Dotcomgiftshop - Fairy lights are not just for christmas!!

Good afternoon

Slow down! Half term is going by far too quickly - its been a manic week here and I've only just got round to sitting down to write about something rather lovely that's happened!

Last Thursday when the rest of the country was getting excited about roses & chocolates I was feeling a bit sorry for myself when I stumbled upon an email in my inbox. Not one of those claim non-existent PPI or buy dodgy pharmacy items but something that was rather lovely and made me smile.

It was an email from the Dotcomgiftshop telling me that they had listed my little blog on their blog in the section - Gorgeous Vintage Blogs We Love - well if you look here and scroll down, you'll see lots of familiar names and then if you scroll down, you'll find my blog and the most lovely write up about me :)

Now the lovely Dotcomgiftshop people asked if this was ok to use my blog and my photo - of course I said yes, I was feeling rather flattered and chuffed that I was on a list with some lovely bloggers I know and others I am getting round to reading & following. Then then also asked if there was something that I would like from their range to use and review.

My goodness like a child in a sweetshop I spent time clicking on everything and coming up with a list of things that I liked and needed to whittle it down to one for now. 

I love fairy lights and feel that these are definitely not just for Christmas - however where I want to put them doesn't always work as sockets are not available or close enough. However I spotted these and knew that I could have some fun.

 Dolly Girl Led Lights 

10 Little spotty & rosy lampshades on a string - all powered by 3 AA batteries.

Out of their box - aren't they just cute :)

Just a matter of where I was going to put them. Sadly its been dull here again and not ideal for pictures but these give you some idea;

 Round the picture above my bed

 Across the desk in a my sewing room 

Or across the fireplace along with some bunting!

I think across the piano would have worked well or best of all I think these would be fab on a camping/caravanning trip when electricity isn't always an option!

Thank you Dotcomgiftshop for my lovely mention on your blog and for these lovely lights. I look forward to working more closely with you in the future :)

xxx Vicki xxx

Cath Kidston - Make your own Christmas decorations - my review

Good morning

Firstly, I must stress this is not a sponsored post nor did I receive this book as a freebie to review. This is something I've bought and as there are lots of comments in blogland and on Amazon about it, I thought I'd add my own.

As the cover says - everything you need to make 12 festive felt ornaments - in small print 'not including needles and stuffing'.

This isn't strictly true - lots of the decorations are based on traditional Christmas designs - including snowmen and snow covered cottages - however in the kit there is only cream felt. I was always taught to avoid any snow that wasn't pure white!!

I thought I'd make one of the designs at the weekend - I opted for the reindeer on the front cover. However rather than using the supplied items I used felt & materials from my stash. I used the main reindeer template but did it my way and completely ignored the rather long winded instructions in the book;

I didn't bother with the spots on his rump nor the rather naff bow on the neck. Instead I borrow an idea from those rather tasty chocolate reindeers that the shops are now full of and attached a bell to the collar instead.

The book recommends sewing the pieces together with a straight edge over stitch - again I chose to do it my own way and use a small running stitch. The illustrations in the book are not great - the quality of stitching is rather poor. Also the colour combinations are rather random too. For the festive Stanley it suggests sewing the two sides in different colours - same with the Christmas cottages.

I've been told that some of the designs are not MissK's own instead they've been taken from other bloggers and used without their permission. Therefore it made me chuckle to read a big copyright notice on one page stating you could only use these patterns for personal use - like anyone can copyright a felt Christmas pudding or some holly leaves!!

Overall I would give this book a 6/10 - the designs are simple and there are several that I will use but I will adapt them to suit my style and taste. The quality of the materials included is ok - the felt is soft and I know I will be able to use it in other projects even if for some of these I'll have to supply my own. 

The cover price is £15 - I am glad that I paid just £5 as part of a deal I got on Amazon.

This book is nowhere near as good as the earlier CK books - I loved Vintage Style and the Make/Patch books were great too. However its much better than the Crochet Tin disaster of last Christmas!

I'll leave you now with my Rudolph hanging outside in the sunshine;

Have you bought this book - if so what did you think? I

xxx Vicki xxx

Product Review - Find-me-a-gift.co.uk - Retro Popcorn Maker

Hello again

Another day, another email asking me if I'd like to do a product review. This time it was it was Find-me-a-gift.co.uk and they asked if I'd like to review something from the kitchen gadget range. Now you know me and my love of cooking/baking etc - well I had a look at the list of suggestions and something slightly different jumped out at me. Something that I've wanted for a long while and something I knew the boys would have fun with and benefit from. I thought those boys of mine deserved a treat for all their hard work and support over the past few months.

