Posts Tagged ‘Bedroom’
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By Tamsin Oxford in Deals on
29 July, 2010 at 4:00 pm
ASOS have a rather impressive range of cool clothes for parents and kids, with a load of different designs and styles to choose from. You can happily uncover bargains here, if you spend some time hunting around, or you can just go in and get yourself a special treat. Why not! After all, until Friday you will get free next day delivery on anything you buy.
The site isn’t that easy to navigate really, I’ve definitely worked with better in the past, but if you type ‘clearance’ into the search bar at the top you’ll get a list of all the items that are currently on sale. You’ll find quite a bit here and should be able to sort out your make-up and night time attire for a bargain.
When you check out, though, don’t forget to select Next Day Delivery to qualify and that this all expires by 5pm tomorrow. I wish you happy shopping and bargain finding.
Thanks to bargainhunter10 at HUKD!
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By Tamsin Oxford in Deals on
29 July, 2010 at 3:00 pm
 These hangers from M&S are truly adorable and have been marked down to a palatable £2. I must admit that initially I was wary of posting this deal because they really do seem like a frivolity rather than a necessity. I certainly wouldn’t have paid the original £9.50 for two hangers, no matter how cute they are.
Your £2 gets you two wooden hangers with adorable designs on them and that measure out at 31×14x3cm. The hangers sport either a zebra or giraffe motif. They are really cute actually, and they fit into my idea of the Dream Nursery that has everything co-ordinated and beautiful. Sadly, my nursery wasn’t like that, although I did get the colours to match!
Personally I wouldn’t buy these for myself but, at this price, I would get them for a mum who was expecting as a cute little gift to make her smile. The original price is just insane though. Who pays £10 for two hangers? Surely that would mean spending at least £100 to get enough for a basic wardrobe?
Thanks to millarcat at HUKD!
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By Tamsin Oxford in Deals on
28 July, 2010 at 3:00 pm
Oooh, little fans of these little creatures will love this single duvet set from the hit TV series Waybaloo. Personally, I just don’t get it and my daughter isn’t a big fan, really, but I know loads of people who rate this series. So, if you fancy adding to your child’s bedroom linen sets then here is a total bargain from Play.com.
This is actually one very cute little set though, no matter what you may think of the show. And Baloo and Yo JoJo is one of our favourites, in as much as we have favourites that is. Anyway, this is a very gender non-specific set for those of you wanting to buy a gift for a little girl or boy and not sure as to which is their favourite character or colours.
It’s definitely a good one for the Christmas stocking at this price, or a lovely little birthday gift if you’ve got parties coming up. It comes with a single duvet and a matching pillowcase and is just adorable. And have I mentioned that it is only £6.99? With free delivery? Awesome.
Thanks to millarcat at HUKD!
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By Tamsin Oxford in Reviews on
27 July, 2010 at 1:00 pm
In honour of the festival and camping season, these delectably warm and toasty summer days, PlayPennies was sent some adorable sleeping bags and self-inflatable mattresses to review. Parents can choose from a funky flower design called Flowies Rose, or a DINO Explorer range with lots of lovely dinosaurs.
While I appreciate that perhaps girls won’t like dinosaurs or boys won’t like flowers, I’m not a fan of forcing a gender stereotype on anyone so I won’t be allocating a gender to this review.
 How cool is this? I loathe having to blow up/pump up anything. I think old age has rendered me incapable of blowing up even balloons, so getting in a mat that will do all the hard work for me is pure genius.
The two different self-inflatable mats we were sent had either a funky green and red dinosaur pattern or a pretty lilac and green flower pattern. They have plenty of other colours and designs on their site too, so if neither of these appeal to you there will be others there that you might like.
The mattress didn’t take long to sort out. I only had to slip it out of the included cover and follow the simple instructions. You have to do a teeny bit of inflating at first. I suppose this is to activate it or something, but it didn’t demand a lot of effort to do.
After about five minutes, as opposed to the advertised two, the mattress was fully inflated and ready to go. I had to top it up a bit after a while but this is quite normal for most inflatable mattresses as the fabric settles.
My daughter adored it. She lay down on it and refused to get off. It’s really a lovely size for her (she’s four) and its dimensions are 160×51x3cm. Because we didn’t have any camping trips planned in time for this review I did a field test in the lounge. My daughter was set up with the sleeping bag (see below) and snugly ensconced on the mattress for the night.
 I must admit that I expected lots of cries of, “Mooommeee” to continue throughout the night, but instead she did her usual three (a wee, a drink and a cuddle) and fell straight to sleep. In fact, because of the novelty value, we got an extra hour of sleep that morning. Oh, how I wish I could keep this mattress!
