HUGE Shop Small UK Guide – Christmas 2020

Can you believe there is only 18 days until Christmas? Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? I’m awful this year and I’m not done. I usually have all my gifts bought by now, but alas I still have my parents to buy for.

This year I wanted to do a gift guide, but not my usual one aimed at the geeks, otaku and kawaii fans, beauty, fashion etc etc. I wanted to instead focus on small companies/independent artists/businesses who need our support more than ever due to COVID and it’s affects from lockdowns here in the UK.

First of all, I’m only speaking about the UK as with a Twitter poll a couple of weeks ago, it’s what you as the readers voted for. However at the end of the post I will mention who you can shop small with all over the world too.

I’m going to add all sorts of categories here, not just geek, kawaii, otaku related. I’ll be talking about beauty, home, geek, Japan related, food and more! I want to try and talk about as much as I can, so when you need ideas for Christmas gifts you have lots of choice. I will also mention the last date to order for Christmas too if you’re in the UK. Please bear in mind with the COVID situation and Christmas on the horizon, Royal Main is struggling a little, so if you want to order, order as soon as possible!

Let’s get started! I really hope you guys enjoy this post. 🙂

Image taken from GIPHY

Geeky/Kawaii

Image taken from Jennifairy Illustration

Jennifairy Illustration – Creating cuties to make you smile. Enamel pins, stickers and keychains, all inspired by cute animals, video game characters and more.

Last date to order for Christmas – 14th December. However, if order after this date it could still get there but that can’t be promised. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

Jennifairy Illustration is an independent artist/store I have spoken about on my blog since 2017 and I knew they were one of the first places I wanted to speak about today! Jennifairy has a range of products – enamel pins, stickers and keychains. Her style is incredibly cute and kawaii and the designs make me smile whenever I see them, both on her store and in my home. If you know someone who loves cute animals and certain characters from popular video games, then they will love to open a cute design from Jennifairy. Christmas wise you can pick up some gingerbread friends or even a Christmas Pikachu, with a Santa’s hat and a cup of coffee. There are loads of different designs to choose from, there is something for everyone.

Image taken from Littlest Spook Shop

Littlest Spook Shop – We put the Oo in spooky! Cute spooky ghost prints, mugs and other items to choose from!

Last date to order for Christmas – Currently Littlest Spook Shop is looking to close 9th December.

Halloween isn’t just once a year with Littlest Spook Shop. I discovered them around Halloween this year and I love their spooky ghost designs. They’re so damn cute and spoopy and I’m down for that. I regret not ordering some of their Christmas cards this year to be honest, but there’s always next year. If you know someone who celebrates Halloween all year around then a print (or two!) from Littlest Spook Shop may just be for them! Not only do they sell prints but they also sell mugs, tote bags, enamel pins and patches so that spooky friend or family member can show off their love of ghosts and all things spooky all year around! The Always Cosy Club spooky print shouts out to me so much. During the colder months I’m like that little ghosty.

Image taken from FoxLeap

FoxLeap – Kawaii designs inspired by Disney and Japanese characters from films and video games.

Last date to order for Christmas – Not known at time of writing post.

FoxLeap is an independent artist/store I love buying enamel pins from. They’re adorable and there is always something in the store I want to pick up, including the Jiji enamel pin which I may need to order myself as a treat for writing this post. 😛 There is something for everyone when it comes down to FoxLeap including designs inspired by Disney (especially The Lion King series!), Pokemon, Studio Ghibli, Wolf’s Rain, Okami and more. Anyone who loves enamel pins will really love to receive a FoxLeap design and honestly they probably already know of FoxLeap’s existence. Not only do they make and sell enamel pins but they also sell prints, t-shirts, stickers, enamel pin flags, tote bags and more so there is plenty to choose from!

Image taken from NaomiLordArt

NaomiLordArt – A freelance artist who creates adorable prints inspired by animals, magical creatures, witches, Goddesses, Critical Role and more!

Last date to order for Christmas – Orders will be shipped until the shop closes for Christmas on 20th December. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

Guys you know me I love kawaii animals, especially foxes and that is something NaomiLordArt does so bloody well! I mean, look at them cute seasonal fox designs! I feel anyone of any age will love a little stocking filler that involves one of the many designs that NaomiLordArt has on offer. Plus if you and your friends are fans of Critical Role, she’s drawn all of the gang and put it onto a print, which you can find here. I feel NaomiLordArt would be perfect as items to gift children, teenagers and anyone who loves prints and stickers. I’ve gifted my best friend goodies from there before that were surrounding Star Wars and Harry Potter. There are also RPG class animal stickers and prints too, so if you play in a D&D group and are taking part in a D&D themed Secret Santa, these would make perfect gifts alongside some dice.

Image taken from GIPHY

Japanese Snacks

Image taken from Something Japanese

Something Japanese – UK based online shop that sells the best things from Japan! Chocolate, Candy, Collectables, Otaku Goodies and much much more.

Last date to order for Christmas – December 21st. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

Something Japanese is a store I have bought from for about five years now and they are really good! I especially love to pick up the Japanese snack boxes from them as they’re always an amazing price for how many Japanese sweets and treats you get. I ordered the Halloween one and it was amazing and I’ve ordered the Christmas Japanese Candy Box too. This might make for an amazing gift to someone who loves Japanese sweets and treats and who may also miss Japan or want to visit Japan. COVID has prevented travelling to Japan for a lot of people and I know a lot of my friends who missed out on their trips this year. This would make for a nice treat to open Christmas Day. Something Japanese does sell other items too and separate sweet treats so make sure to check that out too.

Image taken from Tofu Cute

Tofu Cute – A UK kawaii shop that sells all sorts of cute and unique Japanese snacks, plushies, accessories, stationery and other goodies.

