• Crafty Gifts by Jane Bull book review
    book review - Craft book review - crafts - homestyle

    Crafty Gifts by Jane Bull book review

    December 3, 2017 - By 

    It’s been a while since I shared a kids craft book with you but I have a lovely one to share with you today – Crafty Gifts by Jane Bull. Stuck on gift ideas for mum, dad, grandparents, or teacher? Then turn to Jane Bull’s charming new children’s craft book. Packed with over 20 ideas for presents, wrapping, and cards, perfect for kids who love to craft. Crafty Gifts is full of amazing projects for children aged 7+ to make, all with clear step-by-step instructions. Jane takes you from creating lovely presents, all the way to the finishing touches of wrapping…

  • homestyle

    Updating a boy’s bedroom

    November 30, 2017 - By 

    Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash I think know my husband thinks I’m a little crazy but I’ve started planning our next round of DIYs. We’ve been in our current house for nearly 5 years and have decorated the whole house, except for his office, and installed a new kitchen. It’s funny how tired you can get of a colour though and I would love to start re-decorating the bedrooms. When we moved in one room was blue and the other was pink. It seemed natural that my son took the blue room and my daughter the pink one. We actually re-painted the…

  • Easy Unicorn cupcakes {thanks to Lakeland}
    baking - homestyle

    Easy Unicorn cupcakes {thanks to Lakeland}

    November 28, 2017 - By 

    A few weekends ago my daughter had a party for her 6th birthday (which is actually today!). We bought the cake, a rather spectacular PJ Masks one, but wanted some special cupcakes to share with friends who were coming back for a playdate after the party. When I was shopping in Lakeland I spotted this rather fabulous Make your Own Unicorn Cupcake Kit. It was pretty pricey for a box of cake mix – but my daughter loves unicorns – so I bought it. The kit contained everything needed to make and decorate the cupcakes – cake mix, icing, sprinkles…

  • Decorating for Christmas with JDWilliams
    homestyle

    Decorating for Christmas with JDWilliams

    November 27, 2017 - By 

    Am I allowed to be smug and tell you I’ve finished my Christmas shopping? My husband took a day off a few weeks ago and we smashed my to do list. I actually found the stockings the most difficult as the stockings we have are huge! I fill them for 4 people so it takes a while to find little things to put in them. As well as getting the things people wanted I got a few extra special gifts. Decorating for Christmas with JDWilliams I love to shop in-store and browse online. This year I found some lovely Christmas…

  • cupcakes to celebrate #TheStarMovie
    homestyle - Monday Happy List

    Monday mindfulness – 5 happy things

    November 27, 2017 - By 

    Happy Monday everyone, time for me to sit down and write my favourite Monday mindfulness post, focussing on the 5 happy things from the previous week. Last week was busy but good so it was a struggle to make a short list! Monday mindfulness – 5 happy things On Monday my daughter was invested into Beavers. I’m sad she gave up on Rainbows but I’m really hoping she’ll stick with Beavers (especially now I’ve bought the uniform and sewn on her badges!). The programme is really well structured and incentivises the children so I’m hopeful she will be as happy…

  • 8 ways to hold onto summer vibes in winter
    homestyle

    Top tips for holding onto summer vibes in winter

    November 25, 2017 - By 

    In the depths of winter it can be hard to remember that everything is seasonal and although Summer is behind us, it’s not long until the shortest day (check out our winter solstice lamp craft) and we can look forward to Spring. I love living in the UK where life is totally shaped by the seasons. As a parent I get to enjoy the long days of summer with my children. Life is easier in the summer. You can wear minimal clothes, spend all day outside and eat ice cream and salad all day. The winter months are harder. It’s…

  • What's inside our Advent crate
    Advent crafts - Christmas - homestyle

    What’s inside our Advent crate

    November 24, 2017 - By 

    Advent can take a lot of planning but it’s sooo worth the effort. I spend November planning our Advent books and calendars so everything is ready for December 1st. Last year I made a little wooden Advent crate to hold everything but I have to admit it barely fitted anything, so I need to re-think how to hold everything this year. I’m so excited for this year so I’m going to share what I’ve got ready for the family: This year I have winter duvets for the kids. I picked these up in Asda in the Summer holidays as I…

  • YouTube cupcakes
    homestyle - mindfulness - Monday Happy List

    Monday mindfulness – 5 happy things

    November 20, 2017 - By 

    I’m so happy to be sitting down and having the chance to write this blog post after an epic weekend. It feels like I had a 3 day weekend as my husband took Friday off, which was rare and lovely. But first let me tell you about the 5 things which made me happy over the last 7 days. Monday mindfulness – 5 happy things On Wednesday I went into London for a BritMums/YouTube event. I’ve really enjoyed growing my YouTube channel this year so was really looking forward to learning some tricks to improve my videos. I have to…

  • Blue Coffee Box review and giveaway
    competition - homestyle - subscription box

    Blue Coffee Box review and giveaway

    November 18, 2017 - By 

    I was recently sent a new subscription box to try at home for coffee. My husband is a huge coffee fiend and can’t get through the day without grinding his beans and getting his stove top coffee pot out. I love the weekends when the house is filled with the smell of fresh coffee. Blue Coffee Box is a luxury coffee subscription box – a veritable tour of the world of high-quality coffee! Read on for your chance to win a Blue Coffee Box subscription box and a generous discount code for money off your first box! About Blue Coffee…