Craft Party Kits from Interplay

I was recently sent two Craft Party kits from Interplay to review.

Each pack contains craft activities for up to six children in the 5+ age range making it ideal for party entertainment.

I had the image in my head of 6 year old Addy's friends coming over to our house for tea and a Craft Party session.

The reality was somewhat different. I had misjudged how tiring the new school routine would be with little brother Dylan starting in Reception and Addy moving up into class 2. Hectic weekend schedules and helping my daughter Taylor to prepare for going back to Uni has left little time and even less energy. Planning parties has not been on anyone's agenda

There will come a moment when things fall into place and a houseful of little girls having noisy fun together seems like the loveliest thing. But not today!

In the interests of the (now overdue) review deadline, I will attempt to give a flavour of the two different sets without the addition of children!

Fairy Princess Party

I think my Addy is fairly typical in her love for princesses and fairies. She was very excited by the Fairy Princess Party kit which contained pre cut foam fairy wings, tiaras and wands to decorate with the stickers, ribbons, jewels and feathers provided.

The instructions include ideas for plenty of themed party games for  little fairy princesses to play whilst wearing their creations.

Mad About Ponies Party

I actually like this particular Craft Party set even more than the Princess Fairy one.

It comes with a set of  beautifully detailed, solidly made white plastic ponies and enough paint and paint brushes for each child to customise their own pony. There are examples of different pony breeds with their distinctive colours and markings for inspiration.

Little Dylan came running over to investigate when we took the ponies out to look at. He loved them just as they were - without even opening the bag with the paints in!

Once the ponies are painted (and dry) there is a show jumping game to play with them complete with little cardboard rosettes to present to winners. I think it is a lovely idea and a great way for the children to show off their ponies.

Addy is already deciding what to name her pony and what colours she wants to paint him.

I am really looking forward to getting to use these kits, with excited children and a sprinkle of mayhem.   The Mad About Ponies kit definitely appeals to the little girl in me that would have loved a pony of her own.

Would it be wrong if I invited one less child to the party so I can join in myself?

A Fordhall Farm Running Club Party

Yesterday evening, I found myself back in the same field where I had enjoyed the Fordfest event two days previously. This time, Fordhall Farm were playing host to my Running Club's party to celebrate five years of affiliation to England Athletics. We were using the same marquee and the same catering from the beer festival. The acoustic stage where my daughter Taylor had played guitar and sang was still in the corner (although now it had a table on it!) bringing the proud memories flooding back. Different memories were ignited by the sight of the beer barrels stacked along the back of the marquee. We were welcome to help ourselves to any leftover ale and despite it being a school night, I would have gladly worked my way along the row of barrels but for the fact that I had driven. Reluctantly, I stuck to coke.

The party started with the choice of a game of rounders or a stroll around one of the picturesque farm trails. I opted for the walk on account of being useless at hitting a ball, too easily distracted to field and fiercely uncompetitive! I am no stranger to the walk but it was a beautiful evening and the setting sun gave it a quite different feel. It was lovely and we arrived back as the rounders game finished and the food was ready.

I am ashamed to admit that when I booked my ticket, I did not order the vegetarian option. I respect the organic farming methods practised by Fordhall and feel there is a certain honesty to visiting the pigs then buying the pork sausages from the shop. When I booked my ticket, the lure of one of their pork baps was enough for me to temporarily park my vegetarian diet off to one side. Had I known that I would also have been eating a pork bap two days previously at the Fordfest, I would most likely have settled happily for a bit of quiche and lettuce. I thoroughly enjoyed my meat indulgence but I do feel this morning as though I am sweating pork through my pores. Too much of a good thing maybe.

After the baps came the Cake.

I had baked some chocolate fudge cake and was really pleased to see that it all got eaten. There was an amazing selection of cake to choose from. I am wondering if there is a correlation between being a runner and making good cakes. I am happy to do further research on this hypothesis. The centrepiece was an amazing cake in the shape of a five to commemorate the five year affiliation and decorated to represent a variety of different races including mud runs. A fondant runner wearing the club's distinctive 'Where's Wally' fancy dress was buried up to their armpits in a chocolatey muddy puddle for a comic touch.

