A star is not just for Christmas, particularly in the case of the Illuminated LED Star Light from Maplin that has recently taken centre stage on my hallway shelf. I’m rather fond of stars, if you hadn’t already noticed and this freestanding piece of home decor is suitable for anytime of the year or if you prefer just keeping it for the festive season then that’s fine.
Being battery operated means it’s super easy to set up and place in any location of your choice. Requiring two AA batteries in a little box which I have hid behind another item on my shelf, the light is simply operated with an on/off switch on the battery box. At 28cm tall and 27cm wide the light is a good size and the LED’s emit a warm bright light that gives a great glow in the evenings in my hallway. We don’t need the main light on as the glow is enough when passing room to room.
I absolutely adore this light and admire it every day. It looks good when it’s off during the day and even better when it’s glowing in the evening. It adds to the decor, ambiance and mood lighting for my hallway – a perfect choice!
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If you like gadgets then this next one is for you, a USB Clock Fan, also from Maplin. Who’d have thought but it is actually incredibly impressive. First off the chrome style finish gives it an edge over any white or cheap looking model. This is stylish and something I want to show off around my laptop. Secondly it works by USB which is amazing, don’t you hate endless products requiring batteries? Thirdly this actually works well in all aspects. The cord is bendy but stays put wherever you angle it to, the fan when on is effective, great for use in the warmer Summer months, to the point I’ve had to keep it switched off for now as it’s too damn chilly!
And the final feature of this fan is the clock which lights up when the blades go round. How cool does this look? Even my children were super impressed but I’ll be keeping this one for my laptop.
All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received the product in order to write an honest review.
I then added various berries, herbs and filtered water to my ice cube trays and tried to choose trays with appropriate shapes for the festive season such as stars and long oblong shapes that would sit prettily in glasses. What I love about these is that they are so versatile and you can use them in plain water, lemonade or cocktails. The choice is yours. I added a drop of orange juice to some of the star cubes for added flavour but love that all the ingredients add both flavour, texture and a really attractive addition to your Christmas drink!
Using water is so simple but adds an interesting touch to drinks at Christmas and is something that all your guests will love. With the water being filtered you know it has a better flavour and your ice cubes will melt perfectly into the drink.
Eager to start making decorations the children have been busy creating, loving every minute of putting these simple to use kits together. The scratch art caught both their eyes and they were engrossed in scratching the black overlay to reveal rainbow colours underneath.
The Santa and Elf foam sticky packs are really simple to assemble and kept the children occupied for ages creating all different combinations of glasses, hats, gloves etc. on the character templates. Again they look fabulous and I can’t wait to string them along my front room to add to the festive feel!
We were provided with a polystyrene wreath and the relevant colour Duck Tapes and couldn’t wait to get started. We had to cut just over sixty 6 inch strips of green tape which we folded and fringed with the scissors. This was Miss M’s job whilst I stuck the strips around the wreath. We used a whole roll of green tape up but fortunately I had a little green left on a roll in the garage so we were able to continue. 
The array of goodies on the shelves as you enter the shop keep your eyes wandering in excitement whilst the aroma hits you and instantly makes your feel relaxed. I love looking at all the Christmas gifts wrapped in pretty boxes or super cute tins. They have a great choice to fit everyones tastes and price points.
Then is was time to check out the Christmas ranges and there were so many fun things, even my children would be spoilt for choice by some of the cute bath pieces. The Christmas Penguin bubble bar looks too cute to break up but it’s worth it for the mountain of bubbles it produces. Santasaurus would sit just perfectly in my little boys stocking this year, a reusable bubble bar meaning he could have several baths swishing it around creating bubbles whilst relaxing and playing in an aroma of orange and bergamot oils. 
For me I was tempted with the Golden Wonder bath bomb. It looks rather grand as it’s shaped like a huge present box and covered in a gold shimmer. It has one of my favourite fragrances, lime oil in it and as it melts away in the water is a secret surprise inside. Why not try one out for yourself for a long relaxing treat?
I’ve never really used any of Lush’s face and body products so decided to go out of my comfy bath bomb box and try something new, not just for myself but to share with you, my readers. I tried Bûche De Noël, a facial cleanser, a totally fresh, natural cleansing product packed full of ground almonds, kaolin, fresh mandarin, dried cranberries and cocoa butter. It does have a very festive touch to it but how would it work?
