What I got for Christmas 2021

Hello Everyone! Let's just pretend that it's not now almost March, so I can say a Happy New Year to you all! I wish each and every one of my lovely readers a wonderful 2022!! Seriously though, how is it almost three months into the year!? It feels like only yesterday since we were celebrating Christmas... and not just because I'm only just getting around to blogging about what I got! *insert awkward-face emoji here*. I feel so loved to have received so many fantastic presents, so I couldn't not talk about them. I hope you all enjoy reading and having a nosey at my gifts. This post is not meant to be a brag or make anyone feel bad, but a way for me to express how grateful I am, and to celebrate the thought that my loved ones put into choosing presents for me ♥(You guys are amazing!!). I'd love to hear all about what you got in 2021 for Christmas, so please let me know in the comments :) And so, without further ado, here's what I got!

I received the majority of my marvellous presents from my sister, so a huge THANK YOU to Nicole!! After our mom passed away, my sister & I decided to help make getting through the 'most wonderful time of the year' that little bit easier, that we would spoil one another (as best we could, anyway). In the past, we basically never bought each other anything for Christmas, haha! Oops... we have sure been making up for that over the last few years! My sister did a fantastic job as always of picking out great presents for me!! And I hope she loved the things I got for her just as much :)

If you are new to my blog, then you won't know that I have been an avid collector of figures all my life, starting when I was a little kid. As soon as I got to the age when I had my own money to spend on whatever I liked (even though it was supposed to go on adulting things...), I have been very much into vinyl figures. Although, my main love is for blind box collectable series, with those by Tokidoki being a firm favourite of mine, I couldn't help but fall in love with Funko Pops. I own over 100+ now, and I am trying to slow down with my collecting, because I was struggling to find space to store them all, haha. Can anyone else relate? 

Anyhow, when Tokidoki revealed that they were doing a collaboration with Funko, I pretty much lost my shit, as the saying goes XD And now have a mighty need to acquire ALL of the Pops they made (despite the fact that the unicorno looks strange to me in Pop form....). As you can imagine, I was over the moon to unwrap one of these Pops on Christmas morning, especially since the cactus characters are my absolute favourite by Tokidoki. I mean, just look how adorable Sandy is!!

Something that I really enjoy is receiving little gifts, you know the kind that are typically classed as 'stocking fillers'. And my sister always manages to find such awesome ones!! Like these Sanrio squishies! I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to bring myself to take them out of the packaging and risk ruining them because they are too cute. Are you a Sanrio fan? Who's your favourite out of the two I got for Christmas: Chococat or Hello Kitty? It's the latter for me. Hello Kitty will always hold a special place in my heart as she was the reason I got into Sanrio in my early teens. The best Sanrio characters, in my opinion, though are Kuromi and Pompompurin :) 

If you follow me over on Instagram (if you don't, you totally should), then you will likely have seen how much I was craving lebkuchen over the Christmas period! Being a spoonie, I can't get out of the house as often as I'd like to, and when I do, for example to do my monthly grocery shop, I have to try to get my shopping done all in one location, so I don't have to venture out again. As a consequence, I can't go to my local Lidl or Aldi stores to pick up all of the European festive goodies that I love so much, including the fabulous German spiced treats, lebkuchen. Oh my goodness, they are so yummy, and I was so happy to finally get my hands on some thanks to my sister. Yay!

I will be forever obsessed with plushies, and there is almost never a plushie that I don't love as soon as I set eyes on it. If you want to capture my heart quickly, give me a plushie and I will love you for all eternity. Obviously it's not that simple, but you get the picture! :D HOW BRILLIANT IS MY NEW GREEN MONSTER FRIEND!? My sister came across this one-eyed, floppy-eared dude in the sale for only £3 or something crazy like that!!? I am so happy that Ugly Dolls merch became popular in the UK over the last few years, as before then, I could never get any of the figures and such, without ordering from the US. And now I have a whole ass plushie!

