If you're a regular reader of my blog then you'll know just how important sleep is to me. Amongst other things I have ME / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Fibromyalgia, and sleep issues are a major part of my chronic illness experience.
As well as pain and muscle cramps and spasms that can affect the quality of my sleep, I suffer from bouts of severe insomnia, and then periods of extreme tiredness when I can literally sleep for 18 hours straight, and then still feel exhausted and like something the cat dragged in! I never feel truly rested and I always feel tired even when I'm struggling to sleep!
Whilst not everyone experiences the sleep issues that I do, I can pretty much guarantee that most of you that are reading this post either don't get enough sleep, or you have the occasional sleepless night - that's modern life for you I guess, If you do struggle with your sleep though , I've posted about a lot of things in the past that help me, such as adopting a proper night time routine, avoiding screen time before bed, and partaking in more restful activities before bed such drinking herbal teas, and meditation, but there is something else that you can do, and whilst it seems like such as an obvious, more often than not it's probably a bit of an afterthought.
Due to the old chronic illness thing I spend quite a lot of time in bed, and it really is my sanctuary and safe space. It sounds obvious but it is so important that your bed itself is welcoming and conducive to sleep, and as well as the bed itself, that starts with your bedding, your comforter or duvet, and your pillows!
If you're having trouble sleeping, or you're waking up and feel headachy, stiff or tired, one of the things that could be affecting your sleep are your pillows! Whether you choose feather or down, fibre fill or memory foam, if it isn't the right type of pillow for you build and your sleeping position, you're opening yourself up to sleepless nights and a world of pain.
For as long as I can remember I've used proper feather and down pillows, (not the same ones obviously, unlike a lot of people, I do try and replace mine every few years or so :), and whilst the constant plumping, and loose feathers can be a pain, up until recently I'd always been fairly happy with them.
Within the last 12 -18 months or so though all of that changed. I bought new allegedly firm, feather and down pillows in that period, and for some reason I felt as though these ones weren't giving enough support, I was waking up with an even stiffer neck than usual, and no matter how much I thumped and plumped them, they kept ending up floppy and flat, and they just didn't feel firm enough.
One day though after a not so great nights sleep, I received an email on behalf of The Fine Bedding Company that was potentially the answer to my prayers.
If you an unfamiliar with them, The Fine Bedding Company are a 4th generation owned, UK based bedding company, that have been producing and retailing, down, feather and innovative fibre bedding for over 100 years. Their top company priorities are sustainability and comfort, and their UK factory works on an eco friendly, zero waste philosophy using only ethically sourced materials. They do a whole range of different bedding products including duvets, pillow and mattress protectors, toppers and enhancers, linens and pillow cases, and of course pillows.
I kindly given the chance to try out a pillow of my choice from the extensive range on their website, but with more than 20 pillows in their range, how earth do you choose one? Well The Fine Bedding Company make everything simple, and their website features amongst other things a handy guide to help you choose your perfect pillow!
I'm predominantly a side sleeper. so according to their guide I needed a firmer, more high profile pillow, that offered extra support to my head and my neck, and that would help to align my spine. I also wanted to try a firmer pillow so the pillow that was recommended to me was the Dual Support Memory Foam Pillow.
With their first class heritage and quality, a 14 day return policy, and free delivery on all orders over £50, it's no surprise that The Fine Bedding Company supply a whole host of 4 and 5 start hotels, everything about my experience was first class!
My pillow came via courier service and it came wrapped and then packaged in a good quality reusable storage bag with rubber logo zip fastening and rope handles - great for storing bedding, or even clothes or soft toys. Alongside my lovely pillow the bag also contained a care and a information leaflet to help you to get the best out of your pillow.
Thanks to the winter light these pictures don't really show this pillow off in it's best light but with this particular pillow you really do get the best of both worlds, it's basically two pillows in one, with one side being made from "ultra fresh microbial treated" temperature controlled memory foam for ultimate support
That piece of memory foam then slips inside a zipped cotton pillowcase, which features an attached, fixed section of sustainable smart fill, soft breathable, light as down microfibres, which is machine washable at 40℃, so you have one side for support or structure, and one side for cloud like snuggly comfort.
Now I like height and support so I normally sleep on two pillows, but to give this pillow a good work out I started off by trying it on it's own, so I cleared all of the rest of the pillows off my bed to ensure that I was just sleeping on this one!
Given the lack of height I was expecting to struggle a little bit, but by lying with my head directly on the foam side I found that it offered more than enough support for both my head and my neck, that being said though I did miss my usual height, so after that little week long experiment I switched out and I've been using this particular pillow on top on one of my usual feather and down pillows, and I all I can say is wow!
I didn't really expect to much of a difference but by using predominantly the memory side (my favourite side by far) up over, I felt supported, and I seemed to less better, I didn't seem to toss and turn so much, there was no middle of the night pillow plumping, and although I still experience a bit of stiffness in the morning I've definitely been waking up with less neck pain and fewer headaches.
