10 THINGS TO SEE AT GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL

It might still only be January, but Scotland's year of festivals is well underway. Next to roll round is the super fun and friendly Glasgow Film Festival, who announced their 2019 programme last week.

Glasgow Film Fest pride themselves on being the perfect movie mix, meaning they've got something for everyone - from indie arthouse features to classic Hollywood films, rare cult gems and nostalgic retro parties. This year they're boasting over 300 screenings, talks and events, with 7 world premieres, 102 UK premieres and 49 Scottish premieres, all packed into 12 days at the end of February.

There's loads to choose from, but to give you a helping hand, I've picked out ten events that caught my eye!

1. The Hole in the Ground I already find sinkholes pretty scary, so I am intrigued by this supernatural thriller. There's a deep dark wood, a creepy child, and a giant sinkhole? Count me in.

2. Maiden 30 years ago, an all-female crew undertook an incredible around-the-world voyage that challenged every prejudice of the sailing established. This documentary looks so interesting, as the crew look back on their nine-month battle against the elements and sexist men.

3. Benjamin Fancy going to a film festival to watch a film about watching a film at another film festival? Sounds pretty meta, but Simon Amstell is a bit of a genius, and directs this fresh and endearing romantic comedy about a filmmaker struggling with self-doubt and self-sabotage when he meets someone new.

4. Aquarela Sometimes you just need to sit back and take in the world, and this sounds just the ticket. Travelling from the frozen waters of Russia's Lake Baikal to the mighty Angel Falls in Venezuela, this immersive documentary promotions a mind-blowing fusion of sound and vision in an epic film which captures the raw, glorious power of water and its impact on the planet.

5. The Vanishing Scotland makes some pretty great thrillers, so I'm looking forward to this lighthouse mystery, starring Peter Mullan and Gerard Butler. Based on the true story of the Flannan Isle mystery, this follows three lighthouse keepers who arrive on an uninhabited Scottish island.

6. The Blair Witch Project GFF have a great rep for their special events and this year is packed with them! Top of the list is the genuinely-terrifying sounding Blair Witch screening in a secret-location, which is flagged not for the faint-hearted! Luckily there's two versions if you fancy it, but are a bit of a wimp - an afternoon event for scaredy cats who fancy a thrill, and an evening event for the hardcore horror fans!

7. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure If there's no way you are going to an immersive horror party, but still want an event cinema experience, try this! Dress up as your favourite historical figure, and get ready for some inter-century partying, dude.

8. Character Makeup with Danny Marie Elias One of my favourite things about film festivals is the fascinating look you get behind the scenes when you listen to a filmmaker talk about their work. Making movies is just so cool! This event is free (!), and promises an interesting chat and live prosthetics demo with one of the UK's leading makeup and prosthetics artists.

9. Freaks If you haven't guessed, I have a tendency to gravitate towards creepy sci-fi thrillers, so I'm pretty pleased GFF have loads on other! Freaks stars the very handsome Emile Hirsch, who plays a paranoid father, in a film that is packed with sci-fi action and dystopian chills.

10. The Empire Podcast with Michael Palin Join the award-winning Empire podcast and their very, very, very special guest Michael Palin (!!) for a chat about film, movie reviews and GFF. What a great way to finish off your festival experience!

Glasgow Film Festival runs 20th February - 3rd March and you can browse their whole programme here.

A TRIP TO GLASGOW

Sometimes it feels a bit exhausting trying to keep up blogging (on a fairly regular basis) alongside a full-time job. And other times, you get to do such fun things that it reminds you one of the reasons it's all worthwhile!

Last week I was invited, by the lovely hotel group citizenM, to visit Glasgow for an evening of 'art, nice drinks and bites'. I like all of those things! Despite only being 50 minutes away by train, I rarely venture West unless it's for work, so I was excited to try a bit of touristin' in Glasgow...

WHERE I STAYED

Photos by me / Joni Israeli

I was very kindly gifted an overnight stay in citizenM Glasgow (thanks guys!). I'd heard the hotel was pretty cool, but I'd never been in before, and I was seriously impressed. The rooms are pretty petite, but perfectly sized, with absolutely MASSIVE beds, a huge window (with an ace city view and blackout blinds), a rain shower (I am obsessed with these), plus free wifi, loads of free movies, and MAGICAL COLOUR-CHANGING ROOMS. 

I realise this makes me sound seriously easily-pleased, but this was so cool! You control the whole room from a mini ipad next to your bed, and you can set a pre-programmed mood, or change the colour by scrolling a (super satisfying) colour wheel. It also makes the room instantly amazing for selfies.

