Spotted! Drop Your Pants!
Brilliant, no?
Don’t think you need to know any more than that, really.
The wooden Drop Your Pants laundry sign is a mere £8 from the always fabulous Jonny’s Sister.
Read MoreSpotted! Brilliant oilcloth tunic cover ups for toddlers.
What a fab product from the equally fab Messy-Me. They specialise in really very lovely products, all made from oilcloth (genius, no?) that’ll keep your small person (and your house!) just that little bit easier to clean up.
And I love this tunic because we all know that they grow out of the bibs LONG before they grow out of dribbling food down their fronts. And even when they’re not eating this can be used for messy play too.
PLUS – when was the last time you saw a children’s bib look this darn PRETTY?
Fably.
(they do bibs, mats and ingenious high chair covers too!)
Read MoreSpotted! Beautiful Belle & Boo Signed Print at Darling & Darling – 10% Off Too
Belle & Boo 'Rabbit' print @ Darling & Darling
Darling & Darling have this Belle & Boo print which is signed by Mandy Sutcliffe for sale with 10% off.
To buy it mounted but unframed is £36. To buy it in a white frame is £61.50.Sigh. Just wonderful.
Read MoreSpotted! Perfect Car rug.
One of the things I’ve learned as a parent is that a blanket of one’s own is invaluable.
You drag them downstairs with you on a chilly morning, you use them in bed for a little extra snuggability, you curl under them in the corner of your room when you read (or are in trouble…), you lay on top of them when you’re sorting out your soldiers, you take them in the car for sleep-comfort on long journeys, you take them when you visit anywhere overnight for a little feel of home…
Invaluable.
And this rather lovely one from John Lewis is great – soft, big enough, and not too babyish to still be in use when they’re 9.
We love it.
The Here, There and Everywhere Cars Throw is £20 from John Lewis.
Read MoreThe MOST perfect child’s lamp – The Bunny Rabbit
Oh how I love this lamp!
And oh how my daughter loves this lamp too!
What a darling little rabbit he is – though at nearly a foot tall he’s not really in the ‘little’ rabbit class.
(and yes, he is a ‘he’. Wully, actually, is how he’s known around here. Just in case you were wondering)
Just a gorgeous gorgeous lamp.
Bright enough to read by, and yet dim enough to not make you yelp with eye-burny-pain if you turn him on during a 2a.m. emergency. And perfectly safe to leave him on all night as a night light for those small people who are afeared of the dark.
Really – what more do you want in a child’s bedroom lamp?
The fabulous Heico Rabbit Lamp can be found at Petit Home for just £35. I can’t imagine your home is complete without one, to be honest.
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Spotted! The Most Beautiful Giant Floor Cushion
Just. Want. This.
Isn’t it beautiful?
And yes I know it’s £150, but this is a cushion that will last your child a lifetime – sit on it as a child, and also use it for their own child to learn to sit on.
Perfect for the book corner of a child’s bedroom, but equally at home in your own sitting room.
Like I said. I just *want* one.
We Spotted it on Etsy in the fabulous Big Bird’s Boutique. (please note each one is made to order, so there’s some weeks delay before you can get your hands on your own one!)
Read MoreWall Art Stickers from Wall Word
Bank Holiday weekend, let’s hope the weather improves, eh? If the rain doesn’t let up then many of us may end up doing DIY and redecoration. Well, if you are and will be decorating a child’s bedroom, have you considered vinyl wall stickers? Wall Word have some really nice, inexpensive sets for children’s bedrooms. Here’s a selection;
Wall Word - Planets - £14.99
Wall Word - Girly Headboard - £29.99
Wall Word - Clouds - £29.99
Spotted! Totally *want* This Tea Tumbler
I don’t know about you but I rarely hold my mugs by the handle – I much prefer wrapping my hand around the comforting warmth, creating a multi-sensory enjoyment of a cup of the Good Stuff.
I also have a secret love of all things wonky and odd-shaped (oh, hush).
So how much do I LOVE this tea tumbler?
A LOT, that’s how much.
(and yes, it’s dishwasher safe too. Genius.)
(I'm also rather yearning for the birch cups...) £28.16
All available from Josies Pot Shop on Etsy, the Tea Tumbler is £22.13
Read MoreSpotted! Unusual Yet Lovely World Map Print
World Map Print at Famille Summerbelle - £35.00
You got to really look at all the detail. Would look gorgeous on a child’s bedroom wall.
Fabulous Art Box Tin – mais oui!
I LOVE this little tin!
Actually – it’s not so little; at over 20cm long it’s perfect for holding brushes as well as paints or piles of collage scraps or a gazillion colouring pencils or a family of Sylvanian Rabbits or the entire collection of hair bands/clips/ribbons…
That’s the trouble with useful Pots to put things in. You never know what to put i them when you’re 5.
I had this tin neatly placed in the cupboard with all the brushes and pots of poster paint in it, stacked perfectly away. Foolishly, I let the girl help me stack them. Therfore she knew where the tin was, and just what a great and sturdy thing it is.
