Category: Views & Ramblings

1. Make your own: 5 crafty destinations for a family holiday

   Posted on 10:58am Monday 23rd Jun 2014

   We are currently number one in the ebuzzing charts for crafts, which is a major achievement in anyone's book, let alone mine so holidays with a craft accents, certainly piqued our interest.

   We all like to take souvenirs home with us as permanent reminders of our trips (or if you are like my girls, every single outing means collecting something). But, they don’t have to be as ubiquitous or generic as a fridge magnet or a tea towel. There are lots of holiday destinations where you can craft or make your own mementos to take home to keep or give as gifts to family and friends. If you are still trying to decide where to take your little ones during the summer holiday or October half term, here are just a few of the best places to get your family’s creative juices flowing.

   Painting pots in Northumberland

    

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   Combining quirky accommodation with the chance to make your own pottery, Berwick’s Pot-a-doodle do wigwam village on the Northumberland coast offers a unique holiday experience. There’s an art centre where you can try your hand at a range of crafts from painting pots to making mosaics and glass painting. The glazing process takes two days so it’s the perfect excuse to stay for a break in a wigwam while you wait for your design to be ready to take home. My family originates from Northumberland so it would be a great chance to visit my heritage while keeping the girls amused too!

   Knitting in Wales

    

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   So many traditional skills have been lost but Wales’ National Wool Museum is doing its bit to keep the arts of knitting and spinning alive for the next generation. There are lots of hands-on activities for children all year round, including making blanket-stitch cards – perfect if a loved one has a birthday or special event coming up. During every school holiday, there’s an even bigger events programme, including an art cart, activities and trails. The museum is based in Carmarthenshire, so you could combine a day of crafting with some time at the beach. Pendine Sands caravan park is a good accommodation option because it sits just minutes from the beach of the same name, so you can spend mornings or early evenings walking on the sand, enjoying a picnic tea and watching the kite buggies whizz across the bay.

   Make your own Gaudi masterpiece in Barcelona

    

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   If you want to go a little further afield, Barcelona is renowned for the Gaudi architecture which dots the city. And, while you won’t be able to afford your own Gaudi artwork, you can have a go at making a piece in a similar style. The Mosaiccos centre allows you to make your own colourful tile mosaic. There are sessions for children and adults, with participants designing their own creation before being advised on the best way to realise their vision. Results are so impressive you’ll have a hard time persuading loved ones back home that you really did make it yourself.

   Bone carving in New Zealand

   Bone carving is a large part of New Zealand’s cultural heritage. You’ll see beautifully carved necklaces in swirling designs and Maori carvings adorning earrings and bracelets. You’ll find several studios dotted around the country which offer you the chance to carve your very own piece of bone jewellery. The Nelson Bone Carving Studio offers a full day workshop for around $80. At the end, you should have your own wearable creation. Now that is a souvenir!!

    Making incense in Japan

    

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   They say smell is the sense which most evokes the most memories. So, making a souvenir which smells of your holiday is surely one of the loveliest ways to continue your holiday once you get back home. In Japan, there are lots of rituals involving incense so you’ll smell it everywhere you go. Incense is thought to purify the air, making a more sacred environment for rituals. At most incense factories, you can either watch incense being made or try your hand at making it yourself.

   Opting for a holiday where you can make and do is sure to give you plenty of experiences to try as a family, and, you almost get to bring the holiday home with you ...... now where is my passport??

   Disclaimer : This is a collaborative post.

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2. Expressions : You never get a 2nd chance to make a first impression

   Posted on 10:24pm Sunday 22nd Jun 2014

   My mum always says that "you never get a second chance to make a first impression" and I have always been mindful of that. Whether I need to be confident (when I am almost definitely not) or if I need to be brave (when my legs are quivering) ... which has been especially prevalent this weekend as I walked into the Britmums Live conference. I had been last year, knew lots of lovely people but that didn't stop the conference nerves.

   I was being silly. I knew that.

   I needed some attitude. Some confidence and belief in myself.

   I reminded myself that I had an amazing sponsor to shout about and it was so easy to do that. Swimming is something every mum wants their child to be able to master and I had great fun sharing our experiences with lots of mums and mums to be.

   So when I got home, it seemed only natural for my "babies" to be in the water in this glorious sunshine.

   

   I think looking at this photo ..... maybe I need a little of her attitude!

   

    

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3. Sightsavers : What my sight means to me.

   Posted on 7:47pm Sunday 15th Jun 2014

   I was 9 years old.

   I was sat on the floor with the rest of my class having an eye test at school.

   It was my turn.

   The optician or nurse or whoever it was (I was 9, I wasn't really paying attention) asked me to read the bottom line.

   I couldn't.

   She asked me to read the next line up.

   I couldn't.

   She asked me to start from the top and work my way down (cue sniggers from the rest of my class).

   My parents were called and told to make an immediate appointment at the opticians where I was told that I shouldn't be left to cross the road alone as my eyesight was so bad.

   20 something (ahem) years ago, the glasses choices were as bad as my eyesight.

   I spent many years resembling a younger version of Deirdre Barlow. Here is a snapshot of my teenage years. (My other half can't quite believe I am sharing this publicly).

    

   Thankfully when I was old enough to pay for my own glasses, my choices were much more on trend!

   That didn't mean I wasn't subject to years of taunts of "four eyes" "penfold" and "speccy". It certainly meant I saw certain people differently. 

   So when my 9 year old asked for glasses, my heart sank a little bit. Was she struggling? Was she getting headaches? She insisted that she needed them so I took her to the opticians for a check up.

    

   As it happens, her eyesight was perfectly fine. She just thought it was cool to wear glasses. How times have changed?

   I have lived with my glasses for 25 years and whilst I may joke that I am "blind as a bat", I am lucky enough to be able to go to the optician and get glasses that suit me (well in recent years anyway). My glasses mean that I can see the expressions on my girls faces, I can see to type this blog post and I can see to cross the road. That is not the case for lots of people across the world. 

   80 per cent of all blindness could be prevented or cured. That’s over 31 million people, most of whom live in the poorest countries in the world who go blind unnecessarily. And with poverty being both a cause and effect of blindness, a cycle is created that can be hard for communities to break out of.

   SightSavers can break this cycle with straightforward operations costing £8-£28 or annual doses of antibiotics costing 7p-35p per person. 

   If you’re moved to give someone their sight please visit www.sightsavers.org.uk/donate.

   Thank you for reading (and hopefully not laughing too much at my photo!!)

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4. Cunard Mediterranean Cruise Competition

   Posted on 9:48pm Saturday 14th Jun 2014

   I *may* have mentioned that we are getting married this year, so honeymoon destinations are currently on my radar.

   When I say radar, I *may* actually mean that I am becoming a honeymoon obsessed crazy person .... but shhhh that is strictly between us. 

   I have always dreamt of Italy, for me it is the perfect honeymoon destination. There is no disputing that Italy is considered as one of the most romantic places in the world. It has picturesque landscapes, it is seeped history and art, and I am reliably informed that the food and wine is divine, which makes me just want to get lost in the warmth and passion of Italy’s culture. 

   Am I rambling? Yes I am rambling ...... I just got lost in the daydream again.

   I may have also got a little lost in Pinterest too after seeing this fabulous competition on Love Chic Living with Cunard 

    

   I hope this Pinterest board epitomises the romance and honest beauty of Tuscany in Italy and if we do or don't decide on this as our destination ...... maybe I will just decorate our new marital bedroom with Tuscany inspiration.

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