We went to Stagsden Christmas Trees in Bedford which is basically 10 minutes away from the main Bedford roundabout. The small little inside shop sells everything from baubles, reefs, tables decorations and everything in between. I love cute little Christmas shops like this and had a good look round for some more house decs. I picked up a super cute white fur squirrel with tinsel wrapped around his neck which matches another two white animals we purchased from The Range previously. |I am planning on doing a Christmas Dec haul once we have all we need. I find in these kind of shops you find really special house ornaments and decorations that you keep for years and my little squirrel is definitely one of those.
Once we had a little shop inside we made our way in to the forest of Christmas trees which was just magical! Having grown up loving Christmas trees walking through a forest of thousands of them was definitely unreal. There were so many different types of trees to choose from, if it was me I don't know if I would have been able to choose to be honest. I did end up taking quite a few photos in the trees because who wouldn't?! I feel like this might be a yearly tradition now even just to tag along.
For those who are interested this is the tree Cal and I bought, we aren't getting it till after the 10th of December which way is too late for me which is why I have a second little white tree in our bedroom to keep my going till my main one arrives.
My life has changed completely this year all for the better but it still feels strange to think about how much it has.
At the start of the year Cal and I were waiting for our mortgage offer to be accepted which was a very anxious time for both of us. I get nervous speaking to new people anyway so having to talk to different mortgage accountants and solicitors was a bit nerve racking, plus I don't sound very professional at the best of times. It didn't take very long to get all the legal side sorted so it was just a waiting game after that. I can't explain what emotion I felt when we were told we finally had our mortgage offer and just needed to wait for our completion day. I have wrote a few posts about the process and although it can be a really hard and draining process for some people, we were quite lucky that we didn't have a house full of stuff to move or kids and pets to get settled. Because it was just us two we could do it all at our own pace which made it more fun.
Then moving into a new place for the first time with my partner was a very strange feeling, I am a big home person and I am the kind of person who if I got the choice to go out and do something or stay at home... I would stay at home. My room in my parents house was my favourite place so leaving that behind to live with someone else was a big step for me. I am quite an independent person in that I am happy to do my own thing on my days off or evenings so spending every evening with someone is different. Now that I have lived in my house for 7 months it feels completely like home and I love it so much. Cal and I have found our rhythm living together now and our house is coming together and by the beginning of next year we hope to have the final touches done.
If that change wasn't big enough Cal proposed to me the first night we slept over in our new house and I really wasn't expecting it at all! I know some people say that proposing means nothing it is just a piece of jewelry but it has definitely changed our relationship. It still feels weird walking around with a sparkly ring on my finger, it definitely makes me feel more grown up. I have forgot to wear it a few times because it is still new to me which Cal doesn't let me forgot haha. I have wrote a post on our engagement story for you to read.
They say good things normally come in threes but this year I had a fourth big change happen to me! I have been working in retail management for 4 years now and like in most retail jobs, to get to where you want to go you have to move up the ladder which can take years. Over the years I have been a Sales Advisor, Supervisor, Sales Manager and Deputy and finally I am a Manager of my own store!! I love working in small stores, I love smaller spaces so I can do more things in a shorter time and I find working in smaller stores I can do more. When I have worked in larger spaces I find I am just people managing all day rather than merchandising ect. I love all my staff that I have who are all lovely girls and am so happy in my store!
At the start of the year Cal and I were waiting for our mortgage offer to be accepted which was a very anxious time for both of us. I get nervous speaking to new people anyway so having to talk to different mortgage accountants and solicitors was a bit nerve racking, plus I don't sound very professional at the best of times. It didn't take very long to get all the legal side sorted so it was just a waiting game after that. I can't explain what emotion I felt when we were told we finally had our mortgage offer and just needed to wait for our completion day. I have wrote a few posts about the process and although it can be a really hard and draining process for some people, we were quite lucky that we didn't have a house full of stuff to move or kids and pets to get settled. Because it was just us two we could do it all at our own pace which made it more fun.
