Moonpig – the One Stop Online Birthday Cards & Gift Shop – Review

Posted on October 24, 2020 by Fiona Martin

Moonpig is known for it’s celebration cards, particulary the ability to personalise them online. You can even send them straight to the recipient in time for their special day. A very handy service in normal times but even more so during the Covid pandemic where we’ve been stuck at home. Going back to high street shopping just isn’t the same anymore.

Who wants to queue outside shops waiting to go inside? Then be sent on a one way system that rushes you around not being able to browse. Not forgetting wearing a mask the whole time which I certainly don’t enjoy for more than a few minutes!

This is where Moonpig comes in super handy for all your celebration needs. They sell not only cards, which can of course be personalised, but flowers, chocolates, sweets, balloons and a vast array of gifts to suit all ages. In fact I was pleasantly surprised at the choice. Thinking it would be just the usual box of chocolates or flower gifts but they actually do so much more besides that. I was particually impressed with how well they catered for younger giftees. It’s fantastic that you can order a card and present fromjust one website and have it delivered to someone just in time for their special day.

Moonpig kindly sent me over a selection of gifts suitable for my 10 year old who celebrated his first “double digits” year last week! I do love personalised cards and both myself and my daughter had fun online creating some. These rather fantastic Large size glossy cards come complete with name, age and photo’s incorporated into the design.

No birthday is complete without balloons and you can either choose various options. We receive these rather fabulous ‘Let’s Party’ air filled balloons that you blow up yourself with the included straw. It was actually really simple and far less effort then blowing up traditional balloons with the bonus of thembeingreusable.

I have to say Moonpig have a particularly impressive choice of sweet treats. Catering for all ages from retro sweet jars to posh chocolate boxes there is something for everyone. My boy was very happy with this rather cool hamper of sweets and a particually impressive looking chocolate pizza.

Perfect for younger audiences are some of the game and activity gifts you can choose from. My 10 year old loves playing Minecraft online so this Minecraft Builders & Biomes board game is fantastic and great for all the family to join in with. I feel like I’ll become an expert in Minecraft after just one game!! lol Endermen or Creepers anyone?

Any fan of Harry Potter will surely love the Harry Potter version of the classic game Cluedo. We’ve played the original version many times, but this one certainly added interest to my kids who are big fans. The Kitchen Science kit from KidzLabs looks like great fun too, you just need to add a few basic items and then have some kitchen science fun.

Overall I can’t fault Moonpig in any aspect of it’s service. Personalised cards ordered late afternoon – arrived the next day. We had balloons, sweet treats and birthday gifts, all perfect for my 10 year old. All from one website and can be ordered altogether. So if you are stuck at home, or don’t want to venture out in this during these difficult times – you know where to shop!! Moonpig.com!!

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.

Christmas Gift Ideas for £5 or Less From Sportsdirect

Posted on November 19, 2017 by Fiona Martin

Sports Direct has been a great shop to kit my children out with sports wear over the last few years but would you have thought of popping in there for your Christmas gifts? With an array of items under £5, it’s well worth checking out whether you are just after a small gift, secret santa or stocking filler item.

I was challenged to pick up a few gifts from there and was actually surprised at the choice available for both adults and children. For me toiletries or socks are always a winner when it comes to stocking fillers or added extras to main presents so I was pleased to pick up some items that would suit my family this year.

The Korres gift set seemed a bargain at £5 and contains two quality products and is perfect for someone I know (just a shame that the box is a bit battered but I will put the contents in a gift bag with tissue paper instead). I’m sure you are well aware that I have a little minion crazy boy at home so what better than a set of Despicable Me mini shower gels. I love these small sizes as he does have a tendency to tip a whole bottle out at a time – oops! Star Wars socks will be a hit with him too so ideal for his stocking (he’s a massive believer in Santa at 7yrs old so lots of little surprise gifts keep him happy!). The Star Wars gift set looks great and I have a couple of people in mind for that one.

