My week #50

Hello again!  The second week of December was just as busy as the first but I didn't care because I had the most Christmasy planner pages ever!  Every time I opened my organiser to check what I had to do I felt so festive and excited that I powered through my to do lists easily.

My week #50

On Monday I put our Christmas tree up and covered the house in fairy lights and tinsel.  I love how it looks when it is all finished and I can sit down with a hot drink and enjoy feeling warm and cosy.  My current favourite is black cherry hot chocolate, it is delicious!  

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Next month this blog will be three years old so I have been arranging some prizes to celebrate.  I will be running giveaways here on the blog, on my Facebook page and my Instagram account so make sure you are following them so you don't miss out!  There is also still time to enter my Japan Candy Box giveaway, you can find the details here.  

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Products used:
Van der Spek custom made organizers - 30mm standard size (personal)
Cloudy Cow Christmas mix washi tape

Annie's Paper Boutique Check It Off Planner Stamp Set

Annie's Paper Boutique At Home Planner Stamp Set

Annie's Paper Boutique School Days Planner Stamp Set

Annie's Paper Boutique Trendy Page Dots circle reinforcements
Mrs Brimbles Christmas stickers

Kawaii Studios planner charm

Thanks for stopping by!

My week #49

Eeeeek there's less than a week to go until Christmas and I am so excited!  Back in November I decorated all of my December pages in advance and that made me feel very festive and organised.   

My week #49

I knew that I would have lots of things to do so I made sure I stamped plenty of check boxes for my lists.  I also left a lot of space for my notes and reminders because December tends to be quite a busy month.  There is always a concert or three going on and performances, plays and fairs to attend so I need to note them down or I would forget.  

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Products used:
Van der Spek custom made organizers - 30mm standard size (personal)
Washi tapes are old ones from my collection
Red ribbon 

Annie's Paper Boutique Check It Off Planner Stamp Set

Annie's Paper Boutique At Home Planner Stamp Set

Annie's Paper Boutique School Days Planner Stamp Set

Annie's Paper Boutique Trendy Page Dots circle reinforcements
Mrs Brimbles Christmas Eggnog Die Cut Ephemera
Annie's Paper Boutique star paper clips

Kawaii Studios planner charm

Have you entered my latest giveaway yet?  You can win an amazing box of Japanese candy, just fill in the form before the 30th December to be in with a chance. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Japan Candy Box review and giveaway!

Who likes sweets?  Me too!  Well the lovely people at Kawaii Box also sell a product called Japan Candy Box which is full of exotic treats.  They asked me if I would like to review a box for them and run a giveaway so one of you could try a box too!  Of course I said yes!   

I was really excited when the box arrived and couldn't wait to see what was inside!  Be warned this is a very picture heavy post....

Cute tissue paper and thank you card

Inside

You get between 8 and 10 items in each box and subscriptions start from a one of box through to a 12 month plan.  You can see all the options and prices here.

Mmmm it all looks good!

I got ten treats in my box and they all looked really interesting!

The rest of the treats

The first thing I tried was these cute Lotte Koala March Biscuits.  They have a crisp biscuit shell and a nice milk chocolate filling.  I really liked them, they are very moreish!

Lote Koala March Biscuits

Next was some Bourbon Petit White Chocolate stuffed cookies, these are really tasty!  The biscuit part reminds me of viennese whirls and even though I'm not a fan of white chocolate the filling was nice and creamy without being too sweet.

Bourbon Petit White Chocolate Stuffed Cookies

The Pocky Panda Cookie Sticks are similar to Mikado which are a favourite in this house.  I think these ones are cookies and cream flavour and they get two thumbs up from me!

Pocky Panda Cookie Sticks

When I first saw these I thought they were supposed to be pink doughnuts but when I checked the card I saw they were Strawberry Whistle Candy.  You hold the sweet up to your lips and blow through the hole and they do make a whistling sound!  My children loved these, especially my four year old who can't whistle yet. The little blue dog figure is the prize that came in the box with the sweets.  

