UK Gift Shopping Habits Infographic

Gift Guide / 9 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

With Christmas approaching I’ve been looking at UK gift shopping habits. What2buy4kids has provided a fantastic infographic (below) which shows how much we spend in the UK on gifts, when we buy them and more.  It’s quite interesting learning more about the UK gift shopping habits & reading the facts.

Women spend more money on average than men in the UK gift shopping, with over £100 difference! I guarantee we get more for our money though 😉

Over half of the UK buy gifts 2 months earlier. The majority of Christmas shoppers start in November. I always hope to buy gifts with plenty of time and have managed to over the last 2  years. I find last minute gift buying way to stressful, it gets far too people out there!

Mothers day is the most popular gifting occasion in the UK outside of Christmas and Birthdays whilst gifting new parents is the least popular. For both occasions gifts are usually bought a week before unlike occasions like Christmas and birthdays.

Shockingly UK parents spend the most on toys for their kids beating the USA, France & Germany. I guess we must get a little too excited. Lets face it though there are some awesome toys out there!

What2buy4kids sell some fantastic Birthday and Christmas gifts and created this infographic to show the UK gift shopping habits. I think they have put together some brilliant statistics and interesting facts on our gift shopping habits, what do you think?

UK Gift Shopping Habits

uk gift shopping habits

 

My Ever-growing Yarn Wish List

Crochet / 9 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I have an ever-growing Yarn wish list right now. Whilst I do have 2 projects on the go right now, a granny square blanket for myself and one for my brothers cat Mia. I’m still using up all my sparkly yarn but I’ve been eyeing up some lovely new colours and brands I’ve discovered.

I still consider myself a newbie when it comes to crochet and I openly admit to being clueless when it comes to different yarns but some are just sooo lovely! I love self patterning yarns, anything purple, grey or super soft. The girls regularly point out yarns they like and want used on a project too but this list is just for me.

My Yarn Wish list

 

Caron Cakes

Anyone who loves to crochet or knit has no doubt heard of Caron cakes, self-patterning yarns that come in a glorious array of colours. These are fantastic for a range of projects and look especially lovely when used for shawls. Here are my favourite 4 Caron Cakes.

Yarn wish list- Bumbleberry caron cake

Bumbleberry

I love the gorgeous combination of purples in this Bumbleberry Self Striping Aran Yarn. I could use this on so many projects for myself!

lilac frosting caron cake

Lilac Frosting

The Lilac frosting would make a lovely scarf for winter with just a hint of lilac throughout. I usually avoid lighter colours but I do love the way this Caron cake turns out.

 

Mixed Berry Caron Cake

Mixed Berry

I’ve had my eye on this gorgeous Mixed Berry Caron cake since I first discovered them. I think this would be perfect for a project for Eva. Maybe a nice cardigan if I can work out how to crochet one!

Faerie cake caron cake

Faerie Cake

The last yarn on my Caron cake wishlist is this gorgeous Faerie Cake. I just love the colours in this, I’ve no idea what I would use it for but I definitely need it in my yarn stash asap.

 

purple fizz

Purple Fizz

Stylecraft Wondersoft DK Merry-go-Round in Purple Fizz is another self-patterning wool which I would love to make some cushions out of. I want to funk up my sofa soon and have a few different cushion cover ideas.

candy

Candy

King Cole Flash DK Knitting yarn in Candy is gorgeous. I would love to make some cushions for the girls room. Ok I know I said this list is for me but I couldn’t help but slip one in for the girls too!

What’s on your Yarn wish list right now? Which of the above yarns is your favourite?

Personalised Santa Letter Giveaway From Lapland Mailroom

christmas / 9 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I’m offering my readers a chance to enter my personalised Santa Letter giveaway from Lapland Mailroom. The girls letters were ordered this week and I’ve teamed up with Lapland Mailroom to give you a chance to win a letter from Santa for your child too.

