I confess that I'm not-so-secretly addicted to sweet reviews, and it's about time I dipped my toe in the high GI pool. Where better to start than with the chicest sweeties out there, Candy Kittens? I've wanted to try them for the longest time, with the gorgeous packaging, delicious flavours, and vegan formula all reeling me in, but the price putting me off. Maybe I'm just a penny pincher, but I can grab a bag of good old Haribo for £1 compared to these being £1.50 upwards.

Luckily for Scrooge over here, Morrisons had reduced their bags to just 75p, so naturally I had to swoop and grab a bag each of Peach Fizz, Blueberry Bliss, Wild Strawberry, and Sour Watermelon.

Three members of my family mistook the bags for cat treats, but I love them. The silver spots, the bright colours that correspond with the flavours, they're just gorgeous. I'm a sucker for great packaging. I also really love that the sweets themselves are cat shaped, they remind me of upscale Percy Pigs.

Out of the four bags I grabbed, the one I'll run to restock is absolutely Peach Fizz. Peach is one of my favourite flavours, and at first this tasted like typical peach sweets, then developed into something even better. Candy Kittens have absolutely nailed an accurate, fresh flavour, that feels like biting into the real thing without getting juice all over your hand. Absolutely one of the best sweets I've ever tasted, and do you know what? I'll happily loosen my purse strings and pay £1.50 for more.

After sampling peach perfection, the others paled in comparison. They were all lovely but just not on the same level. I did really enjoy the fine, sour sugar they were all dusted in, it helped to lift all the flavours and boost their true, tart fruit taste.

The flavour came from the addition of real fruit juices in the sweets, and the ingredient list also boasts natural colours, but you won't spot beeswax or gelatine or beeswax glaze in there. Due to this, I was expecting a very soft texture, but they're satisfyingly chewy. Not quite Haribo tough, but they won't melt in the mouth either. Out of the vegan sweets I've tried, I can see these becoming a firm (ha) favourite,

Which flavour should I try next?

 I've loved arts and crafts from an early age. We were lucky enough to have a play room, and it was like stepping into Hobbycraft, The Works, and the Crayola factory combined, so it's no surprise that my passion has grown with me, although my collection is a little more refined. This post would be longer than War And Peace if I listed everything, but these are the things I reach for every day!

This post contains Amazon affiliate links marked with *. Using them won't cost you any more, but I'll get a bit of moola to buy more pens.

Starting with the basics, I always choose a sketchbook with thick, white, smooth pages. Many brands have a slight tint or grain to their pages, but Winsor and Newton have great paper with serrations for easy removal, in handy ringbound books. 

My absolute must haves are good fine liner pens for drawing lines and adding dotwork. I've tried Faber-Castell and UniPin, but my favourites are Sakura Microns*. I mainly use sizes 0.2, 0.1, and 0.05 but also have sizes 0.3, 0.5, and 0.8, which I use for filling in larger spaces, as the ink is pitch black, waterproof, and fade proof.

I also have a large range of colourful Staedtler Triplus fineliners*. I tend not to use them in my illustrations as they can become patchy, but I enjoy using them to write out greetings cards and packaging for my shop orders. 

Another essential pen in my collection is a simple white gel pen from Pilot. I use this for adding highlights and details, but it's also really handy to use almost like a tiny Tippex. I can blank out mistakes and colour over them pretty easily.

When it comes to adding colour, watercolour is my choice, although I do find it very difficult to work with. Winsor and Newton is a great brand, and I have their pocket palette plus a 45 colour half pan palette*, and I also use their masking fluid, which is a medium you paint over areas you don't want the paint to touch, then peel off. Between the palettes, I have every colour I could want, and I like to use them for either washes or more solid pops of colour. For blending and layering I prefer watercolour pencils, and use a great set from Reeves.

I'm trying to branch into acrylic, so I have a super cheap set that are actually labelled as fabric paints, and 2 bottles from the docraft Artiste range. For all my paints I use some fine Winsor and Newton brushes, and a set from Royal and Langnickel, who make a huge variety of brushes- even makeup ones! My set is real hair, sable, so I will be swapping to a synthetic set when they're done.

What art supplies do you love?

When I saw that Racconto Lounge had popped up in Bury, little did I know that it would be the most Instagrammable location in town! The interior is like nothing I've seen before, and such a clever use of the space. Huge paper lanterns swing from the ceiling, while the walls are adorned with thousands of framed portraits and paintings. Antique bureaus and mirrors meet recycled wood flooring and bright, mismatched furniture to give it an eclectic but cosy feeling. In a small space all of this would be cramped and dark, but it brings much needed warmth and life to the tall industrial space.

