Watering Globes Giveaway & Review – Plantpal

Gardening / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

This week we have a Plantpal watering globes giveaway having received a large set of 3 to review. These watering globes automatically water your plants for up to 2 weeks. A great idea for keeping plants watered whilst on holiday. We have been trying out the Plantpal watering globes over the last few days. It is interesting to see how steadily the water leaves the globe. The watering globes really give you confidence your plants are being watered correctly.

watering globes giveaway

Watering Globes

Plantpal watering globes are suitable for year round use. They prevent over watering during winter and under watering in the summer. This makes plants healthier and stronger as well as growing twice as much as normal watering. The globes contain an intelligent patent pending control moisture sensor that doesn’t require batteries. It’s always nice not having to rely on batteries for everything as they often run out when you least expect it. There is no risk of that with the globes, as long as you follow the instructions correctly these watering globes are reusable too.

Plantpal instructions

The globes are easy to fill and have a separate water control spike which eliminates soil clogging up the globe, a common issue in other watering globes. The capillary wicks need to be moistened thoroughly in a glass of water before using. It is so easy to use and fill the Plantpal watering globes. These fantastic watering globes make great gifts for plant keepers that will last for years.

Plantpal watering globes

Watering Globes Giveaway

 

If these sound ideal for you or someone you know then enter the 3 Large Plantpal Watering Globe giveaway below. Don’t forget to check other giveaways currently running too!

 

What do you think of the Plantpal Watering Globes? Are you entering the Plantpal watering globes giveaway for yourself or hoping to win for a plant loving friend?

Cleaner Teeth With Splat Professional Oral Care

Product Reviews / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

You can have cleaner teeth with splat professional oral care who ethically and scientifically develop and manufacture professional oral care for the whole family. We were sent some samples to try out for ourselves and the girls. Splat Oral care have a wide range of products available with natural and effective ingredients.

Splat Oral Care

We were sent a selection of Splat Oral Care products to try for ourselves. The girls recieved some really funky flavours which they were excited to try.

Childrens Toothpastes

 

6-11 Years

Eva recieved the So’Natural Bubble Gum Toothpaste for Kids aged 6-11 years. The bubble gum flavoured paste is 98% Natural and free from fluoride. It protects against cavities and dental plaque. Also intensively strengthening enamel with calcium hydroxyapatite this is a great toothpaste for kids. Protecting gums too these natural toothpastes are great for healthier, cleaner teeth.

 

2-6 Years

Izzy recieved the kids 2-6years Fruity Ice Cream flavoured toothpaste. Splat Kids natural toothpaste offers protection from tooth decay thanks to grape seed extract and Luctatol system. It strengthens enamel using calcium hydroxyapatite. These toothpastes are completely safe if accidentally swallowed. It is also free from mint, fluoride parabens, SLS/SLES petrochemicals and allergens.


Children Of All Ages

The girls also recieved the new Juicy chocolate flavoured toothpaste to share between them as it is suitabe for all ages. Not only is the chocolatey toothpaste delicious but it strengthens enamel with calcium hydroxyapatite too. It is safe if accidentally swallowed and deeply restores and strengthens dental tissue effectively and protects against cavities and soft dental plaque.

Adult Toothpastes


The Bio calcium Sensitivity/Enamel strengthening toothpaste, thanks to Hydroxyapatite and bioactive Calcis derived from egg shell, this natural toothpaste re-mineralises the enamel. Great for reducing hypersensitivity whilst gently whitening due to the SP white system.

Cleaner Teeth - Biocalcium

Cleaner Teeth

Blackwood whitening & fresh breath toothpaste contains activated birch charcoal which absorbs odors and stains for cleaner teeth. Thanks to juniper berries, Biosol and stevia extracts it also protefts against bacteria whilst being free from flouride.

The White Plus daily use toothpaste safely and gently whitens and protects enamel. The White Plus daily use is suitable for sensitive teeth and contains fluoride.

 

What do you think of the this Natural range of Oral care products for Cleaner Teeth?

