Lifestyle | Prairie Pizzazz "Luau Party" Unboxing

Prairie Charms are a "completely handmade accessories boutique specialising in all things girly, floral, quirky and whimsical". Doesn't that just sound like a bloggers paradise? The latest project the team at Prairie Charms HQ have been working on comes under the name "The Prairie Pizzazz". It's a monthly accessory and lifestyle box that comes full to the brim with beautiful bits and pieces that all fit into that particular months theme. Last month (with assistance from their team of bloggers) the theme of "Festivals" was chosen and this month it was the turn of "Luau Party".

This was my first introduction to the Prairie Pizzazz concept (although I'm not too late to the party; this is only their second box) and I have to say I'm super impressed! I'm lucky enough to be part of their bloggers team and my eagerness to get my hands on one of the boxes has just grown and grown as the month has passed and I've received box development updates from Prairie Charms HQ. Yesterday delivery day was finally here and I can't even begin to explain the excitement I felt when my box reached my doorstep.

I'll be honest with you, I fell in love with the box as soon as it reached my front door. It's clear that - unlike some subscription box companies - the Prairie Charms team have taken a great deal of care with every single element of their box, including their packaging. Each box is a takeaway pizza style, which is so different to your more traditional subscription boxes. The box is wrapped with a brightly coloured flamingo-print tape and although this may rest a little bit on the simple side of packaging, it's the simplicity that makes it so beautiful. The colours are sure to, quite literally, brighten up the postman's day so it's happy faces all round isn't it? 




Their attention to detail continues when you delve inside this little box of wonder. The contents is wrapped up in tissue paper and inside you'll find sequins galore, which definitely adds lots of 'pizzazz' to the box.



Arguably the feature piece of the box was the Eda Bespoke Floral Lei. Can we just pause for a minute and admire the beauty of this piece? To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the flower crown trend overall but if there's anything that's going to convert me, it's this. It's the perfect piece to give your wardrobe a colourful wake-up call and each lei is unique so there's no chance of a fellow hula girl rockin' up to the luau in the same style. I didn't get to show my admiration for this particular gift for too long, however, as it was quickly nabbed by my flower-power fan of a little sister. I'll let her off on this occurrence though as she did make a beautiful model.



The next little package that caught my eye contained two Caterina No Snag Knot Ties. This sort of thing makes the perfect pretty alternative to your traditional elastic bands, and it's a darn lot better for your locks. I've always been the kind of girl to leave my hair down and flowing so I'm going to be popping them on my wrist to jazz up the more simple outfits.



We were lucky enough to have not just two but four hair accessories included in this box. The Lei and hair ties were followed by a Hana Bow Tie Scrunchie and a single Faryn Hair Clip so you're bound to find something that floats your boat, no matter what your hair-style preference tends to be.


One of my favourite pieces in the box was the Paloma Vintage Bead Drop Anklet. I'm a massive fan of anklets and I think they look just beautiful this time of year with midi-skirts, if you're willing to go bare-legged. I have absolutely no doubt you're going to be seeing this piece in future outfit posts so keep your eyes peeled.




The Prairie Charms team have a special trick up their sleeves with their pizzazz boxes, in the form of of cute and simple DIY projects. Each package contains at least one easy peasy project, in keeping with the box theme of course, to get your creative juices flowing. In this box I received the Acadia Tropical Punch Drink Set, which contains everything you need to create a beautiful tropical beverage to enjoy whilst you hula the night away. I also received the Sweet As Honey Studio Make a Mess Confetti, to help in the decoration department of your party preparations.


To continue your creative flair, there's also a teeny tiny pack of Dakota Custom Nail Glitter. After all, what's a party outfit without a bit of sparkle? My go-to party nail look tends to be a splash of colour with a twinkle of glitter, so this little gift was right up my street.


Now the prairie pizzazz boxes don't just contain fashion accessories and DIY goodness, oh no. I also received a Una Coconut S'more Snack Pack, which would make a perfect post-luau party midnight feast. This would go hand in hand with the Tropical Punch drink to get your tummy in the Luau party spirit.

