Just a quick note for everyone

This blog used to http://strawbubbi.blogspot.co.uk but I changed the name to http://spreadthegiggles.blogspot.co.uk as I felt strawbubbi didn't sum up what my blog is about. I post mainly Filofax/Stationery things at the moment, but I will be also posting more about my life, being in college, studying to become a paramedic, and my general thoughts and interests :)

Thanks!

Review of Chaotic Stationery order

I ordered three different washi tapes from chaoticstationery on February 17th 2014 and I received it on February 24th 2014. This is my first time ordering 1) of instagram and 2) from chaoticstationery, so I wanted to do a review on my experience and order satisfaction for others to read. The washi tapes Venetia sells are 1 yard long, which makes it really easy to keep them in your Filofax card slots for easy access when you're away from home, as well as trying washi tapes out you want to buy rolls of but are not sure if you will like them.

 ** When ordering from Instagram, please look for reviews of the seller as there have recently been some fakes **

This was what I received in the envelope; the three washi tapes (1 yard long each) on a clear plastic which fits easily in my A5 Finsbury credit card slots. I also got a lovely cute note from Venetia herself (I love when sellers add a little thank you note as it makes your purchase feel more special!).

These are the washi tapes stuck on my desk so you can see what they will look on a clear background (note: the pink paper on the blue washi tape is from a piece of paper, it wasn't sent like that). I love all the washi tapes, they're easy to cut and stick on the paper, they give a clear finish and don't come up once on the paper. 

I am definitely going to order some more washi tapes from Venetia as the shipping was very fast from Greece to England. The washi tape is good quality and the way it is packaged makes it easy to either leave at home or have on the go inside your Filofax or a stationery pouch/pencil case. I would definitely recommend her services, she is a very lovely person, great communication and is very happy to work to your needs :) The price for the three washi tapes and shipping was $6/£3.58, a very good price in my opinion.

If you're interested in ordering from chaoticstationery, get in touch with her via her Instagram, check out her blogspot, or email her: vkimioni@gmail.com

My Week #8

This week was a basic pink theme with animals (owls, a fox and a cat) sticky notes and stickers ^.^ I'm not quite girly but having a pink cute theme definitely brightens up my weeks and my mood. The back of the project life card has my week dinners on them :)

How was your week? Do you pre-plan your weekly layout and themes?

My Week #7

This week was blue, yellow and white themed. Everything you see besides the very important sticky note and the washi tape was sent to me :)

How was your week?

Filling Up My Expedit Unit From Ikea

I bought the IKEA Expedit shelving unit a few weeks ago, and I love it! My bedroom furniture is white, and my desk is also from IKEA, so it fits in very well. At first, I really didn't know what I was going to fill it with. I mainly thought about boxes (either white or a rainbow scheme) and maybe some cute thing here and there... But now I've moved all of my books there in a rainbow order as I had too many to fit on my desk shelf. I really like the look of it, and wanted to show how I had set mine up! I'm still looking for more boxes to put on the bottom 4 shelves to hold Filofax related things (washi tapes, stickers, sticky notes etc) and a place to put anything college related. 

So yeah, this is my current set up! I love seeing how others set their units up so if you have one please let me know and I'll check it out :) My inspiration was from various pinterest and Flickr photos as well as Angela from paperlovestory, so thank you Angela for the inspiration!

My Week #6

Nothing much happened this week. I ordered a new pair of gym shoes and two tops which were on sale from Sports Direct and it arrived Monday, and also started the Insanity workout. I got paid on the Friday which was nice ^_^ I had a Functional Skills maths exam Thursday morning which went okay *fingers crossed* and had my first Samaritans training session Saturday!

How was your week? Did you try anything for the first time?

My Week #5

This week I was feeling quite girly and cute, so I put that into my week design and I'm pretty happy with it! The stickers were sent to me in a swap with a lovely girl called Rebecca from America. I sent her a Filofax and she sent me some goodies in return. She also sent me the heart and pink sticky notes. The "I'm with you rain or shine" sticky note was sent to me by someone else (I have an awful memory).  And all washi tapes were from eBay.

How was your week?

My Week #4

I've started to design my weekly layouts to what I'm feeling as well as choosing a Project Life card which were kindly sent to me by pen pals :) It was my anniversary on January 20th and we've been together for 3 years. We went out for a meal together the Friday before as I had work on the Sunday and Monday. The Middle also returned to UK TV on Comedy Central instead of Sky 1; I was so excited until I realized I had watched the new episodes online a few months ago! I also LOVE the cat sticky notes which were sent to me by a pen pal if I remember correctly, and I adore them! I'm going to buy them in the other colours when they run out.

How was your week?

My First Pair Of Dr Martens!

I bought a pair of Dr Martens 1460 W Patent Lamper White Blanc from tReds in their January sale. They're usually £89.99 but I bought them at £39.99, I couldn't pass this fantastic deal up! They were sold out completely of the black boots, and had sold out of my size in the white for a while. A few days later I checked their website and they only had my size in, so I went for it! 

My first reaction: I ordered the boots on the Friday evening, and got them on the Tuesday morning. When I opened the box and checked out the boots, I found a little scratch mark on the right boot (shown below) which isn't too much of a bother to me. I loosened the laces and stretched the insides out with my hand, folded the heels in and out a few times to soften the leather up so they wouldn't rub too much. 

I wore them the Wednesday for college; I made sure to wear a thick pair of socks which definitely helped the breaking in process, but by the end of the day I had a small blister on my left heel. I looked up a few breaking in tips and found that rubbing baby oil into the leather should help to soften up the leather, I haven't tried it yet but I'm sure there is no harm in giving it a go. My mom mentioned rubbing some Vaseline into the heel to also soften the backs, which has worked for me in the past with other shoes so I'll be doing that. 

Apart from the blister, I've also had a little problem with the tightness where the laces start on my foot. It was only on my right foot, but it was quite painful and left me with a bruise. I read that taking the laces out and stretching the boots will help with that so I will be giving that a go. Apart from that, these boots are now my favourite shoes and I will definitely invest in more Dr Martens!

Hello 2014! New Years Resolutions and an update

London's firework show on New Years eve 2013

Okay, so I'm 19 days late, but HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I'm so sorry about not being up to date with blogging, I've had a mad few weeks. I was diagnosed with Kleine-Levin Syndrome (it's a sleeping disorder, click the link to learn more about it). I've also not had much time to get online and blog properly, but that's one of my resolutions this year, to blog more regularly :)

I've written down a few simple goals for myself to complete this year and put them in my Filofax so I can see them often. 

I plan to take my theory test by March, and my practical by July. I also want to lose 20lbs by the time I finally go to meet my best friend Shannon in July as well as taking part in the Sunderland colour run! I am going to be saving up money throughout the year to go on trips. The volunteering is apart of my paramedic science course for uni; I have to complete roughly 50-60 hours of volunteering with adults and the elderly before I apply to uni. Even though I won't be getting paid for a whole year (I'll still be working part time at a supermarket), I am really looking forward to it!

I am a huge fan of Bubzbeauty on Youtube, and when I watched her video "12 Resolutions Everyone Should Make" I completely agreed with the resolutions she mentioned. For me personally, these resolutions will help me be more laid back and positive, and I would recommend others to follow suit :) I'm also going to be writing these in my Filofax to remind myself each day!

1. Enjoy life now
2. Mind your own business
3. Use your mouth carefully
4. Live life with appreciation
5. Stop comparing
6. Let go of the past
7. Do yourself a favour and forgive
8. Love yourself
9. Accept that not everyone will like you
10. Give out more and receive more
11. Stop worrying
12. Teach to learn. Learn to teach.