Christmas door wreaths

Hello, 

It's not long till Christmas now, so I've been making the house look a little Christmas. It all starts on the welcome into the house so something on the door is a must!

This year I wanted a traditional door wreath, however as I never make one just for myself I had three to make. 

For my Nan's front door.

Mine, a touch of red and gold. 

And I haven't got a photo of the last one, but it was for my neighbour. 

I like making these as they are pretty extra to add a touch of Christmas.

Love Lolly

xoxo

A few new books

Hey,

 I just wanted to share with you some new books that I picked up from a charity shop while I was Christmas shopping. I had done well getting many Christmas presents so with three of these books priced at £1 each and one at £1.50 I knew I could treat myself with these.

They are all by well known authors and ones I would of brought anyway, so these are a great bargain!! I already have a few books by these authors so looking forward to reading these.

I'll let you know my reviews of them when I get a chance to read them soon.

Love Lolly

xoxo

Homemade bath bombs

Hey,

I've been busy getting stuff ready for Christmas which includes making Christmas presents this year! I've been searching many different ideas for my friends when I came across bath bomb recipe's so I thought I'd give them a go. 

You will need:

1/2 cup powered Citric Acid 

1 cup of Baking Soda

3/4 cup of Cornstarch

1/4 cup of Cane Sugar

Food colouring

Essential Oils

Water 

Large bowl

Muffin tin (or any molds, can be different shapes) 

Spray bottle 

Step one

Mix in a large bowl, powered Citric acid, Baking soda, and cornstarch.

Step two

When mixed well, add in the Cane Sugar and mix well.

Step three

Mix the your choice of food colouring with your choice of Essential oils and add a little water into a spray bottle. Add bit by bit to the mixture. Mix well as you add, the mixture should start to come together. I found the best way was to use my hands to make sure the mixture stick together. The mixture should be lightly wet so it molds together but not fizzing or you will have to start again. 

Step four

When the mixture starts to stick together add to your molds, use a lot of pressure to compact the mixture, to prevent cracking. 

Step five

Leave the mixture in the molds for up to 24 hours until the mixture as set in the shape. It's best to do this in a dry place. Then carefully remove from the mold and store in an air tight container.

Here's a picture of mine that I made:

I brought the cute little jars from a pound shop and added Christmas ribbon. 

Over all I think this makes a pretty present! 

Now I must warn you the first time I tried to make these I added too much water and food colouring to the mixture so it started to fizz, so when I added it to the mold sit just kept fizzing. I thought it might settle down, so I left it lover night.... However it turned out to be a bigger mess and just fizzed everywhere!!! 

Therefore the second time I didn't add as much water and food colouring, so they were still powdery, over night they still didn't set, so I put it all back in a bowl and added more water and food colouring slowly. In the end I had the perfect mix, this does take some trial and errors to get the right mix. Just give it a go.

Enjoy,

Love Lolly

xoxo

Homemade Christmas gift tags

Hello,

Yep, I'm still busy getting everything together for chistmas, I though I'd share with you the gift tags I've made to add to all my presents I'm giving out.

I got some plain luggage tags from a stationary shop, there was 20 in a pack. 

I added different Christmas paper to fit each tag, stamping on "To" and "From" so names can be written, and added a Christmas sticker. 

I thought these were something different to add to all my presents. They were cheap and quick to make, but make a great addition to the presents I am giving. 

Love Lolly

xoxo

Living with eczema

Dear Reader,

This is a subject I've wanted to share with the world for a while, so please take your time to read my story. 

Ever since I can remember I have had trouble dealing with my skin, it becomes dry and flaky, hurting and making me want to scratch it, which makes it become red and bleed. I have trouble all year round with it, mostly in the winter. I've had plenty of creams to try and help it. I'm sure they have given me everything they can find, but it only last for so long. I'm unsure what causes it to flare up and if i knew hopefully it would help.
Looking up the definition of Eczema on line:

Eczema (from the Greek ēkzema "to boil over") also known as atopic dermatitis is a form of chronic inflammation of the skin. 
The term eczema is broadly applied to a range of persistent skin conditions. These include dryness and recurring skin rashes that are characterized by one or more of these symptoms: redness, skin edema (swelling), itching and dryness, crusting, flaking, blisterning, cracking, oozing or bleeding. Areas of temporary skin discoloration may appear and are sometimes due to healed injuries. Scratching open a healing lesion may result in scarring and may enlarge the rash. 

