5 sweet & simple things to do this summer

Summertime in the UK is a glorious season (when the rain lets up that is) of sun, garden parties, Pimms and outdoor adventures. I love when these warmer months roll around and I can break out my go-to summer outfits and enjoy spending time in the fresh air with the kids. There’s quite a few things on my to-do-list this summer, easy days out and new places to visit and as always we have a bucket list of things we try to achieve each year. If you need a little inspiration – or just want to get the kids out of the house – here are five small things to bring you and your family some enjoyment this summer. Pick your own fruit One simple joy in life is being able to harvest your own fruit and veg, whether it be in your own allotment or garden, or at one of the many farms around the country. We have a small vegetable patch in our garden but this past year we have taken a break, mainly because my 2yr finds pulling everything we plant out as a game we are going to focus on n......

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Exploring Basingstoke with Made in Basingstoke Festival

We love nothing more than exploring somewhere new, close or far we always have a blast so when Made in Basingstoke got in touch to ask if we would like to come and see all that Basingstoke has to offer during their month long cultural festival we couldn't wait. We didn't know much about Basingstoke, a large market town in Hampshire, so we did a little bit of pre-trip research and were excited to here that Jane Austen was born only 7 miles away and of course is iconic to the area as well as their industrial Victorian past. The Made in Basingstoke festival has a different theme each week - Create, Taste, Discover and Make and each offering an array of activities for both adults and children. We arrived into Basingstoke around lunchtime and luckily the carpark was 30 second walk from the peaceful Glebe Gardens which is a lovely green oasis right in the heart of the town and it meant the boys could stretch their legs and run around for half after our car trip. R......

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Capturing Your Childs Wild Side With Forrest & Fox

I really enjoyed featuring and showcasing local talent and small businesses and as some may know that I studied photography at University so its certainly something I am passionate about and I always get very excited when I come across creative projects that are inspiring and unique, especially from home grown independent businesses. I actually stumbled across Forrest & Fox on Facebook when it somehow came up in my feed showcasing their amazing portraits and new "The Wild Ones" event so when they got in touch it let me know more about this it seemed perfect as they are based in Swansea which is just over a half an hour drive from me. I have to be honest, we have never taken the kids for a photoshoot for the simple reason is I really don't like the white background, cheesy smiles and harsh flash. It can be hard to find photographers who think out of the box and really aim to capture the uniqueness of each child not just a conveyor belt of similar photos, which is......

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10 Ways To Stay Stylish On A Road Trip

Going on a road trip can be an exciting and unforgettable experience. You can make it a fashionable and stylish one as well. By choosing the right clothes, shoes and accessories you can maximize the fun of your road trip. Read this article to know if you’re carrying the most essential items for a stylish and comfortable road trip. 1. The Essential Tee This is one of the basics of a road trip wardrobe. Since a layered look is recommended, a basic essential t-shirt should form the inner part of your outfit. Since these are made from pure cotton, they’ll keep your body warm and you can choose a fit according to your body type. The best thing about these is that they are your first line of defence against any damage or staining. All you need to do then is to add another layer such as a loose cotton shirt over it to hide the damage. 2. Beat the Weather There are times where you can look for stylish and practical. If you’re going to travel to areas where the weather is unpredict......

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The Gratitude List

Around every 2 months or so I like to look back and reflect on the little adventures and things we have got up too, when life can feel chaotic this can be a great way to get some clarity as gratitude should be something we aim to practice daily - but with anything it does take practice. I'm not going to beat around the bush, the past 6 weeks have been somewhat up and down for a variety of reasons - technical issues, John hurting his back, adjusting to being a mum to a school age child and the playground politics, new friendships and emotions that come with that and seeing my son grow and learn so much over this year. I also lost a dear friend to cancer, she was only 32 and its times like these that the little things that make you smile and laugh each day really do count. 1. We recently spent a weekend exploring Basingstoke as part of the Made in Basingstoke Festival . We were excited to find out that Jane Austen was born 7 miles from Basingstoke and as part of the festival th......

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Glamping at Mad Dogs & Vintage Vans Part 2

If you are a regular reader to my blog you may have come across part one of our glamping trip  and you will know that we had an amazing time on our recent getaway. Mad Dogs and Vintage Vans has so much to offer all ages and with such an exquisite location in the heart of the Wye Valley I just couldn't do the place justice in one post. The first instalment mainly covered the accommodation so in this second part I wanted to share what we got up to on the site, the facilities and exploring the local area. Firstly the site is small but perfectly formed and even with all the caravans rented out it wouldn't feel crowded. All except one (Elsie) is off-grid and doesn't have electric so at night you surround yourself with the beautiful flicker of tea lights and fairy lights, with torches being provided should you fancy a night time walk. This doesn't however mean you cannot charge your phone, near the small parking area is a wall plug just for that, along wit......

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Feel cool in Cashmere

Cashmere is one of the most recognisably classic material the fashion world has to offer. It’s never  really goes out of fashion: velvet comes and goes, lamé has made a recent and surprising comeback, but at any period and during in any trend, cashmere is a reliable hallmark of quality and comfort used by the best designers to create luxurious and aspirational clothing and accessories, whether that’s soft, warm scarves or hardwearing but still luxuriously comfortable pullovers. Finding a good piece of cashmere can be challenge though. The fact it is a classic fabric and an indicator of quality when it comes to clothes means that some labels use it badly in order to grant their designs cache. I know we are currently in summer but that also means is a good time to get in there early with warmer jumpers and scarfs for the winter.  Here are some tips to help identify a good piece of cashmere, that could make the difference between snapping up a unique piece ......

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