Coris Strawberry Whistle Candy 

The Meiji Juice Gummies are very orangy and refreshing.  It was nice to try something so fruity after all the biscuits I had eaten. 

Meiji Juice Gummies

I am not a fan of mango.  I like the smell but I've never really liked the taste so I didn't think I was going to like the Puccho Mango Chew Candy but I did.  They taste kind of like peach to me but they are very, very chewy.  You feel like your mouth has had a workout after eating one of these!

Puccho Mango Chewy Candy

Meiji Mini Candy tastes just like Smarties or M&M's, they are candy shells filled with chocolate and quite nice.  You can't go wrong with that combination in my opinion.

Meiji Mini Candy Pack 

The Puccho Awawawa Ball Candy was a big hit!  They are really sour at first, after that wears off it is a nice grape flavour.  They are also quite hard so you have to suck them for a while before you can bite them open.  In the centre is a chewy grape flavour filling that was a bit of a surprise.  I love sour sweets so these are great!

Puccho Awawawa Ball Candy

Hands up, I will admit I'm not sure what to do with this kit!  There are instructions on the back of the packet but they are written in Japanese and I can't quite figure out what to do just using the illustrations.  It looks like a fun kit but until I work it out I can't say how good it is!

Kracie Popin' Cookin' DIY Takoyaki set

I didn't really like these biscuits.  The packaging is very cute but they remind me of Rusks baby biscuits and I've not liked those since I was a toddler!  They aren't horrible though, just a bit plain.  

Takedo Tamago Boro Egg Cookies

Ok, so if you like what you see why not enter the giveaway below to win your own Japan Candy Box?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

My week #48

If you have been reading this blog for a while you might already know that I am a little obsessed with foxes!  I saw this cute washi tape on Etsy a while ago and thought it was a perfect match for the felt fox paper clip I had made myself.   

My week #48

It was a nice quiet week for me which was lucky as I was poorly.  I am feeling a lot better now though and to celebrate I will be launching a giveaway later today!  If you have a sweet tooth then you are in for a treat! 

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Products used:
Van der Spek custom made organizers - 30mm standard size (personal)
Lorabailora orange ombre washi tape
Lorabailora foxes washi tape

Annie's Paper Boutique Check It Off Planner Stamp Set

Annie's Paper Boutique At Home Planner Stamp Set

Annie's Paper Boutique School Days Planner Stamp Set

Annie's Paper Boutique Trendy Page Dots circle reinforcements

Kawaii Studios planner charm

Thanks for stopping by!

Planner Friday - December

It's Christmas! Well, no it's not but it will be soon! I am celebrating the first week of December with a little festive Planner Friday post over on Twine it up with Trendy Twine today...

 It's here, it's finally December and I can let all my festive spirit out!  I absolutely love this time of year and I reflect that in my planner pages. 
I have a million and one things to do in preparation of the big day but I don't feel stressed because I have a to do list (or three!) to help me stay on track!

Products used: Check It Off Planner Stamp Set

At Home Planner Stamp Set

School Days Planner Stamp Set

Trendy Page Dots circle reinforcements

Stamp Block with Finger Grooves

Star paper clips

Ink

Washi Tape

You can read the rest of my post here.

Thanks for stopping by!

My week #47

It was my birthday last week so I went with an over the top pink and girly theme for my pages to cheer me up and stop me feeling old!  It was also a really busy week so I had quite a few more notes and reminders than usual.  

My week #47

My eldest daughter was away on a school trip for most of the week, she missed my big day but I did get a phone call from her headmaster first thing on Wednesday morning so she could wish me a happy birthday.  To be honest I was surprised she remembered, she's only nine!

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I have been doing lots of Christmas preparation too, I have ordered my turkey, nearly completed my gift shopping and have a stack of cards to write and post before the end of the month.  I just want to spend December relaxing and having fun with my family instead of stressing about being ready and finishing a massive to do list.  

