Win a luxury K Bag thanks to Kenco Millicano and Project D!

Country Heart and Home is offering one lucky reader the chance to win a K Bag, Project D’s first ever luxury handbag created in collaboration with Kenco Millicano.

In celebration of new Kenco Millicano stick packs, miniature boxes of ten individual servings which fit neatly into your handbag, Project D has designed the bag which gives your favourite coffee its very own pocket and carry clutch – enabling coffee lovers to enjoy delicious Kenco Millicano wherever and whenever they want. This removable antidote to clutter doubles up as a stylish clutch, the perfect size for holding cards, keys, phone and make-up –  making the handbag as versatile as the women who carry it, from day to night.

Fashion forward with snakeskin print black leather and metal studs, the “K Bag” is set to be 2012’s most sought after wardrobe accessory, with a long list of celebrity fans to date! Each bag includes its very own limited edition number engraved on the inside and a box of the new Kenco Millicano stick packs.

Kenco Millicano, Kenco’s first ‘Wholebean Instant coffee’, is a clever combination of instant coffee and finely-milled beans that gives coffee lovers the convenience of instant with the quality and taste reminiscent of roast and ground coffee at home – it’s quite simply Kenco’s closest thing to ‘proper’ coffee in an instant.

For your chance to win a K Bag simply tell me when you enjoy your coffee - is it first thing in the morning when its still quiet or do you have a girly coffee meet up you look forward to??  Whatever it is let me know and you could be in with the chance of winning!


Draw will close at midnight on 30th April and winner announced the 1st of May - GOOD LUCK!!

Special little something for kitchen lovers!

I was so excited when asked to review something from the Handpicked Collection as ive had my eye on many, many things in their catalogue for a looooong time!

I received this fabulous Olive Heart chopping board and was really surprised by the weight - it is so heavy it screams quality! How fabulous would it be to have on the table for Valentines day! Maybe its just me but I would love this instead of flowers anyday - something to keep and which will only get better with age!Take a look at all the Valentines gifts they have and Im sure you will find something to either surprise your loved one with or even treat yourself - go on, you know youre worth it! :)

Persil and Comfort Cuddleproof Masterclasses

Persil Non-Bio and Comfort Pure has been working with three grannies to create master classes for new parents and have created three short films of the grannies going through how to knit, croquet and quilt.
The films are very sweet, easy to follow and quite funny!

First up is Granny Joan with a little masterclass on crochet

Second is Granny Nick with a little masterclass on knitting

And finally it is Granny Barbara with a little masterclass on quilting

I am off for a spot of crafting myself - now where did i put that crochet hook??!!

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

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*

Pass on the Love picnic!

I received a lovely email from Persil the other day asking if i would be up for holding a Pass on the Love Picnic.

To prove just how soft Persil 2in1 with Comfort is, Persil launched Pass on the Love Picnics at this year’s Camp Bestival, with some help from celebrity mum Jo Whiley. Families washed their old cuddly toys in new Persil 2in1 with Comfort and brought them along to be swapped with other festival families or donated to Oxfam.

Because new Persil 2in1 with Comfort combines the brilliant cleaning power of Persil with the delicate softness of Comfort, it’s ideal for washing fluffy bunnies and furry teddies – making them softer, cleaner and more fragrant than ever before. So they were extra snuggly for their new owners at Camp Bestival!

The day was a huge success – Jo joined us in our picnic area where everyone enjoyed snacks, games and puppet shows – and of course the kids had loads of fun swapping their newly-washed toys. Mums even had the chance to relax and unwind on giant bean bags where our laundry experts were on hand to answer their cleaning questions over a cup of tea.

After reading the above write up on the Netmums site I jumped at the chance - you know me and wicker baskets, add in some food and an excuse to sit with the kids playing tea parties and well, im in heaven! lol

The hamper arrived and in it was a bottle of Persil 2in1 with comfort to wash the teddies with, some half price vouchers for said washing liquid, a cute little bunny, a picnic blanket, picnic cups (paper not plastic) and napkins! :)

We visited the charity shop and bought some new bunnies etc to wash and donate to a hospice. They all smelled divine and Jake (typical boy!) turned one upside down and even said 'their butt smells nice too'!! eek - the joy of boys!!

Thanks to typical UK weather it has done nothing but rain since and the only dry spell was when we had th bears out to dry! We decided to hold the picnic indoors and have a tv watching, bear cuddling, juice drinking lunch :) Evie loved the fact she had all the bears surrounding her and sat quite happily which munching away on a sausage roll! The boys however refused to have their pictures taken and ran off to play on their xboxes!! lol

A girls only picnic was pretty cool and it certainly wont be the last now the boys are back to school - thanks Persil :)

Burgh Bakes ..... Review and Giveaway!!

A huge thank you to Lydia for getting me started on these delicious treats!

