Christmas Day 2018

As you can imagine there was MUCH excitement on Christmas morning when the kids woke to find Santa had been!  They immediately brought their stockings through to us in bed and climbed up to start opening presents.

Craft Courses - Beaded Snowflakes in Worthing - review

Last year for my birthday a group of friends pitched together to get me a gift voucher for craftcourses.com.  It was such a great gift as I had hundreds of courses to choose from and enjoyed browsing through the options.  Initially I thought I'd try a pottery day course and add the extra cash myself but with such a busy year, I struggled to have many spare days to myself and truth be told, forgot all about the voucher.

Luckily I remembered after Nik's exams were all over and used it before it expired!  As I had £40 to spend and with fewer choices before the end of the year, I decided on two shorter courses - snowflake beading for £18 and papercutting for £20.  After some initial issues splitting my voucher (there was a minimum value of £25 for splitting them) the lovely team at Craft Courses managed to sort it out for me and have changed their system so this doesn't happen again.

Spiced Pear & Walnut Chutney recipe

I do love Kirstie's Crafty Christmas programme and this recipe featured in 2016 was one that caught my eye as something yummy which would go well with our Christmas cheese board as well as making nice little gifts.  I thought I'd post it now as it takes at least 1 month to mature so get cooking in time for Christmas!

On the programme last year was a chutney recipe by Angela Malik.  I previously made her chai spiced chocolate baked cheesecake from an old series.  Unfortunately I couldn't find her chutney recipe online anywhere and after rewinding and pausing the TV a few times, it seems they don't actually give you all of the information to make it!  Very annoying but I managed to figure out the main points and have made up the rest!  So here's my recipe inspired by Angela Malik, it's delicious!

Dragon Tails by Tired Bear - A review by Bex

I recently came across a local company called Tired Bear who make absolutely gorgeous costumes for little ones.  They caught my eye at a Christmas Fair, I loved all the bright colours and had a look on their website that evening.  I absolutely love the designs and completely agree with Anna's philosophy about bright colours being for all children.  "Most of my costumes are a bright mix of colours that aren't gender specific because boys shouldn't always be blue and girls definitely shouldn't always be pink!"

The next day we went back and had a chat with Anna who is just lovely and the twins each chose a dragon tail.  As if to prove our point, Kalyan chose Pink with yellow (pink and orange seem to be his favourite colours) and Priya went for purple with green.

On Tuesday we went for one of our favourite walks to take a few photos of the tails to really show them off.  I adore them!  They'd make fantastic Christmas presents and would last such a long time as part of a dressing up box.  The dragon tails cost £20 and with wings are £35.  They come in red, blue, yellow and green as well, each with a contrasting colour for the spines.

The twins absolutely adore their tails!  They love to wear them and they look pretty comfy too.  I am very impressed with the quality.  They're made from lovely soft fleece and have a nice thick waist band with velcro most of the way around so they'll fit for years.  They can also be machine washed at 30!  They are all hand made by Anna and you can tell a lot of time goes in to the making of each one.

My brave little pink dragon was quite happy wandering off down the path which leads to cake!  (Oast Farm Cafe is this way!)

And into mystical dragon caves...

Until we realised it was Tuesday and Oast Farm Cafe is closed on Tuesdays - eeep!  

What do you mean there's no cake?!

And Anna doesn't just make dragon tails.  She has wings to match, as well as butterfly wings, shark and killer whale costumes complete with fin and tail, angel wings, dinosaur tails and even a unicorn with a rainbow tail, wings and pink horn.  She's even made an awesome Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon!  The dragon tails do make good shadows though!

They've worn them loads already.  I love the fun they add to our walks, pretending to be dragons exploring.

We received two dragon tails from Tired Bear in return for writing an honest review.

Country Lifestyle Luxury Gift Fair in Uckfield - review by Bex

I went along to a new Christmas Fair at East Sussex National in Uckfield today and found so many lovely stalls!  I managed to get around a fair few before the twins were fed up and we had to scarper mid-meltdown from K!  Before that however, I sampled some lovely produce, saw some beautiful jewellery, gorgeous clothing, plenty of cute Christmas decorations and a lot of local makers and sellers.  The fair is also on tomorrow from 10am - 4pm so if you have any Christmas shopping to get or just fancy a nice stroll around seeing what's on offer, I would definitely recommend it.  It's £4 entry on the door and you can enter a prize draw to win £50 in vouchers.

