• The Pursuit of Happiness book cover
    book review - What I'm reading

    What I’m reading: The Pursuit of Happiness

    April 10, 2016 - By 

    The latest title in the BritMums book club intrigued me. It was The Pursuit of Happiness by Ruth Whippman. Finding happiness is pretty much my life’s mission. My mum always told me that personal happiness was the most important thing and that has influenced the choices I’ve made in life. Today I’m pretty happy. I make time for the things that make me happy: my blog, singing in a choir, subscription boxes and adult colouring pretty much sums up any free time after being with my family. I try to live in the moment and have a love/hate relationship with…

  • book review - What I'm reading

    What I’m reading: Coastal Crafts

    March 30, 2016 - By 

    As you know we’re currently enjoying a family holiday in Devon on the south coast. We come here every year so I’m always on the look out for ideas to keep the children busy as well as simple crafts I can do at home with some of the treasures we’ve collected – take a look at the fillable wooden letter filled with sea glass we made last year. I’ve been picking up Coastal Crafts: Decorative Seaside Projects to Inspire Your Inner Beachcomber by Cynthia Shaffer for the last few weeks and have already bookmarked a few projects to make. I love…

  • book review - garden crafts - Kids crafts - tutorial - What I'm reading

    How to make a kid-friendly terrarium

    March 26, 2016 - By 

    My children love being outdoors which is lucky because I do too! Our small garden is packed with things to keep them busy from our homemade mud kitchen to the sand pit. If you’re looking for ways to entertain your family outdoors then look no further than Born to Be Wild by Hattie Garlick. Published by Bloomsbury, it includes over a hundred free nature activities to inspire your family to spend more time outside. The other day Little Sis and I enjoyed sitting outside in the garden to look through it. There are lots of fun things to do and…

  • book review - What I'm reading

    Goodnight Spaceman by Michelle Robinson

    March 19, 2016 - By 

    My children are the perfect age to be totally enthralled by the adventures of Tim Peake. It doesn’t feel that long ago since my daughter and I watched Tim Peake on his way to the International Space Station. A few times my 5 year old has come back from school and mentioned Tim Peake so I am pleased they are discussing him at school. Penguin Random House UK Children’s are publishing a new picture book that has been produced in collaboration with the European Space Agency and astronaut Tim Peake. I knew my children would love this story and I was…

  • book review - London - sewing - What I'm reading

    What I’m reading: London Stitch & Knit

    March 10, 2016 - By 

    My bedside table is piled high with books at the moment. I seem to behind sharing them here but today I wanted to tell you about London Stitch & Knit: a craft lover’s guide to London’s Fabric, Knitting and Haberdashery Shops by Leigh Metcalf. The author blogs at Found, now home which I’ve enjoyed for a while so I was excited when she mentioned she was working on her first book about haberdashery shops in London. As a Londoner who loved to stitch I knew I was going to want a copy of London Stitch & Knit on my shelves.…

  • book review - What I'm reading

    The Silk Merchant’s Daughter by Dinah Jefferies

    February 20, 2016 - By 

    Today I’m taking part in a bloggy book tour for the latest novel from Dinah Jefferies – The Silk Merchant’s Daughter. Last year I absolutely devoured The Tea Planter’s Wife so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her new book. 1952, French Indochina. Since her mother’s death, eighteen-year-old half-French, half-Vietnamese Nicole has been living in the shadow of her beautiful older sister, Sylvie. When Sylvie is handed control of the family silk business, Nicole is given an abandoned silk shop in the Vietnamese quarter of Hanoi. But the area is teeming with militant rebels who want to end…

  • book review - What I'm reading

    What I’m reading: The Girl On The Train

    January 6, 2016 - By 

    It feels like it’s been a while since I shared a good book I’ve enjoyed reading. Just before Christmas I was looking for something new to read. It was a difficult time as I knew I would be receiving a few books for Christmas but I really wanted something to read. I was in my local Waterstones buying a few last minute Christmas presents and decided to purchase a copy of The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins. I’m probably the last person in the world to read it. I don’t have a commute, or much time to read,…

  • baking - book review - What I'm reading

    The Nerdy Nummies Cookbook by Rosanna Pansino

    November 25, 2015 - By 

    I love to bake so was excited to receive a copy of The Nerdy Nummies Cookbook by Rosanna Pansino to review. The Nerdy Nummies Cookbook: sweet treats for the geek in all of us, was published on 19th November 2015, priced £16.99. Rosanna Pansino is the creator and host of Nerdy Nummies, the internet’s most popular baking show. Pansino launched Nerdy Nummies in late 2011 and the show’s audience grew very quickly. Her videos have been viewed more than 1 billion times – making Rosanna one of the most-watched personalities on YouTube. The Nerdy Nummies Cookbook is her first book…

  • book review - sewing - What I'm reading

    What I’m reading: ‘Tis the Season to be Felty

    November 14, 2015 - By 

    It seems a while since I shared a great craft book with you. Have you started your Christmas crafting yet? Are you making any handmade gifts this year? I’m not making any big gifts but I’ve made some small decorations. I’ve always enjoyed working with felt so when I read about ‘Tis the Season to be Felty I knew I would be pre-ordering a copy. It’s a follow up to Fa la la la Felt! which came out a few years ago and many of the same designers have contributed to the 40+ projects in this book. As soon as…