Review: Organic Monkey Bumfluff Nappy Balm and Hello Mellow Massage Oil

I love trying out new baby products and if they are as good for soft baby skin as the products from Organic Monkey, then it is even more fun. Recently, I was kindly sent two products from the Organic Monkey range to review and after having tried them over a good period of time, I would like to give you my verdict on them. 

The first product we received was the Organic Monkey Bumfluff Nappy Balm. It comes in 50 ml tub and is made with a blend of organic oils and fairtrade Shea Butter. Although Amy is lucky enough not to suffer from nappy rash, I still used the nappy balm quite regularly on her because I like the way it nourishes her skin. It is easy to spread and is soft and gentle to little bottoms. What I really like about this product is that you only need a little of it to cover the area you want to protect, so a 50ml tub will go a long way. Also it doesn't smell clinical like other comparable products which is a real bonus. With £10.50 for a 50ml tub, Organic Monkey's Bumfluff Nappy Palm is a bit on the expensive side however it absorbs much quicker than other products I have tried and it doesn't leave any grease stains on baby's clothes.

The second product we tried is the Hello Mellow Massage Oil by Organic Monkey. It comes in a 125ml bottle and has become an invaluable part of Amy's bedtime routine. The oil has a lovely subtle smell and absorbed really easily when I massaged it into Amy's skin after her bath. Other oils that I have tried before left a greasy film on Amy's skin and even soaked into her clothes. Hello Mellow however spreads nicely and is just a really lovely product to use on her skin. It has a nice smell and it really helps her to relax before bedtime. Similar to the Bumfluff Nappy Balm, the Hello Mellow Massage Oil is a very efficient product, so the price of £12.00 for a bottle really seems fair.

Both products are available in the Protect and Nourish Me gift set. It costs £20 and makes a lovely gift for a baby shower or the birth of a baby. All products are available from the online shop on the Organic Monkey website or a list of stockists that you can find online. 

Disclosure: Mummy Alarm was provided with the Protect and Nourish Me gift set free of charge for the purpose of this review. All opinions expressed are my own and have not been influenced by Organic Monkey.

The DIY and interior design fairy has sprinkled her magic dust on me

Remember when I asked you to throw some inspiration for interior design ideas at me because I had absolutely no idea on what to do with my boring living room? Well, lean back and relax, my lovelies, because the DIY and interior design fairy has sprinkled some of her magic creativity dust on me. I have played around on a website called Olioboard and created several mood boards with different looks for our front room. I have never used so called mood boards before but I remember a friend using them to plan her wedding and I have to say: I am sold on the idea.

While she sat down and used cuttings from magazines and worked with different posters because nothing she wanted fitted on just one sheet of paper, I decided to go all digital in order to save myself time, nerves and hassle. I registered with Olioboard and within minutes I was able to create my first ever mood board. You can simply drag and drop items from a library of accessories or upload your own items, e.g. pieces of your own furniture you want to create a style around. I love the idea of creating mood boards and am already planning the look of the next room. They are super easy to create and just so effective: You don't have to walk around DIY stores to collect paint samples or spend a fortune on decorating magazines that don't inspire you. 

We have decided to go with a kind of Scandinavian look that fits around our humongous brown leather sofa (it's just too comfy to get rid of it) and we will keep all our furniture because all our pieces are only about two years old but we are going to say goodbye to our cream grey carpet carpet and will go for a completely different colour scheme for our walls. At the moment they are painted in a warm brown tone but with all our furniture being dark brown, you can imagine that it can get quite claustrophobic in here. To change this, we have ordered wooden white oak flooring and decided to go for two bright white walls and two walls in a colour called faded malachite (you know exactly what I mean, don't you?).

What do you think of my little interior design project? Which of your rooms would you like to give a makeover and why? Also, if you decide to create a mood board, leave me a link to your blog post...

Can you throw some DIY inspiration at me?

I know that nesting should normally start before a baby is born but with me it seems to be the other way round. Since Amy's birth I have watched hundreds of DIY programs, read dozens of interior design magazines and surfed the internet to find some inspiration for our living room and bedroom but it just won't come to me. It is getting really frustrating because both rooms desperately need a creative overhaul. They are perfectly livable and I am sure many people would be glad to have a home like we do. But I just don't like those rooms anymore. They're plain, boring and just don't feel like...us.

We have agreed that we need laminate flooring in our life. Of course, carpet is nice and fluffy, keeps your feet warm and gives your living room a cosy feel but it also is a real pain to clean - especially if you knock things over as much as we do and that is Amy not even included yet. However, we are unable to decide on the colour or wood effect we would like as we haven't got the slightest idea of what overall style we want to go for. Our living room is really small, oddly shaped and worst of all comes with a massive but super comfy leather 3-seater and two big armchairs that restrict how you can arrange your furniture. Also there is only one wall that we can put our telly on so that limits where we can put the 3-seater. You see, it is an interior design  nightmare if you aren't a super clever architects who designs houses for TV shows like '60 Minute Makeover' or 'DIY SOS'.

The same problem strikes in the bedroom. It's shaped like a trapeze, it's small and has one side covered in build-in wardrobes so there's literally one way to put the bed. The worst thing about it are the colour scheme and curtains, though, which are a left-over of our landlady who decided to leave quite a few pieces of furniture (yes, the sofa) behind before moving in with her boyfriend. Fortunately, we could convince her that it would benefit us AND the house if we gave it an overhaul. I don't mind getting my hands dirty, plastering walls or cover myself in dust but first of all we need to decide on what we want. 

Maybe you can help? What do you want in a living room and bed room? Do your rooms have a personal touch or did you go for clean chic? Does your home reflect your character and can you decorate a room without breaking the bank?