• Win a Sew Your Own Molly Doll kit
    competition - sewing

    Win a Sew Your Own Molly Doll kit

    January 10, 2017 - By 

    My son came home from school yesterday and told me they had been working on writing their New Year’s Resolutions. I was a little surprised to hear that his top resolution was to sew more gifts for people. He received a lovely sewing kit for Christmas so hopefully this will be something be get to do together this year. I have a fun giveaway to kick start the New Year. Creative children will love the brand new Sew Your Own craft kits from the dotcomgiftshop Autumn-Winter season. The design team have created a totally cool collection of activity sets, based on…

  • Moana Classic Doll review
    Hasbro Toy Tribe - parenting - playing - toy review

    Disney’s Moana of Oceania doll review

    January 8, 2017 - By 

    We are so excited about the latest Disney film, Moana. It was released just before Christmas and we went to see it during the holidays. We love going to the cinema and Moana is a great anti-princess figure for my daughter. Moana is an adventure about a spirited teenager who sails out on a daring mission to prove herself a master wayfinder and fulfil her ancestors’ unfinished quest. During her journey, Moana meets the once-mighty demi-god Maui, and together, they traverse the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous fiery creatures and impossible odds. My 5 year old daughter enjoyed…

  • Christmas Birds Lucky Dip Club Box
    homestyle - subscription box

    Lucky Dip Club December unboxing

    January 8, 2017 - By 

    I’m not sure why I was feeling so flush last month but I was. So December saw not one, not two, but three subscription boxes arriving on my doorstep. I love the quirky Lucky Dip Club box so when I heard it was the penultimate one I snapped it up. December was a crazy month so I didn’t really need one or any subscription boxes. I actually only opened this after Christmas when the contents didn’t really make sense for January! The theme for December was Christmas Birds. The Lucky Dip Club Box is always very generously packed with fun things.…

  • Jyn Erso's Death Star cookies - the gingerbread house
    baking - gingerbread - Star Wars crafts

    Jyn Erso’s Death Star cookies

    January 7, 2017 - By 

    Having a 6 year old who is obsessed with Star Wars can be hard work. Since watching Rogue One and receiving lots of books about it at Christmas, means every time he opens his mouth he’s talking about Star Wars. I’ve seen the film too, and loved it. My children went back to school this week and I wanted to make them a fun after school snack. You know I love making gingerbread so I made a batch of gingerbread cookies, and named them Jyn Erso’s Death Star cookies. “That’s no moon. It’s a space station.“ If you’ve watched Rogue…

  • Mistletoe sun catcher against a blue sky
    Christmas - crafts - Kids crafts - Recycled crafts - tutorial

    Mistletoe sun catcher

    January 6, 2017 - By 

    Mistletoe is such a pretty plant. We usually buy a bunch in December to hang inside our home – the perfect thing to grab a Christmas kiss under! This year we couldn’t find any to bring indoors so we decided to make our own mistletoe sun catcher. Mistletoe sun catcher craft for kids We used: cellophane wrappers from sweets, contact paper and white card. First I drew a piece of mistletoe on a sheet of white card. I cut out the mistletoe using my scalpel and cutting mat but you could do this with scissors. I covered one side with…

  • EmbellishBox - monthly templates for paper cutting
    crafts - handmade - Paper craft - Paper cut art - subscription box

    EmbellishBox monthly templates for paper cutting {subscription box}

    January 4, 2017 - By 

    Last year I really embraced paper cutting. I love paper cutting. It requires few materials and seems to take up less room than my sewing stuff. It’s also easier to put down and pick up again which is why I have a folder full of paper cuts! Having worked my way through Cut It Out! by Poppy Chancellor I was looking for more designs to cut out. I bought a few books from Amazon and then heard about the Embellish Box. This is a monthly subscription box for paper cutters. It sounded great so I bought myself a box and…

  • Issue 74 Mollie Makes Dachshund Brooch Kit
    crafts - handmade - Mollie Makes crafts - sewing

    Mollie Makes Dachshund Brooch Kit

    January 3, 2017 - By 

    Every month I challenge myself to make the Mollie Makes magazine cover gift. I’ve subscribed since it first came out and have 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. I’ve been terrible lately, the last few kits haven’t been very inspiring but I did want to make the latest one. Issue 74 Mollie Makes Dachshund Brooch Kit The Mollie Makes Dachshund Brooch Kit was designed by Alina Bunaciu of Hana Letters. The kit contained everything needed…

  • Monday Happy List - hot chocolate
    Lego - mindfulness - Monday Happy List

    Monday Happy List – week 119

    January 2, 2017 - By 

    I love the period between Christmas and New Year. My husband had taken the whole time as annual leave so we were able to relax and went to my mum’s house for a few days. My weekly Happy List helps me be mindful of the small things which have happened in the previous week. If you do something twice does that make it a tradition? I hope so. On Boxing Day we went to our local Pantomime. It was bad but in a good way and everyone seemed to enjoy it. It felt like everyone received Lego for Christmas except…

  • 24 Elf on the Shelf ideas that work
    Christmas - Elf on the Shelf

    24 Elf on the Shelf ideas that work

    January 1, 2017 - By 

    Apologies, this is going to be a picture heavy post. For the last few years we’ve been visited by an elf. He arrives on December 1st with our Advent crate and disappears on the 24th, leaving us a Christmas Eve crate. I see a lot of negative press about Elf on the Shelf and I’m not really sure why. He is not there to shock the children into behaving. In fact he’s a little silly and tries to do something different every day to make them smile. My children are 5 and 6 so I’m not sure how long they…