Wednesday, 21 December 2016

Ralphy and Snowdog - A Christmas message




Dear all. The house is twinkling, the cards are sent, the presents are wrapped and after one more day of work I'm off for Crimbles! So before I switch off I just wanted to drop you a message to say a big Happy Christmas to you all. Thank you so much for being such lovely friends and followers this year, you really do make this blog a pleasure for me to write. Have a safe, and peaceful time this Christmas and all the very best for the year ahead. I shall leave you with Ralphy, who insisted on writing his own message to you. 

With much love, 
JM x

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Thursday, 8 December 2016

Festoon ceiling garland decoration + for Christmas or Weddings




If you fancy doing something a bit different with your Christmas decorations this year, here is a very pretty and affective way to add sparkly to your festive season. This string of ceiling decorations are so easy to make and you can easily adapt it to your own style. I had a lot of leftover baubles so I came up with this garland to make use of them. I like to keep mine simple with brown string, fairy lights and mis-matched baubles but you could easily keep them uniform or even add tinsel! 

You will need:

A length of brown string / twine / ribbon

Battery operated wire fairy lights in silver or copper

Selection of baubles 

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Thursday, 1 December 2016

A month in pictures - November


It's nearly CRIMBLES!!! YEEEHAAA!!!! I'm a big fan of Christmas (can you tell?) and my decorations will be going up this weekend. We returned from an incredible week in the wild and wonderful North Wales last week. It was so beautiful dear reader, if you've never been I highly recommend it. I had to pinch myself on several occasions because the scenery was so utterly breathtaking. We walked through sun, rain and snow - up mountains and in actual fairytale moss-covered forests with waterfalls! At one point I'm sure we even entered frost-covered Narnia! I'll share some pictures with you soon. In the meantime the only thing that's cheering me up is the promise of CHRISTMAS!!!!! Here's our month in pictures x



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Thursday, 17 November 2016

Fairy light tree centrepiece for autumn, weddings, christmas or easter

My neighbour recently cut back one of the bushes in his garden ... so when I spied a stack of lovely long branches sat by his recycling bin a little lightbulb went off in my head! You only need a few elements for this project. I've adapted it for Autumn by adding pine cones to the base, and copper and gold skeleton leaves on the branches which look gorgeous sparkling in the glow of the fairy lights, but you could easily swap the pine cones for baubles and give the branches a spritz of spray snow for Christmas! then come easter perhaps hang some decorative eggs from the branches and add some straw in the base? Whatever takes your fancy this is a lovely affective centrepiece that takes no time at all.


Decorative branches & fairy light tree centrepiece (for autumn, weddings, christmas & easter)

You will need: 

4 branches
Glass vase
Selections of pine cones / conkers / baubles
String of battery operated fairy lights
Pack of gold and copper skeleton leaves 
Glue gun or all purpose glue

TIP: If you'd like to use real autumn leaves for this project gather a selection of small leaves and press them for a week or two, then glue away! 


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Sunday, 13 November 2016

Trench Art + Remembrance Sunday


Trench Art from World War 1


It's remembrance Sunday today. Remembrance Day in the United Kingdom honours the heroic efforts, achievements and sacrifices that were made in past wars. I wasn't planning on blogging, but I received something this week which I'd really like to share with you, and especially today, of all days. Yesterday a relative of mine sent me some 'Trench Art' that that has been passed down through the family. It was made in the trenches during the First World War. To be quite honest with you, I had know idea what Trench Art even was, I wasn't aware of it's existence! These beautiful objects were made by soldiers, many of which were often crafted out of old shell casings. 

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Friday, 11 November 2016

Eliza's Book of Whimsy - Q&A with author Elizabeth Henry


It has been a while since I've had a guest on the blog, and I'm super excited to be sharing this with you today. Today's guest is author Elizabeth Henry, who has recently published a book of poetry called 'Eliza's Book of Whimsy' which you may have seen featured in this months edition of Landlove magazine. It is an enchanting book, full to the brim with nature-inspired imagery and charm.  Elizabeth's philosophy on life is 'simple pleasure' and with that in mind she has fashioned a collection of poems to cheer, uplift and satisfy the spirit. With poems such as 'The faerie Glen', 'The Hedgerow' and 'The forsaken Garden' it would be a delightful read (or gift!) for adults and children alike, and the beautiful illustrations by artist Delphine Jones compliment the poems perfectly. Here's a sneak peek into 'Eliza's Book of Whimsy' along with an entertaining Q&A session with the author herself.


