Not long now until the big day so I’m beginning to draw up a mental check list for what to do next. The personalised cards have been signed and sent, the presents wrapped and delivered, the decorations taken out of the loft and we’ve all come down with colds and a stomach bug. Bah humbug! I have to admit my Christmas spirit is flagging slightly but I’m hoping we’ll all be feeling better soon as there’s still so much to do. Top of my list (when I feel like it) is the Christmas food shop. It always fills me with…
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I can’t believe it’s two weeks until Christmas. I felt so organised until I realised I hadn’t made half the decorations I wanted to. This evening I made a yarn wreath which was top of my list. It was a great project to do, especially as I didn’t need to buy anything. I covered the polystyrene circle in red and white wool and wrapped a chain of felt candy sweeties through it. I love working with felt and the felt candies are spaced with red and white beads – this project definitely ticks my red and white decoration theme! Although…
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This year I have two little people who I really want to make Christmas special for. I know Christmas doesn’t have to be about spending lots of money but I may have been a bit silly with the amount of presents they have! Fortunately I also love to save money where I can which is why we’ve been busy getting our craft on and making our own decorations. I thought I’d share 5 of our favourite handmade Christmas decorations: Handprint family Christmas tree – The toddler loves to paint so really enjoyed this craft. We all covered our hands in…
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Worried how you’ll get through Christmas with the children? Fear not, HiPP Organic have created their Top 10 Tips which will help you have an enjoyable Christmas and make it to January in one piece! 1. Set a present budget for baby and stick to it! They’ll probably be more interested in the boxes and bows anyway! 2. Delegate Plan ahead and put your guests in charge of special jobs. Photography is a great one to hand over – you won’t have time and will want a record of this special day. 3. Rule The Routine One of the…
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We’re making as many decorations as we can this year, all with our red and white theme. I really wanted to try melting plastic beads inside cookie cutters, so we did. Melted bead decorations I wasn’t sure what the toddler would make of the colourful plastic beads but at 33 months he really enjoyed it. Granted, I’ve been finding them caught in the floor boards ever since, but he enjoyed himself and that’s all that really matters. I picked up a huge box of small plastic beads at my local charity shop so this was a cheap and easy craft.…
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I’m a big fan of Ruth Clemens, blogger at The Pink Whisk and runner-up of the Great British Bake Off. She has recently teamed up with Persil to celebrate the launch of a new, limited edition Persil Warm Spice Washing Up Liquid and create some festive family recipes. I was challenged to try one of her recipes at home and it was difficult to choose just one from Mini Sausage Twirls, Orange Fig Glazed Ham, Spiced Apple Chutney and Candy Cane Meringues. However eventually I chose the Christmas Biscuits as I have a bit of a sweet tooth! Take a…
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We had a busy morning as today we had our bathrooms cleaned, more of which later. So this afternoon, after Little Sis had her 12 and 13 month jabs, we thought we should snuggle together and watch a film. With over 1.5 billion video views on YouTube to date, internet sensation Gummy Bear now has his own Christmas film! Children’s animation ‘The Yummy Gummy Search For Santa’ follows Gummy Bear who takes it upon himself to find Santa who has gone missing and save the day for the children of the world. Supported by his friends Harry (a Chameleon), Kala…
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The other day I shared my first video review of the Scotch Pop Up Handband which makes gift wrapping quick and easy. My toddler is now addicted to using it and runs to put it on his wrist every time he sees me reaching for the brown paper! The Handband comes with one pack of 75 pre-cut strips but you can buy refill packs which contain three packs of strips. Scotch have kindly offered me 5 prizes of the Pop-Up Handband for readers of the gingerbread house so keep reading to find out how to enter. Giveaway: I have five…
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Can I admit to really enjoying wrapping presents? It doesn’t matter what shape or size. I just pour a glass of wine, switch the radio on and get my supplies out. Yes, my name is Jenny and I have a box of gift wrapping supplies. It contains: Scotch Precision Scissors Scotch Pop-up Handband and refills Brown paper for wrapping Handmade gift tags Although I enjoy wrapping it can be time consuming which is why the Pop-up Handband from Scotch is great for saving time. Do you remember I mentioned we’re starting a book advent on December 1st? Well this week…