With another lockdown upon us, we need to find little things to brighten our day, and accessorizing your daily look with some cute little earrings is the perfect way to lift your mood. Finding smaller businesses that have perfected their craft and handmake their goods is always a pleasure. Jana Reinhardt is the founder of one such business who has some beautiful pieces all inspired by nature and animals.
Jana Reinhardt jewellerywas founded in 2006 by a husband and wife team of master goldsmiths, who work from their studio by the sea in West Sussex, creating jewellery collections with the very best craftsmanship and attention to detail.
They don’t use machine manufacture, preferring the old techniques of wax carving and fabrication to create their products. Hand making every item also means each piece is entirely unique, just like our customers.
These traditional methods have no negative effect on the environment, making Jana Reinhardt a more sustainable choice for jewellery lovers. Plus, all precious metals used by Jana Reinhardt are from accredited suppliers, based in the UK and Germany, that continually buy back and recycle scrap metal, thus helping to create more environmentally friendly jewellery.
The cute little penguins have a sturdy butterfly closure – great for keeping them safe from being pulled by little hands!
The ideal earring for any penguin lovers out there, or anyone looking for a stylish, winter themed piece of jewellery, subtle enough for everyday wear.
You can win a pair of sterling silver handmade penguin earrings by Jana Reinhardt jewellery worth £69. Featuring two adorable hand carved little penguins, these stunning studs measure 10mm x 7mm and are hand polished to a high shine.
Nothing is more special than receiving a gift that has been personalised and Happiness is a Gift offers an array of charming gifts to suit everyone from kids to adults. All of these can be personalised to your specifications with a name, date, message etc. which adds that special touch.
I was delighted to be gifted this Two Tiered Slate Cake Stand which is perfect for displaying a variety of things such as cakes, sweets or savoury items.
I was able to choose a two line personalisation to go around the top and bottom of the top tier. I decided to opt for ‘Fiona’s snacks & Treats’ for the top and ‘Eat, be happy, enjoy…’ for the bottom. I think this encompasses using any type of food on the stand and gives a bit of a feel good factor.
The stand is quick and simple to set up and stores away very compactly which is great. I think it’s a lovely piece which I will definitely be using multiple times over the festive period and beyond.
Happiness is a Gift has a good choice of personalised items and I’m delighted to offer one of my readers the chance to win any gift of their choice from the website up to £30
Whether you fancy getting the man in you life some personalised socks or cufflinks, your mum a gorgeous personalised bracelet or travel bag or just treat your home to a new clock or chopping board there really is something for everyone. Not forgetting children where they have everything from drinks bottles and lunchboxes to gardening kits and flipflops!
What would you choose? Just fill in the Gleam form below and let me know in the comments what item you like over at Happiness is a Gift.
All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions. We are not paid for reviews. Although we do receive the product to try out and enable us to write the review.
5 Second Rule Spintensity is the all-new, spinfully intense electronic version of the original 5 Second Rule game – one of my kids favourites. So I knew that this new version of the game by Interplay would be a hit with them and I certainly wasn’t wrong. With a 5-second electronic timer to keep the game’s momentum going, this really keeps everyone on their toes, shouting crazy, funny answers that everyone finds hilarious. With so much fun to be had this is perfect with friends, family or simply just the two of you.
Contents:
400 questions (on 200 double sided cards)
6 pawns
Electronic timer (3x AAA batteries required)
Start/Finish markers
The game is aimed at ages 12+ although we also included my 10 year old in the game and he came out with some fabulous answers alongside my older daughter and us adults.
With a simple set you are ready to play almost straightaway. You can choose to use either the blue or green sides of the cards. Great to flick over between games so as to get a different variety of cards as you do move through them pretty fast.
They really do cover a wide choice of topics with something for everyone. Most subjects will suit all players but there are a few topics that if you don’t know, then you really don’t (more so when they ask you to name songs from an artist or certain groups of celebrities). We found it easier to allow players to pass on cards like this and simply move on. This led to swifter game play and more fun for everyone.
The bonus to the Spintensity version of 5 second rule is the Electronic timer which is central to this game and keeps the momentum going. It limits how long you have to answer questions and determines your next move.
Each turn in the game requires you to name 3 things in 5 seconds then press the timer to see what the spinner wants you to do next: name 3 more, 2 more, draw a new card or move on to the next player… or will the timer turn Red and sound you out!
