Tag Archives: lifestyle

Stay in the heart of town with @travelodgeuk #hotel #hotelstay #refurb #wheretostay

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Hey Snoochers, so its been a little while, and we’re sorry for our absence but as you may have seen on Twitter we’ve been working super hard to set up our sister site The Reel Deal.

Now we are back! And kicking off a brand new load of fun lifestyle content just for you with our very first review for the brand new refurbished Travelodge Hotels. We sent Becks to the heart of Theatreland in London to spend a night at the Covent Garden hotel to see what its got to offer… and she even did this very kind video review  just for us!

So we hope you’ve got a good idea of what its like to stay in one of these very convenient and affordable hotels (rooms start from £29, our recommendation is that you sort out your booking online). To be fair, you’re going to spend most of your time outside of the hotel, exploring the great cities they’re based in, so why pay through the roof for a bed!

It gets a big thumbs up from us!

Laters Snoochers!

 

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Aliens, Fast Cars, oh and Terry Gilliam, its all going on at the cinema this weekend #filmfriday #film #whattotwatch #cinema

That’s right, its Friday which can only mean one thing. The Reel Deal has its top picks for what you lot need to watch this weekend. Its a right old melting pot of film goodness, kicking off with a boy racer, moving swiftly on to a man on the hunt for reality and ending up with Scarlett Johannson well, seducing men and doing all sorts of random creepy weirdness with them – not to be missed I promise!

And if that wasn’t enough, every Thursday The Reel Deal  give you the run down of what is hot at the cinema box office, so if you want to see where your hard earned cinema going cash has been spent this week, then check out Amon Warrman’s latest rundown.

Thanks for all your support please do keep subscribing to The Reel Deal and follow us on Twitter 

Happy Film Friday! x

Get kids into gardening with @suttons_seeds ‘Fun to Grow’ Gardening kits #gardens

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Its not only the government who are trying to get kids more green fingered, we’re all thinking about exciting ways to get the youngest of the younger generation excited about their own little green patch. The lovely people at Suttons Seeds have come up with an engaging and light hearted way to get children super excited to put down the playstation and explore their back garden (when the weather gets better of course!)

With more school gardening clubs popping up in and around the country, kids gardening kits could mean big business, and if we help inspire a new mini Titchmarsh then thats not such a bad things…. or is it? Well anyway, lets make gardening cool from the youngest to the oldest member of your family. Give them one of these and get everyone excited about our great British summer ahead. What are you waiting for?

Here’s what the  kits contain:

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  • 4 different themes: Fairy Garden, Butterflies & Bees,Jungle in a Box and My first Garden
  • Each kit includes: Reusable propagator and lid, compost and vermiculite, 4 varieties of seed and plant labels
  • Exciting extras such as board games, crayons, glitter, magnifying glass, bug booklet and pencil
  • £4.99 each

Ja-maica your pancakes a little more special this week with @appletonrumuk #pancakeday #recipe

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Yes that’s right it really is Pancake Day tomorrow. We’ve been rattling our brains to find out how best to make our pancakes a little different this year and nothing says ‘step away from the children’ and indulge yourself like a little bit of boozy pancake offerings!

Ynxj4gxfscYmk02APD3gwGekjCmI_l6BzRris7cccqMSo forget Blue Peter, lets get down to business with an old (but new to us) recipe from the world famous Appleton Estate rum makers, that dates back to 1749!

And to make it a little more fun, even the recipes look like they’ve come from the olden days – well, the 1980’s at least! (We can thank the PR’s for that!)

Enjoy, but if the kids are going mad from the sugar and lemon toppings, then stay safe in the knowledge that these ones are all for yourself and you deserve it!

Happy Pancake Day Snoochers!

 

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OMG its Valentines Day!! So you better head to the cinema! Here’s why! @thereeldeal #film #movie #whattowatch

Screen Shot 2014-02-13 at 18.03.13Get up, get out of your seat and move to a slightly more comfy one laced with red velvet and beautifully moulded bum imprints. Yep you guessed it, its one of the cheapest and historically romantic places to go on a date. Watch out though, the back row may be a little full!

On Valentines day the cream of the romantic movie crop hits cinemas and 2014 is no exception. Today of all days has some movie lovers magic just for you, whether you’re up with a dynamic dance film (well sort of) or lonely and needing some solace in future technology, or just after some good nostalgic fun then we can guarantee there there are some top choices ready and waiting for you!

So why not check out @thereelfilmshow and their latest picks of the top films to hit the cinemas this weekend, hosted by our very own resident film critic @rebecca_perfect

 

Have a great Valentines Day weekend! x

Meeting the man that launched a thousand jewels…@Holler_soul @Nikki_LissoniUK #watches #jewellery #valentinesday #gifts

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If you’ve heard of the brand Holler Watches you’ll know that Mike Tysons face dominates some of the its clever marketing campaigns, with his distinct facial tattoos you know expect that this brand of stylish, hip hop inspired watches will pack a punch too.

