It's no secret that I love making things from corks and I'm lucky that I have quite a few Champagne corks to hand when I need them. The Cork Nativity that I made a few years ago is still doing great service but I wanted a few new cork characters this Christmas and came up with Santa after being inspired by Red Ted Art Cork Santa. Santa obviously lead to a reindeer and on to a snowman. Then LBG suggested a 'girl' which is how we came to have … [Read more...]
Gifts for teacher: Christmas Bark
Disclaimer: I am not advocating giving your child's- or even your- teacher a sound, or a lump of tree. I have read a lot about something called 'bark' which is not, so far as I am aware, a thing in the UK. Yet. Now that I have made it I think I may have to bring the whole concept to your attention. If ever there were a simple, pretty and tasty treat that is easy to make for teachers, doctors, nurses, bin men, lollipop persons, neighbours, … [Read more...]
Dress with Tesco this Christmas
Because I have two girls, I find that whenever I get one something, the other wants exactly the same thing. It's a frustration that I hope they will grow out of. Except when it comes to clothes. Secretly, you see, I quite like them when they wear matching dresses. It's adorable in a slightly kitsch way, makes people say "Oh how sweet!" or similar and- and I do find this a total bonus- makes them much much easier to spot when we are out and … [Read more...]
Giving Extra this Christmas: 12 cookies of Christmas
Win an iPad with Halifax. In this season of giving, there is a lesson that sometimes gets lost: it's not the size of your gift but the thought behind it. A chat with a few teachers ahead of end-of-term on Friday has reminded me that the things people appreciate most are handmade gifts that are given with love and made with care. Home-made treats can be given on their own, or you can attach them to the gift as a way of giving extra Christmas … [Read more...]
Christmas Jumper Day Friday 13th December 2013
On Friday 13 December Save the Children is inviting everyone to make the world better with a sweater by wearing a Christmas Jumper and donating £1 to raise money for its life saving work with children the world over. Just wear your fabulous festive sweater on Christmas Jumper Day on 13 December and donate £1 to Save the Children at www.christmasjumperday.org. It's that easy. There's still time to get down to your local John Lewis … [Read more...]
The Week That Was 49
Monday: which seems like a very long time ago now, was a usual kind of Monday. Dimples was extraordinarily tired and ended up sleeping all the way through my shopping experience, waking only as I popped her in the car for the school run. I did get to eat my lunch in peace though so there's a silver lining! The sunset after I picked up LBG was divine: we spotted colours all the way home, and finally decorated our Christmas Tree. It lights up our … [Read more...]
Who lives in a house like this?
When I was a little girl I always thought it would be wonderful to live in a Gingerbread House when I grew up. The air would smell like Christmas every day and I could nibble a corner of the room if the cupboards were bare. There would be pink love hearts around the door and a little path of sugar balls that crunched delightfully under your feet when you walked to the front door. Every day would start with a fall of sweet snow that covered the … [Read more...]
