Product Review of the Maybelline Fast Gel Nail Lacquer in Wicked Berry Shade 8

If you LOVE Purple Nail Shades THIS is the one for you!

Hello and Welcome to my Product Review today!

This Spring I became part of the UK Maybelline Team of Bloggers who Review products that are brand new out in the country. Maybelline New York is one of the leading brands worldwide for make up. I am grateful to have the chance to write reviews for them. Today I am reviewing the Fast Gel Nail Lacquer.

To see my other Maybelline Reviews after you’ve read this one, please click the Maybelline Category on the homepage of my blog.

I have been sent this sample for free for the purpose of providing a written review and photography across my social media platforms. I am always honest in my critique and review a product solely upon my own personal experience of using it.

Day Number One – Two Coats – One Hour After Application (Above)

Day Number Three – Minimal Chipping – Slight Loss of Shine (Below)

About this Product

Name: Maybelline New York Fast Gel
Shade: No.8 Wicked Berry
Size: 6.7 ml

Day Number Seven, Minimal Chipping on all but one Nail, still shiny as you can tell by the reflection on the nails (Above).

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My Overall Opinion of the Product

I have been impressed by the quality of this product overall, and the staying power was excellent. I tested this Nail Lacquer over 7 days, taking periodic photographs to watch the progress. I painted a clear gel base to my nails before applying the Fast Gel from Maybelline, but I chose not to paint a clear top coat on my nails for two reasons. One was so as to test this product without an additional layer and two was so that the colour and shine of the original product was in no way altered.

Overall Appearance in Use 4✩
Overall Product Quality 4✩
Colour Choices 5✩
Staying Power 5✩

The Fast Gel did lose its original heavy glossy shine by Day 7, but some shine still remained on them (see image above), and they certainly looked good from a distance. If you wanted perfect nails for a whole week for example then I feel this Gel Lacquer would definitely go the distance, providing it was applied correctly and if you also applied a top coat too. I chose not too, and I feel they would have lasted a week or longer intact if I had done the top coat and if I didn’t do any gardening (LOL) that is how my middle nail became so chipped.

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Thanks for reading my Product Review today, there are plenty more just like this across my blog, why not check out the categories because I review all sorts of things.

Have a wonderful day!

✩ Sabrina ✩

World Bee Day 2022 on May 20th

Happy World Bee Day!

Here is a Photo montage of Bee’s that I have taken this past year…
as a Nature Photographer I am constantly making images.

AWESOME FACTS ABOUT BEES

Bees are insects that have 6 legs and 5 eyes.

Bees have been around for approximately 30 million years.

Here in the United Kingdom we house around 270 species of Bees.

Worldwide there are more than 20,000 species of Bees.

Honey made from Bees was found inside the tombs of Egyptian Pharaoh’s and it would still be edible today.

Honey Bees communicate with one another through dancing moves!

Bees can fly up to 20 MPH!

Male Bees are called Drones.

Female Bees are called Worker Bees.

The Queen Bee can lay up to 2000 eggs a day and a hive will only have one Queen.

A Honey Bee will only make 1 Tablespoon of honey in their lifetime.

Some species of Bee are solitary and live alone except for reproduction moments, these often live underground too!

On average a Bee will fly 32,000 miles in their lifetime and visit more than 1 million flowers!

Honey Bees live in Bee Hives where they work together to make Honey.

If a Bee loses its stinger it will die – so make sure not to hit them and let them just fly around you and fly off again – once they realise you’re not a flower you won’t interest them anyway!

SABRINA’S HOW TO MAKE A 3D BEE!

I thought what better way to immortalise the Bee than to make your very own 3D craft version of one! I came up with this last year but sadly I missed the deadline for World Bee Day 2021, so I have saved it all for today! World Bee Day 2022! They are fairly easy to make and I will now tell you exactly what you need before we begin the how to method!

One Sheet of A4 Thin Yellow Card or Thick Paper
One Scissors
One Piece of Cereal Box Card
Pens – black and brown
A Permanent Pen – Black with a Fine End (for the Wings)
Double Sided Sticky Tape
A Piece of Thin Plastic (mine was off some toy packaging) (for the Wings)
Two Circular Objects to Draw Around – 1 for the Small Bee Head and 1 for the Body Circles

Step 1. Cut All of Your Circles Out – You need 1 head, 1 main body out of box card and four out of the yellow card. The yellow and the body have to be the same size, but the head needs to be 1/4 of the size. Put some double sided sticky tape on the cereal box card circle because this will be your base to work the rest up on. Put the other yellow circles down on a flat surface ready for their details.

Step 2. Draw some sections on the 4 yellow circles that will become the Bee body, you will need to have 3 sections that are lined horizontally and similar in size to each of the other matching circles (See image below). Colour these in Brown. The best thing to do is to have them on top of one another, mark the section the same and attempt to line them up with the opposite side. With the small Circle that is yellow (the Bee head), you need to draw two large Oval Eyes in Black, and then do some vertical lined streaks in brown so it looks like fur. Leave the top section of it Yellow, we will be sticking it to the body shortly.

Step 3. Stick the Head to the Body using double sided tape with only 1/4 of it attached to the Card and the rest sticking out. Now place the Bee in front of you, with the head facing you (facing South). You want to now take one of the striped yellow body sections, choose the one that is least lined up. Put some double sided tape on the back of it and stick it down on to the main card body, covering the edge of the head, with the stripes going horizontally across the Bee body. Place this beneath something heavy for a few minutes so as to stick it all into place while we do steps 4 and 5.

Step 4. Take your Plastic now and Scissors and permanent pen. You want to draw out two identical wings, Bee wings tend to have some ridged ends but you can just do ovals with a pointed end if you’re not confident (See Images below). Look at my Bee montage at the start of this blog post for wing inspiration! Once you are happy with the drawing cut them out, and make sure they’re the same size by overlapping them and trimming any overhanging edges.