The whole hotel is lovely, with quirky features, chill-out areas, and just a nice vibe throughout. It's also surprisingly affordable - rooms start at £69. 

WHAT I DID

Clockwise: Turner Prize | Nicole Wermers | Queuing (by myself) in head to toe H&M | Bloggers unite!

citizenM's an art-loving hotel, so keeping in with this ethos, I was whisked away with a group of lovely Scottish bloggers to attend the preview of the Turner Prize, Europe's most prestigious visual art award, which is in Scotland for the very first time.

I often find it hard to comment on large-scale pieces of art - I'm worried I won't get it, or I'll find it a bit boring and then feel guilty for finding it boring. But I really loved Nicole Wermers' piece - a series of fur coats stitched onto chairs, and DOUG, a musical composition, was moving to listen to (although I reckon it would make more of an impact with a less-party crowd around).

It was ace to get the chance to explore Tramway (a venue I've always meant to visit) and finally chat properly to Scottish bloggers that I feel like I've known for ages, even though we hadn't talked before (hi Wardrobe Conversations!).

WHAT I ATE

I ate well. First of all we were served beautiful citizenM sushi, then after the exhibition we were whisked off to Stravaigin - a Scottish restaurant in Glasgow's West End that specialises in local food and wild ingredients.

It was fairly impossible to choose from their menu, but I managed -  Shetland salmon, followed by pork belly, then a Dulce de leche parfait with hazelnut brittle and brownie pieces. Oh boy. I was thoroughly defeated, but it was all delicious - it's worth a trip across the country just for that dinner!

It was all just lovely. Thanks to everyone who spoiled me so!

SOCIAL & COCKTAIL

Cocktail parties are great, but cocktail parties with your own professional bartender (and no need to do the washing up afterwards!) are so much better. That's exactly what Social & Cocktail offer with their mobile bar packages, pretty much guaranteeing that you'll be the best host around.

I'm a fan of cocktails, pals, and the excuse to dress a bit fancy for no reason, so it was a very obvious yes when Social & Cocktail got in touch and asked if I fancied trying out their service. All of their cocktail packages include a state-of-the-art mobile cocktail bar, a professional cocktail bartender, glassware, a selection of expertly prepared cocktails (which you can choose in advance), and the option to take part in a cocktail masterclass with your friends.

They bring all of the ingredients and garnishes so you have literally nothing to do to prep for your party, other than let them in about half an hour before your guests arrive.

This all sounded great (obviously), although I'll admit to feeling a bit weird about having a bar and a stranger in my house. My flat is pretty tiny, with a combined living room & kitchen, so I wasn't totally convinced that I'd fit a bar AND my friends in without it all feeling a bit squished and awkward.

I also was a bit nervous about the bartender, because the whole thing just felt a bit out of my depth. You don't usually spend Saturday nights with a person you've just met, making them serve drinks in your small kitchen.

But it was BRILLIANT. Yeah, it was a little bit strange at first, when my pals all turned up in nice dresses and heels and we made super polite not-really-sure-what-to-expect small talk. But it barely took any time at all for that to disappear, and it so quickly became the best, best fun. 

Our bartender was absolutely lovely too! He somehow managed to make it feel completely natural that he was my kitchen, and was super friendly, occasionally dipping into our chat, but mainly just getting on with things in the background.

We were served five cocktails each: a french martini, a cosmopolitan, a strawberry daiquiri, an appletini and a mojito. Everyone remarked on how much nicer cocktails are when they are properly made (so true, it makes such a difference), and even though they were on the sweeter side of the cocktail scale, I was really happy with the menu we were served.

We were all pretty happy to just be handed cocktails (particularly top-ups of cocktails!), so none of my gang tried their hand at playing bartender, but if you fancy it, Social & Cocktail can also teach you how. 

I'm amazed by how good value this is - prices start from £25 per person if you pick from the popular menu (which is what we did), which gets you the whole package (bar, bartender, five different cocktails, and very generous servings). Some Edinburgh bars charge £8 per cocktail!

Social & Cocktail offer mobile bar hire in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen, and you can find out more information on booking a package here: Social and Cocktail events. Why should hen parties have all the fun? Yeah, it's indulgent, but who cares! It's worth it.

Party people: Scottish bloggers & The List Hot 100

Ooooh it has been a fun week!

On Monday I went to the Scottish Bloggers Christmas Party, which had been organised by Roisin, Gillian & Claire. I headed through with Lianne beforehand and was super nervous - this was my first proper blogger meet up & I wasn't sure what to expect! Luckily (and obviously) it was totally ace - everyone was lovely and chatty, the drinks were plenty (thanks Monkey Bar!), it was brilliant meeting people in the proper real world AND we raised £190 for Glasgow Women's Aid in the charity raffle (I won goodies from CuriouScope & a Barratts voucher - lucky me!).

