CHRISTMAS FAVOURITES

Hello everybody! Today's blog is all about my festive favourites to get you into the Christmas spirit! I'll include some festive pictures from last year because we haven't got our decorations up yet.

I've decided I'm not going to do Blogmas anymore. I just don't have the time to produce that much content. Sorry to anyone I've let down.

Festive Favourites: Songs

• 2000 Miles -Pretenders
• All I Want For Christmas Is You -Mariah Carey
• Baby It's Cold Outside -Idina Menzel, Michael Bublé
• Blue Christmas -Elvis Presley
• Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) -Darlene Love
• Cold December Night -Michael Bublé
• Do They Know It's Christmas? -Band Aid
• Fairytale of New York -The Pogues, Kirsty MacColl
• Happy Xmas (War Is Over) -John Lennon
• Here Comes Santa Claus -Bing Crosby
• I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday -Wizzard
• In Dulci Jubilo -Mike Oldfield
• It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas -Michael Bublé
• It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year -Andy Williams
• Last Christmas -Wham!
• Lonely This Christmas -Mud
• Make Someone Happy -Bill Nighy
• Merry Christmas Everyone -Shakin' Stevens
• Merry Xmas Everybody -Slade
• Santa Baby -Eartha Kitt
• Santa Claus Is Coming To Town -Frank Sinatra
• Sleigh Ride -The Ronnettes
• Step Into Christmas -Elton John 
• Stop The Cavalry -Jona Lewie
• The Christmas Song -Nat King Cole
• White Christmas -Michael Bublé, Shania Twain
• Winter Wonderland -Michael Bublé
• Wonderful Christmastime -Paul McCartney

 Festive Favourites- Films

•  A Christmas Carol (1951)
• Arthur Christmas
• Elf
• Fred Claus 
• Gremlins
• Home Alone
• How The Grinch Stole Christmas
• It's A Wonderful Life
• Miracle On 34th Street (1994)
• National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 
• Nativity
• Love Actually
• The Holiday
• The Muppet Christmas Carol
• The Polar Express
• The Snowman
• Santa Claus: The Movie
• White Christmas

Do you have any Christmas traditions or parties? Let me know in the comments or on Instagram! Tomorrow I'm off to the Richmond Motor Club Youth Awards Presentation/Christmas Party and next week I'm decking our halls ready for Christmas!

Thanks for reading!

Charlotte x

COUNTRY CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE- HOMEWARE AND FOOD

 Hello and welcome to yet another gift guide blog!
It seems like these Christmas gift guides are going on forever! But I promise this is the last one!
This one is all about bits and bobs you could get various people, for example a couple you know, your parents or someone you know that loves homewares.

I've seen some lovely framed designs by The Pleasant Pheasant using feathers and I think these would look so pretty in the home. I absolutely love these below and would love one of these in my house! Aren't they pretty? This would be a perfect gift for anyone into shooting.

Another very talented artist I came across on Instagram is Chellelysha. These tweed designs look amazing and I'd love to have one of my own. I really like this one below, but there are loads of other designs available so you can pick and choose!

Laloa is another amazing business I found on Instagram and the very talented Liz Murray has all sorts of amazing products with her lovely designs on. I love this lampshade, but there are so many other things available such as mugs and cushions as well.

High Bird Designs recently started these cartridge fairy lights and I think they are so cool! They look really pretty and add a real country twist to any room. These are on my Christmas list! 

Last year I featured Wrendale Designs and I'm featuring them again this year because I think the pieces are so cute and look lush in a kitchen. I love the pheasant design and the hedgehog design.We have a few other Wrendale pieces at home as well.

Something that I got last year and will be asking for again this year is a subscription to In The Country Magazine. Hollie-Ella has created a beautiful magazine featuring all things country and a subscription would be the perfect gift for someone who loves all things country.

