Annabel Karmel Childrens Baking Utensils by Casdon.

I'm excited to share with you the brand new range of Annabel Karmel Children's Baking utensils by Casdon.

Popular role play toy company Casdon teamed up with cookery book writer Annabel Karmel to create a range of cooking toys that really work. Phil Cassidy the joint Managing Director of the company confirmed that the selection of toys includes mixing bowls, cake moulds, decoration tools and baking accessories.

I received a few samples of the new range to share with you.

My children love to make things in the kitchen, and with my little boy being a very fussy eater, anything that helps to get him interested in food is a good thing with me!

Both my children love pizza so we were very excited to see the Annabel Karmel Mini Pizza Set.

Which comes with a mini pizza pan with holes, a rolling pin and a safe pizza cutter - the set also includes 2 recipes to try out. The pizza pan is an individual children's size pizza so I think I might need to buy a second set!

Annabel Karmel Mini Cupcake Set With Utensils is a 12 hole mini muffin pan with reusable silicone cases and 3 silicone utensils with 2 recipes. We haven't yet made any mini fairy cakes but I'm impressed with the quality and size - the recipes look amazing too! Having used 2 of Annabel Karmel's cookbooks during the weaning process I'm looking forward to trying these out.

The Annabel Karmel My Perfect Pastry Set is amazing - Look how large the mixing bowl is in kit and there are enough cookie cutters for both children to be entertained at the same time.

10 cookie cutters, 1 round baking tin, 6 measuring spoons, I spatula, 1 measuring jug, 1 mixing bowl (non slip base) 1 whisk, 1 rolling pin, 1 mini tart pan and 10 recipes to try!

The sets are not toys, they are fully functioning utensils - very good quality and the baking trays are better than my own ones! 

Blake and Maegan Clement with home made pancakes - thank you Grandma!

Emma in Bromley xx

Disclaimer: I received the 3 featured Annabel Karmel baking sets from Casdon for the point of this review, all photos and thoughts are my own. 

Summer Lovelines From George Asda - GeorgeousDresses

I've got a suitcase full of summer loveliness to share with you all from the George at Asda collection!
Now, I have to confess that whilst I often buy childrens clothing from George, this was a first for my own clothes and I have to say, I'm a very happy lady!

Not only did I receive some wonderful items for myself, but also swimwear and towels or the children and the suitcase itself!
I'm loving the great range of womens dresses available - there's plenty of gorgeous georgeous dresses to choose from. #GeorgeousDresses

The Stripe Skirted Dress

I love the navy and cream stripe bodice, skinny red belt and flirty navy skirt on this dress - the skirt is lined which I just love and the fit is good on the arm holes - I'm between sizes at the moment so I went with the larger one because I wouldn't want the stripes to distort and I'm pleased with the way it fits. I don't like my upper arms so I've been teaming this with either a red or cream short sleeve cardi.

The Jumpsuit  

I'd been after trying a blue jumpsuit for a while but worried I'd look like a minion! Luckily, this one from George has loose legs, a high belted waist and flattering wrap detail - I'm only 5'2" so for me, I need to wear my tallest heels (any excuse!) I'm between sizes (12/14) and went for a 12 in this and it's forgiving enough to fit nicely - I'd say this would flatteringly accomadate a 10-14 range and its so soft and comfortable!

The Button Back Lace Top

I've had so many lovely comments when I wear this top! It's beautiful, it's made up of two parts - a vest and a lace overlay. 

The vest is incredibly soft but in my opinion, a little short, so I've worn my own vest underneath on a few occasions. The lace is really pretty and the open back with two covered buttons is a beautiful detail. I went for this in navy but it's available in red too.

The Swimsuit

I have yet to be brave enough to swim, hopefully after I shed some pounds! But I am impressed with my George swimsuit - lightly padded cups and a bit of a skirt on a body sculpt swimsuit. I love the pattern, something a bit more exciting than plain black this time! 

Floral Skirt and Swimsuit

My daughter, Maegan (age 4) looks super sweet in this vintage-esque floral print swimsuit with a matching separate skirt. Really cute details such as the gingham trim, ruffles and pretty bows - its a winner!

The Swim Shorts 

Blake (age 6) is such a cool dude in these beach print swim shorts - they come with a corded, elasticated waist and the usual mesh lining. The print is brilliant and the fabric is fast drying, Blake loves them!

Beach Towels

What better way to dry off than with these brilliant disney print beach towels!

The Suitcase

Emerald green strong hard shell case, cleverly has a zipped expander so you can increase the inner area. Easy to move on 4 wheels with an extendending handle - so easy to operate, my 6 year old loved being in charge (he insisted!) of the suitcase on our trip to the Hanbury Manor! Inspiring Paris embossed scene. Interior has a mesh storage divider making it great to organise your things.

Emma in Bromley xx




Disclaimer: I received these lovely George items for the purpose of this blogpost. 

Vax Air Cordless Lift from Direct Vacuums

I'd had my eye on a cordless vacuum (our current vacuum cleaner was getting a bit old and tired), I'd fancied one of those stick ones because they just look light and convenient. Having small children, I find that the convenience factor is a priority - I need to clean up quick and easily! So when an opportunity arose to review a cordless Vax from Direct Vacuums (Vax Air Cordless Lift) I was very excited - I'm already a fan of Vax - I love their steam cleaner! My new gadget arrived and although it wasn't a stick one, I have to say I couldn't love it enough and in hindsight I now realise this was actually what I needed - not a stick one! you see this is a full size vacuum but has the nifty feature of being able to lift out making a quick. easy to use and convenient instant clean up!

