I’ve really got back into reading this year. I can measure the summer holidays by both the quilts I’ve made and the books I’ve read which is a great feeling for me! I’m part of the Bahlsen Book Club and the latest book I was sent to read was A Single Breath by Lucy Clarke. I was also sent some yummy Bahlsen biscuits which are the perfect accompaniment for a cup of team and a sit down whilst I read a chapter or two. There were so many times I thought about telling you the truth, Eva. What stopped me…
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Somehow I’ve managed to read a book during the Summer holidays! The latest book from the Bahlsen Book Club was A Mother Dimension by Mink Elliot which she self-published last year. I received this book in digital format which was perfect for the summer holidays as I love reading books on my iPad and it’s gone everywhere with me over the past few weeks. Kate O’Reilly, mother of three on the cusp of her 45th birthday, has got a thing about the past. Her husband, Seamus and long-standing best friend, Georgia, both call her chronic nostalgia an obsession – but…
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As regular readers will know we are fortunate to be Playmobil Playologists. This means we get to share news with you about the latest Playmobil toys and events and also receive lovely Playmobil toys to review and play with. We were recently sent the new Official Playmobil Annual 2015 to review. I’ve mentioned before that 2014 marks the 40th anniversary of Playmobil, a firm family favourite which is amongst the top 5 brands in the European toy industry, and distributed in more than 80 countries worldwide. To coincide with this, Buster books have published The Official Playmobil Annual 2015, featuring…
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I love to hand sew, I love to make things for my children and it’s the perfect hobby for giving my brain a rest from blogging. As soon as I saw Crafty Dolls by Jane Bull I thought of Little Sis. She loves her dolls and she loves it when I make things for her and I really hope she will be interested in making things like this soon. Crafty Dolls, the latest in Jane Bull’s successful craft series, shoes you how to create your own adorable doll collection at home. You can choose from more than 30 knitted and…
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Miffy, Dick Bruna’s classic children’s character and style icon, has had some of her classic story books republished this year, and there are even some brand new sticker books. Some, such as miffy at the zoo, miffy’s play date and miffy dress up have already been republished. Others, including miffy’s first day, draw with miffy and miffy outdoors, will be available on 14th August in Waterstones and all good bookshops. We were sent a copy of the miffy outdoors sticker scene book to tell you about. Little Sis adores sticker books and I always pack a few when we go…
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A while ago I set up my own Etsy shop to sell vintage supplies such as Scrabble tiles and playing cards. I’ve had a couple of sales, and I have plenty of stock which needs to be listed. I really want to push my little shop to the next level so was excited to see a new book from Mollie Makes. Called Making It! the hard facts you need to start your own craft business, this book sounded perfect for me. I’m a huge fan of Mollie Makes. As well as my monthly subscription to their lovely lifestyle and craft…
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My children absolutely adore stars. Little Sis loves to sing and can often be heard singing Twinkle Twinkle, or her version of it anyway. Her latest favourite book is Serafina Starfish, a touch and feel book, which is perfect for babies and toddlers, which she was sent from Meadow Kids. It’s a fun story about Serafina Starfish who doesn’t like living in the sea. She wanted to live in the sky like a real star, but when she gets there she realises she misses her friends and quickly returns home. Touch and feel books are great for little hands and…
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The Cat Who Came in off the Roof by Annie M. G. Schmidt, translated from the original Dutch by David Colmer. It is a charming and funny tale about cats, friendship and learning to dare. Mr Tibble is a talented writer but is struggling as a reporter at his local newspaper. His editor is growing increasingly dissatisfied with his endless stories about cats! Then along comes Minou. She used to be a cat but after a freak turn of events is now a young woman – a young woman who likes to climb trees and roof tops, drinks milk from…
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I love the way my 4 year old tells me what they’ve been learning at nursery. I know they do some amazing topics. The other day I noticed they’d been block printing colourful houses in the style of a Brazilian artist. He’s also been telling me about mixing colours to make new colours. I love that he is learning so much about art and colour because one of my favourite past times is visiting museums and galleries. Fortunately for us we were sent a copy of The Usborne Art Book about Colour, produced in association with The National Gallery. The…