Magpie Monday - China Crisis

My crockery and glass buying habit is getting somewhat out of control.  The kitchen cupboards are straining under the weight and every time the Old Man opens the door to my pretty cupboard (not a euphemism) I'm met with muttering, swearing, and sometimes smashing as something falls out.

I really must have a clear-out but I'm not sure I can bear to part with anything.

See, I can't help myself.  If I spot beautiful china or glassware, I have to rescue it and bring it home.  It does get used, so in my mind that's ok. I mean, its not like it's just sitting gathering dust...

Much as I'm trying not to buy more, at the boot sale yesterday I spotted a couple of beauties that I couldn't leave behind.  Firstly this darling teapot.

It was priced at £3 which to be fair is not bad for a Sadler teapot, but I got it for £2.50.  Not a huge discount I know, but pretty good for me who hates haggling.

At another stall I spotted a pretty little tea cup and saucer.

It was only a pound, so I had to have it.  However, it's tiny so I'm not sure what to do with it.  I thought about making a ubiquitous teacup candle, but it would be a shame to hide the delicate rose detail inside.  Any suggestions?

If you've made any second-hand purchases or finds lately, please grab the badge and link up.

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Olympic Street Art

Yesterday myself and the lovely Maggy from Red Ted Art, together with our girls went on an adventure exploring the street art of London.

Specifically, we were on a Banksy hunt (much, much more of that to come) and whilst we found many, we didn't spot two of his latest creations marking the London 2012 Olympics.

Both images (Going for Mould - top and Hackney welcomes the Olympics - bottom) are courtesy of http://www.banksy.co.uk

In this age of social media quite how these two enormous pieces still manage to hide their location is a mystery, but as yet, nobody seems to know where they are.

We did however, spot some Olympic street art by other artists - both official and unofficial!

This huge board by Chilean street artist Otto Schade (Osch) can be found at the rear of the Truman brewery off Brick Lane, London.

You can feel the energy and power of the cyclist and gymnast through the sinewy detail and the blood pumping through their veins and organs.

This one is on the wall opposite, and I raised a smile at the dirty protest of artist unknown.

Then of course, there's the official street art, in the form of decorated Wenlocks, dotted around Brick Lane.  The girls had lots of fun spotting these.  They reminded me of the elephant parades - I just hope Ruby doesn't want us to try and recreate these!

So, which gets your vote - the authorised or the unauthorised?

Check out Maggy's fabulous post featuring lots of Banksy.

 

How to save money on back to school essentials

It’s that time of year again, when we get the kids ready for yet another year of school, and we all know that between the uniform, stationery and other studying supplies, everything can quickly add up. But through a combination of savvy shopping and forward planning, you can save yourself some cash on these essential items quite easily. Here are some top tips to try when stocking up on your school supplies this year.

Car Boot Sales

Although they start early, taking the time to sift through someone else’s stuff can really save you money. Never underestimate the hidden treasures you can find at a car boot sales. Not only is it economical, but it’s a good way to get the kids involved too, as they’ll enjoy helping in the hunt for a bargain. From vintage lunchboxes to secondhand bikes in perfect working order, there are plenty of hidden gems to grab. Although it can be difficult to resist hitting the snooze button (especially in the rain), if you’re going to bother going, it’s important to make it there on time. Early risers will reap the rewards by having the pick of the litter.

Online Shopping 

Take some time to surf the web for back-to-school bargains. From the likes of Ebay and FreeSurf to the summer sales on high street brands, there are loads of outlets to browse through. With a little patience and research, you should be able to find reduced rates on school supplies and other staples. For lower prices, try using this site for a range of voucher and discount codes to use on your purchases.

Jumble Sales

Going to your local church jumble sale is a great way of snagging a steal, particularly on school uniforms. There should be plenty of suitable pieces to choose from like ties, blazers and trousers, and you might even find a backpack or two in the mix. Even if there’s nothing available in the right size or colour you’re looking for, it’s worth going for the cheap cake and coffee along with a good old natter! If your community’s short of jumble sales, try looking out for some mother and baby groups in the area, which are also well-known for uniform exchanges and usually have a wide variety of hand-me-downs at low prices. It’s also a good way to meet other parents, and let your little ones socialise with other children who live nearby. 

