Five Under £5 For March 2017

Five Under £5 For March 2017

Five Under £5 For March 2017

I haven’t joined in with the Five Under £5 tag since last November, a combination of being busy and also I forgot all about it a couple of times too.So I got my butt in gear this month because I really missed taking part and there is nothing I like more that hunting out a bargain.

If you want to get involved and link up your monthly 5 Under £5 finds then head over to Julia’s blog at Rainbeaubelle and join in. It’s a lot of fun & you get to see all of the cute bargains that everyone finds, I always end up purchasing so many things from everyone else’s roundups.

The Little Paris Book Shop

The Little Paris Bookshop £4.49

One of my goals this year was to read more and 2 months into 2017 I have read 5 books, which is decent for me. I read The Little Paris Book Shop last month, I purchased it on Amazon for my Kindle and thoroughly enjoyed it and finished it super quickly. It is a story about love, loss and friendship. It is heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measures and if you have a romantic soul like me then you will love this story. It is mostly set on board a book barge in the centre of Paris and that in itself was enough to make me purchase this book. I love that the main character Jean Perdu doesn’t let people pick their own books, he chooses their books for them almost like a prescription from a doctor. It follows his journey to try and mend his broken heart and you’re taken along for the very scenic ride. I 100% recommend adding this to your reading list for 2017.

Primark Wild Orchid & Honey Room Diffuser £1

I use these in my small downstairs toilet, there is no window and I don’t like to leave a candle burning in there as I am worried I’ll forget its lit. So a diffuser is a great way of giving the room a lovely subtle scent. These Primark ones are so affordable and this scent isn’t too overpowering or synthetic.

Aldi Fairy Lights

Aldi Rattan Ball Fairy Lights £2.99

My friend Hayley bought these for me and I adore them. I like the colours and just how sweet they look in the evening when it’s gone dark outside. I like to have fairy lights around my house and my motto is you can never have too many! So thank you so much Hayley, these are going to get a lot of love. I’m not too sure if Aldi will still have these in stock as they’re Special Buys seem to sell out pretty quickly.

Essence Make Me Brow £2.50

I am super lazy when it comes to my brows and I like to use products that are quick and fuss free. I love the Benefit Gimme Brow but I don’t like spending when there are such decent dupes out there. This tinted brow gel from Essence is a fantastic dupe, I get the darkest shade and that is a very good match for my bows. It provides a good amount of colour and covers any sparse areas and I like that it keeps those unruly brow hairs in place too. The brush is small and helps you to be precise with the product and only £2.50 everyone should add this to their makeup bag. If you haven’t tried Essence Cosmetics yet you really need too, it is available in Wilko Stores.
Essence Make Me Brow

Lidl Star Washi Tape 3 Rolls £1.99

Yes, yes we all know that I’m a washi tape hoarder but in my defence I have actually found a few uses for it and have started to use it in my Bullet Journal and also when decorating envelopes when writing to my lovely niece. So it is useful as well as pretty. I bought this pack from Lidl and they had a good selection of patterns and colours, I was quite restrained and only bought one pack, I liked the star patterns and bright colours so I am chuffed with this bargain.

Five Under £5 March 2017

Poundland Creative Colouring Book £1

This is an Easter gift for my niece. I bought her one from Amazon for Christmas and she really enjoyed it, so I was pleased to come across this more affordable one in the Poundshop. The pictures are really beautiful and the paper is good quality. I think there were 3 options to pick from and because she gets so much chocolate for Easter I thought I would be a little different and buy her something creative to do. I might have to colour in a page before I send it.

Let me know if you join in this month.

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Bullet Journal Layout for 2017

Bullet Journal Layout For January

Bullet Journal Layout For January

All through 2016 I kept meaning to start a Bullet Journal, my friend HayleyFromHome has kept one throughout 2016 and she said it would be right up my street. I tried to keep a planner and that fell by the wayside and it seems to me that Bullet Journalling can be a really personal thing. Most of the original bullet journals are quite basic and to the point which I like but I am also intrigued by the more creative community too and I think a combination of the two styles will work for me. I am by no means artistic but I used to love scrapbooking and doodling so I’m going to attempt to apply a little of this to my Bullet Journal.

Hayley told me to start off with only a few pages / spreads and not too make it overly complicated whilst I am still finding my feet. I did take quite a bit if inspiration from her journal and I am hoping as I get into it I can grow my journal into something that keeps me organised and a way for me to be creative. I am armed with many stationery supplies so lets see where this takes me!

As you can see from the first photo in this post I did quite a standard Hello January doodle to kick off my planner and I loved drawing this out. I have to say I find the time offline really relaxing and its nice to start something that I hope will become a hobby.

I am not too sure yet how I want to plan & document my weeks but I didn’t want to have too little space, so I have started with the Week to View Spread for January. I may find that it doesn’t work for me but we will see. That is the beauty of this being a system you can adapt and change as the weeks go on. I stuck to a simple layout for this and I like that it looks clean and ready for me to add some tasks and notes.

One of my goals for 2017 is to drink more water & I have done a grid of 8 squares so I can colour in a square for each glass of water I drink that day, In the hope I drink 8 glasses a day.

Bullet Journal Week To View

Important Dates Bullet Journal Spread

Important Dates Spread – This seems to be quite a popular layout in peoples journals and I am part way through adding all the dates I need to remember. I am THAT person that forgets birthdays and social events but there is no excuses now!

I have written out all the months as a calendar and will write next to a particular month the important date. This feels so much nicer than relying on my computer to notify me of special events.

Books Read in 2017 Bullet Journal Spread

Books Read – I’m an avid book worm and often wish I’d noted down the name / titles of books I’d read as I have a terrible memory. Its nice to look back on and a good way of remembering a book you want to recommend. I am hoping to fill this page by the end of 2017. If you have any book recomendations for me, leave me a comment.

