Recent Freebies, Bargains and Wins! #1

Happy New Year you lovely lot! I'll be writing up my Christmas post soon but I wanted my first post of 2016 to feature my most recent freebies, bargains and wins because I'm hoping to have the whole year full of cheap or free stuff to save money! Hope you enjoy!

Using magicfreebiesuk.co.uk, latestfreestuff.co.uk (you might recognise them from this weeks Dragons Den!) and keeping my eye out on Twitter (follow my other account here for comping and freebie finds!) I've had a nice few bits of free happy post pop through my door in December.

Olay was a great find on Twitter and I totally forgot about it! I was really pleased when it came in the post, love a surprise! This cream is retailing for £9.99 in my local Superdrug so a great freebie win. I've put it in my hamper which I've started again for birthdays throughout the year and Christmas. I got the Candy Crush perfume through my sister and it actually smells lovely. The cream was from a free stuff search and it's really nice.

I hit the sales after Boxing Day and wasn't disappointed. All these buys have been either put in the hamper or under the bed for 2 impending January birthdays! One box of M&M's may have already been eaten!

Before Christmas I was sent a hamper, I think a few people on social media got one and a few bloggers did too. It was a hamper with a Yorkshire theme from Plusnet and was a nice surprise through the door.

My most recent win (I haven't been lucky yet this month) is still from December and was a set of Sims games from a mumsnet Twitter competition, I was well chuffed!

Have you nabbed any freebies? Won any competitions or bagged any bargains recently? I want to know!

Happy (Frugal) New Year!

Cupcake Mumma

Spoonie Survival Kit Giveaway (Gifts for those who have a Chronic Illness)

I had a guest post a few months ago now (yes, sorry about the delay!) from the lovely Pippa all about her Spoonie Survival Kits. Pippa and her volunteers make little bags, cards and other little items to help those, like herself, who suffer from a chronic illness.

If you'd like to read the full guest post please do click here. Pippa has had a lot of support over the last few months and I couldn't be more pleased for her. To help with raising awareness I wanted Pippa to write about Spoonie Survival Kits and I also wanted to purchase several items myself from her shop that I could pass on via a blog giveaway.

First I have a survival kit. I am told these kits vary and include items of comfort to the recipient. Some days are harder than others and a little kit like this has made a difference to many people who have bought from Pippa. I have not opened the bag, as Pippa's aim is to have a surprise delivered to the recipient, therefore I will not spoil it! You can win 1, small yellow bag in the rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The second item is a lovely bracelet made by a volunteer, isn't it pretty? Again, please find the rafflecopter form below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cupcake Mumma

I'm Luna Lovegood!

I came across a competition on The Adventures of a Potty Mouthed Mum yesterday and it was a Harry Potter comp. I got all ready to do my usual rafflecopter business when I scrolled down to find that on this occasion I was going to have be very creative if I wanted to win the prize of a fabulous Harry Potter book set!

If you know me you'll know my love for Harry Potter. I've got the films,I've of course got the books, I've visited the studio tours and loved it and am going to see it again this year (in the snow!!) I have PJ bottoms, tops, socks and tracksuit bottoms to badges, pencils, notebooks and even a damn mug I LOVE IT.

So here is my entry into the above mentioned competition. I've gone with some leggings and a skirt I think Luna would be okay with, a black cardigan with Ravenclaw (kind of) stuck on it, some round earrings which are almost like her rather individual Dirigible Plum Earrings in the film and I've added my pink converse, Quibbler and Spectrespects for that finishing touch! All of this put together with random clothes and a printer!

Wish me luck!

"Episkie!"

Cupcake Mumma

*Update!* I won this competition! As a massive Harry Potter fan I'm obviously over the moon. Thanks to Adventures of a Potty Mouthed Mum for hosting this fab comp and I really, really can't wait to receive my Harry Potter Book Collection from The Book People! 

Magical Orlando Tag!

Here is something fun from the lovely people at Floridatix.com I thought I'd join in with. Keep in mind I'm a Harry Potter nut when going through these and not a Disney one!

1. Which Hogwarts house would you be sorted into?

Believe it or not I take this very seriously. I love anything Harry Potter and whilst walking around the London Studio Tour I gave my wizarding position some serious thought. Long story short, I would absolutely, without hesitation, be sorted into Hufflepuff. I bought a fair few postcards from the shop to prove my loyalty to said house!