Aerolatte Milk Frother Review

Kitchen Gadgets / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

The Aerolatte Milk Frother comes with its own storage tube for £9.94 on Amazon. I received the Aerolatte Milk Frother to see what I thought about it myself. I love hot chocolate and it is most definitely the right season so I couldn’t wait to try it out.

Aerolatte Milk Frother

Aerolatte Milk Frother

The Aerolatte Milk Frother is a hand-held, battery-operated device (comes with batteries) is designed to produce perfect frothy milk in under 20 seconds. The Aerolatte Frother can be used to froth all types of milk, including soya, rice, almond, coconut, UHT and powdered (as well as single cream). The spiral whisking head and shaft are made from robust, food-approved, 18/8 stainless steel and comes with a 2 year guarantee. 

Emma from CookBakeEat recently did a round up of the 7 Best Milk Frothers For Coffee including the Aerolatte milk frother too. She listed all the pros and cons for each Milk Frother and compared them. I agree that the milk spills easily, the first time I used the Aerolatte milk frother it spilt everywhere. You do need to hold on tightly as the Aerolatte is rather powerful. If it heated the milk at the same time it would definitely be a bonus.  However it may not be as useful for whisking eggs, sauces, soups, custards and salad dressings if it heated too.

The Aerolatte is ideal in the kitchen as it can be used to froth all types of milk, perfect for anyone with allergies. I think that is definitely a huge advantage. I will definitely be using the Aerolatte regularly to froth the milk for hot chocolate. It can also be used for whisking other foods making it a handy gadget to have in the kitchen.

For under £10 I think the Aerolatte Milk Frother is reasonably priced and works well enough. I would definitely recommend holding the Aerolatte tightly when frothing milk as it is quite powerful. Overall I think this is a great Milk Frother and well worth the money.

Do you have a Milk Frother? Does the Aerolatte sound like something you would find useful too?

Setting Up A Blog – The Basics

Blogging / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

Setting up a blog can be tricky whether for personal use or setting up a small business.

Setting Up A Blog - The Basics

I have written a few blogging tips before including My Top 10 WordPress Plugins and decided to share a few more tips on setting up a blog/website.

Setting Up A Blog

Choose A Domain Name

Choosing a Domain Name is the first and most important step. It needs to stand out from the crowd whilst reflecting what your site is about. Always make sure you check to see if your domain name is available. Check to see if it is used anywhere else or could be confused for a similar name.

Pick Your Host

Choosing a reliable host is so important, people won’t return if your site is always going down. A host that offers support is always a bonus which is why I like 1&1. They are easy to talk to on the phone even if you have anxiety like me. There are plenty of hosts and plans available so look around and read reviews too.

Find The Right Platform

Selecting the right platform for what you want is one of the first decisions to make. I personally prefer WordPress as I just can’t get my head around Blogger. I find WordPress is much more user friendly and with so many plugins available including woo commerce it is perfect for any type of website. There are others available, each will have different packages so take a look around and work out what is right for you.

Branding & Web Design

The next step to setting up a blog is creating your branding. Your branding needs to be strong, it is what helps you stand out from the crowd. Choosing the right design, colours, style and logo for your site is very important as it is the first thing visitors to your site will notice.  If you are unsure what works best there are plenty of web design companies that can help work out what is best for your brand.

Create Relevant Content

Create relevant pages such as a contact us page, about us, testimonials, products etc. It helps to create a few pages and posts before sharing elsewhere so your visitors have something to browse. Whilst I personally don’t feel you have to fit an exact niche creating relevant content for your readers is important. I don’t fit one single niche however I have readers who just visit specifically for tips, parenting posts, product reviews and mental health rambles. Creating categories helps with this. Anyone that visits my site can select a category from the top and go straight to the relevant posts.

Connect Social Media Accounts

Create and connect social media accounts on the relevant platforms. LinkedIn is great for those looking to connect with other professionals. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube may be needed depending on your type of blog or small business. Connecting all your accounts makes it easier for readers/customers to find you.

Learn SEO

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) determines how you rank through search engines such a google. Learning SEO from the start can save months of trawling through blog posts and pages. There are so many SEO guides online and they are well worth the watch/read as they can help your ranking dramatically.

