Elf On The Shelf – 12 Days Of Elvis and Elfie

Elf on the shelf can be great fun! Over 14 million elves have been adopted around the world. Any parent will tell you though that sometimes it can be difficult to come up with ideas. Design bundles have some fab bundles and kindly sent us a box of goodies to make things easier.

Elf On The Shelf Day 1

Elf on the shelf - Elfie is sat under the tree with Elvis his cousin in an Elf Isolation jar, on top of a baking kit.

Elfie has been visiting us for the last few years. He’s an absolute terror and had been told he is not to steal the girls toys this year! So instead he brought along his cousin Elvis. Thankfully he seems a much better behaved elf and arrived in Elf Isolation adhering to the guidelines. Together they arrived with a fun Ginger bread baking kit for the girls to make!

Day 2

Day 2 came around quickly and Elfie and Elvis wanted to dress up. He arrived with a dazzling gold wardrobe and clothing from previous years hung up inside. Naughty Elfie had hidden his poor cousin Elvis (still in Elf Isolation) underneath a discarded dressing gown!

Elfie is sat in front of a homemade golden coloured wardrope, strong across the doors is a festive clothes line with a christmas jumper and pyjamas hanging from it. In front of the wardrobe are pieces of fabric, scissors, glue and a needle along with a sign saying 'I can't find any clothes to wear.. lets make some Love Elfie!.

It seems Elfie wasn’t happy with his current wardrobe and insisted the girls made him some new ones. Thankfully he at least brought his own materials, although cheekily he raided my crochet tin for the scissors and needle.

Day 3

The elves brought some colouring sheets and pens for the girls to do some festive colouring on day 3. Elfie had been colouring in a candy cane when we woke up! The girls couldn’t wait to get colouring with the elves when they woke up. Who doesn’t love colouring!?

Day 4

Elfie and Elvis wanted to make Christmas cards on day 4. Elvis wrote his very own tiny christmas card to the girls which was sweet.

Elfie and Elvis are sat with some colouring pens and cards/envelopes.

He brought the girls some paper and card to make their own which they loved doing. Card making is always fun!

Day 5

On day 5 Elvis and Elfie wanted to make some decorations. They arrived with a bag including a clear fillable bauble, fake snow and some small ornaments to go inside. Naturally we discovered Elfie using his poor cousin Elvis to get inside the bag of goodies!

Elfie's legs are sticking out of a paper bag, his feet are using Elvis' Elf Isolation jar to climb up.

Thankfully nothing was damaged and we were able to make a lovely bauble. The girls loved this as the Mr has a t-shirt in with a camper van and Christmas tree on top!

Day 6

On day 6 the elves decided it was time for the girls to write to Santa. They brought them an example sheet which I copied and a fun snowman pen to write out their lists.

Elfie and Elvis are sat on top of a blank letter to santa with a pen

We were pleased to see Elfie was behaving a little bit better today! Having an elf on the shelf can be worrying, you never know what you might wake up to!

Day 7

On day 7 the elves thought the girls would enjoy making a fun window display from. They brought lots of fun stencils and paper.. Although messily scattered everywhere! We are hoping Elvis is able to tame Elfie a bit when he finally finishes Elf isolation next week! SVG images are great for activities like these.

Elfie and is sat amongst a mess of stencils and paper

Day 8

The elves decided as the girls love doing random acts of kindness that they might enjoy making someone a gift. Along with some card they had left some chocolates. The girls decided they should make a Christmas cracker and use the chocolates to fill it up. Unfortunately this day became quite eventful so we missed a photograph!

Day 9

Acts of kindness are so nice the elves decided to encourage the girls twice! On the 9th day the elves provided a fun list of acts of kindness to help the girls out. Elfie had even left Elvis a note saying he SMELLS lovely! This led to the girls going through their toys and producing a bag for the charity shop a few days later. The elves then rewarded them with some sweets for their kindness whilst sat on the bag of toys.

