Stocking Stuffer Gift Ideas for Her

It's that time of year again! There's magic in the air and festive cheer and good will towards men have nuzzled their way into our hearts to brighten the bleak December nights. Oh, and men everywhere are frantically trying to work out what to buy their loved ones for Christmas.

Fear not! I have a fool-proof stocking stuffer guide to ensure you do not mess this up!

Of course, this guide isn't just for men. It's for anyone out there who could do with some inspiration for gifts for a sister/mother/girlfriend/daughter...or just some little treats for yourself! But I can't help thinking of my Dad last year. He genuinely thought talc was an acceptable gift to put in my mother's Christmas stocking.

So, to save women everywhere from a similar fate, here's a list of stocking stuffer gift ideas that you simply can't go wrong with.

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

I can confirm that the word 'miracle' is not an exaggeration. This has revolutionised my face! This little wonder makes for flawless makeup application and can be used to apply foundation, concealer and even powder products. A must-have for makeup bags everywhere!
Get it here!

Lush Magic Wand

Frankly, anything from Lush makes a fabulous stocking stuffer. Bath bombs, lips scrubs, massage bars...you cannot go wrong with something from Lush. The products smell divine, contain all natural ingredients and are the perfect little treat.

But, for the sake of narrowing things down, if I had to choose just one Lush product to wake up to on Christmas morning it would be the Magic Wand bubble bar. It's pink, it's sparkly, it's festive and it can be re-used so you get more bang for your buck.
Get it here!

Other stand-out Lush products include Santa's Lip Scrub, Snow Fairy Shower Gel and the Butterbear Bath Bomb.

Vanilla Cupcake Yankee Sampler Candle

The Vanilla Cupcake Yankee candles smell good enough to eat (I've seriously been tempted to take a bite a few times) and the sampler is the perfect size to pop in a Christmas stocking. And if she drives get her the car air freshener to go with it. It's like driving around in a giant cake!
Get it here!

Pandora Bracelet 

Yes, it's a little more pricey than some chocolate coins and an inflatable bath pillow, but a Pandora Bracelet is the stocking stuffer gift that keeps on giving. Get her a Pandora Bracelet for Christmas and you're sorted for anniversaries and birthdays too. If in doubt, just get another charm for the bracelet. Each one is sentimental and absolutely stunning. Who would say no to that?
Get it here!

Perfume Atomiser

Everyone loves to find a random gadget at the bottom of their Christmas stocking and a perfume atomiser is the kind of random gadget she'll actually use! She can just fill it up with her favourite perfume and have it on hand wherever she goes. Perfect for travelling or to throw in her handbag and take to work.
Get it here!

Makeup Bag

It doesn't take long for makeup bags to get a bit...grim. It's only a matter of time before a foundation leaks or a lipstick loses its lid and suddenly it looks disgusting. But a nice new makeup bag isn't something most women will treat themselves to so a pretty little makeup bag like this one from Cath Kidston is always a welcome Christmas gift.
Get it here!

Chocolate

Quite frankly it's not a Christmas stocking without chocolate. After all, 'tis the season to stuff your face and gain half a stone. Personally I love a tube of Milkybar Buttons and a Chocolate Orange in my stocking, but it all comes down to personal preference. Just make sure there's chocolate of some description in there!

Must-Have Halloween Goodies!

It's my favourite time of year again! The ground is scattered with crunchy orange leaves, the morning air is crisp and fresh and, best of all, Halloween is just around the corner!

I've been in love with Halloween since I can remember. The musty smell of Halloween decorations that have been sitting in the attic for the last 12 months, the feel of pumpkin guts between my fingers, scaring the life life out of my niece and nephew, I love it all!

I thought it was totally necessary to write a Halloween themed post since the witching hour is almost upon us so today I'm going to share my must-have Halloween goodies with you.

The Lush Halloween Range - Lush

Yes, all of it! Every year Lush brings out a range of Halloween themed bath and body goodies that smell frightfully good. I am obsessed with Lush products all year round so it goes without saying that these spooky soaps just call to me.

I am particularly drawn to the Sparkly Pumpkin. Lush, Halloween and glitter all combined into a single product?! Yes, I'm all over that!
Grab it here!

Yankee Candles - Yankee Candle website

Ok, I'm going to be honest with you. I have never understood the worldwide obsession with Yankee Candles. £20 for something I am literally going to set fire to? Really?
But recently I've become totally obsessed with scented candles. Every time I leave the house I somehow manage to find a new candle to add to my collection.

And the candles I am most desperate to get my hands on right now are the Halloween Yankee Candles. I have no idea what Witches Brew could possibly smell like. I just know that I need it in my life!
Grab it here!

Hotel Chocolat Boo! Box - Hotel Chocolat

Let's be honest, one of the best parts of Halloween is stuffing your face with sweets at the end of the night. Usually goody bags are filled with cheap lollies and gummy bears, but now that I'm a fully grown adult (most of the time) I think it's acceptable to splash out on some posh treats from Hotel Chocolat.

Grab it here!

