Ginger Bisquite | Page 6 of 28 | Lifestyle, DIY, Family & Food

Best Maternity Jumpers – Stylish Sunday

September 15, 2013 by Jenni Clutten | 0 comments

maternity jumpers by jenni-clutten featuring a burgundy sweater

Dream Bedroom with Debenhams

September 14, 2013 by Jenni Clutten | 1 Comment

When I spotted the My Dream Bedroom competition on Love Chic Living and Mammasaurus, run by Debenhams earlier in the week, I was so excited to get designing!

I do love any excuse to spend my evening browsing the web to bring together a look and feel for a particular room in the house. This time it was made easier by sticking to one website alone. This competition was also easy to get into as I am already thinking about how I would like our bedroom to look in our new house. So, being encouraged to sit down and really think about it was bliss.

MY dream bedroom with Debenhams - Sources

I started to style this room around the John Rocha bed linen which I would describe as classic and crisp with a vibrant edge. I love colour but I also think a bedroom should be calm and relaxed so I tried to accent a mainly white theme with some interesting splashes of black and red. I admit I do always get tempted my luxurious floral wallpaper and bed linen but then I remember that I need something that reflects Neil and I both.

My Dream Bedroom Budget Breakdown:

Antique Nickel Imperial Bed – £450
John Rocha Red ‘Hatha’ bed linen – £32.50
Amy Butler Moss Sun & Moon Wallpaper – £12
Mirrored Bedside Cabinet – £180
Betty Jackson Black Zig Zag Lamp – £65
White Family Tree Photo Holder – £40
Natural ‘Cinema Ticket’ cushion – £17.60
Betty Jackson Pink Square Cushion – £24
Graham & Brown Natural Cotton Paint – £24
Medina Easy Fit Moroccan Lantern Shade – £23.60
Betty Jackson White Spotted Throw – £64
Abigail Ahern black scroll photo frame – £18
Betty Jackson black wire bowl – £16
Ben De Lisi Glass Pink Tea Light Holder – £6.40
Parlane White ‘Misty’ large ceramic Vase – £32
Heaven Sends Cream ‘Life isn’t about waitng’ box – £11.20
Heaven Sends ‘You and me’ Hanging Hooks – £28
Ben De Lisi Ceramic Origami Puzzle Bowl – £9.60
Ben De Lisi Monochrome Calender Block – £16
White ‘Burlington’ Triple Wardrobe – £624
White ‘Burlington’ 5 drawer tall chest – £304

TOTAL – £1997.90

Courtney by John Burningham – We Like To Read

September 10, 2013 by Jenni Clutten | 2 Comments

Courtney by John Burningham

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This week Nye has loved reading Courtney by John Burningham. This is a book my mum purchased from a charity shop whilst we were visiting in August and was originally published in 1994. It was a good choice as it is now the book that Nye wants to have read every night over and over. I had never read before so I was somewhat surprised by the very open ended close, I obviously won’t spoil this for you so you’ll have to grab a copy to see what happens! I love how you can still see the original sketch marks in the illustration. I find the imagery very quaint and endearing and this is one of those books where the children come out as better judges of character than the parents. I’ve photographed the beginning of the book to give you an idea of what it’s like but there are lots of surprises to keep adults and children entertained.

P.s I find it so insanely difficult to take pictures of books, these were taken in the dappled light of the garden and the pictures really don’t do the book justice!

We are linking up with We Like To Read hosted by @Tigerlillyquinn where you can see lots of other lovely books. We have also been involved before when we shared Hooray for Fish by Lucy Cousins.

What are you reading this week?

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Toddler Bedroom Style – Stylish Sunday

September 8, 2013 by Jenni Clutten | 1 Comment

I have been dreaming away my afternoons thinking about Nye’s new bedroom. There is so much toddler bedroom style inspiration on that it can be overwhelming as much as enthusing. I started by picking out some wallpaper as I will need to cover the current floral stuff that is there. The geometric print I have chosen is by Harlequin and it appealed to me because I find it captivating for an adult or child, but also non gender specific. Here is what I have come up with to in plant a little toddler bedroom style into Nye’s new room.

Toddler Bedroom Style

As you will see, there is a slight train theme going on here which I know Nye will love. He spends each and every day going ‘choo choo’ if he so much as hears the train horn in the distance whilst playing in our garden! Nevertheless I have tried to keep it quite unique and styish whilst also choosing things I know Nye will love. You’ll remember his nursery back in our old house which we have now left behind. I am a little daunted by having a theme as I have absolutely no idea how long his love of trains will last. I think the best way to do a theme for a childs room is to make sure everything themed is easily changed which I think this is. In terms of lighting I think I will keep his balloon light from his nursery as I still love it

I also looked for some DIY inspiration to save a bit of money. I’ve used the originals here to demonstrate but, both the red train wall clock and the trains sign could be made from some leftover wood. I’ve already seen DIY clock kits on Ebay which you could use to create a clock of any style. I think we will be getting the play kitchen for Nye for Christmas but I do also love the idea of making my own of which there are !