I will say that we did have plenty of time to take in the view, as our meals were pretty late, and we waited longer than the 30 minutes advised. However, we did visit on a Bank Holiday and the staff were really polite about it, so it wouldn't stop me returning, but I would choose a quieter time.

The veggie brunch caught my eye because it featured halloumi and sweetcorn fritters instead of Quorn or Linda McCartney sausages, which I'm not really a fan of. It also came with toast, fried egg, spinach, peppers, mushrooms, hash browns, and -perhaps most importantly- baked beans in a little pot. I love it when they're kept separate rather than getting my food wet. 10 points, Racconto Lounge.

My brunch was really delicious, although I wish I could have swapped the mushrooms for another fritter. They didn't have as much salty, chewy halloumi as I had expected, but the texture was really good nonetheless. Alongside the all day breakfast menu, there are also paninis, burgers, salad, and tapas on offer, all of which sound delicious. The menu is fairly priced too, with most mains and drinks coming to around a tenner.

I was excited to see that the menu also features homemade lemonades and watermelon iced tea. I don't drink alcohol, so it's always a pleasant surprise to see more interesting soft drinks on offer. Sadly my sister ordered the raspberry lemonade, and while it was good to see that it was made with lots of real fruit, it was super sour.

While my parents really enjoyed a twisted chicken panini and homemade vegetable soup, my sister pulled the short straw again with the breakfast muffin she ordered. The sausage patty was tiny in comparison to the toasted muffin, and the meal should have included a hash brown to pad it out a bit in our opinion. Luckily for her, I'm happy to share.

Racconto Lounge lost a few points on my first visit, but I'm willing to forgive and forget and try again because the rest of the menu just looked too good! Mexican Superbowl? Halloumi burger? I'm coming to get ya.

When I was a small YouTuber, I used to wonder why on Earth people weren't watching my channel. I poured so much love into it and worked really hard to teach myself editing and put up new content. Now that I've stepped back, I understand why people didn't watch me, and why I generally don't watch other small channels.

I'll read small bloggers all day long, because a post takes me around a minute to read. However, if you want people to engage with a 5-12 minute video, it really does have to be fab. As I said, I've seen both sides, and now I have some thoughts and advice that I wish someone had passed on to me back in the day.

As I wrote all of these points, I noticed that the recurring theme is getting the balance right in every aspect, and that takes time and trial and error. Nobody uploads a perfect first video, so just use these tips as a constructive starting point and try different techniques until you find what suits you.

1. You're too nervous

"Hi.. um.. guys, I've err.." no. If you can't talk to me, I won't listen to you. Nerves are natural, but you can make notes to rely on if you forget your points, and say sentences again if you stumble the first time. Just keep trying and edit out the bad bits.

2. You're wannabe Zoella

When you start a channel, 9 times out of 10 it is because somebody else inspired you, so it's understandable that you will borrow bits of their style, but your viewers want to see your personality and what makes you unique rather than a carbon copy of the big names. Try to talk to the camera the way that you talk to your friends.

3. You have no niche

When I had my channel, one week I'd be baking cupcakes, the next I'd be talking about mental health. When you're a very new channel, I honestly wouldn't recommend this route. If your subscriber base is small, it's very unlikely that they will all be interested in every topic, so pick one you're most passionate about to start with and branch out as you grow.

4. Poor aesthetics

Again, I'm speaking from experience. I used to film in front of an old bedsheet hung over my wardrobe, then blast the brightness up until my face resembled the moon. Studio lighting is good, but natural lighting really is better. You might have dips where the sun goes in, but that's far better than my face giving my viewers snow blindness for the whole video.

Aesthetics also refers to how your channel looks. Aspyn Ovard is a great example of how to do it well. She uses the same colours, fonts, and styles in all her videos and thumbnails. It ties them together and makes her instantly recognisable.

5. Sound issues

Ooh I was a bugger for this. I'd put my music on so loud that you couldn't hear a word I said, and I'm sure it put lots of potential subscribers off. For the most sleek, professional sound, put it louder when you're not speaking (when showing cooking or makeup techniques, for example), and fade it back down when you do speak. Try not to have harsh jumps where the music suddenly stops. 

When it comes to finding music, Bass Rebels are great for free tracks with no copyright. Just make sure to credit them and the original artist in your description box!

I hope these tips helped! Do you have any to add?

Personalised Oak Keyring

£5.50

BespOakGifts

This is one of the nicest little gifts I've seen, and the great thing about shopping small is that you can have it personalised to make it even sweeter. The oak finish is really classic, and so much nicer than those supermarket Simpsons keyrings.

