Easter gift guide for little toddlers

1. The Crackin’ Egg Co. hard boiled eggs
2. Plant a bunny seeded paper
3. Sidewalk chalk eggs
4. Easter themed handmade skirt
5. Easter kids luxury story book

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If you are a fan of Dragons' Den you may recall an episode where entrepreneur Rob Shaw presented crackin' and colourful hard boiled eggs.

"At The Crackin’ Egg Co. we think eggs rule. Simple, tasty and filling, these little powerhouses of nutrition are packed with protein, omega 3s and lots more wholesome stuff.

So we’ve done you a favour. It goes like this. Our hens lay ‘em. We gather and hard-boil ’em. Then we add a little protective coat to lock in the goodness. Just the job for when you’re peckish".

Ever since I can remember hard boiled egg was a quick and healthy snack for when there is nothing else in the fridge, for long-haul train travels (we used to travel for 3 days on a train to see our grandparents) and of course were commonly boiled/painted in onion shell for Easter by my mum. She has always kept them in the fridge for few more days/weeks before chucking the rest to birds as once "sealed" in the onion shell dyed eggs were suitable to consume in the next few weeks.

So when I saw Crackin Eggs products I was very intrigued and familirised by the idea of hard boiled eggs sealed in a paint.

We have received a pack of 6 free range hard boiled yellow eggs (Ocado £3.49), a pack of 2 hard boiled red eggs with sweet chilli sachet (Ocado £1.59), a set of 2 hard boiled green eggs with sour cream and chive seasoning sachet and a set of 2 boiled blue eggs with salt and pepper seasoning.

Crackin eggs features:
- low GI
- low in carbs
- gluten free
- stays fresh for a month

Once we cracked these eggs we noticed that the yolk is bright orange which is very different to yellow yolk we are so used, but absolutely normal for free range eggs. The taste differs as well, it's not completely different it's just much stronger.
We have tested a big pack of eggs first, attempted to try them with curry and chilli con carne but the taste of the egg was overpowering the whole meal, unlike in the salad or sandwich eggs seemsto work much better.

Out of 3 packs of eggs with powdered seasoning my husband preferred sweet chilli and I liked salt and pepper one. The principal is very simple- crack the egg, rip the packet with seasoning and sprinkle on top of the egg. 

Crackin eggs can be used for a quick snack on the go for you or your toddler, in salads, soups and when you are too lazy to boil eggs yourself.

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When I saw Plant a Bloomer for the first time I couldn't believe that such a unique gift even existed- shaped seed paper. I'm not a big fan of plants, my mum and sister had too many for my liking.

When L was born my in laws brought us a flower in a pot which symbolised a new life, new beginning, but as we had our hands full the flower was left neglected for many, many months. 

But when I came across Plant a Bloomer few months ago, I thought that it's the right moment to start my new relationship with plants and to explain to L how to care about flowers and plants which she loves to rip and hold in her hand.                                           
"Plant a Bloomer is a range of quirky 'plantable' gifts, decorations and accessories made from a unique seed paper crafted from 100% recycled materials. Plant to grow wildflowers or trees!"

We have received a lovely rabbit shaped paper with elderflower seed embedded into it (£4.50). Little Bloomers come in a variety of shapes and colour to suit your occasion with different seeds or flowers embedded into the plantable paper made from recyclable materials. 

Plant a Bunny comes in a hard paper envelop which makes it a quality and nicely presented little gift or a wedding favour. The gift comes with full instruction which are very easy to follow.

Firstly we placed the bunny into the water to soak

Once we collected enough soil in the ground..

We placed elderflower seed paper and covered it with soil on top.

L followed all the instructions I have given her and I think she was very excited about our little garden pre- Easter activity, mostly because we were planting a bunny (something she knows and recognises) shaped seed paper and of course she had lots of fun with mud, soil and water as we sprinkled a little bit of water on the soil to feed the seed paper.. 

Now it is my responsibility to look after the pot and make sure our seeds grow, fingers crossed we might have a real elderflower growing in our pot!

