Category Archives: christmas

Gift Inspiration: Chickidee Homeware

10th November 2016
I have a pretty good sense of humour and most of what I say to my nearest and dearest is laced with a touch of sarcasm. This would probably explain why I was so smitten with Chickidee Homeware when they got in touch offering me one of their rather fabulous mugs. After a good long browse I decided to expect my tongue in cheek approach to myself and picked myself a pretty perfect gift*.
I think mugs make a brilliant gift, I’m always grateful to receive one. I absolutely love the range on Chickidee- they have the perfect selection for all of your nearest and dearest for the very reasonable price of £6. I’m forever being told I’m a pain in the arse (and I don’t beg to differ) so I decided to indulge myself with a constant reminder.

And it’s not just gorgeous mugs that Chickidee Homeware sells, as the name would suggest there are all kinds of products that would make perfect gifts or adornments to your home. I have quite a wish list brewing for when I move out again some time next year and also rather a few ideas for the last of my Christmas shopping!

If Santa is reading my blog then I really wouldn’t say no to this candle to brighten up my days.

Which mug would you pick and for whom? Not going to lie, I really AM my favourite pain in the arse.

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Posted in brands I love, christmas, gifts, shopping, wish list

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Gift Inspiration: The Foodie One

09th November 2016
I think for most people one of the most integral parts of every festive season is the food. Even the people I know who ordinarily have little interest and view food merely as essential fuel get a little bit excited when the selection boxes hit the shelves. For those of us with serious foodies in our lives this is the perfect time of year to spoil them rotten with some luxurious and unusual treats and today I’m bringing you a selection of sweet (and savoury) little stocking filler ideas…I hope those around me are taking notes!
First up we have almost a rainbow of chocolate from Chocolate and Love* which Mae took an immediate interest in- she couldn’t even be distracted by a bag of dreamies! Chocolate and Love offers something more luxurious than your average chocolate bar, made with ethically sourced organic, high quality and fair trade ingredients. The bars come in seven different flavours which include coffee, mint, orange, sea salt and caramel as well as some varying degrees of darkness plain bars. Just how gorgeous is that packaging? You almost wouldn’t need to gift wrap these bars, just tie a stack together with some string. The mint 67% dark chocolate was my personal favourite and the coffee was a real winner with my best friend. You can pick these bars up in Sainsburys for £3.00 or look at their website for more stockists.
Next up we have a pyramid of pickles (and chutneys) from The English Provender Company* all of which would make a welcome addition to any festive buffet as much as they would make a spectacular gift nestled in to a foodie hamper. I was really excited by these as I’m a bit of a condiment queen and love loading up a festive leftovers salad or sandwich with as many kinds as I can get my hands on. The most intriguing of the selection I was sent was the Moroccan Spiced Chutney which would be simply amazing with a cous-cous and turkey based salad. The website suggests combining it with creme fraiche for a dip with a twist too, I’m so giving that a whirl! You’ll find The English Provender Company in all major supermarkets. I’m doing my best to save this selection for the festive period but I don’t know how long I’m going to last out!
I’ve been a fan of Nakd bars since they first hit supermarket shelves and the festive addition of a Christmas Pud bar has been a seasonal highlight for me for the last couple of years, despite really disliking actual Christmas Pudding. These bars are made from all natural ingredients with a festive kick and counts as one of your five a day! Stock up if you see these in store (or order yourself a case, which is my plan!). Perfect for stuffing in to stockings as an alternative to a chocolate orange too.
What are you food highlights of the festive season? I’m wondering how soon is too soon to start on the Stollen!

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Products in this post are PR samples.

Posted in christmas, food, gifts, review

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Handmade Gift Guide: Clorty Cat Crafts

06th November 2016
My list of favourite sellers on Etsy grows larger quite literally by the hour at the moment and for the next installment of my handmade gift guides I am showing off yet another of my fabulous finds. Actually when I made a purchase from this particular shop- Clorty Cat Crafts it was for something entirely different (and something I can’t show on the blog this side of Christmas). I was so delighted with it that I decided there and then that I wanted to contact shop owner Shannon about featuring her on the blog and it was then I discovered the exciting news that she was releasing a line of enamel pins- a.k.a. my new obsession and THE perfect stocking filler gift.
I was so taken with the pins (current range of six designs shown, but watch this space as there are more on the horizon which I’m super excited for- my bank account less so!). I’ve had the David Bowie pin and the Purple Rain cloud on pre-order since they were first announced and can’t wait for their arrival which should be any day now.

