202 weeks and 1 day | {Siblings January}

I’ve written before about the gentle transformation of my tiny man-cubs; from sweet babies to defiant, angsty threenagers. Last month, things had calmed down ever so slightly (probably with the threat of no Father Christmas if they didn’t toe the line) but January has brought more defiance, more anger. It’s tiring. For them as well as… Read More

18th January 201717th January 2017

Home Etc #82

Happy hump-day all! And welcome to this week’s Home Etc. Jess and I were so delighted by everyone’s lovely reactions last week. It’s always hard getting back into the swing of working life after the Christmas break but the Home Etc community made last week a real joy. Home Etc is often likened to an online interiors… Read More

17th January 2017

The GLTC Pigeonhole Wall Shelf {The most versatile shelf in the world}

So. When I wrote this post, I spent the next half an hour humming Prince’s ‘Most Beautiful Girl In The World’ — *replace actual lyrics for the above title and you’ll see where I’m coming from*. But the Pigeonhole Wall Shelf from GLTC is exactly that. The most versatile shelf. My boy had originally bagged it… Read More

15th January 201716th January 2017

Mini Hasselback Potatoes with Garlic and Chilli

As I’m typing this, the rain is beating down on the roof and it’s the coldest, greyest winter day imaginable. The sort of day for staying indoors; lighting a fire and cosying up on the sofa with an emergency blanket and a film. The kind of day that calls for steaming mugs of hot chocolate. I… Read More

12th January 201712th January 2017

The best baby changing bag? Meet the PacaPod Firenze

When I was pregnant I spent a lot of time Googling things. How do you breastfeed two babies at once? What’s the best baby changing bag for twins? The best white-noise app/bottle steriliser/pushchair? You know the kind of thing. I’m not quite sure what we used to do before the days of the internet but these days,… Read More

11th January 201710th January 2017

Home Etc #81

Happy new year to our lovely Home Etc community! It’s the first one of 2017 and my lovely friend and co-host Jess and I are looking forward to another year of being treated to glimpses of your homes and gardens. Before Christmas, in my last Home Etc post of 2016, we announced that were going to… Read More

3rd January 20173rd January 2017

A golden weekend | Featuring Center Parcs, Sherwood Forest

Back in October we celebrated my mum and dad’s golden wedding anniversary. FIFTY YEARS!!! Such a huge milestone! They had decided ages ago that they wanted to take us all away for the weekend. We wanted somewhere that would appeal to all ages and — as my heavily pregnant sister wasn’t able to fly — we looked for places fairly… Read More

31st December 20163rd January 2017

199 weeks and 3 days | Me and Mine { December 2016 }

2016. What a year. 12 months of extremes. Good versus bad. Yin and yang. We’ve had crushing lows — family and dear friends battling life threatening illnesses. Celebrity deaths by the dozen; most notably was the demise of my lifelong hero and idol Prince. The boys were too young to understand why their mama was sobbing, with big fat… Read More

20th December 201623rd December 2016

An alternative Christmas tree

This idea for an alternative Christmas tree has been in the making for a few weeks’ now. I had been chatting to a friend about Christmas and getting a bit over-excited about our annual tree buying day. The fact we always have a fairly large, real tree; the tradition of decorating it. The scent of the pine needles. And… Read More

7th December 20169th December 2016

Rocking around the Christmas Tree with the VQ Christie Radio

Since my boy and I have been together, fetching the Christmas tree has been one of the highlights of my year. We have always bought a real tree and the tradition of choosing — and decorating it — is one of my favourite things in life. We’ve collected a number of decorations over the years and I love… Read More

7th December 20167th December 2016

Home Etc #80

Welcome to the last Home Etc of 2016! My co-host Jess — mummy of boy girl twins — and I have decided to wrap it up for Christmas (no pun intended) and give ourselves a little break until the second week of January. The last couple of weeks have been a little quiet; everyone’s been knuckling… Read More

6th December 20165th December 2016

Holiday Inn Express ‘What Matters Most’ campaign

Christmas — the most wonderful time of the year. Not sure about anyone else but, for me, Christmas literally starts on December 1st. There is a frisson in the air — almost like a light being switched on — that happens the minute the calendar moves on from November. But as I’ve got older I’ve realised that… Read More

2nd December 2016

The GLTC Fix It Workbench | {Siblings November}

Recently, as part of their Great Little Trading Testing Team duties (literally the BEST job ever!) my little man-cubs were asked to try out the GLTC Fix It Workbench. A cool bit of kit for handy little boys and girls; especially ones like mine who regularly see their daddy using a big grown up version. The… Read More

1st December 20166th December 2016

How to make edible Christmas decorations

Happy December everyone! We’re in the home straight now, just one month away from a brand new year. Silly season is properly underway. Following the success of the iced biscuits I made for our Halloween party, I thought I’d have a go at making some edible Christmas decorations this year. Discovering Aquafaba — egg free royal… Read More

30th November 201629th November 2016

Home Etc #79

It’s feeling decidedly festive this week! I was browsing through the Home Etc hashtag on Instagram last night and there are some really gorgeous shots on there, with a decidedly Christmassy flavour. I’m definitely feeling that sparkly season is now well underway; particularly after being treated to the HomeSense Christmas bloggers party last week. theordinarylovely / lazydaisyjones / georgia_coote / lifeasourlittlefamily / lizzie_woodman /acupfullofglitter / letstalkmommy /aaamylouxo /three_sons_later… Read More

29th November 201629th November 2016

194 weeks and 6 days {HomeSense Christmas party}

Last week I met up with one of my blogging besties, Sarah, for a night away in Birmingham and the HomeSense Christmas party. I’ve barely been at home over the last few weeks — there have been press days and workshops — and I feel as though I’m thoroughly behind on everything. That said, it was… Read More

23rd November 201622nd November 2016

Home Etc #78

Last week was so busy — full to the brim of new and lovely products for me to share with my Home Etc community — in the form of press days! I went to Laura Ashley a couple of weeks’ ago but on Thursday and Friday of last week was lucky enough to get a sneak preview… Read More

16th November 201616th November 2016

The must have caravan accessory | Introducing Duvalay

Since we bought Dolly, our first caravan, we’ve been on a mission to find the absolute must have caravan accessory. Now I’m not talking basics — and I’m not disputing that wheel chocks and kitchen equipment are ‘must have’ items — but I’ve been on the look-out for something a little different, that really makes… Read More

16th November 201621st November 2016

Home Etc #77

When I was at school, Wednesday was one of my favourite days as we had art lessons in the afternoon! Nowadays Wednesday is my favourite weekday, as I host Home Etc with my friend Jess! Home Etc is a weekly link up for bloggers who have written posts that include interiors (wish lists, room tours or DIY),… Read More

10th November 201626th November 2016

The world at my feet | #floorselfies

Since I’ve been blogging or — more particularly — since I’ve been Instagramming, (pop and have a look at my account and please do follow if you like what you see!) I’ve been much more aware of my surroundings. When you’re in London you’re always told to ‘look up’ as there’s so many amazing architectural features up… Read More