Christmas Biscuits - Do you wanna build a Snowman?

Do you wanna build a Snowman? A Melted Snowman Biscuit? Then look no further!

Who doesn't love a bit of homemade baking at Christmas? Sadly I'll be working on Christmas Day but to brighten our moods and keep the festive spirit alive; my colleagues and I will be making a little Christmas Buffet to enjoy. I thought these would make a cute addition and keep our day feeling Christmassy even though we can't celebrate with our families. If you'd like to make some of these too, keep reading!

You Will Need:

125g/4oz butter

55g/2oz caster sugar, plus extra to finish

180g/6oz plain flour
White Marshmallows
Fondant Icing in white, black, red and orange.
Jam of your choosing (to use as edible glue)
Icing Sugar
Rolling Pin
Paintbrush
Icing Sugar or Sparkling Sugar Dust (Optional)
Some Hungry Tummies

1) Make a batch of biscuits, whatever you'd prefer! They could be cookies or shortbread or even ginger snaps. I'm personally making shortbread using this simple recipe here which you need to make into round flat biscuits, I used a cutter but you could cut them out with a knife for a more rustic look, or use a glass/cup.

2) Once your biscuits have cooled, we move on to the decoration. Firstly, sprinkle some icing sugar onto your work surface and roll out the white fondant icing, the icing sugar will stop the fondant sticking to your work surface.Cut out your round 'bodies' of the Snowmen, here I used a glass of a similar size to my biscuits. You can then spread a thin layer of jam onto your biscuits and place the white fondant on top.

3) Next, take your white marshmallows, put some jam onto the bottom side of the marshmallow and then stick this to your snowman body, the marshmallow will act as the Snowman's head.

4) It's now time to make your Snowman's accessories. Roll out the red fondant and using a knife cut out a scarf shape, you could also try a Dicky bow tie if you like. For the Snowman's eyes you'll need a tiny amount of black fondant icing rolled into small balls and for the nose, shape a small amount of orange into a carrot shape. I also attempted hats for a few of my Snowmen, I made small flat circles for the brim and then a little roundish/squarish shape to pop on top, I think they came out ok!

5) Ok, now we've made all our little bits, lets build our Snowman! Remember to use a little bit of jam to make your accessories stick. Next, get a paintbrush and use a little bit of gel food colouring in black to draw on stick arms and a mouth, I used a paintbrush as the opening on the packaging was too large and made a massive mess. In hindsight I'd probably do this step last after everything else is stuck on, just a bit less messy!

And Voila! We have our melted biscuit Snowmen! You could sprinkle some icing sugar or glitter icing on top of your finished biscuits if you'd like, just to add that extra Christmassy sparkle!

What do you think of these Melted Snowman Biscuits? Will you be trying any Christmas inspired baking this year? On a side note, Blogmas has taken a few days leave from my blog, unfortunately I've moved to a black zone which I haven't yet managed to get any wifi or phone signal in! Hopefully I'll be able to keep up and get a few things scheduled in my days off!

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

I've been a good girl this year. I donated money to charity and have been super polite to telephone cold callers, I also managed to not forget any birthdays, which is kind of amazing for me! If you're not too busy here is what I'd like to find under my tree this Christmas.

Something I Want
So I would have said that Urban Decay Naked Vault, however it sold out super quick and apparently there were only 60 on sale at Selfridges! I mean that's going to sell out in about 2 seconds! So instead I'll say a swish MacBook Air. My Laptop has died a death and I think my brother might want his back sometime soon, possibly when I move out and want to take it with me. So this would be amazingly helpful!

Something I Need
GHD's, My straighteners broke probably about a year ago now, my dad managed to cut out a faulty piece of wire and fixed them but they don't heat up properly anymore and I'm finding it really difficult to pretty much do anything with my hair, so this really is something I need. It's just one of those things I've never gotten round to buying and it's probably about time my hair looked semi-decent again!

