Showing posts with label Gifts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gifts. Show all posts

Tuesday 10 December 2019

Making Magical Family Memories with An Elf for Christmas - A Review

Christmas is such a special time of year and like most families we have our own little traditions that we like to do each year in the run up to Christmas Day. We enjoy going to pantomimes, Christmas Carol Concerts, creating festive craft and giving Christmas Eve boxes to each other, which all help to create childhood memories that I hope my children will look back on as adults.

However, one of our favourite traditions is welcoming an elf into our home on the 1st December, to help encourage kindness and good behaviour, as well as bringing a little mischievous fun into the household too. We were therefore delighted to be sent some gorgeous Elf for Christmas products, that will be sure to help us create some magical moments in the coming weeks.


An Elf for Christmas brings creativity, imagination and magic into any home and also help to promote good behaviour. The products are suitable for both boys and girls and have a really good quality design, as well as a super cute face and festive outfit.

The Elf for Christmas Magical Reward Kit comes beautifully presented and contains everything you could need to help create some special family memories with your elf. The contents include: An Elf for Christmas, an Elf Living Here Sign, 2 x Letters to Santa, 1 x Reward Chart, 1 x Sticker Sheet, 2 x Arrival Letters, 2 x Nice List Awards, 8 x Elf Cards and a Thank You Postcard.



We received a Christmas Boy Elf in our set, which is approximately 28cm tall with a friendly face, rosy cheeks and long arms that can be velcroed together. Our elf brought an arrival letter from Santa with him which told our family why he had been sent to our home.

The whole set is really lovely and the reward kit contains enough items to be shared between two siblings. However, if you have a larger family, then extra refill packs can also be purchased on the Elf for Christmas website.


We also received a collection of 24 Advent Letters and we have made sure that our elf has delivered one to Riley each day throughout December. Riley loves having these read out to him whilst he eats his breakfast and they are a really fantastic idea for the countdown to Christmas Day.

Each envelope is individually numbered and inside there are beautifully written notes, which together create a lovely daily story about the North Pole and the magic and mayhem that occurs in Santa's Workshop. My son really enjoys having these read out to him and each day we have hidden them with his elf in a different place for him to find.

These are currently sold out on the website, however there are some alternative personalised options still available if you would like your elf to deliver some lovely advent letters. 


To bring even more magic into our home, Riley and I have been enjoying reading this delightful book called Elf's First Adventure, which has the most gorgeous illustrations throughout the story. It is lovely to enjoy this together in an evening and we have read it so many times now that Riley knows it word for word. This is available on the website for only £4.79 at the moment, which makes it a lovely affordable item to read as a family, or perhaps as a stocking filler gift for Christmas.


We also received a stunning North Pole Sticker Scenes Play Set which included 4 different scenes, 12 background sheets and 12 sticker sheets with over 750 stickers. Riley absolutely loved playing with his festive sticker set and producing some adorable Christmas designs.

I feel that this set encourages children to create their very own North Pole scenes just how they imagine it to be, so they can tell their very own story using the stickers and background sheets. It is currently available on the website for only £4.79 which is really good value for money.


Overall we absolutely love the whole Elf for Christmas range and I feel that it can make welcoming an elf into your home such a magical experience for children. Riley absolutely loves seeing what his elf has got up to each day and the he loves reading the advent letters together each morning.

I feel that all the products are beautifully designed and really appealing to both children and parents. I have particularly enjoyed reading the story book with Riley most evenings and he loves the illustrations.

It is great that there are a whole host of accessories available to buy for our elf and I look forward to building on our collection and seeing what mischief (and kindness) our elf gets up to over the next couple of weeks.

If you would like to find out more about An Elf for Christmas, then you can visit the website, or their social media pages on the following channels:

Website - www.elfforchristmas.co.uk
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/anelfforchristmas
Twitter - @elfforchristmas
Instagram - @elfforchristmas

* Disclaimer - We were gifted a selection of An Elf for Christmas products for the purpose of writing an honest review of the items. All opinions and photographs are my own unless otherwise stated.

Monday 22 July 2019

Baby Shark Let's Go Hunt Game and Wooden Puzzle Review & Competition

There is no denying that Baby Shark took the world by storm last year, with people of all ages joining in and singing the Baby Shark song. It is one of those tunes that simply can't help but make you smile and the colourful shark characters certainly gained peoples attention.

We were therefore delighted when Spinmaster recently sent Riley some Baby Shark toys to review including the Pinkfong Baby Shark Let's Go Hunt Fishing Game and the PinkFong Baby Shark Wooden Sound Puzzle.


The Let's Go Hunt game was an instant hit with Riley who was drawn to it immediately by the packaging alone. The box is very brightly coloured and adorned with the Baby Shark characters all over the front. There is a clear plastic window which allows you to see the product inside and so you can instantly gain a clear understanding of exactly what is included, as well as seeing how the game can be played.

The game is extremely simple to set up and inside the box the following contents were provided:
  • 1 x Musical motorised game board
  • 15 x Fish
  • 4 x Fishing Rods
  • 1 x Instruction Sheet
Unfortunately batteries are NOT included so you will also need to ensure that you have 2 x AA batteries available before you can begin to play.


Once batteries have been installed then game play can commence, with the aim being to collect as many fish as you can with your shark themed hooks. Up to 4 players can take part at a time and each player can choose to use one of the coloured shark themed rods to collect their fish.

