Dear Santa, I've been well good this year…honest!
If you saw my last blog post you will know that I organise my online window-shopping addiction with secret Pinterest boards. I have boards for everything - gift ideas, party ideas, recipes, interiors, holidays, clothes, hair styles, random typography and obviously ideas IF IF IF one day, the Boy ever pops the question. I can’t believe I’ve just owned up to that. Thank God he doesn’t read my Blog as that bombshell would probably have just added another 5 years to wait to become Mrs Palmer. No joke!
I’ve decided to share some of the highlights I’ve been saving all year from my own gift list. Is it selfish? Yes. Indulgent? Most definitely. Will I get any of it? Highly unlikely. Am I dreaming? Hell yeah! So this is just a little round up of the stuff I want. I don’t need any of this. I just want it. Remember, my mantra here is that a gift should be something you love but would never buy yourself. I hope it gives you some ideas to treat yourself, or as gifts for your loved ones or for hints/links to share with Santa.
10. T-BAR TORQUE BANGLE, £125
HOUSE CURIOUS // T-BAR TORQUE BANGLE
WAS £190, NOW £125
I’ve been a big fan of the House Curious brand and am sad to see the business is closing but I am sure you all follow Somer on Instagram and see she has exciting plans ahead for travelling with her family. The closing down sale has been EPIC and I’ve bagged some gifts and bits for the house already at unbelievable prices. This bangle is teasing me every time I see Somer update the sale pages and I can’t believe it’s reduced £125 now. I caved today and sent The Boy the link to the website in the hope he might, just might, bag this for me before they all sell out.
9. BRAINSTORM PAD £9 and/or a WEEKLY PLANNER £7.50
Staying with House Curious, here are another two bargains which tickle my stationary fetish and feed my list writing addiction. I try to run an organised house and love writing out ambitious lists, even if I do fail every week to tick it all off and have carried over chores and jobs now for months from one list to another. But, these pads take my lists to a whole new level and I’m already lusting after them. My Mum always reminds me that my GCSE and A Level revision timetables were works of art, all colour coded for subjects, categorised under easy revision, then hard core panic revision, and I even planned break times (usually round neighbours and Home & Away) and rewarded myself with days off. Apparently I would spend hours each week reworking my revision timetable and gave more of a shit about a pretty organised list, than actual revision. Nothing has changed, I love planning and list making and these will take it to a whole new level.
HOUSE CURIOUS // BRAINSTORM XL LANDSCAPE
WAS £21, NOW £9
HOUSE CURIOUS // WEEKLY PLANNER
WAS £11.50, NOW £7.50
One lazy Sunday morning whilst flicking through an interior magazine, I clocked this table setting image and immediately went online to see the entire Habitat Fuji range. Kudos to Habitat, the ad worked! Scandi, curvy and black, this kitchenware gives me all the feels and I still want the over sized salad servers. I couldn’t justify it to myself when I have two sets of salad servers already (both equally cool - one black, one vintage) but these are so different and still something I am lusting after. Maybe Santa is keeping an eye on when Habitat do a 20% off sale….
7. Ballerina Slippers, £22
I am very fussy when it comes to slippers. I don’t like the soles to be too thick and squidgy as I can’t stand that feeling as if you’re walking on platforms around the house and might topple off and break an ankle. (I have a low pain threshold and am a tad melodramatic when it comes to hurting myself, if you didn’t know already.) I also don’t like them to be too hard and firm with a leather or plastic sole as l keep my slippers on when I’m snuggling on the sofa. I’ve also never actually found slippers that can be worn outside in the pissing rain and keep your feet dry for just a few minutes to quickly do a job. So, for me, I’ve worked out it’s best to get the softest footsies or ballerina slippers from Fat Face that I can wear together with my beloved crocs when I need to run outside. Have I just started a banging new trend for slippers and crocs?! I’ll shut up now, sorry.
I can’t choose between Darcy Deer, or Belinda Bear! Both are £22 and despite thinking Darcy is cuter, I am not sure I can pull off wearing Christmas novelty slippers all year round.
In my search for slippers this year I stumbled upon these absolute corkers that are too good not to share! I actually do NEED these to wear whilst cleaning my impractical white gloss, massive tiled kitchen floor. Thanks ASOS!
6. Extraordinary Interiors Book by Rockett St George, £19.99
Remember that Andy Warhol print about not reading, just looking at pretty pictures? Well this is what I am like when it comes to interior books. I love them, even if they are a complete indulgence when I consider the interior magazine subscriptions I already have. FYI, the magazine subscriptions were a xmas present from Will 2 years ago, which repeat every year, and he hasn’t got the heart to cancel them so that’s a gift that keeps on giving!
