Personalised Woven Labels From Easy2name – Review & Giveaway

Crafts / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

Gorgeous Personalised Woven Labels from Easy2name arrived in the post last week with ‘Handmade by RelentlesslyPurple.com’ on them! I had been looking at labels for my crochet projects, hoping one day I’ll be good enough to give something away on the blog. For now, you can enter below for a chance to win your own personalised woven labels, read on to find out more!

Personalised Woven Labels - Review & Giveaway

 

How To Order

The ordering process with Easy2name is so quick and simple with a wide range of options and label types. Once you have selected the type and quantity you would like to order you can then personalise your label.

 

Personalised Woven Labels

I chose the 23mm woven labels over the 12mm as they will mostly be stitched onto my crocheted items which tend to be quite big/chunky. I decided to go with a flower motif and chose my text ‘Handmade By RelentlesslyPurple.com’ across 3 lines. Then I selected font 4 as it is quite similar to the font on my blog header.

Easy2name have a wide selection of colours available for letting and labels. I decided to have my woven labels in purple with cream lettering. The labels arrived really quickly and look so lovely, I can’t wait to finish my huge granny square blanket and add one to it! These will definitely come in handy, especially when I make items for the girls.

Personalised Woven Labels

Last year a girl convinced Eva the scarf I made wasn’t hers and it was never returned even though it was completely different to anyone else’s scarf. If it had one of these on there would have been no dispute and Eva would still have her scarf. They will definitely be used to avoid situations like that again.

Easy2name make it so easy to name and personalise a range of items, I recommend taking a look at their website to see what else is available. If you don’t win the giveaway below but would like to order some personalised woven labels yourself, then see below for the price list.

Prices

23mm Wide Personalised Woven Labels:

20 Labels – £18

40 Labels – £21

60 Labels – £26

12mm Wide Personalised Woven Labels:

36 Labels – £18

72 Labels  £21

144 Labels – £25

Giveaway

Fancy winning a set of Personalised Woven Labels for yourself? Enter below for a chance, good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tammymum

The Great Oreo Cookie Quest – Can You Spot Them All?

Britmum's Linky Challenges / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

For the Great Oreo Cookie Quest, we were sent 2 packs* to enjoy during family moments. Oreos are a delicious & fun snack for all the family! Oreo is celebrating #OreoCookieQuest with fun ways to win great prizes. With the new on-pack promotion you can win a once-in-a-lifetime wonder-filled trip to California and the Googleplex!! We’ve hidden 10 Oreos in this post for fun, can you spot them all?

The Great Oreo Cookie Quest

#OreoCookieQuest

Watching A Film

2 Oreos with a glass of milk is a perfect treat for anyone at anytime. The Great Oreo Cookie Quest seemed like a great way to spend more mother-daughter time with Eva across the weekend. Eva loves Oreos and enjoyed having them as a treat when we snuggled up to watch a film together!

The Great Oreo Cookie Quest

Crocheting

I’ve been teaching Eva to crochet lately, and whilst we had a small hiccup after discovering she crochets left-handed, she is learning. When she gets frustrated we take a quick break and an Oreo quickly puts a smile back on her face. We’ve been practising chaining which she can do with finger knitting so she is picking up confidence bit by bit. We found some fab tutorials online for lefties (I am left handed but crochet right handed!) so I’m sure she will get the hang of it soon!

Oreos & Crochet

Creative Homework

It’s been a slow process with lots going on recently but we have been working on a 3D model of Mount Merapi for Eva’s creative homework. She has been reading The Firework Makers Daughter at school and couldn’t wait to make the model. After several layers of papier mache, it is finally dry and ready to paint! Hopefully, we can hand it in this week!

Oreo-cano

Reading

As I mentioned in a few recent posts, Eva is becoming a big reader like I was at her age, she speeds through books in a day or 2. I try to encourage her to read to herself and out loud to us, she loves reading out loud. Whilst we were spending some one on one time comfortably reading on the bed we treated ourselves to an Oreo.

Reading with Oreos

Eva really enjoyed reading about the human body in this interesting pop-up book. She loved finding out how our bodies work and can name so many body parts and their functions. I love the detail in the book and listening to Eva reading with confidence.