Elfie and Elvis are sat on top of a sheet of random acts of kindness ideas

Day 10

The elves must have been getting hungry thinking about Christmas being just 15 days away. They brought the girls some things to help set the table. They came with a fantastic glass milk bottle for Santa and card and a shiny pen to make placemats.

Elfie and Elvis are sat with black card to make placemats and a santas milk botttle

Day 11

With the big day quickly approaching, the elves thought it was time the girls wrapped some presents. They brought wrapping paper, a gift tag and a bag of popcorn for the girls to enjoy with a film.

Wrapping with the Elves - Elfie is sat in a popcorn pot with his legs up in the air and over his shoulders next to wrapping paper, washi tape, a christmas tag and popcorn.

The paper is perfect for my sister who loves pugs and has her own called Pugsley! So the girls wrapped for their aunt and uncle using the lovely paper. Once we were all done they enjoyed snuggling up with a film and sharing the popcorn.

Day 12

Although I am certain there was something else planned, such as a fun scavenger hunt for the 12th day, instead we discovered Elfie up to mischief.

Elfie pulling Elvis from his Elf isolation

Of course, being such a naughty elf that he is, he couldn’t wait 2 more days and had dragged poor Elvis out of Elf Isolation!! Lets hope 12 days was enough to keep us all safe!

We definitely enjoy Elf on the shelf as a tradition now and cant wait to see what else Elfie and Elvis will get up to next. I will definitely be using Design bundles in future and check out their free printable resources and new products.

What has your Elf on a Shelf been up to? Do you use any fun resources?

Advent Book – How Winston Delivered Christmas

An Advent book is such a lovely idea, isn’t it? We were kindly sent How Winston Delivered Christmas by Alex T. Smith to see what we thought of this twenty-four-and-a-half chapter book. For each day, from the 1st December, there is a story and an activity you can do. This gorgeous Macmillon book is perfect for children aged 5-9 years but Izzy (4) found the activities easy to do too.

How Winston Delivered Christmas 

Advent Book - How Winston Delivered Christmas

Advent Book

I love cosying up with the girls to read and this book is ideal! I love that it is full of fun activities to do as well as stories. Most of the activities are really quick, simple and extremely fun! From Letters to Santa, Recipes, Crafts and more, this book is bound to keep children occupied throughout December. 

How to read How Winston Delivered Christmas

Fun Activities 

One of the first few activities in the book is to make your own Winston the Mouse finger puppet! Each activity has a list of things you will need and full instructions. 

Make Your Own Winston Finger Puppet

The girls were really excited to make their own Winston and quickly set to work making their own Winston. For this activity, we used a piece of white card, scissors, sticky tape, pens and string.

Making a Winston The Mouse Finger Puppet

This activity was lovely and quick to do and the girls really enjoyed making their own Winston. When we snuggle down to read another chapter each day the girls now get their Winston’s out to read with us!

Eva's completed Winston Finger Puppet

A Beautiful Story

A beautifully written story of a brave little mouse called Winston who sets out on an adventure on Christmas eve. Winston found a letter that has gotten lost on its way to Father Christmas and he is on a mission to deliver it himself in time for Christmas day! Along the way Winston makes some wonderful friends.

This stunning Advent book makes a beautiful gift that can be re-read and used again each year, becoming an enjoyable Christmas tradition. Full of gorgeous illustrations this is certain to fill you with Christmas Cheer all through December.

Have you heard of How Winston Delivered Christmas before? What do you think of the idea of an Advent book?

Women’s Christmas Gift Guide 2018 & Stationary Giveaway

I’ve created a women’s Christmas gift guide full of fab gifts AND a giveaway for 2 lucky winners! If you are looking for some inspiration this Christmas then check out these gifts.

Women’s Christmas Gift Guide 2018

Vibrating Neck Massage Pillow

Coolgift.com has the perfect gift for anyone in dire need of a neck massage! This super soft pillow wraps around your neck to give you a relaxing massage. Simply insert 2x AA batteries, turn it on, lean back and relax.

