Zulily launched in the UK last month after a press event in Central London. Zulily provides heavily discounted branded items – up to 90% off retail prices – for short periods of time. Each sale event lasts 72 hours and then they are gone, making way for a new brand and new deals. A group of bloggers and national press were invited to morning tea and to preview some of the clothes, shoes, books and accessories which would be on sale via Zulily in the coming weeks and months.

Every day at 6am a new selection of goods are added, and over the past week there has been clothing, changing bags, maternity bras, books and furniture on offer at great prices.

We bought this last week for Little Man to give him somewhere to sit whilst colouring or playing with his Lego or puzzles:
This desk for Pkolino currently retails for £79.99 from Amazon. I got it through Zulily for just £45, and it was delivered this morning 10 days after ordering. A sturdy flat packed desk which is suitable from age 2 up to around 6 – so a great investment too.

Ordering from Zulily is simple and you pay just one postage charge per day, so if you order something in the morning then have another browse later on you will get free delivery on anything else ordered before midnight.

Joining Zulily is free, so why not head over there now and take a look at what’s on offer today by clicking here.

The majority of Little Man’s toys and books have a jungle animal involved. Giraffes, monkeys and lions are very popular in our house, so when we moved from our flat and Little Man was given a bedroom with plain white walls we had no doubts over what theme to decorate it in. Over the past few weeks we’ve been gathering lots of amazing jungle themed items to use to make Little Man’s room a proper boys bedroom, and we are thrilled with the results.

Duracoat Tough Matt Paint from Homebase in ‘Yellow Submarine’.
This paint contains extra acrylic making it super durable and ideal for high traffic areas. Its also washable which is going to come in very handy when Little Man decides to decorate himself with crayons!
I love this colour and it brightened up the room immediately. It also works incredibly well with the rest of the decorations.

Jungle Wall Stickers by Roommates from Jomoval.
Twenty six stickers of varying sizes featuring an array of creatures found in the jungle, as well as a couple of palm trees, birds and a bright sun. These stickers can be placed on any painted or papered wall, furniture 0r mirrors without causing damage. What’s more you can move and reposition as you want, reusing them if you move or fancy a change of scene, and they are waterproof and wipe clean.
I always wanted to use some type of wall sticker to add pictures to Little Man’s room, and I must have looked at dozens of designs and styles. These were perfect – particularly being re-positionable - and make a dramatic impact as soon as you place them. Little Man saw his wall yellow for a few weeks before we put these up, and as soon as he came back into his room he immediately ran over pointing at them all and poking the ones he could reach. Most mornings he waves at the creatures from his cot! These stickers are just fantastic.

Monkey & Giraffe Decorative Light Switch Cover from Homeplates.
This is a simple cover which is fitted easily over your existing light switch making them a popular home decoration accessory. They are so easy to fit – even I managed it!
I’d never really imagined having a light switch that was any colour other than white, but after discovering the Homeplates website and their vast selection I can see more of these popping up around the house. Inexpensive and so simple the inclusion of this switch cover in Little Man’s room is subtle but so cute.

Jungle Animals Personalised Height Chart from Stuck On You.
Made from high quality canvas and supplied with matching stickers to mark your little ones height on special dates – birthdays, Christmas, etc – these height charts are easily personalised on the website and come in a huge range of designs.
This height chart has featured on my blog before here, but it is still a brilliant part of Little Man’s bedroom and one brightens up a blank wall.

Bespoke Bunting from Just Bunting.
Just Bunting was set up by Karen Davey from Cornwall and she makes a huge range of bunting for all occasions, and she was kind enough to make this colourful personalised bunting for Little Man. The quality is fantastic and it was precisely what I’d imagined – you can see why she’s a member of the #SBS Winners, as chosen by Theo Paphitis of Dragons Den fame.

Green Elephant Organics For Kids Blanket from NaturalMat
This blanket is reversible – the other side has stripes on – and is so soft and snugly. It would be brilliant for wrapping your newborn nice and cosily, or as an extra blanket for use in the cot or in the car, and what’s more its 100% organic cotton and machine washable.

