arts – Hip Little One

My First Crayola giveaway

Giveaways, Toys, Books & Movies 8 Responses »

Mar 202016

Being the preparation-princess that I am slowly starting to work on the kids’ backpacks for our holiday later in the year. Spending almost 24 hours on planes and airports (one way) our little travellers will need to come packed with entertainment that is big in fun yet small in size AND weight.

Crayola Syb

For the little two I have already popped a few Crayola goodies in their luggage. By the time we go on holiday they will be 1 and 3 years old which is the perfect age for the My First Crayola range:

Although she is still a bit too small for arts and crafts right now I can imagine Harriet will want to copy her older siblings soon enough. The My First Crayola Palm-Grip Crayons (RRP $9.49, 3-pack) are designed for the hands of tiny little artists aged just 12 months and older. The unique egg shape of these brightly coloured Palm-Grip Crayons makes them easy to hold and allows children to colour from every angle.

With 24 pages and 40 stickers the My First Crayola Color & Sticker Book (RRP $3.99) offers excellent value for money. Between the colouring pages and stickers there is lots of designing and storytelling to be done, so it’s perfect for keeping busy bees entertained in the car or waiting room. There are three different books to choose from: At the Farm, Under the Sea and Just Hatched.

We’ve been using the My First Crayola Easy-Grip Triangular Crayons (RRP $6.29, 8-pack) at home for quite some time and I find they are a great tool to teach children how to correctly hold a pen or pencil. Even though she is only three Sybil has really mastered the correct writing grip and her drawings are very precise which will be a great preparation for kindy and primary school.

As precise as Sybbie is about drawing on paper, she is just as detailed when decorating our walls or applying ‘body art’, something I am not too keen on. The My First Crayola Ultra-Clean Washable Markers (RRP $8.49, 8-pack) can be washed off walls, furniture and clothing so they’re a real sanity saver. The rounded, ball-shaped tip is a sturdy, durable choice for toddlers who press a tad too hard when colouring as it can not be crushed (or peeled off by inquisitive little hands).

To find out more about Crayola, to browse the range and to locate a stockist near you visit www.crayola.com.au.

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Slava’s Snowshow giveaway

Giveaways, Mum, Out & About 4 Responses »

Jun 182013

When you hear the word clown most people think of silly jokes, funny ‘accidents’, light entertainment, big laughs and lots of happy kids. Clowns are something to enjoy at the circus while you eat fairy floss or a handful of popcorn. But it appears there are clowns and then there are Clowns, check out this amazing video footage of Slava’s Snowshow last week in Sydney.

If you have seen talented performer Slava Polunin in action in Cirque du Soleil you know you are in for a treat with this award winning show that has travelled to more than 80 cities worldwide. People of all ages have fallen in love with his magical mix of traditional and contemporary theatrical clowning arts, after all it is not for no reason that people call him ‘the best clown in the world’. Slava’s unique, one-of-a-kind snowshow proves that you are never to old to enjoy clowns.

The jaw dropping show doesn’t stay confined to the stage, Slava’s Snowshow travels through the audience taking every single visitor on a wonderful, spectacular journey full of mind boggling acts and colourful sensations that are a joy to the senses. Watch a bed become a boat in a storm-tossed sea; see a child walk in amazement inside a bubble; look on as Slava boards a train and then becomes the train, his chimney-pot hat billowing smoke and take a deep breath as a web of unspun cotton envelopes the audience. This is a show that goes beyond your imagination, ending with an impressive snow storm of massive proportions.

The Slava’s Snowshow tour kicked off last week in Sydney and over the next couple of weeks the spectacle can be seen in Brisbane, Canberra and Melbourne with the curtains closing on August 4th in Perth.

To find out more about about Slava’s Snowshow, to check out the tour schedule and to order your tickets online visit www.slavasnowshow.com.

If you would like to win a double pass (RRP $158) to see Slava’s Snowshow in Melbourne (Comedy Theatre) on Wednesday July 17th 2013 at 7.30pm make sure you enter our giveaway below. The lucky winner is responsible for arranging travel to/from the event. Good luck!