Overall I’m really pleased with my Christmas purchases from Sports Direct and shopping online was simple as you can filter gifts into one place. You have the option of delivery at £4.99 or if you click and collect in store you still pay the £4.99 but receive a voucher to spend in store for the same amount valid for 12 months (well worth doing if your store is easily accessible).

Why not check out Sports Direct online and see what goodies you can find this year for Xmas?

This post is an entry for BritMums #sdfiverchallenge Christmas Challenge, sponsored by Sportsdirect.com.

KAYA Personalised & Hand Engraved Jewellery

Posted on October 10, 2017 by Fiona Martin

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KAYA jewellery is personalised and hand engraved in London to produce pieces that mean something between family or friends. There are also lots of pieces for generations to share such as matching mother daughter jewellery such as bracelets and pendants. Personalised jewellery for mums can hold a special birth month coloured gem of their child or names or initials. With such a wide variety of items available there really is something special for everyone and they’d make particularly lovely gifts.

I chose the Silver Infinity Mum Bracelet to try out which comes with discs attached to the infinity sign, each engraved with your children’s initials. Having two children, I have two discs to represent them. I think this is a really lovely idea and is a piece I can wear everyday. It came presented in a pretty box along with a cleaning cloth and is a generous size for my wrist.

I really like the bracelet and is something I can wear anytime. Also every time I look down at it I have a reminder of my children by seeing their initials which I think is a lovely touch to have on a piece of jewellery. KAYA offers some really unusual and different pieces of personalised jewellery that you don’t see elsewhere such as the three generation sets and the mum rings are a particular favourite of mine with pretty gemstones in to reflect your children’s birth months.

With such a lot of pretty personalised jewellery available you are sure to find your favourite so I am pleased to be able to offer one lucky winner a £40 voucher to spend on jewellery at KAYA – any piece of their choice!

Just fill in the Gleam form below:

£40 KAYA jewellery voucher

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

Father’s Day Gift Guide

Posted on June 12, 2017 by Fiona Martin

With Father’s Day on it’s way, this year on Sunday 18th June, it’s that time to look for gifts suitable for the father figure in your life, whether it’s for your children to give their daddy, you to give the husband, or give to your own father. For us we aim to look for gifts that are useful and practical along with a few handmade personalised items from the kids.

Something that I’d buy either my husband or my dad would be a watch such as this Anthony James Emperor Men’s Sports Wrist Watch. It’s a stylish design that’s practical for everyday wear.

It has a rubber strap which makes it comfortable and can easily be adjusted with the buckle. This gives the watch an everyday look which is great for day to day wear for the man in your life. There is also some metal detail on the strap near the face which I really liked. The face of the watch is chunky and clear to read, all in all a winner for someone like my husband!

Next up is Sugru, if you haven’t heard of it then it’s a rather ingenious mouldable glue. It can also adhere to a multitude of surfaces such as ceramics, glass, metal, wood, and most plastics and fabrics. In just 24hrs it turns into a durable, flexible silicone rubber that stays put unless you remove it. How fabulous is that?

For Father’s day how about buying you dad the Sugru Rebel Tech Kit, containing

4 single-use packs of Sugru in Pitch Black, Snow White, Silver Grey and Classic Red
a booklet full of project ideas and how-to guides
our new Sugru Remover
a handy storage tin

I imagine this will keep him busy for ages fixing and creating things. I’ve already got a few things planned that we can try with this, along with the ideas in the included booklet. This is different, useful, interesting and fun so a great idea to get dad’s who would like something a little bit unusual.

Finally, something like a new tablet or phone case is always a popular and affordable option. Whether you opt for personalised or a generic design it’s sure to be a gift that is practical and used daily.

