Uncategorized Archives - Page 2 of 6

Star In Your Own Story Personalised Books

Book Reviews / 5 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

Izzy received Star In Your Own Story personalised books from Little Tiger to review this month. Every child loves to be the star in the story and they can with these 4 new fun titles. These fun books let you add multiple names too!

Star In Your Own Story

Saves The Day

Written by Georgiana Deutsch and illustrated by Vicki Gausden, Saves the day is perfect for superhero fans! This book comes with a sheet of stickers for children to add their name to the book. Great for children aged 3 to 6 years.

Drives A Digger

Written by Danielle McLean and illustrated by Kathryn Selbert, this book is perfect for little ones who love things that go! This book comes with a sheet of stickers to add their name to the book too. Aimed at children aged 3 to 6 years.

The Firefighter

Written by Danielle McLean and illustrated by Sebastien Braun, this book is perfect for firefighter fans everywhere. Simply pull out the slot-in card, write your child’s name on both sides and slot it back in. You can add up to 3 names too. Perfect for children aged 1 to 3 years.

The Ballerina

Written by Danielle Mclean and Sebastien Braun, this book will have all little ballerinas twirling in delight. As with The Firefighter, pull out the slot-in card, write your child’s name and slot it back in to enjoy the story. Perfect for little ones aged 1 to 3 years.

Izzy’s Thoughts

As all children do, Izzy loved the idea of starring in her own stories and couldn’t wait to personalise them and get reading! She found she was able to read The Firefighter and The Ballerina mostly by herself making it perfect for younger readers with a short attention span aswell as those beginning to read alone.

Izzy loved adding the stickers to Saves the day and Drives a digger, even more so because she could add emojis! She loves all 4 books and has taken them to bed every night since we got them which says a lot.

Does your child enjoy personalised stories too?

Tips for Making Prints of Your Artwork – Guest Post

Uncategorized / 5 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

We have a fab guest post today full of tips for making prints of your artwork! I know a few of my readers are amazing artists so here are a few handy tips.

Your art is no doubt very important to you. It’s a form of self-expression, and every piece of art contains a little bit of you. Whether you want to print your artwork for friends, family, or even yourself (it’s okay to proud!), or you would like to make multiple prints to sell, there are many things to consider in order to make the most quality art possible. Here is everything you need to know about printing your art.

Criteria of Quality Printing

Resolution and Print Size

Artwork in your computer is made up of pixels. Essentially, images are measured in either DPI (Dots Per Inch) or PPI (Pixels Per Inch). The main difference is that DPI measures the amount of ink dots on a page, while PPI measures the number of pixels on a computer. Most digital photos are recorded at a resolution of 72 DPI. However, the standard resolution of a printed image is 300 DPI or PPI. In other words, that’s about 1200×1800 pixels for a 4”x6” image. Therefore, you need to make sure your art is at the standard size before printing.

That being said, make sure to take into account the size of your print when looking at pixels. For example, if you are printing something that is 12×24 inches, the pixels should come to 3600×7200, which is still 300DPI.

Ink and Surface Material

Ink is an important factor in printing quality art. Pigment-based inks are considered to be much higher quality than dye-based inks.

Similarly, the type of paper used to print the artwork is important. The best material to use is watercolor paper, rag paper, canvas, or any specially designed paper. Both the ink and the paper material should be labeled “archival”, which ensures quality printing.

Fine Art Printing: Giclée

If you’ve never heard of giclée, your probably thinking, what the heck is that and how do you pronounce it?? Well, it’s a high-quality printing option and it’s pronounced zhee-clay. Essentially, giclée is the first and only fine art print to be made with an inkjet printer. There is a major difference between giclée and digital printing, however. While digital printing is convenient, it is not an option that is made to last. Digital prints are not considered to be archival like giclée prints are because the materials are of lower quality.

In the end, giclée prints will not fade or be damaged by sun or humidity and they will invariably stand the test of time. The nice thing about giclée is that it is known as one of the best forms of fine-art printing and combines all the criteria of quality printing mentioned above.

Where Can You Print Your Art?

With a Printing Company

There are hundreds of printing companies out there, including many that specialize in giclée. With the quality of this type of printing, however, comes a more expensive price.

