• Stormtroopers at Star Wars Identities
    days out - Local Review - London - Star Wars crafts

    Star Wars Identities at the O2 London

    April 8, 2017 - By 

    My son received tickets to go and see Star Wars Identities at the O2 London. He’s a huge Star Wars fan, we all are, so thought it would make a great trip during the Easter holidays. We planned a day out, travelling by tube, seeing the exhibition and coming part of the way back by river boat. Yesterday we had our big day out and had a brilliant time. When we entered the exhibition we were given a wristband and audio guide. Throughout the exhibition there were 10 points where you could touch in with your wristband and choose a Star…

  • DIY Emoji Easter eggs for kids
    crafts - Easter - Pinty Plus Ambassador

    DIY Emoji Easter eggs for kids

    April 8, 2017 - By 

    My children love emojis so much that it was the theme for my son’s recent birthday party (find out more about our emoji birthday party here). So I thought it would be fun to incorporate it into our Easter decorations. We love Easter – with warmer weather, longer days and the promise of chocolate – what’s not to love! DIY Emoji Easter eggs for kids You will need: box of ceramic Easter eggs from Hobbycraft. Chalkola Chalk Pens Pinty Plus Chalk Paint Spray in Mustard How to make DIY Emoji Easter eggs for kids: There were four ceramic eggs in the…

  • Recipe for chocolate Easter bark
    baking - Easter - Handmade gifts

    How to make chocolate Easter bark {recipe}

    April 7, 2017 - By 

    I’ve wanted to try making our own chocolate bark for ages and finally got round to it whilst the children were on holiday. It was actually really simple with endless possibilities for different seasons and flavours. A basic chocolate bark is a really simple sheet of melted, tempered chocolate, usually covered with nuts, dried fruit or sweets. You can make it look pretty professional if you mix two types of chocolate, such as dark and white, and giving it a marbled effect. And in case you’re wondering, it’s called bark because it looks a little like the texture of a…

  • DIY Leia and Hans Solo frame
    crafts - Star Wars crafts

    DIY Leia and Hans Solo frame {a Star Wars craft}

    April 6, 2017 - By 

    Our whole household loves Star Wars so I wanted to make some Star Wars themed art for the walls. We’ve recently re-arranged the pictures in our living room so it felt like a good time to make something to hang alongside our Pez Dispenser frame and vintage type drawer. My husband and I are huge fans of the original Star Wars episodes. Unfortunately my 7 year old loves episodes 1-3. Luckily as we were making this we got to decide when went into it! DIY Leia and Hans Solo frame {a Star Wars craft} I didn’t want to use any…

  • Win a copy of Tiger Tiger picture book
    book review - competition

    Win a copy of Tiger Tiger picture book

    April 6, 2017 - By 

    Did you know that this year Little Tiger Press is celebrating turning thirty years old? To help celebrate their milestone I am pleased to have one copy of their new picture book, which is sure to capture the imagination of the young and old, to giveaway to one of my readers. The vivid and original illustrations will take your little one on a journey that will definitely put a smile on anyone’s face. Old Tiger’s world is dull and grey, and all he wants to do is snooze the day away. But little Cub is having none of it – he…

  • Introducing children to opera {Silver Electra by the ETO}
    days out - Local Review - London - parenting

    Introducing children to opera {Silver Electra by the ETO}

    April 5, 2017 - By 

    With our Easter holiday in full swing, today I had a real treat for my children, tickets for Silver Electra by the English Touring Opera. The performance was taking place at Wilton’s Music Hall in London, the oldest grand music hall in the world. Silver Electra by the English Touring Opera Silver Electra is a show written for children and is suitable for the whole family, reimagining the story of Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly the Atlantic. My children love watching live performances so I thought they would enjoy trying something new. The English Touring Opera is the leading…

  • Baking gingerbread Easter biscuits with kids
    baking - Easter - gingerbread

    Baking gingerbread Easter biscuits with kids

    April 5, 2017 - By 

    We love to make gingerbread biscuits. You may think they are a Christmas treat but they can be easily adapted to any holiday, from Valentine’s Day to Mother’s Day, or even just because your children love the Clangers or playing Minecraft. With Easter coming up and the children enjoying their Easter holidays I thought we should take some time for baking and decorating a delicious batch of gingerbread. Baking gingerbread Easter biscuits with kids My children know how to bake so we followed our favourite gingerbread recipe, measuring the ingredients, mixing everything together to make a sticky dough. We left…

  • child playing tennis
    days out - parenting

    Free #TennisForKids with the Lawn Tennis Association

    April 4, 2017 - By 

    We celebrated the first day of our Easter holidays yesterday with a trip to our local park. It’s a wonderful open space with formal gardens, a play area and tennis courts. My children were looking longingly at the tennis courts as it’s been months since they last played tennis (when we went on our mini-cruise last year). Tennis is a really fun family activity, perfect for all ages and abilities. Free #TennisForKids with the Lawn Tennis Association Luckily for them there are clubs all around the UK which make getting involved in tennis really easy. The Lawn Tennis Association’s #TennisForKids…

  • crafts - handmade - sewing - swap

    A crafty swap {Very Berry Hoop Swap}

    April 4, 2017 - By 

    It’s been a very long time since I participated in a craft swap. My free time is very short at the moment and I’m hardly spending any time papercutting or sewing. However, the latest Very Berry Hoop Swap really appealed to me so I signed up. The idea was quite simple. To purchase a miniature embroidery hoop (measuring just 4.5cm across) and fill it with some handmade textile art. I purchased a dandelyne miniature embroidery hoop from Cloud Craft and turned to Pinterest for some inspiration. There was almost too long to think about this swap – 8 weeks from signing…