Tag: shari reviews stuff

Shari Review’s Stuff: Magical Apothecary Miniature Potions Replicas

~ sharisakurai ~ Leave a comment

Shari Reviews Stuff

Purchase: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1181302599/magical-apothecary-miniature-potions

IMG_8645Today, I am reviewing these adorable miniature potions bottles I bought on Etsy! Honestly, they are so cute! It was very difficult to decide which ones to get but in the end I chose the miniature pumpkins and dried rose petals.

Each bottle is approximately 4cm tall and contains tiny dried pumpkins and dried rose petals. There is a little cork in the top of each bottle with some twine around it. On the pumpkin bottle there are 3 mini pumpkins threaded through it and a cute silver leaf on the rose petal bottle. These finishing touches, together with the beautifully designed labels finish them off so well.

I have a Gothic inspired display and these fit in so perfectly! I will be definitely getting some more to grow my collection!

Disclaimer: These are my own thoughts on the above product, and I have not been asked or paid by the seller to provide a review.

Shari Reviews Stuff: Soap Stone Figures

~ sharisakurai ~ Leave a comment

Shari Reviews Stuff

Purchase: https://www.crystalshop.co.uk/ or https://www.etsy.com/uk

IMG_8621I was shopping in Chichester the other week and found these beautiful hand-carved soap stone figures in the local crystal shop! It was 3 for £12.50 so I had to pick some up! They are handmade in Peru and so detailed! Not to mention they are adorable!

I chose to get the cobra, scorpion and mouse. The cobra in honour of Khaled who is one of my favourite squishmallows. The scorpion as a nod to the Animal Crossing scorpion that always jumps out at me when I’m trying to catch moths, and the mouse because I love little rodents!

The lady in the shop said I need to be very careful as they will break easily so I have put them well away from a curious cat! These are really inexpensive and cute little figures. I am definitely going to collect more of them in the future!

Disclaimer: These are my own thoughts on the above product, and I have not been asked or paid by companies to provide a review.

 

 

Shari Reviews Stuff: Pastel Fluffy Slime and Fashion Fidgets Dolls

~ sharisakurai ~ Leave a comment

Shari Reviews Stuff

Fidget 1I just love collecting fidget toys and thought I would share a quick review of my latest purchases.

First up is this pastel fluffy slime that I bought from the Works (https://www.theworks.co.uk/), in store. The Works is one of my favourite stores for finding fidgets and blind bags and they now have Squishmallows too! I am a bit fussy with slime and I am pleased that I love this fluffy slime! It’s not too sticky and stretches really well. It also produces a good amount of bubbles to pop and the sound is very satisfying! It was £1 so a bargain really!

The second thing I bought is this Fashion Fidget Doll from the Entertainer (https://www.thetoyshop.com/), again in store. I was so happy to see these as I had seen them in toy hunt videos in the US and didn’t realise that they were out here too. They come blind Fidget 2boxed but they do have codes on the bottom so you can make a note of them and don’t end up with duplicates. I love the one I got! Her name is Poshi Pia! The little hearts on her cheeks are so cute and I love that you can move the buns on her head around as well as ‘pop’ her skirt! Her skirt can be twirled around too and she also comes with a clip so you can clip her on your bag and take her with you! The dolls are priced at £10 each, a little expensive in my opinion but not enough that I won’t be getting another one!

Disclaimer: These are my own thoughts on the above products, and I have not been asked or paid by the companies to provide a review.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shari Reviews Stuff: Connor the Fuzz-a-mallow

~ sharisakurai ~ 2 Comments

Connor

Purchase Link: https://www.smythstoys.com/uk/en-gb/toys/fashion-and-dolls/squishmallows/squishmallows-40cm-fuzz-a-mallows-connor-the-cow-soft-toy/p/211971

Since his release a few months ago, Connor has quickly become the most sought after Squishmallow! I was lucky enough to get my own Connor last week as some friends of mine kindly checked their local Smyths store and found him for me! My ‘local’ store is in the next county so not easy to get to and online orders just sold out so fast!


