December Goodies - What I Got for my Birthday and Christmas!

Within the month of December, I have both my birthday (I turned 19… only one year of being a teen left, I can’t explain how scary that is to me) and then there is Christmas, this means that during this month I get goodies from those I love in my life. If you are anything like me then you are very noisy, therefore you might find it interesting to find out what bits and bobs I got throughout December.

Disclaimer: I am in no way trying to brag, I am very grateful for everything I received this birthday and just thought it would be interesting to share.

Let’s start with what I got for my Birthday, first of all, I got some money from my friends and family which was really sweet of them, so thank you to my nan, my aunt and uncle, my family friends and my friend.

I feel like starting with my family first is best, my younger sister got me a huge Yankee Candle in the scent Perfect Margarita and oh my goodness it smells amazing, the best way I have to describe the smell is the lemon and lime sherbet hard candies. My younger brother got me two little heart shaped candle holders and a purple pom-pom keychain. My older brother and sister got me a very big bottle of PIMM’S which I am currently enjoying in some orange juice at this exact moment of writing this.

My parents got me quite a few bits, the first thing I opened was a Mickey Mouse shaped back pack which I adore. I don’t own to many bags and the bag I currently use is verging on falling to pieces, so the bag definitely came at the right time. It’s plain bag which is perfect for me because my whole wardrobe consists of black, white and grey items so it matches my ‘aesthetic’ perfectly.

Next, I got a little wall plaque that says “Dreams, Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” I love little home décor pieces, so I can’t wait to find a nice little spot in my room to put this in.

I also got a huge Lush bath set that is full of lots of goodies. In the box there was an Experimenter bath bomb, a Over and Over bath bomb, the Comforter bubble bar, a fun in Sea Monster and a Dragon’s Egg bath bomb. It also came with a little duck banner that spelt out ‘Happy Bathday.’ I love Lush, so this set will definitely be well used, the Comforter scent is actually my favourite scent from Lush, so I was really happy to receive that.

I also got a necklace, it’s silver and has a little ball with tassels coming off of it. I do like more unusual necklaces, so this is really my style, as well as a little feather ring. I also got a mini eyeshadow palette full of lots of glitters, which my eyelids will thoroughly appreciate!

I got two main gifts also from my parents, the first I knew I was getting because it was the only thing I asked for this year and it is a clothing rack. I often see in Pinterest style home décor these clothing racks and I decided that I NEEDED it! So, when my parents found out I was originally going to buy it for myself despite my birthday being in a couple of weeks and neither of them having any idea what to get me, they said that I could have it for my birthday. They also brought my coat hangers to go with which is something that I dumbly didn’t consider that I would need. I love it, and after literal hours of me trying to assemble it, it is finally up and full of my clothes.

For my other main present, I got a £50 tattoo voucher! I am very happy to now be able to add to my small collection of tattoos.

My Grandad got me a little heart necklace as well which is also very cute.

Now onto other people in my life, my best friend Millie had previously paid for the matching footprint tattoos that I have talked about in a previous post (click here to read more: https://holleedee.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/my-small-collection-of-tattoos.html) but she also got me a lovely cup with Belle from the original Beauty and the Beast on it and I adore it!

I also received some other goodies from my friend, including two skirts that I love, a set of Christmassy earrings and a Christmas bauble for my tree (yes, I am obsessed with Christmas and yes, the bauble ended up on my tree).

My work also got me a little present which was really sweet, the got me a little Dove wash set and a chocolate orange which admittedly I have already eaten, aha.

Now for Christmas, at work we always do a little Secret Santa amongst the staff, I was got lots of lovely treats from my Secret Santa including a bobble hat (which I have be wearing to excess), a candle, some bath treats, a necklace with lots of Snow White themed pendants and a Ted Baker makeup bag filled with goodies. Also from work I got a box of Ferrero Rocher.

From my family, I firstly got a little box of Christmas Eve full of treats like pyjamas, a Christmas mug, chocolate, bath bombs and so funky earrings!

I received lots of beauty sets, including brands like Baylis and Harding, Dove and Tresemme. I’m love mini versions of products so now that I have all these little shower gels, and hair products etc in mini form really excites me aha!

I also got a new bag and purse, which honestly was a life saver as the current purse I was using didn’t even have a zip any more (I know it’s tragic, I don’t know why I didn’t just buy myself a new one honestly).

Probably the geekiest item I got this year was a puzzle, I have this puzzle app on my phone that I am obsessed with so now I have one in real form to waste all my time on, it’s definitely going to be my new form of procrastination this year.

