Review: La Coqueta Childrenswear

We've recently been sent a beautiful coat from Spanish childrenswear brand La Coqueta for Holly to try out. La Coqueta was set up in 2013 by a mum of five with the aim of promoting Spanish design and creativity to the English market.

Browsing their website you can't help but be awed by the beautiful traditional pieces with a contemporary twist - empire line dresses with delicate floral prints, dungaree skirts with frilly straps and mother of pearl buttons and patent Mary Janes are just some of the items you will find for girls. Plus the sizes go up to ten years, which is such a refreshing change to me as often at Holly's age the clothing is not always suitable and I feel too old, so it's nice to find clothing that celebrates children being children.

Review: Comfortable Footwear for Travelling With Hotter Shoes

We've all done it before - bought beautiful new shoes for our holiday only to wear them once and our feet be ripped to pieces. Hard plastic, rough leather, painful heels - you name it, I've been there. However thanks to Hotter Shoes' Tourist sandals, this Summer my feet were given a reprieve from the pain. Read on to find out why!

Review: David Charles Partywear For Girls

There are some beautiful clothes out there for girls and finding the right party dress can sometimes be a bit overwhelming. I tend to turn to the usual supermarket find or maybe a trip to Next or Monsoon. However from time to time I do like to splash out on something extra special and when I was looking for a dress for Holly that would be suitable for her birthday and into the Christmas party season I was really thrilled when David Charles Childrenswear got in touch.

Men's Winter Style With Jacamo

With Winter well and truly upon us we've dug out our thick coats and put away the lighter, and not quite as protective jackets and raincoats. As always at this time of year, someone is short on a good quality coat - usually due to a growth spurt - however this year it was Mr H whose coats seemed to have had a little too much wear and tear. Thankfully the people at Jacamo offered him some pieces from their Winter range so he could look a bit more presentable.

Between us we browsed their site looking for the right coat - he already has a smart work one but really needed a more casual coat for standing on the side of the football pitch in whatever weather or walking the dog. He can be a bit particular with what he likes, which always makes it fun for me at Christmas ad birthdays, but eventually he opted for a black parka which, with its fur lined hood, would keep him warm and also suited his frame.

Getting Ready For Winter With Simply Be

The last couple of days have definitely seen a cold snap hit the school run and we've started adding gloves and hats to our array of jobs before we leave the house. I am a big coat fan and have somehow collected my fair share over the years, however my old yellow coat wasn't really cutting it for me this year. When Simply Be got in touch asking me if I'd like to add one to my wardrobe I jumped at the chance.

I scoured their site for the perfect coat as there was so much choice. I really loved the teddy coats that are in at the moment, but figured it was probably a bit impractical for the school run and may make me look like a bit of a furry lump anyway. In the ended I went for this pink parka with a faux fur trimmed hood and I'm so glad I did! 

Review: Getting Ready For Summer with JD Williams

With summer here a couple of months early this year, it has been an absolute delight to put all those winter jumpers and boots away and drag out my moth-balled summer clothes. With hardly getting a chance to wear any with our pitiful summer last year, my poor cooler clothes were looking a bit bedraggled and I realised I need to freshen them up a bit. With lots of fun activities planned for May and June I decided a new pair of decent trainers we definitely required, as well as some new swimwear. Fortunately JD Williams offered me some pieces to try, which worked out perfectly.

I love footwear and wear mostly flats nowadays. However I rarely spend much money on them and subsequently they don't tend to last very long and for big days out I always struggle with a practical and stylish pair to wear. I decided the time had some to invest in some decent trainers, so when I looked on the JD Williams site I was thrilled to see there were lots to choose from. It took me a while to narrow it down, but in the end I went for these Gola Classic Harrier Trainer. These trainers just seemed really timeless and in a navy colour they were practical for walking around in, plus they are a suede-type fabric so really soft too.