2. Name a Disney character you’d like to have dinner with.

Wouldn't it be great fun, although incredibly weird, to sit down and have dinner and lots of chat with that wonderful snowman Olaf from Frozen. I think he's a super fun Disney character and well, dinner with a snowman, can't get weirder than that!




3. Which Marvel superhero power would you choose?

Tough one. Superman has a large array of super powers you could choose from. Super strength, or how about flying!? (No good to me I'm scared of being in a plane let alone flying my actual self anywhere!) I think I would love his speed though. I'd never have to deal with another screaming child who has bashed themselves up because they can't just put one foot in front of the other and Id never be stuck behind that ruddy train which makes me 1 minute late for the school run at least once a week! I could be done and dusted in 5 minutes each day!

4. If you could bring back one dinosaur breed from Jurassic Park, which would it be?

Oh easy, a Diplodocus dinosaur. Mostly harmless (unless you don't pay attention and get trodden on) plus they don't eat meat so I think we'd get on well.

5. You can ride a dragon at the Triwizard Tournament and visit the Owlery at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but where else would you go on a school trip to Hogsmeade?

I'd take a trip into Hogsmeade to visit Madam Puddifoot's Tea Rooms! The Other Half would have to come too because that's where all the dating wizards go!

6. A scene in any Disney, Harry Potter or Marvel movie you wish you could experience?

Oh Id love to go to the Yule Ball at Hogwarts. The beautiful dresses, the snow, Christmas trees, the great hall looking all magical and wintery. And the mix of people would be great not to mention all the food and drinks that are placed out and lovely dances you can watch/join in!

7. Name one item from any Harry Potter, Disney or Marvel movie that you would want for Christmas.

I think the item i'd most like to unwrap from under the tree this Christmas would be an Invisibility Cloak. That would be pretty cool to own wouldn't it?

8. Name one unforgettable experience/moment you’ve had at the Orlando Parks. (if you haven’t been just tell us which park you’d like to go to!)

I've never been to America let alone an Orlando Park so I will have to tell you which park i'd love to visit. Visiting Universal's Island of Adventure would be amazing. All the sections appeal to me from the Jarassic Park area which we'd all love, to the amazing Harry Potter wizarding world which is of course a total no brainer if you know me! Can you imagine how much fun all that would that be!

As part of this fun tag, I have to tag a blogger or two to complete the #floridatixtag https://www.floridatix.com/blog/competition-orlando-magic-tag/"> and Id like to hear from Kate On Thin Ace and Four Kids And A Kat. This post is a bit of fun from Floridatix.com who have launched their new site.

Cupcake Mumma

Little A's Dream Bedroom

I came across Little Stuff's blog and discovered a competition I'd thought I'd enter. All you have to do is go virtual shopping for either your dream lounge or a dream bedroom and show off your finds in a blog post. So, as I love a good browse I thought I'd go hunting and list my ideas for Little A's dream bedroom. Midges only needs a lick of paint and a little TLC but A's is stuck in a boring rut.

So, with all the images linked to their original site, I give you Little A's dream room!

I love this bed and I know Little A would too. He's still in a cot bed because he loves it so much but it's time he moved on to a big boy bed! We do have one on stand by but it won't last him long so to go up to a single bed straight away would be ideal. The football theme is ideal for A and his love of his footie (like his father!) I think we wouldn't have too much trouble at bedtime with this fab bed.

I'd buy a few of these rugs and place them in the middle of his room. He'd really love them and they'd make a great finishing touch.

I love these reversible duvet covers and I love buying bright colours. I wouldn't want to over power his room with football related items so I think it would be a lovely way to break it all up a bit.

A great kawaii like cloud cushion for his bed. The cloud fits the bedding perfectly and I love a funky cushion to finish off beds and sofas in the house.

These curtains are certainly no match for the room theme but it's important to have dark curtains in a little ones bedroom and he adores spider man. Failing this, I'd go for a plain dark blue curtain but I couldn't find that online this morning.

I love this shelving unit! There's a bit of colour, it's perfect for all of A's books and you can even store extras on the side.

I prefer my children having chest of drawers rather than wardrobes. They both get messed up in my experience so it's not that they can look after their clothes better it's just they take up less room. These drawers are lovely and simple, his teddies can still sit on top and it's far better than the plastic rubbish he has in his room currently!

So, with some paint and touching up, his room would really be the ideal room. Its fun, its got several of his likes in there and there would still be plenty of room for him to pull his Lego and toys out, both of which could be stored under his bed and hidden! Ideal for a growing boy who hates to tidy up!

