Christmas Gifts For Him & Her From Philips

Christmas is that time of year when we get to ask for the things we need as well as the things we would like. We can ask for the novelty, the things we can't justify for ourselves and then the things we need but just don't want to buy! I find that Christmas is the perfect time of year to give electrical gifts - the type of things we all want but may not have the budget for ourselves. Plus with how difficult men can be to buy for at Christmas, electrical's for them especially, are a fail safe. Which is why this year I'm working with Philips again to give a showcase of top picks for him and from her. And you won't go wrong with any of these!

Mother's Day

I'm not one for public declarations but there's one person that deserves all the love, adoration and praise...and that's my little man.

The day I became his Mummy was the day that defined me, that completed me and showed me what life was truly about. The day he came into the world was that day that made me.

My 2016 Bucket List

Every year on January 1st I get a new jar or box and decorate it to make it look pretty (because, well, why not?) Inside I keep something very precious - my list of hopes, dreams and goals for the year. Once I've written them, I fold the paper over and tie it with ribbon and pop it in the jar or box. I then don't open it until the next January 1st - even if I really want to.

Our Early Christmas

This year Christmas is very different in the Lady Writes household. Having spent almost every Christmas with my parents since I was born, this year is the very first Christmas that it's going to be just me and my little man on the big day. In the evening I will be popping over to my best friends parents to spend the night drinking and party gaming it away, but during the day it's just the two of. The pressure of cooking a Christmas dinner as excellent as my mum's is looming, and I break out in cold sweats just thinking about it.

Anyway, my parents and brother are off on holiday for the whole festive period so we marked today as our early Christmas Day in order to still spend some time together as a family. So at lunch time the little man and I bundled up and we headed over to Mama and Papa Writes'. Yes, I was singing 'Driving Home For Christmas' on the way. It seemed like the appropriate soundtrack, even though they only live 20 minutes away..

My mum is the queen of entertaining. She's the hostess with the mostest and outdoes herself every time we have a family function. Moreover she's the most amazing cook so I was careful to near starve myself in anticipation of the spread I knew she would be putting on! We weren't having a Christmas dinner, but a buffet of cold meats, cheese etc - which is my favourite type of meal, especially on a Sunday. I think I ate so much I may not need to eat for a week now, but hey, that's kind of the law at Christmas right?

Naturally, Christmas wouldn't be right without bubbles would it? And after some bad news this morning about someone dear to me having only a short while left to live, I made a mental toast to them and used the bubbles to try and put on a happy face for my little man again - after all, Christmas is magic when you're five!

Obviously the presents were the key part of the day for the little man - duh. He's all about "Farmer Christmas" and once we convinced him that we had cleared it with the big man that he could have his pressies from Nanna & Grandad, he couldn't wait to get stuck in. Even though he's only five, he took it upon himself to distribute the gifts out from underneath the tree, making sure that everyone got theirs equally. He's so structured - I wonder where on earth he gets that from?! *ahem*

Being a single mum, it's not often I get to treat myself and this year my family did it for me! I was spoiled thoroughly and got loads of lovely bits and pieces and here's a little snapshot of a few of my treats...

I have been after a ProBlo set for ages and my mum kept trying to get me one but they were sold out, she even set an alarm on her phone on the day they restocked to ensure she remembered to get me one - aww bless her heart. And finally, after months of pining after it, I've got one - and I can't wait to use it! (Yes, I'll blog about it!)

I also got two bottles of perfume, one of which is my signature scent - Thierry Mugler 'Alien' and seeing as I had run out, this was especially gratefully received - thank you Mama and Papa Writes!

I also got two pairs of pjs and two pairs of slippers from Next - which is my favourite place for pjs right now...

And the latest DVD boxset of Nashville which will be fully binged upon over the Christmas holidays.

The little man has reached an age where he's all about big boys toys and my brother clearly couldn't wait to indulge him in a mahoosive Nerf gun. This bad boy shoots three 'bullets' at once, goes practically the length of the entire house and has made me realise that my days of Thomas the Tank Engine are on their way out in favour of toys like this.

He also got a Ninja Turtles play set the size of a table (!) and a Ninja Turtle dressing gown which he took such a shine to that he wore it all afternoon over his clothes and he is of the impression that he's going to be wearing it to school tomorrow. I haven't the heart to break it to him yet that he won't be!