On the other hand, not all artists create fine art prints. If giclée printing isn’t something you are interested in and you are looking for a cheaper printing option, companies like Zoe Print have affordable options. You can get a custom quote and easily see if it’s the right printing option for you. Additionally, if you want your art on a brochure, business card, flyer, invitation, newsletter, postcard, or poster, Zoe Print is the perfect option.

At Home

You can always print your art at home. If you have a standard printer, you can print your artwork with that. However, as discussed before, digital printing produces a lower quality than fine art printing. As an option, you could purchase a printer that has a giclée option. In addition to the costs of paper and ink, purchasing a fine art inkjet printer can be costly. However, if you plan on making a large amount of art and are considering selling it, investing in a quality printer might be a good option for you.

Print Your Art Today!

Now that you are an expert at making prints for your artwork, you’re ready to share it with the world. No matter what kind of art you do -drawing, painting, photography, or other- you can easily create amazing prints of your artwork. Whether you decide to try giclée printing or go with a more affordable company like Zoe Print, rest assured nothing is more awesome than you sharing your art with the world!

May Update

Uncategorized / 5 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

Here’s a May update as I have been a little quiet these last few weeks. Things have been going fairly well but a little busy!

May Update

From making money, learning more about autism, celebrating birthdays to a site tidy up and hearing issues. There are a few reasons why I’ve been quiet lately and it isn’t just books and crochet for a change.

Matched Betting

I started matched betting using OddsMonkey at the start of the month. I started off using £110 the Mr has saved over the last year from surveys. He had been saving for a new graphics card and monitor which would have taken another year or two!

I’m pleased to say I have made over £1,000 in my first month. I’ve also introduced two friends to matched betting too! Both friends have made a profit and I love sharing updates with each other. The Mr is pleased as the PC parts he was waiting on haven’t been released yet. Knowing that we’ve had a few treats knowing we can keep topping up the profit to cover the parts and more!

SEN Meeting

We met the SEN teacher who is lovely as Eva is showing quite a few signs that she is autistic. Whilst we have noted these in the past, it hasn’t been something we’ve had anyone fully agree with us on. Quite often Eva is just described as over emotional at school but her current teacher agrees she has spotted quite a few of the same signs.

I was directed to an online course on autistic girls before the SEN meeting. Doing the course meant I learnt Eva masks her autism in public. I’ve learnt I do this too, knowing this we wanted support in place at school for Eva. I set up the meeting in the hopes of being referred and came away feeling confident that Eva will receive a diagnosis without too much of a struggle.

Also, I am much more confident Eva will receive any support she may need in school. She was given a pair of ear defenders the same day as the meeting after I pointed out her sensory overload during class & music especially.

Eva’s 9th Birthday!

Eva turned 9 on 10th May and we celebrated as usual with a few close friends and some cake! Due to a few issues, the gift guide I had planned didn’t go ahead but she was overwhelmed by the Harry Potter gifts from friends and family and was utterly spoilt. The Mr got to work on a Minecraft cake as requested by Eva which turned out fantastic too! We will be meeting up with the Cupcake-Kitney’s during half-term for our usual joint celebration with James who’s birthday is just 9 days after Eva’s. These joint celebrations are always lovely and we can’t wait.

Updating The Site

You may have noticed one or two small tweaks across the site (made my by) and a few huge tweaks (mainly page loading speed, thanks to my friend!) this week. There will be more to come, along with a theme upgrade soon to improve your user experience (and possibly add more purple!). I may have been quiet recently but I’m certainly not going anywhere, anytime soon.

Hearing Issues

Unfortunately our concerns about Izzy’s hearing being similar to the Mr’s may be real. Izzy had her hearing test last week and we are booked in for a retest and possible referral as the frequency had to be turned up quite high before Izzy was able to pick it up. Until the retest we won’t know much more but it does seem she isn’t always ignoring instructions by choice and explains why she is quite loud herself.

Well, there’s our May update.

How has your May been?

New Ranges At Not For Ponies

Uncategorized / 5 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

There is a fab new range from Not For Ponies, Home, Stationary & Gifts! They have added great products from Fabric notebooks, purses, bags, cushions, Christmas stockings and more. All their fabric products are made to high standards with quirky animal appliques.

We were kindly sent a few items to see what we thought of the new range. The first item is this gorgeous fabric Fox Notebook. The design is so cute and the notebook itself is of high quality too!

A lovely lined notebook is covered in blue fabric with a gorgeous Fox stitched onto it. Not For Ponies also have a beautiful owl notebook in a similar style.

