The Best Christmas Markets

You may not know that we have a whole host of European city prints as well as our collection of UK towns. To help celebrate this and the arrival of the festive period (sorry if it's too soon for you!) we have collected together the best Christmas markets the EU has to offer. We also have a print for each location to help celebrate your Winter holidays.

Viennese Christmas Market, Vienna

This classic market in front of the City Hall is an unforgettable highlight for those eager to get into the spirit of the season. The unique backdrop gives this market a charm of its own, and the delicious aromas are sure to lull all visitors into the seasonal joy. Inside the City Hall on the ground floor there is an area dedicated to children, where they can learn how to make Christmas cookies or candles. You can also listen to international choirs singing carols with free entrance on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
See our Vienna print here

Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square, Prague

At this magical market you can shop for Christmas ornaments and holiday decorations, traditional Czech Christmas cookies, tablecloths, Frankincense or the Czech Christmas potpourri called purpura. You can taste some traditional Czech foods that are made fresh right in front of you. Hot wine (svařené víno or svařák), grog, and warm honey liquor called medovina come in handy in the cold weather. Czech Christmas carols add to the festive atmosphere
Get in the spirit with our Prague print.

Rynek Glowny, Krakow

The Christmas market in Krakow takes place every year on the city’s huge central square, Rynek Glowny, in the middle of the Old Town historic district. You will find lots of traditional Christmas decorations in Krakow's Christmastide market. You will also find seasonal sweets, from multicoloured candies to spiced nuts and gingerbread. Local artisans, such as blacksmiths and woodcarvers also show off their crafts.

Shop our Krakpw print right here

Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen

Christmas in Tivoli Gardens is a dear tradition amongst Copenhageners and without a doubt the city's number one Christmas market. At Tivoli you can warm yourself on a delicious cup of hot cocoa, rummage through the baskets of woolly knitwear, get inspired by the beautiful Christmas decorations and follow the scent of roasted almonds and homemade doughnuts. More than a half a million lights create a magical Christmas atmosphere and light up the winter darkness.

If you love Copenhagen you can celebrate it with our print

Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin

Gendarmenmarkt Christmas market is maybe the most beautiful and popular in Berlin. The market offers a large range of handmade goods crafted by artisans, Christmas food, and entertainment. Culinary offerings at the Gendarmenmarkt Christmas market range from unusual snacks to gourmet menus and traditional Christmas delicacies. Jugglers, fire-eaters, choirs and classical, jazz or Gospel ensembles provide a varied entertainment programme on each market day.

Shop our Berlin print here

Winter Wonders, Brussels

From 30 November 2018 till 6 January 2019, the Winter Wonders events take place in a number of different locations around the city but the main highlights are found at Grand Place and around Bourse, Place de la Monnaie, Place Sainte-Catherine and Marché aux Poissons. Every Saturday evening at 6 pm and 8 pm, dazzling light parades will wind their way through the streets of Brussels.

If you visit Brussels don't forget to pick up one of our prints!

Budapest Christmas Fair and Winter Festival, Budapest

The scent of Hungarian honey cookies mulled wine, cinnamon fills the air. The lighting of candles on the Advent Wreath is accompanied by choral singing and all day long you will be tempted by the Hungarian culinary specialities like the stuffed cabbage rolls, roasted goose, foie gras, grilled paprika sausages and a lot of other Christmas dishes. Wooden stalls and outdoor stages allow craftsmen and artists to show their talent.

If you fancy a trip to Budapest, don't forget you can buy a print of the city here.

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We hope you enjoyed this round up of our favourite European Christmas markets. Let us know if you go to one!

Our Workspace Essentials

Here at Lucy Loves This there is nothing we like more than a perfect work area topped up with beautiful and useful stationery. As a creative studio, we know how important it is to maintain a tidy (but also pretty) desk to help keep you productive and get you through the workday.

We wanted to bring you our favourite places to buy everything you need to help you create your dream desk.

Good office supplies, planners and stationery can help tackle your to-do lists and also create a welcoming work area that you'll look forward to spending time in. It's worth investing in some good quality pieces that you'll use every day, bonus points if you love how they look!

