The Moshi Monsters don’t sound like they live in a treehouse, but apparently they do! It’s essentially a plastic dolls house in the shape of a tree. The collectible Moshi Monsters live in their own little hollow in the tree branches but behind the greenery they have a hidden playroom.

It’s easy enough for an 8 year old to assemble and looks like it’d amuse any child with an imagination.

The cheapest place I’ve found the Moshling Treehouse for sale online is at Amazon for £20.

There’s even a working basket for the critters to travel up and down in and an exclusive Roxy Moshlin included – the perfect companion and place to store all the other little monsters you’ve been collecting.

You can get the Moshin Monsters Moshling Treehouse from Firebox.com for £19.99 with Free Delivery but it’s not in stock and needs to be pre-ordered.

Your kids’ll go snap happy with the Kidizoom Twist. It’s an easy-to-use, robust camera for kids so no need to worry about getting Petit Filous all over your real one!

The 2 megapixel camera has a twisting lens which lets them take self portraits but it also records and has a games function. Sounds like it’ll keep someone occupied over the festive season and beyond!

Buy the Kidizoom Twist Camera from Firebox.com for £47.99 with free delivery.

There’s a choice of editing and special effects such as framing and voice changing effects and it can store up to 500 pictures (256MB memory).

They can be uploaded to the home computer and shared between family and friends. The next decision will be which colour do you choose; pink or blue?

See if you have a young David Bailey in your family – buy the Kidizoom Twist Camera for £47.99 from Firebox.com.

Highlights include:

• 2 megapixel camera
• 4x digital zoom
• Records film
• In built flash
• Twisting lens
• Dual viewfinder
• Colour screen
• 5 games to choose
• Add different visual effects
• Voice changing effects
• Robust, plastic body
• Kiddy size buttons that are easy to handle
• 256MB internal memory which can hold up to 500 pictures

There are 4 Fijit Friends. Sage, Logan, Serafina and Willa. They’re cute, plastic, active toys that’ll more than likely become your childs best friend – and you won’t have to worry about them letting off stink bombs in the house.

These all-singing, all-dancing and all-giggling toys are like mini robots and you can have your very own Fijit from Amazon.co.uk for £41.25.

They respond to voices making them fun interactive toys to play with and look like a Furby crossed with a Teletubby.

My particular favourite is Willa – just because she’s purple and that’s my favourite colour.

Engaging and entertaining they’ll dance when music is played to them, recognise your voice and talk back to you. They also have a repertoire of up to 150 jokes

A fun present for anyone aged 6 or over – just get stocked up on the batteries, they each take 5 x AA’s!

Buy a Fijit Friend for £41.25 from Amazon.co.uk

See what the hype is all about

It took me a while to figure out what this dream Christmas toy was all about, but after a little research I’ve discovered that Lagoona (full name; Lagoona Blue) is a character from the fictional school Monster High. And Lagoona has got herself on this years Top 12 Wanted list.

It’s a line of fashion dolls that have been created. Imagine Barbie dressed as Morticia Adams and you get the idea.

The complete Monster High: Lagoona Hydration Station is £39.29 from Play.com

Lagoona Blue comes from down under the sea and therefore has an Australian accent. Neptuna is her pet – a pink piranha fish – who she carries around everywhere in a fishbowl purse. Where else!

She loves to be in water and requires her hydration station to avoid drying out. So not only do you get Lagoona and her hydration station, this set also comes with her pet Neptuna, a water bottle and a ‘monsterizer’ bottle.

Monster High is using the popularity of the vampire and fantasy phenomenon of the past few years but they do look great – and are no different to the Barbie and Sindy’s that we’ve grown up with.

Buy the complete Lagoona Hydration Station from Play.com for £39.29

Kids can now have their very own tablet to help them improve their computer skills (and play lots of games too!) The LeapPad Explorer is the newest electronic gadget specifically aimed at 4-9 year old kids.

Parents all over the land will be breathing a sigh of relief knowing that their own tablet is safe from the clutches of grubby fingers. It looks cool and yet is practical, sturdy and best of all wipe-clean!

Hours of entertainment are guaranteed with this green and white gadget – and not just for Christmas – but through to 2012 as well. So while the LeapPad Explorer costs £112.99 I reckon it’s a winner.

There’s a built in camera, and a huge entertainment library at their fingertips with over 100 videos, games and books.

It has no 3G or wi-fi capabilities so to go online you’ll need to plug it into a computer – but this means parents can control online use.

So what does it have?

• Multimedia camera
• Built in video camera
• An animation studio
• Access to 100+ games, e-books, videos and apps
• Runs on 4 x AA batteries (not included)

Buy the LeapPad Explorer from Play.com for £112.99 and get free delivery before Christmas.