When invited to meet the founder and owner Darren McCormick we half expected to be meeting Tyson times two, and were slightly intimidated by the thought. However, we couldn’t be more wrong. Who we ended up sitting opposite at the table was a very unassuming, softly spoken, clever man with a slightly northern twang, how refreshing!

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Darren is a man who is passionate about music, loves fashion and heads up a very impressive business that helped launch the hugely popular Pandora jewellery brand in the UK.  He has since been watching the rise and rise of its popularity whilst quietly working on new concepts and ideas and 2014 is now the time for him to be getting back on the promotion wagon with the two next ventures which he believes will be the next big things. First we have the aforementioned Holler Watches. A cool, young brand, impactful and stylish, to be worn as a statement piece with stars galore backing it up for endorsements. Its even opened up an opportunity for bright, young, beautiful things to become a ‘Holler Girl’ (in Belgium! – but maybe here soon too!)

Quite different is Nikki Lissoni, a softer, more elegant brand, something that has a much more subtle and worn by the likes of Nicole Scherzinger and the Made in Chelsea lot. Both aiming to be hugely successful in their own right, its clear that Darren McCormick knows how to find a diamond in the rough idea and make it a money spinner.

I love the idea of Holler tell me more! 

Well it’s a unique lifestyle brand which brings together a compilation of northern soul inspired designs and something very unique for the UK marketplace. Holler isn’t just about watches, its about caps, t-shirts, and sunglasses – we like to think of it as being one of those slices of American pie, bringing the bling from across the pond and one day becoming just as popular as those developed by leading music artists in the US.Screen Shot 2014-02-12 at 09.04.43

The idea behind Hollar is that you buy into it as a whole, which is a great concept and it is quite easy to see by its unique designs and funky colouring why it could very easily become the next big trend in watches and fashion, so watch this space.

Nikki Lissoni sounds more up my street…

Well if Holler was born out of his passion for music and fashion, then Nikki Lissoni could be set to follow in the footsteps of Pandora and become the next female fad. The European fashion capitals saw this gorgeous collection of medallion based jewellery, which combines a mystical backstory with contemporary design and took to it like a duck to water, hailing it as ‘revamped retro’ and perhaps the next big trend to follow on from Pandora. 
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Bottom line is that both these brands are set to make big business in 2014 both in the UK and abroad, so if you’re looking to give something very special to a loved one this Valentines day, then get ahead of the trends and say it with a piece of jewellery.

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You can find out more information on both the Holler and Nikki Lissoni brands here.

Show how much you love your partner this Valentines with…. a fridge?!! @smeguk @bentallcentre #valentinesgifts #competition #kingstonuponthames

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Just when you thought Valentines Day gifts couldn’t get any more extravagant! Award winning appliance manufacturers (and cool design kings) Smeg released a very special FAB28 red velvet refrigerator (it looks so good it could almost taste as good as Red Velvet cake, seriously!

Anyway, its not all about a fancy fridge on V-Day, Smeg is also teaming up with Bentalls in Kingston-upon-Thames for a week of non-stop fun. From 7th to 14th February, Smeg will showcase their brand new, very special FAB28 red velvet refrigerator, which will be exclusively revealed to Bentalls’ customers and the UK for the very first time. To celebrate, Smeg has devised an exciting competition where one lucky person can win their own red velvet fridge and send a message of love, or even a marriage proposal, to the special people in their life thanks to a clever and innovative built-in fridge cam.n-09

During the event, customers will be invited to use the fridge cam and pose for a photograph alongside their own personal love heart message which they need to tweet with the hashtag #lovesmegfridge and #velvetvalentine to be in with a chance to win. Also don’t forget to look out for the SMEG500R, a limited edition, Fiat-styled refrigerator, which is also debuting for the very first time.

Smeg’s brand manager John Davies says: “We’re delighted to be supporting the Bentalls store in Kingston upon Thames and are excited to show how Smeg always work hard to push the boundaries with experiential activity that engages with our customers. The latest special addition to the Smeg family, the FAB28 red velvet refrigerator is symbolic of our iconic style and with its curved edges, 50s style lettering and soft, matt texture we’re sure this will be a hit!”

But I haven’t got time for a competition, but I do have time for a new fridge! Tell me more! 