Step 5. Draw some lines down the wings with the permanent thin pen, try to match the Bee wings (again take inspiration from my pictures at the start but be creative too this is your own Bee!) and match each other, make the same marks on both wings by having them side by side as you create the lines. Place them off to one side to fully dry. (If you use normal pen on plastic it will likely rub off).

Step 6. Now it comes to the tricky part, you need to take your Bee body parts and fold them in half, all three of them with the coloured lines on the inside of the half fold. Make sure that the centre is through the middle of the horizontal lined sections. Do this for all three and also make sure they are folded the same across the sections so when stacked together they are the same (or close as you can).

Step 7. Once you have folded them and they do match best they can, you need to take two of them to start with, and place some double sided tape strips on the one side of each one, so that is one taped only the left underside and one taped only on the right on the yellow underside of each of them. Take a look at my photograph below for clarification on the folds and the tape.

Step 8. Take your folded Bee body circles and place one on either side of the main Bee body with the head. Line them up with the circle that is already on it, the one you put the tape on the left underside goes on the left, and the right taped side on the right. When you push the body middles together they should be flush and straight in the centre and aligned with the head. Make sure the stripes line up and are horizontal to the head that is facing south, and the crease line for your folds should be straight up from that facing north. If this is accurate you can now remove the double sided tape, stick one side down at a time, to the main body. Then do the opposite side (see Step 7 and 8 images) and this leaves you with the other half of each circle standing up on end. The final circle you still have will go in between them causing the body parts to stand up 3D.

Step 9. Attaching the final circle on to the body is just about lining it up. First you need to put some double sided tape on to the pieces that are already attached to the Bee body that you stuck down in Step 8. (See image Steps 9 and 10 to clarify this next step). With the double sided tape now in place but not removed the tabs yet, you first line up the circles, look at it and think do the edges match and is it horizontal across the body? If the answer is yes then remove the tape tabs and stick that final circle on to the top of the Bee in between the other pieces.

Step 10. Press and hold the Bee body firmly now, gently run your fingers down each of the sides to press the circles fully together and ensuring the tape grips flush. Once they look like they are fully stuck with no gaps anywhere you can now make sure your wings are dry from earlier.

Step 11. Take your plastic wings from before, line them up with where you want them to go on the Bee body (they are usually attached to the middle section of a bee’s body). Then take two thin strips of double sided tape and match those up on either side, stick down the tape. (See Step 10 and 12 image for wing tape placement).

Step 12. Attach the wings now and make sure you press them down on to the tape for at least a minute to ensure the plastic gets a really good grip. Hold the Bee upside down and make sure they don’t come loose, if they do then press again.

Step 13. Tidy up any lines on the Bee and trim any edges with scissors that aren’t in line to neaten her up. Then you have your Queen Bee! You could hang her up somewhere or make her a little hive…

HAPPY WORLD BEE DAY!
You now have a friendly Bee to live in your home and remind you of their importance, coolness and cuteness.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP THE BEES?

Make a wildflower pot, planter or corner of your garden and attract bees and help them with their pollinating. You can get wild flower seeds free with some things such as “30 Days Wild) and Brands often give them away with food products too.

Don’t pull out all of your weeds, leave a few because bees need them especially because weeds are usually the first flowers of the new season.

If a Bee comes into your house leave it alone, open some windows and let it find its way out, do not attack it or attempt to catch it because it may sting in fear and then it will sadly die. Most Bee’s will head straight back out a door or window when they smell the fresh air.

Visit a local Apiary and But Local Honey products when possible.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE A CRAFTY BEE HIVE?

What You Will Need


Tiny Craft Wooden Bees (Found in The Works craft shop)
A Narrow Sided Box or a Lid from Something (Rectangle is best)
Disposable Dehumidifier Pot Lids – doesn’t matter what colour as you will Paint them
Brown Paint and a Paintbrush

Step 1. Paint your box and the humidifier pot lids you have collected, they should be brown or a mixture of brown and black and yellow.
Step 2. Leave them to dry somewhere flat overnight at least.
Step 3. Place something to resemble honey and nectar between the lids, maybe tissue paper?
Step 4. Stick the Two (or more) lids together to form mini hive type structures.
Step 5. Stick the lids into the box and stick your Bee’s around. Done!


Thank you for taking the time to read this blog post today, I hope you have enjoyed it. If you make any Bee’s please share your pictures with me on social media, use the hashtag #SevernSabrina and #SabrinasHowToMake or tag me on them using @Severn_Sabrina or @SevernWishes Blog.

Have a wonderful World Bee Day 2022!


✩ Sabrina ✩

Product Review of the Maybelline Skin Perfector 4 in 1 Matte Makeup

Hello and Welcome to my Product Review today!

This Spring I became part of the UK Maybelline Team of Bloggers who Review products that are brand new out in the country. Maybelline New York is one of the leading brands worldwide for make up. I have been reviewing a few items, and today it’s the turn of the Vegan Instant Skin Perfector 4 in 1 Whipped Matte Makeup to go up on my blog.


To see my other Maybelline Reviews after you’ve read this one, please click the Maybelline Category on the homepage of my blog.

I have been sent this sample for free for the purpose of providing a written review and photography across my social media platforms. I am always honest in my critique and review a product solely upon my own personal experience of using it.

You can see Video content of my Reviews on my Facebook or Instagram

I was pleasantly surprised with this makeup because a little of it on your finger or brush goes a long way. It was so soft and easy to apply to my skin with a great match! Light was the colour I was matched with online, and it blended in well and minimised the look of redness, blemishes and even my dark circles somewhat too.

I highly recommended this product if (like me) you don’t have much time in your morning routine for applying makeup, As a single mum I need something that I can apply fast but without compromising on its effectiveness. With having a 4 in 1 application this cream saves me lots of time in a morning, and since the initial review I have frequently used it and applied it after my daily SPF moisturiser. I feel like there is barely anything on my skin, and I found my skin felt breathable compared to some makeup which can feel physically heavy set in the pores of the face. The Vegan formula is also something I can really get behind and I’m always trying to go Vegan friendly when it comes to makeup.


