The Christmas Bedding Edit

Seeing as a lot of our usual festivities may be cancelled this year, or have already been cancelled, I have been thinking of ways to bring the Christmas joy, home. I love decorating my home surroundings as much as the next person. Nothing makes me happier than throwing Christmas at every shelf, bed frame, or banister that I see. There is something so magical and special about seeing the twinkling of lights and the glittering of festive additions. One way that I personally love to bring a splash of Christmas, is with Christmas bedding. There are so many different places that have some gorgeous pillow and duvet cases available at the moment, that I just had to share them. I feel there are options for everyone - whether you want subtlety or full on garish Christmas goodness. 

M&S

A personal favourite of mine to look for Christmas bedding. There are some really beautiful options which I have been so tempted by. I love the simplicity with this >one<. It would be such a nice way to get a bit of colour into the bedroom during the festive season. I have recently brought the PJ's for Sam of >this< print, and he bought me the same matching ones for my birthday. Part of me wants this bedding to go with them.. It's just so cute! >One< for all the plant lovers out there. This could be used easily all year around in my opinion. Love the foliage. 

H&M

H&M home have some really gorgeous things, I am sure that a lot of you will agree with me here. I have had my eye on the little acorn fitted sheet, but it has been out of stock. Although, they have >this< foliage and berries fitted sheet that would be great for getting in the Christmas spirit. Flannel brings a traditional feel to decorating for Christmas, and >this< red flannel duvet set would be a perfect addition to the bedroom if your festive decoration choices are more of the traditional kind.

Zara Home

>This< pine tree print duvet set is right up my street, plus the colour is just gorgeous. You'd definitely be feeling in the Christmas mood with this set on, and a pine scented candle burning on the bed side table - heaven. I recently purchased a tartan print fleecey throw, and >this< Christmas themed one is so gorgeous too. These are great for making your bed look more festive if you want more subtlety. They also great for snuggling up on the sofa with..

John Lewis

Another >one< if you're a fan of the festive subtlety. The gorgeous trees and individuals on their Christmas walk is similar to the one photographed above which was from M&S back in 2018. I am a massive fan. >This< cute penguin set would be perfect for the little ones.

There are so many other options to choose from - why not try Etsy, Asda, or Amazon? The list goes on.

Which bedding set is your favourite? Will you be treating yourself to any festive bedding this year?

Amber X

What You Need To Watch This Weekend

With the weather being more than unpredictable at the moment - snow one minute, weather warnings put in place with blustering winds and spells of drizzly rain and sleet, a 'what to watch list' seems more than fitting. Surely it's best to stay out of the cold, and remain warm and dry with a good programme to watch? Not just my thinking I'm sure. Netflix is always a great place to start for a good watch, so here are some of my recent recommendations.

The Sinner
Throughout the snowy period at the beginning of February, I binged watched both seasons of The Sinner and absolutely loved it. I'm not and never have been one for horror films, or most thriller moves if I'm honest, however this psychological thriller scared and intrigued me all at the same time. If you're all for murder mysteries or untangling cases that follow alongside a detective then you'll love The Sinner as much as I did. It's gripping, scary, tragic and horrific, a combination I never thought I would enjoy, but definitely did.

Isn’t It Romantic
Who doesn’t love a bit of Rebel Wilson? This is such a good pick me up, feel good film and I would recommend anyone to watch it if they wanted a good giggle. It follows Rebel Wilson’s character who doesn’t like romance but finds herself hitting her head that somehow transports her into a world that’s all roses, rainbows and love hearts.

Abducted In Plain Sight 
As you can probably tell, Netflix has brought out my inner detective side and made me want to watch and immerse myself in all things serial killers and murder mysteries haha. As weird as this one was to comprehend as well as to watch, it was an interesting one nether the less. It follows the story of a beloved neighbour who obsesses over the youngest daughter of the family and eventually abducts her, twice. There are many other twists which makes the whole story a lot more in depth, and bizarre. SO many memes have been made from this one that will definitely make you chuckle (if you know, you know).

