July Favourites

Monthly favourites time again! July has been very different for me as I have actually had some time away with no internet or phone reception  -  it was not fun for me. Lessons learnt that I am not good with un-voluntary internet withdrawal. It did mean that I had a chance to read a couple of books which appear here so I suppose I can't complain really.

I am so late to the party with this one but if you haven't yet picked up a copy of #GIRLBOSS do it now! If you are a small business owner or not, if you like sassy girls who have done well for themselves,s then this book is for you.

Accessorize new nail polish range, particularly the packaging, Totally in love with these little potion bottles with rose gold lids. Pixi glow tonic is also a new fave, it has improved my skin so much over the last month.

I have owned a Filofax for years, mostly using it as an address book. It wasn't until I discovered the intense planner community online earlier this year that I looked again at my trusty six ring binder. The fact that I can combine my love of paper crafts and keep a better track of all the crazy parts of my life is a winning combination for me. I have a Mint A5 Domino for my diary and daily to do's and an original lilac A5 for projects and notes.

MrKate.com is my new Youtube /blog obsession! I love this trendy/kooky DIY fashionista. Who wouldn't! She and her team make great DIY, interiors and fashion videos. This girl boss also has her own jewellery line and a range of temporary tatts that are to die for. #newgirlcrush

I am in a DIY frenzy over here, getting lots of projects off my desk to make way for some big announcements from Sew Crafty over the next few months, keep your eyes peeled you will hear all the news here first. Hope you all have a lovely weekend.

Don't forget to tell us your favourites in the comments below.

Sammy xxx


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June Favourites

Now I know I say this every month but seriously, time flying when your having fun doesn't even cover it! So here are the things that have been floating my boat this month.

February Favourites

Monthly favourites time again and this month is an odd bunch I will admit, but worthy all the same.

My strawberry slicer, I know a lot of people will say its a silly gimmick and that I am perfectly capable of chopping my own strawberries, but anything that gets me excited about eating fruit for breakfast is a winner with me.

The powerhouse of blogging that is Dana aka The Wonder Forest has a second blog all about blogging (I can Build a Blog), which I have been a fan of for a while now. When Dana started a YouTube channel last year I was an instant fan. I have been catching up this month and loving her no nonsense advice. I'm just not sure if I am brave enough to put our blog up for review but I love the advice she shares about being a better blogger. 

I picked up this shade of nail polish when I was at Bicester Village last month, not because it was Michael Kors, but because I LOVED the colour. Envy is the perfect Pink/Purple shade with a great formula and a stubby flat brush, Yum!

Accessorize always hit it out of the park with pretty stuff for your tech and this season is no exception.  I was torn between the golden pineapples and this Flamingo... as you can see the flamingo won.

Finding these little beauties in my fave stationary place Fox and Star was a game changer, MT Nano is a handy gadget you use to make neat cuts in your washi tape. It's the little things.

How was your February? What have been your favourites? Are you loving a TV show? Anyone else loving the new season of Suits? Let me know in the comments below.

Have a great weekend, but pop by on Sunday for a little competition....

Sammy xxx


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November Monthly Favourites

I can't believe that it is almost December! This year has just flown by, the last month in particular don't you think? Although it has gone by really fast I do seem to have a ton of favourites to talk about.

At the beginning of the month H and I took a trip to a place we had been dying to visit for the longest time, Sketch. This London restaurant is special, weird and kooky in may ways. We ate in the Gallery restaurant, which is a mesh of several artists and designers collaborative process. Everything from the servers uniforms to the plates and menus have been designed to create a very unique dining experience. I'm sure this place is not for everyone, but we just loved it there. If you are looking to try something a little out of the ordinary I would totally recommend it. We are heading back for afternoon tea very soon.

I am a tea and hot chocolate lover but I also love to mix it up. One of my favourite alternatives is Peanut Hottie, it is like drinking liquid peanut butter! Yummy! And if you like Reeses Peanut butter cups try mixing this with hot chocolate for a special treat in a mug.

My new squirrel pen is just soooo cute, she sits on my desk in pride of place. A purchase from Paperchase on our recent visit, more of a novelty, but actually is really nice to write with too.

Orly bonder rubberised base coat is something I have been trying to get my hands on for a while, I couldn’t find it anywhere near me so I resorted to ordering it online. I wish I hadn’t waited so long. For me with my thin flaky nails, chipped nail polish was just standard.  However since using this even my chippiest of nail vanishes have stayed put. Game changer!

I love scented candles but I can really only burn them in my room where the cats don’t go. Our Bailey is fascinated and has burnt his whiskers and almost his tail on a few occasions, it is just not worth the risk of burning them all over the house as I would like too. We have LED candles for ‘effect’ in the lounge and things but you don’t get the fragrance. Recently I have been loving Glade air and fabric freshener spray and when I saw they had Christmas scents I just had to try. My fave is the Cosy Apple and Cinnamon, so now we can have the look and scent of candles without the risk.

We took our annual trip to Renegade craft fair in London last weekend and as you will have seen if you follow me on Instagram, we did some serious shopping. Some of my fave items (there are so many) was this cute little unicorn necklace from Eclectic Eccentricity and this Seasons eating calendar from Dear Colleen. The Unicorn is obvious but this calendar is awesome in lots of ways. It has been illustrated with gorgeous doodles of fruit and veg, each month has a recipe and when you have finished using the calendar part you can cut it away and use it as a shopping list for the following month’s recipe, Genius!

So December in 2 days, are you ready for Christmas yet? I am putting up my tree today, But I still have a bit of shopping to do, are you all done yet? Let us know in the comments who you have left to buy for, or what your favourites have been this month. 

