Tag: flowers

Flowers, Gifts, Reviews, Reviews

My First Virtual Event With Moonpig

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on My First Virtual Event With Moonpig

[AD] The world is a pretty funny place at the moment and we are all having to adapt to a new way of life. This can be hard and there are definitely things that I am missing more and more as time goes on.

With my line of work the majority is done online and I predominately work from home so this isn’t to much of a change for me; but a fairly large percentage of work is also event based which I have to say I am really missing now.

Meeting new people, discovering new brands and simple face to face interaction has completely gone and I’m definitely missing this side of my work. So when an invite to a ‘virtual event’ from Moonpig popped into my inbox I was very excited albeit a little a sceptical as to how this was going to work.

A night of cocktail making and flower arranging had been planned and the running order of the evening was exactly what you would expect from any other event, and when the bits and pieces started to arrived at the front door the excitement started to build and I was eager to get started.

With the children shut in the front room with bowls of sweets and a movie for bribery to keep quiet I transformed my dinning room into a flower arranging/cocktail masterclass area and waited patiently for the Zoom meeting to begin.

The screen started to fill will faces – some familiar and some not so, but all super smiley and welcoming.

We started of the evening chatting a little about the Moonpig App. Now I have been a customer of Moonpig for many years now and I hadn’t even realised there was an app available.

It was super easy to use and allows you to access 10,000+ cards and filters from wherever you happen to be.

They have also added something new and exciting, so now not only can you personalise your cards with your own words and pictures, you can also add your own handwriting in a few easy steps. This was a real bonus for me and something I know the little ones will love to be able to join in with.

This service is available on all iOS devices and will be coming to android soon.

Another thing I didn’t know about Moonpig was the extent of gifts they have on offer to add to your cards, with the gin and flowers we were going to be using being just a few of the things on offer.

Next up was our cocktail masterclass with James from Mix and Twist. We had a step by step guide on how to make a Gin Garden, Elderflower Colin and a Strawberry Gimlet with a few games thrown into the mix too which got so competitive it ended up with lots of spillages, a broken glass and plenty of belly laughs.

It was a brilliant way to discover something new but I think it should have been saved until last as I went into the flower arranging more than a little tipsy!

I had been sent an amazing bouquet of flowers from Moonpig and one of their experts Roxanne was on hand to give us some tips on how best to arrange these bouquets.

For me a bunch of flowers will always brighten up my day and it’s just what so many people need right about now!

I came away from the flower arranging with a lot more tips than I was expecting. For years I have moaned about the leaves in the water going gunky and it was a complete surprise to me that I should have been trimming these off before putting them in a vase…pretty obvious if you think about it!

I also hadn’t realised the importance of the size of the vase and I soon came to the realisation I don’t own any that are suitable for displaying flowers well.

All these tips come inside the flower box which is something I’ve never seen before, but for someone like me it would be of great help.

I came away from the event having learnt new skills, met new people and super happy that my first virtual event had been one to remember, so thank you very much Moonpig!

Families, Family Life, Festivals, Flowers, London, Memories

Brightening Up Your Workspace With Flowers Of Colombia

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on Brightening Up Your Workspace With Flowers Of Colombia

Who doesn’t love the sight and smell off beautiful fresh flowers. As humans we are automatically drawn towards their beauty and their sheer presence immediately gives us a lift.

This is not the only thing that we need to be grateful to them for though; they can in fact be a huge benefit to people when they are housed in the work place. Believe it or not they can increase work productivity, improve memory, help concentration, reduce anxiety, relieve depression and improve negative thoughts.

My workplace being the home means that I love to have a vase of beautiful flowers on the side to look beautiful and aid my motivation.

Some of the best flowers come from the beautiful city of Bogotá in Colombia where Flowers Of Colombia produce gorgeous and hardy chrysanthemums and carnations that can last for up to four weeks if kept watered. Making it a very affordable way to create a beautiful and motivating display.

It’s not often that I think about the back story behind how these flowers make the their way into my home but it has been great to find out that the trade association Ascolflores that look after the production of all the flowers of Colombia and who do a fantastic job of taking on and making the workforce up of 65% woman who use this job to escape poverty and better themselves.

What could be better than brightening your day with a burst of colour that has somehow gone towards bringing some colour and happiness into other people’s lives.

Flowers Of Colombia actually wanted to spread their love further back in June and mixed the beauty of flowers and music to create the London Flower Tribute right here in London.

Take a look HERE at what they created by merging these two wonders.

*collaborated post

Banstead, Children, Families, Family Life, Flowers, Food, Gardens, Kids Days Out, Memories, Outdoor Play, Parks, Photography, Reviews, Summer, Surrey

Capturing The Wonder Of Mayfield Lavender With Rachel Thornhill

by thejoyoffive4 Comments on Capturing The Wonder Of Mayfield Lavender With Rachel Thornhill

For the past few years the Mayfield Lavender fields in Banstead have been my first glimpse that summer has arrived. The magnificent sea of purple that fills the landscape and the beautiful smell that engulfs the air is a sight to be seen and one that I never ever tire of.