The best part of the evening for me was listening to one of the club members give a talk about his recent travels. Without the aid of a slide show, a script or a power point presentation, this charismatic young man perched on a table in a gloomy tent in a moonlit field and talked honestly and passionately about his solo cycle ride around the coast of Australia. I was captivated by his story (apart from the moment when a huge beetle flew past my head then got tangled in my hair - all I could concentrate on then was GET THIS BEETLE OUT OF MY HAIR!!!)

I will never be a traveller but in the sense that Life is a Journey, we are all travellers. I found the talk hugely inspirational and was surprised by how much his experiences resonated with my own values. The thing that he emphasised repeatedly was that the connections he made with the people he met and the kindness of strangers were more important to him and left a longer lasting impression than any sense of achievement of actually clocking up the miles or seeing the iconic landmarks that tourists flock to photograph.

I think I will remember this young man's words for a long time. I have learned a little more about Australia, a little more about cycling and lot  more about how far a little kindness can go.

To round off the evening perfectly, I got to take home a plastic bottle of one of the ales to share with my husband. We had a pint each before bed and saved just enough for me to have a go at making a beef and ale pie for dinner the following day. This time the 'beef' will definitely be 'beef style soya pieces'... but the ale will be real!

A little boy's birthday

My beautiful little boy was four on the 28th June.

Dylan in a Fire Engine

My daughter Charis' first Speech Day and end of term Prize Giving at her private boarding school was also on the 28th June.

That is one of the problems with big families - days get double booked far too often. One of the advantages of big families is that there is usually another sibling to step in and help out.

My boy started the day surrounded with presents to open on the Birthday Chair we had prepared the day before (putting to good use the flag that seemed somewhat redundant after England were knocked out of the World Cup).

Addy and Dylan help decorate the 'Birthday Chair'

Big sister Taylor then took responsibility for keeping the birthday fun going whilst my husband and I headed off to Chapel where I became predictably teary eyed listening to my Charis singing her angelic best with the school chapel choir.

Next was the Speeches and Prize Giving and eyes welled once again as Charis went up to collect her prize for the best Extended Project Qualification. She has achieved so much already, taking full advantage of the privileged position she finds herself in.

There was a whole day of events and exhibitions to showcase a year of achievements at the school but I felt guilty about not being with my son on his birthday. We gave Charis a picnic lunch which she happily went off to eat with someone else's parents and we drove home. Of course I felt guilty about not giving Charis more time and attention too. All in all I was feeling like a rubbish mum.

I tried not to let my feelings of inadequacy get the better of me and forced myself back in a 'party' mood.

We had cake. That always helps with the party mood.

My sister had told me about this idea for a cake. It sounded fantastically simple - and it was - especially as my husband completely took over the decorating part, feeling that construction sites were his area of expertise. I made the chocolate cake and chocolate fudge topping and he did the rest with the addition of some Maltesers, chocolate raisins, flakes and a pack of mini JCB vehicles.

I did begin to relax and unwind a little seeing my boy so happy playing outside with new toys. I even had the chance to complete a review jigsaw I was sent some time ago and had been saving for when Taylor was back from Uni.

When Charis was finished with all that was on offer at the end of term celebrations, my husband went to collect her (and all her dirty washing!)

To round off the day perfectly, we were all invited to a barbecue at Taylor's boyfriend George's house. Only one of my daughters couldn't make it. Having five out of six of my children all together for the first time in ages was wonderful and I always enjoy spending time with George's family. I let myself relax completely... with the help of a bottle of red wine! The birthday boy was presented with another cake and had a wonderful time running around the garden until he and sister Addy fell fast asleep on the sofa ready to be carried home to bed.

Pokemon birthday cake made by Danielle

I did feel slightly worse for wear the following day but had time to reflect on a mostly successful navigation through a hectic day before starting on the next one!