Consequently, it’s never where I expect it to be, and when I do come across it (on the stairs, under a bed, behind an armchair…) I’m never quite sure what i’ll find inside.
Ah well – life’s an adventure, yes?
The Art Box tin is from the rather fabulous Wise House, and is £21.50. There’s a whole range of the French tins – I’m rather tempted to go complete my set…
Read MoreGet your hands off my Dyson…
The teen was watching this on YouTube last night.
Later I caught him gazing lasciviously at my Dyson with a screwdriver in hand.
Yes really.
If he takes my vacuum apart I am holding Dyson entirely responsible…
The Whirlee – another review classic from @becaboop
Right. I’m going to be honest with you. This Whirlee ride-on toy and I have a serious love/hate relationship…
LOVE the fact that despite its plastic it is actually a fairly stylish piece of kit. We had the red design to review which I loved, why can’t more toys be red instead of the obligatory blue or pink that is thrust upon us? (They do offer the gendered red or pink but this third colour way saved their butts in my opinion.)
HATE the noise it makes on my floorboards. I don’t know if it is it’s plastic material but between the 6 children that have whizzed around on this (not all mine, I am a child minder) the teeth clattering NOISE it makes on my floorboards has meant that at least once a week I have exclaimed RIGHT! ENOUGH! And banished it to the utility room. Sorry whirlee.
LOVE the price point, at just under the £20 mark it is a mahoosive bargain.
HATE the price point, yes, I know. No pleasing me is there. But I can’t help feel if the price point was a little higher, then the problem of the oh so flaming noisy wheels could be rectified. Thicker rubber? I don’t know the answer but I do know they are noisy.
LOVE the design, great shape, quirky, modern.
HATE the lack of padded seat. This has been used by the one year old I look after, my two year old, right up to four year olds and ME! Yes I’ve tried it! And it hurt my bum. Pad that seat! That being said kudos to the whirlee at spanning those age ranges.
LOVE how hardwearing this is. I’ve had it six months and it still looks great. Bear in mind I look after lots of children this has definitely been put through its paces.
If you have carpets, then this makes a great little first birthday present. If you have floorboards, do be prepared to get naffed off with it and huffily sling it in a cupboard for a moment’s peace!
The Whirlee is currently available from Amazon for a rattle under £20
*reviewed for us by Goddess Bec, who can usually be found over at Beetroot and Gherkins
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Spotted! Gorgeous child’s mug from Big Tomato Co – PLUS a secret 20% discount code!
Love love LOVE the Big Tomato Company – and love love LOVE this range of children’s mugs. The duck is my favourite, but the lamb is seriously lovely too.
PLUS… we happen to know that for the next 48hrs there is a Secret Sale.
Oh yes.
20% discount on everything if you use the code SSHHH1312.
That makes this utterly brilliant £30 Retro Robot child's breakfast set reduced to just £24...
And this £70 Use Your Loaf bread crock is reduced to just £56...
Go, look, shop – there’s Pretty to be had…
Browse The Big Tomato Company ‘s site – there a factory clearance section too, which is always worth a look.
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Spotted! Really Useful Lockable First Aid & Medicine Storage
Many moons ago a friend told me a story about why she now keeps all medicines in the house under lock and key. All medicines were kept in an unlocked box on the top shelf of a high cupboard in her kitchen. She thought they were safe enough, she assumed her children hadn’t even clocked that they were kept there.
One morning, she came downstairs after having been upstairs for a short while (putting laundry away or some such menial chore) while her two children were playing in the living room. She walked into the kitchen to pop the kettle on and discovered a chair pushed up against the kitchen counter and the contents of the medicine box spread out over the kitchen side, including an open box of ibuprofen tablets with some missing. Gulp. She could not remember how many were in the packet when she last took some out. There followed a frantic-but-trying-to-keep-voice-calm conversation with her five year old to figure out what happened and whether any medicines were consumed. Turns out the three year old had a sore finger and the five year old was looking for a plaster and some medicine to make it better. My friend could not figure out if any of the tablets had been taken so it all ended with a trip to A&E, observation and two children who were absolutely fine in the end. Phew.
Ever since hearing this story I’ve been on the look out for a lockable medicine box and have discovered these….
Lockable First Aid Tin - Great Little Trading Company - £28.00
Lockable First Aid Cabinet - LocksOnline.com - £38.45
Lockable Glass Door Medicine Cabinet - aplaceforeverything.co.uk - £35.00
'Mon Petit Hopital' Lockable Medicine Cabinet - The Holding Company - £45.00
Spotted! Simply fabulous wall art. There’s Penguins and Whales and Balloons!
This was genius spot by Katy – how much do you LOVE these prints?
The Showler & Showler site is crammed full of sheets of brilliance, and we want them. All of them.
Mr Penguin above is wonderful, but so is this piece of Happy...
Or maybe being a big fish is more your thing?
All prints come in various sizes, ready for you to frame. Prices start at £12.99 for an 18 x 24cm print, and there’s about a gazillion fantastic styles to choose from over at Showler & Showler.
