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 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! 😀

Sarah Dandh – The Roost Mug and Print

As regular readers will know I LOVE Animal Crossing, as well as supporting independent artists, and I’ll be talking about both in today’s blog post!

To every Animal Crossing fan I know, I have been banging on about the seller Sarah Dandh for almost 4 months now thanks to this tweet here where Sarah was showing off the gorgeous Animal Crossing design she had drawn of The Roost and stuck on a mug! 😀

I kept my eye on her Twitter account everyday for an update of when both the mug and the print of The Roost would be released in her store. In August the store was opened and the two Animal Crossing goodies I wanted were there and ready to buy. I made my ordered and waited for over a month for my goodies to be shipped out. I also decided to order a cute little Isabelle sticker too! I regret not ordering the charm to be honest with you, but meh… I’ll live. 😛

I was rather impatient about waiting, but I asked Sarah why and she was quick enough to let me know why, which was good. It was due to some stock issues and ordering, so I didn’t mind waiting. I understand it can be hard when you’re your boss and work on your own with sorting orders, etc. 🙂

Sarah was kind enough to ship my items out to me separately so that the mug didn’t damage the print. I didn’t have to pay separate shipping prices, which was good and I didn’t feel that the prices I paid for shipping with tracking were bad either. Sarah is based in Spain, which was good for me in the UK. Sometimes I find some gorgeous prints and designs out there from independent artists who are based in America and the shipping will cost more than the item you’re buying. It’s crazy and to be honest it sucks. So, I do love it when I find independent artists in Europe.

SarahDandh does also ship worldwide, so don’t worry if you aren’t from the UK that you won’t be able to buy any of her goods, because you WILL!

Before I talk about the mug and the print I ordered (as well as the sticker AND all the stickers Sarah gave to me!) I want to talk about The Roost design overall, because it really is something special… Well, at least to me.

The Roost design that SarahDandh has created is based off of The Roost in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. It’s a definite match and she’s done it in such a good way! Looking at the print brings back so many memories of when me and Dane bought the game at the same time and spent our weekends off work playing it together. Not just that, but it also bring back fond memories of when I was at uni and was gifted a Nintendo DS Lite and bought myself Animal Crossing: Wild World to play on it. I spent many days and evenings playing that game! 😀

So, let’s finally talk about the print! At the coffee bar you can see Brewster serving coffee to Blathers, with some tiny touches in the background, such as the gyroids, the coffee grinder, till and coffee pot.

You also have you, as the character with pink hair serving Isabelle a takeaway coffee. I love the flowers above her head, which in Animal Crossing are a sign of joy. In the game you would work in the coffee shop and serve villagers drinks. You’d need to remember their orders (which I always Googled :P) but if you did good, you would get special Brewster/The Roost furniture and even coins for helping.

Then we have K.K. Slider playing some music on his guitar (which is something I don’t recall him doing in New Leaf but did in Wild World). Like Isabelle he has emotions around him, but he has musical notes, which is obviously to show he’s playing his guitar and singing. Even still, I love that he’s in this design though! It wouldn’t be Animal Crossing without him.

Finally there’s Whitney and Fauna having a coffee and a giggle together, which is showing through the yellow lines around Whitney.

Anyhoo, now it’s time to talk about the goodies I ordered from SarahDandh with The Roost design on, as well as much more!

The Roost Mug – $15.00 – (link)

Now you can drink you daily Coffee in this mug like you did at Brewster’s café in Animal Crossing New Leaf!

The mug comes inside a shipping resistant box and includes an Isabelle sticker.

The mug is a decent size to be perfectly honest with you, nothing too big and nothing too small. I really like it due to that as sometimes a big mug on a weekday morning can be a little bit too much for my morning coffee… Not due to the caffeine but because I’m a lazy cow and I like to stay in bed as long as possible before I need to get ready for work. However, due to this I like to quickly eat my breakfast and drink my coffee without worrying about time. However, on a weekend a big mug of coffee is a must for a lazy morning! 😛

I love a mug with a good character, photo and more on it that I love. I like that if I have guests or friends over, this can become a conversation starter too! For example I have a Pusheen mug that Dane’s brother and his girlfriend bought me for Christmas (hey both if you’re reading! ^_^) and loads of people say what a cute mug it is, which is really is! I own a couple of fox mugs and as everyone knows who knows me, I LOVE foxes. I do have an Animal Crossing mug, but it’s not a patch on this one. This is perfect. It has The Roost on it! You honestly cannot get any better than that.

Not only does this mug have The Roost design on it, but inside the mug is green, which at first I thought was a strange colour choice… But the more I thought about it, the more I wondered if this was green due to the colour of the leaf on the logo for Animal Crossing: New Leaf? Maybe not, maybe so?

