Geek Swap! #dicraftswap

Last month over at Dainty and Ivory was Geek swap month. We were paired up and exchanged all the things that we get a bit geeky about! I get my geek on over Tudor history, stationery and books (to a name a few) my partner Sally described herself pretty much as being a bit geeky about sewing which I thought was quite a good thing to be geeky about!



I sent Sally (who blogs at Sally Bee Makes) a couple of fat quarters, one was a black lace type fabric and the other was a piece of oil cloth that I was sure Sally could make something with. I included some chocolates, a mini chalk board, some ribbon and some buttons that I thought were pretty funky.




I was sent a geeky gift from Jenny who blogs at Pretty Column (swaps aren't direct) I got a gorgeous notepad for my letter writing, beautiful, handmade Tudor rose bunting which is so unique I love it. I was also sent some stars for my card making and they are fab I love them. Jenny also put in a bookmark which I think is very Tudor like, so naturally I was really happy to receive that.




This month the theme is Books which I've just sent off. Next months is Disney which may be harder than we think! To sign up for swaps, head over to Dainty and Ivory and follow Hannah, you won't be disappointed.

Cupcake Mumma

Reasons to be Cheerful

I'm on my way to Bath at the moment and being a bit bored and slightly squashed I thought I'd take my mind off things and do a little blog post. I'm feeling particularly cheerful today so let's share some happy thoughts shall we?

1) As I said, I'm on my way to Bath to visit my very lovely friend Kat and her family. Tonight we are having some girl time, getting our nails done and stuffing our faces with pizza (new workout regime starts next week I promise!) for now I am embracing my me time although I do already miss my babies like mad!

2) I'm really happy that myself and a family member have worked out a way to go to my cousins wedding in Cambridge in two weeks. Midge and I will travel together and have a mini holiday in Cambridge and Portsmouth. Exciting stuff!

3) I had a wonderful Story of Mum retreat last Sunday. I met up with some old friends, did some yoga, made gratitude angels which were so much fun! We also chatted, ate delicious good and enjoyed our me time! The next one is in autumn and I'm excited already! Post to follow!

What's been making you cheerful this week? I'd love to know.

Linking up with Becky at Lakes Single Mum

Cupcake Mumma

Hannah & Hugh Rosehip and Calendula Baby Cream Review

For just over a week I have been trying out a brand new cream suitable for babies and beyond. Hannah & Hugh have produced a natural skincare range perfect for youngsters (and all those above too!) with any skin type, but most importantly to us, a range which is ideal for sensitive and delicate skin. The whole family can benefit from the natural ingredients and delightful aroma of Hannah &  Hugh rosehip and calendula baby cream.

Before I continue, here's a little bit about Hannah & Hugh:


*This skincare range was inspired by Hannah and Hugh’s founder and product developer Pamela Orji, whose desire to find a solution to her daughter’s eczema propelled her business.  Their mission is to educate people to make better choices when deciding on skincare products; especially for babies.
Hannah and Hugh’s skincare formulations have been carefully chosen for their safe and beneficial qualities and are free from parabens, sodium lauryl sulphate, PEGS, mineral oils, synthetic fragrances or colours.
Passionate about the ingredients she uses, which include natural butters such as Cocoa and Shea butter, and essential oils such as lavender and chamomile, Pamela said, "All our ingredients are proudly sourced locally and manufactured entirely in the UK which reduces our carbon footprint. Our children are our future and as such we owe it to them to preserve their world."




Midge has been my very willing volunteer for this review as Little A is pretty stubborn at the moment with showers let alone creams! Both of my children have sensitive skin and both are prone to dry patches in certain areas. Our biggest skin related problem has been their cradle cap and dry, dead skin on their necks. Myself and Midge were very keen to see if Hannah & Hugh's rosehip and calendula baby cream could help.

First things first, we looked at the product itself. We both loved the design thinking it was simple and fresh looking, exactly what you would expect really from a natural product in my opinion.


When we opened the lid I was pleased to see a second cover in place to prevent the cream from going all over the lid itself and causing a mess. Every cream product should have one of those I think.




The cream is a lovely consistency. Not really too thick but certainly not runny which means Midge could do all the applying herself and not make too much of a mess. I'm not sure if it was just us, but Midge couldn't really smell much just by taking a good sniff of the cream. I did get a feint whiff of calendula though. When we applied the cream however that beautiful scent really came out (it reminds me of something from my childhood but I still can't think what!) Midge wasn't too keen on the scent at first so I'm glad you don't get the smell straight away once opened because I don't think she would've applied it so willingly! Once she got used to the aroma (it is a great smell honest!) we found the cream was definitely a 'less is more' type of product which is ideal.