They even have a Moustache notebook available too, I love their quirky designs!

Purses

We also received 2 Purses, the first is a black and white chequered pattern with pink fluffy pompoms and pink zip.

The second purse has a really cute woodland printed fabric with rabbits, foxes, butterflies, toad stools, flowers and plants.

There are several other designs available too like this cute cactus one! I love the designs and they make lovely little gifts.

Another cute design is this pink puppy purse! The purses are big enough to hold any gift cards, note or coins or even small items of makeup.

This colourful pineapple purse is another fantastic addition to the new range at Not For Ponies. Last year I shared their amazing Christmas jumpers & tops and it’s great to see Not For Ponies adding a new range like this.

Which is your favourite product from the new range?

AYESHA TANIA CROWNED WINNER OF INTERNATIONAL ART COMPETITION

Uncategorized / 6 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

Budding 11-year-old local artist to have artwork displayed across the UK and Ireland.

Following a public vote, eleven-year-old Ayesha Tania from Newport has been announced as the winner of the BIC® KIDS Young Artist Award 2018, which was developed to celebrate and inspire creativity from 5-11-year-old children this summer.

After receiving nearly 1,000 entries from across the UK and Ireland, 14 regional winners were selected by a panel of experts to face off in a public vote between 27th August and 9th September. Parents and children then cast nearly 20,000 votes to crown Ayesha, the finalist who represented Wales, our overall winnerFinalists had their artwork displayed on billboards across the UK and Ireland throughout the voting period, and as the overall champion, Ayesha’s artwork will be seen on a further selection of billboards from the end of September. She will also win a bespoke art party for her friends and family, courtesy of BIC®.

To be crowned nationwide champion, Ayesha entered an expertly crafted macaw pencil drawing. Ayesha’s success this year comes after the talented young artist was also announced as one of the 2017 winners.

Illustrator Phil Corbett, who sat on the judging panel for this the competition, said: “We’re thrilled to announce Ayesha as the 2018 winner of the BIC® KIDS Young Artist Award. Her macaw drawing is technically outstanding. The bird itself is so vibrant and realistic but the background is also extremely well put together. The fact that Ayesha was also a winner last year shows that she really does have huge amounts of artistic skill.”

Rebecca Huda, BIC® UK and Ireland’s Product Manager – Stationery, said: “We were incredibly impressed by the quality of submissions received and diverse subject matters tackled by young artists from all across the country. It was immensely difficult for our panel of experts to whittle the artworks down to just 14 finalists in the first place, so to win the title of overall winner really is a huge accolade for Ayesha.

“We’d like to thank all of the participants and encourage everyone who entered to continue nurturing their artistic talent. We hope to see even more entries next year!”

Just some of the Ways Life Has been Made Easier

Helpful Ramblings / 6 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

At times, life can be a right old slog, with goals reduced to simply getting by day by day. That’s why when even the most insignificant of tasks is made a little bit easier, it can have a tremendous positive effect.

When times are hard, all it can take to fall down a black hole of despair is for one little thing to go wrong. Anyone who has been there fully understands how little a straw it can take to break the camel’s back. Thankfully, advancement in technology and the considerate nature of others has meant that many tasks have been made easier with time.

Writing

As the owner of a blog, one of the most notable tasks that have been made easier is writing. Without technology, I wouldn’t have written this blog – and neither would you be reading it. This means that many who live with degenerative diseases that simply cannot handwrite for a prolonged period of time (or at all) can now express themselves in written form.

It has also given a voice to those who cannot otherwise communicate. Perhaps Professor Stephen Hawking was the best example of this, having suffered from motor neurone disease, meaning that he eventually lost the ability to walk and talk. Hawking was provided with a computer that allowed the scientist to type words which were then turned into spoken words.

Giving to Charity

Technology has certainly made the act of giving that little bit easier. Whereas before donations could only be made by physically giving money and/or unwanted items, now we can give any amount of money with just a couple of clicks of a mouse. For example, when we settle down to watch telethons such as Children in Need and Sport Relief, we can give money just by texting on our mobile device.

In many cultures, giving to charity is as much of an obligation as simply being nice to one and other. For example, charity makes up one of the five pillars of Islam and it is customary for Muslims to make a donation based on their expendable income, called zakat. This can be difficult to work out for some, which is why many websites incorporate a zakat calculator to help Muslims donate the correct amount.

