Shop Small UK Guide – Christmas 2021

We are officially less than two weeks away from Christmas now and DAMN it’s starting to feel real! I’m just about finished now with most of my Christmas presents in the run up to the big day, but in some cases I’ve been and still am in need of some inspiration. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve really struggling this year to find the perfect gifts for Dane, my friends and especially my mom! My dad has been the easiest person to buy for this year, which makes a change. 😛

Alongside my Christmas present woes, I always enjoy writing and sharing gift guides with you all and this year is no exception. Last year I wrote about independent businesses in the UK that you should buy from and I wanted to do that again this year. The past twenty-one months has been hard for everyone, especially independent businesses, whether or not they existed before or after COVID began. This doesn’t just apply to the UK, but I’ve seen a lot of small businesses struggle lately, and in worse cases close down due to not being able to make enough sales to keep going.

I really want to continue to do my bit in helping these businesses as much as I can. Not only do I hope it helps you gain some new gift ideas, but I also hope it introduces you to some businesses you may not have heard of before and decide to shop with going into the New Year!

I still love a lot of the small businesses I mentioned last year, so I will link that post here! I won’t be mentioning businesses again that I spoke of last year, just so it’s fair on other businesses mentioned here.

Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy this blog post today! I’ll be mentioning stores last dates to order for Christmas too.

Image taken from SplashJaguarCo

SplashJaguarCo – Kawaii home and stationary items inspired by Animal Crossing. Rugs handmade in West Midlands, UK.

Last date to order for Christmas – 2nd Class 18th December and 1st Class 21st December. However, as Royal Mail are struggling at this time of year due to Christmas AND the new COVID variant, please bear in mind delays may occur. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

If there is one thing people have been really loving towards the end of the year, it’s been Animal Crossing! With the new update and Happy Home Paradise launching at the start of November, Animal Crossing fans have gone mad even more than ever. If you know someone who loves Animal Crossing, as well as stationary you should definitely check out SplashJaguarCo! Not going to lie the Cookie washi tape pictured above is on my Christmas list and I really hope I get it this year. I plan to use it to decorate my diary for 2022 and more. There are various characters to choose from to have on washi tape including Maple, Marshal, Tangy, Roald, Stitches and more! A roll or two of these cute little washi tapes would make perfect gifts for any Animal Crossing fan of any age or gender, whether it be for Secret Santa, a stocking filler and more.

Image taken from BeaconCandlesUK

BeaconCandlesUK – Scented candles for Gamers, Readers and Film Fanatics handmade in Manchester, UK.

Last date to order for Christmas – The store will be closing on Sunday 19th December. However, as Royal Mail are struggling at this time of year due to Christmas AND the new COVID variant, please bear in mind delays may occur. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

BeaconCandlesUK is a brand I’ve known about for as long as I can remember now and have always wanted to order from. I can’t remember how but I discovered them through their Lavender Town candle that is clearly inspired by the town in Pokemon. Not only does it sound amazing, but it looks really cool with the Cubone skull and bone on the top of the candle too. Alongside Pokemon candles you can also get some inspired by Final Fantasy, Animal Crossing, Lord of the Rings and more! The scents sound delicious and I’m sure these would make great gifts for any candle lovers out there! I’m contemplating buying some of these for friends this year for Christmas. I feel like candles make amazing gifts for people and it’s one of those where even if you aren’t sure what smells someone will like, if you bought a Pokemon fan one of the Pokemon candles, they would be so thankful!

Image taken from PokieMinx

PokieMinx – Terrariums and vanity desk gifts inspired by Pokémon & The Moomins. Handmade in South Yorkshire, UK.

Last date to order for Christmas – Unfortunately orders for Christmas have now ended. This being said the store IS still open with items being sent 1st Class tracked and signed so they arrived within 1-2 business day. However, as Royal Mail are struggling at this time of year due to Christmas AND the new COVID variant, please bear in mind delays may occur. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

I couldn’t not share PokieMinx and her adorable creations! These would make perfect gifts for any Pokemon or The Moomins fan out there, especially if they’re like myself and have started to work from home part time. A terrarium with their favourite Pokemon inside sitting on their desk could really brighten their day. Or maybe a mirror? The Cubone one shown about is gorgeous and I can’t stop looking at it whenever I venture over to PokieMinx’s website whenever I take a look at it. Anything from PokieMinx’s store would make amazing and personal gifts for any Pokemon or The Moomins fans, especially as everything is handmade by Kimmy! There are also enamel pin/earring stands too so if you know someone who has started to get into collecting pins or earrings, these would make amazing gifts too.

