Review – Picnik Blender wooden kitchen toy from Limetree Kids

 

You all know how much I love birthday celebrations for my children. Well I also love shopping for their birthday gifts. When it comes to toy gifts I specifically look for what will hold their attention and last for a number of years.

I have 2 daughters: a 2.5yr old and a 1yr old and they love playing with their wooden kitchen and wooden kitchen toys. So I was excited to be sent a Picnik Blender from Limetree kids to review as a birthday gift idea.

If you’re looking for kitchen toys for kids which will last and encourage imaginative play then make sure you view the full range at Limetree Kids. I love their whole store as it is filled with unique items including other wooden toys, BPA-free toys, as well as decor and storage items.

Now here is a product image of the lovely Picnik Blender. As you can see it comes with the blender itself, removable bowl, apple pieces, dough, rolling pin, egg (which opens) and milk and sugar carton.

 

 

Now here is a photo taken by me and as you can see – it is exactly how it looks in the product picture (minus the blue milk carton….thanks to my 1year old who has been eating it – see image further down this post!)

 

It is by the Janod brand, made in France and very sturdy and good quality. As you can see it is unisex in colour which will suit all the little mister chefs!

Rebekah has been enjoying playing with the Picnik blender this week. It inspired her imagination as there are a few different activities she could work on. She had fun twisting the knob to make the blender mix around, adding the apples, rolling the dough, adding sugar and milk and cracking the egg etc.

Here are a few shots I snapped during the week:

 

My 1 year old Naomi seemed fascinated with the apple pieces and egg pieces. This toy doesn’t come with any small pieces so it’s perfect for her to play alongside her sister.

However my only issue (which is only an issue for younger kids like mine) is the sugar and milk carton being cardboard as this is what tends to happen to cardboard toys in my house:

 

However this toy is recommended for ages 3-8 so you shouldn’t have a problem if purchasing this for an older child. I do recommend it for this 3-8yrs age bracket as Rebekah sometimes found it a little difficult to lift up the arm of the blender herself and she is 2.5yrs old and I’m sure once she is a little older it will be fine for her. She did find it easy however to operate the blender (ie twisting the knob to make the blender arms spin around).

The Picnik Blender worked in well with my kids other wooden kitchen toys – here is Rebekah putting her Picnik Blender bowl into the “oven” of her wooden toy kitchen for it to cook:

 

Overall I was very happy with the Picnik Blender from Limetree Kids and how it encouraged Rebekah’s creative play and she was using her imagination to make different meals.

She was particularly excited to use it after we finished making some blueberry muffins this morning.  So if you are someone who enjoys baking then your children will love it even more.

It is $59.95 and I would definitely recommend it as a birthday gift for your child. It is a toy that will last and I can imagine both of my girls enjoying it for a number of years.

 

Gift ideas for others

Now I thought I’d take the opportunity to share with you some other gift ideas from Limetree Kids – just because I honestly love their range of unique toys and I think with all the toys which come flooding into a house when a birthday party is held,  parents really appreciate when gifts are somewhat different and are quality items that will last.

All of these gift ideas are under $30 which hopefully fits into most peoples budgets when buying gifts for birthday parties. Click on the image to be taken directly to the product on the Limetree Kids website.

 

For the little ones, I thought this toy rabbit was too sweet!:

 

Stackable blocks is always a fantastic toy for young toddlers or bubs and I love this unique take on this classic toy:

 

 

Limetree kids really has an amazing selection of wooden play food and kitchen toys. Here is one of the items – a fun wooden birthday cake for the birthday child!

 

Here are some more fun ideas for older toddlers and older children:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is too adorable! We have the bigger size teepee (amazing quality) and I can imagine my daughters enjoying putting their dolls into this doll’s size teepee! What a unique gift idea:

 

 

I love the idea of giving decor or storage as gifts! Perhaps it is because my children are so young they don’t mind what they receive (perhaps an older child wouldn’t be so thrilled!). However with all the items which seem to accumulate when you have kids, some lovely storage ideas such as these are perfect:

 

Love these turntables for holding small toys, craft and I’ve seen them used on party tables as well:

 

We love using little tin suitcases at our house to help contain little figurines, block pieces, wooden play food etc:

 

Some nice room decor is a lovely gift to give. It is meaningful and memorable – I love this one:

 

More gift ideas for your own children:

I thought I would also share some other of my favourite items from Limetree Kids  which are a bit more expensive and would suit as birthday presents for your own children (or perhaps nieces/nephews) where your budget extends a bit more:

Love these box-sets for easy play when travelling or something quick to pack up and take when going to visit Grandparents etc. We have the ‘Fairy’ box-set. There are a few different themes available:

 

Perfect for a child who loves construction and fire trucks:

 

 

This is the wooden toy kitchen we have and the girls really enjoy it. I love that it isn’t too bulky! It also comes in gender neutral colours as well.

 

Rebekah received this for her 1st Christmas and it is great quality. She still enjoys it and it provides a lot of musical variety:

 

Naomi received one of these wooden rocking horses (in white) for her 1st birthday and the quality is fantastic! It doesn’t take up too much room and she is enjoying it:

 

 

I hope you enjoyed the selection of gift ideas from Limetree Kids and found something unique for the next gift you need to buy.

