Gifts Mums Actually Want.

Hello my lovelies! I hope you’re having a good week and have managed to block the news from your minds for at least 10 minutes today; and if you haven’t, well.. I’m giving you permission to shut it off now. There will be no talk of coronavirus on here thank you very much! This is a space for positivity and love!

So, I wonder what today’s post is going to be.. it’s pretty easy to guess with it being the middle of March. This week I’ve put together a list of mother’s day gifts that mums, moms and mams will actually want.

Some of you may be thinking, how do you know that they’ll actually want as a gift!? Well, I went ahead and asked them so you don’t have to.

And with that, let’s get into it!

1 . A Lay In.

2 . A DIY Gift.

3 . A Big Bubble Bath.

4 . Not having to do any housework, cooking or any form of task they would normally dread doing.

5 . The kids school uniforms already washed and ready for the monday.

6 . A proper breakfast in bed or to be taken out for breakfast.

7 . Flowers.

8 . Their favourite sweets, treats or chocolate.

9 . Wine, beer or spirits.

10 . A nice home cooked meal.

11 . A lazy day.

12 . A spa day.

13 . A new book.

14 . A takeaway of their choice.

15 . A guilt free day (where they can eat, drink and do what they want).

16 . Having the dishwasher done for them without asking!

17 . A subscription to their favourite magazines or box service.

18 . A Sunday dinner cooked for them.

19 . Do the food shop for her.

20 . A long walk to the pub.

And there you have it! That’s 20 ideas for Mother’s day gifts, all given from mums, so you know what they actually want. What are your plans for Mother’s day? Let me know in the comments! Plus, if you need even more ideas, you can check out my Mother’s day posts from a year or two ago!

Have a great week everyone! And let all of the mums and single parents out there (mums or dads) they are doing a great job and that you love them.

Love,

Harry Potter Studio Tour!

Happy Saturday my lovelies! I hope you’ve all had a fabulous week and have something nice planned for your weekend. As for me, my week has been filled with a horrendous cold that I came down with at the beginning of the week!

With that being said, I did have a very very good day on Thursday. Thursday I went to the Harry Potter Studio Tour! And it was absolutely amazing. I was very lucky that the trip was a birthday present from my boyfriend Matt, and we’d had it booked for well over a month so it’s safe to say I was pretty excited!

I’ve been to the studio tour once before, but that was a long long time ago, and a lot has been added since then; so, for today’s post I figured I’d share the hundreds of photos I took whilst I was there.

*PRE-WARNING* – OVER 100 SPOILERS AHEAD!!

Let’s get into it!

I think my favourite part of the tour was seeing all of the special effects and animatronics, it’s just amazing how creatures and scenery was brought to life! I took one or two videos of some of the effects below for you to check out, Buckbeak looked so so real it was crazy!

Well, that was my trip to Hogwarts! Believe it or not there’s still loads more you haven’t seen, and I could easily go back over and over again. It’s a great day out for the family and for anyone who’s a potterhead like me.

Have you been to the Harry Potter Studio Tour? If so, what was your favourite part? Let me know in the comments!

And with all that said, that’s all for today’s post! Have a great weekend lovelies!

Love,

Mother’s Day Gift Guide

It’s just over 2 weeks until Mother’s Day 2019, so I thought it’d be a good time to put together my mother’s day gift guide! Even though I believe that you should show people how much you love and care for them all year round, it’s still nice to have a day to remember any loved ones who are no longer with us and show those who are, how much them mean to us.

I always feel that personal gifts are better, but sometimes it can be hard to find a gift that’s just right. So, lets get into it! (I decided to add links to gifts from notonthehighstreet.com and tk maxx because I personally like those sites for presents!)

1 . Food – Get your mum whatever her favourite treat is, it could be her favourite sweets, chocolate, takeaway or café treat! These cute biscuits can be found here!

2 . Jewellery – There’s loads of different pieces that you could get your mum, if your mum is a bracelet wearer, I suggest a simple bracelet which is symbolic of your relationship. Here’s the link to the bracelet pictured above for you to check out!

