Gift Reviews, Homeware Reviews
Tote Bags from The Camouflage Company.
Do you remember to bring a bag to the shop to save on the 5p charge? I must admit, sometimes I forget! I have solved this problem by switching my handbag to a bigger stronger one from The Camouflage company which will hold my daily essentials and a few groceries if needs be.
The bag I have is the gorgeous Bronze Tote – Lined in English Rose Petals.
![bronze-tote-lined-in-englishrosepetals_2[1]](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/bronze-tote-lined-in-englishrosepetals_21.jpg)
Not only is it very attractive, it is the perfect size and strong. It has an inside zip pocket for my purse and a mobile phone pocket. I love this as the days are gone where I can hear my phone ringing and cannot find it as it is somewhere in the bottom of my handbag amoungst the clutter! It is also ‘wipe clean’, so easily kept. Sticky sweets can be removed without having to put handbags into the washing machine!
This bag is the perfect glamorous shopping accessory, lightweight and waterproof, it offers practicality and trend at an affordable price – RRP £22.00
Check out the website – www.thecamouflagecompany.com The range of bags is vast.
My mum has the French Silk Tote bag. This is the same size as mine and has all the pockets and properties, mum is never without this bag! It has been used for hand luggage on an aeroplane, for over night stays and as an everyday handbag. The perfect accessory. RRP £15.00
![tote-french-silk_1[1]](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/tote-french-silk_11.jpg)
All the bags have ‘The Camouflage Company’ logo giving them the ‘classy look’.
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Gift Reviews, Homeware Reviews
E-cloth e-body range.
If you have yet to check out the range of e-cloths, do it now!
E-cloths save time and money by just cleaning with water, therefore reducing the major impact cleaning chemicals have on the environment. Not only are they better for the environment, but are also better for our health.
E-cloths are made of man-made fibres and have an environmental impact, of course, but they neither use nor are impregnated with chemicals. The fact that they last for years and can be washed over 300 times, means the environmental impact is significantly lower than other cleaning products and processes.
I have some of the E-body range – there are several ranges on the website to suit every aspect of cleaning in the house.
My absolute favourite ‘could not be without’ product would have to be the hair turban.
Why? I hear you ask.. Read on. This turban was purchased with the aim of severely reducing my stress levels on ‘hair washing night’ as I have 2 girls with long hair and a boy who acts like he is at ‘waterworld’ every time he gets a bath – bath night at our house is not fun for mum!
Long hair needed wrapped in a towel, which never stayed up, then the backs of the pyjamas got wet, etc, etc. My man made turbans just don’t stay on. However, an e-cloth turban does! On the first bath night, out came my daughter with sopping wet hair – then out came the turban. Instructions – Tip head forward, put turban on head with button at back, wrap hair up, fasten loop around the button. Simple as that!
The micro-dry technology dries 4x faster than cotton so hair dries quickly and the turban dries quickly too.
Later that night I ordered another 2! An absolutely brilliant article I wish I had years ago! Guaranteed for 300 washes, so a bargain at £12.99.
I can’t review e-cloth without mentioning the Sports & Travel Towel.
Wish I had this for our holidays! The same micro-dry technology, compact and dries 4 times faster than cotton, it saves space and would be perfect for packing into your case for overnight stays. RRP £14.99. This also comes in a smaller size which would suit the gym or sports activities RRP £9.99.
E-cloth also have accessories such as the eye cleansing pad RRP £4.99, face cleansing mitt RRP £6.99 and the exfoliating body mitt RRP £9.99, to name but a few.
I love the body mitt. The gentle fine-weave cleans and exfoliates in the shower or bath, leaving skin feeling silky soft and super clean. It does not require specialist cleaners – just create a light lather with your regular natural body wash, so no need to buy exfoliating lotions which can be harsh on your skin.
All these products and more can be found at www.e-cloth.com
Gift Reviews, Toy Reviews
Ben 10 Omniverse Shuffle.
How can anyone ever say no to Ben 10? Every little boy – and girl! Loves this super hero and his many alien forms. Ben, with his Omniverse, has powers to amaze everyone.
