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By Tamsin Oxford in Reviews on
3 September, 2010 at 1:00 pm
 When the little pack of Snuguns arrived at PlayPennies HQ I was quite impressed. At last, a pair of gloves for kids that didn’t demand hours of painstakingly slipping individual fingers into their glove sections but still allowed freedom of movement.
It really irked me last winter. My daughter was too young to put her fingers into the different compartments by herself but she also kept taking them off and asking for them to be put back on again. I swear that at least two days of my life were spent fiddling with gloves.
The snuguns are these clever mittens that will keep little hands warm but also give them plenty of room for movement and grip. My daughter slipped them on in seconds and was soon playing with her toys without a fuss. Obviously, they didn’t allow for fine motor actions like drawing or picking up sticks, but they did give her enough flexibility to handle her toys with ease.
 The design of the Snuguns means that kids can slip them on without any adult help, and they can go on either hand. You don’t need to worry about putting the wrong glove on the wrong hand here. The length that goes over the wrist is wide and flat and elasticated so the glove won’t slip off easily, and it can hold sleeves and jerseys in place. This is rather brilliant for icy cold weather as they’ll stop blasts of cold air from going up the sleeves.
I tried this out on a thick jersey, her thick winter coat, and her winter rain jacket, and the gloves (with a bit of wrestling every now and then) fit all of them. This gets it a big tick in my book.
The gloves have silicon dots that run along both sides of the hand section which make it easier for kids to grip things and, according to the instructions, reduce wear and tear on the fabric of the gloves themselves. I just think that the gloves look ace with them.
 Another design element that my daughter noticed was that there wasn’t a bundle of seams to scratch or tickle her hands. She hates seams (I don’t know why either) and the Snuguns only have one single flat seam down one side.
Now the sizing says that one size will fit three to 36 months but my four year old fits into them perfectly. She actually prefers them to “normal” gloves. They retail for £9.99, which isn’t a huge expense for six months of snuggly hands, and I think that the clever design and features make them well worth the price.
And Finally
The Snuguns sport some great features and are definitely very comfortable (I tried them on too) and I like the clever silicon spots for grip, as well as the fact that the long sleeve will fit over coats and jerseys. They come in a range of different colours and look adorable.
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By Tamsin Oxford in Deals on
3 September, 2010 at 11:00 am
 The Read at Home Complete Collection at The Book People is down from £123.69 to only £15 and includes 31 different books. It features all five levels – each one with six storybooks – and comes with a handbook that shows you how to make learning fun and successful for your child.
The books feature Kipper, Chip and Biff, and all the other popular Oxford Reading Tree characters and tie in neatly with what your children are already doing in their classes. The entire series has been specially written to allow you to support the progress your child is making at school.
The books included in the set are Picnic Time, The Snowman, Mum’s New Hat, Funny Fish, Silly Races, Dad’s Birthday, Ouch, The Monster Hunt, Super Dad, Poor Old Rabbit, I can Trick a Tiger, Floppy and the Bone, The Old Tree Stump, The Real Floppy, Dragon Danger, The Raft Race, The Spaceship, Missing, Arctic Adventure, Trapped and so many more.
Thanks to xmum2threex at HUKD!
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By Lynley Oram in Deals on
3 September, 2010 at 10:00 am
 These fleece blankets from Character are a great buy, especially for something snuggly when the colder weather sets in. We’ve had this Toy Story 3 one up before on here, and it is always worth repeating whenever it is available for this price. It has dropped again from £10.21 to £4.81 delivered at Amazon.
My son is Toy Story nuts. I couldn’t even begin to count how many Buzz Lightyears we have around the house. A friend bought him back some fabulous Buzz Lightyear pyjama’s from the US, and it is next to impossible to get him dressed in the morning when he’s wearing them! And all this is before Toy Story 3 came out. It is funny really to think, when he watches Toy Story over and over, about how the movie is twice as old as he is.
Now that he’s five years old he’s asked to have his room made over. The Teddy Bear curtains have to go, apparantly. And ditto his old Winnie the Pooh fleece blanket. It is a sad day really as I realise he hasn’t slept with his old Winnie, Piglet and Tiger soft toys for months now, and has stopped playing with the little Winnie the Pooh toys entirely.
 However, even at less than a fiver this one is going to have to hold for me until we get paid next week. All the spare cash this month went on his new school uniform. Even with using all the PlayPennies tips we’ve been sourcing for everyone here, it has still cost me a little bit shy of £100! I am sure it wasn’t that expensive to kit a 5 year old out when I was a child, surely!
Thanks to taswir1 at HUKD!
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By Tamsin Oxford in Deals on
3 September, 2010 at 9:00 am
 If you don’t own a printer because you find their usual prices prohibitive then this is the best deal ever. Only £12 for a printer. I’m pretty stunned myself. I just bought another printer for three times that amount last week so I’m kicking myself over this one!