The Joy of Cardboard Boxes #zackandquack

Earlier this month, I was lucky enough to be one of the bloggers chosen to host a 'Zack & Quack Craft Party' to coincide with the launch of a brand new kids show on Nick Jr. The Craft Parties were just part of Twitter Extravaganza where everyone was invited to join in and tweet with the #ZackandQuack hashtag.

I received a big box of craft materials and some exciting goody bags for our guests to take home with them.

I love an excuse for a bit of a get-together with other mums and my two little ones were very excited at the thought of having friends over to our house. We sent out our invitations.

For me, a party of any kind is a reason to do some baking. I baked. I also tried my hand at making origami frogs from instructions provided in the party box. It was tricky but I persevered and they made cute little cake labels.

Before the guests arrived, I set up work stations for various craft activities and organised the seating in my living room so everyone could be comfortable for watching the premiere of Zack & Quack. For all the preparation work and during the party, I was tweeting about the event.

— Paula (QWERTY Mum) (@PaulaHaylock) February 7, 2014

The guests began to arrive and excitement levels rose. Before long, everyone was involved in sticking, cutting and generally getting creative. It was lovely to see. We had a couple of exploding glue incidents and glitter glue spread so thickly it would most likely take a month to dry but the children were thoroughly engaged with their tasks.

When the time came for the start of the Zack & Quack show, we got the children seated. There was a welcome change in the noise levels of the party as six pairs of eyes were all transfixed by the images on the screen. A wonderful calm descended as Zack and his duck best friend Quack worked their magic on the spellbound viewers. For me, it was time for a much needed cup of coffee before the final part of the party.

The children were unanimous in their opinion that Zack & Quack was GREAT!!

Our final activity was crafting on a grand scale. The children, hopefully inspired by the show, were invited to use their imaginations to build whatever they wanted as a team from materials provided.

Three of our little guests decided that all they needed to do was jump in a box and exclaim gleefully We made a boat!.

The project became more ambitious when one of our mums let loose her own creativity. The kids loved helping with the transformation and playing with their own cardboard vehicle. The following day, the 'box train' was still the source of much amusement for my children and our visitors (including some old enough to know better!!)

I had some lovely feedback from the party including - Best party ever and the best party bag! 

Watch Zack & Quack Fridays at 4.30pm on Nick Jr.

Craft Party Treasure Box

My eldest daughter has two Godchildren, a boy and a girl of similar ages to my two little ones. My children love it when they come to our house.

We invited them over to try out a new review product that I had been sent, Treasure Box Party. 

Treasure Box Party provides everything you need to make six decorated treasure boxes with bead bracelets to go in then. I think it is a fantastic idea for children's parties - a bit different from the usual Pass the Parcel and Pin the Tail on the Donkey!

We covered the table with protective paper and let our four little testers get on with it.

The kit contained sheets of self adhesive jewels that all the crafters loved and stuck to their heart shaped treasure boxes with abandon! They looked wonderful. I did find a few stuck to my polished floorboards later when it was time to clear up but they came off fairly easily!

There were also six little pots of pink and purple paint and enough brushes for one each. The instruction sheet shows delicately painted flowers, hearts, stars and moons. Our crafters were more inclined to dollop it on thick and created swirly marbling. It maybe lacked the finesse of the illustrated examples but I thought they looked glorious. We did have a little problem with the children being too impatient to wait for the paint to dry (and it took some drying time with how liberally it had been applied!) but nothing too serious.

The set is aimed at the 5-8 age group. Two of our testers fitted into this range (albeit the lower end) with two being younger. The younger two only required minimal supervision and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. However, their ages did work against us for the second part of the craft project - making the bracelets. Colourful beads and charms were provided along with a length of stretch cord. I am sure that slightly older children would enjoy threading the beads to create their own designs but it was too fiddly for our group. I have put them away for another day.

I was impressed with the quality of the craft materials and the children were all delighted with their creations.

http://www.interplayuk.com/craft-party/treasure-box-party

Zack & Quack Twitter Party

www.evolutioncomps.co.uk/zackandquack

There is a brand new show coming to Nick Jr.