My Nan also joined us for the day which is normal for Christmas. I'm very close to my Nan and grew up spending lots of time with her and my Grandad before he passed away. So we always like to make sure she has a nice Christmas as well. I managed to get a photo of me, my Mum and my Nan, which is rare but is so nice to have one picture with all three female generations in our family.

Although we celebrated early, the main thing is that we spent some quality time together as a family. Ultimately the food, the bubbles and the pressies are always nice but Christmas is about the ones we love and the ones who love us. And I'm so fortunate that I get to call this mad bunch my family.

So from me and mine, to you and yours - Happy Early Christmas!

My Lady Writes Secret Santa

You may remember that a few months ago I announced the launch of Lady Writes Secret Santa which was an idea I had to bring bloggers of all varieties together. The idea was that the Secret Santa was open to everyone, whether you were a lifestyle, parent, beauty, fashion or cooking blogger - or any other sort of blogger! Each person who joined in agreed to a £20 maximum spend (excluding postage) and the final date for postage was last week..

So it's been the most amazing feeling as people's gifts have started arriving and hearing how much people have loved being part of #ladywritessecretsanta - it required more admin work than I expected but that's because I wanted it to run perfectly smoothly - yes, I'm OCD! But now the gifts are arriving, now I've heard how much people have enjoyed it and it's all going to plan, now i can say it's been absolutely worth it and roll on next year when it's going to be bigger and better!

Anyway, in order for me to join in, I had a bit of help when it came to my Secret Santa (my mum sent the email with my details and I didn't know who it went to). So imagine my joy when mine arrived yesterday...

Firstly, receiving this made me cry. It was the most thoughtful gift I've EVER received. I can't believe the thought and effort that went into putting together this amazing box of treats just for me. Whoever my Secret Santa was, clearly put a lot of time into reading my tweets and blog posts to learn about me because she sent me all of my favourite things - it's like she'd known me all my life. And that's what lots of other bloggers are saying to - it's been such a touching thing to be part of.

So firstly inside my box of Christmas goodness was this amazing little brown card stationery packet. It came in this beautiful paper bag which was decorated (I mean it - the attention to detail was amazing!) too. I got this super cute little notebook, set of notecards with envelopes and a cute little quote card too along with a matching neon puppy shaped rubber. You all know how much I love stationery so this made me super excited!

Next was these two gorgeous Heart & Home candles. I got Caramel Cupcake and Eastern Promise, and I need to express how amazing they smell! Especially the Caramel Cupcake - I could smell it through the packaging and it smells divine. I can't wait to use these when I have a nice relaxing bubble bath.

Speaking of yummy things...My Secret Santa clearly reads my tweets closely because I am totally in love with Crispy M&M's - I don't like the normal ones, but these are my favourite things right now and I got two bags to munch on. I can neither confirm nor deny that I'm making my way through them right now...

As well as these I got even more yummy treats - a bag of Thorntons Little Temptations. I've never seen these before but they are described as 'Tempting bites bursting with crispy flakes and fudge pieces'. The bag had me at "tempting"! I also got a Funkin Cocktails Strawberry Woo Woo mixer - just add alcohol and I've got a Woo Woo ready to go. Good times!

Another amazingly yummy treat was a really cute little jar for making the perfect hot chocolate. I don't like coffee and although I do drink tea, I try to mix up my drinks at work otherwise I get bored easily by the afternoon (plus too much tea gives you a 'furry' mouth right?!). So this cute treat is coming to work with me this week for when I need an afternoon pick-me-up. Although it's so cute, I'm not sure I want to use it yet?!

I also got two mini cans of Diet Coke and a mini bottle of Gin. Now. Secret Santa - you clearly know me well. I'm full-on addicted to Diet Coke, so these are PERFECT for me and Gin is my favourite tipple. So although I won't be drinking them both together, I will be drinking them. And they probably won't last much further into this week!

Next in my wonderful box of treats was a set of three amazing Natural World Hair Oils. I can't wait to try these as I never get the opportunity to pamper myself, and I know I need to take better care of my hair too. These have motivated me to pencil some time in for a pamper evening one night next week and to indulge my hair in some nourishment. I especially can't wait to try the Moisture Rich one.

