• Twelfth Night biscuits for Three Kings Day
    baking - Crafts for adults - gingerbread - Winter crafts

    Gingerbread crowns for Three Kings Day

    January 6, 2015 - By 

    You know that I love to celebrate the seasons which is why I had to mark Twelfth Night in some way. We took the Christmas decorations down over the weekend (not a job I wanted to do on my own) so the house has been looking a little empty. With everyone back at work and school I made some yummy gingerbread crowns for Three Kings Day, also known as Twelfth Night. So I made a large batch of yummy gingerbread dough. I rolled it out and cut out my shapes – three Russian-inspired crowns for the Three Kings. I used…

  • how to make a gingerbread house
    baking - gingerbread - gingerbread house

    My 2014 gingerbread house

    December 10, 2014 - By 

    You’re probably not surprised to hear I’m a big fan of a gingerbread house. My tree is covered with gingerbread decorations, I have some gingerbread scented candles burning and we’re all quite partial to making the odd gingerbread house during the festive season. Over the years I’ve tried a few gingerbread house kits but nothing beats making your own from scratch. My 2014 gingerbread house This year we made something a little different, a really large gingerbread house shaped biscuit, based on the felt busy bag gingerbread house my children love playing with. This was so easy to put together…

  • baking - days out - gingerbread - Kids crafts

    Monday happy things

    December 8, 2014 - By 

    It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas! Time really is running away from me at the moment. We had one of those ‘quiet’ weekends at home which actually meant we barely sat down til 10 o’clock last night. The children have gone crazy about Christmas and we’re *just* about coping with their excitable behaviour. There have been lots of happy moments this week. My favourite was definitely the day I spent crafting with my 4 year old at Tea & Crafting in Camden. We made a Christmas tree sun catcher and a personalised stocking which I will be telling…

  • melted snowman biscuits - the gingerbread house
    baking - Christmas - Kids crafts - tutorial - Twitter party

    Melted snowman biscuits

    November 29, 2014 - By 

    On Monday I will be co-hosting a fun-filled Nick Jr Craftmas Twitter Party. I was sent a box full of craft supplies and activities to tell you about and I thought it would be fun to make one of them beforehand. Today I am going to share how to make easy melted snowman biscuits. Ingredients needed to make melted snowman biscuits: Gingerbread biscuits Ready made icing Silver balls Marshmallows How to make melted snowman biscuits: Take your biscuit and add a generous dollop of icing. Roughly smooth it over the surface of the biscuit. Cut a marshmallow in half and…

  • baking - gingerbread

    How to make gingerbread mug cake

    November 26, 2014 - By 

    I’ve wanted to try making a mug cake for a while. I adore cake but when there’s cake in the cake tin, well I just have to eat it until it’s all gone. I thought it would be fun to make a gingerbread mug cake as the portion would be so much more manageable. Ingredients needed to make a gingerbread mug cake: 5 tablespoons plain flour ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 1 teaspoon of festive spices (to include ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla) 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 3 tablespoons brown muscovado sugar 4 tablespoons milk 2 tablespoons vegetable oil…

  • baking - gingerbread - gingerbread house - sewing

    Monday happy things

    November 24, 2014 - By 

    I love looking back over the photos I’ve taken. There has been a lot of sewing, baking and crafting with the children this week, in between a blur of  PTA meetings and wrapping presents for my daughter’s 3rd birthday. I made bite-sized gingerbread house biscuits one day as a special sweet treat. There has been the discovery of new sewing patters and decorations for the Christmas tree. We also attempted this lovely and delicious gingerbread tree. In non-gingerbread related news, we had a fun trip to the Science Museum to escape the torrential rain on Saturday and I finished the…

  • baking - Halloween crafts

    Half-term fun with Flora Halloween Fun Pack

    November 1, 2014 - By 

    We’ve had a brilliant half-term. The weather has been amazing and we’ve enjoyed some lovely days out. Our quiet moments were filled thanks to Flora who kindly sent us a copy of their Flora Halloween Fun Pack (available to download from their website) and a creepy crate filled with craft materials. We’ve been quite busy working our way through the fun pack! The guide contains easy and tasty recipes, arts and crafts ideas and games to play with the kids. It was great fun for half-term, especially as both children embraced Halloween this year. As you can see from the…

  • baking

    Baking with Betty Crocker

    October 31, 2014 - By 

    Last night I attended a really fun baking with Betty Crocker class at the Central Street Cookery School. I love Betty Crocker products, they’re really great for making with the children, and the whole family adores eating them, so I was excited to learn some new tips and tricks. After hearing a little about the brand and products (which include cake mixes, icings and pancakes) we were introduced to the newest product in the range – Vanilla Icing and Rainbow Sprinkles. Instead of just making a cake we mixed things up a little. First up was a Swirly Snowflake Loaf…

  • baking - crafts

    Monday happy things

    October 20, 2014 - By 

    This has been quite a quiet week for us. We’ve stayed close to home, just trying to get through the days until half term.   My 4 year old had a brilliant school report. I know I’m totally biased but it was great to hear how well he’s settled into Reception. I was able to look through his workbooks where he had written about why he was special (because he can ride a bike) and what he wants to be when he’s older (an artist). I baked some delicious lemon meringue cupcakes after finally getting my hands on a packet…