May is very nearly gone, and that's happened really suddenly! This big boy turned two a few days ago which I can hardly believe. Happy birthday Finnlay, you are magnificent!

He has grown into a brilliant child full of ideas, boisterous enthusiasm and helpfulness that is well-balanced by an ethereal sensitivity. It's magic to watch him grow. We step through the days with vigour at the moment, tiptoeing between cars strewn around the house and picking up bumbling toddlers who throw themselves into everything. Sometimes the days feel unreasonably long, and I look forward to bath time so I can focus on work and get things ticked off the list. Other days disappear far too quickly, and I long for weekends where I don't have to work (rarely) and for time not occupied by looming deadlines. It's a tough balancing act between being a working mama and a guilty-feeling parent.

In my infrequent "me time" after the children are in bed, I've been crocheting. It is slow going. It's a focus thing, I think, as a way to keep mindful about the day while winding up my to-do lists in my head. I've made some socks which has been quite a brilliant learning activity, and I've already got some new yarn to try out a variation which is rather exciting. I used to think of knitting and crochet as my winter sports but spring is here and I've got no intention of packing the hooks away any time soon.

And, I haven't forgotten my promise to do a step-by-step embroidery tutorial with photographs, that's happening soon. Things are going to get really busy and super crafty around here very soon, so watch this space.

The busy season for markets, festivals and events in July, and I shall start finding more time (I keep promising myself) to do the things that I've wanted to do for forever. Before then, though, I've got a workshop to decorate from the ground up (not the nice kind of decorating either - the painting, flooring and roofing type! - more on that in another post), some big decisions to make and lots and lots of soapmaking and teaching! It feels a bit impossible to fit personal time and making in amongst all of these things, but the slow moments of making and mindfulness are the ones that centre us the most. There's something so internal and therapeutic about making something useful and beautiful. I know that "therapy" is an awfully dirty word in most circles, but it does seem most apt at the moment when we need more love and less stress!

The garden is looking magnificent as the weather improves - the strawberries are nearly here, the tomatoes have grown into towering green monsters and the beans are working their way up and over the beanpoles. There are peppers on their way, a pumpkin, chillies and raspberries. The apples and pears are starting to look more fruit-shaped than flowers which is exciting (and good for the soul). I expect a healthy and happy glut from the garden this year, and I look forward to experimenting with a thousand different ways to cook with the enormous yield of tomatoes we're expecting. I'll have to get out there and get some photos to share with you all. Do you use instagram? You can find me here on my personal account and here for work. I'm going to make a big effort to post on my personal account more regularly and I work my way through testing shots for embroidery and other bits. Come and say hello!

We've had a whirlwind of activity here in the last few weeks, so much so that I've hardly had time to sit down and catch up! Most importantly, Finnlay turned one. Big boy!

A whole year! It's amazing to see how different he is to his big sister at the same age. He is stronger, bigger, more demanding. But he is also less confident, more affectionate. The sweetest little boy. He loves his sister, his family. He loves Peppa Pig. He loves saying "go". He has an amazing abundance of love to give, and approaches everything with a soft kindness that amazes me.


I haven't spent nearly as much time in front of a computer as I normally do. It is a wonderful thing. These days I spend most of my time making soap, playing in the garden with the children, attending markets or exhibiting at shows. We paint, we play in the sandpit, we chase Finnlay around as he climbs anything taller than himself - the slide, steps, chairs. I do spend some time doing work work, but it's wonderfully liberating to be moving away from that.


We've also been doing events, including a huge market at Southend Festival, loads of soapmaking, family visiting from South Africa and visitors staying from the West Coast, we've had the summer arrive with gloriously hot days and long sunny nights, and an occasional moment for crafting.


Here's a sneak peek of what I've been working on: a house number made with cut stained glass. I hope to put our stamp on our home as we slowly transform it from an ancient mosaic of different styles and eras. There seems to be an endless supply of walls that need stripping, wallpaper that needs peeling off, and layers upon layers of old tiles that are coming out. Small projects like these rainbow-coloured house numbers are an excellent way to feel like we're making progress in amongst the never-ending big jobs.