Oreo challenge

Did you find all 10 Oreos in our photo’s? Do you love Oreos too?

*This post is an entry for Britmums #OreoCookieQuest, sponsored by Oreo.

 

DIY Daddy

Updating Your Kitchen On A Budget

Interior Decor / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

Updating your kitchen on a budget? We have done the same and have some helpful tips to get you started. Following our kitchen, bathroom and toilet refit I decided to change the colour scheme to purple, of course! I was worried when we started as I didn’t really think updating your kitchen on a tight budget was possible. Luckily there are some fab deals around!

Updating Your Kitchen On A Budget

Updating Your Kitchen On A Budget

You may remember I managed to get a purple microwave, toaster and kettle all for a reduced price as I waited for a deal. I snapped them up as soon as the price dropped and was really pleased with myself. These items can really help you work out the rest of your kitchen too. They don’t have to be overly expensive to look nice or do the job either. I picked up all 3 appliances for just £60!

Microwave

 

There are some great microwave deals out there as well as kettles, toasters and more. Once you have your small appliances and main colour scheme you can easily find items to match if you shop around. I chose mostly purples for my kitchen with powdered lilac walls and deep purple appliances to match. With the black worktops and light wooden drawers & cupboards, it keeps our kitchen looking and feeling clean and fresh!

Updating your kitchen on a budget is more than possible with so many great deals around. I managed to find a lovely dishwasher for less than £200 in silver which goes really well with the colour scheme we went with. I would never have been able to decide what colour for our main appliances if I hadn’t found the purple microwave first!

Our appliances were all mixed colours until we began updating our kitchen. We replaced our washing machine that broke with a lovely silver one too and already had a silver fridge freezer. We are looking at eventually replacing our oven with a silver one too and will be on the hunt for deals for that too!

Are you updating your kitchen on a budget?

Personalised Kids Clothing From Teether

Family / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

We received gorgeous personalised kids clothing from Teether for the girls this week. Personalised anything is a win for my girls, especially having harder to find names. Teether offers a fantastic range of personalised clothing with a range of printed designs available. From personalised kids clothing such as pyjamas, baby vests, baby grows, t-shirts & more you are bound to find something you like.

Personalised Kids Clothing From Teether

Personalised Kids Clothing

Izzy is a star on mummy's blog pyjamas

Pyjamas

High-quality clothing from baby to adult, Teether really do offer a fantastic personalisation service. All this at a great price too. We received a gorgeous set of personalised pyjamas for Izzy. She is on the bigger side for 3 years old and we have had to start buying 5-6 years in pyjamas. Mostly for the trouser length as she has super long legs but these are 4-5 years and actually have some room for her to grow in to!

Izzy is a star on mummy's blog pjs

Izzy chose to have ‘Izzy is the star of mummy’s blog on’ printed on hers which made her day! They are so soft and the colours of the prints are so vibrant and shiny. She looks a little smug here too in the very few shots I managed to take with her staying still!

Personalised Pyjamas

She looks so cute in these and they are ‘snuggly’ so she really loves them, I can see them being spotted on Instagram regularly haha!

T-shirts

Unicorn + Mermaid + Princess Top

Eva loved the pyjamas but she spotted a design she preferred much more and it definitely suits her personality. She really wanted it on a long sleeved top so she could wear it out. I was a little worried as she is really fussy when it comes to clothing. Labels are usually a big bother for her but she found this top really comfortable.

Unicorn + Mermaid + Princess = Eva-Raye

The ‘Unicorn + Mermaid + Princess = Eva-Raye’ design couldn’t have been any more perfect. Teether really did a fantastic job with this and we are both ecstatic with the result. As you can see below Eva loves anything colourful and now she matches her build-a-bear too!

Personalised t-shirt

It’s safe to say we all love the fab designs and clothing from Teether and would definitely recommend them. You can find Teether over on Facebook & Instagram if you want to find out more and see more of their fab range or visit their site.

What do you think of Teether’s personalised kids clothing?

Guitarist Gifts – Pickmaster Plectrum Punch V2 Plectrum Maker

Alternative Gifts / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I’m always looking for guitarist gifts for my brother who absolutely loves his guitars and anything to do with them! The Pickmaster Plectrum Punch V2 Plectrum Maker is just £16.99 from Prezzybox. It seemed like a fantastic guitarist gift for Alex to have fun with.