3 . Make it, or take her out for it. Breakfast – This is a traditional one, but you can’t really go wrong with this one, surprise your mum with breakfast in bed or take her out to a café that she has always wanted to go to or just loves going to!

4 . Flowers – If you’re mum likes getting flowers, why not buy her a bunch of her favourite kind with a new vase and if she isn’t a fan of getting flowers (or if she isn’t great at keeping them alive..) why not get her something that doesn’t require a load of attention, like succulents and cacti. Find this pretty vase set here!

5 . Personal photograph(s) – Get some of your mums favourite photos printed and framed, or go one step further and use some snaps you took in the past that she hasn’t seen and surprise her with them! If you’re looking for an idea on what to do with some photos, click here to find the copper plate above!

6 . Personalised glass or mug – If your mum is a gin and tonic lover, why not grab a pretty glass for her, and get her name or any inside jokes you have on it! Or if your mum is a tea drinker, get her a her own teapot and teacups! You can get the gin glass here!

7 . Handbag – My mum and I often go out shopping together, and from experience she always loves getting a new handbag, especially from Tk Maxx! This cute bag is from Tk Maxx and you can find it here.

8 . Treat your mum to a day doing whatever she wants – If you’re super stuck for ideas you can always ask her what she would like to do! It could be a spa day, relaxed day at home with her every need done for her or simply taking her out for lunch, the choice is theirs!!

9 . Things for your mum’s hobby/hobbies – My mum loves gardening, doing jigsaws, getting a massage, reading a good book and loads more, so why not get your mum something to do with her hobbies? Click here to check out the book subscription gift above!

10 . Smellies – As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found I enjoy getting smellies more and more, if your mum has a favourite brand for makeup, smellies or candles, you can’t go wrong in picking up some of them! This gift bag can be found here!

Those are just a few ideas for what you can get for your mum, and at the end of the day, it’s the thought that counts. Plus, I’m sure letting your mum know how much she means to you, how much you value her and everything she’s done for you will make her very happy.

If you’re still stuck for ideas, pay attention to what your mum has been liking, loving and needing over the next two weeks and use that to get something she’ll like. And if you’re beyond stuck, just ask her what she’d like to do! I’m sure she’ll be happy to tell you what she’d want to do, and sometimes that will actually allow you to get her exactly what she wants.

So, Happy Mother’s Day for two weeks time!! And thank you so much to all of the mums, granny’s and great grandmas out there for everything you do. Have a great weekend lovelies!!

Love,

*all images of gifts were taken from notonthehighstreet.com and tk maxx

Valentines Day Gifts

The first month of the year is coming to an end already, and you know what that means.. Valentines Day. Now, I personally think that we should all just show each other how much we love one another year round, but I get that Valentines is a nice way to make someone feel extra special.

I also think that Valentines Day is a day that we can all use as an excuse (even though we don’t need one..) to give ourselves some love, and remind ourselves of how amazing and special we are.

I know that a lot of us search for ‘Valentines gifts for…’ when it comes to finding a Valentines Day gift for our special someone, so I’ve done this gift guide in categories with gifts I would buy for my other half and of course what I would like myself! Both will include unisex, personal, DIY and funny gifts from different price ranges! (*all images taken from the websites linked and do not belong to me)

A lot of these gift ideas are the same for both sexes in my opinion but everyone knows what they like and have a idea of what their friend, partner or special person likes.

Valentines Day ‘Guy’de’ (get it haha):

1 . Personalised Jewellery.

You can get each piece of jewellery here – the letter necklaces, the minimalist bar necklaces and the personalised birthstone bracelet here.

2 . Watch.

You can grab the first, black watch here, the white one here and the rose gold one here!

3 . USB Mix Tape.

This is a DIY one, but you can buy the cassette tape with the memory stick here and the personalised memory stick here! This is one of my favourite ones, because it requires so much thought, ans we all know that it’s the thought that counts!

4 . The Five Senses.