Last date to order for Christmas – Not known at time of writing post.

Tofu Cute is a store me and my boyfriend often order our Japanese sweets from as they’re great prices and they always seem to have the goods that Japan get at the same time. Not only do they stock sweets but also drinks as well! We’ve bought many bottles of ramune and Pokemon fizzy drinks from Tofu Cute and they’ve all been enjoyed! Think my favourite thing I’ve ever bought from Tofu Cute are the Melty Kiss chocolates. They’re to die for and would make an amazing gift for someone’s stocking this Christmas. 🙂

Image taken from GIPHY

Home

Image taken from Cushty Co Twitter page

Cushty Co – Handmade home fragrance. Scented soy wax melts beautifully crafted with sprinkles of glitter and careful colouring. Vegan friendly.

Last date to order for Christmas – Monday 14th December – Store will close at 5pm. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

Cushty Co are my go to for wax melts and I’ve ended up buying so many this year! Their autumn/Halloween collection being my favourite to date. If you know someone who loves burning candles and wax tarts like me, Cushty Co are a great place to check out. They do LOADS of different scent varieties and three different sizes of wax so the choices are huge. They currently have their Christmas/winter scents in stock and I have all of them! They’re absolutely amazing and if you know someone who loves Christmas and wishes it could be everyday, then some of the Christmas/winter scents will be right up their street. Not only do Cushty Co sell wax tarts, but they also sell room sprays too, which I’m yet to try. If you know someone who loves Lush then they’ll love Unicorn Dreams which smells exactly like Snow Fairy and Nightfall which smells exactly like Twlight.

Image taken from Bubble Baskets UK/Books Baths and Beauty

Bubble Baskets UK/Books Baths and Beauty – Lovingly Custom made 3D printed Bubble Baskets.

Last date to order for Christmas – 17th December if ordering a pink, black or ombré bubble basket. 14th December if ordering a custom colour. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

I recently decided to buy myself a bubble basket from Books Baths and Beauty as I’ve wanted one for over a year now and as my bathroom was redone in the summer, I’ve finally been indulging in bath products and having bath cocktails more. It arrived over the weekend I’ve used it a few times since. It’s really good and if you’re like me and use bubble bars, shower gels and more to create bubbles, then this is for you! They’re made with a 3D printer and are sturdy and amazing! 😀 If you know someone who loves taking baths and using the same products as I do, this will be perfect for helping them create lots of bubbles! Teenagers will love this, as well as mermaids.

Image taken from GIPHY

Beauty

Image taken from The Bath Bae

The Bath Bae  –  Handmade bath treats to make you glow inside and out. Vegan and cruelty free!

Last date to order for Christmas – Monday 21 December at 3pm Royal Mail Tracked 48 or Tuesday 22 December at 3pm Royal Mail Tracked 24. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

I recently made my first order with The Bath Bae and honestly – I have zero regrets. They focus on bath bomb products in various different varieties and scents so there is plenty to choose from! So far I’ve only tried the bath cubes and they are amazing, perfect for anyone of any age. You can pick up bath sparkle, sparkle rocks, bath cubes and bath soak. These would make great stocking fillers for teenagers and anyone who loves a good soak in the bath. My favourite scent from them so far is Oh So Slushie, which reminds me of Tango Ice Blast slushies from the cinema.

Image taken from Happy Melon

Happy Melon – Handmade beauty products made in small batches and packed with cuteness, colour and yummy fragrance. Cruelty free!

Last date to order for Christmas – Restock this Sunday (13/12/2020) and as items sell out quickly, there isn’t really a last date to order for Christmas.

Happy Melon is a brand I discovered this year and bought from during their last restock. If you know someone who loves their beauty and bath products and for them to be as colourful as possible, Happy Melon is a good indie brand for this! They have a wide variety of products including bubble bath, lip sugar, perfume oil, bath soak (snuggle soak), sugar scrub and more! One of the bubble baths I own is a Lush Snow Fairy dupe (Sabrina bubble bath) and it’s one of my favourite products to use after a long day. Plus a little goes a long way and this stuff lasts AGES! One of the products I am excited to try soon is the Pop Kei Snuggle Soak, which smells just like Tango Ice Blast slushies! It would work so well with the slushie bath cubes from The Bath Bae. Again this is a great brand for teenagers due to how colourful everything is and maybe even children too due to how colourful and sparkly the bubble baths are.

Image taken from Hex Bomb

Hex Bomb – Divine handmade gothic beauty products for dark sweets hearts. Creator of the first black bath bomb! Cruelty free and vegan!

Last date to order for Christmas – 21st December. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

Hex Bomb is a brand I have always wanted to try since the Black As Your Soul bath bomb came out. I’m yet to try it still and plan to buy it in the near future! I’ve mentioned some colourful and kawaii beauty indie brands so far, so I wanted to through a gothic, dark brand in there for good measure. I love me a dark bath, it reflects who I am inside and this brand would be perfect for any goth friend or relative out there! Not only do they make bath bombs but Hex Bomb also sell shower gel, soap, scrub, lip balm, perfume oil AND even wax melts for your home. If you aren’t sure what to buy that gothic beauty in your life (because Hex Bomb have a lot of variety!) you could always pick up one of their gift boxes which contains a variety of products. If you want to see a review (or two) of Hex Bomb make sure to go and check out my great blogger friend Raiin Monkey’s blog posts here.

Image taken from GIPHY

Honourable Mentions

Geek/Kawaii – Quirkory – Due to being based in Italy, they didn’t qualify for this shop small post. However, I couldn’t not mention them! They sell enamel pins, stickers and prints inspired by Japanese video games and cute animals.

