The Christie Loves Box

If you saw my last post on 'What I got for Christmas' then you would have seen the sneak preview of one of my gifts, the Christie Loves Box. I received this from fellow blogger and bestie Kim. When I unwrapped the outer layer of paper, I was so excited at what I saw and intrigued as to what was inside. The box was covered in cactus print paper. I was really impressed how she managed to wrap this all up and align all the paper so it all looked like one piece!

The box was filled with everything that I love, and most impressively a magazine alongside the gifts. I could tell a lot of thought and effort had been put into creating this and I loved it! I didn't read it straight away as I didn't want to spoil what gifts I was about to open. There was a page on home decor which featured this gorgeous pineapple cushion, as well as saying that all of the decorating I was doing was sending me 'fruity' (get it?!) in the head! It suggested that this cushion would look great in a home office and I agree, and that is where it will be showcased! As well as the cushion, I received this lovely little dish which is great for flatlays and some flatlay tips from the expert herself!

I was over the moon when I opened up one of the little bags filled with makeup! I felt spoilt to see that I had some Too Faced goodies including the gingerbread melted matte lippy, white chocolate chip palette and also mascara. I was really impressed by the eyeshadow palette and it smells amazing too. This liquid lipstick is SO GOOD and by far the best lip product I have owned. I wore it Christmas day and it took a lot to budge it, even after eating. The little magazine did warn me about the velvet applicator but I saw past that when I realised how fantastic this was. I want more colours now! I can see why Kim swears by them! I also received an eyebrow shade which I am yet to experiment with and a gorgeous mirror from Lisa Angel which also follows the cactus theme.

As well as some flatlay tips in the magazine there was also a section on planners. I received some great stickers that I can use in my 2018 diary! I especially love the wedding countdown ones, I have put these on my calendar so I can see them and have used the dress sticker to mark my next fitting. It's less than 11 months to go now, eek!

Finally there was a few other pieces that tied in with the magazine. I got a slow cooker recipe book, cookie cutter and a pug stress ball. I especially liked how the magazine had a photo of one of my slow cooked meals, it really was very well thought out. I can't wait to try out some more.

Overall I really loved receiving this box and it definitely filled a hole where My Little Box used to be. It was just so thought out and the gifts were really lovely. Thank you Kim for such a great gift!

Have you ever created anything like this for one of your friends?

What I got for Christmas 2016

Christmas hauls are one of my favourite posts around this time of year and I love reading blog posts about them and seeing them on Youtube. It’s a shame that these posts need a disclaimer – I am by no means bragging about what I received. I love sharing what I got and hope it inspires people if they are stuck for gift ideas for birthdays throughout the year. I have not included every single item because I think I would be here all day showing you my socks but I appreciated every single gift. As per last year, I have not mentioned who bought me every little thing, just the odd few people I can link to. Money was tight this year after moving out so thank you to those that bought me a gift despite me not being able to go all out on others, I really appreciate it.

Here is just some of the food items I received this Christmas and I have been chowing down! I always relax my diet over Christmas so I have certainly been making my way through this pile of treats. I think some of these were for both me and James so at least I'll have a little bit of help with them! I love the biscuits I got in the adorable pastel tin. James bought me some a couple of years ago and I wanted one in every colour but he never bought me any more so I was so pleased than Kelly added another colour to my collection. Now I have an excuse to buy more!

Another gift I enjoyed receiving this year was a good book. Crafting with cat hair has to be the most random of them all - thanks Jack and Chloe. I received a lovely recipe book from Bethany, James' mum got me an interior design book and one from my favourite authors Linwood Barclay and the others James picked up for me. I also received a book called "is your cat gay?". Random but funny.

I received some lovely jewellery pieces this year including a brand new Fitbit Flex 2 in lavender. After having my old one break on me a couple of weeks before Christmas, I was so pleased to unwrap this gift from James. I also got a personalised cactus necklace with my name on from Kim which is adorable - I love it. I received the Christmas themed cat Pandora charm from my mum and last but not least this lovely friendship bracelet from Kelly. I love the teal beading, it goes really well with the silver.

When it came to beauty products this year, this gorgeous Too Face palette really did trump the lot! I cannot believe Kim got it for me and I couldn't have expected a nicer gift. The mascara is amazing (better than sex as they say!) and the colour pay off from the palette is fantastic. I had an eye infection over Christmas so had to wait a few days to use this but it was worth the wait. I also received my favourite Urban Decay primer potion and some beautiful cosmetics from the Vintage & Co including lovely bath roses and a lip butter which has been a lifesaver in these cold times.

It might be worth mentioning another gift, my fairy light curtain which you can see in the background! This is now a permanent feature in my 'office' so stay tuned for more twinkly light photo backdrops!

I received a few home-ware bits, some of my favourites include the VelvetGhost lights from Primark which match my bedding and new bedroom decor so I am very pleased with those. We also received a paella kit so that is something I will be trying in the new year.