There were 67 exhibitors in all and I took a few photos of things that caught my eye but there were plenty more I was interested in so I hope to go back tomorrow morning if the twins are in a better mood!  If you can't make it along, they will be back next year in Tunbridge Wells on Fri 10th and Sat 11th November and back in Uckfield on Fri 24th and Sat 25th which will certainly make it easier for me to attend as I can leave the kids with Nik on the Saturday!

Lucy Bradshaw's pretty jewellery table was right outside the lift.

It was well organised with plenty of space, I had no problem getting the double buggy around.  The foodie stalls were all at one end with clothing and jewellery at the other and various gifts and Christmassy bits in between.  It certainly makes it easier if you're after something specific.

Clockwise from left: decorations from Katie's Originals, Natalia from Mols & Tati-Lois,
Clothing from a lovely stall the twins rushed me past, Funky bags from another stall I was unable to stop at.

You can see the nice wide aisles.

One of the produce stalls, Krissy of Sussex had a huge array of at least 50 different preserves and sauces of which I sampled quite a few!  They were lovely and all home-made in East Sussex using not just local ingredients but home-grown fruits and vegetables as well.  They also had a pretty punchy chilli oil!

Just a few of Krissy of Sussex's lovely preserves.

I also sampled some ginger wine which was nicely spicy, the twins enjoyed a cheese twist from Heathfield based Bay Tree Foods (after K calmed down!) and I saw plenty of other interesting food & drink items and my favourite local cheese man, Martin, was there from Cheese Etc... with some lovely cheeses including an interesting black cheese!

Clockwise from left: Ginger wine from Cheese Bomb Gifts, Wine Tasting kit from Drinks in a Tube,
Mince Pies and Cheese Straws from Bay Tree Foods, Fudge from Mini Mouthfuls

Martin from Cheese Etc...

One of the jewellery stalls I loved was cpinksilver by Christina Pyemont.  She makes her beautiful leaf shaped jewellery from real leaves which are painted with layers of sterling silver.  And another pretty stall was Mols & Tati-Lois with statement necklaces, beautiful decorations and funky lampshades.  There were also a very eclectic stall called Maven with both modern and vintage ranges from various designers including Fairtrade jewellery made by social enterprises in Africa.

Clockwise from top left: Leaf necklaces from cpinksilver, jewellery from Mols & Tati-Lois,
fashion necklaces and vintage brooches from Maven, fine jewellery from Lucy Bradshaw.

I also loved these gorgeous handmade bright felt kids costumes from tiredbear.  They had very well made dinosaur and unicorn tails, angel and butterfly wings, whale tails and dragon costumes.  I definitely want to head back for a closer look as I think the twins would love them!

Kids' costumes from tiredbear

Swann Forge had something a bit different on offer.

I love the ethos of the fairs, they only have high quality items that the organisers love and include plenty of local sellers so each fair is different.  They like to keep them spaced out so they're easy to get around and ensure you can really enjoy the experience.  I certainly did.

First year photobooks - A photobox review by Bex

I tend to find Photobox a bit hit & miss for prints, although they are good at re-printing any which I find issues with but I'd rather they were just more consistent.  I was therefore nervous to order a whole book but when I got an email with an 80% off deal I thought I may as well go for it.  The offer was a 160 page A4 book for £32.50 (reduced from £162.65 which I would never pay) and came with a month to make and order it.  I decided to pay for upgrades to A3 size, a smooth matt cover and removal of the Photobox logo so my final total was £45.47 per book (reduced from £244.65!) and I ordered 3.  One for each set of grandparents and one for us.

Luckily I had started work on the twins' slideshow so already had most of the photos from their first year organised into favourites and I could have made life easy by letting Photobox add them all in automatically but I wanted to ensure I had layouts how they looked and flowed best with double page spreads being relevant to each other and the best photos as full page prints.  I spent a good couple of weeks editing layouts and selecting the final photos to include but it was well worth it.

