Both boys were so excited when the box arrived from Play Merrily, and were thrilled to find inside the MagnaMobiles Fire Engine and Concrete Mixer.
The concrete mixer especially was much admired. The boys didn't take long to discover the vehicles came apart and they happily switched parts between vehicles, making two different vehicles.
We've had these here for just over a week now, and the boys keep going back to them to play. I've even spotted Sid having a sneaky play when he thought no one was watching.
The toys are beautifully constructed, tactile and easy for small hands to pull apart and fix back together again.
Ernest has even taken parts from the vehicles and used them in other areas of imaginative play...the mixer section for example became a "magic machine" for one of Ernest's imaginery friends.
I can see us adding more of these to our toy cupboard.
Disclaimer: We received both of these vehicles free of charge for review.
Well very nearly! A few bits of touching up to do,and flooring to finish,but it's a whole lot better than it was.
This pic was taken from the dining room,so you can see the archway.
I'll be honest the paint job on the cupboards isn't as good as I'd hoped,but I think I can live with it.
Note the lightshade in drawing room fabric to match the dining room curtains. I just need to make a new tea cosy and oven mitt,possibly an apron too.
Today we had fun getting lost in a maize maze. we've never been to one before and were not sure what to expect. We got there early expecting rain,but the sun came out and it turned into a lovely day.
we are already planning a trip back there next year,when hopefully Sid will be up to walking the whole way.
Still painting the kitchen,pics tomorrow.
Today I have been taking advantage of the sunny weather to work on my bellycast.
This was cast when I was pregnant with Sid,and has sat in storage for over three years while I decided what to do with it. It was rather battered and a bit thin,so Woody suggested I strengthen it with car filler. The car filler has worked wonderfully well,and I now have a much sturdier cast that I can sand down and paint ready to hang above our loft stairs.
Just need to decide what to paint. I have a few ideas,but nothing certain yet.
Today was a day for inspiration,and good company. I spent the day with two friends at the Tate Gallery in Liverpool,at the Gustav Klimt exhibition.
Bought more trim,and now it's finished.
Loving the fit of my spoonflower skirt,I thought I'd make another with this Ikea cotton print.
I used a different finish and trim on the pockets this time.
This ribbon was found in a bargain bin in Hobbycraft,sadly there isn't enough left to trim the hem of the skirt,but I'm going to pop in there tomorrow to see if I can find some more.
This skirt is a bargain all in all, the cotton was only £1.59 a metre,and I used about 2 1/2 metres,and the ribbon was £1.99 for three reels.
I am so pleased with this,made with my spoonflower fabric from a Japanese pattern.
The pockets are trimmed with satin bias binding,and the hem is trimmed with grossgrain ribbon.
Finally I have finished the big sort out in our loft,and have even managed to buy frames for these lovely prints from Amy Schimler.
I've even found a more practical space for my pencils ,brushes and sketchbooks,so might even get some drawing done this summer.
And how about this lovely necklace that arrived today?
The result of my Etsy shopping spree on Saturday.
I was at a talk in Manchester by Veronika Robinson of The Mother magazine, author of "The Drinks Are On Me"and tv noteriety as an extraordinary breastfeeder.
Veronika has always struck me as being serene and glowing with health,whenever I have seen her in photographs and on tv,and she is both of those in the flesh too.
I enjoyed the talk,it's always nice to have your own thoughts on breastfeeding validated.
We decided to take a couple of days off last week to go camping. After arriving in Criccieth in the pouring rain,and spending a soggy night, the sun came out and we had beautiful blue skies. Perfect for a visit to Portmeirion where the blue of the sky was stunning against the seaside colours of the village.Everywhere I looked there was a view to lift the spirits.
Arriving early meant we had the village pretty much to ourselves for a while. I must admit as more and more people arrived the village began to lose some of it's appeal,so we retreated into the woodland gardens until poor Sid was too tired to walk,and we decided to leave. (dozy me had left the sling in the car!)
I spotted this simple idea for tree decorations the other day; triangles of polystyrene, with buttons glued on and a ribbon for hanging.
I have a whole stack of polystyrene sheets that I use for printing, and of course plenty of buttons and ribbon scraps.
Both boys enjoyed this project. Ernest particularly enjoys using glue, his trees took rather a long time to dry!
Inspired by this idea, I cut out two circles for the boys to make snowmen in a similar way. I also cut out two simple top hats which we had fun covering in glitter.
After the snowmen were dry, I added a strip of ribbon to the back with sticky tape, and a small piece of ribbon for a scarf with a blob of glue.
A quick, simple, but effective toddler make, with only a little help from me adding the final touches.
Ernest's is hanging on the tree very happily.