Sunday 29 November 2015

November Life


November has been one crazy whirlwind and vastly different to my quiet October spent feeling unwell. I'm feeling much better now thankfully and as a consequence I seem to have been running around like a mad woman for most of this month. I also seem to have been bitten by the Christmas spirit a little bit earlier than I anticipated but instead of fighting it i've just embraced it. 


At the beginning of November I decided to blog my cruelty free Christmas gift guide. I really loved putting this post together and it really got me thinking about how much I wanted to shop more ethically this year and introduce my friends & family to some of my favourite cruelty free brands. This post also made it into the top spot of my most viewed blog post to date and i've been so happy with the response its received. 



You must have been hiding underneath a rock this month if you didn't hear about the oh so wonderful vegan friendly 'Crimbo Crumble' from Costa Coffee. As soon as I saw a tweet about it I just had to rush down to my nearest Costa's and try it out for myself. I'm pleased to say it definitely lived up to the hype and was really delicious. A bit like a mince pie but better! It's great to see some of the big name coffee shops making an effort to cater for vegans this year and along with this i've also seen a vegan mince pie at Cafe Nero and a vegan Christmas lunch flatbread at Starbucks.


The 5th of November was of course bonfire night and one of my favourite evenings of the year. This year things went a little wrong as my husband decided to take me to local display which by the time we arrived we learnt wasn't actually on until the weekend. Oops! Fortunately we had some sparklers to make up for our disappointment and we did still manage to catch a glimpse of other displays going on as we walked home. I think next year i'll do the organising! 


One of my favourite things to do this time of year is visit Ikea. That may sound a little crazy, and I know its a chore many people dislike, but I always look forward to browsing their Christmas section. We popped there one midweek day when it was nice and quiet and as expected the festive section was pretty great. I picked up all my wrapping paper and some decorative items there including this cute mini tree and star lights. Also if you do venture there don't forget to pick up some of those infamous veggie balls!



On the 11th of November I attended the first ever Lucky Dip Club subscribers meet up at the Hoxton Hotel in London. This was such a fantastic event and definitely the highlight of this month for me. I got to meet the Lucky Dip Club's creator Leona which was amazing! Everyone who attended also got to take part in a number of crafty workshops including pompom making with Caboodle magazine, marshmallow decorating with Nugget & Mallow and brooch painting with Hollie Harris. As if that wasn't enough we were also given a cute little bag from Sunjellies to carry home all our goodies in. It was so much fun meeting the brains behind some of my favourite small businesses and socialising with other subscribers. I also got to meet some of my fave online buddies in person which was the icing on the cake! 




The festive season just isn't complete for me without a few trips into the big smoke. Fortunately I was invited out for a friends birthday in London on the 14th and this was the perfect opportunity to have a wonder around and look at some of the Christmas lights. I just adore London this time of year and am looking forward to more visits in December for my birthday. 


We also got to eat at Tibits restaurant which has been on my hit list for so long. The idea of a vegan & veggie buffet just fills me with so much joy and it didn't disappoint. I enjoyed this massive plate of vegan goodness there along with a vegan sticky toffee pudding. If you haven't been before then I can't recommend it enough. I loved it so much I am going back again in a couple of weeks!


November has also been a month for getting crafty and since re-discovering my arty side this year I have really been looking forward to making some festive bits and pieces for my home and as gifts. I have been pompom crazy this month making garlands and decorations for my mini tree from Ikea. The lovely Amy from Caboodle magazine also gave me the great idea of scenting my pompoms with a fragrance oil and the results have been amazing. My home currently smells so wonderfully Christmassy!



I have also been trying my hand at crocheting some mini Christmas tree's which i've been really pleased with. 


I feel very late with cottoning on to the idea of Christmas bedding but now I know about it I am seriously questioning why it has taken so long for me to adopt this idea! I tend to just have the same bedding all year round which is just plain white and pretty boring. After browsing online I came across some beautiful bedding from Next. They have so many pretty sets and accessories it was a real tough decision what to go with but I am so pleased with my choice. Our bedroom currently feels so cosy and it makes a nice change adding a burst of colour to the room. Red is not a colour I would ever normally go for but it really works and is of course very Christmassy!


We didn't stop at the bedding either. My husband came across these super cute polar bear mugs from John Lewis and decided we needed them to go with our new bed set!


Continuing along the festive line, last week I decided to cook up some vegan friendly mince pies. This recipe is possibly the quickest and easiest way to make mince pies but the best thing about these is that they are completely dairy and cruelty free. They tasted pretty delicious too!


I've had to start some of my wrapping early this year because I am taking part in Oh Comely magazine's Perfect Stranger Project. The idea of this project is that you are allocated your very own perfect stranger and you put each other together a box full of surprises based on very limited information about one another. It's been so much fun putting together my strangers gifts and has reminded me of how much I love giving. I'm also looking forward to receiving my own package too! 


We finally bit the bullet this month and got a log burner installed in our home. We've wanted a working fire for so long now and ever since we moved into our house 2 years ago. It's been a long time coming and we're over the moon they fitted us in before Christmas. I'm so looking forward to when the Christmas tree is up and we can sit around the fire all cosy and warm. I'm sure the pets will love it too! 


I can't quite believe just how festive this post is and we're not even in December yet. Apologies to anyone who hasn't quite caught up with the Christmas spirit yet! I tried to hold off as long as possible but with my birthday at the beginning of December I do like to get my chores out of the the way so that I can enjoy a stress free birthday. I'm feeling relieved to have got most of my Christmas shopping out of the way (thank you online shopping) and the only person left to buy for is my husband which always requires a great deal of thought. Aside from that i'm feeling pretty on top of things! 

You may notice the blog goes a little quiet over the next week or so and this is because I am being jetted off to Stockholm for my birthday! Yipppeeeee! I really can't wait. I love a Wintery city break and having never been to Sweden I am excited to see what it's like. 

It's weird to think the next time I write a post like this Christmas will be over and we shall be entering a new year! Until then..... 
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3 comments

  1. Sounds like a really awesome month! Love the sparkler picture! :)

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope you have a wonderful day and are spoil the rotten!

    Kerry
    Www.myfruitykitchen.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Oh Comely surprise package idea sounds amazing! The wrapping you've put together looks so cute, where did you get the wrapping supplies from?

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  3. What a jam packed month! Great to finally meet you x

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