• Lego Batman Movie premiere in Leicester Square
    days out - Lego - London - mindfulness - Monday Happy List

    Monday Happy List – week 122

    January 30, 2017 - By 

    Every Monday I sit down and take 10 minutes to think about the high points of the previous week. Sometimes I struggle to find 5 things, and sometimes there are too many. Last week was quite quiet so I was able to find time for lots of baking and crafting. Monday Happy List – week 122 The highpoint of last week must be starting with a day at the V&A, one of my favourite galleries. There were some exhibitions I had wanted to see for a while and I managed to visit the Undressed exhibition, Opus Anglicanum exhibition as well as…

  • Mollie Makes Jersey Yarn Macrame Wall Art
    crafts - handmade - Mollie Makes crafts

    Mollie Makes Jersey Yarn Macrame Wall Art

    January 29, 2017 - By 

    Every month I challenge myself to make the Mollie Makes magazine cover gift. I’ve subscribed since it first came out and have a drawer full of unopened kits – but no more! I’ve been making more time for grown up crafting and I love to make the kits and hopefully try something new. The last few kits haven’t been terribly inspiring and yet again my heart sank when I saw the latest kit – a Jersey Yarn Macrame Wall Art by Wool and the Gang. I know that macrame has made a bit of a come back but it’s not…

  • Opus Anglicanum at the V&A
    days out - Local Review - London - sewing

    Opus Anglicanum at the V&A

    January 28, 2017 - By 

    Last week I took myself off to town for the day. There were a couple of exhibitions I really wanted to see at the V&A, one was Opus Anglicanum: Masterpieces of English Medieval Embroidery. I love sewing and embroidery and this looked like a fantastic exhibition. Opus Anglicanum: Masterpieces of English Medieval Embroidery From the 12th to the 15th centuries, England enjoyed an international reputation for the quality of its luxury embroideries, often referred to as ‘Opus Anglicanum’ (English work). Made by professional craftspeople in the City of London and rich in their intricacy, they were sought after by kings, queens, popes…

  • Glimmies fairy dolls review
    playing - toy review

    Glimmies fairy dolls review

    January 27, 2017 - By 

    I think I’ve discovered the next cute. collectable toy that my daughter will be spending all her pocket money on – Glimmies. And just what are Glimmies you may well ask. Glimmies are sweet little fairy dolls, each with their own name and bio. Children can go on to collect and create a magical world with the Glimmies. My daughter loves her fairy play so I knew these would be a big hit with her. We were sent a couple of the new Glimmies Single Blister Packs to review.The Blister Packs are larger than a blind bag. There are 12 different…

  • Upcycled Orla Kiely flower vase tutorial
    crafts - homestyle - Orla Kiely

    Upcycled Orla Kiely flower vase tutorial

    January 26, 2017 - By 

    I’m a bit of a hoarder and this applies to envelopes, boxes and tissue paper – pretty much any packaging which comes through my letter box. I  had some gorgeous Orla Kiely tissue paper in my stash and came up with the simplest upcycle. I used: Orla Kiely tissue paper Mod Podge Glass flower jar Upcycled Orla Kiely flower vase tutorial: I cut my tissue paper to fit around my glass jar. Then I used Mod Podge painted directly to the glass jar. I carefully applied my tissue paper and left it to dry. I’ve already filled my glass jar…

  • Pinty Plus Chalk Paint Spray in Red Velvet
    crafts - handmade - Paper craft - Paper cut art - Pinty Plus Ambassador - Valentines Day crafts

    Handmade Valentine paper cut art

    January 25, 2017 - By 

    I’m currently working with Pinty Plus Chalk Spray which means every month I try and share a new craft I’ve been working on using one of their products. This month I had the idea of updating my daughter’s vintage Lloyd loom wash basket. I’m not quite happy with my colour choice so I’ll be posting that little make another month. Instead I’m going to show you how I made a handmade Valentine paper cut art for my husband. We don’t tend to go overboard on Valentine’s Day. One year there may have been a little blue box from Tiffany but normally it’s…

  • The Valentine H-box Chocolate Box from Hotel Chocolat
    competition

    Win The Valentine H-box Chocolate Box from Hotel Chocolat

    January 25, 2017 - By 

    I try not to get carried away by Valentine’s Day and encourage my little family to give small, token gifts. I want my children to enjoy giving just as much as receiving, although by no means have they quite grasped this concept just yet 🙂 I’ve been thinking of some small gifts they can make and give and they enjoyed the washi tape hearts we made the other day. They also loved our heart-shaped brownies so I can see us making more and giving these. I’ll also be hoping they try to be extra nice to each other on Valentine’s Day!…

  • embellish sub box
    Paper craft - Paper cut art - subscription box

    January EmbellishBox for papercutters

    January 24, 2017 - By 

    As much as I love subscription boxes there is one thing I don’t like – that is waiting for them to arrive! Sign ups often open at the beginning of the month but they are not sent out to the end. It’s not that I don’t have plenty of templates to work on but I really love receiving a box of new templates. Thankfully the January EmbellishBox arrived on Saturday and my lovely postman hid it behind a plant pot so I was able to open it when we got home. January EmbellishBox I really enjoyed the December EmbellishBox so…

  • How to make heart-shaped Valentine brownies
    baking - Valentines Day crafts

    Heart-shaped Valentine brownies

    January 24, 2017 - By 

    With Valentine’s Day coming up soon I have been experimenting with snacks to make for the children. I love making something special for them when they get home from school and came up with these fun heart-shaped Valentine brownies. I cheated by using a cake mix to save time but you could use a favourite brownie recipe if you have one. I used: Betty Crocker’s Chocolate Brownie mix Heart shaped cookie cutter Cake pop sticks Red icing Sprinkles How to make heart-shaped Valentine brownies I whipped up the brownie mix, adding chocolate star-shaped sprinkles to the mixture. I left it…