Saturday, 20 February 2016

Review: Valentina - Elephants Bracelet





It has been way too long since I did a jewellery post on this blog, where has the time gone? Today, I am introducing you to a company called Valentina. The company was founded recently in 2015 and they pride themselves on creating beautiful yet sustainable jewellery. Everything is assembled by hand in England, and it's always great to support a growing business. 

Valentina have kindly sent me their beautiful Elephants Bracelet* and I absolutely love it. I don't own any charm bracelets so this is a very welcome addition to my jewellery collection. It features various animal charms alongside some very pretty blue beads. The bracelet comes in three sizes and is fully adjustable. It is also silver plated and free from nickel. All Valentina items come packaged in fully recyclable material in order to protect the environment. 

A portion of all sales are donated to a charity so if you're not sure which bracelet to go for, why not check out the charities instead to see which one you'd like to support? With this bracelet, 10% of the sale goes towards the World Wide Fund for Nature, a charity dedicated to looking after our environment and the wildlife, whilst tackling climate change. I think that protecting our planet is so important not just for ourselves but for future generations, and it's great that Valentina helps to support that. 

They have also kindly offered my readers a discount code to offer you all 30% off all of their items. You can use the code linda30 at checkout. Hurry, it expires on the 16th of March 2016!

What are your thoughts on this bracelet and the company behind it?

Sunday, 14 February 2016

Self-Love


Here we are again, the 14th of February, a day that most of us know as Valentine's Day. Some people love the day filled with soppy romantic gestures, whereas others could not think of a more pointless day of the year. Nevertheless, today has been a great reminder for me that before anything else, self-love is so important. 

Appreciate yourself and everything that you do. It's okay to give yourself a pat on the back for finishing that drawing you've been doing. It's okay to tell yourself "well done" for running that extra mile. 

Likewise, don't beat yourself up for not completing a task. Tomorrow is a new day and you can start again. We are always taught to forgive others that we sometimes forget to forgive ourselves. 

Live your life with intention. It can be monotonous to stick to the same routine day in day out, not knowing why you're doing what you're doing. Find something that you're good at, find something that you enjoy.

Cherish your body and mind. Feed your body with good food, feed your mind with inspiration and new knowledge. 

Being alone is not the same as being lonely. Use your "me-time" to gather your thoughts, to assess your dreams and goals, to reflect on what's been going on. Pamper yourself, read a book, do a puzzle. 

Independence is cool. Learn how to do things for yourself even if it scares you. Being able to carry yourself is one of the best feelings. 

Find your happy place, the place that makes you smile and the place that makes you feel as though all your troubles just drift away. 

Stop waiting for someone to love you. That person is you. Anyone else who comes along is just an added bonus. 

Stop waiting in general. Be patient, be persistent, but don't stop moving. 

The best person in this wide world to transform you into a better version of yourself  is YOU.