Stuff and things

One of the cool things about being in the United States was that I got to buy random things that we don't easily get back home like this cute variation on a typical American composition notebook.

I also managed to get to a Bath and Body Works.  It's going to sound odd if I say this was a lifelong dream for me, but it was, a little bit.  I adore bath products and even though I've had The Body Shop, L'Occitane and Lush within reach before, I never managed to get in spitting distance of Bath and Body Works.

Some of the things I bought for myself and for friends.  The little hand sanitisers make cute gifts, I think.  Hand sanitiser in Singapore smells like Dettol or something similarly anti-bacterial.  I'm using the Coconut Grove flavour myself, and it's a vast improvement.

I haven't actually tried the moisturiser properly yet, but in the shop it felt similar to some of the Victoria's Secret lotions - moderately creamy and deliciously scented.

After some thought, I also splurged on a Vera Bradley wallet in the pattern Indigo Pop.  I've always wondered what it would be like to own something from Vera Bradley (I'm shallow like that) and I love this wallet because it has an entire compartment for your Smartphone.  That really got me.

I used to try jamming my phone into all my other wallets and they would either get uncomfortably distorted or worn out.  Now I can just grab this and go, and it still looks cute.

The Grandluxe diary is my planner this year and it wasn't from the States but I thought it looked pretty there anyway.  I like the fact that the spiral is so tiny and flat in the middle that it doesn't interfere with my southpaw handwriting.

Finally, there are these candles, which are not from America either, weirdly enough.  Before I even knew that I was going to San Francisco, my colleague Vanessa and I decided to buy some Bath and Body Works candles online, just to try them out.  We'd both been using Yankee Candles and wanted to see how the Slatkin and Co. variety compared.

I'm happy to report that I LOVE them.  They burn really evenly and quickly, thanks to the three wicks (Yankee Candles sometimes tunnel, unless they're of the two-wick variety) and the smells are as delicious as they sound.  Vanessa got Winter and Marshmallow Fireside and she loves them too.  If you're looking to order online, now's a good time since all the holiday flavours are out. 

Well, off to spend the rest of the evening knitting to the smell of mint and chocolate.  Don't judge!