4 Christmas DIY Tricks To Keep On Trend And Save You Money.*

Christmas time is always an expensive time of year. If it's not trying to buy the perfect gifts, stocking up the cupboards with treats or picking out those new dresses for the work party it's trying to refresh the Christmas tree decorations to keep up with the latest interior trends. I've decided to put together a few little Christmas decoration tricks to help you keep up with the latest trends and save you money!

My Favourite Etsy Shops: A Gift Guide.

I've used websites such as Etsy and Notonthehighstreet for a long time, I browse them frequently when looking for something unique, especially around Christmas or birthdays. As some of you know, earlier this year I opened my own Etsy store selling prints of my watercolour paintings of some cool Harry Potter and Disney inspired pieces. With all the hard work I've put in, I've really discovered a new found appreciation for those small businesses out there! I really wanted to share some amazing ones I love with you. I really hope you can show some support to these amazing ladies, as I can tell you now, every single purchase makes a huge difference.

A Sprinkle of Christmas Joy*

Christmas has always been my favourite time of year, I can't quite explain why but it just feels different y'ano? I almost certainly got it from my dad, growing up he was as giddy as any kid around Christmas, we'd have Christmas songs playing in the background and we'd have an unbelievable amount of food around, Quality Streets and Roses are still some of my favourites!

Christmas at Chatsworth House.

Yesterday Nick and I took a little drive to Chatsworth House, we'd been here before and loved it and always heard good things about the themes they run each Christmas. We were planning on going last year but somehow never got around to it, so this year it was something I made sure we did. 

The theme this year is Wind in the Willows, a book about woodland creatures and the famous Mr.Toad, I won't go into details, although I'm sure some of you remember it from your childhood. So although the theme wasn't amazing it was still cool and we booked tickets to go.

The Village Screen: Home Alone Screening.

Last Sunday I was invited to a pop up cinema screening of Home Alone in a warehouse at Kelham Island in Sheffield by the lovely people at The Village Screen.

I'm all for Christmas things and a pop up cinema sounded so fun and different, so I couldn't say no!

The Favourite and Least Favourite Christmas Songs.

Nothing gets you in the festive mood like a good Christmas song. I've been listening to a few of the Spotify pre-made Christmas playlists and putting together my own 'best of'. I thought I'd share my favourites with you as I've found a few new ones that I've been enjoying.

Image sourced from Google images.

 

Looking back at 2015.

So 2014 was a pretty dull year and I decided that 2015 was going to be a much better one, after all, your life is what you make it. It turns out 2015 was pretty fucking awesome. So I thought I'd do an overview of all the awesome things that happened to me in 2015.

My Favourite Christmas Movies.

It's almost Christmas, you've got your tree up and a cheeky snack and all you want to do is snuggle up on the sofa, get the fairly lights and candles on and watch a Christmas film.

For me, the movies I would watch are the following;

My 12 Day Beauty Advent Calendar

Beauty advert calendars seem to be huge this year and I've caved and bought myself one already. I think these are a really great idea as an early present for someone, specially when they cost way less than all of the items put together so you could save yourself some money if you were planning on buying said items for your loved one anyway!

The Feel Unique Beauty Calendar is actually the one I bought for myself as a treat this year, it is one of the more reasonable priced ones and has £85 worth of items inside which sounds like a total bargain. This has a mixture of beauty and skincare items in which is why I liked this as it might give me some new brands or items I like.

This particular one only has 12 days, so I'm going to open these over the next 12 days leading to Christmas day, which means I've resisted opening them for almost a month now! Eek! I think I'm going to be uploading daily photos/videos of what's inside on my Instagram here so be sure to head over and have a peek!

Let me know if you got any beauty advent calendars!
Keep checking back for the rest of Blogmas, a new post everyday leading up to Christmas day!

Snowman Fairy Cakes.

I wanted to bake something fun, easy and simple for the festive season and during a causal Pinterest browse I came across a few variations of snowmen cup cakes. They looked cute and fun and pretty easy to do, so I went on the hunt for some baking supplies.

Giving something extra this Christmas.

When we think about Christmas, we often think of family, food, presents, being cosy and warm at home watching TV and although this is great its not something everyone gets to enjoy at Christmas time.

There are many homeless people, families living in poverty, elderly people that have no family and remain alone on Christmas day, this was even touched upon in John Lewis's Christmas advert this year and there are little things those who are more fortunate can do to bring someone else a little joy this Christmas.

I live in Sheffield and the local Radio station, Hallam FM, always do a campaign at Christmas called Mission Christmas: Cash for Kids  , this summed up means buying that little extra present and giving it in at a local drop off point so a local disadvantaged child has something to open on Christmas. This doesn't have to be something wildly expensive (although, if you are feeling generous, that's great!) it could be something as simple as a dvd. Places often have 3 for 2 deals, or buy one get one half price, so why not think about picking something up for the less fortunate with these offers and giving kids the excitement of a Santa visit. It doesn't have to be a toy as my local campaign is for children aged 0-18 years old, so even that extra bath kit, aftershave, slipper socks or mini make up kit can really help spread some joy to an older kid.

I really urge you to look at what efforts are being made in your local area to help those less fortunate, it doesn't have to be expensive, even sparing a couple of quid that you would have spent on a coffee or hot chocolate could really make the difference in someone else's Christmas this year.

I really hope that by writing this I could help potential kids have the excitement I did (and still do!) every year knowing I have presents, warm clothing, great food and people to share it with.
So please make that little effort to spread some cheer!

Until tomorrow,