FOOD & DRINK

If you're buying for a food lover, I would definitely recommend Wensleydale Cheese. There are so many flavours available, including the new Yorkshire Wensleydale with Ginger and Jamaican Rum and the Yorkshire Wensleydale with Caramelised Orange and Masons Yorkshire Gin. My personal favourites are the classic Yorkshire Wensleydale as well as Fountains Gold Cheddar, which is so creamy and rich. The Creamery do hampers like the one below, alternatively you could make your own hamper. Here's a list of suggestions for what to put in your homemade hamper:

-Cheese (obviously!)
-Chutney
-Fruitcake
-Gin
-Prosecco
-Wine
-Biscuits
-Crackers
-Chocolate
-Sweets
-Teabags
-Hot Chocolate
-Nuts
-Dates

Masons Yorkshire Gin is so nice and there are so many unique flavours available, including tea and lavender! Gin is essential over the festive period and is becoming more and more popular! If you can't decide which gin to get, why not get a 'taste experience' pack which comes with six different 5cl flavours (Original, Tea Edition, Lavender Edition, Peppered Pear, Slow Distilled Sloe and Steve's Apple). The gin is available online or in selected supermarkets (I know Morrison's in York definitely have it!)

Alternatively, a nice bottle of pink gin would be a lovely gift for anyone. I like Gordon's pink gin and I know that it is getting more and more popular at the moment. During Blogmas I will be suggesting some Christmas cocktails as well so keep your eyes peeled for that blog coming up! I will also be doing a mulled wine recipe as well.


Thank you for reading! The next blog will be up later today and will be the first in the Blogmas series!

Until next time,

Charlotte x

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE- FOR DOGS

Hello everyone! This is probably going to be the shortest Christmas Gift Guide Blog in the series. It will be Skye's second birthday on Christmas Eve this year so we've had to think about what her presents can be!


I got her this Christmas Caterpillar from Pets At Home because I thought it was adorable. It has multiple squeaks as well and I'm sure Skye will have a lot of fun with this. Skye has a habit of trashing toys so we'll have to keep an eye on her when she plays with this.

 Pets At Home also have these squeaky sprout toys. Amelia has bought one of these for Skye but I haven't seen it yet. I believe these come in various sizes.

Last year my Dad and I picked up a Barbour collar for Skye (very posh I know) but it was a bit big so we've been waiting for her to grow a bit. I mean, your dog probably won't show much appreciation for it but they will look very stylish!

I absolutely love these Joules dog beds. They look so smart and cosy as well. There are different styles and sizes available to suit your dog. I believe these are available in Pets At Home as well as online at Joules. I have definitely seen them at my local Millbry Hill.

In the winter months it gets cold for our four legged friends as well. Why not treat your dog to a jacket? These Rydale dog coats are available in fleece, tweed or wax and look so smart! They're quite affordable as well.

How about a classy dog bowl? I absolutely love Wrendale designs and the dog bowls look so cute! There are loads of other accessories available on the website for you as well as your dog!

 Finally, most supermarkets or pet shops sell ready made dog stockings. We've got one for Skye and they tend to include treats and small toys.

That's everything for this blog, I know it's been a short one but I've had so much going on at uni at the moment that I'm struggling to find blogging time. Hopefully I should have my last gift guide blog up soon and then on Saturday I will be starting Blogmas!

Thanks for reading!

Charlotte x

COUNTRY CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE- FOR CHILDREN

Hello everyone! Last year I only did a couple of gift guides but this year I've decided to go all out and do six! This one is for children. All products are linked and all prices are taken from corresponding websites and are correct in Winter 2018.

The first thing I spotted for kids are these fleece gilets by Little Grouse UK. These are £35 each (+£5 for personalisation) and are so adorable! I want to buy one now even though I don't have children. Imagine how cute a child would look whilst twinning with their parents! They are available in three colours and available from 3-6 months to 5-6 years.

Schoffel have also started a children's range of gilets which are slightly more pricier (£99.95) but they look fab. Just imagine the whole family kitted out in matching Schoffel gilets for Christmas! How adorable.

I absolutely love this Highland Cow from Jellycat (yes it is mine, don't judge) and think it would be a lovely present for any child (or adult...)
These are available in two sizes. Mine is medium (H23cm) and the other is large (H42cm). The medium is £20 and the large is £50. I really really want the large one as well.

Bath bombs are always a favourite with children. I love Bomb Cosmetics and have used these bath bombs for years. There are a variety of Christmas bath bombs as well as some non-Christmas ones. I'll link a few of my favourites below.