Guitarist Gifts

What is the Pickmaster Plectrum Punch V2 Plectrum Maker?

The Pickmaster Plectrum Punch V2 Plectrum Maker works just like a standard hole punch. You can punch a plectrum out of any kind of plastic, loyalty cards, gift cards, carton lids, plastic placemats, literally anything plastic up to 0.8mm thick. I tried it out for myself with an old unused sim card that had a funky pattern on it. It is really easy to use, I did worry I might not have the strength to push it down but it cuts straight through with very little pressure.

Cutting Plectrums

Punching & Sanding

For any rough edges, there is a built-in fine sander on the bottom of the handle. The fine sander is in the perfect place as you can sand the plectrums at the perfect angle using the lip of the handle to rest it on. Overall this tool is perfect, it does rub slightly on the side when used so leaves slight scratch marks on the side but that’s not really a major issue. I cut out a few different plectrums just to see how it worked.

Homemade plectrums

Guitarist Gifts

What guitarist wouldn’t be happy to be able to punch their plectrums anytime? Create your own style punching out cool designs from all kinds of plastics. Saving the environment by re-using the plastic is an added bonus too! I’m always on the lookout for alternative gifts for Alex that will genuinely please him and keep him busy. I can definitely see him playing with this fantastic Pickmaster Plectrum Punch V2 Plectrum Maker for quite some time.

Pickmaster Plectrum Cutter

I’ve had quite a lot of fun playing with this myself, to be honest. I know so many guitarists who would love this as a gift! So if you have a guitarist in your life who seems to have everything check the Pickmaster Plectrum Punch V2 Plectrum Maker out on Prezzybox and check out their other fab unique gifts too!

What do you think of the Pickmaster Plectrum Punch V2 Plectrum Maker? Do you think it would be on your list of perfect guitarist gifts too?

 

My Monthly Goals – March 2018

Rambles / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I’m listing my monthly goals in the hope it encourages me to at least attempted them all! I rarely set goals and I want to see if setting a few this month has a positive impact. So here goes…

Monthly Goals

Monthly Goals

1. Start crocheting a pair of socks.

I am really enjoying crochet, it’s great for my mind and a distraction when my body needs to rest. Completing items leaves me feeling like I have achieved something, the fact they are practical items, blankets the girls can snuggle with etc… really adds to that. I’m determined to try crocheting socks and having warm feet at the end will be awesome!

2. Complete my 30 days of blogging!

I’ve been quietly attempting to blog for an entire month and I am pleased to say I am rather close to the end of it! It’s helped me busy my mind with upcoming assessments, uncertainty over my health, lack of phone/chasing a refund & the typical day-to-day stresses. Watching my stats jump up has been lovely to see too!

3. Complete my Blanket.

Ok this one may not be doable but it’s on my list just in case I do manage it, I’m getting so close to completing it now! I think perhaps a few crochet only days would help me achieve this by the end of the month.

4. Learn the settings on my camera.

I love my new camera, I’ve been mostly using auto for my photo’s but want to learn a bit more. I want to be able to use it in manual a little more if I can!

5. Read 2 books.

I’m half cheating as I am currently halfway through a book right now. I haven’t read properly in a few years so making 2018 a year to read more! So far I have read Elie Wiesel’s night which I stole from Hannah and motivated me to find another book. Having lost a lot of my books from lending them out I only had a few to read but I am currently reading The Lovely Bones and have Trancer waiting in my email too.

6. Survive my assessment.

With just 3 days until my rescheduled assessment he nerves have been kicking in. The fear and what-ifs floating round and round in my head. I hate having to go through it all, I hate proving how messed up my head and body are. It’s degrading and terrifying. Someone who doesn’t know you is about to make a huge decision & let’s face it, not all assessors are fair! Fingers crossed my records help!

