Mike the Knight, Do it Right!

Who am I to turn down a Knight in shining armour - especially one this cute!!
We were asked to review 3 episodes of a new CBeebies show coming soon called Mike the Knight.

I gave it to the boys to watch in turn over two nights...

Jacob (8) - His verdict was that it was a good adventure and he loved the fact that Mikes little sister is called EVIE!! (He thought they had done it on purpose! lol) He said he enjoyed it but it was more for littler ones and that although he would watch it he prefers Ben 10! lol He is 8 after all! ;)

Ethan (6) - His verdict was all singing all dancing, waving arms in the air and re-enacting the whole thing for me! (He too thought the girl called EVIE was there as a bonus for us! lol) He really enjoyed all 3 episodes and is looking forward to them starting 'for real' on CBeebies!

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Galloping onto CBeebies is Mike the Knight a brand new 52 part CG- animated series bringing the excitement and enchantment of medieval times into the life of the modern pre-schooler. In each action-packed episode, viewers are transported to a world filled with marvellous missions, castles, dragons, Vikings and trolls.

Mike is an energetic, cheeky yet bountiful young knight-in-training, driven by his passion to help others and, along the way, be the best knight he can be. With his father, the King, away exploring faraway lands, his mother Queen Martha has put Mike in charge of helping her protect the Kingdom of Glendragon.

Determined to do his best, through comedy and adventure with his rallying cry of Be a knight, do it right! Mike learns the power of responsibility and how to do things the right way.

With a little help from his Big Book for little Knights in training, the would-be-hero rises to each episode's mission with the help of his closest friends: Sparkie and Squirt a pair of friendly dragons, and his trusty steed Galahad. Never far from the action and always willing to help out is Mike's fun and free-spirited sister Evie, a wizard in training.

At the start of each new challenge, Mike dons his armour and is ready to tackle anything from horse riding to helping prepare for feasts and festivals, from guarding the castle to good citizenship and, of course, knowing how to rescue a princess.

He is aided in his pursuits with some nifty medieval gadgets, including his enchanted sword and his shield. Thanks to one of Evies spells Mike is never quite sure what magical object will appear when he draws his sword. But what the valiant apprentice fails to realise is that the object will always come in handy for completing the mission of the day.

Topping and tailing each episode is Fernando, the resident bard, who acts as the storyteller. Incredibly funny, his witty ditties begin and end each episode on a humorous note.

This chivalrous new series is set to send young viewers on an enchanted voyage of discovery.

Mike the Knight is a co-production between HIT Entertainment and Nelvana Studio. The series was created by Alexander Bar (Lunar Jim) and the head writer is Marc Seal (Head writer, Bob the Builder).

*sponsored post - no payment was received

Painting Canvas!

When Tracie said she had an idea for a class for the Creative HeART & Soul retreats about painting canvases I loved it! Ive longingly looked at the likes of Kelly Rae Roberts work and thought it was well out of my comfort zone!

I was a little hesitant too that he ladies at the retreat would feel the same but that is what we are trying to embrace, something new, its all about stretching yourself to find new techniques and ways of using items and ideas you wouldnt normally have on your everyday projects.So, Tracie taught the class and as I was busy in the background we waited until everyone had gone home on the Sunday night before she gave me and my little sis a lesson of our own....
All the way through I kept saying, nope dont like it, ack ive made a mess...but all Tracie kept saying was 'just wait and see', 'add another layer' and a few 'give me it here and wet that cloth for me so i can wipe that bit off!!' lol

Its amazing to see it all coming together towards the end and by the time its all outlined with black pen and you add some squiggles etc - well, its like youve just given birth to a new baby!! I loved my canvas that much!! lol

This has spurred on a bout of canvas making - its amazing over the years how things go round in circles and i already had in a few canvases, acrylic paint and pva glue!! Those are my first couple of canvases made on my own - yes i made mistakes along the way but another layer of paint and its all better!!

Off to stick down more paper and paints!!

Total Yogurt - E Book competition!