We love Hay's range of office supplies and their simply designed Anything range blends form and functionality perfectly.

This beautiful pen from Anthropologie will definitely make ticking off that to do list much less dull, we love the coral and mint colours scheme too.

This amazing vintage style notice board from Hema (so many affordable things on their site) is so cute and just the thing for inspirational quotes!

These very fancy gold lacquer office accessories from West Elm are just the thing to keep your desk tidy and your pens in place.

Artwork looks beautiful when framed above your desk, our location prints make perfect interiors eye candy. Why not choose a place that's special to you?

This vintage-inspired brass clips from super cool stationery shop Present & Correct are perfect for labelling all your imporant files.

Add a pop of colour to your desk with these bright pencil cases from Papersmiths. The clear pocket means you can always see what's inside. 

Fancy a new planner? Kikki K has a great selection to keep you organised. They also sell special stickers and notes to customise your planner to suit your lifestyle.

We hope you enjoyed this round up of our must-have stationery items, the shops in this post are some of our favourites so we hope you'll enjoy a browse on their websites. Have fun organising your workspace!

Don't forget you can shop our whole collection here.

London Letters - The Lucy Loves This Book!

Lucy has written a book! 

This isn’t your typical A-to-Z guidebook to the bustling city of London. Filled with the eye-catching artwork of Lucylovesthis, London Letters is an interactive, fun, and functional guide to 26 of London's districts.

Filled with eye-catching artwork London Letters is an interactive, fun, and functional guide to London's boroughs. This guidebook organises neighbourhoods from Angel to ZSL London Zoo. Removable cards and maps provide a handy guide on how to get to there, what to see, where to eat, and more! It is available to pre-order now on our website but will also be available to buy from all good bookshops at the end of August. 

Find the book right here lucylovesthis.com

12 Hours in...Angel

To celebrate the launch of the brand new Lucy Loves This book, London Letters were are continuing to share how you can spend 12 hours in some of our favourite areas in London. The book features 26 pull-out maps of popular London neighbourhoods from angel to ZSL London Zoo, meaning there's no excuse to be bored in London! The illustrated maps feature must visit cafes, parks, shops and streets for you to explore in each area and today we're talking about Angel...

One of the LLT team members, Nancy, is a North London girl so spends most of her time exploring the pretty streets of Islington. She has lots of great hidden gems to share with you today so over to you Nancy!

I really love Angel, it can be quite an overlooked area as the main streets are full of chains and to be honest, at a glance it's not the most charming of areas. When you dig a little deeper though, you'll realise just how magical this part of Islington can be. I love to spend an afternoon wandering around the pretty back streets and exploring the small green spaces.

My top tips for a day in Angel

1. Start your day with a coffee at Kipferl, an amazing little Viennese cafe and restaurant that specialises in authentic Austrian food. The interior is really cool and modern and the cakes are incredible!

2. After your coffee take a stroll down Camden Passage where there are lots of little independent shops and a vintage market on most days of the week, I love the winding passageways!

3. Smug is my favourite shop in Angel, plus its right in the centre of Camden Passage. It's full of beautiful homeware, artwork and stationery. A great place for gifts.

4. Why not take a stroll along the Regent's Canal? It runs straight through Angel and also connects onto some beautiful gardens like Duncan Terrace Gardens.

5. After a wander down Upper Street pop into Bellanger for dinner, they serve classic French dishes and the interior is absolutely stunning. You'll feel as though you've gone back in time!

6. There are many great places in the area for an after dinner drink but my favourite is
69 Colebrooke Row aka "the bar with no name". It's a tiny speakeasy-style bar with experimental cocktails.

7. If you fancy catching a late night film you can head to the Screen on the Green, a lovely independent cinema.

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We hope you enjoyed this little insight into Nancy's absolute favourite spots in Angel. Please do take a look at the book here and let us know what you think! 

Martha's Uni Story

It's time for our third and final uni story post, this time it's Martha's turn! Remember that if you know anyone who has recently graduated or who is set to go to uni this September we have a huge range of prints to celebrate most of the towns in the UK. On to Martha to hear all about her uni experience...

