Woods of Windsor Lavender Talc Set

Mums are a hard-working bunch, aren’t they? They are always there for their children, whether it’s to cook them dinner or listen to their problems. And that’s on top of dealing with their own lives.

These days, mums are busier than ever before. Many mums have careers and do a full day’s work before coming home and caring for the family. How tiring! And how fitting that we should celebrate mums and all they do for us on Mothers’ Day.

There are various different explanations for the origins of Mothers’ Day. Some say it dates back to Ancient Greece. The saddest explanation we found was that it dates back to Victorian times, when children were sent away from the family home. They were allowed to spend one day a year with their parents (!), which was Mothers’ Day. Aren’t we glad that things have changed since then?

If you’re a daughter looking to treat your mum this Mothers’ Day, why not buy her a lovely present like this gorgeous Woods of Windsor Lavender Talc Set? Grab one quickly if you want it because it’s on sale, and choose our Next Day Delivery option to make sure your gift reaches its recipient on time.

If you’re taking Mum out for lunch and you want to make sure you’re dressed for the occasion, try teaming this Flower Trim Dress with a cute cardigan and a smart handbag.

If you’re a mother, you’ll be looking forward to receiving cute cards from your children and maybe even getting the chance to put your feet up. If your partner has told you that he’ll do the housework this Sunday, make sure he keeps his promise. As the day approaches, you may want to drop a few hints about how much you enjoy breakfast in bed!

Whatever you do this Mothers’ Day, have a wonderful time with your family.

Floral Chiffon Top

If you want to stop spending money on clothes you never wear, creating a capsule wardrobe could be just the thing. A capsule wardrobe is a set of clothing – normally 15-20 items – that all match each other and can therefore be used to create numerous different outfits.  No more instances of buying a single item because it looked good on the mannequin, only to find it doesn’t go with any of your other clothes!
Have a look inside your existing wardrobe – you almost certainly already own the beginnings of a capsule wardrobe. Ask yourself which clothes you wear all the time, and which items always seem to feature in your outfits. Then use these clothes as the basis of your capsule wardrobe.

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Our top tips for creating the perfect capsule wardrobe are as follows:
• Decide on a unified colour scheme so all your clothes match each other and go with a single pair of shoes.
• Buy timeless designs to ensure your clothes do not go out of fashion.
• Choose the right clothes for your body shape.
• Select clothes that suit your lifestyle.
• Vary your outfits by accessorising with jewellery, scarves and bags.

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Don’t know where to start? Try this combination of items from Kaleidoscope, all based on a unified colour theme of green and magenta: a Floral Chiffon Top ; a Georgette Top ; a Sequin Trim Dress ; and a Ruffle Cardigan .

Heine Picture Frame

You’ll never regret taking lots of photos of your family. In fact, if you don’t have enough photos of your children when they were really small, chances are that you’re kicking yourself.

It’s wonderful to browse through memories of the old days – you know, before the kids got stroppy and wanted to stay out all night and your hubby started to lose more hair than a moulting hamster!

Thanks to digital photography, it’s so easy these days to capture those magic moments. Most of us have got half decent cameras on our phones too, so there’s really no excuse to get snapping. Don’t be scared to play family photographer: here are some handy tips to help you or any other budding David Bailey in the family.

Snap, snap and snap again – take lots of photos until you’re happy with the results. This is especially true if you’re taking posed photos.

Be creative and have some fun: the days of lining up the family in a formal, glum way are long gone. Get in close, take candid shots and even play around with the different colour settings on your camera.

Use levels and angles. Get down on the floor with the little ones or stand on a chair to take an aerial shot of a big family gathering.

Natural daylight provides the best conditions for taking flattering snapshots. If that’s not possible, then don’t be afraid to experiment with the flash – will your camera let you reduce it or even switch it off sometimes?

Hotel Luxury

Fancy a free night at a gorgeous hotel with the partner of your choice? Silly question – of course you do! What could be better than a break from the old routine with other people looking after you for a change?

Well, we’ve got two one night hotel stays to give away to two lucky Kaleidoscope fans. We know how much you love us, so it’s time for us to say thank you with this excellent competition.

Entering is really easy. All you need to do is pick an outfit suitable for a glamorous summer event from our website. Your outfit must include shoes, a bag and either a dress or a top and trousers, skirt or shorts. We know how great you are at shopping, so that’s a doddle for you stylish sorts to begin with! Then go to our dedicated Facebook event page. To register your entry, click “attending”, enter the name of your three chosen glam items, along with their colours, and add details of your chosen event – will you be wearing your outfit to the races, a summer cocktail party or even a ritzy wedding?

When you’ve registered your entry,  skip over to the Kaleidoscope Facebook page and become a fan. Fans will be the first to hear about our exclusive offers and deals, so don’t miss out.

The competition closes on 28th February, so get your entry in quickly! Good luck!

Body Sculpture Bike

Exercise is a vital part of life. It not only helps to keep the weight down (and who isn’t worried about that?) but also fights against stress levels and builds strength.

Despite all of this, many of us do next to no exercise. With our busy schedules – work, family life and household chores – it can be a challenge to find a spare hour for an exercise class. What’s more, many people think fitness means just going to the gym, which of course can be quite expensive.

Actually, it’s easier and cheaper than you might think to incorporate exercise into your daily routine, and the benefits of doing so are huge.

Try these little changes every day for a month and see how you feel at the end of it:

• Get off the bus two stops earlier each journey and walk the rest of the way (or park the car ten minutes further away)

• Do leg lunges and squats whilst doing the hoovering

• Forget lifts and elevators – use the stairs

• Walk the kids to school – it’s good for them too

• Get on the floor and do leg lifts and press-ups whilst watching TV

Just ten minutes of extra physical activity a day will help you to feel more energetic and happier, because exercise releases something called endorphins into our brains – these are our body’s cheer-me-up chemicals!

