Hi everyone and welcome back to a new Nice News. This week’s edition is a lifestyle edit. A kindness lifestyle edit might I add, ways to bring a smile to your own or a loved one’s face.
Don’t forget that Nice News is uploaded every Wednesday at 11am. You can check out past publications by clicking HERE. If you have a story or idea to share then please get in touch with me by emailing Laurencurrieenquiries@gmail.com
Hi everyone and welcome back to a new Nice News. This week’s publication is the lifestyle edit. I will be including gift ideas (for yourself or friends and family), yummy treats, travel dreams for post-lockdown, and more.
Keep reading and enjoy…
Brighten up someone’s day with Bloom and Wilds brilliant bouquets.
There were a lot of b’s in that title but I really cannot recommend Bloom and Wild enough. Flowers bring a smile to everyone’s face.
Recently my boyfriend kindly surprised me with my favourite flowers, pink Peonies and Roses. I first discovered Bloom and Wild when my kind Mummy gifted me some flowers to my halls in my first year of university. They offer such a great service of post box flower deliveries. They really do fit right through your postbox and last a very good matter of weeks. You can even add treats such as chocolate to your gift as well as a card of course.
They offer a range of flowers from potted to bouquets in a range of colors and price points. With a little magic the company makes sure your flowers are asleep until they’re posted through your letterbox and ready to be awoken with some water and magic powder three days later.
Find out more by clicking HERE.
Amazon Wish List Gift Swap ~ #Spreadkindness
I’m sure if you have twitter you may have seen the #spreadkindness or #amazonwishlist flying around. What is it all about?
Bloggers from all over the UK have set up two hashtags called #Amazonwishlist and #spreadkindness. These are all a part of a tag in which bloggers (and non-bloggers) swap gifts from each other’s Amazon wish lists. It’s a great idea to bring a smile to fellow bloggers and followers’ faces. The gift is a surprise and a bit of excitement during dark times.
To get involved you simply tweet your Amazon Wish List with the hashtags and buy whomever replies and you want to a gift. They can send you one in exchange as it would be polite but they don’t have to. The idea isn’t to give to receive but instead gift to bring a smile to someone’s face.
Here are some rules you should follow:
- All gifts should be under £10
- Don’t add gifts for the sake of it, people are spending real money so get something maybe you’ve wanted for a while or adore.
- Your Wish List must be public not private. How to HERE.
- Make sure to link your address to the list, only you can see it!
- Ensure that the link works, don’t share an editable link. (READ ONLY)
- Don’t give to receive or ask for a gift in return
- Don’t ruin the surprise. It;s up to you if you let someone know you’ve brought them a gift but keep the item a surprise, it’s more fun!
- ALWAYS say thank you. Even if there is no gift no, do a tweet.
- You do not have to be a blogger to get involved. You can do gift swaps with your friends too or family! It’s just a bit of fun
“P.S I understand that delivery drivers are under such huge stress right now. They’re doing amazing by the way! You can do this idea with small shops and sellers via Etsy too, if you don’t want to stress out the delivery drivers anymore you can drop packages safely at each other doorsteps too. This is a lighthearted idea started up by some bloggers sharing kindness and joy.“
Stylist is back on our devices for FREE
I don’t know about you but I always find it so hard to grab a free copy of Stylist in London. Some days it’s being handed out outside a tube station and the next day it isn’t. Now with lockdown we definitely can’t hunt it down outside a tube station in London. It’s back on our devices!
Stylist is a great (free), Fashion, Beauty, and Lifestyle magazine. It used to be available for free from app stores but sadly a year or so ago they decided to get rid of it much to many readers’ disappointment. Don’t fear because it’s now back on all devices!
Thanks to the pandemic stylist are offering their issues free via their free Stylist app. I myself as an avid reader of the magazine am glad that it’s back on digital devices so that I can read it regularly again and not have to hunt down when in London to find an issue. It’s one of my fave magazines!
You can download the app HERE.
8 books you should read during lockdown
Things I wished my mother had told me, Lucia Van Der Post ~ BUY HERE
“Packed full of golden rules from one of Britain’s most stylish women, Things I Wish My Mother Had Told Me is a woman’s companion for life. Lucia van der Post reveals the secrets of dressing stylishly with advice on everything from how to organize your wardrobe, what to wear to travel and where to buy delicious underwear, great cashmere and sassy skirts.”