Then moving into a new place for the first time with my partner was a very strange feeling, I am a big home person and I am the kind of person who if I got the choice to go out and do something or stay at home... I would stay at home. My room in my parents house was my favourite place so leaving that behind to live with someone else was a big step for me. I am quite an independent person in that I am happy to do my own thing on my days off or evenings so spending every evening with someone is different. Now that I have lived in my house for 7 months it feels completely like home and I love it so much. Cal and I have found our rhythm living together now and our house is coming together and by the beginning of next year we hope to have the final touches done.
If that change wasn't big enough Cal proposed to me the first night we slept over in our new house and I really wasn't expecting it at all! I know some people say that proposing means nothing it is just a piece of jewelry but it has definitely changed our relationship. It still feels weird walking around with a sparkly ring on my finger, it definitely makes me feel more grown up. I have forgot to wear it a few times because it is still new to me which Cal doesn't let me forgot haha. I have wrote a post on our engagement story for you to read.
They say good things normally come in threes but this year I had a fourth big change happen to me! I have been working in retail management for 4 years now and like in most retail jobs, to get to where you want to go you have to move up the ladder which can take years. Over the years I have been a Sales Advisor, Supervisor, Sales Manager and Deputy and finally I am a Manager of my own store!! I love working in small stores, I love smaller spaces so I can do more things in a shorter time and I find working in smaller stores I can do more. When I have worked in larger spaces I find I am just people managing all day rather than merchandising ect. I love all my staff that I have who are all lovely girls and am so happy in my store!
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Christmas is coming thick and fast now it feels and while I've been gallivanting around looking for Christmas presents I may have purchased a few presents for myself too... If you can't treat yourself who will hey?!Starting with the skincare I have been on the hunt for some new skincare products to change up my routine because my currently not very friendly and my old routine wasn't working. I decided to take it back basic and re purchase some of my old favourites which served me well before hand. First of all I re purchased the Lush Ultrabland Cleanser which I used to live on back in 2015. I went through about three tubs of the cleanser at the time and at the time my skin loved it and definitely was in better condition than what it is in now, but then I ran out of my last tub and decided to branch out and try other cleansers like the Clinique Take The Day Off balm. I still have that balm in my collection but I still love but I tend not to reach for it on a daily basis because it irritates my eyes whereas the Lush cleanser doesn't irritate me at all. Hopefully this product can help calm down my skin and I will definitely let you know how I get on with it!
Next I have a moisturiser which again I used to love back in 2016 which is the Origins Gin Zing Ultra Hydrating Moisturiser. This used to make my skin feel so amazing and when I was having partially dry patches this moisturiser sorted them right out. I stopped using this again when I ran out of the tub and since I normally buy it from Bicester Village because it is cheaper than buying it store, it wasn't worth a trip just to pick one tub up so I tried other products. I was using the Sukin Moisturiser but I feel like while my skin is this irritated I need something that I know works well and my skin likes.
On to clothing I picked up this super cute pearl top (similar) from Zara in Oxford a few days ago and I am in love. I love the safisicated but simple look of the pearls on black and think it will look super cute tucked into a high waist skirt and black tights for winter. I already have a jumper exactly the same but with longer sleeves so I know I'll get a lot of wear out of this.
I also bought two new jumpers from Newlook which are so flattering I have been throwing them on most days. They are just a simple long length design which covers my bum which is my favourite thing about them. Most jumpers now are cropped in some way and even though I love a good crop on some things... I welcome long body items into my wardrobe too! I have the jumper in burgandy and cream and love pairing them with ripped blue jeans and boots.
