Columbia Road Flower Market

I woke up on Sunday to the typical grey skies London is known for. It stayed that way all day long. What does one do on a gloomy Sunday? Head to the flower market in Shoreditch, the edgier, 'hipster' side of East London.

First, we filled up on lattes and green tea at the adorable Workshop Coffee Co. It's lit with fuzzy white lights and you a greeted with piles of croissants and other sweets.

Once we were properly fueled, we headed off with visions of peonies in our heads.
The flower market is only open on Sunday's and is packed to the brim with gorgeous color that definitely brightened up my day.

Peonies were EVERYWHERE in bloom. So pretty! I wanted to take everything home.

The sellers were all lively 'chaps' shouting out their deals with witty little  lines. "2 bunches for a tenner! Beware of imitations!" This one was particularly colorful :)

Here are Jen and Kara with their peony and dahlia spoils!

I got on the peony bandwagon as well. They are now in full bloom on my kitchen table. I need to go back to the flower market every Sunday.

Weekend shopping

It was warm enough to venture out this weekend sans head to toe coverage. Who knew 35 degrees could feel so good. Knowing that the 20s are around the corner, I tried to take advantage of the day and headed to the new Bucktown Parisian fragrance and candle shop, Diptyque.

I've heard about these candles countless times before but never actually smelled one. So I popped inside and had the store all to myself. The manager behind the counter was really great. She walked me through the different scents, answers my novice question and never pressured me (these bad boys aren't cheap). I decided on their top seller; Bais in a mini version ($28). It's a floral scent with a hint of sweetness (at least it is to me). The manager even threw in some free sample fragrances for me to enjoy. It was a fun little treat and the store is adorable.