Birthday Treats And Pretty Things

It was my birthday not long ago, so I thought I would share some of the pretty things that came my way. Family and friends must know me so well as I just loved everything and I was overwhelmed with people's thoughtfulness. Especially the husband's it has to be said. Look what he brought up to me in bed on my birthday morning....

Tea is my most favourite drink in the world and for me you can't beat that drinking it in bed feeling. I felt very spoilt and when the family brought me up the presents, well, I felt VERY spoilt indeed....

Oh just yum! I like to savour every second, so carefully opened the cards first, knowing it wouldn't be long before I would be diving into a lovely pile of presents. Miss. Poppins' card to me was perfect and as I am always thinking of cake, very me....

 The presents arrived in a bag ( which I kind of knew I was getting ) and I love it so very much, very Pip Studio I thought....

I opened this cute little matching set of nail files first, so handy to pop in the bag. When out and about I often want a nail file but have none to hand....

Next up was this beautiful Vintage Love perfume from M&S. Oh I just love the vintage style bottle and having seen it on lovely blogger Gem's Instagram a while ago, I knew I had to have it, thank you so much husband for remembering....

I had to have a little CK in there too. When we get desperate I can't believe I actually hand out my 'for special occasions only' CK paper napkins to the children when having their beans on toast or whatever. It is no wonder I am always wanting to restock. So these were a lovely surprise from my lovely little Poppins....

I am forever moaning that I can't work out how to upload music onto things and how I miss my old fashioned tape walkman. What a lovely birthday treat from Mr. Poppins this is, hopefully shall make things easier and he even had a soppy personal inscription on the back which I love and makes me smile....

I also kind of knew I may be getting these converse-esque shoes from the children, I was with them when they got them, they are so very pink and very me.....

So, I was very spoilt by my lovely family, and just love my new birthday gifts. We then went to Wales for a little holiday and I saw my brother, and he gave me yet more birthday gifts, all with a lovely heart theme.  Who cannot but fall in love with this pretty Emma Bridgewater hearts tray. Thumbs up to my brother, and his lovely female friend who helped him choose....

What a delightful hearts inspired draught excluder....

And I am so enjoying what pretty things I can pop on the adorable heart magnetic board he got me....

He knows of my love of CK too, so I gave a big smile when I opened these....

Well, thank you bruv. Guess I better up the stakes when it comes to your birthday, which is soon ;) The owner of the store who I know, found out through their chatting that he was buying gifts for me, and she even popped in a little something too. How very kind, and I just love the pretty scarf she got me....

 My lovely Sister In Law gave me this divine sequinned collar....

And these pretty earrings....

So I think you may agree, some lovely birthday treats indeed, and I have been a very lucky birthday girl....

I thought I would also share some pretty things that have come my way, which I have bought here and there and many of which were super bargains. Firstly, I had been hankering after this vintage style limited edition Colgate toothpaste. I searched and searched to no avail. Then on one my jaunts to Home Bargains, I found it. It's not to be used of course, just to look pretty and vintage-y in the enamel mug in the bathroom ;) A bargaintastic 55p a tube....

Many of you may know my shopping habits tend to leave me with little buying obsessions. Oven gloves seem to be the order of day right now, and I can't seem to get enough of cheap and cheerful ones. These were from Asda, in the sale at £3....

Yes yes, I know we haven't really had any kind of proper summer, but I seem to live in flip flops all year round, so couldn't resist these floraly Fat Face ones, again in the sale at £5....

My love of vintage just keeps growing and growing and I really enjoy my time browsing vintage bits and bobs. I picked these 4 green glass dishes up for a £1....

My posy collection is growing well, especially when I keep finding pretty ones like this, again at only £1....

I had to have these brand new crafty items, purchased from one of the stalls at a horse show we went to. A lovely pink knitted tea cosy which I seem to have photographed upside down....

And this gorgeous knitted corsage....

I thought this beautiful handmade bag the bargain of the day....

And I loved these laminated prints that I bought and am going to use as place mats....

So a little post packed with new pretties, hope you enjoyed!

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Back To School With Tesco

I can't believe how quickly this summer holiday is going. Soon it shall be time for the children to get their new uniforms on and their school bags ready. For the past two years Tesco Back To School have provided Miss and Master Poppins with a little back to school bundle to try out and everytime I have always been impressed with the quality and feel of Tesco's school wear. There have been many fantastic improvements to the range and it is so refreshing to hear that Tesco have taken on board customer feedback and acted on it by improving quality and construction amongst other things.