This book is a great read full of fashion tips. It really did inspire me and help me to realise what my style is and how to start shopping more consciously and stylishly. If you like reading fashion blogs, you’ll adore this.
Fallen, Lauren Kate ~ BUY HERE
“Theres something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori. Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Prices attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.”
This is one of my all-time favorite books, I own the whole series. If dark and mysterious teen romances are your thing then you too will love this. I couldn’t put it down and had to find out if Daniel and Luce would end up together or would she choose the bad boy Cam instead? This book is so good that there’s now a movie follow up on Netflix too! 10/10 page-turner.
Wakenhyrst, Michelle Paver ~ BUY HERE
“Something has been let loose…”
In Edwardian Suffolk, a manor house stands alone in a lost corner of the Fens: a glinting wilderness of water whose whispering reeds guard ancient secrets. Maud is a lonely child growing up without a mother, ruled by her repressive father. When he finds a painted medieval devil in a graveyard, unhallowed forces are awakened.”
The woman in black vibes, this creepy horror book has been on my reading list for a while. It has such good reviews and I’ve heard many great things. I haven’t read it yet but I just know it will be a good one. I am so excited to read it next, if you love spooky reads then you too will love this!
Stolen, Lucy Christopher ~ BUY HERE
“Sixteen-year-old Gemma is kidnapped from Bangkok airport and taken to the Australian Outback. Taken by Ty, her troubled young stalker, to the wild and desolate Australian outback, she reflects on a landscape from which there s no escape. In a story of survival, passion, and darkness, Gemma reveals how she had to deal with the nightmare or die trying to fight it.”
This is another dramatic young adult thriller. It is not based on a true story however it’s a very gripping thriller. Gemma is kidnapped but she starts to fall in love with her captor. I don’t want to give any more away but you must read this gripping thriller. Again, it’s another 10/10 page-turner.
Crazy Rich Asians, Kevin Kwan ~ BUY HERE
“When Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home and time with the man she might one day marry. What she doesn’t know is that Nick’s family home happens to look like a palace, that she’ll ride in more private planes than cars and that she is about to encounter the strangest, craziest group of people in existence.”
If you haven’t yet seen the movie then why not read the book first? Or if you have seen the movie read the book. I loved the movie and I’ve been to Asia many many times since the age of two so I really related to and understood the culture behind this book. It’s a light hearted, funny and romantic read.
The Potion Diaries, Amy Alward ~ BUY HERE
“When the Princess of Nova accidentally poisons herself with a love potion meant for her crush, she falls crown-over-heels in lovewith her own reflection. Oops. A nationwide hunt is called to find the cure, with competitors travelling the world for the rarest ingredients, deep in magical forests and frozen tundras, facing death at every turn. “
This book is a teen, dramatic romance novel. If you love Harry Potter or Angus thongs and perfect snogging then you’ll enjoy this read. It’s a very quick one and a page turned. I couldn’t put it down, I will be buying the other books in the series for sure! Highly recommend for an easy read.
The Five, Hallie Rubenhold ~ BUY HERE
“Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary-Jane are famous for the same thing, though they never met. They came from Fleet Street, Knightsbridge, Wolverhampton, Sweden and Wales. They wrote ballads, ran coffee houses, lived on country estates, they breathed ink-dust from printing presses and escaped people-traffickers. Their murderer was never identified, but the name created for him by the press has become far more famous than any of these five women. Now, in this devastating narrative of five lives, historian Hallie Rubenhold finally sets the record straight and gives these women back their stories.”
You’ve probably seen me recommend this book if you follow my social media. I really did enjoy this book, it’s all factual and not too creepy. Very interesting not only for the five women tales but life in the 1880s.
Harry Potter, J K Rowling ~ BUY HERE
“Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry’s eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The magic starts here!”
I’m sure you’ve all heard of the Harry Potter books. now is the perfect time to re-read the fantastic series. Relive your childhood and relax with some magic and mystery that is the Harry Potter books.
Support local artists ~ My fave Etsy shops
If lockdown should have taught us all anything, it’s to shop less, be less greedy, and support small + local companies and artists. I decided to share my favorite Etsy shops with you. I’ve been ordering a few stickers for my switch and discovered some great artists!
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