Today the toddler turned 3. We just gave him a couple of presents to open before nursery, unfortunately one of them was a Buzz Lightyear which went off before it was opened, rather giving the game away! He was totally spoilt with some Disney Cars for his collection, a train for his train set, and a wooden bike. His name was read out on cBeebies and he was only a little bemused by the home made Lightning McQueen pinata. We made a special rainbow layer cake which was fun to make, if a little time consuming. Fortunately the weather was…
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As our moving date is edging closer I’ve been ‘pinning’ some products I would love in our new home. Fingers crossed we will have more wall space (more rooms must equal more walls right?) so we can display lots more photos. Ages ago I wrote about the vintage reclaimed picture frames we found under the stairs. They’ll be coming with us and hopefully I’ll find the time to update the pictures in them. I’ve also been making some doll quilts which I’d love to hang on the walls of Little Sis’ new room. Despite taking photographs of the children every…
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I’m on the look out for inspiration for our new home and finding plenty of it in craft books. I was recently sent a copy of Hand Knit Your home – 30 knitted projects for a modern home by Melanie Porter which is full of new ideas. Hand Knit Your home is a really interesting book as it presents a fresh perspective on decorating your home. The book is divided into three chapters and colour schemes – hot ideas, cool collection and pale palette. The projects are really inspired, ranging from a small flower vase cosy to a large floor…
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This has been a rough week as everyone has been ill which meant we were very grateful to be sent a copy of Adventures in Zambezia so we had something new to watch. When a spirited young falcon named Kai (Jeremy Suarez, TV’s “The Bernie Mac Show”) learns of Zambezia, the fabulous city of birds, he leaves his remote country home against the wishes of his father. But when his dad is captured by an evil lizard who plans to attack the city, Kai must learn the importance of teamwork if he’s to rescue his father, save his new friends…
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My sister is moving to the country cottage of her dreams this weekend. When we visited a couple of weekends ago we drove out to see it and it is lovely, a typical ancient cottage and it even had a stable door for the front door with roses growing around it! We thought we would make her a card as she is really excited about moving from town to country. I set up everything the toddler needed – a paint tray, big dollops of his favourite colours and some corks. We’ve painted with corks before and they’re the perfect size…
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I can’t tell you the last time I went to the cinema which is why I was very happy that Warner Brothers sent me Argo to review on DVD. Based on real events, the dramatic thriller chronicles the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans, which unfolded behind the scenes of the Iran hostage crisis, focusing on the little-known role that the CIA and Hollywood played— information that was not declassified until many years after the event. I love films based on real life event and it certainly didn’t disappoint! On November 4, 1979, as the Iranian revolution reaches its…
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I do so love being sent craft books to review and was lucky to receive a copy of folk art needlecraft – 35 step-by-step projects using traditional motifs from across the globe by Clare Youngs. I have recently been trying to improve my limited knowledge of stitches so this book arrived at a great time for me. It is full of lovely inspiring projects for the home, children and gifts, all of which can be completed in a couple of evenings. Some of the projects really appealed to me and have been added to my Day Zero craft list! I…
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I’ve had an idea about making a bunting blanket for a while, using a vintage blanket and scraps from my stash. Vintage bunting blanket I love experimenting with dye so tried dyeing part of an old baby blue cashmere blanket with Dylon Sunflower Yellow handwash dye. It didn’t look pretty during the process and I wasn’t too sure about colour mixing rules either. Anyway, I rinsed it and left it to dry and in the daylight it looked nice, a kind of faded green/yellow. From my stash I used some previously dyed vintage wool blankets which had been dyed with…
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What does Mother’s Day mean to you? To be honest I don’t need a Hallmark card to make me feel special. I love looking after my children and a card or meal doesn’t make me feel any more or less loved (although I won’t say no if I’m offered a present!). Looking after children of any age can be as hard as it is rewarding. Sometimes the overflowing wash basket and uneaten meals literally make me cry. But most of the time my heart swells when I see the toddler learning a new word or his little sister walking across…