Christmas is quickly approaching and lots of parents have begun buying and planning in time for the big day and we are too. Letters from Father Christmas are always top of the list for the girls. Nothing beats the magic of a letter arriving addressed to your little one from the big guy himself and Lapland Mailroom make it quick and easy to order one.

Packages Available

Lapland Mailroom offer 3 packages, each as lovely as the other for either £7.95 or £8.95 depending on which package you select. Each letter comes with a free Nice child certificate worth £2.95.

Personalised Santa Letter Giveaway

The 2nd package also includes fun activity pages for your child to enjoy. I love the Santa please stop here sign, my girls love things like this. We chose this package for the girls to keep them busy, Izzy will love colouring in her sheets.

Giveaway

 

The 3rd package for Baby’s 1st Christmas is just £7.95 for a beautiful Santa letter and free nice child certificate. A lovely keepsake for them to look back on and adds to the magic of their first Christmas.

Baby's 1st christmas letter

Personalised Santa Letter

After selecting a package you can then choose from 3 different letter options or the baby’s 1st Christmas letter. Lapland Mailroom offer a selection of personalisation options.

Enter your child’s first & last name, gender, age and which town/city they will be in for Christmas eve. You can then enter anything your child left out for Santa last year, their best friend or family member’s name & the gift they are hoping to get from Santa. A personal note can also be added to your child’s letter. I made sure to add ‘Be nice to your sister!’ to Eva & Izzy’s letters this year. You can then choose for the letter to be signed from Santa or Father Christmas.

The personalisation form is so simple & easy to fill out and takes no time at all to order your child’s letter.

Personalised Santa Letter Giveaway

Now for the best part! As I mentioned, I’ve teamed up with Lapland Mailroom to run a personalised Santa letter giveaway. Giving you a chance to win a free Santa letter of your choice from Lapland Mailroom!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Personalised Alphabet Book: Find My Name In The Alphabet Train

Book Reviews / 9 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

Dr Niamh recently launched her first fully personalised Alphabet book: Find My Name in the Alphabet Train , Illustrated by Valeria Leonova. I received a lovely copy for Izzy in exchange for an honest review.

Personalised Alphabet Book

Personalised books are always a lovely gift idea for children. A gift children can both learn from and cherish for years to come. Children benefit greatly from being read to and reading, personalised children’s books are read on average 9 times more than traditional books. Children love being centre of attention and books like this encourage early learning and a passion for books.

Izzy

Personalised Alphabet Book

The Find my name in the alphabet train book is available in soft or hardback. The story can be personalised with your child’s name, gender, skin & hair colour. The personalisation includes adding a personalised message, printed on the last page which makes this alphabet book extra special. I love that you can personalise the book, Izzy’s personalisation turned out great!

The personalised Alphabet book contains great animal characters who take your child on a journey through the entire alphabet to find special letters in your child’s name. This gorgeous personalised alphabet book written in rhyme and uses phonics throughout the story. Learning phonics help’s young children learn the sounds and personalities of each letter. Perfect for Izzy’s age group!

Find your name in the alphabet train

The Storyline

The storyline and animals throughout the book make it colourful and lively. I found the book fantastic fun to read out loud with the phonic sounds and rhymes making the story sing. Books like this are a fantastic gift for Birthdays and Christmas which is just around the corner.

Izzy

The end of the story is laid out with the last page containing your personalised message & their name on the train. Dr Niamh’s Personalised alphabet train children’s book really is a gorgeous gift for any little girl or boy.

What do you think? Would your little one love this too?

 

 

Burnished Chaos

 

Woodland Garland – Crafty Creatives Subscription Box

Craft Subscriptions / 9 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I’ve been making a woodland garland after receiving the Crafty Creatives Subscription box to review. A fun crafty box with creatives in mind. Crafty Creative boxes are £15 plus p&p (£2.95) each month. My box contained everything needed to make a woodland garland, felt, threads, eyes, stuffing and templates.