I'm a fairly hot sleeper, and I was a little bit worried, even though that it was designed to be temperature controlled, that the memory foam would retain heat, and I would be too hot, but I needn't have worried, I still experienced that fabulous cool side of the pillow feeling, and I didn't experience any strange rubber or plastic smells, even when the pillow was fresh out of the bag!
I've been using this pillow since just before Christmas (as you can see from the picture above ;) and I have to say that I'm a total convert to the world of memory foam, and even though I'm still to manage it, I'm definitely going to be picking up a least one more matching pillow for the other side of my bed.
The Fine Bedding Company Dual Support Memory Foam Pillow retails at £47 and it available directly from The Fine Bedding Company as well as from selected retails.
If memory foam isn't for you though don't worry, The Fine Bedding Company stock a while variety of different pillows including traditional feather and down, vegan friendly fill, as well as duvets, mattress toppers, sheets, pillowcases, and duvet covers, in other words pretty much everything that you would need for the perfect nights sleep, bar the bed that is ;)
Please let me know if you have any questions and I hope that your dreams are as sweet as all the chocolate that I've consumed over the last week and a bit was ;) Thanks for reading xx
*Press Sample / Unpaid Advertisement / Non Affiliate Links
I don't know if you follow me on Instagram, you should by the way if you aren't already, but unlike a lot of people I don't have a perfectly coordinated grid filled with beautiful flat lays and pictures that wouldn't look out of place in a fashion magazine, my grid is a bit more random.
I predominantly use social media to share the things that I love, and the things that make me happy, my family and my cats make me happy, food is my life, I love beauty and home products, and I love stationery.
Ever since I was a little girl, looking longingly at packets of coloured pencils, and rolls of stickers in Fenwick stationery department I've been obsessed with stationery. I can never resist buying more pretty pens, and paperclips, and my notebook obsession is bordering on dangerous - I literally have a large plastic crate full of unused, and untouched, virgin, pretty notepads, but hey there are way worse addictions in life than pretty post it notes!
A few weeks ago now I was spending my requisite 5-10 minutes a day on Facebook, when something popped up in feed in between the cat pictures, and the over sharing type statuses, it was an advertisement for a stationery subscription box. Now I already probably buy stationery at least once a month anyway, so I decided to click the link and take advantage of the special offer pricing that it promised.
The box itself is called Papergang, and it's from the brains behind the fabulous stationery, accessories and gifting website Ohh Deer. Like all of the beauty boxes that I already subscribe to it's a monthly subscription service with several different pricing and subscription options, an ongoing 1 month subscription is £10.95, an upfront payment of £27.40 will give you a 3 month subscription, and a one of payment of £54.75 will give you a 6 month subscription. Obviously the longer you subscribe for the cheaper it is, but I like the flexibility of the one month option it's much easier to cancel and you are in control. Thanks to the Facebook offer though I got this box for just £5 which was an nice incentive to try it out without too much to lose.
So what is Papergang, in its simplest terms as I said before it is a stationery subscription box. Every box is themed and contains exclusive designed accessories and stationery items from artists across the globe. The box contents will never been repeated so every month you're getting something new and exclusive. All of the boxes are designed, packed and shipped from the UK, and for every 4 boxes sold, Papergang in association with Tree Aid will plant one tree.
Your products come in a nice flat box that fits easily through most letterboxes. The plain brown cardboard box, is covered with a removable sleeve, that will alter every month. May's box featured a pale pink and hot pink sleeve, with the cut out word Papergang on one side and two bookmarks for you to cut out on the reverse.
Remove the sleeve, open the cardboard box, and you're greeted with a pink tissue wrapped parcel, and an iron on patch.
Papergang Membership Iron On Woven Patch - No Value Given
Now this isn't part of the official box so it isn't given any sort of value. It's an exclusive non retail, iron on patch featuring Drew, Papergang mascot, and it's just a way of welcoming you to the Papergang family.
I love it when things come wrapped in tissue like this, it really does feel as though you unwrapping a present, and I'm all for self gifting.
First of all the parcel contains a little booklet which tells you a little bit more about the theme of the box and a little bit more about the artist or designer behind the items. The contents of May's box was designed by typographical artist and designer, Catherine Ings aka Twin Pines, who is known for her use of bright block colour, and witty phrases. There are quite a few of her items on Ohh Deer if you fancy a look to see some more of her work
Fabric Tote bag - RRP £14.95
The first and biggest item in the box is a fabric tote bag. It's in a gorgeous fresh, summery, mint green / turquoise shade, and it features the words "Don't worry. No one else knows what they're doing either." in a clear and bold white font. It's a nice quality bag and it won't take up to much room in my handbag. The saying is so true too, it's easy to think that everyone else has their life together, when in reality we all have problems and insecurities, some people are just better at hiding them x
Iron On Woven Patch - RRP £5.95
Next up another woven iron on patch - this one is in shades of purple and lilac, and features the words "FOREVER AWKWARD" on it. Story of my life this one, I'm not that comfortable in social situations so I tend to let my tongue run away with me haha - so yeah forever awkward could be my middle names x The contents of the box is exclusive but patches on the Ohh Deer website retail at a variety of price between £3.50 and £5.95.
