The family budget and school Lost Property

So it has been three weeks since the children starting back at I am reliably informed by the School Admin team that the lost property box is overflowing.

I myself have paid one visit to the lost property bin already this term.  It is astonishing how much stuff you find.  There’s one School shoe, several single plimsols, fleeces of all age groups.

Despite the indian summer we are experiencing Autumn and the colder whether will soon be upon us.  Which means, more layers.

Furthermore, many of us need to keep a close hold of the family budget.  So this means that we need to not waste money on items you have already bought so spending a few pounds on making sure their clothes come home is well worth it.

Here is a selection of the most popular items of personalised name labels.

• Iron On Labels
• Woven Labels
• Shoe Labels

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Clothes labels for going back to school

Okay, so it might a bit early to be thinking about going back to school. But as every parent knows, your children’s school clothes, book bags, sports bags, sandwich boxes and water bottles all take a significant about of abuse throughout the term.

So if you don’t make sure that the labels are still on these items then it will be no surprise to have them go missing from time to time.

I have spent far too long trying to find a green school jumper amongst a field of other jumpers, to want to go through that again and again.

So here are a few ideas to help you.

Clothes labels

There are a selection of clothes labels you can use depending how much time you have. They can vary from ‘sew in’ labels or ‘iron on’ ones.  Woven on transfers, big and small.

All labels are personalised with your child’s name.

1. Iron on labels - Easy to use ~ simply peel off and iron on in seconds. Iron on labels – BUY NOW
2. BIG Iron on labels – Washing machine & tumble drier safe. BIG Iron on Labels – BUY NOW
3. Small Iron on Labels – Ideal for small or discreet labelling.  Small Iron on Labels – BUY NOW
4. Sew-in Woven labels – Woven in Upper & Lower case.  Sew-in Woven Labels BUY NOW
5. Iron-on Woven labels – If your school insists on Woven labels.  Iron-on Woven – BUY NOW

Stickers for water bottles

At least once a week our son comes home with someone else’s water bottle or seems to loose his own.  It’s just turning out to be a fact of life.   But instead of buying a new water bottle or stocking up with 5 we have a school sticker on it.  That way, it invariably, slowly makes it’s way back to us.

Water bottle sticker – Simply peel off and apply – easy.  Water Bottle Sticker – BUY NOW

In the early days I just didn’t understand why my sons could never remember where his school jumper was or why his water bottle was missing.  Now, I just prepare for the inevitable, which speeds up the returns process.

At Simply Stuck we try and help with the little things in life.  Like lost water bottles.

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Iron-on Letters

A ‘hoodie’ has now become a must have for any respecting kid – whatever their age! So why not make sure these much loved items do not go astray and order some iron-on letters and customize them yourself!

customise!

Simply Stuck offer a comprehensive range of easy-to-use letter and number iron on labels – also great for that netball or rugby shirt or just adding a personal name or message to the back of your t-shirt. Whatever you want to say, they can supply the letters for you to say it.

The year 6 kids at my children’s school have just received their Netball Team hoodies all in the school blue, all the same. So they are all having their names put onto the back!

Get Creative

It’s a great, easy way to get creative too – these t-shirts were for last years summer holiday, the kids lived in their swimsuits and these t-shirts (I don’t know why I bothered to pack any other clothes!)

have a bit of fun!

white on white

Plus they are so nice at Simply Stuck, if you want to have a special font, give them a call and they will do what they can to match it! The letters are supplied in a soft flock material in a choice of colours and are easily applied with a domestic iron – machine and tumble iron safe!

The letters are 5cm high, and are just 50p each.

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Christmas labels

I love Christmas labels. They just make sense. They are just an easy way of identifying already wrapped presents.

Let’s face it, as Christmas draws ever nearer and all the present for the kids, Aunties, Uncles, Cousins, friends, work colleagues, school friends, Sunday School helpers, dog walkers…gets higher and higher, you need a way of identifying which present belongs to whom.

Christmas wrapping ideas

This is about injecting a little bit of fun in the chore of Christmas wrapping.

The adult does all the fiddly bits, and the children stick the Christmas stickers onto the present – simples!  This way you can prize your cherished ones away from the television for 5 minutes.