Connect to Google Analytics

Google analytics provides useful insights into your users, their demographics, best performing posts, referrals and more. This is a useful tool to learn more about your customer/reader and what they are looking for more of. You can create more useful content for your readers which generally leads to more visitors too.

Once you have covered these basics of setting up a blog or business site you are ready to go!

 

 

 

Beautiful Diary From Ryman Stationary

Stationery / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I received a beautiful Diary from Ryman Stationary to help me stay organised throughout 2018. I love diaries and notebooks and stationary of all kinds so I was over the moon to receive a new diary. Ryman Stationary have a lovely range of diaries for 2018 including the one I received.

Beautiful Diary From Ryman Stationary

Beautiful Diary Perfect For Bloggers

This Rose Gold Butterfly Page A Day A5 2018 Diary is gorgeous and just £10.99. Designed exclusively for Ryman this beautiful diary would make a perfect Christmas gift, especially for a blogger. This is such a beautiful diary with shimmering rose gold butterflies on a beautiful floral background and a handy ribbon to mark the page you need.

As a blogger it is always handy to have a diary nearby and the rose gold butterfly diary looks lovely sat on my desk. Some of you may have noticed from my Twitter header I love butterflies and with a purple rose too I am a little bit in love with this diary. I won’t lie I am secret wishing January to hurry up now just so I can start using it!

2018 Day a page diary

Useful Information

There are also several other handy pages including:

  • 2017, 2018 & 2019 Calendars
  • Contact Details
  • Metric information
  • Conversion charts
  • Clothing sizes
  • Temperatures
  • Paper sizes
  • Tyre Pressure
  • International Information
  • 2018 Holidays and Notable dates
  • Sunrises & Sunsets 2018
  • Phases of the Moon 2018
  • Telephone Numbers
  • Notes
  • Accounts 2018

This beautiful diary from Ryman Stationary will be going everywhere with me in 2018. A page a day diary is great for me as I need the space to note down literally everything. Having things like reference pages, telephone numbers, important dates and times all in one place will be so helpful. Hopefully it will mean I am a little more organised in 2018!

What do you think of this rose gold butterfly diary? Do you prefer page a day diaries too?

 

Alternative Gift Guide For Him

Alternative Gifts / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple
Alternative Gift Guide For Him

I’ve put together an alternative gift guide with my brother in mind. He is a cat loving, guitar playing, tea addict which makes buying gifts quite fun! Lots of us know a cat lover, a guitar player or a tea addict too so hopefully this little list of alternative gifts will be handy.

Alternative Gift Guide

Both my brother and I have used Mind (a mental health charity) over the years to help us with depression. I discovered some fantastic clothing from In Music We Trust which has some great designs and 50% of profits go to Mind. Alex loves his music and I know he will love this Vintage Tee (£12). IMWT have some awesome beanies (I want one!), vests, hoodies, caps and more.

In Music We Trust Vintage Tee

Being a music lover Alex is forever after memory sticks to store music on. He needs them for coding too which is his latest hobby. Check out this awesome Etch’d 32GB USB stick for £17. You can have any design you want on etched on any of the products at Etch’d. I love how Alex’s name looks and I know he will love it too. There are 3 wood options to pick from – Maple, Rosewood and Dark Walnut. I love the Maple and can’t wait to see what Alex thinks!

 

Every tea addict needs a good mug and all cat lovers will love this one from Tesco for £2/3? I grabbed it whilst we were shopping and of course can’t find the receipt to check.. doh!

Ready for a cat nap mug

Of course if you have a mug you need a coaster and this festive one is adorable! As the cat looks very similar to Mia, Alex’s cat I think he will find this coaster quite cute.

Cat in Santa Hat Coaster

Scope (a disability charity) also have some fab cat gifts in store too, products vary store to store but worth checking if you are shopping for a cat lover too!

A Cat Treat too!

Being a cat lover I couldn’t leave my brothers cat out and I love these fab cat treat cards from Wilko for £2. They have a great selection of pet gifts from treats to toys and all at a very reasonable price.