The 4 in 1 Matte Makeup was also easy to remove, I use a Garnier Face Wash and then a Garnier Micellar Water to remove any makeup that I apply.


I would recommend for people to at least try this makeup for themselves and see if they get as good a match, it has true to skin shades and self adjusts to fit your unique tone. I have sensitive skin, and I had no reaction to this makeup.

BEFORE
&
AFTER

As you can see in my images, before I had quite a lot of redness in my skin, and afterwards that redness is reduced and so are my pores.

Overall Appearance in Use 4✩
Overall Product Quality 5✩
Skin-True Match 5✩
Staying Power 4✩

Now that I have used this product for a few weeks I will say it is excellent, easy and fast to apply, saving me lots of time, and a great match to my skin, no reactions and a good staying power. It did go a little cakey one time when I was outside a lot of the day and I think that may have been the wind drying out my skin. Other than that one occasion its been a fantastic product. I would recommend people still applying their usual SPF face cream about 15 minutes prior to putting on this matte makeup. SPF is so important and the extra moisture will undoubtedly increase the makeups staying power.

About the Skin Perfector Matte Makeup

Vegan

Whipped Matte Makeup
Available in 6 Self-Adjusting and Skin-True Colours
Contains a 4 in 1 formula of Primer, Pigment, BB Cream and Powder
4 Benefits in 1 of Blurring, Concealing, Evening the Skin Tone & Mattifying the Finished Look

Wishing all who have read this review a happy and healthy remainder of April!

Thank you for visiting Severn Wishes Blog today, I hope to see you again soon!

✩ Sabrina ✩

Earth Day 2022 April 22nd Why Not Do Something Good


Earth. Our Home Planet.

Here are some interesting Earth facts to celebrate Earth Day!

Earth is the third planet from our sun.

It is the only known planet in our system to be known to harbour life.

Earth is made up of 71% Oceans and we still haven’t fully explored all of them.

Earths main 3 elements found on Earth are Oxygen, Iron and Silicone.

Earth has a powerful magnetic field.

Planet Earth is billions of years old – Wow! Get your head around that!

Making little changes can make a BIG difference to our world.

Here are some things you can do on Earth day and also from now on too, to make little changes in your life that can affect the planet in a positive way

Give up single use plastics such as cling film and find somewhere to recycle those plastics – do not add them to your normal refuse or they end up in landfill.

Do a Beach Clean Up – if you visit the Beach or are able to – take a plastic bag with you.

Plant a Tree on your land or find an arboretum that allows you to plant one on their land in memory of a loved one.

Go Meat and Dairy Free for at least one day a week to reduce your carbon footprint.

Make a Bug Hotel for your Garden, hang it somewhere appropriate and check it regularly.

Only use Recyclable or Reusable Bags at the Supermarket.

Shop Locally when you can do to support local business.

Walk somewhere and walk regularly, fresh air is great for your mental health.

Use your car less when possible, could you carpool or walk?

Go on a Nature Scavenger Hunt with your Family and look for endangered species.

Pick up Litter around where you live, it doesn’t matter how much you collect, every bit helps.

Do lots of Recycling at Home and be mindful of doing what you can to reduce your waste.

Feed the Birds today or buy a bird feeder for your Garden to help regularly.

Make a Bee corner or Bee friendly flower pot in your Garden or on your windowsill.

Thank you for reading this blog post today, I hope that I have inspired you to do something for our Planet this Earth Day! Have a wonderful day!

✩ Sabrina ✩

Talking About All the Different Ways that We Use a Tuff Tray at Home

Hello Severn Wishes Blog Fans! Today I am bringing you a Lifestyle / Parenting / Hacks / Product Review article I have written all about something I have now owned for well over a year!
And that item is… The TUFF TRAY!

These fantastic trays are usually found in a school setting, especially with younger children like those in a preschool or nursery setting, but due to their versatility they have been becoming more and more popular with mums who are able to do a lot with their children at home.

As soon as I heard about them I knew it would be a great investment for the future. I ordered mine in black but they do come in a variety of colours. I preferred the black due to it not getting stained or if we made any scuff marks with toys they wouldn’t be showing up as easily. Overall I’m really happy with the quality of the tray for what I paid for it. So far it has withstood a toddler doing all sorts on it and in it!
I chose to purchase without the stand so it was then just suitable for laying down on the floor.

Be it Sensory, Messy Play or just toys on a flat surface, the Tuff Tray is ideal for lots of reasons when you have little ones growing up. Here are just some of the many ways that we have used our tray this past year or so! Both in visual form and I made a little list too!

