WIN Unicorn Headphones from Cozy Phones on The World of Kitsch!

Okay folks, here it is, quite possibly the coolest giveaway I've hosted yet, as not only do I have a really great set of headphones as a prize, said headphones are in the realm of being unicorn themed. 

Cozy Phones are an American based brand, who make clever headband shaped headphones. There are three main categories of Cozy Phones, kids,  sleep and active, and I will go into all three telling you the benefits of their headphones over regular in-ear, or over-ear designs.

Then you can enter to win a pair of unicorn kids' Cozy Phones, which if you are a unicorn loving adult like me, you may want to squeeze your head into anyway (I will give you size stats in this blog too). But first let's see what Cozy Phones are all about, shall we? 

KIDS COZYPHONES:  The benefits of a headband style of headphone for a child are easy to imagine. Regular in-ear 'bud' style headphones are too big for kids' ears, which will make using them uncomfortable from the get go. There's also a risk of your child playing their music or device output at too high a volume, directly into their eardrums, not good.

With kids Cozy Phones, which you can buy for around £15.99 directly from them on Amazon, you have a soft fleece headband, which won't fall off, be too big or small, like their over-ear counterparts can be. The little speakers inside can be adjusted by poking your finger inside the band from the rear. You line them up with where your child's ears sit, and you have a tailor made set of headphones that your child will love because of the variety of colourful designs. 

Long road trips will become a peaceful nirvana, with Cozy Phones on and noisy Youtubers muffled! Your child can also rest their head back, or even stand on their head if they want to, and the headphones will stay on. 

The manufactuing is sturdy, with a 36" braided cord cable, and regular 35mm stereo plug.

Cozy Phones were kind enough to send a set for Smix & he has been using them religiously since they arrived. He says the sound quality is excellent, and the headband is more comfortable than the Dan TDM over-ear headphones he had been using. 

SLEEP CONTOUR COZYPHONES: Moving onto the adult size Cozy Phones, looking first at the sleep Contour and Original sets. Both are similar in that they have soft fleece, but the contour design has a cool mesh lining which helps the speaker stay in space should you toss and turn.

I tried the original fleece only set and found no problem with movement anyway. The specs are similar to the kids' Cozy Phones, the difference being you have a 1.5m corded cable with the adult ones, which is tangle-free and sturdy. 

I always listen to YouTube videos at night to fall asleep to, so I gave them a go to see if I liked them. Firstly they were super comfortable and non-intrusive. Cleverly they can double as an eye mask by just pulling the band down over your eyes. I fell asleep easily wearing it.

They come with their own lovely little bag, so they'd be perfect for travelling and an essential for long plane journeys. They can also be used for sports, such as yoga, and because you can adjust the speakers' positions, you can also remove them completely to wash your headband if it gets a little dusty from continued use.  

Again they seem to be priced around the £15 mark directly from CozyPhones on Amazon, 

SPORTS COZYPHONES: Lastly the sports Cozy Phones for adults. Similar to the sleep set, but the band is lycra, and shaped slightly differently. I've tried regular headphones for running before and they can be a bit of a pain, but with a band you can listen to your music or sprint timing easily, not worrying about an ear bud flying out as your jog along. 

They come in a variety of colours, and again are around £15 on Amazon.  

So, fancy winning a set of kids' unicorn Cozy Phones? It's hard to give these away quite frankly, if I didn't have such a giant head myself, I might just keep them!  

They are kids' size, but check out the sizing if you are an adult who wants to try their luck winning this beautiful pastel unicorn with a golden horn, for themselves! 

Good luck everyone! 

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Win a Ravensburger Scotland Yard Board Game to Mark National Unplugging Day #GoGadgetFree

I can see the irony in posting a blog about National Unplugging Day, ON National Unplugging Day, but if you are online today and feel inspired to get prepared for some gadget free days over the school summer break, I have a  Ravensburger Scotland Yard game to give away you might like to play.

The game has one player be Mister X who is on the run through the streets of London. The other players play detective, with the only clues being Mister X's transport tickets. He can travel by bus, London Black Cab, or the Underground. If Mister X eludes capture then that player is the winner! 

