Shop Small – Claire Likes To Doodle*

Can you believe Christmas is now less than a month away? With Christmas comes Christmas present shopping, have you started yours yet? I have and I’m almost finished! I know some people who wait until the last minute to buy their presents and some who buy them throughout the year.

I like to get my shopping done early and always have done so that I have more money for Christmas parties and trips to the German Market throughout December… None of those are happening this year due to COVID… 😛

However this year I have decided to shop small and mostly buy Christmas presents through small and independent artists. Some own their own stores online and host on websites like Etsy. I’ll be writing and sharing more stores with you in the coming weeks.

Today I want to talk about my good friend Claire, who owns Claire Likes To Doodle. I spoke about Claire and her commission work last summer (which you can read here) and we have decided to work together again, but this time to talk about her online store!

Claire opened her store again around July this year and since then she has filled it with loads of amazing goodies – especially her original character Bernard.

Since working together last year Claire wanted to share an update in regards to how her work has changed since then, as well as how Claire Likes To Doodle will be in 2021!

The last time I was featured on Nat’s blog, it was primarily for my chibi work. That was my main focus for commissions and merch too. I’m still a commission artist, I do watercolour pieces and portraits, MTG alters and tokens. My personal work has changed up a fair bit though!

The great (and sometimes frustrating) thing about being an artist is that you’re constantly evolving and changing up your work and style until you settle into what you love creating best. I found that when I was doing Inktober 2019 and I introduced a little monster called a Bernard. Since then I’ve been creating more and more work around Bernards and their world, and people have fell in love with them! I now have an active shop with Bernard goodies, original art and other oddities.

I’ve got big Bernard plans for 2021, watch this space… Once again, thank you Natalee for featuring me and letting me introduce Bernard to your lovely readers!

I really love when independent stores/artists I work with have an input in my posts to tell me all about them and how they got started, their store and plans for the future.

I have been friends with Claire since 2006 and our friendship has grown more and more as the years have gone by. I’m so proud of Claire for how far she has come and I have a feeling 2021 will be her year!

Inside this package there was a lovely note from Claire that really made me smile. As someone who has anxiety and depression this note is very much appreciated. Whenever people write down words like this, whether it be on a letter or a text I keep them and read them back when I feel down. I’ll be doing the same with this note too. 🙂

Claire kindly gifted me all the items in this post (apart from one item which I bought with my own money) for reviewing purposes. Apart from the quote above from Claire, all words are my own and items that are gifted will be marked with an *.

Claire has a variety of goodies on her store to buy from stickers, badges, original work, paintings, stationary and more. I was sent a little bit of everything to show to you today!

First things first – if you are UK based like Claire is – she offers Free UK shipping on certain items. If she does offer this, it will state it on the item in question e.g. stickers and badges. I felt this was an important note to add as I know a lot of people in the UK may be looking for small gift and stocking ideas for Christmas and throughout the year.

The cut off point for ordering in time for Christmas is Monday 14th December 2020. Commissions are now closed until January 2021.

Finally before I start to share the goodies share sent me – Claire Likes To Doodle is having a Black Friday sale! When you use the code “YOULLBEBACK” at checkout you will snag a cheeky 20% discount on everything in her shop. This is valid between Friday 27th November 12am GMT – Sunday 29th November 12am GMT. So, if you like the look of anything here, make sure to go and grab a bargain.

Oh… I also have an exclusive 10% discount code for Claire Likes To Doodle’s store, which will be on the right hand side of my blog moving forward. I have added it here though too for readers who my see some good below and want to make an order. 🙂

Finally… I’ll share with you the amazing goodies that Claire sent me! 😀

• Autumn Bernard – Square Sticker (link)*
• Autumn Bernard – 38mm Square Badge (link)*

A square sticker/badge with a cozy autumnal Bernard, enjoying her favourite pumpkin spice beverage and wrapped up warm. Take a bit of autumn with you wherever you go with this unique sticker.

As regular readers will know, I love enamel pins, badges and stickers! Badges remind me of my emo kid self back in the day, I would stick badges all over my bags and jackets to try and show off who I was as much as possible. This autumn Bernard is so perfect to me purely because I love autumn. It’s my favourite time of the year and Claire has captured that perfectly with her autumn Bernard design. My favourite colour is purple so I love that Bernard is wrapped up in purple accessories and is holding a warm drink. I also love the little pink flushed cheeks, just showing how cold it is where Bernard is. You can show really off your love of autumn all year around with both the badge and the sticker, as well as show off and support Claire’s original character.

• Chill AF Bernard – 32mm Badge (link)*

Need a little calm in your life? I get it. So does Bernard. May this 32mm button badge be a reminder to take a step back every now and again.

