• 365 day stitching wheel
    Crafts for adults

    Ideas for 365 challenges

    September 16, 2023 - By 

    September feels like a good time to start a new project. The children are back to a new year at school, club start up again and it’s a time when I start to look at myself and what I want to achieve too. This year I am trying a 365 challenge, where I add to my rather large embroidery hoop each day. Ideas for 365 challenges A 365 day challenge has become really popular recently. After reading 365 Days of Stitches recently I decided to start my own 365 embroidery challenge. Some of my friends have added a button to…

  • Monday Happy List

    Five Happy Things {Week 465}

    September 10, 2023 - By 

    Starting the week by writing the Happy List is something I’ve been doing for a while. This is my chance to sit down and reflect on the things that made me happy in the previous week, as well as to record some of our family adventures. It’s a post I always love to write. Five Happy Things {Week 465} Last week I shared some of our fun days out over the summer holidays. We had a great week in Dorset, looking for jurassic fossils and using our Lifetime National Trust card to visit some beautiful historic buildings. I shared our trip to…

  • Make a wrapped rope ghost this Halloween
    Crafts for teens - Crafts for tweens - Halloween crafts

    Make a wrapped rope ghost this Halloween

    September 9, 2023 - By 

    With just a few simple supplies from your craft stash you can create a pair of cute-as-can-be ghosts that are perfect for your Halloween decor this year. Wrapped rope ghost craft materials: White craft yarn Thick cotton rope Glue gun and glue sticks Painter’s tape Permanent marker Black craft felt sheet Ruler Scissors Comb/brush How to make a wrapped rope ghost Measure and tape the thick cotton rope in the middle of where you will cut the rope to prevent fraying on both ends. Here are the lengths that we cut to create the ghosts. The tall ghost was 8″…

  • {Exploring} Max Gate, Dorchester
    days out - Dorset - National Trust

    {Exploring} Max Gate, Dorchester

    September 6, 2023 - By 

    As I told you about our family visit to the pretty cottage where Thomas Hardy was born yesterday, today I’m going to share our visit to Max Gate. This was the house designed by Thomas Hardy (who trained as an architect) and built by his father and brother. Thomas Hardy lived in the house until his death in 1928. {Exploring} Max Gate, Dorchester Max Gate couldn’t be more different from Hardy’s Cottage which we visited. Built in the Queen Anne style we found it rather soulless and unwelcoming. We had booked our ticket online and were guided round the house…

  • {Exploring} Hardy's Cottage, Higher Bockhampton
    days out - Dorset - National Trust

    {Exploring} Hardy’s Cottage, Higher Bockhampton

    September 5, 2023 - By 

    Over the summer we spent a week exploring Dorset, surely one on the prettiest counties in England? The weather was pretty good to us and we were able to use our National Trust membership to explore some new properties, such as Hardy’s Cottage and Max Gate, the home he built in later life. Thomas Hardy was a British author, of poems and novels including Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Far From The Madding Crowd, Jude The Obscure and The Mayor of Casterbridge. {Exploring} Hardy’s Cottage, Higher Bockhampton You need to pre-book a visit to Hardy’s Cottage online and turn up at…

  • Exploring Seaton tramway with kids and a dog
    days out - Devon

    Exploring Seaton tramway with kids and a dog

    September 4, 2023 - By 

    Sometimes I forget how lucky we are to visit some of the beautiful places in the UK. This summer we spent a week exploring East Devon, especially the coastal villages of Lyme Regis and the surrounding areas. One place we really wanted to take the children was the Seaton tramway in Devon, this is a narrow gauge heritage tram which runs between Seaton, Colyford and Colyton in East Devon’s glorious Axe Valley, travelling alongside the River Axe. Exploring Seaton tramway with kids and a dog We first visited Seaton tramway back in 2005 and it was really lovely to be…

  • Thames Barrier Open Day
    Monday Happy List

    Five Happy Things {Week 464}

    September 3, 2023 - By 

    Starting the week by writing the Happy List is something I’ve been doing for a while. This is my chance to sit down and reflect on the things that made me happy in the previous week, as well as to record some of our family adventures. It’s a post I always love to write. Five Happy Things {Week 464} Last week was the final week of the school holidays. We made sure to keep the kids busy with finishing homework, bike rides, go karting and a trip to the local climbing centre. I also stitched name labels on every new item of…

  • 365 Days of Stitching cover
    Craft book review - What I'm reading

    365 Days of Stitching {book review}

    September 1, 2023 - By 

    I am so excited to tell you about a new craft book which published yesterday. Introducing 365 Days of Stitches, the exciting new release that invites readers on a year-long adventure of self-expression through embroidery. These 365 embroidery challenges are all over my Instagram feed at the start of the year and I am really looking forward to starting my own after reading this book. 365 Days of Stitching by Steph Arnold 365 Days of Stitching: keep a personal embroidery journal: motifs, techniques, templates. Needlecrafters and journal enthusiasts can now capture life’s moments using the art of stitching. In Steph…

  • Bermondsey Foreshore Walk
    days out - Local Review - London - London Borough of Southwark

    {Exploring} Bermondsey Foreshore Walk with Thames Festival Trust

    August 31, 2023 - By 

    We love a guided walk. They are such a great way to learn new things and see things differently. Last year we were lucky to attend a guided walk along the Thames foreshore at Bermondsey. My daughter always seems to spot small things, and often comes home with a pretty feather or unusual stone from the beach. I knew she would enjoy a guided walk along the Thames foreshore. {Exploring} Bermondsey Foreshore Walk with Thames Festival Trust The Thames Trust is an annual festival of the Thames and features guided walks and events along the Thames. I booked the family…