My Real Fairy – Lifestyle blog….. Tales of our family…Book & product reviews, competitions and giveaways, poems, arts & crafts and hints & tips. A bit of everything!
Spring is well and truly upon us now and as I sit here writing I can hear birds in my garden and its beautiful.
The giveaway I am pleased to be sharing with you today actually shows how you can have wonderfully elegant decorations in the house which can represent the outside wildlife so well.
They can be used as wedding party decorations, imagine a flock of these in one corner on a lovely summers day…beautiful!
Great at a christening, childrens party or any occasion that you want your decorations to stand out from the crowd. Much nicer to have your party talked about for all the right reasons.
These 3 birds can be used inside or outside and if handled carefully can be used again and again. The pack contains 3 x 6″ paper honeycomb birds.
They are beautiful and add a touch of something a bit different. You can enter using the rafflecopter widget below. Good luck and thanks for visiting today. a Rafflecopter giveaway
Open to UK entrants only. All entries will be verified
I can now get to hear my favourite audiobooks wherever I am and whatever I am doing! This is going to be a big change for me. As you probably know, it’s a busy life in the myrealfairy household as it is for most of us. I do try and keep it all together, you will see by my attempts at making the school run go smoother that I give it a good go but as you know, there is always more to be done! So, the fab new site that will make me feel more connected with all the bestsellers that I have missed out on is called BookBeat and it’s full of literary gems.
It’s so cool it knows me!
BookBeat was founded and launched in Sweden in 2015 and has come to the UK in March of this year. It’s a digital streaming service that allows you to listen to a huge range of Audiobooks on your mobile device wherever you are. This is the key point for me as I have lost out on catching up with reading as I just don’t get the time between work and the kids.
You can stream the stories through your wi-fi and you can also download to your library and listen when you don’t have access to a connection. This is so handy for those waiting around times for the little ones. You can now sit back, relax and listen….bliss!
Now if you are like me then it’s good to try before you buy. I don’t sign up for much without really knowing what I am going to get for my money. So I am pleased to say that the BookBeat guys and gals also feel the same way and have given me a whole month for free to share with each and every one of you, whoop whoop!
Here is the link where you can get a whole month free of charge! Click: Free Month
There are lots of genres and titles to choose from, I took a screenshot from my phone for you to see how it looks on my hand-held device and I also love the look of the site so I wanted to show it off to you! There are 12 sections in all and then you can see the best sellers and editors picks too.
I will be reviewing the children’s and classic Audiobooks over the coming months but I wanted to start with an overview of the site and so far so good. It’s easy to use, has lots of content and good customer service, what’s not to love!
Pop over and check out the social media sites and you can get a feel for BookBeat. I’d love to hear what you think and what stories you might like.
I loved the response from my blogs Birthday Giveaways for these super cute little Easter Bunny Surprise Balls so I thought let’s run another giveaway and be able to share them even more!
These will come at just the right time if you fancy popping these little bunnies into the easter egg hunt.
Rolls of crepe paper unwind to reveal a little joke, beads and stickers.
A lovely alternative or addition to traditional chocolate.
Sent directly to any UK home address they are a treat which will add a little fun to the party!
All you have to do is enter using the Rafflecopter entry below and see if you can be a winner. Don’t forget to check back each day for and extra tweet bonus!
I’ve got a wonderful new addition to my hair and make-up routine. Most mornings it’s a quick splash of colour on the cheeks and a wisp of mascara to make me look as alive as possible for the day ahead. For nights out it’s an attempt at the full works. However, I tend to prop my mirror on the window sill and hope for the best. Not really the way to make the most out of glamming myself up.
So, I am delighted to be able to show you my new fabulous mirror that is certainly helping to shed a little more light on getting myself together.
The lovely people at Hamswan sent me one of their new LED Light cosmetic mirrors to try out. The timing fits in perfectly with my bedroom makeover which is happening in the myrealfairy household. Two years of the same cream wallpaper and I’m finally ready to add some glamour to my room and go over the top with some bling!
The mirror comes in two parts and you can just press the base into the mirror to make the stand. Nice and easy to do, clicks into place and it’s done.
The mirror has two doors which close on itself which helps with keeping it clean and little finger prints off it. It also looks very sleek and modern which is going to gel well with my new bedroom theme.
When you open it up is when the action really starts. It’s got 21 led lights around the centre mirror which makes it feel like a movie star mirror and lights up the dingiest of days. The lights are lovely and bright and makes it easy to put your make up on even if it’s dark out or you’re in a poorly lit room. It’s pretty flattering on the skin too….bonus!
To power the lights you can either use 4 AAA batteries which are placed in the back or you can use the USB lead which is included with the mirror. This makes it ideal to use if you are travelling, you can unclip it, fold it down and with the USB lead, use it anywhere.
The mirror has a 180 degree rotation so it can be fixed at any position to give you the perfect viewing angle. The lights can be switched by lightly touching the button on the front of the mirror.
In addition, there are 3 different strengths of mirror; x1 x2 and x3. The x2 and x3 are perfect for putting on fake eyelashes which I’m normally pretty useless at. This helped loads! It’s also great for eyebrows and generally giving the skin a good check out.
If you would like to find out more information about the mirror then you can check it out here Hamswan LED Light Mirror It’s currently on sale at £21.99 with free delivery.
I also have a 15% discount to offer you! Just add the code: 750001OF when placing your order.
How do you normally manage your make-up or getting ready routine?
There are no affiliated links in this post. If you like the mirror then that’s great. I was given a mirror for the purpose of this review and all of the views are mine and I love the mirror! You can check out the action camera review here to see more of the fab range of products.
The boys and my OH love going for their bike rides whenever possible. We are so lucky to live right by the river and the river paths here are ideal for bikes with plenty of room for both the bikes and people to share quite happily. We also have the New Forest pretty close so there is even more opportunity close by. I had already worked with the lovely Sue on reviewing her companies volume limiting headphones for children here so I was pleased to have a look at their Hamswan action camera. I have been keeping an eye out for something that we could mount on the bikes to get some video footage of the boys on their bike trips.
You can see in the pics below that you don’t just get the camera you get a whole load of accessories for it.
The list is pretty impressive and the photos below show you the complete package which includes:
Waterproof case, adhesive mounts, spare battery, data USB line, bicycle mount, base mount, adaptors and cable ties.
The waterproof case provided is waterproof to 98ft (30m) so it can be used for various underwater sports. In addition you have a protective case to protect the camera in wet, dirty or sandy environments. It’s pretty much designed for any environment and it gives peace of mind when you take it out in bad conditions.
You can see on the side here the slots for the data transfer and the slot for the micro SD card where your video and photos will be stored. My tip is to make sure that your SD card is formatted. I wasn’t sure of what this was until the camera showed a ‘custer size wrong please format’ sign showing on the display. With a quick search of what this meant online I found loads of YouTube videos showing how you would do this and in 3 or 4 actions on the laptop I had done mine. It seems that most action cameras need to have this done as each and every video appears with an action camera. Having done that I was then good to go.
It’s got a built in wi-fi mode so we linked our home wi-fi in by following the instruction in the booklet that came with it. It shows up as Hamswan and then it’s easy to connect. You also scan the QR code or search on google for the app.
Now we are not overly techi people, the OH really knows his stuff but I am a fair bit behind him so I just need a camera that I can point, press and it’s done. After reading the instructions and having a bit of a play that’s exactly what this camera can do.
Have a look here at the video that Little G did for the blog. As regular readers will know, Little G is my youngest son and is involved with the blog by ‘vlogging for his mums blog’, enjoy….
You can visit Hamswan on their Facebook page here I’m really pleased with the camera and am glad that I’ve got something to take away on holiday with us and hopefully get some footage that I wouldn’t normally have the chance to get.
