Glasgow Reviewed; Ryan James Studio and We Are Eponomyous Pop up shop St Enoch Centre

At the St Enoch Centre Christmas press event, nestled among the beautiful pieces from Debenhams, Mothercare, Billies Market etc,I was surprised to also find picks from Darte jewellery, sumptuous hoods from Chou Chou Couture and bold  Barbra Kolasinki purses.  Turns out they are all part of the amazing Ryan James Studio and Eponoymous pop up shop in the St Enoch Centre that is open until Christmas Eve. 

This beautifully curated pop up shop is located right across from H and M on the first floor and it's a chance to buy some independent gifts while you are in doing your shopping. I was super impressed with the range on offer, from beautiful LaB6 Candles ( which smell PHENOMENAL) to ceramics, high end mens and womenswear via wooden watches from Kochiba and beard oil from the Bedfordshire Beard Co and the most incredible Sarah Haran handbags,  I love that it means people will discover brands they didn't know about while picking up gifts for loved ones.

I was instantly drawn to a cabinet full of Euan Mchwhirter's shiny gems and I was really taken with the gift sets from Ermana who I had never come across before, I also couldn't resist picking up a couple of pairs of these amazing Huxley socks!! There was such a perfect blend of items at a mixture of price points that it really feels like a one stop shop and all supporting independent makers that deserve that platform for their work.

I think it's amazing The St Enoch Centre have these brilliant designers under their roof in this 'Shop Small 'collection, I highly recommend checking it out while you are in. Plus is it right along from the Kimbles cafe.... so it is pretty much the perfect way to shop and snack.

Glasgow Reviewed; The Wee Retreat

This post has taken me longer to write than I expected and for a good reason..... The course was actually so impressive I actually haven't quite found the time to try and put it into adequate words. I think I was allowing myself to be overwhelmed by the sheer wealth of information and insights I had picked up over the weeks that I was attempting to try and succinctly summarise the whole process into one post. However when I stopped for a moment and actually put some of my learning into practice,I realised that was not what I was needing to do and I that I was being hard on myself which was stopping me from completing what I wanted to do- How is that for demonstrating what The Wee Retreat has taught me??

If you have been following me over on instagram you will have hopefully seen my weekly updates about how I had found the course, and some of my thoughts on what we had been discussing each week. I was so touched and encouraged by the feedback that I  have received from many people who have been interested and intrigued by some of the stuff I have covered and its been so rewarding to hear people sharing their own thoughts on some of the topics with me. You can still check out each of my posts on my grid if you want to catch up, I will link the first one HERE.

So instead of going over all the ground again and attempting to condense such a fantastic course into this one page, I am instead going to just let everyone in on how it has made me feel.  Before I went along to our first week I was in a strange place, I was coming to terms with my new life as a first time mum, someone who wasn't at work and still wanted to get a million things done a day but couldn't. I had lost a lot of myself in the process and was making no time to do something for just me and focus on how I felt. Then I took on writing about this course and each week I would go along to this open and warm group and we would tackle a different theme that Vicky would lead us through. We would try a new meditation, we would chat, we would eat cake ( something homemade each week I should add!) and ultimately I would leave with something that I didn't quite understand in relation to my life until a few days later. Some weeks I would walk in and truly have no idea how I felt until I sat down and thought about it in a quiet space for a moment and some weeks I would leave our sessions feeling quiet and contemplative as I took the time to really think about what we discussed and how it was relevant to me. The way the course content would just ruminate in my mind as I went about daily life was really something, I loved how it quietly challenged me and allowed to feel more in tune with myself than I had in a long time.

There is something so powerful in the way Vicky has planned and arranged her courses, she helps guide you so sensitively through what can also be a challenging set of weeks depending on what is happening with you and your life right now and you never fail to leave with a thought or practice that would teach you something new. She really emphasised to our group the importance of practising mindfulness meditation through the week and it really helped me carve more time out when I could, and not just attend the course and leave again and carry on as normal. She emailed us all each week after the session to summarise what we had covered and also to set us small bits of homework to try in between sessions and it just made you feel further supported on what felt like a very new 'journey'.

