CBeebies Live!

We were literally seeing stars at the CBeebies Live! - Reach to the stars show recently.

Ruby and her cousin were amazed at just how many of their TV favourites were on stage, and their excited whoops and cheers were a pleasure to witness.

It was an all-star cast featuring Mr Tumble; Katy Ashworth; Andy Day; Postman Pat; Squiglet; Mike the Knight; Sportacus & Stephanie; Mister Maker and the Zingzillas.  The very boo-worthy baddie, Robbie Rotten tries to scupper proceedings and become the star of the show himself but ultimately, he learns a valuable lesson.

There's lots of familiar tunes for the kids to sing along with, including my favourite costume and dance routine - 5 currant buns!  If you have Justin Fletcher's new album, you'll also recognise lots of the songs from his CD, with a rousing finale of Hand's Up.

The kids loved the way that lots of the characters came to the stage through the audience, so if you are lucky enough to have a seat in the right place, you may get to see the Zingzillas close up, or get to shake Justin's hand.

We've been to lots of live productions, but mainly in smaller, local theatres, so it was a huge adventure going along to a venue as large as Wembley Arena.  The performance was exactly the right length for Ruby, with a decent interval mid way through allowing plenty of time for toilet visits and drink top-ups.

We had an absolute ball.  The show is still currently touring and there's still time to catch it in Cardiff, Birmingham and Nottingham.  Or perhaps you've been already?  I'd love to know what you thought of it.

Disclosure: We were provided a family ticket for the purposes of this review however all opinions are my own.

Magpie Monday - a birthday and a party!

Another year older and certainly no wiser.

Today is my birthday so I'll be taking the day off from my normal Magpie Monday posts, but I did want to put up the linky because despite the Easter holidays I'm sure some of you die-hard bargain hunters have probably written posts!

I also wanted to let you in on the fact that I'm planning a twitter party.  I'm really hoping for your support as we'll be talking about all things second-hand.  The #prelovedparty (working title!) will hopefully encourage newbies to dip their toe into the world of charity shops and car boot sales, and I'm sure together we have tonnes of tips; hints and success stories to share.  Are you passionate about the benefits of re-use and re-cycling? Do you love doing up old junk shop finds, or are you crafty enough to upcycle something?  Can you share pictures or blog posts?  I'd love you come along.

I have a few more details to work out, but look out for announcements on date and time.  I also need a couple of volunteers to help out when I inevitably get thrown in Twitter Jail for repetitive hash-tag usage!

What do you think? Are you in?

In other news, I was thrilled and quite a bit amazed to find I've been shortlisted for a Bloggers in Brilliance award.  Thank you so much to those that nominated me.

image: BBC

I don't like to ask for votes, but as I'm already shortlisted in the 'Style' category, if would be lovely if you could vote for me here.  So if you think you can be stylish on a shoe-string, chic in a jumble sale dress and want to poke consumerism in the eye, then please vote!

I've also been nominated for the MADs, so if you want to put me up for one of their categories too, I really would love you long time.

x





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Nick Jr Eggstravaganza

As Nick Jr official bloggers, we are very privileged to get invited to exclusive events and receive exciting parcels and sneak previews.  The nicest parcel so far has just arrived as a special Easter treat.

Yes, there was chocolatey goodies, but better than that, there was a sneaky peak at their eggciting Easter line-up.

A special Dora the Explorer episode - Dora's Easter Adventure.  Featuring all Dora's friends and the very cool Hip Hop Bunny - a rapping rabbit!  Swiper's up to his old tricks and tries to spoil the egg hunt, but Dora and friends pull together to save the day.

There's also a brilliant new Team Umizoomi episode for the holidays.  In the Umi City Egg Hunt, the gang are searching for the special rainbow egg.  Will they solve all the mathematical problems and find it before it gets scrambled?

Finally, we got to see an episode of Nick Jr's brand new Tickety Tock which launches on Monday 23rd April at 8.30am.

Join twins Tommy and Tallulah for action-packed adventures each morning, for lots of laughs while learning.

Wishing you all a very happy Easter. x

Stampin' Up!

As you know, I love a bit of crafting!  I may not be very good at it, but I like to have a go.  I particularly like to have a go at new activities and learn new skills.

In the past I've shied away from paper-crafts and card making.  I'm not really sure why...perhaps I thought they weren't to my personal taste or that there was too much equipment required.  But Stampin' Up! showed me how wrong I was!

Myself, Sabina, Fi and Jenny were invited along for a 'Stampin Up Day', and got to play with their lovely products AND have expert demonstrators on hand to guide us through some projects.

The first thing I noticed about the ranges of ink stamps and papers was the diversity - there really is something to suit every taste and style.  The second thing I realised was that although it would easily be possible to go a bit mad with the catalogue and buy all the cool tools and bits and bobs, ACTUALLY you can get great results with just some basic kit.  The quality is very good too, so you know that items such as punches and stamps are going to last.

