Category Archives: gifts

Gift Guides: Paddywax Candles at Rooi

19th October 2017
There seems to be differing opinions as to whether a candle makes a good gift. Some might say it’s generic or a cop out, but I love to receive them and I also love to give them, especially when you stumble across the recipients favourite scent or some seriously luxe style on a budget.

I was recently introduced to Paddywax candles thanks to interiors retailer Rooi and was seriously impressed by their aesthetically pleasing style and intriguing sounding scents. I was lucky enough to be able to pick out one of the candles for myself- testing out their gift-ability if you will…read on for my thoughts and whether I’ll be hoping that Santa delivers me more from this brand.

I picked out the wild fig and cedar scented candle from the brand’s Hygge range which costs £27.95. This might seem expensive for a candle, but when you stop and think about what you pay for a large Yankee candle, or splurge on a Jo Malone one it’s really quite reasonable.

The candle itself is beautifully presented in a duck egg blue matte ceramic pot with a very on trend copper lid. This is a large candle weighing in at 425g and promises plenty of gorgeously scented burn time.

It’s always a bit of gamble ordering a candle online when you’ve not smelt any of their scents before but somehow I just knew this would be good- and it is. Whilst some candles have a highly artificial aroma to them this one smells fresh and natural, and once lit cannot help but make it’s surroundings feel cosy.

I’d be delighted to receive any of the Paddywax Hygge range as a gift, and will certainly be gifting them myself. If you’re on more of a budget or fancy a little treat for yourself then you can pick up smaller but equally easy on the eye candles on Rooi- next on my list is the delightful sounding “sunset sherbet” candle from the prism range.

Have you tried Paddywax candles before? If so, which scents would you recommend? You can find the entire range on the Rooi website, along with plenty of other gift ideas from brands such as Kate Spade and Emma Bridgwater. Definitely somewhere to be checking out when writing your Christmas list.

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Posted in christmas, gifts, interiors, lifestyle, shopping

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Gift Guides: Pusheen at watchshop.com take 2!

11th October 2017

My friends at watchshop.com sure now how to spoil a girl. Hot on the heels of my sophisticated timepiece from Bering came a cute little package featuring the one and only Pusheen!

You may remember last year this little grey kitty appeared on the blog– well, she’s been give a bit of a grown up makeover whilst still remaining oh-so-cute and ever so affordable at just £19.99…making this the perfect Christmas gift idea for any cat lover.

Pusheen watch c/o watchshop.com

Too damn cute right? You can find this watch plus a couple more styles, and an utterly adorable alarm clock over on watchshop.com – this particular design is exclusive to them and so very me. I’ve got to a point where I pretty much own enough watches to wear a different one every day of the month (addicted, me?) but I have to admit that between this little beauty and my somewhat more grown up Bering style the others aren’t getting much attention lately.

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Posted in accessories, brands I love, gifts, shopping

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Lightbox review and giveaway with Gingersnap

09th October 2017
The fashion for light boxes is one that’s been around for a while now, and in typical Laura style I’m very late to the game. I’ve wanted one for ages but for one reason or another never quite got round to making the purchase. Now, thanks to the generosity of the team at Gingersnap I’m the proud owner of two.
I was sent the original cinematic lightbox as well as an extra lightbox and emoji faces and symbol pack. The lightbox is A4 sized and costs £15 which is really good value compared to many I’ve seen on the high street, it comes complete with 85 black letters, numbers and symbols and is powered either by 6 AA batteries or a 9v adaptor.

Bob and I had great fun creating lightboxes for each other’s bedside tables and we’re both really impressed with the effect they give. The emoji pack is a worthwhile addition for an extra £10- it’s a bit sad to say but we’re both emoji mad in our whatsapp messages to each other so it was great fun to be able to continue that theme in to our home environment (whoever said adults had to be grown up?)

The Gingersnap website is a great new discovery- alongside their range of lightboxes in varying size and colour options you can also pick up super quirky “mintage” lighting and neon lights- all perfect for jazzing up your home or giving as gifts. I’m also quite taken with the mini ginger range which is just adorable and so not limited to the little people in your lives.

