Hello! Hooray! blog
I really believe that it is so important to take time out to be creative, so here on my blog you will find lots of ideas of things to do in your creative time.
We spend so much of our lives focussing on our day jobs that we often miss out on time for making, but finding even small amounts of time to create something with our hands can have a big impact on our productivity and well-being.
Brightening up a gloomy day
It has been a bit of a gloomy day today – I’m just watching the news and am surprised to hear that some parts of England have had snow today! So to cheer you up, here’s a lovely photo I took a few weeks ago. This is a daffodil obdam – simply beautiful! I haven’t…
Tuna, courgette and tomato pasta bake
I was quite surprised when I looked through my blog posts earlier and discovered that I haven’t posted this recipe before – it is one of those ‘tried and tested’ ones that I’ve been making for years! In fact, my Mum used to make it when I was younger and it was one of the…
Footprints in the sand
I’m really pleased with these photos of footprints in the sand on Tiree. The wonderful thing about them is that I’d never be able to take them again – once the waves come in the footprints are gone.
A wonderful week on Tiree (part 3)
I’ve just realised that I still have a few more photos from Tiree to share with you! So much has happened over the past few weeks and I’ve had so many blog post ideas that I just forgot about these lovely photos.
Wedding waistcoats – an update!
Today I’ve managed to put together the second waistcoat (minus the buttons and buttonholes) and I’m so excited to have more than one done! 🙂 Today involved using slipstitch to sew the insides of the lining on the shoulders together, and also for finishing the bottom corners. I’d never done this before, so I’m quite…
Introducing…Less Grafting More Crafting!
I mentioned a long time ago that I had begun working on a new crafty venture with my fab friend Daria. Well, it has taken a while but we’re super excited to have announced it to the world today! We believe that everyone should take time out to be creative, and through Less Grafting More…
Possibly the best fabric shop in the world…
Whilst shopping in Madrid, we found the best fabric shop ever! Situated on Gran Via is the Julian Lopez shop, and I think that Beth and I could have spent about a week in there. They had the most amazing selection of fabrics and then a home section upstairs too! It was simply beautiful –…
Chorizo Bean Burgers
Before I went to Madrid, I asked Tom if he wanted me to bring anything back for him – he asked for chorizo. I didn’t fancy putting one in my suitcase (which, considering what happened to the suitcase in question, was probably a good thought to have had!) so I decided to chance it and…
A weekend in Madrid: El Rastro
On Sunday morning, Beth took me to El Rastro – the most popular market in Spain. The atmosphere there is amazing, an if you’re planning a trip to Madrid then it’s a must see! Be careful with your bag though, as pickpockets are everywhere. I bought a few things at the market – a couple…
A weekend in Madrid: Retiro Park, the Crystal Palace and some tapas
Last weekend I visited my gorgeous friend (and bridesmaid) Beth, who has recently moved out to Madrid. We needed to go bridesmaid dress shopping and Madrid seemed like a good place to go to do that! The dress is all sorted but I can’t show you just yet – but I thought I’d share some…
Tutorial: How to make envelopes
It’s National Stationery Week this week, and to celebrate I’m giving away my trade secret – how to make your own envelopes! They’re super easy and make really great gifts, although if you choose paper that you love you might not want to give them away! But as my friend Emily put it, envelopes…
National Stationery Week 2013
This week is National Stationery Week, celebrating all things stationery (with an ‘e’) and with the aim of ‘getting Britain writing’. Last year there was a National Stationery Day, which was such a huge success that Chris Leonard-Morgan and his super team of stationery enthusiasts decided to turn it into a whole week – and…
Tom’s Cassoulet
Tom is making his recipe debut on my blog today – he quite often makes things up when cooking, and this is what he made up for dinner tonight! A yummy cassoulet which was carb-free (great if you’re trying to eat healthily). He left the sausages whole so that there would be leftover veggie stuff…
Tirii Pottery
Whilst on Tiree, we visited the little pottery there and it was a really inspiring place. It must be an amazing place to work – making gorgeous pottery and chatting to people who come to visit. The pottery has a very distinctive style and takes inspiration from the island.
A day in the garden
Today we’ve spent the whole day in the garden, which has been so lovely! The weather was sunny but not too hot, which meant that we could tackle some of the jobs that we’ve been meaning to do for ages. This involved a lot of digging! The first job was digging up the strawberry patch,…
Beachcombing on Crossapol beach
Beachcombing is one of those things that I could actually do for the whole day. Every beach is different, and every day is different, and that is the beauty of it. Sometimes you end up with loads of finds, sometimes the haul is not so good – but our walk along Crossapol beach was rather…
Honey Cake
I’m trying to be super healthy at the moment, because operation wedding dress is officially on! But I did make this yummy cake for Mum’s birthday, which doesn’t count (that’s what I keep telling myself anyway!). It is a James Martin recipe from the BBC website and is really easy to make – I actually…
A wonderful week on Tiree (part 2)
These photos were all taken at Scarinish Old Harbour on Tiree. I love the contrast of the blue sea against the little red boat here, and the sunny weather just makes the scene look even more beautiful.
Making wedding waistcoats
A few weeks ago, I started working on the waistcoats for our wedding with the help of a crack team of people – my Mum, Helen and our lovely friend Hilary (who was the only person with waistcoat-making experience!). I decided to make the waistcoats because we couldn’t really find anything that we liked in…
A wonderful week on Tiree (part 1)
We’ve spent the last week on the small Scottish island of Tiree, as we had the pleasure of travelling up there to celebrate a wedding (this explains my lack of posts over the past week or so as there was no signal and very limited WIFI access!). But to make up for it, I’m planning…
Hello Spring!
Apparently, it is spring…but you could have fooled me! It is snowing as I write this, and as I look out at my garden it seems as though spring is on hold. The bulbs have half come up and have realised that it is far too cold to contemplate flowering – I just love how…
Hot Cross Buns
Hot cross buns are my favourite Easter treat by far – in actual fact, I love them so much that I tend to eat them all year round! (They do sell them all year round in Marks and Spencer, which is very helpful.) I did once ask Tom’s Dad, Keith, if he would like a…
Orange and Almond Cake
Whilst I was doing some sleepy baking last night (see yesterday’s post!), Tom was making another cake. His looked much better than mine and it tasted amazing too – possibly the moistest (is that a word?) cake I’ve ever had, and really zingy too. Tom is getting a reputation for being a star baker at…
Holstee Manifesto
Photo credit: http://shop.holstee.com/pages/about If you haven’t read the Holstee Manifesto, then this post is for you. If you have, then it will serve as a reminder to live each day to the fullest. I first read it last year but a friend posted it on Facebook this week and after a pretty stressful week, it…
A little bit about me and my blog
I have certainly found that being creative has helped to improve my mental health over the past few years. I find that when I have the space to take time out to be creative, I feel like I am working on something positive for me. Craft can't fix everything, but it certainly makes me feel good!
I am passionate about being creative with my children as well as working on my own projects, so some of my posts will discuss how we juggle our family time with running a small business and everything else in between.
Do feel free to get in touch, either by commenting on a post or by completing the contact form.
