Small Business Love

Hello there lovely people, how are we all today? This post is going to be a little different from anything I have done before, and is something I have toyed with doing for a few weeks now. I think we all love getting incredibly thought through items, presents, and products, and if we can do that while supporting a small business then it means that much more. I wanted to share some of those businesses that I’ve discovered over the past few weeks and months, partly to bring them recognition, and partly to say a huge thank you!! So in the run up to Christmas, here are some shops I really like and think are awesome small businesses!

Disclaimer: I have not been paid to write this, and have not received any free products/discounts in exchange for writing this post. These are my own thoughts and are based on my own experiences.

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Christmas Unwrapped

Happy New Year! I hope everyone doesn’t have too sore a head after last night, and that you all have a healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year. As New Year’s day is here, and we’re now a week away from Christmas 2017, and just 358 days from Christmas 2018, I thought it was high time that I unwrapped Christmas for all of you.

Christmas is always a time for family in our house. Since I’ve moved out of my parents house, I had been taking a couple of things round with me when I went round to put around the Christmas tree, before moving myself back into my old room for the festive period (I didn’t return home until late on 30th December!) This meant old traditions of making more than the specified amount of stuffing and also meant new traditions of having a takeway on Christmas Eve (Indian of course) followed by a quick trip to the local pub. It also meant going to bed on Christmas Eve knowing that family, and presents would be there on Christmas morning. Like always in our house, my Aunt and Uncle on my Dad’s side had travelled up from the Midlands, and my Gran was down near Oxford with my Aunt, Uncles, cousins, and dog.

TBTB Secret Santa | Unboxing

Have you ever taken part in a secret santa? It’s a staple of most school yards and offices around the world, and is a great way to spread some Christmas cheer without breaking the bank. Simply put, everyone adds their names into a hat, picks someone out, and buys a gift just for them from ‘Santa’. It’s a great idea, but, do you know what’s better? The Broke and The Bookish Secret Santa (TBTB Santa). Hosted by Jamie from The Broke and The Bookish, the TBTB Secret Santa is a huge secret santa for the bookish blogging and online communities.

There are 3 levels to enter, and you fill out a long questionnaire that helps your Santa buy books and goodies for you.

a) 1 book and a small gift/candy
b) 1-2 books and a couple goodies
c) 2+ books and goodies

Once Jamie has collected all of the names, they’re split back out, and you have lots of fun patrolling the twitter tag, buying and wrapping gifts, and eagerly awaiting your parcel to arrive. Obviously, as someone who has never taken part, I dived right in with option 3 and decided to go big and go home. It turned out to be a great decision!

26th Birthday Unwrapped

As we enter December, and approach the festive period, I decided it was probably a good time to look back and thank everyone for the awesome set of presents that I got this year for my birthday. I had a wonderful birthday this year. I celebrated early by seeing The Killers as a treat to myself, and then spent time with friends and family celebrating in IKEA, The Tavern, and at home. I was very lucky this year as well, I received an incredible set of presents from some very generous people, so, a big thank you to everyone who made me feel old in the best possible way!

I’m dreaming of a White Christmas

So another Christmas has been and gone. I hope everyone had a good one this year! Considering the less than the conventional run-up, and the less than normal day, and how un-festive I felt going in, Christmas turned out to be pretty good in the Liz-Jade Roi-Et household. Quite uneventful, and completely absent of almost any traditions that ether of us usually have, but nice in its own way.