Lottie Doll Review

A Doll To Rival Market Leaders

If you are not happy with the fashion dolls on the market with their ridiculously unrealistic body measurements and scanty clothes which can give a negative body image to girls, then the new Lottie doll from Arklu will be a great alternative to buy for your little girls.  With proportions based on the body measurements of an average nine year old girl, and age appropriate clothing, Lottie is set to rival brands such as Bratz and Barbie.  Her motto is "Be bold, be brave, be you!" giving young girls the courage to simply be themselves and enjoy their childhood.

Kizzy was sent a Lottie doll to review and in this video she gives her opinion.


             


Lottie has already won awards and stands to revolutionize the doll market.  The London based company hopes that this doll developed in conjunction with leading academics, will address the issues relating to body image and sexualisation which are criticisms levelled at the brand leaders.  Lottie will be a better role model for our daughters!

There are six different quintessentially British Lottie dolls and three accessory packs available for little girls aged 3-8.  They are cute, quirky, young and ready for adventure...just like a little girl should be!

Find out more at www.lottie.com

Get Creative Paper FX

The Upcycling Craft Set for Young Fashionistas

Paper FX from Flair is a fun set that is perfect for tweens who are into fashion and crafts.  Paper can be woven and crafted to create accessories, handbags, pencil cases and belts.  It is a great way of upcycling old magazines, wrapping paper and glossy paper into a unique and fashionable accessory to glam up an outfit or spruce up a bedroom shelf.

The look created depends on the paper used.  You can go for glitzy and glam, soothing pastels or paintbox bright, to create items that match your personality and your mood.  New accessories can always be made from old mags so a new handbag is only a weave away!

Kizzy received one to try out.  The idea was really appealing to her and she was keen to grab her back catalogue of Girl Talk magazines to upcycle into something funky!

The set included a weaving machine, some tools and an instruction booklet plus a tube of paper glue.  All you need is an old magazine to get started.  A special device allows you to easily tear pages into strips which are then put into a scoring machine which makes it easy to fold and glue the strips ready for weaving.

The weaving machine itself allows you to fix the vertical strips to hold them securely under a plastic cover.  A dial allows you to lift alternate strips to feed in the horizontal strips.  A dab of glue secures the strips in place. The process is repeated to create the woven rectangle.

Kizzy enjoyed weaving the strips to create a colourful woven rectangle made from her magazine.  The effect was quite good with all the bits of the magazine worked together into an artistic creation that we decided would be a coaster.  With the edges trimmed, tucked in and glued it looked quite good.

The Paper FX set certainly kept Kizzy very entertained.  It wasn't overly complicated to make the woven rectangles.  There are instructions for creating all manner of fancy items such as pencil cases and purses, but to be honest I cannot imagine being able to make them out of the paper strips using paper glue.  I'm sure that if you put your mind to it and used PVA glue to stick and strengthen the structure it would be possible, but it would take a lot of skill and dedication.

Kizzy is more than happy making these coasters for everyone and she is loving getting creative with her old magazines. It's proving a good way to keep her busy.  She said  "It is really fun but a bit tricky and fiddly at times.  On the whole though I think it is really good to make things from my old magazines!"

Paper FX is available from good retailers with an RRP of £19.99.  It is suitable for girls aged 8 and up.

Orbeez Soothing Spa

If they are anything like my 9 year old daughter, tweens and teens love to be pampered!  Character Option have a range of products in their Orbeez range that are sure to delight girls who want to enjoy a unique spa experience in the comfort of their own home.

Kizzy received an Orbeez Soothing Spa to test out and she was very excited to plan a pamper session in order to try it.  The Soothing Spa includes removable hand bowls and a luxuriating foot tub giving relaxation a whole new element of fun.  It features a cascading waterfall of soft scented Orbeez plus ambient lighting.  It's definitely a spa treat for a pampered girl's feet!

The spa assembles easily.  It comes with two 750 bags of Orbeez.  The Orbeez are small, squishy, silky balls that you can warm up by soaking in warm water and draining.  These are put into the tub and the mechanism picks them up and cascades them out onto your feet.  A small bottle of Jasmine Perfume is included to drop over the balls to add a pleasant scent.  The Orbeez can also be put into the little bowls to pamper the hands.  They are very soothing and feel like "jelly" according to Kizzy.  A red glow gives an ambient mood light to enhance the experience.  The Orbeez Soothing Spa takes two C batteries that are not included.  The spa hums when in use and isn't too noisy.

Kizzy really enjoyed her pamper session and Freddy and Ella got in on the act as well.  They all agreed that the spa was fun and an original way to pamper your feet and hands.  Kizzy loved the Jasmine perfume which she liberally sprinkled on the Orbeez.  It was a nice way for her to unwind and relax and discover the joys of 'me time'!

The Orbeez are very squishy and lots of them burst during use.  The ones that are left after use can be rinsed, stored in the included sealable bags and then reused.   Refill bags are available to order to replace those damaged by feet or the mechanism.  One normal use of the spa burst about 10% of the 750 balls we used.  The balls do turn into sticky mush so you have to be careful to clean them up properly after use or they'll get everywhere.  I don't know how long the 1500 Orbeez that come with the spa will last before you need to purchase more at £7 a bag, but the future cost of this should be taken into account when buying a Soothing Spa.

We have had a spa mishap where Freddy lent on the tub catapulting 750 incredibly slippery balls over the laminate.  Trying to pick them up with adult fingers caused lots of bursting and left the floor slippy!  It was a big mess.   We also had quite a few individual escapees during the pampering session...I'll be finding them under the sofa for weeks.  

  
The Orbeez Soothing Spa really is quite unique offering a fun, colourful introduction to pampering spa treatments for young girls.  They will love it.   It is however much more of a novelty item than a serious foot spa and the cost of replacing the balls is a consideration for long term use.

The Orbeez range also includes a Mood Lamp, a Globe and a Light Up Star or Heart.  The Spa retails for £29.99 and is suitable for ages 5 and up.  (Not suitable for children under 36 months because of the small parts.)