This may sound simple, but when you flick the switch into the on position, the board will start to rotate and the fish will begin to not only move up and down, but open and close their mouths too, making it a really fun and challenging game. The winner is the person who manages to collect the most fish and I will be honest when I say that my 6 year old managed to beat me every single time we played. Just look at his concentration face!


Another fun element is that the Baby Shark song is also played during game play. Whilst for me this quickly became very repetitive, my son Riley was in his element singing along to the tune whilst catching his fish. He thought it was hilarious and so much fun!

My whole family ranging from 6 to 39 enjoyed playing the game together and it certainly provided plenty of entertainment. The RRP of this toy is a really reasonable £9.99 and it is available in most good toy retailers including Smyths, The Entertainer and Amazon.


After the excitement of playing the Let's Go Hunt Game, Riley then took some time to play with the Baby Shark Wooden Puzzle. This is a really good quality chunky puzzle board which has a fantastic bright and colourful appearance.

It features five wooden sharks which represent Baby Shark, Mummy Shark, Daddy Shark, Grandma Shark and Grandpa Shark. These are all really nice sized pieces for little hands and really help with hand to eye coordination.


In an added twist, the puzzle also plays music (requires 2 x AAA batteries) and will sing the corresponding part of the song for each shark. So for example if you successfully place Baby Shark into it's shape then you will hear Baby Shark Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo! This makes the puzzle so much fun and Riley absolutely loved moving them through the air in a swimming motion in time to the music.

It is recommended for children aged 2 years+ and with an RRP of around £10 I think it represents great value for money. It's bright and vibrant colours, chunky wooden pieces and musical sounds make this a fantastic little puzzle which I am sure will be loved by children.

The Baby Shark Wooden Sound Puzzle is available to purchase in most good toy retailers including Smyths Toys, Argos and Amazon.


We also have a fantastic competition for the chance to win a Baby Shark Wooden Sound Puzzle. If you would like to enter then please read the terms and conditions and complete your entry using the gleam form below. Good Luck!

Baby Shark Wooden Puzzle

Terms and Conditions
  • There is 1 (one) prize of a Baby Shark Wooden Sound Puzzle as featured in this review
  • Entry is open to UK residents aged 18 years or over.
  • Competition closes on the 31st July at 23:59
  • A winner shall be drawn from all eligible entries within 7 days of the closing date and notified via email.
  • The winner will have 7 days to confirm their acceptance of the prize before an alternative winner is drawn from the remaining eligible entries.
  • No bulk or third party entries
  • The winner's details will be shared with the promoter for the purpose of prize fulfilment and permission shall be obtained from the winner prior to doing so.

*Disclaimer - We were gifted these items for the purpose of writing an honest review of the products. All opinions are my own unless stated otherwise. This post contains an Amazon affiliate link.

Wednesday 8 May 2019

Poopsie Sparkly Critters - A Review

You may remember that just before Christmas we had the opportunity to test and review the Poopsie Slime Surprise Unicorn. It was a fun, slime filled, activity toy that Riley absolutely loved. He was therefore really excited when we were recently sent the Poopsie Sparkly Critters, which either spit or poop slime.

There are a total of 16 to collect in the series, with each sparkly critter resembling a super cute animal with a sparkly unicorn horn. These sparkly critters will then either spit or poop slime, depending on which one is hidden inside. The slime can then be transformed by adding Unicorn Magic, Unicorn Shimmer, and if you are very lucky you may even get the ultra-rare Unicorn Sparkle.

Each Sparkly Critter belongs to one of seven groups and can either be a regular, rare or ultra-rare figure. These groups and their Sparkly Critter members are as follows:

Bougie Poops - Le Fluff (Regular), Fleece (Rare), Drama (Rare)
Doodies of the Forest - Cinnamon (Ultra-Rare), Sugar (Rare)
Disco Doo-Doos - Nanners (Regular), Chloe (Rare)
Turdz of Paradise - Stripes (Regular), Bamboo (Regular), Oopsie Starlight (Ultra-Rare)
Early Bird Turdz - Flutter (Rare), Dots (Regular)
Under the Poocific - Bubbles (Rare)
Junk Foodie Doodies - Singe (Ultra-Rare), Cheeky (Regular), Rainbow Brightstar (Ultra-Rare)

Riley was so excited to find out which Sparkly Critter he had received, so he set about opening the packaging. This is a really cool design which resembles a can of fizzy pop. It is really bright, colourful and eye catching. I helped Riley with the plastic wrapper on the outside of the can and he then began to peel back the cardboard opening.


Inside we found that the inner compartments rotated and in each section was a different bag to open. Riley carefully removed each of the bags and then he felt each of them to try and figure out which bag contained the critter, as he wanted to save that one til last. As he began to open each bag he kept trying to guess which figure he had. He was hoping to get something different from a unicorn with him already having a Poopsie unicorn previously, so he was delighted to find Bamboo inside his Sparkly Critter bag which resembles a lovely Panda. After opening all the bags we found that the full contents were:

  • 1 x Sparkly Critter which contained slime powder
  • 1 x Sparkly Critter dummy
  • 1 x Silly Soda Can
  • 1 x Slime Storage Bag
  • 1 x Unicorn Spoon
  • 1 x Unicorn Magic powder
  • 1 x Unicorn Shimmer
  • 1 x instructions
  • 1 x collectors sheet

As I opened the instructions I immediately had a little panic as they looked huge, but on closer inspection I realised that this was because they had been repeated in several languages. After breathing a huge sigh of relief, I had a quick read through them to see how we could create the slime.

