Magpie Monday - Hello Yellow!

There must be something about this glorious spring-time weather that seems to have drawn me to sunny yellow purchases this week.

Firstly I spotted this pretty porcelain pin in the jewellery counter of my local charity shop.  I don't see me ever wearing a lapel pin like this, but I plan to remove it and pop it onto a ring blank making a delicate rose ring instead.

Only this morning I picked up this set of 6 etched glass tumblers for 50p each.  As my interest in foraging and wild food grows, I'm hoping these will be perfect for serving up my next experiment - dandelion tea!

I'm pretty sure the old man will be unamused at these beauties.  There's no room in the cupboard for them and they're totally impractical as they don't stack, but I will find a home for them somewhere and enjoy them.

Even the Irish Linen tea towels they are standing on where thrifted - 99p each for a pair.

What 2nd hand treasure have you discovered lately? Grab the badge and link up.



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A Roaring 20s night out with Future Cinema

Get yourselves down to the Art Deco delights of the Troxy in Limehouse this month and grab yourselves a date at Fat Sam's while you can.

Future Cinema are hosting a series of special Bugsy Malone experiences, including afternoon matinees for budding gangsters.



A rip-roaring extravaganza of speakeasy silliness, you really don't want to miss it.

We went along to an evening performance sans kids and had a ball.  From the moment you step foot inside the renovated old cinema, you are whisked back to 1920s American prohibition.  Up the dark staircase into the secret underworld of extravagance and exuberance.  Practise your Charleston beforehand and go raid your nan's wardrobe of her pearls and furs.

Drunk? How very dare you!  This is Prohibition don't cha know.

I simply can't think of a better way to let off steam than custard-pieing someone it the face!

He's SO got it coming.

Here are my tips for getting the very most out of the experience:

Get there early.  The best seats and front tables fill up quick, and you want to be downstairs for the most interactive experience.

Dress up.  Seriously, you'll be the odd one out if you don't.  Besides, getting weird looks on the DLR in your spats and tassels is all part of the fun!

Mooch around.  There's so much more going on than just what's on stage.  Get involved, go to the bar, enjoy some food, watch the gambling... it's hard to tell who's an actor and who's a spectator!

Be prepared.  Check under your seat to make sure there's a waterproof poncho before the finale - you don't want to find out too late!

Learn your lines.  If like me you haven't seen the film for many moons, it's worth refreshing yourself beforehand, at least on some of the big numbers so you can sing along.

Hang around.  Wait til after the showing of Bugsy Malone and the chaos has calmed and enjoy some 20s dancing at the end.

Take some flowers.  If you want to keep Tallulah sweet that is.

Follow the mayhem on Twitter @futurecinema #futurecinemabugsy

Finally, have fun.  You can't not really.

Glad I'm not on clean-up duties

The kid's matinee shows are at 12:30 on Friday 13th; Saturday 14th; Sunday 22nd and Sunday 29th April.

Disclosure: We received a pair of tickets for the purposes of this review, however all opinions are my own.

Linking up with Family Frolics over at Multiple Mummy.

Merci Maman - win a stunning Liberty print bracelet and charm

Have you checked out Merci Maman's stunning range of gifts for him; for her and for baby?  If not, then your really need to pop on over there and check out the stylish ranges for all occasions.

Here's a quick round-up of some of my personal favourites.

For babies:

Personalised health book cover (£29).  This is the first time I've seen one of these, and what a great idea.  Every child has the ubiquitous, clinical looking red book, which you drag around with you from one appointment to the next.  Wouldn't it be nice to prettify it and have something different to everyone else?

Available in dotty fabric of either pink or grey.

For children:

Personalised director's chairs (£59).  How adorable are these?  A beautiful piece of nursery furniture that will last for years to come.  The 100% cotton covers can be embroidered with a name of your choice, and they are removable for washing to keep the chair looking tip-top.

Ruby would love one of these - and guess what?  She has no need for a mega-phone so she'd be good to go!

For him:

Personalised photo case for ipad2 (£35).  I love this idea, you simply email a jpeg of your photo after placing your order, and the production team will transfer it onto this stylish padded grey cover.  They will edit your picture to black and white for you.

For her (and for you!): 

This beautiful bracelet on Liberty print bias binding is £35 and comes with your choice of shaped charms, and engraving.  I chose the beautiful Fairford blue and grey print with a heart shaped silver charm.  It's truly gorgeous and such a relaxed piece of jewellery to wear.  I had it engraved with a very personal and special date and name, so I'm afraid I can't share a picture of it online.

All Merci Maman items come beautifully gift wrapped and you can add a gift card with a personal message if you are having the item sent direct to the recipient.

For your chance to win your very own bracelet like these featured, please complete one or more of the following actions.  Please leave a separate comment for each action so all your entries can be counted.

1. Subscribe to the Merci Maman newsletter at the bottom left of the page here.

2. Like Merci Maman's Facebook page.

3. Follow Merci Maman on Twitter.

4. Tweet the following message: "I'm entering @missielizzieb's giveaway with @mercimamangifts to win a Liberty bias engraved bracelet http://bit.ly/IwJZvA"

One lucky winner will be chosen at random, and will be able to select their choice of bias pattern, charm shape and engraving.  Open to UK only.  The closing date is Friday 27 April 2012 at 12:00.

Disclosure: I was sent a Liberty bias bracelet for the purposes of this review.  The prize will be fulfilled by Merci Maman Gifts.

Spark their interest in Science

I'm a huge fan of learning through play and this range of  toys by 4M in their Great Gizmos Science Museum range does just that.

If you're keen for your kids to get to grips with eco issues, then these help them learn about recycling and alternative energy generation.

We tried out the Trash Robot which went down very well with Ruby - not least because it meant she had permission to go riffling through the bin!

The kit includes everything you need to make 2 'trash robots' - you just supply the used bottles; cans; boxes or whatever you want to use.

Assembling the wheel chassis was very straightforward, and from there Ruby got creative planning out her robot and attaching stickers.

This kit really kept her occupied for quite a while and the wheels can easily be removed and re-used on another project.  It inspired her creativity and encouraged re-use of waste materials.

Other kits in the range are the Windmill Generator and the Solar Rover - a kit which includes a solar power toy car.

For outdoor kids and budding gardeners, there's the Weather Station which re-uses a plastic bottle to make a  weather monitor.  The bottle can also be used as a mini greenhouse to grow plants in.

If you're stuck for idea over the holidays, why not give one a try? Kits are available online and nationwide in toy stores.

Disclosure: We were sent the Trash Robot kit for the purposes of this review however all opinions are my own.

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