New 2011 RAZ Christmas Trees!

Just posted some of the  new 2011 RAZ decorated Christmas Trees on the Trendy Tree Blog. The RAZ designers have done it again this year, coming up with the most fantastic Christmas decorations ever!

Browse the Image Gallery to see the decorated trees. I'll post larger photos with more descriptions soon!

RAZ Stacking Party Boxes

These stacking party boxes from RAZ are made of heavy glittered cardboard. Each has a lid that comes off and the smallest lid has a stemmed cherry on top. These boxes are great as a centerpiece decoration or for holding goodies. The colors are great for birthday parties or Easter table decorations. You could remove the top lid and place a stuffed bunny in the box, or floral arrangement to give it extra height.

The height of the boxes stacked is about 12" or 14" if measured to the top of the cherry. Stacked boxes are from the Childhood Menagerie collection of RAZ Imports

Visit us at Trendy Tree to see more items from this collection - place card holders, striped battery powered candles, balloon centerpieces, balloon ornaments and more!

RAZ Battery Powered Lighted Branch - New for 2011!

Fantastic new lighted branch by RAZ Imports. From the “Over the Hills and Thru the Woods” collection and new for 2011. This lighted branch is battery powered. It has 60 clear lights and the branch measures approximately 19.5″ in ht. It requires three AA batteries.



Great way to illuminate your holiday centerpieces – no unsightly electrical cords to get in the way. This new lighted branch is bound to be a hit this year! They will be arriving to Trendy Tree in June or thereabouts. I expect this to be very popular. All the lighted branches from RAZ have been spectacular products and I’m sure this one will be also.

Visit us at Trendy Tree to see more styles of lighted branches from RAZ Imports!

Millets for Mother's Day

If you are trying to think of a suitable Mother's Day present, why not check out Millets? I was given a chance to review some of Millets clothing recently and I was quite taken aback to how good the designs were. If I'm honest Millets wouldn't have been my first choice previously for clothing and I think this is due to the fact that we don't tend to get catalogues through our door like 'La Redoute' and 'Very' etc. So when I think of Millets I think of tents and backpacks. So I felt pleasantly enlightened when I had an email from a PR highlighting the range available.

So my constructive advice to Millets would be to create more of a catalogue or brochure to make people aware of their fabulous line of clothing known as 'Peter Storm.'

Anyway, on to the clothes which I tested out which were the:

One Earth W Word Tree Tee, £16.99

and the Peter Storm Cynthia Stripe, £27.99
Immediately, I was drawn to the design of these clothes. Subtle with the use of pleasant pastel shades but they also managed to incorporate something eye-catching such as the interesting logo (which I will talk about in a minute) and the use of stripes. Being a surf-shop clothing fan I felt that these clothes could immediately rival named brands as the clothes were so nice to look at and yet comfortable.

The 'One Earth W Word Tree Tee' was great as the print on the front was beautiful to look at and yet sent out a lovely environmental message, as we are big in recycling etc in this house it was nice to show the children that I am proud in the efforts we make. The material was really comfortable being 100% cotton and has a carbonised finish for extra softness. The fact that they have used 100% cotton also means that they are supporting natural farming, which is great! I also really loved the cute keyhole detail on the on the neckline. It added a fresh twist to the clothing design! At £16.99 it is also reasonably priced for an organic cotton top.

The Peter Storm Cynthia Stripe, £27.99 which incidentally is now on sale at £19.99 had a lovely feel to it with it being 100% cotton. The fact that it is quite thick cotton allows it to trap your body's heat. It was a lovely snug fit and easy to get on due to the half-zip. Looking forward to wearing this out on these spring days where we have very changeable weather.

There's loads more wonderful designs at www.millets.co.uk so go and take a look and surprise your mum, as there's lots to appeal to differing ages.

Have fun browsing!

Videos for Making Wreath, Bows and Garlands from Mesh Netting

Just added a page loaded with videos with instructions for making wreaths, bows, garlands from mesh netting. It's on our Trendy Tree Blog.

Instructional Videos

Vertbaudet's 2011 Children's Design Competition

A Passion for Fashion?

