5 QUICK TIPS FOR GIFTING | IN COLLABORATION WITH PAPER EMPORIUM | INCLUDING AN EXCLUSIVE 30% DISCOUNT CODE!!!

**DISCOUNT CODE: BLOG30**

PaperEmporiumCo - Etsy UK

Paper Emporium (@paperemporiumco) • Instagram photos and videos

So, I was browsing Etsy for Mother’s Day gifts for the previous blog post (which you can read here) when I came across this incredible gift from the amazingly talented Paper Emporium which I immediately personalised and added to my basket as a gift for my Mum for Mother’s Day! It’s basically a print (which you can choose to have framed at an extra cost) and you type in a location, a time, and a date and then they print what the sky looked like on that exact occasion. You can obviously choose to use any sort of special date or anniversary, but I picked the date, time, and place where I was born. Then you can type in a title that goes above the star image (I put: ‘The Day You Brought Me Into The World’) and a message (I wrote ‘Forever Grateful For You xxx’) for the bottom of it. I was so proud and chuffed with this gift that I got in touch with the lovely Paper Emporium team and pitched the idea of a collaboration and they even created the exclusive discount code (BLOG30) for a whopping 30% off any of their items!!

A GIFT GUIDE FOR MOTHER'S DAY | IN COLLABORATION WITH ETSY UK

“Unconditional love is the greatest gift we can ever give.”

Amy Leigh Mercree

The Mother’s Day Gift Shop (etsy.com)

If you’ve read, I’m NOT Disordered for a while now, you’ll likely know that I actually really enjoy creating more light and fun content – it’s very obviously a really nice break from the usual, deep and overwhelmingly honest posts about my mental health. So, when I realised it’s Mother’s Day this Sunday (the 10^th March 2024) I thought it the perfect opportunity to be able to put together this little Gift Guide in collaboration with Etsy UK – who have the most amazing variety of items for absolutely anyone and everyone who you would like to gift this Mother’s Day on their Mother’s Day Gift Shop (which you can visit here)…

24hrs with a Beauty and Lifestyle Blogger

24 hours with... Charli from Charli B ( www.charlib.co.uk)
Date: 6/3/2015 

Why have you chosen to write about today? 
Because it’s Mother’s Day and Mother’s Day is generally a good day for me.

Good morning!
What time did you wake up? 
I was woken up really early this morning at 6:45… Urgh!
Why did you wake up at that time?
My mum stayed over and she has a habit of banging on my door screaming ‘Charlotte, are you awake?’ and waking me up. 

Did you have a dream? 
Yes, I have the same dream every night and have done for years. It consists of me being trapped in an apartment really high up seeing the world pass by below but I can’t leave.
Do you think today will be 'good' or 'bad' day? (use your own definition of these words to answer the question) 
A bad day after the way I was woken up. Normally on Mother’s Day I am left to wake up on my own accord and I normally wake to a hand made card from my daughter with a little present… Sadly this wasn’t the case, it caused her and me to be quite upset. 

What are the first three things you do after waking up? 
I shouted, checked my phone and gave my daughter a hug.
Do you eat breakfast? If yes, what did you have? 
Yes, I had two apple pop tarts.
What would be your perfect breakfast? 
This is going to sound really lame but crunchy peanut butter on brown bread, sadly there was none in the house. 

Is there anything that you have to do today but don't particularly want
to? 
I know this is going to sound really bad but spend time with my mum, we have quite a volatile relationship which can put quite a strain on me. She was meant to go home yesterday after I took her out for her Mother’s Day treat but instead she stayed the night and now I have to change my plans for the whole day to fit around having her here. I don’t do well with an immediate change as it throws my whole day off and sends me into an instant meltdown. 

List five things that you do between 9am and noon. 
I have a massive argument with my mum because I asked her if she used something, she flies off the handle at me accusing me of being like my sister and blaming her for everything. This happens just after 9. After that I just sit on my laptop and play Pet Rescue Saga, read some blogs, take a photo of my cat and have a conversation with my daughter. 

Did you eat lunch? If yes, what did you eat? 
I didn’t eat lunch today. 

What would be your perfect lunch? 
A prawn and avocado salad would be so good right now! 

List five things that you have done, said, thought, or that have happened between noon and 5pm. 
I started making dinner to keep myself occupied but my mind has been wondering because I just feel useless, I don’t understand why I can’t be happy like other people are and I get upset again that I have a stupid illness that consumes me sometimes, I’m also annoyed with myself that my mum is a massive trigger because she’s my mum and that upsets me. 

Do you eat dinner/tea? If yes, at what time? 
Yes, we eat at around 4 as it's Sunday. 

What do you eat? 
We have a roast dinner with all the trimmings. 

