• felt London Routemaster bus
    Crafts for adults

    Felt London bus

    January 13, 2018 - By 

    This year is all about making some of the things in my craft stash. I love working with felt and a few years ago asked for a cute London bus pin cushion kit by crafty nana for Christmas. I’m not sure why I never made it. Everything was pre-cut so it was pretty simple to stitch together. For some reason I thought it should be the first WIP I finished in 2018. London bus pin cushion kit by crafty nana This was a lovely craft kit containing pre-cut felt pieces, a needle, thread and stuffing. It was actually a really lovely…

  • BRICKLIVE Christmas at the Saatchi Gallery
    days out - Family Life - Lego - Local Review - London

    BRICKLIVE Christmas at the Saatchi Gallery

    January 3, 2018 - By 

    Yesterday was the last day of our Christmas holiday so we decided to head into London and visit BRICKLIVE Christmas at the Saatchi Gallery. We all love Lego. Christmas was spent building Lego BB8, Lego Boost and the Lego Nutcracker so we thought this would be a fun morning. BRICKLIVE describes itself as an interactive Lego-based Show for Lego fans. You can wonder at expert builder displays, build a mosaic, build a present and even meet Father Christmas. The show was split across four zones, the Christmas Zone, the Creative Zone, Minecraft and Star Wars. Each one offered a different…

  • Visiting The Gingerbread City
    Family Life - gingerbread house

    Visiting The Gingerbread City

    December 22, 2017 - By 

    Today we visited the rather wonderful Gingerbread City in London. I heard about this a few days ago and knew we had to visit. London’s best architects have created an the incredible city made of gingerbread! As well as visiting the Gingerbread City you could also attend Gingerbread House Making Workshops and visit the little gingerbread shop. The Gingerbread City The Gingerbread City was organised by The Museum of Architecture. This is the second year of its successful Gingerbread City project, a fundraising exhibition that invites architects, urban planners and landscape designers to design a city made entirely of gingerbread. Building on…

  • days out - Local Review - London - parenting

    A West End treat – The Gruffalo’s Child live

    November 25, 2017 - By 

    This morning we went into London’s West End for a special Christmas treat. We went to watch acclaimed theatre company Tall Stories perform a musical adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s awarding-winning picture book The Gruffalo’s Child.  We love anything by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler but we have a special place in our hearts for The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child. Last year we were lucky enough to watch Tall Stories perform The Gruffalo so we were super excited to see her follow in her father’s giant footsteps with a Christmas season in the West End! It’s a big…

  • The Lord Mayor of London State Coach craft for kids
    crafts - Local Review - London

    The Lord Mayor of London State Coach craft

    November 10, 2017 - By 

    This Saturday sees the annual Lord Mayor’s Show in the City of London. Traditionally the newly elected Lord Mayor makes his or her way from the City to Westminster to swear loyalty to the Crown. The Show takes place every second Saturday in November and is a great day out for families. Each year the Show reinvents itself to attract a fresh audience while at the same time not losing sight of its heritage and tradition. The military, Livery and civic elements represent the spine of the procession; while charities, youth associations, overseas organisations and businesses bring the energy and…

  • London's Mail Rail
    days out - Local Review - London - parenting

    A ride on London’s Mail Rail

    November 9, 2017 - By 

    We are a train-loving family so when we heard that London’s Mail Rail was finally open we were excited to book a family ticket to go for a ride under London. Have you heard about London’s Mail Rail? You can journey back in time on a specially made train through the original tunnels and station platforms under Mount Pleasant, Royal Mail’s sorting office. We’ve been waiting to go on this since we first heard about it! Ride Mail Rail When tickets were announced we immediately bought a family ticket to ride on the Mail Rail and visit the new Postal…

  • Snazaroo Halloween event at KidZania London
    days out - Local Review - London - parenting

    Snazaroo Halloween event at KidZania London

    October 29, 2017 - By 

    Today we were invited along to KidZania at Westfield London to experience their Snazaroo Halloween event. My kids adore KidZania so we were delighted to go along. KidZania is an indoor city run by kids, giving kids the opportunity to try out over 60 activities for themselves. We went along this morning and managed to keep it a surprise until we were outside. The kids were so excited when they realised where they were going! We handed over our boarding passes for 4 hours of fun! Over half term kids have the chance to transform into their favourite Halloween character and…

  • win a goody bag
    competition - days out - homestyle - London

    The Knitting & Stitching Show London 2017 {goody bag giveaway}

    October 17, 2017 - By 

    On Sunday I enjoyed my annual day out at The Knitting & Stitching Show London. I try and go every year. Not only do I love fabric shopping but I also find Ally Pally a beautiful venue – and just down the road from where I used to live – happy memories. This year I went with a school mum friend and it was a totally different experience but still a lot of fun. If you’ve never been before then The Knitting & Stitching Show London took place between 11th-15th October at Alexandra Palace. If you love crafting then it’s a…

  • Tatty Devine acrylic sewing machine necklace
    homestyle - Monday Happy List

    Monday mindfulness {5 happy things}

    October 16, 2017 - By 

    Week 159 of my weekly Monday happy things post, about the things which have me happy. Last week was really busy, and the week-end was too. I’m hoping for some quieter time to get ready for half term. Only 2 parent evenings, after school clubs and homework to get through first! Monday mindfulness {5 happy things} I think that Facebook has a lot to blame for my purchasing recently. Someone mentioned that Orla Kiely had designed two exclusive bags for The Royal British Legion. I found them on the Poppy Shop and just had to buy them. Jute bags are…