Paying the Bills

Do you remember having to make the trip to the post office in order to pay your bills? Waiting in line behind someone who seems to take longer than seems necessary every single time was an absolute pain and waste of time. We did it, though, because we had to.

Step forward technology, meaning that we can make sure all of the bills are paid without having to actually do a thing. Direct debits and standing orders ensure that bills are taken care of automatically. Those nasty reminders through the post are a thing of the past when you have forgotten to pay your bills.

Ordering In

Finally, and arguably most importantly, it has been made so much easier to order in your Saturday night Chinese! Having to go out to the takeaway is a thing of the past thanks websites such as Just Eat and Hungry House that compile all of your favourite local takeaways, allowing you to make your order for delivery and pay online, meaning that all you have to do is answer the door!

Thankfully, it isn’t just unhealthy restaurants that have signed up to such initiatives with healthier alternatives also available, meaning you can enjoy having a salad, healthy sandwich and light bites delivered to your door.
There are, of course, many other things that have also been made easier over the years, but if we were to list them all this would be more of a book than a blog post.

Win A Stationery Bundle – 3rd Big Birthday Giveaway!

Blogging / 6 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

A stationery bundle is up for grabs for one lucky winner today! Today (9th August) marks the 3rd year of Relentlessly Purple and so far we have 3 giveaways live!

Along with this stationery bundle I’m giving my readers a chance to win a pair of Akai wireless headphones and a £15 Hotel Chocolat E-gift card. Makes sure to enter each giveaway for a chance to win.

I am a self-confessed stationery addict, blogging gives me a great excuse to always buy more! Over the 3 years of blogging as Relentlessly Purple, I’ve been lucky to review some gorgeous stationery too including a Ryman diary Old English Co and Printkick stationery bundle. Now I’m giving you a chance to win a bundle of stationery I’ve enjoyed buying over the last week!

Stationery Bundle

Stationery bundle

Today’s bundle includes various stationery items roughly totalling £20. We have some lovely pens, sticky notes, a notebook and more for our winner!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don’t forget to come back each day for an extra entry for each giveaway too!

A Beautiful Walk With Izzy – My Sunday Photo

Uncategorized / 6 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I went on a beautiful walk with Izzy this week along the river. We really enjoy these walks now the sun is shining and on this particular day the sky was bright blue with lots of fluffy clouds. I discovered ‘Super Vivid’ mode on my lovely purple camera and really pleased how these turned out without editing!

Beautiful Walk

We always start off in the same place by Thurrock Yacht club where we check out the view and boats. We’ve taken so many similar shots before but I’ve never quite managed to capture the colours like this.

Watching the boats is one of Izzy’s favourite things to do, we often watch them being worked on or pulled out/off the river using the ramp. Both girls are always so interested in what the guys there are up to.

We walked further than we normally do on this particular walk and it was lovely to see a few different angles!

Our last photo is my absolute favourite! I edited it on my phone a little but I just love everything about it. You’d never think I was sat in Grays of all places with this view!

I’m loving the sunshine and the chance to finally have beautiful walks like this with the girls. I’ve found a camera mode other than auto I love and can see a rather colourful summer being captured!

What do you think?

Little Tiger Party At Kidzania London

Book Reviews / 6 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

We attended the Little Tiger Party at Kidzania London on Saturday and it was fantastic! Having attended Little Tigers Birthday party last year we were really excited to be invited this year too. The girls love Little Tiger books & they couldn’t wait to find out about new books & meet the authors and illustrators. Surprisingly Izzy remembered last year’s Little Tiger Party, the books & activities we took part in. When I told her we had been invited she was so excited!

Little Tiger Party

The Little Tiger Party (#TigerPBParty) was held at Kidzania in London where they recently teamed up to create a Little Tiger Library. The library is within Kidzania, giving children a chance to discovers new authors and role play as a librarian too. We arrived a little after 9.30am and greeted by a lovely breakfast buffet. We soon moved into the Kidzania Theatre where several authors & illustrators were ready to tell us about their books.

Kidzania globe

Blue Monster Wants It All

First up was Jeanne Willis who Izzy mistook for the queen! Jeanne read her book ‘Blue Monster wants it all’ a fantastic story that leaves children with a positive message. Blue monster isn’t happy with anything and thinks he needs a new everything. Even as a baby he wanted everything new from a new pram to a new cuddly toy. I got so absorbed into the storyline that I accidentally forgot to get a picture of Jeanne Willis reading to us, oops!