Vertbaudet’s 2011 Children’s Design Competition

Vertbaudet, the international fashion and homewares brand is giving seven children between the age of five and twelve the chance to design a waterproof raincoat set and wellies – and see them turned into reality!

Vertbaudet creates clothes that are not only original and individual, but stylish and practical as well, in designs that both children and parents love. So who better to stage a competition that champions children’s imagination, flair and that all important passion for fashion?

The seven winning designs will be turned into a finished product and sold in Vertbaudet’s Autumn/Winter 2011 Collection. Not only that, but the winners will also receive a Nintendo DSI XL Console and a New Mario Brothers Game as well as £300 to spend with Vertbaudet, so they can give their wardrobe or their bedroom a fabulous makeover!

Children can use felt tips, crayons, paint, collage or whatever else they like to create their designs. They can either draw their design on a plain piece of A4 paper or download a template from Vertbaudet’s website: www.vertbaudet.co.uk/page/junior_stylist_2010.htm, where they will also find all the information they need in order to enter. Entries must be received by 18^th March 2011. So if your reckon you’ve got a budding Stella McCartney or Paul Smith in your family then download the entry form and give them the chance to shine!

Shloer - The Sparkling Juice Drink

If you want to pamper your mother this Mother's Day then why not try a bottle of Shloer’s delicious Rosé flavour. Created from a blend of red and white grapes, Shloer Rosé is the perfect non-alcoholic sparkling drink to show your mum just how much you appreciate her; team it with a home cooked meal and it could possibly be one of the best bonding moments ever!

Shloer’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/shloer will help you conjure something great up in the kitchen. There’s a selection of mouth-watering recipes to pick from, such as Spaghetti with crab, lemon, chilli and parsley or Lemon and Oregano Lamb Kebabs.

Shloer uses only the best ingredients to create its delicious non alcoholic sparkling drinks. Available in White Grape, Red Grape, Rosé, Apple and White Grape, White Grape, Raspberry and Cranberry and White Grape and Elderflower; there’s a flavour for everyone.

Shloer contains no preservatives, artificial colours, sweeteners or flavourings and is available from all major supermarkets.

This will be my chance to show my mum how much she is cared for and it will be rather poignant too, as growing up on each of my mum and dad's anniversaries they would always have a home cooked meal (usually mixed grill) and we would be treated to a bottle of Shloer. It just goes to show how simple traditions like that can leave such lovely memories.

For more information please visit Shloer

27" Pink Hydrangea Bunny - Just in Time for Easter!

This beautiful pink bunny measures about 27" and is covered in paper hydrangea blossoms. It's has a cream front and some cream on the ears and a pink ribbon around the neck. The ribbon could easily be changed to match your Easter table linens etc. Its a RAZ Exclusive item from the 2011 Cottontail Toile collection.

Visit us at Trendy Tree to see more great items from the RAZ Spring and Summer collections!

Multicolored Curly Sprays from RAZ just arrived at Trendy Tree today! Colors include green, pink, orange, yellow and blue. Sold in sets of 5 (one of each color)

They measure about 26" in length and are from the 2011 RAZ Childhood Menagerie collection.

Visit us at Trendy Tree to see more fun party decorations. These sprays are great for all types of parties, celebrations and Christmas decorations. They can be left curly tightly as shown, or pull them out to make the longer or more spread out.

RAZ Animated Musical Christmas Decorations!

This is a first for us at Trendy Tree.....RAZ has some new animated musical decorations! We chose two this year to start with.

This whimsical Christmas tree from the "Santa Approved" collection, measures 17" and sings Jingle Bells. It waves it arms and stretches vertically. It's made of red and green polyester and requires three AA batteries. It's not a toy or intended for children, decoration only.

Three styles of Animated Hats that sing We Wish You a Merry Christmas. They measure 13" and are made of red, white and green polyester. The tops of the hats flap. They require three AA batteries and also are not intended for children. The Animated Hat is also from the "Santa Approved" collection from RAZ.

Visit us at Trendy Tree for more great RAZ Christmas decorations!