Where I Find Affordable Blog Props On A Budget

It's taken me a long time to be happy with my blog photos, and even though I know I'm not the queen of flatlays, I've dramatically improved since I first started and I think that's all down to different props and backgrounds. Over the last year in particular I've really got into the photography side of blogging and I now love picking up new bits to add to my photos, and all of them are on the cheaper side! Blog props don't have to be expensive and if you shop around you can find some fab bits, so I thought I'd share some of my favourite affordable extras and let you know where I found them!

Trinket Dishes & Candles

Small trinket dishes are always a winner when it comes to photos. They just fill a space and are great to grab when you're stuck. I have a few different ones which I tend to use quite a lot, these being a pineapple dish that I picked up from New Look for about £5 (similar here), a Winnie the Pooh gold dish which was £8 from Clintons and a little white and gold pineapple dish from Wilkinsons which was only about £1.50! You can find a variety of cute trinket dishes for under £10 from all sorts of place and they look great with lots of different products. I love to use the pineapple one with beauty products especially, and it's a staple for photos throughout summer! I also love to add candles to photos. Recently I've been adding my Bath and Body Works dupe to the background whenever there is a space and this is £3.99 from B&M. As the copper lid is so pretty I also sometimes use this in my photos and you would never know what it is! Another candle I love to use and have done for a long time is a copper geometric style holder from the Card Factory which was only £1.99. 

Fake Flowers

I love love love adding fake flowers to my photos. I find they can just completely change a photo and I can go from absolutely hating what I see to loving it. I have a few different ones I like to rotate, some fake peonies from Ebay which were around £3.50 at the time, some white carnations from IKEA which were 40p each, a pink orchard stem which was £1.25 from Wilkinsons and also some dried rose petals which I got in my Asda food shop for £1.50 and they are my current favourite to add to photos. Artificial flowers really don't have to be expensive and when you shop around you can find some beautiful ones. Something else I like to use in Autumn is fake maple leaves which I found on Amazon last year. They were for £1.99 for 100 and they were perfect for the last few months of 2017! I don't tend to stick to themes on Instagram but I do like to add little extras in to reflect the season when I can.

Cheap Wrapping Paper

As you can see from the photo above and the one below, I love to use wrapping paper as a prop. I only have one white background in this whole flat which is suitable for photos but I don't always like to stick with that so wrapping paper has been a great find! Whenever I buy any, I cut a large rectangular piece off and just keep with the rest of my blog props. I currently have quite a few so when I need to, I have a few to choose from. The one in the photo above was from Asda and was £2, and the one in the photo below was from Paperchase which if I remember correctly was around £1.50 for a sheet. I currently have my eye on this Gold Wood Grain one but they have loads to choose from instore. Wallpaper samples are also brilliant and you can get these totally free! I recently ordered a few from Next and delivery was also free but you can find many in stores like B&M and B&Q.

Blankets & Fabrics

One of the first things I started to use when taking blog photos was any blankets I could find! I've got quite a chunky fluffy one which I've used multiple times in photos and I've also got a lighter winter themed one which I love to use around Christmas time. These are things I had anyway so didn't cost me anything but you can find things like this in Primark for around £5. I also like to use other bits of fabric I can find and a favourite of mine is a thin scarf. I like how this looks in the corner of photos and it's so simple but adds a nice bit of texture and colour. Lastly in Winter I love to use a tartan pillowcase I have. Random I know but I didn't have a red tartan scarf which I thought would be perfect for Christmas themed photos and then I noticed the bedding in the spare room! There's no harm in getting inventive and using things you might not usually think of.

Stationery & Magazines 

I love using a magazine as a backdrop to my photos. I find they're great for placing beauty products on or for placing to the side as an extra just to change up the white background. I've got a few different £1 Glamour and Cosmopolitan magazines which I flick through every so often and I try to find a page relevant to the products I'm wanting to photograph. Aswell as magazines, I also love to use notebooks. You can buy really cheap ones from places like Home Bargains and Wilkinsons and they're really, really pretty! I have few pastel pinks one which I like to use and I love how they look in flatlays.

Makeup

Though with a lot of my photos, makeup is the main focus, I also like to add little beauty items when I'm photographing other things. If I'm struggling with ideas and don't know how to fill the space I'll just add a few nail polishes, bits of jewellery and lipstick. These are things I have in my makeup bag anyway so cost no extra and they're fab to just grab when you're in a bit of a rut!

Ribbons & Fairy Lights

The last few bits I have in my props basket which I like to use to finish any photos is ribbon and fairy lights. I picked up some gold glittery ribbon from Hobbycraft for £1 around Christmas and now I tend to use it in most photos. I find they photograph quite well and just cover any little spaces. Fairy lights are also great especially to drape over any products and I find it instantly changes the photo up. I currently use some from Primark which were £2.50 and as they're copper wire they go really well with other props I tend to use and they're easy to position exactly how you want.

