LIST: Things you wish you had brought with you

So, it seems like people have a hard time finding craft supplies.  Don't know if this is in small towns or London or what.  I'm not much of a crafty sort of person, but I like doing scrap book sorts of things for my photo albums.  Can you get scrap booking stuff in London?  Anyone know?

There are tons of Hobbycraft stores around!  Though I have not seen any inside London. We live on the outskirts and have one near us. I love it. It's huge like the ones in the states

http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/

Hobbycraft is ok...but there are more small shops that sell at a good price...I do scrapbooking and I order stuff off the net ALL the time..........

if you look on the scrapbrooking thread I have list some of my fav sites on there.........

I still order stuff from USA site and they ship some more reasonably than others and it still works out cheaper than buying them here...plus they have a bigger selection!

You've actually found stuff cheaper?  Wow, those little shops I stopped going in because they all seemed much more pricer.  Every once in a while the small shops might have something I found neat but I prefer Hobbycraft beyond anything.  They have even ordered ordered me stuff if I go in and show them the details I want and they might take a while but usually get back to me if they can get ahold of it or not.  I don't do much scrapbooking though. Never could get into it. I tend to like to more things like for parties and cakes and stuff.  Maybe that could be the difference.  I suppose each of us has our own thing we tend to lean more toward when it comes to doing "crafty" things!   

Cool!  Thanks for the info.  Will check out the scrapbooking thread for sure. 

This is the silliest thing, but I wish I'd brought my cheap foam hair curlers. Y'know, the pink plastic kind that are about 20 for $1 in the states? I figured if I wanted them I could pick up new ones, but in the UK I can only seem to find them in packs of FIVE for 2.50... you can do the math!

After Christmas presents and a full slate of kid birthday parties coming up, I wish I had brought my huge supply of gift bags and gift wrap.  I probably had 100 really cute bags and 30 rolls of paper for every possible occasion.  It all seemed so silly to bring along but would really come in handy now.

I can never find coffeemate. I love vanilla flavored coffemate.
I tried an instant coffee from tescos with vanilla creamer and it was gross!

Extra candy.  Tootsie rolls, etc.  I'm not a big sugar-fiend but it would have been nice to have some of those comfort-junk food items.

More clothing that I actually really love.  I have a few pieces of clothing that I really love to wear and love the look of, but I have other pieces that I'm only semi-fond of, and ones that I simply don't like anymore.  It would have been so much better to scrap/sell the things I don't enjoy as much in order to make room for things I really love.

More boots.  Leather boots.

Hair accessories.  I have very long hair (to the bottom of my butt) and I wish I had more headbands and accessories.

more of the food I had in my pantry


For some reason, I was really concerned that customs finding food products in our shipping container could be an issue.  I think it was actually a carryover from a cross-country move in the U.S., the moving company flatly forbade packing any foodstuffs.  (Though on the day, the packing guys agreed that things like my spice collections and unopened packages of specialty items were OK). I guess I took that, added it to the posters on the wall at the LA Consulate about not allowable food imports  and to avoid any question of whether or not it was allowed, I just handed over my entire spice collection to a freind, figuring I could replace it all anyway.  But I can't find file or some other ethnic spices.  and I should have stocked up on sealed packages of some items (see the thread on foods we miss...) 

This is the silliest thing, but I wish I'd brought my cheap foam hair curlers. Y'know, the pink plastic kind that are about 20 for $1 in the states? I figured if I wanted them I could pick up new ones, but in the UK I can only seem to find them in packs of FIVE for 2.50... you can do the math!

Where did you find the hair curlers?  I am looking for them as well, only I think I may just have my mom send them over, or wait until I go back in August.  I can only find the long bendy ones which I don't like. 

Someone already said this, but she's right - since this thread was started in 2002 a lot has changed.  Right now we are staying with friends and I am peeking into her beauty products to find Dove, Olay, Neutrogena, Clearasil, Colgate, Aquafresh, and Gilette, to name a few.  I've also seen Tampax, Always and Carefree.  What a relief when I saw those!  Almost every product I use is available here (and I use Philosophy for skincare and it says it's HQ'd in London anyway so that's handy). I was hoping that if more American products are becoming available here there might be more places I could look for those stupid hair curlers!!

I really like them for me and my daughter because I really don't spend any time on my hair - just wash and wear.  Never use styling products or curling irons.  So when I need to have nice hair the next day, I simply shower and wash it the night before and stick the rollers in before bed.  By morning they're dry and I have a head full of curls that doesn't need spraying and won't fall out. 

So if anyone knows, as of this point in time, where on earth to find those things, please please share the info.  I'm based in Manchester.   Thanks so much! 

Someone already said this, but she's right - since this thread was started in 2002 a lot has changed.  Right now we are staying with friends and I am peeking into her beauty products to find Dove, Olay, Neutrogena, Clearasil, Colgate, Aquafresh, and Gilette, to name a few.  I've also seen Tampax, Always and Carefree.  What a relief when I saw those!

While some things have changed since 2002, in terms of the products you've mentioned here, I'd say that very little has changed  . I'm British and have grown up in the UK and I'd say that every single one of those products has been available in the UK for at least 10 years, possibly closer to 20 years. I'm 25 now and I grew up with almost every brand in your post (I've been using Tampax/Always since I was 12, Clearasil since I was 13 (I seem to remember my mum using Clearasil in the 80's too), Aquafresh since I was old enough not use use baby toothpaste and Gillette razors since I was about 13. Dove, Olay and Neutrogena were all around then too I believe, but I have never used them) - in fact, I didn't even know they were all originally American brands until today!

I bought some foam curlers at Wilkinsons.  I think I also saw them at Asda.  But the packages were small, only 5 or 6 curlers per pack. 

Dove, Olay and Neutrogena were all around then too I believe

Olay was called 'Ulay' until only a few years ago, and they have expanded their product range immensley since then.

Vicky

Dove, Olay, Neutrogena, Clearasil, Colgate, Aquafresh, and Gilette

Individual products may have changed over time, but some of those brands have been around in Britain for decades.