Blue monster throws away anything old and demands a new replacement. He even get’s rid of all his old toys, family and even the sun! All in search of something newer, shinier & better only to find you can’t buy new friends and family. When Blue monster realises this he quickly repairs his old broken plane and flies back home to his old family! It’s so easy to get caught up with having to have everything new, especially for children these days. I love that there is a story like to help remind children of what is actually important! Such a lovely way to start the Little Tiger Party.

Octopants

Suzie Senior & Claire Powell talking about their new book - Octopants!

We then learnt the origin of the second book, Octopants written by Suzy Senior & illustrated by Claire Powell. Poor Octopus has no underpants and can’t find any, no matter how hard he tries! Luckily he eventually comes across a solution! This is a fun, colourful book for kids and both girls really enjoyed both the book & the presentation.

We learnt the Octopants song which was pretty funny! We helped to come up with some new pant ideas for the octopus, from chicken pants & dinosaur pants to unicorn pants. There were several amusing suggestions leaving Claire to figure out how to turn the idea into pants.

Look Out! It’s A Dragon!

Next up, Jonny Lambert author of ‘Only Lonely Panda’ came on to the stage. He told us about Saffy the dragon in his new book ‘Look out! It’s a dragon!’ and how he created her. Jonny uses a process called scratch & tickle where he adds paint to his image and scrapes & dabs it with various items until he is happy with it. When he created Saffy he then tore a piece of card to create her belly & finishing the process. This gives Saffy a lovely texture & depth throughout the book.

Jonny Lambert explaining the 'Scratch & tickle' process.

Jonny also showed us how to make a 3D cardboard dragon, this led to Izzy having a slight hissy fit. Izzy thought the dragon story was written because of her Cardboard box dragon. Of course, this meant she wanted to be a helper on stage! She was quite upset at not being chosen but she was very pleased to catch up later on with Jonny. She found him in the Little Tiger library helping children colour & cut out their own dragon & they sat drawing for a while!

Jonny Lambery & Izzy colouring & drawing together.

Saffy isn’t like the other dragons & wants to find a lovely new home. She comes across one and tries to make friends. Everyone is scared of Saffy though as dragons have quite a reputation though & they tell her to go away. When the other dragons come along and ruin their lovely home, Saffy rescues everyone and takes them to a lovely new home.

Cock-A-Doodle-Poo!

Cock-a-doodle-poo! book - Little Tiger Books

The last book, Cock-A-Doodle-Poo was read out by author Steve Smallman who had all of us giggling! Who knew there was so much poo on a farmyard or just how funny a book about poo can actually be!? Rooster is causing a lot of mess & havoc on the farmyard, especially for farmer Jill, but apparently, poo can even be life-saving!

Cock-a-doodle-poo! being read by author Steve Smallman at the #TigerPBParty

Kidzania London

After the party, we were kindly gifted tickets to explore Kidzania London, a huge indoor roleplay place for kids. There are so many jobs for children to try out, they earn Kidzo’s for each job.

Emergency Ambulance - Kidzania

Children can spend their well-earnt Kidzos on activities such as abseiling or riding around in various emergency vehicles or spend them in the final gift shop before leaving. You can even save your Kizos for your next trip and save up for something special!

Renault Formula E

Eva was happy to go off and try out a few jobs starting with changing a Renault Formula E wheel. Unfortunately I’m not too sure what else she learnt in the Renault garage, I did ask a member of staff and explained I was there as a blogger and hoped to write about it before we went in but as Izzy discovered at the same time I couldn’t go in with her, I didn’t get a chance to find anything out.

Surgery

Eva performing surgery - Kidzania

Eva really enjoyed performing surgery too & overall she really enjoyed Kidzania, other than the music being a little too loud for her liking. We will look into seeing if they hold quieter days so she can try out a few more activities. I think if we had known how big Kidzania was we would have organised a friend to pick us up so we could do a full day and try everything!

Water Aid science laboratory - Kidzania

Parents aren’t allowed in the activities & the doors are closed which is great for children’s independence but unfortunately, Izzy was put off immediately. She was eventually persuaded by the open water aid centre where she learnt about using clean water and how to make bubbles which she loved! Izzy is really interested in germs & washing her hands regularly so it’s not surprising she enjoyed this activity.