Positive Goals Bullet Journal Spread

I am not one for New Years Resolutions or for setting myself too many Goals but I did want a part of this journal to be a space that was positive and full of things I wanted to do, so I came up with Do More, Be More, Make More and I’m slowly adding things to this. There is something about writing them down that makes me more accountable to actually achieve them. We will see.

FantasticPaper Bullet Journal

Bullet Journal 

I bought my journal from HomeSense and it isn’t a brand I’d heard of before. It has the standard grid page layout, the pages are nice and thick and the cover is quite sturdy. I know more Bullet Journal enthusiasts use the popular LEUCHTTURM notebooks and in truth I would have bought one of those but I got mine for £3 and I didn’t want to commit until I knew I was going to stick it out. Maybe for 2018 I will treat myself to a swish LEUCHTTURM one.

Favourite Pens for Bullet Journal

Sakura Pigma Micron 01 Liner Pen

Lets talk pens – now I am a stationery addict so Bullet Journalling was a massive excuse for me to buy more pretty pens. I did consult my friend Hayley and she recommended some great ones. These Sakura are beautifully slim and have a nib of 0.25mm so very precise and the ink doesn’t bleed through the page. I have 5 colours and I think I will get a lot of use from them.

Staedtler Fineliner Pens

It seems you can’t own a Bullet Journal without having a pack of Staedtler pens so I bought 2 packs just to cover all bases. I have a pack of 10 1.0mm and a pack of 20 0.3mm. So I think I am good for fancy coloured pens.

Faber Castell Bullet Journal Pens

Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen 

This pen brand was the one pen Hayley said I needed in my life, I bought a 4 pack of all different nibs and I have to say I LOVE THEM. The ink is super black and pigmented and it doesn’t feather or bleed. I use the finest nib for all my writing and letter out lines. The thickest one is so nice for brush lettering, the pen glides across the paper and the nib is flexible but precise. These are a MUST!

So there you have it I am now a fully fledged member of the Bullet Journal community and I’m going to try really, really hard to make this a part of my daily life. Let me know if you journal and what tips, tricks or hacks you have & if you follow any inspirational accounts on Instagram. I need all the help I can get.

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Five Under £5 April 2016

Five Under £5 April 2016

Five Under £5 April 2016

Last month got away from me & I totally missed the Five Under £5 post but I’m back and I have some great things to share with you. If you want to get involved and link up your monthly finds then head over to Julia’s blog at Rainbeaubelle

Pig Nose Black Head Mask

Korean skincare comes in the best packaging! I included the TonyMoly Sheet Masks in my February post & saw these recommended to me after I had checked out. I am obsessed with getting rid of blackheads (TMI) This is a 3 step mask & although its all in Korean there is a step by step diagram on the back which is easy to follow. I bought 4 packs & only have one left. Its safe to say I really like them & they’re very affordable despite being sent from Hong Kong.

Cute Sticky Notes

HEMA Sticky Notes

I am terrible at remembering things so I like to stick post it notes around my house & even have some in my car just to remind me to do certain things. These cute ones are from a Dutch shop called HEMA but don’t panic they have not only opened a few stores here (in London) but you can also order online from their shop. They carry a great affordable selection of stationery & so many other things. I often spend ages browsing the site and filling a very large basket. The arrows are also post it notes too, I couldn’t resist them.

Metallic Washi Tape

Now this is becoming quite a habit, I purchase at least two new rolls a month and have a growing collection. This is my newest addition and my current favourite. I order mine from eBay as they have such a massive selection and its pretty good quality.

Collection Lip Crayon

Collection Work The Colour Lip Butter 

I really like lippies in crayon form, I find them easy to apply, travel with and they are so fuss free. This is one from Collection which is a Boots only brand and their makeup is very affordable but don’t be put off by the cheap looking packaging because the products are very good quality. This is in the shade Vintage Rose, its a very pretty peach and perfect for the Spring. It has a slight glossy finish, feels comfortable on the lips. Oh & you don’t need to sharpen these – they just twist up! Easy peasy.

 

Five Under £5 For December

Five Under £5

Five Under £5

When I saw Julia from rainbeaubelle Five Under £5 posts I thought it would be fun to get involved and share a few of my bargain finds this past month. I’m currently in Scotland visiting family and finishing off the last of my Christmas shopping & I have of course been treating myself to a few bits & bobs too.

First up is this Alphabet Makeup Bag from Matalan it was such a bargain at £4. It is 100% cotton and very well made. I have quite a few makeup bags but I couldn’t resist this one & I bought a couple as gifts too.

Matalan Makeup Bag

I also bought two tree decorations from Matalan too, a V & J in vintage looking gold. I think they have an Art Deco look. They’re quite heavy and were only £2 each. I won’t get to put my tree up until about the 19th but I am excited to add these to our eclectic mix of decorations. Matalan has some beautiful Christmas decorations this year its well worth a visit.

Tiger recently opened in Dundee so I popped in but it was so busy it was hard to browse. I did get 2 rolls of Washi tape for £2. I have a bit of an addiction to buying tape but never seem to use it. If you have any suggestions for crafty things I can do with all my rolls of tape then I’d love to hear them These were too pretty to leave behind.

Matalan Christmas Decorations

I can’t believe that these cute gold detailed notebooks were only 99p each from Home bargains. I am going to go back and stock up on a few more. We don’t have a Home Bargains in Cornwall so when I visit a city that has one I have to visit and it never disappoints.

Notebooks

It wouldn’t be Christmas without something from LUSH & Butterbear bathbomb is my all time favourite, its only £1.95. It leaves my skin so soft and it smells lovely and fresh. Makes me sad its only out for Christmas

LUSH Butterbear