Mayfield Lavender has really gone from strength to strength and not only does it offer you the chance to enjoy this natural wonder there is also the opportunity to enjoy a huge range of scrutipous food and drink from the cafe such as juicy hotdogs, delectable homemade cakes and even a lavender cream tea which is still on my wishlist to try.

The shop is also fully stocked with goodies from tolliteries to lavender flavour sweets and of course a change to take home some of your very own lavender.

My little ones love being able to just run free through the fields but if you want a little more adventure then hop onboard the tractor for a ride around the fields to get a completly different perspective.

I am always the one holding the camera on our trips which I absolutly love, but this year it was a little different as we went along to meet the lovely Rachel Thornhill who is an expert when it comes to photography…especially at Mayfield Lavender.

Rachel is in fact one of the photographers recommend by Brendan Maye – The owner of Mayfield lavender and the moment I meet her I could understand why.

Her friendly smile and calm, welcoming nature put us all at ease when we arrived and she chatted at length with the children about what our morning was going to entail and how to care for the fields and the nature living there during the shoot.

I am not a fan of posed images and much prefer a playful, natural style of picture and this is exactly what Rachel tries to create. Capturing the children at play or us all in deep conversation creates a much more natural image and one that tells a story allowing it to be a more memorable capture and something to treasure for years to come.

During our shoot that lasted a little over an hour we got the change to explore, play, chat and giggle and at no point did the children get bored or restless as Rachel worked her magic and kept them happy and engaged throughout, she even managed to keep shooting when Oscar bundled in for cuddles.

What really sets her apart from other photographers is that she creates bespoke museum quality wall art and framed prints personal to you and hand made by professional printers in both the UK and Italy that are designed to stand the test of time, and become a part of your family story. The products are not available to buy from anywhere other than professional photographers, so really quite special?

Mayfield Lavender is a truly magical place that is pretty hard to find in the UK. It is a place to make special memories to keep for a lifetime and with something like a photoshoot with Rachel these special moments can be captured and remembered for many years to come.

*collaborated post

Arts And Crafts, Children, Crafts, Education, Families, Family Life, Flowers, Learning, Uncategorized

Handprint Flowers: #BostikBloggers

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on Handprint Flowers: #BostikBloggers

This months challenge for BostikBloggers was based on flowers. As I had chosen a more complicated craft based on a flower for Easter I decided to do something that the little ones could join in with this time.

Handprint Flowers

What you need:

Coloured Card
Wooden Skewers
Thin Green Paper
Textured Green Felt
Scicorrs
Glue
Sellotape

First take your coloured card and draw round your little ones hands.

Next cut out the handprints to form the flower head and put to one side.

Next take your wooden skewers and wrap in a little of the thin, green paper and fix along the edge with glue to create a flower stem.

Whilst the glue is drying draw varied leaf shapes on the felt and cut out ready to attach to the stem.

Once the glue has dried on the stem attach the hand prints to one end with a couple of strips of sellotape.

On the other end of the stem take a little glue and attach the leaves that you have cut out.

Once the glue has hardened the flowers are all good to go. My boys decided to give theirs to their Nanny, who would you gift yours too?

Blogging, Children, Crafts, Families, Family Life, Festivals, Flowers, Large Families, Learning

Celebrating The Small Things:Week Eight

by thejoyoffive1 Comment on Celebrating The Small Things:Week Eight

This week has been a pretty quiet one but some small changes in different areas of our lives have bought some joy to this pretty miserable time of year.

Spring Has Sprung: There has been a little bit of sunshine peeping through the clouds and my favourite daffodils have been showing their pretty heads which always gives me a bit of light relief after the harshness of winter.
It has got me thinking about festivals, holidays and getting outside more and I really can’t wait.

Big Improvements In Frankie’s Reading: For a long time I felt that Frankie was progressing slower than he should as far as his reading and writing was concerned. I tried not to compare him to his siblings and his peers but it is always something thats hard not to.
Thankfully though a few months ago his teacher had had the same concerns and felt that he was showing signs of dyslexia and this was why he was struggling so much.
With the help of a special coloured filter that he places over his books his reading has really improved and with this so has his confidence and I am so grateful that he has such a wonderful teacher that has picked up on this so early on in his schooling.

Getting Back Into Crafting: I’ve has a love hate relationship with crafting over the years. With my older children is wasn’t something I ever did at home as I couldn’t stand the mess and always wanted things to turn out perfecting, not allowing the children to use it to express how they feel and interpret their own ideas.
Things have certainly changed as I got older and I now love giving the children free reign, even if it does involve a few glitter explosions!
This year I was chosen as a Bostik Blogger which allows me to get crafty with the kids every month and its something we have all loved getting involved in.