 

Wilko Merry Meowmas Gift Card

 

Of course when you buy presents you need to find some awesome gift wrap to go with it! I love the Personalised gift wrap from Pretty Gifted, you can add any text and design you like the from the available options. I thought since I was wrapping Alex and Mia’s presents and putting them in the same bag it only made sense to add ‘Merry Christmas Alex & Mia’ with Christmas trees.


What do you think of my alternative gift guide? Do you know a cat loving, guitar playing tea addict too?

 

Stocking Filler Ideas For Girls 2017

Uncategorized / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple
Stocking Fillers For Girls 2017

Stocking fillers ideas.. a little stuck this Christmas? I’ve been sent some great stocking filler ideas and discovered a few myself too. If you are a little bit stuck for then this list may help! I’ve put together several Christmas gift guides including for 3 years, 7 years, Under £5 & for her which may be helpful too.

Stocking Filler Ideas

I love including a small teddy in Christmas stocking, my girls love the Hallmark itty bittys range which fit perfectly! Hallmark have released new collector editions this Christmas which are lovely!

Itty bitty collectors edition

I am in love with the new Hallmark Minnie and Mickey Mouse Collectors Edition itty bittys and know the girls will love them too! These are £7.94 each on Amazon at the moment.

I spotted this fab Pink Unicorn- Belinda Mini Motsu in Tesco on a 3 for 2 offer. I’m pretty certain it was £4 but can’t find it on their site to confirm. Having searched online I have found it here at Boswell & Co. for £4.99 though!

Unicorn Mini Motsu


As part of the Tesco 3 for 2 offer I picked up these Petkins 2 packs (£2.50) as the girls are still Shopkins crazy! Any addition to their Shopkins collection is always welcome.

 

stocking filler ideas - Petkins

 

Pets are something the girls would love to have again but it is just unfair 11 floors up but I found a solution! I loved Tamagotchi’s as a kid and found these ones in QD for £2.99 and just couldn’t resist. There are various designs but I chose pink for the girls as it is their favourite colours generally.

Cyber pet

Of course every stocking needs to contain at least one pair of socks! Sports direct have some great character ones available like this 3 pack of Frozen ones I found for just £1.50!

What do you think of these stocking filler ideas? Which is your favourite?

Improving Children’s Handwriting Is Still Important

Uncategorized / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

Improving children’s handwriting is still important and something I try to encourage the girls with at home. Handwriting improves concentration and fine motor skills, important for learning other skills. Reading and writing are 2 of the most important aspects of children’s education.

Improving Children's Handwriting

According to the Institute of Education, the quality of handwriting education in primary schools can have a direct impact on success into secondary and higher education. Furthermore, the National Literacy Trust suggests that as many as 25% of UK adults are classed as ‘functionally illiterate’ with many struggling to write a birthday card or a cheque.

Uni-ball are helping to spread awareness of Children’s handwriting and the importance of handwriting in education. They have put together some great resources for parents including these 5 top tips to improve your child’s handwriting.

Improving Children’s Handwriting

Improving Children's Handwriting

Eva struggled a little bit with her pencil control when she started school so we helped find a way to improve her fine motor skills. We used some fantastic pencil grips that made it easier for her and encouraged her to play with play dough, squeezing it to strengthen the muscles in her hands. Uni-ball have some other exercises for stronger hands too.

Uni-ball Exercises for stronger hands

 

Recently we have been improving Eva’s handwriting at home with some handy handwriting work sheets from Uni-Ball. They have created some fantastic printable handwriting sheets to help encourage handwriting at home and school.

 

Uni-ball have printable worksheets and tips for parents:

https://uniball.co.uk/teach-cursive-handwriting-children/

https://uniball.co.uk/handwriting-worksheets-for-children/

https://uniball.co.uk/5-top-tips-improve-handwriting/

 

Improving Children's Handwriting

The handwriting sheets are great for helping children with their handwriting skills from helping with their stability and dexterity. Both girls have been using these printable worksheets for improving children’s handwriting, Izzy recognises most letters and loves practising. Eva is really pleased with herself for improving her handwriting further with these fantastic worksheets. She rushes usually when she write but using these sheets have made her slow down and take care with her handwriting again which is lovely to see.

