Use your local library...

I have saved a fortune by using my local library and met lovely people since I started my series of books. Always cash strapped and struggling, it is very much a case regarding the library as 'use it or lose it."

I will admit it, I am a digiqueen, but I don't think the traditional hard copy of a beautiful book will ever be replaceable. Nothing beats the pleasure of relaxing with a good paperback. I was in for a treat this year, I read Joanna Cannon's "Three Things About Elsie" on ebook courtesy of the BorrowBox app and on a further visit discovered that  "The Trouble With Goats And Sheep" was tantalisingly tempting me from the bookshelf at Lord Louis Library here on the Island. So many books available for free, if only I had more time!

Even if you are a casual reader of a magazine or two, this can be found in another app, PressReader. It has been an absolute delight to be able to read about Frida Kahlo in this months Harper's Bazaar, something that I rarely buy as I consider it a luxurious treat!

If you fancy renting out a movie and would rather not pay the extortionate rates on Sky, you can simply rent a current (yes, current!) DVD for as little as £1.50 a night, even better, if you can't get to the particular branch of library you obtained it from, you can return the DVD to another.

Also, living out in a rural area, my broadband is pretty rubbish and sometimes non-existent, so I know I can pop into my local library to use the internet.

And double bonus, if you like playing with Lego, there's a regular Lego Club.

I have just listed some of the things that are available at the library, so, next time you are near one, don't forget to pop in and see what they have to offer because if we don't utilise it we could see our dear libraries closing and we wouldn't want that, would we?

Why I've taken a long break from blogging and vlogging...

So, I started my blog and vlog with aplomb a good few year's back.
And I enjoyed it, I really did. But then I started getting busy with work things and that's when life decided to bite me hard on the backside.
Looking at the timescale between 2012 and 2017, a few things happened that knocked the wind out of my sails.
Not wanting to go into too much detail, over that time period I lost my mum to vascular dementia, my dad had a severe stroke, the house was in the middle of a renovation and I had a baby. Trying to deal with all these things emotionally, mentally and physically was a full-time job and I am not going to lie, took its toll.
However, I am one of those people who is a creative, tech person, and not finding anything that fed that passion, I decided to have a cheeky look at my YouTube account in September of last year.
I logged in to my account to find I had 5,500 views, not only was I really shocked, but pleased, as I thought that once I get to the magic 10,000 views I would get monetisation (Not anymore after the Logan scandal). My YouTube account notifications had been turned off so I wasn't receiving information about comments (I am sorry to some people whom I have only just responded to!).
And then I looked at this blog and realised that I also really miss writing. I did manage (I don't know how!) to self-publish my first children's book in 2016, I am currently working on my mums memoirs about her childhood in WW2 (more about that later) and also my novel, plus another children's book.
Sometimes, even with the best intentions, life gets in the way, but I'm pleased to say I'm back!

Unicorn Magic!

It's true, I admit it, I am slightly unicorn mad, to my partner's dismay!
This trend is continuing to be popular and I don't think our little unicorn friends are going to be trotting away any time soon!

Here are my current favourite unicorn inspired products...

Carex Unicorn Soap from Poundland (also comes in a Bath & Shower Gel, yippee!)

Asda - various dinner sets and glassware

Imperial Leather Foamburst Unicorn Marshmallow Shower Gel (smells amazing and doubles up as a super shave cream!)

ASOS DESIGN Nights Dream Glow In the Dark Unicorn Slippers

 Disclaimer: No Unicorns were harmed in the making of these products...

Mental Health Awareness Week - 14th to 20th May 2018

As I write this there is a local council meeting where they are discussing yet again, the shortfalls of the mental health services in this area. I read in the local press a few months ago, that the Isle of Wight is one of four counties whose mental health services drastically need improvement. I remain slightly cynical about this, as that's all there seems to be, lots of talk, but no action. 

Stock Image

It's Mental Health Awareness Week and earlier on this month, I organized a Mental Health Mates Walk. This, as far as I know, was the first to be held on the Island and I am hoping one of many. I am one singular person, but I am calling for drastic improvements in this area and it's time that the Government realises that this can be a life-threatening condition.

I have also signed up to be a Time To Change Champion, speaking out about the stigma of depression and campaigning for more support for others in need.

From a personal experience when I was a new and very lonely mother, with no parental support, I struggled with PND. The doctor even said I was at risk from it, but, I did not get the support I really needed. In that very desperate time, you just want to reach out to someone, someone who understands, even a little bit. It was hard then and it is now, and I refuse to sit quietly and feel ashamed about having PND.

Having a mental health issue or issues, is not limited to just a week sadly, so let's keep talking and supporting each other. If you know someone who is going through it, speak to them, support them, be there for them, as there is nothing more isolating sometimes then having a mental health disability. 