Arts And Crafts, Children, Easter, Families, Family Life, Flowers, Gifts, Messy play

Pop Out Tulip Easter Card #BostikBloggers

by thejoyoffive2 Comments on Pop Out Tulip Easter Card #BostikBloggers

The first glimpses of spring have started to show over the past few weeks from longer evenings and sunny spells to my favourite blooms showing their pretty heads.

Daffodils and tulips are my absolute favs and with Easter not to far away I thought I would create a card that sums up the beauty and brightness of spring with a pop out tulip card for my #BostikBloggers project this month.

Pop Out Tulip Easter Card

What you need:

Ready made blank card and envelope
Yellow card
Green card
Pencil
Glue stick

Firstly take the yellow card and draw the shape of six tulip heads of the same size, then take the green card and draw four leaves and one stem for the bottom of the tulip.

Cut out each of the components and discard of the rubbish.

Take each tulip head and make a fold down the centre of each one, then take the glue stick and apply glue to one side and stick another of the heads to each side.

When they are all attached stick the flower into the top centre of the blank card.

From the bottom on the flower head stick the stem to the card. Then take the leaves and bend them slightly at the top and stick to the bottom of the stem.

Once everyone is in place then the card is complete.

* I was given a craft box from Bostik for the purpose of this review.

Children, Families, Family Life, Farms, Flowers, Kid Bloggers, Large Families

When The Kids Just Aren’t Feeling It

by thejoyoffive6 Comments on When The Kids Just Aren’t Feeling It

for the past couple of years my love for photography has grown massively.

I love looking at other people’s styles of photography, I love seeking out places that I think would look good to take photographs of and I always have the best props to hand…my children.

I have had no formal training when it comes to photography so I’m still very much a point and shoot kind of lady and just hope that I am going to capture the image I have in my head.

The kids apart from my 14 year old don’t have a problem with my continual photo taking and to be honest don’t notice to much as I prefer to try and get pics as the play rather than staged shots.

However from time to time I do try and get some images I have to get them to work with me for.

Today however was probably not the best day to try this as they clearly were not in the mood for it and this was captured magnificently in my photos!

I got home after standing in a field of rape flowers disappointed with them not looking how I wanted, when actually they tell a really good story.

I hadn’t asked permission to be there so I was half freaking out I was going to get attacked by the farmer whilst my children gave me their best ‘natural’ poses!

All I will say is their personalities shine through immensely in these images and now I love them more than the perfect ones I had in my head…well almost!

Children, Families, Family Life, Flowers, Kids Days Out, Reviews, Reviews

Beetle Collecting At Mayfield Lavender

by thejoyoffive5 Comments on Beetle Collecting At Mayfield Lavender

For those of you that know me will know that from the start of June I’m on tender hooks awaiting the magnificent lavender at the Mayfield Lavender fields to raise its pretty purple head.

I never fail to get excited by the sight and can visit time and time again and never get bored.

We don’t normally visit as early in the year as this, but after seeing a Facebook post inlisting the help of ‘beetle busters’ I knew I had to get over there with the boys.

The lavender is being eaten away by the greedy rosemary beetles which are listed in the top ten plant pests.

All that is required is for you to pick up a jam jar from the shop and go out on the hunt.

We didn’t have much success as number four wasn’t in the best of moods and refused to go to far into the fields today, but number five had great fun trying to capture anything he could!

I was gutted that I didn’t take a camera along today as I underestimated how pretty the fields were already.

I have to say one of my highlights was this lonely poppy peaking its red head through a sea of purple.

We had another spectacular afternoon aside from the moaning from number four and would highly recommend coming over to do some beetle hunting yourselves.

Even though we didn’t have much success the boys still got a sweet for trying hard and I treated them to an ice cream so I could sit and take in the splendid sight for that little bit longer!

Children, Families, Family Life, Flowers, Outdoor Play, Photography, Surrey

Taking Five In The Poppies

by thejoyoffive3 Comments on Taking Five In The Poppies

After a morning of never ending housework, badly behaved children and a monumental change to our Counrty as we know it I decided to pack up a bit of lunch and take the youngest two out in the fresh air and forget about the dreadful morning I had just had.

The other day I had spotted a field of poppies not far from me that looked perfect to explore and take some photos. I adore flowers in their natural surrounding and I know I would love this as much as the lavender fields we visit several times in the summer.

I wasn’t entirely sure if we should have been in the field and the boys were not to happy with me pulling them across a huge muddy area that filled their Crocs with grit and dirt.

Once they were in they loved looking at the vibrant colours that seemed to span for miles.

I only had my phone with me unfortunatly so I think we may need another trip back with my camera very soon.