HAPPY CHRISTMAS

Ben finished work for the Christmas holidays yesterday and we're all so happy about it! I am finally feeling a bit better, and Coralie seems to be too although it now appears it's caught up to Ben too so it'll be a Christmas miracle if we all wake up feeling well on Friday morning. But here's hoping!

Just wanted to pop by and wish everyone a very happy Christmas. I hope yours is one full of love, laughter and plenty of yummy food. And maybe a few good presents too ;) Josephine really gets the idea of Father Christmas this year and her excitement is palpable. I just want it to be Christmas already!!

I have a few posts lined up for the days after Christmas - it's obviously a difficult time for my family although I know that one particular day or anniversary does not necessarily mean the hardest for my heart; those days can just creep up on you and surprise you from nowhere. I hope we can spend it smiling as we think of our beautiful Daddy.

Before the new year I'm also really excited to launch a new project with my beautiful friend, so do keep an eye out for that too.

Much love to you all, and thank you for all your comments and emails this year, they always mean a lot.

Nell, Ben, Josephine and Coralie xxxx 

NATIVITY: our little Mary

Last week Josephine starred as Mary in her pre-school nativity play. She was completely glorious - singing beautifully, putting all her energy into the actions and smiling so happily at us at every opportunity. I giggled with joy throughout, and could have watched it a thousand times.

When we left pre-school afterwards, we asked her if she was nervous and she replied, "No, I wasn't nervous. I just wanted to get on the stage and sing!"

Making us proud every day, our darling Josephine xx

I wish I could post a few more pictures, but we're not allowed to share those with other children in on social media, so this one of Phiney and her best buddy Oliver (who was adorably Joseph!) as they came onto the stage, will have to suffice :)

CHRISTMAS EVE: new traditions

On Christmas Eve, as Ben cooked up a storm in the kitchen in preparation for the next few days, I took the girls on a very special outing to mark the year anniversary of the last time we spoke to my Dad.

On the way to the Botanical Gardens, we stopped at a little flower shop to pick up two very special bouquets. The first, a beautiful package wrapped in brown paper, was a small posey of tiny yellow daffodils. I wanted to lay some flowers at the Gardens to mark this day, and these yellow blooms were perfect. I also wanted to buy a bunch to sit on our mantelpiece over Christmas, and selected the most wonderful, happy bouquet that i'll show you more of soon.

The girls and I wandered round the gardens, soaking up the beautiful winter sun and talking about Grandpa and that last conversation; all the giggles and fun. And as we walked, Josephine laid a stem on the most beautiful spots she could find; moss-covered steps, secluded overgrown nooks and twisted tree trunks. It was lovely and sweet and a wonderful thing to do with my girls. Something we will do every Christmas Eve; a new tradition for my Papa.

 

GEORGE HOME: my wishlist

On the tight budget that we're on, I'm always on the lookout for pieces for our home that offer good value for money. Absolutely I'd love to shop with independent brands making handcrafted items all the time, and yes I agree with buying less rubbish and spending more on quality items; but you know what, you can find some lovely pieces in unexpected places too that, importantly, look great and won't blow the budget.

Supermarkets are one such place, where you can find a little bit of treasure amongst the milk and frozen pizza, and the new ranges at George Home are particularly nice.

As I'm sure is the case for most parents out there, when you have a spare bit of cash it tends to go on the children, and there are certainly a few lovely pieces the would be quite at home in Josephine's room (sometime soon to be 'the girl's room'!)

Firstly, in the Kid's Room section, I love this toy box. It's clean and simple style is timeless and will grow with the girls as they get older. Plus, you can never have too much storage as for as I'm concerned.

There is also a really wonderful selection of wooden toys, perfect for (dare I say it) Christmas. From farm set to pirate ships, and the sweetest shop and café stand that may well be finding it's way to our house on Christmas morning. And all at really great prices.