An electronic pet that’s cute, soft and cuddly but with an element of surprise attached thanks to his random play function that’ll leave you guessing what he’ll get up to next.

He’s totally adorable and you can have him all to yourself for a snip at £44.99. Get Milky The Bunny from Amazon.com.

So what does Milky do?
His eyes, ears and nose can move allowing him to crunch on his carrot, wiggle his ears and have his feet tickled! Watch out though ‘cos after a hard days play he’ll fall asleep and snore!

Milky the snow white Bunny will delight any kid over the age of 2 years. Is it wrong for a 36 year old to want him?

Get your own fluffy white Milky The Bunny from Amazon for £44.99. Delivery is free too making it an even merrier Christmas!

Why not buy batteries with the money you’ll save on free delivery?

Watch the Milky the Bunny advert

Let Elmo rock your world! The coolest muppet of all time is ready to rock your socks off. He comes complete with his own instruments (a tambourine, drum set and microphone) and looks pretty sharp in his rockin’ outfit.

A great Christmas gift for young and old folk as everyone will remember him. What a rock hero!

Even though Elmo can really play why not join in with him and create the ultimate Rock band.

For £69.99 you too could have your very own Let’s Rock Elmo for hours of entertainment.

Buy him from Firebox.com and get Free Delivery.

You just need to fill in a few details and the letters will be sent out from 1st December 2011. Each letter comes with a sprinkling of magic…

Not that you’ll need to get your kids even more excited about Christmas than they already are, but it’s always nice for them to get something in the post. It’s a same day dispatch so you can be sure of a quick delivery!

I’ll be ordering a couple for my nephews and can’t wait to see the look on their faces.

Find Me A Gift also offer a great range of Christmas Gifts online from stocking fillers to novelty christmas presents for men, women and children.

Betty Boop is one of my all-time favourite iconic figures. She’s cute and sassy with a retro hairstyle and a stylish wardrobe. What’s not to like about her?

So imagine my delight at discovering a whole new range of Betty Boop gifts and collectables at thebrilliantgiftshop.co.uk. They’ve got a great collection of prints, ornaments, toiletries and a whole heap of other Gifts for Her ideas.

The set contains a 30ml bottle sparkly pink body lotion to make your skin shimmery and soft ready for that night out. Plus the 15ml bottle of Eau de Toilette (EDT) even has a mini Betty Boop sitting demurely atop the lid and will make a great ornament even when the bottle is empty.

This gift set will certainly appeal to plenty of fans. And for just £20 it’s a bargain to boot!

Buy the Betty Boop Gift Set for £20 from the brilliantgiftshop.co.uk

Betty Boop (created by Mr M Fleischer) was first seen in a cartoon in 1930 and has become one of the most popular female cartoon characters in the world alongside Minnie the Mouse and Jessica Rabbit.

She has had many appearances in cartoon strips and on screen including cameos in Popeye the Sailor and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Agony Aunt at Giftchooser recently got a query from a Julia who is stuck for gift ideas for a school friend.

She asks Agony Aunt:

We are doing a secret santa at school, and I don’t know what to get my 13 year old friend. She’s not exactly picky, but I want to get her something unusual. she likes ice-cream, chocolate, cows and pink, she’s a girly girl. She is also quite funny and likes jokes and humour. Please help as I am really stuck.

Julia doesn’t specify a budget but I have trawled the gift sites and found this lovely Ribbon Watch set which I think would make a fabulous girly Christmas gift for a teenage friend.

The Ribbon Watch is 11 watches in 1 as it comes with 11 different ribbons that can be changed easily to match your mood or outfit. The ribbons are comfy to wear and just need to be tied in a bow. The colours vary from a striking red and white polka dot to a pretty pastel stripe.

Unusual, fun and a bit of a bargain at under £13. It comes in a lovely pink gift box but you can even get it giftwrapped for her too!

Buy the Ribbon Watch from Present Finder for £12.99

Hope this helps and have a fabulous Christmas.

You know it’s going to be a good week when you find an online gift shop worth shouting about. For gifts that are handcrafted, fairly traded and distinctly different visit Jacaranda Blue for the shopping experience of the century.

This gem of a site will make sure you are never stuck for gift ideas. Find presents for the men and women in your life – whatever their age. Yes, babies and kids are also included.

Most items are made in South Africa or Asia by local crafts people and communities so all the items are handmade and not mass produced – it also means most of them are unique so each one will differ slightly from another.

And you can be assured in the fact that everything you buy will help these communities by providing a fair wage in an area where employment and money is scarce. Now that’s what I call retail therapy!

After hunting through the treasures on display I have selected my 2 favourite items:

For him

This quirky wire ’working’ car has been deftly made and makes a fabulous decorative piece for a boys room or bookcase. It comes in 2 sizes but I prefer the medium size car as the wheels are made from recycled black bags which really makes it stand out.