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Scotch giveaway

Giveaways, Home 193 Responses »

Dec 172012

Although I am very happy to have my big two home for school holidays it is also a little challenging, they are so used to having lots to do at kindy that being at home is rather boring. Luckily they were in for a surprise (and so was I) as my sister from The Netherlands decided she would visit Australia for the very first time… this week!! We are terribly excited and to get the kids in the mood for our little ‘holiday’ we sat down and created this super simple ‘calendar’ for on the kitchen wall:

Our holiday planner

I know my artwork is nothing special but my little people seem to understand the pictures and that is all that matters. They love looking at the wall and discussing all the different things we’ll be doing and outings we’ll be going on, it is shaping up to be one big adventure! I am well aware that it is hard to predict what the weather will bring and plans might change, so working with individual sheets of paper allows for adjustments along the way. The new Scotch Restickable Shapes are perfect for our holiday planner: they look cool, they stick well, can be re-used and don’t leave any marks or damage on our painted walls.

Off for some water fun

Scotch Restickable Shapes are clever little (double sided) adhesive shapes that you can use again and again without damaging your walls. If they lose stickiness you just give them a gentle soapy wash, let them dry and they are good-as-new. Priced at only $4.95 per pack (18 shapes) they are so useful to have at home, you’ll be surprised how often they’ll come in handy (just think of all the Christmas cards arriving this month).

If bright pink (or blue) shapes are not your thing and you’re looking for something a little more subtle you’ll be pleased to know that there are transparent, thinner stickable tabs, strips and even a sheet available too. These are perfect for an office, work or even store environment as you can’t see them and they hold your notices, memos and other important messages neatly in place. No need to fiddle with sticky tape (folding it to make it double sided) and being left with sticky residue.

You can find the Scotch Restickable Mounting Range ($4.95 per pack) at Officeworks and Bunnings stores all over Australia wide.

To find out more about Scotch, to take a closer look at Scotch Restickables and to locate a stockist near you visit www.scotchbrand.com.au.

For your chance to win a 4-piece Scotch Restickables Pack (Restickable Shapes, Restickable Tabs, Restickable Strips and Restickable Sheet) visit www.scotchbrand.com.au and answer the following question: What would you use Scotch Restickables for in/around your home?

The first 20 (individual) entrants will receive a free Scotch Restickable Tabs trial pack.

Submit your answer by leaving a comment below, your email address will not be published.

If you really want to win you can earn up to ten additional entries, please leave separate comments for each entry:

Like Scotch Australia on Facebook
Subscribe to the weekly Sales, Savings & Giveaways email
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Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter using @hiplittleone in your tweet
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Visit up to four of my sponsors on the left and right and tell me your favourite item (1 entry per sponsor)

Competition ends January 17, 2013. Sorry, Australian entries only. By entering you agree to our Terms & Conditions.

On holidays with Seedling

Eco, Out & About, Toys, Books & Movies Comments Off

May 012012

As we are counting down for our much longed for holiday I am slowly collecting bits and pieces to take with us, and when I spotted these I’ll Write You! Postcard Sets at Bright Buttons Toys I knew the kids would love them. As a child I loved receiving postcards from family and friends who were on holidays and I think our nearest and dearest will really enjoy getting a card from us while we are away too.

The I’ll Write You! Postcard Set ($8.95) by Seedling contains six postcards and six coloured pencils, now all kids need are some stamps and they can create their very own designer post cards. The front of the cards is blank, so your little artist can make a beautiful drawing of something they discoverd on the holiday. On the other side the cards has a unique starting sentence to get them going, eg. ‘Do you know what I did today?’ and ‘I found this amazing animal! It had…’ How cool is that?

New Zealand label Seedling is all about enabling young people to use their imagination, discover new talents and explore the world around them. Seedling offers a great range of good old-fashioned, hands on products for kids of different ages, their craft kits are fantastic and a brilliant activity for holidays and rainy afternoons. Priced from just $8.95 Seedling products also make affordable gifts that will provide hours of entertainment.

Hopefully we will get to enjoy some lovely beach weather on our Europe holiday, even though we travel in the middle of Summer you just never know. As a child one of my favourite beach games was paddle ball so I think my twins will absolutely love the Seedling Design Your Own Paddle Ball Kit ($12.95). They can decorate it on a rainy day (which we’ll no doubt experience) and play with it outside on the warm days.