This chill AF Bernard is a reminder for everyone right now to take a deep breath and relax whenever you can. With the way the world is at the moment I think everyone could do with this badge as a reminder to step back and take a few minutes for yourself. It can also help with anxiety too to remind people to take care of themselves. I really love this badge and I think I’ll be sticking him on my work laptop bag to remind me to relax for five during the busy work day and grab a drink and maybe a casual chat with colleagues. 🙂 To add as well by the way that both of the badges I received from Claire are amazing quality. They feel really well made and sturdy!

• Flower Crown Bernard – Sticker (link)*

Original design – take this summer-themed Bernard wherever you want to go!

This Bernard reminds me of the summer, drinking with friends in beer gardens, going to festivals and basically summer vibes and activities with friends and loved ones before COVID. This is a sticker that reminds me that we need to be patient, because when COVID is gone – we can all have fun with our loved ones again and make some amazing new memories. The flower crown Bernard is so precious and I love how colourful the crown is! I wish my garden could look more like this. 😛

• Halloween Holographic Stickers (Halloween exclusive piece – not available to buy)*

Sadly these stickers aren’t available anymore, but Claire sent them me so I wanted to show them off to you guys! These were exclusive for Halloween and only stuck around the shop for a short period of time. There were two designs released with a baby Bernard inside of a pumpkin and a Bernard flying on a broom. They’re both so adorable and the fact they’re holographic too makes them feel even more spooky and seasonal for Halloween. The quality of these stickers is thicker than the other two stickers Claire sent me which is really cool! I might not stick these anywhere and actually use them as decorations for the Halloween season and stick them on my kitchen window! 😀 In the future keep your eyes peeled on Claire’s store for more store exclusives!

• Round Cat Painting (Twitch stream piece – not available to buy)

This is a painting I purchased on one of Claire’s streams in the summer during lockdown and sold pieces she painted on stream. Due to to COVID I’ve only recently received it due to not being able to meet up and such. I paid £10 of my own money for this print and have been so excited to add it to my little growing collection by Claire. It’s a little round cat that looks like a Siamese breed. It’s so derpy and cute that I just had to buy it! I’m not a cat person to be perfectly honest with you but the derpy look in this cats eyes just had me! It feels so… Expensive(?) if you will due to the special art paper Claire has used. It was so relaxing watching Claire paint this piece, it’s cool to now have it in person. 🙂

• Artgust – Original A6 Watercolour Paintings – Electric (link)*

Through the month of August 2020, I did a painting every day based on a prompt list put together by myself and my wonderful Discord community. A mix of funny pieces, sad pieces, portraits and Bernards done over 31 days! Each piece is A6 size, painted in watercolour.

The final piece I want to talk about that Claire sent me I was taken back by. I didn’t quite expect her to send me one of her watercolour paintings but I’m not going to complain, especially considering she sent me a Pokemon themed print! Back in August Claire took part in Artgust where you draw/paint something everyday of the month. This was day 28 of August and it’s titled “Pikachu”. As you can see it’s Claire’s original character Bernard who is surrounded by hearts and has a Pikachu on his head. It’s so bloody cute and I love it! This is going to go on my plushie cabinet alongside my other prints. I’ll be keeping it in the cellophane packet it came in to keep it safe. For an A6 print size it packs a punch and not only looks amazing, the quality of the piece itself feels high quality too and expensive.

Claire still has quite a few prints left from the Artgust challenge, as well as one she took part in in October called Annarack October that are all looking for homes! The prints created during October are all Bernard themed too, so if you like the look of Claire’s original character and would like to pick up something with them on, definitely go and check those prints out!

They’re all A6 size and cost £15 each. They’re also unique one of a kind pieces, no reprints here. Once they’re sold, they’re gone. For example if you go onto the website the Electric print is sold out, because of course I own it now.

I’ve had my eye on one for a while now and definitely contemplating buying it soon! It’s the Black design from Artgust. I’ve always loved the look of it and if there’s one style of art Claire does really well it’s the blackout style. She did it for a time on her Instagram page and it’s one I always find myself gravitating towards. Who knows, I may end up buying it after this post is live… 😉

Something else I may pick up soon for when I return to the office for work is the ‘Distanced’ A4 Year Planner 2021. Not only is it handy but also really nice to stick on the sides of my desk for a bit of artwork… Nothing wrong with livening your desk up, eh? 😀

So there you go guys, the first of many independent artists I’ll be talking about during shop small in December! I’m so happy that Claire Likes To Doodle could be the first one I talk about.

Store

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Twitch

What do you guys think of Claire’s designs and store? Will you be adopting a Bernard of your own in the form of a sticker, badge or print? 🙂 Make sure to let me know in the comments below!