The show is called Zack & Quack.

Zack and his duck best friend Quack are characters in a pop up cardboard world. Their adventures feature a strong craft element which will hopefully inspire viewers to have a go at their own craft projects.

In conjunction with the Nick Jr UK premiere of Zack & Quack, a Twitter Party Extravaganza is taking place between 3.45 and 5.45pm this Friday the 7th February. Everyone is invited to join the party and tweet with the hashtag #zackandquack. There will be the chance to win some fantastic prizes as well as share your thoughts on the new show.

I have been chosen as a party host. I will be inviting friends to watch the premiere at my house and enjoy a range of craft activities. Of course, I will be tweeting about how we get on!

Join in the fun. Tune into Nick Jr at 4.30pm and log into twitter. Don't forget to use the all important hashtag #zackandquack

Bad Magician

Saturday morning belonged to me with an early start and a Parkrun. Sunday belonged to my husband with an even earlier start and a cycle challenge that involved a deliberately vague map route, some 50km and optional cafe stops. He completed it in about three hours without injury and only getting lost once. My involvement was to give him a lift to the starting point. I was slightly confused because he had told me it was in Kidderminster. The sat nav directed me in completely the opposite direction because it was in fact in Kidsgrove. Close enough!!

Charis, my ever helpful daughter, was not available to look after the little ones as she was occupied with her regular Sunday morning piano playing for the local church. Normally, taking Addy and Dylan  on a little adventure, especially with a dad and a bicycle, poses no problem. This time it was a bit different because it was a special day. Addy had been invited to a friend from school's birthday party.

The birthday party was not until 2pm but as soon as Addy woke up she was fussing about what to wear and what to take and whether there would be a bouncy castle or dancing..... Driving back in the car after dropping lycra clad dad off, she convinced herself we were lost and would never get home in time for the party. This level of anxiety never really subsided.

Eventually, the hour rolled close enough to 2pm to consider leaving. The present was wrapped, the card was written and Addy looked fabulous in a little blue party dress and her long blonde hair loose and slightly crimped from her ever present plait. We arrived at the party venue which happened to be at the same pub where big sister Ivy works. The combination of seeing her big sister AND going to a party proved too much.

My plan had been to drop her off at the party, which was in a separate little room away from the main bar, go and say hello to my barmaid daughter and have a coffee. Charis had accepted my invitation to come along, have a lemonade and then possibly take Dylan along to the park for a runaround whilst Addy enjoyed the company of her friends. Enjoying the company of her friends was maybe the last thing on Addy's mind.

I felt Addy's little body tense as we entered the party room. I was grateful that Charis was there to look after Dylan whilst I tried my best to settle Addy down and point out the fun she could be having. She was not easily convinced but I did eventually manage to edge my way out of the room and into the main bar. Coffee and lemonade were ordered, seats were occupied, Dylan was happily occupied with an electronic game and I started to relax.

Then the party entertainer arrived.

I have to admit that as a little girl I was deeply suspicious of adults dressed in strange clothing. I always hated the Santas that made appearances at the family Christmas parties held by the company my dad worked for. I can imagine now how mortified my parents must have been when I refused to play nice because that is exactly how I felt when Addy ran screaming from the man in loud floral suit and spotty hat.

I tired to calm her down (again!) and explain that he was a magician and was there to show some magic tricks to all the children. She screamed surprisingly eloquent but horribly rude reaons why he was a rubbish magician and she hated magicians. Her face was getting redder and redder with anger, as was mine with embarrassment.

Calm and reassuring assistance came in the shape of my wonderful daughter Charis. She totally earned her lemonade when she gently cajoled Addy back into the room, tiny step by tiny step, until Addy was joining in and shouting Abracadabra at the appropriate moment.

Why, oh why did the entertainer have to pick Charis to be his assistant for a trick.