The Nightmare Before Christmas Jack and Sally Mug - The Disney Store

The perfect addition to your mug tree this Halloween...and all year round! I have a deep-rooted love for Disney Store mugs, which is slightly odd considering I don't drink hot drinks. They are just beautiful to look at. Is that weird? Probably.

Grab it here!

Hocus Pocus Wallet Phone Case - Etsy

The obsession is real! Hocus Pocus is one of my all time favourite films and I have always wanted to get my hands on The Book. I mean, how great would that look casually sitting on my nightstand?
This phone case is a slightly more practical size than the actual book and is absolutely adorable (in a creepy, bizarre kind of way). There are plenty of different sizes for different phone models too.

Grab it here!


Hopefully this post will inspire you to go out and bag some Halloween goodies. I for one have accepted that my bank balance is about to take a serious blow.
Have a happy Halloween everyone!

My New Year's Resolutions (with the best of intentions)

Last year my New Year's resolution was 'to be better'. I'm not sure that I ever truly understood what I really meant by that other than that I wanted to improve every aspect of my life in one fair swoop. I had a vague idea that it would include everything from getting up earlier to reading more, dabbling in the Welsh language to becoming some kind of vegetable-loving, meditating, eco-friendly woman of the world who also puts time and effort into getting her hair to lie flat and wears good shoes.

Clearly this was not a good resolution. It was way too vague and ridiculous. I couldn't keep up with all the different aspects of it, partially because they changed from one day to the next. This year I'm going to set myself a list of clear cut, attainable goals with the best of intentions (which, as we know, the road to Hell is paved with) and I'm sharing them with you guys so that I'll feel more obligated to actually get up and do them.

Fabulous Photo Gifts: Snapfish Goodies Review!

Now that Halloween is over I'm starting to allow myself to think a little about Christmas. I'm not the kind of person who feels the need to put up a Christmas tree in the first week of November and I am most certainly not the kind of person who posts those memes of Will Ferrell in Elf with the caption 'only 150 more sleeps until Christmas'. In fact, I usually like to keep the holiday entirely confined to the month of December. But this is the first time in three years that I'm going to be home for the run up to Christmas so I can't help getting excited. Plus, the lovely people at Snapfish sent me a voucher so I could write up a review for them so, thanks to them, my Christmas shopping is already well under way too!

Let me just begin by saying that I love photos. My room in university was plastered with them and I have a totally overwhelming obsessive compulsive thing going on with putting all the family prints in chronologically ordered albums with labels. I feel very strongly about it, which is probably weird.

Anyway, at this time of year I always see adverts for personalised photo gifts, but I've never actually gone out and bought any because I was convinced they would look totally cheesy and that the gift recipient would be like, "...wow...a t-shirt with a picture of you on...thanks...". But I must say, I am very impressed with the things I got sent from Snapfish and I will definitely be purchasing more photo gifts from them in the future. Overall the choice was amazing, the quality is great and I now have a whole bunch of quirky personalised Christmas gifts to dish out this year. And some goodies for myself. (Of course!) So here's a look at the goodies I got...

Photo Calendar

Firstly I ordered a calendar for my mother (so let's hope she doesn't read this). I have to say, I had a lot of fun designing it. There are what feels like hundreds of different background themes for you to choose from. I was in creative heaven! When choosing your backgrounds you can either keep it simple and choose a theme, which includes twelve different backgrounds, one for each month, or you can go totally crazy like I did and scroll through them all and mix and match. Great for people like me who are extremely picky! 

You can also change the photo layouts to include a different number of photos and you can add captions. My favourite part was that you can customise the dates on the calendar and add pictures and captions to them, which makes it even more personal. What's more, you guys know how much of a technophobe I am, but all of these changes were really simple to make and it's all very self-explanatory. Bonus!

Notebook

Next I got myself a cute little notebook. I have a bizarre, deep-rooted love for stationary so I couldn't resist the idea of owning a notebook with my face on it! You can opt for either lined or blank paper and you can customise the cover depending on what background you want and how many photos you want to put on there. The covers are paperback and usually I'm a hardback kind of gal, but I must say it is sturdy. It has successfully survived being stuffed into and carted around in my handbag of doom without any sustaining any damage. In my world that speaks volumes.

Animated Backpack Tag

While we're on the topic of animated gifts, I also got myself an animated backpack tag, which may actually be my favourite thing. I was initially unsure about the whole 'animated' business. You can choose between tags that had two photos that would switch back and forth as you moved them side to side or one like mine, which is just one photo that looks 3D because of the concertina fold. (I'm sure there's an easier way to explain that, but just roll with my convoluted ramblings.) 

Despite my reservations, it looks fabulous and now I wish I had ordered a few more things from their animated range. The quality on this is really great and I can't wait for my next trip so I can use it! Seriously, I love it! Why wouldn't I need a picture of myself in a cowboy hat on my luggage?

Photo Mug

I also got a Christmas present for my sister-in-law. I opted for a photo mug with a collage of pictures of my niece and nephew. You can upload up to 15 photos (or just stick to one) and add a caption. This is super cute! Again, the quality is high and it doesn't look tacky. You can pick the colour and the font of the caption, which is great too. My parents absolutely fell in love with it when they saw it so maybe I'm going to have to order in a few more of these...