Supermarkets/Discount shops

If you don’t have much time to plan ahead, or have just missed your local jumble sale, don’t worry --there are also a range of discount stores that are packed with back-to-school offers like pound shops and Primark. Supermarkets like Asda and Tesco also stock stacks of school supplies and come August, their aisles are always filled with everything from pencil cases and stationery to uniforms and water bottles. If you want to save even more cash, visit the MyVoucherCodes website for a range of discount codes to use on loads of school-related essentials.

Sponsored post.

Good, clean fun - water play ideas

We love water play, and now that summer finally appears to be here, it's an ideal way to get out in the garden and have some fun.

Water play is free - unless you happen to be on a meter like us, in which case it's not quite free, but it's certainly a lot cheaper than a lot of summer holiday alternatives!

This weekend, while we cleaned out the shed, Ruby happily entertained herself.  I tied up a little washing line made from string, and gave her some pegs.  I then gave her 2 bowls of warm water - one soapy and one plain.  She busied herself for ages collecting up all her doll's clothes, washing; scrubbing; rinsing and wringing, before proudly hanging them out to dry.

She enjoyed the role play of being the grown-up and looking after her dollies - she did such a great job I might get her to do my laundry!

After that, we moved on to water painting and she practiced writing her name.

I have such fond memories of doing this at my grandparent's house, spending hours painting my grandad's garage door and fence panels.  When they were dry from the sun, I'd do them all over again.

Fi at Childcare is Fun has a great post on water painting over on her blog.

Now that our hosepipe ban has finally been lifted, I can't wait to try out this amazing idea from We Made That taking an old fizzy pop bottle and turning it into a sprinkler!

Combining water with other materials encourages learning.  How about this great idea from A Mother's Rambling, using bricks.

Rainy Day Mum writes about their water table and all the fun they have with it.  Her post also has loads of fabulous other water play posts linked up, so do check them out for tonnes of inspiration.

The introduction of boats and other floating items brings a whole new dimension to water play.

Red Ted Art makes some adorable walnut sell boats, just the perfect size for washing up bowl races!

Or you could try crafting boats from bark and leaves like these.

These gorgeous canoes capture the Olympic spirit, and although made for water beads, why not try coating with PVA and testing their 'sea-worthiness'?

If you're feeling adventurous, why not add some food colouring to your water and let their imagination run wild!  A Mother's Ramblings again.

The Boy and Me shares knowledge gleaned from her academic studies, to show just how important this type of play is to learning.

Cookie Jar life also has a great post about the benefits of water play and some simple ideas on how to extend it.

Here's to many happy hours of good clean fun!

Thanks to all the bloggers who allowed me to feature them here.

** Please supervise children with water, play safely and try not to waste our natural resources - use to water the plants after playing where possible **

Play to Z - A Sensory Tale giveaway

One of the companies I've been most struck by recently is Play to Z.  Specialising in treasure baskets, heuristic and sensory play, their products are simply beautiful.

Carefully selected to meet the educational needs of your child, Play to Z focus on handmade, ethically sourced and environmentally friendly products.

We tried out the Secret Seahorse Sensory Tale, and I was blown away with the quality.

Packaged in it's own drawstring cotton bag, the set includes a beautiful Barefoot book, full of engaging illustrations and a charming story.  I adore the pictures - they are 2D photos of applique and feature felt; stitching; crochet; buttons and ric-rac.  It's given me lots of crafty ideas!

Alongside this, there are three items you or your child can use to bring the story to life and expand it further.  Also included is an adult's guide full of great tips on developing the play and exploring themes.

Ruby loved the story and snuggled up to hear it.

She then played out the scenes with me using the seahorse finger puppet.

She explored the shell.

It smells of the sea!

It sounds like the sea!

We played with the vintage style friction pull-and-go ice cream van.

Then she rushed off to her toy box to gather more sea related items and before we knew it, a whole new adventure had developed with a pirate's treasure chest, gold coins and lots of sea creatures.

And miracle of miracles, she likes tidying this away!

This is a product I'd have no hesitation in recommending or buying as a gift.  We are getting so much play out of it, and it's perfect to grab and go, taking it out for day trips and finding new things to add to the collection.

