Out & About | Butterfly World Project

Darcy currently has a big fascination with butterflies. So when I saw a Groupon deal for only £5.50 which included an hot drink, I jumped at the opportunity to take her to The Butterfly World Project.

Straight away Darcy was excited to see The Hunger Caterpillar which is one of her favorite books. She spent ages telling her brother the names of the fruit and vegetables. 

We made our way to the Tropical Butterfly House which was fantastic, it had butterflies in varying sizes and colours. We had great fun playing hide and seek with the butterflies, it was lovely seeing them flying around.

The other main attraction was the Leaf Cutter ants as they climbed along a 30 foot rope with their food. It was really interesting to see.

Unfortunately it started to rain before we got to The Bee Hut so we made our way back to The Insect Study Centre for some shelter .There were Cockroaches, Snails, Locust alongside other insects and they even had cocoons hatching. They also had someone doing face painting.

The only downside was that it is a little on the small size, we spent a total of an hour and a half there. .

The Butterfly World Project is the perfect place for kids to burn off energy and enjoy nature. We will be definitely be revisiting in the summer to make the most of the gardens and have a picnic.

Have you been to The Butterfly World Project before? Where is your favourite place to visit? 

Butterfly World Project

Miriam Lane

Chiswell Green

Hertfordshire

AL2 3NY

Review & Giveaway | The Little Stork and My Given Name*

Darcy has an ever increasing collection of books, she loves nothing more than selecting a book for us to read together. 

I received an email from Kevin Tyler, author of The Little Stork and My Given Name asking if I would like to review his book and of course I said yes.

The book is beautiful, sizable at A4 landscape and hardback. It means it's more likely to survive spilt drinks and sticky little fingers.

Although the book is aimed at 3 to 8 year olds, Darcy enjoyed pointing at all the animals, the illustrations are especially beautiful.

Each book is unique due to being personalisable by name, gender and ethnicity. What I really love about The Little Stork and My Given Name is the selection of ethnicities to select from. It's important for me that Darcy has toys and books that reflect her own ethnicity, something which Kevin is very passionate about.

The book makes a great gift for young children who can keep it forever. Customised copies cost £19.95 for hardback and £17.95 for paperback. For each copy sold, £1 is donated to Children with Cancer UK Charity. You can order yours here

The story is unique and coupled with  it's stunning illustrations, is delivered in high quality print. I would highly recommend it.

Kevin has been kind enough to allow me to gift a copy to my readers, so  all you need to do to be in with a chance is enter via the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*I received this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions my own.

Joules Design A Welly Competition‏*

Heya Everyone.

We all knows that wellies can be rather boring, however Joules have given you the chance to design your own pair

Here are the prizes up for grab;

A luxury break worth £5,000

3 nights in a golden oak treehouse cabin plus lots more

10 runners-up will each receive a £250 Joules gift card


Some seriously amazing prizes right? And best of all, all proceeds from the sale of the limited edition winning Welles will go towards CHARITABLY JOULES. So good luck!


All you have to do is submit a design and enter the competition here- http://getcreative.joules.com/

Also, whilst you're on their website, have a look at their homeware section, they have some lovely things especially with the evening drawing in so more time to browse. I have my eye on these 

How would you design your wellies?

Why you need to become an Organ Donor*

Since becoming a Mother I’ve started to see things a lot differently. One thing which comes into my thoughtS a lot is the health of my family and friends.

There’s an urgent need for more donors from all backgrounds but especially from the Black and Ethnic Minorities (BME) community

Across the UK there is a lot of Black and Asian people needing a transplant, for some reason the number of donors from ethnic backgrounds is low.

As there is serious shortage of organ donors from BME communities, it means the chances of finding an unrelated matched donor are lower than if you were White.

Unfortunately, some common misconceptions surrounding organ donation prevent individuals from donating.

I came across this beautiful Poem from George The Poet

I can't imagine Darcy being in the situation that she would need a donor, and the thought of knowing that there is a lower chance of her finding a donor brings me to tears. This is why I have decided to become a donor, and to ensure my wish is known, I have shared this with my family

Organs from the same ethnic group are more likely to be a suitable match for transplantation. I have the opportunity to make a change to someones life and so do YOU!

Save a life! Please Sign up here

*post in collaboration with... NHS Organ Donation 

Bathroom Mood Board & Inspiration with Bathrooms.com*

Heya everyone

This week I shared with you a bedroom mood, since then I've been spending hours on Pinterest and other websites looking at interiors and designs. Mood boards are great when you are thinking of new ideas for a room.