Geek/Kawaii – Claire Likes To Doodle – The reason I didn’t mention my friend Claire and her store is because she got a post allllll to herself recently! Which I am going to link here. 🙂

Geek/Kawaii – 1 In 100/One In Hundred – A local Brummy like myself, Alex over at 1 In 100 has some amazing designs on her store and you can buy items from clothing, badges, keyrings, stickers, prints, stationary and more. I keep meaning to pick up some of her Japan inspired prints. Check them out here and here.

Geek/Kawaii – Chibi Shibby – May have bought a Christmas present from one of my favourite artists… 😉 Shibby recently reopened her store and has filled it was gorgeous kawaii goodies! There’s also some Christmas related goods in there too.

Geek/Kawaii – Lunaticgumis – Due to being based in Gran Canaria, they didn’t quality for this shop small post. However, I am planning to write about them on my blog very very soon! 😀 They sell stickers as well as amigurumis (Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small, stuffed yarn creatures). They stock Bee and Puppycat designs WHICH I LOVE!

Geek/Kawaii – Taiyakiblue – This store is joint owned by tattooists senseoftheterrific and tubbybeartattoo. They stock clothing, prints and even some keyrings and pins made out of resin. They’re both inspired by geeky/kawaii themes such as D&D, Studio Ghibli, Dragonball Z, Moomins, Adventure Time and more. I’ve purchased a Christmas present from them and plan to buy prints in the future! I love their style so much.

Bath – Bath Bake Love – No restock until after Christmas where there will be lots of enchanted teasers for the New Year Wonderland and plenty of goodies in January!

AND THERE WE HAVE IT! My HUGE shop small Christmas shopping guide for the UK!

What do you guys think? I wanted to try and cover as much as I could and I like to think I’ve done that quite well. In the future I may pop up with some of these after Christmas, just as good shopping guides throughout the year for birthday’s and more!

Honestly guys, I hope you enjoyed this post today as much as I enjoyed writing it. I’m off work for the week and the first thing I knew I wanted to do was to write this post.

Are there any small shops in the UK that you feel I should know about? Make sure to let me know and I’ll take a look for next time!

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

Christmas 2019 Wish List

Last Christmas I decided to do a wish list post about what I wanted as a teenager for Christmas in comparison to what I wanted now. I would love to do something like this now, but I honestly don’t think I can top what I did last year. That post was perfect and I loved it so much!

This year when I’ve been asked what I’d like for Christmas, it’s been kinda hard to decide… With our trip coming up soon I’m trying to save a lot of money for that and when it comes down to having anything for myself, I honestly can’t think of anything I want… So this year has been tough.

Not just for myself, but I’ve struggled to buy Dane’s Christmas presents this year! I wanted to make sure he had loads of exciting things to open, that he wouldn’t even think of buying himself, so I hope he loves what he’s been gifted with! 😀

Anyhoo, my list is very geeky and Japan heavy! 😛

• Nintendo Switch Taiko no Tatsujin.

This is a game I have wanted for quite a while now and I’m pretty sure it’s one I have mentioned on my blog from time to time on wish list posts. I am putting it on here for Christmas as I STILL want it! This is a game I have tried the demo of and loved, it was fun and I could see myself playing it both on my Switch Lite as well as on Dane’s Switch console with the drum attachment. I’m not crazily after it, but it would be nice to have. Sadly, it isn’t cheap and whenever I found it cheap I just couldn’t justify it. 😦

• Nintendo Switch Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires’ Conspiracy.

This is a game I discovered not long after I bought my Switch Lite back at the start of November and it’s one I am intrigued by. I do enjoy puzzles games and the Layton games are always a series that has intrigued me, but one I just never invested in… I have a feeling this is a gift I will be receiving for Christmas, which will be really nice! I always love getting games for Christmas as it’s sort of a tradition. My parents or brother(s) would always buy me a game for my console of choice at the time, so I always loved spending Christmas and Boxing Day playing them.

• Juniper: The Happiest Fox 2020 Wall Calendar.

Dane always buys me a calendar for the year ahead, no ifs or buts. It’s definitely a tradition we have now and it’s one I love! For a while he always bought me a Simon’s Cat calendar, then for a time it was Pusheen and now we have settled onto Juniper! I love foxes and Juniper is a fox I especially love, alongside her brother Fig, who is in this calendar! I can’t wait to write loads of stuff on it already of everything we have coming up during 2020.

• PlayStation 4 Persona 3 and 5 Endless Night Collection.

This isn’t a gift I’m SUPER psyched about having, but due to my love of the Persona series, it is a game I would enjoy having to play at home! It includes both the Persona 3 and Persona 5 dance games on the PS4, as well as a download code for the Persona 4 dance game for PS4 too! I actually already own this on the PS Vita, but having it on the PS4 would be so much better.

• Nichijou Manga Volume 9 and 10.

This is a manga series that now seems to have finished on volume 10. I only need 9 and 10 to finish my series for Nichijou, which is a manga (and anime series) that I love! This is a manga series that Dane has bought me since we got together and I do love receiving these from him each Christmas. I doubt very much I will get them this year, but even so in 2020 I will definitely pick these up for myself.

• Nendoroid Figures:
• Star Wars Han Solo
  
• Star Wars Luke Skywalker
• Star Wars Rey
• Star Wars BB-8
• Star Wars Princess Leia

I always ask for a Nendoroid figure (or two) during Christmas and my birthday, but this year I REALLY struggled! I’ve either pre-ordered or own the Persona 5 series and some I want are hard to find now. I do hope I get one, maybe even two of the Star Wars Nendoroid figures. Apparently I do have a Nendoroid figure for Christmas… But I can’t for the life of me think which one it could be!

