Crafting

Laura's Ways Friday, 17 May 2024 Leave a Comment

Crafting has always been a hobby of mine, it helps you to unwind after any busy day. Whether it's wool work, jewellery making, clay work or crafting with the kids.

TK Maxx is known for offering a wide range of unique and affordable items, including craft supplies. I've recently wanted to stock up on some air dry clay to start a few projects and was surprised to find that TK Maxx offer some choices majorly discounted.

Not only did I find clay that I wanted but they have some great craft finds that suit lots of different craft projects.

High-Quality Wool: TK Maxx often stocks premium wool brands at discounted prices perfect for knitting and crocheting projects.

Scrapbooking Supplies: You can find a variety of scrapbooking materials such as patterned paper, stickers, embellishments, and cutting tools. These items are great for creating personalized photo albums and cards.

Paints and Brushes: TK Maxx frequently offers acrylic and watercolor paint sets, as well as high-quality brushes. These are ideal for both beginners and experienced artists looking to expand their collection.

Fabric and Sewing Kits: Check out their selection of fabrics, including sewing kits. These can be used for quilting, making clothes, or other fabric crafts.

DIY Kits: There are often DIY kits available for various crafts like candle making, soap making, and embroidery. These kits come with all the necessary materials and instructions, making them perfect for trying out new hobbies. These would be great for over the summer fun during the schools holidays.

Beads and Jewellery Making Supplies: Various beads and items to make jewellery. I still have lots of jewellery making supplies from a few years back when I completed a jewellery making course or else i would be tempted by these products!

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December wish list

Laura's Ways Friday, 17 November 2017 Leave a Comment

Zara Tote bag. I've been on the look out for a bag that can go on my shoulder, Zara always does the sleek classic look so this one stood out to me.

Wicker Christmas Tree skirt & Slogan Christmas Tree Skirt. This is something I've always wanted, I'm not sure which type of tree skirt I prefer.

Elf Christmas Nutcracker. Every year I like to add to my Christmas decorations, while I still have a young child fun decorations stand out to me.

Santa Soap dispenser. How cute is this little soap dispenser, just to add a little Christmas fun to each room.

Kids Christmas plate. Of course my little guy needs a Christmas themed plate to eat his dinner & snacks from!

Stag Christmas duvet cover. The one type of duvet that is missing from my collection (yes I have too many sets) is a Winter themed one.

Kids Christmas throw. I can just imagine this lovely little throw layed over my son over the Christmas period, very adorable.

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Zara wishlist

Laura's Ways Wednesday, 8 November 2017 Leave a Comment

Printed top. I always tend to gravitate towards animal print, I think it's something that will be around for a long time so this is a great basic item.

Soft grey coat. I've been looking for a new coat as I recently put my over worn ones in a clothing bank, Zara do coats at great prices.

High waist embrace jeans. Jeans are something I wear pretty much every day, I like to wear them casual or paired with a nice top when going 'out out'.

Embroidered faux leather top. As said above^ I love going 'out out' wearing jeans and pairing them with a nice top, how amazing would this Zara faux leather top be!

Retro style t-shirt. I usually don't wear slogan tops but this top speaks to my style, never have an outfit.haha

Shirt with ruffle. I'm always buying black blouses as you can never go wrong with a black top, I really like how the ruffle detailing is on the arms around the cut out sections.

Striped sequin top. Christmas season is coming and of course everyone needs a sequin item in their wardrobe, not sure that I would buy the matching trousers though.

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Dunnes Stores haul

Laura's Ways Monday, 23 October 2017 Leave a Comment

Dunnes Stores have recently updated some of their stores, they now feel like you're walking into a House of Fraser/Debenhams type shop.

Look how nicely they wrapped my items, I had a very pleasant shopping experience as the staff were very friendly at the till.

Carolyn Donnelly Eclectic Glass Fox decoration. Foxes now have a place in my heart as when we brought our son home from the hospital he was wearing a little baby grow with a fox on it. Now we have fox related items throughout the house and clothing for him. How could I resist this beautiful vintage style fox which was only £4. I think I'm going to have to go back and get more.

Peony Rose fragranced diffuser. I purchased two of these, one for a Christmas gift and the other one for my bathroom. I just love how simple this looks, with a very delicate scent.

3 wick winter spice candle. How could I resist this stunning candle, not only is it lovely to look at but it has a subtle spice smell which is lovely for this time of year.

Carolyn Donnelly Eclectic Rosie mug. I have a slight obession with mugs... I am allowed to buy a few more though as recenlty a couple of my favourite mugs have chipped. This design also blends in with other cups & mugs I own from the bloomingville brand. Oh how I wish I could buy their whole store of products!

White heart design mug. I really enjoy how simple this design is, white with the little red heart.

