Thrifty Gift Swap - Summer Edition!

You might remember that Janet runs a Christmas gift swap where the aim is to be pretty thrifty and to send secondhand or handmade gifts. Well, I had a hankering to do a swap so I asked her if we could do a summer edition of the thrifty swap. I had the idea then pretty much left Janet to organise so thank you very much for doing that, love. I think we had around fifteen participants including some new people, which is lovely!

I sent my parcel to Natasha and in it I included some Matalan goodies for the summer, a copy of one of my favourite books, and one of my zines. I received a parcel from Gemma, and I thought I'd post about my lovely gifts. I really like doing swaps like this - what I sent was about £15 including postage, so it's an inexpensive way to get a surprise in the post and maybe make a new friend!

My parcel arrived containing these gorgeous presents, aren't they nicely wrapped?

And here's what I got: a handmade glittery R, a notebook for my goals which I'm excited about using, a photo hangin kit, a mini stationery set, and then this gorgeous blue stone necklace that Gemma made. The stones are irridescent and a bit sparkly, I really like them. I'm looking forward to wearing this necklace!

If you'd like to join in the thrifty swap at Christmas, follow me on Twitter @cheaprhyme or Janet @jbistheinitial for more info closer to the time! 

Christmas swaps and books

I know, I know, by the time you read this Christmas will seem like a far distant memory. But I wanted to write about the swaps I joined in with anyway, because I like to say thank you for all the lovely gifts people send me. I hope that the gifts I sent were happily received too.

This was one of the book swaps I did. The books in question were on my Amazon wish list so I really wanted them, and the hot chocolate, chocolate, and face masks will be eaten and drunk and used!

These gifts were from Jane, in Janet's thrifty gift swap. I've been joining in with this for years now, and I love it. Jane sent me tape and a craft kit, books, chocolate, a heart shaped ornament, and this very cute flamingo cushion. The book on the left is so vintage, I bet it's hilarious

This was a stitching swap I joined it with. I love the homemade ornament at the bottom. 

This was the second book swap I joined in with, and I was incredibly spoilt! The books (all on the left) were ones I wanted, so are gratefully received. The rest are really amazing too!

And here's the swap I did in my penpal group, the item on the top left is a writing set. I love the colours of the wool!

And here are the other books I got. I read The Woman in Black last year and loved it, so my friend Laura bought me this lovely edition with other stories in too, and my mum bought me this book about music which I'd asked for.

Halloween accessories

In October I joined in a bloggers Halloween swap and received a gorgeous package full of goodies including socks, chocolate, nail polish and jewellery. I decided to wear the jewellery for the comic con we went to, and I added my maple leaf necklace that my mum brought me back from Canada.

I didn't manage to get a picture of the pin I was wearing, which was a shame, but it was this one from Pin Club.

You can't see them very clearly but these were Halloween earrings - a cat and a tombstone! I have three holes pierced in the lobes of each ear, but could only fit earrings in two as they're quite big!

This clip is really glittery and fun, plus it stayed put in my hair ALL DAY which is a huge plus for me.

And here's my gorgeous maple leaf necklace. I got a few compliments on it!

September Swap

Debz at Wannabe Princess held a September swap where bloggers swapped gifts with each other. I sent mine to Steph at Seeing Spots and I think she liked everything. I don't know who sent mine, they're still a mystery! Here's what I got, anyway:

Everything was wrapped in a leopardskin bag, I got a scarf, some eyeshadow, some nail polishes, and some chocolate which I've eaten!

I like these colours especially the top ones

I don't often wear shades like this but I like them, the one on the right is gorgeous

This is the scarf pattern, isn't it adorable!?

Book Swap

Several months ago Beth held a book swap and I signed up. I was paired with Cathy and we dutifully exchanged emails about what books we like, and I bought a couple on eBay for her, and then I think we both forgot about it. We remembered and when I finally got my ass to a Waterstones, I got the rest of her books. In the meantime I'd received an amazing box from Cathy, so I wanted to post about them. Better late than never!

I like loooots of different types of books. My main passion is Young Adult literature as that's what I'm writing. I also love crime because it's really escapist for me, but there isn't really a genre that I *won't* read. You can see that Cathy catered to my tastes and more! The books are:

The Cutting Room by Jilliane Hoffman

This looks like a good crime novel!

Poppet by Mo Hayder

How petrifying is that cover?! Cathy said that was partly why she chose it. I think I'll have nightmares!

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

I haven't actually read any John Green, even though I know that loads of YA readers love him, so this will be my first foray! 

The Republic of Trees by Sam Taylor

The blurb says that this is chilling, which I really love. I don't like scary films but scary books are great! 

(My favourite scary book is The Shining by Stephen King)

The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble

I haven't read anything by Drabble before but I've heard she's good. This book is partly set in 18th century Korea which appeals to me as I like to read stuff that isn't set in Britain or America. 

The American Boy by Andrew Taylor

This is a crime novel set in early 19th century England, but the boy in question is Edgar Allen Poe. I like novels that mix fact and fiction when nobody knows what the truth is. I also share my birthday with Poe so I have a bit of a soft spot for him!

So there you have it! I was so thrilled to received these books and I hope Cathy liked the ones I sent her just as much!