Jake the Puppy Update...!

Since my first post about Jake the Puppy, some time has passed where we have bonded, he's grown bigger, smarter, and naughtier!
I thought today I shall update you with plenty of photo's, and my how he's grown! 
He's still tiny tho.


He steals everything, from slippers, to socks, and even receipts!


He has absolutely no awareness of personal space....at all.


He sleeps a lot, it's his favourite thing to do.


He's very curious and gets in the way a lot when I'm trying to shoot photo's for posts etc...!


He's gone on quite a few walks with us now since he has had all his injections and microchipping, he loves going to the park to play with all the other doggies.


He's now getting big enough to jump up on the furniture on his own, we aren't certain thats a good thing....


Anything can be a toy in Jakes eyes, ribbons especially are a favourite.


We absolutely love him, he is such an important part of the family already, I just wish I could spend more time with him.


We are dog people.

Double Lucky Dip Club..!

Strap yourselves in guys, it's gonna be a loooong post....!



I've loved every Lucky Dip Box I've had since the very first came through my door, each month these slim boxes hold a surprisingly large array of items and pieces that each box bursts out in colourful kitsch fun, that add some joy on that one day a month that it pops itself through the door.
This month I received not one, but two Lucky Dip Club boxes through the letter box, one their regular monthly installment, a circus themed one for this month, and a special one off Cat Box in association with Hello Harriet.


As someone who has worked alongside a lot of circus performers (including my fiancé) I was excited and curious to see the insides of this circus box when it was announced.
Luckily I was not disappointed, something I never seem to be with my monthly Lucky Dip Club subscription.


Every box starts with a handwritten card inside, all of which are lovely and collectable, I put them up over my desk as they all say such lovely things and look so adorable too.
But as Leona (the mind behind Lucky Dip Club) packs all of the up to 800 boxes herself it really shows how much love and dedication she is putting into these boxes.


Inside was a sea of colours, with the packaging inside fitting with the circus theme, and the contents being both fun but practicable too, with nods towards the christmas season without it being awash with christmas colours and themes.


I love this colourful foldaway fan (I'm not too sure what to call it, fan, flower, ornament...?!) and I'm searching for the perfect home to display it in.
Although more fun than practicable it is perfect inside this box!
There was also a harlequin inspired personalised initial keychain, every box features a personalised item which is a lovely touch to what is a handpicked handmade box.


Matching the harlequin keyring is this lovely little desk pad, perfect for me to jot down any ideas, tho it'll probably be my usual list of numbers of photo's to include in blogs such as this one!



Get your thank you's at the ready after this christmas season with these adorable circus animal themed postcards, there's even some envelopes inside the box in case you want to keep your notes away from any nosy postman's eye...!
For that extra special gift comes this Thank You card adorned with balloons and a lovely touch to this not very christmassy but sent in the christmas time frame box.


Have a very special gift of your own to send?
Why not use this cute harlequin wrapping paper and pom pom gift tag kit, making your gifts stand out and adding a personal crafty touch to those gifts you lovingly chose.
All in all this box is perfect for this time of year, and anyone who loves a bit of fun, colour, and kitsch to liven up their day.


Need something to tape the wrapping paper with? 
Well Leona even has you covered there, with this lovely brown paper slogan sticky tape that'll add an extra bit of charm to your wrapping.
And now it's onto the second box, and very excitingly for me, it's a cat themed one!


Made alongside Hello Harriet (not me, I wish I could draw that well!) a cat loving etsy seller who's shop is totally worth checking out.
This is the second instalment of the Lucky Dip Cat Box, and I really hope it isn't the last!
This is LDC's first box collaboration, but I'm sure plenty of other people will soon be lining up for the chance to work together and get their work out to a whole new audience.
I'm already planning some purchases from HelloHarriet.com.


I guess it is party season (where are all my invites...!?!) so cat in a party hat seems to sum it all up nicely in my opinion!
I'm a big lover of tote bags, eco friendly, more convenient and far more interesting than a plastic tescos bag, already this tote has had a few comments after I started using it immediately, of course I started to use it straight away, look at it!



You lot know I love my brooches, and cats, so a cat brooch?!?! Perfect!
It's so utterly adorable that I have been wearing it every chance I get, and also pointing it out any chance I get in case anyone somehow misses the amazing brooch I'm wearing that day.
Inside the bag there was also a little thank you card from Hello Harriet with a different cat illustration on the other side (this lady likes her cats...!).


With only 200 of these boxes having been made I'm so glad I managed to nab one, I would have cried otherwise after seeing everyone else's on the instagram hashtag.
If you still haven't subscribed to LDC yet, prepare yourselves for an early start new years day, if they go on sale on the 1st like they usually do each month and is your only chance once a month to grab a subscription. 
Either set your alarms early, or just stay up all night!

Alternative Xmas Decorations....

After my last post on Wednesday, showing more cute yet fairly traditional decorations on a budget, I decided to make another, showing some lovely alternatives that I picked up this year, alongside the decorated tree itself!


As you can see, our tree is pretty eclectic, but it is meant to be a season of fun, nostalgia, and celebration which is why I picked a lot of decorations to suit us three (me, Edd and Jake) and our lives together so far.



My hunt started in Paperchase, where there is a wide range of silly yet fun ornaments, and all on offer of three for two.
I picked three that I thought signified us a lot...!