Isn't the cover on that Harry Potter book just stunning? Thestrals are one of my favourite creatures from the Wizarding World, and the colour scheme appeals so much to the alternative part of me. The book is filled with intricate paper cut-out art (I have no idea what the proper name for that sort of thing is, so apologises if my explanation is crap...), depicting some of the locations featured throughout the Harry Potter stories. My sister thought it would make for a collection of interesting backgrounds I can use for my toy photography hobby, and I am very much looking forward to trying it out. I wish that I was skilled at doing intricate crafts because everytime I look through the book, I want so much to have a go at creating something similar myself! Alas, I struggle to even cut in a straight line with a pair of scissors...

As you can see, I received another Funko Pop for Christmas. It has become a little tradition for my niece to choose a Funko Pop for me as a gift, and it's just the sweetest thing knowing that she chose a particular character with me in mind :) In 2020, it was a Lion King (live action version) Pop of the character Scar, and this Christmas just gone, when she was deep into her obsession with Disney's Frozen, she wanted to gift me an Anna Pop, which was perfect for wintery toy photography! Little cutie ♥

This is the 'main' present that my sister got for me, and I was so surprised, in the happiest way!! My sister collects snowglobes, and so I always get her one for Christmas, or whenever I go on holiday and such. I really wasn't expecting her to go and get me one, too!! I also collect globes, but on a much smaller level. I think they are really pretty and will buy one as a keepsake from places I've travelled to. I think if I didn't already collect so many other things, I would allow myself to get even more globes, but I need to be sensible XD My life is overrun with enough things and stuff already, haha. I'm like the human equivalent of a magpie!

This Nightmare Before Christmas globe is SOOOO beautiful, and I couldn't have been more thrilled to receive it. I had been ummm'ing and ahhh'ing about getting myself an official Disney globe, but I always prioritised spending my money on adding to my various collections, so it's really nice that someone else took that step for me :) And what a phenomenal one to start with! My most favourite feature of this globe is the fact that it isn't filled with snow, or glitter, but bat confetti!! Yes, tiny little bats float around Jack and Zero when you shake it, and I think it is the most amazing idea ever! Whoever added that design needs a promotion, Disney! The detailing around the base of the globe is so eye-catching, and think of Lock, Shock and Barrell singing 'Kidnap the Sandy Claws' every time I look at it. Sally with her black cat in hand is the star of the show for me though :) Do you have an official Disney globe? I'd love to know which one(s)! 

My brother very kindly bought me a Lush gift set for Christmas (Thanks so much, Chris! ♥), and everything smells so good!! If I'm being honest, I always get a little nervous when someone says they are going to buy me a gift that involves fragrances, because I have so many sensory issues when it comes to certain scents. I can easily become overwhelmed, for lack of a better word, and so I am very 'picky' when it comes to perfume and the like. I told him that my favourite bathbomb by Lush was the peppermint-based Intergalactic, and whoever put together this Happy Daze box did an excellent job of pairing it with another bathbomb, and two bubble bars, with similar scents, in terms of their 'mildness'. 

The relief I felt when I unboxed it all!! It includes The Comforter, a bubble bar that I've used before and love, and then two new-for-me items, that luckily have citrus fruits and ylang-ylang as main ingredients, which are another of my go-to's, the Groovy Kind of Love bathbomb & the Brightside bubble bar. I cannot wait to see what the bathart they create is like! Something I really like about Lush is how colourful the packaging of their gift sets are :) 

Now, I'm going to show you all presents that I was gifted by my friends, who are incredible and I don't understand how I managed to have such great friends as them in my life :') A shoutout to Kim, who blogs over at Chimmyville, for buying me this Harry Potter origami book off of my Amazon wishlist! It was a lovely surprise. Thank you for being awesome!! Everyone go have a read of her blog :) I received some more Harry Potter themed goodies for my best friend, Jess, who knows I love her the most-est ever ever!! We recently spent a weekend in London, and thanks to her family, I finally got to visit the Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour!! I will share some posts about it next month for those of you who are fellow fans of the book series and movie franchise, that we all know conjured themselves into existence and have no creator. Keep your eyes peeled for that (I hate that saying because of the imagery it creates, but still continue to use it. Why...). I think it's cool that my bestie chose a Hermione pin for me, since even though she's not my favourite character from the franchise, I relate to her book-counterpart so much! 

My other best friend went all out and did a haul from one of my favourite stores for me!! Thank you so so very much, Aaron, for getting me so many kawaii wonders from Kenji! It is too tough to choose a favourite, because I adore everything!! Notebooks are always welcome, as they are another thing that I cannot ever get enough of. And one of them has a froggo on it!! A round amphibian buddie that's facial expression speaks to me on a personal level XD The long boi panda is so squishy and soft, and somehow my friend managed to pick two of my favourite Asian snacks, milk flavoured Hello Panda biscuits, and cookies & cream (or white cookie, a new name used for Christmas branding?) Pepero. I was in need of some cutesy snacks for some tiktok ideas I have, so what perfect timing to get these as a gift! 

Another Funko Pop from my wishlist has come into my life, and it's all thanks to my amazing blogger-bestie, Natalee, who writes over at There Might Be Coffee. Seriously, if you are of the nerdy persuasion like myself, you need to go read Nat's posts! Ever since, Funko announced that they were working with the brand Tasty Peach, I was delighted!! I have wanted a Tasty Peach plushie for the longest time, but couldn't afford to get one, so vinyl figures of the beloved characters are the next best thing, right? The one I love most of the Funko X Tasty Peach Pop's is the Queen Bee Meowchi, and now it's mine!! Eeeee!

She might be the cutest Pop I have ever had the pleasure to lay eyes on before! I mean, LOOK AT HER! Everything about her is super sweet!! It's fantastic that she's so photogenic as well, and I cannot wait to feature her in some Springtime photography. Who else is counting down the days until Spring is here?? I enjoy Winter (even though my brain does not) but I am craving more daylight and eye-candy in the form of flowers and fresh green buds. I need it to hurry up and get here already! 

So, that's (almost) all of the gifts that I have been given for Christmas, and I hope today's post has put into words how truly thankful I am for the people in my life. I know that love isn't about material things, and my friends give me so much more with their conversation and being there to listen to me and all of my life problems (of which there's A LOT), and making my days better just by existing, but when they take the time to look for a gift that they know will make my little nerdy heart smile, it is so meaningful :') I cannot say thank you enough. Thank YOU, THANK you, THANK YOU! And that also extends to everyone who has taken the time to read today's post, because I know that I have been the world's shittiest blogger over the last several years, so it still baffles me that people take the time to check out my ramblings whenever I am sporadically hit with the motivation to share a snippet of my life with the world. You guys are the best! 

Thank you for reading!

♥

What's something that you gave or did for someone special in your life for Christmas 2021? 

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Present Wrapping: Using Alternatives to Wrapping Paper

Hey everyone! Here I am with my first post of 2019! I'm hoping that this new year brings with it lots of motivation and that it will be a better year for my blog, and for my day-to-day life in general :) Thankyou so much to all of my regular readers who stuck around and kept reading my posts, despite my very delayed and sporadic blogging schedule throughout last year. Your continued support means the world to me! And if you're a new reader, hello & welcome to my little corner of the internet :) 

I know I usually kick start the year with a reflection and/or goals post of some kind, however I've decided not to share one of those this year because I don't want to begin 2019 by making myself feel any pressure to succeed when I feel like I'm only just getting back on my feet again, as the saying goes. 2019 is going to be dedicated to looking after myself. And instead, I'm beginning the year by sharing a post with you guys all about some changes I made to my present wrapping routine over the Christmas period, changes that I'm going to try to keep up with throughout this new year :) Even though Christmas is over with for another 11 months, I still wanted to write all about this alternative to traditional wrapping paper, and how I made sure that the presents I wrapped for my loved ones still looked as pretty as usual (if they can look past my horrendous wrapping skills that is, haha!). Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy reading!

Back in around October/November, I kept seeing ads all over Instagram, and across other social media too, about using brown paper for present wrapping at Christmas. It was encouraging this as a more environmentally-friendly option VS the rolls of wrapping paper most of us usually buy. I had been wanting to make little steps towards being more eco-friendly for a while and actually considered using brown paper before. After I became a Pinterest user, I was very tempted to switch to brown paper after seeing so many beautiful yet simplistic gift wraps on the website, made up mostly of plain paper or paper/cardstock. 