Today I thought I would share a bathroom mood board. It all started when I was browsing bathroom suites on bathroom.com. I’ve always been a fan of free standing baths especially roll top baths. I feel in love with this Victorian bath suite. It’s so luxurious looking and I love the silver legs, since this is primarily a girls bathroom, there are a lot of feminine touches.

First on the list are these Freshwater Rectangle mosaic tiles. I love that they are rectangle and not the typical small square size. They would make a perfect feature wall alongside pastel purple walls and would give the bathroom a truly glam feel.

Carrying on with the glam feel is this stunning etched mirror. This white and chrome ceramic accessories set matches the bathroom suite. Fun accessories like this pink light pendant and pink towel set give a pop of colour.

And you can’t have a bath without a candle burning,..... well I can’t anyway!.

Are you a fan of creating mood boards? Are you working on some spaces in your home? You can follow me on Pinterest or “like” Bump and Beyond on Facebook.

*post in collaboration with... bathrooms.com

Review | Stella Artois Cidre Elderflower and Peach*

I know cider is seen more of a summery drink, but I think there’s nothing better than chilling in front of the telly once Darcy has gone to bed with a refreshing chilled glass.

Stella Artois Cidre comes in the most yummiest flavours; Apple, Pear, Raspberry. They have recently added two new flavours to their range, Stella Artois Elderflower and Stella Artois Peach. You can find out more about their different flavours here.

Each bottle of Artois Cidre is 500ml, 4% vol and is best served chilled over ice, but I normally add fruit to mine because I am extra like that.

Elderflower is described as “fresh and lively aroma complemented by crisp apple, star fruit and bergamot tones” Elderflower is one of those flavours which you either love or hate. I personally like it. As you open the bottle the well known floral scent hits you, however, it’s not overpowering at all. It’s crisp, very refreshing and not overly sweet.

Peach is described as “fruity taste perfectly contrasted with subtle citrus and rose floral tones, and is satisfyingly light” It has a lovely colour to it and a stunning peach smell. It has peach juice rather than flavouring which really gives it a true fruity taste.

Out of the two, peach was definitely my favourite!

Have you tried Stella Artois before? What is your favourite flavour?

Enjoy Responsibly www.drinkaware.co.uk

National Wall Paper Week with Graham and Brown*

Heya Everyone

When I was younger I wanted to be many things including a Interior Designer. So when Graham and Brown got in touch with me and asked me to take part in their National Wall Paper Week campaign. I was like "Hell Yeah!"

Monday 5th October sees the start of National Wall Paper Week. A week of celebrating all things wall paper from history to design.

As part of the campaign Graham and Brown have developed the 7 Feelings of Wallpaper, and throughout the week bloggers will be posting about the products they have used in their home and how they evoke a particular emotion.

Monday will be Date Night, Tuesday Calm, Wednesday Inspired, Thursday Nostalgic, Friday Funky, Saturday Glamorous and finally finishing on Sunday 11th October with Social.

Make sure you are following Graham and Brown on Twitter and National Wall Paper week along with the hashtag #nationalwallpaperweek as they will be sharing what other bloggers have chosen as their inspiration.

My mum has given me free creativity to redecorate her bedroom as I feel fit. I have chosen to go with a calming, serene feel. She works very long hours and needs a chill out area where she can unwind and relax.

Below is a mood board I made to give me some inspiration

I picked Fresco Mia Cream as I love the neutral colour with the pop of cream from the flowers, which we will be using on all four walls. The brown, gold, cream furniture and accessories create a serene mood and I will be adding lots of scented candles and a chandelier

Not only does Graham and Brown sell Wallpaper they also sell Wall Art, Paint, Kids Decor and Home Accessories.

So what do you think of my ideas for my mum’s bedroom?

*post in collaboration with... Graham & Brown

What I Wore | Bonprix Turtle Neck*

Autumn is my favourite season, the leaves changing colour, long, cool walks, nice smelling candles and all those seasonal Starbucks drinks. I’ve been back from Turkey for almost a week now and I’m still not used to the weather. It’s sunny but it’s chilly, but not cold enough for enough for a coat.

Before I start let me apologis for the state of my skirt, I had been wearing it all day so of course it would be a little creased but anywayS…..

Jumper*

Skirt

Boots (similar) 

Sunglasses (similar) 

Bonprix asked me to take part in their bloggers style challenge and of course I jumped at the chance.

Having browsed their plus size knitwear collection, I was drawn to this olive green turtle neck jumper. I’m loving the 70’s comeback at the moment, especially the colours and textures. I teamed it up with my faux suede skirt, tartan scarf and trusty knee high boots.

What are your autumn fashion staples?