• book review - homestyle - Roald Dahl crafts - Uncategorized

    Roald Dahl’s Billy and the Minpins

    Children’s books are so special. I read with my children every night and I enjoy choosing books as much as they do. My 7 year old loves Roald Dahl so we were delighted to receive a copy of Billy and the Minpins, which we had never read before. Billy and the Minpins is a new interpretation of Roald Dahl’s very last story and for the first time has been illustrated by the wonderful Quentin Blake. This means that fans will be able to complete their collections in time for Roald Dahl Day 2017 – celebrated annually on 13th September. Publishing in…

  • book review - competition

    Win a copy of the children’s classic Dogger by Shirley Hughes

    Last month the author Shirley Hughes turned 90 and happily shared her birthday month with one of her most treasured creations – public favourite, and retail bestseller, Dogger which celebrates it’s 40th anniversary. Dogger is a favourite picture book in our house. In case you haven’t read it, it features a boy and his stuffed dog, who is lost. I think this is every parents worse nightmare! Thankfully the boy’s sister has an opportunity to earn Dogger back and the story has a happy ending. Phew! To honour Shirley Hughes’s incredible talent and unwavering success over the past 90 years,…

  • book review - crafts - Paper craft

    Paper Monsters by Oscar Sabini

    I’m embarrassed to admit I can’t remember the last time, if there was one, that we made a collage. Although we craft with tissue paper and all sorts of materials, there are still some crafts we need to try. Today we popped our collage cherry, thanks to Paper Monsters by Oscar Sabini! Paper Monsters by Oscar Sabini Paper Monsters enables young children to make seven collage pictures of monsters in cleverly designed paper pockets in the book. Children can complete all the pictures to make a monster procession who appear to be hurrying to the last page. There they will…

  • book review - competition - homestyle - What I'm reading

    The Summer of Serendipity {review and giveaway}

    Can you smell the Summer holidays? I can! Today I’m taking part in the book tour for The Summer of Serendipity by Ali McNamara. Read on for my review of this great summer time read, and for your chance to win a copy. The Summer of Serendipity One summer, property seeker, Serendipity Parker finds herself on the beautiful west coast of Ireland, hunting for a home for a wealthy Irish client. But when she finds the perfect house in the small town of Ballykiltara, there’s a problem; nobody seems to know who owns it. ‘The Welcome House’ is a local legend.…

  • book review - homestyle - What I'm reading

    Minecraft books to help you through the Summer holidays

    My 7 year old loves Minecraft. It was the first computer game he played and he still plays it today. This is usually a reward for doing his homework and helping around the house. He likes nothing better than playing it with his Dad. I have to be honest and admit to not knowing how to play. My 5 year old plays too but my 7 year old has Minecraft books, toys and even clothes. It’s fair to say he is a huge fan. Minecraft Master Builder Toolkit We have received a few Minecraft books so I thought I would…

  • book review - homestyle - What I'm reading

    This is Not a Fairy Tale book review

    As I went up to see my daughter for the umpteenth time last night I realised how quickly she is growing up. Despite school, a playdate, a karate lesson and shower she was NOT tired. We asked her to lie down in bed for 10 minutes before she got up to play. I let her play for a while before going back up to ask her to go to bed. This was at 9.30pm! She’s only 5 years old! It’s fair to say she knows her own mind, which is why I knew she would enjoy This is Not a…

  • book review - competition

    Win a Lottie Dolls sticker and fiction book

    Have you heard of the award winning Lottie Dolls? Lottie, Finn and Friends are inspired by real kids. Arklu believes that childhood should be an inclusive place where every child belongs regardless of gender, ethnicity or ability, and aim to reflect that in their collection. Lottie Dolls aim to empower young minds through play. The dolls are ethnically diverse, age-appropriate, and are based on the scientific proportions of a nine-year old child. They look and act how a real child would. Lottie Dolls books from Penguin Random House Children’s Lottie Dolls have been around since 2010 and they have recently teamed…

  • book review - competition - crafts

    Win with HarperCollins Summer Reads Book Tour!

    You can’t beat a big old pile of books to read, especially with the Summer holidays coming up. We love reading all year around but we make a special effort to keep up with our reading so we don’t fall victim to that infamous Summer slide. Both my children love books so we’re so excited to have teamed up with HarperCollins Children’s for an awesome Summer Reads giveaway! Follow #HCSummerReads this July for reviews, activities, exclusive interviews and awesome prizes! HarperCollins Summer Reads Book Tour! HarperCollins Children’s sent us an awesome pile of books which my children were so excited to…

  • book review - homestyle - What I'm reading

    The Creative Family Manifesto by Amanda Blake Soule

    Amanda Blake Soule was one of the first bloggers I discovered and enjoyed reading back in 2005 (when I first started my own blog too!). She is a mother of five, blog and book writer, magazine editor, and maker of all kinds of things. On her blog, Soulemama, she shares tales of her family homesteading adventures from her old farmhouse in Western Maine. She is the author of three books: The Creative Family, Handmade Home, and The Rhythm of Family. I have the first two and I admit they have influenced how I play with my own children. So I…