Thanksgiving Table Setup

Thanksgiving always gets me super excited, because 

1.) I get to spend time with family

2.) It is right dab smack in the middle of autumn when the weather is perfect

3.) That means Black Friday is just around the corner (yayyyy)

4.) I get to eat nonstop continuously without being judged. No shame.

Thanksgiving Table by bellacharlie featuring Spode
This is my ideal Thanksgiving table setup and decor.
Firstly, you obviously will need a rustic wooden family table that just screams "Autumn!" But in the circumstance that you will not go out to your nearest ikea and buy a new table for this occasion, is understandable. 
The dinnerware I chose to include were these extremely festive plates and a mug that can be purchased at Macy's. The entire set, which includes a dinner plate, salad plate, mug, and bowl can be purchased at $156.50.
Next is this turkey place card holder that I thought was extremely cute and a must-have for big family gatherings. This can be purchased at Crate and Barrel but is only available in store.
Autumnal place mats are also a necessity and this set of four I have chosen to include are available at overstock.com at a price of $37.99.
Personally, my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner (besides of the turkey of course), is the mashed potatoes. And what are mashed potatoes without gravy? This gravy boat is also from the same brand as the dinnerware I have mentioned earlier and can be bought at a price of $168. 
These red wine glasses are by Versace and cost £155 or $236.89. This is obviously more high-end and by all means, if this not in your budget do not purchase this. I just thought that these were really pretty and it gave me major autumnal vibes.
These 3 pumpkins (pictured in the bottom right corner), can be put all around the dining room area to make the atmosphere a bit more festive and autumnal. The twig harvest pumpkin pictured in the middle can be purchased for $30, and the 2 other pumpkins are currently not available but pop into your nearest Pier 1 for more information regarding these items.

I hope everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving, and if you don't live in America and don't celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you're having a wonderful week.

My Back to School Essentials

It's that time of year again. It's the back to school season and while most people (including myself) would dread it, I look forward to the school supplies shopping. I already did my shopping last week since it was tax-free weekend where I live. These are my top essentials that will get me throughout the entire school year whilst looking as cute as ever. I also came up with a pretty consistent color scheme of pastel pinks and beiges.

My Back to School Essentials by bellacharlie featuring a kate spade pencil case

• First thing that is a must for school are a box of pencils and erasers. These are pretty basic things but you need them year-round and it always helps if you have more than one just in case it comes in handy. I chose these really pretty pack of 6 pencils by Ladurée. As for my erasers, I chose to include as set of quirky and fun 3-pack gem erasers by Kate Spade. I always think that if you purchase things that look nice you're probably going to be more tempted to use them and take better care of it. That is why I chose these as my must haves because I tend to be rather careless of my pencils and pens, and always lose them somewhere.
• Next thing on my list of back to school essentials is a pen. I always think you need one or two standard pens for the school year, and you don't necessarily need to go all out in different colors and designs. I chose a 2-pack of wooden blue pens sold at asos. 
• Pencil cases are always needed no matter what grade you are going into because it keeps you organized and you are less likely to lose your things if you put everything in one place. This adorable Kate Spade case is visualized as a piece of notebook paper with the text, "Dot your i's and cross your t's."
• Notebooks are an essential in every student's bag, so I chose to include these 2 medium pink paper notebooks by a brand called Shinola. These notebooks are rather small for daily note taking, but they are perfect for quick notes and reminders that you might need throughout the day (they are 9 inches by 7 inches)
• An agenda always comes in handy if you have a very busy schedule and need to plan out your day and your assignments. I chose this gold polka dotted Kate Spade agenda which have both monthly and weekly pages so you can be more organized and planned out. 
• Also handy for quick reminders are sticky notes. These pack of sticky notes sold at asos are shaped as butterflies and remind me so much of early childhood, which I thought was a plus.
• On with the mathematics tools, calculators and rulers might be available in some classrooms but it's always a good idea to bring your own. The calculator I chose to use in my set is unfortunately sold out but you can always purchase something similar at your local Target or Office Depot (or anywhere that sells office supplies). As for my ruler, I chose to use the one that came with the Kate Spade pencil case as mentioned earlier in this blog post. The inches only go up to 6 inches, so it might be a smarter idea if needed, to purchase a standard 12-inch ruler at your local office store.
• Next, is a novel of your interest you can read during your free time or during study hall. This can be about anything as long as you enjoy reading it and won't get bored of it later on in the year. I chose to use "Eleanor & Park" because I am thinking of reading it this year, just by looking at the interesting synopsis in the back of the book.
• Lastly, is an ipad. If you're attending University or even high school this year, an ipad or tablet might come in handy for quick access to internet or basic tools such as a calculator, world clock, compass, etc. This might not be for everyone, but I myself have an ipad mini and it is definitely useful for school related activities. 

Thank you so much for reading, and good luck to those of you who are attending school this September.

Xx