Something to Wear
I've already featured this coat in my Women's Christmas Gift Guide and it's definitely on my wish list too! I find it so hard putting those posts together, you're obviously going to pick things that you like and it just makes you want them all! Not good for my bank account. I did manage to resist temptation but would very much still like this coat. It looks so warm and I just think it would go with every outfit, smart or casual.

 

Something to Read

Pretty Honest: The Straight-talking Beauty Companion by Sali Hughes £11 Hardback Cover from Amazon. I have a sneaky feeling that this one is actually wrapped up somewhere with my name on it (Ok, I know it is. Can't wait to read this, I'm pretty sure I'll be finished by the end of Boxing Day.

It would be ever so nice of you to deliver these lovelies to me, I'll make sure to leave a carrot for Rudolph and a glass of sherry and minced pie for you!

Love Cece x

Obviously I'm not going to get all of these things for Christmas but a girl can dream right?! What's on your dream Christmas wish list?

Christmas Decoration Wishlist

Having just bought my first home, this year's Christmas Shopping is especially exciting for me. I have already been and bought some stuff which you can find in my Winter Homeware Haul and below I've picked out a few things that I would love to have pride of place in my home (once funds allow!), I hope you find some Christmas inspiration from it!

1) Christmas Wall Art - £12.00 Next
Believe in Santa? Like there's an alternative?! This Christmas Wall Art is just too cute and would go perfectly in my new kitchen!

2) Woven Wood Star Tree Topper - £4.00 Wilkinsons
So this one I can probably make a reality, very reasonably priced and perfect for my gold, bronze and brown colour scheme!

3) Christmas Wreath - £14.99 Tesco
My Mam puts a Christmas wreath on our front door every year. It's a tradition I want to continue in my own home and I really like the look of this one. I think having outdoor decorations really brings the festive spirit to your neighbourhood and as Christmas lights can be expensive to maintain, a simple wreath is perfect for that Christmassy touch.

4) 6ft Deluxe Christmas Tree - £200 Next
Ok, so this doesn't have the cheapest price tag, but it says deluxe for a reason! For now I have a temporary cheaper tree but eventually I'd love one like this! It's 6ft tall and very realistic looking (without having to deal with those pine needles and potential spider invasions!) It's a really full looking tree, but will unfortunately have to stay on the wish list until at least next year.

5) Gold Effect Glass Baubles - £25.00 M&S
I want my main Christmas Tree in my living room to be gold, bronze and brown. I can toss in some red elsewhere! These are gorgeous baubles they're very luxurious and I'd love to add them to my collection.

6) Personalised Christmas Stocking - £35.00 Not on the Highstreet
This is the cutest stocking for adults, I'm definitely going to hang one from my fireplace. I love the red Scandinavian design to this and to have my name knitted on the top? Bonus!

7) Decorative White Twig Tree - £20.00 Hobbycraft
My Auntie bought one of these last year and decorated it with lots of little baubles, it's such a cute modern twist to the Christmas tree (although she had one of those too & so would I!). It's a great way to bring some extra colour to a room that you don't have your main tree in!

8) Christmas Frosted Pine Candle - £15.00 John Lewis
This decorative scented candle is the perfect Christmas table accompaniment, ideally three placed along my table runner! With 15 hours burn time they'd see me well throughout the Christmas period.

9) Christmas Musical Train Set - £29.99 The Range
I've always wanted a little train set that runs around the bottom of my Christmas tree. This one from the range lights up and plays music. The perfect festive addition to my tree!

What's on your wishlist this year? Have you bought any special decorations for Christmas?

Women's Stocking Filler / Secret Santa Gift Guide

I did a couple of gift guides back in November (here and here) as that's usually when I start my Christmas shopping, but I tend to get the last little bits in December. So I thought I'd put together a few little items that would be perfect last minute gifts either for a Secret Santa of as stocking fillers, they're all priced at or under £10, which is a typical Secret Santa price.. hope you like!

1) Topshop Pink Mushroom Mug - £10.00
Need I say more really? It's a pink mushroom mug! I'd love this cute addition to my Christmas stocking!