There are 13 steps to follow on the instruction sheet, but the whole process is actually really simple. I could see that we would need a container to squirt the slime into, so before we began I made sure that we had something handy, along with a towel just in case of any spillages. We chose to use one of the plastic inners from inside an Easter egg box which ended up working really well for us.

To begin with I filled the silly soda can with water, whilst Riley removed the dummy from the cirtters mouth. It is important to make sure that you keep the critter upright whilst doing this to prevent some of the slime powder from falling out. Riley then tilted the critter backwards, inserted the straw into its mouth and pushed the plunger all the way down to feed all of the water.

We then placed the dummy back into the critter's mouth and Riley passed it to me to shake. You need to shake it up and down vigorously for one minute, before emptying the slimy water. If there is a heart opening on the critters bottom then it will poop, but if it doesn't then it will spit, so it is important to check this before emptying.

We then held the critter over the plastic easter egg tray and Riley squeezed it hard to remove all of the slime. At first it just appears like coloured water, so you need to leave it for 15-20 minutes to allow for it to set. It came out a bright green colour which my son thought was great!


The waiting time was the hardest part of the slime making process, so we used this time to open Riley's other Sparkly Critter so he could have two different sets of slime and critters to play with. His second set contained Chloe from the Disco Doo-Doos group, which produced a different coloured slime in Blue. It can always be a bit nerve-wracking with surprise toys as to whether you might receive a duplicate, so Riley was really happy to have two different Sparkly Critters and two different colours of slime.

Once our first slime was ready, we opened the Unicorn Magic and poured the powder into the centre of the slime. We added it a little at a time and mixed it in with the unicorn spoon. We then added the unicorn shimmer which made the slime really sparkly and glittery. Riley then set about mixing it with his hands which he thought was great fun. When he had finished playing with it, he simply popped it into the storage bag, ready to be played with another day.

He said that the slime felt a little bit different to others we had made before and that it was really squidgy, soft and super stretchy!


Overall we thought that the Poopsie Sparkly Critters were great fun. Both Riley and I found the slime making process really simple and my son loved the surprise element and the anticipation of seeing which Sparkly Critter he had inside the fizzy pop can. I thought that it was a really unique and clever design, with the added bonus of it being very easy to clean. Everything worked as it should and there were no leakages or spillages whilst we made the slime. We also really liked the fact that funky storage bags were included, which gave Riley somewhere safe to store his slime, so that it can be played with again in the future. The product has a retail price of around £14.99 which I think is really good value for money and I would happily buy these for my son or as gifts for others.

Poopsie Sparkly Critters can currently be found in most good toy retailers including Argos, Asda, Smyths Toys Superstores and Amazon.


*Disclaimer - We were gifted these toys for the purpose of writing an honest review of the product. Opinions are my own unless stated otherwise. This post contains an Amazon affiliate link which means that I may receive a small commission should you choose to purchase this product from them.

Monday 21 January 2019

Valentine's Day Letterbox Cakes from bakerdays - A Review

One of my favourite things about blogging is being introduced to brands that really appeal to me. I love to purchase unique and special gifts for friends, so when I first became aware of bakerdays a couple of years ago, I knew that they were a company that would quickly become one of my favourite online stores.

When shopping for the perfect present, I always try to find something that is personal for the intended recipient. It is nice to show that you have put a little thought and effort in to finding the perfect gift and I believe that bakerdays makes this simple, especially when shopping for friends and family who can sometimes be very difficult to buy for.


The company bakerdays create personalised cakes for all occasions, with a whole host of different themes, flavours and sizes available. This review will focus on their popular letterbox cakes, however they do offer some much larger options which also makes them ideal for weddings, birthdays or even corporate gifts. There is a huge selection available to choose from, but the website makes it easy for you to narrow your options down, by using the search or category functions.

My favourite choice though is the Letterbox Cake which measures approximately 5 inches in diameter. As the saying goes, the best things come in small packages which certainly rings true with this product. They have been designed to fit through your letterbox, so there is no need to worry about the recipient being at home at the time of delivery and they are sure to put a smile on anyone's face when they return to find their gift.


With Valentine's Day fast approaching, I opted to try a cute romantic theme for my Letterbox cake, so after having a search through all the available designs I finally made my choice. The website is really easy to use which makes choosing and personalising your cake, a really easy process. Once I had chosen my selected cake image, I simply clicked on the required size and my flavour option, then added a special message of my choice. You can either choose the template design or amend this to suit your requirements.

The hardest decision I had to make was the choice of flavour as they all sounded delicious. The available options were:
  • Traditional Sponge
  • Lovely Lemon Drizzle
  • Rich Chocolate Chip
  • Gluten Wheat Free Sponge
  • Dairy Free Sponge
  • Fabulous Fruit
I decided to go with Rich Chocolate Chip after some deliberation, as to be honest chocolate and cake are two of my favourite things, so it seemed the most obvious choice for me. Also as the whole family would no doubt be sharing it, I needed to make sure I chose a flavour that we would all enjoy.  Once I had made all of my choices and continued to the checkout page, I saw that there was the ability to add extras to the order such as balloons, teddy bears or a card. I thought that this was a great idea and the price was clearly displayed for each add-on so you can customise your gift package to suit your budget.