We've been using Hannah & Hugh's rosehip and calendula baby cream after showers and applying several times a day in between to Midges upper arms where the skin is a little rough and to her neck. After just a week there has been a big change to the skin on her neck. The dead skin is finally disappearing (other creams either haven't worked or have been wiped off leaving her skin red and sore) she's so pleased to not have a 'dirty neck' anymore! (Unfortunately I don't have a photo because Midge wasn't comfortable with me taking one.)



I've just started applying the cream to Little A and I think, as his is a little worse, I'll be giving it a little longer and update this review with the results which I know are going to be promising! 

I would definitely recommend this product to any parent (actually my Mum loved it!) and I'd be 100% happy to have this baby cream in my cupboard not just for my older two and myself, but also for even the most delicate newborn skin.


If you'd like to purchase Hannah & Hugh rosehip and calandula baby cream (£12.99) or any other product from their natural skin care range



I was very kindly sent the Rosehip and Calendula Baby Cream by Hannah & Hugh in exchange for an honest review of their product. All photos and words (except * which has come from a Hannah & Hugh press release) are my own.  



Cupcake Mumma

The South West Blog Social with Yves Rocher

I recently blogged about the South West Blog Social, my very first blogging event held in Exeter. I was super excited about going, had a really good time and came home with a very generous goody bag. I'm still to blog about my goody bag (and make my way through most of the contents!) but today I'm sharing with you some items, perhaps we'll call it a review, of one of the main sponsors: Yves Rocher.

Yves Rocher is a top beauty brand. I have used various products before but not for a long time so what a treat to find not one, not two, but FOUR full sized products in my goody bag. The products are pictured below with the goody bag, also from Yves Rocher.


First of all I want to share with you this gorgeous exfoliating shower gel. It is 200ml of 100% natural fruit seeds and raspberry scented goodness. 98% of this product is made of natural ingredients and the seeds are so gentle on my skin I feel like I'm having a lovely, relaxing shower rather than feeling like I'm rubbing sand into my skin. I have very sensitive skin but I have been able to use this shower gel every day so far which is unusual for me when it comes to these particular shower products because sometimes they irritate my skin. I'm very pleased with this product!



The second item in my goody bag was this Yves Rocher Elexir 7.9 This doesn't smell as divine as the shower gel nor the Argon Oil Balm, but it still gives off a pleasant aroma. This product I have used almost every day (a question of remembering rather anything else) and I can definitely feel the difference to my skin. Whilst I'm not quite ready to testify to how it works on wrinkles (but I'm getting there!) I can say without a doubt my skin feels smoother and looks brighter. When applying the cream, which isn't too thick nor too runny (so the perfect consistency) the product simply feels wonderful to gently rub in, making my skin feel smooth and soft.



Again, this product has more than 90% natural ingredients mainly made up of a combination of 7 plants with 9 patents which are recognised for their anti-ageing properties. The cream is developed for normal and combination skins which suits my skin just perfectly.

Next we have Nourishing Argan Balm which is amazing. Honestly, it's the best smell ever. Yves Rocher select organic argan oil from Morocco, which is then used with orange blossom oil (the reason behind the beautiful smell as soon as you open the lid) There are other ingredients listed in this balm such as Shea butter, olive extract and rose water which are all known to be very good for the skin.
I have been using the Yves Rocher Argan Balm after my long, hot showers and it's the perfect way to end my me time. I don't use a lot of the balm because I believe a little goes a long way with this product and after a few weeks I still have a fair amount left.My skin feels smooth, fresh and I feel incredibly relaxed thanks to all the wonderful scents (which don't fade straight away might I add.)


I love how the packaging and product reflects the colour of freshly crushed argan oil (gold if you couldn't guess) and is in keeping with where argan oil originates. The product is actually titled 'Tradition de Homme' which I think refers to the women in various countries extracting the oil in a very traditional way, even until this day.


Finally, last but by no means least, I give you the best mascara I have honestly ever laid my hands on. I have incredibly long eyelashes and even a good eye lash curler and all the tips and tricks have failed me. However, Yves Rocher's Sexy Pulp ultra-volume Mascara has ended my beauty problem! The mascara itself is thick and jet black. The wand is slightly shape to ensure no lash is left behind and you can get right to the base of your lashes, giving you the volume that this product promises. Below I give you my wonderful face with one eye made up and the other left in its sad, long lashed state so you can see the difference (without curlers) and another photo once I had applied the mascara on both eyes.