Lovabella Baby Centre

Izzy caring for Lovabella dolls in the baby centre - Kidzania

Thankfully we lost her again when she spotted the Lovabella baby centre! This was the only activity she was happy to do alone. She really enjoyed herself and was happy to go in alone which was a huge relief!

Lovabella Baby Centre - Kidzania

Izzy also considered surgery but seeing the dummy & apron she had to wear put her off, seeing Eva perform the surgery even more so. By next year I’m sure she will love it though and happuly go into each activity alone. I can see us investing in annual passes as a gift for the girls in the future. I imagine once they are used to the venue I will be able to happily sneak off to the parents garden and leave them to it!

Saffy the dragon signed by Jonny Lambet to Eva & Izzy

Overall we had a fantastic day at the Little Tiger Party and can’t thank Little Tiger & Kidzania enough for having us. To really top the day we came home with a signed copy of each book & one of Jonny’s Saffy artworks he used on stage to explain scratch & tickle, which we absolutely love! I love that the girls both told everyone to sign Izzy/Isobella as Issobella, it became a little joke, Izzy Issobella! An amusing memory for the girls to look back on. Little Tiger parties are the best, we really enjoy these events and hope to get invited to the next one too!

Recovering From A Low Patch

Family / 6 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I’m slowly recovering from a low patch. Having felt great following my personal month of blogging challenge, losing my ESA award was a huge blow. It left us struggling financially, we spent every single day and weekend focused on finding a solution. Trying to writing the right letter and applying for the right benefits with 2 kids around can be hellish.

Benefit Changes & Accepting I Need A Carer

DWP Assessors acknowledged all my health issues and agreed they impacted my health. However, I was basically told I could work if I used a wheelchair. Sod my mental health too, just get on with it basically. Luckily I receive PIP and with the Mr spending so much time at home caring for me, doing things I can’t, reminding me to eat regularly, take my medications on time etc allowed him to claim carers allowance which also entitled him to claim income support for us.

I’m not going to lie, whilst accepting that I do need a carer was hard, it was also a relief. Passing on the burden of having to fill out the form correctly made things less stressful. After 2 months of barely any money to live on, we received the benefit awards the same day as our eviction notice. Luckily that meant we could notify the council and avoid being evicted.

Getting Back On Track

I still struggled for a while, kicking myself for putting us through 2 months of hell because of my health. After a few weeks spent catching up on bills though, things finally turned around. Being able to treat the girls to what they need plus a few extras have been lovely. I felt so selfish when we had nothing, the whole family suffered because of my assessment.

Slowly picking myself back up I’ve managed to get back on track with finding out what’s going on with me. I missed blood tests after losing my award as I felt it was pointless. So what if I was ill? Everyone else was barely able to eat. Obviously now I see it probably would have helped me to carry on with the tests so I have been back to the Dr and getting back on top of it all.

Instead of pushing myself through frustration I’ve slowed down, picked up my crochet hook more and read, having more me time has helped. Recovering from a low patch can be quite wobbly, I’ve had some low days reflecting on these last few months. I’ve also been trying to make the most of being in a better situation and accepting I need more help has helped me feel better about having more me time, something the Mr is always nagging me to do!

Having A Life Again

Knowing the Mr can pick up a few beers to relax after a day of school runs, shopping, clothes washing, reminding me to person and general tidying is a huge relief. The poor bloke barely has a social life, he spends so much time at home helping us. It’s nice he can sit and relax after a long day with a cold beer.

I’ve had the chance to finally try Contact Lenses with a push from the Mr and eventually decided to go with Daily lenses instead of monthlies without feeling hugely guilty. The benefits have outweighed the costs and as the Mr is now officially my Carer he is using it as an excuse to make me listen & treat myself more!

Months of apologising to the girls because we couldn’t afford to do this or buy that was hard. Luckily we were able to get out to the Dickens festival & spoilt them slightly. We made the most of being out for the first time in months which felt great. Mum guilt is horrible when you are the reason your kids are going without so it was lovely to finally say YES. Izzy was ecstatic to see The Lamplighter and he sung the Charlie Mops song just for her even though he hadn’t planned to sing it!