Once my order was completed, it was simply a matter of waiting a couple of days for it to arrive. Due to various family members being unwell and having an extremely hectic week, I had actually put it to the back of my mind, so when it popped through my letterbox on Friday it was a lovely surprise and certainly cheered me up. 


The cake came well packaged in a sturdy cardboard box branded with the bakerdays logo and securely fastened with tape. It was good quality packaging and there was no damage to the exterior at all, not even a scratch. On opening the box, we found a beautiful miniature cake tin, a small card and further bubble packaging that prevents the tin from moving around whilst in transit. I thought that the presentation was lovely and my children and I couldn't wait to look inside.

When we opened the tin, we found the cake exactly how it had been displayed on the website. The image and text were clear and it looked a really good quality product. My husband has been poorly for a couple of weeks, so I knew that it would cheer him up and I was really pleased with the whole presentation of the item. 


I had chosen the text "To my darling Valentine, I love you with all my heart now and forever!" This was actually one of the template scripts, but as I was happy with the message I felt no need to amend it and I was really pleased with how it was displayed. I particularly liked the hearts which went all around the border as I felt this created a lovely romantic design that made it that little bit more special.

There was a large paper tag that hung over the side of the cake tin and continued underneath the product itself. The aim of this is to help you remove the item from the tin without any damage and it is a simple idea that works well. I was able to remove the cake from the tin really easily and we placed it on a small plate ready to cut and share between our family.


The cake looked even better on the plate and we went to get a knife to cut it into pieces. Although it recommends this cake as being suitable for 3-4 people, we were actually able to cut six nice size pieces which meant that one of us were able to enjoy two slices. (I wonder who claimed the extra slice?) 

When it came to the taste test, we were all pleasantly surprised. We have eaten bakerdays cakes before and have always enjoyed them, but the rich chocolate chip flavour was so tasty. I had thought that the chocolate chips may be hard, but the chocolate was so smooth and delicious, that we all agreed it was extremely yummy!

Overall we find that bakerdays offer a wonderful product that makes the perfect gift for any occasion. They offer a great range of designs that not only look great, but taste superb too. I love the fact that they can be personalised to your particular requirements, making a beautiful present for friends and family. I would definitely recommend bakerdays to others and my family and I will also continue to use them in the future.

If you would like to find out more about the great range of cakes that bakerdays offer, then you can visit their website or social media channels on the links below:

Website - www.bakerdays.com/
Facebook - facebook.com/bakerdays/
Twitter -  @bakerdays
Instagram - @bakerdays


*Disclaimer - We were provided with a complimentary letterbox cake from bakerdays for the purpose of writing an honest review of the product. Opinions and thoughts are my own unless stated otherwise. 

Wednesday 14 November 2018

Poopsie Surprise Unicorn - A Review

Now let's be honest, as an adult the thought of a unicorn poo-ing out slime, isn't something that particularly appeals to me, but my five year thinks that the concept is absolutely hilarious. I have also seen Poopsie Surprise Unicorn feature on quite a few must-have toy lists for Christmas, so when the opportunity arose to write a review of this product, I was certainly keen to find out more.

With the use of slime growing hugely in popularity, it is no surprise that toy manufacturers have now began to involve its use within their products. This does of course mean that adult supervision is a must, as no one wants brightly coloured slime adorning their pristine cream carpet, or fabric sofa. However, when used carefully it can provide lots of fun and its easy to see why it appeals to children of all ages so much.


Poopsie Surprise Unicorn offers the slime factor in abundance and whilst the thought of running your hands through unicorn poo slime may sound disgusting, it definitely provides plenty of laughter and fun for the kids. So what is Poopsie Unicorn Surprise?

Poopsie Unicorn Surprise is a brightly coloured unicorn doll who comes with a selection of over 20 surprises! There are 4 different designs of unicorn to collect and the product is hidden from view inside the box, so you can't be sure which one you will have until you open it up. I have however noticed that some online retailers are advertising particular designs, so if your child is after a specific unicorn then it could be worth shopping around to find the one you want.

We were very keen to see which unicorn we had been sent, but first of all we set about unboxing the other surprises which were located within the packaging. This is great fun in itself as you peel the cardboard packaging around in a circular motion to reveal a collection of blind bags. This creates a sense of anticipation and excitement as you find each bag and open it up.


We received the Rainbow Brightstar Unicorn which looked fantastic with it's brightly coloured rainbow hair. I think if we could have chosen a specific design then this would have been the one that we'd have picked. After opening all the packaging and the individual packets we found the following:

1 x Rainbow Brightstar Unicorn
1 x T-shirt
1 x Nappy
1 x Golden feeding spoon
1 x Feeding bottle
1 x cleaning aid
1 x potty
1 x sachet of Unicorn Sparkle
4 x sachets of Unicorn Shimmer
2 x sachets of Unicorn Magic
4 x sachets of Unicorn Food
1 x Rainbow poopsie keyring
1 x hair brush


When it comes to creating the slime, I admittedly found this a little complicated at first as there were quite a few different steps to go through, so it took a couple of attempts to find the right consistency for the slime. Our first try didn't go particularly well and our poopsie was more like a wee! But we read the instructions again and our second go went much better.