Handbag LED Light

This smart LED motion sensor light from Coolgift.com is perfect for finding what you need in the bottom of your bag. This is a great stocking filler for anyone who is constantly rummaging around struggling to see inside their bag. What else could make a perfect women’s Christmas gift?

PhoneHug & Lanyard

PhoneHug & Rose Lanyard

The PhoneHug is a guardian angel for your phone! Made from high-grade recyclable silicone this funky accessory stops you from dropping, breaking or losing your phone. The PhoneHug clips to a lanyard to be worn in different ways.

PhoneHug & Lanyard

A great gift for NHS staff, dog walkers, tourists or those with disabilities that may drop, break or lose their phone. I love that the PhoneHug comes in purple, it looks lovely with the rose gold Lanyard. A useful women’s Christmas gift she will use all year round!

Cosy Owl Lime & Basil Candle Making Kit

This candle making kit from Cosyowl.com helps recreate a popular designer favourite (Jo Malone/RRP £47), for less than half the price. A great gift idea for craft lovers. It contains all you need to make the candles from the comfort of your own home, using an easy to follow step by step guide. A great Christmas gift for her! Use code – WELCOME  at checkout for a 10% discount for all new customers.

Dr.Numb

Dr. Numb is a topical anaesthetic cream is leading the micro-blading and micro needling industry, and it´s being widely used in cosmetology, tattoo and other dermatological procedures. A perfect gift for her, especially if she loves tattoos and piercings or regularly suffers from pain.

Scaramanga Giveaway

Now, how about winning some prizes for yourself? 2 lucky winners will win some fab prizes from Scaramanga! Scaramanga is an orginal lifestyle shop full of fab, unique gifts.

Women's Christmas Gift Guide & Giveaway

Prize 1: A Medium Vintage Leather Journal (£12.50) and a Leather Pencil Case (£11.50).

Prize 2: 5x Mini Leather Journals (£2.30 Each/£11.50) and a Mini Leather Pencil Case (£5.50).

UK Entrants only. Winners details will be passed on to Scaramanga to arrange delivery of your prize.

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Christmas Jumper Giveaway – Not For Ponies

We have a fantastic Christmas Jumper Giveaway thanks to Not For Ponies who also sent us some to review! We also have a matching adult & child Christmas jumper to giveaway in time for Christmas. I’m not a fan of most Christmas jumpers in all honesty but I do love the ones we were sent by Not For Ponies, festive but not ridiculous.

Not For Ponies is all about fun quirky graphics and playful prints. All items are designed and made in the UK!

Izzy received a super cute polar bear Christmas jumper – £16 and a pink unicorn top – £9 for Eva (naturally). I chose the men’s blue reindeer Christmas jumper – £28 for myself as I preferred the design haha! I really like the designs available and Eva’s t-shirt is definitely perfect for her.

Christmas Jumper Giveaway - Izzy is wearing a red polar bear jumper, Eva is wearing a pink unicorn top & I am wearing a blue reindeer jumper

The jumpers are soft and warm with generous sizing, I’m wearing a small in the photo’s above with plenty of room. Izzy is wearing 3-4 years which I was surprised to find fits her as she is currently wearing 4-5 years. Eva’s unicorn t-shirt is a size 7-8 and definitely has plenty of room. Good job as she has already begged the Mr to hurry up and wash it so she can wear it again!

Christmas Jumpers and top

We love NotForPonies.com and will definitely be buying from them in future knowing their products are great quality and sizes. Not having to wear a garish Christmas jumper is always a win for me. Getting Christmassy with the girls for our photo’s (even if I do have bags under my eyes!) was fun too.

Christmas Jumper Giveaway

Do you have a Christmas jumper yet? Would you like the chance to win 1x adult & 1x child matching Christmas jumpers of your choice? Enter our fab Christmas jumper giveaway below to win and don’t forget to sign up to find out about future giveaways!

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What do you think of the designs?

Twin Mummy and Daddy
Burnished Chaos

The night before Christmas – Mustard’s Christmas Wish

We received a copy of The night before Christmas – Mustard’s Christmas Wish available exclusively on Amazon. Written and Illustrated by Sophie Scribble this book is a perfect Christmas eve gift. You can buy a copy of the eBook for £2.99 and a paperback copy for £6.99.