Read MoreSunday Recipe – The Best Family Fruit Cake
There are times when nothing will quite do but a bit of comfort baking (oh yes, we know for a fact half the nation is at it on a Sunday). And when I’m having one of *those* days weeks, there’s one recipe I head to first. It’s an old one from the classic Dairy Diary Book of Home Cookery – a recipe book which every kitchen should contain. I remember my Mum regularly using the original 1968 version, I received a copy of the 1992 version as a wedding present, and this recipe is still in the latest 2011 edition.
Dead simple to throw together, no fancy schmancy ingredients I don’t already have in the cupboard (totally essential for Lazy Sunday Baking), and it’s unfailingly delicious. So if, like us, you’ve had a bit of a stressful one this week, fret no longer. Throw the ingredients in a bowl, mix em up, and let the magic sprinkle through your house as it cooks (does anything actually beat the smell of a fruit cake baking?). And honestly – one slice of this, still warm, with a scalding hot mug of tea, and the world will just seem that bit brighter. I promise.
Simple and delicious, the Family Fruit Cake
Serves 8 (but it’s go-o-o-od, so I often double the ingredients and bake a big one which can last more than one day for my family)
Takes 20 mins to prep, 1h 15 mins to bake.
Oven – 180ºC / 170ºC Fan / 350ºF / GM 4
What You Need:
225g (8oz) SR flour
100g (4oz) butter
100g (4oz) caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling.
100g (4oz) raisins or sultanas
(optional) 5ml (1tsp) grated lemon rind (if I have no lemons, I use 1tbs lemon curd instead which makes a wonderfully moist cake)
1 egg
75ml (5 tbs) milk
What you Do:
- Prep a 15cm (6inch) round cake tin or a 450g (1lb) loaf tin by greasing and lining.
- Sift flour into a bowl
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3. Rub butter into flour until it looks like breadcrumbs (I hate this job, and usually use the hand mixer).
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4. Add sugar, fruit & lemon rind, and lemon curd if using (do if you have some, makes it sticky-moist and lush)
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5. Mix using a metal spoon with egg and milk, do not beat, until evenly combined.
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6. Transfer to your prepared tin (I always stop to poke any ‘top’ raisins down a little and cover with mix to avoid that burnt raisin thing on top).
- Sprinkle top with a little extra sugar if you like a crunchy topping.
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8. Bake for 1 1/4 hours, or until a skewer comes out clean (Fan ovens check it just after an hour).
- Leave in tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto cooling rack.
Cutting when hot will cause it to fall apart - restrain yourself until it is only slightly warm if at all possible.
- Stores in an airtight container for a few days. If, you know, it got the chance.
(Baked using the Silicone Oblong Cake Pan from Lakeland, which as you can see did a MARVELLOUS job!)
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Spotted – Hootie McTootie baby blanket!
Love this Hootie McTootie baby blanket from Scamp. It’s pink, but not too girlie, not too babyish so it has longevity in your baby’s room, and backed with super-soft bobbly lushness.
And, of course, it has OWLS!
Hootie McTootie Snuggle Up Baby Blanket is £35 from Scamp Handmade Baby gifts.
Read MoreMother’s Day Gifts – The Head Case
Is it wrong to really have snorted at these?
Like most of Twisted Twee’s items, they’re quirky, foolish – and a lot of fun.
Naturally of the best quality Egyptian Cotton, though.
And this one made my boys snigger too…
(Though I’m not sure if that’s indicative of my mood upon being woken, or my sculpted bed head hair…)
All Head Case pillowcases are £15 berzackly from the ever-odd-but-always-brilliant Twisted Twee.
Read MoreBlurb Books. What do we think?
Well. I’ll show you, actually…
I did warn Blurb books that I was not going to be a good reviewer for them. I’m married to a high-end professional wedding photographer, and one of my many hats is designing his (hand-bound-in-Italy) wedding albums.
Let’s just say I Know My Albums.
No no, Blurb books said. Go for it.
So I did.
I created a book with our 2011 images ready for the annual Gift For the Grandparents.
And it was flippin’ brilliant.
The paper quality was excellent, the printing was good considering there was no calibration involved, and the cover was genuinely lovely.
Better still, the process of creating it was dead simple and actually quite fun. Once you’ve uploaded your chosen images your creative side takes over you’ll be swooshing pictures about, cropping them, trying new layouts. It’s just a fab album-design-for-beginners tool – I’m quite sure anyone can get really great looking results.
And best of all, the album stays online for you to share with everyone.
Totally winner – we’ll definitely be using Blurb Books for photo books again.
We chose a hard cover with an image wrap, but kept to standard paper and end sheets. The whole 44 page book would have cost £25.95, which is incredibly reasonable, and makes it a truly special gift.
Click here and try it for yourself – you’ll love it!
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Mother’s Day gifts – The Tea Towel. No, really.
I’d like one.
That’s all really.
The ‘Proud To Lick Cake Bowls’ Tea Towel is £8.50 from the marvellously named ‘Joy of Ex Foundation’ over on NOTHS.
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