• Family Life - Monday Happy List

    Monday Mindfulness – 5 Happy Things

    January 15, 2018 - By 

    I hope you had a lovely weekend. It’s time for my weekly Monday Mindfulness post – 5 Happy Things from the previous week. Last week I took part in the Mollie Makes Insta Challenge. I lasted 5 out of the 7 days! It was a lot harder than I thought but I enjoyed sharing some craft photos over on my Instagram for a change. I got tickets to the Exploring the New Town with Sylvanian Families at the Mercure Leicester next month. I’m excited to find out more about the new Sylvanian Families town series and it sounds like a fun afternoon.…

  • Wonderlab at The Statoil Gallery
    days out - Family Life - London - STEM activity

    Wonderlab at The Statoil Gallery {Science Museum London}

    January 14, 2018 - By 

    Just before Christmas we spent a day at the Science Museum London. It’s a fantastic, free, museum in London which we love to visit. The children love science so we thought we would visit Wonderlab at The Statoil Gallery, a paying hands-on exhibition, specially designed for children. Nothing beats the excitement of walking into the Science Museum. As you pass through security you get the most wonderful view of the huge engines in the Energy Hall. My children love this space, and it’s not hard to see why, especially when volunteers have some of the engines running. Anyway, we dragged the…

  • felt London Routemaster bus
    Crafts for adults

    Felt London bus

    January 13, 2018 - By 

    This year is all about making some of the things in my craft stash. I love working with felt and a few years ago asked for a cute London bus pin cushion kit by crafty nana for Christmas. I’m not sure why I never made it. Everything was pre-cut so it was pretty simple to stitch together. For some reason I thought it should be the first WIP I finished in 2018. London bus pin cushion kit by crafty nana This was a lovely craft kit containing pre-cut felt pieces, a needle, thread and stuffing. It was actually a really lovely…

  • competition - Crafts for adults

    Win tickets to the Spring Knitting and Stitching Show 2018 {+ discount code}

    January 12, 2018 - By 

    I’ve found something to love about January – tickets are now on sale now for the first craft show of the year – The Spring Knitting & Stitching Show at Olympia London! Read on for your chance to win 1 of 5 pairs of tickets, and use my discount code GINGERBREAD18 to bag yourself money off tickets! Are you making a New Year’s resolution to start an exciting textile craft project, learn a new skill or buy your very first sewing machine? Then The Spring Knitting & Stitching Show is the place to start – and tickets are on sale now. The Knitting…

  • Family Life

    How to keep warm in winter

    January 12, 2018 - By 

    Photo by Alex Geerts on Unsplash The word Winter usually fills me with dread. What do you think of when you hear the word? Short days? Gloom? Cold? I think of all of these. I don’t mean to bring the mood down, but I can’t help it. I love Spring and Autumn (no hot sunny days for me please!) and I like to hurry through the Winter months with some crafting and a good book or two. Photo by Giulia Bertelli on Unsplash Contact Numbers UK have a vast directory of customer service contact numbers that cover a variety of different industries, such as British Gas.…

  • Win Smashers Series 1 Team Bus and 3 pack
    competition - Family Life

    Win Smashers Series 1 Team Bus and 3 Smash pack

    January 11, 2018 - By 

    My son is football mad and loves collectible toys so was very happy to receive some of the new Smashers from Zuru. This is a brand new sports-themed collectible toy which has recently launched in the UK. They come in a Smashball and are perfect for unboxing videos! Simply Smash the Smashball to reveal your character! Smashers Series 1 We received a Smashers 1 Smash Pack with Collector’s Guide and Smashers 3 Smash Pack from the Football Series (there is a Rugby and Basketball too). There are over 100 characters to collect, are super cute and collectible and I know they…

  • Sun catcher mittens using recycled paper crowns
    Kids crafts - Winter - Winter crafts

    Sun catcher mittens using recycled paper crowns

    January 10, 2018 - By 

    I don’t know about you but we went through a lot of Christmas crackers this year. My children just loved them so we had them on Christmas Eve with our North Pole breakfast, Christmas Day and Boxing Day too. My 7 year old decided only he could read out the jokes and my little magpie 6 year old pocketed all the little toys. I was happy to collect the paper crowns as I knew they would be perfect for a craft I’ve been meaning to try for a while. I love recycling little things and paper crowns are perfect. They…

  • Win a copy of Blue Monster Wants It All!
    competition - Family Life

    Win a copy of Blue Monster Wants It All!

    January 9, 2018 - By 

    What do you get for the Blue Monster who has everything? Blue Monster loves brand new things. A fancy new hat, a shiny submarine, a fabulous funfair and a paradise island, all of his own. But he’s still not happy! What will it take for Blue Monster to realise there are some things that money can’t buy? Blue Monster wants it all! is an original, humorous and unforgettable fable from the creators of the award-winning The First Slodge, perfect for introducing little ones to the idea of materialism and helping them to realise the importance of family. Can money really…

  • Family Life

    Decorating Your Home with Artwork You Create

    January 9, 2018 - By 

    Photo by Crew on Unsplash For most of us, our home is an extremely important place. Even with the busy lives that we lead it is still where we spend the majority of our time. It is also the place we tend to feel happiest and can truly relax. There are all kinds of ways to approach decorating your home. Naturally, I really enjoy making things for my home and I know that many of you do too. So, I thought a short round-up post of ideas might be in order. Many of the ideas below are really easy. In fact, my first…