I have to be honest, (because as my readers know, that’s what I’m all about!) I do have one issue with this mug… The design on the mug of The Roost doesn’t look like it is printed evenly around the mug when it you look at the mug from above… I’ll try and show this on the photos the best I can, but when you look at the handle of the mug you can see where the printing starts and finishes around the mug. You can see how wonky the print is. It doesn’t end in a similar place to where it started. Now, I don’t know if this is the case on all the mugs, or if I was unlucky. I didn’t bring it up with Sarah as I wasn’t that fussed, but I wanted to mention it here, because if you would be bothered by it, then maybe you should message Sarah in regards to this before ordering? Just thought I’d mention it…

Either way I really love this mug. It definitely brings a smile to my face whenever I use it and it’s up there in my cupboard as one of my go to mugs now for my morning coffee. 😛

The Roost Print (A6-A4 size) – $4.00-$5.00 – (link)

Ah, that Pigeon cafeteria from the Animal Crossing series.

Available in three sizes:
A6 (105 x 148 mm)
A5 (148 x 210 mm)
A4 (210 x 297 mm)

I’ve spoken about this print above but honestly I love this design so damn much! I honestly cannot wait to pop it in a frame and pop it up somewhere in the house. Dane has suggested the print be put up in the kitchen due to the theme, but we already have a pretty cool print in there (my Pokemon one!) so yeah, I’d like to keep it as it is.

The print just makes me so damn happy! I haven’t yet decided where I want it to go, but I am feeling in mine and Dane’s bedroom by my side of the bed. We shall see though. 😛

I picked up the A4 size, as I knew I wanted the biggest one they sold. The card it’s printed on is really thick and amazing quality! I’m really pleased with it.

Isabelle Holo Sticker – $2.00 – (link)

Can’t wait for the new Animal Crossing? This cute Isabelle sticker can decorate your Switch, 3DS, phone or whatever you want until the game is coming!

7 cm aprox with holographic foil coating.

Stickers I received for free:

“Gacha Addict” Holo Sticker – (link)

Shiba Pup Holo Sticker – (link)

Cute Little Animals Holo Sticker – (link)

I also received an Animal Crossing Stitches holo sticker too! But this doesn’t seem to be for sale on the store, so sadly I cannot link.

Overall, that was everything I bought and received in my order from SarahDandh! As soon as I saw this collection was going to be for sale, I knew I had to pick up at one point or another. I’m so glad to have this mug in my kitchen cupboard to use most mornings throughout the week and especially glad to have the print. Again, it just makes me so damn happy to look at and it’s the kind of thing that will bring a smile to my face everyday when I look at it.

I’ll make sure to pop SarahDandH’s website and social media links below:

Website

Twitter

Instagram

Do you like Animal Crossing? Are you excited for the new game New Horizons coming out on the Switch in March? I’m so bloody excited for it, so much so I’ll be writing a post in the future of how both me and you out there who are also Animal Crossing fans can get your fill of Animal Crossing for the time being.

Would you treat yourself to some Animal Crossing goods from SarahDandh? Make sure to let me know in the comments!

Until next time, take care all and I hope you’re having a lovely weekend so far. 🙂

Geeky Girl Gift Guide – Collaboration Post

Hey guys! It’s me again, Sarah from over at Raiin Monkey, bringing you as promised my next geektastic gift guide! If you saw my post on Wednesday, you’ll know that me and Nat are doing a Christmas collaboration together, each sharing some geeky gift guides for both guys and girls. Last time, Nat shared a gift guide for girls on my blog (you can read her post here), and I gave you my suggestions of Christmas gift ideas for guys here on Nat’s wonderful blog! So, today it’s my turn to write all about gift ideas for the geeky girls in your life!

As with Part 1 of my geeky gift guide, I’ve decided to include items perfect for those of you on a budget, as all my suggestions are £20 or under, and many of them would be great as stocking fillers! I’ve split up my guide into two parts again: present ideas for under £10 and also for under £20. I’ve sourced everything from UK websites too, to help keep the costs down 😊 I hope you all enjoy reading!

Pokémon I Choose You Mug (link) I was strolling through the grindstore website because it’s one of my favourite online stores for alternative merch and I spotted this adorable mug, that was just too cute not to include on my geeky girls gift guide. Just as Nat said in her post, everyone loves a good mug at Christmas! I love that this one includes all of the starter Pokémon so it’s a mug to suite every Pokéfan! Something I also love about giving mugs as gifts is that you can fill it with other little presents, stuff like socks, chocolates & sweets, keyrings, etc.

Despicable Me Fluffy Unicorn Notebook (link) THIS NOTEBOOK IS SO FLUFFY, I’M GONNA DIE!! Hahaha I couldn’t help myself 😀 How awesome are fluffy notebooks though!? I don’t know anyone who doesn’t appreciate a pretty, good quality notebook, and this one would make a fabulous gift for anyone who loves unicorns or just cutesy things in general!

DC Lil Bombshells Vinyl Figures (link) Being slightly obsessed with collecting blind box figures myself, I couldn’t not find another blind box for my geeky girls gift guide too! I love the DC Bombshell figures, they are gorgeous, and these little chibi-style versions of them are awesome! They celebrate all of the badass woman of the DC world, and there’s 12 to collect in these series 2 editions. One of these surprise figures would make a really cool present for any DC fan you know, both girls and guys.