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When I was little I used to love pretend play where I was a teacher and my sister's piano and mum's wardrobe were my "chalkboards". I not only liked to be a pretend teacher, I also liked to use my colourful chalks outside to draw on a pavement. When I came across YPO egg shaped sidewalk chalk eggs I was very excited to try them out and to see if L would be a big fan of messing with chalks as I did.                               
"We have a large choice available from leading UK suppliers, so we can provide you with everything you could possibly need to successfully run your organisation.
Our range includes approximately 30,000 products and 100 frameworks; so whether it’s just pens and paper, computers, furniture, or even things like electricity and insurance, we can help you get the best deals around".

These lovely, colourful chalk eggs come in a plastic egg carton imitating real eggs packaging. 

The pack of 6 eggs can be purchased at a price of £0.85 excl. VAT. They seem quite light, weighing 40g each but they do not crumble and after couple of uses remain the same size.

At first I wanted to wait till Easter but as we have such a brilliant weather we have tested them on our pavement and give them 5 out of 5!

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I'm a big fan of handmade clothing items, I have caught myself browsing through different websites but never bought anything as I couldn't justify a price of an item which will be worn only once. 

Recently I came across Bowspoke Angels who sell reasonably priced skirts, hair accessories and much more for girls and boys from newborn to 6 years old. 

"I started making bows just as a hobby and then friends asked to buy... Once I started my Instagram page it bloomed from then!! I've always wanted to make clothes so skirts is where it started, now I have rompers, bloomers, playsuits and leggings!! "

                               
We have received an Easter themed skirt for L in size 18-24 months worth £10.

This made to order cute bunny skirt is made of 100% cotton, machine washable on a cooler temperature setting.

The skirt has elasticated waistband and will look good with tights if worn during colder months or with high-knee socks.

We have tried the bunny skirt with long sleeve top/ vest and a cardigan on top which looks really cute on L. 

You can pick any available fabric and order matching bib or hair accessories which make a great going out outfit.

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As you may know I like to do arts & crafts with L and as Easter is fast approaching I was delighted to collaborate with Rose Blossom Handmade.                                     
"I am a corporate lawyer. I was diagnosed with cancer last year at the age of 35 so took up crafting as something therapeutic to do during my chemotherapy. Since then, I've fallen in love with crafting and stumbled on party bags after getting tired of spending money on the usual plastic tat for my daughter's party bags. I wanted something fun and engaging and inspiring for little hands and minds.... and so the Story Parcel was born.

I do themed Parcels for Christmas and Easter, as well as presents and even a monthly subscription parcel. I have since handed my notice in to the huge law firm where I worked and have never been happier crafting away, coming up with fun new party bag ideas. I'm currently working on a fairy theme... complete with a gorgeous wooden fairy door for the child to decorate themselves!"

We have received Easter kids luxury story book and hand crafted parcel with a little colour-in Easter themed picture at the front of the book worth £5, "extra books or crafts can be added for £1.50 each with £3 postage".
"Inside each hand sewn paper parcel is a lovely story book to be enjoyed together over and over. Once you've read the book, your little one can get stuck into their Easter craft... From sewing a bunny decoration to building an Easter racer".

You can choose which books and craft activity can go into each story book. As I was really indecisive I have asked Anna- the owner to include what she thinks is best for L's age and this is what we have received:

I have opened the story book to have a sneak peek of what's inside but we will be reading and doing crafts on the day. L likes books with colourful pictures and I'm sure she will be having lots of fun looking through the book, listening to the story and pointing at the pictures. 

Foam Easter eggs with fridge magnets at the back and Easter bunny mask would be a great hit on the Easter day. Easter eggs are very easy to decorate as you would need to stick the decorations provided and L loves stickers and bunny mask would be another interesting challenge for us 3 to make on the day. 

It will be interesting to see if L figures out that she can colour the packaging itself, I'm sure she will be happy about that too and keep our walls and doors crayon free!

Disclaimer: I was sent  items mentioned above for the purpose of this review/gift guide. All thoughts and opinions are my own.