Digital Luggage Scale

Packing for your holiday can be as much of a hassle as it can be exciting. You want to take as much as possible away with you, but at the same time you don’t want to lug a heavy suitcase across countries and continents. That’s not to mention avoiding the wrath of certain airlines who will charge you extra if you go even a teeny bit over your luggage allowance.

With that in mind, here are some of our tips for packing for travel … with any luck, you’ll have some room left in your suitcase (perhaps you could use that space to smuggle us along on your holiday?).

Create a capsule

Holiday packing is all about the capsule wardrobe. That means choosing a few select items that can be worn together in many different combinations. The result? You wear a different outfit every day but without needing to take, say, 20 dresses with you.

Flippety floppety

Flip flops have come into their own of late and are a holiday must-have. Take one black and one coloured pair with you, and that’s your beach and evening footwear taken care of without weighing down your luggage at all.

Linen lovelies

Linen trousers are a summer style classic – the very stuff that holiday capsule wardrobes are made of. Wear them over your swimming costume during the way along with a silk scarf and oversized sunnies, and then team with chunky metallic costume jewellery and a smart handbag for dinner.

Shift Dress

Isn’t it wonderful to be tall and leggy? You get to look all Amazonian, just like a supermodel. Well, lots of tall women might disagree, because it can be difficult to find clothes to fit and suit the taller lady (although you’re sure to find something to suit on Kaleidoscope!).

We think that those of you who are lucky enough to be 5”8 and over should embrace your beautiful height. Here’s a few of our tips to maximising your loftiness and looking great whatever you wear.

Break it up: Whereas smaller women need to stick to one or two colours in their outfit to lengthen their figures, taller women don’t need this trick. This means you can break up your outfit with lots of patterns and colours, which will create lots of vibrancy and interest.

Flat fixation: Taller women have the luxury of wearing flats, even on special occasions – you don’t need to suffer in uncomfortable heels in order to look gorgeous. There are loads of fashionable flats out there, so start shopping in the knowledge that you can be comfy and stylish at the same time.

Dress up: Tall women who want to create a fuller bodyline should try smock or shift dresses. These can work really well for slim ladies over 5”8 who are worried they will look too gaunt in tighter, body-hugging clothes.

Holiday Shop - Ombre Dress

Well, we’re only one month into the year, and most of us already need a break from the old routine! Who’d have thought that going to work or looking after the kids in this freezing weather would be so exhausting?

There’s no need to wait until the summer to get yourself some time away. In fact, a city break provides the perfect way to get a little holiday without spending too much money or indeed taking up too much of your annual leave. In fact, with some destinations such as Paris and Bruges so close to the UK, you might not need to take any time off of work at all: simply hop on the Eurostar after work on a Friday night and come home on Sunday night ready for the week ahead!

When thinking about which city to visit, first of all consider who you’re taking with you. If it’s a family trip, then you’ll want to visit a city with activities for kids of all ages. Copenhagen, in Denmark, has beer and castles for the grown-ups whist the oldest Legoland (just outside the city) in the world will amuse the children.

If you’re planning a romantic break, then of course Paris springs to mind – especially in springtime. It’s the city for lovers and the scene of many a tear-strewn proposal, especially at the top of the Eiffel Tower.

For a fun trip with friends or family, why not check out Barcelona? There are bars and fine restaurants aplenty as well as lots of gorgeous Gaudi architecture.

Together Scoop Neck Cardigan

Are you managing to keep warm this winter?

It’s been a real shocker so far, hasn’t it! All of that horrible snow and ice. Great for the children – all of those days off of school and snowmen to build – but rather rubbish for the rest of us.

It’s difficult to keep going when it’s so cold. That’s why it’s so important to make sure you have everything you need to keep warm and indeed safe (like not wearing stilettos in the snow and opting for wellies with a firm traction instead).

Start your search for toasty warm wardrobe essentials with a visit to our Essential Knitwear Shop. We particularly like this hidden gem – the Together Scoop Neck Cardigan. This scoop neck longer length cardigan has three-quarter length sleeves and useful pockets. It’s so important to layer up in the cold weather – layering keeps you warmer for longer – and this stylish cardigan makes you look great whilst you do that.

When it comes to wellies, you don’t have to sacrifice style for practicality. These Wedge Wellies are brilliant – but get them while they’re hot, because they’re on sale! They come in two designs – plain black and python. Both choices are great for fashionistas in the rain!

Apart from kitting yourself out with stylish winter gear, make sure you’ve stocked up on hot chocolate: it’s an unbeatable cure for a cold winter’s night!

Print Chiffon Skirt

January and February are usually a little dry when it comes to finding reasons for a party. After all, it’s not Christmas any more, and Easter seems a bit far away (not to mention Halloween!). However, there’s no reason why you can’t be creative and make up your own themes for a party. We are allowed to have fun at the beginning of the year – it’s official!

Why not have a think about some fun themes for parties and get-togethers, and then invite your friends and family around for some good times? In this cold and miserable weather, it’s more important than ever to see your loved ones and put a smile on everyone’s faces.

One possible theme is a “hello spring” party, as February does herald the start of this lovely new season. Ask your guests to wear bright colours and patterns – banish wintery black and embrace bright yellows and pinks and floral patterns too. This Print Chiffon Skirt would be a good choice.

Remember to get some cheery lighting in to create a suitable atmosphere. This gorgeous Tiffany Style Floor Lamp has a most seasonal floral pattern and is a really classic choice – it will bring style to any party. There are more spring-flavoured florals to enjoy with the Orchid Rug, whose cheerful and bold blue floral pattern will really get your guests talking.