Chilly Willy Bath Bomb

It's Not Easy Being Green Bath Bomb

I love my Sass & Belle cactus water bottle and think they would be a lovely gift for children. They come in different styles such as avocados and flamingos as well. They are £6 each and they're currently buy one get one half price. These would make lovely stocking fillers for children!

I've featured this in the Stocking Guide but thought I'd feature it here too. This portable charger is the best one I've found. It's £11.99 and lasts for ages. So many portable chargers claim to last for ages but this one actually does. It can hold four full charges and doesn't take long to charge itself back up. We all have one each in my family and Callum has one too. Battery lives keep getting worse and worse so these are so handy.

I absolutely love these mugs from Cornishware and am planning on buying a lot one I've finished uni. They are available in many colours and can be personalised too! The Tiny Tot 4oz mug would be perfect for a child's Christmas present! These are only £8 each as well.

Rydale have a fabulous children's range available and a lot of the items match the adult's clothes so you can match with your 'mini-me' over Christmas! The shirts are great quality and are only £8.99 each. Check out the website here for more inspiration.

  Joules also have a fabulous children's range, browse the website here.


Check out my Stocking Fillers blog for more ideas about what to get children for Christmas!

Thank you for reading- I hope it gave you a few ideas. This blog has been fairly short because I obviously don't have children yet so it's been rather difficult trying to find things.

Until next time,
Charlotte x

COUNTRY CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE- LADS

Hello everyone and welcome to the lad's edition of my Gift Guide series. Obviously as I'm not a man I've had to do a little more research for this blog, but I've chosen some brands that I love myself and taken suggestions from Callum and my dad on things they might like. All products are tagged and prices are correct according to corresponding websites in Winter 2018.

To mirror my Women's Gift Guide, I'll start off with Morris Richardson Watches. The men's watches are slightly bigger than the women's but still have amazing straps that can be swapped around. I love these watches as they add a lovely country twist to any outfit.

I love my Mackenzie and George belt so I would highly recommend them to lads as well! They are such good quality and look absolutely stunning. The Wycombe belt is suitable for both men and women so you can be ultimate #CoupleGoals over Christmas in your matching belts! The Wycombe belt is £69.99 (+£9 for personalisation)

And to make things even more matchy matchy, why not get each other a set of Rydale Pyjamas? I've bought Callum this set for Christmas and I've hinted to my mum that I'd like my own set. I'm actually so excited for us to wear our matching pyjamas over Christmas! These pyjamas are £25.

This Hiho Silver Leather Bracelet is unisex, so it would be a great gift for a lad for Christmas. These are only £20 as well which is a really good price! This is on my Christmas list as well.

These cufflinks by High Bird Designs look really smart and have a country twist. With dinner dance season coming up, these would be a lovely gift for a lad in your life.

Abraham Moon in York have a lovely range of clothing and soft furnishings. To find out more about the shop, read my blog here. The tweed blazers are really nice and I like the shirts too. They sell both men's and women's clothes.

Of course, every year I recommend a Schoffel gilet. These look fabulous and are really warm. They come in different colours. The one below is Kingfisher and these gilets are priced at £139.95 each.

If you're looking for a cheaper alternative, Rydale have some fabulous good-quality gilets for a fraction of the price. The Men's Garton II Gilet with Pheasant Motif looks classy and comfy.  These are only £30 each.

If you're looking for some shoes, Fairfax and Favor have got you covered. The Houghton Suede Brogue shoes look really smart and are available in tan or chocolate and can be dressed up or down, depending on the look.

Talking of shoes, a new pair of wellies might be ideal. These Barbour wellies look the part and are priced at £64.95. They are available in six colours.

Thank you all for reading, I hope it has inspired some of you who were stuck for ideas this year. Keep your eyes open for more gift guides in the future!

Until next time,
Charlotte x

COUNTRY CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE- LASSES

Welcome back to my Christmas Gift Guide series! This blog features some things that I've either already got and love, or things that are on my Christmas list this year! All products are linked. All prices are correct at the time of publishing according to the corresponding websites in Winter 2018.

To start with, I'd love a Morris Richardson watch. I've seen so many gorgeous pictures of them on Instagram and I love how the straps can be changed too!

The watches are available in silver or rose gold and there are so many Harris Tweed, calf leather and Milanese mesh straps to choose from!

 There are also mens watches available, so why not get 'his and hers' matching watches? That would certainly be #CoupleGoals!