Photo Keyring

Last but not least, I ordered a keyring with one of my favourite pictures of my niece and nephew on it. Originally I had intended to give it to my father to put on his work keys, but I'm very tempted to keep it for myself. It just makes me smile! Simple, but effective.

So, as you can see, I ordered quite a selection of different bits and pieces. The Snapfish website is easy to use (good for people like me who have no technical knowledge and/or patience) and I'm happy with all my goodies. Now I just have to finish off the rest of my Christmas shopping. Wish me luck with that!

To snap up some fabulous photo gifts of your own this Christmas, head over to the Snapfish website:
http://www.snapfish.co.uk/snapfishuk/welcome

A Princess Perfect Frozen Party...and Some Woman in a Wig.

The Littlest Loon turned five last week and, as a family, Wellingtons are not known for throwing low key, run of the mill celebrations. I attempted to throw a small, casual gathering for my birthday last September and ended up with a full blown Alice in Wonderland extravaganza  ("I want it to feel like an opium trip...lots of clocks and giant mushrooms..."). So it seemed only natural that I would spend the weeks leading up to Lauren's birthday battling with the glue gun, brushing glitter out of my hair and running around town trying to find a life-sized Olaf balloon to put together a Frozen themed party fit for a princess.

The party itself was a roaring success. True, there was a brief period at the start when things looked a little rocky. Lauren worked out how to use the smoke machine and, within a few minutes, you couldn't see from one side of the room to the other. Then the smoke alarms went off and the rest of the building started to evacuate. Right in the midst of the piercing shrieks of the fire alarm, the Elsa impersonator turned up and added an entirely new dimension of weirdness to the scene. Her yellow wig was off centre and her black bra was on show. Overall, I'm not sure anyone was convinced she was really the Queen of Arendelle.

"I'm not sure anyone was convinced..."

But, once we'd deactivated the smoke alarms, opened all the doors and windows to let out the fog, and 'Elsa' had left the building, things really picked up. We had all the usual children's party games, pass the parcel and musical statues. Then we brought out the karaoke, which was simply adorable right up until the third or fourth time I had to listen to another rendition of Let it Go. There were happy children everywhere and, after the last little one headed off with their party cone and a big grin on her face, I was more than happy to take a deep breath, relax into a chair and have a Jack Daniels. Who would have thought organising a fifth birthday party could be so stressful?


Anyway, I thought I'd show you some of the little bits and pieces I put together for the party in case any of you are planning a Frozen themed party of your own and want a few ideas. Most of the decorations I made were put together with things I already had around the house so be creative. In this instance anything with glitter is probably going to work just fine. 

I rushed this sign yesterday morning right before we went to the party and it's taken me until just now to realise I'd spelled Arendelle wrong (I knew it didn't look right!). Luckily most of our guests can't read very well yet so I think it went undetected for the most part.  

 I loved these little jars! I made three of them and each was slightly different. They were very simple to make, although quite time consuming. I made some very small tissue pom poms (instructions can be found on Google), glued them to some ice blue straws and embellished them with glitter and sparkly ribbon. I cut some snowflakes out of plain white card (who knew snowflakes were so hard to draw?) and added some gems and glitter and stuck them to the straws too. I made the little snowmen out of little white pom poms and coloured wooden craft sticks. Then I added some ribbon and sparkles to glass jars, stuffed them with cotton wool and arranged the decorations inside. 

I wish we had a better picture of the snow doorway, but you get the idea. The kids loved it (although by the end of the party it looked less like a flurry and more like the aftermath of a blizzard). I just threaded cotton wool balls of various sizes onto fishing wire. With the glue gun I secured each ball with a dot of glue underneath so they wouldn't slide back down the wire. Then I attached each length of fishing wire to ribbon, which we then pinned to the door frame so guests had to walk through the snow to enter the party.

These little food signs were easy to make and really emphasized the theme. It's essentially folded card that looks fancy because I added glittery snowflakes and cut it with a craft scissors. Sometimes the simplest things look the most effective.

I piped faces and buttons onto these marshmallows with writing icing. I never want to see another marshmallow for as long as I live, but the kids really loved them.

 

The Sven cupcakes were a big hit! All I did was ice my cupcakes with chocolate butter-cream, use mini marshmallows for the noses, iced on the eyes and mouths with writing icing and used cut up Curly Wurlys for the antlers.

Then my sister-in-law amazed everyone by making a three tier birthday cake. True, it's got nothing on Cake Boss, but considering she just picked up some icing and thought, 'I think I'll make Lauren's cake myself' I think it's fabulous! I thought cupcakes were stressful, but this is something else entirely!

Needless to say, it's going to be a while before I can bring myself to watch Frozen again. I'm still finding glitter in my shoes and last night, after weeks of stressful planning and late night glue-gunning, I slept for a solid twelve hours without any party related nightmares for the first time in a while. But Princess Lauren had a fabulous time and overall I'd call it a success. 

Now to plan my birthday party for next weekend. I've been pre-warned by my mother that this year all themes are banned...