The game is suitable for age 8 and up, with two different styles of play described in the instructions. You can play a slightly easier version of the game to start, or if you have young players joining in. So the game can adapt to your skill level. 

You can find the game at Smyth's Toys, or a variety of online stores. 

So would you like to win the game to play over the summer holidays? Simply take part using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good luck! 

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WIN! 4 Sets of Kikkerland Iron On Patches- Cacti, Flamingoes, Girl Power & Under the Sea Designs

Stroll into any high street fashion store this early summer & you'll see the biggest denim trend, taken straight from the catwalk collections, is embroidered patterns and patches galore.  

Jean jackets not just with one little patch to brighten things up, but it's as if the denim has been shot with some sort of decorative patch cannon. Rather than just having one feature patch, the trend is to have a collection of smaller patches in a cluster. It makes the jackets especially much more individual. 

To be even more individual, a cool idea is to buy a plain denim jacket, or jeans, then choose the patches yourself, and get handy sewing them on. But what if like me you are totally inept when it comes to sewing? Well! Kikkerland can save the day with their totally sewing-free iron on patches!

They come in a variety of modern designs, with summer 2017 trends like flamingoes & cacti, as well as classic cats, dogs, fish and even a retro Girl Power set. Prices range from €4 to €12.50 and the    best thing is the whole Kikkerland site has free shipping to the UK!

Kikkerland isn't just a site with accessories for clothing, they have toys, bathroom & kitchen gadgets, solar powered products, just a whole world of quirky design and clever gizmos.

So how would you like to win a bundle of large Kikkerland iron on patches to get crafty with yourself? 

You can decorate a plain denim jacket, or a pair of jeans in a way no-one else will be wearing. 

I'm giving away some of the sets shown here. You can win the Girl Power, Cactus, Tropical and Sea Creature. They are the large versions of the designs and have shimmery, fluffy and glittery accents.

To enter, simply use the Rafflecopter widget below. Good luck! 

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WIN a Scooby Doo Stretch Armstrong! Plus Our Stretch-Off Vlog

Here is a blast from the past! Stretch Armstrong is back and stretchier than ever. We tested out mini Stretch and Fetch from  Character Toys to see who was the most flexible.

It was a lot of fun tying Stretch in knots and watching him magically return to his original shape. Watch our vlog below to see him in action.

These new releases are the 7" size, and are priced around £12. There is also the big size available, I wonder if Original or Small Stretch is more stretchy? Maybe we will leave that for a future vlog on the Smix Brix channel.

The whole range is available at Smyths Toys, but we also have one to give away.

Want to win your own stretchy toy to experiment with? You can win a Stretch Scooby Doo by entering below. 

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Six Bikes to Win Thanks to Little Wing

As Smix & I's favourite local restaurant chain prepare to expand into mainland UK, they are revving the engines for summer & giving away six kids' bikes, one for each store. 

Entry is simple – enjoy a tasty Little Wing pizza in any of the six locations, fill out a ‘Get on Yer Bike’ Giveaway flyer and you’ll be entered into the draw to win. The competition will for one month, from 15th June - 15th July, with winners being drawn week commencing 18th July.

The competition launched on Wednesday 15th June to coincide with Bike to School Day. If you want more information, to find out where your nearest Little Wing is located, or to nosy through the whole menu, visit their website. They even have their own gaming app!

Snap Before You Sip With Ground Espresso & Win a Holiday to New York!

Your next cup of coffee could be your ticket to the holiday of a lifetime in the city that never sleeps. 

Northern Ireland's home grown, quickly expanding coffee chain Ground Espresso has launched an initiative that will invite their fans to submit themed stills for inclusion in a beautifully bound coffee table book, which will be sold and all proceeds given to The Ground Honduras Project.

Ground coffees are pretty as a picture

The aim of this campaign is to capture shots that range from favourite Ground drinks, to a precious memory shared at Ground, and even quirky snaps of Ground’s coffees and signature tray bakes out and about at NI’s famous landmarks. The initiative welcomes participants at all levels of photography from smartphone users to professional shutterbugs.

Snap quickly before the Nutella cake disappears!0

Ground also provide free tap water in every store- a great help for families

The initiative will shortlist 12 runners-ups who will be announced in August 2016.