The product I choose was a Retro Popcorn Maker;

The parcel arrived yesterday and a quick read of the instructions showed it was something that even I could operate! I was prepared for its arrival and had sent Little Son to the shops at the weekend for a bag of popcorn kernels.

Right time for some piccies;

 Such a good looking piece of equipment - love the retro styling and the glossy red finish.

 The lid doubles as a measuring cap - about 90g of kernels per batch - cost less than 20p!

 Pour kernels into maker.

 Place a bowl under the chute and switch on.

 Realise a much bigger bowl is needed AND get an action shot (slightly fuzzy).

 One batch made this bowlful and 2 smaller bowlfuls for the boys for a scrummy after school snack. You can add flavouring - this time we added a tiny sprinkle of salt.

The verdict from Little Son & Big Son - fab and a thumbs up.

The verdict from me - another thumbs up. Great for making a cheap and low fat snack. The machine uses no oil and instead realises on hot air to pop the corn. It takes just a few minutes to use and its something that will be getting loads of use from the boys - from healthy snacks to movie nights. I suspect even our Christmas tree will end up with a popcorn garland on it this year!!

Thank you to Find-me-a-gift.co.uk for sending us this fab product to test.

I should also point out to you all this site contains 1000's of gift ideas for everyone in your family and life. 

From the big;

 What gadget freak wouldn't like an retro arcade machine to convert their I-pad into a something from their teenage years.

There's also a great choice of slightly unusual kitchen gadgets & equipment - for the cookie baker who has everything - how about some Ninjabread Men Cookie Cutters

So if you're stuck for what to buy that hard to buy for person in your life or just want to find something different and avoid the crush on the High Street then give Find-me-a-gift.co.uk a look.

Thanks for reading.

See you soon with some festive makes and hopefully the contents of a swap parcel!!

xxx Vicki xxx

Perfume-click.co.uk - Review

Hello again

Another day - another product review. As with the others, I only review things that interest me - rather than for the sake of it. When I was asked to review http://www.perfume-click.co.uk/ and was given a shopping voucher to use to do this, I jumped at the chance.

Time to treat myself to something nice (I feel I've earned this after the past few months) and also to make a start on some festive shopping for family members. Whilst I can't show you everything I bought, I can show you what I treated myself to - this gift set from the Kate Moss Vintage Muse range

I choose this as this is a scent I've smelt before and its been on my wish list for ages. However when I compared the prices, I'm glad I didn't buy from the high street. Perfume-click's prices are considerably less than those of the high street and other online shopping sites. My set was just £10.95 whilst in other places online it was over £20! The same could be said of the other items I choose - I made a considerable saving buying this way - even the postage is cheap, just £1.95 and free if you spend over £50.

Another bonus - the bottle is so cute - one to keep;

There was such a wide choice on the site - stuff I've not seen in the high street for many years and also the latest designer names. Even gifts for the younger members of your family;

 For your Disney Princess lover there's a huge range to choose from.

 The same if you prefer Hello Kitty

Even something for the small X-Men fan.

If like me the high street is not an option this Christmas or if you want to make your money go further then I can fully recommend Perfume-click and their range and service.

Thank you for reading

xxx Vicki xxx

Grumpy Wednesday

Morning

This is me today;

 Image via Walt Disney via Google Images

I don't think I got out of the wrong side of bed - in fact I can't as my crutches are always in the same place each night. Perhaps its the full moon tonight that's making me grumpy or it could just be a case of girlie hormones??

I've a feeling that the large lump of metal and purple plaster on my leg is probably the main cause. I can't get comfy in bed at night and often end up in a tangle of duvet and with cramps in my leg & foot.  Just another 12 days to go - hurrah.

Something else that's made me cross is if I am in one of these;

Image via Google Images

And I am out and about with MrVV - I become invisible. Several times we've been shopping - I've put the stuff on the belt and gone to pay only to have the staff ignore me and speak to MrVV. We've soon put them right. Also out & about people seem not to see us and expect us to dive out of the way rather than them just side step. Don't even get me started on all the shops I can't get into - their loss - I'll buy from elsewhere then.

