• Slow cooker gingerbread recipe
    baking - Crafts for adults - gingerbread

    Slow cooker gingerbread recipe

    November 30, 2018 - By 

    At this time of year our Slow cooker gets a lot of use. It’s great as a working mum because I can pop everything in first thing in the morning, and come back from work with a meal ready to eat. It gets used a lot for family meals but today I wanted to share a different type of recipe, for an all year round favourite – gingerbread! Gingerbread is a tasty pudding all year round but is perfect during these colder months. It is so easy to prepare and absolutely delicious, especially if served with whipped cream or ice…

  • Mary Poppins inspired painted rock
    Crafts for adults - Painted rocks

    Mary Poppins inspired painted rock

    November 28, 2018 - By 

    Next month sees the release of Mary Poppins Returns, based on the book series by P. L. Travers and a sequel to 1964’s Mary Poppins. I grew up reading the books and loved watching this film so am really excited to see it. The first film was set in 1910 and Mary Poppins Returns is set in 1935 London, 25 years after the events of the original film. In the new film, Poppins, the former nanny of Jane and Michael Banks, returns after a family tragedy. I’m really hoping we will get the chance to see the new film during the Christmas holidays.…

  • Peppermint Oreo Bark recipe
    baking - Christmas - Crafts for adults - Handmade gifts

    Peppermint Oreo Bark recipe

    November 21, 2018 - By 

    I always have a few easy handmade gift ideas up my sleeves at this time of year. Our diary is filling up with dates to catch up with friends and family in the run up to Christmas. I have to take something with us (as well as a bottle of mulled wine!) and our Peppermint Oreo Bark recipe always goes down a treat. It only requires 3 ingredients and is quick and simple to make. Ingredients: 24 oz. white chocolate chips 10 oreos, roughly chopped ½ cup peppermints, crushed How to make Peppermint Oreo Bark Line a baking sheet with parchment…

  • Mindful creativity with the Autumn Craftpod sub box
    Crafts for adults - Relationships - subscription box

    Mindful creativity with the Autumn Craftpod sub box

    November 20, 2018 - By 

    I’ve had loads of fun with the latest Craftpod subscription box. I wanted to share the projects as they are so lovely. Craftpod is a quarterly subscription box which usually includes a couple of seasonal craft projects, stationery and always a tea bag of some sorts. It’s my favourite crafty subscription box. Mindful creativity with the Autumn Craftpod sub box The Autumn Craftpod landed on my doorstep a few months ago. It contained a really fun paper project by Kate Kato of Kasasagi Designs, an Autumn treasure embroidery, seasonal postcard, English Breakfast teabag and roll of Japanese MT washi tape.…

  • Barbican Conservatory inspired botanical paper cut
    Bostik Family Craft Bloggers Network - Crafts for adults - Paper craft - Paper cut art

    Barbican Conservatory inspired botanical paper cut

    November 16, 2018 - By 

    A few weeks ago now I had a morning to myself as I had booked on a papercutting workshop. I hadn’t cut anything in a while so I was hoping that the Barbican Conservatory inspired workshop would encourage me to start getting creative again. I love the Barbican, having worked next to it for nearly 10 years. It’s such an interesting part of London and I was very happy to be back for the workshop. I arrived and our small group was told more about the Barbican Conservatory inspired papercut we were going to work on. Barbican Conservatory inspired botanical…

  • Rolo Turkey Pretzels {a Thanksgiving treat for kids}
    Autumn - Crafts for adults - Thanksgiving crafts

    Rolo Turkey Pretzels {a Thanksgiving treat for kids}

    November 10, 2018 - By 

    The other day I shared a really fun Thanksgiving craft for kids to make, Pilgrim Hat cookies! Well I have another Thanksgiving craft for you today, another one to get you in the kitchen with the kids – Rolo Turkey Pretzels. Ingredients to make Rolo Turkey Pretzels Mini pretzel twists (1 for each treat) Candy corn (3 for each treat – I used these) Rolo caramel candies, unwrapped (1 for each treat – I used these) Small candy eyeballs (2 for each treat – I used these.) Red or orange candy-coated chocolate candies (1 for each treat – I used these…

  • Celebrate Thanksgiving with simple Pilgrims Hat Cookies to celebrate Thanksgiving with the gingerbread house
    baking - Crafts for adults - Thanksgiving crafts

    Celebrate Thanksgiving with simple Pilgrims Hat Cookies

    November 3, 2018 - By 

    Do you know I first celebrated Thanksgiving in 1995? When I was at University at St Andrews I lived in Halls with lots of International students and was invited to celebrate Thanksgiving with them. We had an amazing meal that evening! Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States, and this year Thanksgiving occurs on Thursday, 22nd November. In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and…

  • Yayoi Kusama pumpkins and paintings in London
    Crafts for adults - days out - Local Review - London

    Yayoi Kusama pumpkins and paintings in London

    October 31, 2018 - By 

    A few weeks ago I heard that a Yayoi Kusama installation was coming to London and I immediately booked tickets. I am so glad I did because they quickly sold out. I booked for a day during half term and this was our only planned day out in London. Yayoi Kusama: THE MOVING MOMENT WHEN I WENT TO THE UNIVERSE The Yayoi Kusama installation is a free event at the Victoria Miro gallery near Old Street. Arriving at our allotted time, we showed our tickets and were allowed inside the gallery. Handed another ticket, we were then ushered upstairs to queue…

  • Crafts for adults

    Amazing ways to make an art of waste

    October 30, 2018 - By 

    Photo by Paweł Czerwiński on Unsplash Sending ton after ton of rubbish to landfill for decades or even centuries before it biodegrades is a bad idea from any perspective. Fortunately, in recent years, we have got a little wiser with our waste. Recycling is on the up, but that doesn’t just mean putting your cans and paper in the right coloured container. Here are some unusual ways that those with some imagination can recycle their rubbish – by turning it into art. The art of trash It’s not unusual for great (or at least expensive) works of art to be rubbish. But you do…