A First Look at My Zoella Christmas Lifestyle Picks

Zoella has been releasing a wave of new products recently, and whilst it's been seen with a backlash of anger at pricing and the sheer volume of ranges, this is one range that I really wanted to try. I agree that some of the products were overpriced, and I'm not sure why her marketing team thought it was a good idea to release summer beauty, general lifestyle, Christmas lifestyle and Christmas beauty in a matter of weeks (SURELY sales would have been better if it was spread out?!), but I'm totally feeling the hype for this range. This is the one I was genuinely excited for, and I've picked out some fab products which don't bear a shocking price tag.
I've been SO excited to share this post with you, and these pictures have got me feeling all the Autumn vibes. For real though, the cosy vibes mug is something that I already know I'm going to use all the time. I'm ready to fill it with hot chocolate and hundreds of mini marshmallows on chilly evenings. It's such a nice size, and the design of it feels so me. Cosy vibes are what I'm allll about, and I've got a feeling you might see this used as a blog prop all over my Insta over the next few months. 
Candles are kinda my thing (says me and every other blogger ever). I've got a cute little collection of them and I find lighting a couple around my office the best thing for getting a happy, productive vibe going. Zoella's Festive Cookie candle smells incredible. It reminds me a little of Yankee Candle's Snowflake cookie (which I LOVE), but just less sweet. If you've got any of the last lifestyle collection candles from Zoe, then this one is a bit bigger than them, and has a bit of a stronger scent. I'm kinda in love with the packaging - there's nothing cuter than tiny little gingerbread men - and the gold design makes it feel fairly luxe. 
On the candles front I HAD to get the cosy Christmas sock and candle set. And this time it wasn't particularly for the candle. These socks are one of my favourite things I own. Seriously. They're the same ones that she released last year and I've honestly never put anything more comfy and cosy on my feet. So much so that I genuinely save them for days when my mental health is low as a kind of 'treat yourself' moment. They're soft and warm and just trump any other bed socks I've ever tried. FYI, the candle in this set is fab too. It smells like a Christmas tree and the design reminds me of a Christmas jumper, which is hella cute. 
My final pick was my only stationery one. I've got so many notebooks and cute stationery bits at the moment that I didn't need anything else from this part of the range. But, now that I've got my new job I wanted a desk calendar, and the 'This is Your Year' Zoella one has motivational quotes for each month. It's exactly the kind of calendar I had in mind, and I love the fact that you can pop each card in and out easily, so it's perfect for using as an Insta prop at the start of the month! 
I've filmed a first look at/unboxing of my picks from the range over on my Youtube if you fancy a watch:

Have you bought anything from the range?
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Currently crushing on: my new daily planner

My yearly diary is my very own lifeline. I always have a mid year to mid year one because when I was at uni it was what made the most sense. Now I've kept up the tradition as it's nice to have that little six monthly reset: I set new goals and ambitions at New Year and re-motivate myself at around this time with a fresh new diary.

The Summer 2017 Box of Lame

There's nothing I love more than the excitement of a new Box of Lame being released by That Lame Company. I'm always on the website making sure I get my hands on it as soon as it goes on sale, and I've managed to buy every one they've brought out over the last year. Winning. 

January favourites and life update

January is finally over, and good riddance! It really is(/was) a dismal month, am I right? I kicked off January feeling really rubbish about everything. I had a massive mental health dip and it was making me a little concerned about what my 2017 was going to be like. But, I overcame it, and I'm super proud. This month last year was the month when everything got on top of me; I quit my job and stayed out of work for six months. I just couldn't handle going back into work again. So to be able to defeat my negative thoughts and go to all of my shifts felt wonderful. 
I also had my first session of emotional counselling, which you can read about here. I had my second one today, and both have been genuinely helpful in tackling some of the issues I have. They've really helped me to be more proactive, meaning that today I managed to sort out both my travel insurance and pet boarding for the bunny for when I go to America in April (eeeek).

