Hello lovelies! October went so fast and I had so much to do that I totally forgot to share what presents I got for my birthday with you guys! It's been a whole month (and 28 days, hahah! Better late than never should be my blog motto at this rate!) since I turned 26 now, and I can't say I feel any different... are there actually people out there that do? I don't know about you guys but I still feel about 16. It's like I blinked and 10 years have passed! :D I definitely still look about 16! Just a few months ago, a neighbour asked my mom whilst I was standing there awkwardly (ahhh :O social interaction) how I was getting on at college XD like come on, I graduated from university around four years ago!! Before I go off on a tangent about the joys of not looking your age (It might sound good and yes, I may appreciate it when I'm much older, but it can be really annoying for many reasons!), let's get down to business! (You know you all finished that sentence with 'to defeat the Huns' and if you didn't, I don't think we can be friends XD).
I just want to give a little disclaimer that I'm not sharing this post at all to brag about what I got, but because I know that lots of people enjoy having a nosey at the gifts other people get. I know I do :) My blog is also my happy place, so I want to share the joyful moments in my life with my readers ♥ I hope you all enjoy reading today's post!
On my birthday this year, I spent the morning opening my presents and listening to my favourite musical soundtracks, and then me and my mom went out for a meal to celebrate. We went a local pub-style restaurant for a carvery, and it was delicious! Also, the chef very kindly upgraded my carvery to a large because it was my birthday :) I also got a scrumptious dessert, it was some sort of rocky road sundae. I had a great day!
A few days after my birthday, I went out to celebrate with my best friend (you should all go check out Jess' blog here). Our birthdays are only 9 days apart so we always celebrate together :) We were short on money in October so we wanted to do something that wasn't too pricey and luckily, Jess' mom gave us a voucher that got us buy one, get one free on mains at Brewers Fayre! Yayy for discounts!!
I'm a creature of habit and usually opt for sundaes for dessert, so this time round I tried an Oreo one. It was soooo good! Jess got a mint one which also looked amazing! We ended up spending ages in the restaurant talking because we'd not hung out in what felt like forever (#SpoonieProblems), and after watching waiters constantly walk by with desserts, the temptation was too strong so we bought another to share! They ran out of profiteroles, which is what we wanted T_T but we got a very yummy waffle instead. No regrets... I think we should start a tradition and get a second dessert everytime XD So, how do you guys like to spend your birthdays? I'm not a big partying person and I prefer to do something less-anxiety provoking so a meal & cinema date with friends is my usual go to way to celebrate :)
Anyhow, without further ado, here are the prezzies I got for my 26th Birthday...
Those of you who are regular readers of my blog will know that I am a toy collector, specifically of TokiDoki and Funko vinyl figures. I also really love surprises so blind box figures are my favourite collectables (although it can get very annoying when you just can't seem to find some of the rarer figures to complete your collection!). When I was asked this year what I wanted for my birthday, right away my answer was Funko figures. My mom knows that I am currently trying to complete my collection of the new Series 3 Harry Potter Mystery Minis that Funko released earlier this year, so she got me two boxes :) Here's which figures I found inside...
How adorable are Mystery Minis though!? They're so chibi! I got Cedric Diggory, from Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire and Argus Filch's cat, Mrs Norris. I love that Funko have included Cedric in the collection because it's nice for characters from houses other than Gryffindor & Slytherin to get included in any kind of Harry Potter merchandise. Ravenclaw (my house) and Hufflepuff are usually left out, which sucks! But luckily, there's already a Mystery Mini of Luna Lovegood who's a Ravenclaw, and now we have a Hufflepuff! I love the colours of the Hufflepuff uniform/sigil, and they really stand out on this figure. I don't think the figure looks very much like Cedric's film character version (played by Robert Pattinson) as compared to the other mystery minis but he's still awesome! He's one of the figures that you have a 1/6 chance of pulling; he's really common but I didn't have him yet so I'm happy :)
When it comes to the Mrs Norris figure, I actually already had her; I got her in the first ever blind box I purchased from this collection. I absolutely adore the design of this figure! I love all of the detail that has gone into her design, from the intricate markings and colouration, to the furry textured appearance of her fur. They've even included fur detailing in her ears! Doesn't she just look awesome!? In the movies, Mrs Norris is played by a Maine Coon cat and they are my favourite breed (as well as Norwegian forest cats) and so I've always loved her ever since I was a kid, despite the fact that she's a mean character. Since I already had Mrs Norris, I did a swap with one of my toy collector friends on Instagram, and got in return a Ronald Weasley Mystery Mini that I was missing from the Series 2 collection. Oh, and this figure is a 1/12 chance.
