Halloween Items Review
THESE ITEMS WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER'S OWN.
Reviewed by Sian Manning
Kilner Stackable Jar Set With Taps
I was really pleased to get send this item to review, Kilner is known for its quality glassware so I was really looking forward to having this item in our house and being able to use it.
Unfortunately the first one that arrived was smashed around the tap, I guess with sending glass in the post this is sometimes just to be expected and this area of the item is thinner glass and therefore weaker, a second one was sent and was all in one piece.
On the box it includes the information of what is included, one 2.1 litre jar with a clip top lid and dispensing tap and one larger 3.1 litre stackable jar (the bottom one) with dispensing tap and one stand to elevate the jars for use.
There are pictures on the side showing the item in use with a description too, push taps for easy dispensing, high quality clip lid to keep things fresh, stand for elevation and ease of use and that they can be used to infuse different flavours.
The instructions for use and cleaning are also on the outside of the box with a diagram for re assembly of the taps so be sure to either keep the box or take a picture of this section if needed before putting out with the recycling.
Taking it out of the box you can see it is of good quality, the glass is nice and thick and the whole thing is pretty chunky and heavy, exactly what I expected of the Kilner brand. It looks great all stacked together and on the stand, with fruit inside it looks incredible and definitely a centre piece. Perfect for a party, on the food and drinks table and ready for guests, it would be perfect for Halloween filled with a red fruit punch, you could even add some spooky items to make it look like a witches broth or potion and have a different potion in the top and bottom. It’s super easy to fill, the wide openings mean that you can get a wide variety of fruits in, even without chopping them small, it also means its easy to clean and disassemble when needed and even the biggest of hands can fit in to unscrew the tap.
Now to a couple of issues I have had with it, if you leave the orange rubber around the lid of the top jar it becomes completely air tight, this is great as the fruit and drink stay fresh, however the tap then doesn’t dispense as no air is replacing the liquid pouring out. Take the orange rubber seal off and close the lid and it then works. The other problem that we have had is that no matter how tight we get the tap it still leaks, no just a tiny bit, but continuously, to the point that I had a rather large puddle on my table. We wanted to use this every day for water so that it was easy to get as my youngest is very small and can’t reach the taps very easily, however I would definitely say that it would be better suited to occasional party use that way you can leave something underneath to catch the drips or leave a small cup under ready for the next person.
It is beautiful and really will be a talking piece, especially once filled and looking spectacular, it is just a shame that we have had a couple of issues with it as I wanted it out all year round, not just for special occasions.
I am going to get it out at Halloween though (if we are allowed a get together although if not my children will love it anyway) and put some potions in it, maybe some icy eyeballs and some food safe spiders and flies, then wrap the stand in fake cobwebs with some spiders crawling up it!
Rating: 3/5
RRP: £28.95
This item can be purchased from Amazon here
Halloween Snow Windows Stencil and Snow Spray
I have three children, seven, five and three, they love halloween, the darker evenings, the decorations (not the spooky ones, they are too scary!), the dressing up and of course the sweets and treats and trick or treaters coming to the door. So getting these items to review has made them ask time and time again how long they have to wait for Halloween – A very long two months!
These window stencils are amazing, I have seen them up in peoples windows but have never actually used them or even seen them in shops. They come in quite a big square cellophane package, backed with cardboard and the plastic stencils are inside to create your own halloween scene. The scene included in this pack is to make a spooky zombie graveyard and there are lots of stencils included to get the design perfect. The instructions are on the back of the pack and are easy to follow, the stencils adhere to the window with just static, once it is on you simply shake the can of snow spray and spray it onto the stencil. Once done, you carefully peel the stencil from the bottom up and your design is revealed. With this scene you layer the different stencils to make it multi layered, my little monsters declared this was a little scary for them though and we have stuck to just using two of the stencils to have different designs on our windows – yes two whole months early! Even with just the basic stencils they are still really effective and eye catching in the windows.
The snow spray is really easy to use and sprays evenly, the snow builds up the more you spray and being water based also wipes off really easily if you make a mistake or need to clean up around the area you sprayed. It also comes off of the stencils easily so that they can be reused year after year. Having never used it before I was pleasantly surprised with how much it actually looks like snow, but also how effective it is with a Halloween design. We used these on our patio doors, but windows, doors and even mirrors would look great, especially for a Halloween get together.
Having looked on the Snow Windows website there is this Halloween design to buy or a Christmas design, there are also reusable Christmas stickers that are stunning! The snow spray is also available on the website so you can get everything in one place. The can is a good size and will easily last you for your Halloween design and Christmas if you purchase both and don’t make too many mistakes and need to start over (I managed ok, so I’m sure you will too).