Embracing Hygge As A Family

Have you heard of Hygge? It's the new trend on everyone's lips, encouraging us to celebrate time together, make the most of the small moments and take pleasure in the everyday. Whilst I'm in no way a trend-setter of any kind, anything that encourages relaxing under a blanket with a cup of something warm is a winner in my book. Recently we have taken to having 'family nights' once a week, where we take the hour before bedtime to choose a film, grab a drink and snack and snuggle down to enjoy some phone and ipad-free time together, and embracing Hygge (pronounced Hu-gah, by the way!) really fits in with this routine.

Roco Clothing: Beautiful Children's Clothes

When it comes to shopping I'm like many a mum out there - I go for myself and inevitably end up coming out with bags full of childrens' clothes. There's just something about those beautiful, bright, soft outfits in tiny sizes that I cannot resist and often wish they did them in my size. My children are probably sick of me now asking them to pose for photo after photo, although the diva in Holly often asks me to take one of her even when I wasn't planning on. I think I may be creating a monster.

One style we've never really tried on is formalwear. We've not had occasion for the children to don posh frocks or a little suit and so when Roco Clothing offered to send us some bits to try I thought it would be a lovely opportunity to see them all smartened up.

Children In Colour

Recently on my Instagram feed I've been having a think about what I wanted to share and the feel I wanted to portray. I've loved Instagram almost since it began but for me it was more of somewhere I just enjoyed rather than making it anything to do with my blog or to do for followers. More and more, though, I have realised that I put a lot of work into it, I love finding new like-minded people to follow and it is something PR's now look at when they are considering who to work with. So now I am trying to find a balance between hobby and social media that works for me.

I decided that I have always loved colour - when I was twenty I had a pair of bright pink corduroy flares and I always wore a multitude of brightly coloured eyeshadow. Now I may not dress quite as boldly, but there is always an element of colour in my life, from flowers to home decor. My love of colourful clothing has definitely spread to my childrens' wardrobes and I can't resist a bright item of clothing if I see it in the shops.

So with that in mind I have decided to reflect this love of all things bright in my Instagram feed, and I try to share something colourful in almost every post. And of course that is generally of the children and what they are wearing.

The Battle To Get Dressed

Miss H has become particularly fussy when it comes to getting dressed of late. I guess I should be grateful that this stage has only arrived when she is nearly five, but it's driving me up the wall. She refuses to wear anything but dresses and has a total meltdown if I try to get her into one of the many pairs of trousers she has gathering dust in her wardrobe. On top of that she only wants to wear her sparkly pumps, despite it being freezing and chucking it down outside.

Getting ready for school became a nightmare and I've resorted to buying her more pinafores in order to relieve the tension it was causing before I'd even had my morning brew. Now we're working on her not having a meltdown when I don't do her hair in whatever fancy style she's seen so-and-so at school has. When we were offered some new pieces to try from Rockin' Baby and Clarks, I was thrilled to get my little drama queen into something a bit different, and hopefully have something in her wardrobe she didn't fight with me over.

Would Rose Gold By Any Other Name...?

A couple of weeks ago Mr H and I had the chance for a short break away in Manchester for the night, and it gave me a fantastic excuse to dress up. As it was my birthday Mr H suggested I treat myself, so I took his words to heart and went on a shopping trip with my sister as my stylist. We ended up in Coast, not somewhere I've ever thought to shop before, but what a lovely place it is. Amazing dresses (at, I'll admit, amazingly high prices), beautiful fittings and luxurious fitting rooms with helpful staff on hand just outside.

Matalan A/W15 Childrenswear Preview

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to attend a cheeky sneak peek at Matalan's A/W15 childrenswear for 2015. It seems a bit strange thinking about winter already, not even having had an inkling summer here yet, but I was really keen to go along and see what this Northern, family-friendly brand were planning.

