Review: Do Crafts

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In a previous life I used to be quite the arts and crafts fan; painting, drawing, pastels, applique, cross-stitch, making, baking, cooking up the next crafty idea. However, coinciding with the fact that I haven't slept since May 2009 is the fact that I have had no time to even remember how to draw a flower, let alone paint one.

I was recently sent some craft equipment from Do Crafts, including a Papermania Henbury Lane scrap-booking kit, a Creativity magazine, a pair of non-stick Art and Craft scissors and a Stick it permanent adhesive roller.

I've never tried scrap-booking before, but there is everything that you could need in this 1500-piece kit to make a start; including a large A3 square book, backing sheets, lettered stickers in a variety of designs and various cut-out embellishments with flowers, butterflies etc. There also card letters in four different prints which can be popped out and glued on giving a more 3D finish. It's a very comprehensive kit and ideal for scrap-booking fans.

The non-stick Art and Craft scissors are fabulous. Teflon-coated, sellotape doesn't stick to the stainless-steel precision blades, and they have soft-grip handles which is great for when you're cutting out a gazillion things! I couldn't get the Stick It permanent adhesive roller to work properly unfortunately. The theory is brilliant in that there is a roll of gummed paper and that it is rolled along the area to be stuck, leaving a line of permanent adhesive behind. In practise, the roller didn't roll and the glue had dried up.

I'm really looking forward to getting to grips with the Creativity magazine as there are so many different ideas in there. At only £2.95 per copy there are a wealth of projects inside it's glossy pages ranging from making Christmas wreaths to baubles and bunting. The latter I am definitely going to be giving a go! I particularly like the photo workshop for making your own photo Christmas cards, something I'm working on later today.

The Do Crafts range of equipment and resources is wide, and reawakened my inner crafty beast, just in time for Christmas!

I was sent the aforementioned products to try for the purpose of this review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

Review: BigTrak

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When a parcel arrives containing an item for review, it is usually The Boy or Me who squeals with delight at the contents. This time, I actually heard my husband inhale sharply.

Inside this box was a product which he only craved as a child. Inside was a six-wheeled tank with a front-mounted blue photon beam headlamp, and a keypad on top. Inside, was a BigTrak!

I'm handing over to him:

Back in 1979, the concept of a 'home computer' was still a rarity, and my own (ok, it was probably my Dad's) Commodore PET was still a year or two away from being delivered.

So when  Milton Bradley (later known as MB Games) launched the BigTrak, it caused quite a sensation. Most toys of the era could emit simple beeps and make small movements, but here was a vehicle that could have a complex set of actions programmed into it.

Fast-forward 32 years. Computers are everywhere, with capabilities that weren't even dreamt of in the 1970s and… the BigTrak is back! Made now by Zeon Tech, the new BigTrak is an exact replica of the original version complete with original sounds and programming interface.

Not having experienced it personally the first time around, I was quite surprised how simple it was to use; within a minute of reading the (brief) manual it was scooting around the room, firing its phaser at random items then heading straight back to me. The angles and distances aren't completely accurate, and as a result it can quite easily overrun the intended destination, but that's part of the fun. The only thing missing is a volume control – the reviewing had to be done through several closed doors to make sure I didn't disturb the Boy's sleep!

With childrens' experiences with computers more about getting the highest score in the latest game than treating them as a tool to be wielded, anything that can spark an interest in programming can only be encouraged. The BigTrak can provide that spark, and make it fun at the same time!

So he's happy then! Why not get a BigTrak for your secret-geek this Christmas and make his time-travelling day?

I was provided with this product by Find-Me-A-Gift for the purpose of the review. Our opinions are honest and unbiased.

Competition: The Big Party with Justin Fletcher

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I have said this before and I will say it again, on a child's first birthday every parent should be given a voucher for childcare. Just one hour, that's all I suspect that they will need, but what an hour! And that hour should be provided by one Mr. Justin Fletcher MBE.

