The Neverending Winter........

Like a lot of the UK I woke up Friday morning to find snow covering everywhere. This is the 22nd march (above photo) so officially the 2nd day of Spring. My son was pleased because his school was closed, my daughter's school was one of the only ones in the area to be open but she was worried her after school disco would be cancelled. And the other half stressed some more about heating costs. 

Nothing can be done about the weather though - so we went to bed hoping that the snow would go or stop at least.....

But it didn't as the other two photos show!! 

I like snow.... its good cheap family fun. But like most things there is a time and place for it... spring is for daffodils, baby birds and lambs. Not snowballs and icicles!!! I cant help but feel for all the animals who would usually be having babies at this time... all the lambs out in the fields shivering instead of frolicking! All the birds trying to build nests in tree branches laden with snow! 

I just hope it doesn't last too long.... I have had enough of this cold now...

Website Review and Wishlist - ORTAK JEWELLERY

www.ortak.co.uk

Is a jewellery website that I came across a couple of weeks ago now.

What struck my eye first of all is the elegant and classy design of the website itself. The white background is a neutral colour which makes the items themselves stand out more upon the page and you are not distracted by pop ups and advertisements, leaving you to focus on the wonderful items. 

The layout makes the website very easy to navigate around and technically all the links I clicked when exploring the designs worked. There is nothing worse than a broken hyperlink!! 

Categories

Contemporary Jewellery - 

     Stylish silver and amethyst Set!

The price for this is £68 and the sterling silver and purple amethysts work so well together and compliment each other perfectly! 

Chunky silver ring!

I adore chunky silver jewellery and this ring is such an eyecatching piece. I would wear it everyday and on special occasions (like my super rare nights out!!)

I think it is a very reasonable price too at £47.

Classic Jewellery

Celtic Style ring with various stone inserts.

This ring comes with a selection of stone or enamel inserts. Which honestly means I would find it hard to pick just one! Wouldn't it be good to be affluent enough to afford one of every style! (Maybe when I win on ITV?!?) The prices vary depending on the finish and it is sold in many styles.

Earrings - from Achnabreck

There is a full range of this circular jewellery which is based on patterns left in Scottish rocks. I love the idea of a modern, trendy piece of jewellery which is inspired by nature.  These are priced at £26 and would make a lovely gift for someone.

Giftware

Baby Girl Figurine

Perfect for a new or expecting family, this is an adorable keepsake that would make a wonderful present. 

Priced at £19.50 it is affordable to those on a limited budget. There is also a matching 'Baby Boy' version which is equally as cute.

Bags and shoes compact mirror

Another little gift idea - I like this almost retro design which is simple and useful too! This would be a welcome addition to my make up bag. Costs £14.10 

Current Promotions

March madness - Exclusive Online only. Some fabulous jewellery at amazing prices. 

Zodiac Promotions - I love this offer - depending on which month it is there is a reduction on the birthstone necklace  The usual RRP is £49 but if purchased between the dates that correspond with the Zodiac sign then the necklace is £37. (For example if the Aries Gemstone is bought between 1st March - 19th April then it is the lower price) 

Mailing list & Brochures

To ensure that you do not miss out on any new items or awesome offers then you can sign up to the mailing list  HERE ...

There is also an option to download various - Catalogue downloads

Summary

In future when I am shopping for presents or even contemplating treating myself then this is a website that I will definitely click on again! I have signed up to the mailing list so in future I will be aware of all promotions. And without a doubt I would recommend this website and company to other people! 

If you like the designs above and want to see more then check it out - a lot of the styles can be customised with metal type and stone or enamel finish. So you can really create a piece which is personal to you! 

Google Petition - please sign

A lot of you have heard that from April Google plus is no more!

In reading up about why and how and all the in's and out's of the decision I have stumbled upon this Petition set up on www.change.org. Dan Lewis from New York set it up and at the time of writing this is has had 101,809 supporters . I myself am one of those!!!

The petitions objective is written below - and if you agree then the link to follow is at the bottom of this post! 

Dear Google:

A few years ago -- years, wow -- Google Reader was one of my go-to social networks. It was an accidental one. I was using it for its intended purpose -- aggregating and reading a lot of web content in one place -- but it turns out, a lot of other people were doing the same thing. A lot. Many of which shared interests and when you added the amazing (amazing!) share and comment features, Google Reader blossomed into a wonderful experience for many of us, core to our day-to-day consumption of content online.

Unfortunately, you decided to kill those "extra" functions. I'm not here to ask you to reverse that (you should, though). In doing so, Google Reader's day-to-day value declined, and I, like many, ended up using it less often. Instead of hitting the bookmarklet I have on my Chrome install three, four times a day, it's now a once a day (okay, once every other day more often, recently) experience.

But it's still a core part of my Internet use. And of the many, many others who are signed below.

Our confidence in Google's other products -- Gmail, YouTube, and yes, even Plus -- requires that we trust you in respecting how and why we use your other products. This isn't just about our data in Reader. This is about us using your product because we love it, because it makes our lives better, and because we trust you not to nuke it.

Oh.