I think Charis asked herself the same question as she was fitted with a strange rubber tubing device that enabled the flower suit man to create the illusion of water passing straight through her middle. As he poured the water into a large funnel attached to the tubing, it looked like some sort of strange home colonic irrigation ritual. The only question Addy was asking herself - and everyone in the pub and possibly neighbouring houses such was the volume and urgency of her voice - was WHY IS THAT MAN TRYING TO KILL MY SISTER!!!

By this time the birthday girl's mum had asked me to come back into the room to sort a hysterical Addy out so I was there to witness (and photograph!) Charis' humiliation.

Addy never really integrated properly back with the party. She sat with me to eat her plate of party food.

I was so disappointed that she had not allowed herself to join in, especially given how much she had been looking forward to it. However, as she left with her party bag, she was as happy as can be. Back home, she shared the treats inside the bag with her brother and talked excitedly about parties. Just don't mention the entertainer - it provokes an instant tirade about a bad magician that tried to kill my lovely big sister...

A Packed Social Calendar

I love the explosion of activity that happens at this time of year. I have a fairly packed schedule of events for the whole of December and I am starting to wonder exactly when I'm going to find the time and energy for Xmas shopping and menu planning.

On Monday, it was my Running Club's Xmas party. One of the things I miss about work since giving up to be a stay at home mum is the Xmas social so I was really excited about this one. It was held at our local Brewery and I very much enjoyed the three pints of Joule's Slumbering Monk Ale that kept me well lubricated throughout the evening.

The pub attached to the brewery is not blessed with the friendliest of staff but the brewer's hall, also known as the Mouse Room is a gorgeous venue if you enjoy cosy oak panelling, wood carving, beams and the modern touch of large windows giving a view across to the brewery. It was perfect for the party with an elegantly trimmed tree creating a festive feel.

The food was buffet style and although there was some confusion over whether the three vegetarian guests were to be brought a pre-plated selection of non meat offerings or left to the lucky dip of the buffet table, it did not spoil the evening. I managed to procure myself a reasonable selection of dodgy sarnies and mini mince pies. The non-veggies didn't fair much better. I was not particularly envious of their cocktail sausages or scotch eggs. The success of the evening really did not hinge on the gastronomic experience.

It was a fairly standard itinerary - prize giving followed by raffle. I was never in the running (pardon the pun) for any prizes and I didn't even come close to winning the raffle.

So apart from the venue and the ale, what made it a good evening? Simple really. The people. Feeling part of something good. Being inspired to run more - to push myself harder - enter some races next year and see some improvements in my times. It was lovely to celebrate success and look to the future.

Photo by Sophie Murray 

Yesterday I was leaving my little ones in the capable hands of big sister and dad again for another evening out.

The Market Drayton Writer's Club was holding an Open Mic night at the library and my daughter, who is a member, invited me to hear her read an extract from a novel she has been writing as part of the online writing challenge NaNoWriMo.  Her best friend (and mummy blogger) Carole has also been meeting the word count demanded by the challenge and was due to give a reading. As well as being interested in hearing these readings, I was lured by the promise of mince pies.

Carole's parents, boyfriend and boyfriend's mum along with my daughter, her boyfriend and myself occupied two tables pushed together at our local Wetherspoons to enjoy their steak night. Of course steak night is somewhat lost on vegetarians but I happily tucked into the veggie Burger and a Beer option and only gave a brief admiring glance in the direction of the mixed grill ordered by most of the party.

The Christmas lights in town looked absolutely gorgeous as we made our way to the library for the Open Mic event.

It was really interesting listening to the pieces that the town's creative writers had selected to share with their audience. Some were excellent and inspiring. Others, inevitably, not so good. I am not glossing over the truth in any way when I say that my daughter and Carole's readings fell firmly in the excellent and inspiring category! I felt very proud.

I admit that I was starting to ache a bit from sitting still for too long so I was quite relieved when the final reading ended and the mince pies were served.

With all this beer and mince pie indulgence, I am glad that tonight I will be going for my Wednesday 3mile run - and even more glad that I will be home in time to put my little ones to bed and enjoy a cosy evening in with my husband.

