Is it too early to be talking about Christmas? I don’t think so! Now the weather has turned colder my thoughts have turned to Christmas and the pile of presents I’m trying to hide from my children is growing. One thing I can’t hide away is this wonderful plate from Bluebelle Create which we were sent. I shared it on my Instagram feed when I un-wrapped it and it got lots of Instagram-love. Isn’t it lovely? Bluebelle Create is a lovely handmade business, which you know is right up my street, making personalised and handmade gifts, from signature plates to…
-
-
Halloween might be over for another year but we are eagerly looking forward to Bonfire Night on Thursday. We’ll be attending our local firework display (weather permitting!) There are some really colourful crafts around to celebrate fireworks and the failure of Guy Fawkes. Last year we made edible sparklers which I can thoroughly recommend! This year we made constellation lacing cards for Firework Night using a really fun Galaxy-X Duck Tape which is totally out of this world. Equipment needed to make constellation lacing cards Roll of Galaxy-X Duck Tape A4 card center punch laces How to make constellation lacing cards I…
-
Half term has meant a welcome break from the normal routine. My mum came to visit and we spent a lovely few days at her house in Wiltshire too. My son’s new bed was delivered. He was so excited about swapping his cot bed for a proper big boy bed. His enthusiasm didn’t last long when he fell out of bed on his first night but we’ve now put a bed guard up and he’s much happier. We spent a day at Hughenden Manor, one of my favourite local National Trust places. The rain stopped as we arrived so we…
-
This evening after a very busy day we enjoyed a Fajita and Film Night from Santa Maria (previously Discovery Foods). As the weather turns colder and nights in and lazy Sundays with the little ones become more appealing, Santa Maria sent us a lovely hamper filled with Santa Maria products including tortillas, fajita seasoning mix and squeezy bottles of guacamole and salsa. We love making fajita’s at home but there were a couple of products we hadn’t tried before, such as the tub of Onion & Garlic Dip, jar of Red Jalapenos and Sweet Chilli flavoured Nacho Rolls. All I…
-
We’ve had a brilliant half-term. The weather has been amazing and we’ve enjoyed some lovely days out. Our quiet moments were filled thanks to Flora who kindly sent us a copy of their Flora Halloween Fun Pack (available to download from their website) and a creepy crate filled with craft materials. We’ve been quite busy working our way through the fun pack! The guide contains easy and tasty recipes, arts and crafts ideas and games to play with the kids. It was great fun for half-term, especially as both children embraced Halloween this year. As you can see from the…
-
Last night I attended a really fun baking with Betty Crocker class at the Central Street Cookery School. I love Betty Crocker products, they’re really great for making with the children, and the whole family adores eating them, so I was excited to learn some new tips and tricks. After hearing a little about the brand and products (which include cake mixes, icings and pancakes) we were introduced to the newest product in the range – Vanilla Icing and Rainbow Sprinkles. Instead of just making a cake we mixed things up a little. First up was a Swirly Snowflake Loaf…
-
This has been a great month for some grown up crafting. I’ve cut back on my blogging which means lots more time for making the things that make me happy rather than hours spent staring at my laptop. I completed Wild Olive’s Winter Stitching Club pattern which made a really lovely table mat or wall hanging. I loved stitching each hexagon and making them into puffy hexies. I think my favourites are the embroidered Christmas jumper and quilt. Wild Olive’s Winter Stitching Club I’ve completed some smaller projects too, such as a cute little gingerbread man I bought from Asking…
-
This year Playmobil have released 5 Playmobil Advent calendars – Santa’s Workshop, Unicorn Fairyland, Police, Pony Farm and Dragon’s Treasure Battle. You may remember we were fortunate to be sent the Pirates Treasure Cove calendar last year as part of our role as Playmobil Playologists. I was pretty excited to receive the Santa’s Workshop Advent Calendar as I’m a real traditionalist and love the look of this. The Pirate advent calendar was great and fun to open but had nothing to do with Christmas, this is perfect! Santa’s Workshop is designed for ages 4-10 and priced £18.99 which seems reasonable…
-
I’ve had lots of fun decorating my mantel this month. The Autumnal colours have crept in and our nature table has been bursting with leaves, pinecones and seeds which the children have adored picking up. My vintage bus blind is still in its usual place on the mantel. We have done a little decorating this month but still haven’t decided on a permanent home for this. I love it though so I’m glad it’s still somewhere central. As well as the vintage bus blind I have my brass candlesticks, two of my favourite ceramic tea light houses, our clock and…