A5 Notepad - RRP £5.95
At last something papery - this is a really handy, to do list, desk pad, come organiser. It features a to do list, and a really useful when to get things done section, which is divided into hours. It's a nice thick pad, the quality is really good, and it's really useful - who doesn't need to get organised. Again I can't find anything similar on Ohh Deer but they quote a price of £5.95 for this.
2 x Greetings Cards - RRP £5
Something that Ohh Deer is famous for are their greetings cards. There are no boring Happy Birthday's here everything is exclusive and a bit quirky, and these are no different. You get two sealed cards with envelopes - a blue and white type design that features that words "I'll always think of you as someone older." and a yellow card with black type with the words "Happy Birthday you silly sausage" on the front.
The cards are a really nice quality and who doesn't need birthday cards. If I'd got this box a month or two earlier then I would have known exactly who to send the blue card too! These specific cards aren't available on Ohh Deer, but there are similar cards for sale including some from Twin Pines for around £2.75 each.
Universal Calendar Card - No Value Given
The final item doesn't have a price attached to it and it seems to be an added extra, and a very useful one at that. It's basically a universal calendar card, just write in the month, and the days in the right places, and you have a really handy calendar, that you can just stick in a notebook or in an organiser.
So that was my first Papergang box - For the £5 that I paid it was definitely worth the money, all of the paper items were excellent quality, and who doesn't need another emergency shopping bag. I'm not really a patch person but I am Forever Awkward so I might stick that somewhere and try a bit of fashion up cycling. I'm not sure whether I'm going to become a long term subscriber at £10.95 a box but I'm definitely going to get a few full prices, to get a better idea of the contents and the value, and to give you a better idea of what the subscription offers x I'd love to know if you've tried Papergang and I'd also love to know what your favourite UK subscription boxes are? x So let me know in the comments and let me know if you have any questions x
In case you haven't already guessed, life this year has been a bit yacky for me, lots of things have gone wrong in my personal life and as a result my blog hasn't received the love and attention that it's deserved. It's frustrating enough when you can't post about things you've bought yourself but believe me it's even worse when you feel as though you've let a brand or a company down, because you've had to put their posts on the back burner, so as this year comes to a close I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of the PR's. brands and companies that I've dealt with over the last 12 months, for their support, understanding and patience. Life gets in the way though, and sometimes as hard as it can be to admit, other things really are more important.
It's funny how things turn out, and although this post is up way, way later than what I originally intended, it fits in perfectly with some of the last minute Christmas gift ideas posts that I'm going to be sharing with you this week.
Around the time that my mum was taken into hospital I was given the opportunity to chose some products from an online retailer Old English Co. I am as bad as any other blogger when it comes to shopping from multi national companies, but I do try to shop locally when I can, and I love the whole idea of supporting smaller British based companies in what is currently a difficult retail climate.
Originally founded in London, and now based in Stamford, Old English Co, are a stationery and giftware brand, producing beautiful and individual hand lettered and designed products. With their simple yet stylish lettering designs at it's heart, the company sells a wide variety of items that are perfect to treat yourself, or for gifts.
You can find everything on their site from greetings cards, to prints, to mugs, enamel pins, stationery, aprons and much, much more. With such a wide variety of unusual products, you should be able to find a gift for even the most difficult to buy person on your list. Whatever the person, whatever the occasion from new babies, to housewarming gifts, and of course Christmas presents you are bound to find something that both you, and they will love.
I honestly had such a hard time picking out some items to try, I pretty much wanted everything in their inventory, but in the end I tried to choose items that not only I loved but items that I felt showcased both exactly what Old English Co are all about, and to show off the wide variety of the products that they sell.
Do an online search or have a look on Instagram for Old English Co. and I guarantee that one of the first things that you'll see will be one of their prints. This is really what they are famous for, so it made sense to see for myself, just exactly why they are are so popular on social media.
The choice is huge and every changing, and every print that they sell is both designed and printed in house, so you won't find these particular prints anywhere else. They sell everything from initials, and fun sayings, to maps, and inspirational quotes. There is something for everyone from an initial print for a new baby's nursery, to a map of London, for someone moving to a new home or a new city. There are several different sizes to choose from in each print ranging from 5 x 7 to A3 so you can tailor your print not only to it's new owner but also to it's new surroundings. All of their prints are printed here in the UK using high quality inks on 230gsm archival matte paper for a crisp, long lasting print.
As I say the range is constantly changing and the Coco Chanel quote that I chose now seems to have been discontinued but there are plenty other quotes available for the beauty or fashion lover in your life or even someone who needs that reminder every day of how special they are. I went for the A4 size and I was really impressed with both the quality and the thickness of the print, this wasn't a flimsy piece of paper it was almost like thin card. I've seen a lot of different ways of displaying prints like this including sticking them up as they are, or using printed washi tape but I'm a bit of a traditionalist so I love a frame so I've just put mine in a plain, cheap, silver tone frame from Amazon. The A4 size is perfect for standing on a table or a desk, but I've ended up hanging mine on my bedroom wall x These prints are a great and affordable way of brightening up any space from a bedroom, to an office or even in the kitchen. Depending on the print and size prices range from around £7.
