January in photos

Happy New Year // New Year's Day at the seaside with friends enjoying fish and chips // Taking Lotti for a walk in the Winter sunshine // Pub tea to say bye to one of my best friends

Loving my Breville Blend Active // Healthy dinner // Pretty Little Liars is now on Netflix!! // Scrabble time with my husband - I won by 1 point!

Friday night = pizza night // Addicted to Cooking Fever // I heart White Collar and Neal Caffery // Obsessed with fruity ciders

Rachel x

Paperchase Wishlist - Spring 2015

Dreamscape A6 day to a page 2015 diary £8 // Alphabet stickers £1.50 // Parisian craft A5 writing set £6 // Portobello Rose meal planner & list pad £8 // Dark Romance A5 recipe file £15 // Rose laser-cut leather journal £15 // Berol calligraphy pen set £6.25 // Spironauts paper tapes - set of 4 £4.50

I can feel a splurge coming so I thought I would browse the Paperchase website to see what they have for offer. I was pleasantly surprised and loved a few of the newest ranges including Dreamscape and Portobello Rose. Here are just a few of the items which are now on my rapidly growing stationery wishlist.

I don't need a diary as I have a perfectly good planner (I'll share this in the coming weeks) but I cannot resist the Dreamscape A6 day to a page 2015 diary £8 with it's cute front and a day to a page is my preferred format. Recently the husband and I started Alphabet dating. I want to document our dates in a scrapbook so I thought these Alphabet stickers £1.50 would be perfect for decorating the respective pages. Paperchase also do an A to Z Scrapbook which I have my eyes on! The 21st Century is very much a digital age but I love the idea of having a pen pal. I had one when I was younger but I would love to put this Parisian craft A5 writing set £6 to good use. I struggle when it comes to planning meals for my husband and I but this Portobello Rose meal planner & list pad £8 would come in so handy. We could sit down once a week, plan our meals that week and make the shopping list while I knew what we already had (rather than guessing in the supermarket aisles!) 

I really enjoy cooking and I love finding recipes and tweaking them to our preference. At the moment, I have a pile of papers in the kitchen drawer but I would love something like this Dark Romance A5 recipe file £15 to organise all my ideas. This Rose laser-cut leather journal £15 is stunning. There's always at least one notebook which is too pretty to write in and this definitely fits the bill. It's beautiful and would actually make a great gift. Thanks to Pinterest, I hate my handwriting and I wish I could master calligraphy. This Berol calligraphy pen set £6.25 includes four pens in different thicknesses as well as a beginners guide. Last but by no means least - washi tape. In the last couple of months, I have caught up with the world and my love of washi tape is getting stronger. These Spironauts paper tapes - set of 4 £4.50 would be a cute addition to my collection.

Rachel x

Goodbye January, Hello February!

In the blink of an eye, February is here! Most of us have already given up on our New Year's Resolutions and we only made them a month ago yet we have another 48 weeks until we do the same thing all over again. Why do we do it to ourselves? We only want to better ourselves but sometimes real life can get in the way. For those of you who are still on track, I give you a massive high five! Keep on going! I made some Beauty Resolutions and I've already strayed on half of them! Oops!

If you are on track, Home Bargains have some great items to keep you in check. Obviously, I can't cover every single resolution that you're likely to make but if you vowed to have more quality 'me' time, exercise more or eat healthy, keep on reading.

Wickford & Co Fresh Linen Candles (twin pack) 99p* // Vaseline Cocoa Radiant Body Lotion £1.49* // Montagne Jeunesse Face Masks 79p* each // Black Vanilla Candle £1.99* // Derma V10 Cocoa Body Butter 89p* // Nivea Soft Rose Lip Balm £1*

New Year's Resolution - Have more 'me' time

I don't know about you but I feel that daily life is getting busier and busier and as a result we are becoming stressed. It's so important to take time out and enjoy simple pleasures in life. One of my Beauty Resolutions is to moisturise my body at least twice a week as usually it gets neglected. This is actually one resolution I have kept up with and I've been enjoyed slathering body lotion or body butter on after a bath or shower. I also LOVE candles and often have more than one burning at once. Another Beauty Resolution of mine is to use a face mask twice a week. Montagne Jeunesse are a brand I have used before and will continue to purchase. There are so many different masks, everyone will find a mask they love.

Whey Protein £14.99* // Microfibre Towel £1.99* // Maxi Nutrition Pro Max Milk £1.49* // Maxi Nutrition Protein Milk £1.49* // Ladies Trainer Liners £1.99* // Tape Measure 49p*

New Year's Resolution - Exercise more

Exercise! Exercise! Exercise! I don't know about you but I have good intentions when it comes to exercise. I always think 'I'll do some exercise tonight after work,' but that never happens. I always get way too deep in a series on Netflix or I need to wash my hair (which obviously doesn't take all night but boy do I drag it out to avoid exercise!) I have procrastination down to a fine art! I'm far from a gym person - I have tried - but I'm still searching for the perfect exercise for me. I enjoy classes but it's having the motivation to leave the house, especially in this cold weather. 

Mornflake Oats To Go 99p* // Sunflower Seeds 69p* // Canderel Sweetner 69p* // Trim Lyne Raspberry Fruit Bars 89p*

New Year's Resolution - Eat healthy

Something I am more successful at is healthy eating. My biggest tip is to not buy naughty treats when getting the weekly food shop. I buy healthier alternatives to snack on - these sunflower seeds are perfect! I do crave chocolate but if it's not in the house, it's tough and I'm too lazy to venture to the shop! I treat myself at the weekends usually but cheese and chocolate are my weakness and I go all out! Which nearly always breaks me out! Unfortunately, I cannot eat oats but porridge is a great start to the day. Chuck in some berries or slice up a banana and it'll keep you going for even longer. 

*PR samples

Rachel x

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