Is he worth the hype? I would say yes! Connor is a fuzz-a-mallow so he is fluffy all over and feels extra cuddly! He’s 16 inches so one of the bigger (but not biggest!) squishmallows you can buy. He’s very well made and so cute! I have used him as a pillow (and so has Tash!) and he’s very soft to sleep on! I try not to do that too often though as I don’t want to make him go all flat!


He is definitely worth his £24.99 price ($28.91) so if you can find him in your local store, I do recommend adding him to your collection!


Disclaimer: These are my own thoughts on the above product, and I have not been asked or paid by the company to provide a review.

Shari Reviews Stuff: Fidget Toys

~ sharisakurai ~ 2 Comments

image5

I’ve been buying quite a few fidget toys over the last couple of weeks and I thought I would share my views on which ones are the best that I have found so far! 

The first ones I bought were the round poppers. These are really simple, but really addictive. I have one beside me most days now as I’m working and also when I am watching TV in the evenings. They are really convenient too as you can use them one-handed and they just lie flat so they are not going to roll away or anything.

image3The fidget slug is good fun. He moves all different ways and also glows in the dark! Again you can use this one handed but a bit more concentration is required otherwise I found that I kept dropping him!

The unicorn fidget has slime in the poppers so it doesn’t ‘pop’ as such. You can press them to move the slime from one popper to another. It’s more robust than the usual poppers and is quite cute but you don’t quite get the satisfaction from it than you do the other poppers!

image2The fidget caterpillar and fidget octopus are really cute and fun! The octopus has poppers on and also flips inside out to show a different colour pattern and face expression. The caterpillar has poppers too and also lights up when you hit it against a surface or your hand. 

Overall I would say that my favourites are the regular poppers, just from the satisfaction point of view. Sometimes the simplest design is the most effective!

I would love to hear which one you think is the best! I’m going back to Smyths in Hilsea next weekend so I am sure I will be buying some more then (and probably some more Squishmallows too!)

Where to purchase: Toys shops or Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shari Reviews Stuff: Chicken Handbag

~ sharisakurai ~ 2 Comments

Purchase Link: Search on Ebay

image0I was searching around on Ebay whilst I was ill with Covid and treated myself to a couple of little bits and one of them was this bag. I love things that are kind of wacky and out there, and this chicken handbag certainly is that!

It’s a fun item. It’s not the highest quality, but it’s decent for the price (I paid £10 including shipping). It’s very roomy and can fit your purse, phone, keys and any other essentials inside. They come in different colours, but I chose the classic white chicken. It doesn’t look particularly waterproof so its going to be a summer only bag for me, but it’s a fun piece that I am sure will draw many comments when I am out and about!

 

Disclaimer: These are my own thoughts on the above item, and I have not been asked or paid to provide a review.

Shari Reviews Stuff: The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa

~ sharisakurai ~ 1 Comment

Travelling Cat 1

Nana is on a road trip, but he is not sure where he is going. All that matters is that he can sit beside his beloved owner Satoru in the front seat of his silver van. Satoru is keen to visit three old friends from his youth, though Nana doesn’t know why and Satoru won’t say.

Set against the backdrop of Japan’s changing seasons and narrated with a rare gentleness and humour, Nana’s story explores the wonder and thrill of life’s unexpected detours. It is about the value of friendship and solitude, and knowing when to give and when to take.

At the heart of this book is a powerful message about the importance of kindness. It shows, above all, how acts of love, both great and small, can transform our lives.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Travelling-Cat-Chronicles-Hiro-Arikawa/dp/0857524194

I purchased this book a couple of weeks ago and whilst I have not read it yet, I wanted to do a review just on the beauty of the artwork alone. I have not seen a cover this pretty in a long time. It’s matte and the cat is embossed so when you rub your fingers over it, it feels like it is literally jumping out of the cover at you.

