Fairy Princess Play Tent

A fabulous and gorgeous fairy princess tent arrived on our doorstep yesterday.  This is any little girls' (well my girls anyway) dream tent.

The actual tent is made from a thick fabric which comes in soft colours and is beautifully decorated with flowers and butterflies, and the inner poles are wooden.

It can be used inside or outside, as it has a waterproof coating on it.  It seems bigger in real-life than it does in this picture too.

It is relatively quick to assemble, and is a hexagonal turret shaped tent with a flag on the top and three windows. The tent slots together and is joined with connectors for easy installation.

My kids adore this new tent, and I am pretty taken with it too!  It costs £74.99 and is available from www.playhouses.co.uk.

WoodenToyShop.co.uk - fabulous stocking fillers

If you are looking for inspiration for stocking fillers, go check out the WoodenToyShop.co.uk website, where there are tons of toys to choose from, from arty crafty items, to puzzles and games, to role play toys.

I was delighted to receive this BigJigs french knitter doll for Betty which costs just £1.99 - I had one when I was young and found it pretty fascinating and easy to use.

Betty and I also have spent many a happy hour together with her weaving loom and produced some pretty cool blankets for her cuddly friends - and again this is pretty easy to use for a small person.  This loom only costs £7.99 which I think is really good value indeed.

We also received these gorgeous Le Toy Van Honeybake Ice Lollies - they are colourful and fun and look almost irresistible - and the set contains all the old style favourites such as Twisters, Zooms, Fabs and Strawberry Splits, oooh I remember them all very fondly!  This lovely set costs just £12.39.

WoodenToyShop.co.uk has lots of wonderful ideas for gifts!

Rubber Duck Snowjoggers for kids

We have just received a couple of pairs of these fabulous snow boots for Betty and Dolly; we opted for a pink and blue pair - but they come in a variety of colours and styles.


The kids absolutely love their new boots and have been wearing them around the house since they arrived, and wanted to wear them to school.  My youngest is a huge Peppa Pig fan - you know, the pig who always jumps in flippin muddy puddles, so she is thrilled that in these new boots she can do just that.


These boots are 100% waterproof and have a thick trainer like sole with lots of grip, just perfect for the snowy icy freezing winter we are about to have.


They are far warmer and more comfortable than the usual wellies.


These fabulous boots, as well as others, are available from www.mrsmarcos.co.uk, a new online footwear store for men, women and children. 

Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom Magic Mirror Wand

Entertainment One have kindly sent us this fun Magic Wand to review.

My girls are both fairy mad, and love watching Ben and Holly on TV, and I have to say it is one of my preferred kids programmes too!

This wand replicates Holly's wand from the programme, and when you wave the wand it makes magical sounds.   And if you need Princess Holly’s help to cast spells press the button and she will appear as a moving picture and she says five different phrases.

It is a fun idea and my girls are really taken with it, and find it pretty exciting!  Lots of giggles from both of them!

Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom Magic Wand retails at £15.99 and is available at all good retailers.

You can also check out the Ben and Holly website, and their official facebook page.

Our Top Ten Christmas Presents from ELC!

Christmas is almost upon us, and lots of us will already have started thinking about what to buy for our little darlings. If you have children up to eight years of age, ELC is a great place to start; they have everything from doll's houses, to dressing up outfits, to train sets, cars and musical instruments.

My children (Betty aged 5 and Dolly aged 2) and I have had great fun putting together our fabulous top ten ELC Christmas present suggestions:


HappyLand Zoo Set  - from 18 months - £60
For children who love HappyLand and going to the zoo, this is fabulous!  It is a substantial set and includes a safari style zoo and train, African land, polar zone, two keepers, and nine fun animals such as penguin, polar bear and lion.  Because of the size of this set, my girls have spent literally hours happily playing with it TOGETHER (as opposed to trying to poke each others eyes out).

Rosebud Farm - from 3 years - £50
A beautiful wooden farm set which has stable door, hayloft with lift-off roof and double stable to the side.  It comes with a farmer and his wife plus 10 gorgeous animals (all wooden) and a printed wooden farmyard base, and moveable fences.    The detail on this farm set is superb, as is the pretty colour scheme.  This is a really popular product in our house and Dolly is often seen around the house clutching two wooden cows.

Wooden Dairy Set - from 3 years - £13
A gorgeous play food dairy set made from forest friendly wood.  It includes 4 eggs, egg carton, egg cup, 2 chunks of cheese, yoghurt pot, 2 bottles of milk, milk bottle holder and a spoon.  Perfect for pretend breakfasts!

Wooden Rescue Station - from 3 years - £140
I have never seen anything quite like this three-storey police and fire station! For me it seems like the perfect alternative to a girly doll's house, and was designed with boys in mind (if I dare say that?)  Having said that though, my daughter Dolly absolutely loves this toy, and with this rescue station and her doll's house sitting side by side, she will choose to play with the station every time.  This product comes with a helicopter, fire engine, police bike, a policeman and fireman, a pole, a dog and loads of furniture such as bunkbed, treadmill, tables and chairs etc.  The station neatly closes up when not in use. It may sound like quite a lot of money, but because it comes with all the furniture, and the wooden recsue vehicles are really rather substantial, I think it is definitely worth it.

Wooden Tea Shop - from 3 years - £100
This fabulous wooden tea shop is a new ELC product! It is double sided - with the tea shop on one side, and an oven to bake the cakes in on the other side. It also comes with a cash register with pull-out till, some cookies and a baking tray.  This really is a gorgeous product, with a tasteful design, and my girls just love playing shop and cake baking!