Finally, if you're on the look out for a stylish and contemporary bunk beds (that's a bit further down the line for us!) you should check out this one. I love the wood, the simplicity and the desk and storage on the end. What more could you ask for?

This is a sponsored post, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. Photos taken from the George Home website.

HOHOHO: meeting father christmas

On Wednesday I took Josephine to see Father Christmas with my Nan, my auntie and her daughter and my cousin and her daughter. This little grotto is so sweet, with a lovely array of decorations and lights to look at before you enter, and then a winter wonderland complete with polar bears, fake snow and elves. 

While she seemed quite amazed by Father Christmas, there was no way she was getting closer than 2 feet, hence the hilarious shot of them squeezed into the edges of the frame. 

She came away with a little real Christmas tree, a badge and a toy of her choice from the Elve's workshop...a fairy Barbie to be precise. Whom she already adores. 

Tonight, Ben finishes work for nearly two weeks. Josephine and I cannot wait to have him home with us for all that time. The Christmas holidays begin today! 

Meeting Father Christmas last year...so teeny! 

HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS: one week to go

This time next week, Christmas Day will be coming to an end. We'll be sat on the sofa, looking through all our lovely presents, tummies full of the most delicious food. But with one week to go, there's still plenty of festive fun to be had. Over the last month or so, Josephine, Ben and I have been putting our hands to some Christmas crafting and I thought I'd share some of the best in case you're looking for some quick, easy and cheap ideas to do with the children. Or, just by yourself! 

What did we do before Pinterest? Both the hand print Christmas tree posters and finger print Christmas tree cards were inspired by the site and have both been greatly received; by both Josephine and our friends and family. The silver bells (cut up egg boxes, wrapped in foil and threaded with ribbon) is a must-do for all infant schoolers in the UK and I remember making them when I was small. It's wonderful to have our first Phiney-made decoration on the tree and I can't wait to see what the coming years will add to the stash. 

The Father Christmas face cards were Ben's idea, and were completed while Mama was spoiled to a lovely long lie-in recently. Ben used pieces of scrap felt and cotton wool and Phiney did all the gluing and sticking. Those Santa faces are the cutest I've seen this year.

Ben and Josephine also created the sweet little tree for her doll's house. They collected some fern from the green in front of our house and, after Ben fashioned a base from this and that, they adorned it with tiny sprigs of flowers from the garden, brightly coloured strands of wool and a little star sticker for the top. 

Finally, the best Christmas craft, and one every age can have fun with (if you don't have a nearly-two year old in the mix think rows of triangle potato stamps or polka dots in neon) is stamping your own wrapping paper. Josephine and I collected huge leaves in the park one day and, after we dried them out, we smothered them in poster paints and stamped them on lengths of craft paper I found from Ikea. Ben also cut holly leaves and star stamps from potatoes for a particularly festive design. We've wrapped up as many presents as we can using our own paper, all tied with pretty ribbons from Mama's ribbon jars, and we think they look pretty darn good. 

What have been your favourite Christmas crafts this year? 

RE-GIFTING: modern heirlooms

A couple of weeks ago, after my sister found a stash of my old toys at her house, I presented Josephine with four of my old My Little Pony's. I loved these when I was little, even having a My Little Pony part for my second birthday (and then again for my 21st family party, complete with decorations my Mum sourced in the US). The look on Josephine's face when she found them was priceless, and made me so happy that I kept them.

After seeing Phiney's excitement, I was reminded of two brand new boxed ponies that my Grandparents gave me at said 21st birthday that sat on my shelf at uni for a while. I never opened them (despite being so tempted to brush their hair!) and realised that they would make wonderful additions to Josephine's Christmas stocking. I read an article in American Vogue a few years ago all about the idea of re-gifting items at Christmas, whether they be unwanted (but wonderful) presents you've allocated to the bottom drawer, or much-loved pieces you want to pass on to the next generation. Apparently it's becoming more and more popular in even the most upper-circles of American society and I can see why. Not only is it a great budget-busting and green alternative to the mass-consumerism of Christmas, but it ensures a treasured item. My Grandma is awesome at re-gifting and for my birthday she gave me one of her beautiful antique platters. Of course, it helps that her house is like the best antique shop in the world; my Mum, sister and I spend hours when we're there pointing out what we'd happily take home, much to my Grandma's delight.