As you can see, there's definitely a main theme for my birthday presents! I love when parents learn that you love something and then they just buy you anything they see that's related to the thing :D I'm certainly not complaining... I love Harry Potter and I think it's awesome that Primark have been doing such a service to us potterheads with all of this fabulous yet affordable merchandise. They've released a few badge packs, and I can't help but love them! They are super nostalgic for me, and remind me of my teens when I was obsessed, like most alt kids, with covering my bags and jackets with badges. It used to be a little tradition of mine to go to a stall in my town's market each Saturday to look for new button badges :) These Primark ones are much better quality than those ones though, haha. I'm totally going to channel my inner teenage self and cover my backpack with button badges again! This keyring is also super cute and I'm just thankful that Primark are providing my fellow Ravenclaws & I with house products, even though they seem to think that the emblem of the house is a raven and not an eagle.. but I'll not talk about how annoying that is for me right now XD
Awwww Pusheen is too adorable!! I will forever be obsessed with this super cute chubby cat, and it makes me so happy that Primark have been releasing merch of her! I was out shopping with my mom back in September when I spotted these Halloween Pusheen socks, and she remembered that I'd liked them and picked some up for my birthday :) Sorry guys, I should have taken photos of all three pairs, but I'll share some over on my Instagram when I eventually wear them! I don't actually like wearing trainer socks as is because they irritate me (does anyone else have this problem?), but I usually wear them over the top of standard socks to add an extra layer when I'm wearing boots that tend to rub my feet. I got quite a few pairs of socks for my birthday which is great because you can never have too many socks! I also got a pair of those things that are like a cross between slippers and socks, but I forgot to photograph them, oops! They are Ravenclaw themed, with a light blue and dark blue striped design and a big pom-pom on the top. These will come in handy for winter :)
My family know how much I adore pusheen (mostly because I parade around the house showing/telling everyone who will listen about the fabulous items I get in my Pusheen subscription box every few months, haha!) so it's no surprise that my sister also bought me a Pusheen gift too. How sweet are these stickers!? They are designed to be used on devices such as laptops and phone cases, which is pretty cool. I absolutely love the mix of magical and food-themed designs, it incorporates three of my favourite things: sweet treats, cats & mythical creatures, so I can't not love these stickers! I don't know if I'll ever be able to bring myself to actually use them though! Are any of you guys sticker hoarders?
Another thing that I asked for, for my birthday this year, is some of the newer Harry Potter & Fantastic Beasts Lego Blind Bags. I have been trying to resist the temptation to start collecting Lego figures for a long while now... there's so many brilliant Lego collections, but I didn't want to open another can of worms for myself because I cannot stop collecting Funko and TokiDoki figures enough as it is! I'm going to run out of room soon (Pfft, I'm already struggling XD oops)! But then, they released this wizarding world collection and all of my toy photography friends were sharing photos of their new figures and all of my favourite toy youtubers were posting 'unboxing' videos... and I just couldn't help it... I had a MIGHTY NEED! :D The more time that passed and the more figures I saw from these blind bags, the more I needed them, and so now I'm going to have to collect them all, haha! Opening the two blind bags that my mom got me on my birthday just sealed the deal for me, because they are awesome! Keep reading to see which ones I got...
Seriously though, how cool do they look!? There were four characters especially that I really wanted to get, and it must have been a case of birthday luck because I found two of them in my blind bags! I wanted Cho Chang because there's a serious lack of merchandise for her character and she's a fellow Ravenclaw, plus she comes with a pretty eagle owl. I love how detailed it is, especially it's face. Other than the skirt, which was very fiddly to put on, the figures were easy to assemble, which I was very happy about. Me and intricate building that involves good hand-eye coordination skills do not go well together. I also wanted Voldemort because I'm a fan of villainous characters and he's one of the best ever. Plus he comes with his animal sidekick, Nagini and I love reptiles :) I can't wait to get the other Lego figures!
I am so so so happy that I received this gift for my birthday! I was over the moon when I first found out that Funko were to release a Pop! Movies collection for Little Shop of Horrors, because it's been my favourite musical for pretty much my entire life. I first watched it when I was 6 years old and have been hooked on musicals ever since, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. I really wanted to get all of the Pop figures as soon as I spotted them but I couldn't afford them at the time, plus they took a while to become available in the UK. In the meanwhile, one of my brothers had gone online to order me one from abroad, I think it was from Australia via amazon but I'm not 100%, and he chose my favourite character, The Dentist (who's forever been to blame for my love of leather pants XD)!