I think that’s about it for my Christmas wish list this year! I feel like I’ve been rather boring, but to be honest I have been a bit stumped on what I would like for Christmas with my trip to Japan looming.

I’ve also struggled to buy for people this year for so many reasons! It’s really sucked to be honest. xD

What do you have on your Christmas lists this year? Jesty ideas are welcome too (aka new car, a pet etc).

Until next time, Merry Christmas all and I hope you have a lovely day whatever you do. 🙂

Christmas Gift Guide 2019 – Animal Crossing

Image taken from GIPHY

Do you (or someone you know) love Animal Crossing?

Would you (or someone you know) love to receive an Animal Crossing themed gift for Christmas?

Last question – are you (or someone you know) excited for Animal Crossing: New Horizons in March 2020?

If you answered yes to any of the above, then this is the perfect Christmas gift guide for you, whether it’s for a friend or even yourself!

I am a massive Animal Crossing fan and it’s by far one of my favourite franchises to date (alongside Pokemon and Persona 5) so I am always on the hunt for merchandise, whether it be to treat myself or even ask as gifts over the festive period.

With Animal Crossing: New Horizons almost 3 months away, I thought I would do a gift guide on what to buy your Animal Crossing obsessed friend… Or maybe you could get some ideas for yourself to hint to your loved ones.

Items mentioned here may be owned by myself already, or items that I’m even lusting after myself. I hope you enjoy this gift guide! 😀

• SarahDandh The Roost Mug – (link) – (link to review on my blog)

This mug is by far one of my favourites that I own. I’ve only owned it for a couple of months and I use it quite a lot in comparison to some of my older mugs. It’s a gorgeous design with so much detail and since I’ve discovered it and shared it with friends, it has generated a lot of attention, which is always lovely. Due to the locaton of SarahDandh being in Spain, delivery may take a little longer… But in all fairness it didn’t take too long for mine to arrive and you can always email the seller and ask. She’s so lovely to talk to and I’m sure she would be more than happy to help! 😀

• Various stationary from washi tape, stickers and notebooks.

If there is something I am obsessed with, it’s stationary! I really do love it and personally I also find it to be the perfect gift if you want to give little gifts to blogger/online friends, or even stocking fillers for friends and teenagers. I thought I would share loads of stationary that I love the look of from sellers on both Etsy and Redbubble.

• PolymerNai washi tape (link)
• ShatteredStore washi tape (link)
• Tinkalila washi tape (link)

I don’t actually own any washi tape myself, but it’s something I have always wanted and still do! The Animal Crossing ones above that I found on Etsy are gorgeous, especially the one by ShatteredStore!

• minkandmango stickers (link)
• ncdoggGraphics K.K. Slider sticker (link)
• CobaltCity16 Goldie and Lucky sticker (link)

I can’t get enough of stickers! I want all of the ones mentioned above, especially he Goldie and Lucky sticker, seeing as they’re my two favourite characters from Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp.

• KnightNick Celeste spiral notebook (link)
• CactusCatArt yellow hardcover journal (link)
• GSunrise Isabelle spiral notebook (link)

If there is one gift I always love to receive for Christmas it’s a notebook or journal, especially one with a print on that I love! These notebooks and journal are gorgeous, with my favourite being the Celeste galaxy one. 😀

Image take from diyCrossing

• diyCrossing Music Box Set – (link)

Not only does diyCrossing sell cross stitch patterns, but they also sell cute little music boxes and music strips with music from Animal Crossing. This is something I have asked for for Christmas myself, as it would make for a cool little thing to have on my collection. You can pick from 7 designs which are all based on the game, as well as various music strips to choose from. You can even choose a design you would like for your music strip too! I love how personal and unique you can create your music box. This would make a lovely gift for any Animal Crossing fan, especially if the music relaxes them as much as it does for me. Like the cross stitch designs diyCrossing is constantly coming out with new music strips each month, which I think is great! He also recently announced some new music box designs too, which are cute! Be warned however, this item is in stock but won’t be shipped out for 3-5 weeks.

• Various charms/keychains/rings.

If there is one thing I love it’s charms, keychains and keyrings! So of course I had to share three I’ve found over on Etsy from some independent artists. As a user of an ita bag, as well as backpacks that are COVERED in charms, I like to think the designs/items I show are gorgeous and unique!

• ToasterKiwi Isabelle charm (link)
• MochironStore Goldie charm (link)
• JupyPoopy shaker keychain (link)

These charms/keychain are so pretty and I love them all! Especially the shaker keyring and the Goldie charm. I would love the shaker keyring to keep on my car keys. I can only imagine this keychain to be so relaxing to shake when feeling anxious/nervous about anything.

• Amazon Gym/Travel Bag – (link)

This isn’t anything fancy but I keep seeing this pattern pop up on my Amazon page when searching for Animal Crossing bits and pieces and I thin the print is gorgeous! There are loads of bag designs to choose from, but I like this one the most! In the New Year people like to go to the gym more and be healthier, so this bag would be perfect for any Animal Crossing nerd who also ventures to the gym, dance classes and more. Plus its not stupidly expensive either, which is fab!

• Various enamel pins.

As many readers of my blog will know, I love enamel pins and have been collecting them since 2018. I don’t even have a handful of Animal Crossing pins and I would seriously love more! Enamel pins make for great gifts and I know for a fact any Animal Crossing fan would love an enamel pin in their Christmas stocking. 🙂

• Stami Studios Villager Girl Pin (link)
• Illustrator Jake Isabelle Bumper Kart Enamel Pin (link)
• Stami Studios Becoming Smash Rainbow Pin (link)

I wanted to share some sellers that I really love pin designs from! I especially love the Villager Girl pin as it’s something different, considering it’s from New Horizons of the girl in the trailer.

