• My 5 Summer beauty trends for 2017
    homestyle - Summer

    5 Summer beauty trends for 2017

    July 18, 2017 - By 

    Our summer countdown has begun. The children have three days left at school and then we have 6 weeks without clubs, organised activities or the school run! No homework! No running the children from one thing to the next. Today I’m sharing my Summer beauty trends for 2017. I’m not kidding myself that 6 weeks will be easy but I can’t wait for a break from the normal routine. As much as we all thrive on routine it’s also nice to have a break. The summer holidays actually give me a much-needed chance to shake up my beauty regime. Being a…

  • homestyle - Monday Happy List

    Monday Happy Things {Week 146}

    July 17, 2017 - By 

    The sun is shining. It’s the last week of term and I got paid for the job I did last month – just in time to get the fan belt replaced in my car. I can tell it’s going to be a good week so let’s get straight on to my weekly mindfulness post, about the 5 things which made me happy. Last week saw lots of milestones for both of my children. It’s lovely watching all their hard work be rewarded and they both gained their Yellow belt at karate. They’ve been going to karate for just over a…

  • homestyle - Summer

    Keeping cool in Summer

    July 14, 2017 - By 

    It looks like we’re having another mini heatwave in the UK at the moment. Like most Brits I admit to being obsessed with the weather. I love Spring and Autumn, find Winter a little depressing and really dislike Summer. I just can’t stand the heat and sunshine. My skin just reacts in the worst way and I find it so much easier to stay indoors than have to worry about hats, suncream and keeping cool. I find it harder to make sure my children are being sensible too. The morning school run seems to become a blur of water bottles,…

  • This is Not a Fairy Tale book review
    book review - homestyle - What I'm reading

    This is Not a Fairy Tale book review

    July 13, 2017 - By 

    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…

  • signing up for the Summer Reading Challenge
    homestyle - Monday Happy List

    Monday Happy Things {Week 145}

    July 10, 2017 - By 

    Last week was busy and just a little exhausting. The weather was super hot and I went into London twice for Press events. I also sang in our choirs Summer concert, so I felt like a sticky mess most of the week. I went into London for the Hobbycraft AW17 press show at Make Drink and Do, as well as the Tesco and dotcomgiftshop Christmas press shows. They were all interesting and I’m so excited about some of the new ranges coming out later this year. Being in London meant I could wander along the South Bank and generally enjoy…

  • homestyle - Lego - subscription box

    The BrickBox subscription box for brick fans

    July 5, 2017 - By 

    As fans of all things brick we were delighted to hear about a new subscription box for Lego fans called BrickBox. This is a monthly subscription box and we recently received the June box and made a little unboxing video of the contents: The BrickBox theme for this month was: Lego Jungle from the Lego City range which we were really excited about as we had spotted some sets in our local toy shop at the weekend and thought they looked brilliant. This BrickBox contained three Lego sets – the Lego Jungle Starters Set, the Lego Jungle Buggy and a Lego Jungle…

  • book review - homestyle - What I'm reading

    The Creative Family Manifesto by Amanda Blake Soule

    July 4, 2017 - By 

    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…

  • sewing machines at Liberty London
    days out - homestyle - Monday Happy List - Orla Kiely

    Monday Happy Things {Week 144}

    July 3, 2017 - By 

    We are definitely feeling that the end of term is coming. Every thing is finishing which is kind of satisfying but also scary because that means the summer holidays! My son has handed in his school library book for the last time, finished his handwriting book and had his last Gardening Club session. Only 3 weeks left and still so much to squeeze in! It’s time for my Monday Happy Things post – the 5 things which made me really happy in the last 7 days. My to do list is always long but I’ve excelled myself by buying some uniform…

  • book review - homestyle - What I'm reading

    Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore

    July 2, 2017 - By 

    I love reading! I love discovering new authors and losing myself in a really good book. Regular readers will know that I’ve been a fan of NetGalley for a while. I’ve read some great books via NetGalley and when I saw the cover for Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore I just knew I wanted to read it. It landed on my Kindle and I read it in just a few days, I absolutely loved it! Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore When a bookshop patron commits suicide, it’s his favourite store clerk who must unravel the puzzle he left behind…