She sent me an email stating she had put my name forward as a foodie blog to do a review of some homemade gourmet marshmallows - made in Edinburgh!

I sent an email to the owner, Nicole, and boy am I thankful to Lydia!! The marshmallows arrived this morning, each flavour individually packaged in kraft bags (you know everything tastes better when they come in brown packaging!!) with a little see through window to tempt the first of your senses.....boy did they look delicious!The next sense to be put to the test was smell....when you open each bag you get a distinctive scent of whats in store. Key Lime actually smelt like fresh Key Lime Pie....Millionaires Shortbread smelt exactly like...you get the idea! lol

Next came the tasting! Now, ever the professional I decided to take the photographs first to make sure I didnt 'accidentally' eat a whole packet and have nothing to show...do you know how hard it is to position these delicious treats and NOT lick your camera screen!

These are the flavours Nicole sent and I am declining to answer how many are left!

Millionaire Shortbread... just like the real thing, crumbly base, caramel centre and topped with dreamy chocolate...(even my non marshmallow eating hubby loved these!)
Key Lime Pie...A tangy marshmallow with real lime bits held up by a crumbly sweet base.Morello Cherry...A light and oh so subtle cherry flavour with a kick of dark chocolate for topping.
Lemon Meringue Pie...So moorish!! These are huge and almost melt in the mouth, so soft and tangy...perfect as a treat or dessert!
HOWEVER I do have my hands on an extra bag of the Lemon Meringue Pie Marshmallows which one of you can get hold of just by liking Burgh Bakes on Facebook and coming back to leave me a message to confirm you have done so :)

Competition open until Thursday 12pm

I asked Nicole to answer a couple of questions so that any entrepreneurs out there would be inspired to start their own business' too :)

How did you get started?

Basically I graduated from University with a degree in ‘English Literature’ which turned out to be amazingly useless when it came to getting a so called “proper” job, so after a year of pub jobs, café jobs and a number of awful bosses I decided I’d had enough of waiting for a job to happen and make one happen for myself! I started off baking traybakes, cupcakes and loaf cakes and selling my wares wherever I could, even car boot sales! Around March I wanted to do something different, after seeing cupcake shops springing up in Edinburgh I knew I couldn’t compete with them so I wanted to do something different. I spent one sleepless night researching the internet looking for an idea and came across Gourmet Marshmallows, both incredibly popular in America and Paris! Two very different places! The American Marshmallows were very articificially coloured and look like a taste explosion on a plate, whereas the Parisian Marshmallows were very subtle, grand and, well… Parisian! I wanted to strike a balance inbetween and hence, “Burgh Bakes” – ‘The Marshmallow Lady’ was born! I made my debut in the middle of April and have gone from strength to strength since!

How do you not eat every batch!!??

Well.. who says I don’t? haha. No, but I have to try each batch just to make sure they’re as delicious as they can be, but apart from that I don’t really indulge in them that often, I’d rather sell them to keep the dream going!

What makes you think up new flavours - are they your own favourites or suggestions etc?

Mainly friends and family provide me with inspiration. The ‘Millionaires’ Shortbread’ was my mother’s idea, she came to me one day and asked if it was possible and two days later I delivered her a wee bag of the delicious treats. I also keep track of what’s ‘in’ with all the chefs. I’ve noticed that Elderflower seems to be everywhere right now, so I’m currently working on a flavour incorporating the yummy syrup! I’m also working on ‘Maple Syrup & Candied Pecans’, ‘Summer Fruits Crumble’ and ‘Reverse Rocky Road’!

Thank you so much Nicole, I wish you all the luck in the world on your adventure and I will certainly be back for more! :)

Hands First Power Scrub Review

I am the first to admit I have 'old' hands! As you can image they take a battering daily, are constantly in need of washing and heaven forbid if the handcream is in the place you last left it! Yes, my hands are neglected!

When I was offered the chance to review a new product, Hands First Power Scrub & Moisturiser, I was a little dubious as to how a scrub could leave my hands without the need for additional hand cream. I AM NOW A CONVERT!This hand washing gel has an anticeptic, clean but good smell with no perfume - no bleachy, hospital scent or overpowering fake orange like some hand cleaners! It removed ground in dirt and made my hands feel cleaner than usual, leaving behind a wonderful soft feel - no need for moisturiser for the first time in years!

I would highly recommend this product to anyone who gets their hands really dirty - inky people - it works wonders removing arty residue!! ;)

Price and availability

The products are hypoallergenic and dermatologically tested.

Hands First Power Scrub+ & Moisturiser £5.99/225ml

Available online from www.handsfirst.co.uk, Lakelands (Power Scrub+ & Moisturiser only), independent pharmacies and www.pharmacy2u.co.uk

Big Chocolate Tea Party!!

Feeling Chocolate-Tea?

Forgo the calories and host a Big Chocolate Tea Party any time in April 2011 - and raise some money for charity.

