Wednesday, 19 June 2013

Beauty Wednesdays Part 2: Back 2 Mac Scheme and Lipstick Review

For those of you who may be aware - I, Hayley, am a complete and utter Mac-a-holic.

It's been a problem I've had for approximately 7 years now - ever since I happened to read that Paris Hilton swore by MAC's Studio Fix Foundation (During a rather embarrassing period of my life when I was obsessed with Paris's "reality" show The Simple Life and was pretty much convinced that I was Nicole Richie....) - and it shows no signs of ceasing.

I am happy to try other products - I am not opposed to the occasional dabblings with Benefit and Stila, Urban Decay, Too Faced, etc....I quite enjoy them. 

But NOTHING will EVER live up to MAC in my eyes!!!

I am hoping to get around to doing a post about my two main MAC loves - Studio Fix Fluid Foundation & Studio Finish Concealer - soon. But for now, I wanted to show you my current favourite MAC lippies and one of the reasons I love them so much  - the fabulous Back 2 Mac programme.

Back 2 Mac is a recycling programme that MAC stores run - basically, you save your empty bottles, pots, lipsticks, etc (cardboard boxes are not included) and when you have collected 6 empties, you return them to MAC.

In return, MAC reward you with a FREE lipstick of your choice!! (Anything other than the Viva Glam range - which is understandable as proceeds from Viva Glam sales go to charity).

On my last MAC trip, I had collected enough empties for a free lipstick...

Here is what I returned: (I had one extra one, which the girl advised me to keep hold of for next time - so I did!)
3 Empty Studio Fix Foundation Bottles
2 Empty Studio Finish Concealer Pots
An empty lipstick
An empty Studio Sculpt foundation tube


And in return, I received a brand new lipstick to add to my collection - I went for Pink Plaid.


Here it is, along with the two other lipsticks I have got from the Back 2 Mac scheme in the past:


As you can see from the pictures below, the shades I have are quite similar (I like pinky/natural and discreet looking lip colour best!) but the different finishes make them seem very unique in my opinion.

The Pink Plaid is a Matte lipstick so very long lasting!

Lovelorn is a Lustre lipstick which has a very glossy finish.

And Peach Blosson is a Cremesheen lipstick which is, obviously, finished with a creamy sheen to it and is more like a coloured lip balm of sorts.



Have you ever used the Back 2 Mac scheme? What are your favourite MAC lip colours?
As always, I'd love to hear from you!






Have you checked out my Super Sparkler Advertiser this month?


Louise's blog is a fab read all about beauty, shopping and mummyhood with regular product reviews and weekly features such as Shopping My Stash and What The Postman Brought....


Beauty Wednesdays Part 1: Victoria by Victorinox Swiss Army

I have to admit, when I first heard of a perfume created by Victorinox Swiss Army - I was a bit puzzled!
For me, Swiss Army does not conjure images of a nice feminine perfume!

But I'm always open to new things so I was more than happy to give it a try....

I was sent a bottle to sample and was immediately struck by the elegant appearance of the packaging

What They Say:

This fragrance perfectly embodies a woman's independence in her day-to-day life. It fits every
occasion and every mood, and thus is a reliable everyday companion.

Victorinox Swiss Army Victoria embodies a timeless femininity that is carried by elegance and
self-confidence. The new fragrance adapts perfectly to the skin of the woman who wears it and
accentuates her unique charm. It is for women who likes to keep things simple whilst being
stylish. This can be seen in the clean lines of the 100 ml flacon which has one platinum side, as
well as elegant packaging with engravings of laurel and edelweiss inspired by the insignia of the
highest grades in the Swiss Army.

TOP NOTE: Freesia, Plum, Blackcurrant
HEART NOTE: Bulgarian rose, Lilly of the Valley, Viola
BASE NOTE: Cedar leaf, Sandal wood, White Musk, Myrrh

What I thought:

This was a surprisingly elegant and feminine fragrance, with lovely floral tones that I found to last for the majority of the day without being overwhelming or overpowering.

I know it sounds silly but when it comes to perfumes, half of the attraction for me is in the appearance of the bottle itself (Hence my huge Anna Sui collection!) and I did love the intricate detailing on the sides of the bottle of the Victoria perfume.

How To Get A Sample:

Because this perfume is only sold in selected stores, the creators have come up with a fab and unusual way for you to sample this perfume without having to trudge to the shops!
Just to go the micro site where you will be asked to select flowers from a virtual meadow to create your own unique virtual bouquet - this will then be printed onto a small postcard and sent to you along with a sample of the perfume!
What a cute and unusual idea!