I would absolutely love one of these for Christmas because as well as being practical, they look amazing and would compliment any country outfit perfectly. The ladies watches range from £179-£199 depending on the strap type.
 These watches are available in Wild & Westbrooke in York as well as online.

 Talking of Couple Goals, getting matching Mackenzie and George belts would be perfect! Especially if they were personalised! I absolutely love my Wycombe Shotgun Cartridge belt, but M&G have plenty of other styles and colours available to suit everyone! The Wycombe belt is £69.99 (plus £9 for personalisation)

Something else I'd really like for Christmas is some Fairfax and Favor Henley Driving Shoes. These are available in six colours and I think I'd like the chocolate colour.

Aren't they gorgeous?! A matching bag wouldn't go a miss either, but I won't get too optimistic. If you're looking to spoil a lucky lady in your life, a pair of shoes and a bag would be a perfect combination! I love the Mini Windsor Handbags and they come in seven different colours, including the new Oxblood colour. The shoes are £155 and the bags are £265.

I absolutely love High Bird Designs. You might remember last year I blogged about some feather baubles we got for our Christmas tree. I also got a pheasant necklace, which I wear all the time. It's so pretty and really good value for money as well! A necklace would be a fabulous Christmas gift. Or you could get a fedora and bespoke hat pin. I'm hoping for a hair clip this year! The necklaces are £18 each and the pins start at £10. The hair clips are £14 each.

Another jewellery piece I love is Hiho Silver's leather bracelet which is designed to take roller beads or just look pretty by itself. This is ideal for both men and women. I think it looks really simple and lovely and is at the reasonable price of £20.

Another jewellery brand I absolutely love is Joma Jewellery. All of the other brands I have mentioned in this blog have been typically associated with country fashion, except this brand. I just really like the amazing range of bracelets that are available for pretty much every occasion. The bracelets range from £9.99 (see 'A Little Secret Santa' below) to £17.99. I have three Joma Jewellery bracelets and hope to continue extending my collection as they all look so pretty together on your wrist. My bracelet featured in the picture is 'A Little Positivity' (£15.50)

In my opinion, Christmas isn't quite Christmas without some cosy pyjamas to wear whilst snuggling up on the sofa watching Christmas films. When I found out that Rydale had released pyjamas, I got so excited! I've ordered a set for Callum for Christmas (if you're reading this Callum, please forget I said anything) and I've dropped many hints to my mum that I'd love a set! I believe there are six designs in the women's range. These are £25 per pair.

I love my Schoffel Lyndon II Fleece Navy Gilet and my sister Amelia got hers last week in Kingfisher. These are so comfy and look really smart as well. I wear mine all the time (and actually would like another colour- but I think I'll have to start saving a lot!) and find that it's so versatile as you can wear it on a night out with a blouse (see an awful picture of me in Bongo with squinty eyes below) or everyday. I like to dress mine up with a nice belt and a shirt, but you can dress down and just wear a t-shirt with the gilet.

If you're looking for something a little cheaper, I would go for a Rydale Garton II Fleece Gilet with Pheasant Motif. These are only £30 compared with the Schoffel gilet at £139.99. I have this gilet on my Christmas list as it looks so comfy and really good quality. Amelia has the Huggate Fleece Waistcoat and absolutely loves it.

I've just seen this on the Joules website and have fallen in love! This Elvina Navy Partridge Shirt looks fab and would be such a great gift to receive under the tree this year! It's a classy shirt with a country twist and would look fab!

 I just took a break from blogging and was browsing Instagram and came across J Boult Designs and I've fallen in love with these Gold Plated Bullet Stud Earrings! These are only £25 and look stunning! They would make a perfect gift for a lucky lady in your life! J Boult Designs also sell belts, keyrings and cufflinks alongside many other items.

Of course Boots have their three for two gift offer which is amazing if you're planning on buying several gifts this year! The offer includes well known brands such as Jack Wills, Ted Baker and Superdry.

Thank you for reading, I hope it has inspired a few of you who were worrying about Christmas shopping! Hopefully I'll have my lads edition up by the end of the week.