After Life
Ricky Gervais plays a grieving husband, who has just lost his wife to cancer. He HATES the world - a way to put his feelings loosely. Doesn't truly understand his purpose in life anymore, and just makes everyone around him miserable. I didn't quite grasp the premise of the series at first, but the more I watched, the more I wanted to know what happened. Plus, Ricky's character has the cutest pup which makes watching even more worthwhile. It's funny and short - one to pick if you don't fancy getting deeply stuck into hours and hours of on screen action.

The Disappearance of Madeline McCann
Again another criminal case programme.. as you can tell, I've spent most of my time watching this type of video haha. But this case is still ongoing 12 years later. I'm more than sure that most people have heard of this case, and this docuseries puts so many different perspectives into the same case. Why was Madeline's case given so much publicity and community effort in comparison to other missing children cases? That being one point made in the series, amongst many others. It's a very interesting watch!

Scooby Doo
A light-hearted recommendation to end the list, and one that surely most people watched as a child. Netflix have added both films to their site, and they're both great to stick on in the background whilst getting on with chores or to sit down, all cosied up and have a good laugh. Who doesn't love Scooby Doo?

Also, Netflix are making The Kissing Booth part 2!!

What're you watching at the moment? 

Amber X

October Favs

It's that time of the month again! I know that favourites posts aren't a frequent feature on my blog, but I felt that there was a fair few new things that I have been into this month, and thought that would be worthy of a ramble. I have been LOVING October - this half of the year is by far the most enjoyable in my eyes. The cosy nights in are made 1000x more cosy when it's cold, dark and foggy outside - basically my favourite thing to do 24/7. So here are the things I have been enjoying in the month of October.

Burning candles
Obviously, the dark cosy nights are complimented with burning a candle in the corner of any room. I have been burning two this month. One is a Sanctuary candle that I got last Christmas, but wanted to save it for the colder months of the year, as it's called the cosy candle. That's exactly what it is. It smells super warming, and cosy. Nothing else to be said really about a cosy candle. The second candle I have been loving is 'Christmas Eve' by Yankee Candle. Yes I know it is only October, but I can't help but be excited for Christmas! It smells like everything Christmassy, and I love it. Go and have a sniff of the Yankee Candle Christmas range, I'm SO tempted to buy some more of them.

Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Palette 
There is a post dedicated to >this< beauty on my blog, but I have found myself reaching for this palette most, if not every morning, this month. It's just so versatile. As you can see, it is well loved, but specifically, I have been loving the shade 'Retrograde' the most. It's a gorgeous brown based shimmer shade, with a slight blue reflect. Paired with browns and oranges in the crease, it looks beautiful.

Music
The most played this month has to be Kings of Leon and Jungle. Jungle released their second album in September and I am obsessed. If I fancy putting some music on to have on in the background whilst I am trying to concentrate, Jungle have been the ones that I have chosen to play. 'House in LA' and 'Mama Oh No' are the ones I like the most from that album. As for Kings of Leon, they have been played on repeat in the car, and I am just loving them.

Watching 
The Gino, Gordon and Fred: Roadtrip showing on ITV has been brilliant. The 3 chefs are going on a roadtrip around their home towns, France, Scotland and Italy, collecting ingredients for cooking. They are such a good trio, and whatever they end up doing is made funny by their loud personalities. If you want something to sit down and watch, whilst fancying a giggle, stick this one on. As well as this one, I have been religiously watching the Great British Bake Off. Who doesn't love this programme?! It's so cosy, and I just love it.

What have you been loving this month?

Amber X

Christmas Eve Essentials

I don't know about you, but I feel that half the festiveness and fun that surrounds Christmas, is in Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve always used to be an exciting day, as it's the night that Santa comes whilst you sleep, of course. Some families have their little Christmas Eve traditions, and I think that's such a lovely thing to share together. Whether you get to open one of your presents early, whether you go to church, whether you have an evening in together, I thought to come up with a list of things that could make your Christmas Eve the best.

