As well as toys we were also sent some lovely books to read and review over the holidays. One of our favourites was Pom Pom the Champion, written and illustrated by Sophy Henn. If you enjoyed Sophy’s previous book, Pom Pom Gets the Grumps, then you will love Pom Pom latest’s tale. Sophy Henn, who was recently described as a ‘Rising Star’ by The Bookseller, combines her unique and contemporary illustrations with her warm and humorous writing style. One morning Pom Pom was all at sixes and sevens. He didn’t know what to do with himself. His mum suggests a game and…
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I’m bracing myself for my children going back to school next week. I know it won’t be long before the letters home start being placed in school bags and I will be expected to provide money, cakes and dressing up clothes for both of them. Last year I had fun making a cute little ladybird costume for my son, which then got upcycled into a superhero cape for my daughter. I was pretty proud of myself for that one! I received a beautiful new craft book to review which has given me tons of inspiration to prepare myself. Wild Things…
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As I mentioned the other day I was invited to a fun workshop to celebrate the launch of Furniture Hacks by Hesta Van Overbeek at West Elm, the furniture and accessories store on Tottenham Court Road. How to make a plate clock We sat down at a long table and were able to pick a plate from West Elm for the clock face, our choice of hands as well as a clock mechanism and battery. Then came the fun part. I painted my clock hands orange using nail varnish and marked the centre of my plate with a small dot…
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These days I’m surrounded by tech. I don’t go anywhere without my iPhone, I also have an iPad Mini and use a MacBook Air at home. My husband has the same items so we’re always looking for ways to identify them so we know who owns what. This week a new book was published – Dress Your Tech: 35 projects to customise your phone, laptop, tablet, camera, and more by Lucy Hopping. Shop-bought covers and accessories can be expensive and dull so this book is perfect if you would like to customise them yourself for a fraction of the price.…
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I love reading and sharing my finds here. I read lots of lovely craft books but I fell in love with the cover of my latest book, The Tea Planter’s Wife by Dinah Jefferies. Nineteen-year-old Gwendolyn Hooper is newly married to a rich and charming widower, eager to join him on his tea plantation, determined to be the perfect wife and mother. But life in Ceylon is not what Gwen expected. The plantation workers are resentful, the neighbours treacherous. And there are clues to the past – a dusty trunk of dresses, an overgrown gravestone in the grounds – that…
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The school holidays means lots of time to read books and as fans of Julia Donaldson we were very excited to receive a copy of What the Ladybird Heard Next by Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks, published 10th September by MacMillan Children’s Books. This is the highly anticipated sequel to their best-selling 2009 picture book What the Ladybird Heard. Once upon a farm there lived a ladybird, And these are the things that she saw and heard… There’s a new crime afoot down on the farm! Those crafty robbers Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len are out of jail, and they’re…
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If you like drawing, colouring and hundreds of stickers, which both my children do, then I have two great book recommendations for you today. You Are An Artist! Based on the best-selling picture books, I Am An Artist!, this unique new sticker activity book is your chance to get creative and make art with the award-winning Marta Altes. A truly exciting sticker book, which shows you that anyone can be an artist – it’s easy – and what’s more, it’s a lot of fun! Packed with colourful, smart and silly ideas plus hundreds of stickers, all designed to get you…
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I recently finished my Union Jack flag quilt so was looking for a smaller project to make. Fortunately I found lots of inspiration in Belle and Boo S is for Sewing: over 25 playtime projects to make for creative children. This unique craft book of Belle & Boo themed playtime projects contains ideas and instructions for over 25 makes designed to engage a child’s imagination. Each sewing project will transport your child to another world where they can make-believe about being a pirate, a ballerina or even a tiny woodland creature. All projects come with step by step guides and…
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As a mother to two small children I seem to spend a lot of time tidying away toys, putting away clean clothes and trying to keep the house tidy. I know I can’t be the only one who struggles to find a happy medium between a family home and a stylish home. So I was pretty pleased to come across Design Mom: How to Live with Kids by Gabrielle Stanley Blair. This book sounds like it was written for me! Gabrielle Stanley Blair believes that a well-designed home doesn’t have to disappear when kids come along—and she should know: She’s…