Christmas, comedians and kids - an unusually starry poetry event

Harry Enfield and chums entertained a carpet full of children at the new ilovegorgeous shop in Primrose Hill on Saturday morning. Allie Esiri (who Tatler have called 'The Poetry Powerhouse') directed the event, choosing poems from her anthology, iF: A Treasury of Poems for Every Possibility. The starry cast - Harry Enfield, Gina Bellman, Sarah Alexander, Morwenna Banks and Ben Miller surprised the Primrose Hill posse of parents and kids with genius, energised readings. Harry Enfield had the crowd in stitches reading Benjamin Zephaniah's 'Be nice to ye turkeys dis Christmas', and then he told the audience they could boo at his Australian accent as he read the part of the kangaroo, opposite Sarah's sweet Duck in Edward Lear's 'The Duck and The Kangaroo'. But he was way too good to boo!

Poems ranged from Tim Burton's 'The Girl with Many Eyes', which ends with the line, 'You really get wet when she breaks down and cries' to A.A. Milne's winning poem about friendship 'Us Two'. By the end of the hour all the audience were joining in....

Audience members included Gina's husband and daughter, Ben's wife and kids, Sarah's husband, the actor/comedian Peter Serafinowicz, Caroline Spencer and chef and food writer Bill Granger.

Both Ben and Gina then had to race off to do matinees - Gina at The National theatre, Ben to the West End to do The Duckhouse. He said they update the play as the run goes on including the latest MP misdemeanours!

There were of course absurdly delicious cakes from Primrose Bakery and colourful  juices from Belvoir Cordials,  and 20% of all takings on the day went to Save the Children. Festive fun was had by both adults and the little ones, and if you want to know more about Allie's apps where you can read, write and share poems with your friends, visit her website Ilterature here.

If your stuck for gift ideas, we think our Moon Festival Dresses & the iF: A Treasury of Poems for Almost Every Possibility book are the perfect Christmas present combo! We are offering free post & packaging until midnight on the 20th December, AND a free gift wrapping service at the checkout for your gorgeous gifts. 

COMPETITION: WIN - PRIMROSE BAKERY, CELEBRATIONS BOOK - a great gift idea!

Primrose Bakery produce a mouth-watering selection of cakes and treats, and are famed for their gorgeous cookbooks. We are offering one ILG fan the chance to win a copy of their latest title 'CELEBRATIONS'. Beautifully laid out and awash with delicious ideas - this is the perfect Christmas present. (FYI: Primrose Bakery will be providing gorgeous cakes for our Primrose Hill event, in-store this Saturday - see below for details.)

Primrose Bakery began when friends Lisa Thomas and Martha Swift began baking in their home kitchens for children's parties. Fast forward nine years and they have opened two shops in Primrose Hill and Covent Garden and have launched three cookbooks and an App.  We are offering you the chance to win a copy of their fabulous new book Primrose Bakery Celebrations by Martha Swift and Lisa Thomas, photography by Yuki Sugiura. The perfect Christmas present!
All you have to do is like our Facebook post here and you will automatically be entered into our prize draw to win. For an idea of what delightful treats lay in store, our friends at the bakery have given us two exclusive recipes straight from the pages, just for you!

INSIDE THE BAKERY:

Primrose Bakery is THE place to relax with a sweet treat. The delicious smell and pink neon glow lures you in to a cupcake grotto; malted marshmallow, pink lemonade or strawberry daiquiri with rum-butter icing anyone?

Visit the website here and you'll find an emporium of cakes made to order, including personalised celebration cakes.




We will be sampling the winter wonderland themed cakes and gingerbread men decorated with little scarves and wooly mittens.

We love following them on Instagram for news and pictures of their new inventions...

We want to see photos of your own wonderful celebration cakes, so tag us via Instagram and Twitter @ilovegorgeousuk

CHRISTMAS, COMEDY & CAKES - Saturday 14th December 11 & 11.30am, ilovegorgeous, 73 Regents Park Road, London NW1 8UY

Sample Primrose Bakery's sweet treats this Saturday at our Primrose Hill store. Actors Harry Enfield, Ben Miller, Sarah Alexander, Gina Bellman and Morwenna Banks will be reading a selection of quirky, funny & silly poems chosen by Allie Esiri, creator of The Love Book & co-creator of the the iF poems. See details on how to book below...

Pearl & Betty Lowe's Christmas Edit - 1 red lace dress, 6 adorable puppies & lots of vintage chic

Pearl Lowe and her family with their six puppies in a recent Sunday Times Style magazine. Betty Lowe wears ilovegorgeous,  Moon Festival Dress and Sparkly Plimsolls in silver

Pearl Lowe knows a thing or two about good style. Having started out in the industry as a singer, Pearl's love of all things vintage have translated into a successful fashion and textiles design career. As well as being a vintage queen, Pearl is a mother to some seriously fashion-savvy offspring, Daisy, Alfie, Betty, Danny and Frankie.

The Lowe's will be spending Christmas together in a stylish vintage setting with their 6 adorable new puppies - so cute!

Pearl and 8 year old daughter Betty are both huge fans of ilovegorgeous (from very early on) so we thought it would be lovely to have them work together on an ilovegorgeous Christmas edit. Together they've hand-picked their favourite items for the festive period. See below for some of Betty's favourite looks, pieces and her 'ways to wear'...

Shop Pearl and Betty's full fashion edit here. Don't forget to take advantage of our free gift wrapping service this Christmas for all your gorgeous gifts, and we are offering a 10% discount on our fabulous Gift Sets.

CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEA - Vintage Craft by Pearl Lowe

Pearl's designing career began when she dyed her lace curtains and before she knew it, the editor of Elle Decoration had snapped up a pair and featured Pearl in her magazine. This lead to a collection of handmade dresses for Liberty, her own line for Peacocks and a stationary range that sells in the likes of Selfridges. Pearl's recent project is "Vintage Craft",  an inspiring book with 50 step-by-step projects as well as a how to guide on sourcing your own vintage treasures. Pearl's favourite periods are the 1920's and 1950's, and she insists that "glamour never goes out of fashion". From fringed vintage lampshades to handmade winter wreaths, the book is packed with unique ways to create, decorate and upcycle beautiful objects for your dream home. You can buy Pearl's book here and visit her website www.pearllowe.co.uk for further collections and her blog "Living the Vintage Life".