A Surprise 30th

So what do you do when you have a wedding to plan for and a hen do to prepare for - arrange a surprise party for your fiancé! I mean I don't know what I was thinking apart from the smile on his face when he walked in.

 

So, what are my tips for organising a surprise party?

 

1. Find The Venue

Before you start inviting people you need to decided if you want a big party or a smaller celebration. I chose to avoid the stress of inviting everyone we knew or knew 10 years ago - save that for the wedding next month - and settled for a meal. I decided 20 people would be an ideal number so I selected 3 options for dinner and set about ringing them. The first could not accommodate anymore than 10 people so this was a no as it would be too small. I wanted something affordable for everyone that had a bar so I settled on a great bar and restaurant with the average meal cost being £9. Booked!

 

 

2. The Time

I knew he would be home from work around 4.30pm and so I set about checking with a few people what time would suit them best. Allow for lateness - especially with men. I asked everyone to get there for 7pm and we would arrive at 7.30pm. One person was late due but aside from that everyone got there before we did (just)

 

3. The Guest List

I relied heavily on Facebook for speaking to everyone as it was easy for everyone to communicate. I knew I have 20 people for the meal so set about choosing the 20 people I knew he would want there. I decided that there were a lot of others we would want to celebrate with us so arranged a second group to turn up at 9pm for drinks and the rest of the night. Remember not to panic if someone doesn't reply straight away - they will and you will get it sorted

 

4. Ask for Help

I tried doing everything myself and then realised how was I going to get a big 3 0 balloon to the venue without him seeing. His Mum was amazing and arranged to get there at 6.30pm to decorate and she undertook the cake for me too. Phew!

 

5. Lie

I would never normally condone this sort of behaviour - but LIE! The best you could ever lie. I smile when I tell a cheeky fib so this was so hard for me. I made up some rubbish, for example "Only your sister and boyfriend are free on Saturday night for dinner. It annoys me that people are so rubbish when they knew it was your birthday weekend, but a few are going to try and come out later" and "I am so sorry I couldn't make your birthday better with getting more people to come to dinner but we will have a great time". Oh and in answer to why I was so stressed all the time I definitely over used "The Wedding" a lot!

 

 

6. The Decorations

We are saving for our upcoming nuptials so I didn't want to go spending loads - plus he had chosen a rather expensive record player as his present. My biggest tip is use eBay. Honestly it saved me so much money. I ordered a fabulous 30 banner for £1.99, and some confetti for 50p. I also had some fantastic part bags made up, which were a bargain and everyone loved them You can buy them here I filled them with some plastic toys from eBay which were 50 toys for £4.99 and I ordered some candy straws and temporary tattoos for £2.99

 

7. Relax

After juggling the text message to let everyone know you are arriving - I went with Mum has had some bad news and I just need to quickly text her back - stop worrying! You did it! And they love it. You arranged this and it is the best present to give someone so now eat, drink and be merry!

 

LJ xxx

In Colour

Last week I was invited to attend a fantastic evening celebrating all that is colour in the hair industry. It was hosted at my old haunt of the Toni&Guy Academy, which is a fab venue for such a prestigious evening. I was very excited to see some new faces in the colouring world of hairdressing - and in my experience they don't get enough recognition. I wouldn't be half the girl I am without my hair colour - and I wouldn't have quite so many interesting looks in my Facebook photo archive if it wasn't for my flamboyant colouring choices.

 

The event started with a quick introduction and then three experts were welcomed on stage with some hints, tips and demonstrations. What I love about these sort of events is the honesty and the openness for education. The audience were able to understand what makes a good colourist and how to develop their expertise. I was so interested to see how Ceri Cushen from Metropolis used the placement of panels in natural grey hair - and the finished look did not disappoint.

 

Working for The Fellowship in my new role allows me to meet new upcoming artists who love the industry and are keen to convey their knowledge to others. This event portrayed this. I was incredibly in awe of their presentations as I sat their questioning how they stopped their hand from shaking as they neatly put packets in their models hair.

 

We got to hear from the legendary Mark Creed about his careers and his suggestions for development in the industry. He mentioned lasers being introduced in the future and I don't think I was the only one who researched this later on. Yes I actually used Wikipedia (the shame).

 

I loved seeing the next three take to the stage with their quirky personalities coming through. Different attitudes, different techniques but a fantastic collective stage presence. The questions from the audience compelled me to get over excited and ask something but fear of looking silly stopped me. Next time though!

 

I attend many events and this was definitely one I was particularly impressed with. I learnt about shine banding and how to work with pastel tones to create something incredibly beautiful.

 

What inspires you in hair colouring at the moment?

 

LJ xx

 

Oxford does Thai .... and it is awesome!

This week has been a busy week with lots of big events with work. The life of a PR girl just got even more awesome! However, I have finally found some time to sit down and get blogging and I must shout about this new Thai restaurant that has opened.

On Friday night after seeing the amazing photos of Thaikhun in Oxford city centre on Facebook I made sure we had a table booked and off we went with two of our lovely friends. Lucky we booked a table this place was buzzing and packed! There was even a queue outside to get in.

We weren't disappointed when we got inside with the décor. The place is amazing. Tuk Tuks and Thailand trinkets which reminded me of my holidays and travelling to the wonderful country.

We were seated downstairs on a table of four and even though it was really busy we didn't feel like the couple next to us were sat on our table, which is always a bonus!

First we ordered a beer tower for £18. Highly recommended as it served 4 of us and we were able to top it up. I love little touches and the fact they gave us four chilled glasses made my eyes light up. 

After discussing the menu over some Thai crackers and sweet chilli we decided to go for a starter and main each. Once the order was placed they remove the cover from the sauces so you know you can expect your food soon. I loved this as it really reminded me of travelling and eating on the street stalls in Bangkok and Chang Mai. Little details have been well thought out and it makes the whole experience memorable.

After a brief wait our starters came and between us we had chicken satays (£5.75) and spring rolls (£4.25) between each couple. 

We all went quiet as we tucked in and we were so impressed. The portion sizes were huge and the value for money was noticeable. My poor husband to be didn't get much of a look in with my Por Pia Gai (spring rolls) as they were so yummy I kept knocking his hand away.

Even though it was packed we didn't feel rushed to eat our starter quickly and once finished we were eagerly waiting for our main course.

I had a Panang Goon which was a creamy curry with prawns for £12.95 and it came with rice too. It was beautiful. I sound like I am on cloud 9 don't I but I cant stop raving about this place. The curry wasn't too spicy - as I really cant cope with much spice at all but it was so flavourful and creamy. I again wasn't very good at sharing but we did all have a taste of each others. 

The boys had a lovely pork dish Moo Prik Ging for £8.95 which I recommended as I loved it when I was travelling. The pork belly was cooked to perfection and had a crispy small amount of fat with a succulent portion of meat. They were really impressed and as much as Sophie and I tried to sneakily steal some they weren't having any of it. 

We didn't have a pudding as we were so full and while we were paying the waitress filled us in on the restaurant. I was really impressed with the service and the food. I eat out a lot and you can often tell when the are really busy or short staffed by the service you receive. Considering how busy they were they ensured everyone had a great experience. You can definitely tell that this is "food from the heart".

I might sound like a raving loony with my adoration for this new restaurant but I urge you to and try it. Their first location was Manchester, and they now also have places in Aberdeen and Cambridge so a journey to Oxford might not be necessary. Visit here for more details

Has anyone else been? What did you think?

LJ xxx