You can either have them sent to yourself or to friends/family.

To create your own virtual bouquet and get a free sample, just go to http://victoria.victorinox.com

Victoria by Victorinox Swiss Army is priced at £51.00 and is available from www.victorinox.com





Have you checked out my Super Sparkler Advertiser this month?


Louise's blog is a fab read all about beauty, shopping and mummyhood with regular product reviews and weekly features such as Shopping My Stash and What The Postman Brought....


Tuesday, 18 June 2013

Baby Wearing - Am I Converted?! Featuring the BabyBjorn Miracle Carrier


While I was pregnant, I joined a lot of pregnancy and parenting forums and came across a lot of terms being banded around that I was completely unfamiliar with.

"Cloth Bums", "Controlled Crying" and "Baby Led Weaning" to name but a few...

Truth be told, I have yet to really look much further into any of these things as of yet - but one term I saw being used a lot was "Baby Wearing".

Now this one I didn't really need to read up on - it was pretty self-explanatory! 

Baby Wearing is the practice of using a carrier or sling to "wear" your baby on your body rather than simply carry it.

Baby Wearing has, of course, been practiced for centuries all around the world - but has become very on-trend with modern mamas in western society in recent years as more and more parents are leaning toward the principles of "Attachment Parenting".

The Benefits of Baby Wearing include:

*Increased physical contact between mother & child leading to a closer maternal bond, easier breast feeding and generally better care therefore lowering the chances of post partum depression.
*Increased physical contact between father & child leading to a closer paternal bond
*Parental rhythms are shown to have a soothing and calming effect on a baby - leading to a calmer baby
*Decreased risk of "Flat Head Syndrome" - which can be caused by babies spending a prolonged time laying in a cot, chair or car seat.
*Practicality - Babywearing means you have your child close to you but you have both hands free - meaning you have the freedom to carry out household tasks, etc.

So - after reading all of this while I was pregnant - why was I not convinced by the idea of baby wearing?!

To be honest, it just didn't appeal to me. I tend to get quite irked by the current trend of Au Naturel parenting (fair enough if thats your thing, its your choice - but I dislike the preachiness and holier-than-thou attitude associated with it) and in my eyes, baby wearing was just another aspect of this.

I couldn't imagine anything I wanted to become less as a parent than a Trendy Hippy playing whale song as lullabies in between recitals from my wind flutes, whilst nursing my child - still attached to his placenta until his umbilical cord drops off naturally. (Again - fair enough if this is your bag, to each their own - its just not for me!)

I also worried that spending a lot of time with the baby so close to me would result in a very spoiled baby who would squawk away as soon as he was put down.

But once Tyne arrived, and we had discovered that a pram isn't always practical when going for days out in crowded places etc - I did start to wonder if perhaps we should give the whole baby wearing thing some more consideration.

So when I was asked to trial the Baby Bjorn miracle carrier - I was only too happy to give it a try.

I must say that I did remain skeptical but I tried my best to go into it with an open mind....

When the BabyBjorn Miracle Carrier arrived I have to admit - I took one look at it and thought it looked massively confusing!
I practically threw the carrier and its instructions at my partner and told him to figure it out.

To my surprise, he had a quick flick through the instructions - clipped a few things into place and before I knew it - this had happened:



Yep - within minutes Tyne was all strapped in and ready to go! And he seemed to be loving it!
We decided to give the carrier its first run out on a shopping trip to Kiddicare - I hate having to get the pram out just for a five minute shopping trip, so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try the carrier.

Once again, I allowed Jon to take the lead - still a bit weary about the whole thing - and again, within seconds he had the carrier on with baby inside - ready and raring to go!


Tyne seemed to be very happy and content in the carrier. He likes having a good look around and being able to look up at Daddy too - Jon had his hands free to browse around, but Tyne felt perfectly secure. Within a few minutes Tyne had dropped off to sleep in the carrier - which only goes to show that he must find it comfortable!
When we were paying for our goods, the cashier girls commented on how snug he looked and what a good idea the baby carriers are.

The next time we went out with the carrier, I decided to bite the bullet and give it a try myself.

I was amazed at how easy it was to adjust! You simply clip it around your waist, unclip the top while you slide the baby in and put his legs through the holes provided, then re-clip the top and adjust if necessary - and thats it! You're good to go!