This one is personal to who you’re buying for, which is why I love this one!

5 . Makeup Vouchers.

This one doesn’t need a photo, because we all know what gift cards look like! If you have a makeup lover, they will love this.

6 . Memory frame/box/bottle.

You can get the frame here, the bottle here and the memory box here.

7 . Breakfast in bed with a surprise day out.

Here’s a pretty breakfast for the photo for this one, because the day out is personal to the person, pick something they’ll not expect you to have picked that you know they’ll love!

8 . A personal piece of art or an inside joke made into a gift.

You can grab the ‘things I love about you’ piece here, the photo collage here and the wooden planisphere here!

 

Girls Guide to Valentines:

1 . Watch.

The first watch here is more pricey than the others, but you can grab it here, the silver watch here and the pocket watch here!

2 . USB Mix tape.

This is exactly the same as the mix tape from the ‘Guy’de’ so I will just leave the link for the cassette tape and USB here and the personalised memory stick here!

3 . Favourite Sweets Hamper.

You can grab the post box sweets here, the haribo and marshmallow tree here and the wonka inspired chocolate box here!

4 . The Five Senses.

This is the same idea as the one above, but with slightly different items!

5 . A new game, with snacks for a game day/night.

I don’t feel like this one needs a photo, because everyone has different game preferences! It doesn’t even have to be a game night, it could be binge watching your favourite series or movies!

6 . Remember when box – with funny and sweet memories handwritten memories.

Very similar to the other memory box one, but this one is with handwritten memories inside, ideally write as many as you can to fill the box or book or page! You can get the poster here, the box here and the book here.

7 . Wallet keepsakes – a photo of you together or even a cute saying or inside joke you have!

You can get the silver card with a map (it comes in other colours) here, the gold card (also in other colours) here and the photo with tiny letter here! I personally love the tiny love letter and photo one the most, and think its perfect for everyone; including if you’re getting it for yourself, because why not send yourself a reminder of how lovely you are!

8 . Surprise day out.

I won’t include a photo for this gift either purely because it’s very personal to every person! It doesn’t have to be an expensive day out, it could be so simple, why not a surprise picnic at lunch? Or even more romantic, bring blankets and candles and have a candle lit picnic!

Well, those are my ideas for Valentines Day gifts that you can get yourself or that special someone in your life! And although these are categorised, I think that you can get these for anyone in your life. It doesn’t matter if you have that special someone yet or not, you might not want a special someone in your life right now; it’s your choice and Valentines is a great day to show yourself some self love!

I know these are all gifts that cost money, but they also don’t have to! You can always use this gift guide as inspiration for gifts that you can make with things you probably have around the house! (the remember when memories are an easy one to do, along with the mix tape!) If you DIY any of these gifts let me know how it goes in the comments below, I always love reading and replying to them!

So have an amazing weekend and Valentines Day for the 14th my lovelies!

Love,

My Christmas Gift Guide

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! And that means shopping is in full swing, and for those of you who aren’t sure what to buy for your family and friends, I’ve put together my own gift guide of presents to give you some ideas!

So, without any further adieu; here’s some gifts that are perfect for the home decorators, foodies, creatives, bookworms, tea, coffee drinkers and makeup lovers!

1 . HA Lettering create gorgeous personalised boards, photo props, room décor and Christmas Baubles! And all of these are for a pretty small price! You can order them here. Board prices vary on the size/personalisation and the baubles are £5 for 3 or 1 for £2! (Limited stock of baubles left so get your orders in!)

2 . Here’s a gift perfect for the book and nostalgia lovers – Quentin Blake illustrations that will make you smile. You can buy these at the London Science Museum and a select few of these gifts can be purchased here! I absolutely love these, they aren’t expensive and I loved seeing Quentin Blakes illustrations in Roald Dahl’s books when I was younger!

3 . For the conspiracy theorist – fifty outrageous scams and hustles. I found this at TK Maxx and it’s perfect for those who love a good crime show and those who love telling weird and wonderful stories.

