Tag: jewellery

10 Alternative Advent Calendars for 2022

Published on by Our Daycation Life3 Comments

Christmas traditions are always evolving and the tradition of advent calendars is no exception. We have already seen picture-based calendars be replaced with chocolate ones, but over recent years more and more brands have released their own version of advent calendars and I’m here for it! It now means there are plenty of options on the market that offer people something different to chocolate and instead people can choose to have advent calendars full of surprises that can be enjoyed beyond Christmas. These alternative options are becoming more and more popular, in particular with parents who wish to limit their child’s sugar intake or avoid sugar in the mornings. They are also seen as more sustainable options as the contents are intended to be kept for longer and don’t usually require plastic inserts like chocolate ones.

Here are my top 10 alternative advent calendar suggestions for 2022 that offer families something a bit more special than traditional chocolate:

1) Paperchase: Mr Men Little Miss 2022 Stationery Advent Calendar

This advent calendar is a fun collaboration between Mr Men Little Miss and Paperchase that has 24 stationery essentials hiding inside. It includes a variety of notebooks, paperclips, stickers, washi tapes, pens and even a key ring. Each item is characterful, bright and fun as per Mr Men Little Miss typical style. This would be perfect for primary school aged children to replenish their school supplies over December!

RRP: £35. Click Here *Sold out online, check in store.

2) Lindex: Squeezy Toys advent calendar

This advent calendar is perfect for children who like sensory toys or fidget toys. Behind the 24 doors are a variety of squishy animals and shapes in a range of colours. They are friendly in appearance and super satisfying to squeeze!

RRP: £14.99. Click here *Check in Lindex London store.

3) BRIO world 2022 Christmas Advent Calendar

Brio is a brand that any train-loving child will already be familiar with and this advent calendar is the perfect opportunity to add some festive pieces to a train collection! It includes track pieces as well as Christmas themed people, signs, trees and even a train with carriage decorated in a gingerbread style! The front of the advent calendar folds open to create a Christmas scene that children can add their new pieces to each December morning.

RRP: £34.99 (currently on sale at £24.39) Click here to shop on Amazon

4) Super Wings Christmas Advent Calendar

Super Wings is a popular children’s TV series that sees a variety of transforming characters save and rescue people. This advent calendar includes a variety of those much-loved characters in the form of planes and mini figures, as well as a few Christmas decorations too! Children will be super excited to open the new door each morning to see which character is joining the gang that day in the lead up to Christmas.

RRP: £29.99 Click here to shop on Amazon

5) Lindex: Jewellery charm advent calendar

This advent calendar may seem small, but it is packed full of pretty little jewellery items! There is a range of items inside; from a necklace to clip on earrings and lots of cute charms and pendants inbetween. Children will love to build their own charm bracelet and necklace by adding something new to it each morning.

RRP: £9.99 Click here *Check in Lindex London store.

6) Find Me A Gift: Harry Potter Advent Calendar Cube

This is an absolute must-have for all Harry Potter fans (big or small!) The fact that this advent calendar is a cube already makes it interesting and unique, but it is also packed full of Harry Potter characters and wands. By Christmas Day the owner of this advent calendar will have a full collection of wand and character keyrings and a couple of special pins too. If that’s not enough to tempt you, then on the 24th is a very special surprise ……. SPOILER: it’s a Harry Potter snow globe!

RRP: £39.99 Click here to buy

7) GraviTrax Advent Calendar

If your child loves marble runs and even already has a collection of GraviTrax pieces, then they need this advent calendar! It is packed full of 36 track pieces and accessories to help children build new routes and create crazy trick shots. GraviTrax is unlike typical marble runs in that it’s a brand that allows children experiment with gravity to power their ball through twists, loops and turns!

RRP: £31.45 Click here to shop on Amazon

8) Paperchase: The big stationery advent calendar

This gorgeous gingerbread house style advent calendar is full of stationery essentials and favourites and even includes a £5 voucher. Other items included are pens, paperclips, washi tapes, highlighters, pencils, sticky notes and more. The contents are worth £100 and although the advent calendar is usually just £45, it’s currently on sale for just £30!! Plus if you’re lucky enough to find a golden pen inside yours, you can win a £200 voucher too – how exciting!

RRP: £45 reduced to £30 Click here to shop

9) Baylis & Harding: Luxury 24 days of beauty advent calendar

This is the perfect advent calendar for you – Yes, YOU! I’m talking to all you mums out there reading my blog right now in search for the best advent calendar for your children – you deserve one too. This Baylis and Harding one is perfect for mums that deserve some pamper time with some gorgeous products. Inside it is full of bath and shower creme, bath bubbles, hand cream, body lotion, foot lotion, body wash, foot soak crystals and lots more, each infused with gentle blends of jojoba, rich vanilla and sweet almond oil.

