It's All About the Little Black Shoes

We've all heard about the little black dress but what about the little black shoes, you know the ones that can make any outfit complete, the ones you just know will go with what you're wearing. A classic that just won't go out of style. Now I already have my fair share of black shoes but when JD Williams got in touch to see if I'd like to review a pair or two of shoes/boots from their site, well as a sort of addict when it comes to buying shoes, I just couldn't resist.

A pair of shoes can make or break your outfit. They have the power to bring your look together as one, to make a statement. They don't always have to be bold to make a difference. Sometimes it is the simpler styles that actually look the best. Or if your clothing is kept simple a patterned shoe can suddenly make a piece of clothing look more expensive than what it really is. It's about knowing your own style and making the shoes work for you.

With a wide selection of shoes, boots and trainers in their footwear selection, it was hard to decide on what ones I could see myself wearing. In the end I decided to think of the occasions I'd like to wear them for. Casual day to day wear, work hours and of course those rare times that I get to go out and party. By the time I had been looking at their site for a what my husband will tell you was hours, I managed to narrow my selections down to just four pairs.

You Can Never Have Too Many Shoes

I have a few addictions in my life, pushchairs, wraps, coffee to name a few. There is one addiction that I can't seem to kick, shoes!! I was always under the impression that you can never have too many shoes, well that is until one of my daughter's moaned because my shoes were now taking up space on her designated shoe shelf, oopsie.

So I decided it was time that I had a sort through and maybe, just maybe get rid of a couple of pairs, this was in no way a definite!!

Turns out that I have a tiny 49 pairs :)

Getting Comfortable in Converses

Before I had a kids, you know before I became known as mum, you would only ever see me in a pair of high heels. Even when my feet were really sore, I just couldn't bare to take them off, not only did they make me that bit taller, they seemed to give a certain amount of confidence. That all changed when I had kids, I some how didn't need the heels to give me confidence, the kids did that for me instead. The  platforms got switched for a comfortable pair of flats, normally my trusty pair of Converses. Running around after little ones 24/7 meant that comfort became key.

I was recently asked by the lovely people at cloggs.co.uk to review a pair of shoes from the great range that they stock. Cloggs have actually been trading online since 1998 and they aspire to be the number one online retailer of branded footwear. Selling over 100 different brands, they deliver all over the world!!

Can you guess what shoes I picked?

Baba + Boo Giveaway

A new day, a new giveaway. Today I have for you a great prize from the lovely people at Baba + Boo.

You may know Baba + Boo for stocking a wonderful range of cloth nappies, swim nappies and all the much need cloth nappy accessories.

However you may not know that they also stock a gorgeous range of clothing including T-shirts, shoes, bibs and baby legs. There is something for every boy and girl!!

If you would like to win a pair of shoes of your choice from Baba + Boo just fill in the rafflecopter form below. The competition is open to UK residents only and will close at 11.59pm on the 9th December 2013.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck

xxxx

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Debenhams Back to School Review

With the kids well and truely back at school, all of the essentials have been purchased and they are all kitted out for the next few months to come.

Debenhams kindly asked me to review a a selection of items from their back to school range, I was told I could pick out four things, so I chose school shoes for both Elise and Freya, a jacket for Freya as she had out grown her previous years coat and a new lunch box for Gracie as she is now having packed lunch at playschool.

Now I don't know about any of you but I lose count of the amount of pairs of school shoes that my daughter's have been through, I'm not sure how they manage it but the shoes just seem to fall apart. So I was on the look out for a nice durable pair.

The shoes below are Lands End All Weather Moccasins. My lovely five year old informed me straight away that looked boring, I promptly told her that they were smart not boring. Made from all weather friendly suede, they have reinforced stitching and slip resistant heels. These shoes were actually put to the test on Monday when they had to face torrential rain. I'm pleased to report that they survived and the girls feet were kept nice and dry inside of them.

With elastic vents and tabs at the back, these are easily slipped on, no worry about laces or velcro that doesn't stick however I think if your child has wide feet they may struggle.

At the moment they are on sale for the bargain price of £17.46-17.50 and I would be more than happy to pay a dearer price for them.

  I chose a black quilted jacket for Freya to wear on those days where the weather is still seasonably warm.

The jacket is in a fitted style with two front pockets and cord trims. Although quilted, it is quite thin and very lightweight.
It doesn't have a hood so would be no good on rainy days but it works well for those slightly chillier days when the wet weather stays away and I think it would be perfect for the Spring season too.

As you can see from the photo above, Freya really loves the jacket and was more than happy to pose for pictures whilst wearing it. The black colouring is very neutral so would be fine to match any uniform.

On sale for between £16.00-20.80 at the moment, it is beautifully made and adds a little style when playing in the playground!!

The last item was the lunch box. I let Gracie decide which one she would like, I'm pretty sure I would have picked the right one if it had been left up to me, what does every little girl love... Disney Princess.

This little girl is a huge fan of everything Disney Princess, especially Rapunzel!! She couldn't wait to show it off to her friends at playschool.

It is insulated inside, keeping those lunches fresh and it is fastened by a zip around the outside. There is a card on the back for you to write your childs name, number and class, just incase the lunch box ever gets lost or mixed up with someone elses. Priced at £8.00 at the moment, I think this reasonable compared to other shops selling similar ones, I just wished it came with a bottle too instead of having to bu one separately.

The girls and I were very impressed with the items we were sent from Debenhams. I was impressed with the quality and the pricing, whilst the girls were very impressed with how they looked, the difference between a child's and a parent's thoughts!!




Debenhams have up to 20% off their entire school range at the moment so if you've realised that you have forgotten something, or maybe you just want to stock up for next year, why not check it out!?