Skeleton Day Magic

At the weekend, my daughter Taylor made her first visit home since starting University. It was such a joy to welcome her back and to see that, despite my fears that she wouldn't eat properly, she was looking healthy and happy.

As we had missed out on our Hallowe'en festivities last Wednesday due to illness, our weekend took on a spooky theme to make up for it. Right from the start, 4 year old Addy had referred to this year's  Hallowe'en as 'Skeleton Day'. It was much easier to call it Skeleton Day than to try and celebrate Hallowe'en on a day somewhat removed from October 31st. Addy does sometimes have uncanny intuition and perhaps this was an example of it.

We got in the mood with a little fancy dress.

Charis modelled the wonderful Hotel Chocolat Coffin Chocolates sent to us by a friend who never fails to make me smile with his generosity and how well he knows exactly what we would love.

Friends and family were invited round to join in our celebrations.

I had spent a good deal of time in the kitchen so there was plenty of food for everyone and my girls helped me with the cake decorating and presentation.

We had fireworks, a gorgeous roaring fire in the chiminea and in a slight deviation to our usual vegetarian food code, we had meat sausages for the barbecue. This greatly pleased the palates of the more committed carnivores who as a general rule will politely endure my meat free offerings without complaint!

The highlight of the evening for me was when Taylor performed some card tricks. She has always had an interest in magic. I bought her some simple magic trick sets when she was a little girl and she would diligently perfect them before demonstrating her skills. One of the many clubs and societies available to students at Warwick University is  Warwick Illusion - a society for the performance and appreciation of magic tricks. I was so pleased when Taylor joined and delighted when she came home with a handful  of tricks to baffle us with.

She's not quite up there with Dynamo: Magician Impossible yet but everyone has to start somewhere! Certainly after my mood was mellowed with a Hobgoblin Ale or two, I was mystified and demanding to know in an unnaturally high pitched voice how she had done it. I had to settle for the explanation - magic!

Of course the real magic was in the bonds of love and friendship that brought us all together for an unforgettable Skeleton Day.

#SylvanianFamiliesParty

I am always talking to my older children about creating opportunities for themselves and this blog has certainly done that for me, the latest being the chance to host a Sylvanian Families Twitter Party. I wasn't really sure what I was letting myself in for when I accepted the challenge but I was sure of my great fondness for the miniature inhabitants of Sylvania and their intricately accessorised homes.

My older girls had a collection of Sylvanian Families when they were younger including: a mansion house, a tree house, a bus and my personal favourite, a bakery. These provided many happy hours of make believe play, not forgetting a memorable incident when my daughter Ivy knocked out her cousin's wobbly tooth! Ivy was very quick to volunteer her services to help me co-host the party.

We had a lot of fun with the planning and preparation and particularly enjoyed sorting through the box of party games and toys we were sent.

Even with the best of planning, you can't budget for illness which did jeopardise the success of our party but we muddled through and as the saying goes - it was alright on the night.

Our party guests got stuck in with the Sylvanian themed colouring sheets, plasticine modelling, party food and of course experiencing the world of Sylvania through the lovely Log Cabin, Camper Van, Bathroom Set and Celebration Cat Family generously provided for that purpose.

Although the party was aimed at little girls, I have to say my 2 year old son probably enjoyed playing with the toys more than anyone!  I did put some of the really tiny accessories to one side for fear of losing them.

Sylvanian Families Camper Van

The party lasted two hours which went by very quickly but it was quite frantic trying to keep up with Twitter aspect of the event. The idea was to live tweet about the party using the #sylvanianfamiliesparty hashtag. Competitions and discussions meant that everyone could be involved and it wasn't long before the hashtag trended. It was an exciting moment being a part of that accomplishment. I did curse my computer when it seemed to take forever to upload my photographs and the twitter feed did move so fast it made my head spin at times. I was very grateful for Ivy's help.

