Well it was only a matter of time before my book buying for my Little Man habit got out of control and we needed a better storage solution! Books have previously been piled in the lounge with his toys or in boxes upstairs but they’ve never been very tidy or easy to access for him without causing chaos. How’s this for tidy and accessible:

Whilst this is only a fraction of his books there is still loads of room for more on the shelves. With them being nice and deep you can put taller ones towards the back and smaller ones at the front. I love the fact that the books are facing the front so Little Man can see which one appeals and then get it out himself without scattering books across the room.

The bookcase comes flat packed and is so easy to build with the help of the included Alan key and a screwdriver – I managed to build it fully myself even with Little Man “helping” by moving the screws around. The panels on the front with the alphabet on are reversible, so you can have those parts plain and use it for other things when its been outgrown by your little one. The bookcase tilts back against the wall and attaching it is very important to avoid tipping it over – Little Man does try and reach the top shelf the best he can!

I guess the key question is does it work? Well I built it and propped it up against the lounge wall and put a few books on just to test out if the larger ones fit. It didn’t take Little Man long to do this:

That is Little Man reading his favourite “In The Night Garden” book. I can only apologise for the lack of trousers – not uncommon for him at the moment!

A brilliant piece of furniture that would look at home in any child’s bedroom or, as we have it at the moment, in the lounge.

Want to win your own?

Tidy Books Bookcases come in a variety of colours and finishes, and you can win your very own now by clicking here. Competition closes May 11th 2012.

I love clothes shopping. It’s something I have always enjoyed since the days of going into to town with my Mum on a Saturday when I was younger. Before I had the responsibilities of mortgages and bills to pay the majority of my wage would go on new clothes, and I was terrible for finding things hanging in my wardrobe months after buying it with the label still attached. It was like buying it all over again as more often than not I didn’t recognise it either! With the arrival of Little Man 18 months ago – how is he THAT old already! – my clothes buying went firmly out the window. Any clothes that I buy nowadays are considerably smaller than they used to be and often feature cute pictures on the front or easy nappy access. When Ellos offered me some of their new range to review therefore, I jumped at the chance to add some new items to my much less full wardrobe.

Nowadays my clothes need to be easy to wash and comfortable – style never really comes into it. I don’t want to look totally dull, but I’d rather wear something that I can just throw in the washing machine when its covered in snot/sick/mashed banana/blueberries then have to worry about hand washing or low temperatures. Given the task “Pick a couple of things from the website…” I was given a fairly free range – within a budget of course – so decided on two items. Firstly I went for this lovely casual double layer effect top:

Made from a nice comfortable stretchy material this long sleeved top is perfect for spring. The sleeves are very long – which I personally love – and come down to my knuckles, but can be easily pushed back (like in the photo above) if you want your hands free and clear. I think the pink colour is great – nice and spring like – and the gathering at the front and the seam along the bust adds a simple detail. This top is going to be well used during the spring and summer, and will definitely be finding its way into my suitcase when I go on holiday. The top is also available in black and white.

The second piece I chose was for my slightly more professional look. As a blogger I get invited to lots of events and try my best to look smart for them. These events are often my “Me Time” and its nice to wear something other  than jeans and a t-shirt, even if its only for a few hours. I’ve been on the look out for some summery “work wear” for a while and was pleased to stumble upon this blouse whilst browsing the Ellos website:

This blouse is nice and fitted but still comfortable. Its a little see through in places – thankfully nowhere rude! – but I might be inclined to wear a cami-top underneath it. The three quarter length sleeves are elasticated at the cuffs so fit neatly around your arm, and have a lace and ruffle detail. I love the ruffles around the neckline and down the front of the blouse and the detailing on the buttons make them stand out, and stop this being just another plain off-white blouse. This blouse looks great teamed with tailored trousers and I think it would also go well with a pencil skirt. If you’re a fellow blogger you’ll probably spot me wearing this blouse at an event very soon! The blouse is also available in light pink.

Ellos has a lovely range of clothes for women, men and children. Take a look now at their website.