This printer is easy to use and only has three simple controls – power, resume and cancel. It prints at 28ppm in black and white and at 21ppm when printing in colour. I am rather amazed that it even prints in colour!
Now one thing to bear in mind with most printers, especially HP, is that the machines don’t cost very much but the inks are very expensive. However, if you use it wisely then you can get several months out of every set of cartridges  and really squeeze value for money out of them.
Paying only £12 for a printer amazes me. I mean, I remember when home printers first hit the shelves and you needed a small mortgage to afford them. Now you can get one for less than a toy!
Thanks to Idn06 at HUKD!
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By Lynley Oram in Deals on
2 September, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Niche Home Ltd specialises in selling practical, but decorative and stylish, products for the home. This discount will get you 20% off anything on the site.
Click here for 20% discount at Niche Home Ltd
- Discount: 20%
- Minimum Spend: £0.00
- Voucher Code: 0810nh1
- Expires: 30th September 2010
Enter the code on the Basket page and you’ll see the discount deducted from the items before you go to checkout.
I love the items on this website. They’re quirky, fun but very useful. I think my favourite is the Puppy Doggie Doorstop in the Union Jack colours. We’ve got no need for anything like this now, but it would make a lovely gift for a new parent. There’s lots of other items in the nursery section that are highly desirable.
 The site also has a games and crafts section. I can highly recommend the Build It Space Rocket Kit, which my son received as a birthday present when he was 3. He absolutely loved putting it together and painting it. And, he still plays with it now two years later (although the nose cone has long gone). Strangely though, although the section is full of lovely craft and gift ideas, it isn’t easy to find! It wasn’t on the front page, and I only saw it when I clicked on the Nursery section.
Thanks to JustinJ at HUKD!
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By Tamsin Oxford in Freebies on
2 September, 2010 at 6:00 pm
 How would you like a free Stella Artois glass? Thought so…All you need to do is go to the site I’ve linked to below and follow my extremely easy instructions. I have done it myself, it works a charm, and I hope you get yourself a lovely beer glass for free.
When you get to the site, you need to click on the Claim Now button and you’ll be taken to a page that asks you to enter two special codes from promotional packs of Stella Artois. Never fear, for our trusty spies at HUKD have uncovered the code just for you.
LO 236MZ 18 19 098477
Enter this same code twice into the boxes provided. You won’t be able to copy and paste, though, it has to be painstakingly typed out. Once you’ve done that you can finish off the forms and wait patiently for your lovely free glass.
Score!
Thanks to batistawhc at HUKD!
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By Tamsin Oxford in Reviews on
2 September, 2010 at 5:00 pm
I recently reviewed the flushable wipes that I got from Method and really enjoyed them. The only downside was that they got dry quite quickly and the top didn’t reseal very well. Now I’ve just had the chance to play around with the Jackson Reece flushable wipes and I must say that I really like them too.
To start with, the pack that they come in is degradable. That’s just fab. And the wipes themselves are made from entirely organic ingredients so they’re gentle on your hands and skin. At first I thought these were also for cleaning the loo so it’s a good thing I opened them up.
Anyway! The Jackson Reece flushable wipes are just lovely if you don’t like the idea of using scary chemicals on your baby’s bottom. They have Tea Tree oil, aloe vera and lavender in them and they are free from alcohol, lanolin and parabens. I suffer from excema on my hands and I noticed a difference pretty quickly after using these. My daughter has very sensitive skin and these didn’t affect her the way other brands sometimes do.
These flushable wipes will completely degrade within eight days of being whisked down the loo and are made from 99% vegetable or plant extracts, including the preservatives. Am rather curious as to what that missing 1% is made of though.
 They are, however, a bit of a nightmare to haul out of the packet. I had to wrestle the first one out of there with both hands. A no-no for the mum covered in poo. But boy do they smell yummy. Seriously, I could sniff them all day.
While the Jackson Reece flushable wipes are not easy to snatch in an emergency, and they cost 92p for a pack of 10 (ouch!), they are really luxurious, soft and environmentally friendly.
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By Tamsin Oxford in Deals on
2 September, 2010 at 4:00 pm
 Still a LEGO lover? Miss the days when you could spend hours creating fanciful designs and leave a big mess for your parents to tidy up? Well splash out and nab yourself this retro funky light that’s designed to look like a huge chunk of LEGO. It’s down from £10.99 to £8.95 and you’ll probably have to pay for postage.
The lights are white LEDs and can be either mounted or carried around by hand as they run on three AAA batteries. They would be really lovely in a child’s room to act as a nightlight, or perhaps in a nursery or playroom.
These would make lovely stocking fillers for Christmas, or perhaps a sweet gift for an expectant mum. I think they are adorable and wouldn’t mind getting one of these for myself. Only, I don’t need one and my husband may cry if I get another nightlight…
Thanks to goonertillidie at HUKD!
