REVIEW: First Christmas Tree Decoration from The Little Pennant Company

I'm so excited about Xander's first Christmas fast approaching! I'm keen to make sure it is completely perfect and that this special day is well documented! He has his personalised Christmas stocking from Personalised Baby (click here to see review) and he now has a personalised handmade Christmas decoration courtesy of The Little Pennant Company:

As you're all probably aware I'm a complete lover of all items handmade and this tree decoration is no exception!! Isn't it beautiful?!

Elizabeths 1st Christmas tree decorations are available as either hearts or stars. They are made of linen and the wording is done in freehand machine embroidery and the edges are finished by hand in a blanket stitch. You can clearly see each stitch has been done with care and attention!

Most of what Elizabeth makes is to order. She provides a completely personal service for bespoke commissions allowing each customer to be involved in the design process. As a customer you will receive at least one progress photo. This means you'll know what you're getting and have a chance to make suggestions. This also reassures Elizabeth that she is creating exactly what the customer wants!

They are £12 each and £2 p&p. (1st class recorded delivery) The last date for ordering personalised Christmas gifts is the 25th November. You can view lots of examples of these decorations on The Little Pennants Company Facebook page.

The Little Pennant Company makes a whole range of other beautiful handmade items so check out the Facebook page to view the whole range! Elizabeth is always open to ideas so if you have a particular product in mind get in touch with her. To order send Elizabeth a message via her facebook page or email her: thelittlepennantcompany@gmail.com

I absolutely LOVE Xander's star and can't wait to hang it on the Christmas tree!!

We received this item free of charge for the purpose of the review. All opinions are my own.

REVIEW: CBeebies Music CD

Xander absolutely loves music and we often bop along to the radio or music from the tv. His little face lights up and he nods his head along to the rhythm - he's so cute!!

Over the last couple of weeks he started showing a little interest in the television and we have had the CBeebies channel on. There's a lot of singing on this channel which always gets Xander's attention.

So when when we was given the opportunity to review the new CBeebies album I knew Xander would love it!

There is a whole range of songs on this double CD album. Including all the theme tunes of the big CBeebies programmes such as In The Night Garden, Zingzillas and Rastamouse. It also includes several songs from the best programmes and also songs that the CBeebies presenters sing, including The Birthday Song and The Time Has Come To Say Goodnight.

We have had this CD on a lot! I don't like the idea of the television being on a lot and having this CD on makes the house less quiet and offers us a good level of entertainment! We have a dance around the sitting room to the songs. It's all good fun! Just look at him enjoying the tunes:

Xander's only 3 months at the moment. But I'm sure as he gets older he will engage with the CBeebies channel more and more and will recognise the songs and sing along!!

We received this CD free of charge for the purpose of review. All opinions are our own.

Milestone: Xander's First Roll

Proud Mummy Alert!!!

Excitingly Xander flipped over from his tummy to his back whilst in bed yesterday morning! I was taking photos of him at the time and got this pic mid-roll! (It's a shame I wasn't recording him)

I'm sure it was just a fluke (he's only just three months and going by what most websites say this most commonly occurs at approximately four months) but nethertheless it was a big moment in our house!! His little face afterwards was so cute! He seemed so shocked that he'd managed it, bless him!

I can't wait for him to do it again! Hopefully hubby will get to see him do it too. (Sadly he was at work and missed it) Now we need to be extra careful where we put him down! :)

REVIEW: Tummy With Mummy

At 8 weeks old it was clear that Xander had very strong neck muscles and could hold his head up when being carried. However when lying down he was unable to lift his head. So when the folks at Tummy With Mummy kindly offered to send Xander one of their products to review I was delighted as I hoped this would help him to develop this skill.

Tummy With Mummy is a product which encourages babies to enjoy being on their tummies. I had tried lying Xander on a blanket with a long sausage like cushion but he really didn't enjoy this and had little patience with the position. So I was hoping that the Tummy With Mummy would make tummy time a lot more bearable for both him and us!

When the Tummy With Mummy arrived I was surprised how compact it was. This is great as if you have a baby you'll know they take up a lot of space with all their belongings. The compact nature of the product meant we could easily pack it up and take it to Xanders grandparents when we went to visit!

It was easy to construct. You simply unfold it and fasten zips along the sides and hey presto!

Initially when Xander started tummy time with Tummy With Mummy he couldn't lift his head and barely last a few minutes without screaming. However we ensured he had tummy time at least a few minutes everyday and slowly but surely he began to tolerate lying on his tummy and then just a few days ago for the first time Xander lifted his head!! I was so excited about him reaching this milestone and you could tell from his little face he was too!!

As well as using the product for tummy time it also has a seat feature which allows babies to sit upright! Straight away Xander loved this feature as it allowed him to look around and interact with others. Because It has high sides, a solid back and safety harness Xander felt very secure!

The Tummy With Mummy also allows babies to lie in a reclined position which has been perfect for doing our baby massage as Xander is slightly raised and means that I don't have to crouch down on the floor!