Can you imagine how amazing that would be?

It's not going to happen though, because there are too many parents in Britain that require his services. However, I can provide five of you with the opportunity to have 72 minutes ot sanity, combined with fun and laughter, giggles and happiness. Snuggle down on the sofa under a blanket with your little ones, get a bowl of marshmallows, apples, popcorn, crisps, raisins, whatever you want, insert the disc and enjoy the fun and games that is 'The Big Party Live Show'.

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TRU Review: Fast Wheels RC

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My initial reaction for the Fast Wheels RC was positive. Then I started to undo the packaging which was a nightmare in itself and my opinion was tainted. There is no need for the packaging to be that difficult to remove from a toy, especially one aimed at six year olds and over who might be attempting to free their 'snazzy' car from its confines.

I'm not one to stick to age limits on toys, which is why this morning The Boy has been playing with a toy aimed at nine month olds, alternated with the iPod Touch. I genuinely thought he could have handled this; push the levers and the car moves. However, when I saw my 36 year old husband having difficulties getting to grips with it, I decided against letting The Boy play with it. Instead I gave it to my nearly six year old nephew.

It's a tricky car to navigate. Usually on remote-control cars, there are two joysticks to control forward/backward and left/right. The Fast Wheels RC has two joysticks which each control one of the wheels and go forward/backward only. Therefore to get the extremely plasticky car to move forward, you have to move both levers forward. If you want it to turn, then one gets pushed forward more than the other. It's difficult to figure out.

Generally the quality of the product does not justify the pricetag of £19.99. I would have hoped for a metal die-cast car at least for that price, and certainly a better manufactured remote-control. If you have a limited budget and spend half of it on this toy, you'll have wasted your money. I personally think this looks and handles like something that you'd buy from a market-stall. I'm not impressed, but then I'm not a six year old little boy.

For more reviews by the Toys R Us Toyologists, click on the image below.

We were provided this free of charge to review. My opinion is, as always, honest.

Review: Snapfish

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I take an inordinate amount of photographs, on a daily basis I can upload well over fifty shots from my digital SLR. I take part in Silent Sunday every weekend, most of The Gallery prompts and have kept my 365 project going with under sixty days left to complete. That amount of photographs are absurd to leave festering on a hard drive somewhere.

With the Christmas period coming up, it's an ideal opportunity to get these photos off the silicon chips and displayed somewhere proudly. There are a variety of websites out there that have a range of photo-products, only a few that can be trusted to produce good quality products: Snapfish is one of them.

I was invited to try out the range of products that are available from Snapfish and I was impressed! There are the usual cards, canvasses and photobooks, to supplement the obvious digital prints. However, they also have calendars, mugs, coasters, Christmas ornaments, notebooks, magents, personalised toddler storybooks and a range of Disney gifts.

I chose three products:

Wooden Photo Panel

This is a fabulous alternative to the normal canvasses which adorn walls around our houses. This photo panel is perfect for rooms that have high humidity, like a bathroom or kitchen. The photo is printed onto the wooden panel, then protected with UV-resistant, scratch-free coating which has a glossy finish to it. It's available in 7" x 5",10" x 8" and 14" x 11" sizes, we ordered the 10"x8" photo panel and have displayed it in the best place to show a washing line of pants: the downstairs loo!

Individual Placemat

As The Boy is now sitting up to the dinner table with us, as opposed to using his high-chair, I decided to get him a personalised placemat in order to tempt him to eat nicely like mummy and daddy. The placemate is cork-backed which makes it heat-resistant and has a high gloss finish. Snapfish sell the placemats individually, in pairs or in sets of six.The Boy adores his placemat and feels like a big boy, the only problem is that he keeps moving his plate out the way to see his picture!