  • 1. Ideal for Craft to keep the craft pieces and mess contained in the tray borders.
  • 2. Great for when you want to do some Messy Play and use paint so it doesn’t get on the floor.
  • 3. Doing some experimenting with foods in toddlerhood? Keep those rice crispies, rice grains and other food stuffs within easy clean up-able reach. You can wipe clean anything off it.
  • 4. Using Glitter today? This tray is ideal to wipe clean after your picture making as the bits will all be contained within the tray walls. Sit your children outside of it and let the mess be inside (mostly).
  • 5. Potty Training? Stick the Potty in the centre of the tray on the floor, and it will be easy to clean spillages off the plastic rather than off your floor!
  • 6. Building Lego or Duplo or Blocks? It can be annoying for little ones if pieces are rolling away or falling over all the while! But on the tuff tray they won’t get far at all! It also means it is a flat surface for the building to become easier on little hands.
  • 7. Doing a Jigsaw? Be it an adult one or a children’s one? Do it on your Tuff Tray and you’ll be able to move it at a moments notice off the floor and then continue it later.
  • 8. Want to do some baking with the kids but you want to do it at their level? It is much safer to do it on the floor where nobody is balancing and this tray doubles as a big flat surface, just clean it with sterilising spray and let it air dry before you start any food preparation.
  • 9. Sensory Play can involve all sorts of things like craft or food stuffs, having it all contained within the Tuff Tray makes life easier for you and if you planned to do it for a few sessions over a week you could even leave it on the tray and just move the whole tray instead of packing everything up.
  • 10. Play-Doh can get messy and easily sticks to hard surfaces like tables or floors, but by using a Tuff Tray base for all of the items they are contained within its sides. If you choose to get a stand with your tray you can even have the tray at a suitable height for your little ones. Or you can do what I do and maintain it on a flat floor, whichever is easier for you.
  • 11. A Tuff Tray can be used outside for a water table or a sand table due to its sides being all the way around with no holes within its surface.
  • 12. Design a World – Use your Tuff Tray and things like chalks or washable paint to create a world, a map or a world for your children to put their toys in to and play. I have drawn a road on mine for my sons toy cars before now and also used elements like sand made of ground cereal to make a beach.


So overall the Tuff Tray doubles up as another useful hard surface within your home and is ideal for playing, learning and food preparing. Young children can safely sit within its boundary or outside of it leaning in in order to play. There are no sharp edges on the Tray and the hard plastic is coated so its easy to wipe clean after every use.
I purchased the standard (medium) size but it is also available in small or extra large depending on the supplier you’re purchasing it from. They are also available in many colours.
Prices range from £11 to £70 and all Tray prices do depend upon the colour, and the size and whether you wish to buy a stand with your Tuff Tray purchase.
They can be used inside or outside but I would recommend you keep them out of direct sunlight and harsh weather conditions and keep them inside a garage or shed when not in use in order to maintain the sturdiness of the plastic.

What do we use our Tuff Tray for the most?

Craft and Messy Play and Sensory Play mainly.

Thank you for reading this blog post today, I hope I have inspired you and if I have then I would love to hear what you and your family use your Tuff Tray for!

Enjoy the rest of your February!

✩ Sabrina ✩

5 Healthy Choices Everyone Can Get Behind This New Year

Hello everyone, I hope this latest blog piece finds you all well.

Today I am discussing the 5 healthy choices that I do all the time, that are easy enough so that anyone can get behind them! You’ll feel better if you accomplish even one of these this new year, because they are not only good for your body but also your mind, let us all have a healthy year ahead.

  1. Drink More Water

    I cannot stress enough how so many people don’t drink enough water every day. Women and Men need at least two litres of water a day to aid blood pressure and digestion and to help cell renewal in the skin. I personally aim for 2.5 litres a day and use my reusable water bottles. You will also find that by drinking more water your organs and joints will be cushioned and hydrated. Water contains minerals too, such as Calcium, Magnesium, Chloride and Sodium to name but a few. Water is essential for good kidney and bladder health and helps them by removing toxins that have built up. If these aren’t enough reasons for drinking more water then how about this, by drinking a glass of water when you first wake up it stabilises your blood pressure and kick starts your digestive system, meaning when you start your day your breakfast is ready to be harvested for all its nutrients. To top it off your brain can also respond with regular and consistent water in take, including by improving your mood and memory. So why not try and drink more water this year, once you get into the habit of it and you feel the improvements for yourself your body will ask you for more. That is why a reusable water bottle is great, I carry one everywhere I go.

2. Swap to some Dairy Free food items

You may not believe me now, but making a few swaps to things such as Dairy Free Butter (which is delicious by the way) can help with things such as cholesterol and get you to eat less salt too. You can still bake and cook with Dairy Free Butter and because it’s so tasty you wouldn’t know the difference. I would never go back now to a dairy based butter or spread. I love the Vitalite spread! Perfect in Mashed Potatoes and fab for baking too!

One reason to go dairy free is the choice you have, wow what a range! Plant based or nut based milks are healthier options for you and most alternative milks are fortified with vitamins and minerals too. You may also find that some have lower calories and are better for your body because they are hydrating.
Some people (like my family) use alternatives due to allergies and medical conditions. However you can still make the change to a healthier alternative for both your body and the climate.
Most people find they have more energy and are less bloated and have less digestive issues by swapping from dairy to the alternatives out there, finding one that you like might be hard because there is a massive choice. However my Doctor recommended unsweetened Soya Milk in small amounts or Oat Milk because they are both filled with Vitamins and Minerals necessary to maintain a healthy body such as Calcium.

Dairy Free Cheeses are getting better every year! When I first went Dairy Free there were two choices on the shelf in the chilled isle, now there is a whole fridge dedicated to various types and varieties of dairy free cheese, be it grated, hard, soft or even something in between them all! The only way you can know is to try it for yourself one day. I do recommend the Violife range though!

3. Taking a 15 to 30 Minute Break for Fresh Air Every Day

Fresh Air is so important and a lot of us don’t get enough of it, so if you make one new year resolution this year make sure it’s to get more of it. Even if the weather is bad, standing in your garden under an umbrella still counts. You could walk and that would be even better because it would be light exercise too!

Fresh Air is vital for blood pressure and heart rate by providing clean oxygen for your body, it also aids digestion by increasing oxygen flow through your organs. Fresh Air also improves your mood and can make your happier. Oxygen is vital for good brain health and mood so the more fresh oxygen you can get every day the more you’ll feel the benefit of it.

Breathing in fresh air can also help to reduce the risk of getting air born illnesses and infections by clearing the sinuses. People are more likely to lose weight and stay fit by going for a daily walk and getting both their heart rate up a little and by breathing in plenty of fresh air. Even if you live in the city search on local maps for parks and green spaces. You never know what you might see on your walk either, make it fun for children and play a game like eye spy or pick a letter every day and each person has to spot five things beginning with that letter.

As the weather improves into Spring this will be a much easier one to do every day.