The bundle we received had in it unisex polo shirts, a two pack pair of trousers, a skirt, socks and vests, jumpers, and even a pair of school shoes for them. As it is the summer holidays the Tesco team were very thoughtful and also popped a couple of summertime children activites in too. A paint and plasticine set which has proved very popular with the Poppins....

I think there can be much competition amongst brands when it comes to school wear and we all know school uniform items can be bought at a much lesser cost nowadays, on occasion in the past  I have found when buying a much cheaper product the quality isn't always there. However I can honestly say Tesco come up trumps for me in the quality stakes. Miss. Poppins' school skirt from their basic range, priced at £1.75 and that has been mentioned in the press, looks perfectly wearable and what a bargain....

So I have to say Tesco in all probability shall always be my first port of call for the children's school uniform, which for me has consistently been of a high quality and superb value for money. Here is a short film where Tesco mum's tell us exactly what they look for in a school uniform....

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Disclosure: We were proved with a Tesco Back To School Bundle for the purposes of this review post. All words and opinions are my own.

Biggest Brands Lowest Prices

Like many during these financially trying times, I love a bargain and I like to search out goods that offer real value for money. When MandMDirect the home of biggest brands at lowest prices got in contact to see if I would like to accept a couple of footwear items for Miss. Poppins and myself to try out, I was more than keen to hear more. Can big brands really be bought at the lowest prices, is that branded designer quality still there when items are bought at such a bargain price? Well I have to say that yes it is indeed, and Miss. Poppins, who choose a pair of Ralph Lauren shoes was so happy with her pair that arrived promptly by courier after ordering. These are her first designer pair of shoes and she just loves them. Although I have been a fan of designer accessories years ago, times change, priorities reveal themselves and money has to be spent elsewhere, on more important things. Though having had a flick through the MandMDirect catalogue that came with our order and seeing some brands I love, I have already spied some Converse that are very me and am considering getting them. 

Miss. Poppins just loves them. We were able to order a half size and they are indeed a high quality pair of shoes. She says they are very comfortable and the velcro straps perfect for getting on/off quickly. In her own 10 year old words they are "Very trendy". A superb saving on these at £29.00 a big £25.00 off the normal RRP of £54.99....

    

With the weather we have been having, and my love of pink I decided to order these Pink Karrimor wellingtons. I know pink isn't everyone's favourite colour, but for me, I can't help but be uplifted by wearing the colour, and celebrating my very girly nature. These Karrimor wellington's are great value, at only £17.99 which is a fantastic £27.00 off the normal RRP of £44.99. I like to wear Wellington's as a little fashion thing too, and am happy to wear them in both the town and country.... 

They really are a solid pair of wellingtons, I have been out in the rain in them and my feet were all toasty dry. The heel is really quite chunky, and believe me I need all the height I can get ;) You can adjust the width via a adjustable side strap, and all I need now is a cool festival to wear them to. The pink is a lovely bubblegum pink, and right down my street, in fact the pinker the better ;)  

So, I have been very impressed with MandMDirect, and as an avid shopaholic who loves a bargain, I shall definitely be heading back to their website to see what current offers they may have on.

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Disclosure: We were provided with a pair of women's Karrimor Wellington's and child's Ralph Lauren shoes for the purposes of this review post. All words and opinions are my own.   

Tots100 Film Club The Lorax - Review by Miss. Poppins

Miss Poppins asked this month if she could write the review for the Tots 100 Film Club and I thought it a super idea. What better way to let you know what a family film is like than it coming from those who ideally the film is intended for. So I shall hand over to her....  

"Over the weekend, myself (Miss Poppins) and Master Poppins watched a brilliant film - The original 1973 TV cartoon of Dr. Seuss's The Lorax. It really was inspiring to see how the Lorax would do so much to save his land and also his friends. At the beginning of the film, a small boy came to the dreadful land of the Once-ler. He then tells the story so viewers could see what's going on. The wannabe millionaire Once-ler drove through a lovely piece of land with very peculiar trees.

Being the thing that he is, the Once-ler got out of his wagon and felt the amazing Truffula Trees. Then he decided to invite his relatives over after knitting the Truffula wool which was a brilliant success. However, one day when he was cutting a Truffula tree down, out pops a small orange thing- The Lorax! "I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees, I speak for the trees for trees have no tongues!" He chimed, and followed the Once-ler while chorusing his song. The Once-ler was fed up. Near the end of the story, the Once-ler looks out of his enormous window, and sees what a mess this once beautiful place was. 