Firstly there is a switch which is located on the rear of the unicorn's body and it is important that this is on the feeding setting. In the picture below you can see that there are two modes which are the feeding to the left and the rocking to the right. Our unicorn had the switch set in rocking mode, so you need to make sure you slide this to the correct side before commencing the feeding process. Next you will need a packet of the unicorn shimmer and you feed this using the special golden spoon before feeding 5ml of water too.


For the next step you need to use the feeding bottle provided and you pour one sachet of unicorn food inside and fill with 25ml of tap water. After replacing the lid, you need to shake the mixture together for around 60 seconds. Note that there is a straw at the top so fluid can leak from this if you don't make sure it is covered whilst shaking. It does state this in the instructions, though somehow I happened to miss this, so don't make the same mistake I did!

Once these steps have been completed, then you need to feed the unicorn by placing the straw in it's mouth and squeezing firmly but gently on the bottle until it is empty. You then need to change the switch on the rear of the unicorn back to rocking mode and move your unicorn around for 15 seconds. The instructions recommend moving it in a cartwheel motion, as well as back and forth. We actually did this for a little longer than advised for 20 seconds instead and we found that when we did this the slime was much better.

Nearing the final stage of the poopsie making process, you then remove the unicorns nappy and place it on the potty, pressing the belly button to make her poop slime. Unfortunately you cannot play with the slime straight away and you need to allow a further 20 minutes for it to set properly. This was my children's only annoyance with the toy as they wanted to be able to play with the slime immediately and aren't great at waiting, but we set a timer on my phone and played a game together to pass the time.


As you can see there are a few steps needed which could be a bit confusing for younger children, so I would definitely recommend that an adult is always on hand to help out with this process.

Once the slime had set, we added some sparkle and played with it for a while before placing it inside the provided keyring. My children immediately wanted to create some more Poopsie slime and now that we had a better understanding of the process, we found it much easier. There is also enough unicorn feed to have a few goes.

I had been slightly apprehensive about the cleaning process, as thought that this would be a nightmare, but it has actually been really well designed with an easy access compartment on the back. We have used several toys previously involving slime that have been hard to clean and therefore remained sticky or messy, so it was definitely a relief that the cleaning of our unicorn and her potty was very simple.


Top Tips

* Make sure that you place towels or sheets on the table or flooring where you intend to use Poopsie in case of any spillages
* Read the instructions carefully
* Double check the switch settings when starting to create the slime
* Be prepared for the slime making process and allow yourself plenty of time
* Plan something to do to make the time go quicker whilst waiting for the slime to set
* Clean the product after each use


Overall my children really enjoyed this and even my eldest two couldn't resist getting involved and creating some slime. I found the slime making process a little frustrating to begin with, but managed to figure it out on the second attempt and created some poopsie with success. I can understand why it is so popular with children and it provided us with plenty of laughter whilst testing it out. I think the RRP of £49.99 is reasonable in comparison to some other toys on the market, but for this price I would have liked it to have included a few more sachets of unicorn food, as if you struggle with the first couple of attempts then this can quickly be used up. This toy is ideal for children that love unicorns, slime and laughter!

Poopsie Surprise Unicorn is set to be a very popular Christmas toy and it is currently available to purchase from Smyths, Argos, The Entertainer and other good retailers.


Disclaimer: We were gifted this product in exchange for an honest review of the toy. All opinions are my own unless otherwise stated. This post contains affiliate links.

Tuesday 11 September 2018

Aquabeads Minions Playset - Review & Competition

After all the glorious sunshine we have had this summer, the weather was bound to turn eventually and this weekend saw us endure some heavy rain and wind. However, whilst our plans for some outdoor fun may have been placed on hold, we certainly weren't short of some indoor activities to enjoy, starting with our favourite crafty and creative toy....Aquabeads!

Our last Aquabeads review featured the Star Wars Playset, which Riley really enjoyed, but we were recently sent this Despicable Me Minions Playset which features some marvellous Minion characters to create. Riley couldn't wait to get the box open and get started on his designs.


The front of the box is really bright and colourful and features several Minion characters. One thing that stood out to us, was the image of the bead peeler in the centre of the box, as none of the previous sets we have used included one of these. We all agreed that the graphics were displayed well, with plenty of informative detail on the packaging, such as a mini three-step guide as to how Aquabeads stick together with the water spray.

It also stated that it only takes 10 minutes to peel, so we were keen to try this claim out as we often leave our creations to dry for a much longer period.


As always the reverse of the box provides a clear contents list so that you are fully informed as to what you are receiving in the playset. There is also an image on the right hand side of the box which provides pictures of all the different characters and items that you can create with the enclosed beads. The Aquabeads Minions Playset includes:
  • Table Tray
  • Bead palette
  • Sprayer
  • Bead Peeler
  • Template sheets
  • Yellow beads x 220
  • Pink beads x 5
  • Brown beads x 120
  • Blue beads x 151
  • Light blue beads x 20
  • Green beads x 5
  • Black beads x 127
  • Grey beads x 74
  • White beads x 43
  • Brown jewel beads x 5
  • Instructions
The Aquabeads Minion Playset is recommended for children aged 4+, however due to containing small parts, parental supervision is required when being used. There are several clear safety messages on the box and it is important to read these prior to use.


We opened the box and lay all the contents out on the sofa so that we could make sure that we had everything that was needed. Riley really liked that the case was in his favourite colours of blue and yellow, so he was already really happy with the set before we even began.