Crafty Creatives Subscription Box

Crafty Creatives

The woodland garland looks so cute and I knew it would be something that would no doubt end up in the girls room. I decided to start when the girls were in bed so I definitely wouldn’t get disturbed as I’m not great at sewing. I love to craft and crochet is usually my go to but I couldn’t wait to see how I got on with the crafty creatives box.

My Woodland Garland

I started with the Squirrel, cutting out the templates first then finding the correct felt. With so many shades of brown I was a little confused to be honest. I think a colour chart would have been quite helpful. Once I had got over my colour confusion I got to work pinning the templates to the felt. I then cut out each piece & stitched the details on. Finally I stitched the back & front together adding stuffing as I went.

Squirrel

The instructions are easy to understand and in no time I had made my first stuffed animal for this fantastic woodland garland. I was quite proud of myself as sewing isn’t my strong point yet following the simple instructions I managed to make something that actually does resemble a Squirrel.. yay me!

Stuffed Squirrel - Crafty Creatives subscription box

Seriously, how cute is that Squirrel!?

I made each one in order so I didn’t get too confused or mix anything up. It was lovely to see each one coming together piece by piece and really enjoyed making them. I usually find sewing stressful but everything is so small and cute I found it quite relaxing!

Woodland Garland - Mushroom

I loved that I only needed scissors and pins to complete this project. Unfortunately I ended up having to use a little of my own black and white thread. That is highly likely to be down to my poor sewing skills in all fairness. I tend to find the back of my work looks an absolute mess when I sew. Making the woodland garland has made me consider sewing a little bit more as I really did enjoy making each one.

 

Woodland Garland

Crafty Creatives work to put together a new box each month and collaborate with small businesses to do so. I think this is a fantastic idea and I would love to see what they come up with next!

What do you think? Does the Crafty Creatives Subscription Box sound like something you would enjoy too?

 

Gingersnap Lightbox And Pastel Letter Pack Review

Product Reviews / 9 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I received a fantastic Gingersnap Lightbox to review along with a Pastel letter pack containing 120 letters, numbers & symbols.

Lightbox

I’ve wanted a lightbox for a while but never got round to actually getting one so I jumped at the chance to review this fantastic A4 Black Shell Lightbox by Gingersnap. Cinematic style lightboxes are great for all occasions, birthdays, Christmas, weddings and of course for bloggers they are great for creating post title images.

lightbox

Gingersnap A4 Lightbox

This illuminated A4 LED Lightbox includes 120 black & red letters, numbers and symbols, and USB cable. It can also be powered by DC adaptor (not included) or 6 1.5v AA batteries (not included). With plenty of power options you can pretty much use the Lightbox anywhere. The self-timer turns itself off after 6 hours. It can be used freestanding and is also wall mountable.

Lightbox Fun

The Gingersnap Lightbox and letter packs are so much fun! There are a range of fun symbols you can use to pretty up your text. Being a Big Bang Theory fan I of course spotted the batman symbol and decided to do Sheldon’s ‘I’m batman’ quote. I love how it looks and it made a few friends giggle too!

I'm Batman

Of course my next thought was one for the adults.. well the Mr mainly haha!

it's beer time

The lightbox is also a fantastic way to congratulate people. How cool and colourful does this look? I love the pastel colour pack, it really brightens up the message. With so many cool symbols in both packs you could have fun for days creating messages.

congrats

I think it’s safe to say the Gingersnap lightbox & letter packs are both a great way to display a message and tons of fun! I’ll be using this for a few blog titles and counting down to Christmas with the girls

What do you think?

 

 

Role Play Teacher Pack From Wannabee’s

Gift Guide / 9 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

We received a Wannabee’s Role Play Teacher Pack to review at the perfect time! Eva has had a fantastic week at school and had her sharing assembly. Standing up and reading the most lines enthusiastically Eva caught the assistant head teacher’s attention and was asked to stand at the end. When asked what she wanted to be Eva told everyone she wanted to be a P.E teacher.