Now I understand these labels will probably not appeal to adults.  That’s fine. They are totally geared towards children.

Christmas Labels cost £6.50

If you are posting your presents to some far off lands, then you can buy Christmas Address labels here.

As much as possible I try to get the whole family involved at Christmas, even “him in doors”.  These lovely little ideas really help the Children to be a part of it all.

Merry Christmas from everyone at Simply Stuck.

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Personalised luggage straps

Are you planning a Christmas holiday this year?  Somewhere nice and warm I hope.

Picture the scene. The Airport  Carousels spinning faster than a roulette wheel and the kids running in all directions.  This is my nightmare every holiday season.  So what do you need?

Personalised Luggage straps

This luggage strap gives instant identification to your bag or suitcase in the airport and hotel lobbies and everywhere you go. You can also personalise the strap with your own printed name.

It comes in 16 different patterns, from smiley face to flower or a train.

The luggage tag costs £2.00

Butterfly Luggage tag

ID Bracelets

I have talked about ID Bracelets a lot over the year.  I maybe a little biased but I do think they are an incredibly practical idea.

They are simple and incredibly effective.  They can be personalised with your own telephone number and say:

‘If I’m lost please call ….’.

The ID bracelet pack costs £9.00 and contains 10 stickers

Children's durable ID bracelet

I’ve said it before and I will say it again.  The best ideas are usually the simplest ones that’s why Simply Stick loves the ID bracelets and the Luggage tags.

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Christmas address labels to print

Christmas address labels

By the time this blog goes out, it should be October, and officially, it is okay to talk about Christmas.

If you are a keen planner then you will be starting to squirrel away presents, cards, wrapping etc.  This year why not consider Christmas address labels.

Christmas address labels, help make sending Christmas card a less time consuming task.

Now, there are two schools of thought here.  One, is that you have lots of friends and lots of cards to deliver, and you want the job done as soon as possible.  The other is you have lots of spare time and the personal hand written chritsmas card address is much nicer.

I’m afraid, I fall into the former category.  I never have enough time and really, I want to write the card, print off a stack of labels, stamp then and then stick the address label on the card and then post them  JOB DONE.

These Christmas address labels, come pre-printed with your address.  You simply type in your address and pay.  Simple.

These labels cost £6.00 for a pack of 100 labels.

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Personlised shoe name labels

At Simply Stuck we realise that children’s shoes can be an expensive part of their outfits, both at school and home – which makes mislaying them or returning home with someone else’s footwear or even two left feet – yes it has happened, infuriating.

Our vinyl shoe stickers can help.  You can now quickly and clearly label your children’s shoes.

They are not only personalised shoe stickers, they are a durable vinyl sticker.

They are easy to use.  Simply peel and apply over your printed vinyl Stickers inside the required shoe.  This label is a waterproof, non print clear label.

They come in packs of 24 and cost £2.50

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School name labels

School name labels

The summer holidays are now behind us and our children are back at school. With new shoes, sports kits and uniforms the ultimate value pack of labels made my life easier, I just simply fixed the personalised stickers and labels to their personal items.

The value pack of labels available from Simply Stuck is great value for money. They’re easy to apply to clothes and accessories, are waterproof and won’t fade in the wash.

What did I get for my money?

• The 140 label value pack is priced at £16.50 and contains:
• 40 Hugely versatile sticky labels 7mm x 48mm to apply to their books and bags.
• 30 Supremely useful mini labels.
• 8 free clear shoe labels are provided in every pack and extra shoe labels can be ordered for shoe fanatics or sporty kids.
• 40 Magic Iron-on labels perfect for school clothing.
• 30 Mini Magics (5mm x 35mm) labels are ideal for labelling smaller items such as pens and accessories.

School name labels value pack

How did I order the labels?

It is quick and easy to personalise the stickers online in four easy steps:

1. Your child can choose their favourite icon, from a selection of 32 pictures, to appear next to their name. Girls will love the flower, heart, horse, and butterfly shapes and boys can choose a football, rugby ball, car, and rocket motif. A preview of the label design will be shown as you make your selection.
2. Next you enter up to a maximum of 20 characters including spaces for the name with four text fonts to choose from –  Comic Sans, Arial, Verdana or Times new Roman.
3. Select from a choice of six colours for the text / background and icon – black, red, pink, blue, green and orange (note that the St Georges Cross Stickers are only available in Red). The Magics labels are available in five text colours and printed on a white background.
4. Click on ‘Buy Now’ to complete the steps.

