Stocking Fillers and Small Gift Ideas

Christmas isn't all about spending a fortune on the biggest, must-have toys or gadgets.  The little presents in the kids' stockings or under the tree can bring so much joy to the day.  Here are a selection of small gift ideas for the family that are sure to raise a smile, plus there is a code for a FREE Christmas e-book!

My Blue Nose Friends

Four brand new My Blue Nose Friends have joined the collection in time for Christmas; Ziza the African Elephant, Flash the Pink Dragon, Avery the Fluffy Chick and Tinsel the Arctic Fox. The super cute collectable toys each have their own unique personalities and are perfect stocking fillers that will delight anyone, whatever their age!

We were sent the new additions to add to our collection. Numbers 120-123 are as gorgeous as the ones that have come before them, with the same beautiful attention to detail, cheeky blue noses and sewn on patches.  I love Tinsel's sparkly tail and Flash's shiny feet! They are just £5 each and available to buy from Carte Blanche and other good stockists.

Post-It Pop-Up Note Dispenser

Older kids will love finding some new stationery in their Christmas stockings and this pretty pink heart shaped Post-It Pop-Up Note Dispenser by 3M is a perfect present idea.  Ideal for doodlers who enjoy making notes and writing messages, keeping the Post-It notes at hand.  The heart shaped dispenser will look great on a desk and doubles up as a paperweight.  A great way to spread the stationery love this Christmas! RRP £7.49 (Also available is a Handbag dispenser and a Karate man dispenser.)

We received one to check out. I always love stationery gifts and think Post-It Notes are a must have around the home for making lists, leaving reminders and simply saying I Love You to your kids via a Post-It on their bedroom door.  The dispenser is a nice novelty way to keep them handy.

Tiny Me Lunch Box

Tiny Me is a company selling personalised items such as bags, lunchboxes, stationery, name labels and wall decor, featuring fun, cute and quirky designs.  We made a lunchbox, which is created online using your choice of images, text and colour from a massive range of designs so you can make something perfect for the recipient. The products themselves are top quality.  The lunch bag is insulated, has a double zip, a handy front pocket and an inner net pocket.  It is a good size for fitting in plenty of food for lunch plus a drinking bottle.  The design I chose was Monkey Polka in Bright, personalised with Freddy's name.  It's great to get him something with his name on, because you just cannot find Freddy with a Y printed onto anything off the shelf in shops.  I really enjoyed making the lunch bag, trying out all the different designs and colours and previewing how they looked with Freddy's name, before I settled on the funny Tiny Me monkeys!

I am going to fill this lunch bag with Christmas goodies for Freddy and wrap it as a fun (yet still very functional) gift!   RRP £25.99 (I had a voucher to try Tiny Me in an event goodie bag so Christmas seemed like a good time to use it!)

It's Your Story Personalised E-Story FREE!

Here is a lovely virtual gift for children this year worth £2.50 that you can get for FREE!  You can share the E-Story with your child throughout the festive season.

www.itsyourstory.co.uk are giving away a free personalised Animated Snowman e-story book to every child between now and Christmas.

Each e-story book incorporates the child's face into the illustrations making them the star of the story. It also includes their name, friend's name, hometown and other information about them into the storyline. Each story book also includes a message from the creator at the front, making it a lovely Christmas keepsake.

The Animated Snowman e-story takes the child on a magical Christmas adventure to the North Pole. There's something to spot on every page from falling snow and glowing candles to a roaring fire and flying fairies.

Making a personalised e-story book with Itsyourstory couldn't be easier - simply upload a digital photo to their website, fill out the information about the child and Itsyourstory will do the rest using the latest digital print technology. You will then receive an email with a link to view the e-story as many times as you want.

To create a free Animated Snowman e-story simply visit https://www.itsyourstory.co.uk/products/49-animated-snowman-e-story before Christmas and use the code FESTIVEFUN at the checkout.

Shoezone Slippers

As one of the Shoe Zone Mummies I've sampled quite a lot of their footwear this year.  They have a great range of shoes for all the family at great prices.  Christmas just isn't Christmas without a pair of new slippers and we are loving these Hello Kitty mules for girls.  At just £6.99 they are great value and the design is fun and funky.  See more at shoezone.com.

Jumbo - Colour Slam appCards and Fireman Sam iPieces

Jumbo Games have some really exciting new games to add to their already extensive range of games and puzzles.  They are giving us a whole new way of playing games together utilising app technology.

Colour Slam is a fast paced, action packed card game that is played in conjunction with a smartphone or tablet.  Players have to match the right colour combination of their cards to the random colour combination chosen via the downloadable free app.  You have to slam your cards to earn points, but also watch out for the Colour Slam round where opponents get to slam each others cards too, so you have to quick and on your toes.  This game helps kids' hand eye co-ordination, matching skills and their wits!  For ages 8 and up. RRP £9.99 (but currently £4.35 on Amazon!!)  For both Android and iOS.

iPieces game use an iPad as a games board, giving mini games such as Mission Jupiter and Fire Rescue for the players to complete in order to progress.  It can be played for 2-4 players aged 4+.  Little ones choose one of the playing pieces to make their way around the gameboard on the iPad once the free app is installed. the game is multi-levelled so has lots of play value and is more involved than many other apps on the market. The animation and sound effects keep kids entertained with their favourite characters. The game helps with numbers, counting, taking turns and improves children's use of the iPad via the mini games.  There is also a Peppa Pig iPieces game.  Both work with iPad 1-3.  This is a totally modern take on board games!  RRP £12.99 (currently £6.50 on Amazon!)  Great stocking fillers!