So, what do you think? Anything you think I’ve missed?p.s this is not a paid or sponsored post it is purely a collection of things I love.

How Does Your Garden Grow? September 2013

September 5, 2013 by Jenni Clutten | 9 Comments

YES! I’m back in the garden with a How Does Your Garden Grow post. I even have a working camera and I’ve managed to track down the memory card *phew*

I’ve finally had the chance to photograph our new garden to share. It is of course September so it could be argued there isn’t that much to show you but living in a new place gives you so many new landmarks to photograph. Our new garden is full of big bushes and trees that create an enclosed and private space that feels full of nature. There are big fat wood pigeons almost breaking the branches as they perch their weary feet and butterfly’s eating their way through my cabbage leaves.

We’re exceedingly blessed to be renting a house with a previously loved and cherished garden. There are raised beds ripe for planting, a home office all ready to go and even a campfire. Everything was a tad untidy when we moved in, but that’s nothing a bit of digging couldn’t solve, even Nye had the trowel out ready to help. I must say the limp looking sweetcorn plats I picked up for a few pounds have grown surprisingly well with little attention.

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Mammasaurus - How Does Your Garden Grow?

Family Holiday in Normandie 2013

September 3, 2013 by Jenni Clutten | 3 Comments

Normandie Holiday Photos Here are a few of our lovely holiday photos from our family holiday in Normandie last month. I managed to loose the battery charger before we left so I was a tad stingy on the photos I took. Amazingly the camera did survive until the end of the holiday and now I’m home I’ve naturally found the charger where I swear I looked before I left. Gah!

We were very fortunate that my dad has a house in Basse-Normandie so this was a wonderfully thrifty holiday for us all. It is an amazing luxury to have such a retreat, especially as it is close enough to drive to, but far enough away to seem distant from life at home. This year we went on holiday with our dear friends who were very brave to come away with us, seeing as we have a demanding toddler dictating our plans. They definitely deserve medals for being so kind and tolerant of us as well as fantastic company.

The majority of these photos were taken in Granville, which as you might be able to tell is by the sea. Nye absolutely loved the beach, splashing around in rock pools and covering himself in sand. I managed to perch myself in his pushchair in the sweltering heat trying not to get sand between my toes watching Neil and run around after him. After we managed to wash him down and put a change of clothes on, (it took 4 of us) we headed off for some lunch. However it was almost 3 and everywhere was closing but we managed to find 1 chef happy to cook us either a burger or Moules marinière. This worked out perfectly, Neil ordered the mussels and we all had the burger. It was five euros for the burger with fries and salad and oh my goodness it was honestly the tastiest most juicy and delicious burger that has ever passed my lips. I’m definitely planning a return trip asap.

SONY DSC Just before we left Granville Neil surprised me with some delicious macaroons. The caramel ones are normally my favourite but I also really loved the chocolate and orange flavour which I’ve never seen in the UK.

The day before we were due to leave we stopped off in Honfleur for the afternoon as a good half way point between Dieppe where we were getting the ferry the next morning. Honfleur is an absolutely picturesque port full of beautiful buildings, housing a multitude of seafood restaurants. We managed to find a gorgeous park while we were there with a children’s paddling pool, stunning gardens and loads of childrens play equipment. We were very grateful to have somewhere to let Nye loose, as funnily enough toddlers don’t seem to take well to sitting in pushchairs all day!

SONY DSC Family Holiday in Normandie Thank you France, we will be back next year to sample some more of your delights!

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Bringing the inside out – Garden Furniture

August 25, 2013 by Jenni Clutten | 1 Comment

I am very pleased to tentatively say that we are in the process of buying a new home. Finally we have found one that doesn’t break the budget, or overwhelm us with things to do. The star quality of this house is the heavenly view of open fields and a large garden with lots of room for children to play and fruit and veg to be grown. Because of the setting, we have understandably had to compromise on the size of the house so we are determined to make the most of our outside space with lots of useful Garden Furniture.

I personally think the trick to making garden furniture work is to create a range of areas for different activities. Obviously a lovely big dining table and chairs sets the scene as a place to spend time socially, but by also adding other seating with benches this extends the feeling of communal space. I really loved the idea of a bench of my own to sit and watch the world go by, I can even imagine perching there with a good book in hand.

DISCLOSURE: This is a sponsored post but all thoughts, words and opinions are my own.