TOTAL Greek Yoghurt has announced it is producing a healthy recipe e-book, with all proceeds donated to UK charity Action for Children.
Food enthusiasts are being encouraged to visit TOTAL Greek Yoghurt’s Facebook page to submit their recipes featuring the creamy product. The recipes chosen for inclusion in the e-book will be voted for by TOTAL’S Facebook community. The recipe with the most votes will earn its author an iPhone 4S and iPad 2 complete with smart cover. The runner up will receive an iPad2.
In addition, all participants voted into the recipe e-book will receive a free cool bag and a published name credit in the book.
The new digital cook book will be available to download on Amazon as a Kindle e-book from early 2012. The deadline for recipe submissions is Friday 20th January 2012.


All money raised by the e-book will be donated to the UK charity Action for Children which works tirelessly to support the UK’s most vulnerable and neglected young people. One of the signs of child neglect is hunger. The effects of hunger can be devastating, from daily pain and poor health to low educational achievement and bullying. Action for Children looks to combat this by early intervention.


The competition is now officially launched.


Join in the TOTAL Greek Yoghurt conversation: TOTAL Greek Yoghurt Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/TotalGreekYoghurt TOTAL Greek Yoghurt Twitter Page: http://twitter.com/TotalGreek TOTAL Greek Yoghurt You Tube Channel: http://www.youtube.com

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Go for it girls - im going to enter and i know you should too!! Let me have a link to your submission and I will post it in this thread :)

My First Printed Canvas!!

When I was asked by Canvas Dezign if I would like to review a printed canvas I jumped at the chance!! I love the look of them but when searching on the internet I have always been wary of the price and what you get....do you go for boxed with printing round the sides??? How big will the photo stretch without the picture deteriorating?

I replied to the email and said I didnt mind what size the canvas was as long as they made sure the photograph was still picture perfect. The postman brought me the canvas yesterday and I have been smiling ever since! I love it!!

Could that be the subject - well of course it could! BUT its also the fact I wish I had done this a lot earlier - there is so much colour and vibrancy from the canvas...much more than you get from a photograph! The boys are so pleased with it and to be honest if I had blown up a photograph to this size they would have been mortified but because its a canvas its 'cool'!!

I have so many more that I want to turn into canvases now and I will most definately be shopping at Canvas Dezign

*disclaimer - I was not paid in anyway to review this company but did receive the finished canvas*

Creative HeART & Soul Retreat Oct 2011

We had a fabulous time and personally I cant wait for May next year when we get to do it all over again!!

Here are some of the photographs from the weekend...
First off we have the teachers - a certain lady was mooning us....no... i wont mention names but we laughed so hard i didnt think Anna would be able to take the shot!!
Left to right --- Loeska, Lida, Tracie, Me and Emma
All of the attendees - the weekend was made special by each and every one of these ladies!
Extracts from both of Lidas Workshops. The drawer holder with the handle on top - the girls build these from scratch and decorated as dedicated ink holders!! The other box you can see in the bottom of the picture is a case with a clock face which held a mini album - all constructed in Lidas class!
Chocolates and champagne on the Saturday night.... by this point we were all fit to burst but hey who cant make room for chocolate and fizzy!!
Loads more pics can be found on the Creative HeART & Soul facebook group page.

There are only 3 spaces left for the May 2012 retreat which is being held in Derbyshire. Please check out the website www.creativeheartandsoul.com for more details.

NIGHTMARE!!!

Honestly just when things start going right you go and loose your flipping

CAMERA!!!

I cant believe ive gone and lost a Nikon D3000 - its not as if its small and could slip down a sofa or something, its a flippin huge thing and im officially gutted!!

Well, actually i know its not as if someone had been hurt so im kind of 'ok Deb chill and get over it' but DAMN!! How do i take my piccies now, going to have to accustom myself with hubbys erm relic...i mean camera! lol

PAH!

Scotch Restickable Tabs...giveaway!

I got the opportunity to try the new Scotch Restickable tabs at our last Creative Heart & Soul retreat and they are fab! I used them to hold up project lists all weekend and they removed without a problem - all of the girls went home with a pack in their goodie bags and im sure they will be along to testify how great these are soon!

