My Little Cosy Box....



Tis the season for jumpers, hot chocolates, open fires, and thick wooly blankets.
So it only makes sense that this months instalment from My Little Box was of course the Cosy Box.
Wooly blanket not included...!



This is my third instalment from My Little Box, and I have loved every single one.
Their mix of items are perfection, from their cosmetics, to tech items, designer accessories, and now winter savers!



This little coffee cup is absolutely adorable!
It's a miniature coffee cup, a little bigger than an espresso cup and features one of their recognisable illustrations on one side, and a question on the other "How is your day gonna be?". 
Inside the cup at the very bottom is one simple word, "Happy" which made me smile and feel all warm inside.
I don't drink coffee, but I am going to use this as a handy ornament / pen holder on my office desk.



Every My Little Box has a small pouch (perfect for other bits and pieces!) containing three make up or skin care products, some from larger brands such as this cute pink nail polish from Essie, items from their own in house range such as this Mascara, and others from possibly lesser known places like this Star waterproof kohl liner, that I'm hoping actually stays put as I do love that affect for that first half hour after applying, until it fades from the lids into the lid crease!



Lastly there was this polka dot microwavable pouch made in association with Tsumori Chisato, the Japanese born fashion designer, who has been working in fashion since 1977!
Sadly I do not have a microwave in which to use this but I may take it into work where there is a microwave, but I worry that it may be used by quite a few people then...!
Again as ever, I cannot wait to see what the next box holds.

A Personal Wrapping Touch...

After months of saving, planning, and scheming for those perfect christmas gifts, we tend to just grab whatever wrapping paper we find and scramble it all together in those last few days before Christmas panicking when that cheap wrapping paper splits over box corners and makes those carefully thought out gifts look like crap.
This year why not add a personal touch to your gifts that your friends and family will love?


This was somewhat of a surprise for me, I knew something was coming in the post but I didn't have any idea what it could be.
 When I opened the nondescript black packaging to find this inside, covered with all my instagram photo's including pictures of Jake, my home, and my hobbies turned into a wrapping paper I squee-ed in delight!


I had a friend tell me the other day that my Instagram account looked so pretty, but I have to admit it does make for very pretty wrapping!
Wrap.me have come up with this genius idea of personalised wrapping, you can upload photo's from your computer, instagram, or Facebook and you can choose up to 30 different photo's to adorn your wrapping with.


This wrapping paper would be the perfect finishing touch to wrap a present for a boyfriend of all your special moments together, a best friend of all your night out snapshots, or family with those family photo's taken over the years.
Even if you just wanted to create your own wrapping paper for fun and special gifts you can chose just one sheet, or a whole roll of wrapping paper with prices starting from £4.99.


It was so beautifully wrapped I didn't want to ruin it by opening it, but they have very kindly sent me an extra sheet to wrap some of my own christmas gifts in, I'm totally going to be ordering more as special personal wrapping for birthday gifts too as it makes those presents even more special from the outside!


Once I unwrapped it I did have to laugh, I love a company with a sense of humour, and this was the perfect content for this box!
Obviously these socks are a little too big for my size 3 feet, but my boyfriend happily took them!
Thanks anyway Wrap.me...! 

Bunting Step by Step...



After making the curtains for my kitchen, I had loads and loads of fabric left over that I didn't know what to do with, that is until someone mentioned bunting!
The perfect twee finishing touch for my Cath Kidston, cottage like, clock filled kitchen.
I found some cute thick ribbon from John Lewis' and got ready to start.


It's always best to be prepared, so I got out my trusty sewing machine, plenty of pins, and two pairs of scissors, hemming scissors to make a nice shape, and a small pair of embroidery scissors for snipping lost threads while using the machine.



To keep my bunting relatively even I cut out a cardboard guide to cut around and ensure they were a similar length and shape, they don't have to be completely accurate but it helps to have some manner of guide during the cutting process.


As I needed fairly long bunting, I cut about ten triangles, varying from the right way up to upside down due to this fabric pattern, but it's fine if kept in order.
It's always best to use a fairly heavy fabric like this from Cath Kidston so that they keep their shape and hang nicely, I was hoping to coordinate with the blue gingham but it didn't hang so well.



I used a guide too to pin the triangles into place before sewing, handily the ribbon spool was a great tool to use and kept the ribbon neat while I was unravelling and pinning.
You can use anything as a guide depending on the spaces you would prefer between each flag.


Now it's time to sew!! Carefully using cream thread I stitched along the bottom of the ribbon, so it was easier to trim off any over lapped pieces and keep it looking nice and neat.
Remember to take the pins out as you go, as the needle hitting a pin could result in breaking your needle mid project.


And it's up!
It's much longer than this but I couldn't fit it all into one photo, but it is definitely the perfect finishing touch, and makes the room look so much more finished now.
I have plenty of this fabric still left too, I'm not too sure what to do with it all!
Any suggestions?

The Leather Satchel Company....

Firstly, before I delve further into this post, I was asked about this item being on my shopping list last week, as I eat vegan.
I do eat vegan, my body has made sure of that as you can read in this post here, I do not wear real fur (nor fake really either...!), and I will not use cosmetics/ skin care that have been tested on animals.
But I do wear wool, on the rare occasion I may invest in something that is leather as they do seem to last longer, and I'm a shoe/ handbag killer, so this post will reflect that, but I still only post about animal friendly beauty products, and will post more vegan recipes on this blog.
I hope that clears it up somewhat!


