Only quirky plants make it in this house!

I have a serious problem with keeping plants alive, they just don’t survive a year in this house. But recently, we have adopted a rather fascinating cactus and I am trying to best to keep this one alive!! Our son has called it ‘Spikey’ which I think is an awesome name for a cactus! Spikey is going to have a better chance at life than any of the other cacti that have been and died before it because, I hate to say it, please don’t judge me for my shallowness in regards to cacti, but it has pretty flowers! This shade of pink is one of my favourite colours.

Spikey is a rhipsalidopsis cactus and was purchased at Wilkos for a reasonable price of £2.50, this was the only one with this particular colour blooms at the time. There was another one with red flowers which would have gone better with the pot it’s sitting in but who cares, it’s not here to win any prizes!

The pot deserves it’s own post, it is so cool. It has three legs which makes it unusual anyway, but the cute kitty cat face and colouring sets it apart from other pots I’ve had in the past. This was bought in TK Maxx which is one of my favourite high street shops to rummage through for quirky treasures. You can always find some unusual pieces in there which makes it a good place to go hunting for quirky bits and bobs. My Mother in particular is obsessed with this shop, she buys so many things from there throughout the year, she doesn’t even know who she’s going to give things to when she buys them, she just likes them and buys them just incase. I guess quirky shopping is in the genes!

Why quirky gifts are so much better to give…

As you get older, the number of gifts you get decreases, massively! Which is why it is so important to make the gift you give stand out from the crowd. As a gift recipient, I much prefer (obviously!) for them to be different to the norm. Most people buy what they want when they want them these days, so buying normal-looking things will more often than not make them forgettable.

Take this candle holder as an example. My sister gave me this a few years ago for Christmas and I adore it. It is so kooky, explodes with character, and best of all, it is so me! Now I have had many candle holders as gifts in the past and although I keep most of them hidden away in the candle cupboard for emergencies (yes, I am a bit of a hoarder!), I can’t remember who gave them to me or for what occasion. But this quirky and cute little witchy-looking cottage has pride of place in our living room. It will never be hidden away, and I will always remember who gave it to me.

I know that it was purchased at the Bath Christmas Market, but that’s as much intel as I can give you regarding where to get this exact one. It seems hand-crafted to me too so may well be a one-off, which again makes it more special to me.

There are two things to bear in mind when choosing a gift for someone. Make sure it’s something they will actually like and that it suits their personality, and secondly, make sure it’s something you like too. Fruit baskets wouldn’t be something you’d necessarily think of to give as a gift, but when it’s quirkilly shaped as an Owl, it can be a much appreciated fun and practical gift! This was one of my Christmas gifts from Mr Quirky and I think it is so cool, in all honesty though it has probably held more chocolates and biscuits than fruit! We both love forest friends’ themed items so it fits well in our kitchen. He bought it off Amazon and the cheapest I can find is £9.99.

This fruit basket shows that quirky doesn’t have to be crazy, over-the-top flamboyant, quirky can be classy, quirky can be in-keeping with a more subtle environment too. I just think that if you’re going to give a gift, make it count, make it a gift to remember, you might as well make it a little bit quirky!

My kind of Quirky…

So, as this is a brand spanking new blog, I think it’s important that you get to know what kind of quirky makes me tick!

I am not a materialistic person as such, but if I must have something, it needs to be special and worthy of being owned by me! Christmas 2017 I was given one of my most prized possession by Mr Quirky, a Vendula London handbag.

The one I’ve got isn’t even listed anymore, but I have this stunning purple book store bag. They still have a coffee version. It is gorgeous, so unique and I love it. I’m almost too afraid to use it because I don’t want to ruin it or hurt it in any way! I have always loved the Book Store one, I love books, my second choice would have been the Toy Shop, so cool.

There are so many new styles on the website now, I can’t believe how they come up with such funky designs, they’ve even got a red Post Box bag and a Tiki Bar! The Chocolatier and The Sewing Shop are amazing too.

They do purses, wallets and make-up bags as well as bags in different shapes and sizes. This website makes me smile every time I have a look. It is quite possibly one of my favourite websites to visit, and I am so incredibly happy that I have my very own bag to adore at home too.

Hello world!

Welcome to the Quirky Shopper, let’s get this show on the road! I’m on a mission to find the quirkiest of the quirky gifts out there. I’m not just talking about quirky socks and bubble bath, I’m taking super funky, extremely unique gifts! Whether it be umbrellas, toasters, experience days, if it’s unusual, I want to find it and write about it so that I can share them with you.

I have always loved writing, and I like to think that I come across quite personable in my writing too. I was once told by one of my teachers that my writing was too flowery, but I have poetry and creativity in my soul, I can’t just turn that off!

I do have a Facebook page set up already called Quirky Shopper and I will update you when I have the other social media platforms set up too! Please do like my page for even more quirky finds.

I hope you enjoy here at my quirky palace, bring on the bright and the bold, the funky and the fruity, the weird and wonderful…I’m coming to get you!

Thank you to Mr Quirky for lovingly hand-drawing my logo and making me look a stone or so lighter… good man!