Life: Update December 2013

1. Misty morning.
Winter is now officially here and this is the view of my street on a misty morning a few weeks ago. I kind of like Winter when you can wrap up warm and head out into the cold or just stay indoors in your onesie with a massive cup of tea.

2. DIY bauble wreath.
I might do a separate post about this but I finally made my DIY bauble wreath! I really wanted to do it last year but didn't get round to it. All it takes is a wire hanger, some Primark baubles and about 30 minutes and you're done. I just need to trim the excess wire and hang it on our front door.

3. Christmas markets in Manchester.
Last week I had my second visits to the Christmas markets in Manchester. For a few years now it seems that the markets take up every available space in the city centre, with most of the stalls centering around food of some kind. I'm not complaining!

4. Our 'fireplace'.
This is our fireplace in our lounge, which is just a cast iron grate and a whole bunch of candles. They aren't all lit here but the effect still comes across. It's nice to have something in our fireplace and the candles do actually give out some heat when they're lit. The glow they give is really pretty and festive. I'm sure they will be lit many more times over the festive period. The grate is from Amazon and the candles are from IKEA.

What have you been up to lately?

Katie xx

Christmas: Festive Clothing Guide 2013

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As much as I tried to resist, last year I bought a Christmas jumper. I went down the tasteful M&S route but now I wish I had gone with something red and slightly more in your face. I'm hoping to make up for it this year with some of these great jumper and accessory options. That Christmas onesie might even make it's way to my wishlist...

Have you bought your Christmas jumper this year yet?

Katie xx

Christmas: Secret Santa Under £10 Gift Guide 2013

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Ah secret Santa. Loved by some, loathed by others. Hopefully this handy guide will take some of the pain out of it for you. These offerings are all under £10 and fit into categories that aren't offensive (when SS is often run in the office environment...we don't want any post-Christmas sexual harassment cases) and may come in useful at your desk.

In my almost 10 years in the workplace I have found that it is the desk-based secret Santa gift that tends to stick around and be the most popular. I particularly love a good mug, even in offices where there are no drink-making facilities. You can always decant your machine tea/coffee into your mug or heat up your soup at lunch in it. Equally, a photo cube is a great way to personalise your desk with some snaps without going overboard.

Do any of these take your fancy?

Katie xx

Christmas: Beauty Gift Guide 2013

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I thought, as I have almost finished my shopping (smug!), that I would help out everyone else by running a series of gift guide posts here on the blog.

Today's theme is beauty. There is much more choice these days for cute little beauty gifts. When I was a teenager the choice was a Lancome or Estee Lauder gift set, which wasn't the most exciting. Now there are all sorts of beauty-related goodies to choose from. The majority of the above are from ASOS, Feel Unique and Beauty Bay so if none of them take your fancy, have a browse of the gift sections and you're sure to find the perfect option for your beauty-obsessed loved one!

Katie xx