Primark Homeware Haul | August 2016

Everyone loves Primark; it's cheap and pretty good quality for the price! I usually get quite a lot of my basics from Primark and the occasional homeware item. Recently, the homeware at Primark has been on point! There is an amazing, colourful, Moroccan/Mandala theme in store and I am LOVING it!

You never go into Primark and come out with exactly what you went in for and nothing else. Trips to Primark just do not happen like that. I originally went in to exchange a pair of shorts for a smaller size. Instead, I came out with a fair bit of homeware, from bedding and pillows to candles and decorative pieces. I picked up a little something of everything.

 The first items that instantly caught my eye were three pillows. A colourful, kaleidoscope print pillow (£5), a white pillow with golden polka dots (£3) and a rose gold pillow with a cracked effect (£5). Together I think these three pillows compliment each other extremely well! The next item I could not leave the shop without purchasing was the most beautiful bedding set. A mixture of warm and cool colours creating a visually stunning Mandala/Moroccan print that I just had to have. It was only £8 for a single duvet set and in my opinion, that is a must have! Plus, the bedding would look great with the pillows I was also purchasing and the other pillows I already had at home! For once I couldn't wait to change my bed sheets, my mum was thrilled!

I also picked up a cream throw (£5) to use as a background for taking my blog pictures. It's not as fluffy as I would have liked but at the price of £5 I can't really complain. Primark always catch you out whilst you're waiting in line to checkout. You think you are finished shopping but Primark disagree's. I ended up with a packet of fairy lights, two candles with a blue Moroccan/Mandala print and two silver arrows that I also plan on using in backgrounds of blog photos. The candles were reduced to £1 each, the fairy lights reduced to £3 and the silver arrows were only £1.50 each, the candles have such a lovely fresh scent and I can definitely use the printed jars once the candles have been used and the fairy lights will look very pretty around my bed once the new bed sheets are on.

Primark have so much lovely homeware stocked at the minute and I have been avoiding Primark for a while because I know I'll end up buying even more homeware items! There is already another bedding set I've been eyeing up, maybe a matching pillow too! I'd love to paint my room white and have touches of gold with some Morrocan/Mandala's thrown in there, I think it would look stunning. If you haven't been into Primark in a while you should definitely check out their homeware range, it is all so colourful with such stunning prints. 

xxx

Goodnight Mr Tom: The Theatrical Performance

I mentioned in my Mothers Day blog post that the main gift I'd gotten for my mum was tickets to the theatrical performance of Goodnight Mr Tom in Glasgow's Theatre Royal. It has always been one of her favourite films so I knew she would be excited to go. The show time I had booked wasn't until the early evening so that way we could spend the afternoon together and that is exactly what we did.

My university lectures finished at 3pm that day so that is when our afternoon began. The first thing we did was have a wander around the shops on Sauchiehall Street; mainly Primark and Superdrug because mum was cold and wanted a cardigan and I needed new concealer. Naturally, we ended up getting quite a bit more than a cardigan in Primark but you can't really help in when it is Primark, plus, now that means I have another idea for a blog post and maybe even a video.

We went to Walkabout for dinner since it was close, convenient and is good value for money. My mum insisted on convenience especially because she decided to wear heeled boots that day. Walkabout is very close to my university and is often a popular option for lunches out. The food there is great and there is a good variety to pick from. We opted for a starter of onion rings and chicken strips since neither of us had any lunch prior, my mum decided on the Cheese Burger with regular chips and a side salad, I went for the Piri Piri Chicken with Sweet Potato Fries and a side salad and we both shared a dessert of Berry Pavlova. We barely finished all the food but everything was absolutely delicious, especially the Berry Pavlova. The only thing that disappointed us was that there was no sticky part in the meringue and that's the best bit!

A quick trip to Thornton's for some goodies before the show and we were ready to sit back and enjoy. The performance was as lighthearted as the cast and crew could make it considering the storyline. For those of you who are not aware of the plot line of Goodnight Mr Tom, it is set during WW2 and follows young William Beech, an abused boy as he is evacuated out of London to the countryside and placed with a grumpy, old man; Thomas Oakley. The pair soon form a close bond despite the never ending obstacles thrown in their way. 

Throughout the show, I learned that the boy playing William Beech and the boy playing his best friend Zach were only ten years old and both from London. I would never have even had the courage to ask a question in school never mind travelling around the country performing night after night in front of hundreds and hundreds of people! The boys were absolutely fantastic. Another performer that 100% stood out for me was the woman playing Sammy the dog. The cast did have a prototype of a sheepdog made but there was a woman making all the movements and sounds of the dog. She was absolutely incredible! If you closed your eyes, you would genuinely believe there was a real dog on stage as Sammy. The scenery was also done to a standard of perfection; all the wartime posters and furniture, the back drops of London during the war and of the peaceful countryside the evacuees retreated to and the costumes for all the children and adults. The portrayal of young William Beech's mother and her period of post-partum psychosis and his night terrors following the abuse at her hand was delicately done but at a high standard and was well portrayed and very accurate. 

My mum adored the show so much that she wanted to re-watch the film and re-read the book as soon as we got home that night! We did end up watching the film the following night. Out of all the performances we have seen so far (Legally Blonde: The Musical, Cinderella: The Ballet and Sister Act) this has been her favourite. It was a close debate between Goodnight Mister Tom and Legally Blonde: The Musical but her love for Goodnight Mister Tom swayed her. Neither her nor I can wait for the next show that we see, I wonder when that will be and I wonder which show we can add to our evergrowing list next.

xxx

I Got a Job!

