Slime Baff, Gelli Baff and SnoBall Battle Packs from Zimpli Kids

Christmas stockings are such a fun part of Christmas. They represent the first taste of Christmas Day, as you awake to find your stocking filled with goodies at the end of your bed. Every year I try to find some cheap and cheerful, fun and interesting items to pop into the kids' stockings. Little bits and bobs that will bring a smile to their faces. Zimpli Kids do a range of products that make great stocking fillers that I know will be a hit with my son Freddy and my grandchildren.

The award winning Gelli Baff and Slime Baff ranges provide an opportunity for children to enjoy some sensory play as they experience and enjoy the different textures of the products. The powders are added to water to create lots of gooey, slimy fun. Perfect for bath time or for play time, the slimes can be used for imaginative games. At Halloween we put lots of plastic toys such as bugs, severed fingers, spiders, rats, body parts and skeletons into a cauldron of Gelli Slime and let the children explore. It was a great way to enjoy the product. I'm sure I can think of some festive uses for the products too. The kids love getting hands on and getting messy with the goo!

The SnoBall Battle Packs make a realistic looking snowy substance, so even if we don't get a white Christmas, we can still enjoy making and throwing snowballs. And as an added bonus, we won't get cold hands!

Zimpli Kids products are 100% safe for kids and unlike some ready-made slimes, contain no boron or boric acid. They are also fully biodegradable making them safe for the environment. Even the glitter used in the Glitter range is biodegradable. Gelli Baff comes with a dissolver to turn it back into a liquid for washing away, whereas the Gelli Slime dissolves straight into water for easy disposable.

With products starting at just £4.99, they are well priced and great value for money, providing lots of play value and fun for kids this Christmas.

Check out independent reviews of the products on YouTube - the products have over 6 billion views to date  - just search for Gelli Baff or Slime Baff.

More information can be found at: www.zimplikids.com.

Christmas at Poundland

Poundland is once again offering shoppers some fantastic bargains to help make their money go further.  At this time of year, this is definitely a most useful thing!  With a fabulous range of Christmas goodies, you can get stocking fillers, decorations, gifts, sweets, selection boxes, cards and wrapping paper all for just £1 each.

I was given a £20 budget to shop for Christmas essentials and I was really impressed with the haul I managed to get.

My top purchase was the Dorling Kindersley Merry Christmas Activity Book with '50 ways to make your spirits bright'.  Inside there are craft ideas and recipes to keep the kids entertained over the Christmas holidays.  It has an RRP of £5.99.  It is a perfect stocking filler, great to give out at parties or to give your child's friends as a gift.

The selection boxes containing Milky Way or Cadbury's Treat Size chocolates are an absolute bargain at 3 for £2.  Another great idea for stockings or little gifts.  

There is a massive selection of gift wrap and gift bags to make presents look really great.  I was very impressed with the packs of three gift bags with tags for just £1.  Great for popping in little gifts for a quick and easy packaging solution.  The big plastic Disney gift bags are really lovely and are excellent quality.  The 10 metre rolls of gift wrap will wrap up loads of pressies for just £1.

I love the sackcloth-look present bags with a drawstring top.  They are printed with an Express Elf Mail logo and a message to deliver on the 25th December.  It's a really nice bag that can be used year after year.  It will make a lovely alternative to a traditional stocking.

There are lots of cards on sale from individual cards to boxed sets.  I bought a set of mini cards for friends and the teacher containing 31 cards in four designs.  It is a great value way to let your kids give cards to all their classmates plus the teacher for just £1. The little cards feature a cute design and would double up as really nice gift tags.

For anyone who enjoys baking, there are loads of great products including cake cases and cup cake stands.  I really liked the cup cake boxes which hold individual cakes or four cakes.  Filling a box with cupcakes is a  great gift idea for keen bakers to give to friends and family.  Home baked goodies are such a thoughtful gift idea!  Poundland also stock cellophane bags perfect for cookies, confectionery or cakes, which come with a ribbon to tie them up.  Another lovely way to present homemade goodies making a great and economical gift.

The tubes of sweets make a great stocking filler.  Poundland has lots of choice from Cadbury's Fingers to Freddo Faces to Drumsticks to Kinder Chocolates to Jelly Tots.  For just £1 they are excellent value. I always stock up a few of these tubes to give out as impromptu gifts if we have visitors with children.

The Reindeer Antlers are just one of the novelty products that will inject a bit of fun into Christmas parties.  You could also get Santa hats, Elf Hats or Santa beards for dressing up.  Kizzy loves wearing something Christmassy to school during the last week of term and these antlers with jingly bells are perfect for that. 