Now who doesn't need a mug, well probably me I do have a bit of a thing for mugs, like I have a thing for pretty much everything else, but I do love a nice mug, and a really enjoy a cuppa when I'm setting at my desk working, or even a cup of coffee, when the words aren't coming. Mugs are an easy gift to give, and Old English Co have lots of different ones to choose from including ones specifically for Mum and Dad, and some with quotes, and funny but not crude sayings on them. Made from high quality ceramic, they are all designed and printed in the UK, and they are both microwave and dishwasher safe.
I nearly went for this design in a print, but I thought it would be better in a mug, self belief is something that I lack, so with every sip I'm reminded that I can do it and to keep at it. Mugs like this one from Old English Co. have a recommended retail price of around £9.95.
Now I may have mentioned it once or twice before but I'm a bit obsessed with stationery, I love it and I can never resist a new notebook, and thankfully as a blogger I do use them quite a lot for notes and planning so I can usually justify buying them, well some of the time anyway.
There and notebooks though and there are notebooks, and this one is excellent on all fronts. In the useful and substantial A5 size, it's spiral bound and features a hard back and front, with the words "There Is Beauty In Simplicity" in Old English Co's distinctive script on the front. It contains a 140 lined, 100gsm white pages, with perforations in the margin, and it also features an elastic strap.
I've bought cheaper notebooks but very rarely have they been of this quality, it feels nice and sturdy, and I've used the pages with roller ball pens with no transfer, or smudging. I also love the perforations in the margin which makes it easier to neatly tear out the pages for lists, notes, or even letters. The elastic strap is also an excellent addition that you just don't see on lower quality items, you can either use it to keep your place or to hold extra piece of paper or notes safely inside your note book. Throw in the lovely pattern detail on the inside covers, and you can really tell that Old English Co. have thought about every detail and really have gone the extra mile in every item that they produce. Again notebooks make excellent gifts, and they're a gift that will always get used by someone. Old English Co. have a huge variety of notebooks, notepads, and planners for sale, and notebooks like this one have a retail price of around £9.95.
Since I predominantly blog about beauty most posts have a beauty twist and the final item carries on that trend, it's a make up bag. I have so many make up bags, I've bought them, received them from brands and press events and I've been gifted them, but like notebooks I still keep buying them, I love changing them around, and switching things up and like all of Old English Co's other designs I love the simplicity of this one.
In 100% white cotton, the hand lettered and designed print is in a deep charcoal grey and is printed on both sides of the bag. It is lined in a contrasting charcoal grey water repellent lining, and it has a zip fastening. This make up pouch is machine washable and you can iron it on the reverse side of the print.
The quality of this pouch is excellent from the fabric to the zip, it has a lovely nice canvas feel, I love the fact that's it's washable, essential when you are as messy as me, and I also love the charcoal lining that tones in perfectly with the lettering. The size is quite deceptive, so you can get a lot of make up in it, if you aren't as into make up as I am though, then this would also make a perfect edition to your handbag, to keep your headphones, cables and chargers safe. Old English Co. currently have 5 make up pouches in their inventory including this one and they have a recommended retail price of £12.95, a great gift for either a make up lover or someone who just needs to organise their handbag!
I was so so impressed with the quality of everything that I received, from the products themselves, to the box and how my parcel was packaged, it was blatantly obvious just how much thought has gone into both the brand itself and their range of products. The fact that everything is printed and designed right here in the UK is also a huge plus point. If you or someone you know are into quotes and lettering, and individual and unique products that you won't see everywhere on the high street then Old English offer something just that little bit different when you're buying either treats for yourself or gifts for family and friends. Better still order before the 20th December and you'll still get your items delivered to you in the UK before Christmas, and even better, better still, a few of the item that I've mentioned are actually on sale at the moment so you've got no excuse not to treat yourself or someone you love this Christmas. To browse their full range of products and to grab your goodies in time for Santa x you can check out the Old English Co. website here x
I know that you guys all love a haul so as a special treat I'm sharing a bit of exclusive content with you. I don't know if you aware of it but I have a You Tube channel, where I mainly post unboxings, and haul videos. A lot of the time I make videos to accompany blog posts and vice versa, but every now and then I shoot a haul video exclusively for my You Tube followers. When I do that I sometimes feel a little bit guilty that some of my blog followers may be missing out so today I thought I'd one of my You Tube channel exclusive hauls with you.
