• Cicciobello Love n Care doll review
    parenting - toy review

    Cicciobello Love n Care doll review

    October 3, 2017 - By 

    My daughter has always loved her dolls. She received one for her first birthday and really enjoys looking after them – they can often be found sitting with us at mealtimes! Cicciobello Love n Care from Flair is perfect for children aged 3 and over. Cicciobello is the life-like doll your kids will love to care for. Just like a real baby, when Cicciobello is upset he cries and his cheeks flush! Children can then use the wide range of accessories including, bottles, dummy, thermometer, and medicine to determine what is making him upset. When he feels better he will…

  • Papercut this book by Boo Paterson
    crafts - Paper craft - Paper cut art

    Papercut this book by Boo Paterson

    October 3, 2017 - By 

    It’s been a while since I reviewed any of my craft books. As you know, I love papercutting and bought myself a copy of Papercut This Book: techniques, templates and paper by Boo Paterson. Papercut this book by Boo Paterson Papercutting artist Boo Paterson shows you step-by-step how to craft your own intricate rainforests, jungles and the critters that live in them in this easy-to-follow, illustrative book. Learn how to cut and bring to life a variety of animals, from tigers to sloths, kangaroos to orangutans. This book includes everything you will need to get started clear instructions, templates for…

  • Sylvanian Families Halloween Baby Trick or Treat Set
    Friends of Sylvanian Families - parenting - toy review

    Sylvanian Families Halloween Baby Trick or Treat Set

    October 2, 2017 - By 

    A few weeks ago I told you about our trip to the Sylvanian Families shop in London. I had a very small wishlist for our visit, I wanted to pick up the new limited edition Sylvanian Families Halloween Baby Trick or Treat Set. As a grown up fan of Sylvanian Families I have to admit that I like the limited edition sets and the Halloween one looked super cute. There’s a limited edition Christmas set to which I really want to get when it’s released in the UK. Sylvanian Families Halloween Baby Trick or Treat Set The Sylvanian Families shop had a…

  • homestyle - Monday Happy List

    Monday happy things {Week 157}

    October 2, 2017 - By 

    Where did the weekend go? It’s seems I write my favourite things post a lot, or perhaps it’s just the only chance I get to sit down and reflect on the previous 7 days. Now we’re officially in October I feel like we can start celebrating Halloween. My kids are really excited to start crafting and decorating. Monday happy things {Week 157} It’s been a busy week for me and a lot of it has revolved around eating. So much so that I’ve fallen off the Slimming World wagon completely! There have been delicious lunches out to celebrate our ninth…

  • reading the Christmas catalogue
    Christmas - parenting

    He’s making a list and checking it twice

    October 1, 2017 - By 

    In this digital age I’m glad that paper catalogues still exist. Catalogues were a huge part of my childhood. There was always a pile of them at home and there seemed to be one for everything, from the Avon lady to the Clean-eze man, to clothes company’s and toy shops. Thankfully toy catalogues are still around because they give my children hours of enjoyment! Now I don’t think you can say that a toy catalogue is particularly educational but when I asked my children for the top 5 things they love from the new Smyths Toys catalogue, they sat down…

  • ScentCo Scented Stationery review
    parenting

    ScentCo Scented Stationery review

    October 1, 2017 - By 

    It’s not four weeks since the children went back to school and those weeks have flown by. They have embraced their new schools and routines, although I have to say they are very tired come the end of the week! This weekend we had to go out and buy new school shoes for my daughter as she just wasn’t managing the fake laces on her school shoes. The teacher basically told me she had to have shoes she could manage as they couldn’t spend all their time doing her shoe laces up. This year my son is responsible for his…

  • Johanna Basford's 'Ivy and the Inky Butterfly'
    homestyle

    Johanna Basford’s ‘Ivy and the Inky Butterfly’

    September 30, 2017 - By 

    You all know that I can’t resist an adult colouring book. I’ve featured quite a few here on my blog and although I’ve had to cull a few due to running out of space, I’ve kept quite a few of my favourites. With two small kids we are never short of colouring books, pens and pencils. We often share our colouring books as 3 people working on a page is a lot quicker than one. I recently received a copy of Johanna Basford‘s ‘Ivy and the Inky Butterfly’. This is one book I don’t think I’ll be sharing. Johanna Basford is an ink…

  • Making and hiding painted rocks
    crafts - Painted rocks

    Making and hiding painted rocks

    September 30, 2017 - By 

    I’ve mentioned a few times now that my kids have totally embraced the painted rocks phenomenon. They absolutely love decorating rocks and hiding them. It’s a fun hobby, a bit like geocaching but without the grid references. My children have been painting rocks at home. I bought a huge bag from the local garden centre and gave them a quick wash. My children love being creative so have been happily decorating rocks – first drawing their designs with pencil, then colouring them in with Posca pens. When they’ve finished I varnish them to make sure the designs don’t come off…

  • Ai Weiwei Surveillance Camera and Plinth at the RA
    homestyle

    Day and Night All-in-One IP Camera

    September 29, 2017 - By 

    My husband is a big fan of the Internet of Things and it’s safe to say we have a connected home. My friends laugh at me as my Apple Watch and iPhone are constantly buzzing and beeping when I leave home but my husband lovesto try the latest gadgets and make our home ‘smart’. I think there’s a lot to be said for having everything connected and I like the fact we have a smart thermostat, smart lights, smart sockets, internet doorbell, internet connected weather station, smart tv, internet connected SONOS, temperature, humidity sensors in every room and smart smoke…