Back to Basics on The World of Kitsch

I've noticed my blog posts being more sparse this year, and definitely more product orientated, so I've decided to start throwing in the sort of blog post I started The World of Kitsch with. Proper kitsch products, collated by me, on my own without partnership with a brand. Perhaps it'll kick start my love of blogging again, as it's started to feel like a chore, especially as my health is poor right now and I'm tired as it is.

So, I'll start with the most well know kitsch artist, Tretchikoff. He of Green Lady fame, his print was sold widely through the western world in the sixties and seventies. Bizarrely I don't own a Tretchikoff myself. I have works of Louis Shabner and J H Lynch, but I've never found a real life Tretchikoff in a charity shop, and can't spare the £100 or so I would need to call one my own from eBay.  

Maybe I should go the whole hog like Red or Read's Wayne Hemmingway and just have a Tretchikoff wall! 

Here is the late Amy Winehouse showing her love of the artist.

And the beautiful Lauren Laveren had the chance to be painted in Tretchikoff style. Very jealous.

For now I will have to stick to little soft furnishing touches of Tretch' round the house.

Or maybe I can be the Green Lady this Halloween?

Until I can afford my own picture mural wall anyway.

Yankee Candle Halloween Exclusives Available in UK This Year. Snap Them Up.

I wrote last month about how much of a Yankee fanatic I am. I would trawl the US site enviously every September, admiring their Halloween themed special releases. They celebrate Halloween as more of a big deal in the States, but we are catching up with the house decoration, trick or treating and going all out for October. Yankee Candle have answered our pleas and brought the Halloween exclusives to the UK site this autumn.

I managed to get hold of some Witches' Brew votives from the US on eBay the past couple of Halloween seasons, for silly money, so I'm thrilled I can now fill my boots for £16.99 per medium jar candle, with votives and tartlets being a lot less.

Witches' Brew is our 'September smell', which is why I always returned to search for it on eBay each August previously. It smells like bonfires, crisp leaves, spices and sparklers. We love it.

The other two scents are Candy Corn, a sweet, trick or treat candy scented candle, and Ghostly Treats which I'm going to order for myself as it sounds amazing, with sticky, melting marshmallow scents. 

Which would you like to try? And if you're as big a Yankee fan (nerd) as me, please feel free to chat rare and retired scents with me on Twitter @rudedoodle.

My Stellar Magic Wand, Breakfast Smoothies for Picky Back to School Kids

I have a very picky eater. Last year school day breakfasts consisted of two or three cereal bars, loaded with sugar. It was better than the alternative, an untouched bowl of soggy cereal. No matter what brand or type of cereal, Michael would be fed up of it after two days, and it would get thrown away. Cereal bars worked because at least he was getting some carbs in, which experts say are vital to helping kids concentrate in school, but I was aware the other health benefits are non-existent.

A quick way of getting some healthy fruit into him, as an accompaniment to his array of cereal snack bars, is to make a smoothie. My old stick blender, literally bought in a Woolworths, had given up, so I was delighted to test out the new, powerful Stellar Stainless Steel Stick Blender.

It's quite large, but it does screw apart in two pieces for dishwashing the lower half, and storage. There is a dial on the top which varies the speed and power, and even on the lowest setting it packs a punch.

My previous stick blender had nowhere near the power the Stellar does. There is also a button for a pulse of extra power, which could help with making soups. It's definitely a space saving alternative to a large, clunky juicer. It requires less clean up and with a two year guarantee you can be confident to give it a try.

My smoothie recipe was pretty simple, raspberries, plain yoghurt, skimmed milk & honey for sweetness. Now I've seen the power in the Stellar Stick I'd be keen to try a more dense fruit or vegetable to see how it blends that. Maybe banana and try an unpeeled apple next week.

You can buy the Stellar Stick Blender for half it's RRP at £36 here.

My Best Blogging Buddy

Over the five years I've now been blogging, I've made lots of online friends. As the Belfast blogging scene grew I've met lots of wonderful ladies, and guys, who share my interests in lifestyle, interiors, style and travel. 

However one of the earlier bloggers like me in Northern Ireland, and one I count as my best blogging pal, is someone I have never met, despite only living an hour's drive away. This is perhaps because of our personal health problems we share, which ironically makes our friendship a stronger one.

Sera blogs at The Agoraphobic Fashionista and has a vibrant Twitter account, running frequent competitions and engaging in debate about everything and anything. She always has the latest beauty releases and is the woman to follow for tip offs of great bargains & sales.

Chisholm Hunter Diamond Merchants kindly sent Sera & I matching friendship boxes, which really brightened up my weekend with a bath bomb, seeds, cute pegs and even matching friendship bracelets like all proper pals have. 

They are running a Rafflecopter competition to win £250 to spend on their sparkly website, so it's worth a visit. 

Thank you for choosing me as your best blogging buddy, Sera! And don't you think we even look alike? She's my BFAM : Blogger From Another Mother.

Famous Artists Cosplay Collectors' Cards, Series One

Super hero cool. Available from the very talented Burnt Candy on Etsy now.