I went to Lancaster Uni (Lonsdale College) and studied Religious Studies and Philosophy. Lancaster is a campus-based university, in a small town so you get to know people pretty quickly and I've made friends who I still see regularly now. One of whom gets married very soon and the Lancaster print will be part of her wedding present. I know that they will love the print, the perfect memento to remember our time together at uni.

I did lots of volunteering at university and it was through that and working at the Student Union Volunteering Unit after I graduated that has set me up for a career helping young people in a variety of roles. My work has ranged from helping young adults set up their own businesses to recruiting them into apprentice and graduate roles whilst working at Sky.

And of course, the entrepreneurial spirit I learnt at Lancaster has led me to work one day a work for one of my best friends, Lucy! So I'd like to think that without Lancaster I wouldn't have learnt the skills needed to have my lovely job.

Whilst at Lancaster I had many nights out dancing in the Sugarhouse and then waiting, with a marker pen stamp on your hand for the bus back to campus 

Atkinsons in Lancaster

Lancaster also has some great pubs, I love nothing more than a pint on the weekend in a traditional pub - The White Cross and The Waterwitch were two favorites, both on the river and both serving great pub food. I have many fond memories of both.

Atkinsons is still one of my favourite places in Lancaster, a 180-year-old coffee roasting and tea merchants. Everything you buy comes in gorgeous little packets (my friends and family have received a lot of Atkinsons tea as Christmas presents over the years) and my Atkinsons mug is still my favorite for my weekend cuppa.

Finally - if the weather is nice, which lets face it, isn't loads in Lancaster then either head to the Lakes or take a picnic to Williamson Park with its fabulous views and beautiful Ashton Memorial. One of my favourite uni memories is sitting on the Ashton steps watching the sun come up after my graduation ball, with those friends I mentioned earlier.

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We hope you enjoyed our uni story series! If you'd like to commemorate your own university or college experience please take a look at our uni collection right here. 

12 Hours in…Brixton

We're starting a new series on the blog called 12 hours in... to celebrate the launch of the brand new Lucy Loves This book. Lucy's book is called London Letters and it features 26 pull-out maps of popular London neighbourhoods from angel to ZSL London Zoo. The illustrated maps feature must visit cafes, parks, shops and streets for you to explore in each area. First up is Lucy's local area of Brixton. Over to Lucy...

The original design in the series, and without it this book would never exist. I designed the Brixton B for myself back in 2011, I was working as a freelance book cover designer, and for the first time since I was at university, I had a bit of time to design something that I wanted to design instead of something that met a design brief for a client. It was just for fun really, but it also happened to be the Christmas that craft fairs started popping up all over London and I thought why not give one a try. So armed with a few prints I did my very first craft fair, run by the girls who now run The Turpentine gift shop in Brixton (one of my favourite stockists).

I came home that night with £800 and a list of locations people wanted designing, I was bowled over. 130 locations later and the business is going from strength to strength with over 30 stockists in the UK including the likes of Selfridges and Fenwicks, a thriving online business and my first publication due out this summer.

photo from Canova Hall in Brixton

My top tips for a day in Brixton

1. Brunch at Canova Hall in the newly refurbished department store - which is worth a gander, especially if you can get up to the amazing rooftop bar.

2. A stroll around Brixton village to see what new eatery has opened and plan lunch.

3. A trip to the Ritzy cinema.

4. A long walk in the sunshine in Brockwell park, make sure you search out the walled garden - its such a hidden gem.

5. A cocktail or three at the Shrub and Shutter.

6. Dinner at Nanban, where for a very reasonable price you can be cooked for by Masterchef winner Tim Anderson

7. If you’re still going, head down to the White Horse where the party never stops.

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We hope you enjoyed this little insight into Lucy's absolute favourite spots in Brixton. Please do take a look at the book here and let us know what you think! 

How To Display Art in your Home

There are countless ways to display art around the home and thinking up ways to show off your art can be a daunting task! As a print company we absolutely love to have art in our homes, the LLT team would never be seen with blank walls! We've collected our very favourite (and unexpected) ways to display your art, prints and paintings.

image from Poppy Talk

Casual Frames

We love this really modern and minimalist frames, they're incredibly easy to use and they look sleek too. If you're not a fan of traditional frames or you're on a tight budget this option is probably perfect for you. The blog Poppy Talk even has a DIY if you fancy having a go at making one yourself.

