• Easy button pumpkin craft - the gingerbread house
    crafts - Crafts for kids - Halloween crafts - tutorial

    Easy button pumpkin craft

    October 4, 2014 - By 

    I spotted pumpkins during the weekly shop and my children were really curious about them so we bought one. It has taken pride of place in the dining room and we’ve been inspired to craft our own pumpkins with buttons. Materials required for an easy button pumpkin craft: paper orange and black paint orange buttons glue stick How to make an easy button pumpkin: First draw a pumpkin shape on a piece of paper and paint. As you can see Little Sis went a little crazy with the paint on her first attempt. We set our pumpkin paintings aside and…

  • book review - competition

    Win a copy of I Heart Holidays by Clara Vulliamy

    October 3, 2014 - By 

    I have a lovely book giveaway to share with you today. You may have heard about a little bunny called Martha and her Bunny Brothers. A couple of years ago we reviewed I Heart School and the third book in the picture book series has recently been published – I Heart Holidays. Martha and her Bunny Brothers are back, and they’re going on holiday! Come on a splashy, sunny holiday with Martha and her Bunny Brothers! They’re off to the seaside… but how do you have fun when you have two Bunny Brothers to please? Just ask Martha – she…

  • Cooking - eating

    Chicken teriyaki and egg fried rice

    October 2, 2014 - By 

    I love to save money, by recycling and upcycling or scouring my local charity shops for a bargain. I like cooking for my family but sometimes I can be pretty thrifty in the kitchen too. Faced with leftovers from yesterdays’ delicious homemade curry, I thought I would use the leftover rice to make egg fried rice for today’s dinner. Ingredients needed to make egg fried rice: rice (1 day old works well with this recipe) spring onions 2 eggs peas oil soy sauce Add a dash of oil to a wok or saucepan, add your cooked rice, peas and chopped spring…

  • doll quilt
    Dolls quilts - vintage

    Another vintage dolls bed

    October 1, 2014 - By 

    I’ve been naughty and bought another vintage dolls bed for my daughter. We were out shopping in Pinner last week and I spotted a beautiful vintage dolls bed in an RSPCA charity shop. I have to admit that my daughter already has a couple of doll beds. In fact she has two she plays with, and there’s another two waiting to be painted in the spare room! Another vintage dolls bed I was trying to be good so I looked at it, thought it was very sweet in its original state, then walked way. We had lunch and I thought…

  • crafts - handmade - Handmade gifts - sewing - swaps

    Monthly makes – September

    September 30, 2014 - By 

    September was a pretty busy month for making things. Aside from crafting with the children, which happens pretty much every day, there was also some baking with carrot cakes and a lovely Victoria sponge. There was the finishing off of WIPs and making a start on handmade gifts for Christmas so I thought I would write about my Monthly Makes. The month started with the London-themed ATC I made for a swap. I embroidered a London bus (from a pattern in Annela Hoey’s Little Stitches). I received a lovely ATC from my partner, she created a sandcastle and used a…

  • days out - Handmade gifts - National Trust - Orla Kiely

    Monday happy things

    September 29, 2014 - By 

    So it’s only the second time I have written my Monday happy post but already it’s making me happy just thinking about what to write about. I’ve decided to pick 5 things which have made me happy over the last week but I could easily have written more: On Saturday we booked ourselves on a tour of the beautiful Red House, the only house commissioned, created and lived in by William Morris, founder of the Arts & Crafts movement. He only lived in it for 5 years but it still retains some pieces of furniture, wall paintings and decorations that…

  • Christmas - gingerbread - Handmade gifts

    10 gingerbread foods to bake

    September 28, 2014 - By 

    You know by now that I love gingerbread, not just at Christmas but all year round. I’ve drawn up a little list of 10 of my favourite gingerbread foods to bake. We love making gingerbread men as much as anyone but some of these are just a little bit different and so much fun. 10 gingerbread foods to bake You can make gingerbread biscuits in any shape or size. I’ve been collecting vintage cookie cutters for years and my children love to rifle through the collection to choose their favourites. I have a never fail gingerbread recipe and sometimes the…

  • homemade - homestyle - housekeeping - interiors - London - vintage

    On my mantel – September

    September 27, 2014 - By 

    I love reading Tales from a Happy House and how her mantel charts the seasons in her house. When I saw her invitation to join in I knew I had to, albeit a little last minute as usual. Our fireplace is pretty nasty but I love the mantel in our living room, it’s a real focal point and I just had to share what’s on my mantel this month. I’ve said before that we haven’t decorated our living room since we moved in last April. The room is painted a neutral colour which means most things look good. The two…

  • playing - STEM activity - toy review

    Hubelino Marble Run

    September 26, 2014 - By 

    For the last few weeks my children have been enchanted by a marble run in our local toy shop. Every time we visit they have demanded a couple of marbles so they can watch what happens when they set them off at the top of the run. Luckily for them they were sent the Hubelino Marble Run Starter Set and they’ve been having lots of fun with it at home. The Starter Set includes 85 parts and a construction book, that shows you how to build Marble Runs with less than 10 parts, but also with a lot more. The…