• London's Mail Rail
    days out - Local Review - London - parenting

    A ride on London’s Mail Rail

    November 9, 2017 - By 

    We are a train-loving family so when we heard that London’s Mail Rail was finally open we were excited to book a family ticket to go for a ride under London. Have you heard about London’s Mail Rail? You can journey back in time on a specially made train through the original tunnels and station platforms under Mount Pleasant, Royal Mail’s sorting office. We’ve been waiting to go on this since we first heard about it! Ride Mail Rail When tickets were announced we immediately bought a family ticket to ride on the Mail Rail and visit the new Postal…

  • Star Wars Playset
    parenting - Star Wars crafts - toy review

    Aquabeads Star Wars Playset

    November 8, 2017 - By 

    My children are quite creative and love anything that gets them using their hands and brains. Aquabeads is the perfect creative toy for children. If you haven’t heard of them before, you use the different shaped and coloured beads to create pictures, which stick together with water. We were sent the Aquabeads Star Wars Playset to try out. Aquabeads Star Wars Playset Let the creative force be with you with the new Star Wars playset beads from Aquabeads. With this playset you can create all the favourite characters from George Lucas’ popular film series, including Stormtroopers, Darth Vader, R2-D2 and C-3PO.…

  • We Love Sylvanian Families magazine giveaway
    competition - Friends of Sylvanian Families - parenting

    Win a copy of We Love Sylvanian Families magazine

    November 8, 2017 - By 

    A few weeks ago I mentioned the brand new Sylvanian Families magazine. It’s a special one off edition and out now. It’s packed with 36 pages of Sylvanian Families content including puzzles, competitions, colouring in and stories. We Love Sylvanian Families magazine We were excited to finally track down this magazine in a huge WHSmiths. It’s a lovely magazine and includes two exclusive gifts – a five-piece stationery set and a branded keyring. My daughter made a little video to tell you all about it: It’s a lovely magazine and has certainly kept her occupied for hours. There’s a great…

  • DIY Remembrance Day painted stones
    crafts - Painted rocks - Pinty Plus Ambassador - Remembrance Day crafts

    Remembrance Day painted stones

    November 8, 2017 - By 

    Remembrance Day is a really important festival in the UK and around the world. It’s a memorial day observed in Commonwealth of Nations member states since the end of the First World War, with the aim to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. This Sunday we will be attending the annual Remembrance Day Memorial Service for Scouts, as both our children are Beaver Scouts. This will be our third year attending and it’s a beautiful service. We’ve tried a few crafts around the theme of Remembrance and this year we made a variety…

  • Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway cover
    competition - parenting

    Win a copy of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway by Jeff Kinney

    November 7, 2017 - By 

    Millions of children in the UK are readers because of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and fans will not be disappointed this autumn with the publication of the much anticipated Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway, the twelfth book in the series, which will publish simultaneously with twenty other publishers worldwide. My children were sent a special sleepover kit from Puffin Books, as well as a copy of the new book, so they could stay up and read it the night before it came out! 2017 also marks a milestone moment for the phenomenally successful series, with the 10th…

  • DIY Sylvanian Families snow globe tutorial
    Christmas - crafts - upcycling - vintage

    DIY Sylvanian Families snow globe

    November 7, 2017 - By 

    I spent a very happy morning Christmas shopping yesterday. I love having the time to do shopping early, it makes a huge difference if I can make lists and cross off everything as I do it. Getting my Christmas shopping done also means more crafting time which makes me extra happy! Recently I bought a huge bundle of vintage Sylvanian Families figures. My daughter loves Sylvanian Families and I thought it would be fun to craft with them. My daughter and I made our own snow globe and today we’re going to show you how we did it. Equipment to…

  • Hot Wheels Roto Revolution Track Set
    parenting - toy review

    Hot Wheels Roto Revolution Track Set

    November 6, 2017 - By 

    Last week we reviewed the Hot Wheels Track Builder Stunt Bridge Kit from Mattel. Today we’re bringing you our second Hot Wheels review, the new Hot Wheels Roto Revolution Track Set from Mattel. Hot Wheels sets are great for problem solving, they help boost confidence and spark imagination too. Hot Wheels Roto Revolution Track Set The Hot Wheels Roto Revolution Track Set is an amazing toy for kids. It’s a challenging, rotating set in which little ones can test skills in battle head-to-head against opponents! The track set includes two launchers and two Hot Wheels cars for hours of fun. We made a cheeky little unboxing video so if…

  • Trick or Treat
    homestyle - mindfulness - Monday Happy List

    Monday mindfulness {5 Happy Things}

    November 6, 2017 - By 

    Happy Monday everyone! Hope you had a great weekend. Last week was hectic with both Halloween and Bonfire Night for our little family. We were out every evening which was lovely, but also strange now that the clocks have gone back and the evenings are so dark. Before I forget, if you voted for me in the dotcomgiftshop blog awards then thank you so much – I only went and won the Best Family Craft Blog! My children get really excited about Halloween. They had a fun evening at Beavers, dressed in their scariest Halloween costumes. The next evening we…

  • Mollie Makes Advent Village craft
    crafts - Mollie Makes crafts

    Mollie Makes Advent Village

    November 5, 2017 - By 

    Regular readers will know that every month I challenge myself to make the Mollie Makes magazine cover gift. I’ve subscribed since it first came out and have had a drawer full of unopened kits – but no more! I’ve been making more time for grown up crafting and I love to make the kits and hopefully try something new. Issue 83 included a free 2018 calendar and stickers so I didn’t blog about that issue. Issue 84 included a free Advent Calendar kit which I was quite excited about. The kit included a wooden house template, 24 papers by Amy van Lujik…