The Omnitrix Shuffle is our latest addition and is has made quite an impression!
![ben-10-omniverse-omnitrix-shuffle-9024671-0-1376325507000[1]](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/ben-10-omniverse-omnitrix-shuffle-9024671-0-13763255070001.jpg)
Clip the mini figures from the Alien Collection Figures to the Omnitrix Shuffle to unlock alien phrases! Only the aliens voice that is attached will sound when he is clipped on. The light and sounds will be sure to impress, they are very realistic.
The cool part is that when the Omnitrix Shuffle is shaken, or the button pressed, it will play one of 10 alien voices, totally at random. My children love this and have played with it non-stop every evening after school. Its a great toy in my opinion as it can be taken outside too. We have great fun at night around the garden with both the Shuffle and the alien figures! The light up and sounds really keep the fun going for hours on end.
I would like to highlight the adjustable strap – this is particularly good as in our house, it is played with by children from 4yrs up to 10 yrs, so it will fit everyone well.
![129489_A_L[1] (2)](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/129489_A_L1-2.jpg)
From Bandai. Available from all good toy shops RRP £19.99
Gift Reviews
Arty Globe by Hartwig Braun.
I have recently had the pleasure of discovering ‘Artyglobe’ an innovative business set up in Britain with 95% of their products being made in Britain – impressive!
The demand is here, and the skills also, so this is a really great ethos. Artyglobe hope for all their products to be made in Britain in the near future.
I love the fact that every single penny of their stock is spent in Britain; it’s going towards keeping somebody employed. It’s all going towards helping somebody staying independent, provide for their family and themselves and very proudly creating something of value.
![images[5]](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/images5.jpg)
The artist, Hartwig, is fantastic, I just love his work and one of his large prints is on my Christmas wish list! He can transform something familiar into something unexpected.
The cities drawn are fascinating, and these drawings are available in many ways – jigsaws, notebooks, pocket mirrors, mugs, aprons, and his fabulous wall pictures!Would’t these make fab stocking fillers?
The jigsaw I have features a view of London and is a lovely reminder of our last family visit to this fabulous city.
It has 100 pieces and comes presented in a practical tin. My 8 year old daughter loves it and as soon as it is finished, it is started all over again! The design includes lots of famous landmarks, so it’s both entertaining and educational – a brilliant buy! RRP £9.
Hartwig has also designed lovely little tins with colouring pages and pencils inside. These are pefect for travelling – we took ours on holiday.
Tidy and compact, they were great for the car and the plane. The pencils are really good quality and lasted well before needing sharpened.
I also have a ‘notebook fanatic’ in the family and she has the London cityscape sketch pad.
This is a great book, the pages are plain white – and it is so hard to find nice books with plain paper. It would also be perfect for work or study also, but we use ours for fun! As with most of the products, the selection of images’ are vast, you will be sure to find a favourite. The book has approximately 60 sheets of recycled paper – so helping the environment also. RRP £5.00 so very affordable. 21×15 cms.
Smaller notebooks are also available with various designs and a spiral range for £6.00. Great for children as small, strong and different. People will ask ‘Where did you get the lovely books?’ and my kids love that!
My son has just started school and we have the Artyglobe rucksack with the telephone box for his PE kit. This is perfect as he is the only boy, not only in the class, but in the school with this PE bag, so he always knows which kit is his.
I plan to get 2 for the girls also for the same reason. The bags are 100% cotton and available in 3 designs – the teapot is next on my list! Simply beautiful, strong and practical. RRP £10.
Most of the products we have from Artyglobe have been swipped by the kids! However, I have managed to hang onto the Card Wallets RRP £4. These are just the right size for your business cards, bank cards and shopping cards and come in beautiful designs.
I have a few of these and I always know where my tesco clubcard is when I need it! I love them, as I do all the Artyglobe products and would highly recommend you check out the website for Christmas Gift Inspiration, you will be sure to find something for everyone.
Items can also be individually commissioned.
Gift Reviews
Give As You Live.
Check this out – its an absolute no brainer for your online shopping this Christmas!
