Ideal Home Snow 2018

A snowy start to the show! A quick check online to confirm that TFL were able to cope with a light dusting, and I was out the door.  Mother-in-law (MIL) (aka shopping partner-in-crime, aka companion-in-credit-card-bashing) and I set out from Upminster to the now established venue of Olympia. The journey has become marginally annoying, now that we need to change at Earl’s Court and wait for an Olympia-specific train, rather than merely alighting at the former venue. But that’s progress for you (or so they say), and no doubt a property developer is doing rather well out of the move.

As free ticket holders (thank you press office), we were directed to enter through entrance three, which was not only the furthest entrance from the tube exit, the least attractive entrance point (compared to the main entrance complete with faux grass sign and piper) and also happened to be the glass doors that served as a staff and exhibitor entry gate. The queue which led right out beyond the foyer into the cold, windy and sleety street was crowded with people who seemed to delight in incessant moaning about the weather, while other guests were more jovial in spirit, joking as to the black market into staff passes so we could also queue jump and be let in early.

The first stall that caught my attention was Vallente of London. The open and friendly attitude of Andy Goss, with none of the hard sell so typical of those in the luxury goods market meant that we could spend time getting to know the products before making a relaxed and happy decision. As it was, MIL and I both purchased a great giftset that included a choice of two main products (we both chose a candle (RRP £20) and a hand and body lotion (RRP £18) with a bonus pot of hand cream. The bundle price was good value at £25.

I was initially interested in the products as I was looking for a rich cream to rehydrate my daughter’s skin. She is about to turn two and suffered from a rather nasty bout of chicken pox. I applied the moisturiser after her bath and the skin was immediately supple, soft and smooth. The effects lasted overnight and well into the morning, as I can now happily attest.

A shiny stall that caught my eye was funky big metal london led by designer James McGrath, who first started out in the true meaning of a start up cottage industry in his mother’s garden shed. Happily (for James’ mother) production now takes place in Elephant & Castle. James still plays a key role in design and overseeing production and is also committed to social responsibility and environmental protection, which now increasingly can play a key role in a customer’s decision to make a purchase. 

After scanning the stall with a beady eye, I happened across these cactus earrings, a complete steal at £10.

Being British-born Chinese, I have a soft spot for jade, used to commemorate and celebrate key milestones. I had always intended to buy “birth jade” for my two daughters and returned to Helen Fung’s Happy Dragon to purchase pink and purple matching pendants (£38 each) having first met Helen at the show some four years ago. Obviously a happy repeat customer, albeit with a sizeable interval in between!

The feel of the IHS has changed a great deal. Smaller home grown businesses have been pushed out in favour of large nationwide corporations that dominate the mass expanse of the main exhibition floor. A few token stands are left around the edges of the ground floor for oddly placed scented candle stalls, as though they have been left out in the cold. Whether this is for better or worse is neither here nor there. If you are after a fun day out with lots to see without a specific large-scale purchase in mind, then you’re in the right place. All in all, the IHS is still worth coming to, it’s just that you often come home with a miscellany of items you had no idea you needed, but with a smile on your face, which is a sure sign of a great day out. IHS, ‘til the next time...

Earl's Court - the perfect recovery to a sleepless night...

The blog is back! Yet again! My excuse for the sabbatical his time is Baby Cross, moving house, and Baby Cross again. How many nappy changes does one baby girl need? The right answer is too many! Still she is a lovely little girl and the way she nearly shuts her eyes when she smiles (just like Mummy...) just melts the heart.

Baby Cross is teething, cue sleepless nights for Mummy and Daddy Cross. The best method for recovery is to park baby with Grandad Cross and escape for a day out with partner-in-crime, Granny Cross to the Ideal Home Show.

There are often lots of opportunities to obtain or win free tickets to the show so keep an eye out on the ever excellent MoneySavingExpert for these freebies. Granny Cross and I were lucky enough to partake, though it is very much a fastest finger first affair, so do act quickly.

The show is going into its final weekend, closing on Sunday 30 March, and there are deals to be had. An outing to the Ideal Home Show is bound to conclude in copious unlikely purchases. One year, I returned with an order for an electric garage door, much to the admiration of my next-door neighbour. This year, Granny Cross and I intended on being more scrupulous and discerning purchasers, though whether we succeeded in this venture or not remains to be seen.

Often, IHS is a way of meeting entrepreneurs from far and wide who are more than happy to chat and persuade you to part with your hard-earned cash. Helen Fung from Happy Dragon, (who sources all her products from China) helped me to choose a linked purple jade necklace with silver joinery and fastenings. A piece of jade jewellery is bought to celebrate and mark important landmarks in your life such as marriage and the birth of a child. And corresponding lack of sleep...

A little while later, we came across a decent chap called Dermot Barry, who sold us a beautiful merino wool throw which can be used as a luxurious baby's blanket - warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The throw combines practicality, beauty and quality. And made to last.

Thinking again of Baby Cross, I bought a handmade hat and dungarees outfit from Seesaw, which makes designer children's clothing in Kent. Lovely pieces that are reversible, and more importantly, machine-washable.

Granny Cross was having thoughts about the other grandchildren and was hoping to spruce up their room in Senior Cross Towers. Walltastic has some fantastic wall murals and sticker sets that will instantly brighten up a child's room.

I must also use this opportunity to step away from show exhibitors to highlight the great work of Carren Lu at Artistic Touch. As a client of Carren's myself, I was thrilled with her work on our wedding stationery including a hand-painted seating plan, as well as a wonderful old-fashioned style Winnie the Pooh mural for the nursery.

