Playmobil Summer Fun Fairground: a Great Timeless Set for Toy Collectors.

We are big fans of Playmobil. It's great quality, versatile and tough wearing. It's worth it's price because you can pass on or sell sets and they pretty much retain their value. Smix loved playing with my Victorian Mansion set which my parents brought down from the attic. 

Two winters ago he got the Playmobil Hotel for Christmas and has had great fun with it. For his birthday there in October my parents bought him the first piece of the Summer Fun 2015 fairground set- a light up, spinning Waltzer. 

Santa brought lots more Playmobil, and he has almost collected all the fairground pieces now. 

Swinging boats

As well as the swinging boats ride, he receive the sweet shop, tin can alley and fairground train. 

The only piece he is missing now is the chairplanes.

The masterpiece of the collection is this, the light and action Ferris Wheel. He also got the motor attachment which drives the wheel automatically. 

To see the whole range visit the  Playmobil Website. They have Flash games and colouring in pages. Also check out Smix's video.

Ta-da! My Mega Glitzy Ultimate Christmas Party Dress

Okay, so in my George at Asda post this week I ran through the benefits of wearing jeggings and a huge Christmas tee or jumper on the 25th, for maximum food intake. I still stand by that statement, but I do have other Christmas events to attend that might frown upon me showing up in my comfies. 

I love shopping, but more so shopping for clothes without the trying on part, but when I spotted this stripy sequin dress in the window of TK Maxx in Bangor, I knew I had to have it. 

Horizontal stripes are sort of my trademark, but I've never had anything so sequinned in my life. 

The dress was £24.99 and although I'm a size 12-14 at the moment, I went for the 16 for the aforementioned, all important food intake! The dress's style allows for going up a size & a half without losing shape, as there aren't any fitted areas; I've plenty of room for the carvery at La Mon for my family's annual meal out.

ASOS seem to be the main online store for Club L, with dresses in plus size as well as the usual high street sizes 8-16, so everyone can be a stupid amount of glittery this Christmas.

Home Alone and Elf Christmas T-shirts! Deck the Halls, & The Entire Family Out For Less at Asda This Christmas.

Want want want

All my blogger buddies are featuring beautiful party dresses for the Christmas season, and the sequins & lace sure are appealing, but fancy frocks aren't the way to go for me, and I'll explain why. 

Its Christmas Day, and now I'm in my 30s, the presents aren't the best bit of the day any more, it's THE FOOD. If I wear a stunning, fitted dress I'll look super cool in the photos, but. BUT, if I wear elastic topped jeggings and a Christmas jumper one size too big, then guess who can fit the most food into themselves possible, and be comfy for a nice, afternoon. I've-gorged-myself nap. That's right, yours truly. 

So, let's take a look at  George at Asda's Christmas jumper shop. They stock clothing for everyone in the family, so no traipsing round the whole internet and waiting for two or three deliveries to come. Asda delivery will be quick and in plenty of time for the 25th. The free click and collect at your local store delivery is next day if ordered before 9pm for mainland UK, or two days for NI. Free home delivery in some cases, £2.95 otherwise.

Adult Christmas jumpers

Little girls' knitwear

Boys' jumpers

If it gets too warm with a house full of friends and family, why not whip off your jumper to reveal a snazzy Christmas themed t-shirt.

I have this for Smix for Christmas Day

Christmas tees for absolutely everyone, even your hipster uncle who likes Guns N Roses ironically

If you are searching for gifts then Asda has lots of  Christmas themed sleepwear. I always like to give my son a nice new set of pyjamas for Christmas Eve, then he doesn't look scruffy in the photos the next morning.

If you are Yuletide crazy, like me, check out the Christmas Shop Home Accessories.

Bath mat and matching towel

If you love faux fur, and still haven't decided what you'd like for Christmas, check out the fabulous fake fur jackets, coats and accessories. 

This faux fur trimmed jacket was £35 from George at Asda, but sadly they are out of stock right now. However these coats, and more, are in stock and range from £10 to £40.  Everyone appreciates something warm and fuzzy at Christmas time.

Finally, those elastic topped jeggings for competitive Christmas eating? George at Asda jeans and jeggings Wonderfit takes care of that too. Snug without being tight, perfect for daily wear and available in many different styles and colours.

Enchantingly retro Toys at the Winter Pop Up, Bangor.

At lunch time I scooted down to Bangor to grab a 24" slice of pizza from Little Wing.

Bangor was busy so after a lap with no parking spaces I finally found somewhere in Dufferin Avenue (the steep hill road beside the train station). 

I just so happened to get a space outside a curiously lovely little shop- Winter Pop Up. 

The store is here only for the Christmas season and stocks European toys with a classic, retro flair. Francesca who was in charge today is absolutely lovely and chatted to me while I snapped the toys that took my fancy. The mid-century dolls' house was very hard to not want to just but for myself. 

I spotted dozens of gifts that I would be buying for Baby Spence if it was next year. I think while the Winter Pop Up is there, I'll buy some stuff in advance for my brother & his wife's baby arriving in Spring. 