Kawaii Sushi Coaster Set (link) This is a present for my fellow kawaii fans. Even if you’re not a lover of sushi (me neither!), you can’t argue that these coasters are super cute! At only £4.99 for 4, I think they are a bargain not to be missed! I love how colourful and bright they are too, and they are great for popping into a stocking.

Pusheen the Cat Pastel Green Plush (link) It’s no surprise that both me & Nat included Pusheen items on our gift guides for geek girls because Pusheen is amazing! It’s impossible not to love her, and there’s so much wonderful merch available lately. Artbox UK have quite a few official Pusheen plushies, including these three pastel 15cm plushies, available in green, pink and purple. Your geeky girl loved ones will be thrilled to find one of these little cuties in their stockings on Christmas morning 😊

Studio Ghibli Gang Tote Bag (link) I don’t know many geeky girls that aren’t fans of at least one of the amazing movies by Studio Ghibli, and this tote bag is awesome because it includes so many of the popular characters on it! If I used tote bags more, I’d buy it for myself for Christmas because I’m in love with the print! It’s one of those presents too that can be filled with even more Christmas gifts, which is always a bonus. Bags are the perfect gift for students too because they can always use another bag, whether it’s for taking to class with them or to use as a shopping bag or something.

Hatsune Miku Keyring (link) Here’s another animation themed gift, for geeky girls who love all things Japanese! This keyring is an official Vocaloid item and is only £2.49! Even if you’ve never watched Vocaloid, Hatsune Miku is such a cute and iconic character, that I’m sure any fan of kawaii culture or anime would love to receive this for Christmas!

The next part of my Geeky Girls Gift Guide is for those of you who are interested in stocking fillers that are little more pricey but still ideal for those on a budget at £20 and under!

Tofu Cute Amuse Lucky Bag (link) Each time that I’ve been to my local MCM Comic Con at Manchester, I’ve seen people walking around with these adorable Tofu Cute goodie bags, both a blue and a pink variation, and always thought that they were surprise Japanese and Korean snack bags since I know that the store sells them. However, I just discovered that the blue one is full of snacks, but the pink one or the ‘Maneki Neko’ bag is for surprise plushies! I am such a huge fan of the Japanese brand Amuse and their plushies, and so I now have a mighty need for one of these lucky bags in my life! The smallest of the bags is £18.99, but there are three other larger sizes with more products in that you can buy. Head over to the website to see examples of what you can expect inside. I think this would make such a brilliant present, especially since you get the free drawstring bag too! If you think your loved one would prefer the snack version, that’s only £12.99. Even better, but slightly more pricey than £20, there’s a special Christmas version of the Tofu Cute lucky bag, which has a mix of both plushies and snacks!

Harry Potter Crests Gift Set (link) Gift sets, like this Harry Potter official one, are a fabulous option when buying a Christmas present, because they contain more than one gift and usually come inside a pretty presentation box of some kind. This set will make a wonderful gift for any Harry Potter fangirl, no matter if she belongs to Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, since it includes all the Hogwarts House crests! Also, this would make the perfect Secret Santa present for any Harry Potter fan! Fellow Harry Potter fans…I’m curious, what house do you belong to? I’m a Ravenclaw!

Deadpool Arm Party Bracelet Set (link) Jewellery is always a nice gift idea for any occasion in my opinion, and I thought this Deadpool set was unique plus it would make a cool present for many geeky girls. Whether they are a fan of the DC comics or just loved the 2016 Deadpool movie (I know I did!), this would be an awesome addition to their Christmas stocking this year. The set includes five bracelets, all designed in different ways so that they can be worn as a set or individually. I think they are actually really pretty!

Star Paws Parody T-shirt (link) I adore parody tees, this one especially because it has light saber-wielding kittens on it! Is there anything more awesome than that, haha!? Just maybe, because the slogan on the tee says, ‘Meow the force be with you!’. I LOVE IT! I almost forgot to mention that there’s a Christmas sale on over at Truffle Shuffle that ends just before midnight this Sunday, offering 20% off everything (use the code: PRESSIE20). Whilst this offer lasts, why not grab this t-shirt for your geeky friends or family? 😊

Harry Potter House Scarves (link) The online store GeekCore has so much awesome Harry Potter merch so definitely go check them out if you or your loved ones are fans! If so, then this ones another item for you! These gorgeous Harry Potter House scarves would make the perfect gift right now with it being almost winter time! They would also be a great present for anyone you know who likes to cosplay! I’m very tempted to get myself one because they look really snug and I’ve been so cold lately!

Happy Piranha’s Every Fragranced Candle tealights (link) Nat featured a fabulous Darth Vader tealight candle holder on her geeky girl gift guide, so I thought it would be cool to include some tealights that could be purchased along with that! I was searching around for geeky themed candles available in the UK and I came across this set that looks brilliant! The ‘Every Fragranced Candle’ set is Harry Potter themed, based on Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans. How cool is that!? You are supposed to guess the scent of these candles, which I think is great and there’s so many fragrances that sound amazing, like Peppermint Swirl and Blackberry Crumble. They are all handmade too, and would be a perfect Christmas gift for anyone, Harry Potter fan or not!