Find Somewhere Local, Green and Full of Nature and Enjoy

4. Do Something You Love for Half an Hour a Day – For Your Mental Health

Most of us prioritise lots of things above our mental health, including housework and other chores, when we should be either resting or doing something for ourselves. Try to make a list of what needs to be done that day and what can be put off until tomorrow. It’s important to get through your every day necessities at home without feeling guilty about wanting to do something for you. And when you’re a parent you get even less time to yourself so it’s very important to take that half an hour, just to fit it in somewhere if you can. I usually have my half an hour before bed, gaming, reading, writing, catching up on a television program I have recorded…

Choose Happy and Healthy

5. Eat a Rainbow of Coloured Foods Every Week

This may sound like a simple one, but I have read many studies that suggest eating a variety of fruit and vegetables over the course of a week, and not just the same four or five every day, gives our bodies the varied vitamins and minerals that it needs to stay healthy. So why not try adding a different lunch and a different evening meal to your routine this week, start to experiment more and try that piece of fruit that you always see in the supermarket but never buy! The more colour the better. Check out my recipes on my blog for some inspiration to start with!

You can get your five or more a day through fruit juice, fruit pieces that are fresh, frozen or tinned, frozen veggies or fresh ones, they all count towards your total. My photograph below shows a typical dinner for myself, and I usually get one of my five during the cooking of my evening meal, I regularly eat a whole raw Carrot while I cook!

If you find that you’re struggling to get your 5 fruit and veg a day (for whatever reason) and feel like you’re lacking something in your diet, perhaps consider taking a multivitamin to give your body a boost, even if just through the winter. Most people lack Vitamin C and D during the colder months.

Eating More Colour Is Better For Your Health

Thank you for reading this blog post today and I do hope that you enjoyed it. If you do take me up on any of my healthy suggestions do comment and let me know how you’re getting on.

Have a wonderful last few days of January! Best wishes!


✩ Sabrina ✩

Sabrina’s Kitchen Storage and Tidying Hacks and How to Make your own Labelled Storage Boxes

✩ Sabrina’s Kitchen Storage and Tidying Hacks ✩

My blog post today is all about Kitchen Hacks for Tidying and Storage! I hope you are excited! I love helping people to get the most out of their homes!

Have you ever seen those awesome flat pack storage ideas? IKEA sell a load of them, but you can also get them from good homeware stores too. Well I have a few awesome life hacks for you for the kitchen, using this type of storage essential! They are normally designed for clothing but that doesn’t mean you can’t use them in other rooms.

For Example. I use a Sock Storage for the kitchen drawer! I use mine for my Tea Towels and cloths! You can also use this style of storage for your bedroom drawers for a variety of items, not just socks, but anything that is around that size.

I use a large coffee jar as a vase, and I also use a large coffee jar and its lid for cosmetic pad storage.

Just because an item used to have one purpose, does not mean you can’t then use it for something entirely different. I am always reusing items around my home to suit my needs at that moment in time. Let us take a look at some of my hacks now.

I use a sock organiser for tea towels in the kitchen drawer.

✩ Other Kitchen Hacks ✩

Reusing and Repurposing Glass Jars

An empty Herb Jar makes a great kitchen pen pot, stick 2 magnets on the back and it will be attachable to your fridge! I use mine for pens and fridge magnets!

Do you drink Coffee? Some large coffee jars are made of very sturdy and strong glass, not only that but they are often nice shapes too. You can reuse these as Pasta Jars, Vases for Flowers, Cosmetics Storage and so much more. Do you have a use I’ve not thought of that you love or already do at home? Please leave me a comment I would love to hear your ideas too.

Small Fat Jars from such things as Salsa, Jam, Apple Sauce and Chutney etc are a great size for when you make your own Chutney or Jam at home. If you don’t do a lot of cooking you could repurpose these jars as kitchen storage, one for loose buttons, elastic bands and the like. One could be for chewing gum and mints, or even sauce sachets and seasonings when you get spare from a takeaway say. Reusing glass is very economical, especially now that places have started to do “fill your own” with refillable food items.

Kitchen Storage Hacks – Labelled Boxes

So since I moved house I wanted to create some labelled storage boxes for my kitchen cupboards, but I was shocked to see online retailers offering just the labels at £2 plus each! Boxes that had names printed on for you started at around £15 a single box! Then you had to pay postage! Queue me putting my face in my hands… On a visit to B&M in my nearby town I saw a sheet with some lovely swirled writing silver stickers on which said Laundry, Cleaning, Cloths etc. I bought one for £2 and got inspired to make tidying up boxes to go under my sink. But I wanted to do the whole kitchen at this point too!


I looked at my budget which was £20 and I figured out that I needed at least 8 boxes for my cupboard, if not more. I shopped around and found some fantastic letters on Amazon, a pack of 8 alphabet stick on glittery letters that would only cost me £4 with free Prime delivery. Get in! Yes! I ordered them and then went on the hunt for boxes. Having purchased Curver and Wham boxes in the past and being happy with their quality, I thought I wanted something similar. I used google to find that Wham were the only ones who did solid sided boxes that came in a range of sizes.

Once I knew what I wanted I matched their size to the width of my cupboards and searched for who was doing them on any deals. I managed to get them for just £1 a box while they were on offer online, and although I ended up having to pay for delivery it arrived in two days and I had just what I needed. I ordered 8 boxes of one size, 4 White and 4 Grey. Then I ordered 3 larger White boxes for my “Laundry / Cleaning” cupboard. I only have my kitchen and no utility or storage area, so every inch of space matters a great deal to me.

It took me 3 hours to stick down all of the lettering on to my boxes, working out which colour went well on each box so it stood out, and carefully making sure they were also in a straight line across the boxes. Then it took another hour sorting my cupboard out and placing the corresponding products into their labelled boxes. Overall I am really happy with how it has turned out, and I saved myself a ton of money in the process!