7. Continue chasing my refund.

Having upgraded to an LGG5 last month which I bought from Fonegiant only to find it was blocked and on an American network. I wasn’t happy when the seller talked to me like an idiot who didn’t know how to use a dial pad when he sent several unlock codes. Then I returned the phone using their business labels and somehow Royal Mail have now lost the phone the evening it reached the local depot! Now I am hoping Paypal will resolve our dispute and refund me the £180. Over a month with no phone, £180 down, several stressful phone calls, lots of tears, stressful emails and still I am waiting. I am determined to get this issue resolved. Thanks to the fact I have anxiety this has basically left me stuck at home most of the time as I panic if I can’t call the Mr!

8. Do something new.

I tend to stick to the same routines, visit the same shops, eat from the same paces and I want to mix it up a bit! I’m not sure what yet but I’ll update you when I figure it out!

So these are my monthly goals for March, I hope to manage at least half if not all of them. Finger’s crossed having a list to look back on helps me achieve them!

Do you have any monthly goals?

Snow Edits – My Sunday Photo

My Sunday Photos / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I have several snow edits to share with you all this week! I managed to get out with the girls for the day on Wednesday and shared our Snow Day photos. I also took some other shot’s that I’ve been looking forward to sharing though!

Snow Edits – Gull Lightship

I took this first shot of the gull lightship which was fairly dark as the boatyard towers over it a little on the left. I decided to play with the photo and see if I could improve it using the simple photo editor on my surface. There’s something magical about untouched snow so I wanted to show that a little better.

Snow Edits - Gull Lightship

I like this a little better as it reflects the early morning light a little better. I took several shots of the gull lightship as it is my favourite place, admiring the old wooden lightship and it’s history whilst watching the busy river.

Gull Lightship in the snow

This angle gives you a slightly different view of the river looking towards the QE2 bridge.I spent a lot of time playing with it in the editor before realising I could turn it PURPLE!

Purple Snow Edit

I love this purple tint and the snow on the old lightship laying in perfect, untouched sheets. I do think it needs sharpening a little though! The final snow edit is this boat you can see in the distance of the other photo’s. Covered perfectly in sheets of snow including the bouy!

Snowy boat

I zoomed in quite a bit with this shot and wasn’t sure how it would turn out. Surprisingly, I was quite pleased with the detail for a point and shoot. I’m loving playing with photo’s again and need to invest in a decent editor so I can try to do much better!

Do you have any lovely snow edits or did you manage to capture the magic of the snow without editing?

Photalife

Crochet Project Ideas 2018

Crochet / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I’m pinning crochet project ideas constantly lately! With some lovely new yarns the Mr has found I’ve been on the hunt for crochet projects. Crochet and blogging have been helping me stay sane lately and I am busying myself with them. So much has been going on lately that it’s been great to have projects to busy myself with.

Crochet project ideas

I feel quite cut off lately with no phone, I can’t chat online as much. Thankfully my surface does follow me around the flat but it’s really not the same. My brother pops in once a fortnight but otherwise, I barely see anyone so keeping busy is good. The best part is there are no deadlines, I just do as much as I feel I can when I can.

End Of A Project

Crochet Project Ideas

I am almost finished with my huge granny square blanket and know I will need something lined up to make next. Excuse the mess in this photo, it’s hard to get a picture as it is so large! Plus, I have kids… no further explanation necessary! I’ve somehow managed to crochet 150cm/180cm squared, hopefully, it won’t take too much longer! I really enjoy having a simple project to do even though it is huge and taken quite a while! I fear I will miss this project though so lining up a few more projects!

Crochet Project Ideas

I have been looking and pinning so many crochet project ideas that half the time I genuinely have no clue what to start next! I started hunting for some ideas ready for when the blanket is finally finished and found a few I’m tempted to try.

Crochet Socks

Crochet Project Ideas

I have this gorgeous yarn cake in blue that I think will make up some lovely socks. I’ve never attempted crocheting socks before so I am a bit nervous. It could solve my cold feed issues though and Heather has pointed me in the direction of some great tutorials. Knowing I have the #HGDCMakersMoment chat on a Wednesday also gives me a boost to find projects. Chatting to other makers motivates me to finish and find new projects.

Cocoon Cardigan

Aran Yarn

With the Burgandy Aran yarn, I am hoping to start a granny square cocoon cardigan. There are some lovely patterns out there but this one from Spoons & Hooks looks fab. She recommends using 1000-1250 yards of yarn for this granny square cocoon cardigan. I currently have 850 yards of Burgandy Aran Yarn. I figured since I need a size 6-8 I will give it a go and see if I have enough yarn.  At worst I can make it for Eva instead although I may keep an eye out for Aldi too just to make sure though!