Back to Earl's Court, and over on the ecolightings stand, we picked up an excellent tip from Tiger Kang on washing crystal chandeliers with white vinegar. He advised that this was in preference to trying out all-singing and all-dancing crystal cleaners which often proved to be expensive and disappointing in their results.

Stopping off for an ice cream, we came across Salcombe Dairy with its delicious choice of scrumptious and sophisticated flavours. In its waffle cone, I greedily scoffed a scoop of honeycomb crunch and choc choc flake.

Needing a present for Mr Cross to get me out of trouble for a hard day's shopping, I rushed over to Val Elvis at Celtic Spirit Co to sample a 12-year-old whiskey. I myself am not a whiskey drinker - my husband has an extensive collection, but somehow I could appreciate the silky smoothness of the the tipple and merrily purchased a bottle.

Finally, the Edinburgh Natural Skincare Company do skin products in genuine Kilner jars with ingredients tested by chemists to ensure maximum efficacy. Their geranium cream was a firm favourite, so much so that one pot had to come home with me. The skin is still soft hours after application, as I can well testify.

Overall, the Ideal Home Show offers a fun day out with shopping options galore. As we boarded the tube to go home, many a happy customer joined us with bags in hand. Exhausting, yes, and maybe not the ideal antidote to a sleepless night, but a worthwhile and satisfying one all the same.

High flying adored

It's been a long time since I blogged, and now I am back. You will be relieved to know that I am not going to lead a hate campaign against a certain Spanish bank that must-not-be-named, nor will I mention a very awful supermarket that rhymes with UNESCO, instead I am flying the flag for saving the pennies and revealing my patriotic side in this glorious Jubilee year.

First off, saving the pennies. What is the one luxury that you cannot possibly live without? When the chips are down and the banks are printing more money just to make the world go round, I would say the one material thing I could not go without is a good holiday. Buyer beware, or caveat emptor as we lawyers might say. A cheap holiday may leave you with a whole lot more than you bargained for.

Take for example a flight with a low-cost carrier. More often than not, these airlines employ a "stealth pricing strategy" involving added charges for hold baggage, seats together, so-called priority boarding (have you ever seen us Chinese queuing???) and don't even get me started on expensive food. The cruellest and most evil thing anyone can do on a plane is to order one of those overpriced ham and cheese toasties, or a bacon sarnie and smile sweetly as the scent wafts gently down the aisle of the aircraft. Enough said.

Anyway, by the time you have paid for all these added extras, you may as well have gone with a regular airline, got your free paper, drunk your bubbles, thank you very much, and not had to wear a jacket that doubles up as a suitcase. Besides, the flight times with these more traditional fleets generally tends to be more civilised so travelling is just less stressful.

On our recent trip to China, Mr Cross insisted we pay for Premium Economy as he is six foot tall and played American Football at university (it's called college football for those in the know, and it's called a lid and not a helmet in case you were wondering!). On the return journey, I was so exhausted and stressed out from the 16-day tour, that I made up my mind that I was going to get us a complimentary upgrade to Club. If you don't know me, as many of you don't, you will soon learn that when I decide to do something, I don't do it by halves. All or nothing as the croupier might shout.

The short version of the story is that it took me 30 minutes of refusing to budge from the check-in desk, my best Sportmax coat, a lot of charm and patience, and a combination of English, fluent Cantonese and conversational Mandarin, and sheer dogged determination, and after that half hour, I emerged floating in a bubble, not quite believing I had done it, but I had. And no, it didn't cost me the 11,000RMB per person I was quoted from the outset. It cost me some time, possibly one grey hair (Mr Cross can pull it out at a later date), and a few glares from some staff and fellow passengers, and all I can say is that for the 13-hour flight back to Terminal 5, it was the best deal I have struck thus far. Well I don't count my marriage contract - there are some that may say that Mr Cross has done a deal with a little red devil.

Call me what you like, but just remember this: DON'T CALL ME JANE!!!

Launching a little line from a Little Lu

So here it is, the blog of Little Lu.

It's the start of the weekend, which by 12.30pm, has already clocked up four hours of working from home with the help of a handy little Citrix token. I can now access all my files as if I was in the office, without having to leave the house. Wonderful.

So what's going on in my world, the world of Little Lu? Well I'm getting married in less than four months. Well three months and twenty days to be precise. It's not quite Bridezilla stage yet, but soon, I'm sure. I'm enjoying the wedding planning, probably because I have the luxury of time. We got engaged two years ago and arranged most of the big things like the church and reception venue fairly early on. But more of that later.

Work wise, I'm an editor in legal publishing. I qualified as a lawyer back in September last year and decided publishing was where I wanted to be, and here I am. There's a great working atmosphere in the office and the work is good. Couldn't ask for more. Except maybe a clothing allowance. Speaking of which...

I like shopping. Well actually, I love shopping. That's better. A great website called MoneySavingExpert (MSE) created by a guy called Martin Lewis taught me how to look for discount codes when shopping and also, how to get cashback on your online purchases.

A couple of months back when I was looking for a reasonably priced pair of authentic Uggs, I came across a site called Shudoo, through MSE. They e-mailed me earlier this week with a special promotion of 20% off if you sign up to their newsletter (http://www.shudoo.co.uk/forms.php?form_id=30). I'm quite tempted by another pair of French Sole ballet pumps.

That's enough for a first post. Mummy Lu, or the Oracle (as she's known in the Lu Crew), always said something about keeping something back for later. So that's what I'm doing now. Taking the Oracle's advice and keeping something back for later. Well lots more in fact. See you next time for more Little Lu ramblings.