• Hoop Quilts for Beginners {book review}
    What I'm reading

    Hoop Quilts for Beginners {book review}

    May 7, 2022 - By 

    I love reading craft books, I find them so inspiring especially when I want to try something new. I was recently gifted a copy of Hoop Quilts for Beginners by Anne Marie Chany via NetGalley. I loved the cover of the book – I know you should never judge a book by its cover – which was bright and colourful! Hoop Quilts for Beginners by Anne Marie Chany Hoop Quilts for Beginners: 15 Designs Using Easy Patchwork and Embroidery is by Anne Marie Chany. The craft of hoop quilts combine simple quilting techniques with embroidery, patchwork, and other favourite fabric…

  • Walpole Park Ealing
    Monday Happy List

    Monday Happy Things {Week 394}

    May 2, 2022 - By 

    Starting the week by writing the Monday Happy List is something I’ve been doing for a while. It’s a chance for me 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. Monday Happy Things {Week 394} I finished the sweetest little embroidered banner which came with Love Embroidery magazine over the weekend. I love a small project which I know I can finish in a few days and it got me back into the mood…

  • How to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee in London with kids
    days out - Local Review - London - Royal crafts

    How to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee in London with kids

    April 29, 2022 - By 

    In June, Her Majesty The Queen will become the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee (a whopping 70 years of service). The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Central Weekend takes place between 2nd – 5th June with events taking place all around the country. How to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee in London with kids Trooping the Colour (Saturday 2nd June) Trooping the Colour takes place annually to celebrate the Queen’s birthday . More than 1,400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians will come together in the traditional Parade to mark The Queen’s official birthday. Platinum Party at the Palace…

  • Win a copy of Smile Out Loud: 25 happy poems
    competition

    Win a copy of Smile Out Loud: 25 happy poems

    April 28, 2022 - By 

    From the fantastic duo behind poems aloud comes another compendium of poetry to read out loud and make you smile. Tackle tongue twisters, confound your classmates with riddles, make your friends laugh and transform into a ball of slime as you bring to life 25 poems from award-winning poet Joseph Coelho! Some are odes, some can be said as personal mantras or are just full of words that you can’t help but smile when you hear them. They are designed to be read aloud to project confidence, conjure happiness, make you laugh or cheer others up. This is a book…

  • Love Embroidery pennant stitch kit
    Crafts for adults

    Love Embroidery pennant stitch kit

    April 27, 2022 - By 

    Recently I’ve felt like I’ve lost my crafting mojo. The Easter holidays were busy and we had some lovely days out but the kids stayed up late which left no time for crafting. I have a few projects on the go but none were really grabbing my attention. So I was happy when the May issue of Love Embroidery magazine arrived because it included a lovely free embroidery project. Love Embroidery pennant stitch kit I embroider a lot of hoops so I liked the thought of stitching something a little different. The stitch kit was designed by Jessie Doe and …

  • Monday Happy List

    Monday Happy Things {Week 393}

    April 25, 2022 - By 

    Starting the week by writing the Monday Happy List is something I’ve been doing for a while. It’s a chance for me 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. Monday Happy Things {Week 393} We started our week with a return visit to Church Gardens in Harefield. We visited last summer and were really looking forward to seeing how the gardens had changed. We spent a good hour looking at the gardens before…

  • Exploring Silverstone Interactive Museum with kids
    days out - Northamptonshire

    Exploring Silverstone Interactive Museum with kids

    April 24, 2022 - By 

    It seems a while since our first visit to Silverstone. With the whole family fans of F1 it was a no-brainer when we received an invitation to Silverstone to take part in their Lap of Lights experience at Christmas. We had so much fun and couldn’t wait to go back and visit the Silverstone Interactive Museum. Exploring Silverstone Interactive Museum with kids The Silverstone Interactive Museum is a great day out for the whole family. The museum is spread across two levels. Upstairs you will find the history of Silverstone, from its mention in the Domesday Book right through to…

  • The Ship Asunder: A Maritime History of Britain in Eleven Vessels by Tom Nancollas
    What I'm reading

    The Ship Asunder {book review}

    April 23, 2022 - By 

    I’ve enjoyed a few great fact and fiction books about the coast recently. The Storm Girl was a great story with a twin timeline entwining the life of a smuggler from the 17th century with a woman renovating an old smugglers pub in Dorset. Shadowlands: A Journey Through Lost Britain was about Britain’s lost cities, ghost towns and vanished villages, some of which were washed away into the sea, such as Winchelsea and Dunwich. Being surrounded by the sea can have a profound effect on a person, and we all love to escape to the coast when we can. The next…

  • Letterbox-friendly Silly Greens review
    subscription box

    Letterbox-friendly Silly Greens review

    April 20, 2022 - By 

    I’ve mentioned a few times that I love a subscription box. There’s something lovely about receiving mail that pampers you, entertains you or teaches you something new. I’ve tried a few over the years but was happy to discover Silly Greens who send live seed packs by post! I love my garden and this is always an exciting time of year. My windowsills are packed with seed trays and my sweet peas, runner beans and sunflowers are growing and I’ll soon be able to put them outside. Which meant I had plenty of room to try a gifted Silly Greens…