Giveaway Winner: Ponds

I'm pleased to announce the winner of my Ponds Cream Giveaway is

Cally of Cally's Cottage!

Congratulations Cally, please email me your address and I'll get your goodies in the post for you!

There is still time to enter my latest magazine giveaway - please let a comment on this post. I'll be busy transferring boxes over to my flat tonight so I may not get a chance to pick a name until Wednesday/Thursday evening so there's plenty of time!!

Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement on the painting, it went very well and thankfully I had a friend help although it was somewhat tiring for him!

Here I am doing my first spot of washing up

I promise I'll be back soon with some proper photos of the flat so you can join me in it's transformation

Mirror Mirror

I had a rare moment when my dressing table was tidy so I thought I'd share it with you!

Would you believe I never actually sit here to do my hair and make up!

And even worse I don't think I'll be taking it to the flat with me as I'm not sure it'll go... I will have to see as I do love this dressing table!

Pond Life

The lovely people at Ponds have decided to share with me their vintage beauty secrets and recently sent me some samples from their range to try

I thought it would be very bad form of me not to share their secrets with you so.....

I have Ponds Light Day Cream and Hydro Nourishing Cream to giveaway to one of my lovely commentators



You'll be interested to know that Ponds Cream features in 101 Things To Buy Before You Die as the cheaper alternative to La Prairie cream

Simply leave a comment on this post by 6pm GMT Friday 5th February 2010 when I will draw a name from the hat!

And I haven't forgotten I need to announce my latest magazine giveaway winner - check back tomorrow to see if you've won!

And don't forget to check in with Kelly who is planning some major giveaways this year!

Recent Charity Shop Finds

Old Maid card game

I love this style of figure

original Tala icing set & booklet

vintage sheet music, fabric, trims & trays

cute tin

What have you treasures have you found recently?

Quality Not Quantity

Today for Weight Loss Wednesday I'm going to raise the subject of quality not quantity

I've been far more successful this round of WeightWatchers by being a bit more selective about what I'm eating
Previously all yummy foods and treats have been banished, replaced with carrot sticks and somewhere between crisp breads and rice cakes I've lost my motivation and dived head first into a tub of malteasers!

Not this time!

WeightWatchers have a number of great cakes and biscuits available which I do have my cupboards stocked with and enjoy eating but did you know…

Oreo Cookies are only 1 point each?

I’d much rather 2 of those for 2 points than 2 weightwatchers biscuits (my least fave thing) for 1.5 points

And Cadbury’s Chocolate Fingers

only 0.5 points each!

Previously I’d ignored these sorts of treats assuming they were too high in points

I now prefer having a treat like this rather than the "diet" option which isn't as enjoyable

The same can be applied for savoury treats, Kelly mentioned last week preferring one brand of filled jacket potatoes to the other although there was a points difference she enjoyed one more

EDITED to add:

As Pomona rightly points out cheese is also something we tend to avoid on diets. I have sampled the WW cheese and not enjoyed it at all so instead I weigh pots of "normal" cheese out and bring them with me to work and find its more than enough to cover a jacket potato or add to a sandwich!

This is why if doing WW the points calculator is a handy tool. I take mine around the supermarket and if there’s something I’d enjoy I work out the points first – and often I’m surprised by what I “can” have