Paperchase Christmas Haul

I know, I know, it's November and I've got a Christmas post up, BUT I truly do think that this is 'the most wonderful time of the year'. And I want to extend the preparations and excitement over as long a period as possible, obvs. Aside from that, it's our first Christmas in our own house, and we currently have no decorations or anything, so I'm trying to spread out the cost by getting cracking on buying bits and pieces now rather than having to do it all in one go and making my bank balance look more than a little sad.
We all know how much I adore stationery, and it's one of the first thing that gets me excited abut Christmas. I love sending cards to family and friends, letting them know that I'm thinking about them in this season. Everyone says that 'it's the thought that counts' and I really do abide by this motto at this time of year. I spend a ridiculous amount of time choosing what wrapping paper I'm going to use for each person's presents and which card most suits them. 
I started off with wrapping paper because necessities come first. Paperchase are actually doing a 3 for 2 deal on their wrapping rolls at the moment so I had to whittle my options down to three rolls. So, I went with a fun one, a sophisticated one and one that is a good all-rounder for adults and children. 
The sprouts wrapping paper is probably my favourite one of all time. I bought it last year and was a little too excited to see that Paperchase had it in this year too. Clearly I wasn't the only one who enjoyed it! The happy little faces of the sprouts were just too much. And so obviously when I saw the sprouts cards I couldn't resist them either. I don't remember seeing them last year (I for sure would have picked them up if I had), so I was pleasantly surprised.
On the sophisticated level, I went for the gold dot tree wrapping paper. This is nice and simple, and is definitely something I could see myself wrapping my Grandma's pressies in - I think she would love it! The Merry and Bright cards are also a little more classy than the sprouts ones, and will probably be going to my family members. The plain brown background makes the bold Christmassy colours stand out. 
And then on the good all-rounder front I went for a cute, slightly abstract reindeer wrapping paper. We don't have very many littluns to buy for, so I didn't want one that could only be used for kids. This hit a nice medium, by being appropriate for children whilst being something I wouldn't feel weird about wrapping an adult's pressies in. To go with this, I picked up the twelve days of Christmas cards, which I would be comfortable giving to family, work colleagues and friends. 
Then I moved onto wrapping accessories. These are something that I'm usually pretty shitty at getting. I'm not brilliant at wrapping in itself, and adding on bows, ribbons and tags just over complicates my un-creative brain. But, I ventured out into it so that I could make my sister's presents look cute because I know she loves it.
My first port of call was tags. Last year I picked up these multicoloured glitter tags and this was another thing that had to be a repurchase. They're an absolute steal at £1.50 for ten and the quality is amazing. I had already picked up some bows from Tiger, so I was sorted on that front, but ribbon was next up on my wishlist. Their 20m gold curling ribbon was exactly what I wanted, especially for £1! This is perfect for pairing with the gold dot tree wrapping paper. The gift stickers were also a must have for me. I'm a sucker for buying people lots of small gifts rather than one big pressie, so getting tags for all of them can end up being fairly pricey. In this gold sticker pack come 44 stickers which you can use for a variety of things. Some don't have enough space on to write a to/from, which I was really annoyed by when they arrived, but I'l just end up using them to decorate the presents.
And finally I picked up a couple of table decorations/Christmas blog props. Seriously though, how excited are you all to start seeing everyone using Christmas blog props? I'm pretty ecstatic. I got the Chloe characters 3-tier confetti to start with. We always do a buffet on Christmas evening, and this year I'm hosting for the first time, so I thought that these little nutcrackers, trees and candy canes would make for the cutest sprinkle for the table. Then I learnt a very important lesson about looking at the size of products before buying them. I picked up the mince spies appetiser plates, foolishly thinking they would be a reasonable size, but they're only big enough to hold a cupcake. These will probably end up just being used as quirky blog props and little decorations for the big day if I'm honest.
So there it is, my first Christmas haul! What would you have chosen?
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The Summer #BoxofLame

What's a blogger without a love for stationery? Seriously though, ever since I was little I've been obsessed with the stuff. Going into WHSmith at the end of August to pick up my new pens, pencils and pencil case for school was pretty much the highlight of my year as a kid. And I'm not going to lie, I do miss that little annual trip. I even miss fighting with my sister over who was going to have a certain colour of each thing (because we obviously couldn't have rubbers of the same colour, dur. My poor mum). 
I discovered That Lame Company way back in February, and I couldn't resist blogging about my first ever haul from their little online shop. Little did I know I would meet the lovely Chloe (who co-runs the shop) in a blogging event in June, and find out that she lives so close to me!
I picked up the Blogger Box of Lame, which was the largest and costliest of all three boxes they made. It came in at £25, but when I think about how much I would spend in a high street store on this stuff - I'm looking at you, Paperchase - it makes me realise just how much value for my money I really did get! Also, I would much rather support a small UK business trying to get out there and make a living for itself, than a massive franchise that couldn't care less if you made an order from them or not.
I was honestly like a child on Christmas day when this came in the post. Each box had something slightly different in it. That Lame Company worked with so many Etsy shops that only a handful of them were in each box. They also varied the prints from their own shop slightly (I think). So, even though I knew the box was coming, I had no idea what its complete contents were, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on what was inside.
Rather than talking through every little thing with you on here  (seriously, it would end up as a 2000 word blog post and ain't nobody got time fo dat), I've filmed my unboxing. I saved opening my box of lame for this so it's totally glee filled and I am more than a little excited to get into all the contents and revel in stationery heaven.
I will say that I do have a few favourites so far. The little astronaut kitty post card from Raining Cats and Cake has already made its way in the post to my sister at uni. I love sending and receiving letters or notes in the post, and so does she, so this was the perfect way to brighten her day. I've also started making all my little Christmas notes and lists as well as ones for my new home in the Notes and Dreams notebook. This is basically my new happy place.

