Random Things Haul

It's been ages since I last blogged a haul- mostly because I've not had much money to spend in what feels like eternity. I haven't been able to buy any clothes or beauty products in ages, but I have got my hands on a few little bits and pieces lately, so I thought I'd do a random things haul. It features craft supplies, stationery, a couple of Tsum Tsums, and the cutest turtle key ring, which I think I'll start with first...

I tagged along to Bicester Village with Marie the weekend before last, and I fell in love with the most adorable turtle-shaped coin purse in Kate Spade. I wanted to take it home so badly, but sadly, being poor, I couldn't afford the £70 outlet price tag, so Marie treated me to this ridiculously cute keyring in the same design to make up for it. I adore it; look how cute the little guy is! He was originally £55, which I would never dream of spending on a keyring, but the outlet price of £27 was far more reasonable, and I personally think it's worth the price because it's so beautifully made and the quality just shines through. Big sisters have their perks sometimes! Thanks, sis!

While I was at Bicester Village, I fed my notebook and Cath Kidston addictions further by treating myself to these two notebooks from its Cath Kidston outlet shop. Did I need new notebooks? Yes, I did! No, I did not, but I just couldn't help myself. I have an inability to resist new notebooks. I may have a problem. I was able to snap up a hardback heart-print Minnie and Mickey Mouse notebook from the recent Disney collection on sale for £6, which I quickly made a bee-line for because I wanted and missed out on one when they first went on sale before Christmas, so I left a happy bunny. There was a table full of items from the Mickey Mouse collection, so if you're still searching for a particular piece, it's could be worth paying Bicester Village a visit. I also picked up a softback floral notebook for £4, because Cath K's softback thin-ruled notebooks are my favourite to write in. Both notebooks are thin-ruled, and have red polka dot borders; they're so pretty! £10 well spent, me thinks.

I also bought a blue floral pen pot from Cath Kidston for £2.50, as I've been wanting one for ages. Now I've got one, I actually can't decide whether to use it for pens or for my make up brushes. I guess I should've bought two.

One of my new year's resolutions was to get back in to painting again, so I recently treated myself to a new watercolour palette with some of the Amazon vouchers I earned through Swagbucks to encourage myself to do so. I bought the Winsor & Newton Cotman 45 half pan water colour palette, a gorgeous set with 45 paints in 40 different colours plus 5 duplicates of popular colours like black and white, which also has a removable mixing palette for easy cleaning. I bloody love it! It's hard to see how beautiful and brightly-coloured the paints are in the palette as most of them look deceivingly dark, so I swatched them all to show you how gorgeous they are. Just look at all that colour! They're all highly-pigmented, so a little goes a long way, and they paint and mix like a dream. I've already used them several times since I bought them a fortnight ago, although I'm still working on my technique, and have a lot to relearn. The set was £27.29, but was originally £89.99 (!), so I got an amazing bargain, and it should in theory last for life as the pans are replaceable. I couldn't recommend this set more.

I also got myself some new paint brushes after realising I didn't have a decent set to work with. I didn't buy anything fancy; just a basic Winsor and Newton set of three round and three flat grey foundation water colour brushes, setting me back just £7.85. They're fantastic brushes, and I'm really impressed with them so far; they're just so lovely to paint with, and excellent quality. The bristles were mustard yellow to begin with, but I was so eager to start painting, I didn't take a photo of them before I first used them.

On my last visit to Hobbycraft, I discovered Johanna Basford, the illustrator behind those popular adult colouring books, also has a range of canvases featuring her designs, and I just couldn't leave without one in the compass design. They appealed to me because I'm not the greatest sketcher in the world, and the pre-printed design allows you to paint something pretty without the effort of drawing first. It seemed like a great way to ease myself back in to art again, and I was right! I mean, I'm making a total mess of it as my watercolour skills and technique need a lot of improvement, but I'm enjoying giving it a go. I've only painted a small section so far, and need to build up and even out the colours and add shading, but I'm hoping the end result won't look too bad. Although, if what I've done so far is anything to go by, it's going to look like a five year old made it! Haha! I suck at art. I'm definitely going to pick up a couple more of these canvases on my next trip to Hobbycraft, though, because I'm really enjoying myself, and I think they're fab! You can buy the compass canvas online here.

Speaking of canvases, I found these two Cosmo Cricket canvases in the sale in Hobbycraft for £2.50 each back in April. The words and the flamingo are pre-printed on the canvases, and you bring them to life with your own watercolour designs. I've never seen anything like them before, but they look like fun, and I thought they'd be a good challenge to attempt. I really love the flamingo quote and design.

On that shopping trip, I also picked up the Easter fat quarters, felt, and embroidery hoops I used for my Easter hoop art, plus some ribbons, and a set of Easter cake cases.

And I finally got my hands on the Cheshire Cat and White Rabbit Tsum Tsums, which I've been trying to track down without spending a fortune since they went on sale last year. They made a reappearance on the Disney Store website a few weeks ago, so I quickly snapped them up, and now I finally have the whole collection of Alice in Wonderland series two Tsum Tsums! This makes me happy. Alice in Wonderland has always been one of my most favourite Disneys, so I'm all over anything related to the movie, and the Tsum Tsums are particularly adorable. These two are still available on the website, along with Alice and The Mad Hatter, so snap them up now or risk missing out!

What random things have you been buying lately?