Photo Jigsaw

The Boy has really developed his ability to complete jigsaws over the past few months. He's now capable of a 35-piece jigsaw (with a bit of help) so I ordered him a 40-piece jigsaw which is 7"x5". The jigsaw is really glossy, thick pieces and a very high quality. However, it's too tricky for The Boy to do at the moment because I picked a picture which had a swath of one-coloured background.

I was really impressed with the range of products from Snapfish and the quality of the finished products. The prices are variable; some are really good value, others are a little more top-end of my budget. However, bearing in mind the quality of the products, I do think the prices are worth it. The website was relatively easy to use as the photos upload quickly and instructions are straight-forward. I did have an issue at the checkout, but I suspect that was due to inputting the gift code at the wrong time.

High quality items that are good value for money.

I was provided with a gift-code in order to choose items for review. My opinions are honest and unbiased.

Competition: The Little Green Sheep

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Thank goodness this week that I've had a good selection of bed-sheets. Quite frankly The Boy has gone through more than enough of them with this gastritis.

However, one of my favourite sheets to put on his cotbed is this really pretty, cool-green one from the Little Green Sheep:

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Chocolat Heaven

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About six months ago, I received a present from a Fairy HobFather which made me fall in love with Hotel Chocolat. Their chocolates are the most exquisite I have ever tasted and I've been lucky to enjoy some for my birthday, and in the Easter sale.

The other day, I arrived home to find a familiar brown box through the letterbox (I love that their boxes are designed to fit through) and I literally squealed with delight!

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Hands-Up!

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I'm ever so excited!

I have a few favourite fellows in my life: The Boy, Mr. The BoyandMe and a certain chap from CBeebies. No, not Alex (although we do like him lots), but Justin Fletcher. Every parent should realise the magic of his talent. He seems to be able to weave wonders with children; engaging them, teaching them and giving us parents just twenty minutes of sanity once a day! We've got several DVDs of his and pages and pages of 'Something Special' on our Sky+ planner.

So the reason that I'm ever so excited is because we've been sent his new CD to review, eeek!

It's available to pre-order here for £8.99.

I'll be reviewing it properly in a few weeks time, once we've had a chance to listen and enjoy this new CD. In the meantime, you can keep up to date with all Justin's news on Facebook and twitter.

Review: Brio My First Railway Set

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Ever since The Boy was born, both Mr. TheBoyandMe and I have been secretly waiting for the moment when he was old enough to play with a Brio train set. Well it seems that the time has come for our wishes to be met, as his imagination has suddenly jumped into gear.

We were recently sent this gorgeous My First Railway Set to review from the Wooden Toy Shop, and it is a beautifully crafted starter set for wooden railways.

The 15-piece set contains both straight and curved (double-sided) track pieces, a soft fabric station that is also a tunnel, two on-off ramps, a bright green engine and three freight wagons decorated with images of fruit: one banana, two apples and three pears (excellent for counting).

The Boy wasted no time in opening the box up, examining the instructions and doing the typical male thing of abandoning them in favour of figuring it out himself. The track pieces are very high-quality wood, each one embossed with the 'Brio' stamp. This Brio branding is also on the engine and each of the carriages; each wheel is stamped. A very nice little finishing touch.

The Boy absolutely adores this train set. His imagination has been ignited and he is beginning to role-play with these small-world toys, re-enacting events that happen in his life and making sense of them. He has combined the set with his cars and even the Peppa Pig playground has been incorporated, although George is not very good at holding onto the engine and keeps falling off. Suddenly The Boy is now living his name and the little baby is being replaced by a child who uses voices for the different carriages which talk to each other as they join up to the engine!

We've added several more sets of tracks, bridges and ramps to The Boy's Christmas list now as he seems to be completely engaged with this train set. It's been set up on the living room floor for several weeks now and is played with every single day, more than any other toy.

The Brio My First Railway Set is available from Wooden Toy Shop priced at £23.95

We were sent this item for the purpose of this review. Our opinions are honest and unbiased.

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