As I said, I have absolutely not used my curlers to add anything to these photos and that is why I am raving about this product so much. It looks good and it does good and I'm over the moon.

A massive thank-you to Yves Rocher for getting behind such a brilliant event and for providing us with such wonderful and generous items to take home with us. I feel spoiled rotten! 

The A-Z of Me: Anxiety.

I saw that The Life of Dee had written a post the other day inspired by Duck in a Dress and I thought it was a great idea. So a couple of times each week I'll post a letter and tell you all a little bit more about myself! I'm quite looking forward to this! To kick it off, something that I've struggled with all my life: A is for Anxiety.

I suffer both General and Social Anxiety. General anxiety makes things tough at times with excessive worrying, nervousness, an over active imagination and there are a lot of 'what ifs' asked when I feel particuly anxious. I have a fair bit of control over my general anxiety, it's not something that has a major hold over me anymore which pleases me. It'll always be something that comes and goes I suspect.

Social anxiety is what cripples me the most. I certainly have faced my fears in regards to social situations a good few times (oral exams in school, plucking up the courage to sing in a school choir, meeting online friends for the first time, climbing snowdon with a large group and taking part in Mama Retreats) but each and every time I have to face them it never gets easier. I always think of excuses, I always have to force myself through doors, onto trains. A constant fear of looking stupid and having people laugh at me is something I cannot shift.

South West Blog Social 7/6/2014

Recently I attended my first ever blog event. There were less than 100 bloggers attending the event and I was travelling up with my sister Issy so I wasn't throwing myself in too deep.

We arrived in Exeter a little early, both very nervous and not sure what to expect. We had a quick look around some shops just in case we fancied a break later on then headed back to The Oddfellows Bar which was situated just outside the town centre and looked incredibly tiny! Once inside it was clear the bar went back and had an upstairs, so it wasn't too bad.

We collected our coloured bands and attempted to settle ourselves in, pretty much failing! We both felt very overwhelmed and contemplated leaving there and then but strangely for me, it was I who insisted we stuck it out. So we perched our bottoms at a spare table and watched the goings on. It was clear a lot of people were arriving in groups, or at least couples. A lot had met before and were greeting each other like old friends. I'm not going to lie, it was incredibly difficult and I realised if I was alone I would've been out of the door quicker than you can imagine. Sliding up to people or trying to poke your head into a circle of chatting women is so very difficult and I'm not sure people are aware of how it looks to those of us who are more quiet and anxious. There were plenty of smiles exchanged my way and everyone was totally friendly, so it really does just rest on a confidence issue.

Pretty soon we were joined by fellow Lifestyle blogger Aimee (Twenty Oddball) who we chatted with about blogging and family amongst other things. Shortly after we were joined by the lovely Jenni and Louse from Quiz Clothing (check them out! Seriously lovely clothes an a lovely site!) we spoke about Quiz and briefly about other work they were doing at the event before receiving a cute biscuit each and having our photo taken.



We sat down to eat a bit of lunch which was very nice. Being Free From it's always a worry and it may have been chips and salad but it was a lovely portion of homemade chips and a fresh salad with a yummy dressing on top. I was nicely full before heading upstairs to catch the first chat (and briefly bumping into the lovely Alexander from Medicated Follower of Fashion) by Maria. This session wasn't of personal interest to me, I was merely sitting in to take notes for a friend but I was really drawn into the discussion and some interesting questions were asked. I stayed for another session then headed out for a breather when I realised I just wasn't able to mingle very well. My sister and I ventured out to browse a couple of shops and settled in a book store (heaven) with a hot chocolate!

























We returned a little later to grab the ending of a speech which included some good tips on being yourself and organising your blog management. I've made a Pinterest board inspired by the talk titled 'What makes me, me' do stop by.

I went downstairs after the talk because there were a lot of people in a fairly small room for the raffle draw and unfortunately that was a recipe for a near panic attack. All held together I browsed the business card section and signed a big pink card with my blog name in the media room. I thought this was lovely and I'm glad I had the quiet time to look through all the cards properly. Little did I know I won a gorgeous set in the raffle!




The day ended with an overall positive feeling, possibly helped by the break we took. We took home a fabulous goodie bag each which I will blog about separately because this post is long enough already!

All those goody bags!

Massive thank you to the hosts of this event, A la Jode and Dippywrites who were both so friendly and did an amazing job. A big thank you for bringing something closer to Cornwall!!

Cupcake Mumma