Today it's a bargaintastic home, lifestyle and stationery haul from a variety of stores including Poundland, Tiger and Aldi, and the good news is that the most expensive item was just £5
If you're on a mobile device and you can't see this video please check it out via this link x If you have questions on any of the items that I bought then leave me a comment either below or on my You Tube channel and I'll get back to you x
After a lovely weekend, and a bright, and sunny Monday, it's safe to say that Spring has now officially arrived in my little corner of County Durham. Okay we might have some rainy days, and maybe even a little bit of frost and snow to come but the warmer and sunnier weather is definitely on it's way. Spring is often seen as a time of new beginnings, and fresh starts, and nowhere is that truer than within the home itself, it is called Spring cleaning after all. Even if you're not planning any major home renovations, or cleaning sprees this spring, it doesn't hurt to refresh your surroundings, and switch things up a bit, with a couple of purchases and new additions.
The first buy that I'm going to show you, is all about freshening up your home for Spring. This is the final instalment of my QVC UK, Yankee Candle Hamper Auto Delivery, and this is the Yankee Candle 39 Piece Spring Hamper. Like the previous instalments, this one also comes in a sturdy canvas hamper, with an attached faux leather tassel bag charm.
The hamper contains a wide variety of fresh, and floral scented candles that are perfect for spring. It contains 12 of Yankee Candle's votive candles, in 6 fragrances, Aloe Water, Shea Butter, Cherry Blossom, Verbena, Wild Mint and Linden Tree.
It also contains 2 boxes of 12 tea lights, in both the Cherry Blossom, and Wild Mint fragrances, and two clear glass, Yankee Candle branded bucket holders.
As I say this is the perfect Spring selection, all of the fragrances are very clean, and fresh, you have a couple of zingy ones like the Verbena, and the Wild Mint, then you some softer and more powdery fragrances like the Shea Butter and fragrances like the Aloe Water, and the Cherry Blossom that are lot more floral and almost perfume like. I've really enjoyed receiving these sets over the last 12 months or so - they've given me the chance to try lots of new fragrances, some of which I would have never of thought of trying. Admittedly some of the fragrances just aren't me but I have found quite a few new favourites, including Aloe Water which has really surprised me. This kit is actually still available on the QVC UK website, all be it a higher price than what I paid, but at just £33.96 and £5.95 postage I think it's well worth it if you think that your home needs a Spring fragrance boost x
If like my mam you're not quite ready to embrace Spring just yet, then you can also still get the Winter / Christmas version on the QVC UK website. As ready as I am for the warmer weather, I'm still a big fan of spicy and foodie scents, and following on from a few reader and viewer recommendations I decided to pick up a more autumn and wintry themed candle from B&M.
I love my candles but one brand that I've never tried is Woodwick, I honestly don't know why I haven't tried them before, they are really pleasing on the eye, every one that I've sniffed smells amazing, and they crackle! I love the idea of them but they can be a little bit pricey, which is why I think I've never succumbed to the Woodwick love in. Thankfully though B&M have come up trumps with a cheaper, dupe Woodland Wick Crackling Natural Wooden Wick Candles. Instead of having a traditional style, cotton wick, these candles, have a slim sliver of wood, that supposedly crackles like a real log fire when you burn the candle.
I'm not sure whether it does what it claims to yet because I haven't lit it, but so far this one was worth every penny of the £3.99 that I paid purely based on the scent. This one is in the Spiced Berry scent, and to me it smells exactly like mulled wine, you get a slight spiciness, and all the fruitiness that you'd expect from your Christmas tipple. If mulled wine isn't to your taste they also have several other fragrances to choose from, and they even have multi layered, multi fragranced candles as well. If you've tried any of the other scents, or if you've tried any Woodwick candles I'd love to hear your recommendations x
I love a good scrat around B&M, and I can always find something to buy, on a bad day it might just be some peanut butter cups, or some Butterfingers, buy on a good day, I could be something useful, or something nice for the home. On my last trip I couldn't resist picking up a couple of packs of these curtain tie backs. I have these really quirky, slightly trippy 1970's floral curtains, in shades of lilac, purple, and white, up in my bedroom, and I desperately needed some new tie backs. Note to self, rope tie backs and cats don't mix! These ones though are made of faceted smokey, lilac crystals, and to be honest they look a lot more expensive then the £4.99 that I paid for each one. I haven't managed to put them up yet but when I do I'll share some pictures on my Instagram account .
Like B&M, Poundland is another one of those shops that I've never seem to leave empty handed. On my most recent trip I managed to bag 3 Nails Inc, nail polishes, and this..
I am a huge fan of Poundland's faux regency, shabby chic, style frames, and this cute square one, was part of their selection of Mother's Day gifts. Personally I frame a lot of postcards and note cards so this isn't the most practical frame for that, but I'm sure I'll find something to put in it even if it's just an Instagram pic or a family photo.
I went through a bit of a phase of buying photo frames, without ever having a place in my bedroom to put them so I think I'm going to move a few into my office come craft room. It seems as though I've been sorting out that room since the beginning of time and I'm still no closer to getting it how I want it. I should really be working on improving my storage solutions but instead I still keep buying pretties i.e. photo frames, and letter and word art.
I'm really loving my letter L's at the moment, and I'm building up a nice collection, of both lights and plaques.This black letter L, was only £1.50 in the NEXT sale, it's has a really chunky feel. You can either hang it on the wall, or you can do what I'm going to do, and leave it freestanding.
