October 13, 2015

Could You Eat Reindeer This Christmas? Share a Lidl Magic

October 13, 2015/ Claire Spence

Tonight Michael and I went along to probably the most impressive launch night we've been to, as Lidl NI showcased their range for Christmas 2015.

They had set up a replica Christmas market inside the Life Church in Belfast. Sparkly lights on Christmas trees and stalls brimming with treats.

The entertainment came in the form of the Bugle Babes.

So what can we expect in store? As usual Lidl's deluxe range is out of this world, with oysters, chowder and the finest meats.

Have you ever made one of these gingerbread houses? I've tried. Never again. So thank goodness Lidl have a ready made one you can buy!

These little desserts are so cute. One is chocolate orange and it tastes amazing. Good idea as a Christmas dinner dessert, when you're so full of turkey & trimmings that you couldn't squeeze a full size dessert in.

And here it is, the infamous reindeer meat! Could you try it without feeling like you're chowing down on Rudolph?

My Mum always does a buffet on Boxing Day, so I'm going to have to bring a pack of this and see what everyone's reaction is!

I realised I had never tried oysters before. They were tasty.

So there we have it. A little taster of Lidl Christmas 2015. I'm all in a Christmassy mood now.

September 28, 2015

IKEA Belfast's Christmas 2015 Teaser

September 28, 2015/ Claire Spence

Available in store soon. Is there anything you've got your eye one?

December 11, 2013

WIN A Large Cookies & Caramel Chocolate Wreath from Hotel Chocolat Worth £21 !

December 11, 2013/ Claire Spence

I don't often hold competitions on The World of Kitsch, but when the delicious people at Hotel Chocolat offered a prize for me to give away to my readers, I couldn't resist picking this HUGE chocolate wreath. I have one, worth £21, to giveaway to one of my readers.

I'm using Rafflecopter, which is the standard bloggers' giveaway tool. It's fair and randomly picks a winner for me. Hotel Chocolat will then send you the wreath directly, should you win.

Later in the week I will be reviewing their Christmas range they sent me to try. Oh my goodness, they are something else. The plastic bucket of Quality Street seems so inferior after you've had your taste buds introduced to Hotel Chocolat goodies.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

November 28, 2013

It's Time To Make Your Family's Magical Christmas Mascot at Build-a-Bear Workshop

November 28, 2013/ Claire Spence

The Build-a-Bear Workshop experience is far more than just shopping for a cuddly toy. You bring your new furry friend to life, customise its sounds and even smells, as well as choosing a very special outfit. We visited the Belfast Build-a-Bear Store at Victoria Square to make a Smyth family Christmas friend. The idea is that we bring out our unique plush friend every December to sit under the tree, a new tradition that our son will remember fondly when he's a grown up.

Yesterday was the first step in starting the tradition, creating the bear, or in this case reindeer, with help from Jonathan from the Build-a-Bear Workshop Store.

As well as the regular range of bears, pups, kittens and My Little Ponies, there are a selection of holiday themed bears to choose from. Rudolph with his light up nose, his sister with a light up heart, snowmen, snow dogs and even Santa himself.

The light up nose option quickly swung the decision for my son, and I don't blame him, look how cute Rudolph is!

After you've chosen the bear, the next step is deciding which sounds you'd like your friend to make. There's a fun sound board for your child to try all the options. We picked Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer for one hoof, and pressing the other hoof makes him say one of five phrases.

Next, Jonathan helped us choose a scent for Rudolph. This is very unique part of the Build-a-Bear Workshop creative process. Little scent pods are stowed safely inside the plush toy, with smells like strawberry, bubblegum and blueberry to choose from. There are two exclusive Christmas scents, Christmas Cake Icing and the one we picked, peppermint.

Then it's time to stuff Rudolph! Your child gets to help by pressing the foot plate to feed the fluff into their bear.

Now it's heart adding time! There's a special little routine you have to do before putting the heart into the bear, and even though Michael is a 'big, grown up six' now, he still loves acting out this part.

It's then bath time for Rudolph, blowing off all the loose fluff and brushing up his fur before the gets beautified in front of the dressing room mirror, choosing his clothes.

There is an exclusive Christmas clothing department for all bears. Elf suits, Christmas jammies, Rudolph slippers and Santa suits to fit any existing Build-a-Bear toy.

The final step is printing a birth certificate for your new pal. Choosing the name and officially adopting your new Build-a-Bear. We now have the perfect Christmas mascot for the whole family, and a little gingerbread house to take him home in. Thank you to Jonathan who helped us bring Rudolph to life. If you would like to create your own friend, but you don't live near a store, the website has the Build-a-Bear Workshop Christmas range to browse and buy right now.

Don't forget Build-a-Bear Workshop as a Christmas gift idea. As well as the Christmas outfits you could buy from your child, or grandchild's existing bears, you can also purchase gift vouchers for them to come along in the new year and make a bear in the process like Michael did. I promise it will make you the most popular of all the grannies/uncles/aunties/neighbours/godparents! So says Michael!

Send me a picture of your Build-a-Bear. I love seeing what other people have made. I'm @rudedoodle on Twitter.

November 26, 2013

So What is The Elf on the Shelf? The Latest Christmas Tradition to Spring from The States.

November 26, 2013/ Claire Spence

I first saw the words, 'Elf on the Shelf' when an ex-school chum, fellow mum was discussing Christmas traditions. The Elf on the Shelf describes itself as a tradition, but it's still a budding one, especially in the UK where I hadn't heard of it at all. All good traditions have to start somewhere though, and whilst I recognise the sneakiness of trying to sell a specific toy and book set (£29.99 on Amazon), the Elf on the Shelf concept in itself is pretty magical, and can be done super cheap (I picked up an elf in Card Factory for 99p today).

Our son has just turned six, so I fear this game might only work for him this year, so I plan to make the most of it.

As the rules go, the Elf appears the day after Thanksgiving, and watches on behalf of Santa for naughty or nice behaviour, reporting back to the North Pole each night. In the morning the Elf is back, in a new mystery location within your home. The fun comes from finding comical or clever situations for Elf to be found in each morning. As the UK is a good couple of years behind on this, there's already a wealth of ideas online thanks to America's Mummy Bloggers sharing their creativity and Elf gimmick ideas.

So, anyone else fancy giving the Elf entrance this Christmas 2013? Let me know on Twitter, I'm @rudedoodle. Click the link to my Instagram beside my blog header to follow me and watch where I place our Elf every morning.

November 15, 2013

A Lidl Bit of Christmas Magic

November 15, 2013/ Claire Spence

Last night my boys and I attended a Lidl Christmas launch event in James Streer South, Belfast. Lidl's top chef Ian Orr supplied us with a savoury and sweet buffet of delights, all straight from the supermarket shelves. He also served up a starter of crab claws, and a main meal with traditional turkey with roasted chestnuts.

The desserts all got a definitive thumbs up from little Michael. I've already a mental shopping list of the delights we tried made. The deluxe collection arrives in store around 25th November.

November 13, 2013

Do You Like Glitter? What about Taxidermy? How about Both Combined at a bargain price?

November 13, 2013/ Claire Spence

Spotted in B&M Springhill, Bangor store. A cherry red, glitter encrusted stag's head, as part of their Christmas range. Also available in gold glitter or silver sparkle. The best part is the price, only £7.99 and it's the kind of decoration I would keep up all year, as my house is a zoo of real taxidermy.

It isn't available to buy through the B&M website just yet, but pop into your nearest store or email them to stock it if you love it like I do.