• Mini gingerbread house mug hangers
    baking - Crafts for adults - gingerbread house

    Mini gingerbread house mug hangers

    January 20, 2018 - By 

    I’m not sure how many years ago I first Pinned a very cute little gingerbread house that sat on the edge of a cup. I fell in love with the idea but it remained an idea, it looked far too complicated to make at home! Fast forward a few years and just before Christmas I spotted a Make Your Own Gingerbread Cottage kit in Lakeland. I hardly every go to Lakeland. I find their products pretty expensive but I couldn’t resist this – finally a chance to make my own little gingerbread houses! Mini gingerbread house mug hangers This was…

  • join me at the #superzingsparty
    Family Life

    The latest collectible – SuperZings!

    January 19, 2018 - By 

    Kids love collectibles so I’m excited to tell you about the latest one to hit the shelves – SuperZings from Magic Box Toys (who also made Star Monsters and Zomlings). Next Thursday 25th I’m taking part in a Twitter party with Magic Box Toys, PlaytimePR and The Entertainer and you’re all invited! SuperZings Series 1 Heroes and Villains Hitting UK shelves today, the SuperZings are everyday objects brought to life in a fun, comic ‘Hero vs Villain’ rivalry theme. Clad in iconic superhero capes and eye-masks, there are more than 80 multi-coloured figures to collect in total, each with a matching…

  • 11 days out in London for train mad kids
    days out - Family Life - London

    11 days out in London for train mad kids

    January 18, 2018 - By 

    This weekend we are off to the Model Engineering Exhibition at Ally Pally. We try and go every year. You may not think it sounds like a fun day out but we all enjoy it, especially the children. My son has always loved trains. When he was a toddler he had a wooden toy Thomas and Gordon that he took everywhere. He had a wooden train set he loved and we used to go on a lot of trains with him! We’re lucky that we’re surrounded by miniature railways and heritage lines where we live which we can visit. I…

  • sashiko bunny stitching
    Crafts for adults - sewing

    Trying something new: sashiko stitching

    January 17, 2018 - By 

    This year is all about me making things. Finishing projects. This doesn’t come naturally to me. So far this year I’ve stitched the felt bus pincushion and now I can add the sashiko panel to my list. I picked up all the supplies at the Spring Knitting & Stitching Show last year. I bought the panel, special needles and thread. Then it sat in my cupboard for 10 months. I couldn’t read the Japanese instructions so I just searched online for instructions. Sashiko is a Japanese running stitch. The pre-printed panel featured a rabbit inside a circle which seemed pretty…

  • A day out at Barrington Court Somerset
    Family Life - National Trust - Somerset

    A day out at Barrington Court Somerset

    January 16, 2018 - By 

    Between Christmas and New Year we travelled a lot of miles to see family and friends. We had to plan places to stop to break up the journey and picked Barrington Court in Somerset. It’s owned by the National Trust so was free for us as we are members. A day out at Barrington Court Somerset Barrington Court has the honour of being the first house acquired by the National Trust, in 1907. It’s a beautiful Tudor manor house begun around 1538 and completed in the late 1550s, with a vernacular stable court (dated 1675). It was almost derelict when it was acquired by…

  • baking - Crafts for kids - Winter - Winter crafts

    How to make shortbread reindeer biscuits

    January 15, 2018 - By 

    There has been quite a lot of baking this Winter. Who doesn’t love baking? My kids love it too and it always results in some tasty tea-time treats. When we were food shopping one day, one of the children spotted a kit to make your own shortbread reindeer biscuits. We’ve wanted to make these for a while because we all know that reindeer are just gingerbread men upside down! I don’t have much experience of making shortbread as the whole family love gingerbread. But I was pretty happy to try this kit at home as we never have all the…

  • 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…