Image from Avenue Lifestyle

Mini Gallery Wall

Does a gallery wall fill you with dread? You could try downsizing and make a mini one instead! The main rules to remember are 1. Keep your artwork cohesive and complimentary. 2. Think about blending different sizes of art. 3. Plan out where you'd like to hang everything on the floor first.

Image from The Every Girl

Full Gallery Wall

Want to go crazy and have fun with your art collection? This style is for you. If you love eclectic art and showing off all the pieces you've collected over the years this is a great way to display your art. The rules are similar to the mini gallery wall but if you're covering a whole wall you will have more freedom to mix it up a bit.

Image from My Scandinavian Home

Picture Shelf

A slim picture shelf is a fantastic way to display art and smaller accessories. It's flexible, inexpensive and works in every room of the house. You can buy picture frames from Ikea which is a really cheap way to try them out. Remember that you can always change up what's on the shelves to suit your mood too!

Image from Curate and Display

By your Desk

This is the perfect option if you have a collection of postcards, greetings cards or smaller prints that you want to display. Just like a picture shelf, this method is a very flexible option which you can change whenever you like. We love using peg boards, cork boards or even washi tape to display art around our desks.

Image from Paper & Stitch

Leaning Against the Wall

This is one for all you renters out there (or if you like to keep things relaxed). I personally lean art and prints all the time, I think it looks really cool and you can easily switch it up. I think this method works best on sideboards and side tables. If you're using the area a lot you will need to be careful not to knock into your artwork.

Image from Style me Pretty

Unexpected Rooms

Remember that art isn't just for the living room and bedroom, you can show off your collection anywhere! I'm personally partial to displaying art in the bathroom, especially anything that doesn't really "go" with the rest of the house. I know that may not be everyone's cup of tea but it's fun to think outside the box!

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We really hope you found this blog post useful, we would love to hear how you display your artwork. Remember that the Lucy Loves This shop is full with amazing prints just in case you need to top up your collection!

Nancy's University Story

For the second in our university series, we have Nancy who helps create the Lucy Loves This marketing content, Nancy also styles and shoots the product photography. Today she will be talking about her experience at Newcastle College to celebrate the new collection of prints that champion university towns, perfect for anyone who is set to graduate this year.

After initially thinking I wanted to go to Edinburgh to study graphic design my mum convinced me to give the Art & Design Foundation course at Newcastle College a try. Once I’d had some time to think about it I realised that I wasn't emotionally ready to move away from home so I decided to stick to my home town for one more year and give it a try!

For me, the foundation year was the perfect stepping stone from school (where I thought I was a grown up, but actually wasn’t) to living life alone for the fist time at uni. I felt like a small fish in a big pond the first few weeks as I had come from a very small secondary school - there were six people in my art class at A Level! I soon got used to the new routine and made some amazing friends.

Everyone there was so different, all ages, all backgrounds and all nationalities which was really refreshing as my secondary school was an all-girls school. I learnt so much about myself and how there are many different personalities in the world (not just mean posh girls!). I flung myself into the work, I felt like we were all given the opportunity to play and explore lots of different art forms which was so fun. There was no pressure, all we had to do was try out every discipline before choosing our specialist subject. I studied, fine art, illustration, ceramics, sculpture, textile design, fashion design, photography and graphic design. Graphic design actually ended up being the one course that I really didn't like so thank goodness I went for the foundation year after all!

I found that I had a huge passion and talent for textile design, which was something I had never studied before. This lead to me choosing it as my specialist subject and I studied it for the remaining 9 months of the course. I was awarded a distinction and then went on to study Printed Textiles and Surface Design at Leeds Arts University.

Without the foundation year course at Newcastle College, I may be stuck in a graphic design job at the moment. Now have my own interior styling brand and I also get to help out lovely designers like Lucy too!

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We would love to hear your own university tales so head over to our Facebook and Instagram accounts to leave a comment and join in the conversation.