I am so aware that mindfulness and meditation can sound too hippy dippy for some, and I completely understand that preconceived idea. I think that what is so accessible and relatable in The Wee Retreat however is the totally practical angle that it provides. It is real people taking time to talk about real things, and learning to open up a little and let a new experience in.  I know the whole group felt like they had taken so much from our time with Vicky and it was really inspiring to see how much each of us had grown in that time. When I first went along I know I was fearful of simply 'failing' at mindfulness and I love that Vicky helped me see how it is never about failing, that mindfulness isn't something I can just tick off a list and achieve and move on and that if I stick with a commitment to myself, it can be so rewarding.

I have learned a lot about myself thanks to The Wee Retreat and it actually feels like a gift I would want to give so many others in my life. It has helped me see how hard a lot of us push and push without stopping, never letting ourselves rest or taking time to check in and see how we really feel. Taking time to attend something like this can be transformative and help you try and slow it down a little and in turn actually help you really experience life more. In the first week Vicky taught us something her teacher taught her, "Mindfulness isn't for wimps" and do you know what this course has made me realise how true that is. I have had to face things I had clearly shelved away, I have looked at some things that I was doing previously that were no longer serving me, and It has made my address how my time is spent and why I was spending it that way. It is no walk in a park at times, but a walk SO worth taking. I feel more calm, more present and absolutely more excited about pretty much everything! I enjoy things more, and I am quicker to see when something isn't quite right and take time out for myself. I understand now making changes takes so much time and this is an ongoing habit that will continue to help me if i commit the time to myself.

That is a large amoutn of feelings, emotions, and new learning for someone to impart to a group of people but Vicky does it with such ease and warmth that truly you don't even notice it happening. She simply facilitates how you are processing some of the new ideas you are being introduced too and provides  a really friendly support to your questions. She is an incredibly insightful and generous person that is so well placed to being this teacher for retreaters.

Overall I think it is pretty clear from the above that I give The Wee Retreat a hugggggggge thumbs up. I couldn't have told you how much I would take away from the experience and I am so thrilled to know others are already considering a course in the  new year- do it you wont regret it!! If you are keen to hear more about the group, Vicky holds candle light meditations regularly which would be the perfect way to give mindfulness a little go with no pressure and commitment, you can find out details by following her facebook page HERE.

How gorgeous is the new home of The Wee Retreat! ( photos courtesy of Right Move)

The most exciting news is that since finishing my course, Vicky has secured her own gorgeous space  in the Southside of Glasgow, The Wee Retreat has a new home!! A beautiful building with just the right ambiance for these courses and for people to come together to do a variety of activities, and it is right next to Crosshill train station near Mount Florida. She is holding an opening party on the 22nd of December  ( between 1pm and 7) which would be a great occasion to go over and meet her and see the new home at 2 Myrtle Park. I am so thrilled she has found a place to settle, I have the feeling it is going to become a special place for a lot of people.

Thanks so much to everyone for getting so involved with my time writing about the course, it is exactly the reason I have kept this up over all these years, it very much felt like a lot of us were learning a lot together as I went.

BabyH2t: Baby's first Christmas at the St Enoch Centre

 I feel like Christmas has snuck up on me, last thing I knew I had a newborn and the whole year stretching out in front me yet suddenly it is Christmas and I am fully unprepared. Gifts for anyone else aside I had a panic last month when I realised Arthur is actually big enough to at least take in his surroundings and actually enjoy all the colour and fun that Christmas brings with it, so I was over the moon when the St Enoch Centre got in touch to invite us down to make it a wonderful first Christmas for him.

 The atmosphere around and inside St Enoch is amazing thanks to the decorations, the Christmas market and all the goings on in the centre like Santas Grotto. We had wondered about taking him to see a Santa or not but I am so glad we did, the set up in the centre is fantastic and he might not quite know what is going on but he loved all the shiny lights and little characters dotted around outside. I am such a fan of the fact you can book online before you go which takes out a lot of the drama and it is so lovely that they are acknowledging children with autism and vulnerabilities who might prefer a quieter experience. You can book for those slots on early Sunday morning between 10 am and 11 am and the collection outside the grotto is for an autistic charity too- lovely to see that inclusivity. We were really impressed with how organised and well staffed the grotto was, you are shown inside to a really lovely Santa who keeps character so well and has a proper chat with the wee ones as well as giving them a really fun gift. The Elf on hand to help was good at trying to get a decent picture of us all while Santa chatted and the little memento's you can opt to buy when booking are really lovely quality and I am actually really glad we had that option. The little photo frame looks amazing sitting up on our mantle piece among the decorations now! You can book your Grotto visit HERE.

