Once again we were the lucky recipients of a bundle of craft kits from Baker Ross which kept my children busy during half term. With the weather turning a little less wintery (I can hope, can’t I?!), the children playing outside more and my tête-à-tête blooming, I declare it is time for Springtime crafting! We were sent a selection of Easter crafts. The children loved the mini birdhouse gift boxes and ceramic bird planters. If you follow me on Instagram you’ll see I have been sharing some photos of these Easter makes over there. Easter egg fuse bead decoration We…
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Happy Monday everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend. I have one more day with my children before they head back to school tomorrow. It has been a busy week with them around, but loads of fun, and we’ve created some great memories. The weather has been a mixed bag but we enjoyed a trip to our local Lido so the children could take their bikes out. You can see how muddy it was but that didn’t stop them. A chance of clothes *might* have been required when we got home. Our little village finally has its own gastro…
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A couple of year ago I fell in love with a vintage Lloyd Loom nursing chair and bought it. There was the slight matter that I bought it in Devon and we lived in London, but my husband kindly squeezed it into our little car. I bought it for my son’s room and covered it with a cute Cath Kidston print. Roll on a couple of years and it made it’s way into my daughters’ room. I’ve been meaning to change the cover for ages but never got round to it – until this weekend! Yes, I finally made a…
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Do you celebrate Mother’s Day? When I was young I remember making my mum breakfast in bed, my big sister carrying it up to her on a tray. Since then, the day has meant giving cards, a box of chocolates and taking her out for lunch. Now I’m a mum and on the receiving end! My favourite thing about Mother’s Day is receiving cards from my children and I keep every one I have ever received – I even write the date on the back so I can remember which year I got them. My children are still little so…
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Today I’m taking part in a bloggy book tour for the latest novel from Dinah Jefferies – The Silk Merchant’s Daughter. Last year I absolutely devoured The Tea Planter’s Wife so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her new book. 1952, French Indochina. Since her mother’s death, eighteen-year-old half-French, half-Vietnamese Nicole has been living in the shadow of her beautiful older sister, Sylvie. When Sylvie is handed control of the family silk business, Nicole is given an abandoned silk shop in the Vietnamese quarter of Hanoi. But the area is teeming with militant rebels who want to end…
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Before Christmas I told you about itty bittys from Hallmark, they are a collectable plush toy in a huge range of characters which appeal to both children and adults. Each plush measures just 4″ and new characters are always being launched, from recently released films as well as figures from some of the most recognisable and popular film and TV shows. The Wizard of Oz itty bittys I loved reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and the sequels when I was younger. The story of Dorothy Gale, who is swept away to a magical land in a tornado and embarks…
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I recently shared our shamrock sun catcher craft for St Patrick’s Day but I am back with another sun catcher craft today! As I mentioned last week, I have started writing and designing projects for the Sizzix blog. My children were intrigued with the Sizzix Big Shot Plus and all the dies I have been experimenting with. I was showing them how it worked which inspired my first project. I used the Sizzix Bigz Die – Heartfelt by Tim Holtz to make an easy heart sun catcher. I think this would make a great Mother’s Day craft. Why not pop…
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Last year we told you about Schleich’s new range of prehistoric animals and shared a fun craft idea, DIY dinosaur fossils using the Schleich mini dinosaurs from the range. We love our Schleich toys so were pleased to be sent the new dinosaurs from Schleich’s The First Dinosaurs range. For 2016, Schleich has gone back to the era when prehistoric creatures first walked our planet with the introduction of ‘The First Dinosaurs’. The collection includes five of the first well-known dinosaurs, each of which come complete with moving jaw and educational booklet which contains facts about each dinosaur. The species…
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As much as we’re enjoying the half term holiday I admit to raiding our craft stash. My children love to wind down by making something and, with Mother’s Day coming up on 6th March, they have been working their way through some of the great Mother’s Day craft kits we were sent from Baker Ross. Heart Lantern Kits They loved the Heart Lantern kits, which contained 4 assorted colours and designs. Each kit included a card lantern template and coloured tissue paper. they were easy to assemble using a glue stick or glue dots. The kit costs £3.49 for a…