Monster High Designer Boo-Tique Frankie Stein Doll Review

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Fiona Martin

Monster High Designer Boo-Tique Frankie Stein Doll is the latest doll in the Monster High range from Mattel featuring Frankie, along with four dresses to design and decorate. It also comes with pens, stencils and stickers to use along with your creative flair to come up with some new dresses for Frankie.

8 yr old Miss M was keen to have a go at customising the dresses. You get four including the one Frankie is wearing and they are all slightly different in design and of various colours. Miss M was off so I let her get on with it and was keen to see what she came up with when she had finished.

Miss M designed four great dresses, I think she did a brilliant job and most of all she had great fun doing it. She even decorated the backs so they are double sided designs. The dresses each come with a cardboard hanger which is useful when colouring on them, but also are fun when playing with them and helping Frankie choose an outfit to wear. The only think I’ll say is that the dress Frankie comes wearing has velcro down the back which the other three don’t but hopefully with a little practice Miss M will get the hang of them.

Overall this is a fun doll with the added bonus of getting to design her dresses as well as playing with her. The dresses are pretty standard so would fit any other dolls from the Monster High range you already had.

I think Frankie looks great in all her new customised outfits and this is a great toy for a child to play with that adds another dimension with the designing rather than just being a doll!

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received the product in order to write an honest review.

Beados Glitter Quick Dry Design Studio – Review

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Fiona Martin

Beados Glitter Quick Dry Design Studio from Character has been a huge hit with Miss M. With lots of coloured and glittery beads that magically join together when sprayed with water, the designs are simple to make and effective when finished.

Suitable for ages 4+, although they would probably require assistance at that age, Miss M who is just 7 sat and did this craft set unaided and independently, meaning she was thrilled at the results knowing it was all her own work.

The set consists of a fan which requires 2 AA batteries, 2 boards to make the designs on, some design templates, various packs of coloured beads, a divided dish to use to hold the beads, a tool to pick the beads up, a water spray bottle and some stands to help display your finished work.

You can either copy the designs from the template or for younger children you can put the template underneath the board so you can follow the design by putting the correct coloured beads on top. The tweezer like tool helps you to pick up a bead and place it in the correct place on the board. I really liked the glittery beads and think they really enhanced the finished designs.

Once you have completed the design, you use the spray bottle to gently spray a layer of water across the whole design and then place it under the fan to try. Miss M loved following through with this process as she could complete it herself from start to finish.

The beads adhered together well once they were wet. We did find that if too much water was used it was a good idea to turn the design over once partially dry to let the other side dry fully rather than sit in water on the tray.

With plenty of concentration, the Beados really kept Miss M occupied and is a fun craft that’s a little bit different from the things Miss M normally does which helped maintain her interest. It made her feel very grown up using the fan herself and showing me her finishing projects.

The designs looked really good once dry and can be used for many things. There are a few various stands included, one to stand a design upright, another with a sucker to put on a window and another one with a sucker that you could stick anywhere. There are also some little attachments that you can adhere to a design with little water and they have a hole in which you can thread some string or ribbon through and use as a keyring or attach to a bag.

Beados has been a big hit here for Miss M who loved working with the beads and was really pleased with the finished pieces. This would be great for any art and craft fan, and you can purchase additional bead sets to make further designs after and the fan can be used again and again. Why not take a look at Beados next time you are looking for a gift?

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received the products in order to write the review.

Bloom Pops Flower Design Studio from Cool Create – Review

Posted on August 28, 2014 by Fiona Martin

Bloom Pops Flower Design Studio from Cool Create is a fun craft kit where you can design flower motifs. They can be made again and again in different designs or used to stick wherever you want, be it something you want to decorate, make a badge or whatever else you choose.

With over 2 sheets of fabric flower petals, 1 Bloom Pop Maker, 6 sticky pads, 6 flower bases, 6 silicon buttons, 18 flower spacers, 1 unpopper tool, 1 display tree, 45 sparkly gems and instructions you can create many unique designed fabric flowers, which any young girl who loves creating, designing and making will enjoy!

It comes with a doll figure which is used to pop the button centre of the flower on but pushing her arms down. Aimed at 5yrs + this was perfect for 6yr old Miss M to play with and create with independently and something she enjoyed doing.

I like the fact that it comes with a moulded tray on which to put all the pieces, there are several sections to put the smaller pieces in and a set place to stand the popper doll. It also comes with a display tree upon which you can display your flower creations and this also fits into the tray.

Miss M really enjoying making different flower combinations. You build a flower by starting with a base, adding layers of petals and spacers which add to the 3D effect, and then use the doll popper to pop a middle onto the flower which also holds it all together. You then have the option of putting a sticky pad on the back, depending on where or how you want to use the flower. They is also an unpicker tool which easily unpops the centre of the flower allowing you to take it apart and start again with a new design.

We’ve enjoyed Bloom Pops, it’s a fun way to be creative and a bit different to other craft sets. The flowers look lovely displayed on the tree in Miss M’s bedroom and she plans to use other flowers in pictures and artwork that she makes.

Why not give Bloom Pops a try today?

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received Bloom Pops in order to write the review.