See you soon,
Charlotte x

COUNTRY CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE- STOCKING FILLERS

Hello everybody and welcome to the first blog in the series of 'Christmas Gift Guide' blogs. This one is all about stocking fillers!
You may be thinking "Charlotte, it's only just gone November!" but I've pretty much finished most of my Christmas shopping already and many people are starting to plan gifts as well. It's a lot nicer to be organised so you can concentrate on wrapping rather than be in a last minute panic about what to buy.
This blog series will (hopefully) have six parts:

-Stocking Fillers
-For Her
-For Him
-Homewares/Food
-For Children
-For Pets

There's something quite magical about waking up on Christmas morning and reaching for a stocking stuffed full of little bits and bobs. Usually we have a mixture of wrapped and unwrapped presents in our stockings.

I'll start with the most common items found in a stocking. Every year since I was little, I have received a tangerine and some chocolate coins. Chocolate coins are usually around 75p-£1 per little bag. A stocking just wouldn't be a stocking without them. Other treats I like to put in stockings are a tube of Smarties or some similar sweets. This year for my mum's stocking I've got her a tube of Caramac buttons. These are usually £1 from most supermarkets in the Christmas section.

This is something on my Christmas list because they are gorgeous! You know I'm a fan of anything Rydale so when I saw these Polly scarves I fell in love. They come in four different colours and are just £10 each! I like the gunmetal colour (pictured below)

I got some coasters from Daisy Taylor's in York that say things such as "I Try To Say No To Gin But It's 40% Stronger Than Me". These were around £2.50 each.

Of course it wouldn't be a gift guide without a Rice Mouse from Heart of the Dales. We have so many of these in our house and they make perfect stocking fillers. I love supporting small brands and each year I buy lots of rice mice. There are so many patterns available.

Everyone loves to pamper themselves around Christmas time, so why not treat someone to some lovely bubble bath or bath bombs? I love Treacle Moon's selection of amazing scents and the bottles are great value for money.
Bomb Cosmetics are another favourite of mine- I love both the selection of amazing bath bombs and the lovely candles. I love having a relaxing bubble bath during the cold winter months.

Crazy Stupid Love Bath Bomb

Talking of bubbles, why not add a mini bottle of prosecco or wine? This is a lovely touch to add if you want to have a little tipple on Christmas Day! These little bottles could also be added to bigger gifts as well.
Another stocking filler idea are these beautiful Tweed Lavender Hearts from Wild & Westbrooke in York. Mine is hung on my door and looks so pretty.

This year I'm putting little keyrings handcrafted by the Carrot Keyring Company in some of the stockings I'm filling. CKC specialise in carrot keyrings but also do sheep, giraffes and bespoke requests as well. They are also available without a keyring as ornaments or dollhouse miniatures. If you want to get 10% off your first order just quote 'STOCKING10' when placing your order. This offer is valid until 20th December 2018 so use it while you can!

Portable chargers are essential in the modern world when you're out and about. This portable charger is the best one I've found. It's £11.99 and lasts for ages. So many portable chargers claim to last for ages but this one actually does. It can hold four full charges and doesn't take long to charge itself back up. We all have one each in my family and Callum has one too. Battery lives keep getting worse and worse so these are so handy.

These look so cool and I'd love to have some on my fridge. High Bird Designs have created these lovely shotgun cartridge fridge magnets. They would make a lovely stocking filler, alongside many other pieces created by High Bird Designs, for example the gorgeous hair clips, brooch pins or tassel keyrings! These would make fabulous gifts too, check out the full collection of stock here.

These keyrings by Holder & Hook are perfect stocking fillers and would look lovely on a set of keys. You can't really go wrong with keyrings as stocking fillers! These keyrings (below) would be great for those who shoot, but they can be personalised to say anything else as well! And they're only £8 each.

Rise and Shine Living have just opened in York this weekend and they have some lovely homewares available in store and online. This white star and bead garland is so pretty and would look lovely in any room. These would make a great stocking filler for a child or for someone who likes interior design and little details in their decor. 

That's everything for this blog! I'm hoping to get the rest of the blogs up in the next few weeks and I'm hoping to do two blogs a week as well instead of my usual one per week. If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you'll have noticed that I am also planning on doing Blogmas this year, where I will be blogging every day from 1st December to 25th December! If anybody has any requests, don't hesitate to comment below or message me to let me know!

Thanks for reading!

Charlotte x