A Showy-Offy Blog Post- I finally own a Rodnik Band Yellow Submarine Rain Mac

My favourite designer is Philip Colbert from www.TheRodnikBand.com His iconic British inspired work is bright & ballsy, and lately Rita Ora has been spotted in his freakishly cool, cartoon dresses. Before Rita wore Rodnik Band however, I was lucky enough to have found and fell in love with Philip's work. Rodnik Band were kind enough to dress me for last year's Cosmopolitan Blog Awards. I wore a gentleman's pipe print handprinted tunic with a red & white stripy faux fur Prada stole.

The item I've been after from the start though, which first sparked my interest in The Rodnik Band was the classic Yellow Submarine Rain Mac. A thing of quirky beauty. And I finally have one of my own, you know, now that the rain has stopped.

Detroit gets its Very Own RoboCop Statue, Thanks to The Internet

Ahhh, the Internet, what a wonderful place. Imagination Station have raised, as of posting, $67,436 from online donations on Kickstarter pledged so Detroit can be forever watched over by RoboCop. The people wanted it and the people are getting it.

What about your city? Which movie are you proud of? Here in Belfast we built The Titanic and have a huge visitor attraction themed around it (which I still believe should be called, 'It Was Okay When It Left Here'). We also manufactured Deloreans here in Northern Ireland and you can visit one dolled up in Back to the Future lights and props for a pose in Belfast City Centre.
A massive amount of Game of Thrones is filmed on our shores, so I can imagine if there is ever to be a theme park legacy for the Starks and co. it will be here in Northern Ireland.

So let me know in comments or on Twitter @rudedoodle what your town or city should have a statue of from the silver screen. In the meantime, lets just enjoy Detroit's Mister Big.

Matchbox 60th Anniversary Collection- As Much For the Dads as the Kids

Kids love car racing video games, but put down a mat with pretend roads on it, give them two or three little Matchbox ​vehicles and they'll invent a whole world on your living room floor. It's a game I remember playing, and Matchbox is the classic toy car brand that has stood the test of time and toy fads and is this year releasing their 60th Anniversary Collection.

We were sent two from the collection to play with, and I called upon my toy testers, husband and son. They had great fun, the scale is similar to Hot Wheels so they were able to use them in my son's existing garage play set.​

There are 24 vehicles in the collection, my son loved the vintage tractor, and they retail at £3.49 each. Great price for pocket money or indeed for a son to buy his dad on Fathers Day this year.​ Available through Amazon and Tesco.

Best yet, I get to keep the beautiful reproduction, classic boxes for my vintage cabinets.​

Star Wars Cats, the best of Both Worlds. A bit of a Memesy Sunday Post.

My husband hates cats. He admitted a tiny sliver of affection toward our cat Mrs Meow the other week, but quickly rectified his slip up and said he hated her again. I often catch him throwing bits of roast chicken into her dish when he doesn't think I'm looking though, I reckon he has a sort of respect for her as she's a secret killing machine.
Anyway, Michael this blog is for you, a mash up of your hate - cats, and your love - Star Wars.

Doctor Who Themed Garden featuring K9, Plant Daleks & a Weeping Angel

Prisoners from HMP Hewell are creating a garden entitled Serving Thyme in the Garden of Gallifrey, to celebrate Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary at the Malvern Spring Gardening Show this weekend (9th – 12th May).
Complete with its very own ‘plant’ Daleks, the inmates’ garden is, literally, a Living Room and reflects a journey through thyme and space. Visitors enter the ‘room’ through the Tardis to be greeted by a world of transcendental wonders. This includes a spiralling purple time vortex created from coloured shale and four different types of thyme which draw you unwittingly into the path of the Doctor’s enemies.

Each regeneration of the trusted Time Lord from the past fifty years lurks in the garden alongside the Doctor’s faithful companion, K9, created from sedum plants. Just like the programme, nothing is quite what it seems - a living TV set grasps menacingly at visitors watched by a child sitting on a turf sofa.

The prisoners have been responsible for making and growing everything in the garden using a wide variety of ferns, succulents, herbs and colourful plants. Their children inspired the final design by creating pictures and ideas for their fathers including a living rug made from blue grass and French marigolds. A weeping angel is surrounded by swaying black grass and was cast from concrete by the inmates.

More info on visiting the garden here

Walkers Hoops & Crosses- Wholegrain Snacking for Cheeky Monkeys

I've been dying to try these, so was pretty pleased when Walkers offered to send us some. I think I got to eat about three of them, as a small someone else snaffled them for his after school snack. Each pack is only 85 calories, and they are made with wholegrain, with no preservatives or artificial additives. We tried the beef flavour which are like a healthy Monster Munch alternative. They also are available in prawn cocktail or salt and vinegar. All three varieties are vegetarian too.

The Coolest Dishwasher You'll Ever See- My Top Picks from AppliancesOnline.co.uk

Appliances Online have relaunched their excellent site with some of the best household brands available. I checked out the fresh new site and picked my favourite items from their retro styled collection. ​

​They are currently running a competition to win £1000 of Bosch items, so it's well worth clicking through to AO even if you aren't currently planning on any big purchases.

​The classic mint green Smeg fridge, a beauty.

​Smeg Zingy Lemon Dishwasher, wow.

​Whirlpool microwave. Suddenly my white basic one seems redundant. I need this.

Another cool feature of the relaunch is their very own lifestyle blog, curated by ​Kimberly Hughes. She's a retro lover like me. 

http://blog.appliancesonline.co.uk/

Sneaky Homemade Starbucks Iced Mocha, Made with the GAT Winner Espresso Pot

I simply can't afford to buy coffee from the big chain cares any more, but that doesn't mean I have to go without iced mochas this summer. ​

With the GAT Winner Espresso Pots you can make espresso on your stove top as a base for your iced coffee recipe. Once you have your super strong, concentrated espresso, you can add cocoa powder, or as I do a big pump of Sweetbird Mocha Syrup. You can store this mix in the fridge in a mug, then when you want to make your iced coffee just pour out a little bit of your mix, add milk and ice and you have what tastes exactly like the in store blend you pay £3 for.​

Another cool idea is use a little bit of your mocha mix in contracted form, add it to a tin of condensed milk, pour into lolly moulds and freeze. Coffee lolly pops!

The GAT Winner Espresso Pots are available from Top Gourmet.​