I must admit to being a good way through my Christmas preparations already. I’ve bought many presents (and run out of places to hide them), planned the meals and am hoping to have lots of time to make our decorations and a couple of handmade presents. Over the next couple of weeks I’ll be sharing some pre-school friendly ideas for Christmas. As you know we are a book-loving family so today I have two lovely books to share, Dick Bruna’s Christmas and Bubble Time, a Tickety Toc storybook. Miffy’s creator, Dick Bruna published his ‘Christmas’ book in 1953 and it…
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Since its launch, Matchbox vehicles and playsets have inspired and helped create countless, thrilling adventures for boys and girls all over the world. From fire trucks to police cars in pursuit, Matchbox has provided kids with six-decades of imaginative play! To commemorate the brand’s 60 year anniversary, Matchbox has released a collectible die-cast line of 24 vehicles that harkens back to its roots. The assortment features some of the best-loved models, each of which comes with its own retro matchbox sized box which would make perfect Christmas gifts for any Matchbox fan or collector. Some of the quintessentially British assortment…
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I’m a bit late in reviewing Mollie Makes Christmas but it’s a lovely book and well worth getting hold of. I’ve long been a fan of Mollie Makes and Mollie Makes Christmas brings together a collection of different projects from Mollie Makes magazine’s favourite designers. Perfect for those who love to make their own decorations and gifts, the book features over 20 projects to knit, crochet, fold, stitch and sew. I recognised some of the names of the contributors but many were new to me and I love discovering new designers. The book appeals to me on lots of levels;…
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Was Father Christmas good to you? I must have been a good girl last year as he was very nice to me. I received a years’ subscription to Ancestry which will really help me with my family history research. I want to capitalise on the creative writing course I did at the end of last year so I’m going to make time each week to work on it. I was also given a subscription to Mollie Makes. I think it’s rather expensive for a magazine but I do love reading it and now I won’t feel guilty about spending the…
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I think I signed up for a record number of swaps over the festive period. I really enjoyed putting them together and it gave me the opportunity to make some lovely decorations. You may remember last year I signed up for an Advent Swap and I enjoyed it so much I did it again this year. The idea was to send 25 small items and I loved choosing the little items and wrapping them. Of course I was equally happy to open a small gift every day through Advent! I was paired with Melanie, aka The Patchwork Robin, who sent…
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I can’t quite believe it’s Christmas Eve. After months of planning I must admit the only thing I hadn’t really thought about was the food, resulting in a last minute dash around the supermarket at the weekend! We’re slowly starting our own family traditions. This year the children have lovely new pyjamas to go to bed in. We’ve got a selection of Christmas films to watch and books to read. We are looking forward to the minute my husband finishes work (luckily he works from home) so we can really start Christmas. Tonight we’ll be leaving out some treats for…
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You can probably guess from the title of my blog that I love gingerbread houses! This year we made a kit from John Lewis over a couple of days. The toddler was really excited about it as he loves his “gin-gin” men! First of all he helped daddy put the kit together, then we left it to dry overnight. The next day we got out all our sweetie supplies which included icing pens, liquorice wheels, Necco wafers for roof tiles and gumdrops for the fence. We got to work, the toddler mainly ate the sweets whilst I iced and strategically…
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If you’re looking for a little luxury this Christmas then look no further than The White Company. I do like The White Company and often pop in to the shop in Brent Cross as I find it the perfect place to buy gifts. I have to admit I rarely treat myself though, which is why I was delighted to receive a little box of treats from them just in time for Christmas. This vintage crystal star decoration is perfect for giving your Christmas decorations a vintage vibe. The striking glass design is uniquely hand crafted and hung from an antique-style…
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Do you make your own Christmas cards or do you prefer shop-bought ones? There’s so much choice out there but I love sending personalised cards to family and friends. This year we chose a photo of the children playing (happily for once!) in the park and everyone seems to love it. I’m feeling so organised that I thought I would make a Christmas card for my husband. Christmas Card Craft Off My card combines my favourite things – gingerbread houses and washi tape bunting! I really enjoyed making it and I thought I’d show you how. You will need: red…