BRAND FOCUS: Smiggle

Everyone knows what Smiggle is surely, it's that place that stationery crazed lovers will flock too and that little ones adore stocking up from when it comes time to return to school.

There is no school go-ers in this house yet (when the time comes I will have no idea how I'll cope) but we do have a little girl who took Smiggle with her on our holiday to Samoa to take her belongings around with her.

Image from Smiggle

The Smiggle Lovely Backpack Tote (RRP $49.95) that was recently released in time for back to school was what we used as an essentials bag for Niah. This was the carry on piece that we used for Niah which was packed with lots of things to keep Niah entertained and to lug her snacks, nappies, wipes etc.

The baby blue colouring with funky watermelon and strawberries that we received was a cute design for kids; which I think is ranged for up until grade 2 in my opinion, wouldn’t really suit older children.

Featuring a large pocket at the back with a divider to carry a laptop or such electrical item; which for us was where the iPad stayed. A smaller pocket at the front; which came in handy for our passports, room keys etc that would need to be accessed easily for numerous occasions and then on both sides of the bag was bottle holders – great for Mummy’s drink bottle and Niah’s drink bottle that was essential to have water with you in the humid Samoa whether.

As the color is light, the bag does get dirty easily and if this was a school bag that wasn’t placed on hooks and sat on the floor as kids which usually put it after time this would need to be washed regularly to upkeep the beautiful colors.

One thing that did annoy me was that the zipper was kind of hidden under a flap of material, it was a more stylish way to look at the bag with no zippers showing but was annoying to get into at times as the material would fold back and get caught in the zipper at times. A way to potentially fix this would be to add a bag charm onto the zipper for ease of finding the zipper and getting into the bag, which is where our little puppy keyring knitted travel (RRP $7.95) made a home.

 

Oh this one was a goodie, I really loved this Smiles Shoulder Bag (RRP $26.95), although it’s not quite the school bag for sizing. It’s a great day out bag for the little ones to bring a few of their favorite things along for their adventures, with the adjustable shoulder strap this can be made to fit your little one perfectly. Niah loves carrying this one by the elbow and popping her things in there to go around – sometimes even taking Mummy’s cards out of her purse when she gets to it and Mummy’s phone to put in her play bag. If you’re ever over for a play date and lose your handbag items, be sure to look in Niah’s.

The shoulder bag also features a zip at the front on the fold over for easier access to those items you’ll need at quick hand and has a velcro fastening which is better for the younger children to get in and out things.

Did you know Smiggle stock Travel Lanyard's (RRP $4.95)? They would have to be the cutest one's out that I have seen for kids. Our lanyard that we were sent was by far appropriate for the occasion, with adorable cartoon Australian animals – kangaroo and koala this was the perfect gift that we could leave behind as a souvenir to the kids in Samoa.

Whilst we were using this on our holiday we would keep the rental car keys and hotel room key on the lanyard so we could easily find them in the backpack.

There is a range of different designs but this was the perfect one for us to have travelling over to another country, it was like carrying a piece of home with us.

The Konnichiwa A4 Pencil Case (RRP $15.95) is very durable and stylish for those at school as well with a total of three (3) zipper compartments this is a great pencil case for storage. A4 in sizing to even fit some paperwork.

Whilst Niah doesn’t have many writing items that would be needed for school we are using this as a little library bag for now that she places books into for playing around with.

Another fun and funky pencil case we received was the Lazercut Glitter Pencil Case (RRP $12.95). Triangular in shape with little heart cut outs that revealed another coloured lining creating a two coloured pencil case. An essential for any little artist out there. Niah is at the age where she enjoys stealing anything that you could use as a drawing tool so we are always carrying around a little pencil case with us that’s filled with water markers – yup the ones that are meant to wash off the walls. This pencil case is super stylish with the shape and glammed up glitter effect.

Something to ensure when you travel overseas is to have something that stands out on your suitcases for a quick pick up at luggage collection.
There is so many suitcases that come through the conveyer belt that everyone is checking tags on bag of neutral colors – get something bold like the Konnichiwa bag tag (RRP $5.95) which comes in a range of cute designs. Ours was definitely easier for the eye to spot with this cute girl character on.

The bag tag has a large writing panel that was easier to fit those long addresses on and that can actually fit more then one word with those who have big handwriting like myself.

Smiggle is 100% percent a brand I would recommend with the many designs, colors, patterns and stationery needs all in the one store and for any age group to be able to shop at.

www.smiggle.com.au