• recycled cardboard box fish tank
    Baker Ross Blogger Network - Kids crafts - Recycled crafts - tutorial

    Upcycled cardboard box fish tank

    July 25, 2014 - By 

    We have a fresh water tropical tank which my husband gives a lot of attention to. We recently received a parcel of crafting goodies from Baker Ross to keep us going through the summer holidays and as soon as I saw a pack of Tropical Fish Foam stickers I knew what we could make – our own tank full of little fishes. Materials you will need to make a fish tank Cardboard box Baker Ross Tropical Fish Foam Stickers Blue paint Blue and green felt or craft foam Sticky dots How to make a cardboard box fish tank I cut…

  • crafts - days out - handmade - Paper craft

    Afternoon tea with Kirstie Allsopp

    July 24, 2014 - By 

    Yesterday afternoon I was delighted to be invited to have afternoon tea with Kirstie Allsopp (and 49 other crafty ladies) at the V&A. I’m sure you’ve heard of The Handmade Fair which is taking place this Autumn at Hampton Court Palace. As a Super Pinner (are you following me on Pinterest?) I was able to spend a really fun couple of hours enjoying an afternoon of tea, cake and crafting. I love paper cutting but so far I haven’t been very adventurous. I was excited to learn how to create beautiful paper cut-out bunting with the help from artist Poppy…

  • competition - Friends of Sylvanian Families - playing - toy review

    Fun with the Sylvanian Families

    July 23, 2014 - By 

    For a long time Little Sis has been obsessed with Peppa Pig. Thankfully she’s recently become interested in other toys and has been building up a little collection of Sylvanian Families, or ‘Families’ as she calls them. I remember them from my own childhood so I’m pleased to see they’re still going strong. Created in Japan in 1985, Sylvanian Families is made up of woodland creatures, dolls houses and furniture sets. The Bramble Hedgehog Family were recently introduced and Little Sis was sent a set to review. With their soft bark-brown spines, wide eyes, and button noses, the Bramble Hedgehog…

  • competition - crafts - Dolls quilts - handmade

    Win a bundle of Truly British fabrics from The Bead and Button Company

    July 22, 2014 - By 

    You know how much I love to sew. I’ve been making lots of doll quilts for my daughter as the size means I never get bored! I was recently sent an amazing fabric bundle of 6 Truly British Fat Quarters from The Bead and Button Company to craft with. The Truly British fabric selection contained 6 different fabrics, each measuring 45cm x 55cm and 100% cotton. The selection was really good and I decided to use five of the pieces to make a maverick star doll quilt from my favourite craft book Doll Quilts. It was surprisingly easy to put…

  • food review

    Shopping with Morrisons online

    July 21, 2014 - By 

    The other week I was given the opportunity to try out shopping with Morrisons online. As a busy mum of two I have little time for food shopping, it is my least favourite chore, especially with two pre-schoolers in tow. Nothing beats sitting down when the children are in bed, making a shopping list and getting it delivered without leaving the front door! I love meal planning so it was pretty easy to translate my shopping list to an online order. Morrison’s website is easy to use, it was quick to sign up to the online service, and there were…

  • days out - Kids crafts - London - tutorial

    20 Disney Planes activities

    July 20, 2014 - By 

    Sometimes blogging has some major perks. Today was one of those days as we were invited to a gala screening of  Planes 2: Fire and Rescue. As the mother of two pre-schoolers who love Disney I knew this was an offer we couldn’t turn down. So we were all pretty excited when we got to The Odeon in Leicester Square for the gala screening of Planes 2: Fire and Rescue. There was a special fire engine outside along with some firemen, we had our photograph taken with Dusty Crophopper, and enjoyed some colouring and games before the film started. Planes:…

  • days out - Local Review - London

    BP Portrait Award at the NPG

    July 18, 2014 - By 

    Last night I attended a really fun London blogger meet up at the National Portrait Gallery in the West End. I love visiting museums and galleries, I’ve worked in museums since University and always spent my weekends (pre-children) catching up on the latest exhibitions. I’ve been fortunate to see some great exhibitions lately, including The Vikings at the British Museum, Dennis Hopper at the Royal Academy and British Folk Art at Tate Britain. We met up at the NPG to look round the BP Portrait Award 2014. BP Portrait Award at the NPG The BP Portrait Award showcases fifty-five of…

  • DIY pencil holder - the gingerbread house
    Back to school crafts - crafts - Handmade gifts - Kids crafts - Reception - School crafts - tutorial

    Back to school with a DIY pencil holder

    July 17, 2014 - By 

    This is a funny time of year. My 4 year old is going through his last week of Nursery and we have 6 weeks of fun before he starts Reception. It’s both exciting and sad as we start a new chapter as a family. With him starting Reception we have a list of essential items to buy. I have really happy memories of the start of a new term. Do you remember shopping for a new school bag and lunch box? My favourite part was always shopping for new stationery, nothing beats the smell of a brand new pencil case,…

  • book review - competition

    Win a copy of The Cat Who Came In off the Roof

    July 16, 2014 - By 

    The Cat Who Came in off the Roof by Annie M. G. Schmidt, translated from the original Dutch by David Colmer. It is a charming and funny tale about cats, friendship and learning to dare. Mr Tibble is a talented writer but is struggling as a reporter at his local newspaper. His editor is growing increasingly dissatisfied with his endless stories about cats! Then along comes Minou. She used to be a cat but after a freak turn of events is now a young woman – a young woman who likes to climb trees and roof tops, drinks milk from…