I recently wrote a blog post on nail art for Christmas and one of the products featured was a set of House of Holland false nails - and my Secret Santa sent me some! I never go without nail varnish or false nails and these are a variety I haven't tried yet. I got the Tweed version and they are so bright and fun - I've got a Christmas jumper night out this weekend and I will be sporting these then to match my very bright jumper!

I also talk about how much I LOVE colouring. I find it so relaxing and love to just sit and doodle away in the evenings when I need some down time. The colouring book and crayon set I received are beautiful. Inside the book are some gorgeous festive patterns and scenes and I can't wait to put my feet up and have a little colouring session before bed this evening.

And finally to complete my gift was a set of these wonderful quote and note cards. I love things like this, I'm always tweeting quotes etc. and stationery is my biggest love so these really made me smile and some of them are going to be framed and put on my office wall.

So there was my AMAZING #ladywritessecretsanta gift and it surpassed all of my expectations - so THANK YOU Secret Santa, you made my day and my week! And you've really touched my heart with your thoughtful gift.

I can't wait to see more of the posts from those who joined in, and just use the hashtag above to see what's going on with Lady Writes Secret Santa!

Stanley & Maud

I grew up going to church, and even though I don't go anymore (well, other than the odd Christmas or Easter celebration) one thing has stuck with me - it's a word that was spoken over me years ago. It was 'the best is yet to come'. It was something several people felt like I needed to hear and has stuck with me since, and I now class it as the saying over my life because it's so true and relevant to me.

I've had so many reasons to need to hear 'the best is yet to come' recently as it's been a bit of a difficult time over here in camp Lady Writes. But something has always stopped me going too far in to self-pittyville and that's this beautiful bracelet with the words 'the best is yet to come' hand stamped on it and made just for me...

This bracelet was sent to me by the amazingly talented Charlotte from Stanley & Maud who hand makes and custom designs the most intricate and detailed pieces of jewellery. I can't rate her items highly enough and I ask each of you to head over to any of the Stanley & Maud social media platforms (links below) and give them a swift like/follow because you will not be disappointed when you do.

I know it sounds silly, but this bracelet is something I hold very dear to me, and I haven't taken it off since it arrived. The quote on the top is the most important quote of my life and it's on my very own piece of jewellery forever to remind me when I need encouragement. I'm the sentimental type and this bracelet means so much to me.

All of the jewellery that Stanley & Maud make is like this, it's hand made so it's custom to you and the perfect way of creating something you're going to treasure forever - something that may not mean anything to another person, but to you it means the world.

They also offer a beautiful range of rings, necklaces, bracelets and various other items, all of which are hand stamped with the initials or message that you choose. It's a beautiful way of giving a truly unique gift, or making something to hold close to your own heart.

There is a huge way to customise your own pieces, and options for various sizes etc which means Stanley & Maud can cater for everyone. What's more, their prices are incredibly realistic and not going to break the bank, which is another reason that I hugely support handmade businesses like this one. You get unique - not mass made, and without a hefty price tag too. *waves 'I heart handmade' banner*

Next on my Stanley & Maud Wishlist is one of these gorgeous double disc necklaces which I want to have stamped with my initial and my sons initial too. I just think it's a lovely thing to wear around my neck every day.

So, if you're looking for the most unique pieces of jewellery around then pop over to Stanley & Maud. You can find them here:

Website: www.stanleyandmaud.com
Instagram: stanleyandmaud
Facebook: Stanley & Maud
Twitter: @stanleyandmaud

The 8 Types of Men You Meet On The Dating Scene

When I split up with my sons Dad, I decided to take some time out of 'dating' and men, and make time for me. I had spent nearly six years with my ex and we had a beautiful little boy, but we met when I was 19 and my priority was making sure my son was happy and secure, and that I was content as an individual. After all, my whole adult life I had been in a relationship - so I took the time to get happy with me - and didn't think much further than this.

It's been nearly four years now and it's only in the last 18 months or so that I decided I was ready to actively get involved in the dating scene again. In that time I've had three 'relationships', each lasting between 3-5 months. I tried the online dating thing, the meeting through friends thing...I was open minded. And boy, did i get an education.