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

The Brightside Gifts from Really Good

Posted on January 9, 2017 by Fiona Martin

Finding gifts that are a little bit different is always a challenge but The Brightside are a funky range of modern gifts with fun slogans that are available from Really Good, a small boutique online retailer. They sell a mix of gifts and homeware accessories and use in house designers alongside individual artists to continually create and evolve the ever growing ranges. A lot of The Brightside range centres around storage tins, always useful to keep various bits and pieces in, but these tins also look great and have fun words on the front. The range is vast and there really is a tin to suit every person or occasion so we were excited to try out some of the items aimed at children and they arrived beautifully wrapped ready for us to try them out.

Some of the tins have a small padlock and key on the front which is a fun idea that kids will enjoy especially with the “Secret stuff to hide from parents” tin. Although they may not be so keen on the “Screen time is suspended until further notice” tin but this one is a great size and perfect for locking away phones and tablets in. Some general storage tins include the “Boy Stuff” and “Girl Treasures” which are both beautifully decorated and are great to keep bits and bobs in. I like the way they use metallic colours on the tins to keep them bright and fresh looking.

There’s also a really fun, modern height chart with quirky sayings as they reach different heights. One of my little boys favourite items is the handy torch shown above, a credit card size light with LED bulbs that very cleverly lights up as you click the button on it. It also only stays on when you hold it in, so as soon as you let go it turns off – a revelation for me and my little boy who loves torches! No more endless battery supplies needed with this one and it’s also very bright so my little boy loves to use it in the den under his bed and when looking for little things around the house.

Miss M just adores the bunny rabbit Pyjama Bag, a very cute drawstring bag, perfect for taking to sleepovers to pack her pj’s in. It’s simple but has an effective silver bunny rabbit design all over that girls love and has already been to two sleepovers this year!!

Mister B loves the wooden door sign which immediately made it’s way onto his bedroom door. The money tin is perfect for all those pennies he keeps finding out and about and the super hero plasters are just the coolest thing he has seen for cuts and grazes. Each plaster has a slogan such as “Dinosaur Bite” or “Dragon Burn”.

Being away at New Year saw this back pack get it’s first outing as Mister B carefully packed it with his toys and pyjama’s and put it on his back ready to go out. He looked so cute and I just love the fun design on this bag, so different to anything you see on the high street, you can be sure he won’t get his bag mixed up with anyone elses.

One of my favourite products is the behaviour book. It’s a high quality A4 chart where you can list both good and naughty things the child has done on each day of the week. There’s a few sheets of stickers for you to use too to help encourage children to improve and brighten up the chart. Each page can be ripped off at the end of the week ready for a fresh week ahead. This will be brilliant for my children and I’ve decided to keep the sheets we use to look back on in future months to see how well they’ve done (or not!).

They also have a range of celebration cards which do not disappoint. I love all of them!! The age designs are all quirky but cute and look really lovely. Being unisex too, they can be given to anyone on their birthdays.

The top line of cards are from a different range, Showtime – How fabulous are these cards? Each come with an individual letter on the front and by pressing the button in the bottom corner, they light up! I just love these cards and think they are perfect for celebrating with and will look amazing on someone’s mantlepiece both during their birthday and as a keepsake afterwards. I’ll certainly be keeping our ones as we were lucky to be sent our initials which are just perfect!

All in all, I think The Brightside range of goods are really lovely. They have their own unique style and fun words that will appeal to everyone and you could really pick a gift out for someone of any age. Available from Really Good, I would highly recommend a visit as there are many other The Brightside gifts aimed at adults along with many other exciting ranges. You’ll be sure to find something, if not many things that catch your eye from this fresh thinking, unique retailer!

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

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Melt & Make Chocolate House – Review

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Fiona Martin

The Melt & Make Chocolate House by choconchoc is available from what2buy4kids and is a high quality, fun to make activity suitable for children aged 4+. The kit comprises of the house moulds, a garden scene colouring sheet, two bags of good quality chocolate buttons (one white and one milk) and a chef’s paper hat for the child to wear.

My two children, Miss M age 8 and Mister B age 5, didn’t need any encouragement in participating in this activity, in fact their eye’s lit up in delight at the prospect of building a house out of chocolate which they could then eat!