Tummy With Mummy retails at £59.99.
Its the perfect tool to assist you in introducing a tummy time routine to your little one. Tummy time is an important element of your baby's development. Not only does it increase baby's upper body strength but improves their motor skills and for this reason I urge you to consider purchasing the Tummy With Mummy.

We received this product for free for the purpose of review. All opinions expressed are my own.

REVIEW and OFFER: So Kitsch handmade jewellery

As you all should know by now I LOVE items that are handmade! Twitter is a fabulous source of locating talented crafters who create and sell unique and beautiful items and that's where I met Clair, the owner of So Kitsch jewellery!

Clair's jewellery is completely different from any other handmade jewellery I've seen before! It's fun, colourful and a little on the zany side (which I LOVE!!)

Clair sent me two items to review:
A scrabble piece ring:

This chunky ring is made from an original scrabble piece. I love that it is personalised to my initial! The ring is adjustable to suit the size of the wearer. The item is well made. I think this would make a wonderful Birthday or Christmas gift. Or possibly a brilliant partybag gift at a girls birthday, a hen night gift or wedding favour for women guests!

A pair of pink bow earrings:

As I don't have my ears pierced I gave these to my ten year old sister. She absolutely loved them! She's only ever owned studs suitable for school and loved the fun design of these earrings! Again they have been well made, are not too heavy and the backs clip on perfectly so they're fitted securely in the pierced hole. Again these would make a perfect gift/stocking filler!

Please check our Clair's creations all of which are unique. She has a range of fun jewellery on offer from scrabble and Lego rings to m&m earrings!

Clair has kindly offered mycraftymummy followers 10% off her items!! So why not visit her Facebook page today and mention the discount code mummy10 when you order and start your Christmas shopping today!!

Five Baby Shower Games and Activities

In recent months I have been to several baby showers (including my own) all have been wonderfully organised by various family members and friends.

One of the fun parts of a baby shower is the games and activities you do so I thought I'd give you some insight into ones that I've particularly enjoyed:

1) Guess the baby poop: I've seen a couple of variations of this. At my baby shower my friends mixed together several store cupboard ingredients (mustard, raisins etc) and you had to guess all the ingredients by sight, smell and if you was brave enough taste!!

At the baby shower yesterday there was six different melted chocolate bars in six numbered nappies and you had to guess what chocolate bars they were!!

2) Guess the baby food: baby food comes in all sorts of posh flavours these days. At my baby shower my friends heated up several flavours of baby food and we had to try and guess the flavours!

3) Draw the mum-to-be's baby: this ones really funny. Give each guest five minutes to draw what they think the baby will look like. Give them all to the mum-to-be to judge. These could all be collected up afterwards and put into a book for the mum-to-be to keep!

4) A good old fashioned quiz: Appeals to my competitive nature! Could be done individually or pub quiz style in small groups! Rounds could include nursery rhyme questions, celebrity baby names, questions about the mum-to-bes pregnancy.

5) Decorate bibs and baby vests: I loved doing this one! It really appealed to my creative side! Buy some plain bibs and vests, along with some fabric pens and let the guests decorate these items for the new baby.

One nice idea is to buy vests in a range of sizes (0-3, 3-6, 6-9, 9-12) and allow each guest to decorate them with 'Month 1, Month 2 etc) so the mum to be can photograph her baby each month and document the baby's growth!

I hope these ideas inspire you if you're organising a babyshower yourself!

What fun games have you played at a baby shower?! Please leave a comment below!

REVIEW: Padders Ugg-Style Boots From Tiny Toes Baby Shoes

Up until now Xander has either worn baby grows, socks or booties when out and about, however with the cold weather fast approaching i was keen to get some more suitable footwear for him to keep his cute little tootsies warm.

So I was over the moon when Bruce from Tiny Toes Baby Shoes offered to send us a pair of 3-6 month Padders Chestnut Ugg-Style Boots to review:

I had been considering getting Xander a pair of these for a while and when I received them I wondered why I hadn't bought some sooner. They're gorgeous!!

Not only are they fashionable (we got lots of lovely comments whilst out and about in them), these faux sheepskin boots with faux fur trim and lining most definitely kept my little mans feet nice and warm!!

Here's Xander wearing them at his sensory class:

Unlike many ugg-style boots in the shops they're also completely practical to put on your baby as they have velcro hidden up one seam of the boots:

The slip resistant sole coordinates with the upper:

These ugg-style boots from the Padders range come in 0-3, 3-6, 6-9 and 9-12 months. They're a complete bargain at just £10. He's definitely getting plenty of wear out of them. I think they look brilliant on, especially with dungerees:

They are now also available in Chocolate AND excitingly you can now get your baby's boots personalised for just an additional £8!!

Guess what I will be buying Xander for Christmas?!

Check out the Tiny Toes Baby Shoes website today they have a whole range of beautiful baby and toddler shoes to pick from. These baby shoes are beautifully made and of excellent quality. Why would you want anything else for your children than that?