Speaking of letters, it wouldn't be a home haul on LouLouLand, without a little bit of stationery, and I'm ending this haul with a couple of notebooks, that in all honesty I probably didn't need but hey pretty stationery is pretty stationery, first up this pretty piece from AVON.
Annoyingly I can't actually find this online anymore , but keep an eye on your brochures if you like the look of it. It's just a plain spiral bound, lined notebook, but what really makes this one for me is the beautiful lilac toned, marbleised floral patterns. I love the colour and the design and even though it's not that relevant and I can't think of anyone who matches their stationery with their bedroom, it matches the colours in my bedroom perfectly. It also features the words "Happy Thoughts" on the front in gold foil, so I'm going to try and use this one to record things that make me happy and positive thoughts.
From happy thoughts, to getting things done, and getting organised - the last thing that I picked up was a journal, from Paperchases fabulous No Probllama range.
Featuring a cute, and quirky Llama design, this is the No Probllama Ideas Journal. It's a hardback notebook, that contains a mixture of pages for notes, ideas, to do lists, pros and cons, and brainstorms, all teamed up with little llama illustrations. I'm so bad at planning and organising things, and I keep having ideas and brainwaves and then forgetting them. I hope that this will give me somewhere to write my ideas and thoughts down and I'm hoping that this will make me a bit more productive in the rest of 2017. This particular book was £8 and it's part of a wider range of Llama themed bits and pieces that you can find in Paperchase at the moment.
I hope you've found this small home, stationery and home fragrancing haul useful, don't forget to leave me a comment and let me know if you have any questions, and of course don't forget to watch the accompanying You Tube video which you can watch by clicking on the image above or by clicking on this link x
This week I managed my first proper shopping trip since just before Christmas and to be honest it was all a bit of a fail. It started off well, I got my brows waxed at Benefit in Debenhams in Newcastle, and then I had a little play with their new box blush, GALifornia and as much as I wanted it I stayed strong and I didn't buy it, on reflection though, that was probably a mistake.
My aim was to have a look in Primark, have a look in Boots, and generally have an enjoyable afternoon, pottering around the shops, what I hadn't counted on though was half term and Storm Doris.
From the minute I stepped out of Eldon Square onto Northumberland Street, to the moment I got off the bus, just up the street from my house, it rained, the wind howled and did I say it rained! I was soaked within seconds so I decided just to go to Primark, grab a cup of coffee and then go home.
Being half term, Primark was heaving, I did think that the rain might have put a few people off going shopping, but obviously not, we're Northerners a bit of rain doesn't put us off! The store is currently in that transition phase, between the dregs of winter fashion and the arrival of spring and summer clothes but there was still plenty of new things to look at.
I saw at least half a dozen things that I would have bought in a heartbeat, but I didn't and do you know why I didn't? They didn't have my size that's why! I usually go for an 18 or a 20 in Primark, and everything that I liked only seemed to come in a 4, a 6, an 8, or a 10. I know it's stupid but I felt so down on myself, there is nothing like a Primark trip at times to make you feel obese. Larger sizes can be quite hard to find in Primark at the best of times, but during the school holidays they seem to disappear without a trace, do they purposely bring in more smaller sizes? or do the larger sizes just sell out more quickly when the store is busier? Who knows, all I know is that it was a very, very frustrating trip.
I did manage to buy a couple of bits of though, but I didn't manage to buy any clothes whatsoever and I didn't spend what I intended to, so I could have bought my GALifornia after all grrr! I only bought a few bits so welcome to what will probably be the tiniest Primark haul ever!
Hair bobbles, are like socks, Kirby grips, and earring backs, they just seem to disappear without a trace. I know one of my cats Tallulah pinches the odd one or two, but I've literally had whole packs disappear with days? It's definitely one of life's mysteries as to where they all go!
I don't really see the point in spending a fortune on something that's just going to disappear into thin air, so I now buy most of my hair bobbles and ties from Primark. I'm quite liking this spiral / telephone cord style of bobble at the moment, they don't catch or damage the hair, and unlike some of the other ones out there you can actually use them to hold back quite a lot of hair. They do stretch slightly in time, but most of mine never hang around long enough for that to happen. 😂 I got two different types, I got a pack of 8 of the fabric style in a black, a brown and a cream, and I also got a pack of 12 of the plastic, rubbery invisibobble dupes, in various shades of brown, both of these packs retail at just £1 each, which is great value for money for something that I'm probably just going to lose anyway.
I had a little look round the beauty section, and whilst there was a few bits that I may go on to buy in the future (Primer Water anyone?), I only bought one other thing - a nail polish. This is one of their Precious Metal One Coast Nail Lacquers, and this one is in the colour Groupie. It isn't that easy to see the correct shade very well in this photograph, but it's one of those weird bronze, mauve, pink metallic shades. As you know I have a love / hate relationship with metallic and foil polishes, thanks to my inbuilt hatred of visible brush strokes but for just £1.50 I thought that this one was worth a try.
