• trying to be a savvy shopper (1)
    homestyle - shopping

    Trying to be a savvy shopper

    September 19, 2017 - By 

    Did you know that a third of Brits now believe it’s harder than ever to get a good deal when shopping around? A few weeks ago I was asked to take part in a fun shopping challenge with E.ON. This email couldn’t have landed in my inbox at a better time. I find the school holidays a little stressful money-wise. The children eat a lot, seem to grow out of all their clothes (or go through the knees!) and demand a lot of day trips and days out. Despite your best planning I think good intentions can go out of…

  • too early for Christmas carols?
    homestyle - Monday Happy List

    Monday happy things {Week 155}

    September 18, 2017 - By 

    We had a really busy weekend so it’s nice to finally sit down and go back over the past week. Time for my weekly Happy Things post. The first full week of school was a bit hard on my children. My 5 year old has not been enjoying the transition into Year 1 as she has far less time to play. Her reading has improved so much since she’s been back at school though so all the extra hours of working are obviously paying off. Now the children are back at school I’ve been planning a few craft projects. I…

  • The Handmade Fair at Hampton Court 2017
    days out - homestyle - Local Review - London

    The Handmade Fair at Hampton Court 2017

    September 17, 2017 - By 

    Yesterday I went to The Handmade Fair with my sister for the third year in a row. I really love going to The Handmade Fair at Hampton Court, it’s a great way to learn some new skills and of course go shopping for craft supplies! The Handmade Fair takes place on Hampton Court Green, opposite Hampton Court. It’s a nice location although pretty difficult to get to from our corner of London. We arrived with plenty of time to go shopping before our first workshop. Full experience tickets include a Grand Make, Skills Workshop and the Super Theatre. I booked…

  • JAPAN CANDY BOX
    competition - homestyle - subscription box

    Japan Candy Box September unboxing and giveaway

    September 15, 2017 - By 

    We love learning about the wider world. My kids love to find out about other cultures and traditions and especially food! Monthly subscription boxes are a great way to learn a little about new products so we were delighted to be sent a Japan Candy Box to review at home. We’ve tried a few Japan Candy Boxes before, this is a delicious monthly subscription box filled with 8-10 sweet treats from Japan. I love kawaii – who doesn’t it? – and we all loved looking at each packet and trying to guess what was inside. Take a look at our video…

  • Shopping for Autumn fashion
    Autumn - homestyle - shopping

    Shopping for Autumn fashion

    September 14, 2017 - By 

    Photo by Pineapple Supply Co. on Unsplash The other day I told you that I will soon be celebrating my Ninth wedding anniversary! Woo hoo! Nothing screams wedding anniversary like a date night in a fancy restaurant. Nights out are pretty limited as a parent living in the suburbs, so I’ve been planning my outfit and general autumn wardrobe with thanks to Lyst.co.uk I love shopping online and shopping around to find myself the best deal. Nothing beats gathering ideas from the comfort of my own sofa. There are some brilliant fashion trends for autumn and I’m excited about updating my wardrobe. Not…

  • Win the perfect bedtime book for toddlers
    competition - homestyle

    Win the perfect bedtime book for toddlers

    September 14, 2017 - By 

    10, 9, 8 … Owls Up Late! Ten cheeky, bouncy, noisy owls are playing in a tree. It’s bedtime, but they’re having far too much fun to go to sleep! Uh-oh. Will Mummy Owl ever convince all her little owlets to fly down to the nest? Ideal for children who like the owlets are reluctant to sleep, 10, 9, 8 … Owls is a gorgeous peep-through book that uses the concept of counting owls to make bedtime a fun, educational, and ultimately relaxing experience. The muted colours and count-down helps children relax at the end of a busy day, making…

  • What I'm watching on Netflix this Autumn
    homestyle - Netflix Stream Team

    What I’m watching on Netflix this Autumn

    September 13, 2017 - By 

    I’m a huge fan of Autumn. Yay, for dark evenings and cosy nights in! Thankfully school seems to tire my children out so they’re in bed a lot earlier than they were over the summer holidays. This means we get to pick up on some of the series we were watching on Netflix. This evening we finished watching Season 2 of Shooter. Shooter is based on the best-selling novel, Point of Impact, by Stephen Hunter and the 2007 film starring Mark Wahlberg. In the first season Bob Lee Swagger (Ryan Phillippe) is an expert marksman living in exile who is coaxed…

  • Ideas for a ninth wedding anniversary
    homestyle

    Ideas for a ninth wedding anniversary

    September 13, 2017 - By 

    I can’t believe we’ll be celebrating our Ninth wedding anniversary next month. I’m not sure my husband really wanted to get married so we don’t do much to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We usually swap cards and go out for lunch. I really like looking out for handmade cards and found a great one on Etsy. The traditional gift for a ninth wedding anniversary is pottery and willow in the US and copper in the UK. These materials have been updated to include leather in the UK too. I love copper so chose a really lovely design on Etsy from…

  • how to personalise a playhouse
    homestyle

    Curtains for the playhouse

    September 12, 2017 - By 

    Today I crossed something off my to do list which has been on it for over a year. I made curtains for the children’s playhouse. You probably think that I should have made these at the start of the summer but I just never had the time. So let’s gloss over the fact that I bought the fabric last year from Ikea. I picked something bright and colourful which would complement our playhouse. You may remember we have a cute wooden playhouse at the bottom of the garden. As soon as we built it we painted it in two tones.…