Having Fun Designing T-Shirts

An activity that the kids always love doing is creating their own individually designed T-shirts using fabric crayons.  They can unleash their creativity and they end up with a completely unique item of clothing which they can wear with pride.

polo-shirts.co.uk is an online wholesaler selling a huge range of T-shirts, hoodies, polo shirts and more.  They sell top quality items from many well known brands at very low prices.  The more you buy, the more you save with their quantity discount system making it great for multiple purchases, but there is no minimum order.

They have set us a challenge to design our own T-Shirts using some plain white tees and fabric crayons that they have sent us.

Ella, Kizzy and Freddy each had the challenge of designing and making their own personalised T-Shirt!  The girls decided to base their designs on quotes from their favourite books.  Ella used a quote from "Looking for Alaska" by John Green and Kizzy used one from "It's OK I'm Wearing Really Big Knickers" by Louise Rennison.  I love the idea of writing favourite book quotes and illustrating them on a T-shirt.  Freddy went for a more freestyle approach!!

The children really had fun using the fabric crayons on their T-shirts and made a really good job of them.  Freddy loved drawing faces, letters, pink sky and black rainbows on his t-shirt and was very proud to model it with his literary loving sisters!  A quick iron fixed the designs.

Designing t-shirts is not only a great activity for the kids to do, it is also a brilliant gift idea.  We have, in the past, made personalised T-shirts for loved ones featuring a self-portrait drawn by each child.  They were really well received and a wonderful keepsake of the children's artwork.

Take a look at polo-shirts.co.uk for some great priced T-shirts, perfect for personalising!
  

Designing A Christmas Stocking

One of the best parts of Christmas day is the stockings.  Ever since the kids were born, they have had a stocking waiting for them on Christmas morning at the end of their beds.  I love shopping for little bits and pieces and individually wrapping them up.  Seeing the children open their little presents is such a highlight.  Even though their stockings only contain things like toothbrush, toothpaste, shower gel, socks and sweets, the children's oohs and ahhs would make you believe they were unwrapping the crown jewels!  There is something so magical about the stocking and that first taste of Christmas day, when all the kids jump into our kingsize bed and share that moment.

Best British Bloggers along with Getting Personal has set us a challenge to design a stocking and Kizzy enjoyed taking the task in hand.  She decided to make a quirky Santa with 3D applique elements like a red velvet hat and coat, white fluffy beard and trim, shiny black buttons, embroidered writing and sparkly eyes.

Kizzy liked the idea of having a stocking that was almost toy-like and would resemble a cuddly toy when stuffed full of little presents.

I really like Santa's cheeky face with his snub nose, huge grin and freckles under his rosy cheeks.  I love the idea of having embroidery, buttons, furry fabric and red velvet to make it look really special.  I think Kizzy has done a good job designing a stocking fit for Christmas morning, with her own very individual quirkiness thrown in for good measure!!

Getting Personal have an excellent range of personalised gifts including some fabulous ideas for Christmas so be sure to take a peek if you are looking for something unique and individual for a loved one this year!

Asda Back To School 'Little Designers' Challenge

CHOSEN BY MUMS; TESTED BY KIDS; GUARANTEED BY GEORGE

We are always impressed with George school uniform.  The prices are extremely competitive, the styling is good and the quality is great.  With September fast approaching we have been getting some new back to school essentials for Kizzy and so when we were invited to take part in the Asda 'Little Designer' Challenge we were happy to accept.

Kizzy was supplied with a plain white rucksack and a selection of fabric paints to create her own design.  She also received some items from the George range to model with her finished rucksack!  

Today, Kizzy sat down to get creative and crafty with her rucksack.  She decided on a Jigsaw Puzzle design using the coloured paints and pens to add splashes of colour.  She pencilled on her design first then used the brush with black paint to go over the lines. She finished off by adding colour to some of her jigsaw pieces.  I think she did a great job!

Here is her finished design.

Kizzy's school uniform items that she was sent to try out include a green school cardigan (£4), ruffle front polo shirt (£4) and black bootcut stretch trousers (£7).  I love how grown-up the trousers look and the fit is great for Kizzy who is tall and slim.  The ruffle front shirt is so much more pretty than a plain polo shirt, and Kizzy loves it.  I really like that she looks fashionable and will feel confident, but that her clothes are still practical, easy to wash and good quality.

Bottle Green School Cardigan

Ruffle Front Polo Shirt

Teen Bootcut Stretch Trousers

Kizzy tried on the clothes and everything is a great fit.  She even got quite excited about going back to school, which is a good thing!

The idea of personalising a rucksack or bag for school is a really nice idea.  Having a unique bag amidst a sea of identical One Direction rucksacks will help Kizzy identify her possessions in the cloakroom.  The activity itself was a lovely way to spend a couple of hours and gave Kizzy a project to unleash her creativity on.  Fabric paints and pens are a great way to stamp your individuality onto things, something that is really important to youngsters who are keen to establish their own unique identity!

If you need convincing that the cheap prices of Asda's school uniform do not mean compromising on quality, give this video a watch.

George school uniform is covered by George’s ‘100 day satisfaction guarantee’ allowing parents to return it up to 100 days after purchase if they aren’t completely satisfied.  

Kizzy's design is now entered into the 'Little Designer' competition with all the other blogger's children's personalised rucksack designs.  I look forward to seeing all the other budding designers' creations!

Harumika for Budding Fashonistas

Kizzy was delighted to be sent a Harumika Designer Dress Form Set from Toys R Us.  She is the sort of girl who loves fashion and sketches dress designs on pieces of paper.  Harumika takes that desire to design one step further.

Specially designed mannequins allow budding fashionistas to create outfits using material without any need for scissors, needles or thread.  The cloth tucks into a special silicone slot in the back using the special stylus tool.  

Vivienne Westwood Beware!!

Here is a video of Kizzy demonstrating skills that will one day see her headlining London Fashion Week with her latest line!

Harumika is a lot of fun, however I think that it is restricted by the limited amount of materials in a set.  Accessory kits, starter packs and specific outfit kits are available to buy, however I'm sure that it would be easy enough to make your own fabric squares in different patterns to use.  The other limitation is that once the dress is made there is no way of removing it or keeping it.   It has to be taken apart and returns to being fabric squares.  Harumika does have a website  where photos of outfits can be uploaded and shared with other Harumika fans.  It also has style tips, news and information about Harumika products.

Harumika is recommended for ages 6 and up.  The Designer Form Set sells for £16.99 at Toys R Us and includes 2 mannequins, the stylus and enough material and accessories to get started.

For other Toyology reviews and competitions visit Toys R Us on Facebook!