Francesca told me they are stocking from the following websites- 

 Red Ruby Rouge

 Little Citizens Boutique.com

and help from

 Refound Online.com

You can also interact with the store on their Facebook Page.

I've been in Little Citizen's Boutique in Holywood before. 

I  blogged about it back in 2013 when I visited it with Smix.

So, so many quirky but excellently designed kids' products. Why not visit the Dufferin Avenue Pop Up while they are there. 

Keep an eye open to spot it, this is how it looks from outside. 

In the meantime, anyone want to buy me a house? 

M&S Christmas Party Food 2015- Christmas Tree Pizzas, Churros & Chocolate Clutch Bags.

When I was a kid Christmas party nibbles meant cocktail sausages and breadsticks. Now thanks to M&S festive food includes smoked salmon filled shells and Brie & cranberry tarts. The 'second wave' of seasonal treats have arrived in Marks & Spencers food hall, and with  two for one and 3 for 2 offers across the party food range this could be the best time to stock up & freeze for the end of the month's celebrations.

Seafood served in shells is a party I want to go to  

The pizza trees are so simple but effective. We had them last year, so this is a repeat buy. Perfect for kids while the grown ups have the fancier food that might be too rich for children. 

These mini posh hot dogs are the evolution of the humble party cocktail sausage. The pork belly I highly recommend, again it's a repeat buy for me from last year.

Not a party food, but part of the Grill range, if you can't wait for Christmas dinner then why not have a teatime of turkey, cranberry, bacon & stuffing burgers? 

As with every year you can buy a range of tasty pre made stuffing to save time during preparation of the Big Meal. 

Carrying on its the savoury treats, it wouldn't be Christmas for me without a fortnight of serious cheese overdosing. I'm serious about the Cornish Cruncher and my true love Blacksticks Blue.

I'm keeping my eye out for the cheese balls that I loved from the party food range last year, but if that doesn't make a return then I'll have to make do with this almost tennis ball sized offering that's £5.

I might pick these up for New Years, as I still haven't tried haggis. 

When I'm picking up food hall goodies for blogging I always have to call up to Sprucefield. It's a chance to nosy round their flagship store with huge home & clothing departments. They've added a massive Christmas store department with everything from decorations to cards, presents, wrapping paper and novelty crackers. A lot of the wrap, cards etc are on 3 for 2 offers too.

Back in the Food Hall and onto the sweet gifts and party foods. Making a change from the traditional shortbread tin gift, this lantern took my fancy with a design you could display all year round.

Fancy marshmallows are a fairly recent fad, but I love them. Snowflake shaped mallows are even better. 

I also spotted these 'create your own hamper' kits for £10. Super  for creating a personal gift for someone who has M&S favourites but also really useful for putting together a hamper for families with dietary needs like nut allergies or gluten intolerance, who otherwise might not get to enjoy premade hamper gifts.

These limited edition golden chocolate shoes and clutch bags are very cool. I'm neither a shoe or bag aholic, I think they'd have to make a chocolate taxidermy stag head for me!

I imagine with both designs being limited to 2000, they'll only be available in selected stores. If you fancy buying one for someone it might be worth phoning your local store to check if they have any in stock. 

You can order specially made cakes in store, with this cool penguin design only costing £20. 

There are so many shiny sweet gifts to choose from. 

I definitely had to grab some of the fancy mallows. Pistachio anything is always good. These would make an excellent alternative gift for a teacher, rather than the usual deluge of shower gels!

Cute carrot cake muffins, part of the 3 for 2 party deal.

I'm probably one of the few people who doesn't go Continental Market mad every December, but I do love Churros. Now I can get a fix with these ready to eat beauties. 

M&S seem to out edible glitter on 90% of their Christmas desserts- and that is BRILLIANT. I wish I could eat shimmering everything. 

So I think there will be one more pre-Christmas M&S food blog post, so watch out for the last selection of goodies in a week or two. 

The Unbeatable IKEA Real Christmas Tree Deal- 6ft, £25 with a £20 Voucher Free with No Minimum Spend for the New Year!

It's the unbeatable real Christmas tree deal that's been around for several years now at the Belfast store.

Buy a 6ft real tree for £25 and you are also given back a £20 voucher to spend in the new year. With no minimum spend that means you can start the year afresh with some new soft furnishings to give a room a cheap makeover.

The preview of products launching in February is promising. I love mid-century interiors, so I'm a sucker for a plant table. 

My ex bought me one of the gorgeous 1950s', pastel, multi-level originals for around £130. The £25 stand below would make a great dupe of one of the antique versions, just some pastel paint sample pots & you've saved yourself £100. 

How cool is this collection- which means it's pure torture that the NI & Ireland store aren't stocking it! 

I need need need this turntable/record style side board. 

I actually have an original of the coffee table below. I use it as my tv/DVD stand with a retro edge. 

So lots to look forward to in 2016 at IKEA. 

'Grotto Off 2015'! Hillmount Garden Centre Belfast, One of the Largest Grottos in Ireland!

