• upcycled ruler tray - the gingerbread house
    Crafts for adults - Handmade gifts - Recycled crafts

    Upcycled folding ruler tray

    July 4, 2014 - By 

    Last Christmas I made a fun Christmas tree from vintage folding rulers. I’m not sure I ever blogged about it but it left me with quite a few pieces of vintage rulers to play with. I thought a little tray would be a good use of some of the pieces. There are always bunches of keys and receipts lying around so I thought a tray would be useful to tidy up our hall. Upcycled folding ruler tray materials: Hardboard Vintage folding ruler PVA wood glue Sand paper How to make an upcycled folding ruler tray: I re-used a folding ruler…

  • Frozen sensory play - the gingerbread house
    Kids crafts

    Frozen sensory play

    July 2, 2014 - By 

    Like many other children mine are absolutely enchanted by the Disney film Frozen. I draw the line at watching the film more than once a day so I’ve been trying to think of activities which Little Sis might enjoy and keep her busy. Over the last few weeks we’ve made our own version of Arendelle from boxes and cardboard tubes covered in foil. She’s also been happy using the tuff spot for some small world play with her beloved Frozen figures – Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Hans, (not our favourite!) Sven and Olaf. Her little Frozen figures have been coming every…

  • days out - Local Review - London

    Dennis Hopper: The Lost Album at the Royal Academy

    July 1, 2014 - By 

    Last week I received an invitation to a private view and curator’s talk for Dennis Hopper: The Lost Album which opened last week in Burlington Gardens. You might know him best as the director and star of cult classic Easy Rider, but Hopper was also a talented photographer. From 1961 to 1967, his camera rarely left his side and the end result is a remarkable collection of images which document everything from the Civil Rights movement to the street life of Harlem and Hippy culture. You’ll also recognise some of the biggest stars of the time from the worlds of…

  • easy lego soap dispenser - the gingerbread house
    Handmade gifts - Kids crafts - Lego - tutorial

    How to make a Lego soap dispenser

    June 30, 2014 - By 

    We love Lego and I’ve been looking for some ways to use it a little differently. What could be better than Lego in soap? Surely that could only encourage my potty training 2 year old to wash her hands! Lego soap dispenser materials: soap dispenser lego liquid soap How to make a lego soap dispenser First of all I let my 4 year old go through our Lego stash. I asked him to fill a container with green pieces but he was easily sidetracked! Eventually we had plenty of pieces to look at. He chose enough to half fill the…

  • Bahlsen Book Club - book review

    Sealed with a Kiss by Rachael Lucas

    June 29, 2014 - By 

    Yesterday I finished the latest book from the Bahlsen Book Club, Sealed with a Kiss by Rachael Lucas. Rachael Lucas, whose blog I’ve followed for a long time, began as a self-published author and after achieving over 130,000 downloads for Sealed with a Kiss, was signed to Pan MacMillan. I have to be honest and say I usually stay well clear of romantic chick lit. Whilst I was at Uni I read a lot of chick lit but being married and a parent just doesn’t make me reach for those kind of books in the bookshop anymore. Anyway, I was…

  • competition - crafts - Kids crafts - tutorial

    How to make a Peppa Pig nose

    June 28, 2014 - By 

    As a mum of two pre-schoolers it’s fair to say we watch a lot of Peppa Pig. My children adore Peppa and Little Sis has all the Peppa Pig playsets, clothes, cutlery and story books she can get her hands on. Nick Jr. is one of their favourite channels and Little Sis gets quite upset when the adverts get in the way of watching her beloved episodes of Peppa! Luckily for her Nick Jr. is gearing up for a month of Peppa Pig celebrations. This July will mark 10 years since the nation’s favourite pig was first broadcast on Nick…

  • Bento - tutorial

    How to make molded eggs for a bento picnic

    June 27, 2014 - By 

    I’m currently working with BritMums and British Lion Eggs on the Shortcut Eggsperts programme. Our latest challenge is all about creating egg dishes for summer outdoor dining. The weather has been amazing lately and we’ve been enjoying lots of picnics in the sunshine. My children love it when I surprise them with a fun bento lunch and I thought I would show how to make molded eggs for a bento picnic. How to make molded eggs for a bento picnic You will need egg molds (I bought animal ones from Amazon) and eggs First you need to hard boil your…

  • competition - Lindam Munchkin blogger panel - parenting

    Win a Lindam Funpack Harness for Child Safety Week

    June 26, 2014 - By 

    Do you know that it’s Child Safety Week this week? I’ve been working with Lindam – the UK’s number one safety brand – who have been raising awareness of child safety in the home via some research with Mumsnet to find out parents’ opinions on child safety. Although a large number of Brits would suggest they are confidently clued-up when it comes to safety knowledge, this new research suggests many remain on the lookout for more information to help understand the products and devices needed to adapt their homes effectively. The report shows only 37% of people are aware of…

  • painted stone fairy door
    crafts - Crafts for kids - Fairy garden crafts - Kids crafts - Nature crafts - Painted rocks - tutorial

    Painted stone fairy door

    June 25, 2014 - By 

    Little Sis loves princesses and fairies. As the children are spending so much time out doors at the moment I thought we could make a magical door so the fairies could come and visit us. This is a great nature craft. I don’t know about you but we seem to pick up flat stones where ever we go. I love to re-use them rather than let them sit around in glass jars. We’ve already used some to make Gruffalo story stones and we have a few more crafty projects up our sleeves. Painted stone fairy door materials: smooth, flat stones…