• playing - toy review

    Clangers Squeeze and Whistle Plush

    I’ve mentioned a few times that my 5 year old is obsessed with the Clangers. He has a few Clanger toy and recently added the Musical boat to his collection of little toys. Therefore he was pretty happy to open a parcel containing the Clangers Squeeze and Whistle Plush to review. Character Options have brought out some new toys and the line-up of cuddly toys, figures and playsets all perfectly emulate the characters and backdrops from the wonderful stop frame animation series that began on CBeebies in the summer. Tiny and Small can be found as Squeeze and Whistle Plush toys at…

  • book review - Christmas - Gift guide

    The Works Christmas Gift Guide

    This morning I had a little time to myself so went Christmas shopping. I love Christmas shopping and was so happy to have some time to myself to pick up some gifts for everyone. We were actually away from home but I spotted The Works and knew I would be able to get some great value gifts for the whole family. I’ve put together a little post featuring The Works Christmas Gift Guide – chosen by me for my family. I found 20 HB Pencils with Erasers for Little Sis. She’s just turned 4 and not only does she collect rubbers,…

  • Christmas - gingerbread house - handmade

    How to make a wooden gingerbread house

    I know it’s the 4th already but I have to blog about the grown up advent calendar I made this year. I used a wooden MDF blank from Hobbycraft and decorated it exactly as I wanted, to make a wooden gingerbread house. Equipment used to make a wooden gingerbread house: Wooden Advent House Brown acrylic paint White acrylic paint Advent number toppers PVA glue Pack of white buttons How to make a wooden gingerbread house The MDF wooden house has 25 small cabinets so you can fill them yourself. You can also decorate these blanks any way you like, with…

  • competition - film review

    Win a copy of Get Santa on DVD

    One of my favourite things about this time of year are the Christmas films! There are so many to watch and we all have our own family favourites which are perfect for snuggling on the sofa together with a big bowl of popcorn. Last month Get Santa was released on DVD, Blu-Ray and Digital HD and I’m excited to be able to offer a DVD to one of my readers today. Get Santa Rafe Spall leads a top British cast in 2015’s must-own Christmas film “Get Santa.” National treasure Jim Broadbent stars as Santa in this fun, heart-warming and hilarious…

  • Christmas - handmade - Handmade gifts

    Making personalised gifts with children’s drawings

    I’ve spent this evening wrapping the majority of our Christmas presents and Christmas stockings. I’ve spent ages Pinning gift ideas and like to make my gifts nice and early so I’m not rushing to finish them off on Christmas Eve. Many of my gifts this year are handmade or bought from independent shops, I love to give something special. My children like to get involved with our handmade gift tradition too and this year we tried something a little different – we used one of my 5 year olds’ drawings on a cushion via Snapfish. Making personalised gifts with children’s drawings…

  • days out - Family Life - London

    A day at London Zoo with YouTube Kids

    A couple of weeks ago we were invited to spend the day at ZSL London Zoo thanks to YouTube Kids. Now we love the Zoo so it was easy to say yes and we got to London Zoo nice and early so we could visit our favourite animals. Soon it was time to meet everyone at YouTubeKids. We went to a dedicated party room, filled with games, toys, crafts and tablets where we could find out more about YouTube Kids. It is an App which has recently launched in the UK and Ireland, built with parents and children in mind that makes…

  • competition

    Win a mid century design oilcloth shopping bag from dotcomgiftshop

    A couple of weeks ago I received a lovely email to say I had been chosen by dotcomgiftshop as one of their 10 creative needlecraft blogs. It’s true, I do love a little bit of needlecraft and have a few projects lined up for the New Year. The kind people at dotcomgiftshop sent me a lovely oilcloth bag as a little thank you, as well as a voucher to spend on their site. In the spirit of the festive season I wanted to share the love so am offering the bag as a little giveaway. The bag features a fun,…

  • Christmas - gingerbread - Handmade gifts - Kids crafts - Stamptastic Ambassador - tutorial

    Gingerbread man with candy cane Christmas card

    We’ve made some lovely festive crafts over the last week. The children are so excited about Christmas and I’ve been enjoying watching and listening to their chatter. They are both rehearsing for their Christmas plays at school and it is really funny listening to their interpretation of Christmas. We love making handmade gifts and cards. This year we thought we would try something a little different from a photo card and made a gingerbread man with candy cane Christmas card.   Gingerbread man with candy cane Christmas card I had a few attempts at making a gingerbread man who could…

  • birthday - Christmas - gingerbread - gingerbread house - upcycling

    Monday happy things

    I can’t believe it’s the last day of November already which means it’s time for my weekly Monday Happy Things post, 5 things which have made me happy this week. My beautiful daughter turned 4 on Saturday. She received a great mix of presents including Sylvanian Families, Peppa Pig, Dora and Doc McStuffins. She was given some birthday money and she enjoyed spending it, choosing her own clothes and more toys, Tsum Tsum seem to be her new favourites. I’d love to say we made her cake, but we didn’t. I received my second Happy Paper Club subscription box. I…