• Christmas films.
• Chocolate (yes, all of the Quality Streets, Roses, Celebrations or Heros).
• Pj's of course! Paired with your favourite dressing gown, slippers and/or fluffy socks.
• Or, if you're not a pj wearer, maybe a cheesy Christmas jumper. 
• Puzzles or board games.
• Candles (if you're in the mood for some down time), or even an advent candle.
• Playing cards.
• Blankets - the more, the better.
• Other kinds of snacks... like those oversized biscuit selection boxes, yum. 
• Music. 
• Santa tracker.
• A mince pie, carrot, beer or milk - whatever you leave out for Santa Clause. 
• A DIY activity, such as decorating gingerbread men, or even building a gingerbread house.
• Alcohol (obviously if you're of age).
• Christmas hats.
• A big mug of tea, coffee or hot chocolate (How cute is this one?!)
• Face masks.
• Wrapping paper - for wrapping those last minute presents.

How do you spend your Christmas Eve?

Amber X

All The Mince Pies

What is Christmas without mince pies?! I don't know if I am right in saying that having mince pies at Christmas is a British thing, but it makes me really happy when Christmas time, because it means one thing - mince pies. Whether they are shop brought, home made, warm or cold, mince pies are one of the best things about Christmas. Here is how to make your own...

What you will need

1 jar of mincemeat 

375g of plain flour

260g of unsalted butter

125g of caster sugar

1 large egg, plus 1 beaten egg to brush over the pastries before they go in the oven

What you need to do

1. Place flour and butter into a bowl and use your fingers to combine to the two together to make a crumbly consistency.

2. Add the sugar and the egg and mix together. 

3. Place the pastry on a lightly floured surface and knead until the pastry comes together. 

Or 

Buy shop brought pastry and your life will be much easier. I'd recommend the Jus-Rol Shortcrust pastry that you can get from most supermarkets.

4. Preheat the oven to 220c. Roll out the pastry to your desired thickness and using a cutter, cut out 16 bases and place them in a cake tray.

5. Roll out the remaining pastry and using another cutter, or freehand, make 16 mince pie tops. 

6. Using a spoon, fill the pastry bottoms with a teaspoon of mincemeat. 

7. Place the pastry tops on the mince pie bottoms.

8. Glaze with the beaten egg, and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

9. Leave to cool and if you fancy, dust with a bit of icing sugar or caster sugar. 

I altered this recipe from the BBC website, you can find the full recipe here. 

Have you ever made mince pies before? Do you like them? 

Amber X

What to Watch At Christmas

How could I do Christmas related blog posts without including my favourite films to watch at this time of the year?! Watching films alone, or with family members and friends is something that I love - regardless of how many times you have watched something previously. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are the best excuse to only move from your chair or sofa, when you're called for food... So if you fancied watching something Christmassy, these are the ones that I would recommended you watch.

Home Alone
This is definitely the Christmas film that I have watched every year, for so many years. Whether it be the first film or the second, they just fill you with festive-ness. Poor Kevin always gets left behind when his family plan to go on holiday and you get to see what he gets up too whilst his family aren't around. This film is such a Christmas classic, I will no doubt be watching this one on repeat.

Arthur Christmas
This animated Christmas film is definitely one of the 'newer' Christmas releases. It's so easy to watch, follow and enjoy. You follow Arthur and his desire to make sure that every child gets what they have asked Santa for in their letters. He goes to great lengths to make sure that no child misses out on Christmas morning. This film is so sweet and great for all the family.

Christmas Specials of TV Series 
When it comes to Christmas time, I'm sure that a few TV series will do a Christmas special. There is something so festive about your favourite TV shows creating a one off Christmas episode. I must have watched Gavin and Stacey's Christmas special more than a handful of times already... If you haven't seen this one specifically, you must!

Elf
The ultimate Christmas film - am I right? Cute old Buddy makes his way to New York City in search of his Dad whom he has never met before. He gets to know himself and learns a new way of life that isn't all about elves. Not only is he the best at making Christmas decorations, but also spreading festive cheer. This film will always put a smile on your face.

The Holiday
If you've read my other what to watch posts, you'll know that I am a massive fan of a soppy drama/romcom. The holiday is exactly that, but in Christmas form. Two characters, Amanda and Iris, swap houses over Christmas time to escape their troubles and essentially, have a break. Unexpected love interests appear and they both aren't so quick to return back to their own houses after all. I'd probably go as far as saying this film is my favourite Christmas film... It's so cosy, and gives you that happy, warm, fuzzy feeling. If you're like me and a fan of this one, you'll enjoy Love Actually just as much.

What's your favourite Christmas film?

Amber X