I love sharing my finds with you so today I wanted to tell you about Live, Love and Create. They are a husband and wife team who operate a small family run pottery, craft studios, gift shop and tea room in a wonky old shop in rural North Lincolnshire. Recently they have launched one of their most popular products, personalised drawing tiles, to the wider world via their new online shop. They invited me to try out a personalised tie and I knew it would make the perfect birthday present for my mum. She loves receiving letters and drawings from…
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The John Lewis Christmas advert has been aired for the first time which means the countdown to Christmas has begun. Miffy, created by Dutch illustrator Dick Bruna, nearly 60 years ago, is a firm favourite in our house. We were excited to hear that new books and an activity book have been released in time for Christmas. The titles are Miffy in the Snow, Miffy’s Dream and Miffy the Fairy. There is also a Christmas with Miffy Activity book! Activity books are great, my 2 year old practically eats them! Miffy is a lovable little bunny who likes to find…
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Much as we love to play outdoors the temperature has noticeably dropped and we are spending more time indoors. My children love den building. It’s fun, cheap and easy to put away – what’s not to love? According to Philips making dens inspires UK children’s imagination more than watching TV or playing computer games. I thought I would share our top tips for den building: First of all clear a decent sized space Make use of any chairs/sofa/table or even a washing line strung between a couple of chairs Use what you have to hand such as quilts and blankets,…
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Is it too early to be talking about Christmas? I don’t think so! Now the weather has turned colder my thoughts have turned to Christmas and the pile of presents I’m trying to hide from my children is growing. One thing I can’t hide away is this wonderful plate from Bluebelle Create which we were sent. I shared it on my Instagram feed when I un-wrapped it and it got lots of Instagram-love. Isn’t it lovely? Bluebelle Create is a lovely handmade business, which you know is right up my street, making personalised and handmade gifts, from signature plates to…
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Halloween might be over for another year but we are eagerly looking forward to Bonfire Night on Thursday. We’ll be attending our local firework display (weather permitting!) There are some really colourful crafts around to celebrate fireworks and the failure of Guy Fawkes. Last year we made edible sparklers which I can thoroughly recommend! This year we made constellation lacing cards for Firework Night using a really fun Galaxy-X Duck Tape which is totally out of this world. Equipment needed to make constellation lacing cards Roll of Galaxy-X Duck Tape A4 card center punch laces How to make constellation lacing cards I…
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Half term has meant a welcome break from the normal routine. My mum came to visit and we spent a lovely few days at her house in Wiltshire too. My son’s new bed was delivered. He was so excited about swapping his cot bed for a proper big boy bed. His enthusiasm didn’t last long when he fell out of bed on his first night but we’ve now put a bed guard up and he’s much happier. We spent a day at Hughenden Manor, one of my favourite local National Trust places. The rain stopped as we arrived so we…
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This evening after a very busy day we enjoyed a Fajita and Film Night from Santa Maria (previously Discovery Foods). As the weather turns colder and nights in and lazy Sundays with the little ones become more appealing, Santa Maria sent us a lovely hamper filled with Santa Maria products including tortillas, fajita seasoning mix and squeezy bottles of guacamole and salsa. We love making fajita’s at home but there were a couple of products we hadn’t tried before, such as the tub of Onion & Garlic Dip, jar of Red Jalapenos and Sweet Chilli flavoured Nacho Rolls. All I…
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We’ve had a brilliant half-term. The weather has been amazing and we’ve enjoyed some lovely days out. Our quiet moments were filled thanks to Flora who kindly sent us a copy of their Flora Halloween Fun Pack (available to download from their website) and a creepy crate filled with craft materials. We’ve been quite busy working our way through the fun pack! The guide contains easy and tasty recipes, arts and crafts ideas and games to play with the kids. It was great fun for half-term, especially as both children embraced Halloween this year. As you can see from the…
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Last night I attended a really fun baking with Betty Crocker class at the Central Street Cookery School. I love Betty Crocker products, they’re really great for making with the children, and the whole family adores eating them, so I was excited to learn some new tips and tricks. After hearing a little about the brand and products (which include cake mixes, icings and pancakes) we were introduced to the newest product in the range – Vanilla Icing and Rainbow Sprinkles. Instead of just making a cake we mixed things up a little. First up was a Swirly Snowflake Loaf…