The Lorax then leads the Once-ler outside to witness some more of the mess. Even though he was guilty, inside, he refused to give up his business. The Lorax then said, "Very well then Mr Once-ler, if you won't go, then I will." And like magic he flew up into a hole cloud. Soon, all the Truffula trees were gone and so had the Once-ler's business. All that was left was mud, dirt, grime and a Truffula seed. At the end he handed the little boy the last precious Truffula seed and said, "See what you can make of that and the Lorax and his friends may come back."

Overall The Lorax was a brilliant film to watch, I thoroughly enjoyed it, loved the message about having to look after our planet and would definitely watch it again. I am even asking my mum and dad to take me and my little brother to watch the new one that is out now.  

I would rate this 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Thanks for reading my review, I really enjoyed writing it."

Disclosure: We were proved with one 'The Lorax' DVD for the purposes of this review. All opinions and words my own. 

I'm In Style At Home Magazine

As I mentioned  here I was looking forward to the September edition of Style At Home magazine coming out and having a nose at my little role in there as a 'Stylist at Home'. Miss. Poppins took great fun and enjoyment in wafting the magazine about in our local supermarket when she spied me in there. I really loved the prettiness of the page in my first little mention.

I was sent images of a selection of cushions and I had to pick my favourite. It wasn't hard too choose as I just loved the retro style of the vintage camera one....

Next it was onto commenting on a reader's home, and then on a smart Magnet kitchen....

Finally it was a lovely 'Bathe in beauty' article for me to offer my thoughts on. I really liked the idea of the pebble soap drainer....

It was a fun little role and I would definitely do something like this again. There may be one or two copies left on the shelves this month, just in case you find yourself in the supermarket and want a nose.

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A Party, Giveaway Winner And A Blogiversary

So Master P's birthday party was a big success the sun shone, and 'Harry' had a thoroughly enjoyable time with his pals whilst I did my best to play hostess. There was lots of fun and games and the sun shone brightly. Of course a party wouldn't be a party without balloons....

Being a Harry Potter themed party there was this poster to greet everyone as they arrived....
 

And we had all sorts of potions and Harry Potter esque food and drinks....

A Harry Potter party wouldn't be a Harry Potter party without chocolate frogs, broomsticks and owls....

I can't believe my little boy is now 6, where does the time go?

He also picked a winner for my little giveaway and congratulations to Carolyn, whose name was picked out of the hat, your giveaway parcel shall soon be on its way to you. Thanks so much to everyone else for jumping in the hat, I wish you could have all won. We are busy here thinking of ways to entertain ourselves during these summer holidays, and hopefully we shall get an opportunity to get away for a little U.K. break before school starts again. It may just be myself and the children as Mr. P who has had his holiday time with us is back to it and busy working. I think a change of scenery, even if just for a short while is always good for the soul. 

I am also job hunting during these summer months, and with the children at home too it is proving quite a challenge. It is all rather exciting and daunting at the same time. I shall always enjoy making things over at Polka Dots And Posies  and am always flattered that people may want to buy the pretty things I make, but I have found another passion that I would like to pursue so we shall just have to see how it all goes. 

I also seem to have missed my blogiversary on here, gosh I am rubbish aren't I. It shall have been four years since I published that first blog post and goodness me, how the time has flown. I don't know how much longer I shall keep this little olde blog of mine going, but for now I shall keep plodding on. I do kind of see her as my baby, and I don't want to quite give up on her just yet. So many blogs I have seen come and go since I started this blogging journey and in all honesty that makes me a little sad, I miss many people very much....

Anyway I think my belated blogiversary calls for another little giveaway soon. Watch this space ;) 

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Clarks Back To School Shoes - Review

As the time is approaching for me to start thinking about uniform and shoes for the Poppins in readiness for the new school term, I was happy to review the new Clarks Back To School range, which included a fitting. An appointment had been booked, which can certainly save on any possible queuing. Anyway I decided to take both Poppins along, and arrived on time, ready for their personal fitting. Although Miss. Poppins has had many pairs of Clarks shoes for school, this shall be Master P's first fitting for a pair of Clarks school shoes, and he was quite excited. He even dressed up for the occasion....