This gives you some idea of the condition i was born with, many young children do grow out of the condition before they grow into adults, but for others it does reoccur. Through out my teenage years it was unnoticeable, in the winter i would get a small amount appear on my arms. This is main due to the change in temperatures, from the cold outside, to a warm heated room. However over the last year i have really suffered with my skin, it has been very painful, causing me to be unable to sleep, which has affected me during my days at work but also my every day life. It has caused me pain throughout the day, making me cry and feeling really down... I've been to the doctor about it all, and was given more creams plus send to a specialist who said i needed patch testing to find out if it was a allergy effecting most of my eczema. So far I'm still waiting.

I've got it over most of my body, my face is where I'm most self conscious, i stopped wearing foundation back in February to see if this has any effect, the only time i have worn it is when I'm on a night out or special occasions (this has save me a little bit of money). But by having eczema on my face has made me very self conscious and made me hide behind my hair too. I feel very red in the face, with dry skin appearing. This really doesn't help when you work with the public daily. All i want to do on a bad day is hide in my room, but instead I add cream to my skin and put on brave face with help from a little blusher, mascara and make sure my hair looks wonderful!!

Overall I'm not happy with my skin, i do try my best with it, making sure I used my creams at least twice a day. Hopefully I will get some more answers when I have some tests done. I do know that there is no cure for Eczema but any help i can get keeping it under control is what I want.

I'll let you know how I'm getting on in future posts.

Love Lolly
x

A quick hello

Hellooooo,

I just wanted to say thank you to all the people who visit my little blog, I had over 150 people visit yesterday... Errr hello! That's the most I've every had, I though 60 last week was a big number!

I just wanted to write a little post to let you know I'm keeping track on all my views and thinking up many new post for you all, some based around Christmas as the days are now counting down. We've already got advent calendars at work, I'm waiting to open the first door so I can have some chocolate yummy! 

At the mo I've got my head back into a book, that I will share with you when I've finished. But I'm busy in my life, which I love! 

I hope the week treats you well, you've all only got Friday left till the weekend. 

Love Lolly

xoxo

New Boots (New look)

Hey all,

I went shopping at the weekend... Yeah I know, I love shopping. As the cold autumn days have arrived I decided I need some new Boots to get me through the winter. At this time of year I always think its best to keep my feet warm, with some nice warm socks too.

They are suede with like leather straps, The wooden heel is nice and strong. I think I could last all day in these boots, running around getting all my jobs done in time for Christmas. 

Enjoy your week,

Love Lolly

xoxo

Six weeks to Christmas...

Helloooooo

Yesterday I had over 100 people visit my page... Well hello people! I never thought that many would read my post... Errr so Christmas??? 

I know it's November and it really is time to start thinking about Christmas, you may have read my last post about ideas on how to save money over Christmas. My main aim is to plan!! Think about what you really need and where you can save, well that post is still there for you to read. Well next I'm thinking about fitting into a pretty (sexy) dress for my works Christmas party next month, and I'm not really in the best of shape!

Taking inspiration from Audrey Hepburn when she looked stunning in breakfast at Tiffany's.

 I know I written many times about getting fit but it doesn't really work for me. My job means I'm on my feet all day, so when I get home all I wanna do is sit on my bum... However I know it's mind over matter!! Therefore, before I sit down when I get home I'm doing a small work out each evening, this means sit ups and shaking my body to music to make sure I do some exercise before I sit down for the rest of the evening. I'm trying to make it different each night, yesterday was just to dance around the room to music till I collapsed on my bed tired. This evening I grabbed out an old fitness DVD for 2008 and worked out to that... Tomorrow I might move outside to the fitness bike for an hour. Hopefully over the weekend go for a long walk.

Overall little and often helps better than nothing and I'm really trying to fit it in around my busy little life. I don't work well with do the same thing over and over again, that's why I'm unsure if a gym would work for me. I'm doing this before Christmas to fit in to a nice dress... I just need to find a new one too!! 

As well as working out more, I'm trying to eat better too, more fruit and salad than chocolate... That hard for me! Smaller meals for me too, as I love food! People, could someone hide all the chocolate from me, that includes cakes!! Ahhhh them boxes of Christmas chocolate, must stay in the cuboards. 

I'll fill you in on how I'm doing as the weeks count down, 

Slow and steady wins the race. 

Love lolly

xoxo 

Midi rings

Hey,

I've seen many different picture of celebs wearing mid ring, wearing rings just above their knuckles. I love this look so have been hunting the high street for mine. 

(Sorry about the chips nail varnish, I had been doing house work) 

I chose a set of three, which included two stone rings and a cute little bow. They are from top shop priced at £5.50. They had many different sets to choice from, including skulls. 