4 . Here’s one for the creators! These gorgeous brush pens are great for calligraphy and drawing; you can get these from Arteza on Amazon.

5 . For the selfie lover and photographers: clip on camera lenses! You can get these from Tesco here!

6 . Candles are a great gift idea for anyone really, if you know what sort of scents they like, these are an easy yet thoughtful gift! You can find this candle on Amazon by Yankee Candle here.

7 . If you know a tea or coffee lover then this gift and the next are for them! This Help for the Hero’s mug gift set if great for anyone in the forces and anyone else who loves a hot drink really! You can find it in Tesco stores.

8 . Here’s a great gift for a horror, creepy critter or tea/coffee lover. I love this one, especially because it’s something I haven’t really seen before! You can find it here on Amazon by Creature Cups.

8 . For the person who loves home décor. I found this in TK Maxx along with several other gorgeous bowls and plates; perfect for a centre piece or even as somewhere to put your jewellery. You can find it here!

9 . For the makeup lovers! This brushes set is perfect for anyone who’s wanting to get into makeup or expand their current set of brushes! This set can be found at Beauty Bay (my favourite shop for brushes and makeup that’re a good price!), you can also find singular brushes, sets, makeup palettes etc. there!

10 . Hair straighteners are a great gift for those who spend hours on their hair; these ones by BaByliss are my mums current favourite, she said they make her hair feel soft and loves that you can see what temperature you’re at. You can get these from Amazon here!

11 . Here’s one for the person that loves all things selfcare! Not only does this contain small items that’re great for a little tlc on the go, but it also comes in a super cute tin! You can get it from Tesco in store or online.

12 . For the guy that loves some facial grooming; this trio of products include a shower gel, a shaving gel and an after shaving balm. You can get it from Tesco instore or online!

13 . Here’s another one for the guy that loves to keep his facial hair in tip top condition; the beard bib! You can get this from Mo Bro’s, they sell all things facial hair: beard oils, combs, conditioners and more!

14 . I love this one so much! Here’s my favourite item in this gift guide, possibly because I’m a bit of a magpie and love anything sparkly, especially jewellery! And this bracelet by Cote D’Argent is not only gorgeous but also adjustable. You can find bracelets like this one in TK Maxx.

15 . For the little ones who don’t fully realise that Christmas is even a thing yet. I like this toy as it has lot’s of textures, sounds and things a baby can hold onto to chew! You can get this one from Lamaze on Amazon.

16 . For the foodies! If you’re buying for a foodie, the chances are you’ve got either a general idea of what sort of thing they would like or absolutely zero idea altogether. And that is why I think that a gift like this hot sauce taster set is perfect! You get a choice of 8 sauces all of them unique! You can get this set from Tesco instore.

17 . If you’re needing a little stocking filler for someone with a sweet tooth, these peppermint lollypops are super cute and cheap! You can get them from Tesco instore or online here!

I hope you find this guide useful! Finding the perfect gift for that special someone always makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside (cheesy I know). And seeing their face when they open it is just amazing. Let me know in the comments below what you’re favourite gift is!

Merry Christmas lovely!

Love,

If you liked this post then it would mean the world to me if you could vote for me at the UK Blog Awards here!

Giveaway Time!

Hello my lovelies!! At the beginning of the month I surpassed my first big milestone on here which is 100 followers! And all I can say is thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your support and I love how much my online family has grown over the past few months.

To say thank you to you all and show you how much I appreciate you, I’m doing my first of many giveaways!

There’s a big prize and a runners-up prize; and they’re all little things I love using and a few things I’ve yet to use myself!

The big prize up for grabs is:

• A journal.
• Cute washi tapes.
• Glow shot tissue face mask.
• Ideas notebook.
• Secret woodland colouring book.
• Cute pencils.
• Cute pens.
• Heart candle.
• Pack of three mini notepads.

The runners-up prize is:

• ‘A thought a day’ (for 3 years) memory journal.
• Pack of cute mini gel pens.

Here’s what everything looks like my lovelies!

