What You Truly Can't Live Without This Week (... or not)

Haven't had a "random likings" for a while. Here are some bits and pieces I have seen on my online travels.

1. Leopard print Converse
I saw these ones at Office...

 ...but when looking for a suitable pic to use I found these ones in the States with a zip, with just a leopard tongue.
Then there are these sparkly beauties for those who think leopard print isn't enough on its own, and that it could use a little bling

I, however, am a woman of simple tastes and the top pair have been added to my Christmas wish list.



2. Folding Water Bottle 



This one came thanks to Mrs Thrifty when she posted about her favourite Money Saving Handbag Essentials.  I thought it was a great idea and ordered one for myself. Anything that reduces the amount of crap I seem to forever be lugging in my handbag is a good thing and this has proved to be great.


3. Arthur Christmas!


Not exactly random as this has been on my radar for a while and I pre-ordered it last week. I loved Arthur Christmas and have been waiting for it to come out on DVD so it can be added to my growing collection of Christmas films. It's currently £9.99 at Amazon but am sure it will be on offer in the supermarkets as well.

     


4. LEGO Sweets
You can tell what direction my online searches have been heading recently - first Arthur Christmas and now LEGO sweets.You can get these from various online retailers including Sweet Greetings and Amazon (I love browsing all the imported sweets and food on there!) But look at these awesome gummy LEGO sweets.
Unfortuately you can't buy them but if you want to make them the instructions are at Sweet and Nerdy.

 If you were keen then you can either make a silicone mould or buy one from eBay. Actually, while I was searching I turned up this gem: a Hans Solo in Carbonite mould so you can munch him in chocolate, jelly, ice - whatever takes your fancy.

                                                               

Random Likings

1. Jessie Ware
Last week I was raving about Alex Clare and it's fair to say that if I had his album (remember albums? Those big black round things?) that it would have probably worn out by now. Thank goodness for MP3. This week I have also discovered Jessie Ware. Wow. Two "new" artists for me is amazing when you consider my feet are firmly rooted in 80s pop and 2000s rock, with bans like Foo Fighters coming up in my most played list.

I first listened to her after reading this review by Holy Moly, who described her as "...Sade-esque, without sounding anything like Sade" and they are bang on. If you like Sade (and I do. Despite my earlier description of my playlist my taste used to be quite varied) then listen to her album Devotion.




2. Ring Pull Hangers
I love a good organisation blog. Reading about getting organised is my favourite way to procrastinate while successfully ignoring the cluttered state of my own house. How cool is this for an organisation tip! I found it on Idea Bottle, a blog which I fully intend to explore further in my quest for achieving a streamlined house without getting of my arse.

image courtesy of Idea Bottle

3. Secret Britain: the hidden bits of our history by Justin Pollard.

Ok, since one of the last books I mentioned was The Big Book of Lesbian Horse Stories (who knew lesbian horses liked reading) you may be a little skeptical when I mention another one, but this book is a little gem. It's chock full of  interesting titbits about British history that you probably don't know.With each one only a page or 2 long, it's perfect for reading when you don't have the time or attention span to get involved in something heavy, but want something a little more cerebral than Heat.

4. Pasotti Umbrellas

Because a good umbrella is a must have for our delightful British summer, I happened upon these while I was searching for something a little more stylish than the polka-dot pop up number I keep in the skip I carry around with me my handbag.
Look, this one is sprinkled with Swarovski crystals like you are sheltering from a shower of diamonds rather than a grey deluge of rain

or release your inner Eliza Doolittle with this parasol

5. Handpainted R2D2 bra.
Blows Rachel's Princess Leia costume out of the water

Review - Great Western LEGO Show

Last weekend was the annual Great Western LEGO Show. It's where members of the Brickish Association can display their models, and is the largest event of its kind in the UK. I found out about it when randomly searching for LEGO events earlier in the year. Having 2 LEGO mad children made it seem like the perfect outing. I stored the details away in the rusty old filing cabinet that is my memory and thankfully remembered a few days beforehand.

The venue is the STEAM Museum of the Great Western Railway in Swindon. I've never been there before, having no interest in steam trains and (thankfully) having children who are not fussed about them either. I was really  impressed with the size and layout of the museum. It's definitely a place you want to go if you like old trains. It's right next to a designer shopping outlet so there's something for everyone... well, everyone who likes old trains or shopping. Oh, and parking is plentiful, nearby and just £1 - bargain.

The show itself was really good. I went with a friend and our 3 children, aged 9, 9 and 4. I have not seen my 9 year son as excited as that since we took him to Legoland for his birthday when he was 8. The first group of models we saw were mostly of Harry Potter scenes and they were just incredible. One woman told us her model took a year to build and I can well believe it. The attention to detail the builders gave their models, and their imagination and innovation when building them was impressive. It impressed me, and I don't 'do' LEGO, so you can imagine what the kids were like. The builders were very friendly and happy to talk to us about how and why they had built things they way they had. The boys got some great ideas.

The main hall had a huge array of all sorts of different types of models and they were all fantastic. There was also the chance for the children to make a mosaic panel and do a bit of building of their own. My favourite model was the Yoda with the light sabre that lit up, but the robot that moved and the massive cathedral at the front (sorry, can't remember which one it was a model of) also stand out. The introduction of LEGO minifigures adds a good dimension. Where else will you see a cowboy, a clown, and a cheerleader in church with an alien, a detective and an explorer?

Lego mosaic. Our panel is up in the top left somewhere.

 





The last part of the show was, of course, the shop. It's not your usual LEGO shop, but independent retailers selling LEGO. There's a good mix of used and new LEGO and the kids were incredibly happy with their purchases. I was happy as both of mine spent less than £10 each and got a lot of different bricks and pieces they put to use straight away.





If you're planning on going next year (it's on 6-7 Oct in 2012):

• Book your tickets in advance if you plan on getting there when it opens. We arrived about 10 minutes after the doors opened and walked past a queue of over 100 people. Well worth the £4 booking fee.
• take a camera
• don't expect to sit down for a few hours. There's no real seating as you go around. My 4 year old got a bit overwhelmed with all the people, colours and noise in the main hall, so we had to sit on the floor in the corner for a while with a restorative Mars bar. I don't mind sitting on floors, but you might.
• Talk to the people who built the models. They are justifiably proud of their creations and happy to share building tips and details with visitors. 
• Visit the shop first. It was uncomfortably full by the time we got there at around 12pm, and there were places where it was impossible to move.
• Watch out for the tables and cloths in the main hall area. The tables were not always sturdy, particularly with hoardes of enthusiastic children trying to get as to the models as possible without touching. They were also covered in cloths that were too long and puddled on the floor. It was easy for children to tread on them, pulling the cloth towards them and threatening the models.
• Be prepared to watch younger children like a hawk. Consider recording the phrases "Don't Touch!!" and "Stand BACK!" to replay at frequent intervals

The only drawback (apart from the hovering and watch the tablecloth-ing) was that we couldn't find any of the advertised building workshops and expert talks. The boys would have loved those.