I cut off the corners of each of the bead packets and Riley arranged them into the case and placed them where he wanted the colours to go. Once everything had been arranged, Riley selected the design that he wanted to attempt first and began to make his creation.


This set also caught his sister's attention and so Emma asked Riley if she could help with one of the designs. Riley was more than happy for them to play together, so Riley followed one template whilst Emma attempted another.


When we first started using Aquabeads a couple of years ago, Riley would often need my help to assist him with placing beads, however he now finds this really easy and found the minion templates simple to follow. He finished his design completely independently and only made one mistake which was the colour of the eyes, opting for two brown beads instead of one brown and one green.

Emma completed the design on template two and it was great to see them playing together nicely throughout the activity.


Once the templates had been completely covered in beads, Riley filled the sprayer with water and began to spray the Minion creations. The sprayer was compact and easy to use and also fitted nicely in the storage case once finished. We left the designs to dry for the recommended 10 minutes and then Riley excitedly used the brand new peeler to remove his Minion from the tray.


The peeler made removing the creations a much easier process. Previously it has been too tricky for Riley to remove them with his fingers, so I have had to take my time to remove them from the tray myself, hopeful that no beads become detached. However, with the peeler, you simply slide this along the roof of the tray and it evenly removes the Aquabeads with ease. It is a great idea and a fabulous addition to this Aquabeads playset. It is great that the company are looking at ways they can improve their product and introducing innovative ideas.


Riley and Emma enjoyed this activity so much, that they continued to use all of the templates in the set, using up nearly all of the beads. I believe that there is a Minion add-on set available, so I will certainly be purchasing this to top up our collection.

The RRP of this set is £19.99 and it can currently be purchased from Amazon* and other good toy retailers. If you are feeling lucky though, then we have a fantastic competition for our readers, to give you the chance to win one of these fantastic Aquabeads Minion Playsets. If you would like to enter then please read the terms and conditions and complete your entry using the gleam form below. Good Luck!

Aquabeads Minion Playset Giveaway!

Terms and Conditions
  • There is 1 (one) prize of an Aquabeads Minions Playset as featured in this review. 
  • Entry is open to UK residents aged 18 years or over.
  • Competition closes on the 30th September 2018 at 23:59.
  • A winner shall be drawn within 7 days of the closing date and notified via email.
  • The winner will have 7 days to confirm their acceptance of the prize before an alternative winner is drawn from remaining eligible entries.
  • No bulk or third party entries.
  • Winner's details shall be shared with the promoter for the purpose of prize fulfilment and permission shall be obtained from the winner prior to doing so.
Disclaimer: We were provided with this product complimentary for the purpose of providing an honest review of the item. Opinions are my own unless otherwise stated. *This post contains an affiliate link to Amazon which means that I may receive a small commission should you choose to purchase from this retailer. 

Thursday 3 May 2018

Letterbox Cakes by bakerdays - Review & Competition

My family and I have quite a few special occasions coming up over the next couple of months and it can be a bit of a struggle at times, to try and find the perfect gift for that special someone. I like to buy presents that are personal to the recipient, but also something that I know they will enjoy.

Thanks to the blog, I have been introduced to numerous brands over the last couple of years that offer some amazing gifts, so I know that there are some fabulous presents out there to suit all tastes. However there is one brand in particular that I often find myself returning to and that is....bakerdays.


The company bakerdays create personalised cakes for all occasions in a variety of different flavours. There is a huge selection to choose from in various sizes, which not only look fantastic, but taste absolutely delicious too! My favourite product that they offer is the innovative letterbox cake, which is a wonderful and unique gift idea for friends, family or even work colleagues that you may want to surprise. Measuring at approximately 5 inches in diameter (12cm x 2.5cm) they fit nicely through your letterbox and can provide 3-4 nice sized portions.

The bakerdays website is really user friendly with everything being clearly displayed in corresponding categories. I could literally spend all day browsing through the many different designs that are available and it is easy to navigate through the pages until you find the perfect one. Once you have decided on a design, then you simply need to select the size that you want, choose a flavour and then add a special message of your choice. Some cakes can even feature one of your very own photographs, for that added personalised touch.

My children and I had a little think about who we would like to get a cake for and Emma, Ben and Riley all had the same person in mind.....GRANDAD! My kids are all very close to their grandad and so it was a really easy decision for them all to make.

I initially suggested that we could get one as a Father's Day cake, but my son very rightly pointed out that it doesn't have to be a special occasion to eat cake and that it could simply be a gift to show how much they care about him. So with the recipient agreed, all we had to do now was choose a design.

We didn't want anything that was over complicated and Riley was quite specific in his request that it must have a teddy bear on it as well as lots of lovely colours. It didn't take long to find the ideal design which was exactly what the kids had imagined. We selected our choice and then chose a traditional sponge cake with jam and buttercream filling. There were lots of other flavours available though which included:

  • Traditional Sponge
  • Lovely Lemon Drizzle
  • Rich Chocolate Chip
  • Gluten Wheat Free Sponge
  • Dairy Free Sponge
  • Fabulous Fruit

I think it is great that bakerdays also provide a full list of ingredients for each flavouring, which is ideal if you are buying for someone with an allergy or an intolerance. This way you can be sure that the cake you buy is suitable for the recipient.