Until next time, take care guys and stay safe. 🙂

Wish List Wednesday – Pin Badges

I haven’t written a wish list Wednesday for quite a while now, or at least I don’t recall… Actually it’s only been over a month. Jeez am I getting that old I forget so quickly? 😛 So I thought why not do one now! I seem to have grown a new love of pin badges lately and I actually don’t know why. I used to love them growing up and would collect them as and when I could, but sadly that little hobby died although I do still own all the pin badges I collected back in the day.

So thanks to beauty bloggers Instagram pages I have now formed a new hobby, pin badge collecting. They’re mostly all geeky ones too and especially Pokemon themed. So why not make a wish list post about what pin badges I want to have in my new collection and shape my new hobby!

• PinPalzUK – Sailor Mew Pin -£5.00 (link)

• SpaceCadetCollective – “Blottertung” Lickitung Pin – £9.94 (link) and “Kantodex” V Pin -$23.00 (link)

• ReallyBigDill – Togepi Surprise Pin – £8.90 (link)

• TheSundayCo – Pokeball Deathstar Pin – £5.72 (link) and Hey Gurl Pin – £5.72 (link)

• CosmeticMermaidPins – Free to Good Trainer Pokemon Pin – £11.45 (link)

• AgainstMarj – Cubone Pin – £8.29 (link)

• SourAttitudeClub – 8bit Eevee Pin – £8.70 (link), 8bit Surfing Glitterchu Pin – £8.70 (link) and 8bit Ditto Pin – £8.70 (link)

I know I usually write about each item, on wish list posts but I really don’t feel the need to on this one. All of the pins are Pokemon related bar one which is Adventure Time. My favourite pin badge out of the bunch is the Kantodex pin by SpaceCadetCollective. It opens up and is glittery, what isn’t to love? I’d stick it on my bag or on one of my jackets.

Do you like pin badges? If so which ones do you own or are lusting after? Make sure to let me know in the comments!

Until next time take care all and I hope you had a lovely weekend.

Birmingham Anime and Gaming Con (Haul Inc.)

On Sunday me and Dane went to the anime and gaming con which was held in Birmingham. The con ran on both the Saturday and the Sunday and although we wanted to attend both days, Sunday stood out to us the most. We’re so glad we only went for the one day though. We had a lot of house stuff to do Saturday and if we had attended both days nothing would have been done. Oh the joys of being an adult and homeowner eh? 😛

The con itself was amazing and everything we imagined it would be like and more, so I thought I would write about it today for you all, as well as share what we bought at the con as well. Sadly I didn’t get any pictures of the con as we were too busy enjoying ourselves. I’m awful at getting pictures at places like this. 😦

As old readers will know me and Dane have been to a couple of conventions now including Birmingham comic con and Hyper Japan and this one was very different to those two. For a start the con as tiny in comparison to both of those, but that wasn’t a bad thing! We liked that it was small as it meant we got chance to really look at what everyone was cosplaying as and even get the chance to talk to people if we wanted to. It also meant that we could look around everywhere without having to queue, there not being enough room to walk around and even the worry of forgetting about looking at anything.

We also never bothered dressing up for the con as we’re boring farts and never really bother with anything like that. We could have worn our South Park outfits but meh. I wore my Iron Fist dress with Dane’s plaid jacket, tights and some brothel creepers. I loved my outfit and whilst I was a little self conscious in it, I felt comfortable for the majority of the time. I of course had to wear my Sailor Moon Luna bag that Dane bought me last year at Hyper Japan. I forgot how much I love that bag!

When I mentioned to people at work that I was going to the con I got a lot of questions such as, “Ooo will there be Japanese food there?” and to be honest I wish there was. Sadly there wasn’t any food stalls there but there was food offered by the place it was held at which was good! It was lovely weather on Sunday and it would have been lovely to have an ice cream van outside of the con… But I know that isn’t the organisers fault, problem, etc.

At the event itself there was always something going on which was great. There was the main hall where there were dealers and artists, a stage and a video gaming room. A corridor away there was the activities room and bar where you could go for something to eat and drink, watch anime, chillout, have your photograph taken in your cosplay outfit, play some games (TCGing, board games and RPG) and talks and workshops. Later in the evenings in this room they held karaoke and parties which we wished we had gone to.

We attended a couple of the workshops which were really interesting! The one Dane was most excited for was about the yakuza in Japan and although Dane knows quite a bit about it, I don’t and it was very interesting for me to listen to. The guy who got up to talk about it was great too and went into a lot of detail. The workshop I was excited for was about plushie making, which sadly got cancelled due to the host of it being poorly. There is always next time!

The stalls that were around selling things were good, although a lot of them were selling fake merchandise. As readers will know me and Dane collect Nendoroid figures so we know a fake when we see one! It was sad that we spotted three fakes and then saw that they had all sold. Very sad times.

