Happy Cute Surprise Bag review and giveaway

Have you heard about Happy Cute?  It is a website that sells the sweetest products, from stationery to plushies, squishies, homeware and accessories plus so many things in between so if you like cute and kawaii things you should definitely go and take a peek at what they have to offer!  One of their products is a Surprise Bag which I have been sent to review for you today and if you would like to win one for yourself then fill out the widget at the bottom of this post to enter!

Happy Cute Surprise Bag

The Surprise Bags contain at least 15 items which are selected at random from the HC warehouse and cost approx £14.50 each including free shipping or if you want your parcel to arrive a bit quicker you could pay extra for a faster service.

Reverse side of the bag

The products come in a nice little drawstring bag which is chock-a-block full with goodies so let me show you what was in there!

Sweet box, purse, plushie & bead making kit

There was just so many things inside this bag that I loved!  The mix of products was good too, there were practical things like purses, socks and pocket mirrors as well as fun things like hair accessories, keychains and plushies.  The bead jewellery making kit provided an afternoon of crafting fun for my girls and they also nabbed the hair bow, clips and hair ties from me too!  

There were 15 items in my bag which means they all cost less than £1 each which is a real bargain!

Mirrors, hair accessories, keyrings, socks, bracelet & plushies

My absolutely favourite product is the rainbow alpaca, I have wanted one of these for such a long time so when I found this at the bottom of the bag I might have let out a little squeal!  It is all of my favourite things, pretty, plush, pastel and practical because it is a purse as well as a cute toy!  There is also a slot on the back to hold a bank card or travel pass and the key ring on the top is attached to an extendable cord making it super handy.

Okay, so if this bag is right up your street then pop your details below to enter the giveaway!  The more actions you complete the more entries you will receive!

She's Eclectic Happy Cute Shop Giveaway

If you have any questions about the bag let me know and I will try and help, oh and good luck!

Kawaii Box review and giveaway

Hello!  I feel like it has been absolutely ages since I have done a Kawaii Box review and giveaway so I am really happy to be sharing this with you today!  If you like what you see then pop your details in the widget at the bottom of the post to be in with a chance of winning a box of your own *wink, wink*

Fun new design

If you haven't heard of Kawaii Box before then let me tell you a little about them!  The boxes are sent directly from Tokyo to your door and they are filled with 8 to 10 super cute items ranging from sweets to stationery and plushies.  It will cost you approx £15 for a one off box with free delivery or if you want to treat yourself regularly then the price of the box goes down when you subscribe to a 6 or 12 month plan.  

Okay, now let me show you what was in mine!

A box full of cuteness!

Oh my gosh, it's all so sweet! 

Information booklet

Each Kawaii Box comes with an information booklet that tells you about all the goodies you have been sent.  It is really nice to learn a little something about why each item was chosen to be included and how you can use them if you're not sure what to do with them.

Candy, hair tie, highlighter, pen, nail stickers & squeeze toy

I shared out the bag of watermelon sweets between my children as I'm not a big fan of anything melon flavoured and they all loved them!  My seven year old has claimed the set of doughnut hair ties for herself but the syringe highlighter, flamingo multi-pen, nail stickers and squeeze toy charm are all mine!

Cupcake kit, plush, stickers and washi tape

There was also a cupcake kit, some Hello Kitty washi tape and a Gudetama (the lazy egg) plush and pack of stickers in the box.  I have never heard of Gudetama before but my eldest daughter has so she asked for the toy and stickers as she thinks he is adorable!

It's so SQUISHY!!!

The Mochi squeeze toy is meant to look like a traditional Japanese rice cake treat, it is a bit plain but it's so squishy, I just can't stop playing with it!

Let's make cupcakes!

I wanted to try the DIY whipped cream cupcake kit so I checked out the handy tutorial on the Kawaii Box blog and then had a go at making my own creations.

My cupcakes and desserts

It was really fun making these miniature desserts!  The instructions online were easy to follow and now my girls dolls can enjoy some cupcakes and treats!

Pink, pink, pink

As a stationery fan I absolutely love this flamingo pen, it looks very sweet!  I painted my nails pink to match it and then used the cute nails stickers to really kawaii-fy the look.