Now I feel fully educated, I wanted to share my findings with you - a little bit like a scientific result. So, here is my take on the type of men you'll meet on the dating scene...

1. The Peter Pan.
He's the one that's never grown up, and is unlikely to do so. He may or may not have had relationships, but he won't have had any that have lasted past the 'dating' part, even if that part has lasted years. He's the one who's amazingly fun to party with, he makes you laugh, you have fun - he's always there to buy you another shot on a night out. But he's also the one who's far too interested on going on nights out three or four times a week, spending all his wages on entertainment and he's not really able (even if willing) to settle into a serious relationship. My advice: move on.

2. The Rebound.
Self explanatory. He's just split up with his girlfriend or wife. It might be recent, it might not. But you'll know if he's Mr Rebound if he wants to make things move at a million miles an hour - he's not yet settled back into the pace of single life, that's why. Mr Rebound could be a really, really lovely guy - he probably is. But if his heart is still invested elsewhere then it's not going to invest in you. Sad as it seems, he's one to be left to sort his emotions out first. Avoid until sure he's moved on.

3. The Fanatic.
This is the guy who's obsessed. With something - with anything. He could be uber fit and into his fitness regime, he might be sports mad and his bedroom might still be decorated in his team's colours - and he's got a matching duvet. Whatever it is: avoid. The Fanatic is unable to hold conversations for long that stretch far past their hobby and no matter what you're talking about, it will always come back up. He will try and involve you, and to be sweet, you'll let him, until suddenly you're in the gym together and he's barking at you to lift heavier weights - even if it kills you. He's also likely to knock that pizza out of your hand before it even reaches your mouth. Who needs that?

4. Mr Player.
We all know this one. He's got multiple women on the go, but he's just so damn charming. You know full well he's not the one-woman-man type, and yet, you let him text you and take you for dinner anyway. You want to think you can be the one to change him, but in reality you can't. No woman can change a man who doesn't want to be changed. And this one causes a lot of heartbreak. Apparently I have a penchant for Mr Player, but i'm hoping that changes soon - come on heart, follow the head.

5. Mr Married.
Yep, sadly there's a lot of them out there. Not being a Tinder user, but several friends are, apparently Mr Married stalks his prey on this app quite regularly. You'll know by the wedding ring, or the weirdly cropped image split down the middle - or in some cases the actual profile picture with his wife. Gheez.

6. My Mummy's Boy.
Now, I like a guy to be family orientated - family is something that means a lot to me. So I need to see that in a man too. But ladies, if he phone's his mum every day asking how to do things then run in the other direction. She'd make the mother in law from hell, she wouldn't ever let her sons primary role be as your man, because his primary role will always be as her little boy - even when he's old with his own grandchildren. God bless the women who manage to put up with Mr Mummy's Boy.

7. Mr Bom-Chicka.
Usual reaction when noticed is "whoa!". Mr Bom-Chicka is gorgeous, model gorgeous to be exact. He's got the face of an angel and the body to match. He's got muscles, chiselled cheek bones, he looks great in tracksuits as well as shirts, goodness me, he makes your knees shake. But he can't hold a conversation about anything deeper than tabloid fodder. Nice for a distraction, but don't let him stay around too long.

8. Mr Nice.
Apparently this type does exist, apparently there are men who don't hurt you, who don't ignore your messages when you're only trying to find out what they want for dinner. Men who don't play games with your heart, men who respect you and wouldn't risk hurting you - even for Sheila from the chippie. Apparently there are men who both make you laugh and can also comfort you when you cry (flowers and ice-cream is always a winner). He's good with kids and old people alike, he's mature enough to have a job, a car, a house and he has a full head of hair - and ten fingers and ten toes. Apparently Mr Nice does exist - I just have yet to meet this one...

Imperial Candles - Scents and Sparkles

I'm really, really excited to tell you all about Imperial Candles. If you haven't heard of them before, don't be duped into thinking that they are just another scented candle brand - they aren't! They are so much more than that...

