I'm a huge fan of Dizzie (previously The Good Club), the online refill shop.
I place an order each month (I pay £3.99 monthly which gets me one delivery (and return) per month... it's £5.99 per delivery if you choose to place orders on an ad hoc basis), and my products get delivered to my door in a big green box (it's UK-wide carbon neutral delivery).
Dizzie stock a wide range of refillable groceries, as well as other items. For the refillables, when my big green box arrives I take the refillable cartons and empty them out into my own glass jars (Dizzie sell glass containers too, but I also just keep a store of any glass jars at my house that I clean out and keep). The empties then go back in the big green box, which is collected from my door the day after my delivery.
There are soooo many refillable products available - definitely worth having a look.
There is a special offer running right now, where if you enter the code REFILLER at checkout you will get a refill kit containing (2 x 2L jar, 1 x 1L jar, 1 x kilner funnel and 1 x Dizzie jar labels). You need to spend £20 to qualify, and it's whilst stocks last.
I also have a referral link, which is https://getdizzie.com/j/sarahseqtbm, and if you use this I get £10 off my next order and you'll get a free refill kit (as photographed below) and the reusable coffee cup.
I love Mint Velvet. I was introduced to the brand at the end of 2011 by House of Fraser's personal shopper Jeanette, and it's now one of my go-to labels for when I need a new item to add to my capsule wardrobe. At the moment a number of my tops have become worn out through a few years of wear and tear. I could be done with another casual top for day-to-day so I thought I would do a bit of online browsing!
I love the button detailing on the front and back of this shirt. Just gorgeous and I thought this would be a versatile piece that could be dressed down with jeans or equally dressed up for a dinner date :-)
There are quite a few different shimmer tees in Mint Velvet at the moment - I do love a bit of sparkle and sequins in my outfits! And I also spotted these fantastic trainers:
I love browsing Instagram for interiors ideas and I've seen more and more light boxes popping up.
I spotted that Charlotte from Write Like No-one is Watching has one (you'll see it here) and I figured you must be able to get them in the UK. I then found them at Violet and Percy, yay!
I already have some letter banners from Violet and Percy and I love being able to create personalised messages around my house... we have "Good Vibes Only" in the hall and "Happy @ Home" in the living room at the moment. I can't wait to get started with the light box!!
This week the school's go back in Glasgow... the summer (if you can call it that!!) has flown by.
It's time to get organised with uniforms, school shoes, rucksacks for the new term.
We were invited along to Dr Martens to check out their Back to School range for kids. Being completely honest, I had never stepped into a Dr Martens store before (I didn't even realise there was one on Sauchiehall Street, right opposite The Body Shop) and I've never owned (or even tried on for that matter) a pair of Dr Martens myself.
The history of the brand really interested me. Dr Martens air-cushioned sole was designed by German inventor Dr Klaus Maertens and was created to meet the specific need or providing additional support and comfort for his broken foot. The Dr Martens boot with its trademark yellow stitch, grooved sole and heel-loop was manufactured by R Griggs and Co, British boot makers, as a boot for workers and was originally worn by postmen and policemen due to its comfortable, durable and lightweight design. A specific range of "Made in England" products are still manufactured at the Cobbs Lane factory. This is the home of Dr Martens where the first pair rolled off the production line on April 1st, 1960.
In terms of the children's Back to School range, there isn't a huge choice but that perhaps makes our job as parents easier as my little ones couldn't fuss over which ones to pick! I personally love the patent Mary Jane style for girls.
We tried a Chelsea boot style for my son (which doesn't appear to be on the website so I can't show you a photo), but it was unfortunately a bit tight around his foot so instead we chose the Velcro shoe, Jerry, which was much more comfortable for him. That's probably the only downside of these shoes - they are not available in different width fittings. However, huge plus point for me is the sturdy sole. These shoes are going to last well, plus when the weather turns and the pavements are icy the grip on the sole will be invaluable. Velcro closure rather than laces is also ideal for my son's age as I haven't attempted to teach him how to tie a bow yet!
We left the shop with him wearing his new shoes and despite walking around for hours in Glasgow's city centre there wasn't a single complaint of the shoes hurting - which I had anticipated given they were a brand new pair. Unlike the adult shoes, the children's ones are made with softer leather.
