• The Course of Love by Alain de Botton
    book review - What I'm reading

    What I’m reading: The Course of Love by Alain de Botton

    May 21, 2016 - By 

    It’s been a while since I posted a book review but I have a brilliant book to share with you today. Over the last few weeks I’ve been enjoying The Course of Love by Alain de Botton, his first novel in over a decade, which was published last month. He has fallen in love with her calm, her faith that it will be OK, her absence of fatalism – these are the virtues of his new Scottish friend. She has fallen in love, equally fast and hard and true, with the reserved sweetness and Levantine exoticism of this sad-eyed boy from Beirut.…

  • Jane Austen adult colouring book
    book review - competition

    Win Shakespeare and Austen inspired adult colouring books

    May 20, 2016 - By 

    I love the fact that new adult colouring are constantly being published. Fans of English literature will love the new colouring books based on classic tales, from Little Tiger Press. You can bring to life the greatest love stories of all time and indulge your creativity with these sumptuous colouring books based on William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet On the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, Little Tiger Press celebrates one of his most iconic plays, Romeo and Juliet. Be transported to fair Verona, where we set our scene. Featuring iconic quotations…

  • The One and Only elephant parade Colouring Book
    book review - crafts - mindfulness - What I'm reading

    Adult colouring reinvented in postcard form

    May 10, 2016 - By 

    You all know how much I love my adult colouring books. I now have 2 shelves full of them from Orla Kiely to Vogue covers and everything in between. They are my favourite thing to pick up when I need some quiet time away from a screen. I’m always Instagram-ming my latest title and my only teeny tiny complaint is the size of them. I think my friends would tell you I’m a tiny bit impatient to fill in a hugely intricate design on an A4 sheet. Which is why I’m really enjoying the fact that the adult colouring book…

  • There's a Dragon book
    book review - competition

    There’s A Dragon book giveaway

    May 5, 2016 - By 

    I have a lovely giveaway to share with you today. Publishing this month, There’s a Dragon In My Backpack! is the hilarious follow up to There’s A Dragon in My Dinner!, the new series starring eight-year-old Eric Crisp and Pan the Mini-Dragon by Tom Nicholls. Both tell the story of a mischievous 15cm tall mini-dragon called Pan, who accidentally finds himself in England and specifically in the house of Eric, a young school boy and Pan’s new best friend. The little dragon has an oversized appetite for adventure. In There’s a Dragon In My Backpack! Eric finally succumbs to Pan’s demands and agrees to…

  • Colour with Me, Mum! by Jasmine Narayan
    book review - competition - crafts

    Win a copy of Colour With Me, Mum!

    April 20, 2016 - By 

    I love adult colouring books as you probably all know by now. I spend so long colouring with my children that I’m happy to have my own books and am happy to spend some time colouring in when I need to switch off for a bit. I keep thinking that there can’t possibly be any more to invent when I was told about Colour with Me, Mum! by Jasmine Narayan. Featuring over 50 unique colouring templates, family psychologist Dr. Jasmine Narayan’s colouring book is shaped to make colouring side by side easier. Each spread features a single piece of art connected across…

  • Lego Friends Emma's Creative Workshop
    book review - family - mindfulness - parenting

    Monday Happy List – week 82

    April 18, 2016 - By 

    Last week I had a job interview. It felt good to put some nice clothes on and talk about my career pre-children. Unfortunately I didn’t get the job but the interview experience was really useful so I’m feeling positive about getting a job soon. With my youngest starting Reception in September I really feel like it is time to get my working life back on track. I love this time of year. The sun actually has some heat to it and I’ve been wearing sandals 🙂 The children have been enjoying the longer days and have both been in shorts…

  • The Pursuit of Happiness book cover
    book review - What I'm reading

    What I’m reading: The Pursuit of Happiness

    April 10, 2016 - By 

    The latest title in the BritMums book club intrigued me. It was The Pursuit of Happiness by Ruth Whippman. Finding happiness is pretty much my life’s mission. My mum always told me that personal happiness was the most important thing and that has influenced the choices I’ve made in life. Today I’m pretty happy. I make time for the things that make me happy: my blog, singing in a choir, subscription boxes and adult colouring pretty much sums up any free time after being with my family. I try to live in the moment and have a love/hate relationship with…

  • 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…

  • 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…