You can enter the giveaway by commenting on this post with what you like to do to relax at the end of a long day or what you love about reading/writing your own blog if you write one.

You can enter through my Instagram or Twitter too!

To enter on Instagram, comment on the insta post with two friends names so they can enter and follow me! And to enter on Twitter follow my account, retweet the giveaway tweet and tag 2 of your friends so they can enter!

The winners will be picked at random and will be announced on the 13th October at 10am! Good luck everyone and thank you again for all of your support. I love writing content for you all and I’ve got some great ideas planned.

Love you all!

10 Cheap Things To Buy Yourself For Self-Care

We all know that feeling when pay day hits; you know, the feeling you get when that little voice in your head says treat yo self! You deserve it! And then you go and buy a load of stuff that you forget about until you’re surrounded by loads of mystery packages.

I’m pretty bad for buying stuff that I don’t need when pay day hits, and I always forget about budgets and keeping track of my spending habits, which is until the week before pay day where I don’t stop checking my bank balance.

This is why I’ve decided to create a list of 10 presents you can buy yourself for a treat which are great for some self-care without breaking the bank! And they’re all available on Amazon!

Lets get into it!
1 . Success & Inspiration in a Jar. £14.99

Because who doesn’t need a little pick me up every now and again? These are little quotes, inspirations and motivations to give you a boost every day for a month and are great for if you’re having a bad day and need a little positivity boost!
2 . Mini Elephant Shaped Candles Gift Set. £5.11

These are just so cute! They are all scented as follows: Purple is Lavendar, Green is Jasmine, Pink is Rose, Red is Strawberry and Yellow is Lemongrass. These would be great for when you have a big bubble bath to relax!
3 . BiC Coloured Pencils. £10.00

Coloured pencils are always a good treat, and are necessary when you buy the next gift for yourself!

4 . Millie Marotta’s Animal Kingdom Colouring Book. £7.19

Colouring isn’t just for little kids; it can be really therapeutic and great for mindfulness. I personally love tuning out and doing a bit of drawing, so being able to chill out and just colour is great!

5 . Bath Bombs Gift Set. £8.99

Bath bombs are great for going with those cute elephant candles and these are a great gift to buy yourself and forget about. They come in a cute box so it really is like getting a present in the post!

6 . Bluetooth Shower Speaker. £17.99

This one is a little more pricey than the rest but still less than £20. And is great if you’re like me and love singing in the shower!

7 . Bumper Retro Sweet Selection Box. £11.50

Sweets and chocolates are a great way to do a bit of self-care; and retro sweets are so yummy! This should keep you going for quite a few weeks too, and are great for a movie night!
8 . Weighted Fitness Hula Hoop. £12.99

We’ve all heard a million times about how exercising is good for our mental health as well as our physical health, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun! Which is why I’ve put this fitness hula hoop in here!
9 . Glow In The Dark Star Stickers. £11.99

I’ve had these for quite some time now, and they’re just plain great. I will warn you though, I stuck all of mine above my bed on the ceiling and it took about 1/2hours in total. But the result in completely worth it! Especially as someone with mental health challenges, these really help my mind settle when I’m trying to get some sleep.
10 . Burt’s Bees Tip and Toes Kit. £9.99 in the sale and £12.99 usually

Finally, good ole Burt’s Bees! Because who doesn’t like stuff from Burt’s Bees?! A great way to take care of yourself is with a bit of pampering, and using things like this are a great way to distract yourself from any anxiety or panic thoughts.

So that’s it for this weeks post! I just thought that a little bit retail therapy never hurt anyone? Well at least these prices won’t! And the majority of these can be bought with prime so you get free next day delivery!

And remember, no matter whatever some people may say, ‘self-care is not selfish.’

Have a great week everyone! Let me know if you decide to get any of these gifts to yourself! Love,

10 Mother’s Day Gifts Mums Actually Want

When Mother’s Day comes round it always feels like it’s getting earlier each year. Well, it feels like that in my house anyway! All you see in shops are mushy pink and red cards and chocolates. This year I decided to actually ask my mum what she likes getting for Mother’s Day and I thought I’d share some gift ideas I came up with; they’re all budget friendly so if you’re like me and are low on cash, don’t worry! I gave myself the task of all ideas being less than £30 or free.