Our full collection of uni town prints are available here if you'd like to purchase one for a recent graduate!

Lucy's Must Have Baby Products

Very soon the littlest member of the LLT team will be joining us! We're so incredibly happy and excited to tell you that Lucy and her husband are expecting baby number two this summer. To honour this special (and adorable) occasion Lucy has picked out her favourite pieces from The Mamahood collective and online store.

Lucy Loves This is proud to be one of the designer-makers taking part in the Mamahood pop up shop. There are so many create brands involved so please do go along if you're able. You can find more details about the shop right here.

Flying zebra print - every child's room needs a whimsical and fun print for the walls and this one is extra fun thanks to the 3D elements.

1 to 20 Animals Aplenty book - Not only does this book feature really sweet illustrations but it also teaches children counting and rhyming skills. 

Lara & Ollie teething necklace - You would never know this necklace was made for teething babies! The mint green colours are so stylish and will compliment most outfits. 

Polar Bear Feeding pillow -  This is the cutest feeding pillow I've ever seen and it would look so wonderful in the baby's room!

Moulin Roty La Famille Mirabelle - I love these sweet mouse toys, they're bright and colourful enough that little ones love them but they're also designed to look lovely as a decorative item too.

Breton Baby Salopettes - These unisex trousers are the perfect combination of both style and practicality plus they're made from a super soft organic cotton.

Cactus kid leggings - These cactus leggings are the perfect amount of cute and trendy! I love that they're screen-printed by hand too. 

Art Cards for Baby - I love the illustrations on these cards, the bold black and white designs make it easy for babies to see the beautiful drawings.

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We hope you loved Lucy's favourite baby product picks. I'm not sure about you but I really want to go shopping for some adorable baby gifts now! Don't forget that we also sell a selection of prints for kids in our online shop right here. 

Lucy's University Story

Today the founder and designer of Lucy Loves This - Lucy Stephens is sharing her university journey to celebrate our new collection of uni prints. We have recently designed a whole host of brand new prints that champion university towns, perfect for anyone who is set to graduate this year.

Now over to Lucy to hear all about her uni story...

I had a wonderful few years studying graphic design in Leeds, but it didn’t start off that great. I actually nearly left my course after the first year as I didn’t feel it was the right direction for me. But by that point, I had already made some great friends and as I’m not a quitter by nature I decided to persevere. I’m so glad I did. I came back in my second year to find the course had been completely changed, new staff new focus - and much more in line with what I wanted to do.

I learnt so much about designing in a commercial way which has no doubt impacted on the business I run today, it also led on to me teaching on the course after I graduated for several years - which I loved, and helped me grow in confidence as a young designer. For me though, probably one of the most important things that happened from moving to Leeds was meeting my husband. Corny I know, but he has been my partner in crime through the good and bad, and 12 years on we are stronger than ever. I would never have started the business without his support, he has been a constant source of advice and help over the years - from accounting to manning craft stalls in the early days. There wouldn’t be a business without him.

So the Leeds print would have to be the most important one in the uni collection for me. As a former student, I’ve tried to pick out some of the most iconic spots, from the Original Oak with it’s sprawling beer garden in Headingley to a nod to the infamous Otley run pub crawl which I’m proud to say I completed (if proud is the right word!). All these memories and landmarks make me so happy to be a Leeds graduate. 

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Thanks so much to Lucy for sharing her story. Uni definitely has its ups and downs and we believe that graduating is well worth a big celebration! We would love to hear your own university tales so head over to our Facebook and Instagram accounts to leave a comment and join in the conversation.

Our full collection of uni town prints are available here if you'd like to purchase one.

Welcome to the New Lucy Loves This Blog

Hello There! It's fair to say that this blog has been forgotten about a little bit, but the Lucy Loves This team are determined to make blogging a regular feature on our site. Expect to see posts every two weeks all about everything we love. We'll be covering behind the scenes design processes from our studio, our favourite areas and spots in London as well as exciting collaborations and interviews.

We can't wait to show you everything we have planned and we hope that you'll really enjoy reading our posts and getting to know us a bit more.

Lucy and the LLT team x