Eva spent some birthday money and I treated her to a few extras too. Something I hadn’t been able to do for a while! As she has become a huge Harry Potter fan we picked her up some awesome bits like this box and sign!

Being Robbed By Royal Mail & Fonegiant

The Mr made sure I finally have a working phone (LG G5!) too which was a huge relief after months of phone stress. With Fonegiant and Royal Mail both failing spectacularly with Fonegiant sending out a locked phone, in the wrong colour, followed by Royal mail losing the £180 phone.

Royal Mail can only refund the person who paid the postage which is down to Fonegiant who refuse to claim and instead keep resending me the Royal Mail Claims site page. I certainly wouldn’t recommend buying a phone from Fonegiant as there is no guarantee you will receive a working phone and clearly they are unwilling to help once they have the money safely in their account.

Royal Mail did eventually give me £60 compensation and accepted they have lost the phone. They refused to refund me the £180 for the phone as Fonegiant have to chase it.. Which of course Adam who owns Fonegiant is refusing to do. Having been robbed by them both in the middle of all this just made me feel even worse. I felt suicidal for the first time in years.

That refund could have fed us when we had no money coming in! Without a phone, I couldn’t book the appointments needed or answer calls from DWP which helped my assessment fail. I was immensely grateful when Mandy offered to send me a phone to help me out. She warned me it may not work with a big crack in the screen. The phone worked enough for me to make those necessary calls and I honestly can’t thank Mandy enough!

The Mr eventually bought me a G5 for £40 less than the one from Fonegiant. It arrived working, the correct colour, on the correct network! Such a relief!

Recovering From A Low Patch

Since things fell back in place, the Mr has bought me a new (working!) LG G5, allowing me to feel connected again. I can keep up with everything again, I can moan on twitter and harass Martyn and Hannah on Whatsapp (Sorry guys but you kept me sane) again. I can call and book appointments and keep in touch with my brother again. All things I felt lost without!

Hopefully, now I’ll find my blogging mojo again. I’m determined to set myself a few goals over the coming months. Blogging definitely keeps me sane, whatever I’m sharing. From sharing cool products, covering my mental & physical health, crafts, books, it all makes me feel happier. Jibbering moany rubbish helps me get everything off my chest so my head can attempt thinking logically. Sharing our ups & downs has been a massive help to me & it’s lovely to look back & see how far we’ve come.

Looking back over the last few months, we’ve been through quite a lot but there are so many positives to focus on! I have realised I have some fantastic friends I can genuinely rely on, talk openly with and feel supported by.

Going through this has shown me we can get through so much as a family. The last few months have been so stressful for us all yet we still come out stronger than ever! When you aren’t worrying so much about where the next meal is coming from everything feels amazing. I’ve been in agony at times but still, I feel grateful to finally have everything back in place.

If you are ever having a low patch, reach out, there’s always someone willing to listen. My DM’s are always open! Sometimes things like this hit us hard & small things on top can tip us over the edge but we can recover from a low patch!

Star In Your Own Story

Izzy’s Thoughts

Does your child enjoy personalised stories too?

Share this:

Like this:

Criteria of Quality Printing

Resolution and Print Size

Ink and Surface Material

Fine Art Printing: Giclée

Where Can You Print Your Art?

With a Printing Company

At Home

Print Your Art Today!

Share this:

Like this:

May Update

Matched Betting

SEN Meeting

Eva’s 9th Birthday!

Updating The Site

Hearing Issues

How has your May been?

Share this:

Like this:

Purses

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Writing

Giving to Charity

Paying the Bills

Ordering In

Share this:

Like this:

Stationery Bundle

Don’t forget to come back each day for an extra entry for each giveaway too!

Share this:

Like this:

Beautiful Walk

What do you think?

Share this:

Like this:

Little Tiger Party

Blue Monster Wants It All

Octopants

Look Out! It’s A Dragon!

Cock-A-Doodle-Poo!

Kidzania London

Renault Formula E

Surgery

Lovabella Baby Centre

Share this:

Like this:

Benefit Changes & Accepting I Need A Carer

Getting Back On Track

Having A Life Again

Being Robbed By Royal Mail & Fonegiant

Recovering From A Low Patch

If you are ever having a low patch, reach out, there’s always someone willing to listen. My DM’s are always open! Sometimes things like this hit us hard & small things on top can tip us over the edge but we can recover from a low patch!

Share this:

Like this: