Nail Art

For Christmas I recieved a great kit for my nails which i'll be sharing with you soon, for now i'll share a few of the designs which i've done this week including Christmas, Pacman and the latest one's for new years eve.

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

So christmas day has finally arrived and this is just a quick message to wish everyone a very merry christmas. I hope the day is filled with lots of love and laughter, great food, great times and great company.

Merry Christmas All.
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Christmas Crafts

Over the past year with not being too well, at times when i've felt OK i've needed to keep myself busy with things that I can enjoy but without causing any more pain or discomfort. Crafts have always been a love of mine but even more so over the past couple of years, and although I'm not a master of any of them, the pure fact of making something myself not only lets out my creative side but it also really chills me out and helps me to relax, who cares if it's not perfect?

With Christmas coming up I decided to make some homemade decorations. The first ones i've made were done with a little help from Hobbycraft. Hobbycraft is like my haven, I could spend hours in that shop, and if my purse would allow it i'd buy the lot! I bought some unfinished wooden shapes to decorate myself. These come in a variety of different christmas themed shapes as well as non christmas shapes.

These don't work out very expensive to make and are much cheaper than buying decorations from a shop. Making them yourself is not just rewarding but it creates a lovely homespun feel to your decorated home. You could even make them for a friend or a relative, I made my sister a few for her new home but I decorated them to match her decor colour scheme.

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Handmade Baby Blanket

Just a quick message to share with you this beautiful baby blanket. Knitted with love by my lovely nan. Recently finished and available to buy. The perfect handmade present for someone who is expecting a baby boy. This blue/white blanket can be bought from ebay by using the link below. These can also be made with pink chequered squares or all white with rose embellishments. If you are interested in a blanket but would like to request a different colour then email me at Katiehollely@gmail.com and i'll see what I can do. Please note that as they are made to order it will take a few weeks to be sent to you.

Click here to be directed to my ebay page

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Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree



So Christmas is only a couple of weeks away and in our house the decorations have been up since late November. We don't really do any outdoor decorations but inside we love to fill the house with beautiful things which make you feel all festive and put you in the mood for Christmas. With the tree being the main event, I love to spend time making it look nice, with some festive tunes on in the background.

                                             

Our tree is quite a traditional themed tree, just a classic green tree with decorations mainly in red/gold/green. Some of the modern white trees can look fabulous in-store but I don't think they'll suit our decorations. Rather than just filling the tree with decorations that mean nothing we like to buy all different ones to make our tree stand out and be unique to us.We usually buy 2-3 new special ones a year. We still have one on the tree which was bought for me on my first Christmas, 20 years ago!

                                               

I think that a Christmas tree needs to be full of decorations, a sparsely decorated tree isn't quite as interesting. So once I've put on the lights and all of the main decorations in place, I like to fill the rest of the tree with just normal baubles. I got some new ones this year from Asda and Sainsbury's, they didn't cost very much but finished the tree off perfectly.

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What's your decoration theme? Classic or modern? 



Table Top Cookware

Last week whilst at one of my favourite restaurants I had my first experience of "Steak on a stone" , If you haven't tried it, you must. I was blown away by it, it not only allows you to cook your food to your exact liking but it also adds more theatre and excitement to a meal. Every one of us tried the "steak on a stone" and we were all equally impressed with our meals.

I immediately knew what I could get my Dad for Christmas, he's ridiculously difficult to buy for and with his birthday being on Christmas Eve it makes it even harder having to buy double the amount of gifts. He loves to cook and I thought these would be a perfect present. It's a bit different, and it's something which all of the family can enjoy and experiment with.

I rate a company very highly if they are good with customers and I was very pleased with the service I received from Table Top Cookware. I often find that with many companies your email can take a good few days to be replied to, that's if you even get a reply. When I contacted Table Top Cookware with a query I was impressed when I got my reply 20 minutes later, and that was after midnight... I wasn't expecting the reply so soon.

So I ordered 2 of the Hot Stone Grills which cost £28.99 each. As with all new things you want to get them out of the box and use them straight away but being a gift for the parents, it'll just have to wait for Christmas eve! It makes for such a unique gift idea or even a great investment for a more enjoyable and interactive meal. I'll be sure to update you once Dad has used it!

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Calm One, Calm All

The freezing winter nights have set in and with the stresses of day to day life sometimes you need to just take a bit of time for yourself and just relax. One way I love to relax is by having a lovely hot bubble bath.  I like to use a variety of different lotions and potions in the bath, a nice bubble bath, some bath salts, and a few fizzies always do the trick. Along with some scented candles and a fragrance oil burner, it creates a relaxing, calming atmosphere.

Knowing I have a love for baths and Soap and Glory products, My mum recently bought me the Calm One, Calm All bubble bath. All I can say is WOW, it's simply heavenly. It smells fantastic, and whilst your lying in the beautifully scented water, bathing amongst the soft and fluffy bubbles it leaves you feeling calm and relaxed with silky smooth skin. It's a perfect product for some indulgent yet affordable pampering.You can buy it from the Soap and Glory range in Boots for £5.50 for a 500ml bottle.
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Everyone needs to take the time to pamper themselves, why not take yours and enjoy a Calm One, Calm All bath?

All Wrapped Up

So December is finally here and for the first time ever i'm completely organised for Christmas weeks in advance. Early in November I was starting to think I was a little crazy organising things so early, but now that all my gifts are bought and wrapped I can just sit back, relax and not worry about the stressful last minute shopping which I would usually be running around doing.

Christmas is my favourite time of the year and when it comes to wrapping gifts I love to take my time making them look pretty, with some Christmas music on in the background and a glass of wine. I usually go for a classic wrapping theme with red/silver/gold being the main colours. However this year I decided to go for something a little different, a frosty winter's night theme that is coloured with deep blue, white and silver is what I eventually decided on. All of my gift wrap is from Sainsbury's, I think it's important to get wrapping paper that isn't too cheap as they often too thin and are prone to tearing. You don't have to spend a fortune, you can get great quality wrapping that is still affordable. All of my gift wrap cost under £10. Many of the wrapping papers in sainsbury's are also included within a 3 for 2 offer. 

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What is your christmas wrapping theme this year? Classic or modern?