Did you know that most wrapping paper is not recyclable, because its made up of certain dyes/inks, plastic and foils? Well like most people I've asked, I didn't even think about all of the wrapping paper I use and throw away over the festive period. It's easy to get caught up in the fun of the season and not consider how you can minimalize how much non-recyclable waste is piling up in your dustpans. I decided this year to try to reduce this by wrapping all of the presents I bought for my loved one in brown paper!   

This is only one step in the right direction, as I still used some non-recyclable plastics but I tried to use them to the smallest degree possible. This includes sellotape and the shiny plastic bow/rosette/thingies you can see in my photo above. I challenged myself to use the tiniest amount of sellotape I could, literally applying just a few approx. 3cm snippets to each gift. To work around the fact that my gifts were not as secured in their wrapping as usual, I bought some paper string from Wilkinson's (which was on offer at 3 for 2!) and used this to tighten everything together :) As far as the plastic present decoration thingies, I'm currently on the lookout for some paper-based options for the next time I have to wrap presents! I am intending to use brown paper each time now, so if you receive a present from me at any point, expect it to be wrapped in this :D 

Although you can buy gift tags that are made purely out of card or paper that is safe to go into the recycle bin, a lot of tags are decorated in glitter or in shiny card/foil, especially when it comes to Christmas. As such, I decided to just make my own! I've had some Christmassy paper pads in my craft collection for a while now, as I like to use them for festive photography backgrounds, but it was about time that I actually made something with them! 

The paperstock pad that I used was purchased from Poundland back in 2017 (A tip for my fellow stationery lovers: Poundland always has some fabulous craft items in store!). I also get a lot of my paper and cardstock pads from The Works, and I've bought them from The Range before but they are always a little more pricey from there. You could pick up a festive one and use it each year, or you could get a pad that's a lot more versatile and includes designs that can be used as well for birthdays, and any other celebration really. There's lots of different varieties out there :) All you need additionally is a holepunch to make a neat hole to thread string or ribbon though, so that you can attach your homemade tags to presents. 

I have to admit that I was very worried that my presents would look crap wrapped up in brown paper and with homemade tags, because I don't have much faith in my crafting abilities and I am so bad at putting things together neatly. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked my finished results, although my friends & family were the ones who made me feel much better about them :) They really liked how they looked, thankfully. It's about time that I showed you guys how they turned out! 

Ta-da! What do you all think? When I sent a photo to my best friend she told me they looked like something off of Pinterest and so you can imagine how much that made my day! With the red and white striped paper string, they made think about the North Pole and Santa's Workshop, and also of candy canes, all of which are super nostalgic and made me smile whenever I looked at the little pile of wrapped gifts slowly growing in the corner of my bedroom. 

Also, I literally couldn't stop singing '...brown paper packages tied up with string. These are a few of my favourite things' from The Sound of Music, whenever I saw my presents, haha! (I know for a fact that I'm now not going to be able to get it out of my head again for a while after writing this XD oops. And to all of my lovely readers that will also be in the same boat now, you're welcome :p)! Seriously though, I loved how rustic and old-fashioned my brown paper Christmas presents looked. They kept making me think of people being delivered packages like these by the postman back in the day :) 

Something that is really awesome about using brown paper, other than the fact you are doing your little bit to help the environment, is that it's so cheap. I paid £1 for a roll of 6 metres from Wilkinson's, and I bought two in total and it was enough to wrap all my family and friends gifts. I still have a bit left over! The Works also stocks a 6m roll for the same price. It is a bit thinner than I would have liked, because it meant that I kept tearing it before I got the hang of how to wrap everything without using much sellotape. But eventually, it was fine and I would buy this paper from Wilkos again :) 

So, that's how I have now changed my present wrapping routine, and hopefully by next Christmas at the end of the year, after practicing with birthday presents and such along the way, I will have found other ways of securing the brown paper without sellotape, and have some paper-based decorations to jazz up my gifts too! If you know of anywhere that sells these rosette thingies but made from paper, or something similar that's also recyclable, please let me know :) I hope you all enjoyed reading my post, and that I have inspired you to start using brown paper, or maybe opt for a 100% paper variety of gift wrapping of some kind. If you used brown paper for Christmas this time round, I'd love to hear how you decorated your gifts in the comments. Have a lovely weekend guys! 

Thankyou for reading! 

♥

What are some ways that you try to be more eco-friendly at Christmas Time?

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