School Name labels for clothes

Looking to raise extra funds for your School / Nursery?

If you are look to raise extra funds for your School or Nursery complete Simply Stuck’s online registration form and they will despatch FREE easy to use packs which promote labelling, help reduce lost property and raise funds for your School, Club or Nursery. You can also signup to receive Simply Stuck’s newsletter so you’ll be notified of special online promotions.

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Kids Cooking – food ideas to make with your kids

Kids Cooking

Cooking is a popular activity at Holiday time. Children just love to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in whether it is reading the recipes, weighing the ingredients, washing and preparing the foods, there are so many varied jobs to do.

We have had a couple of cake afternoons when the weather hasn’t been that great and it’s a great way for kids to learn about weights and measurements – as well as get a little bit messy too!

You’ll need to be on hand to supervise the chopping and placing the food into the hot oven. There is nothing more pleasing than eager ears waiting to hear the oven buzzer go off and the automatic reply ‘It’s ready!!’

Here’s a couple of easy to follow recipes that you can make with your children.

The cheese scones are great for snack time and the sausage & bean pot makes a delicious main meal.

Cheese Scones ready in 30 minutes

The cheese scones can be served with the sausage & bean main course or are also ideal in a packed lunch.

Ingredients (makes 10 scones)

• 40g Butter
• 225g Self-raising flour
• 1 Level tsp baking powder
• Pinch salt
• Handful fresh herbs, chopped
• 125-150ml Milk
• 40g Cheddar cheese, grated

1. Grease a baking tray. Sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the salt, herbs, milk and ¾ of the cheese.
2. Get the kids to knead the dough until it is smooth. Lightly pat the dough until it is approx 3cm thick.
3. Cut out the scones, this can be done using an up turned plastic cup dipped first in flour. Put the scones on the baking tray. Brush tops with a little milk and sprinkle over the remaining cheese. This will give the scones a nice crisp coating.
4. Cook in a preheated oven (220 oC/425 oF/Gas Mark 7) for 8 to 10 minutes until risen and golden. Adjust temperature for fan ovens.

Main meal – Sausage & bean pot ready in 40 minutes

Whilst the cheese scones are baking, you can start cooking the main meal.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• Olive oil
• 8 Sausages
• 6 Rindless bacon rashers, chopped
• 2 Garlic cloves, crushed
• 700ml Passata (or use 2x 400g tins chopped tomatoes)
• 400g Tin of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tbsp Smoked paprika (1/2 tbsp if you prefer mild flavours)
• 1 tbsp Dark brown sugar
• 1 Onion, roughly chopped

1. Heat a little oil in a large pan, add the sausages and gently cook for 10 minutes until evenly browned, then remove from the pan.
2. Add the chopped bacon and onion and cook for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
3. Pour in the passata, add the beans, paprika and sugar, then season and mix well. The paprika in this dish will add a sweet and smoky flavour that kids love.
4. Return the sausages to the pan, bring to a simmer and cook everything together for a further 15 minutes.

As with all recipes you can experiment a bit and substitute ingredients with other items or add extra vegetables to make a substantial meal.

Additional ideas and inspiration for kid and cooking can be found on BBC Good Food website,  and UK TV.

If your children often take a packed lunch to their friend’s house or off to Holiday Club / Summer Camp it’s a good idea to label items so they don’t get lost.

At Simply Stuck we have a great range of colourful personalised self-adhesive stickers, fun tags and shape stickers ideal for lunch boxes, drinks bottles and rucksacks.

Check our online site to see the fantastic designs and see how easy it is to order and customise these inexpensive personalised labels.

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Back to School

Up until a few years ago, parents had to buy school uniforms from specialist shops or direct from the school. Now many major retailers have school wear departments for boys and girls and are currently actively running “back to school” uniform campaigns on TV and in store.

Retailers like ASDA, M&S, Tesco and Sainsbury’s provide a competitive one stop shop for your children’s school clothing whatever your budget.

