We are back!

Hello!
I am finally back after a long maternity leave. We are back taking bookings for children's parties, hen parties, weddings... and well just about any event that you need to entertain guests. Bringing you lots of arts, crafts and fun!

Here is a picture from the summer of my little boys (now 3 and 8months) in the homemade Teepee. Fabric was from Ikea (great value for money, washable and tough).

About London: William Morris Gallery

About London: Serpentine Gallery Pavilions

Make sure you check out the Serpentine Pavilion's before they close on 9th Oct.

Baby Food: kitchen gardens

What baby doesn't love being shown new things and occasionally getting a berry popped in their mouth! Ok this might be hard to find in London but google "pick your own farm" and you will find one not too far away.

 

About London: Pablo Bronstein @ Tate Britain

Pablo Bronstein's performance @ Tate Britain. 

About London: Barbican & Camden Arts Centre

Ragnar Kjartansson @ the Barbican- breathtaking. Advise leaving at least 2 hours to see this one- it's epic . I couldn't tear myself away. 

 

Making and Unmaking curate by Duro Olowu @ Camden Arts Centre. 

 

Baby Food: Snacks

Little O has been kicking up a fuss about food lately. He's a bit poorly and teething which is not a great combo when trying to wean. Luckily I have the brilliant Young Gums Instagram feed which has lots of nourishing and healthy recipes, most of which you can do on the spot. I also have (and I think Ive mentioned before ) my go to recipe book River Cottage Baby and Toddler Food. This week we just have to get O to drop one of his milk feeds but being the little fidget he is, all that exercise requires calories so I expect he'll need some snacks. These Apple and Spelt biscuits are so yummy I might have to steal a few.

Also on the menu this week is Young Gums oat pancakes and banana bread. I also have a trusty loaf of granny's brioche in the freezer then there is always classic rice cakes or wedges of cheese. 

About London: Petting farms

Little O and I have been checking what noises all the animals make and has been to not 1 but 3 farms lately (no seriously what noise does a goat make?). Our top choice is the Lee Valley Farm (technically not in London but near enough from E17) followed by our local Brooks Farm which is a hidden gem, lots of animals and a cute adventure playground which will be super when O is a little less little. Then finally there is Hackney City Farm which has a great cafe but fewer animals, though the pigs are truly enormous and fascinating!

Little O's first wedding and lessons learnt

Some dear friends got married last week and Little O relished crawling around Wiston House- what a fantastic venue. (Note to self: don't wear heals when chasing around crawling baby)

Baby Shoes

Apparently you should only put soft soled shoes on crawling and cruising babes. Ive just purchased these little Converse for Little O. They have just a fabric sole so are super soft for his squidgy feet.

Baby Crafts: Edible Paints

Rainy summer days call for indoor baby activities and what better than getting them creative. But how when everything ends up in their mouths.... edible paints are super easy and super fun.

HOW? 

Fill a freezer bag with one cup of flour and 1/2 cup of water plus a few drops of food colouring. Tie a knot in the bag and then squish it together so it gets all mixed up. Cut a tiny hole in the bottom of one corner and squeeze out the "paint". I recommend buying a cheap roll of wall paper lining and covering a floor or table with it. 

 

NYC weekend

A weekend in NYC might seem ambitious with a babe in arms but we decided to throw caution to the wind. Whilst over the other side of the pond we stuck to UK time- yes bizarre but by far the easiest thing to do given the short stay. We found a nifty Airbnb in Brooklyn which had a sunny balcony so after settling O to sleep for the "night" we could enjoy the view and relax. what about dinner I hear you ask... well usually we'd cook but it was New York and every restaurant doesn't take out so forget cooking you can have restaurant quality food at home! Of course babe woke at 2am for breaky. So we got up ate, played for a bit then put him back down for a nap ( which we joined him for- bliss) then all got up at 5am to set off into the city- of course New York is a 24 hour city so you need not worry about how you will fill those early hours or how you will fill your bellies. The best thing we did was the Staten Island Ferry which starts really early for commuters. Seeing New York from the wateras the sun rises is more special than I can describe and (if you were in any doubt) proves that traveling with a baby can bring a whole new perspective on things. 

 

Party Diary: card puppets

What a treat to be at this little one's Alice in Wonderland party. It was a stinking hot day and the hosts had a pretty little garden which they decorated beautifully. Here the girls are decorating their playing card puppets. 

 

Party Diary: birdhouses, hats and tote bags

A surprise 40th birthday party in a Chelsea pub. A lovely bunch of kids who got stuck in making hats, birdhouses and tote bags.

 

Pinteresting: Naming Ceremony planning

Planning our own party at the moment... Little O's Naming Ceremony. Its quite hard to know where to start with planning this because there isn't a long tradition of naming days. However, this is great for us because we love the idea of inventing our own traditions. Take a look at the pinterest board for our inspiration.

Naming Ceremony part II

What a lovely day!

Party flowers... the middle pic is of a stunning bunch by Blomst in E17 found at the village market.

O's Naming Cake

A special card from one of O's younger guests

Little  O enjoying one of his pressies

And to finish off a pic of the thank you cards...