Friday 30 December 2011

My bargain Diesel baby clothes ... thinking ahead to the summer

I know Christmas has only just passed and that we haven't even seen in the New Year yet, but this hasn't stopped me from thinking about the summer! I'm particularly excited about this one as we will be going on our first family holiday! I've been buying a couple of bits and pieces, already, for Riley and received my latest bargain this morning. 


These were reduced to just £12.30.


These baby Diesel shorts from Cat and Mouse, http://www.catandmousekids.co.uk/?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=13 were £41 reduced down to £12.30! I thought that they would go nicely with a couple of Diesel bargains I picked up a few months ago; 



Navy and pink t-shirt with my bargain shorts.

Lime and white t-shirt with my bargain shorts. 

Both of the Diesel t-shirts pictured are from http://www.dimplesdaisysanddandelions.co.uk/ and cost £8.50 each, both were reduced and were originally priced at £20. 

Thursday 29 December 2011

Finding Neverland ... Personalised jewellery.

I've been saving this post for a while, well just until Christmas had passed, as the product I am about to blog about was a present. I found ANOTHER great Facebook page, this time belonging to Clare Birkby who makes personalised jewellery that incorporates your child's handprints, footprints, drawings, fingerprints and even scan pictures, http://www.facebook.com/neverlandcreations?sk=wall. There are a fair few websites that also sell these products but, Clare's prices are by far the cheapest I've come across (quality is NOT sacrificed for this) and the customer service you receive from Clare is beyond any I have ever received ... I even received an email Christmas card from her!!


So what did I buy? Well, despite coming close to ordering myself a neckless, a charm for my Links of London bracelet and countless other items, I ordered a keying for James inscribed with 'love you daddy' with Riley's handprint on. I emailed Clare who sent me out a handprint pack for £5 so that I could take Riley's handprints/footprints and then take a picture to email to her so she could get to work.


This is what I sent to Clare:


Riley's handprint taken on October 30th 2011 (5 and a half months). 

Once my print had been sent and my invoice paid, I waited for Clare to work her magic and for Riley's Christmas present to his daddy to arrive; delivery is 21-28 days from when payment is received and costs £5, though I think Clare does have an express delivery service (which is charged, understandably, at a higher price). 

You can see my reflection in the keyring, unfortunately I couldn't get a better picture. 

The box it came in, there is also a care card/leaflet with it. 

When you look closely at the keyring and the print I sent to Clare, you can see this is Riley's hand, exactly; the splodge on the thumb, the bent in little finger, the circular make up of the fingers and the little dents depicting the lines on his hands in the outer shape of the hand. As far as I can tell, James was very happy with his personal keyring from Riley, so much so he doesn't want to use it and ruin it! 
I LOVE how personal this jewellery is and I have already picked (and told James) which pieces I would like from Clare. I'm a bit late for my birthday but Mother's day isn't far away!! 

Tuesday 13 December 2011

Highchair Review - Cosatto Hiccup Highchair (Lime Zing) RRP £60.

We finally got to the point, a few weeks ago, where feeding Riley in his bouncy chair or Bumbo was just no longer working ... it was time to buy a highchair. We chose the Cosatto Hiccup highchair in Lime Zing which has a rrp of £60.


The Cosatto Hiccup in Lime Zing. 

In typical "Rachel" style, I picked this based on how it looked; modern and minimalistic/non-fussy. I did not think to consider any other factors such as, size, comfort, ease of use etc. When the highchair was delivered, it arrived in a smallish box and took no longer than about ten minutes for James to put together; everything just clicks into place. 

We were a little surprised when the highchair was up, at how small it looked in comparison to how we had envisaged it from the pictures online and on the box. This prompted a massive wave of indecision as to whether we should keep it or not. There was also the fact the Cosatto Hiccup is a non-folding highchair to consider. However, after putting Riley in the highchair and attempting to convince ourselves that we should keep it, we began to see the positives this highchair has. 


The Cosatto Hiccup is small in comparison to other highchairs on the market, however Riley fits snugly into the highchair as the seat cocoons him. Though it looks small, there is plenty of room meaning Riley won't outgrow the highchair too quickly; the box also had older children advertising the Cosatto Hiccup, which was reassuring when we were trying to decide whether it was worth keeping. Without the tray attached, the highchair fits around the dinner table as a normal chair would, meaning it doesn't matter that it doesn't fold down as it really doesn't take up a lot of space. It also means that Riley can sit at the table (when the tray is off) with the rest of the family, properly, which he absolutely loves ... though we have to be careful he doesn't grab food off our plates. Its modern and simplistic design also means that we don't mind keeping it up as it looks good. 

Riley at the dinner table in the Cosatto Hiccup.

Though it doesn't look as comfortable as other highchairs, the plastic seat just wipes clean and therefore cannot be stained with baby food, drinks or dribble. I also think the fact this highchair doesn't fold up and down means that it will last longer than the average highchair as mechanisms cannot break and parts cannot come loose. I would definitely recommend the Cosatto Hiccup and I am glad that we didn't send it back based on our initial reactions to it. 

Wednesday 7 December 2011

My latest find ...

I'm not entirely sure what women did on maternity leave before Facebook, probably all of the sorts of things I should be doing! Nevertheless, I made a new Facebook discovery a couple of months ago; The Crafty Mouse, and I have been stalking her page ever since. The Crafty Mouse, the talented Emma Chapman, makes beautiful keepsakes from your baby's clothes; turning them into things like Bunny's, Roary the Lion, Polo the Pony, Sparky the Dragon, Deano the Dinosaur and Scraps the Dog, to name but a few ... All of which have been designed by The Crafty Mouse, herself.


So how does this work ... ? Well, The Crafty Mouse is a very hardworking lady, who as well as being a mum and turning people's precious baby clothes into keepsakes, has a full-time job. Therefore there is a waiting list, which you need to get your name on. When your turn comes about you send off your baby clothes, then begins the eager, stalker like, wait for The Crafty Mouse to work her magic; this can take about four weeks (this time-frame has been taken from http://www.thecraftymouse.co.uk/). Prices for keepsakes range from £15-£25 (prices are correct at the time of this post but are due to change in the New Year), though personally I would pay a lot more for something so special and unique. You can also have your keepsake personalised for an extra £3.50. 


I was lucky enough to "jump" the queue as I placed a bid, which was subsequently the winning bid, on a Roary that was kindly donated to a charity auction by The Crafty Mouse.  



Our finished Roary. 

Close up of the personalisation - Riley 17.05.11

All of the items I sent for this keepsake were some of the first clothes Riley wore. Instead of being stuffed into boxes and forgotten about, we now have a beautiful keepsake which I can display and Riley can keep forever. 

These clothes are similar to some of the items I sent to The Crafty Mouse.

I absolutely Love this personalised Roary and I'm still on the waiting list awaiting my "proper" turn. When this comes around, I will be ordering a Sparky the Dragon and Deano the Dinosaur. The quality of these keepsakes is amazing, as are the prices for such a great product. I would definitely recommend getting one!