"What would happen if some of the most influential and popular artist's in history decided to dress up as their favorite Marvel and DC characters to attend comic con? 

It's famous artists and cosplay! What more could you ask for? 

This is Series 1 of my artist trading cards. It features the following: Cezanne as Wolverine, Dali as Green Arrow, DeLempicka as Catwoman, Duchamp as The Riddler, Picasso as Iron Man, O'Keefe as Poison Ivy, Koons as Batman, Kandinsky as The Vision, Pollock as Hulk, Van Gogh as the Joker, Warhol as Spiderman, and Kalho as Wonder Woman.

Makes a great gift for comic book enthusiasts as well as art history buffs, art teachers and artists."

Your Own Home Catwalk For Your Little Performer - Ikea Väntad LED Rug

Michael's big obsession this past year has been discos. He has a mirror ball, disco lights, and all he wants for his seventh birthday is a home smoke machine (really). 

We spotted the Väntad rug in Ikea Belfast Kid's department & knew at once it was his sort of thing. It's a black and red runway rug with inbuilt LED lights. They are energy efficient using 85% less power than regular bulbs, so your children can play all afternoon with it and you don't have to worry about electricity bills. 

The rug is non-slip, so no matter how energetic their stage show gets, no-one is going to end up slipping. You'll also be pleased to hear there is absolutely no assembly required. In fact Michael unrolled and set it up in his room by myself while I was still unpacking the car. 

It costs £35 and would make a really showstopping display should Santa want to pick one up for Christmas morning.​

The World of Kitsch Introduces My Very Own Vlogger

I've hired my very own vlogger to undertake toy & kid product reviews on The World of Kitsch. He's a good looking chap, very chatty and I'm not at all biased. Yep, my son Michael has been inspired by 'Whoops, I Missed the Bus', a CBBC show featuring two quick witted teenage vloggers, and even better he works in return for getting to keep the product and a little dash of pocket money.

He is not to blame for the rookie mistake of filming in portrait instead of landscape, but we will improve the vlogs as we review toys leading up to Christmas 2014. 

If your brand has anything you think would suit Michael to review for you, send me an email. We will review all sorts of toys, as I don't strictly follow the pink-is-for-girls-blue-is-for-boys rules of the toy shop.  Videos will be posted on my YouTube channel, in a blog post on here, and is free for your brand to use in any way you wish. I look forward to hearing from you all.

Raising Mighty Girls

I an very pleased to welcome Karen from the blog Raising Mighty Girls, with a guest post today. Karen feels like I do about children's toys; they are for everyone, and whether your boy wants to play with a doll in a pushchair, or your girl asks Santa for an army tank, they should be allowed to play without labels or judgement. So, over to Karen.

Raising my mighty girls means creating play opportunities which encourage interaction with ALL sorts of toys.  With no boys in our house, this means that I need to be proactive about creating these experiences. I believe that doing this creates a balanced choice for them. 

It's up to me to provide the 'balance'.  After that, it's their decision about what they prefer to play with.  It doesn’t really matter to me whether it’s a pink baby doll or a blue monster truck. The important thing is that they're having fun!  And hopefully learning something useful in the process!

Give my youngest daughter a doll and she’ll love it.  Give her a sword and she’ll love it too. She just wants to play with ‘fun’ toys. 

#LetToysBeToys

I don’t vote against ‘pink’.  I don't vote for 'blue'.

I vote for ‘balance’.

A balanced ‘play experience’.

 Does it annoy me when we walk into a toy store and are forced to choose between walking down the ‘pink road’ or the ‘blue road’?  Hell yes! 

But it has to be said that most of the major toy stores are beginning to listen to consumers and groups like #LetToysBeToys and are making noticeable changes to the way products are manufactured, marketed and displayed. I could talk all day about gender marketing of toys.  But that's a post for another day.

Anyways, the youngest has adored Jake and The Neverland Pirates since last Autumn, so she received the Pirate Ship with Jake, Izzie and Cubby for her birthday. And Santa brought a few other items in his sack at Christmas.  Finally at the end of June, she emptied her money box and bought Skull Island.

#RaisingMightyGirls - Really?  

Yes, this blog IS about raising girls to be mighty!  So before, you get confused about why I would encourage play where the 'boy' is the leader, remember I encourage play with a balance of toys. 

Today, we had friends round to play and she insisted on being Jake and leaving Izzy for the little boy.  She doesn’t see the  characters as boys and girls.  She sees it as ‘Jake is the dude, the leader, the most fun. And I want to be him!'

The youngest Gribbon Girl doesn't see Jake as a 'boy', she seems him as the 'leader'.  I love that she's aspiring to be the leader. 

 I love this toy brand – it promotes creativity, imagination, friendship, sharing with others, problem solving and mathematics (perfect for the current drive to encourage girls into STEM areas),

But it's not perfect.  Definitely not.  Can you recommend one that is? Let me know.  I'd love to check it out.

Do you know how to 'Talk Like A Pirate'?

Just for a laugh...

Check out this link - How To Talk Like A Pirate - we had such a giggle with it!

 Live Long and Prosper Buckos!

Karen x