To find out more about Bright Buttons Toys, to browse the Seedling range and to order online visit www.brightbuttonstoys.com.au.

Find the Footy and Bumper Footy giveaway

Giveaways, Toys, Books & Movies 79 Responses »

Feb 202012

Recently we were invited to the birthday party of our nephew, of course the kids were super excited but they are not the ones having to buy a present for a 10 year old boy. I never have any trouble picking gifts for girls, no matter what age, in fact I am always well prepared and know in advance what sort of present I am looking for. Shopping for boys on the other hand is much more difficult (I think) and up until the last minute I wasn’t sure what to get. The only thing I did know is that he loves footy so just in time I came across these two great new books:

The Find The Footy activity book ($14.95, 48 pages) is both fun and educational so it will get the tick of approval from both kids and parents. On every page kids need to locate up to 12 footy balls, hiding in pictures of famous landmarks and locations from all around the world. That sounds easier than it is and it will certainly keep them busy for quite a while! The Great Wall of China, the Colosseum in Rome, the Tower Bridge in London, kids will learn a lot whilst hunting for icons from their favourite sport.

As a child I (and my sisters) used to love arts and crafts but my brother was not much into all the creative stuff. Both my son and daughter love sitting at the table with their colouring books but when boys get that little bit older they are often not very interested in drawing and colouring in anymore. They prefer to go outside and get dirty in the yard or even better, play a game of footy. But what do they do when it is too cold or rainy to play outside?

The Bumper Footy colouring book ($9.95, 96 pages) is great crafty entertainment for young footy lovers. The book features a massive 48 famous AFL players and whilst learning lots of interesting facts about the players kids can colour in a picture of each sportsman and team logo. When was he born, how tall is he, what position does he play and what moves is he famous for? Little supporters will love this crafty footy ‘encyclopedia’. Priced at just $9.95 the Bumper Footy book is a great gift idea.

To find out more about Find The Footy or Bumper Footy and to order your favourite titles online visit www.slatterymedia.com, delivery within Australia is free for every book order.

For your chance to win a copy of Bumper Footy and Find the Footy visit www.slatterymedia.com and answer the following question: Name one of the players featured in the Bumper Footy colouring book.

Submit your answer by leaving a comment below, your email address will not be published.

If you really want to win you can earn up to ten additional entries, please leave separate comments for each entry:

Follow @SlatteryMedia on Twitter
Subscribe to the weekly Sales, Savings & Giveaways email
Subscribe to Hip little one via RSS
Follow Hip little one with Networked Blogs (click this link and click ‘follow’ http://bit.ly/pjPo0k)
Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter using @hiplittleone and @SlatteryMedia in your tweet
Write about this giveaway on your blog or Facebook page and leave the URL
Visit up to four of my sponsors on the left and right and tell me your favourite item (1 entry per sponsor)

Competition ends March 20, 2012. Sorry, Australian entries only.

Just Kids Wallpaper

Home, Toys, Books & Movies 2 Responses »

Jan 062012

Looking at my growing collection of interesting drawings made by my cheeky three year olds I am starting to think of clever ways to display them in our home. By now even our double door fridge is getting rather full, a shame because they absolutely love drawing and colouring and really enjoy looking back at things they created earlier. A beautiful way to encourage and showcase your child’s artistic talents is with the Colour In wallpaper from Just Kids Wallpaper.

Like the name says Just Kids Wallpaper is all about wallpaper for kids in a large selection of colours, prints and styles. A few rolls of Colour In wallpaper would be my top pick, I would have loved it as a child and I know mine would love it too. A section of Colour In wallpaper would make a lovely addition to a playroom or bedroom but even places like the kitchen, so the kids can do a spot of colouring in while you cook dinner.

Another one of my favourites, and not only because it originates from my home country The Netherlands, is this gorgeous Mushroom wallpaper from Dutch label Onszelf (which means ourselves). I love the vibrant red colour of the toadstool and the neutral tones of the background, leaving plenty of room for accessorising with other sweet red pieces. If your little lady is more into pink there are plenty of other designs available too.

To find out more about Just Kids Wallpaper, to browse the range and to order online visit www.justkidswallpaper.com.