My favourite time of the year lived up to its expectations as always. At the end of Christmas day my family and I curled up on the sofa, bellies full and rounded from a banquet of desserts and our eyes were heavy and sleepy from all the glittering jubilations. We all agreed that it was one of the best Christmases yet and as we passed around a box of chocolates, we smiled and laughed at the days merriment. Family is the reason why Christmas is so magical, and so very treasured.
One of the joyous aspects of present giving is that you can keep a little of the festive magic sparkling all year round, be it a book thats enjoyed mid-year on a sunny beach, or a perfume that shadows the wearer through a year of special moments. My sister and I were thoroughly spoilt this year, and fortunate enough to unwrap so many gifts that will just keep giving. My main present from my mum was money towards flights to Australia, and my boyfriend blew me away earlier in the year by surprising me with my dream camera, the Canon 5D Mark iii. I felt so blessed to be able to capture all the festive charm in perfect detail!
Here I take a look at all the lovely things I received this year.
My sister gave me a collection of Body Shop products in my favourite scent Cocoa. I’m a body scrub and moisturiser addict, and always insist on keeping a full body moisturiser on my person at all times; I am obsessed with silky smooth skin. So, body butters and scubs are always going to be favourite gifts of mine.The body butter is super-rich and velvety smooth on the skin, which is why it’s always been my go-to if I want to feel exceptionally pampered. The scrub will be fantastic for prepping my skin before I head off to Australia again, and the body wash will make me smell like sweet cocoa! To complete my pampering gifts, Zoe also gave me a chocolate flavoured candle. Mum treated me to a new Real Techniques blush brush to add to my growing collection, and my favourite foundation B. Radiant and a pretty nude lip balm.
Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without an abundance of chocolate to try to resist all of January. I fail, every year. One particular favourite were these chocolate satsumas, which, when devoured (probably before the New Year) revealed the most delicious orange flavoured chocolate. One of my favourite presents, and definitely a gift that will keep giving for years and years to come is The Logo Board Game. It had both family and friends roaring with laughter around the table, and racking our knowledge for all the familiar brands we use on a regular basis. If you’re looking for a new board game, please, please get this!
Having started my cake company Sugar Bloom earlier in the year, I received a perfect combination of baking goodies to help expand my buttercream creations. Palette knives and the prettiest pink and gold decorating brushes from Kitchen Craft will no doubt join my favourite baking tools. A new Kenwood hand mixer that will definitely be put to good use! My old, reliable hand mixer recently broke during a cake marathon – she’s going to be a hard one to beat (see what i did there!) I also received M&S salted caramel sauce and Waitrose chocolate sauce, perfect for drizzling over cupcakes or pouring into handmade chocolates! And of course my new ‘Rococo Mastering the Art of Chocolate‘ recipe book will be my first stop for all things cocoa. I also unwrapped ‘A Year of Cake’ by The Clandestine Cake Club. The original book takes prize position as a permanent fixture in the kitchen, so I am so excited to try out these new recipes!
For my culinary adventures, my mum also bought me the ‘Mighty Spice Cookbook‘ which features an electric combination of recipes that each feature no more then 5 spices. I’m a bit of a spice enthusiast so this will provide me with the basic knowledge needed to combine flavours and make some seriously hot meals. Accompanying this was a jar of fiery pickled peppers to help me get started. This magnificent copper edge cake stand is perfect for my tea and cake dates, along with the most precious glass teapot and teacup. Perfect for flowering tea!
My grandparents bought me this beaded crystal dress from Monsoon, which is utterly gorgeous on! Paired with black heels and a understated clutch, it’s a fabulous dress that does all the talking without looking over the top or trashy; I’m a little in love with it. Copper is undeniably filtering its way into every decor store and jewellery box, and I’ll be the first to raise my hand and say I’m a massive fan. So obviously there was a fair amount of cooing when I opened a little box to reveal copper heart earrings from Silver Scene. I’ve been building a collection of stone and raw crystal jewellery for sometime, along with uncomplicated silver, gold and copper pieces, so these treasures were exactly what I was looking for. A sweet little present was a bunny door knob, something that my mum saw on my Pinterest a while back. It is the most darling thing and will add oodles of charm to any door. Both my sister and I were given precious crystal ball balls, which encased a delicately crafted reindeer, it’s one of the most beautiful Christmas decorations I’ve ever seen!
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed a peek at the lovely things I unwrapped!
Find me else where (:
Hi dear, great post and you have a wonderful blog. Would you like to follow each other? if you decided to follow me on BLOGLOVIN, please let me know so I can follow you back. Thank you.
http://www.love-joice.com
Just beautiful! 🙂