Buy for just £10.20 from Jacaranda Blue

For her

I have such a passion for bags. A girl can never have too many and this beautiful blue silk taffeta bag looks fabulous, can hold everything we need and fits comfortably on your shoulder.

Buy this bag for someone’s birthday from Jacaranda Blue for £26

Whether its a treat for someone special or a beautiful house warming gift to brighten up someone’s home, you will find more than you bargained for at Jacaranda Blue.

We ladies have always got tons of jewellery to hand. If you know of somebody who could use a helping hand to organise their collection of crown jewels, I have found this gorgeous jewellery box.

We always have to make sure we have the perfect accessory to hand for any occasion. Little trinkets, earrings, necklaces, rings and bracelets. If you are anything like me they’ll be strewn about all over the place as I never have anywhere to keep it all.

This beautiful rectangular jewellery box is made with frosted glass and decorated with delicate butterflies all over it.

The butterflies and trailing plant design is studded with sparkling gems to make it extra gorgeous. They gems come in different colours to suit the lucky recipient, either pink, blue or purple

It looks stunning, is very practical at keeping all your jewels together and it costs less than a tenner!

Buy it for just £8.99 from Purple Puffin.

If you don’t want to spend a fortune, or have a limited budget this month but need to get a quick last minute pressie for your mum or a friends birthday, this Lotus Flower is a great bath plug.

It’s a cute accessory that any girl would love to see when she takes a soak in the bath.

It’ll transport them into the spa’s of Thailand, or the tropical lakes in some exotic faraway place. They may even feel they are on holiday!

The Lotus Flower will sit prettily on its leaf and float away on top of your bath water.

It’s one of those novelty gifts that aren’t really useful at all, but are just really nice to have.

Buy this unusual floating plug for £5.95 from Feeling Chilled.

If you add the code SPRING into the code box at the checkout you will get a 10% discount . This voucher is valid until 31/03/08.

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After raving about My Silver Balloon Volume 1, I have since discovered that the 2nd edition is now available. This personalised CD has a new collection of 8 happy childrens songs to keep the little monsters dancing and singing to their hearts content.

A brilliant gift idea for a son, daughter, niece or nephew. Or if you are doting grandparents it would be a beautiful idea to give this CD as a birthday present which can be personalised so the songs tracks will actually feature your grandchild’s name. Imagine the surprise on their faces!

Follow the second adventure of the Silver Balloon, this time narrated by the news presenter, Jon Snow. A perfect bedtime story after a busy day of play.

Buy this personalised childrens gift online from The Poetry Studio for £12.45

If you missed out on Volume 1, you can read more about it here – My Silver Balloon Personalised CD Vol 1.

I would have loved to have had a toy like this whilst growing up! It would have provided hours of entertainment for my creative yet slightly clumsy hands. It certainly would have kept me out of the kitchen and getting in mums way.

The latest creative toy is the Teddy Bear factory, which keeps hands busy creating a teddy and not a mess in your kitchen!

This crafty set is just what little girls will want to create their very own personalised teddies at home. The kit comes with enough fur, fabric and stuffing to complete 3 teddies, and you can even write your own birth certificates when each bear is complete. The makers have thought of everything to appeal to the girls as they also come with good luck and little friendship charms.

Remember the Cabbage Patch Dolls? Even though you didn’t make them yourselves, they still felt personal to you because each one came with an adoption certificate. Girls seem to love this ’ownership’ idea, which is why i reckon the Teddy Bear Factory will be a hit with the girls over the next few months.

Supposedly easy to use, especially as it is aimed for girls ages 4 and upwards. The main thing is that no sewing is needed.

However, this is just the beginning, apparently there is a whole range of outfits and furry skins available to continue the teddy bear production line. At least you will be able to get more than one use out of it.

Buy it for just £19.47 from Amazon

The Aquadraw is probably the best invention for parents since sliced bread.

Finally a creative game that’ll keep pre-schoolers occupied for hours but without creating a messy blob on your dining room floor.

Last year we had the Aquadraw for the boys with Thomas the Tank Engine and friends, this year it’s all about the girls, with the Cinderella Aquadraw.

The Aquadraw is quite an amazing mat. It allows kids to draw pink pictures with a magical water pen but doesn’t create a watery mess in the house.

Because it is waterproof, it can be used outside in summertime whilst lazing in the garden or the park.

Be creative with the Cinderella Aquadraw mat – draw a path around the mat with lots of pictures of flowers and animals and castles bordering the path. Then comes the really magical bit, place your Cinderella and Prince Charming on the mat and watch as they follow the path you have just drawn!

The figures included do need 2 x AA batteries to get them going, but they will follow the hand-drawn path, whilst dancing to their song. This toy was nominated for a Toy Award at Hamleys because Cinderella is such a well-loved character amongst girls, but parents love the fact it is ’clean’ fun which involves no ink or paint.

