A couple weeks ago I got an email from Living Royal asking if I’d like to try out some of their products and share my experiences with you. I clicked over to their shop and probably spent twenty minutes gawking at the super random, and funny products that they stock. I found myself thinking how cool this would be perfect for Dave, or how that would be perfect to give to my sister… So I wrote back and said “Please! I’d love to try out some of your fun!”
1. A few days later I got a package full of quirky, awesome products. Babushka tweezers: So cute and surprisingly well made! I was floored with how nice they were for only $5. I gave them to Chelsea because she loves Matryoshka dolls. They make her smile. A Toast air freshener: Um. Smells exactly like toast. Not my favorite smell…unless it’s buttered with cinnamon sugar. I put this in the bathroom cabinet until I decide what to do with it, and it makes me chuckle every time I open the door, because I get a whiff of…toast. Super random. A Match Stylus: This one is for Dave, who has an iPad. It says to be used with an iPhone, too, but I don’t see myself whipping it out. Dave is much more meticulous with things, and like to keep his screens clean, so this will be great. My plan is to make a funny little matchbook-shaped case for his iPad that has a place for the stylus, but that hasn’t happened quite yet.
2) Pickle Band Aids: These I adore. I am totally into fun-shaped bandaids, and the pickles are funny. Just minutes after I got the package I clipped my toenail too short (with my new clippers) and needed a bandaid. My pickle toe made me laugh. A couple days later poor Eliot scraped his forehead and got a pickle. Again, can’t look at it without smiling. Definitely a favorite.
3) Hand and Foot Nail Clippers: Again, I was floored by the quality of these clippers. They are the same Kikkerland brand as the Babushka tweezers, and so well made. The best part of these clippers is that because of their fun shape, Milo has been totally into getting his nails clipped, which has always been one of his least favorite things! Seriously, the other day he asked me to clip his nails with the “hand”. For $5, these are a total steal.
4) A few days after the first package, I received a second one, with two items I had mentioned thinking were cool. Wasn’t that nice of them? The Flying Bird Clips just seemed awesome, and they totally are. They come with 16 in the bag, and I’m using them as chip clips in every cupboard. They are a little lighter weight than some bag clips, which is kind of cute, because then you just add two to the bag and you’ve got a flock. Again, such a useful item that is suddenly cool because it’s well designed with some humor.
The final item I received is far and away my favorite: The Home Made Cookie Stamp. I think this thing is so funny. I laugh because it’s funny, and then laugh harder because I think I’m so funny. Not only is the stamp itself hilarious, but the package comes with a really amazing recipe for a shortbread-type cookie. The recipe is in grams because the product is from the UK, so I went to the trouble (five minutes on google) to translate it into US metrics to try it out. I took the liberty of sub-ing in some almond extract for some of the vanilla, and boy, are they delicious.
The recipe says nothing about the powdered sugar coating. I sort of added that myself because I wanted the imprinted Home Made to stand out really well and I wasn’t patient enough to let the dough chill (which would undoubtedly help them keep their form). Despite my meager recipe translation, and my sugar ad-libbing, the cookies turned out wonderful and were a hit at the party where I shared them. I liked standing back and watching as people approached the table, looked at them, and chuckled a bit to themselves about the message. (The following shows how to make the stamped cookies, but this recipe could be easily used with regular cookie cutters, or as drop cookies.)
Home Made Stamped Shortbread Cookies
(adapted from Cookie Stamp packaging)
1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
Preheat oven to 375. Sift together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Mix in butter and blend until crumbly. Stir in egg yolk and extracts. Blend well. Chill dough for an hour for better cookies (I haven’t tried chilling, yet. Too impatient.)
1. Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper (I use a sil pat) and get your dough and stamp ready 2. Form the dough into 12 golf-ball sized balls 3. Dip the stamp into a bit of flour to prevent sticking, shake off the excess 4. Stamp down flat on each cookie ball 5. Put cookies in the oven and bake for 6-8 minutes until golden brown 6. Coat completely with a layer of powdered sugar 7. Use a pastry brush or a paper towel to lightly brush the sugar off of the cookie tops 8. Stack and serve
I have loved how my Living Royal products all make me happy! They are mostly simple items that somehow make ordinary things a little bit more fun. I will definitely have them in mind for different gifts for friends and family…okay, and myself. I am sort of in love with this funky candy dish and this ceramic egg rack. And Milo would freak out for this dino spaghetti server. Living Royal has $5 flat rate shipping, which makes ordering online easier and cheaper than driving to Target for a gift. Or a hamburger kitchen timer, whatever the case may be.
**I received these Living Royal products for free, but the opinions expressed are my own, and completely candid. I will only review products that I am genuinely interested in, and my posts will always be honest.**
If you have a product you’d like me to review, drop me a line!