As well as being generous enough to provide the products for this blog post, Gingersnap are also offering up a lightbox to one lucky reader of this blog. Just follow the simple entry steps below and keep those fingers crossed!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway is open to UK residents only. It starts on Monday 9th October and ends on Monday 16th October 2017. Winner will be picked and contacted within 24 hours and your prize will sent directly to you from Gingersnap. By entering this giveaway you consent to me sharing your contact details with Gingersnap if you are selected as the winner.

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Posted in brands I love, gifts, giveaway, lifestyle

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Cats&Coffee

08th September 2017
So this post concludes my trio of outfit posts in collaboration with the fabulous Wearall and it just so happens that I was given another opportunity, this time to create a personalised top from YourDesign (who have a whole selection of personalised t-shirts to choose from) which when added together made for the perfect casual outfit. It’s also a debut post for my spur of the moment hair colour change- booked in to go for my usual pinky/red shade I made the snap decision to go, well, orange! I’m not 100% sure how much I love it at the moment, I think I’ll probably go back to red after this but it’s fun to have something to bright- especially given how bleached out my hair was looking prior to my trip to the hairdresser- it’s not usually this floofy but humid weather conditions and a disposition to frizz were against me.

Skirt c/o Wearall (get it here) | Baseball tee c/o YourDesign | Trainers: Puma

I love a good slogan tee so being presented with the opportunity to create my own was fantastic. Out of the range that YourDesign offers I decided to go for a classic baseball tee, which costs a very reasonable £15 and emblazoned it with two of my favourite things in life- cats and coffee. You can select from a range of images and fonts from those on the YourDesign website or you can upload your own photos which also makes it a great gifting option. The whole process was really simple to do and delivery was quick so if you can’t find the slogan you’re looking for on the high street, or are looking for an extra special gift then I can’t recommend the service from YourDesign enough.

I have praise for Wearall as well, each and every item I’ve been sent by the brand has been great. Sizes do tend to be a bit on the small size so do bear that in mind, but again with swift delivery and plenty of special offers and discounts I strongly suggest heading over there for a new-season spend up.

This is me signing off for a week or so now- I’m off on holiday tomorrow- a week in The Highlands with my boyfriend and I couldn’t be more ready for the break!
Blogging will resume once I’m home and recovered and hopefully I’ll be feeling refreshed and full of new ideas for the blog as well as a whole host of new content from my trip away.

If you were designing your own slogan t-shirt, what would it say?

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Posted in brands I love, fashion, gifts, lifestyle, outfits, personal style, shopping

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Fair Trade Gifting with Paper High

12th June 2017
One of my favourite shops in Bristol, back when The Galleries was the main shopping zone was a quirky little store called Evolution. It sold all manner of quirky gifts and everything was fair trade and really unique. I was devastated when the shop closed it’s doors- it was a main haunt of mine when it came to gift shopping and up until now there has been nothing to take it’s place in my life. That was until I was introduced to Paper High– an online gift shop that sells handmade, one-of-a-kind gifts that are both fair trade and eco friendly. Everything is sourced from India, Nepal and Sri Lanka and by shopping with Paper High you are also giving a gift back by supporting these crafts-people.
On the website you’ll find a whole range of great gift ideas- from leather journals to light shades and the above is just a small selection of some of my very favourite pieces. I was also very kindly sent a beautiful leather journal* myself which is really just stunning. I’m a real stationery and notebook fiend and have quite a vast collection but nothing within that stash compares to the detail and craftsmanship of this piece.
To ensure that each and every product sold on Paper High is indeed fair trade and ethical they only work with small, family run businesses, community incentives, accredited charities and fair trade organisations. I absolutely love shops like this, both for the chance to pick up a really quirky present and for the fact that whilst buying a gift you’re also giving a gift.

Have a look for yourself and let me know what’s caught your eye. Do you have any old favourite shops that have since disappeared?

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Posted in gifts, lifestyle, review, shopping, wish list

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