I mentioned the other day how I was inspired to get my sewing box out after a visit to Cath Kidston in Piccadilly. I really loved the felt rainbow needle case and pincushion I saw but wanted to make my own version. It took me a while but here’s my finished Cath Kidston inspired rainbow needle case. I love working with felt and chose a selection of colours from my stash box. I drew a rainbow on a piece of paper and used it as a guide, cutting out each arc then pinning it to a larger piece of red…
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I’m so late with my weekly Monday happy things post. With half term in sunny Devon and my husband’s 40th birthday today we’ve been really busy, but in a good way. – I finished The Miniaturist (which I loved) and have just started reading The Secrets Sisters Keep! by Sinead Moriarty which is looking promising. – I came home to my sweet new acrylic prints which I had ordered from Truprint as a Mother’s Day gift to myself. I chose two of my favourite photographs of the children and turned them into acrylic prints which, at 6×4″, fit perfectly on my…
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The love spoon is a symbolic gift, given to a young woman by her suitor in Wales. Traditionally the handle of the spoon was decorated with symbols of love, and also reflected the skill of the carver. Each symbol has a different meaning – a horseshoe for good luck, a flower for courtship, a Christian cross for faith in God, bells for marriage, hearts for love, a diamond for wealth, a wheel for supporting a loved one and a lock for security, amongst others. We thought we would make our own version so here is our simple Welsh love spoon…
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I have Welsh ancestry so we’re always happy to do a little crafting around the theme of St. David’s Day which falls on March 1st. St. David’s Day is the national day of Wales and always makes me think of bara brith (fruited bread), teisen bach (Welsh cake), leeks and daffodils. 10 Daffodil crafts for St David’s Day We’ve had bunches of daffodils on our mantlepiece for the last few weeks. They really brighten up the house and are a delicious sign of Spring. Everyone loves a colourful flower so I have pulled together a list of 10 daffodil crafts for…
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We love den building so when Building Blocks & Acorns put a call out for bloggers to take part in her Fort Building Challenge I knew we should sign up. Den building can be quick, easy and fun. You can use materials you already have. You can theme them around a favourite tv show, character or book. Sometimes it’s just nice to help your child build somewhere for them to sit and have some quiet time. Today we are sharing the fun we had building our Gruffalo cave. Material needed to make a Gruffalo cave: Blankets Tent Camouflage blanket How…
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This week we’ve been reviewing Flora Buttery’s Family Fun Guide. I know half term isn’t over yet but I wanted to tell you about it in case you’re in need of a few quick ideas to keep the children busy. Written by parenting author, Tanith Carey, it’s designed for those days when you need a little bit of inspiration to stop restless kids from climbing the walls. The guide contains easy and tasty baking recipes, arts and crafts ideas and games to play with the children; it’s the perfect half-term activity pack. The best thing is that each activity needs…
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I’m delighted to be taking part in a blog tour today for Torie Jayne’s Stylish Home Sewing book. I’ve been a fan of Torie Jayne’s blog for a long time so I knew her book would be full of beautiful and stylish items to make. This book does not disappoint. It contains over 35 projects to make your home beautiful. The projects are fresh, are co-ordinated in Torie’s trademark pastel colours, and definitely reflect her style which shines through on her blog. As you would expect from a book published by CICO Books, the projects are really well laid out…
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Today is one of my favourite days of the year – Shrove Tuesday, now commonly known as Pancake Day. As if this time of year isn’t busy enough (and we have tons of birthdays, Valentine’s Day and half term) we can look forward to cooking some delicious Pancakes. This year we’re mixing it up a little by trying something new. We were asked if we’d like to try Clarks Maple Syrup with our pancakes. Our family love pancakes but we’re quite traditional in that we like them with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of sugar. This morning we…
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It’s half term and I’m enjoying lovely family time therefore I am keeping my Monday Happy Things post short and sweet. – The view from our window is rather spectacular as we are lucky enough to be spending some time by the seaside. – We watched The Theory of Everything, the film based on the memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen by Jane Wilde Hawking, Stephen Hawking’s first wife. We’ve watched a lot of films recently and this is one of my favourites. Physics, Cambridge, Eddie Redmayne – what’s not to love. – I’ve been Charity Shop shopping…