Image taken from ARTBOX

ARTBOX – Cute character goods from Japan and Korea. Based in Covent Garden London, UK.

Last date to order for Christmas – Not known at the time of writing this blog post. If you’re based in or around London, the Covent Garden store will be open on Christmas Eve from 11am until 4pm. However, as Royal Mail are struggling at this time of year due to Christmas AND the new COVID variant, please bear in mind delays may occur. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

I wanted to mention ARTBOX here as whilst it isn’t as independent as some Etsy sellers and independent stores might be online, it’s a great place to buy Japan and Korea based items, whether it be online or from their store in London. I’m yet to come to the day where I actually order something from them, which might be later today! 😛 ARTBOX would be a great place to get items for your friends and family who love Sanrio, Pusheen, Rilakkuma and BT21. There are all sorts of different items to buy from and at all price ranges so it’s perfect for anything and everything. Personally I’m toying with treating myself to the PomPomPurin plush shown above, which you can pose and dress up! How cute is that?!

Image taken from Stitchtothepast

Stitchtothepast -Video Games Cross Stitch, Patterns & Kits! Based in the UK.

Last date to order for Christmas – Not known at the time of writing this blog post. However, as Royal Mail are struggling at this time of year due to Christmas AND the new COVID variant, please bear in mind delays may occur. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

The final store I wanted to mention on today’s post is about Stitchtothepast, which is a store I discovered in the summer. If you’re a newbie to cross stitch, or a “pro” like me there is loads of choose from. Personally for gifts the cross stitch kits from their store would make great gifts for anyone, especially if they’re into Nintendo video games series such as Pokemon, Animal Crossing, Zelda, Kirby and more. I personally really love the look of the Animal Crossing Celeste cross stitch kit where she’s stargazing. It’s such a gorgeous design and one I would love to do and display in my house in the future. The kits are really good and come with a cross stitch guide, a wooden hoop, thread and a thread organiser, pattern, a needle and more. If you know someone who would like to get into cross stitch in 2022, one of the kits might make a great gift for them!

So, there we have it, my 2021 guide to small shops you should buy your Christmas gifts from this year! All UK based of course. 🙂

What do you guys think? I didn’t cover off as many stores and themes as I did last year, but I felt like last years post was so detailed, I couldn’t really improve on it as good this year. Please do check out last years guide too, those stores are still around and amazing to boot!

Honestly guys, I hope you enjoyed this post today as much as I enjoyed writing it. I watched Christmas movies whilst writing, as well as chilling with Dane in our office. It’s made a lovely change sitting at my desk to do blog work.

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 and promote on my Instagram page before the big day. 🙂

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

February Wish List ’19

I can’t quite believe it’s February already! January really did fly by and to be honest I’m so glad as aside from mine and my mom’s birthdays it was fucking crap. The fact it flew by in a blur was shitty. I wanted to at least get a chance to see January before it was gone.

This being said, I’m using February as a, “this is the month I get my shit together for the rest of the year!” I hope it actually is.

For now however, I’m STUFFED with Korean BBQ and I’m re watching Shameless for the fifth time. I’m actually trying to save up right now so me and Dane can hurry up and book Japan for my birthday, but this being said I’m still going to write my monthly wish list post, because why not. 😛

As you may have already noticed, for the first time in God knows how many years my monthly wish list post isn’t up on the 3rd of the month. I’ve decided that moving forward that this post every month will now be up on the 4th of every month!

Without anymore delays, let’s get on with the post! 😀

• Persona 5 Futaba Sakura Nendoroid (link)

I am so stoked for this Nendoroid being out now! I’m awaiting the delivery of mine from Gamersheek and I can’t wait for her to arrive. I pre-ordered her back in July 2018 so I’ve been waiting for her for over 6 months now. Soon as she arrives she’ll be going next to my Morgana Nendoroid and then before we know it Joker and Queen will be joining them! As soon as she arrives I’ll try and show her off on my blog. I don’t really talk loads about Nendoroid figures on my blog, as in like a dedicated post. Would you guys like that? Let me know if you would like to.