BEFORE
AFTER

Here are my before and after pictures for my kitchen cupboard, I can now see exactly what I have got and also when I am running low on something. As a single mother on a strict budget each month I find it very important to be able to do this effectively, meaning I don’t waste time looking through things every week. By having these organised boxes I can simply look at what remains in each one when writing out my shopping list.

When I finally got all the boxes into place I had wished I had found the time to do this sooner. It has made my cleaning and shopping life ten times easier.

Wow! Don’t they look great! I’m really happy with how they turned out!

I purchased the Wham Boxes online and the Letter Stickers I found came from Amazon UK.

I give the Quality of the Wham Boxes 5 and would buy them again.

Thank you for reading this blog post today and I hope I have inspired you to make some changes for the better, in your own home. It’s easy when you know how! Any questions just pop me a comment and I will happily get back to you.

✩ Sabrina ✩

The Transition of moving my son from a Cot to a Toddler Bed, my Tips and First Hand Experiences plus Reviews of the Purchases I made.

If you’re reading my blog today you might be in the same boat that I was last summer, which is wondering if it were time to make the move for your little one. The transition to a toddler bed is not one to be taken lightly, it is a huge step for our little person, and they deserve lots of time, patience and assistance from us (as their parent/s) to help them feel safe and secure in their new upgraded space.

Hopefully this article that I have combined with my review of the toddler bed that I bought, can help you to make informed decisions on what is best for you and your child/ren. Is it time? Only you will know by the actions and dependence your child currently has.

When the bed was finally in place…

When my son turned two I wanted him to start using a toddler bed and there were several reasons why I thought this needed to happen now. The first reason was that it was difficult to lower him inside his cot when he had fallen asleep in my arms, and he was now tall enough to consider trying to climb over. I didn’t want that to happen, so I purchased his first toddler bed after measuring up the space that I had in his bedroom.

I bought the Argos “Ellis Toddler Bed” in Grey, to match my sons furniture, and then bought a mattress online. I had chosen this bed for three reasons, the first being its height from the floor, the second was that it came with a drawer for under bed storage, and the final reason was because of the three quarter sides.

My son moves frequently in his sleep and I knew that it would be quite a while before he could sleep safely without any sides to his bed. This bed was a great size for the price and I would hope it to last him two years at least due to the length. The handy draw keeps tidy all of the towels and bedding I use for my sons room and it is easy enough to slide in and out on its rolling caster wheels.

Bed Frame size L144, W75, H57cm.
Required Mattress size L140, W70cm.
Clearance between floor and underside of bed 19.5cm.
Drawer size H18.5, W139, D73.5cm.

There are now limited stock on this bed but it does also come in different colours. Here is what I would give it on my review scores having used it now for a whole year.


Quality of Paintwork 4✩
Quality of Manufacturing 4✩
Quality of Finished Product 5✩
Correct Specifications 5✩
Product Design 5✩



Overall this product is excellent quality and although it was difficult to put together, overall we have been very happy with it. A fantastic size for toddlers and small children and my son hasn’t fallen out of it due to the great design with those side bars. Although he is average height for his age (at 3) he still has plenty of room left to grow into this bed.

The Transition from a Cot to a Bed – My Tips and Tricks

The biggest thing about change for toddlers is that it can be unnerving to them. They get anxious and have to get used to something over time, so don’t worry if this alteration in routine and sleeping area takes a few weeks for them to get used to. The best thing that you can do for the first few nights is to keep the routine the same, but just place them in the new bed. If you have a routine that ends with them being placed into bed keep doing that.
Then on the second week add one new thing now that the child is older such as, can they now get into bed themselves because they are old enough to do so? It will make them feel bigger if they do it themselves and gives them confidence, but only when they are willing to get into bed on their own.
Don’t forget to use positive reinforcement when they are on the bed or in the bed so that the praise gives them positive ideals of being in the furniture.
Saying things as “What a lovely new bed you have!” and “Now that you are two/three you can sleep in this special big kids bed” and remember to let them know that this is a good thing, a positive step and not one away from you. Definitely praise little one when they get into bed without you having to prompt them too!

Getting the child to stay in bed is another matter though. Don’t worry if they frequently get out of bed or even tumble out of bed half asleep for the first few weeks, wondering where you are (especially if you have had them sleeping in your room up until this point). And the beauty of the toddler bed is its distance to the floor. They usually are only between 15 and 20cm from the floor.
Make sure to implement rules in their new bedroom, such as no toys after bed time. The child is not too young at this age to be putting their own toys back into a box or tub or basket, so why not start them off if you haven’t already done so (good practice for preschool).
I have found that it’s also a good idea to introduce a clock or show the time to a child at this age, and tell them that at “7 o’clock” (or whatever your bedtime is) their toys are put away and your bedtime routine begins.
Personally we are in the room for 7.30pm but it can take up to an hour to settle my three year old, some nights a story or two is enough and other nights I’m still reading at the hour mark. But it’s just imperative that you keep the routine the same, even if the time differs slightly, it’s still the act of doing things in the order that they are used to, and the act of then getting them into their own bed.


Talk About Their Safe Space

I tell my son every single night that he is “safe in his bed” and he is “safe at home with mummy” and this has reinforced him to stay in his bed. For the first few weeks if he woke in the night he would come and find me because he wasn’t sure on things. Now he’s more than happy to climb into his bed and choose the stories he wants at bedtime. He knows that I’m never far away now, but his bedroom is a safe place for him to be. He doesn’t always come and find me now that he is older either. He often wakes (and I hear him) but he presses his singing toy and lays back down or he will have a sip of water from his bottle and then turn over and go back to sleep.
Again positive reinforcement is key when organising their safe space. When little one wakes up they want to recognise where they are and that it is home or safe, favourite toys or items around the room will help.