Finnlay turning one marks a year that we've been in this house too - golly, a whole year! Next on our project to-do list is: bedroom cupboards (oh the promise of the luxury of storage!) and a new bathroom to put in a shower upstairs. How exciting. Watch this space.

It was my birthday this last week, and I was spoilt. Lucky, lucky girl.

I especially appreciated this parcel that arrived all the way from New Zealand this week, packed full of happiness! It was a welcomed addition to the longest and most tiresome of days spent running after a moving-and-shaking toddler and a Very Serious Baby who insists on being held - even when you're changing nappies, making tea, opening the door to the postie. Sweet children.

It may have been a bit ambitious to make a one-year-old baby a quilt for her birthday, but she was delighted. She unwrapped it, picked it up, and hugged it with her tiny baby arms. She now points at the squares, and tries to find funny shapes. Clever girl.


I started making this quilt months ago (okay, actually maybe a year ago. Or longer.). I cut up some of my favourite fabrics in 2 inch squares, and then added to the stash every time I had a fabric scrap. I then pieced the squares together one-by-one as the stash grew... LONGEST and most drawn-out method of making a postage stamp quilt ever. The sensible thing to do would have been to piece strips of fabric and cut them out from there, but then I couldn't use up my hoarded scraps. Ah well.


I quilted around each square with straight lines, and then quilted a grid around the whole quilt, going round and round in a tight square with lines about 1cm apart. Such neat quilting... so unlike me. Really love the grid effect, it makes the fabric go all crinkly when it folds up, like an old, much-loved quilt. I think it helps that I used two layers of wadding to make it a bit thicker than usual.

I'm so happy with this quilt, I put so much love and work into it; even pulling out seams when squares didn't line up (!) and carefully lining everything up so there were no identical squares side-by-side. I can't believe I finished it (A) in time and (B) at all. #happy.

My baba turned one last week. That's quite something. I can't believe how quickly the time has flown by, and how much life has changed (positively) since she arrived.

I love that she is the happiest, most cheerful and enthusiastic little girl I've ever met. I love that she has so much personality, and that she just wants to share it with you all the time. She makes me smile every single day.

We took some time off work, abandoned computers, spent time together with family.

It was my birthday this weekend, on the summer solstice. I can't remember it ever being this hot. Or this summery. Or this lovely.


Oh, and I was thoroughly spoilt. We were supposed to go up-country to visit family but alas plans had to change last minute and we ended up staying in summery London for the weekend Summery London. Have you ever heard it called that?

There was a boat trip up the Thames, an exciting day out at the National Gallery, a trip to Borough Market, adventures past the Royal Guard and of course - cake.

And best of all, I received phonecalls and messages and cards and parcels from around the world.

We've moved, and the internet has finally been connected up. I'm back online! I have really only missed the internet because I work online... but it's nice to have that information-at-your-fingertips superpower on call again.

A carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

Date and caramel scones.

As you may already know, my mother-in-law is visiting from South Africa, and it was also her birthday this week. She's under strict instructions that there will be "no touristy activities" (she'll share them with her husband when she returns next year, we hope) and so what's a girl to do when she has a birthday and a whole city to shop explore?

















It may have been raining, but we had a fabulous time.



It started in the haberdasheries of Walthamstow Market as we chose ribbons, braids, ric-rac, cotton and zips. We dashed between shops in-between heavy showers of rain, and we all got quite wet. But, oh!, the choice! The ribbons! The trimmings!

















Then, we enjoyed the stalls and shops of Covent Garden. We watched a string quartet belt out party tunes, and we hastened from bag shop to bag shop comparing red bags and leather satchels.






















We arranged old printing blocks on a tray, and got covered in ink.



Then, onwards to the Charles Dickens Tea House where we escaped the rain once more for tea and shared pecan nut pie with a side of brownies (I know) on Drury Lane.

















... and what is a good birthday without an impromptu miniature ice cream? We completely agreed and popped into Fortnum & Mason's on the way past Picadilly Circus.

















We may have shared scones there, but I'm not confessing to anything.

