RRP: £45 reduced to £24.99. Click here to shop on Amazon

10) Baylis & Harding: Signature For Him Advent Calendar

Oh go on then, let’s throw an advent calendar suggestion “for dad” into the mix because I suppose he deserves a treat too….. haha! This Baylis and Harding one includes a variety of toiletries that are not just suitable for use at home, but also a great size for dads who work away or have to travel a lot. Contents include aftershave balm, shower gel, face wash, hair and body wash, foot lotion, muscle soak, shampoo, conditioner and more! The items come in 2 fragrances: citrus, lime & mint and black pepper & ginseng!

RRP: £45 reduced to £22.50 Click here to shop

I hope this article has helped to give you some inspiration for buying your advent calendars this year. Please do let me know in the comments which one you think is your favourite!

Sweet as can BEE 🐝

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Latelita rose gold bee bracelet

You may have noticed that recently bees feature a lot in jewellery. My favourite collection that I have seen is the one at www.latelita.com. Their range includes gold, silver and rose gold products in a variety of stud earring, pearls, drop earrings, necklaces, bracelets…. so many beautiful bees!

However as well as being a beautiful feature in jewellery, the bee is symbolic and has many representations when worn. Did you know this? Here are some details of the symbolism behind bee jewellery below:

  1. Loyalty – Bees are extremely loyal creatures who will even sacrifice their lives for their Queen and hive. This selflessness and protective nature of the bee is what makes them symbolic of being loyal. For this reason bee jewellery is a meaningful gift of loyalty for a partner.
  2. Determination – Bees are persistent creatures that work hard and never give up on their mission, no matter how many times they are shooed away. It is this characteristic of persistence, tenacity and determination that makes bee jewellery a lovely gift to a colleague who has been working hard, or a gift for a graduate who has completed a degree.
  3. Peace and Harmony – Bees are team players and work in harmony in their swarms to reach their goals. They don’t compete against each other with jealousy, but rather work together peacefully. For this reason bee jewellery is often representative of this peace and often fondly given as a gift of friendship.
  4. Ambition – According to all known laws of aviation, the bee does something impossible every day. It’s little wings should be too small to get it’s large body off the ground….. but it does it anyway! This notion of “doing the impossible” is what inspires a love for bees amongst many people and why they can represent ambition.

As above, jewellery featuring bees is not only a beautiful gift, but it’s a symbolic and meaningful gesture too. 

So, if you are a jewellery lover, a bee lover and also love what they symbolise, I thoroughly recommend heading over to www.latelita.com to check out their collection! Their products come beautifully gift wrapped too so would make a special present for a loved one to receive in the post. But my advice is treat yourself! You absolutely deserve it after the last few months and it will serve as a lovely reminder of your strength during lockdown and moving forward from this chapter in your life!

OYLE – aromatherapy jewellery

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It’s been no secret that I’m starting to struggle with this lockdown situation now. Most days I have both boys at home by myself and I’m finding it exhausting, so much more so than if we had the freedom for days out. Then @oylelondon got in touch and have helped make me feel more human again!

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Have you heard of aromatherapy jewellery before? I certainly hadn’t and I have to admit that the @oylelondon jewellery is an absolute game changer! Aromatherapy can improve mental, physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. I really believe in the powers of essential oils and the fantastic thing about Oyle London is that they design jewellery that is constructed specifically to diffuse a chosen essential oil aroma throughout the day – in style too because their clever jewellery is also beautiful.

 

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I chose the “mood” essential oil blend because of its promise to “get you energised!” It is a refreshing blend of Lemon, Scotch Pine, Rosemary & Lime. It is an energising mix of citrus and uplifting pure essential oils which is perfect for the afternoon slump feeling and helping to make me feel refreshed. And it really does work! I don’t feel so exhausted in the evenings and feel like I’m able to cope better during these weird times. The fragrance is so lovely and really does uplift my emotions throughout the day as it’s released from my gorgeous necklace.

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Oyle London jewellery is so easy to use. All you need to do is:

1) Open the locket.

2) Place 1-2 drops of your chosen oil onto the bead.

3) Put the bead in the locket, closing firmly.

And that’s it! The oils will diffuse through the vents of the locket throughout the day.

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Oyle London have a fab range of essential oils and blends to choose from for different purposes.

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Dusk essential oil blend: This relaxing, calming night blend has soothing properties of Lavandin, Valerian Root and Chamomile Roman. It is advised to use this one an hour before bed for a restful night’s sleep.

Rosa essential oil blend: Rosa is a romantic blend that combines the sweet aroma of sweet oranges, with the qualities of ylang ylang  and Patchouli. The blend is finished of nicely by the sweet floral scent of fresh palma rosa.

Hush essential oil blend: This blend combines the uplifting properties of Bergamot, with the soothing woody aroma of Rosewood, grounding properties of Vetiver and comforting fragrance of Lavender to help you relax and unwind.

Rise essential oil blend: This blend is a mix of uplifting properties of Orange & Lemon oils, Mandarin, Pine and reviving properties of Spearmint get you set for a busy day.

The aromatherapy jewellery is available in lots of different styles and colours and they include bracelets too!

 

I would 100% recommend Oyle London as I really think everyone deserves to experience the benefits of this very clever piece of jewellery.

You can shop the collection here

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