Gemmies Design Studio is a new creative brand from Character Options. The Design Studio is aimed at children aged 6-9 years old and comes with an RRP of £29.99. Heidi was delighted to be asked to put the studio through it's paces this week and let our readers know her thoughts.
Gemmies Design Stuidio is nice and easy to set up and comes with a bumper pack of different coloured beads, jewels, tools, 5 design instructions and various connectors.
The studio tidies away nice and easily and Heidi has already found a home for her studio on her bedroom desk.
The aim of Gemmies is to create lots of sparkly collectables using the beads and jewels provided that can be enjoyed and displayed once used. There is a light on the Gemmie's studio where you can properly display your creations, however this requires batteries (which weren't included and we didn't have) so if you give this as a gift - make sure you also buy batteries.
You simply roll one of the clear bands over the main tool until it clips in place.....
......and then clip the beads in place. You can make your own designs or follow the designs included. Heidi decided to create her very own teddy bear.
The task in hand was fiddly, and the instructions fairly complicated for a beginner (they get easier the more you practice) but Heidi persevered.
Creating her teddy bear gripped Heidi's attention for a good hour or so.
I clearly don't have as much patience as my daughter and noticed that there were online tutorials which I thought might have speeded the process along a little. Unfortunately, the teddy bear tutorial isn't available just yet. Grrrrr! I tried to persuade Heidi to make something else that did have an online tutorial but no she wanted to the teddy bear so soldiered on. There are lots of good tutorials here if you interested.
We're getting there......
Here is Heidi's final teddy bear. Erm......she is pleased with it and that's the main thing. I personally think we should have started with something easier.
There are plenty of gems and jewels included but if you do need to purchase more, the Gemmies Activity Pack (£9.99) will top up your collection.
Heidi spent 60 - 90 minutes creating a teddy bear using Gemmies Design Studio and said that although it was tricky, she enjoyed it and it was fun. I can see her using this design studio time and time again. Personally, I found it to be quite difficult to follow and I think adult supervision is definitely required for younger children, once older children get the hang of it though, they will fly and I'm sure many and hour will be spent creating weird and wonderful creations.
It was always our plan to go camping on the shores of Loch Ness this summer and it was something we were all very much looking forward to. Unfortunately though, our car broke down beyond repair and the disappointment on our children's faces that we might not make the trip was hard to see :-( Luckily, granny came to our rescue and let us use her car for the trip. Yeah! So we were back on. We booked to stay at Loch Ness Shores which is a 5* camping and caravanning club site. It is fairly pricey at just under £50 (non-members) per night for the 5 of us (although there are a lot of deals if you are C&C members & we'll definitely be joining next year) but we decided it would be worth it as it was one of the only places you could stay where you had immediate access to the loch and the wealth of 5* reviews about the site's facilities and staff convinced us it was the best option for us.
We received a super warm welcome from the staff - we had been warned about a single track lane on the approach and that it could be a bit hairy but it was honestly fine - if you've ever been to Cornwall, you'll have experienced worse. The campsite is split into two levels and you pretty much have your pick of available pitches. We booked a pitch with electric hook up which was only a few pound more but 100% worth it. There was also a water tap between every 4 pitches which was handy not to have to walk far.
Unlike festival camping, C&C sites usually have an 11pm curfew which suits us just fine. Lights are out for the whole site at 11pm and a good night's sleep is guaranteed with no wild parties or late night drinking.
We pitched our Skandika Kairo tent in no time and settled into our surroundings. Our three tend to stick together on holiday so they were under strict instructions to find new friends - and that they did! Most of the children gathered in the on-site play area on an evening (which was in our line of site from our pitch) and in fact they stayed there until 10:30pm on the first night joining in with a giant game of hide and seek with their new friends. Happy days :D While this was happening Steve and I just chilled outside our tent, taking in the views with a glass of wine or two. Blissful!
There is a large grassed area next to the play park for ball games too - everything has been thought of.
On the lower level is where you'll find the site's main facility block. The showers are hot and bathrooms are SPOTLESSLY clean. I'm not sure how they achieved this as I never spotted a cleaner but they did! There is also a washing up area, laundry room and washing lines.
One of the things I LOVED about Loch Ness Shores is that BBQs were permitted as long as they were off the ground and there are FREE fire pits dotted around the loch side for you to build your own campfire. Fire wood can be bought from the shop for £5 per bag. We enjoyed the best BBQ'd burgers from the local butcher and of course toasted marshmallows.
Loch Ness Shores has a fantastic reception area/shop which is a real hub of activity - here you will find knowledgeable staff, a small shop, an ice cream stall, a fridge and a freezer (which campers are free to use), a coffee machine, maps and guide for sale plus more...... it's open from 9am to 9pm too so there's always someone around to help.
Loch Ness Shore all sounds pretty good so far, but it just get's better! The location on the loch side means that it is the perfect spot to hire a boat (around £10 pp) to explore the loch further. We didn't have the funds to do this during this trip (which was on a shoestring budget) but check out Penny from Parentshaped's video below:-
The Airstream diner was another huge plus for us - located just next to reception, this quirky little cafe serves up the most delicious breakfast & lunch. The staff are super friendly and they make a mean waffle! If you can't be bothered to cook, it's so nice to have this option. Prices are good too (£3.50 for a half waffle and syrup - the half waffles are still pretty big).