2) MAC Eye Shadow/Pro Palette Refill Pan - £10.00

For any serious makeup lover is the MAC Pro Paletter pan, and at just £10 you can buy a refill insert. There's so many gorgeous shades to chose from and with this highly pigmented, easy blendable formula, you really can't go wrong! Check out this post for my winter must have MAC palette shades!

3) Lush Baby Frosty - £9.75

Lush do the most gorgeous Christmas items, this Baby Frosty is no exception. The packaging is super cute and contains a Butterball bath bomb with chunks of cocoa butter through it and a Shoot For The Stars bath bomb whichwill turn your bath into an evening galaxy sky! As per usual... they smell delish.

4) The Body Shop's Jingle Gels Sleigh - £8.00

This Body Shop Santa Sleigh includes a selection of lovely smelling shower gels in very festive packaging, the perfect stocking filler, included scents are Satsuma, Mango, Strawberry &Moringa, all 60ml.

5) H&M iPhone 5/5s set- £7.99

This Christmassy set includes a sparkly iPhone 5/5s case and a pair of smartphone, touchscreen friendly gloves.Never get cold hands again! I think this an absolute bargain, it's probably cheaper due to the new iPhone 6 releases but I've just opted for a new iPhone 5s so will be making use of this one!

6) Next Dark Orchid And Patchouli Home Fragrance 3 Wick Candle - £8.00

This fragranced 3 wick candle is a lovely statement cadle, almost too pretty to burn! With a blend of orchid, patchouli and amber this candle burns for up to 40 hours. You can also get the £10 Fragrance Gift Set which includes a mini diffuser & two fragranced votive candles.

7) New Look Purple Check Brushed Boucle Oversized Scarf - £9.00 (Was £14.99)

I love a big oversized scarf, this one is in a soft brushed material with tassle endings. I love the colours and check design, perfect with a winter coat or leather jacket.

8) River island Coral colour block tab top purse - £10.00
This cute River Island purse is a pale coral and nude colour. There's lots of space for cards and notes and has a zip section for coins without being too bulky. If you're feeling extra genourous there's a matching handbag here.

9) Cath Kidston Spot Make Up Case - £10.00

This spotty Cath Kidston makeup case is the perfect size for my everyday makeup and great for travelling. According to the website you even get a matching mirror! 

These purse friendly gifts would be great stocking fillers for the ladies in your life and would make an excellent Secret Santa present. Are you taking part in Secret Santa this year? Whick Item would you love to find in your stocking?

Winter Homeware Haul

My move in date is finally drawing close after 4 long months of renovations and DIY, and it means I can do what I love best... Shop! I have most of the 'big' home purchases, but the little knick knacks and details are much more fun.

I've picked up a few winter homeware things recently as Christmas is almost upon us and I'm feeling the wintery/christmas vibe! Here's what I've picked up.

I got some Fairisle Reindeer Bedding from a local homeware store. This bedding is gorgeous, it's very festive but not in a garish red and green sort of way. It's brushed cotton and one of the comfiest duvet's I've had which may or may not be due to a little helping hand from my next item.

The 15 Tog Double Duvet is one of the best boring purchases I've made for my house. For those of you as clueless as me when it comes to buying a duvet, the tog is the thickness and this one is a perfect plump, warm and wintery one! I was beggining to feel the chill so this has been the perfect addition to my bed to keep me cosy!

I picked up the white reindeer ornament (which is actually a Moose but who can really tell right?) from the Gift Company, this will be popped on my mantlepiece throughout December.

I also got these Christmas lights* for my tree, there's 100 lights with 8 different twinkle settings to choose from, these came from the LED Hut. These warm toned lights can be used either indoors or outdoors but they'll be taking pride of place on my living room tree! Be sure to check back for my 'What's On My Tree' post!

I also ordered a Lily Flame Candle in 'Wild Jasmine', I adore candles at this time of year. This one smells lovely as do most of the Lily Flame offerings!

I picked up a couple of boxes of baubles from B&M, they were super affordable at £1.99 a box, I'll be adding to my tree gradually with some more unique and pretty baubles but these are perfect for getting me started. Especially when I have to start from scratch with my Xmas decs this year!