Personalised Safari Wall Art from Alphabet Gallery.
A 15cm square deep wooden box containing the first letter of your child’s name, along with their full name and the origin of it, and their date of birth. This makes a great addition to any nursery and would be a perfect christening gift too.
This item is so beautiful.  The Safari theme provides a great background and the detail that goes into it is exquisite. I am so pleased to have one of these on Little Man’s wall, and I’m sure it’s something we are going to always treasure.

Doodle Zoo Travel Grobag from The Gro Company.
This sleeping bag can be used both at home and on the move as it can be fitted into a car seat or buggy and is five point harness compatible. At 0.5 tog it is ideal for hot summer nights and holiday travel.
This grobag is full of lovely jungle creatures. We have used it in the car seat too whilst travelling past Little Man’s bedtime. The full length front zip makes it easy to transport your little one if their asleep as it gives simple access to your harness. The 0.5 tog means it will get plenty use this summer – should it ever get hot!

Jolly Day Out Portable Storage Caddy from The Gro Company.
Keeping nappies, wipes and creams tidy is easy with this caddy, and the included changing mat and comfy handle means you can carry it around the house with ease.
This was chosen because of its bright orange colour. There may not be a jungle creature on here, but greens, yellows and oranges are jungle colours so its a great match. We keep this filled with nappies and wipes – super cute jungle creature decorated ones from Tesco’s in fact – as well as the essential hand gel and nappy rash cream.  Its great for using around the house, and makes a instant nappy changing station in any room.

Roaring Raa Raa Toy from Toys R Us.
This interactive roaring Raa Raa provides endless fun with a simple push down of his head. The more you press his head the longer and louder the realistic roar, and he even does a little wiggle too!
Raa Raa has been watched by Little Man for quite a while now, so you can imagine his excitement upon receiving his very own Raa Raa – I couldn’t get it out the box fast enough! Little Man loves to press his head down, and often mimicks the wiggling motion when the roar begins. I love this toy because the voice is the same as on the show and its a brilliant copy of a very popular character.

Tigga Shoes from Inch Blue.
Inch Blue are the place to get handmade soft leather shoes, and these bright orange with black stripes make a great jungle addition.

Blue Original 6 month + Soother Two Pack from Mam.
A cute pack of soothers, one of which features a very appropriate elephant! Soothers are only used in our house at nap time and at night, but we seem to lose them all the time, so a good stock is essential.

Jungle Animals Kids Party Boxes from Favours From Us.
These boxes are designed to be used at parties, and would make great goody bags for children to take home filled with sweets. In Little Man’s bedroom they make cute decorations which he could put little bits and pieces in.

Panda Zoobie from Jaz Kids.
This cuddly panda is a great soft toy for your child, but it also holds a secret. It is also a super-soft blanket and comfortable pillow, making it ideal for car trips and cuddling up at home.
This panda has become an instant hit in our house. Little Man loves it, and can often be found carrying it around with him and giving it big cuddles. He doesn’t really use it as a blanket and pillow as yet,  but as a toy its one of his best friends.

Monkey Bibs from Close Parent Ltd.
These bibs come in two sizes – 0 month + and 6 months + – and are soft and absorbent. The 6 month + bib has additional poppers which allow you to fold bottom of the long bib up to form a pouch – great for catching any spillages!

Little Man is rather pleased too – he does enjoy a nice chat with his new animal friends…

Like what you see?

Here are all the website links and Twitter accounts of everyone who contributed towards making my Little Man’s bedroom amazing!!

Homebase can be found @Homebase_UK
Jomoval can be found @Jomoval
Homeplates
Stuck On You can be found @StuckOnYouTweet
Just Bunting can be found @JustBunting
Natural Mat can be for @NaturalMat
Alphabet Gallery
The Gro Company can be found @TheGroCompany
Toys R Us can be found @ToysRUs
Inch Blue can be found @InchBlue
Mam
Favours From Us
Jaz Kids can be found @JazKidsClothing
Close Parent Ltd can be @CloseParent

“Secret Agent Splat” by Rob Scooton
Bestselling author Rob Scooton returns with a new adventure for Splat The Cat. A mystery unfolds when Splats fathers toy duck start to go missing and then are inexplicably returned minus their beaks! Splat sets off on an investigation to discover who is responsible for the duck-napping, and what they really want with all the beaks!

