• Delicious Swedish Ginger Cake recipe
    baking - gingerbread - homestyle

    Swedish Ginger Cake recipe

    November 16, 2017 - By 

    I really love ginger in any form. When I spotted a recipe for Swedish Ginger Cakes in Christmas Prima Makes magazine I knew I would have to make them for myself. I adapted the recipe slightly as I couldn’t find black treacle. Ingredients to make Swedish Ginger Cake 100g butter 175g light brown muscovado sugar 2 balls of stem ginger, chopped 1 tbsp of the syrup from the stem ginger 200g plain flour 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp mixed spice 2 medium eggs 150 ml soured cream How to make Swedish Ginger Cake Melt the…

  • What is Stir up Sunday
    baking - Christmas - homestyle

    Stir up Sunday comes early

    November 13, 2017 - By 

    Have you heard of Stir up Sunday? It’s the day when you make your Christmas puddings. They taste best if are cooked in advance and left to mature for a few weeks. Now is the time to get yours ready for Christmas! Stir up Sunday came very early this year. Traditionally Stir up Sunday falls on the last Sunday before Advent, this year that will be Sunday 26th November. However we made a head start on ours at half term when we visited my mum. The first thing we did was to leave the dried fruit to soak overnight. You can…

  • homestyle - mindfulness - Monday Happy List

    Monday mindfulness {5 happy things}

    November 13, 2017 - By 

    I’m really struggling to sit down and write today. I think it has something to do with my ridiculously long to do list. My daughters birthday is coming up and I have a fun birthday party to organise! She has opted for a party at our local soft play centre and can’t wait to play with all her friends. On Saturday I attended the first Mumsnet Micro-Influencers event at Huckletree in West London. I’d stopped going to blog conferences as I found they were always pitched at bloggers starting out. This was a much more targeted event for micro-influencers. I’ve…

  • homestyle

    Child-friendly floors for a family home

    November 9, 2017 - By 

    Photo by Daniela Rey on Unsplash When you welcome new life into your home, it’s incredibly important to ensure that your home is properly prepared. The floor is where your children will spend a majority of their early years as they crawl and then learn to walk, so it’s vital you choose the right one. Our guide is going to take you through the best options for you, not just for your children but for your pockets as well. Child-friendly floors for a family home The first we’re going to look at is the most pricey option, but best looking, hardwood. Solid and…

  • Gift guide for Sylvanian Families fans
    Friends of Sylvanian Families - Gift guide - homestyle - toy review

    Gift guide for Sylvanian Families collectors

    November 9, 2017 - By 

    I don’t make many gift guides but I couldn’t resist creating one for Sylvanian Families. My daughter loves her Sylvanian Families collection and we’ve reviewed some wonderful toys which would make perfect gifts for Sylvanian Families fans this Christmas. Gift guide for Sylvanian Families collectors Cosy Cottage Starter Home The Cosy Cottage Starter Home is the ideal starter home for young collectors. It includes a house, chocolate rabbit girl and the furniture for beginners. Ballet Theatre Playset Hop, skip and pirouette along to the Ballet Theatre and admire a special performance from Freya Chocolate Bunny. Complete with a practice barre, chair and entry…

  • Trick or Treat
    homestyle - mindfulness - Monday Happy List

    Monday mindfulness {5 Happy Things}

    November 6, 2017 - By 

    Happy Monday everyone! Hope you had a great weekend. Last week was hectic with both Halloween and Bonfire Night for our little family. We were out every evening which was lovely, but also strange now that the clocks have gone back and the evenings are so dark. Before I forget, if you voted for me in the dotcomgiftshop blog awards then thank you so much – I only went and won the Best Family Craft Blog! My children get really excited about Halloween. They had a fun evening at Beavers, dressed in their scariest Halloween costumes. The next evening we…

  • pile of Christmas gifts
    Christmas - homestyle

    Finding great Christmas gifts for £5

    November 2, 2017 - By 

    I’m sure I can’t be the only person who starts their Christmas planning early. This time of year is busy with family birthdays and school events and the only way I can through it is with lots of lists and being organised. BritMums recently got in touch to see if I would like to take the Sportsdirect.com £5 Christmas Challenge #sdfiverchallenge. Sportsdirect.com is not just football boots and inexpensive trainers. It features fashion brands, leisurewear and more! Because of its buying power, Sportsdirect.com is able to get products you’d expect to pay a lot more for elsewhere. Their range of…

  • vintage Kasak Collier Campbell for Liberty
    days out - homestyle - mindfulness - Monday Happy List

    Monday mindfulness {5 happy things}

    October 30, 2017 - By 

    Half term just flew by for me. It was lovely to go away for the whole week and we caught up with all my family which was brilliant. I had been super organised and pre-written all my blog posts which meant I hardly spent any time on my laptop all week. I even found time to do some sewing in the evening! Our week was packed with adventures in the fresh air which was just what we all needed. Whilst we were staying with my mum we made the Christmas cakes and puddings. Forget Stir Up Sunday (this year it…

  • Miffy Sugar Skull gingerbread biscuits
    baking - gingerbread - homestyle - Miffy Mums

    Miffy Sugar Skull gingerbread biscuits

    October 28, 2017 - By 

    I had a really silly idea a few weeks ago and it took me a long time to get round to making it. Half term has been busy and so much fun, but I’ve missed my crafting time with the kids being off school. My 5 year old adores Miffy (so do I). We have a Miffy biscuit cutter and I thought we could bake and decorate Miffy Sugar Skull gingerbread biscuits for Halloween! Miffy Sugar Skull gingerbread biscuits First I made my usual gingerbread recipe which you can find here. Then we cut out lots of Miffy shapes. When…