What back to school bargains have you managed to purchase??

xxxx









Disclaimer : These items were sent to me free of charge for reviewing purposes however all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Shoe Collection Begins

My lovely little Layla has now been walking independently for just over a month, she no longer wobbles around like shes a little bit tipsy. Now she is steady and gaining more speed every day, I don't think it will be long before she is literally running circles around me.

With the colder months creeping up on us, I'm thinking being bare foot all the time isn't such a good idea, so I decided it was time to get Layla her first ever pair of shoes.

It was interesting to find out what size she was compared to what her sister's were when they got their first shoes. Well all my other daughters got their first shoes when they were eleven months old, baring in mind they all started walking at 10 months old. My eldest two were a size 3H and my second youngest was a 2.5G.

My tiny baby at just over thirteen months old has feet that measure 3F, well technically 2.5 but you need to leave room in the shoe. I think she is going to stay the dinky one of the family, more like her nannie. My mum still only wears size 2 shoes!!

Below is a picture of her brand new shoes, they just had to be pink :) All of my children have had Start Rite shoes as their first ever pair of shoes. I love the flexibility of them and how easy they are to put on.

I can't get over just how grown up Layla is looking these days, just look at her strutting her stuff below.

It won't be long til she has a shoe collection as big as her sister's and mummy, think we may need to invest in another cupboard to put them all in ;)

So what age were your kids when they got their first ever pair of shoes?? Can you remember what size they were and what kind you bought??

xxxx

Funky Giraffe Moccasins Review and Giveaway

When your little ones are younger, you want them to have their feet covered up, obviously you don't want those little tootsies getting cold but one thing I have always struggled with, is getting them to keep anything on their feet and the other problem there is that quite often I'm left with odd socks, you know they have gone to that special missing sock land never to be seen again.

Layla is just going through that stage now, where everything must be put in her mouth, including the smelly socks off her toes.

Funky Giraffe very kindly sent me a pair of their Moccasins to try out and review, I hope you all have your fingers crossed that these will stay on that little pair of feet!!

These lovely Moccasins come in a variety of designs, so there will definitely be one suitable for any child. I picked the gorgeous Flower Fancy design, half because it had my favourite colour purple on there and half because they were just so unbelievably cute.

Available in sizes 1-4, these are perfect for both little ones who sit still or for those cheeky ones that are on the move!! Made with flexibe leather soles and cotton sock for the upper, I can't find a single negative thing to say about the.

Simple to put on, no fighting to squish feet into stiff pairs of shoes or trying to stretch socks to fit the feet.

The flexibility of the sole means that your little ones feet are allowed to stay in their natural positioning, mean they can strengthen and develop correctly.

The cotton sock is superb, soft and comfy. You can have them pulled right up covering your child's legs or rolled down if it is a warmer day, making them ideal for use all year round. They grip the leg which makes it harder for your little one to pull them off, although I have to say Layla did still manage it, she is one determined monkey.

The price for one pair is £7.00 but if you buy more than one pair then you get them at a discounted price, Either way, I think they are great value for money. You can't tell me that that pair of feet in the picture above aren't adorable!! 

Now I am pleased to say that after reviewing these beautiful moccasins, Funky Giraffe are allowing me to give away not one but 2 pairs of moccasins, that means 2 winners and you get to pick out the design!!! 

If you would like to be within a chance of winning, all you need to do is fill out the Rafflecopter form below. This competition is open to UK residents only and will finish at 11.59pm on the 4th of August 2013.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck everyone

xxx

ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions

Daisy Roots Shoes Review

If my daughters are going to be anything like their mummy, then they are going to need lots of shoes!!! Infact my 3 eldest are already taking over the wardrobe space the amount they have.

Layla however is yet to really start her collection. So when I was sent a pair of Daisy Roots shoes to review I couldn't help but get a little excited.

These lovely little shoes are made from a Chrome Free Tanned Leather which is great for the environment as well as for your little ones feet. One thing that really makes them stand out for me is that they are made in the UK. I love being able to support businesses in our country, they have gone from strength to strength as these popular shoes are now sold not only across the UK but in the USA, Europe and Asia as well.

I was asked to choose which design I would like, now I have to say this was a very tough choice.  Daisy Roots provide designs for boys and girls, all the designs called out to me and with 100 girls shoes to choose from, I wish I could of had one of each. I finally decided on a pink pair with silver footprints embroidered on them, unbelievably cute. Most of their shoes are available in sizes 0-6 months up to 18-24 month but they also provide a good range of larger size shoes going up to 3-4 years.

When they arrived I couldn't wait to get them on Layla's little toes. The leather is very soft, making them easy to put on but because there is elastication at the top, your little one can't kick them off, meaning no more lost shoes!!! We were actually on our way out when they came so here is Layla in her car seat looking all posh with her shiney new shoes.

The leather being chrome free means you don't have to worry about your child putting the shoes in their mouth, this is certainly handy as Layla is at the stage where everything ends up in her mouth. And the suede anti-slip soles make them perfect for when your little ones start cruising around the furniture. I have to admit I chose the shoes in 6-12 month because Layla is 8 months old but they have come up quite big, however I think Layla has tiny feet bless her, just means plenty of room to grow in to them.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend these to my friends and family. Most of the shoes are priced at £18.50 and I think for the quality that you get, this price is very reasonable. For just £2 extra they offer to gift wrap them for you, making a great present for any child. 

I have had lots of people comment on how cute they are, I'm already trying to decide which pair to buy next.

Why not take a look at their website and tell me which shoes you would pick. You can also find Daisy Roots on Facebook for all of their latest news and lovely designs.

xxxx