Boxcitement September Box Review

Boxcitement is a monthly subscription box for stationery, crafts, jewellery and gift lovers.
Each month the Boxcitement team choose a theme and craft the boxes around that idea. This month's theme was Patternista and celebrates pattern. It also happens to be Boxcitement's first birthday so there's a slight birthday vibe going on too.
So, what's in the box?...Well, the short answer is, lots!

I was amazed when I opened the little letterbox friendly box at just how much had been neatly tucked inside. It was like an explosion of colour and exciting goodies!

First up is a selection of crafty bits. There is a pack of four mini greetings cards that have been made using the exclusive Patternista designs. My favourite is the light blue thank you card, it's incredibly cute. There was a large sheet of patterned decoupage paper which has a different pattern on either side. I think I will be more likely to use this as wrapping paper because it's a really useful size. There is also a couple of pretty ribbons to use when decorating gifts or creating something crafty.

Next up were a couple of cute pieces of jewellery. One is to celebrate the first birthday of Boxcitement and is a dinky string bracelet with a mini cupcake bead. I've actually used this as a charm for my planner by shortening the string slightly and hooking it over the rings of my Filofax. The other bracelet is made using a handmade, etched glass bead. Unfortunately, as beautiful as the bead is, the bracelet itself is made using very cheap chain so isn't something that I would wear. Because of this, I rescued the bead and turned that into another planner charm :) The final accessory is a sugar skull shaped emery board in a fab shade of bright yellow. I love this! It's sat on my desk full time now.

Lastly, the box also included a few lifestyle bits. My favourite item in the box is a bright pink and white geometric patterned tea towel. Pretty and practical! I haven't had enough pink in my life since moving in with Tom! Also adding some pretty to the kitchen, is a set of colourful storage labels for our tea, coffee and sugar pots. Finally, last but not least, is a pretty bookmark decorated with the Patternista prints. I'm a big reader so this will definitely get plenty of use.

Over all, I'm pretty happy with this box. I love the variety and as I mentioned at the start of the post, I was amazed by how much you receive, however, there were a few items in the box that I could perhaps do without such as the ribbons and the glass bead bracelet. This is because I don't think they really added anything to the box that wasn't already there so for me they were slight overkill. But, other than this, I think this box was a really strong offering and I'm looking forward to seeing what next month brings!

You can find out all about Boxcitement, see contents from past boxes and subscribe from £15 per month *here*.

Annie xx

Ugly Bug Does Rockabilly Subscription Box Review

I mentioned the other day that I had a full review coming up of the August subscription box from Ugly Bug Does, and here it is!

The theme this month was rockabilly which makes me so happy. What I love about Ugly Bug Does is that you don't get the typical unicorns, rainbows and bunnies themes, you get something a lot more unique. It's a breath of fresh air.
So, what was in the box?

All I can do is kick myself for this photo, I'm gutted. All of my photos of the sticker sheets that I took before using them came out blurry :( So I can only apologise. But the first item in the box is three sheets of exclusively designed sticker sheets all with the rockabilly, classic tattoo theme. There are boxes, to do lists, banners, icons and pretties which can all be used to liven up planner pages.

In order to make up for the awful photo out of focus photo, I have taken the photo above to show off some of the stickers in action on this weeks pages of my work planner. As you can see, the quality is beautiful and the stickers all work really well together to build up a themed planner spread.

Next up is this gorgeous rockabilly girl showing off her swallow tattoo and pretty dress. She was designed by Slinkytart and turned into a dashboard by Ugly Bug Does. When ordering your subscription box you specify the size or type of planner that you use, so these are customised to work with your planner.

