HALLOWEEN: 30+ Non-Scary Crafts, Bakes and Decorations

Halloween is quickly approaching and after the year we've all had/are having it's the perfect excuse for a happy distraction. Although it is usually a time of the year associated with being scared, gruesome finds and spooky decorations, it doesn't have to be like that. I have three young children, so am mindful of avoiding the scarier side to Halloween and instead use the opportunity to craft, bake and do fun activities that aren't too scary. If, like me, you prefer to keep Halloween a non-scary time then hopefully this blog post is filled with loads of ideas and inspiration. 

PARTY: Ice-Cream Theme Inspiration

When it comes to planning our daughter's birthday parties I absolutely love the planning, preparing and creative side. We hosted Isabella's first birthday at our house, which was floral themed and then last year we had her second birthday party at a local village hall. This year we're returning to the village hall, which is a fantastic space but you aren't allowed to put anything on the walls which limits decoration options. After a lot of deliberation we finally settled on an ice-cream theme, as it is certainly something Isabella loves and we were originally going to have it in late May so it would be nearer to summer. It is in fact in April now, so perhaps a bit early for ice-cream weather which is why I've decided to mix in some pretty florals and rose gold touches.

HOME: 55+ Decor Ideas for a 'Big Girl' Bedroom

In June Isabella won't be the only child on the block, there'll be another little girl to love, cherish and share things with. We are therefore planning on moving Isabella from the smallest bedroom she's currently in to the larger spare bedroom. I'm so excited to start doing all of the fun decorative aspects of her new bedroom, but there is a lot of work that has to be done before. The ceiling needs to be ripped down and put back up, the walls need wallpapering, new carpet needs putting down and the window needs repairing. Oh the joys of an old house!

EASTER: 55+ Baking, Crafts and Decoration Pinterest Ideas

Easter baking, crafts and decorations are all so beautiful and fresh. Spring has just started, colourful flowers are everywhere and cute lambs are filling the countryside fields. Easter has passed so quickly for the past few years, as Isabella was born on Good Friday in 2015 and then her first birthday/my return to work happened the year after. However, this year Easter is a few weeks away from her birthday so I'm planning on concentrating more on it again. Pinterest is filled with so many fun ideas for baking, crafts and the most beautiful decorations I can only dream about. Below are just some of my favourite Pinterest ideas, for even more inspiration then head over to my E A S T E R board.  

SECOND BIRTHDAY: Bunny Party Pinterest Inspiration Board

As we are now into Spring it has finally dawned on me that our baby girl will be turning two in April! Not such a little baby anymore, in fact it won't be long and she'll be a big sister. How will I already have a two year old? It's clique I know, but time really does fly when you have children. I think the saying that the days are long, yet the years are short couldn't describe parenthood anymore perfectly. Last year I was well into party planning mode by now, as it was a welcome distraction from returning to work. This year is a different story though, time is limited and pregnancy fatigue means no late nights planning away. I'm determined to not let this stop us creating a fun birthday party for Isabella turning two!

CHILDREN: 36 Handprint Craft Ideas

Capturing our little ones handprints is such a perfect way to record how quickly they grow and change. When I look at some pottery painting I did with Isabella's footprints when she was only a month or two old I can barely believe her feet were ever that small! Obviously her hand and footprint are still small in the scheme of things and it won't be long before I'll look back at recent prints and think how small they are. In honour of our cute little ones handprints I thought I'd put together a few ideas of how you can create a piece of art/gift/memory from them...

HALLOWEEN: My Favourite Pinterest Halloween Food Ideas

I can't believe it's Halloween tomorrow, where has this year gone?! We don't have too much planned for Halloween but I do love trying to make dinner more gruesome than usual. It's a chance to play around with food and for very little effort can look very impressive. I've browsed Pinterest for my favourite ideas.

(Photo Credit)

(Photo Credit)

(Photo Credit)

(Photo Credit)

(Photo Credit)

(Photo Credit)

(Photo Credit)

(Photo Credit)

(Photo Credit)

What are your plans for Halloween this year?

Helen x

WEDDING: Pinterest Heaven.

As any Brides or Brides to Be will tell you - Pinterest is FULL of inspiration and ideas for your wedding. It's actually full of inspiration for all aspects of life but we'll focus on weddings today. I used Pinterest a lot throughout this whole wedding planning process and it was the source of a lot of ideas we had at our wedding and ideas we decided against. It's so helpful and that fact that it's free makes it one of the best wedding planning tools you can use! My Pinterest link is here, if you're interested in following me and/or browsing all of the beautiful wedding pictures I've pinned over the past year. You can really get a good feel for our wedding from the 'Wedding Inspiration' board, if you're curious about the style we planned our wedding around...

(Photo Credit)

(Photo Credit)

(Photo Credit)

(Photo Credit)

(Photo Credit)

(Photo Credit)

(Photo Credit)

(Photo Credit)

(Photo Credit)

(Photo Credit)

Which style wedding would you go for?

Feel free to leave me a comment :)

Helen x