Incase it had somehow escaped your notice enamel pins are big news right now and the ones on Clorty Cat Crafts are definitely on the reasonable end of the pricing spectrum. I’ve seen them go elsewhere for £10+ or have extortionate p&p (Shannon charges a very fair £1.50). I’ve pretty much finished with my Christmas shopping now but I am kind of wishing I had held back a little bit as I know I’m going to want to buy any new designs from the shop as soon as they arrive. This could work to my advantage though, surely if I don’t need to buy anything else for anyone else I can justify a gift or two for me?

Have you caught on to the pin craze? What designs would you like to see next from Clorty Cat Crafts?

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Posted in christmas, etsy, gifts, inspiration, shopping, wish list

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Gift Inspiration: Burt’s Bees and Tangle Teezer

03rd November 2016
When it comes to Christmas shopping one of my favourite things to search for and buy is stocking fillers. Building up the perfect bundle of gifts for a friend or loved one gives me great pleasure and today I am featuring a couple of items that would be just perfect for the beauty lovers I know (including myself) and will hopefully serve as inspiration for anyone else in the midst of their shopping too.
First up I bring you the new and limited edition Ginger Spice Lip Balm from Burt’s Bees* (£3.99). The abundance of gingerbread flavoured products at this time of year fills me with joy, I’m currently addicted to gingerbread men and this lip balm manages to embody the scent of my favourite baked good perfectly whilst delivering the excellent TLC one would expect from a Burt’s Bees product. As with all of their lip products this is 100% natural, super moisturising and contains no parabens, phthalates, SLS or petrolatum (and uses recyclable materials in it’s packaging too). As these are limited edition I fully plan to stock up for the next few months and I strongly suggest that you do too, be it for yourself or as a gift.
Second up are some goodies from Tangle Teezer* who kindly sent over two of their compact styling hairbrushes- the Hello Kitty edition and Lulu Guinness lipstick print one. Tangle Teezer is pretty much the only hair brush brand that I use these days. Having really thick hair with a tendency to curl and then knot these are the only brushes that have managed to de-tangle my locks without wreaking havoc in the process. The compact stylers are perfect for popping in to your handbag for sorting out hair nightmares on the move. I kept the Hello Kitty one for myself and gave Mum the Lulu Guinness one and although I can’t speak for her I can confirm mine has come to my rescue several times already.

I think these would make a lovely gift for a hair/beauty obsessed friend and there are so many colours and designs available that there’s bound to be the perfect colour or print for everyone. The compact stylers cost £12.50 for a plain design and £13.50 for the designer ones.

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*post contains PR samples gifted for blog consideration*.

Posted in beauty, christmas, inspiration, review

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Gift Inspiration: Getting Personal with Snapfish

02nd November 2016
As much as I love shopping, or window shopping for things for myself there is actually nothing that gives me greater pleasure than shopping for other people. Hours can pass me by whilst I browse for the perfect present to show someone how much they mean to me and if I find I can add a personal touch to the gift then that’s even better. Needless to say when Snapfish got in touch offering me site credit to test out their new and improved personalised gifts (perfect for stocking fillers might I add) I couldn’t resist.

As soon as I was given the opportunity I knew exactly how I wanted to spend the credit. These last few months have been rocky to say the least and it is only with the love and support of my family and friends that I’m sat at home writing this post today. I’ve received such amazing support both online and in “real life” but it’s that which came from my Mum, Dad, Granddad and Best Friend that really went above and beyond. They’ve seen me through some of the toughest times in my life and I’ve put them through hell over the years and yet their support has never wavered, not even for a second. It went without saying that I was going to create something special for them, a drop in the ocean for all that they have done for me.

For my best friend I decided to make a table-top photo panel (from £9.99) using one of my favourite ever photos of us taken at a wedding a couple of years ago. After uploading my photo I used one of Snapfish’s new embellishments to add a personal touch- cheesy as it sounds life really is for good friends and adventures and we’ve certainly had a few over the last 19 years of friendship!
For my family I decided that mugs were the way forward, stuffed with sweets (my own little touch) to make for the perfect personalised Christmas gift. Again after uploading my choice of photos I personalised things further using the new embellishment tools, picking simple but true statements for my parents and a lovely quote about grandfathers for my granddad.

I was really happy with the quality of the mugs (and price- only £7.99 each) especially as two of the photos came from my iPhone rather than camera and I had worried that this would be detrimental to the quality. I really like the new creative tools on Snapfish, being able to add quotes and images to further personalise an already special gift really added that little something extra and filling the mugs with the recipients favourite sweets was my own final bit of pizazz.

Have you used Snapfish recently? Who would you most likely to spoil with the personal touch?

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Posted in christmas, gifts, inspiration, review

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