Buy it for your princess for £24.99 from Hamleys

Don’t forget to check out the Thomas & Friends Aquadraw Mat for little boys

Disney came up with another wonderful animation film this year, Ratatouille which is sure to become another classic. The story is set in Paris and follows the lives of Remy the rat and the human Linguini.

Note: Out comes lots of merchandise tied in with the film just in time for Christmas time so kids can pester their parents. However, this board game could prove to be fun for all the family to enjoy.

Remy is a real foodie and dreams of being a top chef but being a rat could be a problem. Linguini on the other hand works as a kitchen hand in a top Parisian restaurant but knows nothing of food and creating delicious dishes. The pair collide and form an unlikely relationship and friendship.

The Board Game was named as one of the Top 12 Games in the Toy Retailers association prediction for Dream Toys this year. It sounds very much like the classic game ’Mouse trap’, as it features a precariously built tower consisting of kitchen equipment, which when disturbed could set of a domino like effect that will trap the rat.

The winner is the person that manages to get all their soup ingredients into the pan without being seen by that nasty piece of work, Chef Skinner. It sounds like a family game to be enjoyed on Christmas Day after your festive feast.

Buy online for £22.45 from BlahDVD – this price includes Free Delivery in the UK.

I had never heard of Fifi until I saw the children’s programme Fifi and the Flowertots. Fifi is a Forget-Me-Not flower who lives in a beautifully decorated watering can called Forget-Me-Not Cottage.

As always with popular kids programmes lots of merchandise comes out in the shops, but this bedtime Lullaby Fifi doll is one of the Dream Christmas Toys of 2007 for pre-schoolers.

Fifi is full of energy and always looking for adventure that is when she’s not busy working in her garden. She has lots of friends and interaction with other characters in the show including Bumble, Violet, Primrose, Pip, Poppy, Tulip, Grubby, Stingo, Slugsy, Webby and Mo.

Now she can have a new best friend – You!

This adorable soft plush doll is perfect for as a bedtime companion as she sings a lullaby when you press her tummy, to help send your little ones off to sleep.

Her cheeks glow when you gently push her tummy too along with the flowers on her pyjamas which gently glow in the dark to create a soothing night-light.

Get 2 for the price of 1 as Fifi comes clutching her best toy Cottonsocks the bunny.

Buy online in time for Christmas from Amazon for £12.74

In The Night Garden is CBeebies latest tele adventure for pre-school girls and boys (although it is quite fun for adults to watch too).

The Ninky Nonk Train is one of those weird objects that takes on a personality of its own.

Following in a similar vein from Teletubbies, this odd but entertaining creation shows a selection of weird and wonderful characters in a nursery rhyme land.

This picture book programme where the inhabitants have fun and take care of one another has shown to be funny and appealing to small children. The colours, repetitive songs and sounds and the bizarre occupants of the Night Garden seem to correspond with children’s own imagination.

Iglle Piggle, Makka Pakka, Upsy Daisy, the Haahoos, Pontipines, Wottingers, Tittifers and the Tombliboos all reside In The Night Garden to provide a fun yet educational programme. Now you can get the Ninky Nonk Train which will provide hours of fun for your kids.

Ninky Nonk the train is made up of several different carriages that can all be connected together in any order and takes the residents of the Night Garden on journeys and adventures throughout the land.

Let your childs imagination go wild with this toy train.

Buy it now at the bargain price of £9.99 from Woolworths

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Become Willy Wonka with your very own chocolate machine. Brilliant toy for christmas or for birthdays close to christmas, as you can make choccie coins for the christmas tree or make your very own xmas pressies for family and friends.

This creative toy is aimed at kids over 6 but will need some adult supervision.

What does it do?

This mini choc-factory lets you discover all about the chocolate making process. Melt chocolate, mould it, wrap it and stamp it with your message such as Merry Christmas or Happy Birthday. Or choose one of the pictures like the football, the sun or skull and crossbones to instantly become pirates treasure! You can even use the tool to make your own design, name or greeting.

What comes with it?

• Oodles of milk chocolate to melt and mould into coins.

• Golden Foil to wrap up your sweet treasure.

• Golden net bags to horde your sweeties in. Great if they are going to be gifts for someone or hung on your xmas tree.

Despite some reports that the machine is a bit fiddly and slow to use, there have been many positive reviews that kids love it and seem to have lots of fun having a go at making personalising their own chocolate buttons.

The one downside that most people agreed on was that the supply of golden foil was a bit stingy and many have now resorted to using silver kitchen foil although you can buy refill packs of the foil and bags once you have run out.

Have your very own chocolate factory for just £14.99 from Hawkin’s Bazaar

Buy a Golden Coin Maker refill pack from Otherland Toys from £4.95

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