A Canvas Design Review

I recently received a large canvas from Canvas Design to review. I sent off one of my favourite photos of my two little ones that I took on holiday in Cambridge to be enlarged and put onto canvas. On the computer I couldn't see anything wrong with the photo, I thought it would be no different from any other photo I've had placed onto canvas before but unfortunately there must have been a slight issue with the exposure because blown up, the colour is definitely not what I was looking for. Sadly, I think this was more to do with my not noticing on a small computer screen. I have no idea if anyone looked at my enlarged photo and wondered if the colour of my children's faces should be quite so pink!

All that aside, the rest of the photo has the most beautiful, clear colour and you can tell instantly how high the quality is. I have another large canvas from a different company and Canvas Design has done a much better job, even with my slight disappointment included.

My canvas is now a center piece in the family room where I can look up from my desk and see my little ones smiling down at me. I would definitely order from Canvas Design, I have not been put off but would, from doing this review, probably double check on my photo editor for the exposure on my chosen photo. You can't always predict what a photo would look like though and I'm always aware of that.

If you'd like to order your own canvas which range from a size 6x6 to 40x40 inches (£7.99 - £60.00 RRP), go to their site here and once you've uploaded your photo and design.

Cupcake Mumma

Gluten Free Pea & Herb Pancakes with Poached Egg ~ #ShortcutEggsperts

Ingredients

3 Eggs

Bowl of cooked peas

2tbps Doves Farm Plain Flour

2tbsp soya milk

1tbsp mixed herbs

1tbsp melted butter

Salt and pepper to season

Extras!

A handful of green beans

1/2 a lemon

• Blend the cooked peas in a bowl 
• Add flour, melted butter, seasoning, mixed herbs and soya milk
• Add 2 eggs and blend together until all ingredients are well mixed
• Fry 2-3 tbsp of mixture in a pan with some butter (for small pancakes- I use a mini frying pan!)
• Whilst your pancakes are cooking, microwave some green beans for 3 minutes and make sure you have water boiling for your egg
• Cook pancakes on both sides and place onto a warm dish.
• Poach your egg (for the perfect poached egg, leave in salted water for 3-4 minutes)
• Add your poached egg to your pancakes, add a squeeze of lemon to your green beans and season if desired.

A really easy, simple and delicious dish. Gluten and dairy free too!

“This post is an entry for the #ShortcutEggsperts Linky Challenge sponsored by British Lion Eggs. Learn more and find recipes at www.eggrecipes.co.uk”

PrinterPix Photo Competition Entry: Under 5's

Tots100 are hosting a pretty good competition at the moment and I thought I'd have a go, share a photo and see what happens!

My photo entry is this:

Here is my beautiful twosome making some (very well timed) funny faces. Midge loves and cares for her brother like I never thought she would. I really was surprised how easily Little Man just slotted into our lives and how amazingly well Midge accepted him. This photo will never cease to make me giggle and is, perhaps obviously, my go to photo when the chips are down.

This post is CupcakeMumma's entry into the Printerpix Photo competition

CupcakeMumma 

My Little Man

Looking at you now, pulling my cupboards open and emptying my (expensive) cereals onto the bathroom floor, putting crayon on my kitchen wall and running around like a loony I can't believe I actually have these sorts of photos in my collection.

These photos remind me just how much you've grown (especially with 4 months until you're 2!) where you couldn't lift your head up, you'd cuddle up quite happily for as long as hour and I had to do everything for you. 

Now I don't hold your bottle, have to pick you up when you roll on your front or even fall over! You pick yourself up, brush off your hands and carry on walking. Just like that. I'm not even allowed to help with your food most days! At least you let me (most of the time) hold your hand when we go for a stroll through the town and to the parks.

I love looking through my old photos and seeing just how much my two beautiful children have grown. The photo above is when Little Man was only a couple of months old. He was finding his little voice. You know, when they make high pitch screeches or gnaw on their fists making that sweet little sound. Melts my heart! 

“This blog post has been written as an entry into the Tots100 competition in association with Boots Mother and Baby“

Something you Love.

I love photography. And I love feet. Nothing odd about the first one but the second one is a real no no for some. Anyway, these are my little nieces feet taken a while ago with my Fuji Film camera. I love this camera and I also love the mini Nikon CoolPix I carry around with me. That's where most of my pictures on this blog come from.

Anyway, the reason I'm posting this lovely little photo is because I came across a competition on Love All Blogs. So, I am sharing this photo with Love All Blogs and Albelli.  You can also do the same by just clicking the pink or the badge and off you go.

Cupcake Mumma X