Yummy bunting

The homespun/Scandi red-and-white look is huge for Christmas this year, along with the idea being that you don’t have to spend a fortune on decorations. That’s all well and good, however if you’re not particularly crafty, handmade decs usually look a bit amateur.

Not so this friendly gingerbread bunting. So simple a child could do it, it looks really effective, and is perfect for stringing from a tree, mirror or mantlepiece (well, as long as you don’t hang it near toddlers or dogs!)

Using any recipe you like, just make a batch of gingerbread men biscuits, and pierce two holes in their tummies before you bake ’em…

…then, when they’re cool, ice them (although you can leave them blank) and thread red ribbon through the holes. Easy eh?!

For everything you need to make the bunting, such as cutters (£2) and grosgrain ribbon (£1.05 per metre), visit Hobbycraft

Baby, you can drive my car

Our son Sam is nearly three and, being a ‘big boy’, he really needs a ‘big boy’ car seat. But anyone who’s ever tried to buy a child’s car seat will know that there’s not a huge amount of choice out there – most are boring black in colour, and you often have to choose between one that clips into the ISOFIX points between the seats; and one that works in any model of car (but that may not feel quite as secure).

So, I was really excited to be asked to try out a new breed of car seat from trendy company Cybex. Winning rave reviews almost everywhere, the Group 1 Juno 2-Fix model (above, being modelled by Sam) not only includes a unique, specially-designed safety lap cushion, which works a bit like an airbag; plus extra side impact protection, but also comes in a whole host of cool colourways:

At £185, it’s not the cheapest on the market, but it will last from nine months to four years’ old (9-18kg, way longer than many other car seats) and what’s more, the lightweight design can be used with or without ISOFIX, meaning it’s great for taking away on holiday or using in Granny’s car when she’s doing babysitting duty.

So, what did Sam and I think? The seat was ridiculously easy to fit and took under a minute – you either clip it into the ISOFIX seats, or simply place it on the back seat of your car (below left). Then, once your child is sat down in it, you slot the safety cushion in front, and thread the rear seat belt through the slots in the cushion (below right):

While Sam took a bit of coaxing to try the new seat out, he could climb into it by himself, and soon got the hang of the ‘special table’ cushioned section. In fact, he seemed quite snug and cosy, as you can see below. My only reservation is that the lovely cushion with its fancy embroidery may not look quite so pristine after he’s rested his grubby paws on it a few times!

Now we’ll just just have to see whether he’s still happy in it after a three-hour trip to see relatives in the New Year. Fingers crossed…

PS: Cybex make other designs too, including two rear-facing designs, the Aton Q (below, left, from birth to 18 months) and the award-winning Sirona (below, right, from birth to four years), which, like other rear-facing car seats, reduce the risk of injury in a head-on collision by more than 80% when compared to a conventional forward-facing seat with harness. You can read more about them and several other cool designs at cybex-online.com

NB: Thanks to Cybex for providing the Juno 2-Fix car seat for Sam to try out!

 

Which is the more rein-dear?

What’s the difference between these two large silver reindeer tealight holders?

£99, that’s what!

Yep, the one on the left, from Marks and Spencer (here) is £129; while the one on the right, from Sainsbury’s (here) is £30.

Go grab that bargain by the antlers!

 

 

Branching out

Here’s a nice idea for an easy-yet-effective Christmas decoration.

Buy a pack of felt snowflakes, £6 for nine from Next (here), then hang them from a small tree branch you’ve painted with some white paint (any leftover white wall emulsion should do the trick).

You can then hang the branch from a wall, or stand it up, tree-like, in a jar filled with pebbles/screwed up brown paper/marbles etc.

Simple!

PS: Obviously, any decoration would look good hung like this, but keeping them all the same design/shape/colour will look the most effective.

Goodbye pine needles!

Real Christmas trees are lovely – the look, the smell… but they’re also a faff.

So, if you’re looking for an alternative, try this amazing light-up tree from BHS. At 50cm tall, it’s perfect for small spaces; takes just minutes to set up; won’t drop pine needles everywhere; will look good year after year… oh, and unlike the real thing, the cat won’t want to play with the branches.

Whether you stand it on a shelf, mantlepiece or table; or hang it on the wall, I guarantee it’s the coolest Christmas decoration you’ll see all year.

Get your Christmas Tree Light here for £120.

PS: It’s awards season in the blogging world again, and I’m very excited to be nominated in this years’ blogging Oscars, the UK Blog Awards – in both the ‘Lifestyle’ and the ‘Most Innovative’ categories. So, if you enjoy reading this blog as much as I enjoy writing it, I’d be honoured if you’d click on the below links and vote for me. Voting takes literally seconds – you just enter your name and email address – and would make me incredibly happy!
To vote for me in the ‘Lifestyle’ category, click here:
http://www.blogawardsuk.co.uk/candidates/the-treasure-hunter-uk-2/
To vote for me in the ‘Most Innovative Blog’ category, click here:
http://www.blogawardsuk.co.uk/candidates/the-treasure-hunter-uk/
If you only feel like voting once, please vote in the Lifestyle category. Voting closes on 3rd December.
Thank you!

In for a pound at Christmas

Check out these gorgeous supersized gold paper stars (above), which are perfect for hanging from windows, banisters or walls. You’d imagine they’d be fairly expensive….

…but nope, you can get two for just £1 at – whisper it – Poundland.

And how about this cool Scandi-style peg wreath for holding cards…

Yep, it’s just £1 too, at Poundland.

And this on-trend honeycomb tree, and set of red and white bells? That’s right, just one pound (and in the case of the bells, £1 for ten)!

Proving you don’t have to spend a fortune on nice-looking Christmas decorations, Poundland have come up with some corking bits and bobs to make your house look lovely. I also like this tasteful felt ‘Merry Christmas’ banner:

And this jewel-coloured tinsel wreath, tabletop tree and glittertastic baubles:

They also have some fab little metal tealight houses, in red and white, which would look amazing in a row on a mantlepiece; dainty felt snowflake bunting; and supersized paper stars in other colours:

In fact, I reckon, you could probably kit out an entire room for around a tenner at Poundland, and no-one would ever guess where you got it all from. Race you to the checkout!

All the decs in the room above are from Poundland!

PS: It’s awards season in the blogging world again, and I’m very excited to be nominated in this years’ blogging Oscars, the UK Blog Awards – in both the ‘Lifestyle’ and the ‘Most Innovative’ categories. So, if you enjoy reading this blog as much as I enjoy writing it, I’d be honoured if you’d click on the below links and vote for me. Voting takes literally seconds – you just enter your name and email address – and would make me incredibly happy!
To vote for me in the ‘Lifestyle’ category, click here:
http://www.blogawardsuk.co.uk/candidates/the-treasure-hunter-uk-2/
To vote for me in the ‘Most Innovative Blog’ category, click here:
http://www.blogawardsuk.co.uk/candidates/the-treasure-hunter-uk/
If you only feel like voting once, please vote in the Lifestyle category. Voting closes on 3rd December.
Thank you!