Tag: present

Ikea kitchen: a quick review

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Ikea toy kitchen - Duktig - giftNo, we’re not revamping our kitchen just yet!  Our main Christmas present for Scarlett this year (well, last year – happy new year!) was this Ikea kitchen.

We went full circle when we started looking.  She showed an interest in this Duktig in Ikea, so we went home and started researching bigger, fancier (and yes, pinker) kitchens online.  My bookmarks are still full of expensive wooden masterpieces.  But we got a grip.  She’s not even two, she already enjoyed playing with this one, and it does add up with the pots, pans, utensils and food.  This was a fantastic £49 total for the two bits (they split it into the bottom bit and the top bit), not including the accessories.  We did buy it on sale – it’s normally £65 for the two parts. Continue reading →

I got sunshine

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Sunflower 1…on a cloudy day.

That’s what I think when I look at the sunflowers in our flower bed, anyway.  Scarlett was sent home with a tiny green shoot in a flowerpot for Mothers’ Day, back in March.  And yes, I did cry.  A couple of my friends (you know who you are) think it’s hilarious that I cry whenever nursery give me anything Scarlett’s made, painted or planted, but it makes me so happy!  I digress.

So, we left it in its little pot and set it on the kitchen table near the window, where it started to grow.  I’ve never been very good with plants, but I tried my very best with this one.  You know, because my then 12 month old daughter planted it with her own fair hands (with help, granted) and such. Continue reading →

Buttons

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Button S 2I’ve gone a bit button-mad recently.  I always had a big box of buttons, which originally came from my Nanna for my 11th birthday – she had a haberdashery shop in Hull.  Over the years, I’ve added tons of those little plastic packets that you get off clothes, cut them off coats and bags that were being binned, and generally just threw them all the general direction of said box.

Button S

Anyway, great news for the sad little buttons, especially the ones that have been hanging around since 1993.  As part of my plan to take over the baby gift world (alright, a corner will do me just nicely, thank you), I’m now offering a new product – button monograms!

Yes, it’s essentially a letter made out of buttons.  This “S” I made Scarlett is particularly sentimental, because I know where most of these buttons are from, so I look at it, thinking, “that belonged to a coat I had when I lived in France”; “I loved that bag!” or “I’ve still got that top, hope a button doesn’t fall off it”.  Hopefully, you’ll look at it and think it’s pretty cool too.

In breaking news, my website is now live too, so come over and have a gander: www.babybrainboutique.co.uk.

Drumroll please

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The auctions have ended; the bids have been counted and verified (drumroll please)… we have a dazzling £343 from our old kitchen to spend on the new!  Note to self: never bin anything again ever.

It’s so much more than we were expecting that we don’t know what to do with it (don’t worry, it will be spent!).  The joiner is the first item on the list, and then I suppose the rest may go to flooring (or lights/tumble dryer/coffee machine/mixer/photo frames for the living room/yesterday’s hair cut/anniversary meal).

The lady wanted us to deliver, but we don’t have the facilities to transport 3m long worktops, etc., so she’s going to have to book a man with a van.  Hopefully she’ll sort it this week so we can carry on painting.

As I already mentioned, yesterday was our fifth wedding anniversary, and so we had to get wooden gifts.

Panicking in Boots, I originally bought Barry a wooden Botanics nailbrush, but then had a proper think about it and bought him some of his favourite aftershave ever – Marc Jacobs Men.  He hasn’t had any in ages and it has (wait for it) top notes of cypress and base notes of cedarwood.  I am the master.

Although Royal Mail are currently holding Barry’s gift to me hostage, he’s shown me a photo of what I can expect – it’s this lovely wooden jewellery box.  I’m looking forward to receiving it!