I also received a lovely little selection of goodies.
The planner charm was customised for each order with the initial of their first name which I think is a lovely touch and really adds to the appeal of ordering from Ugly Bug Does.
There were several varieties of sticky notes across the boxes and I was really happy to receive the hearts because I'm a sucker for a girly heart on my planner pages and the size of these makes them useful for popping on the calendar in the kitchen too when I want Tom to notice something :P
The eye catching planner clips have become a bit of a trademark of the Ugly Bug Does boxes over the last few months, and this month did not disappoint. Again, it offers something that little bit different from the usual planner clips that you find, which makes it extra special.
And finally, two rolls of skinny washi. These are thicker than your usual washi tapes, it feels like they're made from a good quality thick paper. I like the gentle colours and I use skinny washi in my spreads every week so these will definitely get used up.

This months box is right up my street with both the theme and the contents so I have really enjoyed using everything from the box. I don't yet know the theme of next months box and haven't seen any spoilers so I'm very excited. You can find Ugly Bug Does *here* on Etsy. I have noticed a pre-order listing for a Famous Boy Wizard box which makes me way too excited!

Annie x

Managing Stress and Depression: Adult Colouring Books

I've written before about my long term battle with depression. Unfortunately, I just happen to be one of many people who are affected by the condition. Part and package of dealing with life these days seems to be a large amount of stress for everyone, especially when also trying to manage a mental illness that causes a large amount of anxiety during, what many people would consider, everyday tasks. I've always found activities such as drawing, colouring and painting relaxing and a great distraction from the real world and it seems that a lot of people are beginning to agree. In fact, the influx of art therapy colouring books targeted to the adult market that have hit the shelves within the last 6 months is astounding.

 I first came across the concept of adult colouring books around a year ago when, as part of my job working with adult learning, I assisted with an art therapy course being run with The Stroke Association. One of the learners who had a lot of issues with communication and expressing himself, brought in his copy of the book photographed above to show us. As I flicked through the pages and saw beautiful pictures filled with patterns and intricate lines I could see exactly why he loved this book.
The reason art therapy and adult colouring in particular are so effective is because they allow you to become completely immersed within the activity. Colouring is something that you do quietly that requires no thought other than which colour you might use next. Although you may not notice it happening at the time, this allows your brain to take a deep breath. Simple tasks are one of the most well recognised ways to achieve a calm mind as they stimulate the brain enough to keep it from wandering to things that you don't want to dwell on, yet don't over stretch your mental capability. Interestingly (or at least, I find it interesting!) Tetris is also used in a very similar way to help those dealing with extreme trauma. Combining this calm with the satisfaction felt at creating something beautiful, you have the recipe for a very healthy mind state.

You can now buy colouring books covering a wide range of subjects such as birds, flowers, animals, mandalas, stained glass windows, scenery, insects and make believe worlds so it is totally possible for everyone to find something that they are drawn to.

Of all of the books that I have seen, my top recommendations would be the Art Therapy book photographed above *find here*, the Colour Therapy book *find here* and the Creative Therapy book *find here* all of which contain beautiful, specially designed pages to colour and doodle without feeling remotely childish.

Have you tried any of these books? What are your thoughts on Art Therapy? Would you give it a go?

Annie xxx

Yankee White Chocolate Bunnies Candle

Now Christmas and Valentines Day are out of the way, focus is moving onto spring, warmer weather and Easter. Yankee Candle have recently released two scents for Valentines Day; Bunny Cake which is returning from last year and White Chocolate Bunnies which is a sweet new scent for 2014.

As you can probably guess, White Chocolate Bunnies has an amazing white chocolate aroma that fills the room with a smell similar to that of melted milky bar chocolate. The scent is lovely and strong without smacking you in the face and being too sickly. The jar is also super cute! I love all things cute and the soft, creamy colouring fits right in with my girly decor although I think it would look at home in most places.

To top off my jar I've been using my new Whiskers on Kittens Illuma Lid which was released as part of the My Favourite Things collection. Don't those kittens look smug about their big, bold whiskers! For those who may not know, the purpose of an Illuma Lid is to reduce the effect of draughts on the flame which helps to give a more even burn.

This is a beautiful candle and would make a lovely gift for a Yankee Candle fan, or a treat for yourself if you're after a little something to spoil yourself with. It's only available as a large jar, but you can pick up White Chocolate Bunnies for £19.99 *here*

Annie xx