I was pretty proud of my first ever handmade stamped card.  Of course, I'm a sucker for a bit of bunting, so this project was bound to appeal to me, but I also adore the whimsical little woodland creature stamps.

It was great to have an expert on hand to guide us and share little tips and tricks.  There was much concentration in the room, and thankfully the kids were being well looked after and entertained so us newbies could crack on.

Next up we made a greeting card for a new baby - always handy to have some of these at home!  Whilst it's not to my personal taste, I guess it's all about the recipient?

And finally, we all had a group tutorial and made a cute Easter bunny box for mini chocolate eggs.  Just look at him, ain't he a cutie?

Nice little derriere too.

While it was pretty labour intensive and I can't see myself making one for every member of my family, it certainly is a thoughtful way to present a small gift, and it was an absorbing project to make too.

The day has ignited a little spark in me, and I will certainly be hunting down my local demonstrator and buying a few bits of kit.

You can find your nearest demonstrator here or check out the Stampin' Up! Facebook page for lots of inspirational projects shared by their online community.

Special thanks to Stampin' Up and their PR for organising the event.

Disclosure:  I attended the workshop and received a goody bag.  All opinions are my own and are honest.

Gorgeous Easter Gifts

I don't often do gift guides, but I thought I'd do a round-up of Easter gifts this year - something a bit different to the ubiquitous chocolate eggs.

If you really can't stay away from the chocolate theme, then take a look at the 'chocolate rotator' from the Let's Cook range.

Suitable for ages 5 years plus, it retails at £14.99.  We had great fun making our own chocolates, and although we needed a bit of practice to get the right thickness of chocolate so it came out of the mould in one piece, it really was child's-play!

If like me, you're looking to limit the amount of chocolate your child has at Easter, then how about this cool scented bubble maker.

Smubbles is one of those 'why didn't someone invent this sooner' ideas.  Make your own chocolate or strawberry scented bubbles and wallow in the delicious aroma when you pop them.  This is a MASSIVE hit in our house.  Priced at £9.99 from Character.





If you're looking for something a bit less cutsie, then how about these Angry Bird plush toys. From £3.99 each for a backpack clip they are bound to go down well with any fans of the game.

Happy Easter!!

Disclosure: We were sent the Chocolate Rotator and the Smubbles toy for the purposes of this review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Asda Easter Best Competition

We're always up for a challenge, so when we were asked to select a 'Sunday Best' outfit from The George at Asda range, I thought why not?

Browsing through the selection of girl's clothes, there was such a lot to choose from, but unfortunately my first choice was sold out.  In retrospect I'm more than happy with my second choice, and Ruby LOVES it.

The cute angel-wing sleeves mean she can't help but flutter like a butterfly in it.

The top was just £7 and I've teamed it with plain royal blue leggings with a cute ruched detail at the ankle (£3).

I also ordered a pair of floral trimmed pumps, which unfortunately are too big at the moment.  I'm sure she'll be in them at no time and they will become a staple part of her summer wardrobe.

These were just £6 and they will go with shorts, skirts, leggings - anything!

So, let's cut to the chase.  I mentioned a competition didn't I?  Well, you may have wondered what Ruby is holding in her hands in the pictures.  Asda has teamed up with a total of 16 bloggers for a virtual Easter egg hunt.  All you need to do is visit all the blogs and count up the total amount of eggs hidden in the photographs.

Leave your guess and you might be one of the 5 lucky winners of a £20 George at Asda voucher so you can choose your own Sunday Best outfit.  To enter, just complete the Rafflecopter.

Please also leave me a comment to let me know what you think of our outfit choice - us bloggers are competing for prizes too ;0)

Disclosure: I was allowed to choose up to £20 worth of clothing in exchange for this post.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Magpie Monday - The lure of lurex

There's something about the sparkly, spanglyness of lurex that I can't resist.  Maybe it's the magpie in me.

I picked up this cute little lightweight olive green knit this morning for only £2.75.  With this erratic weather, it will make a perfect addition to my wardrobe.

I love the little bell sleeves, and although it's H&M is has a vintage feel to it.

At the weekend I was ecstatic to find an actual vintage item of pure gorgeousness on the regular dress rail - not the over-priced 'retro' rails.

Isn't it lush?  Yes, it's a halter neck.  I had to explain this to the other half who held it up like an off-the-shoulder number and asked "How does that work then? Won't your boob hang out?"  Honestly, give me strength.

I was totally gutted when I got home and discovered that try as I might, it didn't fit.  I nearly had a little cry.

It you know of a petite size 8 who is in the market for a vintage dress, speak now or forever hold your piece.  I may have to return it to the shop - which I really don't want to do!

Have you found any sparkles recently?  Anything at all second-hand is welcome on Magpie Monday, so do grab the badge and join in.



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