Lastly I have two new pairs of jeans to share with you, yes two blue pairs of ripped jeans. My excuse was I really need blue jeans... I have loads of black but not any blue jeans apart from one pair which I am absolute in love with but they have rips all over the bum. I have been on a hunt for these jeans again everywhere and couldn't find any! Then I tried these blue high waist hallie jeans from Newlook and I didn't hate them so I bought them thinking I would never find my jeans. The next day in Oxford I found the ripped blue skinny jeans I wanted AND they were in petit -dream come true! I had already wore the first pair of jeans so now I have two pairs of blue jeans but don't be mistaken, they are very different! One in a thin comfy material and the other is a thicker high waist style.
Ever since moving out I feel like I am always on the hunt for items to add to the house. I always used to like looking through the home sections of shops before but now I actually have space to put these bits rather than stuffing them all in my tiny bedroom at my parents house. I like to shop around for home bits because although I like to have pretty items all around the house, its always about a bargain for me! Here is a list of some of my favourite stores to shop home...
Dunelm
Dunelm is just the stuff of dreams isn't it! We have gone a little crazy in Dunelm recently but you can get everything there. We've bought most of our bath room items from Dunelm because they are such a good price and you can find some really nice patterns and styles. There are also so many bed covers and curtains to cause from there is literary something for everyone's taste. Great for : bathroom, kitchen and bedroom
Ikea
How could I not mention the Swedish equivalent to heaven? Again we went crazy over in Ikea buying wardrobes, kitchen tables and chairs and loads of side tables for every room. It really is great for big items which you don't want to spend too much money on especially when you have just moved out. We planned to buy some cheap tables from Ikea and then over time upgrade them like most people do but I ended loving some of the pieces we got so have no plans to upgrade them! You can also get some much kitchen utensils, bath room pieces, basically anything you would need you can find it in Ikea.Great for : bath room, bedroom, kitchen, living room - basically every room in the house!
Primark
Although most Primarks have a small home section they have a great selection of bedding for such good prices, we have a king size bed so buying bedding can be expensive so when we are buying bedding for our bedroom we normally buy from Primark. I recently bought this gorgeous marble style bedding from them for about £20 which is much cheaper than other places for that size.
Great for : bedding
B&M
Although B&M is more of a nic nac shop... I still bloody love it! It is great for cheap decorative pieces round the house like candles and photo frames which I love looking at and there are so many styles of bedding for such good prices. I also love the kitchen section because I got a huge Russell Hobbs pan set for such a good price and we bought our deep fat fryer there for only £20! Its also great for seasonal pieces like Halloween and Christmas, I have bought some Christmas oven mitts from there this week!Great for : bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, hallway and garden & festive decor!!
Tesco
For me Tesco is all about the appliances, cutlery and plants. Although the home section in my local Tesco isn't the biggest I have found quite a few bits in store including 10 house plants which were all between £3-£6 which is a bargain. I can't promise you that all the plants have survived but I do have the cute little plant pots they've left behind to start again! We also bought our square plates and bowls from Tesco which we love as well as a cute little sharing bowl.Great for : kitchen and house plants
Wilkos
This might be the last place you expected me to include but Wilkos has a whole collection of copper kitchen tools which obviously I had to invest in. Although I am not obsessed with copper like some people I still wanted the copper drainer just because it was so pretty! I have also bought some Christmas tea towels and oven mitts because you can never have too many Christmas themed oven mitts.Great for : kitchen
T K Max / Home Sense
How could I not mention one of the best shops for home pieces! I love everything in these stores mainly because they have something for everyone's style, especially when it comes to seasonal pieces! I always get side tracked by the aisle of pans and saucers of all things, even though I am not the best cook I am obsessed with my kitchen and want every size and shape pan and saucer going. Lastly any shop that has a whole aisle of different coloured candles is a winner in my eyes.
Great for : kitchen, living room, all the candles & festive decor!!
Lastly I thought I would give an honorable mention to garden centers because although some of you may not know this but garden centers are great places to get items for your home and most of them have amazing Christmas sections. I live across from one of the best garden centers in my opinion and I have been popping in every week to see if their Christmas section is ready yet. Most of them do amazing home made sauces and jams as well so we always keep our cupboards stocked up in jam and chutney.
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