It's fair to say that the Prairie Pizzazz Luau Party Edition ticks every sparkle-filled box. I take my new Lei flower crown off to you Prairie Charms, you've done a grand job. Where do I sign up for the next one?

If you're keen to get your hands on a Pizzazz box, you can find the treasure trove that is the Prairie Charms website here. They typically retail at around £35.00 (plus delivery costs) but you receive over £75 worth of gorgeous pieces. Prairie Charms also sell a gorgeous range of jewellery, hair accessories and more - including many of the products that can be found in the Pizzazz boxes - if you're just after a single product or two.



Books | To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.


 Lara Jean composes her letters as a way of ending her romantic feelings for each individual boy. It's almost as if writing about her love leaves it trapped wiithin the letter. These letters are then obviously meant to be seen by her eyes only, so disaster strikes when they're mysteriously mailed out.
 
The whole idea behind the book is rather cute. Let's be honest, we've all imagined conversations with past romantic-interests, where we open up and reveal our previously unspoken thoughts and feelings; putting out in the open all of those things that we wanted to say but never felt able to. But the idea of actually penning a letter detailing these ideas sounds so liberating. I'll be the first to admit that leaving things these sorts of things unsaid is never a good idea and the overthinking it leads to can actually be mentally quite damaging. So perhaps I'll try this letter-writing idea, but I dare say I'll look after my letters slightly better than Lara Jean does.

I was half expecting the story to centre around what happens when the letters are sent out and made public. You know, the typical "the whole high school knows my deepest secrets" kind of tale. But that wasn't it at all. The content of the letters never makes it further than the addressee, and the book explores how the relationship between Lara Jean and each individual changes as a result.


Whilst there are five letters sent out in total, we only truly explore the relationships between Lara Jean and two of the boys: Peter and Josh. The other three individuals do hold minor roles in the novel and although some may see this as simply unnecessary, I really felt like it added something special to the novel. Each of the five boys has a different personality and I found that meeting them all individually and learning exactly why Lara Jean fell for them really helped to shape her as a character.

I'll admit I did fall a little bit in love with each of the boys featured in the novel but ultimately my heart belongs to the character of Peter. There was something about the first description of him that just had me hooked: “He has the look of a Handsome Boy from a different time. He could be a dashing World War I soldier, handsome enough for a girl to wait years for him to come back from war, so handsome she could wait forever." "Peter’s kind of wholesome good looks feel more like yesterday than today.” This is pretty much the only physical description of Peter we ever recieve and basic details such as his eye colour and hair colour remain a mystery, but for some reason this brief passage is fulfilling enough. The lack of a properly descriptive physical profiling of the character further adds to the authors emphasis throughout the novel of not judging a person by what they're like on the outside, but on who they are as a person instead.

The protagonist Lara Jean is sheltered to say the least. She begins the novel with a very juvinile voice, despite her sixteen years. At times her innocence did verge on the frustrating side so it was wonderful to see her mature as the story develops. In just over four hundred pages she passes from a little girl with an imaginary love life, to a fully independent young woman with enough romance in her life to power a worldwide screening of The Notebook. It really puts truth to the idea that the introduction of one person - if it's the right person - into your life can really turn it on its head and change it for the better.


I'll put it out there from the outset: the ending will annoy you. Abrupt doesn't even begin to describe it. If you're anything like me, it will leave you throwing the book at your bedroom wall and proceeding to scream at it for a good five minutes. Perhaps a slight over-reaction I appreciate, but when you're just as emotionally drawn to the story as I was, a lack of resolution not great. Don't let this put you off the book though, as it is an enjoyable read. Just make sure you have a copy of the books sequel "P.S I Still Love You" at hand for when you're done. Goodness only knows what I would have done had I first read the book before Ms Han released the second installment.

To All The Boys I've Loved Before is such a little gem in the YA novel department. Despite its romantic core it also features the important themes of family, culture and identity, all of which adding to its status as an inviting innovating read. Jenny Han writes in a gorgeous fashion that leaves you feeling as if you were actually inside the head of the protagonist, leaving you hooked to the story and desperate for the tales of Lara Jean Covey to be endless.
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