Speaking of which lets get onto what we bought at the convention! We bought quite a few things most of them being mine to be honest. 😛

We picked up two Nendoroid figures from a seller who was selling legit merchandise. She was reasonable with her prices too! I bought Isabelle from Animal Crossing and Dane picked up One Punch Man. They’renow living in our Dane also bought me a cute little Umaru secret figure box too! I got one of Umaru lying down on her tummy which is so cute.

As well as fakery there were also some legit and lovely sellers at the event. Some who were selling their own work which is what we bought most of at the event. One guy was selling prints to people… A bit too heavily and forceful for us two. He was trying to get us to buy 10 prints for £40. Would have been a good deal if we wanted that many prints! We ended up buying one, this water Pokemon print for our bathroom.

As well as that we got two artists to draw for us, one of which isn’t actually finished yet. The first picture we got drawn was this chibi picture of me and Dane which is from one of our favourite pictures that we took not long after we got together. The artist is also going to draw and colour a digital image of us too, which we’re excited about! Another artist draw a picture of Dane from when he was in his band days. He would dress up in funny costumes whist on stage. This picture is from a costume he wore in Sheffield which of course is of him in a banana. It’s perfect and he loves it!

These are probably my favourite buys from the day, which are these two adorable Eeveelution t-shirts by Ohayou! who I’ve been a fan of for a while through Etsy. She does more designs than this which I really want to get. The two I picked up are one of a Sylveon print that says “dragon slayer” (if you don’t get it look it up) and one of an Umbreon looking sad… I couldn’t not take that t-shirt design home! The only thing I don’t like about these is the plastic feel of the print but it’s nothing serious. I’ll be wearing these all the time with some jeans, shorts and skirts. I plan to buy more of their goods in the future, or at least ask for them for Christmas. 😛

Alongside those goodies I picked up some little bits and pieces that were dotted around. I picked up some dog and red panda stickers, three Totoro pens, a Romantic Bear peel off lipstick (which I love! I have more of these on the way so I’ll be reviewing them all then), a pack of Eeveelution stickers, an ice verion of Ninetales sticker, a Lady Rainicorn sticker, a picture of Haiku in dragon form, and various badges.

As well as my opinion on the convention I wanted to get Dane to talk about his views.

Well, we had a really good time and were amazed at the incredible cosplay on show, but i think that was the biggest gripe for me. Too much emphasis on the cosplay aspect, not enough for those not so into cosplay to do. The talks were not very well organised and I felt sorry for a lot of the speakers as they had to alter their presentations due to technical errors and last minute changes and fillers. We didn’t watch any anime which is a disappointment as I was expecting a great chill-out atmosphere to watch anime and socialise. What we got was a tiny screen and a couple rows of chairs. To make people want to watch anything at an event you have to make it an improvement to what people may have at home. Personally, I can watch any of the anime shown on a much bigger TV, on a nice comfortable sofa with amazing sound. There was no incentive for us to take part.

I completely understand it is the very first one held in Birmingham so things may not always go to plan and there may not be enough funding to create the best convention ever. For the price we paid it was completely worth it and I can only expect to see it grow. I would like to see it in a bigger space with more artists and shops, more emphasis on gaming and the talks/panels, interesting food options and a more inviting experience for viewing anime.

Overall we loved our day at the convention and it reminded us how much we love going to events like this. It’s made us realise how much we really want to go to Birmingham Comic Con in November so we’ll be booking to go to that very soon!

July ’16 Wish List

Oh hello July, can you please bring us some more lovely weather instead of all this vile rain!? Yes the weather has mostly been crap in June, but there was also some gorgeous weather too! Which I think a lot of people are forgetting about.

But enough about the weather, it’s now July and you know what that means? It’s time for a new wish list! This one wasn’t exactly straight forward to put together but I managed it in the end, and the majority of the items on said list are hella KAWAII!

• Disney Pocahontas Meeko Pop! Vinyl – £10.99 (link)

I’ve expressed on my blog before how I’m not a huge fan of Pop! Vinyl figures, and would much prefer to spend quite a bit more money on Nendoroid’s. However, there are just some characters that Good Smile Company won’t bring out, and there are just some Pop! Vinyl figures I just cannot say no to. This Meeko one is so cute, and who can say that it isn’t, huh? I would want the Pocahontas one to go with Meeko too, eventually. May as well get the set.

• H&M Porcelain Mug – £3.99 (link)

Due to the house I am constantly looking at home related things these days, mostly because I still have a lot of stuff to buy, but also because it’s kind of better than looking at clothes. I think this must be something that happens when you move out… Anyway! H&M have this cute matching cat set, but you have to buy them separate however. I probably have enough mugs bought for now, but I rather like the look of this one too! It’s not too in your face either, as the cats face is inside the cup itself, with some little cat ears on the outside. Very cute!