Did you manage to get your hands on one? What were your favourite bits?

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My Top 5 Stationery Picks of 2016 (So Far)

Confession time: I am a TOTAL stationery hoarder. Post it-notes, pretty pens, notebooks, you name it, I probably have a stash of it somewhere in my house. So, I figured I'd share the love a bit with you guys by showing you my current stationery favourites in a quick Youtube video! If you've read my current stationery crush post then you'll already know how much I love to pick up cute (and totally necessary of course) pieces to add to my collection!
Here's the video!

Here's where you can find the pieces:

Paperchase magnetic butterfly list pad

Paperchase meal planner - similar

Paperchase Recipe Book - Similar

That Lame Company insulting incentives post cards
Start Where You Are journal
I hope you enjoyed this post! What's your favourite stationery piece at the moment?
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Coconut Lane Wishlist - Stationery, Jewellery and Homeware

Since graduating, I've been determined to get more 'adult' about things (HA). Getting myself more organised and having a pretty house fill the top two spots in my adult-y agenda, so Coconut Lane is a pretty good place to start looking. If you've read my blog prop heaven post, you'll already know how much I love Coconut Lane's products. Me and my boyfriend are currently on the hunt for our first ever flat together aka HOORAY NO MORE STUDENT HOUSING, and I really want to take this opportunity to make the flat somewhere I genuinely enjoy spending time.
Coconut Lane's cushion collection is absolutely astounding, but my favourites from it have to be the Luxe Silky Gold Marble cushion cover and the Pancakes and Prosecco cushion cover. I can imagine the former sitting on our sofa and adding a splash of elegant colour to the room, whilst the latter will take pride of place in the centre of my bed. Pancakes and prosecco are some of my two favourite things, and once we have everything sorted with our flat I'll definitely be eyeing some up to celebrate with! The only cushion cover we own at the moment is a Heinz Baked Beans one, which was nice and quirky when I first moved in to student halls almost four years ago, but now just sits on our sofa looking a little sad and out of place.
We all know how obsessed I am with stationery as well, and I really want to get some nice prints to set up over my new desk (once I've saved up for one!) at the flat. I'm so sick of having bare walls, so this will really make the place feel at home for me. I'm also hoping to get some photos to hang up in pretty frames as well to give the place a bit of character. The 'I'm a Blogger' wall art is probably my favourite of the two. This will take pride of place above my desk and remind me that the blogging I do really empowers me and allows me to do things I once thought were impossible. The 'Born Sassy' wall art is something that I really want to hang up in the spare room, which will be my sister's room whenever she comes to stay as she  was definitely born with a bucket-load of sass.
Now to move on to another one of my loves, phone cases. I've spoken more about this in my Caseapp phone case review, but basically I have a rather large horde of them at the moment. You can never have too many phone cases though, right? The Luxe Magic Feathers case is effectively a pastel dream. I'm always a big fan of going boho as the warmer weather creeps in, and this seems like the perfect accessory to do so! My second favourite is the Peacock Feather case. Peacocks are such beautiful creatures, and I really think Coconut Lane has captured this well with such a stunning design.
Finally it's jewelry time. Rings are something that I tend to wear much more often during summer, mostly because I'm not having to wear gloves everywhere and I feel like putting more effort into my outfit before I leave the house. At the moment I can't wear rings to work (boo) but as soon as I get my new job sorted I can get back into the swing of taking time to enjoy creating outfits for the day, and adding a bit of pretty jewelry to the look. The knot ring is available in three colours, but I'd definitely go with silver, just because I prefer wearing jewelry of that colour. This is such an elegant design and I fell head over heels for it. The arrow ring was another piece that really stuck out for me. The design is quite subtle, and I love the fact that it's not too traditional as the end don't meet but instead lie above and below one another. 
You can get 20% off everything at Coconut Lane with the code 'nourishme20'. 
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