I was also shocked by how secure it felt - I worried that I would feel the need to hold on to Tyne but I could tell he was held safely in position so I didn't need to cling on to him. I found the carrier very comfortable to wear - in fact I barely noticed it was there!!


So what are the benefits of the BabyBjorn Miracle Carrier?


*You can adjust the waist belt to transfer the weight of the baby to your hips to relieve your back and shoulders
*The carrier can be used from birth until approximately 15 months
*Adjustable head support
*Available in either cotton mix, organic cotton or breathable mesh - all fabric used is suitable for sensitive skin and is extra soft.
*Available in a range of colours

To see how easy the carrier is to wear and adjust, have a look at this video:


All in all, I am surprised to say - I have definitely been converted to baby wearing!
I love using the Baby Carrier and regularly "Baby Wear" both around the house and on any outing where we feel the pram might get in the way.

Tyne & I give the BabyBjorn Miracle Carrier our Stamp Of Approval!



The BabyBjorn Miracle Carrier is priced at £114.99 for the cotton mix, and £124.99 for the organic cotton and mesh.
You can purchase the Miracle Carrier from www.BabyBjorn.co.uk or click HERE to locate your nearest stockist.



Have you checked out my Super Sparkler Advertiser this month?


Louise's blog is a fab read all about beauty, shopping and mummyhood with regular product reviews and weekly features such as Shopping My Stash and What The Postman Brought....


Monday, 17 June 2013

Mummy Mondays: Little Bird Told Me review

Today I am reviewing Little Bird Told Me - a childrens toy company based in West Yorkshire.

When I was asked to review this company, I have to admit - it was the first time I'd heard of them - I went to have a look at their website and was instantly smitten!

They stock a wide range of beautiful childrens toys, everything from huggable little cuddly friends to rocking horses and much more!
Their toys are all very stylish and colourful, which I love - they have quite a retro/kitsch feel to them - as does the website itself.

Some of the most tempting items I've found from browsing the site are...


This looks so comfortable and I can imagine that Tyne would just love this - the baby blue also appeals to me! They also stock a gorgeous pink Butterfly activity mat and a unisex Bear mat.

I also love their range of rocking animals...


This gorgeous snail rocker is £85.00 - I love the colours for a little girl (They also have more traditional boy colours and a unisex one!) and I love the little snail rattle toy that sits in the little house at the back, how cute?!

As Tyne was only a few weeks old when I was asked to do this review, he wasn't doing a lot of playing - so rather than toys we were sent this lovely Luxury Cot Mobile to review:


You could tell pretty much straight away even from the branding on the box that we were looking at a high quality item! I think it really makes a difference when a company makes an effort with packaging - after all, first impressions count!!


The Luxury Mobile features 3 little character who look down on baby in bed with their cute little smiley faces!
Tyne adores them and spends much of his time smiling back and cooing at his little friends!
The bright colours really seem to draw his eye!

The mobile attaches to the cot by an arched wooden arm - no tacky plastic here!!! - everything about the mobile looks elegant and classy.

The mobile is wound up and plays a soothing lullaby as the characters rotate gently. There is a quick stop button to halt the music and movement if you want to.


Tyne absolutely loves this mobile, and we use it every night as part of his bedtime routine...

I think its a beautiful addition to his nursery.

The Little Bird Told Me Luxury Mobile is priced at £40.00 and is available HERE

I would highly recommend a visit to the Little Bird Told Me website if you haven't come across it yet, it really is very cute and has lots of lovely and unique items on sale - I will certainly be adding some of their items to Tyne's First Christmas Wish List!

To have a browse yourself just go to www.littlebirdtoldme.co.uk/

Have you ever shopped with Little Bird Told Me? As always, I'd love to hear from you!









Have you checked out my Super Sparkler Advertiser this month?


Louise's blog is a fab read all about beauty, shopping and mummyhood with regular product reviews and weekly features such as Shopping My Stash and What The Postman Brought....


Sunday, 16 June 2013

Sparkles Spooky Sunday Ghost Story - By Popular Demand!!

Last week, in my regular Baby Watch update, I happened to mention that the reason I never leave Tyne alone upstairs is because this house has some ghosts....

This was only one sentence in a massive long post so I surprised at how many of my lovely readers picked up on it! But you did - and lots of you have asked me to tell you more about the ghosties...I like to give my readers what they want, and so here you go...here is the story of the ghosts in our house!!!