The more voices that there are, the louder we can be heard...

To find out about more Time to Change, please visit www.time-to-change.org.uk

Mental Health Mates www.mentalhealthmates.co.uk

PANDAS Pre and PostNatal Depression Support http://www.pandasfoundation.org.uk/

Create a Magical Nursery with Hurn & Hurn

I first heard about Hurn & Hurn when I spotted one of their products in Mother & Baby magazine, upon visiting the site, I fell in love with what they had on offer. Products are stylish, of high quality, appeal to the designer side of me and are reasonably priced. There are many online stores offering homeware and accessories for the Nursery, but Hurn & Hurn in particular stands out.

To start with, I loved the Fiona Walker England Mini Bear With Crown Felt Animal Head, which would look beautiful in my daughter's nursery, let's hope its cute appeal doesn't appear too scary for her! Grrr!

The 3 Sprouts Mouse Storage Caddy (and I am a huge fan of all storage solutions in this chaotic house!) is perfect for putting away toys to avoid the inevitable and painful experience of accidentally stepping on them. Talking of tidying, I will also be hanging her little clothes on the colourful Felt Flamingo Coat Hook also by Fiona Walker England.

No nursery is complete without soft lighting of course, to lull her gently to sleep, so I will festoon the room with this cute string of LED Star Fairy String Lights by A Little Lovely Company. The Ferm Living Cloud Rose, dusky pink duvet set with a dreamy cloud print will hopefully help her settle into the land of nod, nope, no nightmares here!

Liked what you've seen so far? Please visit https://www.hurnandhurn.com/ to see what other beautiful goodies they offer!

Please note: This blog post is not a paid promotion or features an affiliate link, all views are my own. Images very kindly supplied by Hurn & Hurn. 

Cath Kidston meets Alice - A Match Made in Wonderland

I have been a huge fan of Cath Kidston and Disney for a long time!

When I first heard that the first collection was going to be Mickey Mouse, I was beyond excited and grinning like the Cheshire Cat. These sell-out designs were promptly followed by Winnie The Pooh (a perfect babygro for my newborn daughter at the time, she's grown out of it now though! Boo!), 101 Dalmations, Peter Pan, more Mickey and Minnie Mouse (yes, really!) and the latest collection to be launched this month, Alice in Wonderland!

From the preview images, you can buy homeware such as a really cute duvet cover set (wonder if the partner would notice a new one!) and a beautiful embroidered jacket featuring a large red heart with Alice perched on top.

The range covers everything, apart from a hat, but I won't be disappointed about that, although the Mad Hatter might!

More details can be found by clicking on the link here

The collection will be available from the 24th/25th May this year.

Sandailo Psychic App Review

I am always interested in all things spiritual (with some scepticism) so jumped at the chance to review the Sandailo Pyschics app.

I was credited for five questions that I could ask from a group of various mediums and tarot readers, two that could be private and three public.

The interface was simple to navigate, but it took some time to familiarise myself with the app features. It was fairly easy to set up an account, just requiring a name, date of birth and gender.

I decided to choose online medium Stargazer, whom responded to my private question promptly.

He offered to do a reading for me, unfortunately what I didn't realize is that when I said a simple thanks, that used up my second question credit!

I knew I had lots of questions for the public options, but found it hard to be more specific and narrow it down to three. 

The first public question was answered sufficiently within ten minutes which was impressive. The second question I had asked whether they could sense any of my late friends and family around and was a bit surprised when angellove11 described a stubborn and stern elderly lady with clear thoughts, this could have been my paternal grandmother or mother, my family is known for their stubbornness!

What I particularly liked about this app was that it was fairly transparent, there were no hidden costs and an easy refund option if you are unhappy with the responses you received. The graphics and layout were clean and easy to navigate. My only quibble was that one answer was difficult to decipher as it had not been clearly written by the person who kindly responded to a public question.

Would I use this app again? Possibly, if I had a burning question. Do I remain slightly cynical? Unfortunately, yes, but I did have some fun reading the responses and learning about how the app works.

To find out more about the app, please click on the following link

Please note: Sandailo Psychic Ltd kindly credited the app account in return for a review. All opinions and photos are my own. There are no affiliate links here.

The app is available for both Android and iOS.

Old English Company Competition

As a Graphic Designer and font fanatic, I absolutely love the hand-drawn typography designed stationery and homeware products created by the Old English Company, based in Stamford, UK.

In an effort to be more organised (my partner always sarcastically comments that I am certainly not, ahem), I was particularly drawn to the beautiful planners, especially the on-trend copper and blush pink ones!