Pokémon All Over Print T-Shirt (link) We have reached the final item on my gift guide for geeky girls, and this is one of my favourite items of all that I’ve shared with you guys today! Just look how fabulous it is! I really like all of the bright colours and of course, that it’s covered in Pokémon. I mean, how could anyone not adore it!? I love the style of this t-shirt too, it looks very comfy. As the website states ‘it’s a die-hard Pokéfan must-have!’.

So, I hope that you enjoyed all of my present suggestions for your geeky girl friends, girlfriends, family or co-workers this Christmas. I’d love to know if the items I’ve featured have been perfect for your loved ones or even if they’ve just given you some inspiration on what to buy for them 😊 That goes for Nat’s posts too; please leave either of us a comment and let us to your thoughts on the items we’ve chosen. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Day and that you get some marvelous presents, whether they are geeky or not!

I just wanted to end my post by giving a big thank you to Nat for working with me on this collaboration! It’s been so awesome, and I’ve been wanting to work with her for the longest time, so I’m super happy that we finally have done ♥ Definitely keep a look out for more collabs from us in the future everyone!

I just want to say again, a massive thank you to Sarah for agreeing to collab with me for Christmas not just once, but twice! These posts have definitely been some of my best guest posts and collaboration posts I’ve ever done and the prospect of working with Sarah again in the future is already so exciting!

Don’t forget to go and read Sarah’s Geeky Guy Gift Guide here!

Until next time, take care all and I hope you have a lovely weekend… Hopefully surrounded like snow like I am! 😛

Fall for this Autumnal Home Décor

So, before I begin, I should probably introduce myself. I’m Hayley, a professional freelance Copywriter and Content Writer who absolutely loves blogging (and home décor, as you’ll soon find out)! Therefore, when I came across Nat’s tweet explaining that she needs guest bloggers to fill in for her whilst she’s on holiday, I jumped at the opportunity. I enjoyed reading her clothing wish lists, so decided to do something similar for homeware, because who doesn’t love a fancy cushion or two? Just me? Anyway, I’ll stop rambling now and get into the post:

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Whilst I’m going to miss the warmer weather and bright evenings, we’re now officially on the second day of Autumn, so it’s time to embrace the new season with open arms. The beautiful orange leaves, the cosy clothes, and copious amounts of hot chocolate definitely make it easier to say goodbye to Summer (plus, it’s almost Hallowe’en).

Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m a bit of a home decoration enthusiast – any opportunity to give my home a fresh, new look is welcomed in my books. I always think that changing seasons are perfect times to add little pieces that reflect the weather, either through using different colours, patterns, or even textures. The best part about this is you certainly don’t have to break the bank to do it!

Before I began writing this post, I got thinking about what I associate with the season because it’s always useful to have a ‘theme’ which will ensure that all the pieces look good together. I’ve compiled a little list below which helped me to find the items I included, so, should you want to look for more yourself, you’ll have something to refer to:

– Rustic wood
– ‘Earthy’ tones (think burnt orange, brown, mustard yellow)
– Leaf patterns
– Rough textures

So, let’s take a look at some pieces you’ll fall for this Autumn (get it… fall? Okay, sorry).

Yankee Candle in ‘Brilliant Autumn’

How much more perfect could the name of this candle be? It’s a must for any Autumn lover who wants to bring a little bit of the woodlands indoors. To me, there’s nothing cosier than having some beautiful smelling candles burning on the coffee table whilst you relax on the weekend! Plus, it’s a gorgeous orange colour that will complement the other items in this list (any other home décor enthusiasts will agree that this is very important).

Image taken from fragrancedirect.co.uk

Item: Large Yankee Candle (Brilliant Autumn)
Shop: Fragrance Direct
Price: £14.50

Cosy blanket

When updating your home décor, you can’t go wrong with a big, fluffy blanket. The neutral ‘mink’ tone of this one from Wilko means that you can mix ‘n’ match it with a range of different colour schemes throughout the year (because, let’s be real, the UK is chilly around 80% of the time). I personally love the soft ‘waffle’ texture on this as it prevents the blanket from being too plain, but it won’t clash with other patterns!

Image taken from wilko.com

Item: Waffle Throw (Mink)
Shop: Wilko
Price: £16

Burnt orange cushions (bonus points if they incorporate a tartan pattern)

Dunelm are currently selling these statement tartan cushions in a perfect earthy, burnt orange shade (though they do offer lots of other colours if you’d prefer to mix it up). The tweed texture also gives it a lovely rustic feel that provides your home with instant cosy-factor fit for a pub in the countryside. Cushions are a great way to instantly change the colour scheme in your living room as they’re much larger than some of the other items on this list, but still relatively inexpensive!