My kawaii nails

Pink, glitter and unicorns... oh my!  All my favourite things!

If you want to win a Kawaii box for yourself then you can enter here!  The more steps you take the more entries you will get.

She's Eclectic Kawaii Box Giveaway


Good luck!

New Japan Candy Box - Review and giveaway

Hello!  I've got some exciting news for you today, Japan Candy Box have recently turned three years old and to celebrate they have redesigned and updated their boxes of treats!  They have sent me one of the new boxes to review and are going to give away another box to one of you too!  Pop your details in the widget at the bottom of this post for your chance to win.  Okay, now let's see what's new and what is inside this month's box!

Fab new style box

The boxes have a fresh new design and the address label is now on the reverse side so it doesn't hide any of the logo or images, just in case you wanted to share a pic on Insta without hiding your personal details!  The biggest change is on the inside though!

New information booklet

The old boxes used to come with a postcard inside which listed the contents but didn't give you any information about the products.  Now you get a super-duper booklet that is jam packed with illustrations of each item along with their names, details about the flavours and some facts about them too.  

Useful info about the products

Each box now contains 10 Japanese candies and savoury snacks and has a wider variety of products than ever before. There will be more exclusive and limited edition treats like Japanese Kit Kats, seasonal Pocky and Hi-Chew sweets too!  A one off box costs $19.90 USD which is about £14.70 or 16.70 Euros and that includes worldwide shipping .  If you subscribe to six or twelve monthly boxes you will get them for a lower price and you can find all the information about that here.

Some of my yummy treats

My box has a Japanese exclusive dark chocolate Kit Kat, a bag of Meiji peach flavour gummy sweets, Koikeya BBQ corn snacks, Tomica Ramune candy and Tohato caramel corn snacks.

There was also a Popin' Cookin' Kuru Kuru Takoyaki DIY candy kit, a pot of Kabaya chocolate puddings, a box of Strawberry Pocky, a Yaokin Umaibo corn snack and a bag of Kasugai rose flavour candy.

DIY candy kit and more

Out of these my absolute favourites are the Meiji peach gummies, the Tohato caramel corn snacks and the Kasugai rose candy, they all taste so good!  My children also tried everything and their favourites are the strawberry Pocky, Kabaya chocolate puddings and they loved the peach gummies too.  My husband loves dark chocolate so he took the Kit Kat and gives it two thumbs up!

Taste testing!

We haven't had a go at making the DIY candy kit yet but we've always had a lot of fun when we have done them before so I'm sure we'll enjoy it!

On to the giveaway!  It's easy to enter, just fill in the sections below to be in with a chance of wining a box of treats sent directly to your door!  Or if you just can't wait you can treat yourself to a box here (but still enter, you might win another one!).

She's Eclectic Japan Candy Box Giveaway

Good luck everyone!

National Stationery Week - #makeanote Notebook Love's Inky thinkings notebook review and giveaway *Now closed*

Hello!  Happy National Stationery Week!  Today's theme is make a note so it's the perfect time for me to review this gorgeous notebook from Notebook Love and offer you the chance to win one for yourself as well!

First of all let me tell you a little bit about Notebook Love, it is family run business by husband and wife team Kate and Consol and they are nuts about notebooks!  They have been designing and making their own fabulous notebooks, journals and jotters since 2016 and I am a big fan.

Inky thinkings

Kate sent me this super pretty pink and purple Inky thinkings notebook to try out and it is an updated version of their highly popular inky blue notebook.  The cover is made from thick textured card and has a contrasting pink elastic closure.  The inside of the cover is the same shade of pink as the closure instead of plain white or cream which is a nice touch and pulls the whole look together and hey, in my opinion, you can never have too much pink!

Cream pages with light grey rule

There are 192 pages inside made from Forest Stewardship Council approved paper and they are a nice creamy colour.  The rule is quite wide and a light shade of grey so if you felt like doodling or sketching in this book they wouldn't interfere too much.  I prefer lighter lines in my notebooks as it makes them much more versatile and I think it just looks nicer than a darker rule.  The paper itself is a little toothy, in a good way, and feels great to write on.