Poundland also have lots of decorations for the tree and the home, as well as craft activities, stickers, presents, tableware and tonnes of other festive goodies.  It's easy to stay on budget when every is £1 so there's no nasty surprises at the till.

Poundland is a perfect place to go for cheap and cheerful Secret Santa gifts, stocking fillers and little things that will make Christmas all the more fun!  At the moment if you spend £15 you can get a teddy bear for worth £4.99 for £1.  A lovely little present to pop in a little one's stocking.

poundland.co.uk

Aldi - Great for Saving Cash this Christmastime

Have Yourself A Thrifty Little Christmas

If you are looking for presents that won't blow your festive budget, then it's well worth popping to your local Aldi.  They have a whole load of Special Buys which could save you cash when it comes to buying gifts for family and friends. They have presents for kids, grandparents, mums and dads and lots of great stocking fillers.

They sent us a couple of gifts which would make great stocking fillers for a teenager: a pair of Fleece Booties £3.99 and a Speaker Bug £4.99.

Ella loved the pink, fleecy bootie style slippers, with the non slip sole and pom-pom decor.  They are snug, cosy and warm.

The Speaker Bug allows kids to listen to music from their phones by plugging the portable speaker into the output socket.  It's a great little gadget for techno kids to enjoy.  A great stocking filler.

There will be loads of gifts on sale at reasonable prices over the run up to Christmas so keep an eye out in store.  From electrical items to snuggly onesies to tool sets to gift sets, all available while stocks last.

Christmas Crafting with Baker Ross

Now December is here, my children are enjoying some fun-filled Christmas crafts, to make loads of lovely hand made festive things to decorate the house.  Baker Ross have sent us some brilliant CRAFT-It! Christmas sets to try out, which contain almost everything needed to make some great decorations.

 They are a great way to get younger children producing decorations using these craft essentials.  They are easy to do, and give good results.

Kizzy and Freddy were happy to spend a Sunday morning doing some arts and crafts together.  The Sequin Bauble Kit was the first set they tried out.  It contained three polystyrene balls with ribbon hangers, ready to be decorated with sparkly sequins using plastic push pins.

It was easy to do, even Freddy was able to have a go because the pins were not too sharp.  Each bauble comes with its own set of pins and sequins so it doesn't get too out of control. 

Very quickly the bauble looked very pretty and Freddy was very impressed with the colourful, sparkly end result.  With a bit of patience you could make a more intricate pattern, but it looks equally pretty with a randomly colourful design.  This makes it a great activity for kids with an end result they will be proud off.

The Yarn Wreath set makes six woollen wreaths, strung with ribbon and decorated with sequins and bows.  The set contains pre-cut rings of card with a hole to thread the ribbon to.  Colourful yarn is woven round and round to make a wreath bauble.

Freddy got himself into a bit of a knot with this!  But daddy helped him and together they made a very neat yarn covered wreath which was then decorated by gluing on sequins and a bow. 

They look lovely and will be joined by the rest of the handmade decorations on our Christmas tree this year.

The Christmas Paper Chains are a fabulous thing for little ones to do.  Each piece has an adhesive end that can be licked and stuck to make a loop, joining up to make a chain.

The colourful pieces feature different Christmas characters and look really fun and festive, perfect for decorating the kids' bedrooms or the playroom.

Freddy was able to do this activity independently and he was very proud of his paper chain!  It helped with his hand-eye co-ordination, his dexterity, his patience and his counting skills.

Baker Ross offer a huge range of craft sets, seasonal activities, fundraising kits and toys for both school and home.  They have a 100% Price Match Promise so you know you are getting the best value.  They also have a 28 day no-quibble guarantee and delivery fixed at £2.99 or FREE for orders over £50.

You can shop online at bakerross.co.uk

It's a perfect place to find stocking fillers and activity sets to keep the kids entertained over the holidays.  It's also brilliant for parties with lots of themed products for party favours and prizes.  The prices are really good and each multi pack is given an individual price breakdown per item.  I could read through the catalogue or browse online for hours!  There is some great stuff for keen crafters and crafty kids to enjoy!

The products I received are as follows:

Sequin Baubles £3.60 for pack of 3

Festive Paper Chains £2.99 for 240

Decoration Sewing Kits £3.60 for pack of 3

Penguin Jewel Decoration Kit £2.99 for pack of 4

Yarn Wreath Decoration Kits £3.50 for pack of 6

Stocking Fillers - from Annoying Orange and Ikea

Annoying Orange

The online sensation Annoying Orange is YouTube's most watched comedy show with over 1.4 billion views.  It is set to come to UK TV in 2013 bringing the annoyingly hilarious humour to an even wider audience.  My kids can all recite Annoying Orange quotes and are fans of the kooky, talking citrus fruit.