“Lulu and the Best Cake Ever!” by Emma Chichester Clark
Award winning author and creator of the hugely popular Blue Kangaroo series Emma Chichester Clark has created a brand new world – Wagtail Town. In this new title you’ll meet all her new doggy characters and learn about Lulu as she enters the school cake competition. Helped by her best friend Alfie she learns that there is more than one way to be a winner when her baking doesn’t entirely go according to plan!

“Marshall Armstrong Is New To Our School” by David Mackintosh
When Marshall Armstrong starts his new school he causes a bit of a stir. He looks different to the other boys with his straight laces, his fancy glasses and his very unusual silver wrapped lunch. But after his classmates visit his house for a party they soon learn that what may be different can also be excellent fun. A great book for children about to head off to school for the first time!

“The Somethingosaur” by Tony Mitton, illustrated by Russell Ayto
Set in the time of dinosaurs this beautifully illustrated book begins with a purple egg that hatches. The creature inside is lost and sets off to find its Mummy, and also to find out just what he is. Meeting many dinosaurs along the way the little creature struggles to find anyone that looks like him, until he finally stumbles upon his Mummy and discovers that he’s something even more exciting than a dinosaur after all!

“Love Monster” by Rachel Bright
Whilst the world is quick to love things which are cute and fluffy – like kittens and puppies – nobody could possibly love a “slightly hairy, I-suppose-a-bit-googly-eyed monster…” could they? Join a slightly funny looking monster on his quest to find somebody to love him, and learn that sometimes love finds you when you least expect it. A valuable life lesson for us all!

This is a book I hope you never need, but if you do, I know you’ll love it.

“Chocolate Chipped” by Shelley Gilbert and Vicky Baruch tells the story of Charlie, a little boy who is struggling to come to terms with the death of his father. The book shows how Charlie learns to deal with his grief, and how he is helped along the way. The brilliant thing about this book is that it uses real smells which are embedded in the pages to deal with sensitive subject of grief in an honest, simple and at times humorous way. Grass, chocolate cake, and even “pongy socks” feature, and all you need to do to smell them is rub the pages, and I can confirm that the smells are extremely realistic.

The book was written in association with the Grief Encounter Project, one of the UK’s leading child bereavement organisations. The Grief Encounter Project aims to provide the support and understanding bereaved children and their families need to cope at the most difficult of times. You can find out more about the amazing work they do on their website.

“Chocolate Chipped” can be bought now from Amazon and more ‘smelly books’ are on their way from Smellessence this summer.

I know, its a little ironic what with the deluge of rain that’s fallen in recent weeks, but this week is in fact Sun Awareness Week. Staying safe in the sun is important for everyone, but for young children with delicate skin its essential. Taking good precautions from an early age is vital in ensuring a lifetime of healthy skin. Young children are amazing at picking up phrases or mimicking actions, so why not take the time to ensure they learn the importance of protecting themselves from the sun this Sun Awareness Week… or next time its stops raining!

A recent survey by Cuddledry highlighted major concerns about parents awareness of the danger of the sun, and what counts as appropriate protection. 85% of respondents believed that just keeping your child covered up in clothing provided BETTER protection than an SPF 30 sun cream. In reality most children’s clothing provided a meagre SPF 15 protection, meaning your child’s skin can still get damaged through what they are wearing.

For safety in the sun SPF 30 should be worn along with sun protection clothing, so the team at Cuddledry have designed a new Sun Protection Poncho Towel which is perfect for use by the pool, on the beach and during the holidays. The fabric uses a patented Rayosan(TM) technology that coats the towel and acts like a mirror, reflecting the harmful rays away from your child and provides a protection factor of up to 50+. They also incorporate the familiar Cuddledry signature cotton and bamboo fibre, which means its super absorbent and soft next to your child’s skin. The ponchos also have poppers under the arms so you can make it have sleeves so its more likely to stay on, making it a great outfit to throw on throughout the holiday season.

The SPF 50+ Ponchos are available now direct from the Cuddledry website in a choice of two colours – Lilac & Cherry or Aqua & Turquoise.