#makeanote

So do you like what you see?  Would you like to win one for yourself?  Of course you would!  And.... if pink is not your colour (gasp!) then the winner will have the option to choose the stunning blue Inky thinkings notebook instead!

How to enter:

Leave me a comment below telling me which Inky notebook you would like to win, pink or blue.  That's it, nice and easy!  I will number the comments and use random.org to select a winner.

The rules:

• One entry per person
• Open to UK residents only
• Giveaway ends 12pm on Monday 30th April 2018, comments after this time will not be entered
• The winner will be announced on this post on the 1st May 2018
• The winner will have to contact me within 72 hours or a new winner will be selected
• There is only one prize and no cash alternative
• People under 18 must have parental permission to enter this competition

Good luck!

Japan Candy Box review and giveaway

Every time Japan Candy Box offer me one of their boxes to review I always say yes!  There are two reasons for this, firstly everyone in our house likes to try new things and my son really loves Japanese food.  Secondly they always offer a second goody box for me to giveaway to one of you!  

Japan Candy Box

If you haven't seen my previous posts let me tell you a little about Japan Candy Box, they offer a monthly subscription service and you can choose from a one off box or a six or twelve month subscription.  In return you receive a box of ten fun and quirky candies and treats delivered straight to your door all the way from Japan!  A single box is $19.90 USD which is just under £15 depending on the exchange rate but the price of the box reduces as the length of your subscription increases.  Worldwide shipping is also free!  

Let's open this one up and show you what is inside!

Yummy treats

Everything looks so fun!

Star shaped choco biscuits

Tohato chocolate biscuits - I am told these biscuits are the favourite snack of the characters in a popular Japanese anime called Crayon Shin Chan.  They are supposed to be puffy and sweet choco corn biscuits but they taste more like cereal to me.  I think they'd be quite nice in a bowl of milk.

Peanuts

Kasugai mixed flavour green beans - There are a few different bags of this product in the boxes including roasted green beans with spices, roasted peas, peanuts and spiced peanuts.  My bag is regular peanuts which I like, they taste very slightly salted and I'm a fan.  

Choco bananas

Meiji choco bananas -  My children love these!  They are banana shaped chocolates with a banana flavour crisp candy shell on the outside and a nice chocolate filling.  The three of them have polished the box off and I only got to try one!

Soda flavour chewy sweets

Coris soda candy - These chewy round sweets have some fun flavours, pink lemonade, grape soda, cider, cola, ginger ale, apple cider and melon soda.  I'm not sure which colour is which flavour though and it was hard to guess.  I think the pink ones were pink lemonade and they were my favourites.

Lemon cream biscuits

Gilco cream lemon biscuit rolls -  Oh my gosh, these are very moreish!  They are little wafer tubes filled with a yummy, soft, creamy lemon filling. They remind me of Lemon Puff biscuits here in the UK but the Gilco rolls are much lighter.

Grape gummies

Bandai grape gummy - Doraemon is a cute robotic cat who travels back in time and these gummies are shaped as characters from the show.  When I opened the packet I was hit by the smell of grape, it was really strong and they tasted just as good.

Vanilla cookies

Fujiya country ma'am mini vanilla cookies - Fujiya has made these famous and cherished chocolate cookies in Japan for over 30 years, they are incredibly popular! Hidden inside is the vanilla biscuit is a soft, chewy chocolate filling which is nice but if you heat them up a little they are amazing!

Nissin coconut mini sable biscuits - These are very crunchy, sweet little coconut flavoured biscuits with a sugary coating on top.  They would go very well with a cup of tea!

Pineapple candy

Meigum cool pineapple soft candy - These are my favourite treat out of the whole box, they are delicious!  It starts off with a sour hard shell and inside is a sweet, soft and chewy pineapple centre.  I ate all of these by myself and I still want more!

Ramune chewy bar

Meigum Ramune bar - Ramune is a Japanese soda which I have never tried but I have eaten a few sweets that are Ramune flavoured like this chewy bar and I really like it!  I can't describe how it tastes because there's nothing I can compare it to over here in the UK but it is really nice and refreshing.  I think I would enjoy the drink if I ever got to try it!

Okay so this box was fantastic, I got to try lots of weird and wonderful Japanese snacks and they were all yummy!  If you would like to purchase a box for yourself then click here or if you are feeling lucky fill in the gadget below to enter the giveaway!

