Over the summer I was busy swapping like a mad person, trying to give me something to think about other than nappies and wiping noses. I took part in two fab craft swaps around the theme of the Jubilee. First up was God Save the Queen swap! hosted by Hookin’ with Laa Laa. We had to send things relating to Britain and Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee. Items were plentiful and I sent a union flag notebook, Diamond Jubilee keyring, napkins and cross stitch, as well as some spectacular Jubilee sunglasses to my partner Crafty Mum. Hales sent me some lovely gifts including a…
-
-
I’ve recently bought three lovely new craft books and have ear-marked a couple of projects to get me through the autumn and winter. You may know I love English Paper Piecing and have been carrying around a little hexagon project for a while. One it’s finished I’m going to start on my own version of the Union Jack Quilt which is one of the projects in Tacha Breucher’s hexa go-go. I thought I might make a cot-sized version for Little Sis’ first birthday in November. Her brother received a dinosaur blanket for his first birthday so I would love to…
-
This week the digitally restored and first widescreen release of The BFG The Movie was released on DVD and Blu-ray. I love Roald Dahl books and The BFG was always one of my favourites. It was strange sitting down to watch a film from my childhood with the toddler but he loved it so I will be off to the library to find some Roald Dahl books to read together. To celebrate the release of the film I have a lovely competition for you, where you can win a copy of The BFG and Family Golden Ticket to the Roald…
-
I looked at the white bedspreads, white towels and my 2.5 year old jumping on the 4 poster with his muddy feet and wondered if glamping could ever be glamorous? It’s not a cheap holiday option and the champagne flutes in the cupboard hinted at visitors without children. I wondered if we were crazy to take a 2.5 and 9 month old glamping. Can glamping ever be glamorous? We’ve just returned from a week in our own eight acres of private woodland in Devon, called The Wood Life. Just the four of us, a large tent, real beds and a…
-
Last week we were invited to a lovely party to celebrate the family classic Dear Zoo turning 30 in 2012! In case you’ve never read it, it begins ‘I wrote to the zoo to send me a pet. So they sent me an…’ A series of unsuitable animals are sent by the zoo which are all sent back. Finally after thinking very hard, they send the perfect pet! Big Brother and Little Sis put on their cleanest clothes to attend the party and had a lovely time. They listened to an amazing story teller, were given a dog made from…
-
Power, wealth, sex … and glorious extravagance. They all find a home in the sprawling saga of the Ewing clan in Dallas. At 357 episodes, Dallas remains one of the longest lasting prime time dramas in American TV history. I was hooked when I was younger but I was a bit gutted to google and find it ran from 1978 to 1991 (i.e. a very long time ago!). The good news is that it’s being brought back for a new series starring some of the original characters and new ones too, I’ve seen the adverts and can’t wait to catch…
-
After the amazing atmosphere during the Olympic Games we were really looking forward to the Paralympic Games and we haven’t been disappointed. To celebrate the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games I have an amazing Limited edition Panasonic Lumix Camera for one lucky reader of the gingerbread house. Best of all you don’t have to do anything sporty to be in with a chance of winning! To take part you need to support your team and share your passion for the London 2012 Olympic Games via the Panasonic UK Facebook app! First you need to ‘Like’ the Panasonic UK Facebook App…
-
Not much to show this week. I am trying to finish some little projects and have brought a bag on them on holiday in the hope there will be some sewing time. At last years’ Knitting and Stitching Show at Ally Pally I bought a fat quarter of a fab print by Echino Ni-Co called Camera in turquoise. It features a vintage 35mm camera in repeat and I thought I might make something for my husband who loves taking photographs. That never happened when I realised a fat quarter wouldn’t be enough to wrap around a lens, let alone his…
-
I have a new hunting ground, Westbury in Wiltshire, where my mother has recently moved. We’re currently visiting and I was able to visit some of the charity shops. The first charity shop was an Age UK where the toddler spotted a Tomy Thomas & Friends Post Office Loader. He has a Big Loader at home which he loves so we bought this too on the premise we keep it at Nanny’s house. When we got it home we realised it was complete but missing the instructions and balls! Hhhmmm. However, it was easy to put together from the picture on…