Image taken from dunelm.com

Item: Tweed Woven Cushion (Terracotta/Orange)
Shop: Dunelm
Price: £14

Wicker hearts (or any shape you want)

Sometimes, just having random little knick-knacks in your house can make it feel more like a home. You can grab this set of three wicker hearts for under £10 on Amazon* (bargain!), and have them delivered next day if you’re a Prime member. The adorable gingham ribbon and rustic wood texture also give it a little extra bit of detail that screams ‘Autumn’.

Image taken from amazon.co.uk

Item: Large Rustic Wicker Heart Decorations
Shop: Amazon
Price: £9*

Cute Mugs

Whilst these are more functional items than decorative ones, they still make the list, because what else are you going to drink hot chocolate from whilst you sit in your newly-decorated living room? I’m a sucker for anything with a cute animal design plastered on it, so I just had to include these Fairmont & Main bone china mugs from Amazon. I love how autumnal the design is, from the range of beautiful colours, right down the leaf print. Ahh, let’s get the kettle on!

Image taken from amazon.co.uk

Item: Fairmont & Main Bone China Mug (Orange)
Shop: Amazon
Price: £4.99

So, there you go – updating your living room on a budget is easy (and fun)! What will you be adding to your home this Autumn? Let us know!

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Psst, if you enjoyed this post, you can find more of me (and my company, DTM Copywriting) here:
Website (including my blog): http://dtmcopywriting.co.uk/
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter: @dtmcopywriting
Email: hayley.andrews@dtmcopywriting.co.uk

*Please note that prices on Amazon are subject to change.

I just want to say a MASSIVE thank you to Hayley for writing this post! She was such a joy to talk to via Twitter and email and was so professional and lovely at the same time. It’s made me so excited for when I come back from Fuerteventura to have a mooch around the shops for some lovely autumn editions to add into our home this year!

What items do you like buying as the season changes from summer to autumn? Please make to sure to let me and Hayley know in the comments!

Until next time take care all and I hope you’re doing well!

June Wish List ’17

It’s the sixth month of the year, which means we are officially halfway through 2017 AND it’s also the month of both mine and Dane’s four year anniversary as well as our first anniversary since we got the keys to the house. YAY!

It’s also another month where I need to watch my money and be good… Which I don’t think I’ve really done this month sadly. 😦 I’ve bought things here and there. URGH! If I buy anything next month though it’ll be something for Dane’s anniversary present. He wants a Fitbit but they’re so expensive! 😥

Although I need to be good it won’t stop me wishing for things I can’t have! 😛

• Smoko Elodie Unicorn Ramen Bowl – $29.99 (link)

I’ve always wanted a proper ramen bowl but I’ve never really found one I like the look of. I discovered this a couple of months ago when I saw that Smoko had a Kickstarter page going and I found they had created a ramen bowl to go alongside their Elodie mug, which I also want! I was going to back the Kickstarter they were doing but when I saw how much they were charging extra because of me being in the UK, I changed my mind. Very sad times. I’d still love this bowl though! It’ll be something I get when I have some spare cash. Import from the USA will be a fucking fortune.

• Firebox My Neighbour Totoro Mug – £16.99 (link)

Okay so it’s not like I need anymore mugs… BUT who can resist this one? Honesty! I love Totoro just as much as most people in the world so this mug is right up my street. I love how he has a lid which obviously makes for his ears. I don’t know what I’d use a mug with a lid for. My mom does all the time… 😛 I’d have this for hot chocolates to be honest in winter time. You could put marshmallows inside and pop the lid on to help them melt! YES THIS IS THE BEST IDEA EVER!

• PS Vita Slim – Prices vary depending whether you buy new or second hand…

I REALLY want a PS Vita… Don’t ask me why I just do! I love my Nintendo 2DS loads and although I don’t play it as much as I used to I do love my handheld consoles and enjoy playing them. I guess I just want to add another to my collection. I also like a lot of the exclusive games on there and they’re super cheap now to buy on the official PS store so why not get one now? Sadly they’re only mostly available second hand and are £80-£150 depending which one you get. The slim is what I want and is sadly more expensive. Places like GAME and CEX sell them second hand so if me and Dane go through with our ideas for anniversary presents I may be getting this and he may be getting a Fitbit. 😛

• Root Letter PS4 Game – £20.00 (link)

I don’t really need a new game for my PS4 anytime soon as I can see Persona 5 taking up much of my life until The Fractured But Whole comes out later this year. BUT I have looked into Root Letter and it looks pretty damn cool! It’s set in Japan for a start, which is a genre of games I appear to enjoy now. It’s a murder mystery style game which looks and sounds really interesting. For £20.00 if I really want to grab myself something else to play alongside Persona 5, at least I know it won’t break the bank!

• Your Name Manga Vol. 1 – £9.99 (link)

I did a little digging last month about Your Name after I saw it in the cinema in April and I delightfully discovered that the film was being turned into a novel AND a manga! I knew I would want to pick up the manga, and guess what? IT’S OUT THIS MONTH! I’ll want to pre order it or at least order it the day it comes out… But money… I may order the novel though for when I go on holiday. I’d love to add it to my collection.

• Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid Manga Vol. 3 – £9.98 (link)

This is a manga I’ll definitely be pre ordering closer to the release date! I’ve been waiting patiently for it to come out for a couple of months now so it’s something I need to read! 😀 I love Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, especially the anime! I soon picked up the manga and although I don’t like it as much as the anime, it’s still great.

• cKy The Phoenix Album – £6.99 (link)

Oh my I am sooooo excited for this album to come out this month! I’ll be downloading it as soon as possible to listen to in the car. I love cKy so much and they’re one of my favourite bands so it’s going to be like seeing an old friend hearing the new album. I already know however that it’s going to be completely different to the previous four albums and I’m unsure if I’m excited or nervous about this… We shall see…

• Secret Key Pink Racoony Hydro-Gel Eye & Cheek Patch – £12.47 (link)

I’ve had my eye  on these for a couple of months now as they look pretty amazing to be honest and I have heard some mixed reviews on them. They’re cute little pink patches that you apply to your under eyes and cheeks. I’d only use these on my eyes though to give me a cooling sensation, help my bags and wake me up a little. They sound like they’d last ages as well and at a decent price. PLUS the raccoon on the packaging is so damn cute! Which is something that first attracted me to the product… 😛

I feel like this months wish list is so boring… I also feel like there was so much more stuff that I actually wanted… Obviously not! I really need to watch my month this month as I was a little naughty in May… I’m meant to be saving up for the holiday in September as well as stuff for the garden. FUCK SAKE I HATE BEING AN ADULT!

What items are on your wish list for June? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

Until next time take care all and I hope you’re having a lovely weekend so far.

March Wish List 17

I should really call this wish list the “Japanese and geeky shit” wish list as apart from the two 101 Dalmatians mugs that’s pretty much all it is!

I’m not going to lie I haven’t made this months picture for my wish list look all that great… It just looks so clumpy and I hate it. BUT I blame all the manga books I put into it. I mean come on there’s 7 volumes clumped together there! 😛

So I’ll just run with my wish list this month. I am still on my spending ban however and if I buy anything off of it it’ll be the manga as currently manga is quite a big percentage of my life right now.

• Pokemon Center Easter Pikachu Plush (Sadly no link right now and prices vary)

This collection was announced not long ago and as soon as I saw this little cutie I just fell in love! I know it’s childish but I need her in my Pokemon collection so badly. I just love how it isn’t in your face Easter either. The cute little flower crown and kawaii eyes. You cannot go wrong! I don’t know how big this is though, but I would like to think it’s a decent size.

• A Silent Voice manga Vol. 1-7  – £8.99 each (link)

This is a manga I discovered through looking at the adverts in the back of Your Lie in April manga books. It’s about a deaf girl who starts at a new school and is bullied by one boy in the class and his friends. She leaves and years lately he’s being bullied himself for what he did to her. He bumps into her and learns how to say sorry in sign language. From there they become close and I think it’s a whole love thing. I love manga like this and when I heard that it had been made into an anime movie it made me happy! It’s out this month and me and Dane are going to try and see it at the cinema. I’ve linked the trailer above.

• Disney Store Disney Animators’ Collection 101 Dalmatians Mug – £8.99 (link)

I love Disney mugs and even though I don’t need anymore (nor do I have the room for them!) I would still love to get more of these. I just like being able to have a nice collection in my cupboard, especially considering most of my Disney mugs are 101 Dalmatians related. This one is really nice and it looks huge! I like how Pongo and Perdy are the main characters on the mug with sketches of their puppies around the rest of it. I’ll definitely be having a look at this mug when I go into a Disney Store next.

• Sword Art Online Progressive manga Vol. 5 – £9.99 (link) (OUT 21/3/17)

Another manga and a volume I’ve been waiting to have come out for about a year now! It won’t be out until the end of the month but it’ll be worth the wait, especially as I’ll pre order it when I get paid next week. I love Sword Art Online and I especially love the Progressive manga, which focuses around Asuna instead of Kirito. I just hope they don’t wait another year for the next volume to come out…

• Pokemon Center Easter Pikachu Phone Case (Sadly no link right now and prices vary)

This is probably the main thing I actually really want (besides from manga!) on my wish list this month! The Pokemon Center phone cases are amazing and very sturdy for what they are. Plus how cute does the Pikachu look on it? I mean COME ON?! The only issue I am having with it at the moment is the price… I’ve found that it’s been a tad pricey on places like eBay. We’re saying between £30-£50 which is of course a joke! I love my Redbubble Mew case that Dane bought me and that only cost about £20. We shall see what happens basically….