*I was not paid for this review. I was sent the Picnik Blender to keep. All opinions expressed are my own*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Party Finds – July 2013

Every now and then I enjoy doing a round up of some of the kid’s party items which I have spotted online which have caught my eye! Click on the image to be taken directly to where you can find the item online.

Always helpful to note which stores to find different coloured lollies etc and I spotted a sweet new confectionery range available from The Party Parlour:

 

 

 

Love these melamine platters to create a clean look on a dessert table! They come in white and black in a few different sizes. I couldn’t find these in my local stores so it was fantastic to find them online from Occasion by Design!:

 

One of the newest advertisers on the Children’s Party Directory Ruby Rabbit Partyware have some lovely products including some gorgeous tassel garlands if you need to get some at short notice!:

 

Always like seeing some new look kids party tableware. These new goodies are from Sweet Little Soiree

 

 

Chevron is also making its way into more tableware for kid’s parties, such as these from The Little Big Company:

 

Fantastic divider box for a candy buffet perhaps for an ice-cream theme, or vintage/rustic theme or woodland theme:

 

With the Peppa Pig show coming soon to Australia there has been a lot of Peppa Pig party inspiration floating around and so I had to include this cute Peppa Pig party bunting I spotted from Just Party Supplies:

 

Stylish new look ribbon cake buntings I spotted (which also comes in a few other colours) from Love The Occasion:

 

 

I am loving anything ombre at the moment such as these ombre paper lanterns available in a range of colours:

 

 

If you love celebrating (and I know you all do) then this Birthday Reflection book is a perfect way to record memories of all the special Birthday celebrations for your children. Found at Kikki K:

 

 

With my daughter’s 3rd birthday being a “Ballerina” theme in November I am on the hunt for anything Ballerina and spotted these cuties at TYPO:

 

 

Spotted these sweet party hats recently available from Down That Little Lane with various patterns available. Too cute! Love the little poms:

 

I hope you enjoyed the selection of goodies and found something for your next child’s birthday party!

 

 

 

 

 

Pottery Barn Pretties

The first week of May.

That is when Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, West Elm and Williams-Sonoma will be opening their doors in Bondi, Sydney!

I know I’m not alone in being excited about this so I thought I’d do some browsing and put together some Pottery Barn goodies that will hopefully be making their way down under and that some of you may just love for your celebrations!

Of course our Australian party boutiques already have a stunning range of cake stands, drink dispensers and candy jars and so I haven’t included a huge range of Pottery Barn’s range of those items in this blog post.

I’ve found Pottery Barn has a LOT of nautical and sea inspired items, perfect for any beach-side inspired party theme. Love this fisherman’s table throw which would make a perfect table runner for a Nautical or Mermaid theme party.

 

 

They have a few goodies for an ice-cream soiree such as this cute lazy susan to fill with toppings:

 

Another cute item for keeping small utensils & straws in:

 

There are a few items perfect for setting up a little lemonade stand at a celebration such as this sweet Lemonade sign!:

 

These mason jar jugs are perfect for a lemonade stand as well:

 

I love these little wooden pedestals. They would look great on a dessert table for a vintage theme or woodland theme:

 

Of course Pottery Barn has many lovely cake stands, cupcake stands & drink dispensers! Here are just a few I found which stuck out:

 

 

Which colour would you pick? Too many options…!

 

How cute is this drink dispenser stand?!

 

Some elegant options:

 

 

 

Again more sea-inspired items like this range of serving bowls:

 

These colourful trays would be perfect for displaying treats, or turn them upside down and use them as risers!:

 

Pottery Barn Kids has so many lovely items especially nursery & bedroom decor. However if your little girl loves tea-parties then you can’t go past this sweet tea set & amazingly lovely tea cart!

 

 

 

Can’t forget the boys I know…! This pirate chest would be not only a fantastic party prop but work as good toy storage as well:

 

Ok I better stop there before I send us all into more debt! Don’t even get me started on their home decor & storage products!

This is just honestly such a small collection of the extensive range Pottery Barn & all the Williams-Sonoma brands have to feed all of our partyware-addictions!

Are you counting down the days until they open in Australia?

Are you planning a trip to Sydney just to visit when they open?

Time to start saving our pennies!

Chevron finds

It has been a bit quiet on the blog lately as I have been working on the new Party Directory website which will be launching hopefully in July!

However I know many of you are loving CHEVRON patterned items at the moment, so I thought I would share some chevron party finds!

Most of the items I have included below come in various colours so make sure you follow the link to see if there is a colour that suits your theme

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a fun way to dress up any cake stand – a cake plate cling!:

 

Add some personalisation to your party with either a letter or whole name in chevron fabric:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope you enjoyed the finds and they help you add a touch of chevron to your next party!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a glimpse of gold!

Who doesn’t love gold?

It instantly dresses up any event to make it a little bit more special and mixes well with most colours.

Here are a few gold party finds you might just love:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you using gold at your next celebration?