• Jeffree Star  Cosmetics Velour Liquid Lipstick in shade Rose Matter – $18.00 (or £14.00 from Cocktail Cosmetics when in stock) (link)

I love the Jeffree Star liquid lipsticks, FACT PEOPLE! I want all of the shades someday, but for now my collection has had to be told on hold due to the house. However, that doesn’t stop me from wishing after shades, especially Rose Matter, one of his newest shades. It’s a coral shade, which I love! However, I don’t really know if it suits my yellow skin tone… I’ll wait until I’m next in Cocktail Cosmetics Sutton Coldfield store to check this shade out.

• Bee and PuppyCat Comic Book Vol. 3 – £10.96 (link)

I LOVE Bee and PuppyCat and it has fast turned into my favourite cartoon/comic book this year. Volume 3 isn’t due to come out until December, which sucks as it seems like so far away, but it’ll be well worth the wait! I have volumes 1 and 2 and have enjoyed them both a lot, so I already can’t wait for the third installment.

• Deadpool Badge Pack – £1.99 (link)

I recently started using my backpack again, and as I used to collect badges when I used it beforehand, I thought I would start that little hobby up again. Now as I love Deadpool, I definitely need to add a Deadpool badge or two to my bag! I currently have some South Park, Adventure Time, and Kurt Cobain badges at the moment.

• Disney Store Finding Dory Sea Otter Soft Toy – £12.95 (link)

I saw this little cutie when I was down in London visiting my friend Sophi, and I was going to buy him but I left it. I love otters, so to have a cute little otter plushie would make me really happy. BUT it isn’t a necessity, just something I am lusting after. Maybe if it ever goes into the Disney Store sale.

• H&M Small Bowl – £3.99 (link)

The bowl is just like the cup, with a cats face inside and cute ears around the edge. Unlike the cup I would buy two of these, one for me and one for Dane, or guests. They’re just simple but really cute, something nice to perk you up in the morning to have cornflakes in before work.

• Belle Muerte Hex Black As Your Soul Bath Bomb – £3.00 (link)

What hurts the most about this item is I want to buy one, but it is constantly sold out! I like how cheap it is mind! They have all sorts of variations, from this black one, to blood red, green, purple, etc. I know I’ve never been a fan of any bath bombs apart from Lush, but that won’t stop me from one day trying this one. Quite frankly I cannot wait!

• H&M Plate With A Print – £3.99 (link)

Again, like the cup and bowl this is similar apart from the plate doesn’t have any little eats on it. This again will be nice for breakfast, as well as for lunch. I’d buy two of these to go with the bowls, for myself and Dane, or for a guest.

So that was my wish list for July! I know there isn’t anything super special on there, but to be honest since buying the house, I have a feeling my life might be a little boring. BUT every cloud has a silver lining, because I hope to do more house/home related posts from now on!

What items are on your wish lists this month? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below.

Until next time, take care all and I hope you have a great week!

London Haul

Wow what a long week it has been since returning from London! Of course I do apologise for how quiet I have been the past two weeks, but as I said on my Twitter account, I have been way too busy with the house to think or have time to do anything with my blog. Sorry about this, but I know that my regular readers understand, and for this I love you all and thank you as much as I can!

I have just got back from London after visiting my good friend Sophi, and I had an amazing time! I ended up spending more than I intended to as we went shopping around London, as well as in Stratford shopping centre. So I thought why not show all my lovelies what I bought down in the smoke!

I said from the start of my trip to London that I wouldn’t buy any clothing, as I don’t need any, but I found that was the majority of what I bought. Oops! I picked up three t-shirts, and a coat.

The first t-shirt I picked up was this Rugrats Reptar one from the Nickelodeon shop in London. It wasn’t cheap to be honest at £20, but I thought it would make a nice treat and was a real throwback to my childhood as I loved watching Rugrats growing up. So much so that I still watch it to this day if I fancy a bit of a nostalgia trip. As you can see it’s a purple t-shirt, with Reptar on, as well as his name in metallic pink writing. You can pick this up online here.

The second and third t-shirts that I bought were both from HMV, not usually a place you would think sold clothing. They do sell t-shirts though, usually relating to bands, TV shows, movies, and games, etc. You get the point! These two t-shirts were both £12.99 each, however HMV have an offer where you can buy two for £20, which is a bargain really! So of course I took them up on that offer, because it would have been rude not to.

The Harley Quinn one is to coincide with The Suicide Squad, as it’s meant to be the same as the t-shirt she wears in the movie (which FYI I am excited to see when it comes out!). I just love the design of it, it’ll be something nice to rock in the summer with shorts… Like Harley Quinn really! A girl I work with (Hi Rhi! ^_^) has this t-shirt too, and I heard about it from her before my trip to London. As you can probably gather this is a woman’s t-shirt. Sadly any men out there who want it won’t find it in HMV. I would have linked back to this for people to look into buying from HMV, but it isn’t on the website sadly.