For the first time ever, Annoying Orange and his long suffering pals are available as cool and quirky toys and accessories.  So this year, discovering an orange in your stocking will be a great find!

The product range includes ‘Fresh Squeezed’ talking clip-ons that are super soft and with a gentle squeeze you will instantly recognise the annoying sounds from your favourite characters.  RRP £6.99

The Kitchen Crew Talking Clip-ons are great for putting on your school bag or even car keys – watch out though, you might hear then shouting some of their well-known annoying puns!  RRP £6.99.

The Annoying Orange ‘Kitchen Crew’ collectibles are textured with detail and will make great stocking fillers this Christmas. RRP £7.99.

The Annoying Orange talking plush range say funny jokes, puns and classic phrases from the Annoying Orange series.  RRP £7.99.  (All Suitable for ages 4+ and available from Toys R Us.) 

Ikea Soft Toys and Books

If you want some original toys and books for the kids' stockings, then take a look in Ikea.  Many are priced below the £5 mark and are all so beautifully designed.  Plus for every one purchased Ikea are donating 1 Euro to their Soft Toys for Education campaign which helps under privileged kids worldwide.

How about this funky monkey glove puppet from the Klappar Cirkus range (RRP £3)?   We were sent him so we could have a play with him ourselves!  It is just one of a fabulous selection of circus themed soft toys that are great value and exceptionally cute, each with their own personality. The range also includes finger puppets and fancy dress hats, perfect for a Christmas Day performance!  They start at just £1.

Ikea also sell children's books.  We were sent a copy of Heroes of The Vegetable Patch, a large sized, fully illustrated story book featuring a bumble-bee, an old lady and some lovely vegetable characters.  It's a gentle tale of friendship and teaches little ones that we all share the same land.  At just £4 it is a great buy.

Aldi Special Buy Toys

Keep your eyes peeled in Aldi Stores in the run up to Christmas for some great value Special Buys that will give you some great ideas for the kids.  Aldi are stocking a range of toys which will be ideal for stocking fillers, gifts for little friends or for popping under the tree.  From December 9th while stocks last, the following will be available in store:  a Pocket Library, Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles and Wooden Model Toy Kit.  I've been sent some to try out.

Pocket Libraries £2.49

This little box of six mini board books is excellent value.  Featuring kids' favourites such as Cars, Disney Princesses, Chuggington and Mickey Mouse, the little books focus on subjects such as colours, shapes, sharing and counting.  The size is perfect for little hands.  The back of the books can be put together to make a bigger picture which adds an element of fun to the set.  The set also includes a sheet of stickers.  The colourful pages and the engaging text will hold the attention of little ones.

Wooden Jigsaws £4.99

These puzzles contain two jigsaws in the box.  The chunky wooden pieces are sturdy and easy to handle.  They don't bend so won't get damaged.  They feature favourite characters from Cars and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse also Disney Princesses. The puzzles come in 16, 25 and 50 pieces so be sure to pick the one that suits your child's age and ability.  One of the puzzles comes with a printed back so you can easily sort them out.

Wooden Model Kit £4.99

Hands and minds will be kept busy with these model toy making kits.  Children as young as 5 can build a model with adult help.  Children aged 8 and over will be able to work independently.  The kits come with everything needed to make a wooden model.

These toys will definitely make little ones very happy on Christmas morning, without breaking the bank!

Claire's Support UNICEF

There is no greater gift than the gift of life.

Claire's is one of the shops in town that we cannot walk past without Kizzy and Ella wanting to go in.  They love the colourful ranges of jewellery and accessories on sale.

Claire's have launched a new partnership with UNICEF- "Little Things Make A Big Difference" - which aims to give children the best start in life.  Everyday, thousands of children die from deadly but largely preventable causes such as malnutrition, diarrhoea and malaria.  UNICEF send lifesaving supplies such as clean water, vaccines and food for those who need it the most. This Christmas, Claire's will be selling six bespoke jewellery items in their Claire's For Unicef Range to raise money for UNICEF's vital work saving children's lives.  £1 from every purchase will be donated to UNICEF.  This is enough to give eight life saving vaccinations or feed a malnourished child for one day.

The range is very pretty with a pink and silver colour theme and featuring hearts and stars.  Each item features the life affirming message "A Gift For You...The Gift of Life For a Child"  so the recipient knows that this gift has helped raise money to save a child's life.

Claire's Unicef Range 

Claire's customers can also add a donation at the till whenever they make a purchase or buy gift cards with an added on donation to UNICEF.

I think that this partnership is a lovely way to give a little back at Christmas time to help those in need.  I always try to include gifts that help others when I buy presents for my children, and I know my girls will love this range and the fact that they are giving the gift of life to others.  I can't always donate cash sums to every charity I support, but it is easy to incorporate a donation when making a specific purchase.  It's an easy way to give, especially when money is tight.  The jewellery costs £4.50 - £5.00 and would make a lovely stocking filler.

