Christmas is hands down my most favourite time of the year.  I just love absolutely everything about it, from decorating the house to dressing for the occasion.  Whether it be a Christmas jumper, a christmas cake or a decoration, shopping for Christmas and seeing all the Christmas stuff hit the stores just completely fills me with joy.  This is one of the main reasons I love Rosegal.  They have a wide selection of Christmas items so whether you are looking for something festive to wear or some Christmas decorations it is the place to shop.  They are all super affordable too, which is what we all need at this time of year when we need to tighten the purse strings after shopping for gifts.

Here are just a few of my favourites they have online at the moment.

Christmas Dresses

 L-R: Santa Print Dress, Deer Print Dress, Christmas Print Dress

I am a huge fan of a Christmas jumper, so you can imagine my excitement when I came across these Christmas dresses on Rosegal.  Now I know that they're probably not for everyone but I absolutely love them!  They are just so festive and I can just see myself prancing around the house in one of these on Christmas day.  Not only do I love the Christmas prints, but I also love the 50's style circle skirts, it is such a flattering shape.

 Christmas Lights

L-R: Christmas House Lights, Snowman Lights

One of my favourite things to decorate the house with at Christmas is lights.  To me, there is nothing cosier on a winter's night than turning on all the Christmas lights and getting snuggled under a blanket to watch a movie.  There is just something about all the little lights that I find so relaxing and cosy.  There are lots to choose from on Rosegal but these two are my favourites, they just look so cute.  I also like the fact that the snowman lights are available in all different lengths so you can pick which suits you.  There's nothing worse than getting a set of lights and then finding out that they're not quite long enough for where you want to put them!

Christmas Baking

 L-R: Rolling Pin,  3D Christmas Cookie Cutters

If you follow me on here or on Instagram you will already know that I am a very keen baker, so of course I love to bake all the Christmas goodies too.  They have lots of baking tools on Rosegal and these cookie cutters and rolling pin really caught my eye.  I love that the cookie cutters make 3D biscuits that are freestanding.  Could you imagine making a little Xmas scene with trees, snowmen and reindeers pulling the sleigh?  That would make a great centrepiece for the table on Christmas Day or for a Christmas party!

Worldwide Shipping

Rosegal offer free shipping when you spend $45 or more now.  They have also upgraded their shipping system and provide a better service and offer faster delivery times.  You can see all their shipping destinations, information and costs here.

If their great prices aren't already enough they would like to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas with a big coupon.  

Rosegal Crazy Shopping Day! 25% OFF With Coupon:RGBF1

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First of all, as I was a little absent from the blog over Christmas, I just want to say I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.  I really took the time this year to try and enjoy it as much as I possibly could.  The festive period is always tough on my anxiety and even though I still found it hard I have managed to get to the point where I was able to actually join in some of the more social festivities, such as visiting friends and family and even going for a pre-Christmas trip to the spa with my mum and sister.  I spent Christmas Day at home with family and got lots of lovely presents.  I was going to do a what I got for Christmas post as I love to see those but I just have too much to say about the lovely gifts I received that I have decided this year to do more in depth posts on them.  So if you're as nosy as me, keep a look out for them in the coming weeks.

If you are a follower of my blog you'll understand that 2016 was one of my toughest years and I will be glad to see the back of it.  It is the year I hit rock bottom with my anxiety and depression but I think it was hitting rock bottom that has enabled to be more open and honest about my struggles, realising that I am not alone in this struggle and realising that I am stronger than I ever even knew.  After entering 2016 feeling defeated, I feel like I can enter 2017 with strength, courage and positivity.  I have decided that this is going to be my year.  A year to discover myself all over again, be strong, be confident, be brave, be happier, be healthier and learn how to enjoy life again.  I'm not really one for new year's resolutions but if I have one goal it is to kick anxiety and depression's ass!  I'm not under any illusion that this is going to be an easy journey but I now realise that it is this journey that will make me the person that I want to be and I learn something new about myself along the way.  To do this I have set myself little, realistic, goals over the next year to keep me on track which include:

1. Eating healthier and as clean as possible (but we all know I shall succumb to cake and chocolate every now and then)

2. Sticking to an exercise regime - last year I discovered HIIT and yoga and how helpful they can be for my anxiety and depression, although I still sometimes let this get in the way and I want to push through the bad feelings because I know I'll feel better after.

3. Care less what others think - one of the main problems with anxiety and depression is the worry of what other will think of you and that you will seem weak.  This year I will strive to be more open and honest about my struggles as it has been a massive help and I have learnt that the only people you really need will not judge you but support and help you... and as for everyone else, who cares?!

4. Go on a trip - It has been almost two years since I have spent a night away from home and I am determined that this year I will conquer this fear and visit somewhere new and rediscover my love of new places.

5. Be more spontaneous - I hate change and last minute plans give me major anxiety but this year I want to learn how to embrace change and that not everything has to be meticulously planned out to be successful.