Lastly, this cute little Santa mug, also from the Gift Company is what I'll be enjoying all my festive hot chocolate's in! There was a Reindeer and Penguin too, might find myself going back for the full set! I'm sure I'll be adding lots to this list over the next few weeks, I'm so excited to start decorating with the things I want to, and putting together my tree!

What do you think of my Winter Homeware Haul? Have you been buying any Christmas things recently? Let me know in the comments!

*sample sent for consideration

Men's Christmas Gift Guide

So onto my Christmas Gift Guide for Men (you can check out my Women's Gift Guide here). I often find the men in my life incredibly hard to buy for. They don't really have hobbies and I always worry that they won't like what I pick for them. I think it's a much easier tactic to scour the Internet for fun, cool, stuff and then try and pair that to specific people than to try and find something with a person already in mind. So that's what I did this year and this is what I came up with. I actually think some of this stuff would be great for Women too, I know I'd like a lot of it!

1. Breaking Bad was recommended to me by a lot of my male friends and I loved it. The show has now ended so this is the complete box set with all of the seasons included. It's a show about a Chemistry teacher who learns that he has cancer and wants to provide for his family, he makes the obvious decision to become a drug dealer (of course). This funny and often moving show is a great pick and hopefully the men in your lives will love it as much as me and my guy friends! You can buy it from Tesco for £45.00.

2. Sticking with the theme here, I found this Heisenberg ceramic coffee/tea holder. At this time of year I take my flowery tea holder with me everywhere (well when I'm in the car at least). It keeps your hot drinks nice and hot during your commute and this is a breaking Bad themed one. Don't worry this is the last gift relating to the show! You can get this for £10 from River Island.

3. Chocolate Pizza! Yum. Head over to Firebox and you can create your own personalised chocolate pizza from all their different slices! In fact this is probably a bad present as I'd end up stealing it all for myself! These are available from £14.99 at Firebox.

4. Also from Firebox is this cool invention, a 3D pen! With the 3Doodler you can basically draw little ornaments in the air, it's a bit pricey at £99.99 but for a guy who loves gadgets this is spot on! Refills will be required for this pen but you can check out the full details here.

5. This Paco Rabanne 1 Million Gift Set includes a 50ml Eau de toilette and a 100ml Shower Gel. This is one of my favourite male scents and you should definitely check it out next time you're at a counter! It has notes of peppermint, cinnamon and amber and is just one of those scents you want to keep sniffing (whilst trying to not look creepy). You can pick this one up from Boots for £39.50.

6. I really like personalised presents and this one includes a mini Jack Daniels whiskey and a glass tumbler which you can have your own message engraved onto. You can get this at Asda for £24.99.

7. Another little personalised item. I've just bought some of these cuff links for my brother, you can have your own message engraved onto them. I opted for my niece's name, date and time of birth and her weight. You are limited to what you can have engraved onto these, but you can get creative. They come in a nice little presentation case and I think they're a really nice gift with a personal touch. Get them here for £15.95 plus P&P.

8. These Beats by Dr Dre headphones come in loads of different colours. I personally just liked the white! If the man in your life is a music junkie then these could be a great gift for him. I picked some up for my Dad last year. You can get them on Amazon for £99.

9. As much as men may like to deny it. They love a little pamper as much as we do. that's why we often find them stealing out beauty stash! This Soap and Glory set will make sure you're precious skincare items are nice and safe! The ALL-OUT PHWOAR Gift Set is £25 and includes 7 (Yes 7!) little treats, I actually think the boys get much more for their buck than we do with our gift sets so I think this is a brill little present. Get it at Boots here.

What do you think of my Christmas Gift Guide for Men? I've taken a very different tactic in my Christmas shopping this year, what's your plan of attack?

The Big Blogmas Project!

I've decided to take part in The Big Blogmas Project this year, it's going to be quite a feat to create posts for 31 consecutive days but I'm going to give it my best shot! I love Christmas and am already in the festive spirit. I've evan began putting together my Christmas Gift Guides here.