Direct Vacuums (by AP Taylor) focus on refurbished items, I've never bought refurbished before so I wasn't sure what to expect. My Vax arrived in its box, and was immaculate, shrink wrapped, clean and nothing at all to indicate it was anything other than a brand new product. The box had a lovely sticker on the top with instructions for if you had changed your mind - Direct Vacuums will even come and collect the item from you if you have - and inside the box was the original instruction booklet, plus a note from the company wit helpline info and details on where to find the manual online if it wasn't contained. 

I couldn't wait to have a go - this cordless Vax comes with 2 batteries so you don't have to worry about it running out - they last for 60 mins on a full charge which is great anyway - I popped a battery on charge straight away. 

The first thing I tackled was the stairs, for some unknown reason, our stairs always look like they need a good vac!

I removed the bagless cylinder from the stand to make it much easier to handle the stairs  - as they were in such a dusty state, I used the boost button - this Vax has a magical button which gives the suction a bit of a turbo boost! There's also a really cool light on the machine and its really simple to move around.

The Vax Air Cordless Lift is great for both carpet and hard floors - there is a simple button to turn on/off the carpet brushes. We have wooden floors on the landing, hallway, bathroom, living room and playroom with carpet on the stairs, bedrooms, vinyl in the utility room and a stone floor in the kitchen so this function is brilliant for our mixture of flooring.

As it is a full size Vax, the dust collector holds a lot which is actually much more useful that the amount you can hold in the stick vacuums which is why I'm pleased to have this one instead. 

The cordless feature makes it a lot easier to use on quick jobs and makes it much more convenient to use, especially with small people around! no need to worry about anyone playing with the cord, its reach (on my old corded vac, I often over stretched and almost pulled the plug out of the wall by accident) and there's nothing to get tangled around furniture etc.

A bit more about AP Taylor, Direct Vacuums and Refurbished appliances. 

AP Taylor, the UK’s largest authorised online seller of manufacturer refurbished and graded products, have unveiled their brand new ecommerce website under the business brand; Direct Vacuums.
Up until now, Direct Vacuums has been trading on eBay and Amazon, and has become one of the largest and most successful eBay traders across Europe and possibly worldwide.
With the explosion in demand forDirect Vacuums refurbished products, the next natural step for the business was to create an online presence that showcased their full range of refurbished household appliances effectively, with the added advantage of the new website becoming the central hub for all multi-channel orders.
The business is the only authorised reseller of Electrolux, AEG, Zanussi, Hoover and Vax graded products, all of which will be available on the new online store along with many other appliance brands.

My first experience of a refurbished appliance has been a good one and I would definitely shop with Direct Vacuums again, the product come with a guarantee and come at a much more affordable price. I also noticed that the website sold other items such as the cleaning fluid one of my other appliances uses at a much cheaper price :-)

My Vax - Vax Air Cordless Lift U85-ACLG -B has an RRP of £349.99 and is sold on Direct Vacuums for £119.99

Emma in Bromley x







Disclaimer:
I received the Vax Air Cordless Lift from Direct Vacuums in return for my review. 

Dora and Friends Toys and Sing Along Summer

I'm pleased to share with you the new Dora and Friends range of toys that is launching on July 27^th.

I was sent a few of the new items to share with you:

Dora and Friends Dolls

Both Dora and Alana are ready for their Doggie Day 

8" doll dressed in outfits inspired by the television show, they have poseable arms and legs and soft hair. In true animation style, they have large heads in proportion to their bodies and removable clothing so you can swap outfits.

The dolls come with a small dog each which are also compatible with the Fisher-Price Dora charm bracelets too. 

Dora and Friends Dora Talk and Play Smartphone is packed with  lots of songs and both spanish and english phrases from the show characters as well as flashing red and green lights - my only niggle is there isn't an off switch.

The Dora and Friends Charm Bracelet sets by Fisher-Price are lovely - very easy to mix and match, the charms simply pop on to the proud stems on the bracelet and stand proud so you can really show them off to your friends or even share them, there's plenty to go around. 

There's also an exciting tour this summer - There will be a Dora sing along booth that will be touring around, in which children can sing along with Dora to her songs as well as visit the costume character for photo opportunities at some of the tour venues. 

Symths Toys

• Waterfields Retail Park, Watford (Dora Costume Character)  -27^th July
• Westwood Cross Shopping Park, Thanet  - 28^th July
• St. David’s Retail Park, Swansea –29^th July
• Crown retail park, Leeds (Dora Costume Character) – 31^st July
• Clifton Moor Retail Park, York (Costume Character) – 3^rd August
• Ravenhead Retail park, St.Helens  -5^th August
• Halls Mill Retail Park, Bury -6^th August
• Middle Engine Lane, Wallsend –10^th August
• Glasgow fort shopping park, Glasgow (Costume Character) –12^th August
• Beach Boulevard, Aberdeen (Costume Character) – 14^th August

Sky stands

·         Brent Cross, London - 18^th 19^th July

·         Centre MK, Milton Keynes –25^th – 26^th July

·         White Rose, Leeds  - 1^st- 2^nd August

·         Intu Eldon Square, Newcastle  -8^th – 9^th August

·         Bon Accord, Aberdeen – 15^th – 16^th August

There is going to be a Twitter Frenzy on July 27^th at between 11am and 12noon with lots of prizes to be won with @UKmumsTV #DoraSingAlong 

Nick Jr between 10am and 1pm every day from 17th July will be showing on screen lyrics to all the songs and theme tunes as part of Nick Jr's Sing-Along Summer.

For more information please visit

http://www.ukmums.tv/hot-topics/nick-jr-s-sing-along-summer-with-dora-and-friends-is-coming-to-a-town-near-you

or http://www.nickjr.co.uk/_/sing-along-summer/

Emma in Bromley xx

Disclaimer

I received a box full of the New Dora and Friends toys and goodies in exchange for reviewing them and sharing info on this event.