As me and Edd lived in London when we first got together, a London bus ornament was perfect for us, tho our usual bus home was the 26 it is close enough! 
This cost only £2.50 but it's quite a large ornament too so well worth it.


When we first got together we spent a lot of time in my tiny shoe box room over on Abbey Road (yes, that one, no not near the zebra crossing tho!) I had quite a collection of glittery and ornamental deers adorning the shelves above my bed.
This lead to Edd calling me Bambi for a while, so another deer seemed quite apt, and this made my two ornaments three.
Again this was £2.50.


Of course after I saw this chihuahua ornament I had to buy it!
Jake is a new addition to the family, but he's bought so much joy to us already I can't imagine life without him.
This was a little more than the others at £7.00, but I couldn't resist.
What did Jake think of it...?


He was jumping around it so much, this is the clearest photo I managed to get with them!


A company I follow and have a lot of their items popped a photo of these on Facebook a few weeks ago, they somehow accidentally on purpose ended up in my etsy basket....!
I couldn't resist, and fought the urge to buy the whole 5 piece set priced at only £16.45, instead opting for these two which I liked the most!


CABfayre are a laser cutting brand, working mainly on acrylic or wood, but have an amazing range of jewellery that I seem to be collecting.
This year they have branched out into ornaments, starting with these Mean Girls inspired flattened quote baubles.
You can choose what colour or material you would like when ordering them too, and at the moment are a bargain £4.60 each!


They definitely add that kitsch cult classic affect that I adore so much, usually I keep all my kitsch hidden away in my office, but at this time of year I can turn the corner of our living room into a crazy grotto that would make any trailer look classy (I don't live in a trailer).



I've definitely managed to fill up this little tree, and I worried I didn't get enough....!
I think the kitsch angel sits perfectly atop the tree, and it doesn't look boring at all either, in fact rather the opposite.



Maybe next year we should buy a bigger tree.....

Christmas Decorations on the Cheap...

Usually I'm not one for christmas, I'd shout Bah Humbug with the best of them but this year I decided to try out that thing called christmas spirit and embrace it wholeheartedly. 
This included a generous splurge on christmas gifts (family, I have spoiled you), gearing up for christmas day, and for the first time ever, me and Edd buying and decorating a christmas tree!
So after splurging on so many gifts, budgeting was a must this year and so I set myself a mission, one I shall now share with you all, and this was to hunt down the best budget christmas decorations the high street has to offer.



Home and Bargains is a super amazing budget store that originated in Liverpool, my home town, and also the store where I got my first job at the age of 16, stacking and cleaning shelves...!
They have since popped up all over the place now, and are spreading out to other towns and cities.
If you popped into a store you would totally understand why.
I popped in and found some amazing and for my taste, kitsch items to adorn our tree, including this glitter angel for only £2.99 that I decided would make the perfect tacky tree topper.
The miniature bird houses I thought were a cute touch to our tree, tho no teeny tiny birds have yet come to nest in them.
No christmas tree is complete without candy canes, and at 69p for a box of 12 we just had to get them.
Total - £5.67



I came across these decorations somewhat unexpectedly while browsing in Tesco.
They were £1 each and on a 3 for 2 offer, but I couldn't resist this laser cut style wooden heart with a scene of deers in a forest, teamed with this pink leaping glitter deer (glittery deers is where it's at). 
I couldn't really find anything else that I liked so much for the free item, but I figured that you can't go wrong with a classic victorian style nut cracker.
Total - £2.00




Of course Primark was going to be on the list...!
It seems every year in primark is better than the last, with some lovely items of clothing coming out of there constantly, you no longer have to whisper that it's primark these days, especially as it has somewhat of a buy it before it's too late feel nowadays, people are just jealous you managed to nab that item while it was there.
Primark supplied the perfect little fillers to our tree, with this 27 piece red bauble set (available in other colours too!) for a measly £1.50, 8 glittery gold baubles for £2.00, some red LED lights in the shape of reindeers for £3.00, and some last minute grab probably wouldn't have bought if I'd thought about it more felt woodland animals for £3.00.
I got a lot, and had a bag full after this splurge, but I wouldn't recommend the felt animals as they weren't very well made and all the stuffing was poking out, but I just cannot fault the rest at all.
Need your fillers? Get to Primark.
Total - £9.50



 Top of my very impressed with cute as items at bargain prices shop is Wilkos, more than just that shop you go to for cheap whatevers, Wilko's has become the perfect place to grab all your home ware while keeping your house cute and chic.
I went rather overboard in Wilko's as there was so much choice I kinda wanted everything.
I had to have the bell wreath, it looks perfect on the back of my living room door (where it would be more appreciated) and caused a whole load of amusement jingling away as I carried on through town.
I also bought these matching bell ornaments for the tree as they were lovely colours, polka dot, and generally adorable. At £3.50 can you blame me?
I also nabbed these barge jug inspired woodland animal wooden ornaments in a box of 6 for only £3.00 and they look so cute on the tree.
As you can see from the first picture I also bought three individual ornaments to mix it up a little, with the flowery bauble for only £1.00 (there was also a set of them), the little house ornament for £2.00, and a little felt red riding hood for £2.00 that was a much better quality.
Total - £19.50

We also grabbed a £15 plastic "it'll do" tree in wilkos for £15, but you can't see it just yet....you'll just have to wait till Sunday for even more....!
Total of this christmas decoration shopping splurge £36.67.
How are you decorating your tree?
Will it be full of Bah Humbugs or christmas sparkle?
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