• Pink Soda Sport Arden Panel Sports Bra (link)

I’ve been going to my pole fitness once a week with my best friend Jacqui and I always forget how much I miss it as soon as I start it up again. I also plan on starting the gym with Dane this month too so I could do with some more fitness clothing. I own one Pink Soda sports bra and whilst it isn’t the most supportive in the world, it’s super comfortable and does the job for what I need it for. I’d love to get this one soon!

• Pink Soda Sport Fitness Tights (link)

I know these are called fitness tights… So is that another term for leggings? I could do with some more leggings, again for the gym as well as when me and Dane go for walks together. These match the sports bra that I want to get, so it would be nice to have the matching set in all honesty. I’m going to go for a mooch in JD Sports soon to see what goodies I can get from Pink Soda as I really love the brand.

• Bravissimo Maya Balconette Bra in Plum (link)

If there is a brand I discovered and fell in love with in 2018, it was Bravissimo! I was actually meant to write about it back when I first bought my bras from them, but that never happened. I may end up doing that soon considering it’s been since around July time. I can have a good natter about my experience, as well as which bras I own and why they’re good. ANYWAY this is one of the new styles they’ve brought out in 2019 and it looks GORGEOUS! It looks super comfortable, the colour is really pretty and it just looks fab. It’s not the cheapest in the world, but if it feels comfortable, makes me feel sexy and well does the job, I can’t really complain.

• Himouto! Umaru-chan Vol. 4 (link)

New month, new manga! I’m not going to lie, I hardly read any manga throughout January and this is purely because I was just too bloody busy. I don’t think I’ll pick up this manga until I’ve caught up with all the series volumes I have right now. This being said, I LOVE this manga so as soon as I can pick this up to read I will for sure! I need to finish watching season 2 of Himouto! Umaru-chan in all fairness.

• Paperchase Valentines Pink Ombre Heart Pen (link)

This is such a random item on this list, but in one of my most recent emails about Paperchase’s Valentine’s Day collection I noticed this being advertised and I kind of fell in love with it. It’s obviously meant to be a lolly and even though it’s nothing special, I still love the look of it! I’d have it for work to brighten up my pen pot even more so than it already is. My only issue however is, I bet it’s not a black pen! Which I use the most in my job. 😛 I MAY pick it up as for £3.00 it’s not a bad price. 🙂

• Laneige Two Tone Matte Lip Bar in Red Velvet (link)

I really want to try some more Korean beauty products in 2019, especially lip products. I feel like I need more lip tints in my life as I really love doing the “bitten” lip look. I stumbled across the Laneige two tone lip bars and fell in love. I intend to pick some up soon but the one I really have my eye on is this red velvet shade, which will look really nice in colour opaque, as well as blotted out. I don’t know why but the shade colour reminds me of something vintage, which I love even more! If I end up getting this one, or any of the lip bars, I’ll definitely review them! 😀

So that was my wish list for February! I’m trying to save money to be honest with you as I REALLY want Japan booked out the way, so I can spend the next 11 months saving up spending money. As soon as Japan is booked, you guys will definitely know about it. 😛

What are you guys wishing for throughout February? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

Until next time, take care all and I hope you’re having an amazing start to the week. 🙂

Kawaii Box Review & GIVEAWAY (Giveaway now closed)*

As a regular reader of my blog, people will know how much I love anything Japanese related. I’m a massive fan of Japan, especially kawaii things. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past two or three years, you’ll have heard of subscription boxes and how over the years they’ve just become more popular. You can get subscription boxes for anything these days, from beauty, fashion, game related things, and of course Japanese related items.

I’ll be talking about the latter today with the Kawaii Box*, a monthly subscription box that comes piled high with goodies from Japan and Korea. Each month you’ll receive 10-12 handpicked items, some being stationery, some being food. There’s a bit of everything in every box!

The awesome people over at Kawaii Box were lovely enough to send me a box to open up and review to you guys and I cannot explain how excited I have been for this to arrive so I could share what goodies I received inside of it. Also, as you can probably tell by the title, I was also given the chance to give one of these away to a lucky winner. Make sure to stay with me and read to the end of the post to find out how you can win!