This year, it may just be some My Little Pony's, but as the years pass I would love to pass on vintage handbags, antique crockery, precious jewellery and favourite books to our children.

And the rest of Josephine's stocking? We've kept to last year's promise of buying just a few select, but wonderful things. Originally working to the Want, Need, Wear, Read idea, then adding a few choice additions and subtracting something to wear, because she just doesn't need anything. They will sit alongside something for her to read (a Moomin number book), something she needs (a little Moomin lunchbox...yes, I got carried away in the Moomin shop, but this girl loves Little My right now) something she wants (a tiny wooden sword from the RSC shop in Stratford for our little Shakespearean) something Mama-made (a plum coloured net tutu for the dressing up box and new hair bow) and something second-hand (a fantastic French board game found at the charity shop).

I love the idea of something Mama/Papa made always appearing under the tree at Christmas and Josephine appreciating the treasure in finding the perfect secondhand/vintage item too. The final gift will be the sweetest writing set, decorated with beautiful illustrations of wild animals and plants. Each year my sister and I would always get a new writing set, and with Josephine writing letters to Great-Grandparents and penpals across the world, this is the perfect tradition to pass on to our children too.

Will you be re-gifting this year, or plan to pass on treasured heirlooms?

AFTERMATH: the post-christmas clear up

And so begins the sorting. Josephine got a haul of the most wonderful wooden, secondhand and handmade presents as well as some lovely clothes to grow into. But where to put them all....

And it's not just the gifts that need sorting. With several nights of very tricky sleep, it would seem that this little bird just doesn't want the party to end. Here's to a quiet one tonight Phiney, please?!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

From our family to yours, we wish you all a very happy Christmas. We hope you've had the most wonderful of days full of fun, food, love and laughter. And here's to amazing adventures in 2013.

Thank you so much for visiting our little space this year, your comments and support make me smile everyday.

Much love folks xx

Josephine's reaction to discovering her stocking this morning. Our first Christmas Day with this little sprite has been magical and hilarious. She's loved every second, and so have we. She's the bestest present ever and we love her so.

Gorgeous babygrow courtesy of Joules.

FIRST CHRISTMAS: new traditions

Today Josephine met Father Christmas for the first time. We went to a lovely little garden centre that had been turned into a winter grotto, with my Nan, sister, cousin and her little girl. Phiney looked at the lines of trees, thousands of sparkling lights and the two reindeer, Stardust and Twinkle, with wonder. Christmas truly is magical when you have a baby in tow. Just watching her take it all in, hearing her 'ohhh' and 'ahhh', was the sweetest thing.

I've been thinking recently of the Christmas traditions we'll build as a family, and I think taking Josephine to see Father Christmas will definitely be one of them. We're already starting to develop little rituals - we open Phiney's advent calender together every evening, with the Christmas snow globe playing Walking in a Winter Wonderland and she absolutely loves it - but I'd love to know what your family's festive traditions are. Where does Father Christmas deliver your children's presents (living room? bedroom? help, I can't decide!) Do you leave him a glass of milk or a tipple of whiskey? Do you open presents before or after lunch?

Ohhhhh...I'm getting excited just thinking about it all :)

HAPPY CIRCUS: christmas sale

Still searching for a special gift for that little person in your life? Well, head over to Happy Circus now and get a whopping 20% off all our vintage pieces for the next 24 hours only. Just enter the promotional code VINTAGECHRISTMASSALE to claim your discount.

Discount applies to vintage clothes only, not knitted or felt goods.