5. Canapé plates
This is a very wanky idea, but it’s something I have not stopped thinking about since I was invited to a dinner party at Wills Grans Friends house. This friend is a dinner party goddess and has inspired me to up my game and try and be more organised in future. The idea here is that when you pop open the bubbles and serve canapés to guests, you give them a tiny little plate that’s just big enough for 2-3 of the mini appetizers. A side plate doesn’t work (I’ve tried) as they’re too big and lack the sophisticated special touch. Obviously, you could just use a napkin but where’s the fun in that. I’ve estimated the perfect size is around 10cm. Imagine the size of a coaster - that’s what you need but it needs to be a plate and obviously washable. I was tempted to try my marble coasters but they’re more like paper weights than a dainty china plate for showing off and pretending I have everything in control and can run an idyllic house. We have looked everywhere for them and it’s obviously not a popular idea as they’re impossible to find. The dinner party goddess got her set from Japan which is no surprise - they always have the perfect chinaware, and a solution for everything. So far, this set of 4 Tart, Cupcake, Treacle & Crumpet Plates from Rockett St George is as close as I can get. And look how amazing they are!
4. DOC MARTENS!
One of my life regrets (realised only in 2019) was throwing away my Doc Martens from the 90s. I blame my Mum - she is ruthless and forced my Brother and I to give away all our toys, clothes, stuff, projects from school and pretty much anything that cluttered the house as soon as we stopped using it for a few months. To be fair, we grew up in a small house so it had to be done. And her ability to cull without emotion is a talent which I do admire, and often call upon when I need to clear out my own stuff.
I’m late to the party here, but I have fallen back in love with Doc Martens and recently bought a cheap imitation pair of the high street which confirmed my feelings had longevity. So now I’ve got my eyes on a legit pair of boots which I’ll make sure I keep for the next 30 years and won’t let my Mum get her hands on ever again. I might let her borrow them though - I’m nice like that. Please buy these for me Mum (if you’re reading this!)….I love you!
3. GHD Glide Professional Hot Brush, £139
Getting serious now, my Top 3 are the BIG ONES! These are the big, pricey gifts that I am hoping either my Mum or The Boy treat me to. First up, the Glide! I heard about this new product via my best mate. She’s always ahead of me when it comes to knowing the best new products, be it hair styling, make-up and skincare. I’ve since read so many great reviews about this new hot brush and how it is easier, quicker and less damaging than straighteners but when my best pal verified it to me in person, I knew I wanted it. I can also totally justify this as I need to save every minute possible in the mornings to get ready for work (always running late), and need to rescue my split ends in my knackered over-bleached hair (she says after just booking in for a new set of foils in time for Christmas!). Ha!
2. A New Posh White Company Onesie, £149
A couple of years ago I discovered cotton-cashmere! Life changing, honestly. It’s all the softness of cashmere but without the price tag. Marks and Spencers call it Cashmilon™ and their round neck jumpers in this cheat cashmere are THE ONE! I wear them all winter long for work and have most colours and they’re only £15 a pop.
Anyway, I digress. Point here is that the White Company launched a cotton cashmere black onesie a few years ago which The Boy treated me to at Christmas. I am sure he was nudged that direction, but lets ignore that and just focus on the Onsie. It is so soft, so classy, and I have literally worn it to death. It’s seen me through sickness, hangovers from hell, chilling at home, and even DIY when you want to get cracking but don’t want to get dressed. The problemo is now my LBO (little black onesie) is knackered and bobbly and I can’t really get away with wearing it in public now. So it’s time for a new one, and if I am lucky enough to receive it this year you will probably see me in the aisles of Sainsburys wearing just this (and a coat and most likely my crocs or fake uggs)!!!
1. The Best 2019 Beauty Advent Calendar (IMHO)
I did a story on my Instagram page a few weeks ago about Beauty Advent calendars as I know they get a lot of stick for being wasteful, over-priced, OTT for an advent calendar, and all a bit same-same with tiny products. Controversially, I love them and have done a lot of research over the years (to pass to the Boy so he buys the right one!) and can honestly tell you that if you choose the right one, it will give you enough products to last all year. It will also wake up your skin with so much variety in creams, potions and serums and you’ll notice that your skin was probably bored using the same product for months on a trot and that might be why it was dry, dull or lifeless. I have terrible skin - it’s oily, dry, spotty, wrinkly, leathery and I swear it’s a shade of greige (grey-beige) before I put make-up on. I rely on an epic (that means premium, just to be clear) Beauty Advent Calendar each year to give me the best chance of knowing what works for my skin, and importantly what doesn’t. In the past I have had the Selfridges one (ok, but not enough skincare), MAC (worth every single penny but not worth buying year after year as seems to be the same products), M&S (GET IT!), Net a Porter (my favourite of all time, so far) and now this year, I have done my research and WANT (not need, just being greedy), the Space NK one! I’m dreaming…..zzzz
I’ve decided to share some of the highlights I’ve been saving all year from my own gift list. Is it selfish? Yes. Indulgent? Most definitely. Will I get any of it? Highly unlikely. Am I dreaming? Hell yeah!