If you successfully answer your question you keep the card. Then at the end of each round you move around the board according to the number of cards you have. The winner is the first to reach the finish point.
Spintensity Fun for all the Family
We found this game really simple to play and ultimately great fun. The kids just love the freedom of answers they can give to the questions. We allow most but do disallow any that really don’t fit the bill.
I just love the constant laughs we have and upbeat atmosphere that this game creates for our family. Also it’s not too long so can be played anytime, we’ve certainly squeezed quite a few rounds of this in over the last couple of weeks!
If you’d like to see the game in action then check out some clips of us playing below:
5 Second Rule Spintensity is available from most good toy retailers including Argos, Smyths Toys and John Lewis, this is certainly a great game to be had this Christmas and beyond.
For your chance to win a copy of 5 Second Rule Spintensity just fill in the gleam form below:
All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions. We are not paid for reviews. Although we do receive the product to try out and enable us to write the review.
illooms are the perfect balloons for celebrating with and the LED light up feature gives them a gentle glow so that they shine right through the evening but equally look stunning in colour and design during daylight. Available in a variety of colours, designs and finishes we were delighted to try out the world’s first latex LED balloons for our combined New Year’s Eve and birthday celebrations for my daughter who turned 12 on New Year’s Day. A fantastic way to ‘Light up life’s special moments’.
The illooms are simple to use and come with guided instructions on how to inflate and deflate. There is a paper tab you need to pull from the end of each balloon to activate the LED light inside, then you simply pump the balloon up as you normally would. With a minimum glow time of the LED light for 15 hours, although this may last considerably longer until it fades away, this allows you time to set up your balloons before any event. Fortunately I had a group of helpers to get ours pumped up fairly quickly on the afternoon of New Year’s Eve.
There are some really fun and different designs of illooms to choose from, such as silver, gold, stars, marble, happy faces, aliens, special celebratory and themed designs for things like birthdays, halloween etc and even unicorns! We opted for silver and stars along with a special personalised balloon for the birthday girl. As you can see below they are quite pretty and vibrant in daylight.
When the lights go down, you get this really pretty glow…
They are so pretty close up.
The personalised balloons from illooms are foil and perfect for ‘Making moments more memorable’. Ideal for filling with helium and with a LED light that last for up to 24 hours they really do help to make a celebration special. They come with a large black sticker sheet full of letters, with duplicates for common letters that get repeated in names. You simply peel off the letters you want to use and then stick them to the balloon. I found this really easy to do and they stuck perfectly first time. They are available at Card Factory from £5.99.
Overall we are really pleased with the illooms and they certainly brightened up our evening with both adults and children enjoying the decor. I have to say also that a week later the balloons are still looking fantastic, although no longer glowing but have a great colour and fullness still to them so will make the perfect backdrop when my daughters school friends come to celebrate with her this weekend.
Stockists for illooms include: Card Factory, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda (selected stores) with an RRP from just £1
I’m pleased to say that I’ve teamed up with illooms to offer one of my readers to win both a Silver 5 pack & a Mixed colour 5 pack to use at their next celebration.
To enter the giveaway simply fill in the Gleam form below:
All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions. We are not paid for reviews although we do receive the product to try out and enable us to write the review.
Locks in Goodness is a new brand aimed at children to help style and tame their hair with it’s key message being that it only contains ingredients with a 100% natural origin meaning they have been minimally processed and still closely resemble the original plant. Also all ingredients approved by the British Soil Association.
First off is the Hair Gel which I knew my boy would love to try. He’s recently got into a phase where he loves to style his hair himself and has grown it so that he can slick it down on one side.
“Every dollop of our natural, 95% organic and vegan hair gel is bursting with 100% plant-based goodness to give your locks the right amount of hold without any nasties”
A bonus of the product being packed with natural essential oils is that it is also great for helping to prevent nits and lice – just what you need when you have primary age school children. Being full of natural goodness as well means I know that my boy isn’t putting any nasty chemical filled products into his hair. The first thing he commented on when squirting some out was the smell, and I think that’s down to the tea tree oil fragrance.
He wouldn’t let me touch his hair so here he is with his own slick hair style!
Onto the Hair Smoothie which is a leave-in conditioner that aims to detangle and smooth hair. My daughter has really thick, wavy hair that tangles easily, not something she is fond of and not something that I find overly manageable. She will only wear it in two plaits on a daily basis as it’s the only way it keeps it under control. She finds just one ponytail too heavy and admittedly I agree, it is bulky and we struggle to find hair accessories to hold it in place properly.
