This week I booked my tickets to The Handmade Fair. I went last year with my sister and we had a brilliant day out so I can’t wait for it this year. Last year I tried some new crafts but also went shopping! We’re both big fans of Annie Sloan Chalk Paints and there was quite a big Annie Sloan stand where I picked up some pots of paint as well as a stencil. My sister and Annie Sloan! I had read a lot about the stencils and really wanted one to finish off a little project. Years ago we…
With the School holidays looming I thought you may be interested in More Colouring for Contemplation by Amber Hatch and Alex Ogg, the follow on title from the team that brought you the hugely successful Colouring for Contemplation. Colouring books for adults have seen a huge rise in popularity, this ‘new’ craft is an antidote to the stresses of modern living. In answer to this, Watkins released Colouring for Contemplation in November and a pocket edition of the same book in January. These books have received fantastic 5 star reviews across the board with positive comments on the book’s…
Our outdoor kitchen has been a big success. Our garden isn’t huge but the children love to be outside so we’ve given them several areas where they can play, explore nature and grow things. I think I enjoyed putting the mud kitchen together just as much as my children enjoy spending time with it. Today I’m sharing some of the mud kitchen essential items which we use the most. 7 mud kitchen essentials 1 A mud kitchen can be as simple or complicated as you like. Before we built our mud kitchen from old pallets the children were happy to…
If you have young children at home, they should already have received a vaccine against this potentially dangerous bacterial infection but as an adult, it is possible that you may not have done. If you are planning an African holiday for you and your family in the near future, it is therefore a good idea to check whether a meningitis vaccination is recommended for the country you will be visiting. High Risk Countries and Areas When considering a trip to Africa earlier this year, I discovered that there is what is known as a meningitis belt across the mid portion…
Another busy week for us and now we really are counting down until the school holidays. This week both children had their Sports Days and Class Swap Days. They are really tired and in need of the holiday. I am so proud of them for getting good reports but this term has felt long so the holidays can’t come quickly enough now. This weekend was pretty special as we enjoyed a family trip to the theatre to see the Gruffalo Live. My children can pretty much recite any Julia Donaldson story word for word so we were excited to see…
Peppa Pig fans will love the new Peppa Pig Classic Toys range. Inspired by the TV show, the new playsets, characters and themes are all instantly recognisable to children (and their parents too!). My children have always loved Peppa and her friends and were so happy to be sent 2 toys from the new range to review. Peppa’s Home and Garden Playset The Home and Garden Playset is the iconic Peppa Pig home from the well loved TV show. The house opens up to reveal four rooms and an attic space with lots of accessories included for hours of imaginative…
We’re so excited about the release of Finding Dory this month. It feels like we’ve been waiting for this film for a long time. We’ve been watching Finding Nemo to get in the mood and thinking of ways we can incorporate the new film in our crafting. Everyone’s favourite forgetful blue tang is back at last for ‘Finding Dory’, which sees her go off on a new adventure to search for the family she forgot about. Waking up one morning, she sees a picture in her head – and comes to a shocking realisation. She remembered something! It seems impossible,…
When I was little my toy of choice was the My Little Pony range. Over a couple of years I built up a great collection of ponies, accessories and playsets. I played with them a lot but every evening they went back in their boxes, safely tucked away for another day. Unfortunately they were given to my nieces when I left home so I wasn’t able to pass them on to my own daughter. I’m sure you’ve noticed that My Little Pony have had a pretty large makeover in the intervening years so I doubt my daughter would recognise my…
This July everyone’s favourite furry monster roars back into the West End in celebration of his 15th anniversary on stage! Tall Stories’ hugely popular production of The Gruffalo first opened on 12 May 2001 – just 18 months after the book was first published. The show returns to the Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London from 6 July and has just extended through to 8 January 2017, forming a huge part of this year’s West End calendar. Based on the much loved picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, Tall Stories’ adaptation combines songs, laughter and storytelling theatre with just…