• Brickheadz Belle figure
    homestyle - Lego - Monday Happy List - Orla Kiely - sewing

    Monday Happy List {Week 128}

    March 13, 2017 - By 

    This week has been a bit hit and miss. I’ve been busy planning for my son’s birthday which is on Saturday. He’s turning 7 which is kinda shocking as I remember the day he was born as if it was yesterday. We’re having a low key day with some of his friends coming over, then taking him out for dinner. Currently there’s a huge pile of presents to be wrapped in the corner of my bedroom – I’m not quite sure how he hasn’t guessed what’s hiding under the Spiderman blanket! Every week I try and write a post about…

  • #IWD2017 #5by20
    homestyle - International Women's Day

    Supporting women on International Women’s Day {5by20}

    March 8, 2017 - By 

    I received products from Coca-Cola’s 5by20 program; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Today is International Women’s Day. It is celebrated on March 8th all over the world and commemorates and raises awareness of women’s rights. So today I’m going to share a great initiative from Coca-Cola and how they are working to empower female entrepreneurs worldwide with the tools and training they need to grow their businesses and income. I may be a stay at home mum at the moment but I am so lucky that this is a choice, taken between me and my husband. Some women…

  • The Cath Kidston Classic Colouring Book
    Cath Kidston - competition - homestyle - Mother's Day crafts

    Win 1 of 2 adult colouring books for Mother’s Day

    March 7, 2017 - By 

    Do you celebrate Mother’s Day? It’s coming up towards the end of the month on March 26th here in the UK. I always look forward to receiving a handmade card and little gift. I quite like it if I get a day off from cooking too, just someone else to take over the food preparation and the dishwasher is my idea of a perfect day. I’m not quite sure what we’re doing but I’m hoping there will be some time for a hot cup of tea and an hour with my favourite adult colouring book. There are some gorgeous books around…

  • large-paloma-dipped-macrame-plant-pot-holder-aqua-marine
    competition - homestyle - interiors

    Win a Macrame Plant Pot {a Mothers Day giveaway}

    March 1, 2017 - By 

    Spring is definitely in the air today. It may have just started raining where we live, but when I walked to the shops earlier today the sun was shining and I spotted so many daffodils and crocuses in bloom. Winter has gone on for far too long and I am ready to embrace Spring! With Spring comes Spring cleaning and there are some lovely new trends around if you’re looking to update your home. If you’re looking for value for money then look no further than dotcomgiftshop who have a range of wonderful pieces for the home this Spring. As…

  • Perfect home improvements for a London home
    homestyle - London

    Perfect home improvements for a London home

    February 27, 2017 - By 

    The other day one of my friends posted on Facebook how surprised she was that it took her four years to settle into her new home. Now, she moved from London to the South West, but I feel exactly the same just moving across London. It’s coming up to four years in our ‘new’ house and our home improvements show no signs of ending. Although we loved the vintage features of our previous house – read infested wooden floors and huge gaps between the floorboards – our modern house is so different. For a start it’s always warm; so quick…

  • Apple pancake recipe
    baking - homestyle - Pancake Day crafts - parenting

    Apple pancake recipe {with Pink Lady® apples}

    February 9, 2017 - By 

    As well as being a firm favourite in lunch boxes and after school, did you know that Pink Lady® apples make the perfect filling for pancakes this Pancake Day? We’re all about embracing the seasons here at the gingerbread house blog and were delighted to receive a Pink Lady® Pancake Day kit to get a head start. I just love pancakes all year round although we try to make them extra special for Pancake Day. Today I wanted to share a delicious recipe for apple pancakes. Did you know that Pink Lady® apples are packed with goodness – they are…

  • Mincemeat and marzipan loaf {a brilliant way to use up mincemeat}
    baking - Christmas - homestyle

    Mincemeat and marzipan loaf {a brilliant way to use up mincemeat}

    January 30, 2017 - By 

    We can’t be the only family who still has a freezer full of leftovers after Christmas. Yep, we still have some homemade sausage rolls and mince pies in the freezer! Not to mention all the boxes of chocolates… Every time I open the fridge I saw a massive jar of mincemeat which I was meaning to use up. We didn’t need any more mince pies but I knew it would go really well in a cake. Today I’m sharing my mincemeat and marzipan recipe which is perfect for using up leftover mincemeat. Mincemeat and marzipan loaf ingredients: 8ozs Self Raising…

  • Upcycled Orla Kiely flower vase tutorial
    crafts - homestyle - Orla Kiely

    Upcycled Orla Kiely flower vase tutorial

    January 26, 2017 - By 

    I’m a bit of a hoarder and this applies to envelopes, boxes and tissue paper – pretty much any packaging which comes through my letter box. I  had some gorgeous Orla Kiely tissue paper in my stash and came up with the simplest upcycle. I used: Orla Kiely tissue paper Mod Podge Glass flower jar Upcycled Orla Kiely flower vase tutorial: I cut my tissue paper to fit around my glass jar. Then I used Mod Podge painted directly to the glass jar. I carefully applied my tissue paper and left it to dry. I’ve already filled my glass jar…

  • Apple and Gingerbread crumble
    baking - gingerbread - homestyle

    My Apple and Gingerbread crumble recipe

    January 17, 2017 - By 

    I don’t often share my recipes with you but I recently made something which is definitely worth sharing. Winter is the perfect time for making tasty treats in the kitchen. Last Autumn I came away from my father in law with two huge bags of cooking apples. His garden is full of fruit trees but everything was falling and rotting on the ground. Sadly we could only fit two bags of fruit in our car (thanks to those pesky kids!) but we prepared the fruit and froze it to see us through the winter months. We’ve had quite a few…