Which brings me onto the adult shoes... I felt that it was the ideal time for me to try on a few pairs.
Crikey, the original shoes were sore and certainly would have needed lots of breaking in!!
I then tried on a pair of Teresa boots, these have the air-cushioned sole, but it's slimmer in comparison to the original boots. The fit overall is a bit slimmer so the boots don't look as bulky as the original ones. I love the colour (cherry red high-shine rub-off Arcadia) and the strapping wraps around the back with the buckle gives a bit of extra interest.
I fell in love and ended up buying them for myself... and I have been wearing them every day since!!
I can dress them up with tights and a tunic for work, or dress them down with jeans and a jumper. They're super versatile and unlike the original shoes I tried, these didn't need breaking in (I have been wearing them with two pairs of socks as I've got cold feet all the time!).
P.S. Did you know that Dr Martens do clothes and bags too... I tried on this gorgeous cut out black tunic, but it was too short :-(
We received one complimentary pair of school shoes - thank you Dr Martens. Opinions, as always, are honest and my own.
I'm a huge fan of leopard print... I seem to be drawn to all things leopard print when I'm shopping... I just can't help it!
I used to have a pair of leopard print boots from Boden that I wore to work but they've now seen better days (my old colleagues used to say it was giraffe print anyway!) and my Boden leopard print gladiator sandals are also on the way out so I'm on the hunt for some other additions to my wardrobe!
The other weekend the kids and I went to Glasgow's St Enoch Centre to get a few bits & pieces for our glamping holiday.
We arrived nice and early as the centre was opening so it wasn't too busy. It's rare that I take the kids shopping, preferring instead to pick up clothes for them as I do the supermarket shop. However I'm starting to find with my daughter that she would like input into her clothes and sometimes what I pick out for her isn't what she would like to wear (she's 4 people, just 4!!). Her big brother on the other hand doesn't seem to be too fussed.
I found it a struggle to avoid the toy shops and that seemed to be all they were interested in; our first stop ended up being The Disney Store. It was day one of their sale so we very lucky and got quite a few bargains. They both had wanted the Big Hero 6 pjs but they weren't in the right size for my daughter, so she selected some Cinderella ones instead. She also picked out a Tinkerbell dressing gown/housecoat/robe (I never know what to call it!) as her current one has become too small.
They also both chose Star Wars Rebels lunchbags - I always take a lunchbox on car trips as it can be filled with a few healthy snacks to keep them occupied. These too were in the sale, and my son also picked a matching Star Wars Revels rucksack (doesn't seem to be available online) which he used for our holiday and he can then take for Primary 2 (I can't believe he's getting so grown up!). We had a browse round the toys, watched a bit of Big Hero 6 which was on the big screen and then we headed to the next shop. I was quite proud of the kids as we managed to browse the toys but there were no tantrums when I said we weren't getting any and I managed to escort them off to the next shop without any tears! They seem to be getting used to 'window shopping' and creating wish lists for birthdays or Christmas.
BHS also had their summer sale running (up to half price online and in store) and we managed to find some cool summer T-shirts that were on offer. There were loads of clothes in store that took the kids fancy and my son was struggling to pick just one T-shirt. Both of the kids ended up being drawn to one that came with a water pistol and we bought these on the premise that they could play with the water guns at the yurt. They also had a great laugh chatting about being twins! The T-shirts were great but the water pistol is obviously a gimmick and not great quality... they leaked lots which was a bit disappointing especially as T-shirts were quite expensive at £10 and £12 each depending on the size.
If I had a bit more time to browse, I would have found these T-shirts which are much better value and equally would have been huge hits with the kids as they seem to be interested in dinosaurs now due to Jurassic World Lego (I let my son watch a clip of this on YouTube at the weekend and he's hooked!) and they also love Big Hero 6 at the moment.
There are some lovely girls clothes at BHS too. I've previously raved about the Millie range which I love, and I spotted a number of gorgeous dresses and T-shirts for little girls. The littlest is obsessed with pink dresses but if only she would branch out and try some other colours...