The kit is simple and well thought out to make the job really easy and the first task was to melt the buttons in a bowl. Miss M was in charge of the white ones, and Mister B the milk buttons. I microwaved each of their bowls which they then stirred up to turn the buttons into gooey, runny chocolate. At this point they were both begging to lick their spoons but I told them to fill the moulds first which they eagerly did using a teaspoon to spread the molten chocolate around.

Next came the obligatory spoon licking while the moulds were put in the fridge to set. They also used this time to colour in the garden sheet upon which you can rest the finished house on to create a little 3D scene.

Once the chocolate had set hard, I helped the children to press the shapes carefully out of the moulds to ensure we didn’t break any pieces. I thought the pieceds looked great with a good depth of detail that was really clear and made the house look really effective. We then put them carefully together using a little molten chocolate on our fingers to glue the pieces in place – the kids loved this idea and wanted to put ‘glue’ everywhere!

I have to say I’m quite impressed by the finished house, it looked really good for quite minimal effort. The children were really pleased with their finished piece and looked longingly at it wondering when they could start tasting it. I made them wait until after dinner so that we could admire our handywork for a couple of hours but when we did taste it, it was very good – the bonus of having good quality chocolate in the kit!

This kit was a great activity which both of my children thoroughly enjoyed. The set would make great gifts for children at any time of the year, so well worth looking out for.

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

2 for £10 Gift Ideas from The Works

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Fiona Martin

With Christmas looming, and many a day spent searching for presents that don’t cost a fortune, then look no further than The Works. They have a fabulous selection of low cost gifts available, with any 2 costing just £10! With something for everyone, children and adults, I’ve been taking a look at what’s on offer.

For adults there is a variety of things such as cookbooks, and a variety of dvd and book sets. I’m really pleased with the Crochet dvd and book set as it’s a craft I’m keen to learn after trying it out earlier this year, and this will be perfect to learn from with simple, clear instructions. This would make a lovely gift for a beginner to the world of crochet.

For boys, how about this fun Dinosaur Operation game. My little boy loves dinosaurs and has been eyeing up operation style games for a while. The dinosaur has obviously been eating things that he shouldn’t and has various tools as well as bones inside his body that need extracting as part of the game. This would be a fun game for the family to play on Christmas day and a bargain at just £5 when bought as part of the 2 for £10 gift range.

This Build Your Own Rocket set looks like fun for boys and has a little booklet as well as a rocket parachute to make. The booklet contains lots of ideas for rocket based ideas and experiments to make using simple things like a balloon etc I think there are plenty of ideas in here to keep boys occupied over the Christmas period and into the New Year!

One I think my daughter will love is a Crystal growing kit. She’s loves science and experiments so I think this is a great mix of the two and something she can watch grow over a period of time. With six crystals to grow I’m sure we’ll have windowsill full before long and they can be kept after as decorative pieces.

Yarn craft is a fun set for girls and my daughter does love anything needlework related. This set allows you to make 12 fun activities using wool including pom poms, decorative wool hearts, hair for sock puppets and more. The box also includes some googly eyes to use in some of your making projects.

I think the range of gift ideas from The Works this Christmas has a great variety and are an absolute bargain at just £5 each when bought as part of their 2 for £10 gift range. There really is something for all the family, so I’d definitely recommend checking them out either in store or online where you can get them delivered in time for Christmas.

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

A Sparkly Christmas at Lush

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Fiona Martin

Christmas at Lush is a sparkly, glittery and seasonally fragrant affair that will leave you feeling all festive with all the products and gifts they have on offer. I had a preview on the launch day of the new Christmas and Halloween ranges as they were fresh into my local store in Plymouth, to see what amazing new products have launched and which firm favourites have returned from previous years for another festive season.

We were greeted with drinks and some fabulous cupcakes from the local Mrs Brown’s bakery which looked too good to eat and very festively decorated!

Then it was on to the bath section, packed full of glorious bath bombs, melts and bubble bars. We had some demonstrations of bath bombs in action but here are some that caught my eye.

