Give a Grumpy Horse for Valentine's Day
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My mother-in-law Audrey is a fabulous artist and in the past year has expanded into clay sculpture giftware of cute animals & pets.
Audrey's latest collection of Grumpy Horses is available via www.Facebook.com/AudreySmythArt & the little guys start at just £10. My son presented me with a heart printed horse yesterday as an early Valentine's Day present. Very sweet.
What Happens When Creepy Breeds with Cute? - The Blood Draw Creature Collection
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Northern Irish illustrator Claire Miskimmin's work mashes up the stuff of nightmares with something you'd quite like to pet on your lap. Her gothic beasts wouldn't look out of place in Tim Burton's back garden, foraging for grubs for dinner.
Claire's work is available to take home at http://blooddraw.bigcartel.com and at her blog www.blooddraw.tumblr.com the bizarre menagerie is added to often.
Locally, you can view, buy, or have tattooed onto you these beasties at Skullduggery Tattoo, Belfast, N.Ireland. I'm very tempted to adopt one onto my skin myself in the coming year.
She also plays in the band Girls Names http://girlsnames-deadtome.tumblr.com/ check them out.
Sugar-free Sweetie Feast from The Candy Makers
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You'll remember a couple of weeks ago we had a big sweet treat testing, with my parents, husband and son. My Mum is diabetic & felt a little bit left out, only being allowed to test a tiny bit of fudge that time around.
Well today I was able to make it up to her with a selection of delights from www.TheCandyMakers.co.uk Every flavour is sugar-free, made in highest quality copper pans here in the UK to give the finest results.
We tried a myriad of different flavours of fruit chews, chocolate eclairs & classic boiled sweets.
The sherbet lemons are especially tangy & tasty. There is very little noticeable difference in the consistency or taste between The Candy Makers' sugar-free range & regular sweets, which is impressive to me as anything I've tried before sometimes has a strange aftertaste from sweetners. The chews are just like Chewits. Sugar-free isn't just for diabetics; the range is lower in calories than sweets made from sugar. Handy if you are struggling at this point in January with a 2013 diet, like I am! Don't give up totally, just switch to The Candy Makers if you need a candy fix. See the complete range at www.TheCandyMakers.co.uk and buy via Amazon or www.SweetiesOnline.co.uk
The Titanic 'Room for Two' Theory, plus Titanic Tuesdays Launch in Belfast
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Poor Jack. As this experiment shows, there was room for two on the drift wood Rose clambered aboard to survive the sinking of the Titanic.
Perhaps James Cameron should have shaved that prop down a bit.
In related Titanic news, the Belfast experience has launched Titanic Tuesdays. Book your visit online at www.TitanicBelfast.com tour the incredible museum then enjoy a free coffee or tea & shortbread in their cafe for only £10. Bring your own plank, just in case you end up sharing transport with that selfish ol' Rose.
My Spa Review for Agoraphobic Fashionista
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Sera from The Agoraphobic Fashionista sent me for a lovely treat at Belfast's Medi-Cosmetic Clinic.
You can read my review, which manages to include references to Han Solo in carbonite, and Brian Harvey eating too many baked potatoes & running over himself, right here-
The World of Kitsch have a Build-a-Bear Workshop Experience
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We just had a wonderful afternoon with Roisin at the Belfast Build-a-Bear Workshop. If you haven't visited a Build-a-Bear before, then let me fill you in on what makes this more than just a toy shop for cuddlies.
www.BuildaBear.co.uk
At Build-a-Bear the child is in charge of bringing their new friend to life, which makes for a very special gift. My brother treated my son to a Build-a-Bear two years back, and Panda remains one of his favourite bedtime toys to this day. When I asked my son would he like to help me with my blog by making a new friend, he unsurprisingly was very eager to help!
Roisin took us through the entire creation process, starting with picking your bear, or dog, or bunny, or even snake, from the rows of soft, plush animals available.
Next you choose a sound for your bear. The soundboard includes happy birthday tunes, giggles, songs, or the option to record your own message for the bear to speak. This would be quite cute as a valentine's day gift, with the teddy whispering your sweet nothings for you. In fact when we were in the store there was a young man buying a lucky girl a teddy which sang 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun'. A silly Valentine's gift, but super sweet.
The next step was a tiny heart, which placed inside the teddy can create a heartbeat in its tummy. Then Michael chose a scent for his dog, they really do have everything these days. It was a tough choice between chocolate & candy floss, but the latter won out and pup now smells like a fun fair. I would have chosen bubblegum scent myself, and for the record I totally have my eye on the official Paddington Bear they have in store at the moment, husband, if you are reading this.
Teddy stuffing time, and your child helps out with the machine. By this point I don't know about my son, but I was completely wrapped up in the whole experience. I can only imagine if they'd had this sort of thing when I was young, the personalisation of your own toy was exactly the sort of novelty I would have adored.
A quick wash & then Roisin helped Michael choose some snazzy clothes and roller skates for his dog. This teddy is better dressed than me!
The whole experience in store takes around 30 minutes, finishing up with creating a birth certificate & registering your bear with the website. This means your child can play with a virtual version of their new pet on the www.BuildaBear.co.uk site, a bit like the Moshi Monsters or Club Penguin interactive sites.
Michael and I had a lovely time, big thanks to Roisin and the Belfast store. Highly recommended as a special birthday treat, or even a party destination, check out full details on www.BuildaBear.co.uk
