Thursday 29 November 2012

Instagood.


You might have already heard of these already but I think they're neat so I thought I'd talk about them anyway, because how good are they?!

Stickygrams are an awesome online service that allows you to upload your images from Instagram and send off to have them made into little magnets. A great stocking filler idea if ever there was one, I only sent off for an initial nine as I didn't know how they would turn out but at $14.99 (around £9 so £1 a magnet), I'd happily order them again.

I first saw these in A Beautiful Mess' sidebar so I didn't think they'd come so quickly but they arrived within the week so considering they came from the USA I was really impressed, and they're simple but effective.




They're now placed proudly amongst the other snaps and finds on my fridge, and fit wonderfully. You can get $2 off at the moment with the code: FRIENDLEP if you would like your own. I'd 100% recommend them as a quirky gift that's affordable and good quality and if you use Instagram a lot, what a great way to print out your photos as physical copies.


Wednesday 28 November 2012

Festive Little Sunday.

Even though the weather's been a total misery lately, and it seems like autumn completely rushed by me, winter being well and truly on its way means that Christmas is coming and that's pretty brilliant.
On Sunday, Moon and I leisurely went over to a couple of Christmas fairs just outside of Newbury, neither of them ended up being any good, but it got us out the house for a bit and I did manage to get a couple of goodies.



Our first stop was St Gabriel's Christmas Fair, it's quite a nice school and I did actually manage to pick up a few things but I don't think it was worth the £4 car parking we paid considering it was really just a school thing. We felt a bit weird because it wasn't like we were parents or anything...





Our second stop was Ruby's Vintage Fair at New Greenham Arts Centre, an event that would have been great if it has just been bigger, and taken advantage of the time of year and been a little bit more Christmassy. It was full of pretty ladies with victory rolls and cool artwork though so it at least had that going for it.


Simultaneously the best and most hilarious 'vintage' find ever, a framed photo of Kevin McCloud for £1.



Lunch was a Boxing Day pasty from the West Cornwall Pasty Company in town, a Christmas dinner in a pasty doesn't sound great but it really was probably one of the tastiest pasties I've ever had.


The West Cornwall Pasty shop in Newbury is so neat, it's all exposed walls and wooden floors and the basement floor has window seats right next the canal, which was really high thanks to the freaky weather. It all felt really cosy sipping hot chocolate while the water rushed past.





This was one of my finds from Ruby's, an educational fish poster, there were so many other nice ones but I thought this one would be perfect for the bathroom - which I'm trying to do up bit by bit.



I thought this was pretty good find for a school fair, especially seeing as I can never have enough places to put tealights


And of course, I couldn't resist these adorable kitty honey beeswax candles, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to bring myself to use them, but that's why I got two. :3

Are there any fun crafty/vintage fairs popping up near you? They seem to be really trendy at this time of year. I don't usually find anything but was pleased to this time rather than just window-shop.

Soundtrack to the day:

Dawes - 'North Hills' & Michael Bublé - 'Christmas'

Tuesday 27 November 2012

What I Wore 25/11: Rusty Legs.

It feels like such a long time since I last wore a pair of nice coloured tights, I blame my current distance from Primark. I hit up a Primark at the weekend looking ONLY for tights and came out with some lovely pairs, these orange rust ones are beaut and I'm so pleased to have colourful legs again. These ones are nice and thick too, pretty perfect timing considering it's supposed to snow soon.

So, this is what I wore when Moon and I were mooching around craft fairs and town last Sunday. These boots are now really comfortable, I was really worried for a second but I'm so pleased with them, they're perfect for puddles.

Accidental nearly all Primark outfit (!)
Coat: Primark
Scarf: Primark
Necklace: And Mary at Porta
Dress: House of Fraser
Bag: Jo Totes
Tights: Primark
Socks: New Look
Boots: ASOS


I'm a little bit annoyed that I treated myself to a Jo Totes bag just a couple of weeks before their amazing Black Friday offers, but I'm really pleased with it all the same. It's going to be perfect for keeping my bigger cameras in when I shoot a wedding next month and when lugging my DSLR around Florida at Christmas.



I'm so excited about owning this little guy, my second purchase from Porta in Brighton. Similar to Modcloth's trademark 'Winston' pug necklace, and I'm pretty sure he's made by the same person, but I can't resist a bulldog and I thought he was slightly better designed, he looks just like the office visitor we had last month.

Monday 26 November 2012

November Flavrbox.

I'm not really sure how many more times I can talk about Flavrbox and still sing their praises. They always offer up my kind of food and I'm always happy to eat it, enjoy it, and share it with you. Be sure to check out their website, it's the perfect place to find gifts for any food-loving friend or family member, pretty great with Christmas fast approaching.


[Olive Branch — Cherry Jam]
Jam made with olive oil certainly sounds less than appealing but I'm happy to tell you now that it's absolutely delicious. I will admit to being a little skeptical when I first opened the jar, but it's great on toast, and I'll definitely be using it in cakes and on porridge (Ready Brek because I'm a child) as suggested.


[Pink's — Smoked Tomato Tapenade]
I've never had tapenade before, but I'm definitely a convert, this tasty offering has cashew nuts which provide great texture and parmesan which really brings out the flavour of tomatoes. I've only had it on crusty bread and it was perfect, I'm actually a bit sad that Moon loves it so much too as it means I'll have to share, just like I did with the chilli jam in my first Flavrbox.


[Sundown — Pecans & Almonds]
Personally I wasn't actually a fan of these as I'm a little picky with what nuts I do and don't like and I'm not a big fan of pecans or almonds as it is. I found these a little bitter but when I served them to my guests on bonfire night everyone really liked them so I think it might have just been me.



[Hare's Moor — Rogan Josh Curry Kit]
I must admit I had very little input in the resulting delicious curry that came of this kit, but Moon did say it was a lot of faff compared to the way he usually does it - using paste. It was one of the nicest homemade curries I've had though so I think the extra effort was slightly worth it.



[The Bath Pig — Original Chorizo]
There was chat of sharing this with friends when we had them round for chilli but decided it was far to tasty and kept it to ourselves, we chucked half in a bolognese and it was amazing, we're saving the rest for something special.

As usual, the packaging for each item was impeccable, I think a part of me enjoys that aspect of this subscription box more than the products themselves. The two go really well together in my opinion though and it's a good job I love eating as much as I love good design. Definitely looking forward to their potential Christmas offerings!

You might also like: