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Bumper Giveaways Christmas Gift Guide – Part 2

It’s time for Part 2 of my Bumper Giveaways Christmas Gift Guide. So glad you could join me again.

Another chance to showcase some wonderful companies offering gifts which have presents that I personally love. If you are like me then it’s often the gifts we would love to have ourselves that we end up buying for others. Have a look and why not treat yourself along the way! There is also a chance to win in our great giveaway below.

Enjoy and let me know your favourites and who you would like to see featured again. You can also see my Gift Guide and Giveaways Part 1 by following the link.

Red Candy

I am a big fan of Red Candy and have featured them before here.

If you like really cool, modern gifts then redcandy.co.uk is the place to go. I love this VW Campervan Magazine rack. This retro creation uses a quirky cut out design to display all of the campervan detail, including the windows, doors, and headlamps.

It’s a really good size at: 24cm x 40cm x 14cm. It comes in 5 colours; Red, Green, Black, Blue and Yellow. It costs £19.00 which affordable considering how well made it is and makes a substantial christmas present.

If you want a kitchen gift with a difference then how about this Elvis Joseph Joseph Worktop Saver. Priced at £14.90 it’s great value. It has a lifetime guarantee, ensuring it will stay very much alive, no matter what food comes into contact with it, so you can enjoy it for years to come.

You can follow their news on here @redcandyuk

Taylor + Rani

Taylor + Rani was started by Isobel who is a print and pattern designer. Isobel is an avid traveller and doer. They make beautiful, stylish and comfortable underwear for girls and teens.

The bralettes are reversible, you simply remove the straps and turn around. The bra pads are removable via the side seam where there is a purpose hole. The pads do not need removing for washing, just leave them in place.

Taylor + Rani have a team of researches who look at how they work with each charity partner to find the best way they can provide help in a sustainable manner.

They are currently partnering with a charity that works in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Sierra Leone to help girls stay in education longer. Young girls in that part of the world often miss out on completing their education due to lack of access to toilets and/or sanitary products. Purchases of their products provides equipment and support to make this happen. You are actually helping such a worthwhile cause by buying this great gift. #brasthatdogood is the one hashtag that you should use today!

Their collections are varied in colour and themes and all look stunning and comfy. Have a look here. I will be carrying out a focused review of this forward thinking company in the new year and will let you all know when this comes out.

You can imagine how pleased I am to be able to offer a great giveaway of a set of underwear to one lucky reader. Enter using the rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hotwaterbottleshop.co.uk

If you love to soothe aches and pains and to feel warm and snuggly then the hotwaterbottleshop.co.uk is perfect for you. A family business working side by side, they have developed a beautiful range of hot water bottles, microwaveable body warmers (such as feet warmers, body wraps, eye masks) and microwaveable toys.

They have a fab blog which has useful information such as 5 tips to making the most of your microwavable warmer. I also liked the post that gave safety information on how to fill a water bottle. My nan used to always give me a water bottle when I was little and stayed at her house. I would love to stand and watch her knowing that I would have the treat of curling up next to her with it and drift off to sleep. It brings back very happy memories.

I couldn’t resist featuring this cute owl hot water bottle with cover. It’s capacity is 0.8 litre which uses an ultra-modern, thermoplastic rubberless design. It’s easy-to-use, comfortable and eco-sustainable too. These hot water bottles are made from 80% renewable materials, are PVC free, recyclable and unlike many other hot water bottles they are odourless. Priced at £18.99 you can buy it here.

For something next that I have been wanting for a long time and finally have, it’s a Peony Scented Floral Microwaveable Body Wrap.

So many times I come home from work or even after a day running around after the kids and I realise I am aching all over. This microwavable body wrap is lovely for warming up and draping over your shoulders or wrapping around your back. This one is infused with Peony essential oils so smells fantastic. There is a peony pattern on one side which is shown in the pictures here and on the reverse is a soft fleece material. As with many of the products on the site, this can be frozen to be used as a cold compress when needed. Ideal christmas present. Length = 49cm, Width = 14cm.

Look! A Discount voucher just for you!

Use at the checkout: XMAS1166

This gives you 20% off all orders over £15 with hotwaterbottleshop.co.uk before the end of the year. One use per customer.

@hotwaterbottle2 hotwaterbottles

If you like personalised gifts – like me! then how about a Monogrammed Soap Gift Box. You have 4 beautifully crafted soaps in a gift box. You can have a single initial or triple initial monogram. This is something so different and adds a touch of luxury to your gift. The soaps are vegetable based and triple milled which means that you get a gorgeous soapy lather that feels great on your skin. More than just a stocking filler!

I hope you have enjoyed part two of my christmas gift guides. Please see part one here for more ideas and chances to win.

What are you most looking forward to at christmas? Have you started your shopping yet?

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Bumper Giveaways Christmas Gift Guide – Part 1

Gifts, ideas, giveaways and voucher codes, I’ve a month of Christmas themed posts that will something for everyone. Thank you all for such a great year, I’ve loved having you along to my blog!

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This year I am in full preparation mode for Christmas and have compiled an amazing christmas gift guide and bumper giveaways post that should have you inspired and even save you some pennies.

We are lucky enough to see great gifts from people I have showcased before on the blog and some new products that are hand picked to present presents that will suit all ranges of prices and tastes. Every gift here is something I would love to be given and also be proud to hand over wrapped in a big bow!

Enjoy this gift guide and let me know which ones are your favourites in the comments box at the bottom of the post. Also see my Gift Guide and Giveaways Part 2 here.

Kartegraphik

Kip Perdue is a paper cutting artist based in South London, England. He has one of the best websites at Kartegraphik I have seen in a long time. It takes you on an informative journey through his artists mind and evokes a wonder in his beautiful creations. Kip produces wonderful cut out maps. These maps are perfect for gifts at Christmas and I’m very pleased that they are the first of this years products to be featured. I commissioned a map of Bournemouth Gardens because when my other half and I had our first date we went on the Bournemouth balloon which was tethered there and offered flights which overlooked the town. To have that experience where we saw the town from the sky and then to have this intricate and cool artwork is another piece of our own history mapped on our wall.

The map is the best of both worlds, a quick, customisable, and above all personal gift! The map is a one square mile map, so it is centred upon a specific location and will be cut to show one mile from that centre point.

The gifts are reasonably priced and so unique that they are something that will always get people talking and commenting. People won’t be trying to remember what you bought them a few years ago, it will instantly come to mind. Furthermore it shows thought, and everyone likes to feel special.

Have a look at Kip on his social media sites also

kartegraphik

Kip and I are offering one lucky reader the chance to win a 21cm (8.25in) Square Mile Personalised Map. A truly super prize. Good luck!

Enter in the rafflecopter below. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hugzzies

This is a super cute gift to give to anyone who likes a nice snuggle. There are 5 adorable charachters to choose from. They have a microwavable lavender infused wheatbag inside them and they hug around you giving a comforting feeling. Priced at £9.99 it’s a good quality, reasonably priced gift that will bring a smile to their faces!

Why Choose Hugzzies?

• A Super soft high quality Individual Character Teddy Bear • Velcro Waist band • Removable lavender infused microwaveable wheat bag • Children’s bum bag for toys • Hugzzies can be used either Hot or Cold • Helps and eases pain relief • Bodywarmer • Keeping cool in the summer

You can say hello to the Hugzzies on here.

bakerdays

At bakerdays you get the personalised experience that can make a cake look extra special and light up the room brighter than any candle. The cake is scrummy, the delivery is speedy and the ordering a breeze! Really, what’s not to love?

It works on a streamline ordering system; choose, post, deliver! With a delicious cooking part in between!

I had a Halloween cake delivered for my dinner party with my friends. It was such a highlight to the evening. They didn’t know that it I’d had it made and it was a real surprise! The picture is of us at the party the previous year in our fancy dress and face paint.