I always get some lovely clothing items at Christmas, and this year was no different, I got some jumpers and shoes which I have been wearing non-stop this Christmas period.

From my best friend I got a little prosecco set (hands up if you ae also an avid drinker of prosecco because me too).

Alongside all these goodies, I was also given a lot of different gift cards from lots of different people.

I am so thankful for all the goodies I got this December. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas or holidays in general and are looking forward to the new year! Goodbye 2017!

Much Love, Holly x

Last Minute Christmas Gift Ideas - Under £15

Christmas is very fast approaching, meaning that there will be a lot of people stressing because they have left their shopping up until the last second. In order to try and help some of those people, I have made a list of 10 last minute, cheap and easy Christmas Gifts that can all be under £15!

Please note that none of the pictures used in this blog post are my own.

A Scrapbook

Hobbycraft Scrapbook

Making a scrapbook for someone who takes a lot of photos is a perfect idea, and the good thing about a DIY present is that you can tailor the price to what you have available to spend. Also, you can make the scrapbook as simple or as detailed as you like, depending on the person you are gifting it to. This year I actually myself made a scrapbook for one of my loved ones, the book itself was £6 from Hobbycraft and the pictures cost next to nothing on a site called Snapfish. As for the decoration process I brought some metallic pens, glitter, confetti and some fake flowers to decorate the pages. I love personalised gifts because you know that when you receive them that a lot of work has gone into them.

Cup Gifts

Every year for Christmas since I was incredibly young I have received some sort of cup or mug, often it was put in my stocking as a gift from ‘Santa.’ Everyone drinks something so a cup is always a safe bet, but a way to put a special twist on the normal cup gift is to fix it with sachets of coffee, tea or hot chocolate depending on the tastes of the person you are gifting the cup to. You can also add other little bits, such as marshmallows, a pack of chocolates, edible sprinkles or glitter or special flavour essences such as toffee, caramel or peppermint.

Jar Gifts

Cookies in a Jar

An idea I have seen often floating around Pinterest is to use kilner jars filled with goodies as gifts. This could range from adding dry ingredients for cookies and cakes to a jar with instructions on how to make them or adding travel sized items such as shower gels, shampoos, hand crèmes or lip balms for a pamper lover. You could place any small objects that the person you are making for would like into a kilner jar and wrap it up with a bow and as the objects are always mini size in order to fit inside the jar this is a present DIY that will be able to stay under £15.

Gift Cards

You can never go wrong with a gift card, and the great thing about gift cards is that you can pick exactly the amount you want to give the person. So, whether your budget is a fiver of fifty pounds someone will always be happy to receive a little bit extra off the items in their favourite shop or on the favourite website.

Primark Pyjamas

Pyjamas

Primark is the perfect place to go for cosy and soft pyjamas that are under £15, often you can also find cosy socks or slippers that will also stay under the budget. Most people love a new comfy set of pyjamas to snuggle up in on Christmas evening!

Sweet Tooth Gifts

Everybody knows a person with a huge sweet tooth, and Christmas times is the perfect excuse to eat whatever you want for the whole of December. Getting a present box, which are found cheap in all card stores and filling it with different sweets or chocolates is a given way to make someone smile this Christmas!

                                                   Home Décor

Light Box

Often people will see a lot of things for their home or bedroom that they will never buy, so get them for them for Christmas. A perfect example is a light box, or a set of pillows, a duvet set or some cool wall art. I know that I love to decorate my room and so do most other people.

Alcohol

For those of your loved ones who are older enough to drink, you can find lots of alcohol gifts sets, especially in supermarkets this time of year. Often with these gift sets they will range from anywhere between £5-£20, again giving you freedom to choose just how much you want to spend.

Wash Sets

Ted Baker Wash Set

In the same way with alcohol sets, around this time of year every supermarket or beauty store will have some form of wash set. Particularly, Lush do amazing wash sets that can be tailored to each individual person. Again, wash sets can be really cheap and can get increasingly expensive, perfect for whatever price range.

Lottery Tickets

I have always loved getting lottery tickets as presents, the fun that comes alongside seeing if you have one something is something I personally really enjoy. That’s way I think that getting someone a bunch of lottery tickets and placing them inside a card with a bar of chocolate is a perfect gift. It’s an easy gift that everyone of all ages and interests will get enjoyment from.

I hope that you will have been able to get some gift inspiration from this post, hope you are having a magically festive time,

Much Love, Holly x