Last week I came across an absolute bargain, I had been keeping an eye out for a new red satchel for a while, as running around with jake is made somewhat more difficult by cumbersome handbags.
This is from The Leather Satchel Company, who recently had a sale which ended not long after, meaning I nabbed this ready made oxblood satchel for only £60 rather that it's usual £150!



The colour matches perfectly with my Dr Marten oxblood boots, and I'm now somewhat set for winter (just a few more jumpers...!) and looks so lovely and rich once I got it out of it's dust bag.
It's a smaller satchel at 14", but still fits in everything I need with ease.
The front pocket of perfect for those little bits and pieces you need at reach and the larger compartment is perfect for those books, notepads, and laptops you may lug around.



The finish on the bag is so beautiful too, it shines so bright, and looks so very eye catching.
The clasps are buckles so stay true to that classic satchel vibe, and matches nicely to the adjustable shoulder strap that has quite a range of sizes it can go to, rather than that usual three or four high street satchels offer.
The silver contrasts so nicely on this colour as well, and it gained a few nice comments on it's first wear.



I was happy that my Macbook Pro fitted in perfectly, as I wasn't too sure it would and I'm regularly travelling so needed a bag it would fit into with ease.
It's just right for fitting in those essential items, but not too big that I'll load it down or lose things in the midst of the bag as I'm quite known to do!
Keep an eye out for their next sale, there are some bargains to be had whenever there is so it's worth checking up on!
Even if you go for the full whack, their bags can be made to order and totally customisable with options to have them as a backpack, magnetic closings, and even having your initials or if you're feeling flush, your whole name embossed into the leather.
I may have to get myself another!

Style Yourself....Kitchen...?



We worked really hard on this kitchen, when we first moved in it was a mess.
An extra sideboard jutted out into the living room, leaving less space to manoeuvre around in there, plus it was painted (and very badly too) in a dark dark shade of grey.
We set to work to make it the lovely cottage style kitchen of my dreams, somewhere I could happily cook and bake and have it exactly the way I wanted it.



I went for a theme of cream and blue, also incorporating Cath Kidston's clock range throughout as I loved this range so much!
I can also fill it with kitsch as much as I like, such as this collection of cat tea pots and mugs, and of course our actual working tea pot covered in clocks.
Matching one of my mixing bowls, the other also Cath Kidston matching the blue theme perfectly.
These russian dolls are actually measuring cups too, so while they are all cutesy they are also practical.



If you follow my pages and instagram accounts, you would have seen my set of heart shaped plates before, I bought the full crockery set in my house from Wilkinsons and they are still available.
I even bought the matching cake stand too, and every bowl, side plate, and dinner plate in our flat is heart shaped.
I matched the cottage theme and heart theme with this classic style chopping board, a bargain found in TK Maxx, where I found loads of cheap bits and pieces for the kitchen, including the blue Le Creuset pots which I have in large and miniature!



The teapot and kettle are matching DeLonghi ones in a powder blue, I wanted a four slice toaster so we could start breakfast together rather than waiting over the toaster one at a time.
They work great but were pricey, I picked them up in debenhams and thanks to a voucher (a gift for our engagement!), the last one in stock, and my friend who asked them to knock money off we got them way cheaper than they should have been.
The bread bin seems to be one of those items that people who visit always ask me about.
I found it in Next, and it is really useful having the separate sections, I usually have crumpets in the drawer!
It was only £25 and again is still available.



There are so many shelves in our kitchen, I like being able to have everything in reach while cooking so it has come in very useful.
I found these storage jars again in TK Maxx, there were so many styles and sizes of these, I could have easily filled my shelves. Instead I stuck to those interior design rules, always display one, three, or five of everything.
The colander was also from TK Maxx, and is really big and very deep, great for when I make large pasta dishes for visiting friends.



Here's even more of the Cath Kidston clock theme, which really shows you how often it pops up in my kitchen.
From mugs, to mixing bowls, teapots, and now a finishing touch I only added the other day, and the reason I held off doing this post until now, these clock curtains which I made from scratch!
They really add more to that cottage vibe, and I lined them with blue gingham cotton instead of boring plain lining.
The clock range is still available, and lucky for us, now on sale too!



These shelves were already in the kitchen when we moved in, and luckily they weren't also painted grey, it took us many coats to get the kitchen back to a nice cream colour!
I keep all our plates, utensils and cookware out apart from pots and pans, but as the cookware and crockery etc we use is all so pretty, it's quite nice to display them like this.



There was boring lino on the floor when we first arrived, I was shocked when I pulled it back and found the floor I had always wanted underneath, a black and white tiled floor.
It's not the best as they are plastic tiles, but I'm considering getting it re-done in the proper tiles exactly the same.
Plus as the cupboards and sideboards are so boring compared to the rest I am pricing up a whole new kitchen set to match and work better, as the cupboard doors are wonky, and there are absolutely no drawers!!! Whenever it is done, I shall update you with more pics!
But as well as having my dream kitchen, Edd bought me my very own never been used pretty oven, every oven I had ever had before was second hand and didn't work very well, leaving me swearing away at burnt cakes or pies that wouldn't set.



Lastly I always like to have flowers in the kitchen, at the moment we are embracing autumn with these colourful ferns that brighten up our usually dreary view into the grey raining world of outside.
Next to the flowers theres also our thriving basil plant that just keeps growing and growing, and that I bought about a month before leaving London.
I use basil in cooking a lot so it's lovely to have fresh to use whenever possible, and luckily this plant keeps on providing!
I wonder how big it'll get.
If you want to ask about any specific item in the kitchen just comment below, I've jammed packed these shelves so full I couldn't remark on them all or this would be a book!
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