You can even book Tom Baker the designer of the Snow Windows to come and spray your own incredible window design if you have a shop or large window display!
Given that the window stencils are reusable and can be used not only for the design included but for small accents on adjacent windows or for small sections for children like mine that don’t like the ‘scary’ bits, I think that these packs are great value, they will last you years and you can mix up your display year after year. They store flat so they don’t take up much room and you will only need to buy a can of snow each year to keep them going.
We are looking forward to decorating some more of our windows, when we get a little closer to Halloween and then purchasing some Christmas bits too, after the year we have all had celebrating everything and anything is a must!
Rating: 5/5
RRP: Window Stencil £20 Snow Spray £3
You can buy this item from the Snow Windows website here
Smash Lunch Bag and Bottle Set
My 7 year old was delighted to get this item to review, he has just gone into year 3 and now has to take a lunch box to school, I did – before this one arrived – send him in with a Tupperware box with a pink catch, not what a 7 year old boy wants to be seen with! This skull design lunch bag is “way more cool” and my 5 year old is very jealous!
The bag is a great design, nice and eye catching, bright and bold colours and perfect for school lunches or picnics. There are plenty of other designs too so worth looking if skulls aren’t your thing. It also comes with a 500ml bottle too.
This bag is really well made, all the edges are nice and sturdy, its roomy enough for Sandwiches, crisps, snacks, fruit a yoghurt and cereal bar, the drink holder on the outside is genius and means the inside space isn’t taken up by a drink, but the drink is still kept with the lunch as they are held together.
The bag is insulated, so lunch stays cool until you are ready to eat it, made in Australia I would say it has good pedigree as it gets so much hotter over there – worth noting though this isn’t the same with the bottle pocket and the bottle is just a standard plastic bottle so will get warmer than the lunch. You could use an insulated bottle in the pocket though if you so wish.
The bag has a Blue IQ lining (completely food safe), this is to help protect against harmful bacteria, the lining has been engineered so that food doesn’t adhere or get absorbed into the bag and cause bacteria to grow. As it’s so easily wipe cleanable this also helps to reduce and smells and stains that might usually occur – this is especially handy if like me you have a 7 year old that likes to leave his empty yoghurt and all other rubbish to sit in the bag getting shaken up for the rest of the day. I can honestly say that after a week of hard use it is still fresh and doesn’t look or smell any different from the first day.
This bag can’t go in the washing machine and is wipe clean only. The bottle is BPA free, freezer safe and also can go in the top rack of the dishwasher, super handy for chucking in at the end of the day!
This would make a great Halloween gift, none of us know what this year is left to bring us, so if you normally celebrate Halloween, why not make a little gift basket and include this lunch bag to make lunches a little more fun – and easier for you!
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £7
You can purchase this item from Asda here
Bundt Haunted Manor Pan
This has to be one of the best cake pans I have ever seen, my three little monsters (7, 5 and 3) were all amazed by it and couldn’t wait to see what the cake would look like once it had been baked. They were stood in the kitchen discussing what part they would like, who was going to get the pumpkins and who was going to get the front door!
I have never had a pan like this before and as always with something new you are a little sceptical about how well it is going to turn out. The pan itself is such good quality, it is heavy – but not so heavy you cant lift it! – it is beautifully made and detailed and you can see why they have such a good name and higher price tag, you are paying for quality when you purchase one of these pans.
On the label around the pan on the inside are care instructions, helpful tips for usage and washing and also a great recipe.
It took me a little while to make the cake as I needed to get to the shops for ingredients and had to wait until everyone was back at school.
So they all went back to school and I followed the recipe on the card and made the cake, it makes a lot of batter and I didn’t think it would all fit in the pan but I was pleasantly surprised. I also dusted the pan before I started with cocoa powder as I don’t have any baking spray and prefer this to flour, I also thought cocoa powder would make it a bit more spooky!
I know how much cakes can stick to pans and with something like this with so much detail there is always the worry that it is going to stick and not come out. However when it was baked – about an hour and 5 minutes – and when it had cooled for the needed 10 minutes I was pleasantly surprised when I turned it over and it slipped out without any effort from me at all! Incredible for something so detailed!
The recipe itself makes a lovely spiced cake, perfect for autumn and Halloween, it is absolutely delicious I couldn’t think of a better flavour to go with a Halloween themed Pan, I also made a quick cream cheese frosting to go on top and it couldn’t be more perfect.
If you are looking for a cake for a Halloween get together or a table centre piece you can’t go far wrong this pan is incredible and makes the best looking cake, you won’t be disappointed.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £48
You can purchase this item from here
