Showing all posts tagged review

In Reviews / Sponsored

PlayMais – Fantastic, Affordable, Fun! #PhotoReview

Author Nicki CawoodPosted on

We were sent a PlayMais World -Sea set to review just before the half term (great timing!). Playmais is 100% natural, eco-friendly and made from sweetcorn and food dyes and is a fantastic alternative playdough and other modelling materials. The packs vary in size, starting at just £2.99. The Sea World set we are reviewing retails at £16.99, and you get 1000 pieces, scenery, a child-friendly knife, instructions and more.

We are big fans of PlayMais and here is why:

The box is crammed full with over 1000 pieces but really caught my eye was the lack of packaging. This is a good thing... I hate wasteful packaging!
The box comes with scenery boards which can be built up for your child to display their models on. The scenery comes with instructions but it was just too much for me & Daddy had to take over. We struggled with the scenery but it's worth noting that Kieran opened the box the second time and just slotted it together. Humph. Perhaps it's not that complicated then?
Kieran loved using this safe (also eco-friendly) cornstarch knife to "cut" the blocks into different shapes. No glue in needed to put the shapes together, as the set comes with a little cloth you rinse and wring out. Rubbing the sides/end of a block on the water cloth is enough to make it sticky enough to bond with another piece.
The box states this set is for age 5+. Kieran is 5yrs in 3wks and could use it fine but found the instructions challenging. Instead, he used his imagination - this is Cyril the Sea Snake, as modelled by Kieran. This set really is suitable for a variety of ages from 4/5yrs up.
Yes, it's suitable for kids of all ages.....!
Just an illustration to show you just how much you do get in the box! The blocks aren't sticky so won't mix, dry out and get messy like dough or modelling clay so everything can literally get thrown back in the box for easy tidy-ups.
HOURS! Kieran & Daddy played for hours, Kieran and his friends have played for hours, me and Kieran have played for hours, Kieran has played on his own with these for hours.... I love PlayMais!
As you don't use glue you can stick the blocks to anything, the scenery, pot plants, photo frames... great for taking the kid's creations to a new level. Once dried up I have been able to easily remove blocks from each other for reuse
I have to include this or Daddy will be upset. Daddy created Terrance the Turtle using the step by step instructions. Didn't he do well!?

So how did the PlayMais get rated by our star judge?

A big thumbs up for PlayMais!

A great new craft experience for us and a wonderful gift idea!

You can see more about PlayMais on their website and don’t forget to visit them on Facebook!

*We were sent a Playmais set to test and review. Our findings are our own and are not influenced by PlayMais at all. PlayMais also holds no liability for the quality of my photography (!) and cannot be blamed for my inability to read scenery instructions.

In Comps/Giveaways, General, Parenting

Cool, Cute, a Comp & ByCarla!

Author Nicki CawoodPosted on
Photo from ByCarla

When I was offered the opportunity to test and review a sleeping bag from ByCarla I thought “Sure, why not?”. I wasn’t particularly excited (It’s a sleeping bag for babies!). However, when it arrived I was very pleasantly surprised. Yes, it’s a sleep bag but the style, design and obvious quality far surpasses the bags I usually use. I loved the simple black & white design (part of the Nougat range) and was even more surprised to find it retails at just £19.99. I expected the price-tag for what looks to be a designer brand to be much higher. It has also had extensive Taylor-testing, drool and a whole host of other lovelies, and has washed (and tumble-tried) beautifully.

I recently posted about sleep & routines and in there I stressed the importance (certainly for us!) of using sleeping bags. Both my two are wrigglers at night, with the sleeping bags I have been able to be confident that they are warm, comfortable and safe. No waking up after kicking covers off is also a bonus!

ByCarla has only recently launched at the Harrogate Nursery Fair and I can see why they have taken off! Currently ByCarla has two ranges, Nougat and the more colourful Playtime. A selection of luxurious, affordable and practical solutions for your nursery! I love the Nougat range for versitility and simplicity, and aside from the sleeping bag, I believe the Supersoft Rug at £24.99 and the Supersoft Nougat Blankets at just £19.99 would be a fantastic addition or gift.

To view the full ByCarla range visit their website, check out their stockist page for where to buy, and why not catch up with them on Twitter & Facebook?

Competition Time! To read more about some of the ByCarla products and to be in with the chance of winning a ByCarla  Bib & Splash Mat set get your self over to the fantastic TheBoyAndMe blog (Competition ends Friday June 19th ’11).

All original content on these pages is fingerprinted and certified by Digiprove