If you find your little one is struggling initially with the bed transition then you could choose to sleep on the floor in their room for a few nights. Whenever they wake up in the night make sure they know that you aren’t far away and they are safe. It is totally normal for most children to find their new surroundings daunting, but remember to just keep praising and comforting, they will soon get there. All children are different and it could take a few weeks of patience to achieve the end goal, but everyone should sleep better once that is over with.


Ensure Comfort

Make sure that they are comfortable on a firm but soft mattress and that the room is an optimum temperature. I still use our Gro-Egg from when he was a baby to tell me the room temp! My son had sleeping bags until he was two and a half, he was happy to sleep in them until he got older then he kept trying to take them off. I gave him his own thin pillow at three years of age, and I now put him in Pyjamas and a blanket over him. I have bought a toddler duvet this summer ready for the colder winter months, now that he is old enough to be able to push it away from his own face.


Keep Stories Gentle at Bedtime

I have found that stories that talk about bedtime or going to sleep are best at bedtime, other books can just excite little ones too much. My son has an absolute favourite book about a bear and a baby bear and he’s on his way to going to sleep, and we read it every night. I can now recite it from memory while he falls asleep in my arms (that is how many hundreds of times I have read it). But it’s such a lovely and gentle book that talks about how much mummy bear loves little bear and she is never far away no matter what he is getting up to. Consider what you are doing during your bedtime routine and make sure that there is nothing that is causing your little one to become more awake as opposed to be falling asleep. The best books we have found come from The Works.

My sons favourite book that I highly recommend, we found it at The Works.

Thank you so much for reading this blog post that I have written today, I do hope that you have found it informative and if my lifestyle experience with my son can help you in some way then I am more than happy to share it.

✩ Sabrina ✩

My Son Starting Preschool and Things I have Purchased to Make Life Easier


Well look at that, three years have literally gone past in a blur, and I am sitting here trying to fight back my eyes welling up. My baby boy is no longer my little baby boy, and in fact he has grown up so much this year that it’s scary. Having just emailed in all of the many forms I am now sitting on my sofa writing this blog post as I prepare for him to go off to Pre-School this September.

Backpack – Ollie & Millie’s
Sistema Tubs – Tesco
Kids Shoes – Tesco F&F
Fox Cool Bag – Ollie & Millie’s


Going to school is like a right of passage and it’s a huge milestone in any child’s life. So I wanted to get my son some items to make that transition a bit easier. I had seen this gorgeous backpack on a page I follow on Facebook called Ollie & Millie’s. I had been looking at buying one for months, I looked around for a while, and then I decided to order one from them when I couldn’t find anything that looked as nice
as theirs.


Ollie & Millie’s Facebook Page


And because of Covid19 the School is not able to share some things any longer such as plasters, so every child must have their own in their bag. But that isn’t all, and my sons allergies also pose issues so he has to have everything he needs altogether in one bag. Luckily everything has fitted into the one I have chosen to buy from Ollie & Millie’s. Things such as a reusable water bottle (which we use already in my house but I bought my son a new one just for his school days), a (I chose personalised) backpack, snack pots, wellies for outdoor play and any medical items they require for the time frame they are at school are also included.


My Review of the Backpack

Appearance 5✩
Product Quality 5✩
Personalised Design 5✩
Versatility 5✩

I’m very impressed with the backpack because of its quality in both material and its features such as strong straps and zips. There are several colours to choose from but my son loves blue so I chose blue for him, and because it’s a light sky blue colour the writing for his name really stands out. I was impressed with the time frame between ordering the product and receiving it from Ollie & Millie’s. The backpack also has versatility because I was surprised by just how much I could fit inside it, once I had gently opened it out when it arrived. Overall I rate it exceptionally highly and would recommend it to any parents who are after a good priced backpack with their child’s name on.

The cool bag is also a lovely product and it is of excellent quality with a very cute fox design. Ollie & Millie’s have a wide range of products and also make personalised t-shirts and other clothing as well.


Other items that I have got to make things easier for both my son and myself are some fantastic plastic tubs from Tesco which are from the brand Sistema. The tubs are not only different sizes than what you would usually see in the supermarket, but they also have fun sections built in and have genius clips and lids too. Bonus points that I could get them in blue to match my sons bag as well!

Everything shown in my picture above is now inside the backpack, and with a handy bottle pocket on the side my sons drink is safe and secure too.

Thank you for clicking on this post, I hope you have enjoyed reading it.

Have you got any young children heading to School this term? I do hope they take it all in their stride! I will be doing a follow up post about how things went after the first few weeks too.

✩ Sabrina ✩

How I Made a Fun Craft Caterpillar to Teach my Child about Colours

My Fun Craft Caterpillar is an easy to make craft project, that can help you to teach your toddler about colours and counting. You can make it any size you like and with only a few simple and non expensive items. Ideal for children aged two plus with good fine motor skills.

Designed for Age Group – 2 Years Plus (Supervised)
Parent Difficulty to Make – 3/5
Time it takes to Make – 4 – 6 Hours
Cost to Make – £10
Reasons to Make – Learning about Colours and Counting
. Helps Develop Fine Motor Skills.

When my son began having issues with delayed speech I came up with several things to aid him in his communication. One of which was a Caterpillar friend that I made into several different items. Today I’m going to be showing you how I made my Fun Craft Colours Caterpillar! He is cute and great for helping little ones learn about colours, counting out and developing fine motor skills.

TOP TIP I wanted to help my son develop his fine motor skills as well as improve him saying different colours, picking up the Pom Poms and getting them to drop inside the correct tube does take some skills for little ones, so don’t worry if they have to learn how to do it. My son got the hang of it really quickly and was soon getting faster at doing it. One Tip is to show your little one what you want them to do, and then let them figure it out on their own a bit too. Always supervise but encourage and praise when they succeed.

What You Will Need

Toilet Roll Tubes – You can use toilet rolls and kitchen rolls and just trim them so they are a similar height. Order your card and Pom Poms and work out how many rolls you will need, you require one roll per colour.