Anyway, once or twice a week we do wash her hair to make it squeaky clean although it’s quite a task to then work through it with a tangle teezing brush to try and untangle and tame it.
“Every squidge of our natural, 90% organic and vegan leave-in conditioner is bursting with hair loving oils and 100% plant-based goodness to give your locks the right amount of hold without any nasties”
So this weekend she washed her hair as normal then after lightly towel drying it, she applied a dollop of the Hair Smoothie which she ran it between her fingers and down the lengths of her hair. I could immediately see a difference with her hair detangling as I helped using a tangle teezer brush to go from top to bottom. Whereas it would normally take a number of attempts to get the brush from top to bottom this definitely made it quicker and easier to separate the hair and left it looking really smooth ready for the plaits to go in again!
So what do we think of Locks in Goodness hair goodies for kids?
They smell really natural and full of goodness
They come in easy to squeeze out tubes that are made from sugar cane and are both 100% recyclable and biodegradable
They do exactly what they say on the tube – that’s either style the hair or detangle depending on product
They are simple to use and perfectly suitable for kids of all ages
If you wish to try the products then head to Locks in Goodness and use code LIG10 for a 10% Discount Code & Free Delivery.
I also have a set of both products to give away to one of my readers – just fill in the Gleam form below:
All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions. We are not paid for reviews although we do receive the product to try out and enable us to write the review.
Plantpal automatic watering systems are really handy throughout the year but particularly in warmer weather and especially for times when you go away. The bonus with these is that you know that your plants will be watered as and when is needed during your absence to ensure they stay alive and in optimum condition. The range of products available are suitable all year round and the perfect gift for all plant lovers.
Plantpal 3 Watering Globes come in three bright translucent colours that really brighten up your plant pots and allow you to see how much water is left in them at the same time. I think they are fantastic from what I have seen so far and they are so easy to use. You simply unscrew the cone, fill the ball with water, screw the base on again and then poke into the soil of the plant you want watered.
I’m currently trying the globes out in three of my different house plants and it’s really interesting to see how much water each of them need. I also love seeing the bright coloured balls in the plant pots, adding both a decorative and functional purpose. Suitable for use in 15-23cm pots and with the ability to water plants for up to 2 weeks I think these are a fantastic idea that saves both time in your normal daily routine and a handy helper when you are away from home.
Another great product in the range is the Plantpal Watering System which is a cleverly designed water tank to fit inside a curved plant pot and is made in such a way that the water is regulated as it comes out of the container with a capillary wick that sits on the bottom of the pot. I have the perfect pot for this sitting on my decking with a Fuschia plant in that I’m trying to grow so really want to make sure it doesn’t dry out. We have had to lift the plant out to place the tank inside the pot then gently put the plant back in – ideally do this when you are first placing the plant in a pot or repotting it. Just leave the water level indicator and filler hole visible and you know you only have to top it up every couple of weeks as required.
If you love the look of these then I have a fantastic giveaway to win a selection of Plantpal self-watering planters to help keep your plants irrigated for up to 2 weeks.
All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions. We are not paid for reviews although we do receive the product to try out and enable us to write the review.
The World of David Walliams Gangsta Granny Stash the Swag Board Game from Paul Lamond Games is a fantastic game for fans of David Walliams books and that includes my two children who read each new title as it is released. With World Book Day on the 7th March this year it’s a fantastic time to get reading and being able to play a game associated with a book is always a lot of fun and helps bring your favourite characters to life. With Gangsta Granny among my children’s book collection they were excited by the prospect of a board game featuring team Granny & Ben on a mission to stash the Crown Jewels without being caught by the Queen.
The Gangsta Granny board game is presented in a fantastic tin which a great way to store the parts ensuring they last making it a durable game to play over and over again.
In the tin you will find:
Game board
4 Granny & Ben play pieces
1 Queen play piece
24 Jewel tokens
2 Dice
The aim of the game is to collect all the letter ‘jewels’ to spell out the word GANGSTA but watch out because the Queen is on the prowl and if you get caught by the Queen before stashing your jewels, they all have to be returned!
Each player moves by rolling both dice and moving the number on the white one themselves and the number on the black one for the Queen, therefore with everyone moving the Queen ahead each time she gets around the board quite quickly chasing everyone for their jewels. When you do catch a jewel of your colour you can stash it in your player’s piece until you pass the swag bag and can put it safely on the appropriate letter in the word Gangsta.