• Disney Store 101 Dalmatians Glazed Mug – £9.99 (link)

Finally we come to another 101 Dalmatians mug and one I have mentioned before on my blog. This one isn’t as nice at the other in my opinion but of course I still want it for the same reasons as the other. I would want to buy myself one of these mugs and one for Dane so that we sort of match. But even so these mugs with the glaze on the bottom are really sturdy from when I’ve seen them in store beforehand. You can’t go wrong with a sturdy mug! 😛

So that’s my wish list for this month! As I mentioned before I am still on my spending ban and don’t really intend to buy anything I don’t need. I have been a little naughty on and off this past month but meh. I’m not as bad as I was before so it’s not going all too badly. 😛

What do you have on your wish list for this month? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

Until next time take care all and have a lovely 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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Christmas ’16 Wish List

Ahh Christmas is just 20 something days away and it’ll be here before we know it! I pretty much have most of my Christmas present shopping done now which is great BUT what do I want for Christmas? Let me just add that this list was pretty damn hard to do as this year I found that I didn’t want all that much… I wanted a lot of make up if anything (Jeffree Star, Kat Von D and Korean beauty mostly!) so I didn’t want my list to be full of those things. Check out my wish list to find out what I decided to put on my list to Father Christmas. 😉

• South Park: The Fractured But Whole The Coon Figurine – £11.99 (link)

If regular and old readers haven’t realised by now how much of a South Park fan both myself and Dane are then what the hell have you NOT been reading? We love South Park and I especially love the video games. I have 100% completed The Stick Of Truth and I’m eagerly awaiting the next game, The Fractured But Whole. I’m currently collecting the figures from the first game and of course I couldn’t NOT collect the ones from the second. Not only that but for Halloween in 2015 me and Dane both dressed as South Park characters, Dane as Mysterion and me as The Coon. So getting this would mean an awful lot to me. Although me and Dane have discussed about getting the bundle of these figures, which you can check out here.

• Pokemon Pikachu Molded Mug – £15.00 (link)

Dane actually showed me this mug about a month ago when he was looking for some Christmas and birthday present ideas for me and I shrugged it off and said, “Meh we don’t need anymore mugs in the house.” BUT after a lot of thought I changed my mind and said how it would make a lovely edition, due to how unique it is. That and it reminded me of a Pikachu mug I made in art/pottery class well over 10 years ago when I was at school. It was awful but I loved that mug and used it as a pencil pot instead. So it would be lovely to use this in the cold mornings before work.

• Pokemon Center Mew MokoMoko Plush – £28.99 (link)

Another Pokemon item! This time it’s Mew. I love Mew just as much as I love the Eeveelutions and sadly although my Eevee plushie collection is building up nicely, my Mew one remains small with me only owning one plush… Sad times. I’m hoping to change this next year however and what better way to start that than with this beautiful and soft looking Mew plushie! Of course from the Pokemon Center in Japan. It looks so soft and fluffy but sadly it isn’t cheap and I would have to wonder how big this must be to be at such a high price.

• ColourPop x Hello Kitty Lippie Stix in shade Let’s Play – $5.00 (link)

Ew I said I wouldn’t add make up to this Christmas wish list but urgh I have to add something! One item won’t hurt, surely??? When I found out that ColourPop were going to have a Hello Kitty collection I went a little bit ape shit but said I wouldn’t buy anything due to the expensive shipping prices. However thanks to sellers on eBay it doesn’t cost as much as it would do to order from over the pond. I really love Let’s Play as it’s a gorgeous cranberry red with pink shimmer throughout. Perfect for the Christmas and winter season to wear to parties, at work and for shopping trips. I might end up treating myself to this on payday next week instead though. 😛

• CraftyFoxCollective Iridescent Metal Effect Purple Quartz Crystal Pendant Black Leather Cord Necklace – £5.25 (link)

I’m not much of a jewellery wearer for many reasons, my main one due to work but I would love to start wearing necklaces I have always wanted to. I wear my one choker quite a lot and bought a thick velvet choker a few months back to wear (even though I hate it…) so I want to start buying more. This is a necklace I really like the look of and it doesn’t even cost that much! I saw some like this when I went down to London last month and I regret not buying it! Rainbow crystals like this one just make me happy to look at, so I would love something like this to wear all the time. They’re pretty easy to find on Etsy, but this was my favourite of the bunch.

• Yankee Candle Cherries On Show Large Jar – £21.99 (link)

OMG when I saw this in a couple of Yankee Candle shops I was so damn happy! Sadly it isn’t on the official UK website… Why? I don’t have a clue! This was a permanent scent for Christmas years and years ago but after two years it was discontinued so when I saw it was back I got super excited and have told loads of people that I want it. QVC have them on a special offer at the moment, so I may try and persuade someone to get one or two for me whilst they’re around. 😛 This is one of my favourite Yankee Candle scents so I would love to have it back in my life again. 😛

• Black Milk Clothing For Fox Sake Grey Toasties – $80.00 AUD (link) and For Fox Sake Cap Sleeve Skater Dress – $90.00 AUD (link)

I LOVE Black Milk Clothing and I search at least two or three times a week for items I can pick up second hand on eBay, so when I watched their latest YouTube revealing their Christmas collection this year I got super excited. They have not just one but TWO fox themed pieces this year which look adorable! Of course there are the pictures above of the two pieces of clothing, leggings and a dress. The leggings are my favourite of the two at the moment due to them being toasties, which means they’ll keep your legs lovely and warm when it’s cold outside. Could definitely do with those for Christmas! I’d wear them for New Years as well as my birthday. The dress is Dane’s favourite of the two and I do get why. It would be lovely to team up with a burgundy cardigan, some tights, boots and a big coat for Christmas parties, as well as for Christmas day. I doubt I will get either of these for Christmas as they are hella expensive, but I’ll keep hopeful for them… Or at least one of them. 😛

So that is my Christmas wish list for this year! What items do you have on your lists?