12 Toys of Christmas #5

Stockings are a fun part of Christmas Day, and unwrapping the little gifts inside give the children a first taste of Christmas.  Here is a selection of toys that will make great stocking fillers, from some of this year's top toy ranges.

ScatterBrainz for Sticky Fun!

Have some addictive sticky fun with ScatterBrainz the new super, sticky collectible darts.  Available in packs of 3 or 8 and available in 64 different character designs, they are a fun-filled stocking filler.  They stick to almost anything with their exposed brains and are perfect for some festive target practice!  RRP from £4.99.

Haba Bobbing Bunny

You are never too young for a Christmas Stocking and babies aged 1+ will love finding this cute, beautifully made, wooden bunny from Haba in their stocking this year.  The bunny wobbles but doesn't fall over providing hours of giggle-tastic fun for tiny tots.

A Hand Painted Pterydactyl from Schleich

The fiercest Jurassic inhabitants have come to life with Schleich’s new Dinosaur collection! Almost 225 million years after the first dinosaurs roamed the Earth, Schleich has recreated the most iconic prehistoric predators and released them into the wild ready to delight dinosaur-fans. An ever popular toy, these anatomically correct models take dino fun to a whole new terrifying level! Whilst small enough for children’s hands, the intricate details ensure that these beasts remain ferocious. Kids can create their own prehistoric worlds, choosing from a whole pack of hand painted dinosaurs.

12 Toys of Christmas #4
12 Toys of Christmas #3
12 Toys of Christmas #2
12 Toys of Christmas #1

Secret Santa with Prezzybox

It's almost December and shops are about to be hit with the most ferocious retail activity of the year as we all stock up on pressies for loved ones and friends.  If you are part of any Secret Santa groups, whether at work or within your extended family, it can be tricky to think of any original gifts to surprise your recipient.

But fear not!!  Here are three fabulous Secret Santa ideas for around a tenner that are sure to be enjoyed and talked about for days to come, thanks to prezzybox.com.

Addictaball Maze 1

This is an un-put-down-able puzzle ball that looks intriguing and keeps you riveted through 138 stages of tricky maze.  With spirals, drops, swinging arms, flips and slides you will be puzzling for hours on end to complete the Addictaball challenge.  It is guaranteed to keep anyone entertained (and possibly a little frustrated) over the Christmas period!  It is definitely tricky...but this is what makes it so addictive, you just want to beat the ball!

Maze 1 is 19cm diameter with 138 stages and costs £12.95.  Maze 2 is 13cm in diameter and has 100 stages and costs £7.95.  Brilliant Christmas Gifts for hard to buy for friends!

Tude Beams

Flex the Tude Beam

Mood Lighting has just become super fun thanks to Tude Beams!  There are four great characters who each emit funky colours with real attitude.  Each has five light settings to suit your mood.  My favourite setting sees the throbbing lights dancing to the beat of music.  It's like a mini disco!!  The soft glowing colours are actually really relaxing, but the quirky characters exude mood and attitude.  A button on the bottom changes the mode  so you can choose the light effect to match your mood.

Flex in light-up action!

Whether they are sat on a desk at work as an executive toy or in the bedroom of a teenager, the funky flashing lights are excellent gift ideas.  For just £9.95 they come complete with 3 AAA batteries.

Yummy Dough

From ages 3-99, no-one is too old for the fun of modelling this edible, colourful dough.  You just add water to make a smooth modelling clay that is easy to mould into fun creations.  These can be baked in the oven to create yummy, colourful biccies.  Just imagine the characters that could be created...this could be hilarious in the workplace!  The dough comes in red, yellow, blue and green.  It is really innovative and bound to be a lot of fun for adults and children alike.  At £7.95 this is a great product and an unexpected present choice for fun loving, cookie munching friends and family.  It includes a measuring tool and modelling tool.  For those of us who enjoyed playing with Play-Doh as a child, this is a real blast from the past with the added bonus that you can eat the end result!  Genius!!

Perfect present ideas for fun loving family and friends!

For these and other unusual and thoughtful Christmas gift ideas including fun, original presents perfect for Secret Santa or stocking fillers, check out prezzybox.com.  They have something to suit whoever you are buying for whatever your budget.

The website is easy to navigate with pages dedicated to him, her or for the kids.  You can pick by price, by occasion or by department and there are lots of great products featured to inspire you.  Pop across and have a browse and complete your Christmas shopping from the comfort of your own home!

* I received these fabulous goodies from Prezzybox and I love them! Great gifts, good prices, excellent service and perfect for Christmas!*