WHAT I GOT FOR CHRISTMAS 2018

 Happy New Year everybody! I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and all the best for 2019.

Before I start, I'd like to say that I am in no way bragging about what I got- I am very lucky to have received some lovely presents and am grateful to everyone who bought me them. This is purely so people can be nosy and see what I got or get some ideas for gifts they might like or might like to get someone.

Now that the disclaimer is out the way, let's crack on with the blog. My main present from my parents was this gorgeous pair of Fairfax and Favor Henley Driving shoes. They are so stylish and look great with any outfit.
I got this Hiho Silver leather bracelet which looks really pretty and is quite simple too, so it goes with lots of outfits. It is only £20 as well!
Also pictured is my Rydale Polly Checked Scarf in the colour gunmetal. It is so cosy and is reasonably priced at £10.

I was really excited to receive my 2019 subscription to In The Country Magazine which I am very excited about. I have been loving Hollie-Ella's magazine this year and can't wait to see what next year's issues will bring. The 2019 In The Country Calendar with illustrations by Rosie Young was another perfect gift which I am excited to use in the New Year.
The feather hairpin is by High Bird Designs and features a shotgun cartridge with colourful game feathers. I am excited to wear this at various events this year.
I also received the Cartridge Fairy Lights by High Bird Designs but I haven't got a picture of them up yet. 
The hedgehog is from The Imaginarium in York and is supposed to be a Christmas tree decoration but I am definitely keeping him up all year! He's too cute!

This shirt is from Crew Clothing and looks really nice. I haven't had a chance to wear it yet but will post some pics on Instagram when I do! The frog bathbomb is by Bomb Cosmetics and the perfume is BonBon by Viktor & Rolf.

I got a fair few bits and bobs from Rydale, including the scarf that I mentioned before. I also got a pair of Roxby Canvas Trainers in the 'Spotty Navy' variant. These are only £19.99 and are really comfy.
 The shirts are in Sally Pink and Lucy Grape and are 2 for £25. I love wearing these with my new Garton II Fleece Gilet. It looks lovely and has the warmest fleece lining ever! It kept me nice and toasty on Boxing Day.
Finally, my pyjamas are so comfy and look really nice too! Mine match my new shirt and have a pheasant on the top but you can also get a set with a dog or horses too.

I also got some Pandora charms and various other bits and bobs and I'll probably put some pictures up on my story highlights if you'd like to have a look.

For those of you who don't know, I've created a separate Instagram account for my blog and have decided to keep my original account more personal. You're still more than welcome to follow my personal account (@charlottebrown23) but I will be posting all blog related things over on @thatmardyyorkshirelass now. I also have a Facebook page, just search 'That Mardy Yorkshire Lass'.

Thank you for reading and I hope that you all got what you wished for and had a happy and healthy Christmas. Christmas is a difficult time for some people and my love and best wishes go out to everyone who struggled through this time.

Until next time,

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- 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

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING IN YORK (Imaginarium, Abraham Moon, Wild & Westbrooke & more)

Hello everybody!

Most of you know already that I am based in York for university, which gives me a great excuse to browse the shops and keep on top of my Christmas shopping!
I will be doing a series of Gift Guides this year featuring some of the products sold in these shops.

The back room of The Imaginarium in York has been totally transformed for Christmas. I took so many photos which I will include below. I bought some of the hedgehog decorations for my mum, as well as a highland cow head that she requested (not quite sure where she's going to put it-I'll let you know when she finds somewhere!)
Some of these decorations would make perfect gifts for your friends or family (or even yourself!)

This is the highland cow head that I picked up for my mum (above)

and the hedgehogs (below)

I will post more pictures on my Instagram story and save them as a highlight so you can look at them.


I mentioned Abraham Moon in my September Favourites blog and I'll feature some more pictures here as well. Abraham Moon sells luxury tweed clothing and home furnishings. The shop smells of Jo Malone scents as they have reed diffusers scattered around. I came with my parents and my dad bought a shirt and a jacket. I think the cushions and blankets would make really lovely gifts.

A new country clothing shop called Wild and Westbrooke have just opened in York and I went to pay them a visit on Wednesday. They stock Morris Richardson Watches, Fairfax and Favor, Holland Cooper, Annabel Brocks and Hicks & Brown alongside many more brands.

I got some lovely gift ideas and added a few bits and bobs to my own wish list!

Boots have their 3 for 2 across all gifts offer at the moment and they've stocked up on all things Christmassy! I had a look round and got some ideas and a few bits and bobs as well. Here are some pictures of the York store. Again, I will be featuring some more specific pieces in my Gift Guides.

I found a little shop called Daisy Taylor's in York which sells cards and gifts. It was really quirky and cute and they had a lovely Christmas selection as well. I couldn't resist buying some little Scandinavian figures for my tree to go with my Scandi Santas I got a few years ago. They had lots of tin candles and coasters which would make some lovely gifts. I really liked the Yorkshire mugs and coasters (see picture). Daisy Taylor's also stock Sass & Belle products too!

Other shops in York I love:

• Jack Wills
• Joules
• Superdry
• Azendi
• The Boy Wizard
• The Shop That Must Not Be Named
• World of Wizardry
• Pandora
• Disney
• Primark
• Seasalt Cornwall
• Lush
• The Body Shop

I hope you all enjoyed this blog and it gave you some inspiration. Keep your eyes peeled for my Christmas Gift Guide series which will be launching at the end of October/beginning of November.

Thanks for reading!

Charlotte x

JULY FAVOURITES 2018

Hello everybody, it doesn't seem that long since I was sat writing my June Favourites blog! I was supposed to get this blog up last week before I went on holiday but had too much to do so I've just got it done now. I've got many blogs planned for the next few weeks, including more 'In The Spotlight' blogs, a series of blogs on what to take to uni, a review of my holiday and some blogs featuring Rydale Clothing.


Firstly, I've been living in my Rydale laced leather deck shoes recently during this hot weather. The shoes are practical and keep your feet cool as well. I believe this exact colour is unavailable online at the moment but there are other lovely colours available to choose from and they're only £19.99!

I got this Gold Tone Bee Necklace from Next, as well as a matching Gold Tone Bee Stud earring Set. They were £5 each, which is quite reasonably priced. Bees seem to be 'in fashion' at the moment as well!

Callum bought me this Talk About Love charm from Pandora whilst he was on holiday in Tenerife (isn't he cute?)
It goes perfectly with my other charms on my bracelet and is a lovely reminder of how lucky I am!

I went to see this film in the cinema twice and now I've got it on DVD. It's such a good family film and it made me and my family laugh so much. Peter Rabbit is voiced by James Corden, and the film features Domhnall Gleeson and Rose Byrne.

I've always been a fan of Bomb Cosmetics, and I love their candles as well as bath products. My favourite scent is Sea of Tranquility. I'm rubbish at describing scents, so I'll copy and paste the website description here: A dynamic fresh oceanic fragrance with a zippy citrus- cologne top note of bergamot, lemongrass, grapefruit, Lavandin and peppermint, enhanced with a splash of breezy ozone. Vibrant orange blossom heart notes rest on an ambered woody-mossy base underscored with billowing musks. With pure Marjoram and Rosemary essential oils.

I have already burnt my Cranberry and Lime candle and have reused it as a plant pot for a succulent. Once I've burnt all of the Sea of Tranquility candle, I plan on using it to plant another succulent or cactus in.

Finally, last but not least, the Flash bathroom cleaner! I know that sounds really random and possibly boring of me, but this stuff is amazing at cleaning grime off taps, window sills, sinks and pretty much anything else. It smells really fresh and clean as well.