If you are interested in buying one then you can through amazon here: Hamswan action camera They are currently on sale for just £54.99.
As you probably know by now it’s my blogs 1st Birthday this month. I would like you all to celebrate with me and I have numerous giveaways this month so that we can do just that. You can still enter in my giveaway part 1 here and then pop back! This is the second one from me and today I have these fun Truffle Trivia gift set from Talking Tables.
They are great for giving as gifts and as it’s my birthday I think they are pretty fitting as one of my giveaways.
If you enjoy quizzes and trivia then you will love these and not even think of giving them to anyone else. On the other hand you can always take them to a friends and then insist that you all play, there you go, win win!
So, from me to you, thank you for reading and continuing to support my blog. It’s been a great year and here’s to a few more!
As you probably know by now it’s my blogs 1st Birthday this month. I would like you all to celebrate with me and I have numerous giveaways this month so that we can do just that. Today I have these fun mini surprise balls. I don’t know if you have seen them but they are balls of crepe paper that you unwind to find the gift inside. They are sort of like the modern day cracker without the bang!
You can also go to my Birthday Celebration Giveaway Part 2 here to win more prizes!
These little wrapped up surprises are an Easter delight. Unwrap them and each little ball contains: beads, a joke and a sheet of stickers.
Sent directly to any UK home address they are a treat which will add a little fun to any party, not only at Easter but any time of the year.
Put your hand up if you like chocolate? Mines high in the air waving around. I am a big chocolate lover and like nothing better than curling up with a hot drink and a chocolate or two, sheer bliss.
So, even though I didn’t have to think more than a nano second about wanting to review a chocolate making kit I had to think long and hard about sharing the process with my boys!! They take after me so I thought it might be a bit like a rugby scrum trying to get chocolates made without eating it all while making it.
Today you can see our review of the Pastry Pro basic chocolate making kit and then you can enter my rafflecopter giveaway to win one for yourself. There is also a vlog from little G which shows you just how we got on.
In the pack you will receive what look like big chocolate buttons called callets. These are what you will be melting down to form the base of your pretty looking chocolates.
You also get a tray of chocolate moulds which holds enough for 12 chocolates, 5 gorgeous little gold gift boxes, a white chocolate scraper and your instruction leaflet.
My youngest son little G won the competition in our house for who was going to help out with this review and as you can see he is pretty happy with the result! It’s so great with the boys as they both love being involved with the blog and adding their own little creative flair to posts they are involved in.
He has also made his very own vlog which he would love you to see and comment on. He was so chuffed to make it but in all fairness I think that the best part for him had to be getting to lick the bowl at the end!
The people at Pastry Pro are very friendly and approachable. They launched the company in May 2016 but their background and experience goes back much further. They are family run, with currently 3 directors and other friends and family involved in the daily operations.
In addition to the giveaway we also have a 10% discount for all of my readers, just add the code: fairy10 to your order.
Here is our step by step guide to using the chocolate making kit….
Pop all of the callets into a microwavable bowl. Put on a medium setting for 30 seconds. Take out and stir gently. Heat for a further 10 seconds or until the callets have melted.
When they have all melted, pour into the moulds with as much care as you can muster, especially if the little ones are helping!
Leave to set in a cool place for 3-4hrs. Then you can use the cute little boxes which are provided to give that professional touch. Little G took one of the boxes to his nans which made her day! These are great ideas to go in party bags or to give as presents at easter. We had alot of fun and I think that really thats the key to this kit, enjoy it and get a taste for being creative with chocolate. There are lots of more advanced kits on the website which you can progress onto. This is just for beginners and ticks all of those boxes.
The Giveaway
So, you can enter to win one of these kits using the rafflecopter entry here:
We had lots of fun this weekend trying out these new chalk markers from Chalkola. We were pleased to review these to try out some fun crafts and get in touch with our creative side. I also have a great giveaway plus a discount code to share with you all.