I had no intention of this post being so long but I just had so many things I wanted to share! It really is worth shopping around for extras for your photos as you can find some real gems. Places like B&M, Primark and Ebay are always a winner and brilliant for a bargain. Though aswell as that, it's always worth having a look around your home and finding some bits to include as I mentioned above, you can honestly create some beautiful photos at no extra cost at all!

Where do you tend to find your blog props?

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3 Money Saving & Budgeting Tips*

I've written quite a few money saving blog posts over the last year or so, because who doesn't want to have a little bit of spare money at the end of the month? I've mentioned things like survey sites, buying value items and reward cards before, but recently I've started using a few different apps which I had to recommend and I've also found some other gems online which I think could be really useful for some people. I think no matter how much you earn, it's always nice to be able to save where you can and find ways to make life a little bit easier.

Money Saving Apps

Recently I downloaded 2 different money saving apps which have been brilliant for vouchers and freebies. The first one is Shopmium which has new offers each week, some are for completely free products, and others have money off. The app is really simple to use, just pick up the product in store which takes your fancy, scan the product and the receipt once your home and then they'll reimburse you. My first offer when I signed up was a free bar of Cadbury for £1.50, within a few days of scanning my receipt I had the money back in my account! At the moment if you sign up with my code you can get yourself a free jar of Nutella! It's well worth doing and my referral code is 6WY46. Another app I've recently downloaded is Shoppix. All you have to do with this is scan your receipt every time you shop, you'll get tokens and eventually you can convert these to cash or vouchers! It really is as simple as that and it's brilliant for any little top up shops you do as you can really get something for nothing. For an extra 200 points you can sign up with my referral code CLPPLIXU. With this app you also get surveys each week to complete which give you more points.

Payday Loans

Before applying for a payday loan you really need to be sure that you can pay the money back, and if you can and you're in urgent need of cash, then it might not be such a bad idea. I wanted to mention this as though it's preferred to have money set aside for any emergencies, that isn't always the case. There are many payday loan companies out there now but the one I wanted to mention in this post is Cash Lady. They are a well-established and reputable business who really care about all of their customers. When considering taking out a loan it's important you are well informed and are clear about what you are signing up for. Cash Lady are always honest and transparent when advising on payday loans and they are always working to get the best outcome for you. You can find heaps on helpful information on their website and also as there is no charge for making an application, there is definitely no harm in getting in touch and chatting with someone to find out more and get the best advice before going ahead. As payday loans can help with your finance on a short term basis, they are a great backup plan if something goes wrong with your paycheck or if something breaks unexpectedly. As long as you have money coming in and can cover the cost of repaying then it's worth considering for the future.

Check Your Budget

It's really important if you're wanting to save money or cut back that you budget each month and know exactly what is coming in and going out. It's easy if you're struggling to act as if it isn't happening and ignore it but that only makes things worse. Sit down and make a list, and go through what could be done. You might find you're paying for things and not actually using them, Netlflix? Well if you're not getting much use out of it, cancel it and you've saved yourself almost £10 there. The same goes for things like Gym memberships. If you're not going, cancel and use that money for something else! Only by budgeting will you find things like this and you might surprise yourself and find many ways you can save yourself some money. Aswell as making sure you budget each month, it's also worth checking out some freebie sites for any little extras. I literally just Google free stuff sometimes and so many sites come up, and you can get yourself free bits of food, samples of laundry bits, and loads more. It's always worth having a browse each week.

There are so many websites and apps out there now which help you budget and save money but these are the 3 things I really wanted to talk about as I think they're all useful for different people in different situations. I'm always looking for new ways to save so let me know if you have any other tips or if you've used any of these too!

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*Sponsored post in collaboration with Cash Lady. I only work with brands relevant to me and my blog

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Crafted By Cracker Drinks Review*

I'm always on the lookout for new drinks to try, whether that's juice, teas or fizzy pop, I just love discovering new brands and new flavours. One of my favourite things at the weekend is breakfast in bed with some warm croissants and an ice cold glass of juice, so these few drinks from Crafted Drinks that I was sent recently have been perfect!

I'd seen Crafted Drinks online a few times and I instantly knew they were something I had to try at some point. Crafted Drinks which are created by the team at Cracker Drinks Co contain exciting combinations of fruit and the highest quality ingredients which make a perfect refreshing treat. All of the flavours which are blended with water aren't filled with added sugars or sweeteners and actually these drinks contain 30% less sugar than 100% apple juice! They are also 1 of your 5 a day which I was very pleased to find that out because fruit juice is one of my absolute favourites but definitely not the best thing in the world for you. Knowing that that you can have fruit juice which isn't actually that bad for you, makes me very happy!

There are four flavours available to buy which I'll go through:

Mango and Passionfruit

The perfect mix of sweet and tangy. This has a beautiful taste of mango first and then a strong hint of passionfruit and together they are the perfect combination. Mango and passionfruit has been a favourite of mine for ages and it always makes me think of summer and fresh smoothies! This was the first flavour I tried and it was everything I hoped. So fruity and refreshing and one I'll definitely be picking up in future.