Stepping In Step Dad card

£2.50

Badger & Squidge

I love that this shop offers something for the step dads out there and the 'thanks for stepping in' slogan is really sweet and touching without getting too mushy. This shop also offers a service where they'll write and post the card for you to save time!


Classic Car Print
£8.37
Classic Motors

Cars are often a good choice for dads, but many items can be... well, I'll just say it: tacky. This print is much sleeker and I can imagine it looking really cool in a contemporary home. The seller has a range of designs, so you could get him a print of his first car or his dream car!


Sharks and Waves Bow Tie
£10.85
MvZDesign

Admittedly, bow ties are a pretty niche item, but when I spotted this one I couldn't resist including it! From a distant it looks like a smart blue and white design, but closer up you can see what's really lurking. If your dad is getting married or just have a quirky sense of style, you have to snap up a tie from this shop.
Cheese Making Kit
£21.99
CheeseMonkeyKits

I know, I know, I hit the ball out of the park with this one! A new hobby AND snacks? You will win the gift game with this, my friends. Unless your dad is vegan, lactose intolerant, or on a diet.

What's the best gift you've ever bought your dad?
Images belong to sellers. Prices are correct at the time of writing.

Oreo Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches

Good LORD these are good. Well, better than good, more along the lines of magnificent. The Oreo discs are neither crunchy nor soggy, but a brownie texture, while the ice cream they hold somehow isn't cold enough to hurt my sensitive teeth as I chomp through. Neither flavour overpowers the other, and they just work perfectly. 10/10, would eat the whole box.

Ask A Mortician

Death is something we're so touchy about in Western society, a fact that really hit home when we had a passing in our own family. It's a really taboo subject and that means we can deal with it in unhealthy ways. This channel is from a mortician who bucks Western trends and encourages people to know more about death and be involved with it. She discusses every area of death in a respectful and informative way, with a dash of humour to make it easy watching.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine* 

Gail Honeyman

I'd seen everyone and their cat reading this book, and finally understood the fuss for myself. It's hard to write book reviews without giving it away, but just know that both the plot and characters develop beautifully in this story. It's touching, intriguing, and totally unexpected.

Craig William: The Cause Of My Anxiety

Talking about mental illness can be difficult, and doing it in the right way even more so. I have so much respect for Craig discussing the root of his anxiety in a calm, balanced way, and providing advice and information for viewers who want to deal with their own problems. He presented it perfectly, with total honesty that didn't feel upsetting. I know that this video will help someone.

*Amazon affiliate link
What did you love this month?

When I was younger I dreamed of driving my own car. My dad, the safest driver I know, taught me how, and I passed both theory and practical tests first time with flying colours. You would think I'd be full of confidence, but a huge gap between passing and getting back into a car depleted all my self-assurance. 

Rather than feeling thrilled to hold my car keys, I would have panic attacks. I dreaded even the smallest journeys, and I still get palpitations when I parallel park, and bad nerves on new routes. Things are slowly getting better, and I wanted to share my tips to help people in the same situation.

Please bear in mind that this is solely my advice for feeling comfortable in the car, and I would always recommend taking more tuition from a teacher if you doubt your driving ability. Stay safe, and always follow The Highway Code and road laws.

Drive!

I know, it can seem impossible at times, and it is a fact that driving your car will always carry risks, but the only way to boost your abilities and confidence is to keep practising them. Make sure you have the number for your breakdown cover, some breakdown essentials, and a map if you need it, to put those 'what ifs' to rest, then get out there. You can start small and drive a little longer each time, every journey helps.

Meet your new mantra:

"I'm okay, they're okay, the car's okay". 

So you drove out a little too soon and they beeped at you? You're okay. You braked too suddenly and the car behind stopped close behind you? They're okay. Yes, these are mistakes and you don't want to repeat them, but try to see them as a lesson rather than letting your whole drive be ruined. The most important thing is that nobody was hurt, and you can learn from the blips to have an even better drive next time.

Car-aoke

Put your hater blockers on

It goes without saying that you should never obstruct your vision whilst driving, but I have found that popping on a pair of sunnies really helps me in the driving seat, as I feel like other drivers cannot see me and judge me on my image (for example, assuming that I will drive poorly because I am a young woman). They also mean I'm never squinting and can see the road clearer, so I feel more assured.

Film star
Most of my anxiety actually comes from fears about other drivers and their behaviour, so my parents kindly got me a dash cam for Christmas to ease my mind. It deters bad drivers as they know you'll have footage, and if something should happen you have proof for your insurers. Using mine on the motorway on my recent trip to The Lakes really did help.

How do you ease your driving anxiety?