6. Blog more - I feel like this is always a goal of mine, one that I tend to fail at miserably, but I think that has mainly come down to my lack of confidence in myself so I'm hoping setting myself this goal will help me become more confident within myself too.

6. Get a tattoo - This is something that both terrifies me and excites me at the same time.  I have a real phobia of needles but I want something to symbolise my road to recovery and to remind me that if I am ever doubting myself, I have the strength to carry on.

Now, I'm not saying I'm going to achieve all these goals but I think it's good to have something to strive for and help me on my way to a happier and healthier me.

I would like to thank you all for your support, especially since I've started blogging about my anxiety and depression.  You have no idea how much I appreciate it and it has helped me.  Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!!

Have you set yourself any goals for this year?

Mermaid Blanket, £10 - wish.com *

I remember when I very first saw a mermaid blanket on Instagram, my initial reaction was "Oh my god, I need one!"  So you can imagine my joy when I was very kindly sent one.  Not only is the mermaid blanket a fun idea but it is also very practical.  I love getting snuggly under a blanket to watch a movie or read a book but the one problem I always seem to have is the blanket falling off my feet or them poking out the bottom.  I always find this so annoying as my feet are the part of body that need the most warmth, no matter what time of the year it is my feet are always like blocks of ice. The mermaid tail on this blanket though keeps my feet all cosy and wrapped up, no falling off or toes popping out the bottom, problem solved!

These blankets seem to be popping up everywhere now and are available in various colours and sizes.  I was kindly sent one from wish.com and it was an absolute steal for £10 and to say it came from outside the UK delivery was pretty quick.  Also the quality is fantastic, it's a lovely chunky knit.  I think they'd make a great Christmas gift for any girl to get snuggly under by the fire.  Even Teddy has fallen in love with it, as you can see.

There's nothing I love more than a trip to Chatsworth at Christmas to get me into the festive spirit.  I was so disappointed when I was unable to go last year due to my severe anxiety and working hard all year has lead up to this point where I was finally able to conquer my fears and go.  It wasn't easy but all the pretty Christmas decorations were doing a great job of distracting me and it has given me the boost of confidence I needed to start stepping out of my comfort zone a bit more.  Anyway, back to Chatsworth, each year it is decorated with a different theme and this year it is The Nutcracker.  After seeing the ballet several times at Christmas when I was younger I just knew I couldn't miss it and I'm glad I didn't.  Wandering through the ballet inspired decorated rooms, adorned with Christmas trees, toy soldiers, sugar plum fairies and even a miniature sweet town, the tour of Chatsworth ended with the ballet projected onto the walls and I could've stood there all day and watched it.  It was just beautiful and gave me that warm fuzzy feeling I remember having as a child watching the ballet dancers in absolute awe.  Although I was a little disappointed that the live ballerina I had read would be there was nowhere to be seen, my trip to Chatsworth has not only gotten me into the festive spirit but it has also reignited my love for ballet.

The house will stay decorated until 3rd January so if you can make it before then, it is well worth a visit.  We went whilst the Christmas Market is on which was full of lovely little stalls full of gifts, chocolate and various food and drink.  My favourites being the hog roast van and churro stand.  There was even the cutest little champagne bar housed in a cute little pink van.  A couple of years ago I got Riley a cute little Christmas collar from the Christmas market so I was really happy to find that stall again this year so I could get Teddy one too.

My boys are all ready for Christmas :)

1. Sleek Make Up Silver Gift Box, £25 from Superdrug - This Sleek gift box contains a mascara, lip gloss, brow kit, eyeshadow palette and an eye and cheek palette.  It is currently reduced from £40 to £25 at Superdrug and would make a beautiful gift for any makeup lover.

2. Deer Print Pyjamas, £25 and Cosy Bunny Print Pyjamas, £25 both from Next - I think pyjamas make a great Christmas gift, who doesn't like to get all snuggled up by the fire on a cold and dark winter night in a nice set of pyjamas?  Next is one of my favourite places to shop for nightwear and I'm loving their woodland themed collection this winter.

3. Soap & Glory Belle Of The Ball, £12 from Boots - I love how this Soap & Glory gift set looks like a giant girly bauble and what girl doesn't love a good pamper?  This set contains some of their Smoothie Star range including two of my favourites; Hand Food and Breakfast Scrub.

4. Classic Christmas Sleekster, £22 from Hotel Chocolat - I absolutely love Hotel Chocolat chocolates and this box of Christmas inspired flavours such as Mulled Wine, Mice Pie Brownie and Brandy Butter would make a great gift for any chocolate lover.

5. 70's Saddle Bag, £20.30 from Accessorize - One of my first stops when looking for Christmas gifts is Accessorize they always have a great selection of bags and jewellery.  I tend to buy a bag as a gift for someone every year because what girl couldn't do with another bag?  It will always go to good use.