One final grump - this one is a few weeks old but deserves airing. I've done a few reviews now for stuff and have happily recommended stuff to you lovely readers. Well this times, here's one to avoid!! Look at these two pictures and see if you can spot the difference?? 

Yep one is a red converse hi-top and the other is a white converse lo-top. Well I ordered a pair of the red ones for big son from a company called Rubbersole

  

The first problem the parcel took 2 weeks to arrive - not great for a company promising next day delivery! When it eventually arrived it contained the wrong shoes - the white ones. I contacted the company explained the problem and they arranged to resend my order. Another 5 days passes, another parcel arrives - guess what wrong again!! I managed eventually to find a phone number and spoke to their 'Customer Services' department - useless. They couldn't grasp that it was their error - I'd 2 pairs of wrong shoes and they couldn't promise if we'd a 3rd go it would be right. I gave up - got my refund and ordered elsewhere. The only saving grace was they supplied a free returns label. My advice - don't go there - not worth the hassle :(

Right off to find a cat to kick ;)

Be back when I'm less grumpy!!

xxx Vicki xxx

All-tea-towels.co.uk - Review

Good evening

Another day - another review. Seems I was one of a few asked by Al @ www.all-tea-towels-co.uk if I'd like to receive two free tea-towels to review. Of course the answer had to be yes. The biggest dilemma was which 2 of the 100's of gorgeous designs to choose - I got it down to a short list of 10 and then closed my eyes and chose 2.  Here's they are;

I love this patriotic Union Flag design - if you look carefully, you can see the buttons in the middle - 2 of my favourite things in one.

For my 2nd one I choose this retro design - the lady sort of reminded me of Mum in her younger swinging sixties years and of the slogan sums me up rather nicely.

The UK design is 100% cotton whilst the Domestic Goddess one is a linen/cotton mix. Both are currently undergoing field trials in the kitchen and are doing a sterling job - bear in mind that my kitchen is currently being run by 3 males who don't have the gentle touch of us girls. My 13 year old son is now chief washing machine operator and these tea-towels will be at his mercy at the weekend when he does a tea-towel wash!

Thank you Al for sending these to me and my lovely readers, I recommend this website to you - a wonderful choice and quick, speedy and friendly service await.

See you soon.

xxx Vicki xxx

Scooby Doo spook-a-licious snacks - Review

Good afternoon

For a while now I've been getting emails asking me to reviews various products. I've mainly said no as I've not been interested in the item or its been something thats mainly for non-UK markets. However a few weeks ago I was approached by a PR company asking if I'd be interested in reviewing and receiving samples of a new range of sweets from the company Swizzels Matlow.  I knew which company they meant and agreed to do this.

Swizzels Matlow have produced sweets for over 80 years and are responsible for some of my favourites - Lovehearts, Drumstick lollies and Parma Violets. I remember my little Grandma coming to visit us when we were small - she always had been into the village shop before hand and came with a bag of sweets for us all. Always inside were LoveHearts & Parma Violets - the smell of these takes me back to my childhood in an instant.  

Swizzels Matlow have teamed up with Warner Bros to launch a new collection of Scooby Doo inspired sweetie snacks.  Again Scooby Doo formed part of my childhood - we'd often watch the cartoons on TV and will Shaggy, Fred, Scooby, Velma and Daphne to outsmart another crook - those pesky kids ;) This show has now being running for over 40 years and is the longest running animation series on TV with over 360 episodes. I know in particular that little son loves this still - if he gets the chance he'll have an SD marathon watching session on TV.

Anyhow - the important part - the arrival of a parcel;

Inside - one of each of the 3 new products - Scooby-Doo Chew Bar, Gruesome Gums and Fiendish Fizzies - along with a rather plush beanie Scooby - I just know he'll disappear into little sons room very soon!

Before the taste testing could begin - a few photos. The Gruesome Gums along with all the products in the range are free from artificial colours and flavours. They are shaped like characters/items from the cartoon. Shaggy and Scooby were particularly tasty ;)

The Fiendish Fizzies were my favourite - like the LoveHearts each sweet is embossed with a symbol/saying from the show.

The taste testers (big son, little son & I) enjoyed all the different sweets and will be looking out for these in the shops near us. I have a feeling that I will be getting my annual visit from 3 small trick or treaters next month and these would make ideal pressies for their treat bags.

Thank you to RMSPR for sending us the samples - we've enjoyed doing our first product review.

xxx Vicki xxx