![Give_as_you_live[1]](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Give_as_you_live1.jpg)
Give as you Live is a website that lets you compare prices, save money and support your favourite charity all at the same time – just by shopping online!
It works like this: you register, pick your favourite from over 100,000 registered UK charities and then shop online as normal from any of over 2400 retailers. Whenever you buy something, they donate a percentage to the cause of your choice.
![Brit-Mums-for-Good-shop-logo-270x300[1]](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Brit-Mums-for-Good-shop-logo-270x3001.jpg){kind=logo}
It’s a really simple, easy way to support charities and can make all the difference – particularly with around £20 billion set to be spent online this Christmas!
So, it really can’t get any better than this – why shop elsewhere?
So register now, I sure am! The website is very impressive and easy to navigate and it has the utterly amazing Richard Branson (My hero) His quote –
“Brilliant idea for UK shopping, helping terminally ill kids at the same time.”
Richard Branson – Talking about Starlight supporters using Give as you Live.
www.giveasyoulive.com
![securedownload[2]](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/securedownload2-1024x707.jpg)
Gift Reviews, Pampered Experiences
Young Driver Experience Session.
You can’t get a driving licence in the UK until you’re 17 but now, thanks to Young Driver, if you’re 11 or over, you can learn to drive at one of their UK centres.
But why would you go to the trouble? Well, research shows that it is a lack of driving experience – not a lack of years on the planet – that causes 1 in 5 newly qualified drivers to crash within 6 months of passing their test. Young Driver was started with the aim of reducing this frightening statistic.
![2011_05_SEAT-Young-Driver[1]](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/2011_05_SEAT-Young-Driver1.jpg)
![content_seat-young-driver[1]](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/content_seat-young-driver1.jpg)
My nephew recently attended this course, thoroughly enjoyed himself and has plans to return.
![securedownload[3]](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/securedownload3.jpg)
His father’s report is as follows:
‘The young driver day was great . Some points of note are:
- · Very welcoming when we turned up and the staff engaged well with Tom from the outset. They explained exactly what was going to happen through the session.
- · The instructor was very good and tailored the lesson to Tom’s previous experience of driving tractors. They didn’t just stick to a rigid plan.
- · A log book was provided for recording progress against 6 levels. Tom got signed off fully on the first 2 levels but also worked on some parts up to level 6
- · Although a little nervous beforehand, Tom came away confident that he could drive a car.
- · He really enjoyed the session and is keen to do more sessions with them.
All in all a good day and for a typical teenager, highly recommended!’
So, why not consider a ‘Young Driver’ session as a gift this Christmas and let one of their fully qualified ADI driving instructors teach you how to start, drive, brake, corner, change gear, stop and even reverse – all on your first lesson! Move your life up a gear, learn to drive now!
Vouchers are available for 30 or 60 minute sessions! Simply a super gift for the teenager in your life!
![securedownload[2]](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/securedownload2.jpg)
Information can be found at www.youngdriver.eu
Gift Reviews, Pampered Experiences
Stena Line Pirate and Princess Cruise.
Last month I had the pleasure of escorting my children on a Stena Line Pirate and Princess Party. I had never heard of them, so had no idea of what to expect. It was my nephews birthday and this was his choice for the party.
The itinerary was to check in at the terminal at 10.45hrs, depart from Belfast at 11.30hrs, arrive in Scotland at 13.45 hrs, stay on the boat during turnaround, depart at 15.30 hrs and arrive back in Belfast at 17.45 hrs.
My initial thoughts were ‘so, we get on a boat, go to Scotland, don’t get off?? and then come back to Belfast?’ I was not sure at all…
Wow, is all I can say – I cried, honestly, tears were in my eyes when our little Pirates and Princesses were greeted by Pirates and Princesses – I felt like I was at Disney!
The Stena Line crew were fabulously dressed up in super pirate outfits and plastic swords too. One of the entertainers even had a parrot!
On the subject of animals, we had recently added a beautiful little puppy to the family, who we brought along too – thanks to Stena’s ‘pet friendly’ policy.
The children were captivated the entire journey. There was dancing, singing and face painting. Eye patches for the Pirates and beautiful make-up for the Princesses.
