What I Got For My Birthday Part I

I turned 29 on Sunday and had a really lovely day. It was basically a birthday weekend, with drinks with friends on Saturday, then lunch out with my family on Sunday and then a relaxing evening with my husband to finish the weekend off. Perfect! I'm incredibly lucky, and spent the weekend feeling so fuzzy and loved! I always love seeing what people got for their birthdays, so I can't resist sharing what I got either. I'm splitting this into 2 posts because I don't want it to be too photo heavy of a post, so part II will be my next post up.

My dear friend Max (and Mummy blogger at MaxandJackson on tumblr) got me this stag head construction kit. I'm a bit obsessed with stag heads so this is very me, I might have to try and paint it to match one of the rooms in our house too!

Disaronno was a bit of a theme in presents from my friends, with a large bottle from some, and then this lovely set with two Disaronni glasses and a bottle from others. I've never seen these glasses before but they are so cute! I'm not much of a drinker, but I do like me some amaretto on the rocks.

My Nanny and G (our nickname for my Grandad on my Mum's side) got me not one, but two awesome pairs of Converses. Black and white pattern hi-tops, and rose gold lo-tops. I can't wait for the weather to get warmer so I can wear them all the time. You can never go wrong with Converses. One of the things I really love about Converse these days is that the vast majority of their styles and patterns go right from a size 3, through to a size size 13, and they even carry up to a size 15 on their site now, just in more limited options. This means that I can get the funkier and more traditionally feminine styles, even with my size 10 feet! Go Converse for not letting gender define what patterns you have available in different sizes.

One of my presents from my Mum and Dad was this new wok. I love a good wok and basically use it to cook every day. We are in the process of getting a new kitchen and one of the upgrades we are getting is an induction hob. With an induction hob only pans that are magnetic will work on it, which meant my beloved wok would be useless to me. I was SO excited when I opened this. It has a handle on both sides! Way easy to lift up and manoeuvre when my carpal tunnel plays up. 29 is apparently the age when woks become amazingly excited.

My Mum and Dad also got me this incredible Freedom Makeup eye shadow palette. It has 32 shades in it, and it comes in a really fun leopard print packaging. When we go away anywhere I'll only need to take this one palette with me from now on! So awesome.

Part 2 will be up on Sunday!

Much love,

Kitty xxx

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Christmas at the Morris-Wood Household

Last year Stu and I decided that we were going to get a real Christmas tree. It would be the first time both of us had a real Christmas tree since we were kids. There is something about the smell of them, it truly feels like Christmas, and they just look so much better than a fake tree. We buy them from a local farmer whose son I went to school with, and then I decorate! And I do mean I. I get a little.... determined that the tree will be just right, and I like certain things, and for things to be evenly spaced. So Stu leaves me to it!

For the second year in a row, we have an ever so slightly wonky tree. The top of them always just seems to droop a bit. It adds character, I don't mind! This is a 6ft tree, I'm basically the same height as it so it's easy.

I have a thing about tinsel, so we have a totally tinsel free tree. I just think it's kinda... tacky and creepy? I've never liked it for some reason, so no tinsel, red berry lights, and lots and lots of baubles. As last year was our first real tree, I bought a whole load more decorations this year to really make sure it was full up.

I couldn't resist this glass burger bauble, Asda has some seriously kick ass decorations this year and I ended up paying them a visit twice over after seeing some of the baubles on social media.

A glittery tiger bauble was far too cute to resist.

A robot! He's so damn adorable. Super retro and fun.

Last year Sugar & Vice offered incredible laser cut baubles as part of their Christmas range. They haven't got them for sale this year, but I know they take custom orders all year round so it'd be worth dropping them a message! True Romance is a shared love of mine and Stu's, so this was an easy choice.

My beloved Rokki. My families cat Rokki passed away this year. He loved Christmas, so it seemed fitting to have him be a part of our Christmas tree. I surprised my Mum and brother with one of these each too for their own trees. I miss that furry little man.

A freaking dinosaur wearing a wreath. Another Asda special! Who wouldn't want a dinosaur on their tree?

An anatomical heart from Sugar & Vice.

This is from Sainsbury's, it reminded me of dragon scales, a bauble fit for a Khaleesi.

Butterflies are incredibly special to me, so our tree always has butterflies on it. These are sort of, opalescent and so pretty, I got a few of these from The Range.

One from last year, there are stags and owls all over our tree. I love a stag motif.

Oh yes, another Asda special, fries!

From The Range, I absolutely loved these and got 3.

Look at this owl's grumpy little eyebrows! Stu loves owls, so I had to get him. Also from Sainsbury's.

Another Sugar & Vice piece, everything not-so-secret-goth needs skulls on their tree.

Asda once again killing it with a flamingo in a wreath.

And finally, sorry Mum, from Sugar & Vice.

This is why I have the red lights, I look how slightly spooky but super pretty everything looks lit only by red. I like our tree to be kinda classy, but I couldn't resist the Asda baubles this year. I like our tree to be full of stuff we love, so owls, stags, butterflies and Rokki.

What decorations have you gotten this year? I know Asda had a whole load of other glass baubles including dogs, I just couldn't justify them all!

Much love,

Kitty xxxxx

ps. If you want to see my Christmas decoration hauls in their entirety check out my YouTube videos!

Christmas Loveliness

I was so lucky this Christmas! My loved ones totally spoiled me. We are really into Christmas and love giving gifts. I finally got a chance to photograph some of the lovely things I was given to share with you guys.

This amazing candle holder was a gift from my parents. We saw it when we were in Chester earlier in the year and were so pleased when someone agreed to get it for us for Christmas. It's such an unusual statement piece! It's front and centre in our bay window in the front room and I love it so much!