Magnetic Play Centre - from 3 years - now £14.40!
This is a double-sided magnetic and chalk board, and includes 10 magnetic numbers, 40 upper case letters, 40 lower case letters, 7 signs, chalk, eraser, drawing paper and retractable carry handle.  It is perfect for children who are just starting out with their reading and for practicing their spelling and leaving sweet little messages for mum. Very popular with my 5 year old!

Rockin Robot - from 2 years - £12
This is a great game - you have to pick a card and then build your robot to match the card - but all this has be done before the timer runs out and pops all the pieces off - there have been a lot of laughs with this game, and it is great for a child's development.

Wooden City Train Set from 3 years - now £32.50!
This is a fantastic all inclusive 120 piece train set - it comes with 3 trains, bridge, airport, heli-pad, crane, construction site, police and fire stations and a construction site. And also includes people, trees, and cones.  Everything you need in one box, and it is now half price (was £65)!

Ball Gown outfit - 3-6 years - £20
This a gorgeous and fabulous pretty pink dress, and very durable. It comes with a handbag too.   My eldest daughter wears it at every opportunity and recently tried to upstage the bride by wearing it to a wedding!

Giant Keyboard - from 3 years - £40
This keyboard it is 2.5m long, which is huge! It has 24 keys and seven different instrument sounds.  You can even download your own music from your MP3 player to suit your child's tastes.   This keyboard saves and plays back performances.  This keyboard is a lot of fun and great for parties!

To find out more about all these products or to have a look at the hundreds of other products available visit the ELC website.

Wooden Drawers Advent Tree - Party Pieces

I am a little bit obsessed with Christmas products and so I was thrilled to receive this gorgeous Advent Tree from Party Pieces this morning.

I particularly love advent; the calendars, advent wreaths, carol services, and the whole anticipation of Christmas.

This wooden Advent Tree is made up of 24 drawers, which each have a unique and beautifully painted wooden Christmas tree decoration inside.  And the picture painted on the front of each drawer corresponds to what's inside.

I am all for creating our own Christmas traditions, and this will definitely become one of them.  Each morning I will get my girls to take it turns to pull open the drawers by their colourful ribbons and hang the decoration on the tree.  All children love opening up surprises and decorating trees!  I might even pop the odd chocolate treat into the drawers too.  This tree will also make a gorgeous and colourful centrepiece - I have ear-marked just the spot for it.

At just £19.99 I think this is a fabulous product, and a really great idea.  Visit the Party Pieces website for more information and to see many more Christmas products.

Townsend Glitter Bug bike - ELC

This fabulous bike, which is available at ELC, is my daughter's dream bike.  It is white with lots of pink detail - shiny streamers hang from the handlebars, and there is a doll carrier at the back decorated with flowers - the padded saddle and the chain guard are also decorated.

This bike comes with a bell and stabilisers, but what I really love is the shape of the frame, with its high handlebars.  It reminds me a little of a chopper (remember those?!) - far more civilised for a 5 year old.

I haven't yet unleashed this bike on my daughter. It is currently hiding out in the shed til next week when it is her birthday.  But I know that she will absolutely LOVE IT!

I have romantic visions of her joyfully riding through the woods with 'Rabbity' strapped to the back, ting-tinging her bell, and stopping every so often so pick up fir cones and pretty leaves - I will keep you posted!

This super bike is available at ELC for just £94.99.

Personalised cards from Minted

Minted is an online store offering personalised holiday photo cards, wedding invitations, and lots of other personalised stationery and gifts, all designed by indie designers. 

This website offers literally hundreds of different designs for every occasion; Christmas cards, Easter, Halloween, Birthday, and anything else you can think of! - all of which can be personalised with your own photo.

We always make our own Christmas cards in this household which usually comprises a family photo, but with such fabulous designs on offer, I am seriously considering using this service this year to take away all the stress and time and effort that goes into it!

Please do go and check out the Minted website and have a look for yourself - I think it is really great, and you are bound to find something you like!

In addition, Minted are offering my readers a 15% discount on all holiday cards!

A lady loves to get flowers...

Many years ago, I went to stay with my best friend who was at university in Newcastle, to help her celebrate her 18th birthday. I remember on the morning of her birthday, we were sitting on her grotty student sofa, drinking tea and eating fried eggs, when there was a knock at the door. My friend looked worried and thought it might be her 'horrible' landlord. She reluctantly opened the door, but standing there on the doorstep was a lovely smiley lady from a florists in Newcastle holding a huge bouquet of stunning flowers. The look of absolute joy on my friend's face was lovely to see, and I remember feeling a tad envious - no-one (apart from my Dad) had ever sent me flowers. How very grown-up I thought.

A couple of years later, with still no flowers coming my way, I was sitting at my desk on the 9th floor, and playing Solitaire on my computer, when I heard the lift, which was directly in front of me, go ‘ping’ and the doors opened. I looked up and clocked that it was a man from a florists in Fulham with an impressive bunch of flowers, but thought nothing of it and presumed they were for my glamorous boss. My boss also thought they were for her and bounded up to the man and grabbed the flowers from him and squealed ‘Oh how lovely!’ She ordered that I get her a vase, and then waltzed off with them into her office and shut the door. I was just finishing up my game of Solitaire when my boss re-emerged from her office holding the flowers. She skulked up to my desk, slammed them down in front of me and said: ‘They’re for you’. The rest of the office cheered and clapped, and I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. That was the first and last time my partner sent me flowers.

The next time that I received flowers, the florists in Gloucester (which is where we were now living) turned up on my doorstep about five times – each time with a different bouquet or flower gift from well-meaning friends and relatives. We had just had our first baby, and our house was filled to the brim with all sorts of floral displays, and the house smelt wonderful. I will always remember writing a shopping list for my husband, which comprised of breast pump, nappies, Fruit Pastilles and two new vases. Happy times!