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November wish list

Laura's Ways Friday, 20 October 2017 Leave a Comment

Rosa Copper Task Floor Lamp. I currently have a floor lamp in my living room that was given to me, I'm the type of person that until something is broken I will not replace it. However I'm hoping that my 2nd hand floor lamp somehow breaks haha. I have a few copper/rose gold pieces in my living room so a lamp like this would fit in perfectly.

Casetify watch strap. For my birthday back in June I treated myself to a Samsung smartwatch which I adore, it came with a cream leather strap however as I wear it every day it's already getting that worn look. I seen this watch strap from Casetify and hoping I can find one in stock online.

ASOS sterling silver fine wrap ring. I seem to go through phases of wearing jewellery, apart from my engagement/wedding ring I mainly wear costume pieces. I would like to start wearing fine silver or gold rings which can be worn whilst washing this dishes etc and there's no fear of the green tint being left.

Dogeared Rose Gold Plated Karma Sparkle Ring. As you can tell I like delicate jewellery, I also don't mind mixing metals so I would wear these two rings together.

Illuminating travel mirror. I received the recent Lakeland magazine in the post and found this great little product in it. I've always wanted a travel mirror and one that lights up is even better.

Joseph Joseph nest containers. Any kitchen obsessed people out there?... yip that's me! I love kitchen gadgets and especially good storage boxes to put open items in, they are especially good for organising your fridge. The idea of these Joseph Joseph ones just make me happy, they are nest containers which means less clutter in my cupboards (Wohoo emoji).

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5 ways to help clear your mind

Laura's Ways Monday, 16 October 2017 Leave a Comment

Declutter/Organise. Do we really need a wardrobe that is packed full... one where you can't even move the hangers on the rail to look at the clothing, drawers that are overflowing and you have forgotten what is at the bottom of them? If so it's time to declutter which in turn will be very satisfying... knowing what's in your wardrobe will mean taking less time to get ready. I need to declutter more beauty items and try and get a go to collection of products that work for me. Ideally everything you own should have a place for it to be stored as then you don't spend time looking for things. My task soon is to get a hook for behind the door where all keys go, my son now likes to play with the keys and they end up being hiden inside various toys. I've also watched a few documentaries on minimalism which are intriguing, totally changes how I feel about material items.

Me time. Take a breather and listen to your body. This is sometimes hard to do, especially if you are a person like me who can't fully relax. Have a night a week where you pamper yourself, watch all those videos on your YouTube watch later playlist or whatever helps you relax (mine is mostly eating a full bag of popcorn).

Exercise. Walks, going to the gym, playing with your children in the garden, doing squats whilst the kettle boils or any of your favourite forms of exercise. I recently joined the gym and I can't believe the difference it makes, it gives me a little boost of energy and overall makes feel good about myself.

Mindfulness. This is a new thing to me, I never heard of it before until we had a seminar in work on health. It's all about paying more attention to the present moment – to your own thoughts and feelings which can help improve your mental well being. I've practised some of the meditation techniques and they really help me focus. Having a person who you can open up to about any topic is also important, if not there are lots of amazing charities out there who have relevant expertise to get you through important/difficult times in your life.

Think about others. As Ellen DeGeneres says 'Be kind to one another'. If I ever have low days I always end up realising that there are people going through worse things in their lives than me, I'm a see the glass half full type of person. Today I was in a rush going around getting the weekly shop trying to get back in time so my son could go down for his nap, when an elderly gentleman was standing looking for help. Of course I stopped and spent time with this man...who wanted to make sure there were no nuts in the buns he was about to buy as he had about three teeth left & nuts are out of bounds... what if I was that mans only conversation for the day/week/month?

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Fitness journey

Laura's Ways Thursday, 12 October 2017 Leave a Comment

《Image from Google 》

Back in August I had an actual lightbulb moment where I realised I hadn't been looking after myself, almost a year and a half later and I still hadn't lost post baby weight. Yes I could fit into pre baby jeans but not comfortably at all!

Since having my son I've also been diagnosed with an underactive thyroid so that doesn't help with weight loss along with a few more health issues. Not that there's a time frame to lose baby weight etc but I just needed to make time for me and my health.

I got my act together and joined the gym to try get my health back into line♡ I currently try and go every other day.

Sports direct and H&M are my current places to go for gym wear, the ClimaLite technology gym wear items definitely make a difference when you are sweating.

I have a smart watch which also keeps me motivated, I have the Samsung Classic 2 which is not only a beautiful looking watch but it keeps tracks of all my gym workouts, heart rate and steps.

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My July wishlist is... Zaful

Laura's Ways Monday, 10 July 2017 Leave a Comment

July wishlist including the perfect white pineapple dress...

Zaful is a site that has taken over instagram fashion recently. I've watched a few YouTube videos about this brand and some of it has turned out to be a success. So I went online and found a few things that caught my eye.

Summer has been all about the pineapple prints, I especially like how it's a shirt style dress.