AD - Last Minutes Christmas Gift Ideas From Old English Co.*

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

*Press Samples / AD

A Little Home And Lifestyle Haul Featuring Tiger, Yankee Candles And More

Hi Guys x I hope you're all having a nice weekend x I've got a home haul for you today and it's a long overdue one. I've had some of these bits for quite a while now but as you know sometimes life gets in the way. Some of these bits are for my bedroom, and some are for my home office, come craft room, some of the things that I've picked up are super practical and some of them are just for fun.

I'm going to start off with a few bits from a fun store, that's pretty new to me, Tiger. Hailing from Denmark, Tiger is one cool and quirky shop. It stocks pretty much everything from herbs and spices, to home wear and stationery. Since I've been going for monthly eyebrow waxes at the Benefit counter in Debenhams in Newcastle, I can't resist popping in and having a nose.

The first two things that I bought pretty much sum up the Tiger vibe, cute desk tidies that look like shopping baskets and shopping trolleys. I'd seen a few pictures of these online, and loving anything that's miniature I couldn't resist adding them to my all be it, much larger basket. Since they're made of metal, they're pretty sturdy and the plastic coated section come in a variety of different colours. I think the baskets are around £4, and something makes me think that the trolley was a little bit cheaper. I think they make great funky looking storage pieces and if you have little people I'm sure that they would make pretty cool toys.

Something else that I picked up from Tiger was this pack of wooden log, fridge magnets. I know some people think that fridge magnets are a bit tacky but personally I love them, and whenever I go somewhere new on holiday I always pick up a magnet to remind me of my travels. These cute little wooden magnets that resemble tree rings though are now safely adhered to the magnetic notice board in my office, to keep my notes and my photographs safe. They were just £1 for a pack of 4.

I also picked up a pack of magnets from Poundland. I already have the brightly coloured letter magnets that you'll probably remember from your nursery and primary school days but these vintage typewriter style magnets probably appeal more to the adult in me. You can also get them in a ransom note style type, so you can leave yourself messages or make up rude words as you please x

Like a lot of bloggers out there I love my stationery, and I'm one of them, I love cute notepads, cute stickers and even cute writing sets. I know writing letters seems to be a bit of a dying art but I don't think there is anything nicer then receiving a hand written note or letter. I usually buy note cards but for a change I decided to buy a couple of cute writing sets instead. Both of these sets come from The Works, and they had loads of pretty ones to choose from but I loved the lip print and the almost Orla Kiely style stem and leaf print. They were just £1 a set, and each one contains 10 sheets of writing paper and 10 matching envelopes x

Next up something else that bloggers all seem to love, candles! I've loved candles for as long as I can remember, and I burn a scented candle pretty much everyday. Although I'm trying to branch out a little bit and try new things, Yankee Candles are still my brand of choice. I buy a lot of my candles in store but for pricing on Yankee Candles you really can't beat QVC UK's prices. A few months ago now (I said this haul was late!) they featured a Yankee Candle Today's Special Value, which on this occasion was a QVC exclusive 39 piece Warm Summer Nights Seasonal Hamper.

The set came in a sturdy canvas basket which featured a super cute tassel and pom pom bag charm. The basket featured two layers of candle products. The first layer contained 12 votive candles in some of Yankee's newest spring and summer scents,  it contained 2 x Passion Fruit Martini, 2 x Flowers In The Sun, 2 x Moonlight, 2 x Dreamy Summer Nights, 2 x My Serenity, and 2 x Sunset Breeze votives.

If that wasn't enough the second layer of the baskets contained two boxes of 12 tea lights in the Passion Fruit Martini and Flowers In The Sun Fragrances and 2 purple glass bucket holders to burn both your votives and tea lights in.

Unfortunately I can't remember exactly how much this kit was, but I do remember that the value was amazing and way less then RRP. Whilst the votives and the tea lights won't fragrance a huge space, I like to use them either on my bedside table, or the desk next to me while I'm writing, or crafting. They're perfect for a gentle, intimate fragrance and this kit gave me a fantastic opportunity to try out some new fragrances. I have to say I don't think there is a single fragrance in this kit that I dislike - my favourite is probably the super fruity Passionfruit Martini, but I can see myself burning all of these depending on the time of day and my mood. I also bought this kit on what QVC call their auto delivery programme, which basically means that I'm going to receive another 3 hampers, all in a different design, with new holders and new seasonal fragrances in fact I may have already got the Autumn hamper which I'll show you in an upcoming post :)

If you've been reading my blogger for a while now you'll know that this was the year when I was going to try and get organised. I really am trying but there is still so much more that I need to do and need to sort out, and the next few things that I've bought are hopefully going to help me do that, by improving some of my storage options.