The night before Christmas - Mustard's Christmas Wish

The night before Christmas – Mustard’s Christmas Wish

The story reimagines the classic ‘Twas the night before Christmas’ with Mustard, the lovable dachshund, embarking on a Christmas Eve adventure he’ll never forget. Mustard has cards to deliver before Christmas day, but with such little legs it seems a long way! Mustard bravely goes off to deliver his cards to all his friends.

Mustard deliving letters

This lovely rhyming tale of friendship and hope is a heart warming story. Mustard the sausage dog is an ambitious little underdog who transforms into a super sausage dog! The night before Christmas – Mustard’s Christmas Wish would be great for reading on Christmas eve snuggled up together. The girls loved this book as they think Mustard is really cute and cool too!

Holly's letter

We love books that rhyme and have lovely storylines and this book is definitely one we will be reading and enjoying again. Mustard delivers cards to all his friends on a cold Christmas eve.

Mustard curled up asleep in front of the fire with his friend Daniel

Looking for Robins throughout the book, counting them as we went made reading The night before Christmas – Mustard’s Christmas Wish even more fun. Children love getting involved in reading and even little ones Izzy’s age (3) can enjoy counting the robins.

We have quite a selection of Christmas books we have discovered, old & new and as always enjoy sharing them with our readers. The night before Christmas – Mustard’s Christmas Wish is definitely a lovely festive book to read at Christmas and a perfect gift too.

Have you read The night before Christmas – Mustard’s Christmas Wish? Does it sound like a book your little ones would enjoy too?

Christmas Gifts For Her 2017

I’ve put together a handy list of Christmas gifts for her this Christmas. A mixture of products I’ve been sent to review and those I know have fantastic reviews already and would love to receive myself or know someone who would! Having written gift guides for 3 year olds, 7 year olds & even 5 Christmas Gifts Under £5, I figured one for her would be great too!

Hunkemoller Textured Slippers £18

These gorgeous textured slippers from Hunkemöller are a perfect gift this Christmas. Comfortable, warm, soft and fluffy inside. Delivered in this lovely little box to make you smile. These slippers are perfect for those cold winter days and nights.

 

Bloomtown Limited Edition Luxury Beauty Baubles

Hand-Crafted, Reusable Decorative Baubles each containing a luxury bloomtown beauty product inside make lovely gifts. They come pre-assembled and ready to hang on the tree. You can buy an individual bauble for £9 or a set of 3 for £25.

Yankee Candle Christmas Advent Calendar 2017

Yankee Candle Christmas Advent Calendar 2017 £29

Almost every woman I know LOVES Yankee Candles making this Christmas Advent Calendar a fantastic gift idea. Contain one tea light per day and a Votive candle for Christmas eve. I would love one of these to make the flat smell more festive throughout December.

Christmas gifts for her - Mummy Christmas Eve Box

Christmas Eve Box For Mummy £15

Who says Christmas Eve boxes are just for kids? With a fantastic selection of gifts in each box My Pocket Money Toys have the adults covered too!

 Contains a chocolate pizza slice, a Belgian hot chocolate stick, cosy Christmas socks and a Shaggy Stag or Hairy Coo tree decoration.All I Want for Christmas Hamper, , hi-resHotel Chocolat All I Want For Christmas Hamper £35

We all love chocolate and having discovered Hotel Chocolat this year after receiving a lovely gift card, their chocolates will forever be on my wish list. I love this gorgeous little hamper full of chocolate goodies. Hotel Chocolat have a wide range of hampers from £20 upwards that any chocolate lover would love to receive.

 

What do you think of my Christmas gifts for her guide? Which gift is your favourite?

Burnished Chaos

3 Christmas Books To Snuggle Up With

Little Tiger sent us 3 Christmas Books to snuggle up with as thy are releasing new paperback editions of some of their much-loved Christmas titles. We enjoyed snuggling up on the sofa to read these 3 lovely Christmas books.

