I've Been Thinking... - 7 (More) Little Things To Get You Feeling Festive

Hi!!!

If you read this post last week, then the title of this one may sound familiar. Yes indeed folks, I'm doing part two - now there are 14 ideas in total to get you in the holiday spirit. Hopefully the first installment was an enjoyable read, and this one will jingle your bells, too - see what I did there?



Download a Festive Background for Your Phone.

I was reading Wish Wish Wish the other day for the first time in weeks and saw that Carrie had uploaded these super cute Christmas phone backgrounds. I downloaded one straight away and I love it - so simple but so special. And it's free! There's an iPhone one and the iPhone Plus one fits my Samsung Galaxy S7, just FYI.

Burn A Christmas Candle.

I got out my number one bae of a candle (John Lewis Winter Spice) out the other day to burn while watching Christmas Films and have had it going since. The cosy glow and lovely smells of Christmas candles are so wonderful. Some of my other top picks include Yankee Candle Red Apple Wreath, Yankee Candle Christmas Cookie and Yankee Candle Candy Cane Lane. 

Bake Some Christmassy Treats.

If you find the time - and I appreciate that you might not have loads spare - then I'd definitely suggest getting into the kitchen and baking something seasonal and delightful be it gingerbread or sugar cookies or cupcakes. It's lots of fun, a good way to take a breather and you can eat the rewards- it's win/win isn't it? Here's some recipes to get you inspired.

Head To A Local Garden Centre.

Garden centres are always places I like being in but at Christmas they really are something else.  They always have cool decorations and displays and twinkly lights and things like that. Spend an hour or so at one near you and take your time looking at everything- and yes, it's totally OK to leave with a few new decorations, I fully support this.

Go To A Heritage Property.

 Two I'd recommend are the Victorian Christmas at my favourite, Charlecote Park, and then the theme decorations at Chatsworth, this year they are based on The Nutcracker, which you can see snippets of in this post (although tickets are more expensive for the latter, it is worth it 100%).

Buy Mince Pies.

Buy a box of mince pies next time you're in the supermarket and consider eating the whole box in one go. Seriously, even just seeing the box is like a little hit of festive cheer. And if you don't like mince pies, there are plenty of other festive foods to treat yourself to instead.

Watch Comedy Christmas Specials.

Keep an eye out for your favourite comedy Christmas specials on GOLD, online and in your DVD collection and any time you're stuck for something to watch, put one of those on and laugh yourself silly. You can find a list of my recommendations here.

Thank you ever such a lot for reading.

What are your favourite things to do in the run up to Christmas? Do you have any comments or suggestions for future posts? Let me know in the comments.

I hope you enjoyed the post.

Have a spectacular day!

GingerSnaps xxx



Style It Out - Fashion, Style and Get Ready With Me's- A Festive Get Ready With Me.

Hi!!!

Welcome to the fourth instalment of "A Dash Of Ginger Festive Five". Today I wanted to post something a little bit different. I've had the idea for a little while - I wasn't sure I could make it work but I think that I've got this sussed now. So, welcome to my Festive Get Ready With Me. I know, right? I've never done a Get Ready With Me before so I hope that you guys like this.

A Festive Get Ready With Me.

 

Once I'd dragged myself out of bed in the morning and I'd had some breakfast, I grabbed a cup of tea and headed up the stairs. I got some Christmas tunes going at an obnoxious volume on the TV in my bedroom and went off to do all the basics (brushing my teeth, washing etc.). At this point, I'd talk you through a super detailed skincare routine if I had one - basically I wash my face with my cleanser from the Aloe range at The Body Shop and bam that's it. I headed back into my bedroom and chose my outfit while drinking the cup of tea which was at the perfect temperature by this point. During the festive season, my outfit could range from a Christmas jumper to a dress and so on but on this particular day it was a red pinafore with a white polar neck jumper underneath and some mustard coloured cable knit tights.

I went on to do my makeup (I don't wear makeup on a daily basis but I fancied wearing it that day). On this particular day, I opted for a red lip (hello MAC Ladybug) and really toned down makeup everywhere else so it really stood out. I wanted to do something with my hair so I whacked half of it up into a bun with the rest down using a red velvet scrunchie. I put on my watch and then sorted the room out a little bit (opened the curtains, made the bed and so on). Then I danced around the room to all of the Christmas songs and sang all the words very loudly because its Christmas. Finally, I padded back down the stairs, pulled on some boots and left the house for my latest adventure which was a trip to one of my favourite places, Charlecote Park which was decorated for a Victorian Christmas.

You can find some links here...

To find some of the Christmas songs I was listening to, you might like to check out (THIS) post.
To find The Body Shop, click (ME)
To find MAC Ladybug Lipstick (CLICK ME)
To find everything you could want to know about the lovely Charlecote Park, (USE THIS).


Tah Dah! I'm really rather pleased with this post, I hope it was a nice read. I'm off to a pantomime this evening which I've been looking forward to for ages - it's Peter Pan which is one of the only pantomimes I haven't seen.

What did you think of my first Get Ready With Me? What are you getting up to today? Do you have any suggestions for future posts or any comments? Do let me know in the comments below, I'd love to hear from you.

I'll see you all tomorrow, which is Christmas Eve - I can't believe it.

 

I hope you have an exceptionally great day!

 

GingerSnaps xxx

So, To Sum It All Up - September Summary.

Hi!!!


I must say that October beginning really excites me. I can finally get back into blogging on a noticeable scale - three posts in one month is just not acceptable of me, is it? - and I have lots of exciting things going on, too.


This summary might be a bit short, as some events in September are not going to be broadcast here and I have very few posts. I know I keep saying this but I am sorry that in recent months I have let you guys down. I will do 100% better this month (not that that will be difficult...).


Anyways, we shall get on with this summary and I hope very much that you enjoy it.

The Return Of Strictly Come Dancing.

Strictly. I love it, as I am sure you know by now. The return of Strictly has really made me quite happy this September and I must say that I am loving the line up and their talent (bar one or two people *cough* Scott Mills *cough*).

It really is lovely to have it back and I look forward to more weekend evenings in front of the tellybox watching it!


To see the post I did about Strictly Come Dancing's return, take a wander over (HERE).


A Wonderful Day Out at Charlecote Park.


I (even though I am the most incredibly indecisive person on the planet) can safely say that Charlecote Park is one of my favourite places. It is so beautiful and I had a really wonderful day out there with my lovely Mom a weekend or so ago.


We had a big walk around the grounds - the Deer Sanctuary was open which was wonderful - and we had a walk around some of the out buildings. We also stopped for tea and cake and dawdled around the garden shop type thing, too.

It was a wonderful day and I really enjoyed myself - thanks to my Mom for coming with me.


To find Charlecote Park, click (HERE).


To see a post where my Mom is mentioned, click (HERE).


Seeing Family and Friends.


I have, throughout September, been spending a lot of time with family and friends.


Life events (which I am not here to ramble on about) have played a huge part in this, as has making a bit more of an effort (the latter I really should do more...).


I love all of my family and all of my friends and no matter why we spend time together, I want them to know that I really appreciate them and what they do.


My Favourite Blog Posts From September.


"Recent Memories" on A Rosie Outlook, (HERE).


I did enjoy this post, and I enjoyed the style of it. It was a very relaxed kind of summary and it felt like a catch up more than a blog post.

Very nice.


"Seven Henrietta Street" on Charlotte's Web, (HERE).


I love Charlotte's posts and how honest and charming they are. I really liked all the quirky details and the quotes from the Kate Spade book she has been reading, which seemed very carefully chosen.


"We liked: Our Friends Wedding" on Little Winter, (HERE).


This post really made me smile and made me chuckle, too.


Katy's antics at the wedding were amusing and she deserves life points for them - lets just say that a wedding that Katy is at will never be a boring one!

"Abbey Road" on The London Project, (HERE).


As a very big fan of The Beatles, I love seeing people's pictures from Abbey Road, as well as people's pictures of the wall (where an abundance of words and song lyrics have been written). Some great photography and nostalgia.


"Leopard Print Camper Van" on What Olivia Did, (HERE).


Firstly, if you know me, you will know of my incredible love of Camper Vans and the photography of them is probably, if I am honest, around 70% of the reason I chose this post.
Also, this outfit is nice and the poses are fun.

So, October, here's to you - you will be a month of travelling with friends, travelling with family, baking, Halloween/dressing up and knitwear!

What did you get up to in September? What do you think of what I got up to? Do you have any comments or suggestions for future posts? Let me know in the comments.

See you soon!

Have a totally, completely awesome day!

GingerSnaps xxx