Wednesday, 11 May 2016

Review: April Favourites...

Ten days of blogs and another twenty or so already planned. There's a few gaps and today's one of them! So as a very simplistic blog, unrelated to art, I'm writing about my April Favourites.This should be easy...shouldn't it?




First on the list is scent. When my sister gave me a gift token last month for L'Occitane I hurried round to pick another scent. I love the smells in this shop, more delicate than those from Lush which hang in the air yards from the shop door. This time I chose the Jasmin & Bergamote, the heady jasmine offset by the fruitier citrus. I feel it's more of an evening EDT.



Grapefruit & Rhubarb, Vitória-Régia Day Flower 
and Jasmin & Bergamote eau de toilettes

I had bought myself Vitória-Régia Day Flower EDT last Summer, water lily with citrus and apple notes. I'm halfway through it and it's a lovely everyday spray.

Grapefruit & Rhubarb basket with EDT, 
shower gel, body lotion and soap

For my birthday in November I used a gift token (thanks sis) to splash out on a gift box of Grapefruit & Rhubarb - when the assistant was putting tissue into the paper carrier bag she sprayed it with the EDT first. I love their attention to detail. There's nothing sweet about the two main scents but their potential bitterness is mellowed by cedar undernotes. This is a fragrance I wear when I want to get something done or I'm heading to a meeting.


My second favourite was a different smell - that of home made banana bread, Donal Skehan's Auntie Anne's recipe. It's the easiest and most successful banana bread I've ever made. After buying another woman's bananas in Asda by mistake as well as my own I had a glut and three loaves were baked. Soo got one, my son demolished a second and the third was frozen for a few days before it was defrosted, sliced and scoffed. 


Third favourite was some new planner stickers from a maker in the UK (US makers are great but the shipping kills me). 'Plan With Jade' who has a shop in Etsy was offering a whopping 40% off orders. 

 Dorothy & Toto and the Wicked Witch of the West

 Dorothy's red shoes and The Scarecrow

I got a Wizard of Oz set, a 'Pretty Peacocks' set, two patterned sets and some functional stickers. Her designs are lovely, can't fault them. But if she could upgrade her paper quality the designs would stand out better, the stickers would peel better and might not be semi-transparent. (She could also ask a higher price). I like these stickers and I'll be watching to see if she does develop her products.

Yankee Candle 'Frankincense' 

Being the owner of a dog and having a sensitive nose don't really go together. I tried a lot of scented candles (including Price's) and nothing compares to my fourth favourite, Yankee Candles. They really do lift the scent of sweaty dog from the air. (Works on teen males too). There are scents I prefer but I always keep my choice from that month's selected bargains. In April I discovered a new stand at the back of the shop in Castlecourt with candles that were being discontinued...and at less than half price. Frankincense is something I'd normally associate with Christmas but it's surprising how nice it is on a Spring evening as it gently masks the odour of nearby canines. 

Shadow the Indomitable

You might wonder why I don't just wash the dog more often - we've tried and it takes two of us all of our strength to hold him while we lather, rinse and towel dry. He's a tardis when it comes to power, obviously bigger on the inside because he's small on the outside. There's a mobile doggie washing van I've seen recently that might be getting a new customer.

Happie Scrappie April kit - Unicorns

Lucky Dip Club April kit - Breakfast

Last of my April favourites. I think it's my age...I never used to be into 'Kawaii' or 'cute'. But give me a My Little Pony or a mermaid figure hot from a Kinder egg and I'm happy. I've been getting Happie Scrappie and LDC (Lucky Dip Club) packs in the post, one each per month, subscription boxes. (There's an air of the confessional as I type this). 

I have to admit that the unicorns are stranger than I thought they'd be, the one pictured full frontal looking like it's farting. But I like the planner pages, the dashboards and even the unicorn die cuts in a sea of sequins. 

The breakfast theme of the other kit is unusual as themes go but I'm very happy with the teatowel, who doesn't like a pictorial teatowel, decorative AND functional? This month's box of goodies is almost as good as the 'bunnies' one. But that'll be an entirely different post...


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Tomorrow's blog: Art Process: illustration


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