayHouse UK) is one of the most inspiring and lovely books I have ever read. Stumbled upon quite by accident (as all good books often are), this book is a collection of anecdotes, advice and inspiration all wrapped up in a delicious feel-good tone. 

Maeve writes with a delicious lightness of touch that reveals its true meaning to you when read at the right time. I was feeling a little low, my friends all seemed to earn more, have nicer things and I felt like I was chasing my tail. Flicking through the pages of this duck-egg blue book (my favourite colour by the way, so I should have known already it was going to be good), Maeve gently reminded me that the little things in life can prove the most satisfying. Everyday delights can make you feel better about yourself, they can heal a bad mood and even, as the title suggests, save your life? 

A few of my favourites are: 

- Leaving ten minutes early and relishing in those spare minutes, so you arrive feeling relaxed. (I absolutely hate being late, so this is a no-brainer for me)

- Clean sheets (self explanatory)

- Warm towels (ditto)

- Being met from a journey 

- Birthday breakfasts

- Lighting candles 

- Waking up early and realising it's the weekend/you have hours left to sleep

- Coming home after a long hard day 

- Eating outside 

- Drinking from your favourite cup (this one is so true, my current favourite is my bespoke Emma Bridgewater mug)

See what I mean? In a world with so much poverty, cruelty and evil, it's sometimes hard to remember the positives, the little things that are so often overlooked yet can really mean the world.

What are some of yours? I'd love to hear them!

Hello World

For those of you who have stumbled upon my little blog in the hope of some good quality reading while you procrastinate, let me see what I can do. 

Let me introduce myself...

I am a 22 year old English Literature graduate from Newcastle University (sob, how did that happen so quickly?) who lives by the sea with her family and two little dogs. Through a combination of hard work, resourcefulness and I suppose initiative, I am extremely lucky enough to currently work full time as a writer at a prominent local magazine. After three months of full time, unpaid work experience and working an extra job, I am pleased to say that unlike most recent graduates (if the media is to be believed), I found myself a full time job. 

Why blog?

This is not my first foray in the blogging world, I also have another blog dedicated to my little zoo/animal rescue centre I take care of in my spare time. Family and friends know just how passionate and ambitious I am, and while I haven't managed to knock out a bestseller just yet, they do know how much I love to write. Working for the magazine and seeing my name and work in print is possibly one of my favourite things in the world, so why not do it every day for free? The only thing stopping me of course, is the worry, would anyone read what I write?

I'm a huge believer in the power of social media, my personal favourite being undoubtedly pinterest and tumblr. Browsing the popular pages on pinterest and repinning lovely/inspirational things is such as positive way to use social media. I love the way social media keeps everybody in touch; from granny and grandkids in Australia, to long lost friends or those who share your interests, everybody has a friend on social media. 

So if you'd like to stay in touch, pop over and say hello to me on my new twitter:

@proseccoandpie