3 Christmas Books Perfect For Snuggling Up With

 

One Noisy Night

One Noisy Night

Written by M Christina Butler and Illustrated by Tina Macnaughton this gorgeous touch and feel book is perfect for snuggling up with on a cold wintery night. The gorgeous wintry scenes and soft touch & feel flocking throughout makes it lovely to read keeping your little one involved.

One Noisy Night inside

Little Hedgehog and his friends hear strange creaking sounds coming from the woods giving them a strange puzzle to solve. A wonderful story of friendship & bravery, One Noisy Night is the 10th book of the best-selling Little Hedgehog Series. We love this new release which is available for £6.99 on Amazon. Christmas books like these are lovely to read during the Christmas season and make lovely presents too.

The Perfect Present

Written By Stella J Jones and Illustrated by Caroline Pedler this beautiful Christmas tale is about giving, receiving and friendship. This is such a cosy Christmas story to cuddle up with.

The Perfect Present

Billy and Bella are the best of friends & they would do anything to make each other happy, even if it means giving up something they love. Full of beautifully festive illustrations this lovely Christmas book is a great one to snuggle up with giving you that festive feeling. We love Christmas books like this and think it’s great for £6.99 on Amazon.

 

Santa To The Rescue

Santa To The Rescue

The 3rd book on our list of Christmas books perfect for snuggling up with over Christmas is written by Barry Timms and Illustrated by Ag Jatkowska. This book is a fun and festive picture book with beautiful illustrations.

Santa To The Rescue

Perfect for sharing with little ones excited about Christmas, this story follows the bears of mistletoe mountain on Christmas eve. The bears get snowed in and the animals of Holly tree Forest Work together to help Santa save the day. We find Christmas books like this really get us into the spirit of Christmas. Available for £6.99 on Amazon.

Do you think these 3 Christmas books would be perfect for snuggling up with your little one too over Christmas?

Burnished Chaos

Christmas Gifts For 7 Year Olds Under £40

I’ve put together a list of  Christmas gifts for 7 year olds covering everything. We have a fantastic advent calendar, Christmas Eve box, Toys, Crafts & more!

Advent Calendar

Christmas Gifts for 7 year olds - Mad Beauty 12 days of christmas advent calendar

We discovered this gorgeous Mad beauty 12 days of Christmas advent calendar for just £9.99 whilst looking for Christmas gifts for 7 year olds. The 12 Days of Christmas advent calendar contains bath products, lip balms and body lotions, suitable from 3 years. Perfect for either of my girls but Eva will definitely appreciate it. She loves beauty products & is becoming very girly so this is a perfect alternative advent calendar for her.

Christmas Eve box

Christmas eve box from My Pocket Money Toys

You may have already seen the fantastic Christmas Eve boxes from My Pocket Money Toys for £30 which includes EVERYTHING you need for the perfect Christmas eve. We reviewed the 6-7 years Christmas Eve box last week and absolutely love it. This fantastically festive box contains a gourmet chocolate pizza slice, cuddly toy, a Christmas book, a festive craft, a puzzle, something cosy to wear, a toy, Belgian hot chocolate stick, bag of reindeer food and even a certificate from Santa!

A Craft

Amigami

I discovered the Amigami Large Figure for £5 when hunting for Christmas gifts £5 and under at Sports Direct. Eva loves to craft and this looks like a great gift that she can really get creative with. Suitable from 5+ this had to be added to our list of Christmas gifts for 7 year olds.

Colouring Pens

Magnetips

Colouring at Christmas is a bit of a tradition in most households, all children get a colouring book of some sort. These fantastic MAGNETIPS are the perfect companion for £39.99! We received a set of the MAGNETIPS, a colour refill sets & 10 chrome balls. MAGNETIPS are not your typical fine liners, they have 2 magnets inside allowing you to build fantastic creations. You can build all sorts of shapes with these fun magnetic pens and adding the chrome balls allow you to make fun structures too!