Everyone taking part in Blogmas has a rough guide so we will be posting something to do with the same theme each day. I think this is going to make it so much fun, I can't wait to see the different ideas people have come up with for each theme!

If you'd like to join in with this years Blogmas you have until this Saturday to get in touch with The Big Blogmas Project on twitter here. You'll then be sent all the topics/themes! There's also a Blogmas weekly twitter chat every Monday from 8-9, just use the hashtag #bblogmaschat.

Hope to see you there!

Womens Christmas Gift Guide

Welcome to the first instalment of my Christmas Gift Guides, this is one for the ladies in your life and has just a few ideas of what she might like.

1. This is an at home UV light nail kit, probably not the best gift for girls who are useless at painting their own nails (coughmecough), but for salon quality talons this is just the ticket. You get everything included for that sleek, gel polish look including two colours, (one raspberry and one pink chiffon) and gold and silver glitter so you can create accented nails, shimmer nails or glitter tips. This is £110 in Boots. If you were lucky enough to snap this up as part of their star product deal I'm very jealous!

2. This Soap and Glory 'Think Pamper' body kit includes 6 classic Soap and Glory products in miniature size, a cute pink travel bag and exfoliating body polisher. All for a reasonable £18. This is also available at Boots and is part of their 3 for 2 Christmas mix and match offer.

3. This cute phone case is available from Etsy, got to love an inspirational quote on your phone cover! This one starts from £10.27 depending on your phone model.

4. Hugo Boss Orange is one of my all time favourite scents, I'm not the best at describing scents, it's such a difficult one; but I'd say this is quite floral and light on top with some deeper (which is apparently sandalwood and vanilla). This little set includes a 50ml Eau de Toilette Spray & 100ml Body Lotion and is available from Fragrance Direct for £32.99.

5. I love this coat, it's kind of smart, kind of casual, best of both worlds for me, I feel like I could throw it on with absolutely anything and be nice and cosy and warm this winter! This beaut is from River Island and is £90.

6. This is the 'A Taste of Thornton's Chocolate Hamper' and I think it's a pretty good deal for a chocolate lover at £19.99! The hamper has 7 different sweet treats and while I should probably pretend they'd be excellent for the family to share, I'd probably scoff the lot myself quite easily!

7. Ooooooh shiny, pretty, newness. I'm in love with MAC, all those tags that ask if you could only wear one brand forever... this, always this. I love the Christmas sets that MAC do, and the brushes are such a good deal when you consider the price of the individual brushes. I bought two sets last year and seriously pined for the third. The sets come in at £42 each and have shorter handles than their full priced counter parts but if you really want to invest in some MAC brushes but find them out of your price range, I think this is a great way to make a few additions to your set. Anyone want to buy me them all?...no?...anyone?

8. I think this is such a fun and quirky book. It's a cocktail recipe book with a slight literary twist, very clever. The perfect gift for anyone who loves to read and drink cocktails... yep, that would be me! Filled with 'whimsical illustrations' and even some drinking games, I think this would be a fun little addition to any bookshelf.

9. This is the Crushed Almonds Lily Flame Candle, but to be honest, any of the Lily Flame scented candle tins are gorgeous. They all have really lovely smells that fill the room and just look super cute too! I'd love to collect them all! Available from Lily Flame for £8.50, but you'll probably find them cheaper on Amazon depending on the scent you pick!

What do you think of these gifts? Do you just want to send me a parcel with all this in please? :)

Unique (Non-Beauty) Advent Calendars

So I know things have gone slightly crazy over beauty advent calendars over the past few years, I have been lucky enough to snap up this sold out beauty this time around (yay!). Whilst browsing for my Christmas Gift List posts, I came across quite a few other Advent Calendars that are not beauty related but are unique and quirky and I've never heard of any of them before! The Advent Calendar world is certainly booming at the moment and retailers are obviously going to take advantage of that. Here are a few of the best ones I found! (Spoiler alerts here, there and everywhere).