Allow me to introduce Maggie....

Maggie is the name we give to our household ghost.

I don't really remember where this name came from or why we started using it - but one of us apparently decided this was the ghosts name and it has stuck ever since! Everybody that knows us knows all about Maggie, and refers to her by name - she's pretty much like an additional family member that nobody can see!!

How it all started....

We first discovered the existence of Maggie around 15 years ago....

One night, I got out of bed at around 3 am to go to the toilet - my bedroom is right next to the bathroom, and so I was only gone for a minute at the most.

I had been asleep in the bed for hours beforehand and I toss and turn a lot - so my bedclothes would certainly have looked "slept in".

I came back from the bathroom, walked into my bedroom - and stopped dead in my tracks when I saw my bed.

The bed I had just got out of was made perfectly - the bedclothes were smoothed down, all perfectly made up as if nobody had been sleeping in it - and creepier still, the corner of the duvet was folded back - this is not something I have ever done when making the bed, nor is it something my Mum or anybody else has done. I think its quite an old fashioned way of making up a bed isn't it?!

So...I was very freaked out by this as I KNEW there was no way I had left the bed looking like that.
I woke everybody up to show them of course, and me and my sister slept huddled up downstairs that night - rather spooked!!

And so it carried on...

From that night onwards, the same thing would happen often - not every night, but at least once or twice a week.

Sometimes it would happen after I'd been to the bathroom in the night, sometimes it would happen during the day when the bed was made already but I would go into my room and find that the cover had been turned back.

And then other things started to happen too...

One time, I was in my bedroom looking for a specific pair of boots - I had been kneeling in front of my wardrobe, tearing through it - pulling out all of my shoes in a paddy and throwing them all over my room - I stood up and stormed into my sisters room to accuse her of stealing them - when I left the room I was in a right huff and I had left the wardrobe doors open with piles of discarded shoes all around it.

When I came back into the room seconds later, I was dumbfounded to see the wardrobe doors closed and sitting perfectly placed right in front of them - the pair of boots I had been looking for.

VERY spooky...

What the psychic said....

Now some of you may know this and some of you may not - but I have read tarot cards and dabbled in divination (the art of foretelling the future or gaining knowledge by supernatural means) since I was 12.
Some people find that odd but its just something I've always been interested in....

About a year after Maggie had appeared and these things had happened, I went to see a psychic (not about the happenings - just for fun!) - the psychic said to me:

"Something weird happens in your house doesn't it? Something to do with your bed sheets?"

I was floored! I couldn't believe she would know that, and so I said yes and asked if she knew why it was happening...

She told me that the spirit was an old woman who followed me around, and that she wasn't trying to scare me - the things she was doing were to try and help me so I didn't need to be frightened of her - she said I should thank the spirit when these things were done for me.

She asked if I practised divination myself and when I said that I did, she told me that this was why the spirit was there - that me doing these things had simply encouraged the spirit along.

Things get TOO spooky...

I could have happily lived with a ghost following me around making my bed for me and finding my shoes - I don't think that would have bothered me too much!
But the next things that happened became a bit too weird...

One evening, my boyfriend at the time came over to see me - I was expecting him but he was late, so I was sitting upstairs with my headphones on listening to music. I was the only person home.

I heard the door knock and I went down to answer it - my boyfriend was standing there looking really angry. He started shouting at me, asking why I'd been ignoring him knocking.

I told him that I hadn't heard him because I'd been upstairs listening to music...

He said "No you weren't! You were sitting right there in the armchair, I could see you!"

(Our front door is mottled glass, so you can see through it and make out figures but you can't see faces)

I laughed and said he was being ridiculous, I was upstairs and there was nobody else in....

He insisted that there was someone sitting in the armchair, he said they were wearing a long white dress (very much like a long white night dress I had at the time, which is why he thought it was me) - he said they sat there ignoring him knocking for five minutes or so, then they got up and walked into the kitchen. 

Knowing that there was nobody else in the house, I found this REALLY scary! Invisible ghosts were one thing, but I did NOT want to actually SEE anything....

A few weeks later, I was upstairs in my bedroom - again, alone in the house - when I clearly heard a voice that sounded just like my Mum call my name from the bottom of the stairs.
My mum often stood at the bottom of the stairs and called me down, so I assumed it was her and that she'd just got back home....I answered and got no response so I went downstairs to see what she wanted....only to find that neither she nor anybody else was there....