The Magic of Christmas reusable bubble bar is so festive, a star shape decorated with cloves and star anise, it’s perched on a cinnamon stick. It’s burnt orange colour gives a warming feeling as the chilly evenings draw in and it’s covered in golden glitter, perfect for a hot bath to relax in the evening. It has a cute ribbon tied around it’s collar along with a cute anti rusting bell. The idea is you swirl it in the bath water to create a heavenly, softening bubble bath, packed full of bubbles and a Christmassy aroma of cinnamon, orange and almond.

Stardust is a snowy white Frozen inspired bath bomb with bergamont to uplift you. Inside it’s white exterior lies a blue and white swirly mass of bubbles and a surprise of edible stars that will float around your bathtub twinkling under the lights.

Magic Wand is a silver glitter coated pink bubble bar on a stick with a festive bell and ribbon attached. I know my daughter will just love this so got her one to try out.

Five Gold Rings are individual bubble bars, glistening and tied onto a ribbon. With a sparkly gold coat they are infused with fair trade vanilla and uplifting moringa oil.

Peeping Santa is a rather cute bubble bar that can be split into two halves for two baths! Bursting with strawberry sweet bergamot and geranium oils and cocoa butter in the middle section, this sounds like a refreshing but relaxing bath full of bubbles.

Candy Mountain is a swirling pink bubble bar rich in vanilla for a soft, relaxing soak.

Next stop, the shower section which was packed full of an array of different and interesting products. First off, Snow Fairy, a popular favourite with candy floss aromas in a delectable pink colour. I was tempted but opted to try the Rose Jam as I’m rather partial to to roses and love their fragrance. Never having tried Rose Jam I’m keen to give it a try in the shower over the next few weeks and trust me, it smells heavenly!

The Icing on the Cake Roulade is a shower smoothie and definitely one that looked quite luxurious, full of citrus peels and chestnut puree. Perfect for a relaxing shower at the end of the day.

Santa’s Scrub is a mixture of castor sugar, dates and cherries to leave your lips smooth and soft and then you can follow it with Santa Baby, a long lasting lip tint with carrot oil and cinnamon.

Something that was new to me was shower jelly in the form of Santa’s Belly or Snowman. They literally are just like jelly but quite stable and you rub them over your body to lather them up and wash.

The Cranberry Festive Face Mask smelt lovely and felt great on the back of my hand. I think this would be wonderful on your face, packed with cranberries, fennel seeds, argan oil and rose clay. It left the back of my hand feeling smooth and soft.

The soap bars available this Christmas are Yog Nog, Snow Cake and Baked Alaska shown below along with Reindeer Rock which I didn’t catch a picture off.

With so many products on offer, you really need to visit a store to check them all out. Some I haven’t had time to mention are Christingle a body conditioner, Fairy Dust a fun glittery powder along with lots of other bath bombs and bubble bars. Get along to your local store today and check out the amazing array of ethical goodies to fill your bathroom during the festive season.

I must just mention the Christmas gift selection with it’s cleverly thought out packaging, all very ethically sourced I must add. Christmas Wishes is a wind up carousel that plays a festive tune, Sleeps ‘Til Christmas has a countdown dial on the front to help you count down the days and The Human Cannonball with it’s cracker snap to open the box that greets you with a colourful display!

I’m going to finish off with a quick overview of the Halloween range of which includes Lord of Misrule bath bomb and shower gel, Nightwing shower jelly and Sparkly Pumpkin which I couldn’t resist trying. With juniperberry, lime and grapefruit oils this filled my bath with bubbles and left my skin feeling supersoft and relaxed. Definitely one to use again.

Keep an eye out for my review of the Xmas products once I’ve tried them in a future post.

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

Autumn Beauty Wishlist

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Fiona Martin

As the summer ends it’s always time to rethink my beauty regime to ensure my skin is protected over the winter months and also look at the wonderful gift sets that are out there ready for the festive season.