Image taken from Miss Octopie

• Miss Octopie “Be My Valentine” Short Sleeve Cut Out Dress – (link)

I’ve had my eye on this dress for ages, it’s not cheap though in all fairness but the quality looks amazing! This would be cute for a kawaii/otaku to wear every now and then! I would love something like this to wear for Japan, but I doubt I’d wear it any other time aside from comic cons in the UK and geeky events…

Image taken from diyCrossing

• diyCrossing Cross Stitch Kit – (link)

If there is one store I have discovered this year and fell in love with, it’s diyCrossing. I can’t even remember how I found it now (although I am feeling like it was through an Instagram recommendation!) but I’m so glad I did. DIY Crossing specifies in selling Animal Crossing made items including cross stitch kits. They have 39 villagers to choose from and even offer seasonal designs for free for you to download at home! I made sure to bag myself a free Jingle one (no purchase necessary), as I may give it a go throughout the festive season this year or even throughout the year ready for Christmas 2020. In the set you get everything you need to get cracking with the design you choose as soon as possible!. I’ve actually asked for the Goldie one for Christmas, as she’s my favourite Animal Crossing character. The great thing about diyCrossing is that he is constantly coming out with new designs each month (3 max), which I think is great! It means we will get more and more of our favourite villager designs to choose from.

So there you go guys! That is my first out of two Christmas gift guides! 😀 I’m going to try and get the second one out next Wednesday too, considering Christmas Day is 2 weeks today I thought it would give you all plenty of time to view both of the guides before the big day.

UPDATE – Also make sure to use my discount code below on Illustrator Jake’s store to snag yourself a nice 10% discount! 😀

THEREMIGHTBECOFFEE10

I really wanted to work on an Animal Crossing gift guide, as I know I’m stoked for the game in March 2020 and I know damn well that others are too!

Do you like any of the items mentioned on this gift guide? Whether that be for yourself, or a friend. Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

Until next time all, I hope you’re having a good week so far! 😀

JenniFairy Illustration – Review*

2019 is the year where I really got to work with some amazing people and companies on my blog, but 2019 is also the year where I have been privileged to work with one of my favourite independent artists, JenniFairy.

As readers will know, since 2018 I have discovered a new hobby, which is enamel pin collecting. I just love them so much! They’re affordable, can be pinned anywhere and best of all a great way to show off some of your favourite artists, game series and more.

If there is one independent artist I really do love and adore, it’s JenniFairy! I love her Pokemon pins, as well a her food pins too. We’ve been talking together for a while now through Instagram and I’ve discovered what a lovely person she is to talk to! We spoke about Japan, what she hopes to do with her store in the future and more. She’s one of my favourite artists to talk to, purely for how approachable and honest she is.

So, when we decided to work together, I was so excited! Whilst I have worked with loads of big companies and people this year, I have also learnt that I actually get more joy out of working with smaller/newer companies and independent artists, especially ones I have loved and bought from for many years.

JenniFairy is definitely one of those people! I’ve spoken about Jenn and her store on my blog before. Once back in 2017 when I first discovered her and mentioned her on my old independent artists series and literally this time last year when Jenn worked with Sour Attitude Club to create two gorgeous Pikachu enamel pins in their Pika Sweets Cafe range!

I remember wearing these pin badges to Birmingham Comic Con in March on my Persona 5 varsity jacket and EVERYONE asked me about them. Who they were by, how much, etc. I felt so happy to share JenniFairy and her store with everyone at the con. 😀

I am so excited to share with you guys not only the pins that Jenn sent me to talk about on my blog but I’m also going to show you some I have bought myself! As always, I will share links, prices and of course which pins were gifted to me, as well as which ones I bought. 🙂

Some of the items mentioned in this post have been gifted for promotional and reviewing purposes, so all views on this post are entirely my own. Items that have been gifted will have a * next to them.

I have a few different pin designs (and a sticker!) from a couple of different “series” that JenniFairy has released recently, as well as throughout the rest of 2019. 🙂

The first series I will talk about is the most recent one, which is called Spoopy Cuties. I remember when Jenn was sketching the ideas up for these cute pin designs and I honestly fell in love with all the dressed up ghosts! I knew I had to pick up one of these when they came out.

The Spoopy Cuties will be perfect all year around! I know loads of people who love Halloween and I feel like these designs will be perfect for showing off your love of the spooky month. 😛

In the collection there are 6 designs to choose from – Pumpkin Buddy (you can also grab a glitter variant too which is special edition!), Boolloons, Angel Ghost, Devil Ghost, Witch Bunny and Boonicorn. I was gifted and bought the last 2.

Witch Bunny Enamel Pin* – A Grade £8.00 and B Grade £6.00 (link)

I know loads of people who actually picked up the Witch Bunny enamel pin and I can honestly understand why. This is one of my favourite designs to come out in the Spoopy Cuties because it’s so cute with that bit of Halloween too! The purple hat works really well with the white bunny and I especially love the star detailing on the hat too. This is on a gold finish and has two clutch fixes on the back. I do really love this bunny! It would be really cute to wear on a leather/fake leather jacket!

Boonicorn Enamel Pin – A Grade £8.00 and B Grade £6.00 (link)

This is the pin I knew I had to buy when it came out! I actually picked up a B Grade for a change and I have to be honest, this doesn’t look like a B Grade at all! If anything it looks like an A Grade, which makes me so happy. I can’t see any defects on it at all, which is good. The Boonicorn is so pastel, I love it! It has a pastel mane made of colours yellow, pink. blue and purple, as long as a sparkly white unicorn horn, which I found to be such a cute and magical unicorn touch! It’s face is so happy with it’s pink rosy cheeks and little arms. It’s just so damn cute! I love ghost themed things at Halloween so this pin is perfect for me! I already plan to wear it in my new itabag whilst I’m in Japan! This is on a gold finish and has two clutch fixes on the back.