After these two things happened, I stopped using tarot cards for a long time as I didn't want to do anything that might encourage any kind of ghostly activity....

Years Later On....

I moved out of this house about 7 years ago - I have had one or two ghostly experiences since in other houses, which make me wonder if the ghost follows me! - but even while I wasn't living here, things carried on happening.

One night my Mum was babysitting a friends little baby boy, and she was on the phone in the room next door to where he was sleeping in his travel cot alone when she heard a voice talking softly to him, saying things like "Aren't you a lovely little boy..." - when she looked in the room, there was nobody there.

My nieces who are now 5 and 3 have often acted like they have seen things when staying here - my youngest niece often talks about "The Man" that she can see, and has acted very scared of what she's seeing on more than one occasion....even crying and trying to run away.

And even Tyne seems to be able to see something in one particular room - sometimes when I'm holding him in there, he'll look up at a specific spot on the plain white ceiling and suddenly start laughing and cooing away - you can tell that somebody is talking to him as he acts just like he does when I talk to him - he smiles and coos, then stops and seems to be listening, and then smiles and coos again.

What worries me is that sometimes, he'll suddenly stop smiling and appear to get a bit of a fright and start crying....as though whatever nice thing he was seeing has suddenly appeared to be not so nice...

And finally, a few weeks ago - I was sitting nursing Tyne on my bed (We're living here at the moment while we're looking for a new house!), when I happened to glance in the mirror which shows the reflection of the landing - and I clearly saw a face of a woman standing on the stairs. I don't really know how to describe it but it wasn't pleasant - and it's not something I would want to see again.

And I certainly will not be leaving Tyne alone upstairs alone while that thing is around!

And so, there you have it! That is the basic story of our household ghosts and our experiences with them over the years!
I'm sure I sound like a right whack job, but I can only tell it how it happened!!!

Have any of you had any similar experiences?! As always, I'd love to hear from you!

Kelo-Cote Review

As most of my readers will know, I gave birth 12 weeks ago via C-Section.

I have personally found the recovery process to be much smoother and easier than I expected, and really don't have much to complain about...but one major downside to a c-section is of course the scar that you are left with.

I have always hated my stomach anyway, but having this scar right there on my bikini line is really not something I'm a big fan of at all....I know a lot of mothers advocate being proud of your scars and stretchmarks, but personally its not something I can relate to - I love my baby but that does NOT mean I have to love the wounds and marks that came along with him! Its my body - I can dislike it if I want to!!!
I was recently asked to trial and review a new product called Kelo-cote®'s, a self-drying silicone gel which is clinically proven to smooth, soften and flatten scars.


So how does it work?

Kelo-cote®'s patented silicone scar gel dries within four to five minutes of application forming a breathable, waterproof sheet over the affected area which acts like an extra layer of skin. This invisible silicone sheet binds the outer layer of dead skin cells to protect the underlying tissue against chemical, physical and microbial invasion of the scar. The silicone sheet also provides the optimal healing environment for scars by hydrating and protecting the scar area and allowing collagen production to normalise and improve the appearance of scars.

I ummed and ahhed about sharing a photo of my c-section scar as obviously its something I'm sensitive about, but I decided that for the purpose of this trial - I'll bite the bullet and do it!
So here it is - my hideous scar in all its purple, horrid glory!


I have only started to use the Kelo-Cote in the last two days, and the recommended period of time for use is a minimum of 60 days (longer for older scars) - so I will continue to use this twice a day as recommended, and will report back with my findings in 60 days time!

Fingers crossed it works! 

A 15g tube of Kelo-cote® gel is priced at £29.99 and is available online at www.kelo-cote.co.uk or from selected pharmacies and private clinics.


Have you checked out my Super Sparkler Advertiser this month?


Louise's blog is a fab read all about beauty, shopping and mummyhood with regular product reviews and weekly features such as Shopping My Stash and What The Postman Brought....


Saturday, 15 June 2013

How Green Could I Be?! The electrical appliances we own and which I could do without.....

I must admit, I have never really been particularly green....it's just not something I'm very good at.

Recently I read an article discussing the various kinds of electrical appliances we live with in our homes today in comparison to how people managed without them years ago, and it prompted me to have a look around my own home...

I assumed we would have probably around 7 electrical appliances....I was surprised when the tally actually came to 15!

So, how many electrical appliances do we have....and how much of a necessity are they?!

 Let's break it down....