What would be your perfect dinner? 
What I had was my perfect dinner. 

What do you do with your evening (5-8pm)? 
My mum goes and we settle to watch a movie, I then make a snack at around 7 because we ate so early and everyone feels a bit hungry. 

Do you have a 'get-ready-for-bed' routine? If so, what is it? 
I have a mini routine which is just mainly take off my make up, tone and moisturise my skin and then I take all my medication that needs to be taken at night then jump into bed. 

What time do you go to sleep? 
I suffer really badly with my sleep, I sometimes don’t sleep at all or only get off to sleep at around 4/5am but I try to get myself into my bed by 11:30 so I can at least rest. 

Is this when you want to go to bed? Or is it influenced by what you're doing the following day? 
It’s when I want to go to bed. 

Do you share your bed? 
No, because I have such trouble sleeping I actually can’t share a bed and when someone is in the bed with me I can’t actually sleep at all.
Which position do you tend to sleep in? e.g. foetus, starfish etc. 
I always lay on my front in a starfish position.

Reflect
What was your favourite part of your day? 
When I knew the day was coming to an end and it would soon be over. 

What was your least favourite? 
All the shouting and stress. 

Did anything happen today that you'd like to change or re-do? 
All of it. 

Did you 'learn' anything today? (use your own definition of this word to answer the question) 
I learnt that I sometimes take good days for granted, I thought Mother’s Day was going to be smooth sailing due to it always being so and it wasn’t. I should always be prepared for the fact that my good days can turn into bad days and my bad days can turn into good, it’s just the luck of the draw and the people I’m surrounded by. 

Are you looking forward to tomorrow? 
YES! I am so looking forward to  tomorrow, even if it’s a bad day and I am stuck in the deepest darkest pit just the fact that I shall be by myself is pure satisfaction to me.
What do you have planned? 
I’m just going to see how I feel and take it from there.
--
Charli Bruce
Beauty and Lifestyle Blogger at CHARLI B (previously Secrets Behind The
Closet Door)

Blog - www.charlib.co.uk
Twitter - @SBTCDCharli
Facebook - Facebook.com/CHARLIBBLOG

Mother's Day: Three Lessons My Mum Taught Me

Number One:
Never give up on the people you love.
In the years before I went into the specialist hospital, I treat my Mum's house as a hotel, or a base. I'd go there to shower and pack a bag for my next mission to another city to take another overdose. During the time, there were a number of professionals who didn't understand the way I acted and didn't bother to try to understand why I did what I did. One comment that was made to my Mum was that she should tell me I wasn't welcome in the home any more. I think they hoped that would scare me into stop self-harming and running away and make me treat my Mum with more respect and gratitude if I realised that she wouldn't tolerate my behaviour much longer. But that's not the type of person my Mum is. Because unlike the professionals, she tried to understand why I was acting this way, and when she couldn't; she accepted that I wasn't doing it for attention. She knew I was hurting and that kicking me out of her home would just drive me further into the spiral of self-destruct. Her love was and is unconditional. And she believes in me. She knew I could get better. She wanted me to. I'm not a religious person, but when your Mum tells you that they prayed that they would go through anything if it mean their child got better, then I know that's a big deal! 

Number Two:
Always stand up for yourself if you are being treat unfairly.
My Mum only learnt this lesson herself when I was born. In relationships, she's been such a massive inspiration with her standards of accepting no shit from any man. No matter how big the love is or what ending the relationship would mean for her and me. I'm a no-nonsense, no-second-chances kind of girlfriend now. All through High School when my behaviour got really bad; as the anger that no one realised what was happening to me, and the hope that if my behaviour worried people, someone, eventually, would realise something was wrong; meant I was rude and rebellious in lessons. And the subsequent criticisms and punishments meant I was often made to feel small. I no longer accept people treating me and making me feel this way. 

Number Three:
Being a Mum is one of life's greatest achievements.
My Mum's Mum (my Nana) is a huge motherly inspiration; she raised my Mum, my Aunt and my Uncle and as with any family, we've had our difficulties, but ultimately; they're all good people. My Aunt broke away to Dubai and made a life for herself out there and even though she is the furthest away, nothing gets in her way of putting family first. My Uncle is a loyal husband. My Mum, is obviously, the most amazing person.
After losing my Nana very suddenly, the Wilson's couldn't have had a bigger test. And watching my Mum lose her Mum was incredibly endearing. It was the first moment in my life, where I've wanted to become a Mum. And if I can be half the mother my Nana and my Mum are, I'll be freeking awesome! Actually, I reckon I'm getting practice with Dolly, and she seems pretty content and loved! :) JOB DONE, Mum! Happy Mother's Day!