The World of Kitsch- 2015 in Review Part 1- January - June

Our Scotland trip

A look back over 2015 in blogs. From January to June we were still pre-Smix's vlogging career, and in our first half year living alone, just the two of us. We were finding our feet, sorting out our reshuffled family set up and settling into the twosome super-team we have now. Things were different,  but over the months the change showed itself to be a positive; who would've known? 

Blogging was slow as we had so much else on in  'real life' to get on with! Here's how January until June looked for the two of us.

Our new living room- all kitsched up

Lovely big kitchen space  

In early February Smix & I moved home, from Carnalea to Bangor West, closer to my parents' house. Having M.E. means I need help sometimes. The stars collided with a guy from my year in Sullivan happening to be renting his home right as we needed one.

Lidl launched their fashion range in spring of 2015, adding clothing to a dossier of bargain ranges. Everyone was wondering would it be any good? Now a couple of collections down and with several pieces bought at excellent, competitive price points I can let you know their fashion buyers are doing a great job. The only hard aspect is catching the right week when the items you want hit your local store.

March also saw the famous Teenage Dreams mural reappear in East Belfast.  

Smix finally learnt to ride his bike.

Yo Sushi opened in Belfast and straight away became our favourite place to dine. They are our first choice eating out destination above all others. We are both hooked and the staff even know us to see now. Smix brings his own chopsticks that my friend Gill kindly sent him.

Smix also made the Belfast branch in Minecraft and sent them his design, which in turn they showed all the big bosses! Very cool. 

Judy giving me a hand

In spring I made some bunting with oil cloth with a step by step guide. It didn't last too wonderfully during the summer though. Will need more next year perhaps in a darker colour so weathering doesn't appear so obvious.

I tried making sushi at home- it was a disaster! We actually still have the Yo Sushi! Kit to try mind you. Maybe a Smix Brix project over Christmas?

In May we looked at two classic toys, a Brio Wooden train set and the Playmobil Victorian Mansion- the latter of which Santa brought me at the old age of 12-and I still was thrilled with it!

When we moved to our new house, it turned out it wasn't so new for one of us.  A story so strange the local newspaper even featured it. Find out the curious secret in that blog post from May.

June, and the summer started with a bang as Stena Line sent us both on a day trip to M&D's theme park in Scotland! It's a long day, but we loved it and I think we will make it an annual trip.

One of my favourite brands to work  with, who I get to do so with every couple of weeks, is Marks and Spencer. I absolute love trying their new Food Hall items, and at the end of June we had a fancy BBQ with their newest range.

June also saw the opening night of the Titanic Robots exhibition which ran all summer.

My favourite small trader this year has been Snixxy Swoons who operates on Etsy and EBay. She kindly sent me pieces to blog about, but I've also made return purchases as I love her chunky, wood cut, large statement necklaces & brooches.

Snixxy Swoons bird brooch £20

We had fun when we went along to learn  Ground Espresso put together their summer drinks. With branches opening in our home town of Bangor, we will now be able to be more frequent Ground customers.

Smix didn't launch his YouTube channel until the second half of 2015, but before that he still helped me out with any toys that needed reviewed, like Yummy Nummies. 

Second half of 2015 coming soon.

I Wonder Do These Cakes Taste as Good as They Look?

 Odiham Cake Company, I spotted my friend Kirsten sharing their Milennium Falcon cake on Facebook, and the photos speak for themselves.

I was impressed that in situations where you could just use figures, the baker still goes out of their way to model the figures in icing. 

Gareth Jones, the man behind the art. 

How realistic does the Cath Kidston bag look!? 

Who Would Have Thought The Destination For Quirky, Twee and Cool Bedding Would Be Asda!

I was finishing up my Christmas shopping online this afternoon, after trawling the physical shops for three hours this morning. I somehow ended up in the  bedding section of Asda online. 

First off, it's a little late, but they have a selection of Christmas themed bedding. I would imagine it'll be in the sale very soon, so they could be worth bookmarking to buy cheaply for next year. I love the vintage lady & deer print with matching cushion in classic, stunning berry red.

As well as sets in traditional holly colours of red & green, I also spied this icy cool, modern village print duvet set. Without the matching Christmas themed cushions, this would be okay to use year round.

I love the variety of prints, and quirky designs in duvets right up to kingsize. Prices start around £12 for singles, and the children's bedding department also offers toddler quilt size which can be tricky to find.

This regal elephant duvet is different to anything else I've seen. Elephants aren't up my street, but I can imagine this looking so exotic in an Asian themed bedroom.