Sorry I haven't been as active with my blog lately but I promise there is a reason. After at least a couple of years of applying for jobs and being rejected from numerous employers, I finally have a job!

From supermarkets to clothing stores to restaurants, I applied everywhere and made no progress beyond one interview. I now work in a small, local cafe called 'The Bluebird Cafe'. It is a short fifteen minute walk from my house and ideal for my first job. My aunt's best friend lives next door to the woman who owns the cafe and mentioned me during a conversation with her; the next thing I know, I have a trial shift.

Walking down to begin my trial shift, I was extremely nervous. The weather was dry but very cold so I wasn't expecting the day to be very busy. I could not have been more wrong! Shortly after my arrival, the sun surfaced and so did all the customers. I barely had an hour to learn everything from the layout of the cafe and names of other employees to the cash register and coffee machine. It was hectic and stressful but I enjoyed myself. Despite the chaotic atmosphere, the owner thought I did well and offered me the job. I was absolutely delighted! The other employee's are lovely, helpful and always making jokes. The cash register and the coffee machine were the two things I was most nervous about but after a couple of tries, I got the hang of it and picked it up quite quickly.

Finding an employer who was willing to work around my university life and my First Aiding proved to be difficult but the ladies at The Bluebird are more than willing. They think my First Aiding is an amazing thing to have and they don't want to hinder it in any way. This attitude was a complete bonus for me, I am both glad and grateful to be able to work and earn my own money and continue my First Aid voluntary work.

Now that I am an employed woman, it was only sensible for me to go out and purchase some suitable work clothes, at least that is what I told myself. The only guideline I was given from my boss (feels weird to say) was that in work, we wear black. Black is a terrible colour to try and photograph, especially when it is clothing so now, description is the key.

First, I went to Primark. I picked up two pairs of simple, black trousers and a couple of long sleeved, black tops. I then moved on to a couple of lightweight, black jumpers that have a slight batwing effect and can be layered if it's cold, a black knitted skirt and a black scarf. 

With my clothing sorted I had to pick up some suitable shoes, Primark had none that I liked so I ventured a little further and went to Topshop. I found a pair of black, slip on, snake print shoes that were my size and also happened to be on sale! Originally £35, I paid a very respectable £8 for them. The second place I checked was ASOS. I was looking for a pair of flat, paten, T bar shoes and that is exactly what I found and they were also on sale for £8. With the work uniform sorted, now it's just a matter of getting more shifts.

I have only had a couple of shifts so far but they have all been great and I can't wait to get my shift schedule for March. Everyone is welcoming and helpful, which makes me less anxious and more solicitous to work and learn.

xxx

Candles, Candles, Candles :)

I love burning candles, especially in the Autumn and Winter months. Here in Scotland, we are slowly creeping into the more mild, Spring weather and I wanted a few more new and fresh scents to burn, so I picked up a few.

Primark, Tesco,Semi-Chem and Clintons are the main shops that I will go to if I am looking to pick up some more candles. Yes, Clintons is a card shop, but in my town there is a Yankee Candle section in there too; sometimes with a sale on. All the candles that I have purchased over the last few weeks are all extremely different with regards to scent but they are still all quite fresh.

The first shop I went to straight off the bus was Semi-Chem. In Semi-Chem, they have a little more pricey candles like Air Wick and Glade for half the price. I did pick up a couple of candles for my younger brother because he has been getting into candles recently too, but the only one I personally liked was the Air Wick Midnight Berry & Shimmering Mist candle at £2 which is half the price in the supermarkets. This candle is quite sweet and fruity which is why I will probably burn it alone. 

The second shop I went to was Tesco and the two huge candles in the picture above are the candles I bought from there. The purple one is Damson & Pomegranate, has a fruity and floral scent and burns for 85 hours. The orange one is Passion Fruit and Melon and also burns for 85 hours but has more of a fresh and floral scent to it despite the title and ingredients. Both of these candles came in at an absolute bargain of £5 each which is great considering a Yankee candle of the same size would probably be four or five times the price. I also picked up a pack of (27) vanilla tealights for £3 because I like to burn vanilla when I am in the bath and with other really fresh scents to add a little sweetness.

The next shop I went to was Primark. Primark is great for anything cheap, from clothing to home wear. Surprisingly I wasn't too keen on the candles there this time despite loving all the Winter and Christmas candles so I only picked up one small candle, a diffuser and a couple of candle holders. My bedroom is lilac and I have so many Yankee candle samplers so when the lilac candle holders caught my eye, I had to have them. They were only 50p each! Room diffusers are new to me but a few friends use them and loves them so I thought I would give one a try; at £2 you can't really go wrong. There where a few scents available but the only one I quite liked was the Pineapple and Ginger one. The sweet but fresh combination was just right and not too overpowering. The only actual candle I got from Primark was a small Red Berry and Jasmine one that I plan to burn with the Midnight Berry & Shimmering Mist candle from Semi-Chem because it has a very subtle fresh scent. 

The fourth and last shop I went to was Clintons, to have a browse at the Yankee Candle section. To my delight, I found a sampler scent that was given to me as a gift earlier in the year was on sale. The Waikiki Melon scent is definitely a new favourite of mine because I do love melon scents and this one is not over powering as a lot of them can be. I picked up a tealight (12) pack for only £4 in hopes of using them sparingly so they will last me a decent amount of time.

I don't think I will burn as many candles during the Spring and Summer months as I do during the Autumn and Winter months but I do have quite a few fresh scents to choose from. Thanks for reading this post, I do realise that not everybody is a fan of candles but if you are then I hope you liked this post. xxx