Or, of course, you can find planners in different colours such as grey or black, more subdued designs but still just as sophisticated. Each planner is a handy A5 size (small enough to fit in your bag!), with 380 pages of 100gsm notepaper and includes useful checklists inside. You can find out more about the range by visiting the website here: https://oldenglishprints.com/collections/planners

And even more exciting is you can enter a competition to win a set of four!

https://oldenglishprints.com/pages/competition-win-a-set-of-planners
But be quick, they will be choosing the winner on the 26th April, 2018.

Prestige Flowers - Unboxing!

Beautiful gifts from Prestige Flowers

I was lucky enough to be the recipient of a luxury box of chocolates, flowers and a teddy from Michael at Prestige Flowers, who was friendly, helpful and efficient.

The dispatch to my home (in the deepest, darkest south!) from West Yorkshire was only two days, impressive considering we were battling extreme weather conditions courtesy of Storm Emma and 'The Beast from The East!'. In fact, the fast delivery put other services to shame.

On unboxing the flowers, I noticed a beautiful aroma coming from them, the bouquet itself coming from a mix of fresh eucalyptus, roses, lilies and daisies. I was even more pleasantly surprised to find a vase AND a gift bag. They certainly look beautiful on my dressing table (pictured below).

Included in the package was a sleek box of British crafted 'Valley Chocolates', consisting of various flavours such as Lemon Truffle, Sweet Mandarin and Mango Fancy. Now, I am quite fussy about chocolate, especially unfamiliar brands, so approached this with caution! However, I can honestly say I was impressed, lovely tasting and melt in the mouth, in fact I think I prefer them to my usual brand.

Finally, there was a cuddly teddy called Charlie (with a little note) that my toddler liked so much she stole him on two separate occasions (don't think mummy didn't notice!).

Prestige Flowers have literally thought about EVERYTHING, you don't have to think about the gift box or the vase, it's all there beautifully presented, all you've got to do is visit their website, click and order! https://www.prestigeflowers.co.uk/mothers-day-flowers

I never review any products or companies that do not have a good reputation and high quality products, I can certainly say that Prestige Flowers have not failed to deliver (excuse the pun!) So if you are stuck for something to get your dearest mum or partner for Mother's Day, do click on the link above. I have no quibbles whatsoever about their products and would like to say a big well done! Just be quick, you've less than a week to get something and you don't want your nearest and dearest not speaking to you for a day!

You can see the unboxing of these on my channel Clara Sais. Thank you for reading this review, if you have any questions about the products please do not hesitate to say hi and comment below!

Easter Treats 2018 - Alternative Gifts to Chocolate Eggs!

Alternative Easter Treats for 2018

Well, what can I say? We all love (or at least most of us!) chocolate, but sometimes, it's nice to get something a bit different, whether you are watching your sugar intake or not! 

First up, is my children's book, Rabbits & Their Night-Time Habits (The Amusing Adventures of Missy and Mr. Bun) The first edition stocks are running low, so if you would like to purchase it, please do so here.

The second Easter treat, is the most splendid Easter themed box featuring my very own March hare artwork, containing three delicious teas to try from the lovely people at Bluebird Tea Co. You can find out more by clicking here.

And lastly (oh my!) Is this scrumptious Dragon's Egg eye palette and highlighter make up, beautiful presented in of course, you've guessed it - a little egg. I bought this recently but I must admit it was much smaller than I imagined! But that's ok, it saves more inches on my waistband! For more information on this palette and other colours in the range, please click here.

The Method Rose Gold Collection

I've always been a fan of Method cleaning products for years and discovered the new Rose Gold collection in my local Tesco (if only I could afford the real rose gold!) The lovely bottle design is of course in the colour of rose gold, with a geometric pattern. Since doing more research, there is actually a whole metallics collection (squee! Partner rolls his eyes!).

For more information, click on the following link: https://methodproducts.co.uk

What to get her for Valentine's Day?

Hi everybody,
So, if you are really stuck about what to get your lady in your life for Valentine's Day and she is one classy lady (which I am sure she is!), here is (I hope) are some very lovely gifts which I have found. Please let me know if you have found these useful and fellas, don't buy flowers in the petrol station last minute, eh? Ladies, make sure you leave this open on the laptop screen (hint, hint).

Vaseline Lip Therapy Tin in Mirror Mirror
http://www.vaseline.co.uk/product/lip-therapy/mirror_mirror.html

Baylis & Harding Prosecco Rose Tote Gift Bag
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/298513127

Sainsburys Light-up LOVE Light

https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/shop/gb/groceries/sainsburys-valentines-love-light-132759465-p

Yankee Candle Rainbow Cookie
http://www.yankeecandle.co.uk/product/rainbow-cookie/_/R-1577121E112

Bluebird Tea Company - Love Potion
https://bluebirdteaco.com/uk_en/love-potion.html