Have a Little National Trust...

This year my boyfriend Sam and I have taken out National Trust memberships...they're great, at just £25 for under 25's for an annual pass or £53 for over 25's, this gets you into countless properties across the UK, which can often cost up to £11 and sometimes more for a single entry.  

National Trust Properties are great for family days out in the sunshine, and with many being surrounded by beautiful grounds, they can make such calming and peaceful settings for summer picnics.  Since joining at the beginning of the rather questionable Summer we have experienced here in the UK, Sam and I have managed to really make the most of our memberships, and had plenty of days out, even if it was just for the enjoyment of having a picnic without the fear of having a football kicked swiftly in our direction, as is often the case when picnicking in our local park.

National Trust is not just for the Summer....Many properties and grounds hold special events for Halloween and Christmas and will always put on activities over the school holidays for children, families, and the young at heart.

For more information and to sign up for your membership for the coming year, visit their website Here.

I must admit however, my favourite part from every visit, has been the obligatory visit to the Gift Shop, and during the recent end-of-summer-sales, I am really happy with the few bits I have picked up...

This set of 3 vintage style cake tins I just had to have...I love to bake (as you may know by now) and I aslo love anything that looks like it has survived a good few years of wear and tear.  At just £11 down from £22 = absolute bargain!!!

This adorable duckling doorstop is something I have had my eye on for quite sometime this year, but have been holding off from buying...until I saw it at £17.50 in the sale, and I just couldn't help myself....I have named her Penelope, and she has taken pride of place sat by our living room door!

You can find yours online here.

To shop National Trust...take a flick though their website here.

x ♥ x

Hunt for a Mascot...

If your missing the excitement of 'Olympic Fever' and can't quite hold out for the start of the Paralympics next week, why not this weekend for some cheap fun in London with the family, take a stroll around town in search of Wenlock and Mandeville, our much loved Olympic Mascots!  Here's the ones I found while out and about in town this last weekend...

For your guide and Map on where to find these decorative characters, visit the Mayor of London Website.

Happy Hunting

x ♥ x

A Trip to Remember Forever...

I'm feeling a little sorry for myself today...As exactly one year ago today, my boyfriend Sam and I were  somewhere across the Atlantic Ocean, flying into Washington DC for the start of the trip of a lifetime where we spent 2 months on a road trip travelling down the east coast of the US...and I'm so wishing we were back there right now ready to do it all again!

Instead, I have the next best thing...I thought I could share with you, my loyal readers, some of the amazing memories we made on our trip...
Starting with a map showing you the route we took and all the beautiful places we visited...

We saw so many different things during our trip, each place we visited was so different and so special in it's own right, I LOVED Atlantic City, it was such a fun place to be with a real buzz, and on the other hand, Savannah was definitely the most beautiful of all our stops...but of course my favourite of all was Disney World...need I say more?!

As a first timer to the states, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect...I loved every single part of it, from the places to the food, to the people...it was amazing and I can't wait to go back...SOON!

Until then, here's a small snippet of the 1000's of photographs we took during our trip away...

Sam at the White House

The 'Love' sign in Philly

Playing mini golf in Atlantic City

The pier in Wildwood

On the ferry heading to Ocean City

The 'carcycle' in Virginia Beach

On the lazy river at our hotel in
Myrtle Beach

On the beach on Hilton Head Island

The steeple from Forest Gump in
Savannah

Sam in the pool at our hotel in
Jacksonville

Playing some more mini golf in
Daytona Beach

Sam getting drenched at Busch
Gardens

The view from our room in Universal

The parade at Animal Kingdom in
Disney

At the pool in Singer Island

My crab legs at Hooters in
Fort Lauderdale

At the pool at our last stop in Miami

In total we drove 1798 miles in 7 weeks...This took us through 10 different states of America, and some of the most extraordinary places and sights we could possibly imagine.  We stayed in 17 different places, from scary roadside motels in 1950's style seaside towns, to gorgeous beach front apartments in southern Florida, with each place bringing new and exciting adventures to our travels...Each part of this trip was utterly magical and something we will remember forever!

To make sure I can keep the memories of this trip safe, I glued every leaflet, ticket, room key card, postcard, and even our mini golf score cards we picked up along the way into this scrapbook,  and I think I'll spend the afternoon having a flick through these memories, reminding myself of how lucky I am to have such an amazing boyfriend to take me to all these beautiful places...maybe that will cheer me up a little :)

What special trips have you been on this year? Have you been to any of the places we visited? What do you think of them??

x ♥ x

What a Result...

As many of you may know,  the Twee and Cakes Book all started as part of my Final Major Project for  my degree at university.  This morning (well last night) at exactly 8 minutes past midnight I received my final grade...and am very pleased to say that all my hard work has finally paid off and I've earned myself a rather agreeable 2:1.

This is the final collection of work I handed in, all branding the Twee and Cakes logo, including the finished book, and a portfolio of my favourite images.

This little sneak-peek shows the introduction page to my bunting making activity...one of my favourite pages in the book...it's bright and colourful and the photography is just beautiful.

I am still desperately trying to get the book published, and am hoping that soon enough, someone will love the look of the book, see that there's a huge gap in the market for something as unique as this, and want to make 1000's of them...until then...here's a sneaky look at some of the images that didn't make it into the book (Well, I don't want to give too much away do I?!)...

Let me know what you think, If you're a keen crafter like I am...maybe this is the type of craft book that's missing from your bookshelf!!

P.S. Make sure you're keeping an eye out on Tatty Tulip's blog...as she will be doing a review of the book shortly, and will be able to give you a real (unbiased) idea of what she thinks of the book.

x ♥ x

Getting Nostalgic...

So, checking the weather for this weekend, and the outlook is bleak... I have just the thing to cheer you up and maybe bring back some memories of childhood...

Whilst having my clear out this week, I came across an old birthday present from a good friend of mine...'Balloon Flowers'...a kit containing tons of shaping balloons, a pump, and instructions.

My sister and I decided to have some fun, although after quite some time attempting the flowers and getting nowhere, we had a look online for some tutorials...and this is what we finished up with...

These are the better few of our attempts...but I'd say for first timers, we did pretty well!

Click on the links to find out how to make your own...

... Heart

... Poodle

... and a rather questionable looking Elephant

We had some great fun creating these, and it gave us the chance, in all our growing up, to feel like kids again!!

I am now looking forward to making some more this weekend with my Sam - I know he'll enjoy himself just as much as we did.  

Why don't you give it a go, for something different to do this wet weekend.  For your balloon modelling kit, the best place I have found is Here.

Enjoy!

x ♥ x

Long time...

It's been a while since my last post, I have just returned from holiday, and I have come home to see that all baby robins have flown the nest, and apparently did so only just after we left.  I have to say, I am a little sad to say that I missed it, but it's lovely to know that they were all healthy and flew off safely and happily.

We travelled around the med on a beautiful cruise ship and saw some amazing sights...my favourite part however...

the ice cream...

x ♥ x

London Easter Egg Hunt...

I absolutely Love the London Easter Egg Hunt this year, especially the beautiful owl egg I found tucked away in covent garden!  It's great fun for all the family, and there's even prizes if you can find them all. Visit www.thebigegghunt.co.uk to find out how to join in the fun this Easter.

x ♥ x