Each runner up will receive a premium prize package of Ground treats including a £100 Ground gift card, brew-at-home coffeekits, and some bespoke branded products. In addition to this, the overall winner will receive a complimentary weekend break in New York City with flights and accommodation courtesy of Ground Espresso Bars.

All winners will also have their submissions included in Ground’s first coffee table book, which will be available for sale to the public at the end of year.

For further information and to join the campaign visit www.groundcoffee.net.

Spot Ground, top right

Smix & I finally visited the new Ground Espresso Bar that opened as part of the big, new Next store at Bloomfields in Bangor. It's the town's second branch, with the first cafe along the ring road always a hive of activity, and this concession set to thrive also. 

Previously the space was a department store, where you could get a light lunch, and Ground is the perfect replacement, with lots of good choices on offer from light bites to bagels, to toasties, to traybakes. 

The salted caramel brownie is the stuff of legends

Manager Chris was on hand on a hot Friday afternoon to show us the sparkly new store.  

Just as with the other Bangor branch, the Bloomfield cafe offers the whole  Brew Bar experience, which I covered in this blog post which is a must for coffee connoisseurs.

There's also a fabulous selection of Suki Teas, another local hero product, made in Belfast.

Because it was so hot I didn't fancy a big mug of steaming hot coffee, so Chris made me a double espresso with a little foamed milk.  

Michael's favourite and what he has religiously every time we go to Ground, is the Nutella cake. It's as heavenly as you'd imagine. 

Coupled with a babycino

I tried their bacon & cream cheese bagel. I'd had their bacon bap before in their Sprucefield cafe, but the bagel is a total belly buster! So much delicious bacon. I needed a lie down after eating that! But it was worth it! 

As with the other stores, this Ground also has a range of expert coffee paraphernalia to use at home. 

Dont forget to sign up for the Ground reward scheme if you are a frequent visitor, and there are also gift vouchers available if you know someone who loves their coffee & would be interested in the brew bar experience they can't get elsewhere. 

So thanks to Chris & the team, we had a fun first visit to our second local Ground. They sent us off with one of their special fruit & veg smoothies, as I was curious to taste the Kale Kick. It's an authentic superfood drink, icy cold in this hot weather, but a bit too healthy for me. The Oreo flavoured icecream milkshake is more my thing! 

You can connect with Ground on social networks with the username @GroundEspresso

WIN: A Creative Kids' Stocking Filler, Nutty Putty Clay

If you have a creative kid like my Smix, then crafting kits make great smaller presents or surprise gifts at Christmas. 

The Nutty Putty set we received included 5 colours of clay, 4 shape cutters, 2 tools, a rolling pin, a baking sheet and instructions. The instructions are quite clever in that they double as a laminated mat to do your building & sculpting on. As it is the clay is non-staining, so you aren't going to end up googling how to remove clay from your sofa. 

Check out the sets available and read the blog on  http://www.nuttyputty.co.uk/

We have a kit to giveaway to one of my readers. Competition closes this time next week, so I can hopefully get it to you before Christmas. Good luck! 

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WIN a 3 Day Trial of The New You Plan. Will It Be Your Weight Loss Wonder?

If you read my blog regularly you'll have seen my trial week of the total food replacement diet,  The New You Plan. It's the brain child of a local Northern Irish woman, Julie-Ann, who has built up the brand from scratch. There are other total food replacement diets out there, but the key to New You is the Secret Slimmers Facebook Page, made up of hundreds of customers sharing their highs & lows, successes & slip ups. The support you get from it is priceless, and talking to women who have lost 3 or 4 stone on th plan motivates you to stick with it.

I've put together a prize pack from products I've bought from them myself, but I really want to give someone else a chance to try the diet plan themselves, so I've boxed a three day supply of products. New You Plan have supplied a tshirt and mixer bottle for the shakes for the winner also. They also will give you access to the private Secret Slimmers group.

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My own weight loss is going well, I was 9st 12 about six weeks ago, and I'm 9st 3 now. This was partially done with New You. It was the kick start I needed. 

Should you want to go ahead and place an order yourself in the meantime, there are some excellent bundle discounts at the moment. 

Good luck, and if you've any questions then you can tweet me @rudedoodle. Please also note the advice below before starting any kind of low calorie diet.