• 3D Art Adventures
    book review - crafts - Kids crafts - What I'm reading

    Win a copy of 3D Art Adventures

    June 4, 2016 - By 

    I love to craft with my children so was excited to get my hands on a copy of 3D Art Adventures: Over 35 Creative, Artist-Inspired Projects in Sculpture, Ceramics, Textiles and More by Maja Pitamic and Jill Laidlaw. Three-dimensional art – whether sculpture, ceramics, installations, textiles or collage – combines the visual with the physical, making it perfect for kids who enjoy using their hands and getting a little messy. 3D Art Adventures introduces both adults and children to key works of three-dimensional art, which encompass a wealth of styles from ancient Greek sculpture to contemporary installations – and uses those…

  • DisneyBookWeek logo
    book review - What I'm reading

    Share the magic of reading with Disney Book Week

    June 3, 2016 - By 

    As a family who love to read we’re delighted to help promote the magic of Disney Book Week. My children love to read, something we introduced them to when they were tiny babies. I’m so pleased that at the grand old ages of 6 and 4 years old, that we still share at least one book at bedtime with each of them. Disney Book Week, is an exciting campaign running from 25th May – 12th June from Parragon and Disney. Disney movies have delighted generations of children and we can often be found re-watching one of our favourites when we…

  • The Wonderful Adventure of Nils Holgersson
    book review - What I'm reading

    What I’m reading: The Wonderful Adventure of Nils Holgersson

    May 30, 2016 - By 

    I love reading so was very happy to receive a copy of The Wonderful Adventure of Nils Holgersson by Selma Lagerlof to review. They say don’t judge a book by its cover, but I was blown away by the book cover designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith, the award-winning designed and creator of Waterstones Book of the Year (2015), The Fox and the Star. The Wonderful Adventure of Nils Holgersson by Selma Lagerlof was first published in 1906. The author was a teacher, feminist, suffragette and the first woman to win the Nobel Prize. It was originally intended as a school geography book but…

  • The Course of Love by Alain de Botton
    book review - What I'm reading

    What I’m reading: The Course of Love by Alain de Botton

    May 21, 2016 - By 

    It’s been a while since I posted a book review but I have a brilliant book to share with you today. Over the last few weeks I’ve been enjoying The Course of Love by Alain de Botton, his first novel in over a decade, which was published last month. He has fallen in love with her calm, her faith that it will be OK, her absence of fatalism – these are the virtues of his new Scottish friend. She has fallen in love, equally fast and hard and true, with the reserved sweetness and Levantine exoticism of this sad-eyed boy from Beirut.…

  • The One and Only elephant parade Colouring Book
    book review - crafts - mindfulness - What I'm reading

    Adult colouring reinvented in postcard form

    May 10, 2016 - By 

    You all know how much I love my adult colouring books. I now have 2 shelves full of them from Orla Kiely to Vogue covers and everything in between. They are my favourite thing to pick up when I need some quiet time away from a screen. I’m always Instagram-ming my latest title and my only teeny tiny complaint is the size of them. I think my friends would tell you I’m a tiny bit impatient to fill in a hugely intricate design on an A4 sheet. Which is why I’m really enjoying the fact that the adult colouring book…

  • The Pursuit of Happiness book cover
    book review - What I'm reading

    What I’m reading: The Pursuit of Happiness

    April 10, 2016 - By 

    The latest title in the BritMums book club intrigued me. It was The Pursuit of Happiness by Ruth Whippman. Finding happiness is pretty much my life’s mission. My mum always told me that personal happiness was the most important thing and that has influenced the choices I’ve made in life. Today I’m pretty happy. I make time for the things that make me happy: my blog, singing in a choir, subscription boxes and adult colouring pretty much sums up any free time after being with my family. I try to live in the moment and have a love/hate relationship with…

  • book review - What I'm reading

    What I’m reading: Coastal Crafts

    March 30, 2016 - By 

    As you know we’re currently enjoying a family holiday in Devon on the south coast. We come here every year so I’m always on the look out for ideas to keep the children busy as well as simple crafts I can do at home with some of the treasures we’ve collected – take a look at the fillable wooden letter filled with sea glass we made last year. I’ve been picking up Coastal Crafts: Decorative Seaside Projects to Inspire Your Inner Beachcomber by Cynthia Shaffer for the last few weeks and have already bookmarked a few projects to make. I love…

  • book review - garden crafts - Kids crafts - tutorial - What I'm reading

    How to make a kid-friendly terrarium

    March 26, 2016 - By 

    My children love being outdoors which is lucky because I do too! Our small garden is packed with things to keep them busy from our homemade mud kitchen to the sand pit. If you’re looking for ways to entertain your family outdoors then look no further than Born to Be Wild by Hattie Garlick. Published by Bloomsbury, it includes over a hundred free nature activities to inspire your family to spend more time outside. The other day Little Sis and I enjoyed sitting outside in the garden to look through it. There are lots of fun things to do and…

  • book review - What I'm reading

    Goodnight Spaceman by Michelle Robinson

    March 19, 2016 - By 

    My children are the perfect age to be totally enthralled by the adventures of Tim Peake. It doesn’t feel that long ago since my daughter and I watched Tim Peake on his way to the International Space Station. A few times my 5 year old has come back from school and mentioned Tim Peake so I am pleased they are discussing him at school. Penguin Random House UK Children’s are publishing a new picture book that has been produced in collaboration with the European Space Agency and astronaut Tim Peake. I knew my children would love this story and I was…