We also grabbed some new socks for the eldest at BHS as he only seems to have school socks that fit him just now! Warm socks are a must for camping!
I had wanted to go to Trespass to pick up a fleece for my daughter, but they both were getting a bit fed up of looking at clothes by this point and were desperate to go to Hamleys as I had mentioned they could have a small toy each for the holiday. Hamleys is absolutely huge, and there is just so much choice. My son very quickly picked a Ninjago Airjitzu whirly thing for £7 which I thought would be ideal for playing with out in the garden at home or at the farm on our holiday. But my daughter was just overwhelmed and despite me giving her suggestions of what she could choose she struggled and became a bit cranky.
To be honest by this point we were getting close to lunchtime so I can understand why she was a bit out of sorts. In the end she chose a make-up case that had a variety of lip glosses and eye shadows, blusher etc. It was in the sale too with 50% off (it doesn't seem to be reduced anymore and is at full price of £30 online) so I agreed. Plus I was hoping it would keep her away from my own make-up stash!!
We paid for our toys and headed to Ed's Easy Diner for some food. The diner has a gluten free menu which I was really impressed with. I seem to be seeing this more and more at restaurants now. With our tummies full and hands full of bags of shopping we decided to call it a day.
All in all it was a very successful trip I think.
Do you take your children shopping with you?
We received a complimentary £100 voucher for the St Enoch Centre in exchange for a review. As always, opinions are my own and are honest.
When I was in London the other month we popped into Muji on the King's Road for a browse. This shop is right up my street and there were so many things that I would have loved to have brought home with me (unfortunately there just wasn't enough space in my suitcase).
I really like the idea of this aroma diffuser. You can scent your home with essential oils and it's safe for around children and pets as there are no naked flames (I've already had an accident with one of the kittens when the singed the end of their tail on one of my many candles...oops).
I also really like Muji acrylic storage drawers. I had one of these when I was a teenager that I stored my make-up in, and it did get pretty messy and scratched so it eventually went in the bin. However I quite fancy a few of these for my home office to store stationery.
Keeping with the office organisation, I also love these brown card magazine files. I did have white ones from Ikea for a while, but these are more aesthetically pleasing to me. I've got three shelves above my new Made.com desk that I still need to style and I think these would be ideal for storing important paperwork.
Lastly, I love Muji travel accessories. They just seem to have this market sussed and looks like they have everything and anything you could want for travel organisation. I have a hanging toiletries bag which is super handy (think mine is from Superdrug perhaps or maybe Sainsburys), but this box one at Muji looks even more ideal as it has more storage for dinky skincare bottles.
I'm in desperate need of a new pair of slippers as both of my pairs have got holes in them (so much so that one pair has already gone into the bin!).
I love the mahabis slippers - the upper is grey (you can choose dark or light) and then you can pick a pair of colourful soles... I quite fancy the yellow ones.
// Hair & Beauty
My skin seems to have worsened again... rubbish :-(
I ran out of Merumaya Luxury Facial Wash and since then my skin has deteriorated, particularly my chin. So I'm putting it onto my shopping list! I quite fancy trying the Melting Cleansing Balm too.
// Home & Interiors
I have a cheap set of lightweight cutlery that I bought from Amazon as a transition for the kids from plastic cutlery to grown-up cutlery. However, with it being cheap has meant that it's now ready for the bin; they haven't lasted well at all. So I'm now on the lookout for a new collection. Rick & I both really liked the gold cutlery that we spotted at Zara Home in London recently, but I'm not sure gold is a good colour choice given that most of my interior is grey, including the dining room.
John Lewis have a black set(which are dishwasher friendly!) and cost £10 for 16 pieces. Perhaps this would be a good interim set until the kids are able to use heavier forks and knives. They certainly look better quality than the ones I currently have.
I seem to be having bad luck lately with my footwear... My Hunter boots started leaking, I have a hole in the sole of my Firetrap boots and my KG Trainers have started to come apart :-/
I'm keen to invest in a pair of New Balance trainers... stylish yet comfortable. When I was in London I spotted quite a few people wearing these trainers, but not in Glasgow yet (I'm probably not out and about enough in the city centre tbh). I've managed to find a pair in my size on Amazon for under £50, result!
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