The next collection I want to talk about is actually from the first Kickstarter that JenniFairy released this year, which is Big Cat Cuties. The campaign came out in July, with pins being sent out to backers at the start of October. I backed one of the designs, but Jenn was kind enough to also send me one of the cats I regret not picking up!

The collection (as the name suggests) is inspired by big cats of the world, with the collection including 6 designs to choose from – Jaguar, Black Panther, Snow Leopard, Lion, Lynx and Tiger. Again, I was gifted and bought the last 2.

Big Cat Cuties Tiger Enamel Pin* – £9.00 and Seconds £7.00 (link)

I actually think this is my favourite design out of all the Big Cat Cuties! It looks so bright with the orange and adorable with it’s little happy face! As I mentioned before, I did regret not backing for 2 pins because I wanted this one so much! This will look adorable on a cream jumper or cardigan at work, or even on a coat throughout the winter months. I know cat fans are also massive on cat toe beans, which the Tiger has! It has little black pads, so cute! It’s the only Big Cat Cutie design to have this. This is on a gold finish and has two clutch fixes on the back.

Big Cat Cuties Lynx Enamel Pin – £9.00 and Seconds £7.00 (link)

This is the Big Cat Cuties design I chose from backing the Kickstarter campaign and it’s so adorable! I’m not a massive “cat” fan, but I couldn’t resist this cute animal pin designs, especially as they were by JenniFairy. I love the grey colour of the Lynx design and especially the cute little pink nose. It adds such a perfect touch alongside the white and grey. This is an enamel pin I know I’ll wear loads, as I love the colour scheme so much. I love the fluffy detail on the ears, it’s so well done and really does bring out more detailing on the character. I would love to wear this both in my new itabag as well as on my red winter coat! This is on a gold finish and has two clutch fixes on the back.

Big Cat Cuties Sticker Sheet – £4.00 (link)

I was gifted these with my Kickstarter campaign award (Lynx) and just wanted to show them to you guys! They’re so damn cute and I don’t have the heart to use them yet, as I’m not 100% sure HOW I want to use them! You get all of the Big Cat Cutie designs here and these would make a lovely little Christmas gift for someone who loves cats.

The next pin I want to talk about is a design that brought me to JenniFairy’s store in the first place, which is her adorable Eeveelution collection called Chubbilutions! I actually already own a couple of the Eeveelution pins already, which is both Eevee (a seconds pin) and Sylveon. The one I opted for this time is Vaporeon, which is one of my favourites out of the 9 cuties! Of course you can pick up Eevee, Flareon, Jolteon, Espeon, Umbreon, Leafeon, Glaceon and Sylveon. I would LOVE to own all these in the future! 😀

Vaporeon Enamel Pin* – £8.00 (link)

I’m so glad I chose this design as it’s absolutely adorable, as well as really well detailed! I love that all of the Chubbilutions are munching on their tails, which is such a cute idea. I love how JenniFairy worked on this for each Eeveelution too. I do love the tail in Vaporeon’s mouth though, the cute little mermaid pupper that it is! I also love the detail on the scales of the Vaporeon too along its tail and as odd as it sounds, it feels really comforting on the fingers when you stroke it. This pin will be perfect to wear all the time and I especially can’t wait to put this pin and the Sylveon one together in my itabag! This is on a gold finish and has two clutch fixes on the back.

As well as enamel pins, Jenn also sent me a sticker! I actually own the enamel pin design of the sticker that I was sent. I wanted this sticker to pop either into my Filofax diary, or even a notebook.

Pikachu Crepe Sticker* – £2.00 (link)

I love this design so much, it shouts Japan to me in every sense with both the Pikachu and the crepe. It’s so cute and really does remind me of when I went to Birmingham comic con in March and everyone adored this design, alongside the Pikachu ice cream design that I own both of the pins of.

Finally I’m going to be talking about my favourite item that Jenn sent me in my gifted package and it’s an item that is sadly no longer available as it was limited edtion. HOWEVER, Jenn will be bringing a special Christmas edition out of this little cutie, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled for this!

Detective Pikachu Enamel Pin*

I love this pin so much and it’s one that Jenn was kind enough to put to one side for me before it sold out, as she knew how much I wanted one! As I mentioned before, this pin is now sold out but I just had to mention it here because I know JenniFairy will be bringing this back for Christmas… So make sure to keep eyes peeled for this limited edition cutie! The original design has his cute little deer stalker hat on and his takeaway cup of coffee! I love the pastel colour scheme for this too, it’s perfect and really does shout JenniFairy’s unique style to me! I loved Detective Pikachu so I’m so pleased to have a little pin badge to show this. This will definitely be going into my itabag and taken with me to Japan! This is on a gold finish and has one clutch fixes on the back.

So that is everything that both JenniFairy sent me, as well as the few bits I picked up myself. 🙂

I cannot thank Jenn enough for giving me the opportunity to work with her for this blog post today and it is by far one of my favourite collaborations of 2019! I’m so excited to put these pins in my itabag, as well as on cardigans, coats/jackets and more to show off to the world and especially when I go to Japan! 😀

I love talking about independent artists on my blog, especially when I love what they do! If it means I can talk about something I adore and help my readers discover new places to buy kawaii goods from at the same time, it’s real blessing.