School Uniform items available include coats and jackets, dresses, jumpers and cardigans, pinafores, polo shirts, shirts and blouses, skirts, trousers, socks and tights, underwear, not forgetting shoes and sportswear. You can also view the variety of styles and sizes online. Most retailers cater for children sizes aged 3 to 16 years and it is easy to mix and match the clothes with personalised school labelled polo and t-shirts.

We have had trawl through soem of the early Back to School campaigns and here are our findings:-

ASDA Back to School

Asda

This year the George schoolwear department has introduced a new and improved range of school clothing offering quality and styling at unbelievably good prices. School knitwear and sweatshirts are made of 100% Cotton for extra warmth and comfort. The school trousers feature secured hems, adjustable waistbands and Teflon finish important for growing and active children.

Prices start from £2 for girl’s tops and boy’s shirts and come with a 100 day quality guarantee on their school clothing. ASDA offers free delivery on schoolwear when ordering on their easy to use website with a minimum spend of £10 and delivery is within 2 to 3 working days.

More information on the Asda Back to School range

M&S Back to School

M&S

Marks and Spencer sell quality school uniforms and their outstanding value unisex pure cotton jumpers are priced from £2.00. You’ll pay a little bit more for school uniform clothes that include:

• Adjustable waist for the perfect fit
• Crease resistant – stays smart all day long
• Permanent pleats stay neat and tidy to save you time
• Stormwear™ – keeping dry whatever the weather
• Stain Defence™ – the high performance finish that helps to repel stains

You get free standard UK delivery from 3rd June to 14th September when you order selected school items.

More information on the M&S Back to School range

Tesco Back to School

Tesco

Tesco one of the largest UK retailers is offering a back to school bundle for £12.

The package deal includes a coat from a selection of 4 styles, any 3 pack of shirts, trousers or dress or skirt from the F&F signature and Fashion Academy ranges. Girl’s individual jumpers are priced from £2 and boys shirts from £3.

Tesco are offering free delivery for a limited time only.

More information on the Tesco Back to School range

Sainsbury’s Back to School

Sainsburys

Sainsbury’s “Back Tu School” range has over 50 products and Sainsbury’s are selling 12 products in the range for just £2 each including polo shirts, jumpers, trousers and cardigans.

All clothes in the “Back Tu School” range are machine washable with features such as adjustable waists and longer length trousers for growing kids. Polo tops and shirts are 100% breathable cotton. Recently 86% of Netmums from the online parenting organisation who tested the uniform for a full term voted the polo shirt great value for money.

Back Tu School is now in over 429 Sainsbury’s stores nationwide and an entire school uniform can cost as little as just £4.33. Boys will love the cool styles, and girls the heart details on zips, belt buckles and scalloped edge trims for that extra special finish.

More information on the Sainsbury’s Back to School range

Clarks Shoes – Back to School

Clarks

Shoes can be the most expensive item on the school uniform list. Clarks are well known for their quality footwear, comprehensive and stylish school and sports shoes. Cost can be a little higher than budget ranges but the old adage you pay for what you get is never truer. With growing feet it really does pay to get good quality well fitted footwear.

Clarks are now stocking their new range of school shoes for boys and girls. Not surprisingly there is a large range of girl’s school shoes to choose from including the Daisy Jump, DaisyWatch, Daisy High, Daisy Wish, TrixiDaisy, Daisy Dust, Dolly Jazz and No Drama to name a few. Boy’s school shoes collection includes Jack Class, Deaton, Air Master and Gravel Mover.

Prices start from £26.00 and orders placed before 3pm on Fri or Sat will be delivered the following Mon. Orders placed before 3pm on Sunday will be delivered the following Tuesday. The charge for this service is £5.50 per order. There are no chargse for orders for delivery within 5 working days within the UK.

More information on the Clarks Back to School range

Labelling School Uniforms

Although many school clothes provide a label to write your child’s name, we all know from experience that we either forget to write it on or it fades quickly in the wash.

Simply Stuck provide a number of quality labelling solutions to help ensure your new purchases don’t go astray early in the new term.

Options include iron-on labels, woven labels, stickers and even shoe labels. The labels are easy to apply to the school uniform, are waterproof, and can be personalised to include your child’s name and their chosen picture motif.

Ordering is very easy via the Simply Stuck online shop and delivery is within 3 working days.

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