He ended up having to tell me because he was worried that I was going to order the Pop for myself before the one he'd bought for me arrived, but despite it not being a surprise anymore, I was still super excited to be getting it! I LOVE it! I think it looks so much like the movie character! I really like his outfit and the fact that he's holding pliers ft. tooth and a gas mask in his hands. It was such a thoughtful present for me because it's something that I wanted so much :) I can't wait to get the other four Pop's! Are any of you guys fellow fans of Little Shop of Horrors? I'd love to hear what your favourite song or your favourite character is in the comments! Orin Scrivello wasn't the only Pop that I got for my birthday, but I forgot as usual to take photos of them for this post (Can I even blog though!?). Luckily, I took some photos of them for my toy photography Instagram so I can show you those :)
These two Pop! vinyls are from my mom and I absolutely love them! The Mad Hatter figure has been on my wishlist for ages now, so I'm very glad that I now have it! I love how unique he looks compared to the original Disney cartoon version of the Mad Hatter, even though I would love the Pop of him too. I really like how colourful the figure is, and how much detail is included, especially on his hat! I also adore the addition of the tea of cup in his hands, it's so cute! I just love miniature versions of things :D Who else does? It was perfect that I received him for my birthday because it's in Autumn and I think he just looks so great amongst the colourful autumnal leaves! The other Pop is from the new movie adaptation of Stephen King's IT and is the 'Spider Legs' version. Funko have released several different variants of Pennywise the Dancing Clown for this movie collection, and this one in particular is a favourite of mine. It just looks so wicked and super creepy! I really enjoyed taking spooky photos of him over the Halloween period. He was a really good candidate for me to practice photography using shadows and torch light to capture extra scary shots! IT was one of the best movies of 2017 in my opinion. What did you all think of it?
It's so wonderful that Primark have been making merch for so many animations that I love! If Pusheen and TokiDoki wasn't enough, they are now making Powerpuff Girls stuff! Thankyou Primark!! I absolutely adored this show when I was a kid, and I love things that give me the nostalgic feels. Everytime I look at these gifts, I reminisce about the good memories from my childhood. I love how sparkly and iridescent these items are, and I can never have too many notebooks! I've been really happy with the quality of each notebook I've bought from Primark so far and because they are cheaper than similar notebooks from other stores, I don't mind using them to jot messy notes in! I love the length of the pencil case too because it can fit some of my longer felt-tips and such inside :) Who was your favourite Powerpuff Girl? I always loved Buttercup as a kid because I was also a 'tomboy', but now as an adult, I feel like I relate to Bubbles more... I cry at everything and I love plushies & animals! :D
How pretty is this mug that my best friend bought me for my birthday!? It makes me melt everytime I look at its little face! I love how it resembles the kawaii style that I adore so much and I like the pastel shades they've used. I also really like that the design is fairly simplistic, which just makes it, to me, an even more gorgeous mug! It's one of those mugs that I know I'm going to hoard and never actually drink out of... I have such a massive collection of mugs now! I'm going to have to use them all some day, OR have 100 mug 'pen pots' dotted around each and every surface of my bedroom, hahaha! Jess also bought me chocolate, which didn't take me long to devour at all, and another lovely cat-themed present. It was one of those bathbombs from Bomb Cosmetics that comes topped with a little plastic figure; in this case it was an orange cat. The bath bomb, or bath blaster as they call them, was named 'Meow', and I thought it smelt like orangeade. Thankyou so much for the wonderful presents dude!
I always feel like birthday cards don't get enough appreciation, but I love when someone has chosen a card specifically for me and it features something that I really like! I didn't want to not include my cards so here they are :) I love how the card that my dad got me (bottom left) has a shaker inside the cake! These are very popular in the arts & craft community right now and they look awesome! It gives the card a very homemade feel about it, and I really like that.
Not only did my best friend get me cat-themed presents, she also got me a matching card :') So many cats makes my heart happy! So those are all but one of the presents that I got for my 26th birthday! My dad also give me some money towards a figure that I had wanted to buy for the longest time! It is a horror figure and my first ever figure from the brand, Neca. I have decided that I want to do a separate post all about it at some point, so any of my fabulous readers that are toy fans will have to wait to see what it is! I feel very lucky to have been given such wonderful gifts from my loved ones ♥ I hope that you've all enjoyed reading about them and that I didn't ramble on too much!
Thankyou for reading!
♥
What is your favourite birthday present that you have ever received?
I'd love to hear all about it!
