Christmas gift-spiration for her | Under £5

Heyaaa, 

How's your shopping doing? I'm sure you've done most of it by now but there's still times to get a few little bits and bobs. 

I kind of prefer getting people a few little gifts rather than one big gift. If you're struggling with presents for someone this year then it might be an idea to make them a little goody bag or a stocking and just fill it up with smaller cheaper  gifts. This year I'm particularly skint so I'm definitely going to be stocking up on small presents.

Nail varnishes and mini cosmetics like this mini perfume from Soap and Glory are pretty easy to get hold of. There's also loads of stuff on Etsy like the cute shell candles and mojito lip balm which are a bit more unusual...

P.s how awesome is the Harry Potter picture? I'm not even a Potterhead and I think it's cool! Definitely know a few people who would love to find that under the tree...

What's This, Fortune Cookie Soap, $3.96 // Feather Bobby Pin, Crown & Glory, £5 // Evil Eye Midi, ShopDixi, £5 // Mirror of Erised Dictionary Page, The Digital Art Tree, £3.12 // Chameleon Colour in NP332, BarryM, £3.99 // Mojito Lip Balm, Sweet Cecily's, £3.25 // Mist You Madly Mini, Soap & Glory, £3.50 // Giraffe Zipper Pouch, J Pat Purses, £5

Christmas Gift-spiration for him | Under £10

Helllo, 

So I've had a bit of a break from posting for a while. The end of the semester got super crazy busy with work and essays but I'm back home now. Ready to relax and eat too much food. 

Boys can be so hard to shop for (believe me I've got 4 half/step brothers!) so I've picked out a couple of little bargain presents to buy the men in your life. I've got a real love for personalised presents. Things like the pen knife below or the bicycle notebook are extra special if you get something engraved or printed on them. It just makes it look like you've put in that extra bit of effort. I like the idea of getting someone's name on a present but I think it's even nicer if you can get a nickname or a little personal joke on them. 

If they're someone you don't know so well then a nice pair of socks like these from Topman is always a solid choice. I also think this Cider Selection from Boots is just a ridiculously good deal. How often can you get 4 bottles of cider for £8?! Might just buy it for myself...

How's your shopping going? All done?

Customised Key Ring, RSVP Handcrafted, £6.28 // Personalised Swiss Army Knife, Engrave Me This, £10 // Wooden iPhone Cover, Notonthehighstreet, £9.99 // Cider Selection, Boots, £8 // Bike Notebook, Made By Ellis, £9 // Lord Of The Rings Map, The Green Dragon Inn, £10 // Socks, Topman, £6

Christmas Gift-spiration for her | Under £10

Hello,
Hope you're well. Been turned into a big festivity-induced stress ball yet? My plan this year is to ignore that I have my own body weight in shopping yet to do and just enjoy the Christmas lights and the mulled wine!

I've put together another little gift guide for the "her"s in your life. Being a massive cheapskate £10 is usually my starting price for everyone at Christmas time, unless they've been extra good that year! I've got a lot of step/half relatives in my family who I don't actually know that well so I don't really like to be an extravagant spender. I'd rather save some of my pennies to spend on my mumma and papa!

£10 is a good starting price, you can often get a lot for your money and end up looking super generous. I think this "Be Mine Boxset" from The Gobstopper is a perfect example of that! You're getting a good deal for your money and give this to one of the kids in your family and you'll be popular all year round (although maybe not with their parents).

I thought this Owl purse/bag from Accesorize was a great steal for £10 too. Defnitely looks more important and really versatile so whoever you buy it for would definitely be able to find a use for it.

Again, I've had a little hunt for some independent creatives this Christmas. I absolutely love this camera lens necklace from The Pendant Garden. It's got a totally cute vintage feel to it which would go down well with your "too cool for their own good" friends!

Hope you find this useful. How are you getting on with your Xmas shopping? 

Be Mine Box, The Gob Stopper, £9.49 // "Shhh..." Coffee Mug, ChantillyStay, £6.27 // "I Like Big Books" Tote Bag, ExLibrisJournals, £9.39 // Camera Pendant, The Pendant Garden, £9.05 // Tartan Scarf, £10, Boohoo.com // Glitter Mini Set, Models Own, £8 // Owl Purse, Accesorize, £9

Christmas Gift-spiration for him | Under £20

Helllo,
So recently I've started a little series of Christmassy gift guides to offer a teeny bit of help in this, the most stressful of seasons! (I am very reluctant to call it a 'series' because I am notoriously bad at finishing or keeping up with series but let's give it a go!)

I find shopping for men nigh-on impossible! I have 4 brothers of varying ages and interest, plus dad, step-dad, brother-in-law and any other male relation who decides to pop by. None of them provide a list of course they're all particularly useless which means I absolutely hate shopping for them!

This year I've been trying to look a bit more outside the box for presents, having a good search on Etsy and smaller independent websites with the hope of finding some unusual things...which I think I have! My personal fave from the presents below is the Beard Tonic and Brush which I think is a brilliant idea, especially as after Movember more men are rocking the facial fuzz (and rightly so - I love a good beard!)

I also really liked the headphones I picked out, we sell them at work and despite the cheap(ish) price they are very good quality! They've got 2 jacks as well so you can share your music with other people, great idea for little brothers who you might be stuck for.

The links for all the other presents I've included are below in the caption as usual. Hope you find this helpful. Lemme know how you're getting on with your shopping!

Beard Tonic, Drksoapcompany, £12.71 // Cottage Delight Ginger Selection, Lakeland, £17.99 // Scratch-Off World Map, Notonthehighstreet, £18 // Get Fresh With Gift Set, Soap & Glory, £20 // Two Tone Headphone, Blott, £15.00 // Skull Fairisle Beanie, Topman, £20 // Gentleman's Shoe Shine Kit, Lakeland, £14.99

Winter homes are happy homes

Helllllo,

If you've ever followed me on twitter (or low and behold met me in actual life) you will know I spend about 85% of my days moaning about how cold I am. I spend the other 15% moaning about how hungry I am.

But regardless of this, that cold snap between autumn and winter is probably my favourite time of year. I feel like it's the most interesting season for colours and sights and smells. I'm also quite a home-bird so the fact that it gets a bit colder and you're not expected to don a bikini and head to beach, or stay up all night eating undercooked barbecue food suits me quite well. I like a winter house to feel warm and cosy, like you just want to curl up with a book and eat marshmallows. (I'm not sure where I'm going with this - feel like I've slipped into some Beauty and The Beast alternate universe)

Anyway, basically I'm happy because winter home-ware is finally starting to emerge on the highstreet which means we can all stock up on blankets to get us through the harsh winter months! I've picked out a couple of things that I liked the look at in various winter ranges. I'm a big fan of candles, especially if they smell like Christmas and make the room feel like a little secret hideaway so that's definitely something I'm going to be investing in this season. Little touches here and there can make such a difference to a room especially when you're practically in hibernation.

Hope you like them, links in the caption as usual...

L-R Sequin Stag Cushion, Next // Tiffany's Gingerbread Cushion, H&M // Wooden Doily Coasters, Etsy // Stag Print Throw, Next // Stoneware Mug, Matalan // Foxy candles, Habitat // Fuschia Candle Holder, John Lewis // Polar Bear Duvet Set, H&M