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Gift Reviews, Homeware Reviews, Pampered Foods
Monin Cocktail Set.
Wow, this is amazing! Have you ever, like me, wanted to be able to make the perfect cocktail, the sort that you get in a beachfront bar in the Canary Islands. Well, now you can, with this amazing set.
The Monin Cocktail Set contains 5 mini bottles of Cocktail Liquor – Mojito Mint, Coconut, Curacao Blue syrup, Passion Fruit and Grenadine. A recipe book is included which guides you through the steps to making the perfect cocktail. You can easily produce Pina Coladas, Tequila Sunrises and many other well-known cocktail drinks.
The recipes are simple, some are even detailing how to make non-alcoholic drinks using the syrups such as smoothies and exotic juices. I was introduced last year to Monin coffee syrups and I have been making fabulous flavoured coffees since. Now I will be the perfect cocktail maker too! This will be amazing for Christmas entertaining, I mean, anyone can go to Tesco and buy a bottle of readymade cocktail, but why not make your own in a few easy steps?
Visit www.monin.com for thousands of fab recipes or download the free Monin Ultimate Cocktails App for Android and iPhone.
I can’t recommend this set enough, for your own pleasure, but also as a perfect stocking filler for friends and workmates.
The Monin Cocktail Set retails at £6.49, and is available from Lakeland, and also www.creamsupplies.co.uk
Gift Reviews, Homeware Reviews
The Dodo Pad range.
It’s that time of year again, your diary is almost all used up and your thoughts turn to what type you will get for next year…Well why not go for something different in 2014?
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The Dodo Pad is a very useful desk diary with a twist. It is illustrated with funny drawings and witty captions guaranteed to brighten up your week. I mean, anything that can make you smile on a Monday morning can’t be bad! It is a week to view diary with enough squares to organise 5 people, making it the perfect diary for the busy modern family. It is generously sized, 23.8×18.6 cms, perfect for your desk or kitchen worktop. Mine is never far from hand, with 3 school-going kids to organise and keep track of! RRP £12.99
Most importantly, it has a small tear away section on the bottom of each page to help you quickly find the week you are on. This would be a perfect end of term teacher present or a thoughtful Christmas gift, as just about everyone needs a diary.
![adbx_small[1]](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/adbx_small1.jpg)
This quirky range also produce smaller diaries, organisers, address books and planners so there’s something to suit everyone. The plain note books are perfect for children who love to sketch and my children have these on their Santa list.
I can see myself using Dodo for years to come, it’s a really great company with contemporary products which never fail to make me smile with their sketches and ingenious sayings.
“When it comes to organisation, pen and paper is, in my opinion, the best and most reliable method,” explains Rebecca. “Not only do you commit things to memory much quicker if you write them down, but the Dodo Pad won’t fizzle and die if dropped in the tub during a bath-time brainstorm – though we can’t guarantee that the pages won’t crinkle a little!” (Rebecca, Managing Director)
For more information on Dodo Pad, visit www.dodopad.com or join @Lord_Dodo on Twitter or Facebook. Have a look at the complete range and the Dodo Christmas Book, this is sure to be a big hit at Christmas. RRP £16.99.
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Everything from the Dodo range is very well priced and ‘in my book’ (excuse the pun), this makes the range perfect!
Homeware Reviews
Post-it Notes and Dispensers.
I’m fairly sure just about everyone has heard of those indispensable sticky notes called Post-Its by the brand 3M. My office walls are decorated with them, I seem to be constantly reaching for one for some reason or another. I love the brightly coloured sets and I have several different shaped Post-it notes, brilliant for prioritising my notes along the edge of my desk!
My children have a selection for their school work. They are perfect for highlighting pages as they come in small little individual arrows, and as a ruler with little tabs which peel off and attach neatly to mark pages.
Ingeniously, they are now available in a cute pop up dispenser in a variety of shapes, such as handbags, karate men and pink hearts.