With a capacity of 256 litres featuring an ice compartment with a frozen food capacity of 26 litres, the FAB28 red velvet model comes with Smeg’s automatic defrost technology as well as three adjustable glass shelves, one fruit and vegetable container and a chrome wine rack. This fridge has an A++ energy efficiency rating and a 40dB sound level which is far lower than normal conversation levels at 59dB, making it perfect for open-plan living. Priced from £1,275, the dimensions of the Smeg FAB28 measure 60cmW by 69.2cmD by 151cmH and this model is also available in 12 striking colours.

 

Its that time of the week again, yep you guessed it, its #filmfriday with @thereelfilmshow

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Movie lovers go WILD!!! Its Friday! Which means you can relish in the fact that you can sit back, relax, chomp on popcorn and basically be totally antisocial in a dark room! Yep if you’re not planning on a big weekend then the cinema is the perfect place to be! So our good friends at The Reel Deal have their weekly update  just for you!

Presented by our very own resident film critic @rebecca_perfect she takes you through the run down of what’s hot and what’s not at the cinema this weekend. One not to be missed, so if you’re feeling indecisive then this gives you the perfect movie round up in one whole minute! What’s not to like!

So subscribe, share and love it like we do!

Have a fab film Friday lovely people and an even better weekend!!

Love don’t cost a thing… yeah that’s what J-Lo said and its totally not true according to @prezzybox #valentinesday #love #gifts

So Valentines Day is (unbelievably) just around the corner, but do you know how much love costs? If you’re J-Lo, obviously love don’t cost a thing…. but there are varying differences for the average ladi-dah, so our friends at Prezzybox developed this fantastic run down of just how much love costs, so enjoy!

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Can’t garden? Won’t Garden? Don’t worry @suttons_seeds is here to help and make gardening super cool! #garden #gardening #home #lifestyle

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Fancy yourself as a bit of a green fingered god or goddess? Or are you like us and find it difficult working out your sunflowers from your pansies? Well as more and more of us start to buy our own houses and inherit a mud pit that we would one day like to turn into a garden  that is sharp, contemporary and something to be proud of,  we’re all asking what is that quick fix?

Well unless you’re willing to bring in the professionals, which could cost a pretty penny, the best thing you can probably do is take matters into your own hands. This is where Suttons Seeds comes in. Based down in Devon, this gardening company prides itself on quality and innovation, and see us, the twenty something’s as the next generation of gardening maestros (sure!) so they’re bringing out some great products, and prove that they’re way more than just a seed company, that helps us get up and go in our gardens. From beginners vegetable planting guides through to handy seeding packs that make planting minimum hassle, these guys really are on our young side and might just make gardening cool (again!!).

Here are some of our top picks from Suttons Seeds : 

A Fusion Of Colour And Musical Romance From Suttons Seeds 

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Suttons new Floral Fusions Flower Seed Mixes are  a great way to transform gardens quickly, easily and successfully.  Each mix contains up to 20 different varieties of seed as well as an inert natural buckwheat to assist with the sowing of the seed.  The collection includes six different varieties to meet consumer demands; from brightening a shady corner to super-quick blooms, Suttons new Floral Fusions has it all!

To make sowing your seeds even easier, Suttons new Floral Fusions are packaged in a ‘shaker’ style pot with a built-in sprinkler that enables you to sow your seeds quickly and evenly over their beds and borders in a matter of minutes! Plus its only £5.99 (bargain!).

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Continue 2014 with a healthy addition to your diet! With resolutions being made to get fit and eat healthier food, many of you will be trying to continue on with your New Year diets. So why not help make a healthy change today with Suttons Microgreens!

Easy to grow, nutritious and full of flavour, these groovy tasty leaves really are a 2014 ‘must have’!

Each box includes everything you need to grow, plus a tasty recipe to try! They are quick and easy to grow – great for children and novice gardeners, with colourful and attractive packaging which is easy to understand.Screen Shot 2014-01-29 at 10.43.53

There are 8 delicious varieties to choose from, and as microgreens are harvested younger they contain more nutrients, vitamins and protein. Finally, these kits can be grown at any time of year and are all grown indoors for a thrifty £3.99 per kit.

And finally, it’s not all about seeds you know…it’s about community too!

A New Way To Fundraise For Schools With your Little Green Sprouts!

‘Little Green Sprouts’ is a brand new fundraiser scheme designed specifically for primary and junior schools.

This soon to be launched scheme will help schools to fundraise, provide a central resource hub for teachers and also a one-stop shop for schools to buy all their gardening necessities.  Games for the children and some useful home activities will also be included.

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Suttons will be instrumental in helping schools set up their own microsites and will provide them with marketing materials for distribution to teachers.  For every £10 that parents spend, the school earns 1 sprout.  This sprout can be redeemed against a list of set products all designed to meet the horticultural factors in the national curriculum.

So there you have it, lots of ways to get excited about your garden in the coming months, so even if the rain is pouring, you don’t have to stop gardening, you can at least make a start! Enjoy!