Family holiday.....

after being invited to a friends wedding in the South of France we decided to take the plunge and attempt our first family holiday abroad and travel by aeroplane. We survived, coming back in one piece and with both children so all in all a successful trip!

We rented a static caravan in a little town called Biot, known for its glass blowers, which the girls loved to watch, and just down the road from Fernand Leger's museum and house.

I love the way art and sculptures are dotted around everywhere you go. Just outside our campsite was this amazing mural on the wall made from porcelain.....
 

 Beautiful gardens and streets in the town of Biot......

 Our little lady trying to catch up to Daddy and big sis....

The wedding was as beautiful and scenic. Starting with the service in a little chapel in Gourdon set among the mountains, about an hours drive from Nice (a little scary driving along the narrow mountainside roads but completely worth it). This was the view from outside the chapel overlooking the mountains towards the sea...

The happy and beautiful couple....

Sightseeing in St Paul de Vence. Our little ones can't resist a cat, strays are even better as they come for a stroke : )

Sampling the local ice cream, we worked our way through a lot of amazing flavours....

More public art sculptures and a game of boules in the background. It's such a relaxed way of life and definitely made me want to learn French and re-locate

 

Our last day was spent soaking up some culture at the Fernand Leger museum.... to be honest I didn't know much about Leger but his big bold eye catching designs won me over. Plus the museum was large and airy with plenty of space for the kids to run around so it was a stress free time to soak in the artwork and sculptures.

 

this very cute picture was taken just before they ran up some private stairs and they look so innocent!

and some more sculpture and water displays in Nice....

Although we had a great time I don't think we'll be attempting it again any time soon : )

Baby and Children's Cards.....

Just to let you all know that our best selling baby cards are now on our Etsy store.

It seems like it has taken me forever to finally put them on there but at last it means you can get to our goodies without having to track us down at craft markets!

Please click here to go on over to our Etsy store.

It brings back lots of memories as the foot was my niece's Maisie, the hand was Eloise's as a little baby and the teddy bear was drawn for Eloise's little friend Finlay.

Our little lady.....

is growing up very fast and is now 3 years old! Needless to say she was very excited this year especially with her Minnie Mouse cake (courtesy of our very own cake maker, my amazing sister Chloe).....

lots of cakes which she had lots of fun helping to make and eat......

plus lots of running around and party games with family and friends... (though a little advice to mums: pass the parcel was like herding cats with the little ones but a chocolate treasure hunt went down a storm!) 

 

 
Here she was on her first birthday....

 and Bethany looking like a smaller version of her big sister!

Gotta love....

personalisation! Here are some cushions I made for my eldest ones room, well more for keeping me comfy when we're playing in her room and reading books before she goes to bed!!

So the E is for Eloise and she has a little fascination with birds which inspired the design which of course had to be a mummy bird and a baby bird. It was lovely to get her involved as she chose the buttons for the birds and even helped me to sew it on the sewing machine.

Child friendly days out....

If you have young children I think it's quite hard to think of somewhere interesting to go to, the local park just doesn't seem to cut it any more. A few years ago I heard of Barnyards Farm in Essex, as it holds Thomas Heatherwick's "sitooterie", I have been a secret follower of Thomas Heatherwick's since I had the pleasure of seeing his amazing Christmas cards first hand (which are a sight to behold and will make a lot of creative people, like me, very jealous!!)

Anyway back to Barnyards Farm, it's a little hidden gem (and I usually hate that term) but really it is. Not many people know about it which is a shame but also mean you get to enjoy the gardens, sculptures, artworks and tranquil landscape in your space and at your own leisure. The children loved it, the adults loved it, it added a little bit of culture and to top the day off they have their very own miniature railway, a perfect way to end a perfect day.

 The view from the station at the end of the mini railway. I think this shows the Essex countryside in all its idyllic glory.

 

Mini railway in all its splendour. They have great sculptures along the route to keep all occupied and amused!

 Thomas Heatherwicks "sitooterie" which I had been longing to see. It really lives up to the pictures by its tranquility and serenity, even with our little brood!

If you ever get the chance to go I would definitely recommend it and all the proceeds go towards charity.

Tutu's are a girls best friend.....

but maybe not for my little one! 

After staying up very late one night to make a tutu for my friends little girl. I also made one for Eloise, thinking this would be a lovely surprise for her in the morning when she woke up. Needless to say that was not the reaction and I think I have worn it more times than she has pretending to be ballerinas in her bedroom!

Thankfully my friends little girl loved hers so all was not lost. For any budding ballerina's out there these are really easy to make and look amazing. You literally tie strips of netting along with desired ribbons around a ribbon waist band and voila.....

Simple and effective my favourite kind of creating.