After looking around and feeling a bit more meh and frustrated, I headed up to the top floor and to my safe place, the home section. I really, really love Primark's home section, it's always so fresh, and it's full of those little things that make a house a home, I have a few of their bedding sets, I regularly buy their fitted sheets if I want a splash of colour, and as a family we love their micro fibre throws. They had some gorgeous things in this time round including the cutest new Disney collection, some adorable Winnie The Pooh prints, some new luxury sheets and pillowcases, and some gorgeous faux cacti. To be honest though I didn't really need anything so I just bought a couple of blogging related bits.
Well if you can't beat them, as the saying goes, join them! I've always spent my life rallying against the norm, but as hard as I've tried to ignore the trend for marble backgrounds in blog pictures and on Instagram, I've finally succumbed and do you know what I think I like it!. I know some bloggers use paper, card and tiles, but I think that in most cases these table mats will fit the bill perfectly. I'll gradually be introducing them into my blog and Instagram pictures so stick around to see what they look like. They are wipe clean and they have a non scratch and non slip cork backing, and they are just £3 for a set of 4. If you want to use these as table mats, which I may still do, Primark also sell a set of matching drinks coasters, so that you can create your own Instagram worthy dinner table.
If the marble and rose gold look, is your thing then Primark also have a few marble effect stationery items in store at the moment too, including pencil cases, and notebooks. I nearly bought one of the notebooks actually but then I saw this one.
I know a few people have issues with this statement, but I know who I am, and I probably do have more issues, hang ups, and quirks than Vogue! This is actually a really nice notebook, with ruled pages, a matte black cover, and rose gold type, and an elasticated page marker. I didn't need it but hey I love my stationery, and this notebook was just £2.50 so somehow it ended up in my basket.
Thanks to my ranting and rambling, I've managed to stretch out this haul post for way longer than I thought I would, and if you want to hear more of my rambling and if you want to see a little extra Poundland purchase, then have a little look at the accompanying You Tube video below or via this link.
Although this particular Primark trip was a total fail, I can definitely see myself popping into Primark in the near future, I'm determined to hunt down my size in a few of the bits that I saw, so my Primark love in, whilst currently on hiatus, will no doubt continue in the near future. Have you found anything nice in Primark recently? Let me know in the comments x
Hi Guys x Happy Friday x I hope you've all had a lovely week x It's been a hectic one here in LouLouLand culminating in a trip to the hairdressers to get my shetland pony like locks trimmed and today. I've been so busy this week that blogging has definitely taken a back seat so I'm only going to manage to squeeze in a couple of posts before Christmas including this one, an overdue home and fragrance haul.
If you're a new reader, then you'll soon learn that I'm slightly obsessed with candles and home fragrancing. I love wearing fragrance and smelling nice so I guess it's only natural that I want my home to smell as good as I do, and when your a pet owner sometimes a bit of room spray isn't a luxury, it's a necessity!
Whilst I have my favourite all year round scents at Christmas time, if it's even the slightest bit festive then bring it on. One of my favourite places to buy Christmas home fragrancing products is NEXT. I'm absolutely in love with their Fesitive Spice fragrance, it's full of fruit and Christmas spices, and it makes the house smell fabulous. As soon as the Christmas catalohue comes out - I stock up and this year I may have gone gone slightly daft.
Something that I always buy are the Festive Spice Reed Diffusers. We usually have one in the landing, one in my room, one in the dinning room, and one in the lounge, so I've bought quite a few. They are available in a couple of sizes this year including the absolutely huge, Christmas Tree shaped one that you can see above which is £16, and the smaller one below which is £6.50.
I know not everybody likes candles, so diffusers are a great alternative, and their great for continuous home fragrancing. Another good alternative to candles, and something that is a real essential in my house is room spray. There are room sprays though and their are room sprays. Some are pretty horrid and synthetic but NEXT's Festive Spice Room Spray is a good one and you can really smell all of the fruity and spicy notes. Sorry I don't have a picture but it was just £5. It comes in a pump action, glass bottle, and a little goes a long way, a couple of squirts are more than enough to fragrance a large room in an instant.
I still a little bit of last years Festive Spice candle left but I couldn't resist picking this one up.
Based on previous experience NEXT candles are pretty decent and this is a soy based, 3 wick candle that has the same beautiful Festive Spice fragrance which I love. What really sold this candle to me though was the packagaing. Packaged in a beautiful red glass holder, the holder iteself comes with a gorgeous cut out, Rob Ryan style, silver tone metal design overlay.
I do love my Festive Spice, but this year NEXT have really spoilt us when it comes to holiday home fragrancing. One of their newest scents is Mulled Wine. In one of my previous home hauls (read it here) I got one of the Mulled Wine candles in a mini set and I loved it so I had to buy the full size.
Packaged in beautiful and so on trend, red mercury glass jar, this candle has a fruity, spicy, sweet scent that reminds you of Christmas with just one sniff. As I said previously this was very similar to Yankee Candles Mulled Wine scent and at just £7 it was a bargain to boot.