She's Eclectic Japan Candy Box Giveaway

Good luck everyone!

Blippo Surprise Kawaii Stationery Bag review and giveaway!

If you love kawaii things as much as me be prepared to swoon over this Surprise Kawaii Stationery Bag I was sent by the awesome people behind Kawaii Box and Japan Candy Box!  

Unlike the Kawaii Boxes and Japan Candy Boxes I have reviewed before, these goodie bags are not a subscription service so you can treat yourself if and whenever the mood takes you.  Items are selected randomly from the kawaii warehouse and you receive at least 15 super cute stationery items in a sweet drawstring bag.  I'm picturing the warehouse as some kind of pastel pink wonderland where bunnies hop around gathering your stationery bits and pieces who then hand them off to some other adorable woodland creature who packs and ships your order, if I am wrong please don't correct me!

Okay, are you ready to see what was inside my bag?

Surprise Kawaii Stationery Bag

By a stroke of luck my bag has a few cat and Hello Kitty products which I love, I think the bookmarks are my favourite out of everything I received!  There is also a set of pencils with lids, a sharpener and eraser, a pack of highlighters, five sheets of stickers, a ghost family gel pen, a set of deco tapes, carrot shaped erasers, sticky notes and a holographic card. 

So much cuteness!

Exclusive Blippo bag filled with stationery

Sweet stickers and cat bookmarks

The bags cost around £12.80 (depending on the exchange rate) and shipping is free to most countries including the UK, Europe and the USA which is fantastic!

If you like what you see and want to order a bag right now here is the link for it or if you are feeling lucky follow the steps in the gadget below to try and win one in my giveaway.  The more actions you complete the more entries you will have in the draw!

She's Eclectic Blippo Giveaway

Good luck!

Thank You Thursday - National Stationery Week giveaway!

National Stationery Week has been amazing so far and I have been really enjoying it!  It has gotten me even more excited about my love of stationery and I am back into my blogging rhythm again.  On Tuesday I published my 400th blog post and as today is #ThankYouThursday I wanted to do a little giveaway for all you lovely readers!

Giveaway prize

You could win the following:

• A6 gold glitter notebook from Lucy Made Me
• I believe in unicorns pencil from Lucy Made Me
• I believe in fairies pencil from Lucy Made Me
• A sheet of Wild & Free decorative stickers from Isabelle The Owl
• A gold colour wire binder clip

To enter all you have to do is tell me what you are thankful for today!  I will number all entries and use random.org to pick a winner.  You can get extra entries on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter too!

The rules:

• Leave me a comment telling me what you are thankful for today.
• You get one extra entry for each action you complete on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Maximum of four entries per person.
• There is only one prize.
• There is no cash alternative.
• This giveaway is open worldwide.
• People under age 18 need to have parental permission to enter.
• This giveaway ends on the 4th May 2017 at 12pm UK time.  Entries after this time will not be counted.
• The winner will be announce on the 5th May here on this blog post and on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
• The winner has 48 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be selected.

Enjoy the rest of National Stationery Week!  I will be back tomorrow for Fountain Pen Friday!

Japan Candy Box Giveaway!

Last month I received an email from the lovely people at Japan Candy Box asking me if I would like to host another giveaway for them.  Of course I said yes, so they sent me a fab box to show you!

A cute box of treats delivered to your door

Japan Candy Box offer a monthly subscription option or you can go for a single box, you can find all the details and prices here.  Each box contains 8-10 fun candies, sweets and treats and they are delivered direct to your door.  

First look inside

Inside the box you will find a thank you card which lists all of your goodies.

Sweeties!

I received 10 tasty treats including crisps/chips, sweets and gum.  There were also a couple of fun sets to make your own candies which I can't wait to try out! 

Lots of yummy things to try

My favourite thing in the box was the Tohato Caramel corn, in fact I liked it so much when I tried it I forgot to stop eating it and take a photo.  It really was delicious!   Another couple of things I liked were the Coris Soft Centred Grape gum and the Kabaya Mixed Fruit Bottle candy.  

Coris grape gum

The gum had a liquid centre which was a nice surprise and the mixed fruit sweets were very yummy!