When the books arrived I was nervous to open them but I am absolutely delighted with the quality!  The pages are thick and glossy and the printing is spot on.  I was so excited to give them to the grandparents and immediately arranged for someone to take one out to Saudi to surprise my parents at Christmas.  The other was wrapped and placed under the tree and the final one hidden in case the in-laws spotted it!  It was only when looking through our own one properly that I noticed a couple of flaws.  Nothing major but when you've spent that long making something perfect, a red ink splodge and a few dust marks on babies faces kinda ruin the whole thing.

Photobox were excellent though and after sending them photos on the live chat, they immediately spotted the issues even before I mentioned what they were and said they would re-do the printing.  They even upgraded delivery to ensure the new books arrived in time for Christmas!

The new books are perfect and everyone was delighted with them.  I for one love flicking through it.  It makes all the difference to have a physical book to hold and cherish rather than everything being on the computer.  We never did get an album of our wedding photos so these books of the twins are even more wonderful to have.

Arran Aromatics festive candles - review by Bex

I absolutely love candles in autumn and winter, especially at Christmas.  They always feature in my Halloween and Christmas decor.  Scented candles in particular can make a room so homely but I really don't like overpowering scents and Nik can't stand them as he suffers from allergies which can be triggered by strong scents.  Luckily I have found a few which he likes and can tolerate so our home can smell lovely with nice soft candlelight.

I was recently sent a luxury festive candle by Arran Aromatics and it definitely fits the bill.  It is the Mandarin & Petitgrain candle from their new limited edition range.  It's a scented candle in green frosted glass with a beautiful etched design around the rim.

I had to google Petitgrain as I had never heard of it, turns out it's an essential oil made from the leaves and twigs of bitter orange trees.  As you'd imagine, this combined with the mandarin makes for a fresh citrus scent without being too sweet.  I am not a fan of overly sweet fragrances, I can't stand vanilla candles, so I'm thrilled that this one is a fresh fruity fragrance.  I was also pleasantly surprised to find it not too heavy like festive fragrances can often be.  It does have a subtle spiced smell but isn't full on which is ideal for us.  I have to admit, I wasn't sure about the smell when I first sniffed the box as it seemed a little soapy but when I actually lit the candle I instantly loved it.

The picture's not blurry - it's just the way the design is printed inside the glass that makes the wording appear fuzzy ;)

I think the best test for a scented candle is to leave the room and come back in!  You get so used to the smell once you light it, you don't get the full effect until you walk into a room which is already filled with the scent.  I can honestly say I love the smell of this one.  And of course, it's green!

I also love that Arran Aromatics is a family run company in Scotland with great ethics and a love of nature.  Having been to Arran, I can understand where their inspiration comes from.  As much as I love our new life in Sussex, I miss Glasgow so having a candle made in Scotland and inspired by the land is a lovely way to remind me of our old home.

I would prefer the design of the candle if it had the filigree pattern all the way down the glass for a prettier, more 'vintage' look.  I think with the stripes it looks a little old fashioned but, due to the frosted glass, it's not obvious anyway.  The packaging is similar and with the gold and green does look luxurious but again I'm not keen on the stripes with the more intricate designs.

You can see the design is much more obvious when the candle is lit as it glows from inside.  I do love the pattern at the top and as I said, the scent is wonderful!  It would make a lovely gift and I will definitely be enjoying the fragrance over the Christmas period.

Disclaimer: Bex received a Mandarin & Petitgrain candle to review and, as always, everything we write here is our honest opinion.

My baby shower!

by Bex

As I mentioned last week, Gemma & Bella threw me a baby shower this Saturday and boy did they put in a lot of effort!  They had arranged an olive green and yellow colour scheme to match the invitations, organised baby vest decorating with stencils and fabric paints, an amazing afternoon tea spread which everyone brought along some baking for and basically spoiled me rotten!

Unfortunately a lot of people couldn't make it due to various illnesses, distance/cost issues and poor sick babies but we didn't let that spoil the day and I had a thoroughly amazing time with those who were able to make it!  Plus is was quite nice having a small group as I was able to chat with everyone easily.  My in-laws had driven down for the weekend to join in and see the house for the first time, my Mum is obviously still here (and arranged the most amazing favours which I had no idea about either!  Sneaky!), Bella & Gemma came early to banish me while they decorated the house and then Laura and Katie turned up (with the most adorable and youngest guest, Megan)!  Nik and his Dad had planned to go out but since we had so much cake and plenty of spare everything, they decided to stay and join in the fun :)

I wore the purple Seraphine maxi dress Dani so kindly sent to me a few weeks ago.  Roz was devastated to not be able to make it down so I thought wearing an abundance of purple would help add her spirit to the occasion ;)  I added gold accessories for a bit of glitz.