Sylvanian families are celebrating their 25th anniversary this year which I think is testament to the fact that they are a timeless classic. I am very happy that my younger children are discovering these lovely toys and will hopefully carry some happy memories of Sylvania into adulthood as my older girls have done (maybe without the home dentistry part though).

I very much enjoyed sharing the Sylvanian experience both online and here at home with my party guests who took away with them some gorgeous sets to start their own collections.

A Passion for Paint

I did enjoy myself yesterday.

One of the things that I transported to Coventry when I took my daughter to start the University phase of her life, was a large print from Ikea with a mathematical theme (reduced to next to nothing I believe - mathematical themed posters clearly do not have wide appeal). The print was packaged against a cardboard back and wrapped in cellophane. Once we had hung it on the wall of the room she will call home for the next 36 weeks, I put the packaging back in my car to take away and recycle for her. I was neglectfully remiss with my recycling. Two weeks later and the large rectangle of cardboard was still in the back of my car.

Yesterday, it came out. Not to be recycled. To be reused.

I was thinking about the Sylvanian Families Twitter Party that I will be hosting next Tuesday and wondered if there were any decorations or scene setters I could use to help create a party atmosphere. Blackcurrant Cafe is one of the many lovely playsets available from Flair so I thought that I could easily give our dining area a Sylvanian makeover. I used the cardboard to make a Cafe sign (no menu as yet!) and had enough left for a little signpost as well.

I used some old acrylic paints that belonged to my daughter, Liberty, back when she did her Art GCSE. Liberty always found academic subjects easy but Art really challenged her. She did not possess much in the way of natural ability but her dogged determination to succeed saw her achieve a grade C. The lone C may look like a failure amongst the A*s that she was awarded for just about everything else, but for me, that C represents a huge triumph. I am incredibly proud of her for that C.

One of Liberty's Art coursework projects is still lying around in the garage somewhere. It is a huge, ugly purple flower thing without many redeeming features. It was, however, the exact shade of purple I wanted for my Blackcurrant Cafe sign. I didn't think it would be too difficult a task to mix red and blue to make purple. How wrong I was. By some strange transformation, red and blue made brown. I tried again and made an equally dingy shade of yuck. I tried several times, mixing together different proportions on the off chance some magic would happen. It didn't. Could the fact that the paint was some 7 years old have had an effect? My 15 year old confidently took over to save me from myself ... and made a lovely vivid russet! I am not one who gives up easily. Eventually, using a lot of red and a little of one of my reject shades I made a colour that, compared to it's predecessors, looked acceptable. I amalgamated all my previous attempts to make a grimy pot of gloom - perfect for Hallowe'en crafts.

By comparison with the mixing, the painting bit was easy. In the dim light of energy saving light bulbs I thought it looked pretty good. In the cold light of day I feel less inclined to run away to Paris to start a new life as an artist but in terms of creating a bit of Sylvanian atmosphere, I think I achieved my objective. And I loved it. It was so relaxing and the sensory pleasure of slopping the paint about is something I'm sure I will never tire of.

There are strong indications that my little boy shares my passion for paint. This makes me very happy!

A Uni Send Off

Maybe it's because my daughter Taylor is small and petite or maybe it's because she has big brown puppy dog eyes that make her look vulnerable - whatever it is, the idea of her going off to University next weekend is quite scary. My head tells me she will be absolutely fine and has an amazing time ahead of her - my heart makes me want to scoop her up in my arms, hold her tight and tell her to stay home! Of course my head is right but to pacify my heart, we are doing little things to help us both feel able to deal with the big day.

Yesterday we had a party for the family to wish Taylor and her boyfriend's twin sister (who is now safely ensconced in the student room that she will call home for the next year) the very best of luck.

I do love an excuse for a party and spent some happy hours baking cakes, taking inspiration (and instruction) from the Cake Decorating Partwork I subscribed to earlier this year.

I had a go at some icing techniques to create red, white and blue 'cupcake' cookies. It was messy and tricky and I wasn't entirely satisfied with how they turned out but it has left me wanting to try again. The potential is there to make spectacular looking biscuits. With a bit more practise I might just get the hang of it. In the meantime, my children have demonstrated their support of my cake decorating hobby by kindly volunteering to eat all my disasters.