 

4 Tips To Help You Take Control Of Your Finances

Finance / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

Here are 4 tips to help you take control of your finances provided by Chrissy Gladstone. A lot of us struggle with our finances and it’s always great to find out how to take control.

4 tips to improve your finances

 

A research has found that some Britons have no long-term financial plan for savings and investment goals. According to a study conducted by the Bank of England, 27% of citizens in the U.K. have no form of emergency savings. In fact, another survey claims that less than half of working-age residents have £100 in their current savings.

Taking the time to manage your monthly income can help you pay off current debts and prepare for the unexpected emergencies that can happen at any moment. Not to mention, you can give yourself an early start towards your pension or save for your dream vacation. So how do you get started?

Here are 4 tips to help you take control of your finances.

Set the Budget Straight

One of the best ways to build financial wealth is to create a budget calendar. Understand your total interest rates, calculate your monthly and annual income, and monitor your net worth. It will take a little bit of effort, but it is a great way to understand how much money you have coming in and how much you spend going out.

When setting up a budget, you will be:

  • Less likely to build debt
  • Less likely to spend on unplanned expenses
  • More likely to improve your credit rating
  • More likely to get approved for a loan or mortgage
  • Able to make better savings in the future

Starting your plan with a clear budget will give you a better picture to see the major expenses and a better opportunity to save money. In addition, it will also help you see whether you are living within your means.

Get Technical With Your Budget

Most of us use our gadgets for everything – staying in touch, playing games, watching videos, and even searching for the next family recipe. So, why not use your smartphone to stay in control of your budget? Using tech apps can help improve your finances and reduce the stress of financial planning. There are some great budgeting apps available online. Just be sure to follow the appropriate security measures when giving out personal details online.

Pay Off Credit Cards and Loans

Credit cards are a great way to build credit and make large purchases instantly – that is until you acquire debt. While this step may take years to finish, you will be able to pay off your credit card and loans for good. From there, can you start saving for future goals as well as feel less stressed when your bills are due.

Invest

Once you have finally established a hefty saving, now’s the time to figure out what to do with it. One of the most common mistakes many of us make is to leave it as it is without much profit in return. Make a plan to put your savings to good use. You might want to invest in stocks, real estate property, or shares in a growing startup.

The hardest part of paying off your debt is taking the initial step. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed once you realize how much you are spending every month and tempted to ignore the growing demands for payments. However, once you start taking control of your finances, you will slowly begin to pay off what you owe and work out what you need to accomplish next.

What do you think of these 4 tips? Have you done any of the above before or considering them?

Snow Day Fun 2018

Family / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

The girls enjoyed some Snow day fun yesterday as did many other children around the UK. This was Eva’s first school snow day and when I told her school was cancelled we all cheered! Izzy had never actually touched snow until we got downstairs. She was so surprised it was soft to touch and loved how it felt, collecting handfuls of snow as we walked.

Snow Day

Collecting Snow

The girls quickly got into the spirit of things grabbing snow to ball up and throw and each other. Eva was a little younger than Izzy last time it really snowed so she doesn’t really remember it well. She really enjoyed the chance to play yesterday having sulked at the lack of snow the night before.

Snow Day Fun

You can see in this picture just how excited and happy the girls were to finally experience their first snow day. With enough snow to cover our feet, we decided to wander down to the river and enjoy crunching through the snow some more. Of course, not before the girls had practised making snowballs first!

Snow ball!

We took a walk along the sea wall, taking in the fresh early morning air as it was only just 9am when we ventured out. The girls played along the way, exploring over the steps to see the old lightship and back again. On the way back the girls decided they wanted to pose as statues… Not very good statues mind!

Snow StatuesIzzy was a little more concerned she couldn’t shake off all the snow on her glove to be fair! I’m not too sure what Eva’s ‘statue’ is supposed to be though! We headed back to play closer to home and eventually went inside to warm up.

All in all we had a lovely Snow day, did you?

Burnished Chaos