We were happy with the design exactly as it was, so we chose not to add personalised names as the example text suited us perfectly. The order was placed and we waited excitedly for our cake to arrive!



The website offers a range of delivery options and bakerdays assures customers that your cake will arrive fresh and in perfect condition. They have created special packaging to protect the cake which makes the product suitable for both national and even international delivery. Our cake arrived in a sturdy cardboard box, which had a lovely card enclosed, along with an advertising leaflet and discount code that could be used against future purchases. It was carefully contained within a miniature cake tin, which made the item look really presentable, which is exactly what you want when buying a gift for someone.


The image and text on the cake was great and we were all really pleased with how it looked. We knew that Grandad would absolutely love it and we weren't wrong. In addition to the presentation the quality of the cake was wonderful with a lovely taste that we all found delicious. The guide states that the cake is ideal for 3-4 slices, but we managed to get 5 decent sized portions between Grandad, Nana, Emma, Ben and Riley.

Overall we were extremely impressed with bakerdays, we have used them on several occasions now and have never been disappointed. The efficiency of the service and quality of the product is fantastic which is always reassuring when buying a gift for someone. My children now want to buy these for their teachers as an end of term gift which I think is a lovely idea, which also goes to show how much the kids enjoy the product too. I think the fact that you can choose the design yourself and personalise it, makes it all the more special and my children really enjoyed being involved. The ordering process isn't only simple, but also great fun too and we look forward to using the service again in the future.


If you would like to purchase your own bakerdays cake, then I have also been given an exclusive discount code for my readers. Simply enter code FAMILYADVENTURE15 to get 15% off your purchase. (Code expires 31st May 2018).

To find out more about the great range of cakes that bakerdays offer, then you can visit their website or social media channels on the links below:

Website - www.bakerdays.com/
Facebook - facebook.com/bakerdays/
Twitter -  @bakerdays
Instagram - @bakerdays

If you would like the chance to win your very own Letterbox Cake from bakerdays, then please read the terms and conditions and enter our competition using the gleam form below. Good Luck!

Win a Letterbox Cake from bakerdays

  • There is 1 (one) prize of a bakerdays Letterbox Cake
  • There is no cash alternative available.
  • Please allow up to 28 days for delivery
  • Competition is open to UK entrants aged 18 or over.
  • No bulk or third party entries.
  • Competition closes 20th May 2018 & the winner shall be drawn at random and contacted within 3 working days.
  • The winner will have 7 days to respond to the winning email to confirm their acceptance of the prize, before an alternative winner is drawn from the remaining eligible entrants.
  • The winners details will be shared with bakerdays, for the purpose of prize fulfilment and the winner's consent will be requested prior to any information being shared.
Disclaimer: We were provided with a complimentary letterbox cake for the purpose of providing an honest review of our experience. All opinions and photographs are my own, unless stated otherwise.

Wednesday 2 May 2018

Cancer Research UK Flower Shop - A Review

Cancer is a subject that is close to many people's hearts. If not experienced personally, then it is likely that you know of somebody who has been affected by it, at some point in their lives. It can be an extremely worrying and daunting time for everyone involved and that is why Cancer Research UK are consistently working hard to fund research, that may one day help to find a cure.

In the past month alone, both of my parents have had to undergo medical procedures, operations and biopsies in order to rule out cancer and ensure that this was not the reason for their health problems. Luckily in both cases, they came back clear, but there are many others out there that are not so lucky. 

Cancer Research UK are the UK's biggest charity and rely on donations, fundraising and awareness to help them continue their work. There are many ways to get involved and help, whether that be by making a donation, volunteering in one of their shops, donating items or fundraising. There are loads of possibilities to help make a difference to the fantastic work that this charity does.

I recently found out that online florist Prestige Flowers have teamed up with Cancer Research UK to open the Cancer Research UK Flower Shop, where 25% of all purchases are donated to the charity. This means that when purchasing a beautiful bunch of flowers for a loved one, family member or friend, you can also be doing your bit for charity and supporting this wonderful cause.

I was therefore delighted to be offered the chance to review one of the bouquets in the range and help to raise awareness on the blog. 

The bouquet I received was called Luxury Delight, which was probably the most ideal name you could have chosen for it. The flowers were absolutely stunning and the arrangement consisted of Stargazer Lillies, Memory Lane Roses and Deep Water Roses. They didn't only look fantastic, but smelt absolutely wonderful too.


They were delivered in a large monochrome cardboard box by Royal Mail and were expertly packaged inside, wrapped in beautiful white paper and water padding around the stems. This ensured that the flowers still received water throughout transportation, whilst also keeping the box and surroundings dry.

There was a white inner box inside the main packaging which when you lifted the top handle, helped to remove the bouquet from the box. It was then that I found some added surprises in the form of a lovely gift card, super-soft teddy bear and a glass vase, which was the perfect size for the flowers. They looked so nice all wrapped up that initially I didn't want to take off the wrapping for fear of spoiling the arrangement, but they had all been secured together at the stems, so I needn't have worried.


My son Riley quickly took the teddy to add to his ever growing collection, whilst I set about removing the bouquet from the packaging and arranging them in a vase. Initially I placed them altogether in the vase provided, but as the selection was so large, I made the decision the following day to split them between two vases so that I could have one on my window frame and another on the table. 


After seeing how lovely the flowers were, I visited the Cancer Research UK Flower Shop website which can be found here: https://flowershop.cancerresearchuk.org/flowers to see what other bouquets and gifts were available in the range.