So, please don't destroy that trust. You're a huge corporation, with a market cap which rivals the GDP of nations. You're able to dedicate 20% of your time to products which may never seen the light of day. You experiment in self-driving cars and really cool eyewear which we trust (trust!) you'll use in a manner respectful to our needs, interests, etc.

Show us you care.

Don't kill Google Reader.

KEEP GOOGLE READER RUNNING  sign here

COMPETITION LINK - £30 Amazon Voucher - Attachment Mummy Blog!

Attachment mummy has reached her blogaversary and to celebrate with her many monthly readers she is running an INTERNATIONAL giveaway. 

I have been following this blog for a while now and really enjoy all the posts and updates. 

Attachment Mummy   is a really interesting and informative read.

Click on the link above to check out her posts and perhaps enter into the competition too? It is a rafflecopter form with multiple entries! 

Good luck 

I can't wait for the pitter patter of 4 small paws......

Just a quick post today because I wanted to introduce the adorable, cuddly, amazingly lovable pooch who will soon be the 6th member of my family.

His name is Budd - which is short for Buddy if you ask my little girl, or short for Buddha if you ask me!!! 

He will be five week old on tuesday and is a little chunk!! 

Im sure in a couple of months I will be writing to complain about chewed shoes and wet cold puddles in the middle of the night.... but right now I can't wait to see what fun and mischief he will bring!!!! 

REVIEW / WISHLIST - MooKow Army Jewellery

I like it when I come across a company on Facebook or Twitter, especially if they sell amazing stuff. MooKow Army definitely fits that specification. I like quirky and usual and this place has that but it also has cute and adorable too.

These Strawberry cupcake earrings are priced at £2.50 and have flecks of glitter in them which makes them sparkly! I know a lot of little girls (and big girls) who would like to add these to their collection.

   

These Monochrome Star earrings are on trend and adorable. At the attractive price of £2.00 these would enhance any trendy black and white outfit!

There is a full range of the quirky and fantastic Lego Earrings - and this is such a simple idea but so effective. You could colour coordinate lego according to the clothes you have on that day!

For animal print lovers there is this Pink Leopard Print Choker at £6.00 it is approx 13" long and fastens with a clasp. (There are a lot of more gothic-y chokers and necklaces on there too. Something for everyone!!

  This Alice in Wonderland key necklace has to be one of my all time favourites. It is £8.99 and has diamante detail which always makes it that bit more special. The Alice in wonderland range is all excellent though, if I am honest I would be happy to add any to my jewellery collection. 

         I am not a big broch wearer however there are some in the Cameo range on here that I would definetely purchase. This gothic female Cameo  would match some of my tattoos! It is priced £6.50.

Some more outstanding items are these Strangeling Figurines  by Jasmine Becket-Griffith are so fab!! It was a tough choice because I do like them all - but this Valentine Dragon (£14.00) has to top my poll of favourites!! This would look amazing on my shelf!

Love Never Dies Cruet Set is found snuggled within the sale category and priced at £9.99 would be a welcome sight among my condiments!

For a special occasion or a fancy dress night out there is also a massive range of Fashion Contact lenses at the very reasonable price of £13.00. To help care for these there is also a care pack that you can buy for £2.99.

Finally (otherwise I will end up showing you every item that is sold!!) there is this Alchemy Gothic single black rose. I would make myself an unusual flower arrangement using several of these and priced at £2.50 I would be able to make it look impressive! 

So I really recommend checking this site out. Even if you have not got a gothic or quirky style there are lots of items which I am sure you will like - or even know someone that does! I know that as soon as I get a job I will be visiting to purchase some items and not just drool over them!! 

There is also a Facebook page too - with some additional items for sale. 

The perils of hair dye!! Ouch!

Not a very nice picture I will admit but I wanted to highlight the 'dangers' of dying your hair! 

Now I have always dyed my hair and have been a full spectrum of colours since I was 15. But I favour black or dark colours. (That's my inner goth!!) 

Last weekend I figured my hair needed a touch up so went and bought a well known and reputable brand. 30 Minutes later and I was expecting to a have a sleek new shiny colour which I suppose I do have. However I have been left with the sorest, itchy, inflamed, scabby, did I mention sore? rash! 

To help relieve the itch I bought and started taking some anti-histamines. Which have helped slightly but it still has not gone down! After a trip to the docs I have now got anti-biotics stronger anti-itch pills and some cream, fingers crossed this lot works because I don't want to be left with scars and it really does hurt!!

I have been doing some research though and it is the chemical Paraphenylenediamine (PPD)   which is found in the majority of permanent hairdyes especially the darker ones that cause this reaction. 

On one website I read that a body usually has a tolerance of 60 times to this chemical and side effects can occur at any time you dye your hair. So if the maths is done I have been colouring my hair for 15 years - perhaps this means my time as a black haired beauty is coming to an end? 

I used to only associate extreme allergies to hairdyes - TV programmes & magazines showing some poor person who had used colourings and stopped breathing or their face had swollen to unrecognisable proportions. But a skin reaction to people who have become sensitive to PPD is common too! 

The only thing I can do in the long term is to not colour my hair, especially with permanent ones. Even if I used a henna or more natural based dye I would need to check whether it contained PPD. 

To read more about it Check out the allergy uk website here...