There's even an under cover seating area between the loch and the diner should the weather take a turn for the worse.
The best thing about Loch Ness Shores though (along with it's lovely staff) is the location. Right on the banks of Loch Ness and surrounded by woodland walks, it is simply breathtaking.
If you don't want to use your car, the village of Foyers is around a 20 minute walk away. Loch Ness Shores website says it's 20 minutes, but I think it takes longer than this (esp with kids) as it is all up hill. Cameron's Farm shop is a lovely traditional Scottish tearoom with the cutest herd of highland cows in their fields and definitely worth the trek. Don't exepct a huge farm shop - it's only little but has enough supplies to get you through.
You will also find the most beautiful waterfalls within walking distance of the campsite. The Falls of Foyers are stunning and the picture really does not do them justice at all.
There is a quaint little tea room in Foyer village along with a post office and village shop. We found the tearoom to be a bit on the pricey side (£4 for a slice of cake meaning we spent £20 on cake) and cans of pop were more than double the printed price on the can........It is still worth a visit though and the double chocolate cake went down a treat.
Our time at Loch Ness shores was simply wonderful - woodland walks, Nessie spotting, freshly cooked American-style waffles, breathtaking waterfalls and views, kids making friends and playing games in the long grass, BBQs with locally sourced products, exceptional staff........ I could go on! The site was a wonderful base for our trip and we will no doubt return in the next few years.
NE1’s SCREEN ON THE GREEN RETURNS FOR SUMMER IN THE CITY
NE1’s Summer in the City programme launches at the end of June with the welcome return of NE1’s Screen on the Green. NE1’s large, free, open air cinema at Old Eldon Square is the first of NE1’s summertime events which are set to transform the city throughout the summer, designed to give people a vibrant, safe and colourful welcome back to the city.
The summer holidays may have only just started, but I'm already thinking about the new term. This year I am going to get it together and I will NOT be one of those mums shouting at the kids as we turn up to school just as the gates are closing. This year I WILL be organised. Who is with me?? I've put together a couple of Back to School Hacks that will hopefully help (I just need to remember to stick to them myself).
1 - Buy Plain Socks
By plain socks I mean absolutely zero decoration - no stripes, no bows, no 'days of the week' - they need to be completely plain. I recommend stocking up at Primark. You'll thank me for this tip later when you can easily pair your children's socks up and don't end up with 25+ random school socks that are all slightly different to each other. BONUS TIP: If you have more than one child, buy each child a different colour sock. This year Harry will be wearing grey, Jack black and Heidi white.
A selection of odd socks we ended up with this year
2 - Double up on PE kits
They don't tell you this in the uniform list, but I think it is definitely worth doubling up on PE kits, especially if your children are older. Last year Harry had PE twice every week and also a before school Judo club where he needed to go to school wearing his PE kit. Look out for double packs when buying shorts, joggers and t-shirts. I have bought my children their full PE kits from Debenhams this year and the plan is that one kit will stay at school whilst one will be all packed at home. Hopefully this will avoid those mornings when the kids tell you it's a sport tournament and you realise you haven't washed their kit in weeks. It's always good to have a back up kit. I have been really impressed with the quality of Debenham's Sports Kits & I'm confident they'll keep the kids warm during those dreaded cross-country sessions and will last all year.
Pack of 2 Navy Jogging Bottoms £12-14 | Children's Navy Hoodie - £11-£13 |
Pack of 2 white T-shirts £5 - £9 | Sistema Twist 'n' Sip Water Bottles £4 - All Debenhams
3 - Create a School Fund Jar
It's a well known fact that sending your children to school is expensive. If Harry & Heidi decided to opt for school dinners, I would have to pay £22 per week which will rise to £33 per week when Jack moves up into Key Stage 2. Yikes! That's not including sponsor money, world book day, raffle tickets, school fairs, school trips, coffee mornings.......I don't begrudge paying this money at all but it is sometimes a struggle when you are presented with a letter and expected to pay £15+ within a few days. With this in mind, I am creating a 'school fund' jar where I'm going to empty my spare change every couple of days, Hopefully this will mean that there will be no more last minute dashes to the cash point or scrabbling around for change in the morning.
4 - Don't Iron Uniform
To me this is a no-brainer. Life is FAR TOO SHORT to be standing ironing school uniform every night. Just take your children's uniforms out of the tumble drier when they are still warm, give them a little shake and you are good to go. It saves so much time and stress and nobody (well apart from my mum) will notice.
5 - Start Planning Lunches NOW
Due to Heidi moving into Key Stage 2 (and the fact that I will now have to pay for school lunches because of this), we have decided that Harry and Heidi are going to take a packed lunch to school. I don't have much imagination when it comes to school lunches so I've already put together a Packed Lunch Pinterest board full of ideas and will be stalking the wonderful Eats Amazing website in the coming weeks for further inspiration.
I think the key is, with a bit of planning and preparation now, things will hopefully run like clockwork when the kids go back to school in September. Let me know if you have any killer tips and hacks too.
Disclosure: Items were bought using a Debenhams gift card for their Back to School campaign