We were excited to try out the brand new launch of 21 markers which has 15 chalk markers + 6 metallic markers in the pack. We also tried the jumbo markers.
First things first was reading the instructions. Big M was involved in this review as he wanted to see how these markers were used and what design project he could be involved in. I set him the task of first understanding how to use them and more importantly, what we could use them on safely. We’ve recently decorated and I didn’t want to mark things and find out that we couldn’t get it out.
The markers are only to be used on non porous surfaces such as; whiteboards, glass, plastic and windows.
The reason being that porous surfaces have small holes which can absorb the liquid chalk ink and you would then sometimes find it difficult to completely erase them. You must use a test area before starting just to make sure. I tried a small area on Big M’s bedroom door which had white satin paint on it and when we rubbed it off there was a little mark still showing through which took a bit of getting off so I was so pleased we did carry out a test. On most other surfaces you are fine and its really easy to just wipe off.
To prepare the markers we had a plain piece of paper and pushed the nib up and down about 10 times until the chalk ink was flowing smoothly. They are also odour free and non toxic so I felt safe using them around the boys.
I had a little chalk board which I had picked up at the pound shop and I wanted to use for reminder notes which I needed. Big M set about helping out to create our blog design. The colours are so vibrant on the board and the pens flowed nicely. There wasn’t any blobs of colour spilling out and it was very easy to use, easier than we thought they would be. We were so pleased with the result that we have still left it as it is, my reminder notes will stay on scraps of paper until we get another one! A bit of a grown ups idea but Big M let his cheeky side out and decorated a bottle of Prosecco I happened to have! I loved it and thought what a fab idea if you were giving a bottle as a present, very personalised and adds that little extra glam touch to something fairly normal. I thought that it would also be great to write peoples names on the side of water glasses, if you had a few people round the table at christmas or parties. It’s a funky alternative to seating plans or placecards.
These were a really good product, easy to use, they had a quality look to them and were well packaged. We had fun and now that I have them I know that they will be sneaking their way into more little touches around our home.
I have a pack of 21 markers with 15 chalk markers + 6 metallic markers to giveaway in the rafflecopter review below.
Open to Worldwide entrants subject to Chalkola shipping countries. Prize distributed by the Chalkola. Please see my contacts page for giveaway general guidelines.
Please checkout Chalkola social media sites and website for more details and information of their other products.
I love cake and I love personalised gifts too so personalised cakes are perfect for me. I was so happy when the opportunity came up to work with caketoppers in reviewing their wonderful cupcakes and to be able to offer my readers not one but two amazing offers. We have a fab 10% discount code below and a giveaway where you can win 9 love heart cupcakes (RRP £17.49) In addition – my review gives you the chance to see the type of quality and service you can expect from caketoppers.
I was so pleased with how the picture of my boys came out on the cakes. It was a lovely moment when they picked them up and were grinning away so happy with seeing themselves on the top of these lovely treats. I think that they were quite surprised that I then said they could eat them…it was a good day in the myrealfairy household!
The cupcakes are packaged really well which minimises the chance of any damage to the cakes and ours were perfect when they arrived. You can have next day delivery if you order by 2pm for weekday deliveries or by 12 noon on a friday for a saturday delivery. This is great if you are doing something a bit last minute because of all the other things you have going on. They come with a full storage instructions and full ingredients with allergenic ingredients in bold.
They are super friendly at caketoppers and you can contact them to talk about any special requirements.
I have got a great 10% discount for all of my readers, just quote the code MRF10 when ordering.
The cupcakes were really delicious and I was lucky to get a taste as the boys didn’t really want to share as they were enjoying them so much! caketoppers guarantee them to stay fresh for us to 5 days but say that they often keep for much longer. The icing is great tasting too and has a thick and creamy texture.
Now for your chance to win a box of 9 love heart cupcakes like these ones pictured here using the rafflecopter entry form below.