6. Christmas Melt Warmer Gift Set, £18.99 and Twelve Melts Tube Gift Set, £15.99 from Yankee Candle - I'm obsessed with Yankee Candle's Christmas scents and would be thrilled to receive any of them at Christmas.  This little Christmas warmer gift set is so lovely and comes with a beautiful little warmer covered in snowflakes and reindeer and 3 christmas melts.  I think the melts are great for someone like me who likes a change of scent rather than burning their way through a whole candle, which makes this tube of christmas melts the perfect gift.

7. Candy Cane Necklace Gift Card, £16 and Gingerbread Man Necklace Gift Card, £16 from Johnny Loves Rosie - These little Christmas themed necklaces are so cute and make a lovely little gift or stocking filler.

8. Brown Bunny Ballerina Slippers, £12 from Next - Another gift you can't go wrong with in my opinion is slippers.  Everyone needs a good pair of slippers in the winter and this little bunny pair from Next are just adorable and inexpensive.

9. Silver Foil Print Beanie, £16 from Topshop - Woolly hats always make a great gift for Christmas and this one ticks all the boxes with its fluffy pom pom and Christmas sparkle.

As I was noticeably absent during the Christmas period, I thought I'd do a little post showing you what I got up to.  I was planning on doing lots of posts over Christmas but I was just super busy and never seemed to find the time.  I had lots of outfit posts that ended up in the trash can because the lighting was just way too poor and I kind of just wanted to take a little break to just enjoy Christmas and spend some time with family and friends, although I ended up waking up full of cold on Christmas day and have spent the last two weeks trying to kick it.  I'm finally on the mend now though and motivated to get myself more organised.

A lot of my time was spent baking, here are just a few of the cakes I made over the christmas period:

I'm hoping to get my baking blog up and running soon where I will be able to share my cakes more often and in more detail, especially as they seem to be taking up a lot of my time lately.

Dress - New Look

Belt - ASOS

Shoes - Matalan

I did intend to do an outfit post on this outfit I wore for a Christmas afternoon tea I went to, but as you can see the lighting wasn't great and this picture was the best of a bad bunch.  The afternoon tea was delicious though and the chocolate orange cake was my favourite, it was amazing!

Then the Saturday before Christmas this little bundle of cuteness was born, my baby nephew Isaac.  So as you can imagine not much at all got done when he was around besides a lot of cuddling, coo-ing and aah-ing.

Dress - Dorothy Perkins

My Christmas day outfit.  Again I planned to do a full outfit post for this outfit but this is the only picture where my face didn't look all red and puffy from my cold and I don't even have any shoes on. Fashion blogger fail!  Although we don't really go anywhere for Christmas I still like to dress up in a nice dress, does anyone else do this?  We usually just have a nice big family dinner and then have friends round in the evening for drinks and nibbles.

Every year I wish for snow at Christmas, Christmas is my favourite time of year and for it to snow on Christmas day would be the icing on the cake for me.  Now it didn't snow on Christmas day but as soon as I saw it snowing on Boxing day I was straight out of my new onesie and out walking the dog in the snow.  It was the perfect ending to Christmas for me.

I hope you all had a great Christmas and have a happy new year!!

In my last post I mentioned that I didn't really buy much from the Christmas market at Chatsworth but that I would share my favourite purchase with you.  There was a little stall that caught my eye immediately full of cute little pet accessories with lots of patterned collars with matching bow ties and bandanas.  Now I'm not really one for dressing pets up, although they can look really cute sometimes Riley hates it, but I couldn't resist when I saw their selection of Christmas printed collars.  The one I chose has snowmen on with a little bow tie on the front and I was so excited to get home and put it on Riley to see how cute it looked.

Collar - Ditsy Pet

Sorry if your not a dog lover then this post is probably not really your cup of tea, but as it's Christmas and Riley looks super cute (I may be a bit bias), I couldn't help but share.

After vowing to post more regularly on the blog I have been a bit busy recently, if you follow my blog you will have probably read this post all about me venturing into the baking world, so that has been taking up a lot of my time for the past week.  If you want to see what I made this time then check out my instagram.  I'm still working on getting something set up separately for it, but that will probably have to take a back seat until after Christmas now I think,  but no doubt I will be sharing some of my Christmas baking with you on here.

I did however find time to take a little trip to Chatsworth house for their Christmas fair.  I went for the first time at Christmas last year and fell in love with it, so it is now going to be a new Christmas tradition of ours.  The grounds are a beautiful setting for the Christmas fair and they decorate the house so beautifully, each year with a different theme.  This year the theme was Alice In Wonderland, although I slightly preferred last years theme of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (mainly because of all the fake snow that really made it feel like Christmas) it was still really lovely and got me into the Christmas spirit.

(WARNING: This post may be slightly photo heavy!)

If you haven't been to Chatsworth before I'd definitely recommend going, especially at Christmas.  The Chritmas fair is only on for the last two weeks of November usually but the house is decorated until January.  I didn't get any pictures of the fair outside as it was super busy and I was a little pre-occupied by all the Christmas wares on offer.  I didn't actually buy much though but I will be sharing my favourite purchase with you in my next post probably.

Where do you like to visit at Christmas to get you into the festive spirit?