• Make and Mend by Jessica Marquez
    Crafts for adults - What I'm reading

    Make and Mend by Jessica Marquez

    April 18, 2019 - By 

    Last year I tried and fell in love with Sashiko stitching. This is a  type of decorative Japanese embroidery which I had loads of fun trying. So I was excited to be #gifted a copy of Make and Mend: The Japanese Art of Sashiko Embroidery by Jessica Marquez. It is packed full of Sashiko-inspired embroidery projects to customise and repair textiles and decorate your home. Make and Mend by Jessica Marquez Make and Mend is an exquisite, full-colour guide to sashiko, a simple Japanese stitching technique that uses stunning patterns to decorate or repair clothing, accessories and home textiles –…

  • experimenting with the art of collage
    What I'm reading

    Experimenting with collage

    April 13, 2019 - By 

    I’ve been pushing myself to try new crafts so was delighted to be #gifted a book all about collage. It was packed full of different ideas which totally challenged the  way I thought about the art of collage. I couldn’t wait to try it for myself so printed out some vintage family photos. I found a website which removes the background of an image but you could also cut the image by hand. Then I placed my vintage photo over planes of flat coloured card to give it a totally different look. Reducing the background noise of an image really…

  • Sara Collins’ The Confessions of Frannie Langton {review}
    What I'm reading

    Sara Collins’ The Confessions of Frannie Langton {review}

    April 9, 2019 - By 

    I love a good book and so am delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for The Confessions of Frannie Langton which is out now! I’ve been reading a lot lately and really enjoy historical fiction so I knew I would enjoy this. The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins Slave. Whore. Seductress. Murderer?  They say I must be put to death for what happened to Madame, and they want me to confess. But how can I confess what I don’t believe I’ve done? 1826, and all of London is in a frenzy. Crowds gather at the…

  • When You Read This by Mary Adkins
    book review - What I'm reading

    When You Read This by Mary Adkins

    March 2, 2019 - By 

    I am really enjoying reading at the moment. I’m sure it has something to do with working in a school where literacy is encouraged amongst staff, students and teachers. I seem to be reading all of the time, which is brilliant!  I’ve read quite a few books already this year and am going to smash my Goodreads target this month. My latest book is When You Read This by Mary Adkins, the cover really caught my eye and I was delighted to receive a copy from NetGalley to review. When You Read This by Mary Adkins Iris Massey is gone. …

  • Eco Kids Self-Sufficiency Handbook review
    book review - Crafts for kids - STEM activity - What I'm reading

    Eco Kids Self-Sufficiency Handbook review

    February 21, 2019 - By 

    Over the last few weeks I have been reading the Eco Kids Self-Sufficiency Handbook: STEAM projects to help kids make a difference by Alan & Gill Bridgewater. I love a craft book and this has a great mix of projects for crafty kids like mine. Eco Kids Self-Sufficiency Handbook The Eco Kids Self-Sufficiency Handbook offers a wide range of ways to capture the imagination and make a positive contribution to the world around us. Twenty-eight exciting projects support integrated STEAM learning (science, technology, engineering, art, maths), all with easy to follow step-by-step instructions and photographs. By cleverly combining creativity with eco-awareness, this…

  • Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle
    book review - What I'm reading

    Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle by Clare Hunter

    February 15, 2019 - By 

    Did you watch the Great British Sewing Bee on Tuesday evening? I attempted to watch it, but I was interrupted so many times by my children that I gave up. I will watch it again when they are both out! I’ve always loved sewing so have been looking forward to reading Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle by Clare Hunter( I got my copy via NetGalley). Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle  For the mothers of the disappeared in 1970s Argentina, protest was difficult. Every…

  • The Missing Sister by Dinah Jefferies
    What I'm reading

    The Missing Sister by Dinah Jefferies

    February 2, 2019 - By 

    Image credit I’m not sure what has happened to me lately but I just can’t stop reading books! It may have something to do with working in a secondary school, as we have set aside time for personal reading each week. I also signed up to a reading challenge on GoodReads which is keeping me motivated. Anyway, I was delighted to receive a copy of Dinah Jefferies’ latest book, The Missing Sister, to review via NetGalley. I’m a huge fan of Dinah Jefferies so was excited to find more about her latest book. The Missing Sister by Dinah Jefferies A stolen sister.…

  • The Doll Factory book cover
    What I'm reading

    The Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal {book review}

    January 13, 2019 - By 

    Image credit I love getting lost in a good book and I am delighted to share with you my first book review of 2019, The Doll Factory, the debut novel by Elizabeth Macneal. It’s an intoxicating story of art, obsession and possession set against a backdrop of The Great Exhibition in London. I thought the cover was very appealing, featuring a bell jar full of objects which appear in the novel – a butterfly, an iris, a girl, mouse, peacock feather – all trapped inside. The Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal London. 1850. The Great Exhibition is being erected in…

  • book review - What I'm reading

    The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton

    August 3, 2018 - By 

    I love a good book and was so excited to receive an early copy of The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton to read from NetGalley. From the bestselling author of The House at Riverton, The Lake House and The Secret Keeper, Kate Morton brings us her dazzling sixth novel, The Clockmaker’s Daughter. The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton My real name, no one remembers. The truth about that summer, no one else knows. In the summer of 1862, a group of young artists led by the passionate and talented Edward Radcliffe descends upon Birchwood Manor on the banks of the Upper Thames. Their plan: to…