I'll be wearing these out quite a bit now.

Love Lolly

xoxo

Facebook shop "The ladybugs" in Bedfordshire

Hello,

I wanted to tell you about a little village hall open night I went to on Friday, it was set up by page on Facebook called the ladybugs. They sell handbags, jewellery and recently some home ware. I became aware of this page, due to the fact they stock in a local shop to me and I've got to know the two lady's that run the company (who are lovely). I've been lucky to buy many pieces from their stock already, so when they told me they were having an open night I wasn't going to miss out! I also took along my mum, nan and a close friend so they could all check out the beautiful pieces they sell. I also thought it was great time to find some Christmas presents!!! 

This was my choice of handbag. 

Has a little back zip. 

Plenty of room inside with a great extra long strap. 

This cute picture frame is for a Christmas present. 

I fell in love with this bracelet it's a different colour to what I normal pick, but will make a nice change to my colours. 

The charms on this necklace are so pretty, on a long chain means I can make it a feature on plain tops. 

Double necklace chain, with the cute heart detail. 

This bag is a great presents for my nan. 

It's got a long strap too!! 

This one I chose for my mum for Christmas. 

All their prices on the night started from £2, some bags were only £15! They had a great selection and I will be keeping an eye on their Facebook page for more of their lovely stock. 

Love Lolly

xoxo

Don't make yourself broke over Christmas

Hi People,

Christmas is meant to be a joyful time, to celebrate the birth of Christ, to bring people together and spend time with your family. However sometimes the pressure can get to much, with many present to buy, many people to see... and only one pay packet to do it all?? 

The best way to get through this busy time of year is PLAN! Make a list of all the presents you need to buy.

Talk with your family and friends to make sure they can also afford to buy present too, or even want to... Example, if you and your friends have young children, only buy for the children. Between you make a budget and stick to it! That always helps. 

If you have a large group of girlfriends like I do, this year for us instead of buy each of us presents we have planned a girl day out to London to Winter Wonderland. It will be a Christmasy day, full of fun. Therefore we aren't buying each other presents but spending time with each other. 

This will also get us in the Christmas spirit! 

At my work to save money between us all we do a Secret Santa, there are at least 10 of us working together and if I had to buy for each that would be a big chunk of my Christmas spending. Therefore by doing a Secret Santa we spread the cost and only have to shop for one present instead of 10! 

Make use of multi buys, or 3 for 2. The best 3 for 2 I know is Boots, as there are many well know brands, and you can always find something for everyone! (Plus i get my Boots points for me!)

Save money also by Home making Christmas gifts, it could be baking such as cakes, cookies, or even Christmas Puddings. If you have children this could be a great way of getting them involved too.

Moving on to the day itself, Food is always a big deal, and can cost a bomb! If you are having a small day with family why buy the biggest Turkey?



Pick a smaller bird if you don't think you will use up all the Turkey, pick  a chicken instead... Just pick three different Vegetables, plus one type of potatoes. Don't over do it if you can't afford it! Think about two deserts that you can have, you can always save one for later.

When it comes to Christmas its about spending time with people, being there for others, enjoying the time of year. Please Don't over spend, as January is only a short time away and you don't want to paying for Christmas for the next 6 months after.

I hope this has helped you rethink on ways to save this Christmas.

Love Lolly
xoxo

This weeks homemade cards

Morning, 

This week has been just a bit wet!! I know it's November therefore winter is definitely on its way. I'm not a person who enjoys the cold I wear about 8 layers to keep warm, so this week I stayed in and created some more cards.

A few thank you cards

A happy birthday cards for my friend 

 Card for my grandma's birthday 

 Quick motor car card. 

I'm going to make a few Christmas cards as its getting nearer December.

Love Lolly

xoxo

Flowers are always needed at weddings!

Hello Everyone,

I might be biased but I believe flowers have the perfect place at weddings. I work as a full time florist, I've been in the industry since I was 15 and still at school (I'm now in my early 20's). The interest of being creative is what drew me to this designer work, its a beautiful craft which takes love to create that perfect floral display... To build this skill up I started with evening courses at college, then two years full time at college!! Loads of hard work goes into being a GOOD florist, its not something that happens over night, or that just anyone can do (No matter how easy it looks... Its not!).


Getting back to what I wanted to talk about, Flowers make a wedding from pretty to BEAUTIFUL they can make a picture... A photo of the Bride and Groom together to Table Centres filling a room. Its bring nature into your day, but you have to choose the right flowers and design for your day. I don't think fake flowers can create the same texture that natural flowers can, but also their colour is hard to recreate too!