He was expertly measured and our fitter was very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful in many of my questions. I was quite keen to know that although there are still some weeks to go before they go back to school that there shall still be plenty of growing room in their shoes and she explained that there would be. Master P knew straight away which school shoes he liked, and he was a very willing customer when it came to trying them on and having them fitted.

Oh yes, he liked these ones, standing tall and proud before his little walk around the shop....

He had his little walk around, and our assistant double checked length, and the width etc and she was more than happy with the fit. I asked whether this particular style is suitable for his feet and she told me they were fine and so job done, one happy little boy and one happy mummy. Next for Miss. Poppins who has ( like many 10 year olds ) her own ideas on what she does and doesn't like style wise and so I thought may be a bit trickier to find a pair she liked. She was measured first whilst I had a little mooch at the ones I liked and thought may suit her....

    

I was so surprised that Clarks sizes for the girls can go up to a size 9 and wrongly thought that with her being a 4.5 shoe size, there wouldn't be much choice. As it was she tried on 3 pairs, her favorite, my favorite and daddy's favorite....

These were my favorite....

The Clarks staff do really know their stuff as it was pointed out to me that Miss. Poppins has feet that roll in slightly and so some styles would suit her feet better than others. As it was, it looked like mummy's favorite pair weren't the best suited to her feet. Next she tried the ones daddy liked and yes, you guessed it she wasn't too keen. She wanted to try the ones she really liked on, and she loved them. Although they weren't my top choice, I did actually like the brogue style which is fashionable with the young ones and they did look nice on her too. I was informed that the lace up's were a suitable choice for her slightly rolling in feet, so also on a practical level I was happy for her to have them. After a really professional and friendly measure and fit, we came away with their two new pairs of school shoes, and happy in the knowledge that they shall be hopping off to school in a pair of decent, classic, hard wearing shoes that shall hopefully last them a while....

 I can't wait to see them all dressed up ready for the new school term.

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Disclosure: We were given a £40 voucher to spend towards a pair/s of Clarks back to school shoes and for the purposes of this review post. All words and opinions my own.   

It's Party Time!!

Tis party season in the Poppins household and this normally means a little trip to the yellow and blue store. Luckily we have one not too far away from us and so off we all went to choose some party supplies suitable for both the adults and children. I am like a child in a sweet shop when I go to Ikea and there is so much pink shabby chicness in there right now, I couldn't resist many lovely things....

I was so impressed with the lovely sale fabric at just £1.99 a metre. The idea is to use the fabric as tablecloths for the party but I am already envisaging many lovely cushions I could make out of it, and it would make the perfect fabric for covering a little chair or two....

I found many party supplies from Ikea. Take these super little glasses for only 90p for a pack of 6....

And I just loved the glass drink bottles....

Not long ago I had bought some pretty apple decorations from The Lovely Room which sells the prettiest things....

And I thought they would make a very sweet touch on the Ikea carafes. I think the sparkling rosé shall look very pretty in these....

At the weekend in a reclamation centre I saw a lovely garden trolley which had a removable tray and I  knew it would be super for an outdoor garden party. It is really solid, with good quality wood and I was happy to pay the asking price of £10....

The Carafe bottles look so sweet nestled in the bottle spaces....

 I almost squealed when I saw these pretty napkins on the shelves in Ikea....

 I have been searching for a little while for a pretty napkin holder and thought this one just perfect. Good old Ikea....

And I had to have the pretty paper cups at 50p ( sale price ) for a pack of 10....

What is it with Ikea and candle buying? I had to pop a couple of these sale 29p pink ones in the trolley....

 Of course there were children to cater for too....

We have been looking for a long time for a suitable gazebo for the garden, and many we have seen have either been very, very expensive or lacking in quality somewhat. On our visit to Ikea I wanted to see what gazebo's they may have. We all liked the look of the Karlso Gazebo  and I thought it a very reasonable price as many I have seen in various high street department stores have been hundreds of pounds and over our budget. It was very straightforward to put up, and both Mr P and I assembled it reasonably quickly. I love that it has detachable curtains all the way around....

The brand new paper decoration I found at the car boot for 50p....

And of course you can't have a gazebo without bunting....

And if anyone gets lost they just need to look out for this sign....

As for the party day itself, I really, really hope the sun has got his hat on. The weather has been so unpredictable and well, you just never know. Fingers crossed. If he hasn't, well, at least we have a pretty little place to sit and take cover....

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