I also picked up a Deadpool t-shirt from HMV. It had to be done, as I LOVE Deadpool and I knew whilst I was in London I wanted to pick up some Deadpool goodies, or at least one. This was the only thing I actually managed to pick up, and I don’t regret it. This is a pretty straight forward tee with just a picture of Deadpool with his arms folded, nothing spectacular or special. I don’t mind that to be perfectly honest. This is a mans tee, sorry ladies they don’t have any specifically for us! I don’t mind this though as I picked up a smaller size so it would fit snug on me. You can find this on the website, and I have linked it here for you.

As well as the two t-shirts I picked up from HMV I also bought myself a few other things, not clothing related. I picked up these Kurt Cobain pin badges for my backpack, as during my trip to London I decided that I would start to use it again more often. I love Nirvana and Kurt so I though it would be cool to get some badges with his face on them. These were a steal at £3.99 and I can’t wait to pop a few on my backpack. I also picked up a DVD copy of Forrest Gump after visiting Bubba Gump Shrimp. It’s a film I’ve been meaning to buy and add to my collection for some time now, as it’s one of my favourite films. I put it on for me and Dane to watch when I got back from London, and I cried so many times that I ended up losing count. Oh dear. 😦 It was another bargain at only £2.99!

My favourite purchase of my trip to London was definitely my new coat, a yellow raincoat! I have been after one of Topshop’s raincoats for years now, and every time I saw one I liked the look of it seemed to sell out really quickly, if not straight away. I saw this one in the Oxford Street store and decided to grab it with both hands before I was never able to buy one again! I’ve bought it two sizes too big for me so it didn’t feel snug, but instead was more roomy and baggy. Reason being so that in autumn and winter I can layer up and not feel uncomfortable. I found from wearing it around London for a couple of days that this coat is incredibly warm, and will be perfect for rainy days! The hood is huge which I’m really pleased about, as I love any jacket, coat, or hoodie was a hood that swamps my whole face. I can’t wait to wear these with my Jake Dr Martens boots (you can read about them here) as they’re both yellow and will look amazing! With all this rain we’ve been having they’ll work perfectly together. Yay! You can fine this raincoat on Topshop’s website here.

I mentioned before that I went to Bubba Gump Shrimp whilst in London and shortly after having a meal there with Sophi, I decided I wanted to get some goodies from the gift shop. Before heading down the restaurant gave us our blue flashing glasses that we’d had drinks in. As Sophi already had a blue glass already, she kindly gave me hers so that me and Dane could have one each in the house. I love that she does things like that! I also bought two pint glasses from the gift shop, which were meant to be two for £10, but the guy only charged me £5.98 for two. I didn’t say anything and accepted how cheap they were! One is going to be for my dad whenever he comes to visit me at the house, and the other for myself and Dane to use whenever. They’re just bog standard pint glasses, which will come in handy for pop, beer, etc. By the way I do apologise for the pint glasses still being wrapped up. I don’t want to open them until me and Dane have moved into the house. But you all know what a pint glass looks like anyway! 😛

Of course I couldn’t go down to London and not pop into the Lush on Oxford Street. That would just be out of order, and it was one of the last shops me and Sophi popped into on my first day in London. I had promised Dane (and myself) that I wouldn’t buy anything… But I caved in and ended up buying two things. DOH! I took in five empty black pots and bagged myself a free pot of The Prince of Darkness face mask, which I was super happy about! I haven’t used it yet, but I hope to soon.

The two products I bought were Supertramp bubble bar, which is an exclusive to Oxford Street, and their newest bath bomb Lava Lamp (link here), which Oxford Street did release when they first opened last year, but discontinued it shortly after. I imagine to work on a better formula and scent for it… Who knows! Either way I thought I was going to go crazy and want to buy more, but alas I only really wanted to get my favourite exclusive, that being Supertramp, and I’ve always wanted to try Lava Lamp. I’ll be giving them a go soon enough and reviewing them. Woop!

The majority of the rest of things I bought were food and drinks related, either Japanese or American. I said that I would be coming back with loads of Japanese snacks, but I didn’t really think about bringing this much back! Boy do I have a lot to show…

All my Japanese goodies are mostly from Japan Centre, but I also grabbed some stuff from an independent Japanese supermarket too. I bought two types of Pocky, banana and matcha (green tea), my two favourites! They cost less than a £1 each so I bought two of each, because why not! I also bought some random goodies too such as Pokemon wafers, a panda wafer, as well as three bottles of ramune soda! One is missing however due to me and Dane drinking it… Oops!

