GameBlast Games Marathon Weekend

Disability charity launches UK-wide 24-hour video game marathon weekend

SpecialEffect, a charity who help people with disabilities to benefit from the fun and inclusion of video games, is running a GameBlast marathon weekend on 21-23 February 2014. People of all ages across the UK are invited to play video game marathons with friends or family to raise money for the charity.

The sponsorship raised from the GameBlast marathons will provide funds to modify and provide technology and gaming equipment that will enable more people with disabilities to enjoy video games with their friends.

The charity is calling for teams to set themselves a fundraising target, register on the website, and undertake their own sponsored marathons, which can last anything up to 24 hours during the weekend.  Every team that registers will automatically be entered into a prize draw to win gaming goodies.

Mark Saville, SpecialEffect Communications Officer said, “Many children across the UK can only watch their friends and family play video games because their disabilities prevent them from using a controller. We want to change this and the money raised will enable the Special Effect team to create bespoke gaming equipment to bring joy to many families across the UK.”

SpecialEffect will be running its own marathon from the Gameblast HQ, and will keep the world up to date with their progress through Facebook and Twitter.

For more information visit: www.specialeffect.org.uk/gameblast

Save the Blow Dry - Review

Have you every had your hair done, or spent hrs hunched over the bathroom sink attempting to pull off some extravagant hair do before a big night out only to realise, after you are finally happy with your creation and you've lost 3 hrs of your life and you are now officially running late, that you need to shower! Yeah i hear you all scream in sheer panic! Well fear not, there is a new item on the market that claims to save you from yourself, Save the Blow Dry.

When i was asked to review this i have to admit i was a little excited, i have short hair and with 3 young children finding the time to style or straighten my hair each day is a real pain in the proverbial so this was something secretly i had been praying to the ethos for.

I shower (well if you can call it a shower when you have a line of small voices on the other side of the bathroom door asking where this is, can i eat this, can the dog go out... you get the jist!) So as a mother I'm fairly time strapped.

But honestly, with this i can style my hair at 5am (yeah we have a puppy, its like having a baby all over again!) then shower at 8 when everyone is up and i know i won't end up with crazy mum hair.

Its a beautifully soft micro weave inner that sucks away any moisture inside the cap allowing for frizz free locks and its an epic pink colour with a vintage flower design protective outer, granted with not much hair and a tiny head it did feel a little on the large side for me but for all you girls with long luscious locks there is plenty of space to tuck it all away and to top it all off it lived up to expectations. It didn't ruin or flatten my hair and it kept it super dry and just as it was when i put it on.

I can see this really taking hold in bathrooms all over the world, i mean who has the time these days to waste in front of the mirror, girls there's a world out there to take over, put down the straighteners and don the Save the Blow Dry!

And not just here to make you look fabulous, Save the Blow Dry support Khandle Light, a charity supporting communities in India, providing safe drinking water, each Save the Blow Dry sold through their website directly funds two weeks, yes TWO WEEKS worth of safe drinking water for a family.

Whats not to love?

You can find more about Save the Blow Dry here http://savetheblowdry.com

Or about Khandle Light here http://www.khandel-light.co.uk

Until next time..

L x

Fund raise with Mr Tumble for Children in Need

BBC SOMETHING SPECIAL MAGAZINE NEED KIDS’ HELP TO CREATE A 10 METRE MR TUMBLE AND RAISE £2,500 FOR BBC CHILDREN IN NEED

Thousands of children encouraged to fundraise together by building a giant piece of art of their favourite TV character, Mr Tumble

BBC Something Special magazine, an inclusive title created to be accessible for children with learning disabilities, has launched an inclusive art event called the Big Tumble Art Project to raise £2,500 for ‘BBC Children in Need’. The national campaign asks readers, pupils of mainstream schools and schools for children with varying levels of disabilities to decorate stars and spots in the magazine using an art technique of their choice. The magazine will then pledge £1 to ‘BBC Children in Need’ for each one they receive by the deadline of 30^th October.*

The pieces will be collected together to build a giant, 10 metre high collage of Mr Tumble from 11 November 2013 by pupils at Jack Tizard School in London, a school for pupils aged 2-19 years with a range of severe learning difficulties.  Art consultant Emma Middleton from The Foundling Museum advised the BBC Something Special magazine team on the types of art techniques to use and how to make the project inclusive. They also helped plan an art session with Jack Tizard School creating Mr Tumble’s giant bowtie, which is available to view on BBC Something Special magazine’s Facebook page.