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Products used:
Van der Spek custom made organizers - 30mm standard size (personal)
Lorabailora drops washi tape
The weather stickers were from Paperchase but I can't find them online anymore

Annie's Paper Boutique Check It Off Planner Stamp Set

Annie's Paper Boutique At Home Planner Stamp Set

Annie's Paper Boutique School Days Planner Stamp Set

Annie's Paper Boutique Trendy Page Dots circle reinforcements

Kawaii Studios planner charm

Have you starting getting ready for Christmas yet or is it still too soon for you?

Lucky Dip Club - Biscuit Box

Have you ever seen the giant biscuit cushions by Nikki McWilliams?  They are made to look like custard creams, jammy dodgers and lots of other fun biscuity designs, I think they are great and I have had a couple of them on my wish list for a while now.  Anyway I follow Nikki on Instagram and she announced that she had designed some products for the Lucky Dip Club, I was intrigued so I went off to investigate.  I found that the Lucky Dip Club is a monthly subscription box for people who love handmade products, personalised presents and receiving a surprise in the post.  It sounded right up my street so I got onto the computer and ordered myself the October box.  The boxes are available on the 1st day of the month and sell out pretty quickly, they are then made up and posted to you at the end of the month.  I was so excited by the time my parcel arrived in the mail!

Lucky Dip Club - October's Biscuit Box

Inside the box you find your Club zine booklet which tells you a little about the lovely products and the people who have made them.  

Biscuits!

Lots of fun things to read with a cuppa and a biscuit

Underneath the booklet your surprises are wrapped up in bright yellow tissue paper.

Your surprises are waiting...

The first thing I spotted once I opened the box was the biscuit brooch with my name on, you get one personalised product in each box and you can pick which name or word you would like on it.

Look at all the goodies!

I was over the moon to discover that one of the goodies supplied by Nikki was a DIY mini biscuit cushion kit.  Inside the packet was a printed rainbow party ring image and a yellow piece of fabric to make the cushion, stuffing, fully illustrated instructions and a little sewing kit with pins, a needle and coloured cotton.  

Nikki McWilliams DIY biscuit cushion kit

My mini cushion after I made it

The Lucky Dip boxes have contained a charm of the month for the past eight boxes (including this October box), my charm is a jammy dodger biscuit and it came on a silver coloured necklace.  The December box, which goes on sale on the 1st December at 7am will have a cats and cocktails theme and it will contain the last charm of the month.  I emailed Leona (the lovely lady who makes the Lucky Dip boxes) and asked her what will be inside next year to replace the charms but she told me it is a surprise so we will have to wait and see!

Charm of the month, personalised brooch & sticky notes

You can see my sweet biscuit brooch here, isn't it cute?  There was also some pink party ring sticky notes which are really fun! 

I'm a smart cookie wall art

The second product from Nikki was this holographic word wall art print, it is really hard to photograph but it looks great in person!

You see the lovely biscuit background I used for these photos?  Well that is what is printed on the back of the club zine, how cool is that? 

Everything together

So this is everything I got in the box all together, I am really happy with it!  I paid £20 for a one off box including free P&P but if you subscribe then the boxes only cost £18 each and they also include free UK postage.  There is no set time limit for a subscription so you can cancel it at any time if you wish. 

So what do you think of the Lucky Dip Box?  Is it your cup of tea?  It is certainly mine!

* Disclaimer - I purchased this product myself and was not paid to write this post.  I am not affiliated with the Lucky Dip Club or Nikki McWilliams.  I received my box by the end of October, it has just taken me a while to finish my review, sorry!

My week #46

I am really going to miss autumn when it is over, I've had so much fun decorating my pages with autumnal colours and themes!  I can't believe how quickly the last half of this year has sped by, there are only a few days left until December and the start of winter.  I guess that means I need to dig out my Christmas washi tapes and stickers soon!  Yay!