Do you find sometimes with sticky tape and pins etc that they leave marks or even rip the paper/paint from underneath the projects??
Well, with Scotch Restickable tabs there is none of that - check out this video to see just how easy they are to use AND REMOVE!!
They are photo safe and can even be used on glass, why not enter your name in the comment section below to be in with a chance of winning 2 packs - just in time for the festive season!

What better way to hang all those decorations without fear of leaving behind a mess when taking them back down again!

Available to purchase from Scotch 3d directly :)

Vintage inspired fashion trends for autumn/winter

Vintage-inspired fashion trends for autumn/winter

The styles of the past are increasingly inspiring current collections by some of fashion’s biggest designers. Here, guest blogger Jo-ann Fortune from www.vintagebrighton.com spotlights three of the biggest retro revival trends for autumn/winter.

Sixties mod

Many models on the fashion week runways looked as if they’d been transported back to Swinging Sixties’ Carnaby Street at the autumn/winter shows. Paul Costello championed shift dresses, flare skirts and cute collar details, Prada set a trend for geometric prints and Bottega Veneta injected new life into the prim and proper skirt suit.

Inspired by the pop art of the era, the palette for this look is bold and bright – Burberry’s marigold and azure blue pea coats set the tone for key colours. Alternatively, keep it muted with mustard, as seen on the Paul Costello and Celine runways. In terms of accessories, it’s all about Mary Janes and ladylike box handbags.

Seventies glamour

The Seventies influence is apparent in two of this season’s biggest trends – haute hippy and Studio 54. Layering, maxi lengths and tactile textiles were showcased on the Milan catwalks, with fashion houses such as Just Cavalli and Missoni pairing floaty floral dresses with long fur womens coats. Suede fringing and shearling trims are among the other Seventies-style details to look out for – investing in Ugg boots may be an easy way to introduce the trend into your everyday wardrobe.

Reviving the high glamour of New York’s Studio 54 disco scene, silky jumpsuits, maxi dresses and pussy bow blouses were also in abundance on the runways, and tailored tuxedo blazers brought power dressing back into fashion focus.

Victorian vamp

Travelling further back in time, autumn/winter collections referenced Victoriana styles with dramatic flair at the February fashion weeks. Long, flowing lengths, corseted silhouettes and plenty of flounce and frills added an historic edge to fashion on the Alexander McQueen, Julien McDonald and Charles Anastase runways.

A white lace mini dress, such as that showcased on the Meadham Kirchoff catwalk, is a great wardrobe staple that will see you through the seasons. Or go gothic with black lace, a la Emilio Pucci, at your Christmas party, accessorising with one of the many lace-detail clutch bags currently on the high street.

Images: Vintage-inspired outfits at the Bottega Veneta, Just Cavalli & Charles Anastase catwalk shows

Images courtesy of MPDClick.com

Phineas & Ferb!

OK, Im going to hold my hands up on this one and say what when I was asked to do a review of the new Phineas & Ferb: Across the Second Dimension Wii game I almost didnt tell the kids....I LOVE P & F!! Whos with me on that one!!??

Thankfully I played good mummy and let the kids rush to open it when they came in from school and im so pleased i did! Talk about fun! The whole game stays true to the cartoon and you can play as either character - dropping from one to the other - or as a 2 player game.
This is a platform game and is based on the movie which in turn is based on the cartoons - you have to build contraptions to try and catch Dr Doofensmirtz ( with a little help from the (unknown to the boys) agent Perry the Platypus.

One of the best things about this game is that there is no penalty for dying!! Wohoo - theres nothing worse than one of the kids feeling pants because they caused a game to finish early! Phew - not the case here. You have to get through 4 to 5 levels on 6 dimensions, you have to destroy, collect and build as you and now and again roadblocks will pop up with additional puzzles for you to solve.

There is a full voice cast too which makes it all the more fun - theres nothing more disappointing than getting your favourite characters on a game and having some sound alike that sounds nothing alike!!

Overall this is a fabulous game for adults and kids alike (adults may find it a little too easy) but I think any fan of Phineas and Ferb would enjoy this no end!

Not only is this out for the Wii, it has also been released for the PS3 and DS - available from all major game outlets!

**runs off to have another quick go while the kids are at school**