I was happier with my ladybird cupcakes. I absolutely love my new icing nozzle that creates a grass effect. I modelled the ladybirds out of sugar paste but cheated and bought a pack of icing flowers from Asda to complete the look.

I made a chocolate fudge cake and covered it in white chocolate buttons. I had bought a packet of milky bar giant buttons on special offer for £1 and a packet of cheap Morrisons white chocolate buttons for 39p (or 3 for a £1) thinking it would look nice to have two different diameter circles in the design. Once both packets were emptied onto a plate, it was almost impossible to tell the difference between them. Next time I need white chocolate buttons for cake decorating, I know which ones I will be buying!

My cakes were willingly pushed to one side to make way for the incredibly ambitious Union Jack cake made by the younger sister of Taylor's boyfriend. In the absence of a relevant song to replace Happy Birthday to You during the ceremonial cake cutting, we sang a rousing rendition of the National Anthem.

We presented the two almost Uni students with boxes of chocolates (they will both be making lots of new friends and chocolate can be a good ice breaker!) and celebratory bottles of champagne. When I say champagne, I do actually mean bottles of sparkling perry - weekend offer in Lidl's for £1.29. However, with my genius of a daughter Liberty doing a five minute photoshop job, we transformed the bottles into personalised 'Really Classy Champagne'.

Had it been real champagne with a real champagne price tag, I could not have watched as they shook the bottles and popped the corks with frothy spurting and hilarity in equal measure.

It was lovely to have a little celebration and the opportunity to wish both girls luck and apart from my little ones getting tired and grumpy by the end of it, there were plenty of happy faces.

I very much hope that the good feeling generated sustains us through the next week as we pack and prepare to go.

We're all going to miss you Taylor!

O is for Oh Dear!

The whole idea of the Alphabet Dates was to encourage my husband and I to think outside the box and try new things together. Unfortunately, energy spent on coming up with exciting ideas lately, is energy we no longer have to spare on the implementation the plan. It is a sad truth that the all important energy factor is in very short supply at the moment!

Our dates may not have the creative flair that we imagined when we embarked on the project but we still value the time together and so we carry on regardless.

That is why for our  O date we opted for yet another curry - at Oruna, my favourite Indian restaurant. This is our default date - and should we ever get round to redoing our D date that was inDefinitely Delayed due to a Depressive Dark cloud Descending, we would probably do D is for our Default Date (honestly - any excuse for another Paneer Tikka Massala).

So the plan was to go out for a curry on Sunday night once the little ones were in bed but - Oh dear! When we made that plan I hadn't accounted for the hangover I would have after the party at my daughter's future mother-in-law's house on the Saturday.

The party was in honour of my daughter's boyfriend's sister's 17th birthday (long lists of possessive nouns feel a bit like a hangover!) and took the format that we are familiar with for parties at the future-in-laws - fantastic barbecue (loads of veggie options), fantastic atmosphere and freely flowing alcohol (which definitely contributes to the previous point). I was pacing myself well with my drink of choice, red wine, but then made the fatal mistake of drinking one of the house special cocktails.

This particular muddy blue concoction was called a WooWoo and within minutes I was dancing badly, touching my husband inappropriately to see if the new heart rate monitor he had bought to help with his triathlon training would register any increase and generally misbehaving.

The WooWoo and wine combo took pretty much the whole of Sunday to work its way out of my system. I was in no mood to dress up and go out for my O date curry but I did thoroughly enjoy the Oruna takeaway that my ever patient and forgiving husband brought home for us. I did not miss out on my Paneer Tikka Massala!

One of my highlights of the weekend was two of my girls singing a current favourite song for the birthday girl. Unfortunately, a guitar string malfunction and bad acoustics meant that the recording of the actual performance did not come out too well. This is a 'take two'  they did for me at home.

I wonder if I will ever be able to hear that song without thinking WooWoo!

Did somebody have ...

a party?