These are a few of my favourite things #1

 

Lifestyle:

A seasonal flower arrangement

My kind Aunt sent our family some beautiful festive flowers. 

They stand lovely in the conservatory.

Eco-gift wrap & special design

I like to be eco-friendly but stylish with my wrapping. I had some spare 

recyclable craft paper, and made each gift unique using ribbon, toppers, etc.

A winter walk on the beach

The weathers been so rainy this Christmas but there’s been one or two days when 

the sun came out. There was a bit of frost, but lovely light on this trip to the beach.

Entertainment:

Spotify Music: Story of Me by Megan McKenna

I knew of Megan from celebrity X-Factor, but stumbled across her album on Spotify quite recently. Don’t judge her until you listen. Her music is a lovely a mix of country, and pop with meaningful lyrics. 

Films on TV: Christmas Date

‘After Brooke's boyfriend breaks up with her right before the holidays, she agrees to go 

home with an actor who poses as her boyfriend.’ I tend to watch a couple of channel five 

Christmas films each year; this was my favourite as I couldn’t stop laughing along. 

Festive Reads:

Calm Christmas by Beth Kempton

A beautiful little coffee table book, with atmospheric writing, 

and heartfelt thoughts on Christmas.

One Christmas Wish by Katherine Rundell

We follow a young boy with a special wish on Christmas Eve. 

Loved the magical realism and stunning illustrations.

Cardboard Creatures by Claude Jeantet

A non-fiction read I lent from the library. Really innovative

 ways to recycle cardboard, for Christmas and beyond.

Internet:

Blog Post: https://www.nourishmeblog.co.uk/2020/12/10-ways-to-have-more-sustainable.html

I appreciated reading this post on having a sustainable Christmas. There were some great ideas!

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AmberBurns

Amber has a lovely YT channel. I’ve been enjoying her down to earth, 

conversational videos. She does vlogs, bookish content and more.

What were your favourite things over Christmas?

Have I given you any new ideas for things to watch, listen or read? :-) Xx

The Seaview Café Review & Tour

Merry Christmas to my blog readers! I hope you are all well. Today I have a café review to share. We visited it New Year’s Eve last year, and didn’t get a chance to post it in time so I saved it up. We’ve been to Seaview a few times now, and really enjoyed it. We sat by the window, and the view overlooking the beach was a treat. 

We were early we when arrived at the café, and luckily it stayed quiet until a bit later. The staff were particularly welcoming and friendly which I liked. I absolutely loved the décor, with the blue sofas, and they decorated for Christmas beautifully. We all had a coffee and a croissant/scone. We hope to visit again at some point.

Did you have a quiet Christmas too?

Are you looking forward to the New Year? :-) Xx 

Fruits Pineapple & Papaya Sugar Scrub Bar

It’s lovely to be back with a beauty product review as it’s been a while. I received this item for my birthday, and I've just started using it. Fruits is a brand by the shop Wilko in the UK. They offer an affordable selection of bath and shower products.

Today my review is of the pineapple and papaya sugar scrub bar. Initially I thought the bar would be awkward to use in the shower, but actually it’s pretty nifty, scrubbing away, leaving soft, smooth skin. 

The fruity scent is a pick me up in the winter months. I put it in a plastic container to keep it safe after use. Amazingly this item retails at £1.00. As far as I am aware, it’s not cruelty-free sadly but I’ve been enjoying using this product overall.

Have you tried the Wilko Fruits range before?

Do you have any scrub recommendations for me? :-) Xx

Two New Notebooks

Recently I added two new notebooks to my collection. I use them regularly and find them very helpful for list making as well as writing goals. I mostly buy my notebooks from The Works as I love the designs and affordable prices. I paid two pounds for each of these. The brown one is made from one hundred percent recycled material and I was drawn towards the love the earth one for the lovely message. 

Where do you buy your notebooks from?

What do you like to use notebooks for? :-) Xx

Café Creations Tea Room Review & Tour

My family and I visited this tearoom last Christmas and I didn’t leave enough time to share it on my blog over the festive period. I thought I would share my review and tour now as we had a lovely time. 

As you can see from the photos, the décor is really homely and friendly. They had decorated for Christmas too. They have a little craft room in the back for craft classes which is pretty interesting. We went for a coffee and scone. The scone was fresh from the oven while the coffee was warming. The prices were reasonable and the staff were so lovely too.

I’ve been a couple of times now, the first time I visited they had a little shop set up and I bought some card making materials plus a few other bits. My parents like going for bacon sandwiches. I hope we can revisit at some point in the future.

Does this tea room interest you?

What do you like to order at cafes? :-) Xx

Mary Berry Frugal Fruit Cake

Hope my readers are doing well. It feels a while since I shared a baking post. I had a long period of time earlier in the year of baking quite regularly. At the moment, I’m waiting for things to get back to normal after a kitchen reno but baking has been on my mind. 

I made this fruit cake in the summer, and it was one of my most successful bakes of the year. I used my trusted Fast Cakes book by Mary Berry. I was fairly new to making fruit cake but this recipe was good for beginners. I included butter for some indulgence, so in the end the cake tasted very nice and not at all frugal. I can see myself making this again, I enjoyed the baking process as well as the final result.

Have you ever made a fruit cake?

What are your favourite things to bake? :-) Xx

Autumnal Walk Photo Diary

A few weeks ago, my family and I visited the grounds of a local museum. They have a children’s play area and so on. We went on a walk, and it was lovely to observe the seasonal colours. We bumped into a live turkey which seemed very friendly, I think it must have been missing its regular visitors because it was following us about hoping for bits of food. It was quite peaceful, and quiet. I took some photos of autumn leaves, and other things.

Have you been interested in walks at the moment?

Let me know if you have been appreciating the seasonal changes. :-) Xx

Eco-friendly Bamboo Toothbrushes

Like many of us I’ve been looking for ways to make more environmentally friendly choices. I’d seen bamboo toothbrushes about for a while now, and thought this would be a good step for me. It may only be a small thing, but I think it’s a good start along with a few other things I’ve been doing.

I found these toothbrushes on eBay. They are a pack of three, with different bristle colours just in case you are buying for a family. The packaging is recyclable card. The bristles are lovely and soft, and the wood handle is lovely to hold; overall they are a pleasure to use. I paid less than £2.00 for the set including postage. If you want to look for yourself, use the search term 'bamboo toothbrush' on eBay and loads will pop up.

Do you think you might try these too?

Do you have any of your own eco-friendly tips to share? :-) Xx