I wanted to share with you some of the work I have done, being based at the shop where I work...

Corsage for the mother of the bride or groom - orchids or spray roses work the best

A grooms Calla lily buttonhole - a grooms buttonhole should always look more special than any other (it's his special day too)

Why not add an arch way 

Creates a beautiful entrance for your guests

This room is set up ready for the ceremony (two floral designs)  

On the ceremony table add the extra detail to the room, creating colour on the plain white table. 

I'll share more photos and ideas with you soon 

Love Lolly

xoxo

Nail art

Evening everyone,

I posted yesterday and I've just seen my blog views... Wow! 65 people had a look at my little blog, that's the most (I think) I've had in one day. 

Well tonight I thought I'd share with some nail art I was trying out recently. Now the evenings are getting dark, I'll be sending more time at home, hopefully getting the 100 and 1 job done that need doing, or finding something else to distract me with. Well I love painting my nails, so when I found these nail art balls I had to give them a go! 

Picked these ones up from my local BnM but you can get them from many different beauty shops now, and I've found some in a set in Topshop too. 

I only did my little nail to create some texture, but thought it looked pretty on it only. Just to warn you make sure you pour the balls over a bowl to catch any that don't stick or they go everywhere!!! 

I must admit my mum thought they looked like hundreds and Thousands. I going to do this again for my next girly night out.

Love Lolly

xoxo

From something old into something new

Afternoon,

Two weeks ago, my dad and I popped out to a few local shops. We went looking round some of the second hand and charity shops, he's after a certain cabinet he's hoping to find... He still hasn't found it yet. However I did find what I was looking for!! 

As you maybe able to tell from my many blog post I love creating craft stuff, from cards to present. With all this stuff to make I need somewhere to keep it all, at the mo it's been stored in plastic boxes and draw, they don't look very pretty. Therefore I was keeping my eyes open for a nice look set of draw or Cupboard. 

It had a few marks and scratches across it, but was the prefect size for what I wanted! All I needed to do was clean it up and give it a new paint job. 

This is my finished unit! I love it!! Perfect for its job of storage. 

I brought some new handles from home base and was lucky as these were the last in stock (lucky me). 

The flowers make a pretty addition. 

I'm now keeping my eyes open for the next task! 

Enjoy your week

Love Laura

xoxo 

Homemade message board

Hello everyone!!! 

Where does time go?? I wish I knew, however last week I was asked to make a message board for a friend. She had some materials she wanted using, so over two nights I created the design. It's cheep and quick to make.

All you need is:

Some wood as a backing

Wading or foam

Some pretty materials

Ribbons

Buttons

And... A staple gun!

Now be careful creating this design, all Fingers away from the staple gun! 

The finished design:

Hanging on the wall, all ready for plenty of notes and photos to be added. 

These are a great idea as presents, quick and cheap to make. A fab idea for Christmas! One year I did make these for my friends, they love them! 

Enjoy your week,

Love Lolly

xoxo 

My new nail polishes from Barry M

Afternoon,

I posted recently that Barry M have a brought out a new range of nail varnishes, so I had to go buy myself one.. Or two! I went along to super drugs to find out what stock they had in. 

Here's what I brought:

A I'd spent over a certain amount I also got a free mascara! - Always love free do me! 

I've tried it once so far and I'm very please with it, think it may become my new everyday! 

I've tried two of the polishes so far:

Love this and lasted really well with me being at work, and I spend my day with my hands in and out of water, normally everything chips really quick. 

I didn't quite do this right, as when you apply a top coat it changes the colour, I should of created a pattern... I'll show you that when I do it! 

Now I'm off to paint my nails again... 

Love Lolly

xoxo

New jewellery from online store Buttonsy

Hello,

I recently found a great jewellery site via Facebook, it was shared by a friend of mine and I fell in love with their designs... But when I found a cute rabbit necklace I knew I had to have one!!! The first time I tried it was out of stock, but when it reappeared I acted quickly to order one. 

It arrived packaged lovely in a small brown box, with a maoam which I've enjoyed.

Inside is my cute necklace, I love the green stuffing it looks like grass, (Back to my necklace) it's a cute bunny which reminds me of a sylvanian (which I loved as a child), inside with the bunny is grass and a little cloud. It's a different design not one I'd find on the high street. 

The company is small, and are working on a website, but they show plenty of their work on Facebook which you can request to buy. You can pay via PayPal which is helpful. Check them out: www.facebook.com/Buttonsy

I can wait to wear this out and about to show it off! 

Love Lolly

xoxo