Improving Children's Handwriting with Uni-Ball

Do you think handwriting is still important too? Do you have any handwriting tips?

 

Upcycling Projects – Zacsmart Honey Pine Collection

Crafts / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I have 2 upcycling projects from Zacsmart that I am absolutely in love with! Their Honey Pine finished products are designed so they can be left as they are or upcycled. These make perfect gifts for crafters or perfect for crafters wanting to upcycle and personalise their gifts.

upcycling projects

Honey Pine Gifts

I received a fantastic Honey Pine Wooden Cantilever Sewing Box/Storage Box and a small Trinket Box which are gorgeous. The Cantilever sewing/storage box (£24.75) is ideal for storing bits and pieces like needles, thimbles & threads.

It is portable with a nice chunky carrying handle and 5 storage compartments. The sliding lids have been designed to act as a handy shelf to put things on too.

The Cantilever sewing box is great with all its compartments. I quite like how the Honey Pine Cantilever sewing box looks already so I think I will leave it as it is until I can think of a better plan!

 

Upcycling Projects

The small trinket box is £6.30 and the size is (approx.): 5.5cmH x 13cmD x 18cmW. This little trinket box is perfect for storing all sorts of little bits and pieces. Receiving it reminded me the girls have an overflow of jewellery at the moment. This instantly gave me an idea to make the small trinket box one of my first upcycling projects.
Small Trinket Box in Honey Pine Finish

First I decided to paint the trinket box using a pink satin finish spray paint we had previously bought to match the pink in the girls bedroom. The paint dried really well and looked lovely with a satin finish. The Mr had helped me tape off the catch and hinges to minimise clean up at the end.

Upcycling Projects

Using pink and purple fuzzy letters I added ‘Princess’ to the top along with a crown, key and some jewels. I think it turned out quite nice and will look lovely in the girls bedroom.

Do you love upcycling projects? Can you think of someone who you could upcycle one of these products for as a gift?

 

Vremi Silicone Baking Cups and 3-in-1 Apple Slicer Review & Giveaway!

Food / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

We were sent some Vremi Silicone Baking Cups and an Apple Slicer to review, we love food and baking so we couldn’t wait to check them out. Anyone who has been keeping up with my recent tweets will know since replacing my cooker I have gone on a baking binge. The girls and I love to bake and decided to put the baking cups to the test first!

Vremi Silicone Baking Cups

Vremi Baking Cups

The Vremi silicone baking cups are £13.99 for a pack of 24 Multi-coloured & BPA Free Round Cake Moulds for Cupcakes and Muffins. The baking cups are bright and colourful in pink, yellow, green and blue. The baking cups are non-stick as well as BPA free. They are oven and freezer safe and much to my delight dishwasher safe too!

Butterfly Muffins

Ok so my butterfly muffins may not look that amazing but the fact they came out of the baking cups so easily really is! We’ve had similar ones before that have been tricky to remove the cake/muffin from. The Vremi ones I had no issue with at all and would definitely recommend them for anyone who loves to bake. The came out of the dishwasher spotless and will no doubt get plenty of use.

Vremi 3-in-1 Apple Slicer

Vremi 3-in-1 apple slicer

The Vremi 3-in-1 Apple Slicer is £7.99 on Amazon and comes with 3 attachments for apples, potatoes and mangos. The blades are interchangeable and so easy to change. Apple slicing blades cut an apple into 8 wedges, perfect for my girls snacks. The potato slicer is great for homemade French fries and cuts 36 of them! If you love mangos then the mango corer is perfect as it removes the seed and slices the fruit.

apple sliced

I love how easy the slicer is to use with lovely big soft grip handles meaning the girls can help. The blades are so much sharper than my previous apple slicer and slice straight through! I’ve binned my previous apple slicer (even though it was purple!) because the Vremi one is much easier to use.

If you love the sound of these fab Vremi products then enter the Gleam competition below for a chance to win both!

Win the Vremi Silicone Baking Cups and Apple Slicer #4