![169966[1]](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/1699661.jpg)
What’s the point I hear you say? Well, apart from the fact that it looks nice and organised on your desk, there’s also the added advantage of being able to grab a Post-It note one-handed, very useful when you’re on the phone and need to scribble something down fast or when you’ve a pen in one hand and a child in your arms! The dispensers are quite heavy so they don’t overbalance when you’re removing a note and they really are a great idea for adding a touch of fun to your work space.
The dispensers are easy refillable with 76x76mm Post-It notes so it’s not just a single use throw away item. I’m getting a few of these for teacher Christmas presents. They’re novel, fun and useful. They would also make an ideal Christmas pressie or a stocking filler for a family member.
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My daughter loves the pink heart and I have the handbag dispenser, a perfect imitation of my ‘longed-for’ Mulberry bag!
These are available on Amazon priced at £8.99. What next will those clever people at Post-It think of?
The Scotch Magic Tape Dispenser is one to check out – Ralph the Dog sure takes the biscuit! This is set to add a little bit of fun to any workdesk, I just love it. Ralph comes complete with a roll of magic tape and he is the perfect stocking filler for anyone with a desk, adding a cute quirky touch.
Visit the link below to reach the facebook site, they are worth a ‘like’ !
Gift Reviews, Homeware Reviews
Sharpie Pens.
Anyone who hasn’t heard of Sharpie pens doesn’t know what they’re missing! Let me just say what I now know…these are the best markers on the planet. As a mum of 3 growing kids, I seem to always have a packet of markers in my shopping basket when we are getting the weekly shop. Basically, there always seems to be someone in our house with a marker in their hand! Anyway, I discovered these Sharpie fine nib markers and I am really delighted as they last much longer than other brands and don’t dry up half as quickly.
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It is worth noting that they really are permanent and the ink doesn’t run when wet. I have used them to name school jumpers and to write on home freezing bags, my husband uses them to mark his golf balls and my kids use them to mark just about everything! They just go on and on.
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The coloured ones are available in a pack of 12 or 24 and are available from Amazon, priced very reasonably. These would make a great last minute stocking filler or even an end of term teacher gift.
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They are also available in packs of black and metallic colours so there’s something for everyone. Buy them, you won’t be disappointed. Prices start at £1.99.
Gift Reviews, Homeware Reviews
Masha.
The ultimate kitchen tool! How do you like your potatoes? With lumps? Yuck.
My mashed potatoes are perfect, they have a lovely smooth consistency and the children can’t get enough of them. This was not always the case, I have purchased a number of potato mashers over the years and broken most of them! I discovered the Masha and never looked back, the patented Rotor-Cone technology practically guarantees I have perfect potatoes every time.
‘Using a conventional blender or food processor to mash potatoes with its metal blades causes the starch grains to rupture and damage, which is why the result will be very ‘gluey’. The great advantage of Masha is that because it is specifically designed for the job, it extrudes the potato out of the side of the head; the starch grains are not damaged by this process, and the result is a lovely creamy smooth mash’ (Masha)
I first came across the Masha through my sister. She was making batches of baby food. It was like she was processing an industrial order, her kitchen was completely taken over with vegetables at different stages, fresh, cooked, mashed, potted up and ready to freeze. Well done sis, I was impressed. She was using the Masha to blitz her food, even fibrous foods like butternut squash, sweet potato and turnip. Everything was reduced to a smooth pulp in seconds.
I have since used my Masha for making a super quick guacamole, hummus and also for removing lumps from sauces and soups.
Masha is so versatile is has got to be on your gift list this Christmas.
RRP £34.99
For further information visit www.mplhome.com
Gift Reviews, Homeware Reviews
Dainty Delights Maker.
I adore baking, despite the fact that I never made anything until I had my children! When my 2 girls came along I started to make buns with them, which lead to pancakes, scones and other tasty treats. My 4 year old son has followed in these footsteps and as soon as he sees the butter and flour appear out of the cupboard, he says, ‘I will help you make a cake mummy’. How cute!
![17704_1[1]](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/17704_11.jpg)
Every mother wants to bake with her kids, but not every mother has the time to spare. Work and housework, homework, piano practice, jujitsu, and necessities like making dinner take precedence over satisfying our sweet tooth. However, baking and cooking with your children serves a much greater purpose. They learn to count when weighing ingredients, they learn to follow instruction for a pleasing result while following a recipe and they develop creatively when decorating home-made treats. These are only a few of the benefits, baking with your children is also fun and a great way to bond with your little darlings.
So, calling all busy mums and dads, buy the Sweet Treats Dainty Delights Maker! This device will allow you to make cakes in 4-5 minutes! Yes, you will still weigh ingredients and follow a recipe so the kids do not miss out, but your cakes will only cook for 5 minutes thus saving at least 15 minutes of your time waiting on cakes to cook. The resulting minimal mess made when using the Dainty Delights maker will again save you at least another 15 minutes. There you go – the perfect accessory to any family kitchen.
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My children love the Dainty Delights Maker. We use it at least once weekly and I have not used a baking tray or bun case from it arrived. The cakes are gorgeous after only cooking for 5 minutes and they pop out from the machine with ease with no sticking or crumbling – thanks to the non-stick coated base. A total of 8 cakes are made at once and this is plenty for our family of 5. They are really fab looking and can be decorated simply or elaborately, whatever you choose. Sometimes we drizzle icing over the tops, and we have also painstakingly decorated each shape with alternatively coloured strips of sugar paste. We have added different flavours to the mixture and different colours – this looks really well when baked. The recipe book included is great, lots of tips and ideas so you always have something lovely to make.
Dad’s – go and buy this for your homemaker this Christmas. No shop-bought bun I have ever tried has even came close to the home-made variety. You will ultimately be buying for yourself as you will have lots of yummy home-made buns to sample!
Very well priced at £29.99 Available from Lakeland and Amazon.
Health and Beauty, Homeware Reviews
Lifft Slings.
The Lifft Sling is known as the ‘easy’ baby sling. I can vouch for that, it is easy! My sister had her little toot of a baby 2 weeks ago – 5Ib 3oz. She has a little girl who is 1 yr old as well and she finds it easy to carry them both (not together) in her Lifft sling.
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An interesting statistic – The Lifft sling is scientifically proven to improve posture. This makes the Lifft sling very appealing to mothers as other slings on the market cannot make this claim. It is biometrically proven to help keep your spine straight, spreading the weight of the baby across the back and shoulders. The only sling of its kind, the Lifft sling has 6 natural carrying positions and can be used from birth right up to the age of 3 yrs old. It allows for easy discrete breastfeeding in the newborn position as shown below.
![280+no+logo[1]](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/280+no+logo1.jpg)
But why use a sling? Surely there is another reason apart from burning 216 calories an hour when carrying baby!! The Lifft sling allows your baby to stay close, hear your voice and your heartbeat as it has done for the past 9 months. Baby can also see your face, a very important factor in mental development. Both your hands will be free when using the Lifft so you are able to continue to carry out activities with older toddlers such as reading books, feeding and playing.
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Lifft slings also look great, available in many colours and they even suit dad too!
For further information visit www.lifftslings.com RRP £55
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Gift Reviews, Homeware Reviews
Breffo Spiderpodium Camping Accessory.
Breffo, why have I only discovered this product now? Breffo was launched in 2009 in response to the growing demand for holders of all types of modern technology, in particular smart phones and tablets. Breffo researched this ‘gap’ in the market and what would be the most useful and helpful solution. The Spiderpodium was the result of this research. It is now made exclusively in the United Kingdom, and is sold in over 55 countries worldwide. What a success!
![is[8]](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/is8.jpg)
When my Spiderpodium arrived my hubby snatched it up straight away. ‘What’s that?’ he said. I could smell the smoke – his little brain was going into overdrive – he loved it! My dearest is an outdoor man, and he is so at home with all his tools and scrap metal, building and dismantling what can only be described as ‘scrap’. He also enjoys camping and outdoor activities and now he can’t be without his Spiderpodium.
![SP-Camping_large[1]](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/SP-Camping_large1.jpg)
The Spiderpodium is intended to be a camping accessory, and yes, we have used this camping. However, it is simply the most useful and the most used item in the house. We have used it to hold a torch in just the right position while working in low light, it has held my camera when we have been taking family photos, it will hold anything in place, just like an extra hand!
The Camping Spiderpodium gets its name as a camping accessory as it also glows in the dark. It is perfect for taking both backpacking and camping as it folds up very small and can be used from year to year.
With its multi-functional uses, the Spiderpodium is truly the most multifunctional tool we have. The perfect gift for both men and women alike.
For more information, visit
www.breffo.com RRP £14.95
Homeware Reviews
Spin Collective wall Stickers.
If you are anything like me, married with 3 young children, you may also feel like there is not enough hours in the day. I am always busy, rushing from here to there. My house had suffered over the years, the abuse ranging from a chip in a door frame to serious holes in the walls – my son loves his little wooden hammer!
To be honest, the entire house needs a good lick of paint, but with a 4 year old son running about, we have decided to wait and survey the damage at a later date – it might be a better idea to completely toss the house and start again!
For now, I have opted with quick and effective ‘fixes’ like Spin Collective Wall Stickers.
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It’s pretty amazing I have fell for these as I have spent the last ten years scrubbing stickers off the walls and furniture!
Spin Collective stickers are vinyl and very easy to apply and re-apply. They can be used on smooth surfaces on furniture etc, as well as on walls. The selection is so vast it took me 2 days to decide which stickers I wanted and I still managed to change my mind again! The applicator comes free and you really can’t go wrong, even the most ‘anti-DIY’ men on the planet could apply these. However, if you have a husband like mine and at last count I listed 43 jobs he started, messed up and left completely unsalvagable, don’t even ask for his help. Apply them yourself, it’s a sinch.
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In keeping with the Christmas season, I have selected one of the new wall stickers for 2013, a beautiful green Christmas tree personalised with out family name on the bottom. This is just fab as we don’t have a lot of space for decorations and this sticker brightens up the wall really well with its Christmas theme. RRP £24.
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I choose space ships and rockets for my son’s bedroom. Again, the room needs painted so the stickers offered a bright and cheery solution, until we re-decorate. The stickers can then be re-applied to the newly painted walls. These look fantastic over his bed, he is delighted with them. RRP £24.
Keep an eye on the website, with new designs pictured regularly, this is now my most re-visited link. I have selected a ‘wish list’ and the ‘Birds in a Tree’ is my next project. From the playful to the ultra modern, Spin Collective will have stickers to suit everyone.
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For more information visit
Homeware Reviews
Poundland for Halloween.
My children decorated our house last night for Halloween and it was the best of fun. I love Halloween, not only as my cobwebs are in fashion, but I relish the selection of sweets available, the toffee apples and the boxty. We almost put as much effort into Halloween as we do for Christmas.
![securedownload[5] (2)](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/securedownload5-2.jpg)
This year our house is the scariest on the street. The outside is lit up with spooky pumpkins, spiders webs with glow in the dark spiders, and frightening faces. My hubby was out when all this was taking place, he couldn’t have coped with all the excitement! My 4 year old son was going nuts racing around with skeletons, the older girls were perched on chairs hanging black and orange tinsel from all the pictures, curtain poles and mirrors, and the dog was having a field day with a spooky body part – a sawed off foot.
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No, this did not cost £200, I went to Poundland! No-one wants to spend money at Halloween, we are all saving for Christmas. I decorated my entire house inside and out for £20.
The decorating was the beginning of the chaos, I have been talked into having 2 Halloween parties – yes 2! One on Monday night and one on Tuesday night for both of my daughters.
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Poundland also took care of the food and I opted for disposable plates and cups to save on the washing up. These are fab, with their ghostly theme they really look the part.
![securedownload[5]](http://pamperedpresents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/securedownload5.jpg)
So, get yourself to a Poundland and have fun with the brilliant range of Halloween tableware, sweets, treats and decorations.
Wishing you all a ‘spooktactular’ Halloween!