I also bought plenty of American sweets, mostly blue raspberry flavoured as they have always been my favourite. Just loads of random things. These were mostly from Gobstoppers in Stratford shopping centre, and I’m just going to say that I will never go there again. I will try the one in Birmingham to see what it’s like, but I judged the Stratford one so hard. They were selling out of date stock from over a year ago, AT FULL PRICE, the staff were rude, and they charged ridiculous prices for things you can buy in Asda for 99p. A complete joke, and I won’t be going there again…

Another sweet related place I bought stuff from was the legendary Choccywoccydoodah, which I had never heard about until my friend Sophi told me about it. We ventured into the cafe there, which was amazing, and to be honest (for me) the best part about it. The shop itself was lovely, with some beautiful creations, but at the same time I do feel like it was really tacky… Sorry (I’m not sorry…)! I ended up buying some chocolate, one little slab of dark (which you can buy here), and a larger slab of chocolate with green tea flavour (which you can buy here). I’m excited to try these, as the dark chocolate we had in the cafe was gorgeous! It was ridiculously overpriced to be honest, and I doubt I’ll ever buy anything from there again. I feel bitchy saying that, but it just seems a rip off for what you’re getting, especially when I’m not a huge chocolate lover anyway.

Apart from the goodies that I also picked up for Dane (a Fallout 4 Dogmeat Pop Vinyl!, a book, and some sweeties) that is all I bought! My friend Sophi gave me and Dane one of the nicest moving in presents we have received so far, with it being matching Disney mugs! Lady and The Tramp for me, and Stitch for Dane. We love them, and will be using them lots when we move into the house. She also gave me a medium Pink Sands Yankee Candle that she didn’t want, as well as a Charity Pot lotion from Lush that she didn’t want either. All the goodies! I intend to give her something very soon as a thank you for having me stay at hers whilst we were in London. That and it’s her birthday soon!

So that was all the stuff I bought whilst in London! I wish I could have ventured to more places that sold Japanese related things, but that will be for next time.

What have you bought nice for yourself lately? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

Until next time take care all, and I hope you’re having a good week.

Christmas Present Ideas – The Fox Lover

I love foxes, regular readers, friends, family, and just about anyone who knows of my existence will know just how much the cute little ginger guys (and girls!) will mean to me. I don’t know why I love them so much to be honest, I just know I always have, and that my love of them has only grown stronger the older I have got.

I will grow old and be a lady whose home you visit, and when you leave tweet “OMG I’ve just been to this old bags house and it was full of bloody fox things. Fox cups, fox pillows, fox slippers. Hell the woman had a pet fox!” That’s if Twitter still exists when I’m really old.

This being said, when me and my boyfriend get our own home, it will be full of all things foxy and geeky. That’s just the way we roll!

But I know I’m not the only fox lover around, so I thought I would come up with a good list of fox present ideas for anyone who also have a fox lover in their life, like me. Some of these present ideas will also be great for stocking fillers, or even Secret Santa gifts! I know I’d love to receive them all (I’m sure people have already bought me them… Or I already own them)! 😛

• Sass & Belle Be Free Fox Tribal Adventure Plaque – £3.50 (link)

For anyone who owns their own home, or even just spends loads of times in a certain room of their home (their bedroom, office, etc) this will be the perfect gift for them. It’s a simple, yet pretty plaque that has a tribal fox on it, underneath it states, “Be Free”. The perfect mantra for that person who might lead a busy life. I would love this to hang up in an office myself, and for £3.50 it really won’t break the bank. The perfect gift for a younger person, or even a Secret Santa idea.

• Avon Fox Mug – £12.00, on offer for £7.50 (link)

I already have this down on a wish list somewhere, which I think my mom is going to buy me for Christmas. This mug is perfect for any fox lover, especially for winter time. This little cutie has a removable wool cosy on it, which has always looked comforting in some way when on mugs. This will be perfect for cold mornings for tea and coffee, and chilly evenings for hot chocolates. I cannot wait to get this!

• Paperchase Fox Compact Week To View 2016 Diary – £4.50 (link)

There is no gift at Christmas than a new diary to take people into the New Year with. Well, I find this myself anyway! This diary will be great for people of all ages. Children and teenagers for school, college, and university, as well as friends who have busy schedules. Plus it’s not huge either, so it’ll be perfect to chuck into a backpack, or a handbag for on the go. I would have this on my own Christmas wish list, but I have my filofax now, so all I need for that is some new inserts. This again will make a great Secret Santa gift.

• Aroma Home Home Knitted Fox Slipper Boots – £25.00 (link)

These aren’t on the cheap side, but they do look (and feel from seeing them in store) worth the money, and would make an extravagant gift for a friend or a family member. If there is one gift I like to receive at Christmas it’s anything warm, from a dressing gown, pajamas, or a good pair of slippers. I would love some slipper boots like these myself. I think a teenager would love to receive these for Christmas, and we all know it sucks to get clothes at that age on Christmas Day.