Gemma and Bella banished me from the house in the morning and did an amazing job decorating our half-finished dining room using the paper pom garland I'd kept from my wedding (albeit a bit squished after 3 years in the attic) as well as some fresh gorgeous ones they'd made themselves and some fab green chevron paper straws!  They bought me a beautiful cabbage bouquet as well as roses for the mums!!  They then utilised my many (still homeless - a dresser has been ordered!) platters and cake stands to display all of the amazing food and baking people brought for our lovely afternoon tea.

Mum had sneakily bought loads of individually boxed bone china dragonfly mugs to use for the tea and for people to then take away as a party favour which I thought was such a sweet idea!  She even bought me a special green one!

I used my green one for tea and switched to the other when everyone had pink fizz (I had Melonade).

Since there were only 4 guests including Bella & Gemma, it means there are loads left so it looks like I have a fab new dragonfly mug collection!  :)

As for the baking, Laura's macarons and cheese scones went down a treat and Mum's lemon drizzle cakes (one with blueberries) were also very popular as was the fancy Maison Blanc chocolate cake MIL brought (as she couldn't bake close enough to the day).

We actually tucked into all of the delicious food last after catching up, pressies and then a tour of the new house of course, including the nursery which meant they all got a special secret sneaky peek at the twins' top secret initials as they'd just arrived that morning and I couldn't wait to add them to my newly designed gallery wall!

The twins and I are extremely lucky and although I had made sure that the girls knew no presents were required nor expected (as per American style showers), everyone brought us some truly beautiful gifts and I had a lot of fun opening them!!

Laura gave us some beautiful limited edition prints she felt would 
look gorgeous in a nursery/playroom.
Plus, check out the fab chevron wrapping and cute card!

I think I love the trampolining one best but I keep changing my mind!
They'll definitely be up in the playroom (the nursery walls are full now!)

Katie gave me some lovely bump treats and the twins a super cute bunny called JoJo and some cute (& very soft) 'Born in 2014' outfits!

(I forgot to take a picture of the bump products as I already put them in the bathroom!  

The sleep mist smells lovely!)

And Bella & Gemma MADE the most gorgeous little bowl set with dragonfly designs
 and 'The little dragonfly' written in French and Spanish!

I am SO impressed with Gemma's drawings!

I even received some gifts from some of those who couldn't attend.

Linsey (aka the queen of crochet!) sent some beautifully crocheted booties and hats in
olive green & cream with the most adorable wooden dragonfly buttons!

Roz has bought us the most beautiful print (which hasn't arrived yet but she sent me an image of it) which is just perfect and made most of us misty eyed!

This will also be in the playroom :)

And the wonderful Penski sent a huge Lavender tree which smells amazing and came with such a lovely message!

It's currently on the front step so we smell it as we brush past into the house :)

Katie and Laura had to leave around 5 but Bella and Gemma were able to stay on a bit longer to take part in the baby vest decorating!  I was honestly SO impressed (watching from my chair of exhaustion as I was) with everyone's designs!  Bella made an Elmer vest, Gemma a colourful parrot and MIL a bookworm inspired by the ones in the Nursery.  Mum was in her element helping everyone with crafting ideas and using her special machines/supplies but we have loads of vests left over too so I'm sure Mum and I will have fun designing some more ourselves over the next few weeks!

And finally, I have to mention the most popular guest - Megan!  She was an absolute dream (seriously, I hope my babies are as happy, sociable and chilled out as she) and I was concerned that Katie might have a fight on her hands to get her daughter back off my Mum before the twins arrive!!

As you can see, we all had an absolute ball and I am so grateful to these amazing ladies for throwing such a special party for me and the twins!  Thank you so much!!  xx

Not such a neat bump when I sit down!!  ;)

Thanks also to Gemma for taking LOADS of photos on my camera!