The only down sides, for me, are the fact that the site is determined to make them gender specific, and that the dinosaurs were a bit disappointing. I would have hoped for something a bit more detailed than the plain black images.
These retail for around £17.99 which feels like a good price for a product that does all the hard work and looks good for kids.
 The same designs seen on the self-inflating mattresses are repeated on the sleeping bags but with some neat little extras. Flowies has a fairy motif while the dinosaurs have, well, a dinosaur motif. The bags come with a cap compression sack and measure 165×70x40cm. They are really cute and my daughter just adored hers.
What makes these quite impressive is the long list of specifications. They come with a ridge hood and thermocollar insulation around the shoulder area for extra protection. There is a full length zip baffle complete with an anti-snag guard (thank goodness!) and an inside mesh pocket for storing all those little toys and secret things.
The fabric, for those of you who are camping buffs, is 230T microfibre polyester.
I have to admit that, in spite of a life of camping up and down two continents, I am possibly the worst roller-upper-of-sleeping-bags in the universe. I have been incapable of reducing a sleeping bag to the size it needs for insertion into tiny bag from Day One.
 Sadly, this is no exception. I sweated, heaved and rolled until I gave up and had a sulk. This isn’t really a good basis for a review though, because my husband ambled in and did it in seconds. I think, perhaps, sleeping bags have it in for me. Possibly they’ve teamed up with spiders to keep me on my toes.
These Outwell sleeping bags sit in the region of £22.99, a reasonable price for a quality sleeping bag methinks. I love the patterns and styles available and felt that this was a good quality product that appealed to its target market.
And Finally
As a special surprise for PlayPennies readers we are giving away two complete sets of the Outwell kids range to two lucky winners. Check out the competition here and follow the simple instructions to win. I really do recommend these products to future parental campers and festival goers so good luck to you all!
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By Tamsin Oxford in Deals on
21 July, 2010 at 3:00 pm
 Well, it seems that Peppa Pig fans are in for a treat this July with every other Peppa Pig branded item marked down and at discounted prices. This toddler bed has the Peppa Pig motif all over it and is just perfect for a first bed.
The fun printed head and footer boards will entrance tots that love the TV series, and the protective side panels prevent bedtime tumbles as you little ones get used to side-free sleeping. Although, if your children are anything like mine, they will have somehow shifted all the way down to the bottom of the bed, and then fallen off.
The bed is easy to assemble, is ideal for children 18 months and older and measures 59×77x145cm. It is made from a sturdy MDF construction so it should last you quite a while. I must point out, though, that the mattress is not included in the price.
Originally £50, the saving isn’t huge (especially if you arrange for home delivery) but does make it that little bit more affordable. If you want something Peppa branded that isn’t a bed, why not take a look at their deluxe Peppa Pig playhouse that’s down to £25.60.
Thanks to lisanorthants at HUKD!
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By Tamsin Oxford in Freebies on
16 July, 2010 at 3:00 pm
Ladies and gents I am on a roll this week! Freebies are being uncovered across the interwebs and here lies another delightful deal that will hopefully get you grinning. This free sample pack of QV products includes their amazing moisturiser that is number one in Oz (apparently).
All you have to do is fill in the registration form on the page and they’ll send you a free pack of yummy goodies. Please note that these can only be despatched to UK addresses, so if you live in Ireland then get a UK mate to send you one!
This bumper freebie gift has come about because QV are launching in the UK and are trying to get as many people involved as possible. You never know, these products may be better than anything you’ve used before.
In fact, I am dying to know what you mums with babies think of these products so, if you do order this freebie, then please pop back on here and let me know. It would be good to hear your reviews.
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By Tamsin Oxford in Deals on
14 July, 2010 at 6:00 pm
There are some stunning bargains to be had at Fragrance Direct, with savings of up to 70% on the usual high street prices. So much so, that I’m wondering what truck they all fell off! Seriously, if your beauty cupboard needs some sorting out and plumping up, then amble on over here.
Once again I have to mention that the intrepid Amibees was the man who helped us find this lovely deal and he should get a hearty round of applause. This is an ace find! Some of the darlings I discovered include the following….
Bourjois Volume Glamour Mascara £4.50, Elizabeth Arden All Gone Eye and Make-Up Remover £5.00, Olay Quench Ultra Moisture Mousse £2.50, Calvin Klein Purity Pressed Powder £5.95, Skin Doctors Potent C Skin Renewal System £49.95 (down from £99).