Washing Machine - Well I suppose in theory we COULD live without it - we could wash by hand or just go to the laundrette, but I'm sure most new Mums will agree that the washing pile seems to be endless with a baby in the house and so I would really rather not have to live without the washing machine!

Dishwasher - We could certainly live without this I think, its a luxury. We're not a massively populated house who couldn't get by without it - its just a quick fix and actually, I don't really like the smell of dishes when they come out of the dishwasher so I prefer to hand wash! I could live without this.

Microwave - We don't often get to have hot meals as soon as they're made anymore since Tyne usually decides that Grown Up Dinner Time is when he wants his bottle - so I don't know how we'd survive without the microwave these days! Plus we have a microwave steriliser for Tyne's bottles - so its a bit of a necessity for us now!

Kettle/Toaster - We don't have tons of extra Kitchen electrical appliances like toasted sandwhich makers, coffee makers (though I'd like one!), George Foreman Grills, etc - so I don't think we're too bad on that front. The basic kettle and toaster are certainly a necessity though - especially because our grill doesn't work, so no toaster = no toast!

Oven - I'm sure everybody would agree that it would be pretty bloody difficult to get by without an oven!

Fridge Freezer - Again, I know there are people who don't have freezers - an old friend of mine didn't have one and insisted it made her healthier coz she had to buy fresh food every day - but I couldn't get by without ours. I like to freeze leftovers to use at a later date, and I know this will also be something I do a lot once Tyne starts weaning onto solid foods. 

Televisions x 2 - I know there are plenty of families still around who choose not to have TV sets. Thats fine if thats their choice but I personally wouldn't choose to opt out - I don't watch a great deal of TV but its nice to have the option and I do enjoy watching films at home. Plus I don't like the idea of Tyne being left out when he goes to school and other children are talking about what they watched on TV.
I do think we could get by with just one set though.

Stereo - I love my music, and I still have old records and CDs which I don't want to give up as they have a lot of memories attached to them - so a stereo is a must have for me!

Ipod Docking Station - Again, I love my music and I LOVE my ipod! Must have!!!

DVD Players x 2 - As I have mentioned, I'm a big movie addict so a dvd player is a must - but we have one to go with each TV. We could certainly get rid of a TV, and therefore get rid of a DVD player!

Laptop - Definitely a must have - or else I wouldn't be sitting here writing this post!
Desktop PC - We don't really use the Desktop very much at all, I really only wanted it because I like to play The Sims. We could get by without it.

So out of 15 electrical appliances, I would be prepared to part with 4. 

How many electrical appliances do you have in your home and how many would you be prepared to give up?! As always, I'd love to hear from you!






Dressing The Baby: Casabu Styles Tyne!!!

As my regular readers will no doubt be aware, there are two things that I am an absolute sucker for....

One is baby clothes and the other is a bargain!

So discovering Casabu was pretty much like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for me!!

For those who aren't familiar with it, Casabu is a flash sales site where different companies offer sales for a limited period of time - this can sometimes be a week or it can sometimes be a day - it all depends on the sale!

Casabu sales feature many brand name goodies regularly and as well as loads of fab Childrens clothes sales, they also feature things such as womens clothing, cosmetics, homeware, luggage and tons more!

Casabu recently gave us the chance to review the services of their website by giving us a £30.00 voucher to spend on their website.

I spent a good few days browsing the site, and trying to narrow down my options - every day new sales appear and so I was more and more spoiled for choice!
When I saw a Peter Rabbit Clothing sale appear, I knew I had to go for that - I LOVE Peter Rabbit and have already bought Tyne lots of the Peter Rabbit toys and books, and will be decorating his nursery in a Peter Rabbit theme - so it just had to be the Peter Rabbit clothes for us!
I ordered two sets which came to £32.00 - such a bargain considering the RRP for the two items was over £60.00!!
Here's what I chose:


This lovely baby blue dungaree & t shirt set is so cute! It features a Peter Rabbit embroidered emblem on the pocket on the chest.


The white T shirt features a subtle Peter Rabbit print


The dungaree set is more for Autumn so I ordered it in 3-6 months, meaning its too big for Tyne to model just yet - but we also bought this gorgeous romper suit!


This lovely lightweight white romper suit with pale blue stripes and pale blue collar and pocket detailing is incredibly cute!


It features the wording "Once Upon A Time" on the left hand side of the chest....


And has a gorgeous Peter Rabbit monogram on the bottom of the left leg


I even love the labels in the clothes - it all just shows the quality!!


