I’m a very lucky girl when it comes to shopping. I live just off the Gloucester Road in Bristol, possibly one of the most popular and thriving shopping streets in the UK, packed full of independent retailers, foodies, craftspeople, butchers, bakers – it is awesome.

Not that I am biased of course.

Not everyone though lives with all of this on their doorstep, so what do you do when you believe in the ethos of independent retailing and want to support local producers, but don’t have them conveniently lined up just around the corner?

The answer is myhigh.st. View Post

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That’s the collective noun for a group of foxes – a skulk. I looked it up and everything. You can also call it a leash of foxes apparently, but that sounds very un-fox like to me. How many foxes have you ever seen on a leash?

I believe you can also call them a troop of foxes, but then I just imagine them all in little outfits, walking on their back legs and playing drums. Adorable yes, realistic no. Today then I am giving away a skulk of foxes. That’s final.

This particular skulk is painted by a lovely lady called, ironically, Cat. Cat is passionate about about animals and colour and loves creating art that brings a smile to people’s faces.  All of Cat’s pictures are painted to order, so she can work to any desired size, colour scheme and budget. You can see more at her website here. View Post

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It’s here! My Win Christmas competition is here at last! Crack open the sloe gin and cherry liqueur chocolates and feast your festive eyes on the amazing array of prizes I have lined up for you.

Win Christmas

I really am very excited about this competition as I am a massive fan of Christmas. With a view to spreading the Christmas love I have been very busy over the last month getting dozens of companies on board and gathering prizes in what I now like to call ‘the Christmas room’. (Sorry Bee. It will be all gone by the time you come home for Christmas I promise.) It has been a wonderful way to get into the Christmas spirit without having to actually spend any money. Sure I don’t get to keep any of the prizes, but that’s OK, I’m just thrilled to be able to offer such a fab collection of goodies. View Post

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If there is one thing that Belle is lacking in her bedroom, it’s room to grow. She just about has room for her bed and books, but the minute she dumps he clothes on the floor it looks like a launderette has exploded. For years she has dreamt of a funky cabin bed, just like this one from Room to Grow, although in her room she would literally just slide into the wall.

Cabin bed with slideUnfortunately for Belle she isn’t allowed to enter my competition to win £150 to spend at Room and Grow, so we’ll just have to hope she stays small for now. View Post

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Weight Watchers has just launched its new season diet campaign, Together is Better. The idea behind that campaign is that losing weight is easier if you have the support of a friend, someone to share the journey with.

I can totally empathise with this logic.

As you’ll have seen if you follow me on any social channels, I have recently taken up running. I’ve been doing it for four whole weeks now and am very pleased with myself. I call it running, but it feels a bit more like ricocheting off the pavement at the moment – sort of stumbling from one foot to the other. However, I can feel I am making progress. When I first started nearly a month ago, running for one minute without feeling like my head was going to explode was difficult – now I can do three minutes non-stop. Baby steps and all that. (Quite literally in this case.)

I have not missed a single session yet and have even gone in the rain. Look impressed. View Post

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I’ve got a lovely competition for you today. It has a first, second and third prize, which in my mind makes it a Proper Competition, like the Olympics. (If you want a medal too I could probably make something out of cardboard. Winners will not be required to stand on a podium.)

Today’s competition is brought to you by booRah™. BooRah™ is a new business, formed by a husband and wife team and inspired by their two young sons. They have created a range of watches and sunglasses designed especially for children and the brand name is a mixture of the boys’ names when they were little and couldn’t speak properly. They came up with the name for the business booRah™ themselves whilst sat chatting in the back of the car. Boo is the 6 year old and Rah is 7, soon to be 8. View Post

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If you live in Bristol and are partial to the odd takeaway then listen up – this is the post for you.

Meals.co.uk is a takeaway website with a difference. We’re not talking a list of your local kebab shops here, we’re talking top notch restaurant and takeaway food, delivered to your door. We’re talking all of the quality you get from your favourite local restaurant, but in your pyjamas in front of the TV. That’s the best of both worlds in my eyes.

On the Meals.co.uk website you simply pop in your postcode (they cover only Bristol at the moment) and it comes up with a list of local restaurants. You have a browse of the menus, pick your favourite, and place your order, all in one place. View Post

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I’ve gone a bit competition crazy lately. I never planned to be one of those blogs that is just about freebies, and I promise I’m not going to spam you too often with rubbish competitions for things like sachets of coffee or a free packet of chewing gum every time you tweet a million times for me, it’s just that people keep offering me genuinely nice things to give away.

Sorry about that.

(It’s a tough life for you isn’t it?)

So if the chance to win a Kindle Fire HD isn’t enough for you this week, (greedy so and so), then I also have this funky pair of Hi-Tec walking boots to give away. View Post

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Summer is officially here.

Can’t you tell by all the rain we’ve been having?

*sobs*

The kids have only been off school for a few weeks and already you’re three quarters of your way through that emergency bottle of gin, your Pinterest boards full of inspiring outdoor craft activities look like hell on earth and you’re dreaming of getting away from it all, ideally on your own on a desert island with the remainder of the gin. View Post

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Living just off the Gloucester Road in Bristol I am totally spoilt for independent stores. In fact it’s one of the reasons I moved here. I love that when I have a friend’s birthday coming up I know I can walk just five minutes up the road and pick out a present made and sold by a local designer or craftsperson.

I am really happy then this month to be bringing you a competition from The Dressing Room to celebrate Independent Retailer Month. The campaign highlights the important role smaller, local, independent retailers play in the communities they serve, the local economy they contribute to, and in the retail sector as a whole.

According to the Centre for Local Economic Strategies for every £1 that is spent with a local, independent business, between 50p-70p circulates back into that local economy. Buying locally supports local traders, their suppliers and the people they depend on to run their businesses. Buying locally boosts the local economy, rebuilding confidence in the community, enabling local businesses to prosper and grow.

Besides, isn’t it just nicer to know you are supporting a real person, their livelihood and their family, wherever they are, rather than a massive faceless organisation?

In the spirit of all things indie The Dressing Room, an online indie fashion boutique, are giving one of my readers £150 to spend on their gorgeous American Vintage range. The range is full of really stylish but practical pieces in beautiful colours. One of my favourite items is this jacket, called the ‘Fayettville printed pineapple jacket’ because, believe it or not, of all the places in the US, I have actually been to Fayettville! It’s just down the road from where I drank my milkshake.

American Vintage

If you’d like to win £150 to spend on new clothes (obvious question of the day) then just get friendly with the little widget below. The competition will close at the end of Indie Retailer Month on 31st July.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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I am not the most organised of people but I make up for it by being pretty organised.

That sounds weird right?

Let me explain what I mean. One thing I am hopeless at is remembering birthdays. I know this about myself though, so at home keep a big box of cards and wrapping paper and small gifts so that when (normally if) I remember the night before that I’ve forgotten a friend’s birthday I can rummage in my box of goodies. Tada!

It even makes more sense financially as you can bulk buy when things are on offer. Goodness me, how annoyingly efficient I am. View Post

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I am a Taurus.

This means I am all about the good things in life. “Think physical pleasures and material goods,” says one website, “for those born under this sign revel in delicious excess. Taurus adores comfort and likes being surrounded by pleasing, soothing things. Along these lines, they also favour a good meal and a fine wine.”

It is true. I do revel in delicious excess.

A situation like this is my idea of a good time: View Post

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