I'm THE biggest scented candle fan. I have them all over my house as I'm a bit obsessive about my house smelling nice. I've tried room sprays, oils, all sorts in my time, but nothing does it like a good scented candle. The ambience of a burning candle is also just so relaxing and homely, that sprays just don't cut it.

Imperial Candles are in a whole different league to other well known brands though because they are like the adult version of a Kinder Egg! Confused? Well, Imperial Candles come with a jewel inside every candle. Yep, not only do you get an amazing candle, you also get a piece of jewellery hidden inside too. Scents and sparkles all in one!

The candles themselves are hand poured and made of soy wax, and no additional additives are used - which is one of the big points for me. I suffer from awful migraines and some scented candles have been known to set one off. When I realised this was a trigger I decided to only use brands that steer clear of the nasties - so that's a big pro for me from Imperial.

When mine arrived I was so excited! I could smell the lovely scent coming through the box - Black Raspberry Vanilla. Vanilla and Raspberry are two of my favourite scents individually, so when I saw this scent on the website, I knew exactly which candle I wanted. The scent didn't disappoint, it's lovely and fresh and has a really nice musky smell to it - which is exactly my style, and great for scenting my whole house.

The candle itself is a really good size too. So it's brilliant value for money as I know I'm going to get so many burning hours from it. In fact, I've had it burning every evening and weekend since it arrived and it's not even hit the mid point yet. It's a 21oz candle and cost £28.99, so considering you get the jewel inside too, it's a fab price.

The candle has two wicks and I was intrigued to see if the depth of scent would match up to bigger brands - let me say this, it's better! It's strong, but not overpowering and once it's been burning for even a few minutes you can start to smell it right away. It's not like some candles that take a while to release the scent - once this gets going, you can smell it almost straight away. The strength is great too, it's strong enough that it will scent my whole house in a short time - which is exactly what I wanted. Massive tick.

Jewellery wise, I was like a kid at Christmas waiting to see the foil packaging with my surprise peaking through the wax. I kept sneaking a look to see if I could see anything, and when I began to, I used the candle at every opportunity to get to it faster...not one to be patient! When I opened it, I was so pleased. I got the most beautiful and sparkly ring, which by fate is exactly the style of ring that I love and I've worn it every day since I got it out of the candle. Check it out...

Every Imperial Candle comes with a guaranteed jewel worth between £10 right up to £2000. So when I say it's like an adult Kinder Egg - I mean it! Some of their candles can include earrings and  necklaces etc. but you can chose the option of a guaranteed ring in your candle, and you give your ring size when ordering too - so you know it will fit. How amazing is that?! It's made just for you.

As well as the candles, Imperial also offer a range of bath bombs - which also have jewellery in them too which is so fun - not that I need any encouragement to enjoy a bubble bath! And as it's approaching Christmas, Imperial have now released some amazing sounding Christmas scents - again with the bonus of jewellery inside - it would be like Christmas came early when you got your jewel. I was looking at their Christmas scents and they have things like Santa's Cookies and Apple & Cinnamon as well as loads more. I love having Christmas scents in my house throughout the festive period, so these sound amazing.

Now I've had my candle for a few weeks, I can say I'm thoroughly converted to Imperial Candles. Strong scent, sweet and musky - exactly as I like, additive free, great value AND jewellery too? This is a win/win. It's my birthday next week and on my wishlist next is the White Jasmine candle - it even sounds lovely!

Make sure you add an Imperial Candle to your Christmas list this year - you're going to love it!

Follow Imperial Candles here:
Website: www.imperialcandles.co.uk
Twitter: @ImperialCandles
Facebook: Imperial Candles 
Instagram: imperialcandles 

Kate Spade Planner Giveaway!

As you know, I'm a huge fan of planners and planning. I love scrapbooking and anything creative like that. So the added bonus of being able to keep myself organised while also making things look pretty was an absolute no brainer!

Now, you may not be one of the #planneraddicts who spends hours decorating their planner, and may be needing an agenda or diary for the purely practical reasons - that's okay, because this is still for you...



This planner is now SOLD OUT here in the UK (unless you pay over the odds from places like Ebay) and is really hard to find..so in the spirit of it nearly being my birthday, and generally being so excited to share this with you - I decided that I wanted to do something nice and so I have a brand new Kate Spade planner up for grabs!