Wannabee's role play teacher pack

At 7 years old Eva’s aspirations to be a teacher are high, she can’t wait to grow up and be a teacher and regularly writes her own registers pretending to be Izzy’s teacher. When I showed her the Role Play Teacher Pack from Wannabee’s she literally squealed with excitement.

Role Playing - Teacher

Wannabee’s Role Play Teacher Pack

Created by 2 working mum’s, Wannabee’s stemmed from one of their daughters asking for a “grown up Teachers pack just like the one that they use in school”.Wannabee’s offer 3 different role play packs – Teacher, Café & Doctor. All roles children generally enjoy the most. The role play packs are full of everything your child needs to be whatever they want to be. At just £14.99 they are fantastic gifts for children. Wannabee’s also offer a 2 pack deal for £24.99 and a 3 pack deal for £32.99.The role play teacher pack includes everything your child could need to be a teacher with several sheets of each too! The pack stands up and uses high quality paper and coloured inks which is really noticeable.

There are 12 different parts to the Teacher pack:

Registers –

 

Timetables

Role Play Teacher Pack - Timetable

Lesson Planner

Role Play Teacher Pack - Lesson Planner

Classroom Jobs List

Role Play Teacher Pack - Classroom Jobs

Lunch List

Role Play Teacher Pack - Lunch List

Weather Chart

Role Play Teacher Pack - Weather Chart

 

Counting Sheet

Role Play Teacher Pack - Counting Practice

Letter & Number Sheet

Role Play Teacher Pack - Letter & Number Practice

Reading Log

Role Play Teacher Pack - Reading Log

School Report

Role Play Teacher Pack - School Report

Achievement Certificates

Role Play Teacher Pack - Achievement Awards

Stickers

Role Play Teacher Pack - Stickers

We really loved the Wannabee’s Teacher Pack and we are definitely going to buy the Café & Doctor Packs too as they are so much fun. Eva has spent all weekend using her Teacher Pack with Izzy and it has kept them both happy for hours. I remember as a child my friend had one of those old post office role play toys and the Wannabee’s Role Play Packs remind me of those and the fun we had pretending to sell stamps.

Watching the girls go through the register, lesson plans and watching Eva set up activities is been great. It’s encouraged the girls to play together too which is always lovely. The Role Play Packs are perfect for kids.

What do you think of the Role Play Teacher Pack? Do you love the sound of the Café & Doctor Packs too?

Burnished Chaos

My Sunday Photo – Home-grown Happiness

Uncategorized / 9 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

This week’s #MySundayPhoto – Home-grown Happiness photo’s were taking straight after the girls picked the peppers they have been growing over the last few months. The girls look so happy and proud that they have planted & grown the peppers to perfection. They helped us make a delicious salad dinner with their freshly picked peppers which we all thoroughly enjoyed.

Home-grown happiness

Home-grown Happiness

The girl’s faces in these pictures show how amazed and happy with what they have produced. From a tiny seed and a bit of soil on a tiny windowsill they produced these delicious peppers. The peppers grew to a great size, especially Eva’s.

Eva & Izzy's Peppers

There was even more excitement when we discovered Eva’s big red pepper had another pepper trying too grow inside! It looked so pretty with the red and green together.

Pepper inside a pepper

Do you grow your own fruit or vegetables? Do you get that home-grown happiness when you harvest too?

De-stressing With Thrive: Feel Stress Free

Uncategorized / 9 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I’ve been de-stressing with the  Thrive : Feel Stress Free  app over the last fortnight. I introduced Thrive here, a fantastic app created for mental health conditions and designed to gradually build resilience to and manage stress, anxiety and mild depression. Using clinically proven techniques such as mindfulness and CBT over a few weeks can have huge benefits.

