A week in review

I’m starting a new weekly review slot to round up all the events we have attended and the products we’ve used in the previous week. (This is it in case you hadn’t worked that out.)

The weekend got off to a great start on Saturday, when Belle and I went to Bristol Old Vic for an audience with Lauren Child. Belle is a massive Lauren Child fan, and is particularly keen on her series of books for older children about quirky teen detective Ruby Redfort. Such a fan is she in fact that she even has a customised t-shirt. Ruby apparently has a t-shirt just like this one:

We made Belle’s t-shirt using our new Cricut mini machine. For anyone even vaguely into anything cutting and sticking related, the Cricut is amazing. You can create simple or more complex designs on your computer, and then, as if by magic, the machine cuts it out for you in either card, vinyl or iron-on transfers. Genius.

Belle was a little disappointed I think that Lauren didn’t talk in more detail about Ruby. It was very interesting to hear about her methods and how characters like Charlie and Lola came to be, but it was billed as being for older children, and Ruby didn’t get an awful lot of attention. Still, I love going to the theatre, and The Pit at The Bristol Old Vic is a very pretty space. There is something magical about seeing anything live in surroundings like these.

One thing Belle hasn’t been disappointed though this week has been her gorgeous new winter coat from Blacks. It was pouring with rain when we set off for the theatre and although obviously she refuses to wear a coat on weekdays, (wearing a coat to school is not the done thing apparently – better to freeze but look cool), she more than makes up for it at weekends. She is wearing it in the picture at the beginning of this post in fact.

We especially love the beautiful floral lining, and Belle seems rather taken with the belt, taking a lot of trouble every time she puts it on in getting the belt just right.

It’s not just Belle that has had a treat – I was sent an adorable pair of earrings from Lily Charmed, celebrating the launch of their new range. They arrived done up in a tiny box with ribbon. Who can resist a ribbon?

The range has some really lovely mismatched pairs, including this teapot and teacup. I thought these were perfect for me as I have been known to drink the occasional cup of tea. *ahem* They are made from silver and are fabulous quality. I will definitely be doing some Christmas shopping at Lily Charmed.

And if a lovely new pair of earrings wasn’t enough to brighten up the rainy weather, I was also lucky enough to be sent a gorgeous bunch of flowers from Bloom & Wild. The blooms were stunning, and lasted an awfully long time, but what is extra special about Bloom & Wild is that every bouquet fits through a letter box! Hard to believe isn’t it? It’s true though. If you don’t believe me you will just have to order some for yourself…

We were given two tickets to the Lauren Child event, plus all the products mentioned this week, for the purposes of review.