LOVELY SPONSORS

Hello! After a week of constant headaches and sinus pain, today I feel like I'm properly back in the land of the living. Plus Phiney has slept through the last three nights, after more than 2 weeks of getting up at least once. After 2 months of undisturbed sleep, getting up in the night again has been tough and I'm hoping we've now turned a corner and are back to getting lots of lovely sleep. That's until the next tooth decides to break through of course...

Anyway, with being ill and launching all the new Happy Circus goodies, I realised I haven't told you more about our lovely sponsors. If you're still stuck for some Christmas presents ideas, look no further...

Firstly, the ever wonderful All About Heidi. You know how much we love these gorgeous shoes in our house; you can see Phiney wearing them here, here and here. And whenever she wears them, people come ask where they're from. They're beautifully made and come in the most fantastic range of colours. It broke my heart a little when Phiney grew out of hers, but we'll be back come the spring to buy another pair...or two. So if you have a little one in your life who's feet deserve only the loveliest of shoes, head to All About Heidi.

Next up is Little Green Shed. You all know Lou, right? She's one sweet lady with a sweet shop selling very awesome prints and other pieces for your house. Her blog is always a funny, honest and pretty-to-look at read and her designs are a must-have for every stylish home. Right now I'm wanting this print...it's on my Christmas list, for sure. Plus she just got more of her brilliant teapots back in stock, which are sure to make the ideal present this year.

Finally is the brilliant Tori Hancock Photography. You can read about how much we love Tori and her beautiful pictures here, and see more of her amazing work here and here. If you're looking for a very special gift to give this Christmas, or perhaps want to give your family something wonderful in 2013, a session with this lady will be a present you'll cherish forever. Tori is a very lovely person. She is happy and easy going and fun and takes truly wonderful pictures. I can't say enough good things about her and her talent, so go and check out her work.

Thank you to these lovely sponsors for all your support this month, and I'll be back later in the week with more about the ever-so-stylish Joules. There are still a few spaces left for advertising in December, so please drop me an email for our media pack. Our rates are nice and low and we'll be offering a little Christmas discount too if you're interested.

ROLL UP, ROLL UP: christmas shopping at happy circus

After months of really hard work and hours of scouring charity shops and markets, I am so pleased to announce the launch of a whole host of new goodies at Happy Circus.

Firstly, after the increasing requests and success of my hair bows and bow ties for weddings, I've designed a new range of bows for boys and girls, men and women, that are perfect for everyday and those special occassions. For the boys, the bow ties now feature knitted bows on carefully selected cotton fabrics with classic bow tie fastenings, while the girls can enjoy hair bows without ties (no more clumpy knots at the back of your head) in the classic size, oversize, little girl size and bow clips. I've also replaced synthetic wools with beautifully soft, plump cashmerino and almerino yarns in sorbets, tweeds and faded vintage hues.

Next I've added a new material to the ranges here at HC. I've loved working with felt over the last few years in an array of different projects, so I'm really excited to bring some of my designs to the shop. From multi-coloured triangular felt garlands to fun wall hangings that will look awesome in your child's room (or any other room in the house for that matter) these bright and colourful additions make me smile everytime I look at them, and hope you find the same.

Finally, I'm so excited to launch the second Happy Circus Vintage event. Over the last few months I've been gathering items for boys and girls of all ages and there are more than 30 truly awesome pieces on offer this time. The sweetest smocked dresses sit alongside chunky knitted jumpers while delicate blouses work perfectly with classic Osh Kosh dungerees.

I hope you'll go visit the shop and discover some treats for yourself, your kids, your friends and family this Christmas. I'm very happy to be offering you all a 10% discount off all your purchases over the next 48 hours - just become a follower if you're not one already and go 'like' our new Facebook page here, where you'll be first to know about new pieces, special offers and all behind-the-scenes news. Then enter the promotional code HCChristmas at the checkout to receive your discount.

Thank you as always for your support with my little shop. I'm really excited to see what 2013 brings in developing the store and hope you'll enjoy wearing your purchases as much as I did making and sourcing them.

Happy Monday everyone :)