L’Occitane have a great range of high quality gift sets that always smell amazing. I love the look of this Elegant Néroli & Orchidée Collection. With a variety of products included such as a body lotion, soap, hand cream and Eau de toilette, this is a lovely set and beautifully presented in a round pink box. With hints of Orange Blossom and White Orchid, this has a delicate but feminine fragrance that sure to have wide appeal.

There’s nothing more I love than painting my fingers and toes, and this cute Festive Folk set from Nails Inc comes in really pretty colours that takes you through from Summer to Autumn. The three colours work really well together and can be worn separately or with a sprinkle of the glitter on top!

Benefit Air Patrol is a fabulous new BB cream eyelid primer with added SPF 20, perfect for protecting your eyelids this Autumn. Not only does it protect the delicate skin on the eyelid from harmful rays, but it provides a calming and soothing base upon which you can apply eyeshadow leaving your lids looking crease and smear free all day!

Rose_Bubbleroon_Web As the evenings get darker and the nights draw in there is nothing better than having an evening soak in a hot bath to feel totally relaxed, calm and ready to curl up in bed. Rose Jam Bubbleroon from Lush is the perfect accompaniment leaving your bath water filled with bubbles, softening your skin and leaving you feeling relaxed and lifted on a cold, dark night.

This is a collaborative post.

ijustloveit.co.uk Online Gift Store – Review

Posted on August 23, 2015 by Fiona Martin

I Just Love It is a wonderful online gift store, with a wide variety of gifts, many of them personalised giving them added meaning to the recipient. They also have things that are a little bit different from the high street, meaning you can find something unique and special for birthday’s, anniversaries and Christmas etc.

I chose a selection of gifts, all for me to try out and I have to say I haven’t been disappointed!

I should save the best till last but I just have to show you this amazing personalised cake tin. I absolutely adore it, both in style and quality and it will take pride of place in my kitchen. It is a little pricey at £42.99, but when you see it with its personalisation and feel it’s strong sturdy quality, you’ll know it’s worth having!

The metal is really thick and strong, this tin really is made to last. It has a handle on top of the lid to aid in opening. What makes this tin different to others I’ve seen is the airtight seal, meaning that your cakes will stay really fresh and biscuits will stay crisp. I love the grey colour, neutral but stylish. The personalisation really makes this tin special though, and makes it the perfect tin to keep on show as well as the perfect storage for all my lovely baked treats. I can’t wait to serve visitors with a treat from my tin when they come round for tea!

This Personalised My Family Keyring is so cute with a silver charm for each child that is engraved with their name and a heart for wording of your choice, of which I chose my name. The charms are made from a zinc alloy making them sturdy and strong. At £12.99 I think this would make a lovely gift, I certainly would be more than happy receiving this from my children at birthdays or Christmas (obviously with another adult helping them to buy and order it). This will be home to my house keys from now and live in my handbag, I’m very pleased with this item.

A girl can never be without too many make up bags, you know what it’s like, some get a bit old and need replacing, you need one for make up, one for hair bits, one for other toiletries etc.. I really like the simple but elegant style of this Beauty Parlour Wash Bag and with its neutral colours and pvc coated cotton outer, it’s practical and also a good size. This one does seem really well made and at £14.99 is a good price for the quality and has room to hold quite a few items. It’s sitting proudly in my bathroom at the moment, full of little bits and bobs to make it look at bit tidier but I’m also looking forward to using it when I go away.

A small but cute gift is this Grow Me Say It With Flowers Seed Kit and priced at £3.99 is a bargain. I love roses and hope this successfully grows and is something I can plant in the garden. An ideal stocking filler or smaller gift if you are doing a bag of presents, then this is the perfect extra.

I’ve been really pleased with the selection of gifts from I Just Love It and would happily shop there again. The items are certainly different from what you’d find elsewhere and the personalisation on the some of the items is unique and makes them stand out a bit. If you are stuck for gift ideas, then I’d definitely give here a look, the range is vast and you’re sure to find something for person you are gifting.