The site is really quite cute and I love the pink and blue people hovering over the products to tell you whether or not they are suitable for girls or boys. A really nice touch, I thought, that meant guys wouldn’t have to spend hours clicking on the wrong products. Or girls. Grin.
Thanks to amibees at HUKD!
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By Tamsin Oxford in Deals on
13 July, 2010 at 7:00 pm
 John Lewis have bundled a bunch of goodies together and slapped a massive reduction on them all, dropping some down to as low as £1, and other at really excellent clearance prices. You can find clothing, home accessories and much more included in the sale and, hopefully, you’ll net a bargain or three.
I must admit that I tend to have a bit of a giggle when it comes to John Lewis sales. A part of me thinks, “Was £1 million, now only £500,00”, as they are quite expensive normally. Some of the items in this sale  are genuinely brilliant reductions while others, for me, just seem to now be marked down to a normal price.
Some of the real deals I uncovered include a Mango silk dress down from £70 to £19.90, pillowcases for as little as £2, lampshades for as little as £5, jumpers for £10, selected shoes down to £19.50, and underwear down to £6.
Thanks to yummy_mummy1985 at HUKD!
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By Lynley Oram in Reviews on
12 July, 2010 at 7:00 pm
 It’s that time of the year. The going-on holiday time of the year. A sun-kissed white sand beach on an island somewhere. A campsite on the British coast. A festival in a field. Does it really matter? It is a holiday, a change of scenery, a time to recharge the batteries!
I did a lot of travelling when I was on maternity leave. After all, why not make the most of getting six months or more off ? On the first trip, we went to Hong Kong when my son was two months old. I looked for the lightest, easiest to carry, travel bassinet I could find.
Now in those early days of motherhood I admit I bought a lot of crud. I was a sucker for every gimmicky thing going. I had no idea if the Samsonite Pop Up Travel Cot would actually be of any use, but it looked the business. Tiny – seriously tiny. It folds up into a small round bag about the same size as a medium sized frying pan.
It’s made with some of that springy stuff they use in pop-up tents. And it works the same way. Pull it out of the bag and it simply pings open. I then spent the next ten minutes looking for the little metal rod that you have to insert to keep the end of the bassinet part from collapsing. After which I realised I hadn’t actually seen how it was when it came out of the bag, so had no idea how to put it back together to get it in again.
 Actually all you have to do is, after you’ve taken out the metal rod, is hold each end in each hand, twist into a letter 8 shape, and push it together. It then slides into the tiny bag. Did I mention how tiny it is?
Once baby gets a bit mobile and is rolling about or attempting to crawl, then there’s no point in even bothering with this cot. But for the really little ones, the Samsonite pop-up travel cot is fine.
It comes with a mosquito net, which is one reason I bought it. However, I wouldn’t rely on this for malarial areas. It didn’t fill me with complete confidence that it could keep out mossies entirely. However it will keep flies and other creepy crawlies off your sleeping baby. You could wrap a mossie net around it for extra protection.
The mattress was a lot thinner than I was expecting. I didn’t think that my son would find that comfortable at all but it didn’t seem to bother him at all. Still, I used to put a blanket underneath when on wood or tiled floors for extra protection.
 It also got a nickname, courtesy of my four year old nephew who christened it ‘The Boat’. Because actually, that’s pretty much what it looks like, with the hood up and the prow shaped front!
My verdict? This was actually one piece of gimmicky baby equipment that I got a lot of use out of, from hotels in the far east to staying at grandma’s.
Have you travelled with a young baby? What did you use for a bassinet?
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By Tamsin Oxford in Deals on
8 July, 2010 at 6:00 pm
 In keeping with the fabulousness that is our month of festivals, here is an awesome kids sleeping bag from Argos for a mere £5.99. I wouldn’t necessarily take it up Mount Everest or to the Antarctic, but for a couple of festival nights it’s a winner.
The sleeping bag is green with animals printed down the front. Also, it looks like there may be a train. Not sure, but seeing as trains are cool that can only be a good thing. The sleeping bag also boasts a 250gsm hollowfibre filling with polyester lining and is washable. It doesn’t say if this is machine friendly…
A compression bag is included with the sleeping bag and it hits a size of 15×70cm and comes with a six month manufacturer’s guarantee. There isn’t really much more to say about this chap, other than that it is a little more boyish looking (if your kids are fussy about colours) so girls may not like it too much.
Frankly, for £5, this is too good a deal to miss and my daughter can just sleep in it or go cold. No matter what you decide, I hope you get use out of this deal and enjoy whatever festival you’re planning on attending this year.
Thanks to goonertillidie at HUKD!
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