• DIY walnut shell wreath
    Christmas - Crafts for adults

    DIY walnut shell wreath

    December 3, 2025 - By 

    I have such a fun little DIY to share today. I made an easy walnut shell wreath to add to our natural Christmas decorations. Read on for our easy tutorial to create your own. DIY walnut shell wreath You will need Whole walnuts (in their shell) Glue gun Plate or similar Ribbon to hang I’ve wanted to craft my own walnut shell wreath for a while. I even had my walnuts ready last year to make one, but time ran away with me. So think year I’ve started December with a make – our own walnut shell wreath decoration. I…

  • Snoopy in the City trail around the Fleet Street Quarter
    Five Happy Things

    Five Happy Things {Week 48/2025}

    November 30, 2025 - By 

    Starting the week by writing the Happy List is something I’ve been doing for the last few years. It’s my chance to sit down and reflect on the little or big things that made me smile in the previous week, as well as to record some of our family adventures. Five Happy Things {Week 48/2025} I finished a Cotton Clara Christmas embroidery hoop I bought a few years ago. I’ve been trying to finish craft kits I have in my stash so was very happy to stitch it. We will be decorating in a few weeks so I will be…

  • Crafts for adults

    What I made November 2025

    November 28, 2025 - By 

    I doubt you will be surprised to read that I’ve been doing a lot of festive crafting this month. I enjoy Christmas crafting but decided not to make any  homemade gifts this year. Work has been busy and I didn’t want to give myself any more stress at this time of year. November was quite a busy month as my teens had a two week half term break, which is why my crafting seems a little less than usual (to me anyway!). What I made November 2025 I thought I would be concentrating on my Pretty Fabrics and Trims Christmas…

  • Nutcracker Trail at Cliveden
    Buckinghamshire

    Nutcracker Trail at Cliveden

    November 27, 2025 - By 

    Last weekend we visited the Nutcracker Trail at Cliveden where scenes from the Nutcracker have been brought to life. Cliveden is one of our local National Trust properties although we hadn’t visited for a while. We wanted to visit the Nutcracker trail, and also get our Pooch Passport stamped (we really want to complete it this winter!). Nutcracker Trail at Cliveden The Nutcracker Trail at Cliveden is a special festive trail and open from the 15th November to the 4th January 2026. The trail is free/included in the price of your ticket. We couldn’t find a paper map of the…

  • homemade mincemeat
    Five Happy Things

    Five Happy Things {Week 47/2025}

    November 23, 2025 - By 

    Starting the week by writing the Happy List is something I’ve been doing for the last few years. It’s my chance to sit down and reflect on the little or big things that made me smile in the previous week, as well as to record some of our family adventures. Five Happy Things {Week 47/2025} I thought I would try making my own mincemeat this year. I usually buy a jar from Waitrose, which always tastes good, but wanted to make my own. I didn’t realise I would need so many ingredients! I mixed all the ingredients together and left…

  • Christmas Stocking Hoop Kit
    Christmas - Crafts for adults

    {love embroidery} Christmas Stocking Hoop Kit

    November 22, 2025 - By 

    Life has been busy lately. Our evenings are full and I haven’t felt like picking up my Christmas Countdown sampler after work. Instead I’ve been picking up quick wins, such as the Christmas Stocking Hoop Kit which came with last month’s issue of Love Embroidery magazine. I wish I could stitch bigger projects but I just don’t feel like it, work takes all my energy at this time of year. {love embroidery} Christmas Stocking Hoop Kit The Christmas Stocking kit contained a pre-printed panel, coloured hoop and thread. All I needed to find was a needle and scissors. I gave…

  • days out

    7 ideas to make the most of a trip to Belfast with teens

    November 19, 2025 - By 

    Over half term we had a couple of days away with the teens in Belfast. Here are our 7 ideas to make the most of a weekend trip to Belfast: 7 ideas to make the most of a trip to Belfast with teens The teens love to do a mix of activities on a city break. They both enjoy learning about new areas so we knew they would love a London black cab taxi ride to explore the Peace Wall and find out more about Belfast during the Troubles. We saw a lot of street art and murals, and our…

  • Nutcracker trail at Cliveden
    Five Happy Things

    Five Happy Things {Week 46/2025}

    November 16, 2025 - By 

    Starting the week by writing the Happy List is something I’ve been doing for the last few years. It’s my chance to sit down and reflect on the little or big things that made me smile in the previous week, as well as to record some of our family adventures. Five Happy Things {Week 46/2025} Last week was such a quiet week after the previous week. We all needed a rest after such a busy half term away. We bought the Star Wars Gingerbread AT-AT Walker from the Lego Store! Not that our house needs any more Lego but we…

  • Gift guide - gingerbread

    2025 gingerbread gift guide

    November 13, 2025 - By 

    I’m excited to share my 2025 Gingerbread gift guide with you today. Over the last few weeks I’ve found so many fun and wonderful gingerbread themed festive products. There are gingerbread house kits, gingerbread flavoured treats and some gingerbread themed stocking fillers for the kids. I’ll be updating my gift guide in the run up to Christmas so feel free to leave me a comment if you find anything I need to know about! 2025 gingerbread gift guide Stocking fillers Gingerbread flavour Maltesers Mini Reindeers. Available from all major supermarkets, priced around £2.00 Decorated Gingerbread Man Cookies. Available from B&M,…