My week #46

I wanted to do one last week with an autumn theme but I was a bit fed up of yellows and oranges so I went with pink and brown for a change. The Hello Fall stamp set I used for decoration is very sweet and I love the little cute leaves and pumpkin characters! 

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Products used:
Van der Spek custom made organizers - 30mm standard size (personal)
Lorabailora pink ombre washi tape

Annie's Paper Boutique Check It Off Planner Stamp Set

Annie's Paper Boutique At Home Planner Stamp Set

Annie's Paper Boutique School Days Planner Stamp Set
Annie's Paper Boutique Hello Fall Planner Stamp Set

Annie's Paper Boutique Trendy Page Dots circle reinforcements

Kawaii Studios planner charm

Are you excited for winter and Christmas?

Thanks for stopping by!

My week #45

Hello!  It is so dark and grey here and I have been waiting all week for a sunny day so I could take some photos for my blog posts but the clouds aren't cooperating!  I have given up today and taken my planner outside to try and make the most of the natural light and used a blank canvas as my background.  These photos are better than the ones I got indoors but they still look a little dark even after editing.  It's really bugging me! 

My week #45

Week 45 was the week of my son's birthday party so I had so much to do to get ready for it.  I thought I might need a lot of coffee to get me through the week so I went with a Starbucks theme for my pages and used my favourite mint colour too.  I toyed with the idea of adding some pink as well but in the end I thought I would just keep it nice and simple.

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Products used:
Van der Spek custom made organizers - 30mm standard size (personal)
Lorabailora mint ombre washi tape

Annie's Paper Boutique Check It Off Planner Stamp Set

Annie's Paper Boutique At Home Planner Stamp Set

Annie's Paper Boutique School Days Planner Stamp Set
Annie's Paper Boutique Need Coffee Planner Stamp Set 

Annie's Paper Boutique Trendy Page Dots circle reinforcements
 Starbucks coffee papper clip

Kawaii Studios planner charm

Thanks for stopping by!

Mrs Brimbles photo challenge - week four

Sorry for the delay in sharing my final round up of photos from the October challenge, I've been very busy recently so I am playing catch up again!

Day twenty four - stickers

I decided to show off my new sticky notes for today's prompt, aren't they cute?

Day 24 - Stickers

Day twenty five - Toasty

Nothing makes me feel nice and toasty like a big cup of hot chocolate and if it is topped with cream that is even better!

Day 25 - Toasty

Day twenty six - Preparation

I ordered a new sparkly dashboard in preparation for Christmas.  I love how nicely it was packaged, it was like receiving a beautifully wrapped present.

Day 26 - Preparation

Day twenty seven - Crisp or crunch

Crisp or crunch?  Both when it comes to autumn leaves!  I am also counting this as my photo for the Out & About prompt I missed last week.  While I was taking this photo is started to rain and you can see a few drops that landed on my planner, I am happy to report that my Van der Spek organiser can handle a rain shower and all the spots disappeared once they had dried!

Day twenty eight - Pumpkin

I had a few pumpkiny things to share in this pic, I brought a glittery pumpkin bubble bar from Lush and a sweet new charm from Kawaii Studios  to see me though the Autumn months.  The little pumpkin was eventually carved into a smiling jack-o-lantern to greet the trick or treaters who came to our door on the 31st.

Day twenty eight - Pumpkin

Day twenty nine - Changing

Changing the theme of my planner, I had a pumpkin dashboard at the front when I opened my organiser but now I have a lovely, glittery reindeer dashboard to get me into a more festive mood!

Day 29 - Changing 

Day thirty - Treat

My favourite treat is a coffee and cake, especially if they are Christmas ones!

Day thirty - Treat

Day thirty one - Halloween

This was my Halloween theme for the last week of October.  I hope you enjoyed your holiday as much as we did!

Day 31 - Halloween

Thanks for stopping by!