The Sick Children’s Trust’s second annual Big Chocolate Tea Party is back!

The Big Chocolate Tea Party is about getting together with friends, family or work colleagues, over a cuppa and your favourite chocolate treat to help raise money for The Sick Children’s Trust, enabling them to help sick children and their families at their time of need.

Michael Crawford OBE , president of The Sick Children’s Trust said: “Many of the families we have helped have explained how swapping stories and sharing worries over a comforting cup of tea has enabled them to draw strength from each other; helping to ease the burden of having a seriously ill child in hospital. So I couldn’t think of a more appropriate way to raise much needed funds for our charity.”

Emma Thompson stayed at The Sick Children’s Trust Rainbow House whilst her son, George, aged one years, was being treated at Great Ormond Street.

She said: “We do not know what we would have done without the help of The Sick Children’s Trust. We had to come to London at short notice and our planned short admission turned into a long term situation that has turned our lives upside down. Because of the help of the charity we are able to have accommodation near to the hospital and it means we can still have a family life and all be together at this difficult time.

“We will definitely try to raise money for this wonderful charity in the future, not only would the money go to such a good cause but it would be fun to organise an event like a Big Chocolate Tea Party that the children could be involved with as well.”

Last year the charity raised £14,000 and have high fundraising hopes of trebling that this year.

As well as various tea parties being hosted around the country by the public, this year the charity has teamed up with The Chocolate Festival at the Southbank Centre as its official charity. It will be hosting a Big Chocolate Tea Party filled with fun chocolaty arts and crafts from 12-2pm on Sunday April 10 2011 and everyone is encouraged to come down and visit.

To receive a Big Chocolate Tea Party pack please visit www.sickchildrenstrust.org or email thebigchocolateteaparty@sickchildrenstrust.org. There are also lots of downloadable recipe cards created by famous chefs Heston Blumenthal, Ainsley Harriott, Gino D’Acampo, Phil Vickery and Gary Rhodes for chocolate inspiration!

CSN stores review and a giveaway!!

You all know my love of CSN and their generous giveaways! They sell everything from Chests of Drawers (the ones below being my current fave!) to standing lamps, cook equipment to camping stoves!!

Check them out and let me know if you would like to host a giveaway on your blog - leave a link with your blog address and i will forward it on to CSN!

Im also having a giveaway as soon as i reach 800 followers - only 7 more to go!!

Crafters Companion new release....

As part of the Beatrix Potter range of stamps, Crafters Companion are releasing Appley Dapply's Nursery Rhymes!! This is such a cute set, there are stamps and a cd rom that will be launching as pick of the day on the 21st of January, tune in to Create & Craft to bag your set as soon as they go live!

Here is my take on one of the stamps from the set - I absolutely adore this stamp and will be using it on many occassion! I stamped the random background using Tim Holtz Distress ink and watercoloured the main image. A little ribbon and plain cardstock are all that are needed to tie it all together for that soft 'Beatrix Potter' feel :)

To see some more sneak peeks and have the chance to win a fabulous prize: the Appley Dapply’s Nursery Rhymes CD and stamp set, plus a pack of watercolour card and a tin of 12 Derwent Watercolour pencils check out the Crafters Companion News Blog.

Starting at the news blog, hop your way around some of the design teams blogs. Just follow the instructions and you could be in with a chance of winning :)
Good Luck :)

Cocoboat - Conversations to Go :)

I have discovered the most amazing little store with perfect gift ideas if you are starting your Christmas shopping! I have sat, made a list and have EVERYONE covered with unique and fun presents - yep even those that are hard to buy for - how funky is this foot stool and just imagine this doorstop in your shabby chic study!
There is such a personal service from Cocoboat that you really do feel as though you are receiving a present instead of an order. My parcel came boxed, wrapped in gorgeous pale blue tissue and adorned with the cutest little Cocoboat sticker and ribbons.
Upon unwrapping i was surprised to see that the Conversations to Go Box was a lot bigger than i first thought!
I have previously bought conversation kits from well known stores and they are the smallest of boxes with tiny writing that, to be honest, after a few drinks you cant even read! lol
This Conversations to Go box holds many great conversation starters, the title of the set is money and there are questions in there ranging from 'What would you do if you won the lottery?' to ' Would you prefer money or candy at Halloween?'
This isnt just a set for grown-ups, we have had so much fun finding out about what our boys think of money too. Questions like 'Is money good or bad' and 'Is a credit card the same as cash?' have led to answers about how easily influenced kids are today by big names and the lure of 'free money'
I would highly recommend this set to anyone - dinner party conversation starters, spending more family time together or even as a platform to spark youre own issues with money - go on its fun!!

Thanks to the lovely Sarah from Cocoboat I have another Conversations To Go box to giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment below and make sure i can contact you if you win - good luck, i will announce the winner on Monday :)