Not ready to give up the loungewear?

Not ready to give up the lounge-wear just yet? Me neither babes. I've practically eaten my way through lockdown, and a year later I have to tell you - I am here ALL day for the comfort. The softness. The elasticated EVERYTHING. I am not bodycon midi dress ready, and neither is the world just yet either. It used to be jeans and 'a nice top' for a G&T or a grey goose in the local loungebar ...now there's no lounging in bars, just lounging in grey loungewear in the beer garden, hoping the clouds don't match your outfit and dump a million drops of rain on your (probably now grey) hair. Hope you brought a hoodie!

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Seriously though, working from home means being sofa ready for your tea breaks, and after-work drinks are probably in the same place! If you are lucky enough to pop out for an al fresco lunch, you want something that lets you put the washing on and then walk into town without anyone batting an eyelid. Dressed up loungewear and co ord sets are a THING right now, and I'm going to show you some of my new faves....

Birthday Newspaper Book | Review

If you’re looking for a unique birthday gift, for those ‘hard to buy for’ loved ones ... something personal to the recipient with a bit of history thrown in, then this is for you!
 

Disclosure: Ad: We were sent this book for the purpose of this review

Historic Newspapers have created a  birthday newspaper book, created from original newspapers from days gone by. With the world’s largest archive of over 3 million newspapers, this is the perfect opportunity to have a little look back into past birthdays and discover who or what made the headlines!

UKCA / CE Testing Home-Made Playdough for sale

Thinking of CE testing and selling playdough? Did you know that to LEGALLY sell homemade playdough you HAVE to have it UKCA / CE certified to get the CE mark (EU) or the UKCA mark (UK) and chemically tested under EN71-3 by an independent lab in order for this to be certified as safe for children? Not just one sample either... each colour of dough needs to be tested separately under the toy safety directives, and if you change your ingredients or supplier then you will have to retest? 

 

I have been through the UKCA / CE testing process with my own gluten free, homemade playdough which I sell over in my shop - www.childledplay.co.uk. Finding the right information 

was a long, drawn out process and getting the right answers took up a lot of time. If you have found this post due to your own information searching, I hope that this helps you to understand how to start the process of CE testing playdough and how to work out if this is a viable option for you....

How to make Fairy Butterfly Wings with Pressed Flowers

My little girl absolutely loves to put on a pair of wings and dress up a fairy or a butterfly, but the wings we have which are made from the same material as nylon stockings have ripped in places and shed glitter like there's no tomorrow! I decided to make a custom pair of wings at home, using home pressed flowers (in the microwave!) and contact paper - which give more of a natural, iridescent 'flutter', look incredibly delicate and so beautiful and personalised....

(Blog originally published April 2020)
 

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The best thing is that the lead up to making these links into some special experiences - you can forage in your garden for leaves, flowers and petals...or whilst out on your walk. We included some tête-à-tête daffodils that the children picked for me whilst I was poorly in quarantine to cheer me up and make me feel better, some tulips we had before lockdown and some cherry blossom flowers collected from a daily walk (also my favourite tree!). This activity is perfect for learning and teaching symmetry, discussing differences and changes, noticing patterns and details, following instructions and role play....