BBQ Time – en Francais

August 23, 2013 by Jenni Clutten | 1 Comment

As my extended absence may have suggested, we have been fully enjoying ourselves in Normandie for the last week. The weather was truly glorious which allowed us to have some wonderful BBQ’s. This therefore seemed like an excellent time to review the lovely little Whitstable BBQ that I was sent by Garden Trading a few weeks ago.

bbq bbq SONY DSC As you can see from the fact we took the bbq with us to France it is fantastically portable and very easy to use. We have been using a gas bbq at home until now so I was shocked by just how quickly we managed to get this one going and just how long it stayed hot. We had roasting hot coals in about 30 minutes and managed to cook sausages and pork steaks for 4 as well as 4 fat chicken legs ready for sandwiches later that day.

The bbq itself comes fully assembled with a tiny instruction tag attached to the top. I failed to read this and stupidly left the handle attached, thus also managing to burn off the lovely wooden handle. Take note and do not do this yourself!

Lots more photos of France to come. I hope you’ve been having a lovely summer too!

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August 11, 2013
by Jenni Clutten
0 comments

Maternity Capsule Wardrobe – Stylish Sunday

During my last pregnancy I did my best to keep maternity spending to a minimum, but this time around I am already feeling a bit frumpy at 24 weeks. My bump this time seems a little less compact and some of my clothes I remember wearing up until my last few months of pregnancy aren’t cutting it. Therefore, some kind of Maternity Capsule Wardrobe seems like the perfect solution to get me through the next 4 months. I think some of it is purely feeling exhausted and wanting some new things that I can throw on, with little thought and effort, that will compliment my ever growing bump.

Sources

We’re off to France next week and I’d like to have some nice things to wear that will take me through to November, just by adding some cardigans. It’s nice to have new clothes for a holiday, and I have managed to find a nice mix of specific maternity clothing and some long t-shirts that you can buy as every day basics. I have bought most of my maternity clothing from Mamas & papas as I have found shopping in their stores much more relaxing than other places. As I know all the clothing is specifically for pregnant people it makes for a less stressful experience in general. I also love Gap Maternity (although this can only be bought online).

However, there are lots of places you can find basic T-shirts that are long and will fit over a bump, I have a few T-shirts and Jumpers from Primark, Next and Gap which have lasted through both my last and current pregnancy well as they are longer in the torso than some other places.

Anyone got any Maternity essentials they can’t do without? Feel free to share below

18 Month Review at Butts Farm Rare Breeds

August 8, 2013 by Jenni Clutten | 1 Comment

18 month review

Today I broke the habit of a usually exhausted pregnant mother to a toddler, and managed to remember to bring my camera with us to the farm. Neil and I have been at home with Nye for the summer and it has been lovely to all be together. Today we spent the afternoon at Butts Farm Rare Breeds. The farm is very rustic, there is loads of space for children to be free to make their own way around and the balance has been struck really well between allowing visitors to interact with the animals, whilst also keeping animals and humans safe. We petted goats, stroked horses and groomed the donkeys. It was awesome.

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As the blog title suggests, Nye is now at the 18 month review mark. Ever since I was pregnant I have been looking forward to teaching my child to talk and being able to communicate has been amazing. I am trying my best to take the time to understand what he is trying to say so that he is encouraged to keep trying new sounds. I have found it true what they say about language. Toddlers do just suddenly explode with their use of different sounds at this age. Nye now copies a lot of what we say, repeating things like bird, night night and hiya, but my favourite so far is probably the pirate sound, ‘arhhhhh’.

A personality with distinct preferences is certainly emerging. Nye loves to be in the garden, to help water the plants. He wants to be independent, he would prefer to do something himself rather than wait for it. (hmm I wonder where he gets that one…) This evening he decided he would even peel his own satsuma and break it up rather than wait for me to do it for him. He gets great satisfaction from completing tasks like this and every time he realises he can do something he then moves on to something more complex.

Nye has a massive number of books and toys but there are certain things that he does every day.

The things I don’t want to forget about you – 18 month review ->

You love Lamaze doggy (a firm favourite since birth).
Saying ticky ticky (tickle) and pretending to tickle the dog.
Playing peek a boo and specifically tilting his head sideways to do so.
Stamping his feet enthusiastically when music is played and swaying to the beat.
Shrieking at the top of his lungs and pointing wildly whenever he sees any kind of dog.
Reading a noisy Thomas the tank engine book every night before bed. I could probably recite the story to you all right now from memory.
Pointing at clocks and saying ‘cok’
You may be full from dinner but there is ALWAYS room for yogurt. ‘Nye would you like a yogurt?” “yeh” – He nods enthusiastically.
You will be happy wherever you are, if you are getting eye contact and smiles from a stranger.

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p.s you are an animal lover, they amaze, intrigue and surprise you in equal measure.

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