Old English Company - Review

I didn't really know much about Old English Company before having the chance to review but as soon as I checked out the website, I absolutely loved everything and found it so difficult to whittle down what I wanted. I love stationery, mugs and anything with a quirky quote so Old English Company with their hand lettered goods is right up my street.

When I eventually decided on my items, I chose the Charcoal Grey and Gold A5 Planner,  Mother Enamel Pin, Buy Me Pizza Make Up Pouch and She Believed She Could Mug.

The mug was the first thing that I decided on. I love a mug with a quote and as a blogger, I am always writing, I'm fueled by tea and coffee but I do have days where I just could not be bothered. I think this is a lovely quote to give you a little a boost of motivation in the mornings. I love it! It makes me feel like I've got this.

Similarly, every blogger needs a planner. The charcoal and gold colours go really well together and the design is simple yet beautiful. It is really well made and the card on the cover feels quite fancy. The planner has 248 pages with checklists and a place for notes. I like that you can write your own dates in and it isn't like a diary - I tend to skip some days accidentally then feel bad when I see an empty page!

I am pin obsessed - I'll admit it! I don't even know how it started. I was a emo kid as a teenager and had a tartan bag which I covered with badges so I think it's stemmed from there. I honestly spent far too long on the pin section of Old English Company and there are still so many others that I think I'm going to go back and buy. I chose the Mother one because I don't have any other pins in a similar vein and I was just drawn to the simplistic look of it. I think it would make a really lovely gift too.

Finally, I feel like this make up pouch was made for me. I love pizza, it's my vice and it really made me laugh when I first saw it. It's made from cotton and is a great size so I can fit all my daily make up in with lots of space left over. It would be a nice stationery pouch too if you aren't a big make up wearer.

I am so glad to have discovered the Old English Company website. Everything is such great quality, well-made and most importantly, so Instagrammable (yep, I said it!). The prices are definitely affordable and it's a great place to browse if you are looking for a gift or to treat yourself!

You can have a look at the full range at the Old English Company website and also keep up to date on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

(I received these items for the purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)

 

Planning a Birthday Party

C's first birthday is edging closer and closer. I'm constantly worrying about something and this week it's party food.

It would be so simple to do the typical mini sausage rolls, cocktail sausages and lots of sandwiches with a variety of different fillings. Part of me wants to do that and buy a load of the 'fun size' bags of sweets but I think deep down I want to make his party stand out a little and put my own spin on the food.

I'm already planning on baking his cake myself (that will be a laugh, I've never baked before in my life) and I also wanted to do Dumbo cake pops. With his party being in a rented hall, it would be a bit of a pain transferring hot food from our house to the venue with nowhere to keep them warm so my other plan was to do a selection of tray bakes. 

Hobbycraft do a fantastic range of cookie cutters (I'm especially loving the dinosaur ones) so why not even do a load of cookies in different flavours and shapes!? I reckon it will be fun and more importantly, look great!

I wonder what I'll be worrying about next week...

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I'm In Panic Mode - I Need Your Help

Today, C is ten months old. Two months until his first birthday...and we have nothing planned.

We automatically decided that we'd rent out a hall at a leisure centre and get things like a bouncy castle and painting station for the kids in our families but we haven't booked anything yet and now I'm starting to worry. Chris is very laid back about it all which I think is worrying me more. All I ever get is "I don't know". We really need to get our asses into gear and get something organised!

Now...presents. This is a toughie for me. C is our first child so we have no idea what to buy a one year old for their birthday! I'm thinking that most people with buy him musical/light-y stuff (am I right in thinking that?) so my ideas for gifts are:

A large Dumbo teddy from the Disney Store (£18)- I've already purchased this as he loves Dumbo and I couldn't resist. I think I've done well hiding it away til his birthday - proud of myself!

Big Dumbo next to C's current Little Dumbo

Mega Bloks First Builders - they had this in ASDA for £14.97 so I had to pick it up. I've heard a lot of good things about them so I hope he enjoys them!

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A Smart-Trike - I've yet to buy this (thinking of getting it about 2 weeks before so it's not taking up lots of room for ages!). It seems like everybody's blogging about how amazing these trikes are. They look absolutely fantastic and I can just picture my happy little boy on one. At £75, they could be a great investment!

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A wooden easy-grab puzzle (£5.99) - I think these look great and I love wooden toys. Just one of his small presents. It's recommended for 18 months but I think it would be alright.

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Here's where you, my lovely readers, come in. What else could I get him? What has went down brilliantly at your children's first birthdays? And am I right in thinking that most people will buy musical/light-y toys such as Fisher Price or VTech?