Eliza's Book of Whimsy

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Tuesday, 1 November 2016

A month in pictures - A spooky October


Well last night was Halloween night, and I managed to work my way through most of the sweets I had bought for the neighbourhood kiddies ... happens every year, and I know I'm not the only one. Hubby turns into a big kid on Halloween night and takes great pleasure in scaring the children that are foolish enough to come to our door. Last night he found some super spooky music (creaky doors / sound of children singing nursery rhymes over an organ playing in a minor key etc etc) so each time there was a knock, the music would play and he'd open the door wearing a cloak and holding a candelabra. The kids were unfazed, and walked straight to the sweetie basket! I think their parents appreciated it more. Ralphy was oblivious of course, if not slightly confused. I had organised a ghost walk for my town which went really well! We roamed the streets, torches in hand, passing other ghost hunters on our travels. They all seemed to really enjoy it, so I'm really pleased. Aside from all things spooky it's been a lovely month of Autumn walks, crafting and with the chilly nights upon us I've rediscovered my love of knitting. Here's out month in pictures ... PS. Did you see last weeks Poldark? well I never! 



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Thursday, 27 October 2016

The Bishops Stortford Ghost Walk

Ever since I was a little girl I've been intrigued by the supernatural. Whether or not you believe in such things, there is no denying the mystery that surrounds local legends - and the spooky tales that are handed down through the ages can send a shiver of excitement down even the most sceptical of spines. So with Halloween on the horizon I decided to do a little research into the history of my town - Bishops Stortford. In all honesty I was blown away by the sheer scale of ghostly happenings that have occurred in this little town of mine, and with the help of my fearless young niece Georgia, and using author Jenni Kemp's book Haunted Stortford as our guide, we set off on an adventure of our own. We spoke to locals, investigated haunted locations and yes I admit, we also sang the theme tune from Ghostbusters on more than once occasion. So please join us on a virtual tour of our haunted town, and if you live locally and you'd like to take part in person simply grab your torch, print out  the PDF of map and instructions by clinking the links at the bottom of this post and venture out into the streets of Bishops Stortford on Halloween night! Tweet to let me know how you get on with the hashtag #bishopsstortfordghostwalk.




For those taking part in person on Halloween: This is not a guided tour, simply take your cut-out map, ghostly info, instructions and go at your own pace. This walk does not include any actors or ‘frights' - other than those you create yourself! But do note it may not be suitable for young children, as some of the stories contain adult content.

You will need:

A torch
Some courage
Flask of hot toddy (optional)
Waterproofs in case of rain!

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Thursday, 20 October 2016

Sparkly pastel autumn pumpkins (as seen on ITV This Morning)


Sparkly Autumn Pumpkin Centerpiece


Autumn is here and I've been inspired by the pretty pastel pumpkins all over my Instagram feed lately. With Halloween around the corner we'll soon be inundated with scary-faced pumpkins so I though I'd create a pretty Autumn pumpkin table display that can sit and sparkly on our sideboards throughout the rest of Autumn. Perhaps include some scented pine cones so when guests arrive though the autumn period they're greeted by a lovely festive, scented display. The gold and copper leaf you'll be using for this project not only brings the autumn colours inside, it will also come very in handy for the Christmas crafting period too! If you'd like to see me making this project step-by-step on ITV's This Morning you can watch it by clicking here ... Sparkly pumpkins on ITV This Morning.

Happy Autumn folks!

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Tuesday, 11 October 2016

VIDEO DIARY: Behind the scenes - my craft feature on ITV This Morning


Morning all! So here is my video diary with behind the scenes footage from my morning spent at ITV studios - filming my Autumn craft segment for the morning breakfast show 'This Morning' with Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby. I'll be sharing these tutorial with you soon! 

If you can't see the video please click here and if you'd like to watch the whole craft segment on This Morning you can do so by click here ... ITV autumn crafts for your home.

JM x


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