Sammy xxx

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Review: Studio Calico

As some of you may know I am a Studio Calico subscriber. Studio Calico is a U.S. paper-craft brand that sell their own brand products and the best of other U.S. brands in their online store but they also run a monthly subscription service. Unlike some other monthly 'box' services in which you get a mystery selection of goodies, with Studio Calico you get to see exactly what your getting before it arrives. If you are a subscriber you get a preview or a 'sneak peak' in the middle of the month of what you are going to received, and you get the option to purchase any of the top-up kits 24 hour before any non subscribers. The kits they put together are limited in number, so by subscribing you are guaranteed your kits every month.  You can still get some of the past kits in the store but if you don't subscribe you may miss out.  I am subscribed to the Scrapbook kit which is $29.50 (£18.50 approx) per month and the Card kit which is also $29.50 (£18.50 approx) per month. obviously Studio Calico are a U.S. based company so you may be wondering about shipping, I have never been charged for shipping because I often end up spending over the $79 minimum (ooppps!), but you can find out about shipping charges here.

I decided to share this month in particular because I ended up ordering all three base kits as well as a couple of the add-ons so I thought it would be a good time to do a comprehensive review for you all. 

Their kits are always themed and this months theme was 'Meet me at the ice cream shop' hence the collection name Double Scoop. 

This is the scrapbook kit, this month you get...four 12x12 sheets of card-stock, seven double sided printed 12x12 papers, a sheet of alphabet stickers/thickers, photo overlays, star stickers, embellishment stickers, two little tickets, a roll of alphabet washi tape, star sequins, a roller stamp and some gold doilies.

My favourite things in this kit is the triangle roller stamp and the little tickets.

This is the 'Waffle cone' add-on kit which was $29.99 (£18.80 ish) and in this kit you get... 6 double sided sheets of 12x12 pattern card stock, (the kraft sheet you can see at the back is just packaging, but I like to use them, bonus!) a pack of feather die cuts, a set of clear stamps, a length of pink ribbon, a pack of sequins, some label stickers, a handmade paper tag, a set of alphabet thinkers and a set of cork embellishments. 

I love the Star light star bright stamp with this set.

This is the Double Scoop main card kit, you get... three A4 sheets of plain yardstick, a pad of 18 single sided 6x6 sheets of card-stock (they are mini printed versions of the card-stock you get in the scrapbook kits) a length of ribbon, three flower cabochons, a set of clear stamps, droplet stickers, a set of gold rub-ons. 

My favourites from this kit has to be the Pebbles gold rub-ons.

This is the main Project life kit, subscription price is $19.99 (£12.50 approx) if you don't know too much about Project life, it is a style of 'easy' scrapbooking where you buy pocket pages and insert little cards to build up a page. I have tried it and I like it but it's not my favourite way to scrapbook.  I don't normally order this kit monthly, but I fell in love with this kit so I added it this month.  In this kit you get... five large PL cards, 23 small PL cards (some of which are double sided) a sheet of velum stickers, droplet stickers, a pack of sequins, some gold rimmed labels, a cute mini envelope, a instagram-esqu wooden embellishment and a Pebbles roller alphabet stamp. 

I am looking forward to using this kit, I probably won't use them as Project Life cards, but I will just add them to my layouts and mini books as embellishments. 

The main draw for this kit for me was this alphabet stamp, I have a pink handled one which you may have seen in my Top Ten Craft Tools post and I love it. So I was so excited to see one with a different typeface on, I can't wait to use this! 

Lastly I ordered the Bubblegum card kit add-on $28.25 (£17.75 ish) In this kit you get:  a pad of twelve 6x6 single sided card-stock, a set of clear stamps, some pearl stickers, a sheet of alphabet stickers, a roll of super wide washi tape, a length of ribbon, a length of floral cut out trimming and a tag. It also came in this cute little calico bag, so cute. 

I love the clear stamps in this kit!

The thing I love most about Studio Calico is the quality of the products, you get so many great branded ranges included in the kits. They choose from pieces from Dear Lizzy, Amy Tangerine, American crafts, Pebbles, Becky Higgins, Maggie Holmes, Glitz designs, My Minds Eye and so many more. The other thing I like about it is the community that comes along with it.  There are member galleries that you can look through for inspiration and forums for you to ask questions and meet like-minded papercrafters. 

I hope this was an interesting post if you are thinking about subscribing to Studio Calico or just if you like looking at pretty papercraft products.

Sammy xxx

(Disclaimer : This post is in no way sponsored, I spend my hard earned money on these subscriptions every month of my own choosing. I LOVE Studio Calico products and their service is brilliant. I just thought it would be interesting to show you what you actually get for your subscription)

Link for the week: Crafty Subscription Boxes

Currently there are lots of boxes of craft goodies that are on a monthly subscription or one off buys. These are a great way to kerb your crafty spending - let's face it we could all do with a bit of tightening our belts at the moment!

So I thought this week's link could show off a few boxes for you to take a look at and see what could be winging its way through your door once a month.

http://www.craftycreatives.com - this one is a rolling contract and you can order here

http://www.theoldschoolclub.co.uk - there current boxes are sold out but you can start a new subscription for May to September in which you get 4 boxes.  You can buy them here.

http://www.studiocalico.com - these ones come from America and you can buy 1 month or a subscription with them, more information here.

So with the rest of your Long weekend you can have a look around and see what's on offer, there are plenty more of these box offers around and so these are by no means endorsed by us but a flavour of the types of boxes you can buy.

So, which one will you go for?  Let us know if you already have a subscription box and how you find it?  Sammy is already a Studio Calico addict and so I am sure she can tell you more about that one if you want more information, just ask a question below.

Love it 

H