Magnetips

What do you think of my Christmas gifts for 7 year olds? Do you know a 7 year old who would love these too?

Burnished Chaos

Christmas Eve Boxes From My Pocket Money Toy

We received Christmas Eve boxes From My Pocket Money Toys, filled with perfect Christmas themed gifts. My Pocket Money Toys offer a fantastic toy subscription for children and a great selection of Christmas boxes. There is a gift box for different ages, as well as different sized boxes & even boxes for adults too! We recently reviewed their fantastic Halloween Box which was full of awesome goodies and love these Christmas boxes too.

Christmas eve boxes

We received the 6-7 years Christmas Eve box which costs £30 and a Mummy Christmas eve box too which costs £15.

 

Christmas Eve box 6-7 years

Chocolate pizza slice

Cuddly toy

Christmas book

Festive craft

Puzzle

Something cosy to wear

A Toy

Belgian hot chocolate stick

Bag of reindeer food

Certificate from Santa!

 

Christmas eve box from My Pocket Money Toys

Eva was excited opening her Christmas eve box and loves everything that is included. She knows mummy usually gets her Christmas eve box & Santa brings her presents Christmas day so she was pleased to find she’d already made Santa’s nice list! (For helping mummy review these awesome products of course 😉 haha). Eva instantly removed the Robin from the parcel & hasn’t let go since as Robyn is her middle name.

Robin soft toy

The Mummy Christmas eve box can be for mum, dad or even grandparents! It’s a lovely little gift box to receive with everything you need for Christmas eve including the all important hot chocolate, Christmas socks, chocolate & a tree decoration.

Mummy Christmas eve box

The Mummy Box

Chocolate pizza slice

Belgian hot chocolate stick

Cosy Christmas socks

Shaggy Stag or Hairy Coo tree decoration

 

Mummy box from My pocket money toys

These Christmas eve boxes are great gifts for children & adults and such a reasonable price for what is included too.

Do you buy Christmas eve boxes? What do you think of the gifts included in these boxes from My Pocket Money Toy?

Burnished Chaos

Christmas Hamper From Prestige Hampers

I received a gorgeous Christmas hamper from Prestige Hampers to review. I received Prestige Hampers Traditional Gift Basket which costs £64.99. A true Christmas classic the traditional gift basket in premium wicker is packed with the finest products for the recipient to enjoy.

Prestige Hampers

Prestige Hampers

Christmas Hamper

Prestige Hampers Christmas hamper is the perfect gift to send this Christmas with a selection of fine wines, treats & savoury goodies arranged neatly inside the wicker basket. To top it off the hamper was approved by Good Housekeeping 2017!

Christmas Hamper From Prestige Hampers

Included:
Water Stop Station Chardonnay 75cl
Water Stop Station Shiraz 75cl
Red Velvet Crunch Biscuits 150g
English Breakfast Tea 40g
Milk, White and Dark Chocolate Classics 120g
Shortbread Festive Shapes 60g
Matthew Walker Classic Christmas Pudding 100g
Iced Fruit Cake 400g
Dark Chocolate Bar 60g
Mackays Christmas Marmalade 113g
Mackays Christmas Preserve 113g
Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Yorkshire Crisps 100g
Handmade Smoked Oatcakes 125g
Handmade Wicker Basket

 

This gorgeous Christmas hamper is bursting full of deliciously tasty goodies perfect for Christmas. We love the Red Velvet Crunch Biscuits & Shortbread festive shapes that go really well with the English Breakfast Tea which I shared with the girls.

There is a little bit of everything you could want treat wise over the Christmas period including 2 Water Stop Wines to wash it all down with. This is a great gift for anyone who is unsure what to buy for someone this Christmas. The lovely Handmade Wicker Basket can be kept for storing things once it is empty too.

Prestige Hampers sell a range of hampers to suit your needs & budget with something for everyone. They are fantastically priced for what is included in the hamper and I would definitely buy a hamper like this as a gift.

Have you heard of Prestige Hampers before? Do you like Christmas hampers?