I hope these suggestions help you with your stocking up this Christmas and I hope your children enjoy the free e-Story.

Boys' Canvas Shoes On Review

Shoe Zone are the leading value footwear retailer with 550 stores throughout the UK as well as their online store.  They sell over 25 million pairs of shoes every year!  This year I am thrilled to be working with them as a Shoe Zone Mummy, reviewing shoes for myself or one of the kids every month.

With summer (hopefully) approaching, it is time to kit out the children with some clothes and footwear that will see them through the warmer weather.  Freddy is now at the age when he loves to explore, run around and have fun in the sun, so some casual, fun, canvas shoes are a seasonal essential.  As he is learning to be more independent, having a pair of shoes he can get on and off himself is a real bonus.

We were sent the Demo Max Boys Canvas Velcro Shoes, which are a perfect summer shoe for Freddy.  The navy canvas shoe has a red ankle support, stitching and trim making them look rather cool.  The thick, white rubber sole is supportive yet flexible enough to allow small feet to bend and flex.  The double velcro straps are secure, and make it easy for little ones to do up their own shoes, making them an excellent choice for pre-schoolers.

Freddy finds them really comfortable and loves being able to get them on and off independently.  He also says they help him run fast and he likes the blue colour! They are a real bargain at just £4.99.

www.shoezone.com

Back To School With Shoe Zone

If you are looking for some great value school shoes then Shoe Zone is definitely a good place to look.  They have an extensive range of shoes for both girls and boys in a variety of styles.  You can buy both in store or online with free delivery and free returns.  The website also stocks some exclusive styles that you can't get in store, offering even more choice.

Kizzy was sent some school shoes to try out and she chose the Walkright black leather upper school shoes with a velcro fastener, low heel and embroidered flower detail.  The coated leather is scuff resistant and durable.  The shoe has a breathable lining and a flexisole for comfort.

The style is perfect for school.  She needs a comfy pair of shoes with good support, but she also likes them to look good.  They really fit the bill!  I am not keen on the idea of fashion shoes for young girls and like the fact that these are wide fitting and  have no heel, yet they are still stylish and fun.  The fit is good and I like the velcro straps that will keep them securely on when she is running around the playground! There is a handy name tag inside the shoe for writing on the child's name which will prove useful at school for keeping Kizzy's property safe.

The price is really competitive.  For a pair of coated leather, sensible school shoes £9.99 is an excellent price.  They not only look smart, but they have features which make them secure, comfortable and good for her feet.

We also got Kizzy a pair of sports trainers in purple and black for her school PE kit.  They have velcro straps for easy fastening which is very useful when hurriedly getting changed for games lessons.  They have a breathable upper for comfort.  Kizzy loves the colour of her new trainers.  At  just £6.99 they are really reasonable.  As her PE shoes get left at school in the cloakroom, I would not want her to have an expensive pair of designer trainers so these are perfect.  They look really distinctive too, so she will be able to spot them easily.

Shoe Zone has shoes that are practical, functional and look good.  The prices are very reasonable and help to lessen the expense of going back to school.  Kids' feet grow so fast that I am grateful that I can get good quality footwear at a cheap price. 

The shoes were provided by www.shoezone.co.uk ...The No 1 Value Footwear Retailer!

Savings at Shoe Zone

In these times when our finances are being stretched by the ever increasing cost of living, it is nice to find a company who offers good quality and good value.  Shoe Zone is the "No 1 Value Footwear Retailer" with over 550 shops across UK and Ireland.  They sell approximately 30 million pairs of footwear per annum...which is about 57 pairs every minute!!  Prices are kept keen with an average price of 40% of the national average.

They sell a great range of shoes for Men, Women, Boys and Girls at really competitive prices.  Their range includes footwear for fashion, work, school, sport and fun  I have been lucky enough to get a selection of shoes for Kizzy and Freddy to try out.

Check out these gorgeous wellies in multi-coloured heart print.  They have a trendy buckle trim and a low heel.  The design is fun and girly and Kizzy loved them.  They are going to perfect for sploshing through puddles.  At just £9.99, they are excellent value.

The Heart Buckle Girls' Ballerina Shoe is a sensible but stylish shoe, perfect for school.  The heart shaped buckle is a lovely detail that adds a pretty touch which girls love. The flat heel is something that is important to me when choosing footwear for my daughter, and it is nice to find a flat shoe that is so girlie and which Kizzy loves. They cost just £9.99.

The Boys' Cross Over Strap Shoes with Lights are perfect for little lads.  They are practical and durable to withstand rough and tumble.  They have light-up soles which is not only fun, it also adds a safety element which is important now the evenings are getting darker.  I love how chunky and hard wearing they are because Freddy is tough on his shoes!  The fit was really good for an off the shelf shoe and the adjustable velcro strap was secure.  They are just £12.99.

Freddy and Kizzy have loved modelling their new footwear, especially Fred who is jumping everywhere to light up his blue flashing soles!!

                              

Shoe Zone offer an online click and collect in store service, free delivery on online sales, free return to any store and next day and Saturday delivery (chargeable).  

Check out this season's new arrivals online at www.shoezone.com or instore now.