Throughout the Christmas period I will be writing a couple of gift idea posts including Final Fantasy for definite, possibly Christmas jumpers, as well as many many more!

What posts would you like to see though throughout December? Make sure to let me  know in the comments down below! I know I’ve been really quiet recently due to me being super busy with work and the house, but I’ll be trying to write plenty of posts throughout December.

I hope all my readers are well and until next time, take care all!

November ’16 Wish List

Wish lists are getting harder to write now… You know why? Well Christmas is just around the corner and usually in November you stop buying things so that people get the chance to buy you something you want. Well that’s what I know me and a few of my friends do anyway…

Due to that this months wish list was really hard to write. I kept writing ideas down only to then think it would be better suited on my Christmas wish list next month. I eventually came up with some items but due to lack of funds, presents to buy for others and needing to give people ideas for myself this months list won’t be all that great. Sorrrrrrrry (not sorry :P).

• Bee & Puppycat Vol. 3 – £12.25 (link)

This comes out at the end of the month and I am so damn excited! As Dane has Prime I always ask him to pre-order things for me so I make sure to get them in good time. As this is included on Prime I asked him to pre-order it for me recently. I love the Bee & Puppycat show so I love the comic books just as much! I just wish they would come out a little sooner and quicker though. I really love Bee and hope to cosplay as her at an event one day.

• Lush Bubbly Shower Gel – £4.95-£16.50 (link)

I recently bought a little bottle of this when I went to the Lush Coventry beauty blogger event (you can read about that here) and since then I have fallen in love. I want to pick up a large bottle when I’m down in the Oxford Street store in a couple of weeks. It has a lovely fresh scent to it that reminds me of Fanta orange. I love to use it some mornings to perk me up. I’ll be reviewing it very soon!

• Pusheen Self Stirring So Lazy Can’t Stir Mug – £12.99 (link)

I love Pusheen and there’s so much Pusheen stuff I want to get but it’s just about finding stuff I want to buy which I’ll ACTUALLY use! I wouldn’t mind this for Christmas really, as whilst I have a lot of cups and mugs in my cupboard I don’t have a Pusheen one and I definitely don’t have a self stirring one. This also comes with a lid so it’d be great for on the move like before work, on the way home from work, to the shops, etc etc. Also it’d be really nice to make hot chocolates in due to the self stir action.

• Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in shade Bauhau5 – £16.00 (link)

I was meant to mention this on my wish list last month but I forgot! How dare I! I would have added this to my Christmas wish list next month as I would love at least some money to go and buy one of these myself. However as I am going down to London in a few weeks I may as well pick one up whilst I visit the first Kat Von D counter! That’s if there is any left… I really hope there are to be honest. I have my eye on Bauhau5, a raspberry pink shade. I’ve had my eye on it since I ever heard about the shade, so I know I want to pick it up eventually.

• Pokemon TCG Dragonite EX Box – £18.99 (link)

I’m a Pokemon nerd through and through and I remember back in the day being obsessed with the trading card game. Me and my friends in my street would play the game all the time and spend our pocket money on new packets of the cards and open them together. That’s some of the nicest memories I hold and remember from a couple of summers during half term. I’ve recently decided that I want to start playing the games again and intend to start collecting the cards again next year. I saw this on a website being advertised and as Dragonite is one of my favourites, I fell in love! I hope to get this for Christmas, or as a treat beforehand.

• The Pretty Reckless Concert Tickets (no picture added and prices vary depending where the show is held!)

I kind of have to include this on here because it is under my wish list and the tickets come out tomorrow! I’ll be ordering them when I finish work as I really want to go and see The Pretty Reckless live again. I’ve loved them since I saw them support Evanescence all the way back in 2011. I’ll be going with Dane and as of yet we haven’t been to a gig together yet so I’ll be excited to go. AHHH! 😀

• Pokemon Moon on 3DS – £32.00 (link)

This is the final item I’ll be talking about on the list because it is the one I am most excited for! It is of course Pokemon Moon which I have been super excited for since it was announced. I recently got to play the demo for it which I really enjoyed and after seeing the three new starters final evolutions I am even more excited for it. I guess I’m just glad I only have a couple of weeks to wait for it. I’ll be pre-ordering it closer to its release date. I can’t wait for this! 😀

So that was my wish list for November. I know it was nothing special but I’ve saving all of that for next month and my Christmas wish list! I need to start putting a list together to give people ideas of what they could get for me. Might go and do that now… 😛

On that note, what do you have on your wish list for this month? Apart from plenty of money due to Christmas! 😛 Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

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