As you can see, Tyne loves his new romper suit and thinks its really comfortable to play in - but looks ever so stylish!!

As I have already mentioned, Casabu's range of clothing changes all the time - here is a peek at some of my favourite items they're featuring at the moment:

This fab pale blue dotty toy box is from The Childrens Furniture Company and its RRP is £29.99, its currently on sale with Casabu for £25.00

I think its really cute and goodness knows we'll be needing a few toy boxes!!

You can purchase this HERE

I'm sure ALL parents will be very familiar with the classic childrens Lift The Flap book "Dear Zoo" - this lovely range of toys features the various animals from the book and I think they are all SO cute!
The "Too Scary" snake is my personal favourite - this is usually £16.99 but is on sale with Casabu for just £11.50 - take a look HERE

I absolutely LOVE checked shirts and so this gorgeous one by Andy Wawa immediately caught my eye! SO cute!! Its RRP is £25.00 but its currently available through Casabu for a bargainous £14.00! Take a closer look HERE!



Obviously my baby is all boy, but if I was shopping for a baby girl this pale pink and white dress by Andy Wawa would definitely be what I would go for....its so classic, elegant and pretty but looks comfortable too! 
Its RRP is £38.00 but Casabu are selling it for just £18.00 - bargain!!
Check it out HERE

I really can't recommend Casabu highly enough - I have a browse every day!

There is FREE UK DELIVERY on all orders over £40.00 and if you refer a friend, you can earn a £10.00 voucher!

To take a look for yourself, just go to Casabu

Have you ever used this site? What do you think of Tyne's outfits!? As always, I'd love to hear from you!










Friday, 14 June 2013

Choosing The Right Bed

I know my little one is still only very tiny, but lately I have been noticing that he is already starting to become a bit too big for his Moses Basket.

I was under the impression that they are supposed to last for around 6 months but apparently I was wrong about that?!

He is only a small baby too, not particularly long, and is only just starting to be able to wear 0-3 months clothing - so I find this quite confusing!
But nonetheless, his arms are now reaching the sides and this is beginning to wake him up in the night - so it's time to start thinking about his next bed.

Of course, me being me and always liking to plan ahead - this also got me thinking about his "Big boy" bedroom and how I'll have that decorated, what kind of bed he'll be in, etc etc.

I always had such boring beds as a kid - just your standard basic bed! My sister was much more adventurous - my favourite of hers was her cabin bed, which you had to climb up a ladder to get to and then underneath it was a built in cupboard, a little "den" space and a pull out writing desk - how cool?!

I want Tyne to have something along those lines - something a bit different, to make his bedroom more of a "cool" place that he'll want to spend time in.

Browsing around online I came across the Steens Highsleeper - I definitely think I'll be going for something like that!

Whilst browsing for beds, I came across the Clever Clicker website which was entirely new to me - they have an excellent range of childrens bedroom furniture as well as garden furniture, home storage solutions and much more!

Definitely worth a look!

What kind of bed does your child have and what made you choose it? As always, I'd love to hear from you!

Summer Fun!

With Summer here (Somewhere?! Apparently?!) a lot of parents are going to be on the lookout for fun ways to keep their little ones entertained outdoors.

For very small children of course, just the chance to run around outside or play in a paddling pool will be enough of a pull for them and you'll be battling to get them back inside for their tea....but for slightly older children it can sometimes be a bit of a battle to drag them away from their games consoles or tablet devices for long enough to breathe in any good old fashioned fresh air!
And so, garden toys can be an excellent way of tempting them outside to have fun, exercise and get some fresh air!

There are lots of different kinds of outdoor toys to tempt them with - from lower cost things like giant chalks and bubble guns, to the more costly items like the latest bikes or climbing frames, etc.

A personal favourite of mine from childhood was always trampolines - of course back then a garden trampoline was a tiny little square of barely-bouncy fabric which didn't let you bounce very high - trampolines now are much more exciting - almost as big as the ones you get in funfairs (But still small enough for most back gardens!) and with a safety-conscious net around to keep the kiddies on if they get over-excited so you don't have to worry too much about them hurting themselves!

These kinds of things don't even have to cost the earth anymore, with plenty of cheap trampolines available from major high street retailers such as TJ Hughes both in store and online.

How will you be keeping your little ones entertained outdoors this Summer?! As always, I'd love to hear from you!


Sponsored Ad