The spots and stars are available in issue 33, on sale now and Issue 34, on sale from 16 October until 12 November 2013. Schools can choose from a range of art techniques, making the activity suitable for a wide range of abilities with techniques including stamping, printing, glittering, scrunching, sponging and finger painting. A special worksheet is also available on BBC Something Special magazine’s Facebook page.

Sara Oldham, Editor of BBC Something Special magazine said “We urge kids to get creative with us and contribute to this fantastic collaborative art project which allows children to work together andraise money for a great cause- I can’t wait to see the finished result!”

Emma Middleton, Curator of Projects at the Foundling Museum said: “It’s a fantastic project for children to be involved in. Not only will they discover a new art technique, use a variety of listening, communication and coordination skills and learn about shape and colour - they will also be part of an empowering experience that will make a lot of people feel very proud.”

Sarah Monteith, Director of Marketing and Fundraising at BBC Children in Need said: “It’s great to have the support of BBC Something Special magazine to encourage children across the UK to join together to fundraise for BBC Children in Need.”

*capped at £2500

Swishing with a Difference - Swap in the City

SWAP IN THE CITY UK – Swishing with a Difference!   SWAP IN THE CITY UK (SITCUK) organises  classy, stylish and chic swishing events, in the most luxurious locations in the heart of the city of London and will be relaunching the brand with the Summer Swish taking place on the 25th Aug at the spectacular One Whitehall Place, SW1 London.  The fabulous location is indicative of the quality of the event that the guests can expect. What makes the SITCUK Swish different? The SITCUK guests will enjoy an afternoon of fun and relaxation that fuses the partaking of indulgent beauty treatments with the opportunity to swap quality clothing and meet like-minded women.  It is a boon for the time strapped, busy woman who still wants to do good and look her best and not compromise on having a wonderful experience.   In fact the SITCUK philosophy goes that step further enabling her  to: DO Good - by recycling garments and accessories, preventing items from going to landfill unnecessarily… Look Good – by ensuring that the items available at the Swish are of the highest quality… Feel Good – by providing a range of beauty, lifestyle and well-being treatments and services for the guests to sample from the best beauty and lifestyle brands... Be Good – by encouraging the guests to support the SITCUK charity partners. We are proud to announce that our charity partner for the Summer Swish event is Handbags for Hospices! We will be partnering with Handbags for Hospices to run a charity celebrity handbag auction on the afternoon of the event with all of the proceeds going to local London hospices.     Handbag for Hospices is a national charity and holds events all over the country and the SITCUK Summer Swish  will be one of the flagship events of the year!   Swishing has never been so sumptuous! Swap in the City UK (SITCUK) is the brainchild of beauty entrepreneur Nicole Pinkney.   A lover of fashion herself Nicole found that the desire to look good and feel good was always of  paramount importance  - but like many women juggling  a career, motherhood and life it often meant that that dress purchased for that ‘special occasion’ never got the chance to be worn again or finding the time to  return those shoes that were slightly too tight was impossible, thus she set up her first swishing event in 2011 which was a resounding success. “Doing good and giving back is too often dissociated from ‘feeling good and being pampered” states Nicole , “but I believe that  it does not have to be an ‘either/ or’ decision – many women desire to do their best by the environment and in society, but lack the time to make this a reality.  The SITCUK events allow women to have a positive impact on others – be it in the donation of quality items to the swap or a donation to our charity partners  - whilst  being  pampered and treated like a queen”. The SITCUK Summer Swish takes place on August 25th from 1pm – 5pm. Tickets start from £10  and can be booked via the SITCUK website www.swapinthecityuk.co.uk

Macmillan Children's Book Raffle in aid of Farms For City Children

Axel Scheffler donates original artwork to Farms for City Children “digital raffle”

In 2013, Macmillan Children’s Books celebrates twenty years of publishing the no.1 best-selling picture book duo in the UK.  Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler are the creators of one of the nation’s best-loved characters, The Gruffalo. Since the publication of their first book together, A Squash and a Squeeze, they have written and illustrated over twenty books in twenty years.

To mark the occasion, Axel Scheffler has created a piece of 20^th Anniversary artwork, which has been used across commemorative material. Macmillan Children’s Books has donated the original artwork to Farms for City Children, who are running a “digital raffle” to raise money to support their on-going work.  