My brother and his girlfriend Jess got us these amaaazing stag head pillows! I love them so much! They got us two of each, so one of each is on each sofa and they look so cute. They are really soft and beautifully made. Such a thoughtful gift featuring one of my favourite things, stags!

 I could not believe it when we opened this. Our adorable friend Chacha got us a Pyro Pet! If you haven't heard of these, go check out their website. As these candles burn, they reveal a cat skeleton underneath!! I can't wait to burn it and see the process. So amazing.

My Uncle made us this! How cool is that? He is really into woodwork, and carved this for us out of some beautiful wood. Having something handmade is so special, thank you Rob!

My Auntie and Uncle also got me this stunning Rosa Pietsch necklace. The design on this is so intricate and lovely. It's really different and I've already asked for more from Rosa Pietsch for my birthday in February. I love the lunar theme that is throughout Rosa's designs.

There may be a slight stag theme to my Christmas presents... This adorable ceramic stag's head is from my friend Max. It was totally unexpected, and so wonderfully me. Thank you Max! He looks like he is knitted, but he's actually totally solid, I love the style.

How amazing is this?! My Nanna got me this 'Dead Tidy' for my desk at work. He's so awesome!! You stab the pens into him to keep your desk clean. I love him!

This was been on my Sugar & Vice wishlist for such a long time. I love the colours of autumn, and the mirrored acrylic used in this necklace are perfect for it. My Auntie is really great for helping me support small businesses. Don't forget, you can still support their Indiegogo campaign to help them get back on their feet after their recent fire!

This hologram clutch from ASOS is lush. The colours as it moves in the light are wonderful. It's a really good size for fitting my wallet, keys, lipstick and phone in. Thanks Nanna!

Stu's brother Simon got me this badass Heavy Metal activity book! It's hilarious. From 'Join the dots on Lemmy's face' and Satanic Sudoku this is awesome.

Stu's Mum got us a George Foreman! We've wanted one for ages, and she bought us one. Thank you so much!

Stu's brother Simon and his girlfriend Claire also got us this amazing Crystal Skull Vodka!! It's bloody amazing. I wish I drank. However, I am going to encourage Stu to drink it so I can reuse the skull as a vase or something.

My Mum got me this Crystal Antler necklace from BloodyMary Metal. I featured it on my blog a while ago and she is sneaky and got me it after seeing that. Sneaker! It's a lovely length and perfect to wear with so many of my outfits.

My Mum has had a Scentsy burner for a while and kept recommending we get one, so instead she got us this skull one for Christmas. Much like a traditional candle burner that you put wax tarts in, this takes little wax cubes that smell divine and it lights up while it warms the tart. It's so cool! The scent is quite strong, so you only need half of one of the little squares you buy, which means a pack of 8 is actually 16. So it's gonna last ages!

My parents also spoiled me with this unbelievable new lens. I took all the photos on this blog with it and love it already. The quality is amazing and it's so sturdy, you can feel the quality of the glass from the weight of it.

And the final, and totally best present, my engagement ring from Stu. It's so gorgeous and I am on such a crazy high still! I'm gonna get married to the man of my dreams!! I love you Stu!! Best day of my life so far.

I hope your Christmas was fantastic too, and that you have an amazing new year.

Much love,

Kitty xxxxx

Christmas is here!

This year Stu and I decided we wanted to get a real Christmas tree for the front room. That lovely smell, they are just so much prettier, and it could be a new Christmas tradition for us. We got our tree from a local farm, Town Gate Farm. We picked out a Nordman Fir, a variety that is supposed to hold it's needles better. It was the most expensive type, but I still think a bargain at £42!

You may notice there is a key part of our Christmas tree missing.... the star at the top. As it turns out, we don't have one! Last year we had a butterfly on the top but the clip on it has broken, so we are hoping to find a star for it I think. I hate tinsel, so it's a tinsel-free tree, sorry if you like it, but it really doesn't do it for me. We have two trees in our house, this one that I decorate, and then what we like to call the 'Christmas vomit tree' which Stu's two youngest kids do. And that will have aaaaall the tinsel on it anyone could possibly fit on a tree.

Personalised Christmas Bauble £5

Two of my favourite baubles, two custom Sugar & Vice baubles. One with a True Romance quote, which is mine and Stu's favourite film, and one with our names on :) The Kitty and Stu one is from last year, which is why it has little marks on it, it's covered in glitter from being stored with all the glittery baubles!

Sugar & Vice Heart Bauble (no longer available)

Sugar & Vice skull bauble (no longer available)

Merry Effing Christmas Bauble £3.50 or 4 for £10.50

When we saw these, Stu had to have them! Wooden laser cut baubles with a naughty twist.

Crystal Skull Bauble £3.50 or 4 for £10.50

New this year to Sugar & Vice, these reflect the light from our lights so beautifully!

Gemstone Bauble Set £12

An awesome set of 6 different shape and colour gemstones, these look great with the lights behind them.

A robin bauble from Asda last year to represent Stu's daughter.... guess what her name is?

An owl, cause Stu has a total obsession with owls. He is so funny looking I couldn't not get him. Also from Asda last year.

I really like how the clear baubles with stuff inside look. There is probably a technical name for these but I have no idea what it is. Also from Asda last year.

A new one for Stu this year, he's a postie and I could not resist! It's really solid and heavy duty. £2 from Asda.

I maaaaybe have a little thing for stags as Christmas decorations. Our tree is covered in them. Most of them are from Brigg Garden Centre, and cost at the most £3 each, and some of them are massive. If you have kids, Brigg Garden Centre is a total must. Their Santa is wonderful and so so funny, and they have some gorgeous Christmas decorations. I could have spent a fortune.

I am so excited for Christmas this year!

Much love,

Kitty xxxxx