Still Cloudy Lemonade

Fizzy cloudy lemonade is something I very rarely have but always enjoy so I was really excited to try this. Cloudy lemonade makes me think of warm days sat out in the garden with a BBQ, and this still version is perfect for that. It's not too sharp but has a nice refreshing zingy taste to it and the texture of it is really nice and smooth. I'm saying it now, this was my favourite out of all the ones I was sent and one I will be picking up very soon from the supermarket.

Pineapple, Coconut & Lime

The thing I really love about Crafted Drinks is their range of flavour combinations and adding coconut and lime to pineapple was the perfect mix. Out of all of them this was the one that really reminded me of cocktails, it's a brilliant non-alcoholic alternative to a pina colada but just as tasty. I did find the coconut flavour quite strong which was a little odd at first but the pineapple comes through the more you drink and of course the hint of lime is a nice addition.

Apple, Mint & Lime

This is another flavour which reminded me of cocktails. I could totally imagine this in a decorative glass full of ice on a hot summers day. Apple juice is my all time favourite and something I get quite reguarly so I was really intrigued by this. I love the addition of lime to it as it just adds something a little bit different and gives it a nice tangy hit. The mint was also a refreshing addition and definitely went well with the other flavours.

As I tend to stick to just plain apple or orange juice, it's been so nice to try out all of these delicious flavour combinations and find some new favourites. Out of them all the Cloudy Lemonade was definitely top for me but the Mango and Passionfruit came a close second. I just found both of these so enjoyable and I could honestly go through glass after glass of them. Though I loved the first two, my partner George actually really enjoyed the latter two much more so that shows there is a flavour each person is sure to enjoy. Though the flavours are the main thing, I did just want to quickly mention the packaging because I think it's so eye catching. It's really different to other plain cartons of juice you find now and I know if I saw this in a shop I would be instantly drawn to it.

 I wouldn't hesitate to pick these up again in future and as I've already said, I've already found the Cloudy Lemonade online at Asda so that will be getting added to my shopping basket very soon. If you would like to pick some of these up for yourself, they can be found in Sainsburys, Asda and Waitrose or you can find out more on their website here! I highly recommend you give them a try, especially in the warmer months of the year for any BBQ's or parties you may plan!

Have you ever tried Crafted Juice Drinks before?

*Products sent for the purpose of this post. I only work with brands relevant to me and my blog

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Jens Sweet Shop Subscription Box Review*

Subscription boxes are all the rage now. As I mentioned in one of my Valentines Gift Guides, you can find a variety now from beauty to healthy snacks to American goodies and now even sweets and chocolate which pleases me very much. I was recently sent a sweet box to try from the lovely people at Jen's Sweet Shop and I have thoroughly enjoyed going through everything!

Jen's Sweet Shop is a proper traditional sweet shop, both online and offline. They started over 8 years ago in a small indoor market but they now have a fully fledged shop and also stock lots of sweet favourites online. You can buy any sweets you want in either 200g bags, small jars or large jars or you can order a subscription box which is the thing I was lucky enough to try out. There are 3 subscription boxes available, the Ultimate Mystery Box which contains a mix up and 2 lollies, the Perfect Pick n Mix Up which contains a range of gummy, fizzy and jelly sweets aswell as lollies, and finally the Tasty Traditional Mixup which includes a mix up of lots of old favourites.

The box I was sent I was very impressed with as it had some of my favourites! There was Assorted Toffee, Fizzy Chips, Snowies, Jelly Snakes and 2 lollies.

Within a few hours I had got through the Fizzy Fries, they were so moreish! Something I very rarely have so they were really nice to see in the box. The Assorted Toffees were an excellent addition too. I love the mix of Milk Chocolate, Plain Toffee and Chocolate Eclairs, the English Creamy Toffee was my absolute favourite, I'm going to have to get more of those in future. I also really enoyed the Jelly Snakes and my partner George loved the Snowies. I'm not a massive fan of white chocolate so I just had a few of these but he got through them very quickly. Overall the mix included was brilliant and it was nice to have lots of different choice, including the lollies as that's something I never ever buy.

The thing I really like about subscription boxes like this is that you really have no idea what you'll get each time. As there are over 400 different sweets available at Jen's Sweet Shop, you can't possibly predict it! Aswell as obviously loving the selection of sweets and the taste, I was also really impressed with how everything was packaged. Each selection of sweets were packaged individually and the box itself was ideal for fitting through the letterbox. This means that no problems with delivery should happen and it doesn't matter whether you're in or not when the box arrives. The 3 subscription boxes available are currently £5.95 but if you enter the code FIRSTBOX at checkout you can get the first box for just £3.95. It's also your choice whether you get the box every 2 weeks or 4 weeks, it depends how much of a sweet tooth you have 😉

If you would like to try out Jen's Sweet Shop or want to see the huge range of sweets available then make sure you check out their website for lots more information. I highly recommend them for a little treat to your self each month!

Have you ever tried a sweet subscription box before?

*Box sent for the purpose of this post. I only work with brands relevant to me and my blog

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