A great little treasure quest, which had the children, mum’s and dad’s searching high and low looking for clues, brilliant fun. Next we had picnic time. This was great as people had the choice of eating in the ships restaurant or to bring their own picnic.
The magic show that followed was just superb. Stena had hired a professional entertainer who had the adults laughing too, the kids really enjoyed it.
Before we left, the children were presented with prizes for the best dressed, and everyone was given party bags – really good party bags. All this for £5 per child! Pretty amazing as any of our local party places are at least double that cost.
Just to point out, all the photos are mine, taken at the time of the trip so you can see it as it is.
I could not possible recommend this more, a truly fantastic experience for both children and adults and I will defiantly be returning in the near future.
Bookings can be made online, www.stenaline.co.uk and search kids fun.
![images[9]](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/images9.jpg)
Gift Reviews, Homeware Reviews, Pampered Experiences
Style in View.
Have you checked out www.styleinview.co.uk ? Launched in February 2013, its’ really mind blowing.
Stuck for ideas on current trends and wardrobe updates – try it out. I have and love it.
![style-in-view[1]](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/style-in-view1.png)
Style In View is the fashion search engine that brings you all the big names and brands you love under one very stylish roof, making finding that must-have item so much easier. It really is the quickest way to find exactly what you are looking for. The site caters for men and women and for every fashionable occasion from weddings to trips to the gymn.
![images[11]](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/images11.jpg)
The‘on sale’ function is simply fantastic, letting shoppers browse sale items from every shop in one place – a much needed concept which fills a massive gap in the market. One huge sale for budget-conscious fashionistas! I love it!
With style editors keeping their fingers firmly on the fashion pulse with what’s trending worldwide, expect thousands of new accessories and clothes arriving daily. No more searching the internet for various items, no-one needs anything other than Style In View.
I have created my own looks, easy style and girls’ night out. This can be shared on social network sites if desired. An absolutely amazing concept!
http://www.styleinview.co.uk/collections/easystyle-by-joanlittle/
Create your own now on www.styleinview.co.uk and discover an entirely new and easy way to shop.
![8597cb3b149ae4f089bfa632401b4225[1]](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/8597cb3b149ae4f089bfa632401b42251.jpg)
Luxury Hotels & Spas, Pampered Experiences
Alcudia Pins Aparthotel 2013
Do you have a young family and are afraid of ‘taking the plunge’ and booking a holiday in the sun? You are not alone. I had reservations booking somewhere I had not seen (only on-line) and taking 3 small children out of the country. However, the need for sunshine got the better of me and in August this year we travelled to Aparthotel Alcudia Pins in Majorca.
Gift Reviews, Toy Reviews
Getting Personal Travel Journal and Pencil Case.
The summer is nearly over – sob! However, we had a great time over the holidays. My daughter experienced her first plane trip and was able to document every detail in her personalised Travel Journal from Getting Personal. Yea!
![mediaviewer_a[1]](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/mediaviewer_a1.jpg)
The journal was presented to her just before we left for our week to Spain and she was delighted. I was very pleased with the book, it’s glossy cover and with her name on the front, it looked really well. They can be ordered in different sizes and with or without lined pages. A simply unique gift and a wonderful keepsake. The hard part is choosing your book – have a look online www.gettingpersonal.co.uk The variety is vast and you will be sure to find a special book to suit your needs. Prices from £5.99.
After the holidays its’ the ‘back to school planning’! I hate this, with three children its’ no easy task. I spend days sewing labels onto jumpers, PE kits and school bags. Getting Personal can help with this bigtime! My children now have personalised pencil cases, and they are perfect for all the bits and bobs needed.
![Personalised-Princess-Pencil-Case_b[1]](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Personalised-Princess-Pencil-Case_b1.jpg)
The pencil cases are large and will easily hold an entire set of colouring pencils, rulers, rubbers and pens. They come in different designs and can be personalised with any name on the front. We choose Princess Sophie, and its pink, fluffy, sparkly – just what any little girl would desire!
Dimensions 32×14.5cm £11.99.
Excellent quality personalised products from a great company.