Ladybird notebooks

I got round to upcycling the damaged Ladybird books I bought at the charity shop and made them into notebooks. I can't take any credit for the idea as I've seen this done before but I'm really pleased with the way they've turned out.

The inside has been filled with scrap paper interspered with salvaged pages which is a great way of using as much of the book as possible. I've bought sets of twig pencils and plan to use them as children's birthday presents.

How to: If you'd like to do something similar I struggled to find a company that could cope with punching the thick covers. Alfred Harris on Kingsdown Parade did mine - they are a traditional old fashioned book binders that I pretty much fell in love with.

Blue Reef Aquarium

All photos by Bristol Parenting Cafe

We spent today at the Blue Reef Aquarium, in the @Bristol complex on the Harbourside.

This was our second visit and Z and E were really enthralled by it, particularly the 'Nemo' tank! There are two different levels to explore and sealife include stingrays, sharks, corals and an octopus which was nowhere to be seen today! There is also a colouring area half way round supplied with sea pictures and pencils. Although this is a nice touch, they had run out of pictures and all the pencils were blunt with no sharpeners. I spoke to an aquarium assistant who said the area was checked regularly but it was in a sorry state today.

There is buggy parking (outside the Imax cinema) at your own risk and the loos were clean and tidy with baby changing/feeds rooms too. The entrance price includes a screening at the IMAX which Z and E are too young for but would be great for older children.

Prices are expensive, I think, at £13.50 for adults and £9.20 for children (under 3's free). A family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children is £43.40 and there are also annual memberships at £40.00 for adults and £27.50 for children. This is more expensive than Bristol Zoo and you'd be hard pushed to spend a whole day here. Having said that this is a good all weather venue and we have annual membership as it's great to have somewhere to take Z and E on bad weather days.

Today is the first day of Spring

Spring means ducklings and bunnies, tulips, Spring cleaning, April showers, asparagus, clocks changing, my Birthday, first picnics, splashing in puddles in our wellies, teas dresses, bicycles rides, Easter Eggs, A NEW BABY, purple sprouting brocooli and magnolias in bloom.

Paper Garlands

I'm preparing for E's birthday on Sunday and am making some paper garlands for decoration. There are lots of blogs with inspiring paper patterns ready to home print and two of my favourits are Fifi Mandirac and Lovely Design. Alternatively you can use wrapping paper or coloured card.

Equipment
Scissors
Glue
Patterned Paper/Wrapping paper/Coloured card
Bakers Twine

Method
Fold the paper in half and along the folded edge cut out triangles so that when opened out they form diamond-shapes.

Continue with above step until you have a good pile of cut-out diamonds

Place the folded edge of each piece of card along the twine and glue into place
Repeat until you have the desired length.

Hang up around your home or use for decoration presents and home-made birthday cards.

Vintage Ladybird books

I've been buying vintage Ladybird books for Z & E for a while now and used to be able to pick them up for pennies. They have definitely got harder to find recently as well as going up in price.

Yesterday though, I found a big bag for sale in a charity shop. Some were scribbled on and missing dust jackets but the illustrations were lovely and Z & E have been enjoying looking at them whilst I take a trip down memory lane.

The best places to find them are charity bookshops such as British Heart Foundation on Whiteladies Road and Oxfam on Cotham Hill. Be prepared to pay anything from 50p up to £3.00 depending on their condition and the shop.

Lovely Package Exchange

1. A heart made of baker's twine,

2. Nice Package,

3. product packaging,

4. shop packaging,

5. Holiday Gift Packaging,

6. Brown paper packages,

7. Stationery packaged,

8. Package for Damjana,

9. birdhaven twine

Bristol Parenting Cafe will hopefully be taking part in this years Lovely Package Exchange organised by Danni from Oh, Hello Friend. The idea is that each participant sends a package to the address given to them by their group organiser and in turn receives a random package from someone else in the group. Lots of effort is put into the presentation of each package and I really like the pared down look of brown paper and bakers twine.

Planning our summer holiday

The sun is shining and my thoughts have turned to summer holidays. With three children under 4 I'm made the decision to take flight-free holidays for the next few years and explore the delights of the UK. I'm unrealistically optimistic about British summers and last year we spent a week in a bell tent in Cornwall which was lovely until the rain came down. For 3 days. So this year I was looking for something outdoorsy but with a bit more luxe. And I think I found it with Love Lane Caravans - I've booked a 6 berth Airstream complete with cooker, fridge and shower so if it rains we've got a solid roof over our head and cooking facilities. It's set in a field with a bonfire and BBQ in the middle and I'm looking forward to toasting marshmallows round an open fire. It's currently being renovated so there aren't any pictures but here's one of their other lovely caravans.