• Flakey McFlake Face ice cream van
    days out - holidays - vintage

    Monday Happy List – Week 88

    May 30, 2016 - By 

    Not only are we celebrating our second Bank Holiday in May but it’s also half term! We’re so happy to be enjoying a few days away from home. The weather has been beautiful so we’ve made the most of being out all day long. I love re-visiting places I enjoyed as a child and we had a great day at Carisbrooke Castle. Due to the school holidays they were celebrating the Cavaliers and Roundheads all week and there were loads of events we could join in with. Our favourites were taking part in the Pike Drill and learning about the Battle of…

  • Hot Wheels Split Speeders Trackset
    competition - playing - STEM activity

    Win a Hot Wheels Split Speeders track set

    May 29, 2016 - By 

    My children are really enjoying the school holidays. They’ve been exploring all their toy boxes and it’s lovely to see them having time to play properly. You may remember a few months ago we reviewed the Split Speeders Blade Raid Track set. We have a few Hot Wheels sets and they provide great value and entertainment. So I’m pretty pleased to be able to offer a Split Speeders Blade Raid Track set to one of my amazing readers. Find fast-paced splitting and racing madness with the Blade Raid Track set, where insane spinning “saw blades” are waiting to split your cars…

  • playing with air drying clay
    crafts - Father's Day - Kids crafts - tutorial

    Father’s Day handmade clay dish

    May 28, 2016 - By 

    We had some left over air drying clay from a recent craft project which I set aside for my 6 year old. He loves playing with clay, it’s very tactile, easy to use and can be used for some fun craft projects. When he came home from school one day he said he knew how he wanted to use it. He rolled the clay in his hands to warm it up slightly, then started rolling it out with a small rolling pin. When he had a small circle, about 5mm thick, he gradually brought up the edges to form a shallow dish.…

  • button fairies craft
    crafts - Fairy garden crafts - Kids crafts - Recycled crafts

    Button fairy wings craft for kids

    May 27, 2016 - By 

    I can’t believe another month has gone since our last post for the Project: recycle & create series. This month the theme was buttons of which we have plenty. I obviously use them a lot in sewing projects but I never really think of letting my children use them. This was a great opportunity! I grabbed the button box and let my 4 year old pick out her favourite ones. Then we gathered the rest of our supplies – air drying clay and craft sticks. We wanted to use the colourful buttons to decorate fairy wings so first of all…

  • Embellished oversized peg
    crafts - die cutting

    Embellished oversized peg craft

    May 27, 2016 - By 

    I recently bought an oversized wooden peg from my favourite craft store. I thought it would be perfect for holding shopping lists on the fridge. You can see how I embellished it using a pretty floral border over on the Sizzix blog today. Sizzix Thinlits Die Set 2PK – Rose Border (660746) You may be interested in my other Sizzix makes: Father’s Day Rosette Simple dream catcher tote bag Easy felt flamingo badge DIY flamingo drinking straws Kid-friendly floral bracelet Simple dreamcatcher luminary Easy heart shaped wooden pegs DIY sandcastle flags My Little House gift box Easter treat bag tutorial…

  • Orla Kiely water bottle
    days out - Orla Kiely

    Olive and Orange by Orla Kiely

    May 26, 2016 - By 

    My Stay-at-Home-Mum budget is pretty small and doesn’t often allow for big treats but I have been lusting after the new Orla Kiely and Halfords collaboration since it was announced earlier this year. The Olive and Orange collection consists of cycling, cycling accessories, as well as tents and camping accessories, all in Orla’s signature style. So far in my life I’ve resisted all my husband’s attempts to make me even consider camping. A few years ago we went “glamping” and although bits were wonderful all I remember is the distinct lack of hot water and electricity – not good for…

  • Getting crafty for Father's Day
    Baker Ross Blogger Network - crafts - Father's Day - Kids crafts

    Getting crafty for Father’s Day

    May 25, 2016 - By 

    What do you give the man who has everything on Father’s Day? My husband really doesn’t need or want much but the children wanted to make something for him. So this year we have been getting crafty for Father’s Day by decorating these fun key-ring blanks from Baker Ross. They sent us a pack of Father’s Day Wooden Key-rings which contained 8 assorted designs – Car, Guitar, Crown, Cup, T-shirt, Tie, Star & Circle. They are easy to decorate using acrylic paint, Deco pens or stickers. I made the mistake of opening them in front of the children so they immediately…

  • Mollie Makes Starburst Sampler patchwork
    crafts - Mollie Makes crafts - Patchwork & Quilting - sewing

    Jenny Makes Mollie Makes Patchwork Project Book

    May 24, 2016 - By 

    I am so late with this post but I have only just finished it! 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 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 65 of Mollie Makes included 30 floral fabric pieces and a Mollie Makes Patchwork Project Book containing 5 projects to make with the fabric. The projects were…

  • days out - mindfulness - Orla Kiely

    Monday Happy List – Week 87

    May 23, 2016 - By 

    Last week was one of those really busy weeks with lots of mundane things. We had an after-school Doctor’s appointment, every member of the family had a hair cut and there were 2 trips to the Dentist. Thank goodness for fun things too though, my 6 year old received a new badge from Beavers and both kids tried karate for the first time. I love the fact they get to try new things, although I noticed there was an adult karate class too…. I sent and received a parcel for the Nana Company swap I recently took part in. My…