At some point, we stopped to admire these beautiful measuring cups at Spitalfields Market. Aren't they amazing? I would put them on my wall to admire them, but I suppose that defeats the purpose of having measuring utensils, doesn't it?






















And, believe it or not, the rain did eventually clear and we enjoyed a few moments of summer colour.






















All in all, a jolly good time. I'm particularly pleased that we bought ourselves travel cards: we hopped on and off buses all day, we scooted between Covent and Garden and Kensington a few times as we somehow lost our brolly (and found it again!), and we took full advantage of the trains that zipped us around in no time at all.

Emma, my mother's other daughter, turned three last week. She's my half-sister; we're 23 years apart.



And, as no three-year-old's party is complete without the essential baked goods, we got stuck into the kitchen! Cue: a giant two-layered moist chocolate cake covered in buttercream.

















The problem with a cake like this is that it simply does not appeal to small children. If I were making it for adults I'd finish it off with white chocolate shaving rolls or chopped up chocolate whispers, but this is no ordinary cake: it's for a three-year old.

















You need Astros and edible glitter and icing and marshmallows. Astros, by the way UK, are the most amazing things ever! They're tiny little biscuit balls covered in chocolate and coated in candy. We stuck them into the cake around the outside to make it a bit more colourful and appealing.

















This is the top-view of the cake. That's Barney, by the way. It took us a really long time to make this cake and I was completely relieved when Emma screeched with delight, pointed and said, 'Narney!'. Job done.

















There were mini cupcakes too, of course, decorated with edible pearl glimmer balls, smarties, and edible stars. We baked them in edible cases (like ice-cream cones) and iced them with plain purple and yellow buttercream frosting.

















Isn't it festive? This year we had the party at Scallywags - a play place in Claremont filled with children's play things and a nice, big seating area for the parents too. It meant that we simply arrived with our things, set up, and let the staff serve coffee, tea and cakes and clean up afterwards too.

















This area is more for the smaller children, but, behind me is a jumping castle, a giant 'doll house' for the girls and a play castle for the boys. There are also heaps of dress-up things and the kids can help themselves (creating a lot of mess that you don't have to clean up).
















There was a lot of dressing up and running and playing and balloons and laughing. All good things. That's Emma on the left in purple with the butterfly face-painting. I'll show you a close-up soon. The face-painting wasn't great - a bit wonky and in all the wrong colours, but the children loved the novelty!



... and any party where two Spidermans (they can't possibly be Spidermen because there is only one Spiderman, you see), a dragon and a geisha get together and ride on a smiling giant bug - well, it's bound to be magical, isn't it?



Here's Emma again, looking extra cute and hard at play dressing up like a butterfly/geisha/birthday girl. It's tough being three.



The adults also had their own treats set aside in the chic little 'coffee shop' section of the play place where parents can sit down and have a latte while their kids become princesses and dragons and fire-fighters. I don't particularly enjoy scones (gasp, horror, I'm fully aware of what I'm saying!) but there were some anyway, purchased from the Scallywags bakery.



Yesterday I wrote about my wedding-dress-making-expert-baking-aunt Robyn. She baked this beeyootiful carrot cake that features all sorts of interesting bits and pieces inside including nuts and Turkish apricots. The icing is a sort of cream cheese frosting flavoured with a hint of lemon. It's delicious. I'm going to ask extra nicely if I can  have the recipe before I go back to my kitchen in London.

















The adults were also invited to eat from the children's table, if they liked, where they could eat crisps (Simba Twistees are amazing), cupcakes, small sweets, orange quarters and vienna cubes with rosa tomatoes.

















Needless to say it all went down very well! Emma was delighted with her Barney party, her cake, her friends and her purple balloon. The jumping castle was fantastic and the dress-up items were great too.

It makes me wonder - when do we stop having parties like these? Is it because our role models change? Our interests? Our friends? What if I want a Jane Austen themed party next year, with a Jane cake, bonnets and writing desks? Do they even make Jane Austen themed jumping castles?

My dear friend Lauriane has very kindly informed me of the existence of the hilarious and must-have Jane Austen action figure:

We're on the right path! Now, what would a Jane Austen cake look like?