The children's selection is great too, both for boys and girls. I can imagine quite a few of my grown up readers would love the vintage Star Wars comic print on their own bed too. 

And then we have 'Ohh Deer'. I fell in love with this retro deer print theme instantly. Sadly no double duvet, but I bought the fleece throw and matching cushion. I'm going to buy the matching lighting accessories when the set eventually goes into sale. Swoon-worthingly cute.

The Spire in Dublin Has Been Transformed into The World's Biggest Light Sabre

Dublin has embraced Star Wars fever & transformed the iconic spire into a giant light sabre!

Images from Facebook- contact me if these are your photos for credit

Ta-da! My Mega Glitzy Ultimate Christmas Party Dress

Okay, so in my George at Asda post this week I ran through the benefits of wearing jeggings and a huge Christmas tee or jumper on the 25th, for maximum food intake. I still stand by that statement, but I do have other Christmas events to attend that might frown upon me showing up in my comfies. 

I love shopping, but more so shopping for clothes without the trying on part, but when I spotted this stripy sequin dress in the window of TK Maxx in Bangor, I knew I had to have it. 

Horizontal stripes are sort of my trademark, but I've never had anything so sequinned in my life. 

The dress was £24.99 and although I'm a size 12-14 at the moment, I went for the 16 for the aforementioned, all important food intake! The dress's style allows for going up a size & a half without losing shape, as there aren't any fitted areas; I've plenty of room for the carvery at La Mon for my family's annual meal out.

ASOS seem to be the main online store for Club L, with dresses in plus size as well as the usual high street sizes 8-16, so everyone can be a stupid amount of glittery this Christmas.

Which of the #NostalgicDelights Am I? I Make Snacks Molten on the Inside, with Crusts for Miles.

Molten on the inside with inches of dry, plain crust, why it's the Sandwich Toastie Maker, now over 40 years old and made world famous by Breville. Launched in 1974 they shifted over 400,000 'stacking sandwich' toasters in the first year alone. I'm sure if I could find stats, they surely by this point would have sold enough to stretch to the moon and back.

The toastie maker is such an institution that there are  entire websites dedicated to facts, models and trivia. If you should wish to know th history behind the invention, that blog is where it's at.

In the summer there I had hinted that I was going to do a run of nostalgic food blog posts, Crispy Pancakes, Vienetta Slice, Vesta Curries and the like, but only got as far as this retro sweets post about Curious Candy, so call this my second instalment.

We had bacon & cheese toasties for tea tonight, made with butter on the outside. 

How about these novelty toasters? Some double up as pancake or waffle makers too. 

So what was your favourite toastie filling? 

Wraps- Wrist Wearable Headphones You'll Never Lose!

Wraps are wearable headphones. Well, strictly all headphones are wearable, but these are designed to be worn on your wrist when not in use, meaning you'll never have to scramble about trying to find your earphones again. 

Smix has a demonstration of the £14.99 bright blue set. 

Wraps are a British design product and their online store has more subtle colour choices if the bright ones aren't to your taste.

As you can see from Smix's video, they are so easy to wear a child can do it.  The braided texture of the wire makes them far less tangle-prone that usual headphones, so even though you are wrapping them around your wrist, they easily unwrap too.

They kindly sent us a pair each, so I chose the bright pink. I've been wearing mine all weekend and I can let you know they are comfortable as well as snazzy looking. 

Oh, and if audio quality is important to you, be assured that that factor hasn't been overlooked in favour of wearable design. Sounds are crisp and clear and the ear buds are comfortable to wear for long periods of time. 

They'd make a great stocking filler, present for a teen relative, or the family muso.

Ever Wondered What Die Hard's John McClane's Christmases Were Like as a Kid?

Die Hard is my favourite Christmas film. These clever  Little John McClane Christmas Cards by Nick Scurfield are for sale on Last Exit To Nowhere. The are priced at £8 a pack, so £2 each.

Last Exit is where a couple of years ago I bought a cool 'Now I Have a machine gun, ho, ho, ho' print Christmas sweatshirt. The print doesn't seem to be in stock now, but there are quote wristbands which would make cute stocking fillers for £2.

By designing prints for the imaginary brands & companies featured within movies, you can wear a more subtle nod to your cult films classic than just a straight print of the poster and stars. 

Last Exit to Nowhere have  regular t-shirts, women's sizes, kids' tees, caps, posters, hoodies and much more.

Not sure which film is your gift receiver's absolute favourite? Be the coolest inlaw on Christmas morning and get them a gift voucher to pick their own.