De-stressing with Thrive: feel stress free

De-stressing with Thrive

Me being me I haven’t managed to religiously use the app. I had hoped to use it much more. The Zen garden and Zen challenge does keep drawing me back in however and I feel it’s been beneficial for me. Most evenings I will sit and design a Zen garden or try one of the challenges. I can feel the stress disappearing as I rake and arrange my pretty little gardens. The challenges are simple, a little bit of thinking involved but it’s very enjoyable. With a star rating you can go back and try to think of better ways to solve the challenges too. It really does help me de-stress.

Zen Garden

Managing Better

Anyone who has seen my tweets this week will no doubt know we have had a stressful month which seems to be continuing. Normally these stresses would have me in tears, feeling helpless and useless.We had our washing machine breakdown the first week back at school. Although we managed to borrow money to replace it only for it 2 breakdown less than 2 weeks later.. with school uniform in.. AGAIN! Using the Zen garden each night seems to be helping me stay calmer. Whilst I am annoyed and frustrated I am managing to keep a hold on my temper and emotions much better. I’m not instantly reacting and being much more mindful.

Using Thrive

As mentioned in my previous post there are subscription costs for thrive, having used the app I feel they are actually very reasonable prices.

The Thrive app is available on all Android and Apple devices. 3 different subscription packages are available.

Monthly –  £5.99

Quarterly – £14.97 for 3months of unlimited access. That’s just £4.99 a month!

Yearly  – £47.88  a year brings the cost down to £3.99 a month.

For my readers however I have a special code to use through October so you can try out Thrive: Feel stress free for yourself and hopefully start de-stressing like I have! Use code FSFOCT300917.

 

 

 

Vitra Kitty Blackout Blind From MakeMyBlinds

Interior Decor / 9 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I’ve just received a lovely new blackout blind from MakeMyBlinds.co.uk for the girls room. MakeMyBlinds make made to measure blinds in hundreds of colours. They cover Roller blinds, Wooden blinds, Vertical & aluminium venetian blinds. MakeMyBlinds has a lovely selection to choose from covering all rooms of the house and styles. It’s no secret we are slowly but surely making improvements around the flat. Blinds, curtains & carpets are currently on our list of things to change so I was thrilled to have the chance to review some made to measure blinds.

Ordering A New Blackout Blind

Ordering a blind with MakeMyBlinds is so simple and with plenty of how-to guides, fabric videos, free samples and a fantastic customer support team the whole process is completely stress-free. Not only can you order your blinds to the exact measurements you need but you can save up to 50% compared to high street prices. There are plenty of guides to help you find the perfect blind for your needs. Their shipping covers the UK using DX or DPD to deliver your blind depending on your location.

Ordering Blackout Blind

Our Order

The girls chose an exact fit Vitra Kitty Blackout Blind to go with their very pink bedroom. Their blind recently broke and we’ve had to use a peg to keep it up during the day! As promised we were kept updated throughout the entire order process. I received an email to let me know the order had been confirmed, dispatched from the factory and when the blind was due to arrive. It’s really reassuring to know exactly when your order will arrive.

Installing The Blind

The Vitra Kitty Blackout Blind arrived rather quickly, much to the girls delight! They have needed a new blind for a little while now and were so pleased they would still have a lovely pink one to match their overly pink bedroom. It arrived well packaged with the brackets needed. It was fairly simple to put up (once we charged the drill!) and it looks lovely in the girls bedroom.

Vitra Kitty blackout blind

The Vitra kitty blackout blind goes nicely with the other pinks in the girls room. As we were able to order to measure and have the overlap we needed it actually blocks out the light even during the day. Our last one let far too much light in, the main reason Izzy rarely naps! I’m hopeful that she will actually manage to sleep in the day now when she does need it. The fact the blind works so smoothly is a relief too, I couldn’t open or close the previous blind myself. Now I can open and close it with ease making the odd occasion I put the girls to bed alone slightly less of a challenge. Win all round!

With guides to help you along the way and free samples to help you pick the prefect blind, MakeMyBlinds make ordering blinds a stress-free process.

Have you heard of MakeMyBlinds before? Did you know you can order blinds made to measure?

DIY Daddy