Kabaya mixed fruit candy

Ok, so if you liked the look of all these snacks and sweets and you would like to win your own box of candy pop your info into the Rafflecopter gadget below.  The more steps you complete the more entries you get *wink*

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winner will be notified by email once the giveaway is closed and the prize sent directly from Japan Candy Box.

Good luck!

Lord Dodo's Acad-Pad review and giveaway! *Now closed - winner announced in the comments*

Is it a bird?  Is it a plane?  No!  It's the Dodo Acad-Pad and it's here to save you from your daily, organisational struggles!  The Acad-Pad is perfect for anyone who has just gone back to college, school or uni or for someone who just can't wait until the start of the new year to get themselves a new planner.

Acad-Pad 2016/17

I have been a fan and user of Dodo products for years and years now, before I became a Filofax/planner addict I used their desk diaries to schedule my life and when I moved on to the ring bound system I stuck with the Dodo Pad and Acad-Pads as they're also available as Filofax inserts.  

The Acad-Pad is an academic diary which runs from September through to August (the Dodo Pad is for January through to December) and it has a week on one page layout with a second page for notes, doodles, reminders etc.  Both pads have bright, colourful covers so they are easy to spot if they are buried under piles of paper on your desk or hidden behind everything bar the kitchen sink in your bag!  The covers are also made from sturdy card so if you're balancing the diary on your knee while on the bus to school or on the train to work you have a nice, firm surface to write on.

Example of how to use the pad

The weekly page is incredibly versatile, there are five boxes for each day and you get to label them however you like.  On the example page in the diary they have split the day into To Do, Morning, Afternoon, Evening and Dates & Deadlines.  When I first started using a Dodo Pad my headings were Notes, AM, PM, Kids and Ian (my husband), now my children are older they get their own box each so they are labelled Me, Ian, Hayden, Caitlin and Summer.

Having a second page each week gives you plenty of space to makes notes about your course work, thesis ideas, meetings or even meal plans and shopping lists.  It is pretty much a blank page to fill however you see fit, the possibilities are almost endless!

Weekly layout

Each weekly spread has a theme, some are seasonal and some are just fun and now these pages are more colourful than ever before as for the first time they are printed in a variety of colours instead of a single colour each week with shades of grey, black and white. 

Some pages are factual, some are humorous and quirky but they are all entertaining, practical and certain to keep you organised and amused throughout your day!

Each week has a different theme

As well as the diary you also get overview pages for Aug 2016 to Sep '17 and Sep 2017 to Aug '18 for all your forward planning needs and an Appendix section too.

Stuff and store pouch

At the rear of the pad there is a special stuff and store pouch, I have popped a little notebook in here to help you see it more clearly.  This spot is great for holding loose bits of paper, your homework, shopping lists or anything else you would like to keep neatly in your planner.

Indodispensable data

Finally there are a couple of pages for any important information you want to keep handy, mine are full of phone numbers and email address.

My Dodo Pad in my planner

I currently have the 2016 Dodo Pad in my organiser, I will be ordering the 2017 soon so I will have it in plenty of time for the new year!

Ok!  So do you like what you see?  Would you like to win this fabulous pad for yourself?  All you need to do is leave me a comment below telling me what you would label the five boxes in the Acad-Pad if you were to win it.  Here are the rules:

• Leave me a comment telling me what you would label the five boxes in your Acad-Pad (Reminders, AM, PM etc).  I will number them and then use random.org to select a winner.
• Only one entry per person please.
• You must be over 18 to enter or have a parent's permission.
• The giveaway ends at 12pm UK time on the 7th November 2016, any comments after this time will not count.  
• The winner will be announced on this post on the 8th November 2016 and they will have 48 hours to contact me to claim their prize.  If I don't hear from them I will have to draw a new winner.
• The Dodo Acad-Pad is the only prize, there is no cash alternative.
• This is an international giveaway.

I would just like to thank Rebecca from Dodo Pad and Georgie from The M Word for sending me this pad to review and give away, it is really nice to be able to share one of my favourite products with you all!

Good luck!

*Disclaimer - I was given this product free of charge for promotional purposes.  I was not paid to write this review and as always all opinions are honest and my own.