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By Tamsin Oxford in Features on
2 September, 2010 at 3:00 pm
I recently bought a house. It’s our very first time as home owners and it’s been a pretty interesting (and rocky) ride. I have to admit that one of the biggest problems has been decorating the house on a very limited budget. There’s always something that needs fixing or replacing that’s far more important than making a room look pretty. I don’t know about you, but it has driven me slightly mad.
This weekend was the breaking point for me; I decided to stop rocking back and forth in a corner, crying over how boring my lounge looked, and to find a way of turning my house into a home on little to no budget.
 If you want to brighten up your walls, why not make some wall hangings of your own. You can do this without spending a fortune on fabrics or materials, and there are plenty of free ideas available on the net.
To start with, try knitting a wall hanging. Sound strange to you? Well, it’s no different than ye olde tapestries that hung in castles back in the day but this time you can create something that’s entirely your own. Whether you’re an avid knitter or have never picked up sticks before, there are patterns that you can use. And many of these are for free.
Start out by visiting sites like Ravelry, and searching for wall hangings. You’ll be amazed at what you can find. Patterns range from completely free, to an online purchase of only £2, to an entire book that will cost you £10 but has so many ideas that it will change your home. I am particularly impressed with the knitted wall hanging from Patons, this can be made by a beginner knitter with ease, and can be customised to suit your home perfectly.
 Some knitted wall decorations consist of mini items of clothes or kitchenware that you then peg onto a line and string along the wall. This can transform a nursery into something really special, or give a beautiful country feel to your kitchen.
And they won’t take you very long to make. Other ideas include Advent calendars (tis almost The Season), anigurami ornaments, plain cable-knit fabric stretched across a frame and mounted on the wall, and knitted bunting flags. My personal favourite are these knitted ceramic pots.
As you can see, there is a lot to choose from.
Some yarns cost quite a lot of money but you can get some of these for free or at massively reduced prices. Hunt around for yarn sales, especially now that the end of season stocks are going out, and visit knitting forums. I’ve landed several bags of gorgeous wool just because I happened to pop in on the yarn swap pages from time to time.  You can either swap yarn you don’t want, sell yarn, buy yarn at greatly reduced prices, or perhaps land some for free!
Another great place to nab discount yarn is at charity shops. It’s well worth trawling your area for these and you’ll likely get your knitting or crochet needles very cheaply from these shops too.
If knitting isn’t your thing and you want a new colour scheme, then get some paint for free. Difficult? Well, a little. Call around to all your friends and family and ask them to haul old tins of paint out for you. Once you’ve weeded out the dead from the useful, you can blend them, or just use one or two of them, to add spice to your house. You don’t need to paint all your walls either, one vivid and exciting colour on one wall is definitely de rigour at the moment.
 While this idea is quite brilliant in theory, you may not find enough paint to make a difference so your next step could be to consider making your own fabric wall art. Get discounted fabric by searching online, visiting sites like Gumtree, or hounding your local charity shops (there’s no rule that says you can’t shred a dress or a coat to get the fabric you want!).
It’s a good idea to aim for a fabric with a large scale pattern. Geometric shapes, plain colours with a splash of design, interesting (but not too busy) patterns and cute designs are ideal for these. Then pop into your nearest B&Q or art store (or even just visit the tip) to get yourself four lengths of wood. You’ll need to whip out your inner handyman when it comes to attaching the corners and the fabric but it isn’t a steep learning curve.
 Iron your fabric before you attach it to your frame, and cut more than you need so you have plenty to wrap around the back and sides. Then staple (or hammer) the fabric into the frame and, voila! Now you have a gorgeous fabric painting that’s utterly unique.
These are just a few simple ideas on how you can change a room, a wall, or even a mood in your home without getting an angry call from your bank manager. Since I started my mission, I’ve knitted some cushion covers to replace our old tatty ones, and a Patons wall hanging organiser that stores our house keys, spare change and important bills.
Happy home renovating! And please do share any of your own inventions, I’d love to see them.
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By Tamsin Oxford in Deals on
2 September, 2010 at 3:00 pm
 I love beanbags. I heart them. I would smother my house in them if left alone with a credit card for too long. There is something incredibly comforting about a bean bag, it brings back my childhood and makes me feel all snuggly. These rather lovely beanbags are now going for 20% off so grab one if they take your fancy.
- Discount: 20% off
- Minimum Spend: £0.00
- Applies To: All beanbags on the site
- Voucher Code: OFFER20
There are some lovely beanbags lurking on these pages. I am a fan of the Elephant cubes, they are lush for creating an eclectic feel in your living room, or adding a little extra comfort in your bedroom or kitchen.
 The different bags come in a huge range of colours, so you’re bound to find something that appeals to you and matches your home. One very clever design is the Elephant Multi that can be many different things – a bench, a sofa, a futon, a day bed and a playmat.
Then there is the Beatnik range for the slightly insane, the Elephant Jumbo for the beanbag aficionado and the dog bed for pet lovers.
Thanks to tombarretuk at HUKD!
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