• Family Life - Monday Happy List

    Monday mindfulness – 5 Happy Things

    January 29, 2018 - By 

    Happy Monday everyone! I’m looking forward to the end of January and a new month. January has flown by but I admit to being excited by warmer weather, longer days and February. We’re decorating my daughter’s bedroom this week which I’m quite excited about. I had a major clear out today and although I’m sad to get rid of the toys she no longer plays with, I’m excited to give her a lovely bedroom. Monday mindfulness – 5 Happy Things We were lucky to go and see two great films this weekend. The first was Darkest Hour which my husband…

  • Mollie Makes pom pom love birds kit
    Crafts for adults - Mollie Makes crafts

    Mollie Makes pom pom love birds kit

    January 28, 2018 - By 

    Regular readers will know that every month I challenge myself to make the Mollie Makes magazine cover gift. I’ve subscribed since it first came out and have had a drawer full of unopened kits – but no more! I’ve been making more time for grown up crafting and I love to make the kits and hopefully try something new. Mollie Makes pom pom love birds kit The pom pom love birds kit from issue 88 was designed by Christine Leech and contained a pom pom maker, pink, blue and black wool, as well as small pieces of green, yellow and peach felt. I’ve…

  • Celebrating National Chocolate Cake Day
    Family Life

    Celebrating National Chocolate Cake Day

    January 27, 2018 - By 

    Did you know that today, Saturday 27th January, is National Chocolate Cake Day? My children were so excited when I told them this and couldn’t wait to make something special to celebrate. To celebrate Chocolate Cake Day my daughter was sent a bundle of Series 4 Num Noms and all the ingredients she needed to bake some delicious Num Noms-inspired chocolate cakes. Have you heard of Num Noms? You can mix and match Num Noms to create sweet, scented recipes! There are 120 Num Noms in Series 4! Scented Nums are adorable, squishy characters with tons of personality. Noms are scented nail polish or…

  • Family Life - homestyle

    Top 3 family-friendly floors

    January 26, 2018 - By 

    Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash As a parent there are often a lot of things to consider, have you safety-proofed your home? Are they getting enough vitamins? All the usual palaver. But have you ever considered your floor? Flooring has been overlooked by a lot of people, so if you are one of those, we’re here to inform you of the choices you can make when it comes to child-friendly flooring. Bamboo: Yes, you read that correctly, bamboo – it’s not just for pandas you know! Over the past decade this material has seen a huge increase in usage due to its ability to handle a…

  • My Shipping Forecast Quilt update
    Crafts for adults - quilt - sewing

    My Shipping Forecast Quilt {update 1}

    January 26, 2018 - By 

    It has been an embarrassingly long time since I wrote an update about the Shipping Forecast Quilt I have been stitching. In fact the one and only update I have posted was back in May 2015! I am a little red-faced right now. As part of 2018 and my Year of Craft I am trying to finish my WIP’s and this is my biggest one. So I eventually located my project bag and had time to look at it. I hadn’t really made as much progress as I thought I had. My Shipping Forecast Quilt update This quilt is based…

  • Family Life - homestyle

    Planning my dream craft space

    January 25, 2018 - By 

    Photo by Giulia Bertelli on Unsplash I’ve been sorting out some of my craft supplies this morning. Everything has spilled into our spare room and as we are about to re-decorate my daughters room, she will need to move into the spare room for a week or two, I really need to tidy it up. You may remember that one of my craft goals for this year was to organise my craft stash and books, and plan a craft space for me. Somehow my husband has ended up with the spare room as an office (even though he rarely works from home) as…

  • Win a Hobbycraft Gingerbread Man Bunting Sewing Kit
    competition - Crafts for adults - gingerbread - sewing

    Win a Hobbycraft Gingerbread Man Bunting Sewing Kit

    January 25, 2018 - By 

    I have a lovely crafty competition to share with you all today. As you know, this year my aim is to make at least one thing a week from my craft stash, and encourage you all to make things too! I found this lovely Gingerbread Man Bunting Sewing Kit in my stash and thought I would share it with one of my readers who might be looking to be more creative too. Make your most wonderful crafts of the year with this Gingerbread Man Bunting Sewing Kit! The perfect activity for those cold, winter afternoons, you’ll be able to create a stunning…

  • baking - Crafts for adults - gingerbread

    1.5 Syn gingerbread biscuits {Slimming World recipe}

    January 23, 2018 - By 

    I’ve mentioned a few times that I’ve been following Slimming World for a while now. I had a massive blip over the Christmas period but I’m pleased to say that I’m now back on track 🙂 I find Slimming World pretty easy to follow but the one thing I miss is baking. I love baking and although I can syn all my sweet treats, I just find that this is something that doesn’t sit so well when you’re following a weight management programme! One of the recent magazines included a recipe for gingerbread stars which I never got round to…

  • Winter Craftpod box
    Crafts for adults - mindfulness - subscription box - Winter

    Mindful stitching with the Winter Craftpod box

    January 22, 2018 - By 

    Before Christmas I received the Winter Craftpod box. This is my favourite subscription box at the moment. It comes quarterly which means I actually have time to make what’s inside and enjoy it! What was inside the Winter Craftpod box? There were two Winter crafts – a sweet stitching project to embroider Winterberries in a small hoop, and a stamp making kit. There was also a postcard by Jamilla Beukema, a sheet of stickers by Nastia Sleptsova, a Black Chai teabag and Vivani chocolate. I love receiving my Craftpod box, it really is something I look forward to opening. The first thing…