Axel says:

“I’m pleased that as part of the anniversary celebrations for A Squash and a Squeeze we can help support such an appropriate charity (for those who know the book!). My artwork has been included in many charity auctions over the past twenty years, but I do like the idea that a child could win this very special piece with just £2 pocket money, rather than it going to the highest bidder.”

To enter the raffle, entrants must pay a £2 entry fee to Farms for City Children  through their MyDonate page .  The raffle closes on Monday 3^rd June 2013. Full details on entering can be found  on Farms for City Children’s official website:

http://www.farmsforcitychildren.org/raffle.htm

Farms for City Children already has a strong literary connection, author and former Children’s Laureate, Michael Morpurgo, founded the charity in 1976 with his wife Clare.

Michael says:

“I am delighted that Macmillan Children’s Books has chosen Farms for City Children to benefit from this wonderful competition celebrating the 20th anniversary of Julia Donaldson’s book, A Squash and a Squeeze. It is a delightful children’s story and it is enhanced further by the wonderful drawings of Axel Scheffler.  Any child would be so pleased – and so lucky – to win a piece of Axel’s original artwork.”

About the raffle:

The raffle is open to residents of the UK and Eire only. The closing date for entries is Monday 3^rd June 2013. Entrants must pay an entry fee  of £2 to Farms for City Children via  their MyDonate page.

About Macmillan Children’s Books:

Macmillan Children’s Books is one of the UK’s leading children’s publishers. A division of Pan Macmillan, Macmillan Children’s Books publishes over 300 books a year for all age groups and is the publisher of bestselling titles by Julia Donaldson, Rod Campbell, Frank Cottrell Boyce and Eva Ibbotson. Macmillan Children’s Books has won many major awards such as the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals, the Nestlé Children’s Book Prize and the Blue Peter and Red House Book Awards.

About Farms for City Children:

Farms for City Children is a registered charity, founded in 1976. Its aim is to enrich the lives and develop the potential of children from cities and towns all over the country by giving them the opportunity to spend a week in the countryside on a working farm. Around 3,000 children each year live and work together for a whole seven days on one of three real farms in Devon, Gloucestershire and Pembrokeshire. They range in age from 8-14 years old.

A truly amazing prize in aid of a most worthy cause, will you be donating? 

L x

Lucky Dip Draw

Like most people today i have been touched by the wrath of cancer, loosing my dad just 3 years ago devastated me and with it coming upto the 4th yr anniversary i wanted to do something, not to mark the occassion but to honour his passing.

So we have decided to run a lucky dip! Simply purchase a ticket for just £2, £1 is given to cancer research and your other £1 gets you a mystery item of jewellery from our last collection and 1 entry into a prize draw for a goody bag crammed with goodies!

You can contact me on twitter, @chicuniqueuk on facebook or email me directly for your lucky dip number at lizipants@yahoo.co.uk

I really hope you choose to take part not only to give to charity but for a cracking prize too :)

L xx

Motors.co.uk Local Hero Comp

Motors.co.uk launch national search for most deserving local hero.

Leading used car website Motors.co.uk has launched a UK wide search to find outstanding people in local communities who go above and beyond to help others. The winner, nominated by a friend or family member, will be rewarded with the gift of a car worth £10,000 – plus a donation of £2,500 to a registered charity of their choice.

Nominate your "Most Deserving" to win £10,000 towards a car from Motors.co.uk, plus £2,500 towards their chosen charity.

The competition launches today on http://mostdeserving.motors.co.uk and invites the general public to nominate their most deserving, using a simple form.

Motors.co.uk would like to know:
·         Friends and colleagues who work tirelessly helping others
·         Individuals who have made outstanding contributions to a local charity, or community project
·         Anyone who selflessly gives up their time to help an elderly neighbour
·         Stories about people who have changed someone’s lives for the better

Phill Jones, Commercial Director at Motors.co.uk, explained: “There’s so much bad news and you don’t hear enough about the great things that individuals do to help others, without reward.

“As well as providing the winner with a valuable, useful prize in a car from our wide range, we want to celebrate all the thousands of people who contribute so much to our local communities by sharing their unique stories.”

The competition is being held in two rounds.  The first stage is open nominations where anyone can nominate anyone they choose, being invited to support their nominations with images and links to other media that help to tell the story about the nominee.

