Christmas is a time I like to go all out when it comes to wrapping and this year was no exception. I'm aware that as soon as a gift is placed into someone's hand, the paper is ripped to shreds and the effort almost goes to waste, but that doesn't stop me.
This year I went for a wrapped-at-Santa's-gift-shop theme and although it didn't turn out exactly how I wanted, I'm still pretty pleased.
If you're inspired by this and want to start prepping for next year, the please go ahead and find all the items I used linked and listed below:
Last week I took my first ever trip to Disney Land Paris where I had an unbelievably amazing time. Because I've been to Disney World in Florida before, I was a little worried I'd be let down by Paris as it's a much smaller and condensed park, however, it still had so much to offer and was far from disappointing.
We stayed at Hotel Cheyenne while we were there - this is one of the less pricey Disney hotels, however, with the amount of effort put into the theme, amenities and atmosphere, you wouldn't have known it. Being a 15 minute walk from the parks made it more than perfect for us as we could nip back to the room at any time of the day for a rest, quick coffee or an outfit change without wasting too long and missing the fun. This would also be ideal for families with small children who won't be able to walk for too long without tiring them out before they even get to the parks.
The actual theme of the hotel, however, was unbelievable. The amount of effort put in to making the country-western theme so real is amazing. Each building is themed as a 'bunk-house' named after a famous western character with all the rooms complete with a western theme. We stayed in the standard room that came with a set of bunk beds and a double bed which I believe is predominantly aimed at families or larger parties who'd be happy to share a room. The room came with a cowboy boot shaped lamp, cowboy themed wallpaper and all sorts of other western style bits. The view onto the river was also a plus for us.
The Disney Parks were also amazing. Though they are much, much smaller than the other Disney's around the world, they have so much to offer. A lot of the attractions are similar to the other parks, however, they do have their own little twists and different story lines to make them a little more personal to Disneyland Paris. Again, the theme was unbelievable and as I was there during the Christmas celebrations, I was able to witness the decorations that were around - including snow machines which added a little extra magic. The rides are also amazing - especially if you're looking for a thrill. I'd recommend the Tower of Terror or Space Mountain: Mission 2.
As much as I love Christmas and getting into the cheerful, festive mood, I have to say Autumn is my favourite season. It's cold enough to start wrapping up (but not too much that I end up looking like a marshmallow), the leaves are falling, it's acceptable to have a hot chocolate in the middle of the day and most importantly, it's the only season I know how to style for.
So, to celebrate all the things I love about Autumn, I've dedicated this blog post to show how I decorate my home for the season.
I honestly spent very little on these little pieces of decor, but the quality and look of them has paid off so well and I am so happy with how my little home is looking. The pumpkins fit amazingly with the colour scheme of my living room and they look so cute next to my TV stand, they just add a lovely little bit of autumn into my home. Also, the candle cost me somewhere around £4 and the quality is amazing. When it's lit, the scent fills the whole place, it's the only candle I'll light on it's own and the smell is to die for. It's definitely a pumpkin scent, but it's so sweet and it's one of those candles you never want to run out because it's that good.
I'll admit the cushions I've bought for the living room are definitely a little bright, but I've always seen mustard/gold as an autumnal shade and I think it's nice to add a pop of colour to the room when everything else is mainly tones of browns, creams and brassy golds.
I also really like the tinsel. I didn't want to do a full blown haunted house style Halloween home, I just wanted something subtle that would go well with the rest of the decor and when i fell upon this tinsel I just snatched it up. It's nothing dramatic, just some orange and black tinsel with pumpkins on, but it adds the Halloween element of the season and it looks really cute on my book shelves and TV stand and kind of ties the whole Autumnal theme together.
Where to find the home ware included in this post:
Unfortunately, I couldn't find the exact pillows online but I've linked the store and they've got some really nice autumn/seasonal styles in so check them out of you're looking for something to spruce up your room.
Amsterdam has been on my 'Places to Visit Before I Turn 40' list for quite a long time now and recently I finally got to visit.
I can honestly say I wasn't prepared for the beauty of the city. Of course I'd seen pictures before I visited but that doesn't compare to seeing it all right there in front of you.The architecture is beyond anything I'd seen before, it was hard to tell at times whether I was looking into a picture of a cartoon or whether the buildings were actually slanting forward!
Walking down the canals was also an experience I won't forget. There's something quite serene about the combination of the bridges, buildings and boats that cancels out the busy atmosphere and the oncoming bikes from every direction. I can honestly say the view was one of the best I'd ever seen and at every corner it just got more beautiful.
I must say there was a few things I wasn't expecting from Amsterdam, however. I knew about the 'Coffee' shops that the city is famous for, yet I wasn't expecting to find one in every other shop I passed. The 'Red Light District' also came as a surprise to me. Before my boyfriend had suggested that we might have taken a wrong turn to which I looked to my left to find myself face to face with a woman attempting to entice us into her room, I was under the impression that the area may have been slightly deeper in the city and not quite so close to the centre. Admittedly though, it didn't put me off visiting Amsterdam again as I did enjoy being part of the 'tourist atmosphere' and visiting all the tourist spots, even if some of them offered more sights than I bargained for.
While we were there was also took a guided boat trip through the canals where we got to experience some things that we didn't know where there and discovered facts about a lot of the buildings and areas which were quite interesting.
If you have never visited Amsterdam before, please do, there's something to do for everyone whether you're into sight seeing, history, shopping or food and there's and endless amount of photo-worthy shots there for those photographers among us and finally, there's nothing more amazing than experiencing and appreciating other's cultures and Amsterdam is full of it.