The website is really user friendly and products are sorted into a variety of different categories which ranged from Birthday Flowers to Fruit Hampers and Congratulations to New Baby Gifts. The bouquets and gifts available for purchase all have very clear images, to give you an excellent idea of what your gift will look like.

A large selection of the items are available for Next Day delivery and this is available 7 days a week. I thought that this was a huge bonus as so many online stores only offer next day delivery Monday to Thursday, so it was great to see a retailer being able to provide this service each and every single day.

The bouquet of flowers I received are actually listed under the Birthday category, but I am sure you would agree that they would actually be suitable for a whole range of occasions.

Overall, I was extremely impressed by both the service received and the bouquet of flowers. They were exactly as portrayed in the online image and looked wonderful. The bouquet I had delivered was much larger than I had expected and I think it was great that in the end I was able to split them between two different vases. This certainly made a lovely display in my living room. My favourite thing about this item though, is of course that a charitable donation goes to such a worthy cause. This means that not only would a gift recipient be receiving a lovely bouquet, but that a percentage of the purchase price would also be going to Cancer Research UK.

You can view the full range of flowers on their website here: Cancer Research UK Flower Shop

To find out more about Cancer Research UK you can also visit their site here: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/


Disclaimer: I received a complimentary bouquet of flowers for the purpose of writing an honest review of the service and product I received. All opinions and photographs are my own unless otherwise stated. The RRP value of the flowers I received is £40 and therefore I will also be making a donation of £10 towards the charity.

Thursday 25 January 2018

Making my money go further with the January Sale at B&M Stores

With Christmas out of the way, January brings another two expensive events for our family as my son Ben has his birthday at the beginning of the month, followed by my other son Riley a couple of weeks later. This means that we really need to budget well over Christmas and throughout January, to make sure we can afford everything to make our boys birthdays special.

One thing that really assists us with this is the January sales, as we are able to pick up some great bargains that can help us to save money and prevents us from having to spend too much. One of our favourite stores to go bargain hunting in is B&M Stores as we have a huge shop just less than a mile away from our home and there is always plenty in store. We particularly love their homeware range and toys selection as there is a great choice to choose from, which helps to make a shopping trip enjoyable.

My youngest son Riley absolutely loves building, this can be anything from constructing vehicles, to creating little houses. He will use anything he can find to do this including building bricks, wooden blocks or even cardboard boxes that he quickly takes from me when any post arrives! I therefore recently visited my local B&M Stores to look for some construction toys that I could add to his birthday present collection. There was certainly no shortage of items to choose from! After a good browse around, I found some fantastic bargains that were just perfect for what I had in mind. For less than £20, I managed to pick up this fantastic haul:


Firstly I noticed the Brick by Brick Police Mission set on the top shelf. I saw the £14.99 price sticker, but underneath there was a large mega value label on the shelf stating a price of only £6.99. I thought this was actually an error as it seemed so cheap, so I grabbed one of the boxes and took it to the till to have it price checked. I couldn't believe it when the shop assistant confirmed the price.


The set contained a humongous 487 pieces which gave you the opportunity to build all the following items:

  • 1 x Police Station
  • 1 x Police Helicopter
  • 1 x Police Transporter
  • 1 x Police Motorbike
  • 1 x Police Car

The set also came complete with 6 individual figures and a set of instructions. It also stated on the box that it was compatible with other brick brands, so this meant that Riley could combine these bricks with his existing toys and that sounded like a winner to me!

On my return to the toy aisle, I noticed that there were some different sets in the same range. Realising that this was a bargain not to be missed, I had a look at the other choices that were available. One of them consisted of a dinosaur and some vehicles and the other was of a construction yard. I decided to opt for the construction set as Riley loves diggers and again I was very impressed with what the box included.


The Brick by Brick Site Crew Collection contained 448 pieces which allowed you to build the following:
  • 1 x Building
  • 1 x Scaffolding
  • 1 x Crane
  • 1 x Excavator
  • 1 x Heavy Load Transporter
Again this box also included six figures and a set of instructions to help with the building process. This meant that for only £13.98 I had managed to purchase over 900 building bricks. Bargain!

I also wanted to buy some large base plates for Riley to build on, I wasn't sure if B&M would sell these, but I soon found them located a little further down the same aisle.


These base plates were only £2.99 each and were ideal for Riley to be able to build his creations on. We have only had smaller base plates previously, but these were really large and meant that he would be able to build several buildings on them with ease. I opted for two different colours just for some variation and again I was pleased to see that these were compatible with other building block brands. This took the total price for all of thes items to only £19.96 which I think is excellent value for money!

B&M is now one of the leading variety retailers in the UK and it is easy to see why. Stocking a great range of both value and top brand products, there are now an incredible 560 stores across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. If you aren't sure where your nearest one is, then you can use this handy store finder tool that is available on the B&M Stores website.

As you can see I chose to make my money go that bit further by purchasing some toys that I know Riley will love. However, B&M also have some amazing products across all their ranges in the January Sale and you can view some of these online on their website, or keep up to date with the latest offers by following the B&M Social Media Channels which are:

Website - B&M Stores
Facebook - facebook.com/bmstores
Twitter - @BMStores


*Disclaimer - This is a collaborative post with B&M Stores. I received £20 vouchers to purchase items of my choice for the purpose of this review.