In terms of places to get ready for the big day, St Enoch definitely had us covered, from the toy mecca that is Hamleys to the Disney store, Mothercare and Billies Market as well as stopping in at H and M kids and Debenhams, we had so much fun taking a look around and picking out a few bits for him. I had never properly been into Hamleys before so it was my first time in there too, I cannot believe how much there is to choose from, or how exciting the atmosphere is!! There was a really fun array of toys suitable for Arthur's age and we let him have a good pad about to see what he liked. I Pretty much had to drag Ally away from the bigger kids toys too. They are even putting on a snow machine at certain times through out the day and the little ones were going wild for it, although as you can see so was Ally!! We picked up a new Oball toy for him ( Arthur not Ally) as he totally loves these and they are fab for encouraging coordination, we also picked up a push top rattle and a ball maze which he is going to love! I was also really impressed with the gorgeous and really well priced wooden toy selection they had to offer, I think wooden toys are just the best although right now anything noisy is right up Arthur's Street! It is worth noting for older kids that Hamleys have meet Father Christmas sessions running up until Christmas Eve with a session lasting an hour including games and activities and a special gift bag too. You can find out more HERE

I have such a special place in my heart for the Disney Store, I walked through the St Enoch centre early every morning for 5 years as it was on my walk to work. I absolutely loved being there in time for store opening where there was always a little queue of excited kids waiting to get in and wanting to be first in line to be the one to 'open' the store that day. The staff always made a big fuss and they would look so delighted! When I was little this place was like going to Disneyland itself in my mind so we couldn't resist taking Arthur in for his first look. They have the most gorgeous Christmas bits in so we had to  pick up Arthur his first bauble of a little Lumiere! They also had the most adorable play space set up the back playing Muppets Christmas Carol which is a favourite of mine so Ally pretty much had to tear me away!!

With all that fun going on, never mind Arthur being tired, we were pooped from the morning too so we made sure we picked up a quick breakfast at Di Maggios in the food court ( the pancakes were delish) and we grabbed a coffee on the go from Starbucks to fuel a few more shops too. I love the spaciousness of the food court and that there are decent highchairs for little babies like Arthur to use. It makes what can usually be a stressful experience pretty hassle free which is what you need when trying to get your shopping done!

We couldn't resist a look upstairs in Mothercare where the Early Learning Centre is as it takes us both back to our childhood where you would spend hours in an ELC touching pretty much EVERY toy. We found some gorgeous unusual toys in there to and got a couple of little sensory items that we know Arthur is going to adore. Prying them out of his hands to get them wrapped up is going to be an issue! We also couldn't resist this little santa suit in Mothercare as we have lots of little parties at classes in the next couple of weeks and he is going to look ridiculously cute in it. ( For 5 mins before he drools all over it of course). We also picked up his jumper for next year too as I love the Little Bird range and their jumpers were reduced, gave us a minute of feeling smugly organised :)

Lastly we hit The Works which I am a big fan of as the prices are so good and the range they stock is amazing. They do a really good 2 for £10 deal ( or 3 for £5  on books) which would be amazing for stocking fillers or gifts for wee ones so we picked up a few for Arthur to give to the wee ones that live next door who are always wanting to play with him. His first wee gifts for some friends!

A fantastically stocked food court, really reasonable parking, some award wining baby changing and excellent opening hours, St Enoch Centre takes the stress out of the shopping while still keeping the magic of Christmas going. We are actually going to pick up a couple of gift cards for friends as our day made us realise just how much there is for families and so many different ways to spend them.  We had the absolute best time having a look around and letting Arthur take in all the fun, thanks St Enoch Centre for making his first Christmas pretty magical already!

You can keep up to date with opening hours and ongoing events on the centre's Facebook and Twitter