• 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…

  • finishing touches to our spare room
    homestyle - interiors - Orla Kiely

    Putting the finishing touches to our spare room

    April 3, 2017 - By 

    We’re lucky to have a spare room for friends and family to come and stay. It is well used but was in desperate need of a makeover. It’s quite a dark room, filled with a spare bed, vintage chest of drawers and lots of bookshelves. A few months ago we painted all the walls white and put up a gorgeous Orla Kiely wallpaper on the end wall. We chose the Orla Kiely Multi Striped Petal but looking back over my blog I can’t seem to find a finished photo of the room. We changed the position of the bed and…

  • Monday happy things {Week 131}
    gardening - Monday Happy List - Paper craft

    Monday happy things {Week 131}

    April 3, 2017 - By 

    I’m so pleased that today is the first day of our Easter holidays. My children were so happy to finish school on Friday and we had a really relaxing weekend together. I’m just excited that we have a break from our routine for 2 weeks. There are no after school clubs or running around. I’m hoping the children get the chance to be bored as usually life is so busy for them. I have lots planned but we all need to relax first. Monday happy things {Week 131} Last week I volunteered to go on a school trip with my daughter…

  • Creating an Easter crate for kids
    crafts - Easter - Pinty Plus Ambassador - upcycling

    Creating an Easter crate for kids

    April 2, 2017 - By 

    I’ve always enjoyed celebrating Easter. Since our children came along Easter has got bigger and bigger. Before there was giving Easter eggs and enjoying a family meal. Now there are Easter Egg hunts, Easter baking, Easter crafts and gifts. My kids love Easter as much as I do but I’m glad it’s not on the scale of Christmas. I thought it would be fun to put the children’s gifts into an Easter crate this year. I did something similar with a Christmas Eve crate which they enjoyed. So today I’m sharing our Easter version! Creating an Easter crate for kids What…

  • The Spring Box from Mila & Pheebs {subscription boxes for kids}
    crafts - Spring - subscription box

    The Spring Box from Mila & Pheebs {subscription boxes for kids}

    March 31, 2017 - By 

    We’ve received some lovely happy mail this week including our second subscription box from Mila & Pheebs – you can see our review of the Fun At The Farm box here. My daughter is 5 and she loves the seasonal stationery and activity box. The Spring Box from Mila & Pheebs The subscription box is significantly larger than last months box. My daughter was so happy to see it and read her name on the front. I saved it for her to open after school when her brother was at football club. Our subscription box was packed with stationery and…

  • Folded Book Art by Clare Youngs
    book review - Craft book review - crafts - Paper craft

    Folded Book Art by Clare Youngs

    March 30, 2017 - By 

    I am looking forward to some extra crafting time over the Easter holidays. We have a steady stream of visitors who like to craft too so I’m very excited to share with them the latest book from Clare Youngs. Titled Folded Book Art: 35 beautiful projects to transform your books, this book is packed with ideas to create cards, display scenes, decorations, gifts, and more. My craft shelf is full of books by Clare Youngs, I really like her style and this is another great book for paper lovers. Folded Book Art by Clare Youngs Create a fantastic world of delight…