Why have I decided to do this ideas list? Because all of the card and gift shops have the same stuff in them and they’re never very thoughtful. And when I asked my mum what she wanted she said this to me:

“Creme Eggs.. And I don’t mind what else as long as it’s thoughtful or useful, none of this cheesy crap.”

Haha, I love my mum.

So armed with my mums idea of something useful or thoughtful, and of course some chocolate, I’ve come up with 10 gift ideas you can try this Mother’s Day.

1. The handmade card and flowers combo.

If you’ve got any funny memories or inside jokes with your mum like I have, then this is a great opportunity to make her laugh and remember good memories. You could add a photo of you both to it and get some flowers for her too, you can’t go wrong with flowers!

2. You could make coupons of vouchers for jobs you know your mum hates doing.

If your mum is anything like mine, then she probably dreads doing the ironing and washing. So why not give her homemade vouchers that she can use and you do the jobs she hates! Or if you don’t like the voucher idea, then stay up late the day before (if you live at home still) and do all of the jobs before she wakes up in the morning. She’d love the surprise!

 

3. Wash her car.

Now, this one obviously applies if your mum owns a car. But if she does, with what the weather is constantly throwing at us, I doubt she’s has some time to get her car washed or do it herself. And there’s just something great about that fresh clean car smell!?

 

4. Cook.

This one’s a classic. If you’ve thought about taking her out for lunch or dinner and then realised that funds are low, why not cook her favourite meal instead of forking out for it a restaurant (get it? Haha I’m too funny..). It’s often a lot cheaper to actually buy all of the ingredients for the meal than it is to have it cooked for you. Also, make sure you wash up after yourself, because the last thing your mum will want to do is tidy up the kitchen!!! Plus you get to keep any yummy leftovers!

 

5. DIY hamper.

Hampers always goes down well, not only for days like Mother’s Day, but birthdays and Christmas presents. The good thing with hampers is that you can personalise them to whoever it’s for. For a Mother’s Day hamper, why not buy or make some bath bombs, add a few tea lights or pillar candles, some chocolates and a film and you’re good to go! All of it probably comes to about £17? Not bad if I say so myself.

 

6. Mum Survival Kit

This one is very similar to the above, but you can add a few joke pressies in here. Get a cheap tote bag or gift bag, add in a bottle of wine or spirits, chocolates, ear plugs, a face mask and other little things like tissues etc.

 

7. Take her out for lunch or dinner.

This one is the pricier of the bunch, but if you don’t usually have the chance to take her out for a meal, then it’s a nice surprise. And if you’re not an only child, you can always get your siblings to pitch in, that way it doesn’t break the bank too much!

 

8. Make a photo book.

Photo books or blocks are good for any occasion. If you’ve got loads of family photos then pick out some of your favourites, maybe even some of your mum from when she was little, and create a photo book. You can get some printed for really cheap, I’ve used Tesco printing before and delivery was fast too.

 

9. Homemade chocolates.

If you love cooking than this is a good one for you. Making chocolates doesn’t take too many ingredients and are pretty simple to make, just make sure you clean up afterwards! They can really impress your mum, especially if she never sees you in the kitchen! (A chocolate truffle recipe post will be here on Sunday!!)

 

10. Magazine Subscription.

Does your mum love putting her feet up with a good cuppa (or glass of wine 😉 ) and sitting down with a magazine? Then why not find out which magazine she loves and get her a years subscription, some cost under £15 for the year, and that way your mum gets a little something every month!

 

And obviously if all else fails, then breakfast in bed is always a good shout, just make sure it’s not too burnt!! I hope this gives you a hand in picking our a good present and all the mums out there have a lovely Mother’s Day (it’s the 11th of March in case you weren’t sure)!!

Love,