There are two others in the range - Billy's Bucket which comes with a little metal bucket, a whale finger puppet and a sand filled crab and Aarrgghh Spider!! supplied with a spider finger puppet and a dried grass web.  All the sets come with the cotton bag, book and guidance notes and they are all on special offer at the moment!

The lovely people at Play to Z have kindly offered one of these sets as a giveaway prize, so if you'd like to win one, pop over to the site and let me know which you'd prefer - Secret Seahorse, Billy's Bucket or Aarrgghh Spider!! Leave me a comment below and a way to contact you.

For an extra entry, follow Play to Z on Twitter and leave another comment here saying you have done so.

For another entry, tweet the following: " I've entered @missielizzieb's giveaway to win a Play to Z sensory tale set here: http://tinyurl.com/ch46dwl "

For a final entry, like Play to Z's Facebook page and leave a comment here to say you have done so.

One winner ill be chosen at random to receive the set of their choice (subject to availability).  The prize will be fulfilled by Play to Z.  Competition is open to UK entrants only and the closing date is 12:00 on 26th August 2012.

Find me a gift

One of the great things about attending events like Britmums Live, is meeting and chatting with great brands.  One such company is Find Me A Gift who were there to talk to bloggers, learn more about us as individuals, and explore ways of working together.

I'm so happy they contacted me as they have such a superb range of products, and a brilliant website.  Featuring a great range of search functions, it's easy to find the perfect gift for any occasion.

Knowing I liked cooking, they sent me this chopping board to test out.

The One Stop Chop, is a bamboo chopping board, making it slightly less porous and more water resistant than traditional wooden boards.  Easier to clean, fewer odours and less likely to warp and split than a wooden board.  It's also more eco-friendly.

The innovative design, means there are three slide out drawer compartments underneath.  Perfect to chop and scoop your veg into whilst prepping meals.

One of our favourite family activities is making pizza together.  Ruby loves to design her own pizzas, adding different toppings, but invariably this means having tonnes of different bowls scattered over the dining table while she plays chef.  The hassle of carting all the different ingredients from the kitchen (where the worktop's too high for her) to the dining room where we can all sit round the table and join in, results in stress, walking back and forth and lots of washing up for me.

The One Stop Chop is perfect!  I can simply prep all the ingredients on the kitchen, then filling the drawers and using the board like a tray, carry everything through in one go.

It made the whole process so much easier and so much quicker to clean up afterwards.

I'm really impressed with this kitchen board.  I love how easy it is to clean, and the functionality of it.  The only negative I could see for some people is that it's a little deeper than most boards (5cm), so if you struggle with working at your normal worktop height, the extra depth of the board may be slightly uncomfortable.

Thanks so much to Find Me A Gift for sending me this great kitchen gadget - it's definitely an ideal gift for me.  Why don't you check out the site and see if you can find the perfect gift for yourself or for a special occasion.

Disclosure: We were sent the board for the purposes of this review, however all opinions expressed are my own and are honest.

Share the Passion with Panasonic & win a camera

Well the Olympics are now officially over (bring on the Paralympics!) and I'm SO SO pleased I got to take Ruby to an event.  We saw the women's semi-final volleyball at Earls Court.

The atmosphere was amazing, and after watching the closing ceremony last night I felt so proud of what London, the nation and our athletes have achieved.

Why don't you share in the passion too and join Panasonic's facebook promotion.  Simply upload a photo of yourself, and then customise it to add the flag of your nation in a cool face-paint app.  The pictures will then be displayed on a big screen at the Olympic Park until Sunday.

Once you've created your picture, share it on your Facebook wall and pop back here to leave a link to your picture in the comments section.  I'll pick one of you who've participated to win an exclusive Olympic designed, limited edition digital camera.

Remember, for your entry to be valid, you need to use the Facebook app, and then leave a comment here including the link to your picture.

The closing date is 25th August 2012 at 12:00. The camera prize can only be sent to those resident in the UK, but overseas entrants are welcome, and if chosen as the lucky winner will be sent an Amazon e-voucher of the equivalent amount.  The winner will be chosen at random from all valid comments (remember to leave a contact method) and the prize will be fulfilled directly from Panasonic.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.