Last but not least there is the random stuff. I love random things! Some of the random gifts I got include, a zorbing voucher for me and James, an Omelette maker (awesome!), some dollars for America, a cat pinball machine, socks and onion goggles!

A massive thank you to everyone that bought me a present. I am sorry I could not feature every single thing, mainly because I have started using it and couldn't wait before taking a photo! Please link me your 'What I Got For Christmas' posts and videos, I'd love to take a look.

What I got for Christmas 2015

I love watching Christmas hauls and seeing what everyone got so I thought I would put it into blog post form. It's sad that you have to put a disclaimer on these "I'm not bragging" blah blah, you know the drill. I just want to share some of the things I got, maybe they'll inspire your wishlists or give you some ideas on what to buy other people on their birthdays this coming year.

I haven't included every single thing that I got as this post would be very long with all the little bits and pieces I received. I appreciated every single one of my gifts but for the purpose of this post, I have mainly included things that are a little bit different from the norm. I haven't mentioned who got me what either as I don't want to put people against each other.

One of my main presents this year was my Roberts Radio in duck egg blue. I have wanted one of these DAB radios since forever and I love the vintage look these ones have. I asked for duck egg blue as it's a nice neutral pastel colour which I know will work well with the decor I plan to have in my future home.

Hopefully I will be moving out in 2016 so this slow cooker is a godsend. I have recently been using my mums slow cooker to make pulled pork and I can't believe how easy it is! I am so excited to try some recipes out in this. I also received other house bits including plates and knives. All things that will come in handy when I move out.

Speaking of recipes I was lucky enough to receive some new recipe books. I love trying new things and all of these books are packed with great looking recipes and some healthy alternatives which I can't wait to try come January when my diet begins. Also how cute is this cat money box? I think it will look lovely on the shelf.

 All these recipes I plan to make would be incomplete without an apron wouldn't they?! Well I was lucky enough to receive 2! And one is personalised with my blog font - how awesome! My friends and family know I love baking - I can sense the theme here with these gifts!

Alcohol - say no more. I haven't tried this Echo Falls flavour yet but I received a lovely cocktail recipe to try and include this in. Also prosecco - how posh!

If I get bored of the booze then I can go onto some tea. I got a lovely glass teapot and mug alongside a pug tea infuser. I was told this was a joke gift but it's actually really handy as I have some loose tea I can use in this. I have wanted one of these boxes for ages and this one is so pretty. It looks great with my teabags in too! Speaking of tea I received the Body Shop green tea bath salts and infuser which I can't wait to try out when I next have a bath.

And then there's the beauty bits... Plenty to keep me going in the new year. I love trying new products so it's always great receiving things like this - also how cute is the penguin!

I received so many lovely gifts, some of which I haven't been able to include but I would like to thank every single person who bought me a gift. I also received some vouchers so will do a haul post on what I spend those on. I also have vouchers for an experience day so will blog about that when I choose what I will be doing!

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas. Please link me your Christmas hauls! Happy new year!

#BloggersSecretSanta - What I received!

Back in November I put my name down for a Bloggers Secret Santa which was suggested by Daisy after the #SuffolkBloggerMeet. Hannah very kindly took over the organisation and paired everyone up with their respective blogger partner.

The rules were simple, spend no more than £15, keep it a secret and package the item so it arrives in time for Christmas to be opened on the 25th December. We were given our blog partners links and Instagram accounts so we could have a little stalk on there before we bought anything.

As this is a secret Santa, I won't be disclosing who I bought for, but I did have a lot of fun choosing items and looking through their blog for ideas.

I couldn't wait to open my mystery package on Christmas morning and I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed my box so much I rushed to take photos of it so I could upload as soon as possible! I was so excited to receive my gift and when it came all wrapped in a nice festive silver bag I put it straight under my tree for Christmas Day.

I opened the first present to find a familiar shape waiting for me under the paper and my suspicions were right, it was a Yankee Candle! I absolutely love Yankee Candles and to be treated to a whole jar of scent was amazing, my blogger did good! The scent I received was Cranberry Ice which smells good enough to eat. I don't have this scent so I was really excited to receive this jar. Such a lovely festive scent and as a lover of Christmas I know I am going to love this.

The second present was a pair of soaps from The Body Shop in Glazed Apple and Frosted Plum. Both of these scents remind me of Christmas and they smell gorgeous. I love The Body Shop too and I have never tried their soap range so I was really pleased to open these and I can't wait to use them.

The third package contained something VERY exciting indeed in the form of these adorable chocolates! I am not ashamed to say that I opened these straight away and tried one and they are delicious. With a mixture of white, milk and dark chocolates these are super yummy and cater for all tastes. My favourite part is the super cute reindeer and penguin designs on the front of the chocolate - they are almost too good to eat!

Even though it's supposed to be a secret, I did find my blogger as she put her name on the sender details part of the envelope so I would like to give a massive thank you to Jessica from Beauty Through The Specs for choosing such perfect gifts for me - I am very grateful!

Were you lucky enough to receive a Blogger's Secret Santa gift? Send me your links in the comments below, I'd love to read all about them.