December 30, 2018

Intriguing Vintage Swedish Educational Book I Found Being Used As a Prop In IKEA Belfast

December 30, 2018/ Claire Spence

I remember as a child always being intrigued when on visits to Texas, the predecessor of Homebase, by the fake props they would have to stage the pretend living rooms and bedrooms. The false televisions, the plastic video players and fake books, all staging to help you imagine their sofas and tables they were selling for your own rooms back home.

IKEA does the same, but with their wider range of products they can stage more realistic rooms with their own products from other departments, so you can picture a more homelier home.

We were browsing the children’s department in IKEA Belfast back in the autumn when I spotted something that looked out of place, a book that was older than the usual books placed in the kids’ bedrooms. It was in what I assume is Swedish and appears to be an educational book from the 60s or 70s. The illustrations are similar to the Childcraft English language educational books that I collect. I thought I would share them here, as they are after all very kitsch.

Maybe next time you are in IKEA Belfast you can see if you too can spot this mysterious book in the Kids’ Department.

December 13, 2018

#MyMarksFave The Hashtag You’ll See in Your M&S Store Pointing Out Celebs’, & Staff Members’ Favourite Christmas Treats - I Share Mine Too!

December 13, 2018/ Claire Spence

There is one thing we know to be true about braving the busy stores these last two weeks of Christmas shopping, M&S is going to be crazy, but if you want the best treats, you gotta withstand the heat!

M&S is home to the proper party food of Christmas. Please don’t be offended, other brands and supermarkets I blog with, but everyone knows, when it comes to your Boxing Day Buffet, your New Year’s Spread, Marks and Spencer party food is just like flying first class. Yes you could get a sausage roll elsewhere and it would make do, but why, when you could get a mini-kiev? Or Thai Fishcake? Or vegan burger even though you aren’t even vegan but want to be a bit fancy and try one?

That means M&S is busy - but you better believe your trip is worth it.

Even better, right now M&S Party food is mix and match 4 items for the price of 3, which extends to desserts too, such as mini cupcakes.

While you’re browsing in store you may spot some little recommendation tags beside the price tags of some products, marked with “#MyMarksFave” These are dishes handpicked by a tester team of lucky celebs who got to try out the Christmas range and recommend their favourites from the selection.

I picked up the Truffle Mayonnaise, which is recommended by Amanda Holden, and it’s only £2.50 a jar (very top photo). The M&S Cranberry is only £1 this week, so if you love that with your turkey you could stock up now. There’s also Turkey Gravy, ready to serve.

My local Bloomfields, Bangor Store also has Paddy McGuinness’s #MyMarksFave which is the Santa Hat Profiteroles. They are £5 for a sharing size dessert portion and are very cute.

You’ll also see recommendations made by staff members from your own M&S store on what they love to eat at home.

The Christmas desserts from Marks and Spencer are always wonderful, so #MyMarksFave is in fact their desserts to order. There are only two days left to place a Christmas Food To Order order, however, I always find with the dessert I book yearly, when I do go to collect it on Christmas Eve, they are also selling them in store on the day too, on the shelves. So if you are reading this after the 15th of December and it’s too late to book a dessert in store, or online, don’t despair, you can try in M&S the few days before Christmas, they usually have the fresh desserts then to buy.

Every Christmas Day I don’t have to cook, we are guests, so I bring a cake, and this is the fourth year I think I’ve ordered a cake from M&S. This year I’ve opted for the Salted Caramel Chocolate Log, it looks like a rooftop with a little Santa’s sleigh on top. So that’s #MyMarksFave

Of course there are a wide range of other desserts to choose from to order (click any pic below to enlarge) as well as cheeses, and all the usual savoury Christmas food, and party food. Closing date is 15th Dec so be quick.

There is a very good range of party food in store now if you want to buy all your Christmas goodies now and avoid those crowds of the last week and last few days leading up to the 25th December.

The dates on the party food will be short dated to go ‘out of date’ before Christmas, however, most of the party food can be frozen on date of purchase. Even the smoked salmon blinis can be frozen and then thawed out for the big day, so technically you could go and buy all your Christmas party food now while the shops are quite so crazy, freeze it, and be all ready for Christmas when it comes.

The party food range is as amazing as ever this year, with old favourites like the mini burgers, and additions like a vegan burger option. The Asian Chicken lollipop favourite is back, lots of kid friendly favourites like sausage rolls, pigs in blankets, and the mini pizza platter which my son will demolish I’m sure.

There are plenty of vegetarian options, but I also spotted Wheat-Free party food this year for the first time (I think) so M&S really is catering to everyone this year. My Mum is a big fan of the Indian snack party food, and I love how delicate the new wok-toasted sweetcorn cones look in the 12 piece oriental vegetable selection.

All the party food shown here is priced at either £5, or £7, and are all part of the 4 for 3 deal. The Santa plates are also available from M&S from the Food Hall and are only £2, I thought they were so cute!

Finally, and forgive me if this is a total faux pas in a blog post about food, but after I was picking up the blog post items, I had to go buy two packs of M&S’s super adorable Christmas loo roll. It’s £2.50 for four, which is a great price, and it’s covered in little reindeers and Santas. I’m just a sucker for novelty and I couldn’t resist!

December 05, 2018

Welcome The Whole Family Home This Christmas With a Beautiful Personalised House Sign

December 05, 2018/ Claire Spence

It’s my dream one day to live in a little house, even a tiny one bedroom place, but somewhere that has a name. When I was tiny we would go to the Isle of Man and stay in a place called Rose Cottage, maybe it’s a throwback to that. I also have often coveted the hand-painted signs that people have on those houses, especially on our North Coast. The ones with wild flowers or squirrels.

So when U.K. Sign Shop asked me would I like to review their service, and pick a sign in return, I said of course.

The site has a live preview option, which means you enter your house number and street name and can see exactly what the sign will look like, the spacing etc. So it won’t be a surprise how it looks and you can change it before it’s printed. You can see which of the signs will look most aesthetically pleasing with your street name or house name, before it even printed up. They also have a seven day money back guarantee however, if you aren’t happy with the finished product.

There are 30 slate designs to choose from, 33 acrylic, 3 wood, 7 aluminium, 4 corian & 5 resin. You can play around with the designs as much as you want in the live preview before submitting the final product for digital printing. Sign prices start from £6.49, so there is a wide range of styles and price ranges to choose from.

There are also business signage options available, wall art and wedding signs.

I chose the ‘Robin Way’ slate sign, which has 25% off right now and is £24.99. I’ve yet to get it put up, as the weather has been dreadful, but I’m so happy with how it’s turned out. (I’ve edited the picture to remove the text so my house number can’t be read.) The slate itself is very thick & good quality, the print is crisp and colours bright and clear.

If you are super quick, shipping today, 5th December, is free, it’s usually £4.99 and if you order before the 10th December they guarantee Christmas delivery, so it could be a good present for someone who really has everything, but would love a fresh new look for welcoming people through the door.

If it’s after 10th December, it’s not too late to think about revamping your home for a brand new year, and that can start with the outside too. These signs will last for years to come, so why not start 2019 with a fresh face for your home too?

Visit UK Sign Shop and use their live preview with your house number to see what your personalised sign could look like.