The dress code was christmas party dresses/awful christmas jumpers & I found this BEAUT in the charity shop across from my work for £3.50. It has animals on it (dogs? llamas? who knows?), is grey & brown striped & has TASSELS. Oh yes.

There's chat of another meetup being organised in the new year in Edinburgh & I can't wait - bring it on!

The next night (my poor head) I went to The List's Hot 100 party. If you don't know The List (shock, horror, etc) it's basically a Scottish version of Time Out & also where I spend most of my time, Monday to Friday. We're putting on more and more events these days and it is FUN, and it was ace getting the opportunity to invite my fellow Scottish blogger pals along.

I drank ginger grouse (yum!), tried to dance to music that was a bit too cool for me, and could not resist the photobooth (I'm addicted). FUN!

Today is the List staff lunch, then I have a quietish weekend, and then the countdown to my birthday starts. Tis the season to have parties!

Christmas fairs in Edinburgh & Glasgow

Looking for somewhere to buy unique, handmade, lovely presents this year? I've put together a wee list of the nicest looking craft & shopping fairs taking place in Edinburgh & Glasgow this month...

EDINBURGH

Noir | Christmas Bookmarket | Judy's | Maker's Markets

Noir! #11 'A Christmas Fair'
8th & 9th December, 11am - 7pm
A weekend of fashion, design, food & an arts market at Summerhall. There will be bespoke stalls, exhibitions, live music performances, toy making workshops, & more! It's worth a visit just to see the building alone - it was the old Vet School & is still packed full of interesting & quirky stuff.

Christmas Bookmarket
6th, 13th & 20th December, 6 - 9pm
The lovely Fruitmarket Gallery run events all year round for artists, designers, publishers and other creative types to sell and present their work at the gallery. They are running three festive events in December (first one is tonight!) which promise lovely gifts & a pop up hot chocolate parlour (hello).

Judy's Very Vintage Christmas Fair
16th December, 12 - 5pm
Britain's biggest vintage fair is setting up shop at the HMV Picturehouse again for a special seasonal event. There will be vintage-inspired gifts and collectibles, gorgeous clothes, carollers, tea & cake & lots of loveliness.

The Makers Markets
8th December - St Andrews
15th December - Portobello
These markets run all year round in five different venues across Scotland. You'll find a mix of artists, crafters and designers from all over Scotland.


GLASGOW

Lighthouse | Granny Would Be Proud | Little Birds | Traditional 

Christmas Markets at the Lighthouse
8th, 15th & 22nd December, 10.30am - 5pm
An art and craft market with 30 artists, designers and makers, including my very talented pals Debbie (designer of beautiful prints) & Claire (tie dye extraordinaire). Visit their stall & say hi!

Granny Would Be Proud
9th, 16th & 23rd December, 12 - 7pm
A small but perfectly formed vintage, design arts and crafts fair, held in the super cool Hillhead Bookclub. They guarantee smiley sellers & affordable gifts & have the best name!

Little Birds Market
9th December, 12 - 5pm
Exhibitors selling everything from homewares, upcycled furniture, jewellery & millnery to baking, vintage clothes, accessories and artwork. Phew! Little Birds markets are based in the Grand Ballroom of Sloans, with 'Mrs Sloans Cake Salon' running all day (amazing).

Traditional Christmas Market
All month, 10am - 8pm (ish)
You need to go to at least one traditional market each year, and Glasgow's sits in St Enoch Square. Eat bratwurst, drink mulled wine, be merry. Hooray!

Crafternoons at Cushion & Cake

Cushion & Cake is a cute wee tearoom in Glasgow's West End that sounds right up my street! They serve tea (in vintage teacups), cakes, homemade food AND crafty homewares and goods. So far, so kitsch, so good. I came across them through work, and put them on my list of places to visit when I am next in Glasgow.

All photos from Cushion & Cake's flickr

But today I was nosing about their facebook and noticed this - Crafternoon! On the last Sunday of every month they hold crafty classes on a different theme each month. It's £15 per session, which lets you learn new skills, take your crafted item home and have teatime treats.

Previous months have included...

Cross-stitch Valentine's cards...

& screen-printed tote bags.

It looks ACE - and a visit to Cushion & Cake has been moved from "would be nice in the future" to "must do! pronto!". This month's Crafternoon is themed around Clouds, and you can see how to book here.

p.s. whilst nosing around on their flickr account I noticed this little guy, and couldn't resist including a photo of him too. Hiya little pig!