A Homeware Birthday Haul

It was my birthday two weeks ago and the cards have since come down. Nooooo.

I don’t know whether it’s an age thing or the fact that we bought our home in our mid-20s, but the past few birthdays I’ve been so lucky to get presents which are just perfect for making this house into a home.

One year we got a carpet for the lounge – considering we had no flooring in the entire house, I honestly nearly cried with joy.

Another year, we had a room plastered which we desperately couldn’t afford and couldn’t bear the cracked walls falling down on us anymore.

But times are different now.

The renovating is no more – at least at the minute. And my birthday gifts are moving more towards the FUN side to home improvement. The ornaments, the trinkets, the décor, the homewares. And I thought I’d show you a few of my special treats that I got this year all hauled together.

I don’t know the prices and I shan’t be looking, because it was a gift and price isn’t important, but wherever I know where et’s from, I’ll list it, so it should fingers crossed still be available if you’re interested! Here are my top 10 from my 29th birthday.

Gideon

This little guy is from John Lewis. I know this because I pointed out how much I loved it weeks ago to Joey. Top marks for hubby for taking note! We’ve named him Gideon because, why not? And in the dish I keep my car keys so I never lose them. He is now the guardian of keys. What a legend.
Succulents

I’ve made a real effort in 2015 to have more plants in this home. Many have, to my surprise, lived to see another day. But others have not. Succulents are meant to be almost impossible to kill of, but we didn’t want to take any chances. I got these 3 artifical plants and I personally don’t think you’d ever know the difference! Again these are from John Lewis.
Dino prints

More top points to the hubby for entry number 3, I’ve had these dinosaur prints on my Etsy wishlist for aaaaages. They are four species of dinosaurs re-imagined as if they were butcher’s cuts of meat. How cool! I’m just looking for the perfect frames for them, and then they’re going up in our kitchen.
Wooden Hand

Does a gift to yourself count? I saw this on my birthday and had to have it. It’s a wooden hand from a brand called HAY, bought in Selfridges. I’m currently working on a feature wall for our master bedroom and this will go perfectly on one of the shelves I have planned.
Reed diffuser

I’ve never heard of this brand – Essenza – but it came as a hand lotion set. But amazingly, it came with this huge reed diffuser which smells just as divine as the hand creams. I’ve placed it in the nursery because well, without getting too detailed, there are certain smells in that room from time to time that need pretending they were never there…
Flowers

So many gorgeous flowers! It’s one of my favourite things about having a birthday or hosting a party – all the beautiful flowers around the home! You can’t beat these blue lillies. I also got a beautiful orchaid. I’m going to have to look up how to take care of it. It’s my first one! (By the way, the lillies are from Tesco, are around a fiver and last well over a week. I know, because I’ve bought them myself plenty of times.)
Cake cutter

Happiness is a piece of cake. Ain’t that the truth! My bestie got me this gorgeous porcelain cake server and I’ve already put it to good use.
Jewelry trinket holder

Could this little jewelry holder be more perfect for my dressing table? The white ceramic. The gold detailing. It’s adorable! Another amazing find from my best mate. Quick, I need to get on the midi-ring trend to fill this bad boy up!
Mini frames

I can’t tell you how ‘me’ this miniature frame is. I love this style. This particular shape of sun is exactly how I had my bedroom decorated as a teenager and it’s stuck with me ever since. I hope you don’t mind that I’ve left it with the default image for this photo. I’m planning on adding pics of my little girl in here and those pictures are all for me.
Pom pom maker

Okay, so this might sound weird, but I really want to make some pom poms. Apparently they’re suuuper easy to make, according to my best mate, and she’s made it even easier for me with everything I need! I’m thinking of creating a multicolour pom pom garland as an alternative to bunting, and hang it in the lounge.