This box arrived two weeks after they confirmed it was on its way to me and I’m really pleased about that. I’ve had it for about a week now, which has given me plenty of time to try out every item that I received, and in turn means I can give you guys a proper review of everything.

This months box came with 11 items, which is really good, and everything is different from the other too, so you don’t get anything the same as one another, which I liked.

This is what you get inside of the box;

• Kracie DIY Chain Candy Set
• Squishy Doughnut Mirror
• Dessert Eraser
• Kawaii Toast Coaster
• Pastel Pearl Bracelet
• Korean Glitter Glue Set
• Rilakkuma Sticky Notes
• Mushroom Mini Plush
• Cute Korean Pencil Set
• Flake Seal Stickers
• Alpaca Keychain

I’ll be talking about each item with a little bit of detail just to give my readers a basic idea of what you get and such. Not every box comes with exactly the same items, so you get a unique box!

There are quite a few stationery bits in this box and they’re really nice too. You get a pack of pencils, a dessert rubber/eraser, a glitter glue set, some sticky notes, and flake seal stickers. These will be perfect for making notes for blog related work, as well as life in general. I’ll be taking these on holiday with me when I send postcards back to the UK, as well as when I do some blog work whilst out there. The stickers are really cute and whilst I was bored I stuck a couple on my boyfriends face for giggles.

The Rilakkuma sticky notes are amazing and one of my favourite things in this box. I’ll be using them to jot little blog post notes on, as well as using for bookmarks as well. There are so many that they’ll last me for months!

I never say no to Japanese candy, and I couldn’t wait to share this candy with my boyfriend. It’s chain candy which you link together and then well… Eat! It takes of ramune, Japanese lemonade and grape soda, two very popular flavours in Japan, and also two of my favourites. These tasted amazing and I was sad when they all ran out. 😦

There are also some random little bits and pieces in here which were really kawaii! A squishy little doughnut mirror, which is covered in sprinkles and is super soft and squishy! The mirror isn’t the best in the world, but it does the job and it’s one I’m going to be taking on holiday with me for quick touch ups on the go. A cute little bead bracelet which is on the small side, so if you have big wrists it might be a little tight, as I’m a medium and it was just about okay for me. This being said, it’s still cute and a nice little piece for down days. I’ve seen various different mushroom plushie keyrings in peoples boxes, but I got the red one and it’s so adorable, reminds me of Mario. I don’t know what I’ll do with this, I may give it to a friend of mine very soon as a little surprise.

Finally we have two more of my favourite pieces out of the box, a toast shaped coaster and an alpaca keyring. I don’t yet have my own place but when I do I’ll be using this coaster in the living room, or office area as it’s just too cute NOT to use! It’s wooden and sounds really nice when placed down too. I know that sounds weird… But yeah. 😛 The alpaca keyring already has it’s pride and place on my backpack and is something I have had many comments on so far due to how adorable it is. I’ve been asked by many where it’s from!

Overall what do I think of the box? I LOVE IT! It’s a perfect monthly treat for anyone who loves all things kawaii and Japanese, and can’t access Japanese stores near them or online. It also makes for a nice surprise every month too and it’s all different.

So I’ll give you the prices of the box!

One Month Plan = $18.50 a month – free shipping worldwide – recurring one month plan – cancel anytime.

Three Month Plan = $18.50 a month – free shipping worldwide – ends after three months – perfect gift idea.

Six Month Plan = $17.90 a month – free shipping worldwide – ends after six months – save $6!

Twelve Month Plan = $17.30 a month – free shipping worldwide – ends after twelve months – get one box free!!!

In my eyes those are some pretty decent deals, especially the twelve month box.

So what are you waiting for guys? Get out there and get subscribing! If you would like to get one of these boxes yourself, click this link to go ahead and make your purchase!

HOWEVER how would you like to win one of these yourself? All you have to do is click the link below and then go and fill out the rafflecopter widget. Sadly due to WordPress being a smelly ogre, it won’t allow the widget to show on my blog, which sucks! The giveaway is open internationally and all you need to do is follow what it says to on the giveaway to be in with the chance of winning your own Kawaii Box.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What do you think of the Kawaii Box? Will you be making your order soon? Or trying for the competition? Make sure to let me know in the comments!

Until next time though, take care all and good luck in the giveaway!