We found this Gangsta Granny Stash the Swag game fun and something that all the family enjoyed. With four of us this game was perfect although can be played with between 2-4 players at a time. Suitable for ages 7+ meant that this was perfect for all of us as my youngest is 8 and he really enjoyed this and particularly got excited as the Queen chased us all around the board and loved crossing the board using the secret passageways. We found game play to last around an hour as although it seems easy enough to collect your Gangsta jewels, the Queen is always hot on your heels to steal them!
When someone does manage to collect all of the jewels and spell out the word ‘Gangsta’ they become the winner of game!
If you’d like the chance to win a copy of the board game Gangsta Granny Stash the Swag from Paul Lamond games then just complete the Gleam widget below:
All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions. We are not paid for reviews although we do receive the product to try out and enable us to write the review.
Ravensburger The Country Station 100pc Jigsaw Puzzle has extra large pieces to enable fiddle free and easy puzzling. With the puzzle pieces being around double the size of standard pieces, they are easier to find and quicker to complete along with being able to see more detail on each piece.
The Country Station is no.2 in the popular Day in the Country puzzle line and shows a nostalgic image of a station scene. There is lots of detail and colour from the people and the skyline making the puzzle a joy to do and simple to find the correct location for the pieces. With the pieces being larger than normal it’s easier to identify where they should go and we couldn’t wait to get started. My 10yr old daughter decided she wanted to give it a go and sat down one afternoon and completed it. She found it enjoyable to do and it looked good when finished.
Below you can see the finished Ravensburger puzzle of The Country Station which measures 49 x 36 cm when completed. With a linen finish to the top it helps to avoid glare and the pieces are a sturdy premium cardboard. Lastly I’m pleased to offer one of my readers a chance to win a copy for themselves – it’s simple to enter, just scroll down and fill out the Gleam form below!
Incredibles 2 has landed on the big screen and is a fun family film featuring the Elastigirl, Mr Incredible, Jack-Jack, Violet and Dash as they go about their normal day to day life before coming together again to save the day. Jumbo Games have come up with these fun, great quality puzzles for children of various ages to do. I love that they have both a 100 piece one aimed at children 5+ and a 200 piece one for 7+.
My little boy age 7 was eager to give them a try so we got our puzzle mats out and he started with the 100 piece. He loved the chunky pieces, and before long he completed it entirely on his own. He then moved onto the 200 piece which did prove a little more tricky. I know he is able so always make him do the puzzles on his own, but hint and point out areas that would be easy to start with. He always starts with the edges and I helped him find them but he put them all together.
He then move onto the the eyes and faces of the Incredibles 2 characters as these are the prominent areas and the pieces were easy to pick out and he could identify where they went on the board.
By the end of the day both puzzles were completed and I had one very proud little boy! These Incredibles 2 puzzles are great fun and come in lovely bright colours to keep kids interested. Featuring the characters from the film, they are instantly recognisable and kids love to see images they associate with.
To celebrate the release of the film, I have both of these Jumbo Games Incredibles 2 puzzles to give away to one lucky reader. If you want to enter just fill in the Gleam form below:
CanvasChamp are one of the newest canvas providers on the market and they offer some amazing prices along with good quality canvases that look fabulous on your wall. If you are interested in other ways to present your photos they also offer metal prints, engravings, cushions and acrylics to mention just a few so they really do have something for everyone in lots of different styles.
We tried out a basic photo canvas which I’m really pleased with. The frame is approximately an inch thick for my 16 x 20″ (40 x 50cm) canvas so it looks good quality with a chunky feel. The quality of the photo came out really well and looks bright and clear on the canvas. It also comes with a centre hook to use to hang on the wall although we are still deciding where to place ours, as we are just starting to decorate the downstairs of our house.
The ordering process was really simple from uploading the photo, adjusting it’s position, and selecting the finishing touches you wanted. You can even change how the photo is wrapped around the sides of the canvas or leave the sides white.
With an array of photo gifts available from CanvasChamp alongside the canvases and excellent prices on each of the products this is definitely somewhere I’d come back to when I want something personalised created using one of our photos knowing that I’ll get good value for money and a product that is made to a good standard.
CanvasChamp are offering one of my readers a 10 x 8″ photo canvas so if you fancy a new piece of personalised wall art for your home then get your entries in below:
Spintensity Fun for all the Family