Firebox do a group of Alcoholic Advent Calendars ranging from £99.99 to £149.99 They offer gin, rum, whiskey and tequila varieties and each contain 24 miniature bottles. I'm not wanting to promote alcoholism here so I'd probably suggest saving them up for your New Years Eve party and sharing them, or even just keeping them for throughout the following year. The idea of a new alcoholic drink every day is a little OTT to me, but it's a nice idea for whiskey/rum etc lovers and they can save them for a special night when they just fancy a little tipple.

This Tea Lovers Advent Calendar from Not on the High Street is £19.50, quite expensive for 25 tea bags but perfect if you have a true tea lover in your life. It comes as 25 separate packages containing a tea bag rather than an actual calendar and contains a wide variety of teas. From fruity to earl grey and peppermint tea there's all sorts to try. The packages contain cute little quotes, pictures or Christmas Carols on them, which I think is a nice touch.

Topshop are offering a 24 Days of Nails Calendar this year at £50. (I know this is actually beauty but I haven't seen anyone else mention it yet). It works out quite reasonable at just over £2 per polish, however I'm not sure I'd want quite so many nail varnishes from Topshop, I like a bit of variety in my life! (Sorry Topshop). However if they'd included some of their other beauty items I think it would have made an amazing addition to the beauty advent calendar pickings this year.

Also from Topshop is their Jewellery Christmas Advent Calendar. Looking on their website I found a Freedom Jewellery Calendar (sold out) and a Jewellery Christmas Calendar (in stock). Not 100% sure what the differences are as the descriptions sound quite identical, but basically you can get 24 pieces of jewellery including 12 pairs of stud earrings, 8 necklaces and 4 bracelets. (For full spoiler visit their website). I tend to stick to my silver Tiffany and Pandora stuff 24/7 so won't be opting for this one, but if you love Topshop jewellery and changing up the pieces you wear, this could be a great find for you!

This Nutcracker Bracelet Advent Calendar is £16.95, it's a cute build-it kit for little girl where they get a bracelet and then a daily charm leaving them with a Christmassy charm bracelet on Christmas Eve. Available at Not on the High Street, make sure to find this one though as it's listed a few times at higher prices too.

The next one is probably my favourite, just because it really brings the spirit of Christmas to the forefront. This £15 'Advent Santa Sack' has 24 numbered packets that you can hide around your house to create a little treasure hunt. Each packet contains 2 Christmas shaped chocolates so it's great for sharing. Each little packet also has either a Christmassy joke or a thought of the day, and I think it's just a really nice idea that involves an activity too. If you're feeling extra creative you could make daily clues as to where today's chocolates are hiding!

And finally one for the chocolate lovers. This Luxury Sharable Advent Calendar from Hotel Chocolat is £26. Again you get 2 treats per day with this one, so it's brilliant for sharing (or indulging!). You get a nice mixture of truffles in this one including milk and dark chocolate and caramel, raspberry and mulled wine. Yummy!

Have you bought any kind of Advent Calendar this year? What would your top pick be?

Christmas Beauty Box Swap

Browsing a few blogs the other day I came across a very exciting post. I'm not really one of these people who gets super excited about Christmas at this time of year, but once December hits I'm ALL about season to be jolly. That being said Fat Beauty has got me in the Christmas spirit already and it's all in the name of beauty!

I have joined a Christmas International Beauty Box Swap! Basically I get to send and receive a box full of beauty surprises to another beauty addict either in the UK or Overseas. I've opted for the international option because I love trying new products and I think it would be really cool to receive some products that aren't available to buy in the UK. There is however an option to swap a box nationally too.

The rules in a nutshell are that you buy a hand full of beauty treats for your 'swapper', the budget being £20/$30 not including postage, they will do the same for you and then you post them out to each other in time to receive them for Christmas. You send some beauty preferences and your postal address to Fat Beauty and she will send you your swapper's information on the 1st December. Plenty of time to do some shopping and get your box posted out!

I love putting thought into buying presents for my loved ones and I think it will be so much fun being able to do this for a like minded person with a keen interest in beauty. And of course receive some exciting goodies myself!

If this sounds as brilliant to you as it did to me, you can head over to Fat Beauty to see exactly how it works here.