Overall I honestly love Jenn’s designs and they’re so unique and whenever I see her work I instantly know it’s her. Her designs are cute, pastel and chubby, can you get anymore kawaii than that? I don’t think so. 😛

Not only does she design Pokemon themed goods, but she does also design food and Japanese food, as well as some other animal designs too. Make sure to go and check out her store for more, as well as go and bag yourself some goodies as well! 😀

I’ve posted JenniFairy’s links down below so you can check out her store, as well as all her social media platforms. 😀

Etsy

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Christmas is looming and I feel JenniFairy would be a great place to pick up a Secret Santa present, as well as gifts for friends or young teenagers who love Pokemon.

What would you like to pick up for yourself, or a friend? Make sure to let me know in the comments below!

Until next time all, I hope you’ve all had a lovely weekend. 🙂

Two Unique Firebox Gifts You Should Buy For Her This Christmas*

I can’t believe we are a day away from being into the first week of December! I can’t believe how quick the month is already going and before we know it, it’ll be Christmas Day.

BUT have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? You might have some relatives to buy for, a best friend, someone you work with or maybe even a Secret Santa you need to find a gift for. I’m actually off shopping with one of my best friends this evening as we both have some last minute gifts to pick up.

I recently spoke to Firebox about wanting to work with them on a Christmas post and after some email exchanges I picked two items which I thought you guys may like the look of, for so many reasons.

So I thought today I would talk about the two items I was sent from Firebox, as well as why I think they’re both great Christmas present gifts for teenagers, younger and older women.

If there is one store I always go to for quirky and different gift ideas for anyone I always head to Firebox. Hey, I even buy myself stuff from there from time to time too. 😛

They have an amazing gifts for her section, as well as some unusual Christmas gifts too! The two items I chose are from the gifts for her section.

As you’re already aware, today’s post is about great gifts you can get for the girl/woman in your life and I’m going to be talking about two items today that are both different, in their own ways!

The first item I’m going to talk about is the Heart Waffle Maker*, which costs £24.99.

We love this brilliant machine a waffle lot. It’s a fact: you can’t make waffles without a waffle maker. Well, you could try, but good luck replicating their unique grid pattern and maintaining a uniform shape. With this hot pink delight, you can make up to five waffles in mere minutes from the comfort of your own kitchen. Why settle for the inferior dry ones from the shops when you could be feasting on delicious creations made your way? That’s right, get ready for Instagram worthy matcha, activated-charcoal, or rainbow waffles. Eat your heart out, Creams. Description taken from Firebox.com

You may think, “Nat what made you think a heart waffle maker was a good gift idea?” Well… Why not?! I know for a fact I don’t speak for myself when I say how much I love waffles! If there is one thing I love receiving for Christmas it’s items I can make use out of throughout the year and a waffle maker can not only be a great present for a food lover, but especially a food lover at Christmas!

As this heart waffle maker is a gorgeous pastel pink colour, this will make the ideal gift for a teenager who always holds sleepovers and wants to make yummy waffles. This is also a great gift for a couple who love food and women who love to cook. Of course anyone who has a pink theme for their kitchen will adore this pink heart waffle maker. PLUS who doesn’t want a heart shaped waffle, eh? 😛

I’ve already made loads of waffles for me and Dane with this and whilst it takes some getting used to at first, it is SO EASY to use and super easy to clean too. I plan to show how I make chicken and waffles and maybe even some chocolate waffles, so keep eyes peeled for that. 😛

I love how on the Firebox website it recommends how you can make all sorts of different waffles, including matcha, charcoal and even rainbow ones! I love the thought of making a rainbow waffle.

For just under £25 I think this would make a great gift for a teenager or someone who loves food. It’s just the perfect gift to get for a girl or woman that is hard to buy for, but who loves food.

The second item I chose and the one I was super excited to receive is the Elodie the Unicorn Light Up Umbrella*, which costs £29.99. This is also an exclusive product to Firebox!

It’s a big fat cliche but we Brits are no strangers to rain, so you can rest assured we know how to make a damn good umbrella. Sprinkle a little bit of fairy dust into the brolly machine and you get this! Elodie, our favourite unicorn, is back in the form of this perfect parasol that lights up and changes colour when in contact with water! Simply flick the little switch on the handle to illuminate the multicolour LEDs – there’s even a dimmer switch if you want romantic mood lighting for your rainy stroll. As for the liquid reactive bits, the cute little clusters of hearts and stars on take on ombre rainbow hues when in contact with water. And there’s a lot of them to go round with that 34” diameter so prepare your eyes for a full spectrum magical unicorn lightshow. Description taken from Firebox.com

I’m a massive fan of Elodie the Unicorn and I knew I had to share this wonderful thing with you guys on my blog! I’m really funny when it comes to umbrellas, as in I always like to have a unique one for whenever I need to use one. I also love this style of umbrella too as I find they’re just adorable and different. I remember when I was at college and this style of umbrella first came out in shops and markets. I fell in love and had a couple of them that I used on and off. They fast blew inside out and broke, long gone. 😛

This light up umbrella is so different though and as of yet I have never seen anything like it to date. As the description for this umbrella states, we in the UK are definitely not surprised when it rains, so why not have a glam brolly to use whenever we get any?! It chucked it down with rain earlier this week and thankfully I didn’t get soaked, thanks to my car and running from it to my workplace. 😛

Not only does this umbrella light up though with the simple push of a button by the handle, but it also has a cute unicorn face, and the gold part at the top of the umbrella resembles the unicorn horn! It also has liquid-reactive patterns all on the umbrella itself which change colour when rain water gets into contact with it. Could you honestly ask for anything cuter?!

So with all the crappy rain we get in the UK I think this light up umbrella would make a perfect gift for a girl, teenager or woman of any age group!

This would make a great gift for someone in education, especially secondary school for when it’s getting dark earlier and they have to walk home from school. Not only would the umbrella stop them getting soaked, but it would also have the lights on, which would help when crossing the road, getting around and maybe even if their friends or family are meeting them somewhere.