I must admit I automatically lean towards more foodie, spicy and fruity scents at Christmas but some people I know love fresher and greener scents. Well if that is more to your taste then Next definitely have something for you.
This small diffuser which was just £5 comes in their Festive Spruce scent. If you prefer these greener, pine scents, this is definitely the one to try/ We have a fake Christmas tree so I'm planning to put this diffuser behind the tree so you get that real tree scent without the mess and the hassle.
As well as home fragrancing bits I've also a couple of other home things from NEXT recently including this super cute graphic alphabet cushion x
I love alphabet and text related things and I love cushions so this is a great combo, the letter L is printed on to a white cotton / canvas feel fabric, and the reverse of the cushion is in plain, short pile, black velvet. It was just £12 and it also includes the cushion pad.
As well as the cushion I also couldn't resist getting one of these little cute, wooden Monogram LED lights. Unfortunately these don't appear in the video towards the end of this post but I couldn't resist showing you them anyway. These letters are just £6 and they come with batteries and a hanging loop, in case you want to hang it on the wall or on the Christmas tree. I think these are really cute and I may have got a couple for some friends from Santa ;)
Although I keep trying to branch out, one candle brand that I just keep coming back to is Yankee Candles, and I've got yet another Yankee Candles haul to show you know.
First up is the festive addition of the Yankee Candle Seasonal Hamper that I got from QVC UK. This was my third auto delivery of four and this was the one that i was really looking forward to.
The hamper itself has almost a creamy, cable knit type of finish and it comes complete with a little pom pom key ring or bag charm.
The hamper contains 12 Yankee Candle votives, in 6 different fragranced In this particular set you get 2 in Red Apple Wreath, 2 in Macaron Treats, 2 In Winter Glow, 2 in Festive Cocktail, 2 in Star Anise and Orange and 2 in All Is Bright.
You also get two boxes of 12 tea lights, in both the Festive Cocktail and the All Is Bright Fragrances as well as 2 red glass bucket holders to burn your candles in.
I've loved receiving these hampers over the last few months, and I've really enjoyed trying all of the new fragrances, and I'm already looking forward to the last shipment in January. I'm really hoping that QVC and Yankee Candles do something similar next year. In the meantime though I think that this particular hamper is still available on the QVC UK website if your interested in trying it out for yourself x
As you might, if you've read my Royal Quays beauty haul post (see it here) then you'll know that I also visited Boundary Mill in nearby Shiremoor. Boundary Mill stocks pretty much everything from clothes and kitchen wear, to dried fruit and candles, and since they have an amazing Yankee Candle selection, I ended up buying a few bits including a rare double wick tumbler in Australian Eucalyptus and a couple of wax melts in Mango Peach Salas and in Vanilla Chai.
Melts or tarts are a really quick way of giving the room a real fragrance hit. In a small room like my bedroom, I normally only leave them on for about 5 minutes but you can melt them for as long as you like. You just need either a specific melt warmer or oil burner and a unscented tea light, and now if you aren't a fan of naked flames you can even get electric melt warmers which are probably a little bit safer.
Speaking of electric I'd wanted the next item that I'm going to show you for the longest time. They make look like a normal plug in air freshener but these are Yankee Candle plug ins. You basically buy the plug in unit and then you can buy a whole range of refills which come in some of your favourite Yankee scents. I went for this lilac, blue plug in and I also bought a duo pack of refills in my favourite Lemon Lavender scent. Basically you just plug, them in switch them on and leave them to gradually fragrance your home, while your at work, or even sound asleep. There are 3 different setting strengths to choose from so you can have as much or as little fragrance as you like.
If you're a fan of the fragrance of Yankee Candles but again you don't like the idea of a naked flame, then you could try one of their latest innovations, Fragrance Spheres.
I picked these up in both the Lemon Lavender, Red Raspberry which you can see here and in the Cranberry Pear fragrances.
What they are, are little plastic pots which are filled with fragranced gel like spheres, all do is unscrew the lid, peel back the foil and screw the lid back on and voila up to a month or so of fragrance, wherever and whenever you want it. They are basically just posh gel air fresheners that come in all of your favourite Yankee scents, and if you have a cat little tray, or a shoe cupboard or a cloakroom, then these are a must.
I know this has been a pretty long post but hopefully you're still with me, anyways I only have a couple more things to show you including this lovely, mercury and frosted glass candle.
I picked this up from a local garden centre, and although it was in with their Christmas bits, this is something that I will be keeping out all year round. The silvers and lilacs go perfectly with my room, and I love the star detail. I think it's too pretty to use it with real candles so I'll probably be using it with battery operated tea lights. The final thing that I got was this metal hanging plaque from Boohoo.
I know a lot of people find inspirational quotes quite cheesy but personally I'm a huge fan, what can i say sometimes I just need a bit of positive reinforcement. This is one favourite quotes and I really helps me to remind myself that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel and there is always something to be positive about x
I've made a little (okay a very long!) video to accompany this haul which you can either see below or via this link.
If you have any questions on anything in this haul then please leave me a comment and let me know.
