• competition - playing - toy review

    Win Scent-Sationally Collectable Num Noms

    March 31, 2016 - By 

    My house is filled with two small people and their toys. They love small plastic toys and if they can collect them with their weekly pocket money, even better. The latest toys to launch are Num Noms, scented food-related collectibles which appear in the form of mini lip glosses and motorised characters. My 4 year old was sent a Num Noms Starter Pack to review. Get ready for the new playground craze this Easter as Num Noms open up a new world of play – with a cupful of cuteness and a spoonful of surprise! Featuring miniature characters inspired by sweet foods…

  • book review - What I'm reading

    What I’m reading: Coastal Crafts

    March 30, 2016 - By 

    As you know we’re currently enjoying a family holiday in Devon on the south coast. We come here every year so I’m always on the look out for ideas to keep the children busy as well as simple crafts I can do at home with some of the treasures we’ve collected – take a look at the fillable wooden letter filled with sea glass we made last year. I’ve been picking up Coastal Crafts: Decorative Seaside Projects to Inspire Your Inner Beachcomber by Cynthia Shaffer for the last few weeks and have already bookmarked a few projects to make. I love…

  • beauty - Orla Kiely

    Orla Kiely beauty haul

    March 29, 2016 - By 

    A couple of weeks ago I picked up some lovely Orla Kiely items in Boots and I’ve been wanting to share them here for a while. Since we’re away for a few days and I’ve been using them all, I thought it was a good opportunity to tell you about them. I love Orla Kiely patterns and designs. I got my first Orla Kiely handbag in 2004 (I think!) and have enjoyed watching her bring out new product lines and patterns ever since. I can’t usually afford more than a handbag but I got really excited about her beauty range…

  • holidays - mindfulness

    Monday Happy List – week 79

    March 28, 2016 - By 

    I’ve really struggled with what to post today. I love my weekly feature of writing about my 5 favourite things from the previous week. However for once I felt stuck. We’re currently away on holiday in Devon and I’ve been enjoying relaxing so much more than writing on my blog. We usually stay in an amazing little fisherman’s cottage on the beach. We all love it and it’s come to feel like a second home (how I wish it was!). So this week’s Monday Happy List is all about the things we’re enjoying whilst we’re away from home. I love how…

  • Lego - playing - toy review

    Sorting and storing Lego with BlokPod (review)

    March 27, 2016 - By 

    We are a family which loves Lego. We have more Lego sets than we can display in our living room and my 6 year old have a Lego collection to rival any adult. He has a homemade Lego table and storage system which I have previously written about but we’ve recently bought him a new bed and changed his room around and he basically is not interested in keeping his Lego sets separate (much to my annoyance!). Our Lego storage is pretty simple; named drawers for each type, so Lego Minecraft, Lego Arctic, Lego Superheroes, Lego Star Wars, etc. It…

  • book review - garden crafts - Kids crafts - tutorial - What I'm reading

    How to make a kid-friendly terrarium

    March 26, 2016 - By 

    My children love being outdoors which is lucky because I do too! Our small garden is packed with things to keep them busy from our homemade mud kitchen to the sand pit. If you’re looking for ways to entertain your family outdoors then look no further than Born to Be Wild by Hattie Garlick. Published by Bloomsbury, it includes over a hundred free nature activities to inspire your family to spend more time outside. The other day Little Sis and I enjoyed sitting outside in the garden to look through it. There are lots of fun things to do and…

  • egg carton flowers in a hanging glass vase
    Kids crafts - Recycled crafts - tutorial

    Egg carton flowers

    March 25, 2016 - By 

    This year is speeding by and I can’t believe it’s time for our third craft in the Project: Recycle and Create series. This months materials was egg cartons which I don’t think we’ve ever crafted with before. We had plenty of egg cartons in our recycling box so tried our hand at making egg carton flowers. Egg boxes aren’t half as much fun as I remember from my own childhood. They’ve been re-designed so it’s much harder to cut out a decent dimple to craft with. Instead we cut out the bits in between! Once removed my 4 year old…

  • die cutting - Sizzix crafts

    My Little House gift box

    March 25, 2016 - By 

    Hi everyone, I’m back again with another fun Sizzix craft. I love little houses so was excited to see the Thinlits My Little House die by Sophie Guilar. This is the first Thinlits die I have used and includes 8 parts to make the house as well as the embellishments which include a door and window. You can find the full tutorial to make the My Little House gift box over on the Sizzix blog. You may be interested in my other Sizzix makes: Easter treat bag tutorial Hand painted feather tshirt Dipped paper feather Personalised Liberty pouch Easy heart sun…

  • Gnorris the Gnome #GnorrisTheGnome #GnorrisBC
    Cath Kidston - Kids crafts

    Meet Cath Kidston’s latest design, Gnorris the Gnome

    March 24, 2016 - By 

    There are some lovely prints out for spring and one of my favourites is the new novelty Gnomes design from Cath Kidston. Apparently his name is Gnorris, and this cheeky chappie will be popping up here, there and everywhere on their social channels over the next couple of weeks. He takes centre stage on a collection of new products including practical bags, classic mugs, aprons and even a knitted tea cosy. Gnorris the Gnome Perched here and there amongst the flowers in British gardens, you’ll find the quintessential English garden gnomes. Of course Cath Kidston couldn’t resist including these cheeky chappies…