This umbrella also seems like such an awesome novelty for an adult too, especially if they’re like me and love anything cute and adorable like this and I know for a fact others would feel the same about it too.

Let’s not forget, mermaids and unicorns have blown up these past few years, so any unicorn lover out there would definitely love to receive this umbrella.

The one thing I will say about this umbrella is that the images on Firebox’s website don’t do it justice not just for how big it actually is, but also for how amazing the lights are on it! They’re incredibly bright and colourful, very kawaii!

I was going to talk about more items that I feel you should buy, but I’m actually going to save that for another post where I recommend gifts you should buy for the geeky girls and guys in your lives! 😛

What do you think of the items that Firebox sent me? Do you think they’re unique gifts that you could see yourself buying for someone? If so who would you buy them for and why? I want to know so make sure to let me know in the comments!

I just want a say a MASSIVE THANK YOU to Firebox for working with me. I have loved this brand for years and it has taken some massive confidence growth this year for me to built up the encouragement to email them, expressing how much I would love to work with them and why.

Until next time, take care all and I hope you’re ready for the weekend!

Last Minute Christmas Ideas

It’s only a week until Christmas now and although myself and Dane have finished our Christmas shopping I know of a lot of people who probably haven’t even started yet! My parents for example leave their Christmas shopping until the last minute.

SO this Christmas ideas list will be handy if you’re like them! This list will cater to men, women, children, and teenagers.

• Zoella On My Travels Back Pack – £50.00 *currently £30.00* (link)

This is a great present idea for a woman of any age but I would say this is more for a teenager or student, especially if they’re a fan of the YouTube star Zoella, who has teamed up with Boots this year to create some lovely gifts for Christmas. Inside this gorgeous grey backpack you get a ceramic takeaway cup for those hot drinks, a keyring for your keys and some pencils. You can’t really go wrong with something like this. Hell I’d love it but I have enough bags to last me a lifetime. 😛

• Stormtrooper Decanter – £21.00 (link)

This is the perfect gift for anyone who loves Star Wars, but I would say more so for your boyfriend, brother or even your dad. It’s a decanter which you can pop any alcoholic choice in. I was going to get one of these for Dane and fill it with Jack Daniels, but I left it. BUT you don’t have to fill this with alcohol! You could always buy some cheap battery operated fairy lights and put them into the decanter, leaving the on and off switch outside. This was another idea I had for Dane for Christmas, but again I left it. May have to do it though now as he loves this.

• Lush Rudy and Pip Gift Set – £11.95 each (link) & (link)

Look how adorable these two little gift sets are! These will make lovely last minute gifts for children and even secret Santa gifts. My favourite of the two is Rudy. If you want to get one or even both of these though you will have to hurry as Lush run out of things like this super quickly as Christmas grows closer.

• Pokemon Christmas Pikachu Mug – £7.99 (link)

Who doesn’t like to get a mug for Christmas? Or any occasion for that matter! I have eyed this mug up myself many times over December so far but I don’t really need anymore mugs… BUT this would make a great addition to any Pokemon fans cupboard, or even their desk at work! Yeah it’s Christmas themed, but sod that, I’d use it all year around. 😛

• Chocolate & Peanut Butter Cupcake In A Mug – £9.99 (link)

It’s funny because I’ve actually bought this mug for Dane for Christmas as he spotted it in Lakeland last night and really liked it. It’s also a present he’s received early which is kinda nice. On the mug there is a guide and ingredients as to how to make a chocolate and peanut butter cupcake in the microwave,  which Dane really liked. So this is a definite mug for anyone you know who doesn’t just love cake, but loves anything chocolate and peanut butter flavoured. It also makes an amazing mug for big cups of coffee!

• Pusheen Shaped Purse – £7.99 (link)

I LOVE Pusheen and although I wouldn’t be bothered about receiving something like this, I know a lot of little girls who would! I loved when I was bought my first coin purse as a little girl. I was able to keep my pennies in there for sweeties and pound shop treats. Pusheen is starting to become a more known thing in the UK now after being out in America for agggges and little girls go crazy for her. So why not get a lovely little coin purse and pop some silver in there for good luck. 🙂

• Hamster Hottie – £9.00 (link)

I LOVE hotties and I recently bought myself a new one, as well as buying one of my best friends one for Christmas. They’re a lovely gifts to receive for Christmas due to how cold it is, as well as in general! I bought my friend Jacqui hers as it was Gromit, who she loves! But also because I know she would appreciate the warmth of it. I love mine because I like to snuggle it when I have bad period pain, or in bed and on the sofa if I’m chilly and need something to warm me up a little bit. These are great for anyone of any age and you can pick so many different varieties and animals up which is great!

• Christmas Slipper Socks – £12.00 (link)

This a cheesy Christmas gift, but a nice one if you’re stuck for ideas on what to get a male secret Santa, boyfriend, brother or your dad. I’ve bought these for Dane as his feet are always cold, I wanted something nice/cheesy for him to wear Christmas day and he wanted them! They have cute little bells on which jingle as you walk and some support on the soles so that you won’t slip on wooden flooring (which is handy in our house seeing as all downstairs is wooden floor!). I am just so excited for him to wear these Christmas!

So those are just some of my ideas for some quick last minute Christmas presents! There are hundreds more I could have added to be honest. Check out Boots for some good ideas, as well as your local supermarkets! M&S had a 50% off gifts sale recently, which I’m sure is still on so that is definitely worth checking out!

I hope everyone isn’t stressing too much with presents and even food for next week. Have you finished all your Christmas shopping? If so what was your best purchase this year for someone? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

Until next time take care all and I hope everyone is getting excited! Only 7 days now!

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