Typecast

Welcome to my occasional series of recommendations.  Here are my star items for November 2011 from the gifts and samples I have been sent this month and some personal recommendations too.

I am currently changing handbags.  Again!  Simply because when a Kate Benjamin handbag arrives from the 'vintage glamour' section of Accessories Direct , in it's own dust bag, wafting that gorgeous smell of leather around, you just have to indulge!  I have an unnecessary obsession with handbags and shoes, but at least they are always guaranteed to fit!

Since I renamed and relaunched this blog a couple of years ago,  I have had some fantastic opportunities with plenty of learning curves along the way.   I believe that I am accountable for the content I hold on my blog space and that is an enormous responsibility.   Apart from the occasional featured post (clearly marked, paid-for content), everything on my blog is my own work, my own ideas, my own experiences.   That is what makes it individual. If you are a regular reader you will know that I occasionally host a giveaway or a competition.  Some of my readers have been the recipients of great prizes.   I enjoy the interaction between brand representatives (a.k.a. PR's) and myself and I wholly believe that PR's contact me because I work hard at my blog and I reach a wide and diverse audience.   Social media networking plays a large part too.    I also know that they find me through the number of ‘charts’ that use rankings – namely the T...

Trying to find Christmas presents for teenagers that are both affordable and will be a big hit can prove to be difficult.   Idealo - the price comparison website - have conducted some research and found that the average amount that parents spend on each child at Christmas has risen by 63% from £75 in 1995 to £168 in 2010. So, Idealo set me a challenge.  They provided me with a kitty of £75 and I had to attempt to put together the perfect Christmas stocking for one of my boys.  I had to find the items on the internet and (preferably) use their price comparison website to try and get the best deal.  Here is what I bought: The Inbetweeners Movie Play.com £11.99 Fifa12 for the XBox 360 Amazon £37.19 Remote Control Spinster Hawkin's Bazaar £12.00 Drinking Glasses Hawkin's Bazaar £3.50 Two tins of Celebrations Tesco £4.50 each TOTAL:  £73.68 NB: online prices may change Now I think that's a Christmas stocki...

When I featured the new #FaceOfRegis and their  Rock, Lock and Load competition a couple of weeks ago ( which doesn't close until 3rd January 2012 ) Regis Salons   invited me to have a cut and colour by way of a "thank you". My hair hasn't been its natural colour since I started going grey at the age of 21 and I've probably been every colour you can think off (apart from green).  I've had bleaching disasters (think along the lines of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland), had to go to work with a dye stain down the back of my neck after home colouring sloppiness and I've had every length of hair going from one extreme to the other when having it cut (from shoulder length hair to clippered at the back in one fell swoop).  I also don't mind experimenting with styles but it never looks the same after the day I step out of the salon.

This post was submitted to me within the ethos of  Blognonymous .  This contributor doesn't blog but heard about the Blognonymous team from a blogger in our community.   This is an interesting  quandary  and one I'm sure you'll all have something to contribute; personal experience, friends who have been in a similar situation or even just your own opinion. If you would like to offer any kind of support in the comments but prefer to remain anonymous yourself then there is  a "guest comment" facility - sign out of Disqus (if you have used it before), write your comment, click "Post as..." and you will see "guest" appear as an option. If you would like to contact the Blognonymous team please click on the image to the right for more details. - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = -

Did I disappoint every one again? You know when you feel you can't do right for doing wrong... Is that why they have all but cut me out of their lives Or do I have to try harder to make them Communicate? I have to question if they still love me or If live just takes over, as I know it does. Is it because the memory of the one person That held us together is Fading? I said the wrong thing and apologised But it didn't mend the gap Only made it wider. When that happens, do you leap or do you Wave? No-one to ask how I'm doing or How I am coping with everything here. Everyone expecting me to carry on being The strong one.  Which, at the best of times is Hard! Two people, ignoring me and still Expecting me to make an effort. Talking shouldn't be this hard and I just want someone to tell me I'm doing OK!