• TK Maxx Orange Plush Heatable Fox – £7.99 (link)

I actually own this, and I can safely say it is amazing! Not just for when I’m feeling chilly, but it’s also really good for when I’m suffering from period pain. It only takes a couple of minutes to warm up in the microwave and then BAM it’s ready to cuddle up with and keep you warm. This could make a great Secret Santa gift if you’re maximum spend was £10.00. Otherwise it would make a great stocking filler for a teenager, especially one who has recently started her periods and needs something to help the ache go away for a while. You can get these pretty much everywhere as well to be honest! I bought mine from TK Maxx but in store I paid £9.99 for mine, so it’s good it’s not a couple of quid cheaper.

• John Lewis Midwinter Fox Snow Glove – £15.00 (link)

I eyed this up in store when I first visited the new John Lewis in Birmingham, and I LOVED it! The Christmas section in there isn’t massive, but it really packs a punch. When I spotted this fox snow globe I knew I wanted it. However, whilst I love snow globes I get extremely anxious owning them now. Years ago when I was four years old my mom bought me a snow globe from an old market by where we live. I had it for years and then one day it got knocked off of my shelf and smashed everywhere. I was distraught, I had a lot of memories with that snow globe. So I’m always wary of owning another. However, for people who collect snow globes, they will love this one for sure! It has a gorgeous little fox inside of it with a wreath around its neck. This isn’t cheap at £15.00, but for the price it would make someone a lovely present.

• Sugar Bunny Shop Doki Fox Button Set – $5.00 (link)

I LOVE Doki Fox! A cute little character created by the people behind Sugar Bunny Shop. He’s a cute little fox who has a chick as a companion, and loves eating dumplings. These are great for a gift to a young fox lover, and especially as a Secret Santa present. My boyfriend bought me some of the stickers with this little cutie on last Christmas, and they really warm my heart. I would loved the badges to stick all over my backpack. They do deliver to the UK by the way, so don’t worry about international shipping!

• Urban Outfitters Wooden Fox Bowl – £14.00 (link)

I’ve seen this in Urban Outfitters every time I have popped in with friends, and my boyfriend, and each time I have eyed it up and contemplating buying it. It isn’t cheap for what it is don’t get me wrong, but it’s really lovely all the same! Would be nice to keep on a vanity to hold jewellery in, or even keep on a sideboard by the front door for change. The possibilities are endless with something like this! Would make a great present for someone who might be moving into a new home before Christmas, or just after.

• Claire’s TY Beanie Boos Medium Slick The Fox Soft Toy – £14.00 (link)

How adorable is this? I want to get him to keep for myself! The TY Beanie Boos are really lovely soft toys to buy for anyone of any age, but I will of course recommend these for babies and children. They’ll make lovely little stocking fillers for your own children, family members, or friends children. Of course you could buy these for someone of a more mature age too!

• Alex Monroe Sterling Silver Fox Pendant in Silver – £126.00 (link)

This is a really pricey present but I wanted to include it on here as it’s a nice one for if you want to spoil a loved one, or a daughter. I would love this myself but it is really pricey… It would definitely be something extravagant. Opening something like this on Christmas Day would be a real treat for anyone, and to see a little fox appear in the presentation box is just something extra special. I don’t really have much to say on this, it kind of speaks for itself.

• Claire’s Faux Leather Fox Purse – £10.00 (link)

This purse is adorable! It reminds me of the sort of purse my mom would buy me when I was a kid. Therefore making this a lovely present for a teenager. It would also make a great Secret Santa gift. If you get this for someone for Christmas, make sure to pop a silver coin inside for luck. I’m really old-fashioned and do this… 😛

• Hoo Farm Animal Kingdom Animal Encounters by Will’s Wild Animal Encounters – Predator Encounter – £150.00 for two people (link and link)

This is the last present I will be mentioning as I am saving the best for last! This is something my boyfriend hasn’t booked me for Christmas, but for my birthday at the start of January, which I’m so excited about! It’s an hour of meeting cute predators, and having cuddles with them. You get to meet foxes and feed them chicken, so you definitely get up close and personal. They do offer some more similar experiences with foxes which you can find on the website. I’ll be making sure to take loads of pictures of this as and when it happens. But this would make a lovely gift if you want to treat your other half, a parent, or friend, or a sibling to something really special! They’re based up in Telford, Shropshire so it might be a trek for some, but totally worth it! At the moment Groupon have a couple of offers up there, so you can snag some of these at half the price. It’s a nice treat for after Christmas, and definitely a lovely surprise as well.

So that was my present ideas for people who love all things foxy! What did you think of it? If you liked any items on the list in particular make sure to let me know about them in the comments down below! Or even recommend some fox related products yourself.

Until next time all, take care and I hope you’re all having a great week.