The Most Deserving Panel at Motors.co.uk will then choose finalists from all the regions of the UK, and the general public will then be invited to vote for their favourites – and to support their friends and family as much as possible.  The three finalists with the most votes will then be assessed by the Panel who will announce the winner.

The competition launched on 18th January 2012 and will end on 5th March 2012.

Keep up to date on Twitter via the hashtag #MotorsWinaCar and to let your friends know about the competition and your entry.

Full Terms & Conditions can be found at http://mostdeserving.motors.co.uk


About Motors.co.uk
Motors.co.uk is a leading used car advertising website that aims to make the process of finding the right car as easy as possible for used car buyers & the selling of used cars as straightforward and cost-effective for used car dealers.

Handmade year entry approx 3 months

With the school holidays now in full swing i seem to have found a whole new love for this again! i have been really good tho and still only buying from charity shops where i can and making gifts etc and bits for the girls.
Today i have been on a total roll! Ive made a start on Emmas school bag. I did intend to buy her one off ebay, the Cath Kidston oilcloth ones are DIVINE!! but i also had a thought maybe, for her, having something completely one off would help her find her bag when at school without having to struggle to ask to find it.
I used an old skirt in a gorgeous brown tweed then used a roxy summer kaftan i had "outgrown" lol for lining. I had found the tutorial on the net but when i came to use it i just kinda did my own thing! I'm really happy with how its turning out, as i have never made bags before (scary!!) I just need to press it, sew on the straps and I'm going to make a cross stitch monogram button to sew on with a giant E on so she knows its her SPECIAL bag!

i tried my hand at making a little coin purse for Elissa, as she's going thru that, 'I'm a grown up' stage! Im not 100% happy with it but its cute and it doesn't matter if she looses it!!

i used a skirt of emmas she has outgrown and used a little scrap of rose fabric to line the flap, it has a little velcro fastening. i didn't use a template or anything i just cut it out and hoped for the best! lol

My bargain of the week is this fabulous leather, topshop doctors bag i picked up for £6 in a charity shop. Slightly more than id normally spend to be fair but i fell in love with it!! Tho it is HUGE and could quite easily pack essentials for a day out!!

And finally for today, i up cycled this old bar stool i had lying around for my sewing machine as my large chair i use when making jewellery isn't the right height for my machine. This however is perfect. Its been primed then painted with a very pale pink emulsion then i recovered the hideous seat with cream spotty oil cloth! however, i ran out of staples when i was almost finished so it isn't pulled as tight as i would normally like but its easily replaced!

Well its almost feeding time at the zoo, i hope something has inspired you today!

L xx

Vintage Princess Jewellery for The Samaritans

The amazing Vintage Princess Jewellery has released a collection of bracelets where a percentage on the bracelet sale goes to the amazing worthy cause The Samaritans. They help millions of people of all ages every year through the hard times when they have no one else to talk to! 

An amazing worthy cause and an amazing thing to do!

Show your support today!

Featuring..... Good books for Tough Times

Good Books for Tough Times helps parents and teachers choose the right books for children who are facing difficulties such as bereavement, bullying or family break-up. A total of 118 books have been independently chosen, and are reviewed in two separate guides- one aimed at 5-8 year olds and one at 9-12 year olds. Both guides can be ordered from Partnership for Children.

Good Books for Tough Times is produced by Partnership for Children, a charity which promotes the mental health and emotional well being of young children. Launched in the UK ten years ago, the charity has already helped more than 500.00 children in 19 countries, and provides resources, advice and training to teachers and parents.

These guides read like a school book fair brochure, they have a little picture of the book cover at the top with its name etc then a little review underneath explaining which difficult subject they address, then publisher, price and the ISBN.
Each subject has a colour coded section for easy browsing and they are really unoffensive. There is a foreword in each guide from a famous author, Jacqueline Wilson is in the 5-8 age group guide and its great to see such famous authors supporting something so important for children.

The guides are totally free from the Partnership for Children website and if your family is going through a tough time i would highly recommend these guides. The books are obviously "support books" so your child would feel "different" by reading them.

For example The Cat Mummy by Jacqueline Wilson deals with loss and bereavement yet to an on looker that child is simply reading a book so need to worry about bullying whilst dealing with these sensitive issues.

I think its wonderful that someone has finally found a way to explain difficult situations to young children without all the fantasy and drama and i fully support this wonderful charity and the work they do.

For further info or to order your own guides please visit http://www.partnershipforchildren.org.uk/

L xx