A Thick Cardboard Base – Do you have a sturdy box after going shopping or have had something delivered? You need a piece of strong thick cardboard either a Square or a Rectangle for your Base that the Caterpillar will stand on.

Coloured Card – You need to try and match the coloured card with the Pom Poms you are ordering. If you want to do a simple Caterpillar just go for a pack with Red, Yellow, Green and Blue mix, sometimes you get an Orange or a Pink in those packs. I bought two packs to ensure I got black, white, purple, pink and orange for my more complex Caterpillar.

Coloured Pom Poms – A toilet roll tube is a certain width across, so make sure you only order Pom Poms that are less than this. My tubes are 4cm wide so I purchased a bag of mixed coloured 2cm Pom Poms. This means they are easy enough to tip back out after every use. Also ensure you get non toxic child friendly craft items from reputable companies.

Double Sided Tape – You need this tape for cleanly applying your Card to your Rolls, this is the most time consuming of the craft build but it’s easier and less messy than waiting for lots of paint to dry. (See my How To below).

Paint for the Base – I chose to just paint my base Green, as if the Caterpillar were on a leaf or some grass. You can be as creative as you like! You only need to paint the base, once you have fixed on all your tubes (see my How To below for more clarity).

Stationery and Craft Extras – You may want to stick on googly eyes and feelers, or draw them on, it’s totally up to you, your Caterpillar, your choice! 🙂 You will also need a Pencil and a pair of Scissors.

Where I Got My Craft Items

Coloured Card Packs – Hobbycraft Online
Pom Poms – Hobbycraft Online
Goggly Eyes and Pipe Cleaners – Craft Bundle from The Works
Double Sided Tape – Tesco Store
Green Paint and Brush – The Works

How To Make Colour Caterpillar – Sabrina’s Step by Step Guide

Step 1. Assemble all of your items as described above and ensure you have enough of what you need. Place a tube, a piece of coloured card and your desired amount of Pom Poms (I used 4 per colour) into individual piles. See what you have and how many tubes with the right colours and Pom Pom matches.

Step 2. Arrange the plain tubes on your base, and see how you would like them arranged. You need a one centimetre gap between each roll where it will be attached to the base. Bearing this in mind, arrange your tubes and mark with a pencil on the base where you would like them to go.

Step 3. Satisfied that you have all the pieces you need you can begin the card craft. Start by marking the pieces of coloured card for your tubes. For example mine were 15cm high, so I marked the card at 16cm with a pencil leaving the gap of one additional centimetre. Then cut all the card pieces to size ready for wrapping around the tube.
TOP TIP ensure you leave enough card to wrap all the way around a tube with the extra at the bottom. You need at least a one centimetre section of card at the bottom of every tube for attaching it to the base.

SABRINA’S TOP TIPS: Don’t throw away pieces of card that you have left over from this make, I have plenty of Craft and Art ideas on my blog that you could use these bits for 🙂

Step 5. Cut strips of double sided tape, align them along the top and edges of the coloured card and down the centre, ensure there is enough at the edges. At what will be the base of the tube stack the pieces vertically, using a small gap between them, this will be cut in Step 7 to ensure an easy attachment to the cardboard base. Make sure you put tape on all of the coloured card pieces. TOP TIP Make sure to do this Step and on to Steps 6 to 7 at the same time and don’t leave the craft part way finished, otherwise the double sided tape will dry out before you can affix it to the base.

Step 6. Time to roll the card on to the tubes. Remove all of the double sided tape strips. Line up the top section of the cardboard with the edge of the tube, on a flat surface like a table, gently roll the tube along the card. The tape will stick well to the thin tube, using your thumb and first fingers you can smooth out the card as it sticks. Try keeping it in line at the top. Once you come to the end of the coloured card make sure the final line of it is secure to its tube, smooth with your fingers and hold the edge in place for a minute per tube making sure that its firmly stuck in place. Repeat this per tube, laying them down on their sides once you are finished.

Step 7. You now need to be cutting the base of each tube so that they can be attached to the base. Take the first coloured tube you want to attach to the base (I did a Rainbow so mine was Red) and using sharp scissors cut a one centimetre slice up into the card at the tube base. Rotate the tube around cutting vertical slices as you go. Then once cut all the way around, gently peel back the slices and make a base for your tube. Affix it into place on your cardboard base because they should already have the double sided tape attached. Press down firmly and hold for one minute. Repeat this action with all of the coloured tubes until they are all attached to the base. (See images above and below).

TOP TIP Painting the base last ensures the tubes stay in place after the double sided tape has helped stick them down on the base. It also neatens up any edges that may have tape sticking out or tubes that weren’t quite level.

Step 8. With all your coloured tubes attached to the base you can now consider adding anything else to your caterpillar, and also paint the base with whatever paint you choose. I added googly eyes and some pipe cleaners as my Caterpillar feelers.

Step 9. Leave your Caterpillar to dry overnight before showing it to your little one. Ensure that you only play with it supervised either by you or another adult. The Pom Poms should be stored inside something that little ones can’t get into unless you are doing the toy together. Most children wouldn’t eat them at this age but better safe than sorry. I recommend a small plastic box like the really useful ones with the clip over lid handles.

TOP TIP Your Caterpillar friend can now be used to teach colours and numbers! Ask your child to count how many body parts the Caterpillar has, how many Pom Poms fit in each tube, can they separate the colours correctly and add them to the correct tube? This craft project can be used for play and learning and will keep your child occupied for hours.


Have you enjoyed this Craft Project? I would love to know what you think!
Please leave me comments on the blog section below or on social media.
Please tag me if you make a Caterpillar of your own!
Use the hashtag #SabrinasCraftCreations

Thank you for reading this blog post today, I hope I see you again soon!

Best Wishes for a happy week ahead!

✩ Sabrina ✩