Sunuva: Children's Swimwear Review

As you may have noticed I absolutely adore children's clothing lately and dressing my two up is so much fun, despite the fact they can be very reluctant models. When we went on holiday earlier this month I spent a lot of time (and money) getting them some gorgeous pieces that I couldn't wait to see on them.

Guest Post: Style It Kids

Hello I'm Kara from Innocent Charms Chats, first a huge thank you to Lisa for having me here. I have really enjoyed watching Lisa's Kids Lookbook vlogs and can't wait to see more when you return from your travels.




On the subject of kids fashion, today I wanted to share with everyone my Instagram project, #StyleItKids. If you follow myself or Lisa on IG may have seen us use this hashtag to share photos of our children styled up.

A photo posted by Hollybobbs (@hollybobbs) on Mar 18, 2015 at 5:34am PDT

For those who have never taken part, I started #StyleItKids with my partner Jenny of Kyna Boutique seven months ago now. It is a great monthly project on Instagram where we share photos inspired by the daily prompts, which are released at the start of each month. For us it is all about fun and I have really loved seeing how each of the ladies interpret the prompts each day. We have started building such a great community and I feel so incredibly proud - people come back month after month and share their photos and I have met new friends and been inspired by so many cute outfits.

Fashion as a whole is a real love of mine, I blog about it most weeks in our "What We Are Rocking" series and knew that I wanted to create a little community on Instagram so I am pleased we have achieved that. If you love fashion and Instagram as much as I do then please do come take a look at the hashtag #StyleItKids - we love meeting new mummies or daddies and their kiddos. Below is this months prompts and head to my blog if you want to understand more. Hopefully we will see some holiday snaps from Lisa.

Styling My Mum With Kaleidoscope #GlamYourMum

To celebrate mums for Mother's Day, Kaleidoscope invited me to join their #GlamYourMum campaign and choose an outfit for my mum. Considering everything that has been going on in our family lately, it was really fantastic to have an opportunity to give something back to my mum, who helps us out so much.

House of Fraser Affordable Kids Clothes

When you think of Joules what is the first thing that comes to mind? Quality? Stylish? Or is it expensive?

Whilst there are more expensive brands out there than Joules, it is definitely a treat to buy something from their range. For Christmas I received a voucher so treated myself to a coat in the sale - it's lovely and really great quality but it was a splurge that normally I wouldn't be able to spend that much.

My Next Summer Wishlist For Young Girls

Recently I visited our local Next store and was bowled over by their new Spring/Summer range. we are gong away in just eight weeks and I am already on the lookout for some outfits for both children. I was particularly taken by the young girls' range so thought I would put together my picks for Little H's holiday wardrobe.

My Top Buys This Week

Over the last couple of months I have shared my top purchases so here is what I've been buying over the last few weeks.

The Collar Necklace

I recently purchased this for £4.88 from Amazon and I am really pleased with it, and looking forward to giving it a try to jazz up those plain tees.

Giveaway: The Ideal Home Show At Christmas

Earlier in the year my mum and I attended The Ideal Home Show at Event City in Manchester. We had never been before and weren't really sure what to expect but we ended up having a great day, helped greatly by a sighting of George Clarke!

Who's The Boss?

As some of you may be aware I have worked with online baby boutique, The Essential One, many times over the last couple of years. They sponsored me for my first ever Britmums event and we have tried out many of their beautiful baby clothes when Little J arrived.

This week we have teamed up once more to offer one lucky reader the chance to win one of their super cute 'I'm The Boss' rompers.

As with all of The Essential One's clothing, this romper is made of 100% superfine cotton and extremely soft and comfortable on your baby's skin. It features an embroidered patch saying 'I'm the Boss' and is fully poppered including down each leg for easy nappy changing. The romper is made in lovely neutral tones so perfect for either sex or for those parents-to-be who are wanting to keep the gender a surprise.

If you want to win this gorgeous first outfit, available in either newborn or 0-3 months, you can enter using the Rafflecopter below!

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