It's really simple to enter, just use the rafflecopter below to enter. There's lots of ways to enter, just check it out...

Good luck!

P.s - this is open internationally, so everyone can join in!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday Wishlist

As you know, these past few weeks have been a little bit rubbish over here in the life of Lady Writes. I split up with my boyfriend last week and have been moping around since - boo. It's my birthday next week and now without Boyband (my affectionate name for my ex) I'm dreading it. Ageing is something that is freaking me out now that I'm getting nearer to the big 3-0 (still a couple of years left) and with a boyband shaped hole, I'm dreading it even more.

So, I decided to invest some time in looking at pretty things on the internet to cheer myself up - it always helps. I've been obsessed with planners and planning for a few months now, having been introduced to it on Instagram and I now spend more time than I care to admit, looking at planners, layouts, extra's and watching videos on said items. I don't have a planner yet but it's become a bit of a habit and my absolute adoration for scrapbooking (my hobby since age 10) is waining slightly as I become more obsessed with planners!

The one I really want is the Erin Condren Life Planner. I've spent hours watching and looking at reviews of all different types of brands, but this one is the one I've got my heart set on! As a mummy, a full time Social Media Manager during the day and a blogger by night, I need a great planner to help me organise my life, and this seems like it would be perfect to help me do that! (No easy task!)

Firstly there are so many options every step of the way, starting with front covers. I just love how many different options there are. You can personalise your own completely, or add your own wording to existing designs. I'm torn between these two - one that says 'She designed the life she loved' (because this is one of my favourite quotes) or the animal print version.

One of the main reasons that I like the Erin Condren Life Planner the most is for the layout. Having tried various different layouts in diaries before, I love the vertical weekly layout that allows you to separate your day into three sections. Now, I know lots of people would use this for morning/day/evening, but for me it gives me the opportunity to have one section for me, one for my son (and all his activities and hospital appointments) and one for blogging - this means I wouldn't need to have three, and keep them all in different places any more.

Another thing I love about the Life Planner is - it's just so pretty! As you guys all know, I love all things pretty! And the planner comes with special sections just for looking pretty and displaying quotes (another one of my favourite things, because as you know, I've got over 1600 quote pins on Pinterest - I'm a HUGE quote fan!).

It also has amazing stickers to help you organise your time even more, and you can make your own colour co-ordinated system too that's subject to your life and your needs - brilliant for people like me. As well, you get a two sided pocket folder and perpetual calendar and zip locked bag for keeping all your cute bits and pieces in...all just other reasons that I LOVE the Life Planner.

The huge amount of options you have when setting up your planner, right down to how you use the stickers to coordinate your planner (and your life) means that you really can get so organised you'll never need to feel panic at being overwhelmed with things to remember again.

And then there's the decorating part! That's when even more fun kicks in! I've got a whole board on Pinterest just with cute ideas for decorating my planner with things like paperclips, stickers and chipboard shapes, and with my love of scrapbooking I have lots of materials that I could use too.

Erin Condren knows the life Planner best - because she created it! So she's thought of everything and has added a whole section of accessories to fill in any needs you may have for your planner. For example - the coil clip connectors means I would be able to clip in my sons hospital appointments, and some of our cute photo's and use it as a way of storing memories - as well as remembering appointments.

Then there's the snap in dashboard to-do lists. These would be great for me because I can move them around when needed as my to-do list changes so frequently and it would be a good way to keep track of everything. Especially those potential ideas/plans, so you don't have to add them into the planner until they are confirmed.

Then there's the cute pens, the compliment cards and the sticky notes - literally everything you need to help you get the most out of your planner.

I think this pretty much covers why I love the Life Planner so much. Of course I could keep going on - it's the perfect size, the interchangeable covers, the special coil system won't snag in my bag...but I think you've got the idea that these planners truly are awesome!

Interchangable Covers

As a single mummy, this time of year is always a bit financially tight for me as I have to don my hat of 'Santa' too - which means not a lot of spare money in my budget. But I'm really hoping that by the end of January I will be able to afford to buy one as a treat to myself. And who knows, maybe I will be able to find a new boyfriend by then too? Does Erin Condren provide them as well?!

Please feel free to share your layout and planner pictures with me on Instagram.