Disclaimer: This post features a PR Product. Kids love getting messy – give them some paint and they will create. It might be awful, BUT it might be an amazing abstract piece to rival some of the most famous artists in the world. Of course all art is open to interpretation and opinion, so all that really matters is that you love it. As a parent you love your child unconditionally and often experience moments of pride when they master a new skill or create something. Even though you love them, it’s still ok to think that their ‘art’ is awful/ burns your eyes. It’s one thing to put their latest ..read more

In October I set myself a DIY challenge – the IKEA Duktig play kitchen in time for Christmas. A fun toy for my son, Dylan AND a creative project for me? Win win! Before and After The original IKEA Duktig kitchen comes in wood and white as standard which is a bit boring in my eyes, so I wanted to create something fun and bold. If you’re looking for more behind the scenes of the process (the photos aren’t that pretty btw) then check out my Duktig Process blog post! By adding colour, a statement pattern and a few other details I hope you’ll agree – it’s a full transformation! I won’t pretend i ..read more

Building any kind of flat pack furniture is a bit of a journey, but when you decide to transform an IKEA Duktig play kitchen, you soon discover that it’s a LONG journey. I love seeing behind the scenes of DIY projects, so when I started the Duktig project I shared my progress on Instagram stories via some practical but not very pretty photos. I really didn’t intend to share them with the internet, but I know it will be helpful for some one out there who is looking for tips on how to tackle this play kitchen project. So here is a bit of the ugly process behind the making of my Duktig kitchen D ..read more

Now, I’m not normally one to talk about the C-word in November but 2020 isn’t normal, is it? I’m definitely feeling the need to get into the spirit early… so our Christmas decorations are already up! Let’s talk Trees – decorating the Christmas Tree is a tradition that families all over the world love/love to hate every year. A Christmas Tree helps us to get those festive feels at home in the run up to the 25th, but what happens when you don’t have a lot of space A. to display a tree B. to store a tree for the rest of the year? Our rented flat already doesn’t have a lot of space – wouldn’t a ..read more

Having spent the past few months indoors (still so surreal eh), for me it’s never been more important to feel at home in my home. As a renter, it’s not always easy to put your own stamp on a space but it can be done! And here’s my flat tour to prove it… Welcome to our colourful flat in Colchester, Essex – just over an hour commute from London via train. We moved to this 2 bedroom maisonette to start our journey as a family of 3 with Baby Dylan. The walls might be renter’s basic white and the carpets are boring beige, but the building has some interesting quirks (and squeaky floorboards) and ..read more

One of the nicest things about having a baby is nesting; setting up a space to welcome them into the world. It’s a chance to have fun, get those creative juices flowing and most importantly ready for the big changes that come with a new arrival. We moved to Colchester (from East London) in May 2019 when I was 30 weeks pregnant and then the nesting began. As renters it can be hard to make a space really feel like home, but there are some clever solutions out there these days – you don’t have to live in a Magnolia box. As you can see, we started with a small, white (and quite light) room – it ..read more

I never expected to write about breastfeeding and I know this post won’t be interesting for everyone, but it feels right to share this experience. If you read my Fourth Trimester post then you’ll already know a little bit about my journey into motherhood and how I struggled. It’s hard to admit, but I think it’s important to talk about these things including my breastfeeding journey. My breastfeeding journey began in the neonatal unit – that’s something I didn’t expect to say. After a sleepless first night on the maternity ward, the morning after Dylan was born he was taken to the neonat ..read more

The Fourth Trimester I know, I know. Usually a trimester consists of 3 parts, but every new parent will confirm that the fourth trimester is 100% a real thing. The first 3 months of your baby’s life are as weird, wonderful and traumatic on your body and mind as the full 9 months of pregnancy. The days are long but the weeks disappear in a blink. It’s very intense and never ending whilst being a blur all at the same time. It’s basically a non-stop roller coaster of contradictions! [EDIT] Hello from the future (8 months on)! I’ve really been putting off hitting publish on this post as I knew it ..read more

It’s no secret that during pregnancy a woman goes through a lot of changes mentally and physically – it’s both a scary and exciting time. Whilst I was looking ahead to the challenge of motherhood I was really worried about somehow losing myself and my identity – I didn’t want to become ‘just a mum’. So I decided that I wasn’t going to let that happen and I made it my mission to continue to dress how I wanted, even with a big baby bump. I wanted to be a cool mom, not like a regular mom (10 points if you know the Mean Girls reference) – I wanted to still wear nice skirts, cool colours and jazzy ..read more

It’s scary how time flies when you’re having fun – or that’s the saying isn’t it? So you might have noticed that I’ve been MIA since my last post, Growing a Human: Part Two back in May. Who’d have guessed that the end of the 3rd trimester might be a bit manic, what with giving birth and having a baby and all!? Ha Luckily I was kinda organised and made notes throughout my 3rd trimester, before my baby brain settled in. It feels like it was a million years ago now, but here are the thoughts & feelings from the final stage of my pregnancy… The Third Trimester Antenatal classes. I know ..read more