This is a foldable, hexagonal storage ottoman which comes from QVC. I've seen a few similar things on the market but this is strongest and the best quality one that I've come across. Made of a faux leather it folds down flat, but when it's assembled it's super strong. It features a padded lid, which makes it a comfy seat, and you can even reverse the lid and use it as a tray. It's sturdy enough to stand on and it's surprisingly roomy. I'm using mine to store all of my electrical beauty bits such as my tongs and my straighteners. I also bought the wheeled section separately so I can move it round and use it around my room as a seat. QVC do a lot of these ottomans in different shapes and I would really recommend them if you need extra storage and occasional seating.

I love my jewellery but I have to be honest and say that I'm running out go places to store it. I have a large mirrored jewellery cabinet for my fine jewellery but my fashion jewellery storage is all over the place, I have some pieces in hat boxes, some in fabric dress style hangers on my doors, and I also have some jewellery hooks on the side of my wardrobe, and believe it or not i still need more jewellery storage. My mum actually got some of these a little while back for B&M and after trying hers I though that these would be perfect for hanging on my wardrobe frame. They are just £1 each and I'm currently using them for long necklaces but you can also use them for belts and scarves. I'm going to do a proper sort and then I think I might do a jewellery storage video to show you all of my jewellery and the different storage options that I use, if you'd be interested in seeing that, then let me know x

Next a few pieces from the storage mothership that is IKEA, if you need storage for just about anything then you need to take a trip to IKEA. I never ever leave empty handed and this visit was no exception, as well as picking up some dining room chairs for Mummy Lou I also picked up another set of Helmer drawers.

Annoyingly the new ones are much of a pure white than the cream ones I have but I'll have to live with that. I used my original Helmer for nail polish storage and to be honest it's starting to overflow so most of my new one will be filled with nail polish too, and if I have any space left, I'll be storing some other beauty items. These aren't the biggest drawers that IKEA do but you can fit them into quite a compact space, and the drawers actually hold quite a bit. I also love that they're on wheels so you can move them around for cleaning. I love them and i would recommend them to anyone whether you use them in the bedroom, the office, or even in the bathroom.

I'm in the process of sorting out my new office space, and whilst I'm moved in and blogging from my desk now, I'm still sorting out boxes of stuff and adding pretties. Apparently plants help you to concentrate and they help to keep you calm so I picked up a pack of 3 cacti plants. I used to have a cactus or two in my bedroom many moons ago and because they're so easy to care for, I thought that this set which was £4.50 would be perfect for my desk. I still fancy something bigger and more flowy and greener to go on the top of a set of storage drawers but given my uselessness with plants I'll need to consult Mummy Lou aka Mrs Greenfingers before I buy anything else.

The final few things that I want to show you are from eBay x According to my mam I'm slightly obsessed with cushions, and yes I'll admit it I do have quite a few in the two rooms that I consider my own, but I love my comfort and I think cushions can make a bed look more dressed and inviting in an instant. This time I didn't buy a cushion as such but these two cushion covers that I got work perfectly with the lilacs and pastels in my rooms.

Come on which beauty lover wouldn't love these cushions? The fabric isn't the best but I love the Chanel fragrance print and of course the NARS lipstick print. These two cushions came from overseas sellers, the perfume cushion was just £2.39 from this seller and the lipstick cushion cover was £2.58 from this seller. A couple of different sellers do these covers at varying price points though so it's worth shopping around x

The final thing I've got to show you in this haul also came from eBay, and it's a mug. A few bloggers I know have this mug already and I believe they got if from Truffle Shuffle, I found this one on eBay though and I love the fact that you can get it personalised with the name of your choice.

Unfortunately the seller that I bought mine from doesn't seem to sell these anymore but this seller does and they have loads of different Little Miss and Mr Men themed mugs, including some of the new adult themed mugs all of which can be personalised. I'm quite fancying a Little Miss Social Media mug next ;).

So that was my long awaited home and lifestyle haul x I've also made an accompanying You Tube video which you watch below or via this link.



I'd love to know what you think about my haul, and I'd love to know what home, lifestyle and stationery items you've bought recently so leave me a comment and let me know x I've already got another home and lifestyle haul planned so make sure you following my blog so you don't miss it x

More Metro Centre Buys - Hello Kitty and PIggin :)

As well as the book signing I also went to the Metro Centre to go to the Piggin even in Collectables - I have collect these cute pig figures for ages I love piggies :)
I only purchased one set of piggies as I have totally ran out of space on my shelves


Because it was event day I also got a couple of freebies
A piggin eco bag :)

and a couple of badges :)


I am also pleased to see that with the Christmas stock coming into stores there seems to be loads of Hello Kitty stuff around
I picked up some notebooks and stickers in WHSmith

and this super cute mug in Debenhams

I also picked this earring stand up in Debenhams too - I really need to sort my fashion jewellery storage out - I promise I'll put some pics up when its sorted

Well hope you have enjoyed my mammoth posts about my Saturday shopping trip - lol I am going to put up one more post today just to round up so to speak my outfit of the day for Saturday xx