Round two of this year's 'grotto off' took us to the Castlereagh Hills where a winter wonderland lays nestled in Hillmount Garden Centre. 

Their  mega Christmas grotto is one of the largest in Ireland and features a magical walk through attraction before your one on one with the big man himself.

Children receive a snack and juice, and there is a quiz to take part in as you travel through the various Christmas scenes, with a gift voucher for one lucky winner.  I can imagine weekends being very busy, given the scale of the attraction, so perhaps an afternoon visit like we just had would be less chaotic, with shorter waiting times for tiny ones.

Part of the quiz involves blind boxes & guessing what you can feel! 

This was my favourite part. A little window in the floor with a birds' eye view of what Santa would see from his sleigh.

There's also a cute dolls' house display, with a teddy family which is just too cute. 

The whole walk through attraction is very well done and would be totally magical for kids. It's the sort of memory you are making that they'll talk about with their kids when they are all grown up. 

Santa photographs are extra on top of your visit, but your child will receive a present from Santa as part of the grotto cost. I found the photo prices a bit steep, with one copy being £10, or 3 for £20. I think it's due to a third party company doing the photographic work, but prices could be more competitive I feel. 

We chose the mini photo in a snowglobe which costs £15

At the end of the grotto visit is an open area with a reindeer, donkeys and Pygmy goats. This part seems to be free to visit for anyone shopping at Hillmount. They have a good arm's length bumper barrier between the animals and the children, which as an animal lover, is always a relief to see. I can imagine many poking little fingers on a Saturday would end up being distressing for the animals, but as it is they are happy and even come over to try to give you a sniff! 

After the grotto fun we browsed the store a bit. It's similar to the gifts I posted a few days ago from their Bangor branch, but with the Belfast store being bigger the range of gifts is even better. 

The Christmas decoration department is absolutely huge with every colour scheme and tree theme imaginable. 

I loved this little fella, a singing Christmas tree. 

Hillmount are well known for their fantastic food and the restaurant part has been extended over the years to accommodate the ever increasing clientele. 

We had some sweet treats. 

Huge lemon meringue, the staple dessert of the garden centre. It was superb. 

So! The scores!

Display- ⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️

Actual rating for Santa-  ⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️

Price- ⛄️⛄️⛄️

Gift - ⛄️⛄️

Photo quality- ⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️

Photo Gift Option- ⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️

Queue time- ⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️

Christmas Has Hit The World of Kitsch House

Long-term World of Kitsch readers will probably already recognise these decorations from every other year, but if you've only joined me in the past 12 months, then let me show you my Christmas goodies.

This is is the second year with our fake Lidl tree, and I've seen the same one in stores again this Christmas. It's decent for a fake, and necessary as now it's just Smix & me, I can't carry or saw & prepare a real tree like previous years. 

If you are after a real tree then IKEA is your best place to get one. They sell them fairly cheap and you get a voucher to spend in store in January with no minimum spend, to almost the price of the tree too. You'd be mad going anywhere else.

My decorations are a collection of vintage birds bought on eBay, giant candy canes, pudding baubles and oversized retro style lights. 

Pheasant with real feather tail, vintage from eBay. 

No tree is complete without a Christmas craft by your little one. We don't have a star so every year I top the tree with this angel Smix must have made in nursery or P1. I like themed trees and to a point mine is, but you always need a few personal, dare I say it, messy & mismatching ornaments to set it apart from a tree you'd see in the window of a shop.

My white birds are from Tesco a few years ago, but they had them last year again so if you like them it might be worth checking your local store to see if they've migrated back for this winter too. 

The foot long, glitter candy canes were a really lucky discount buy when Dickson's Garden Centre in Bangor was closing down. I've three of them and they are definitely my absolute favourite ornaments. 

Named Christmas baubles for the family seem to be the new big thing and you can support a local business by ordering a  personalised bauble from Baked in Belfast. They also hand paint beautiful Christmas plates and platters with family names.

Christmas in my house without a touch of tack would be no Christmas at all. I have this ugly deer bauble from the 70s who hides amongs the branches of the Christmas tree. 

My top tacky item however is this singing Santa & reindeer that jumps along and for some reason features a light up face. My Mum brought it back from Tenerife & it's horrified us ever since. 

My stag head barometer is a bit 'Bates Motel at Christmas time' in the hall. 

I loved the print on this advent calendar, £1 from Tiger Stores.  I also got the matching wrapping paper at just £1 a roll.

Smix's Christmas tree is a village of little cardboard houses I got from Lidl, and filled with sweets & tiny toys. Dec 1st was this cute gnome snowglobe from Tiger too. 

Okay, so don't laugh at Smix's room tree! His old one got binned in our house move last February, so we needed to go buy a replacement at tea time tonight. Tesco only had green 6ft ones, so we tried B&M Bargains. Weirdly they didn't have their trees with each pre-built so you could judge what you were buying, and you can see why. 

This 3.5ft black tree was £6.99 & it is..well...lacking in Christmas spirit to put it mildly.  

Smix seems pleased with it though, and along with singing lights decorating his window, he's all set.

Merry Christmas from The World of Kitsch, Claire & Smix!