Travelling Cat 2
This also totally proves a point (if it needed proving) that covers sell books. It was the cover art that caught my eye amongst the other books on display. Of course, the summary made me want to purchase it even more but without this beautiful design it may not have stood out as it did. Once I have read it, I will also be giving my thoughts on the book itself, but I just had to share this amazing cover with you!

Disclaimer: These are my own thoughts on the above cover artwork, and I have not been asked or paid by the publisher / author to provide a review.

Shari Reviews Stuff: Suck UK Cat Bowl

~ sharisakurai ~ 1 Comment

IMG_6609Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07P5NHQM3/ 

I’ve been meaning to get Tash a new water bowl for a little while and when I saw this I just couldn’t resist! The idea is that the fish glued to the bottom of the bowl will encourage your cat to try to ‘fish’ it out!

The bowl is a really good size and is not too deep or too shallow. It’s heavy enough that it doesn’t get knocked by an over-enthusiastic fishing expedition! It is well made, and the fish is stuck firmly to the bottom so there is no chance of a cat being able to pull it off! I was really impressed with the quality and the design, but I guess Tash should be the real reviewer here!

Unfortunately, she hasn’t quite got the idea of it yet! She has shown some interest but she’s usually keener on the contents in her other bowl! I’m hoping she will interact more with it when it has been there a while as she does take a while to get used to new things! IMG_6610

Disclaimer: These are my own thoughts on the above product, and I have not been asked or paid by the company to provide a review.

Shari Reviews Stuff: Olivia Burton Celestial Galaxy Midi Dial Rose Gold Mesh Watch

~ sharisakurai ~ 1 Comment

image0Purchase Link: https://www.oliviaburton.com/uk/shop-watches/celestial-galaxy-midi-dial-rose-gold-mesh-watch-OB16GD98.html

For me this watch was love at first sight! I was taking part in a watch survey, and this was one of the ones I was asked my opinion on.

The starry image and combination of jewels and shapes are just so perfect together. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have it! It is so beautiful and reminds me of Sailor Moon, so I now refer to it as my Sailor Moon watch!

It is light on the wrist, and you can adjust the strap to size. I found this a little difficult to do as you really need a tool to do it (I used a cake fork!). It would have been good if that was included really, but I am sure I can get one from somewhere.

I haven’t had a watch in years so not only do I need to remember to put it on, but actually check it rather than my phone when I am out!

If you are looking for a new watch, I really recommend Olivia Burton watches. They have different ones in the celestial range as well as plenty other beautiful designs to choose from!

Progress Report

~ sharisakurai ~ 2 Comments

Progress Report 2

 

It has been a little while since my last update, so I thought I would let you all know how my progress has been going since my last post. 

Perfect World 3 is still out for beta reading and I hope to receive all the feedback by the end of the year. In the meantime, I have finished the cover design and drafted the summary. I am really having to restrain myself when it comes to putting that out as I want to wait until everything is ready before the cover reveal. I hope to be able to do this in January, which is not too far off now! I am also drafting book 4 in the series so hopefully there will not be such a massive gap between releases this time!

I am also writing the second draft of Demon’s Past which is the next novel in my Demon’s Blood universe. I am really enjoying writing about Taku and Thane’s time together before the events in Demon’s Blood and I cannot wait to share their story with you all. 

In the New Year I would also like to pick up my fantasy novel again. I started this way back for my first NaNoWriMo and I really want to give Fayte and Marnai the story that they deserve. I have it all planned out now, I just need the time to write it! 

I also haven’t forgotten about my new segment on my blog ‘Shari Reviews Stuff’. I have a new review drafted and this should hopefully go up this week. 

So things are busy ‘behind the scenes’ as we reach the end of the year! I hope everyone is keeping well and I will share further updates with you all soon!