I am delighted to say that I have a letterbox cake to giveaway to one of my lucky readers.

Enter in the rafflecopter giveaway below to win. The more times you enter the more chances you have.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

All the giveaways featured in this post are open to people with a UK posting address. See my contacts page for more details.

Click to tweet and share the christmas love:)Click To Tweet

I hope this has given you some food for thought and kicked off the festive season with a good look at some treats on offer. Let me know what you think and what you have planned.

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5 Tips on Buying a Family Car

If you are thinking of what you need when buying your family car. Have a look at my top tips which I found have been really useful to us.

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The cars that I have bought over the years have changed so much. Not only that but the types of cars that are available now are so much smarter than when I first started driving.

I remember the old mini that I first passed my test in, it was a little beauty but rather temperamental. When it was cold I would have to bump start it down a hill behind my flat just to get it started! I didn’t think too much of it at the time, it was just what I needed to do to get it going. It’s a different story now though, so many more things to think of. Mainly that I am a mum now and I have to take different things into account.

So, it’s a good way to pass on some tips that I have learnt over these past few years. Here I have my..

5 Tips on Buying a Family Car

1. Safety, this has to be the number one thing for me now. Since having children the whole priority on what I need from a car has changed. Cars.com is great because it’s packed full of information about different cars, makes and models. Plus, it has other helpful information as well, including car seat safety check tips and more!

2. How many people are going to regularly travel in the car. We now have a car that normally seats 5 but has 2 emergency seats that turns it into a 7 seater when needed. It’s great to have that flexibility to do that without having the size that a full 7 seater needs all of the time.

5 tips of buying a family car — How many seats do you need?

3. How long to you plan to keep the car? Our discussions are around the money we pay versus how long we plan on keeping it. If your children are younger and you need the space for longer then you need a car that has a good reputaion for lasting and holding it’s value.

Share this post with your friends, just click!Click To Tweet

4. Space around the car. By this I mean roof rack and bike rack. See what added space the car can offer. Last year we put a bike rack on that holds up to 3 bikes comfortably. We also have the option of a top box if needed. This all makes a big difference when going on day trips and holidays. It’s better to have the inside of the car clutter free for us.

5. My last tip might seem a bit more frivolous but don’t be fooled. I’m talking about interiors! Bright white leather does look stunning and I’m sure that the latest glossy mags show it off to its glorious best. Now come back down to earth and you will realise that a family car is going to get grubby hand and footprints in every conceivable place. Think long and hard about this often overlooked accessory on a family car. Choose wisely!

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Let’s start promoting!

When I was preparing for my recent trip to London to go to Brit Mums Live 17 it suddenly struck me that I didn’t have any publicity material.

I started seeing my fellow bloggers showing their bright spangly business cards on their tweets. People were really prepared and I felt a bit left behind in the promotion stakes. So I thought, let’s start promoting!

I have had it in the back of my mind for a while now that I would like to start having some material or products with my logo on it. I’d love to see my brand displayed on clothes or bags, it would be so cool. When I first designed my logo I was just beginning and it seems like a long time ago.

So I got to it and thought about what I’d like. First up was some business cards. I designed these on my computer and chose the wording with the aim in my head that it was a welcome card to come see my blog.

let's start promoting — My home made business blog cards!

Does it work? I’m not sure but I do know that the understated look works for me. I still won’t have my picture on it but it still represents me in a way that I’m happy with.

I also used Bags of Love who make beautiful personalised gifts with photos of your own designs. They have just about everything you could want to have your photo printed on from personalised suitcases to hot water bottles. Their photo gifts are very impressive.

Everything is handmade in the UK, built to last and sent out nice and quickly. If you are impatient like me then it’s great!

The bag is perfect for me, it’s very stylish and has loads of room for all kinds of shopping or work material I may have.

It’s also got little pockets on the inside for money and things I need to get to in a hurry! I spend far too long scrabbling around in the bottom of my bags for my car keys so this is a real plus for me.

So I think I’m just about set for the moment. I like the idea of having some really nice looking journal, so I think that will be my next project.

Can you think of anything else that I could use as promotional pieces?

What’s the quirkiest thing you’ve seen?

I'd love you to share this post, click to tweet and make my day!:)Click To Tweet

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I was gifted the bag for the purpose of reviewing the service. The cards I made myself! It all came together at the right time!

Stunning Stourhead National Trust Estate

We had a real treat recently with our trip to Stourhead which is a National Trust estate with huge gardens and house. We won a family ticket which was a thrill in itself and we wanted to go somewhere that we hadn’t previously heard of.

My OH and I had a look through the national trusts site. With our need to have somewhere; family friendly, a long walk and a good house to have a nose around, coupled with somewhere within 1 to 2 hrs drive, we settled on Stourhead in Wiltshire. It seemed to have all the elements that would suit us. It does state that no balls are to be taken for the kids and I can understand that they don’t want a football to go hurtling into all their beautiful plants and flowers.

We packed a good old family picnic in the morning and set out on our trip. It didn’t take too long to get there from our home in Dorset, just over an hour. Our prize ticket did work OK. I’m always a little worried when using a voucher or something that ‘the computer says no’ or there is a problem with that day or time being excluded. Everything was fine though.

The house is stunning and you can see from this view looking up from the gardens that it is framed really well by the care that is taken over the gardens. you can also see by the dark clouds that rain was a feature of our day too!

The literature and the information around the house charts the lives of the last family to have Stourhead, parents Henry and Alda Hoare and their only son Harry. The family were devoted to each other and to Stourhead. Behind the public rooms used for entertaining and shared with visitors were the intimate family spaces where the family could relax and be themselves.

As you move around the family home, you follow in the family’s footsteps from their arrival and through the war years. Henry and Alda were devastated when Harry was killed in World War 1. They gave Stourhead to the National Trust in 1946.

In the playrooms there were dressing up areas for the children to try on clothes from the era that the family were in residence. Our boys had some fun in there. It’s a good break if you are doing the tour in the house with children as they can let off a little steam without worrying that they will upset anyone.

There is also a picture quiz where they have to go round and find pictures of dogs in different paintings around the house. The boys love a bit of competition between themselves so it was another task to keep them occupied.

So much care and dedication was put into the gardens by the family, it was such a labour of love for them.

“The greens should be ranged together in large masses as the shades are in painting: to contrast the dark masses with light ones, and to relieve each dark mass itself with little sprinkling of lighter greens here and there.“

Dogs are welcome across Stourhead’s countryside areas all year round. They are welcome in the landscape garden from March-October after 4pm, after 3pm in November and all day, every day from December-February.

The kitchen gardens were in full bloom. The plants were massive and growing so well. I would of loved to chatted with one of the gardeners to get some tips but I didn’t manage to. In one of my posts where my OH made my pallet garden you can see what we have managed at home. I’m really chuffed with what we have managed on a small scale and for free! My dream would be to have a huge garden devoted to fruit and veg.

The visit was wonderful and I think the rain added to the day in ways that surprised me. There were times we had to stop and take shelter under some of the huge trees or hide under the arches. In those times we felt some more of the magic of Stourhead.

Have you been there or visited other walks that you would like to share? I’d love to hear about it.

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A One Off Summer Linky #mainylovessummer

Here we are again with one of my special blog post linky parties! #mainylovessummer Thank you so much for joining me. How is your summer going so far? Hectic with plenty going on I suspect.

I loved holding the previous one off specials for Christmas and Easter so much that I couldn’t let summer go by without having a blog get together.

As usual there is no badge that you have to paste anywhere. What I do ask though is that where you have saved time (and space:) by not having that little task, is that you definitely do follow the guidance below.

The linky is open from 7am on Friday 11th August and closes at 7am Wednesday 16th. You then have until the Friday to complete your comments.

It’s all about sharing, reading and enjoying each others writing. Feel free to add up to 3 of any type of blogging post old or new.

Reviews, giveaways, recipes, parenting, lifestyle, poetry all manner of posts are welcome here.

Just let common sense prevail and refrain from anything outrageously offensive:)

My favourite forum is twitter so please also tweet as many posts as possible using the hash tag #mainylovessummer @myrealfairy and I will tweet away for days and days both your posts and all those you tweet from the link up.

Let’s make this a real summer sizzler and get everyone reading and talking about your posts.

Suggested guidance for participating:

I’d love it if you commented on the host post and at least one more for every post you link up.
Tweet using the hashtag #mainylovessummer @myrealfairy when you link up and you’re away!
Tweet, pin, stumble and share using all the wonderful ways you wish and let the blogger know when you comment how you have shared their post.
Use the hashtag #mainylovessummer when you comment please.
Enjoy and read something you wouldn’t normally click on.
Have fun!

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Tweet to tell everyone we are open for posts! Click To Tweet

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Nominate Me! Now that’s a call to action!

OK what I actually meant was could you Please nominate me, I didn’t want to come across as pushy:)

The Brilliance in Blogging Awards – BiB’s are open for nominations – Yippie! This year I have decided to take a deep breath and go for it! I am being brave and asking you to nominate me please if you like my blog and the type of things I cover. I love this crazy world of blogging and it would mean so much to receive some feedback in the way of nominations. So here is my unashamed post asking you to nominate.

All of the links here will take you to the page you can nominate from and there are details at the end of the post that you will need to nominate me. It’s real easy and takes about 2 minutes

BritMums highlights the best of parent lifestyle blogging in our Brilliance in Blogging Awards – the BiBs. It recognises the most creative, inventive and compelling blogging of the year!

If you love my blog I would be so so happy if you would nominate me for the………

Fresh Voice

which is an award celebrates the newbies in the blogging world. The blogger’s actual age doesn’t figure; rather it’s their fresh approach to blogging and social media – with content, pictures, video and voice that makes the rest of us take notice. Blog should be less than 18 months old, or recently relaunched.

Family & Lifestyle

These blogs might share the laughter and tears of bringing up kids, inspire us to live better, or expose the (ahem) challenges of being a parent. They are frank, often beautiful to look at it, and celebrate family life and the parenting lifestyle.

Nominations close on the 7th June so if you fancy nominating then pop over before then:)

Details you will need are…….

Blog Name: myrealfairy.com

Blog URL: http://www.myrealfairy.com

Email: fairyqueen@myrealfairy.com

Twitter: @myrealfairy

You can choose your favourite post from the blog, some of mine are:

Is social media and technology affecting your family?

Lets kick ‘passive aggressive’ into touch….

How we got involved with the Great British Spring Clean #GBSpringclean

Thank you so much if you do nominate me or if you vote for other bloggers as it’s so great to be part of these awards.

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Blogger Recognition Award …Let’s Party!

Wow, there are whoops of joy coming from the myrealfairy household this week. I am chuffed to bits to be nominated for the blogger recognition award by the lovely Jaki over at jakijellz.com The wonderful thing about this award is that it’s by a fellow blogger. To be rewarded by people who know what it’s like to be hunkered over a laptop trying to make sense out of the words we want to write is a real honour.

This award is also going to let you know a little more about me if you haven’t come across my blog before. Or, if you have then lovely to see you again and enjoy the post:)

So… here are the rules:

Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
Write a post to show your award.
Give a brief story of how your blog started.
Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
Select 15 other bloggers you want to give this award to. (if 15 is pushing it a bit for you then do 10;)
Comment on each blog and let them know you have nominated them and provide the link to the post you created.

HOW MY BLOG STARTED……

It stated at the beginning of 2016. I wanted to have a creative outlet that was something completely different from my full-time day job and that wasn’t totally focused on the children. Something I could be in control of and didn’t answer me back!

My idea was to have a blog which incorporated a fairy, folklore, mystical, practical, lifestyle, parenting and reviews theme! Seems a bit much and really because I had never done anything like this before it was all far too jumbled at the start. I was trying too hard. Nevertheless it was an idea and little by little I made it happen and started creating my blog.

I even did two posts during those first few months called Tales of a newbie blogger 1 and Tales of a newbie blogger 2 – the logo trials to chart my progress a little. I love looking back at those posts now and seeing what I was facing at that time and relate it to how far I have moved forward. The blog is very different now and I have found my feet and the areas that I enjoy writing about. It’s far more in the lifestyle/parenting bracket.

ADVICE TO NEW BLOGGERS……

Buy the biggest notebook you can and keep it safe! I have never taken so many notes in my life. Especially when you are first starting your blog and thinking about hosting, web domains, themes and all the bloggy techi stuff that you suddenly have in front of you. It can all become a bit overwhelming and I found it easiest to make brief little notes on different subject headings so that I didn’t forget. Then, when I had a moment I would flick through them and it helps all of this new information to settle in.
Don’t break the bank starting your blog. There are a few expenses that you have to pay out for like your hosting package and buying your domain name. However, there are loads and loads of freebies going forward. Lots of free plug-ins and themes, scheduling apps and all sorts. It can be done very cheaply and for me that is important because I then don’t have to worry about money, I can enjoy it for the really exciting and creative outlet that it is for me.

My overall comment to make would be to have fun with it and enjoy how it makes you feel.

I’ve looked at the idea of adding nominations a bit differently and included blogs and twitter folks who are a mixture of people who are new to me, people who I have seen – loved their work but not made contact with and those that I regularly visit online. Please pop over to their twitter site and onto their blogs too to say hi.

MY BLOGGER NOMINATIONS ARE:

@cupoftoastblog ‏

@barbsbooks ‏

@musingstiredmum ‏

@JaclynBree_ ‏

@four_acorns ‏

@bringinguptheb ‏

I have put twitter handles here and will tweet you all in as it may take me into the early hours commenting on each blog. Hope you enjoy it:)

Share the list with the twitter world:)Click To Tweet

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If you have enjoyed this post and my blog, please vote for me in the BiBs 2017 Bloggers Awards in the categories:

Fresh Voice

Family & Lifestyle

Click here to vote

Details you will need are…….

Blog Name: myrealfairy.com

Blog URL: http://www.myrealfairy.com

Email: fairyqueen@myrealfairy.com

Twitter: @myrealfairy

#mainyloveseaster Blog Linky Special

Hi and thanks for popping over to my one off Easter linky! As I enjoy a celebration and I love link ups too I thought that I would carry on the fun that I had holding the christmas linky and have a blogging good get together for Easter.

It’s all about sharing, reading and enjoying each others writing. Feel free to add up to 3 of any type of blogging post old or new.

Reviews, giveaways, recipes, parenting, lifestyle, poetry all manner of posts are welcome here.

Just let common sense prevail and refrain from anything outrageously offensive:)

I will tweet, pin and stumble your posts and it would be great if you did the same too:)

The linky will run from 8.00am 7th April until 8.00am 17th April so there is plenty of time to link and comment on lots of posts.

Suggested guidance for participating:

I’d love it if you commented on the host post and at least one more for every post you link up.
Tweet using the hashtag #mainyloveseaster @myrealfairy when you link up and you’re away!
Tweet, pin, stumble and share using all the wonderful ways you wish and let the blogger know when you comment how you have shared their post.
Use the hashtag #mainyloveseaster when you comment please.
Enjoy and read something you wouldn’t normally click on.
Have fun!

Tweet here to tell others about this link up, the more the merrier! Happy Easter! #mainyloveseasterClick To Tweet

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How do you say goodnight?….

I love to hear different languages and different expressions to that of my own. Here’s a few to throw into the mix when saying good night. How do you say goodnight?