It's been a long minute...

Hey! 

It's been a long minute since I last posted here on Glasgow Mummy! How have you been?

I wanted to provide you with a wee update on the latest in my world...

Well, wasn't the Covid pandemic an experience to say the least!! It felt so surreal at times, and I also can't get over the devastation that it caused. It's been a wake up call, that's for sure.

Since I last wrote, I've left my employment in the pharmaceutical industry and am instead following other creative pursuits that truly light me up! I do still work in pharma, but on a part-time basis as a consultant whilst I build and grow my other businesses.

I qualified as a transformational life coach in 2021, and am working with mums starting out in business as a productivity coach and business mentor. I love that I can bring to the table my 13 years of corporate project management experience into this space. 

I'm also an artist, and sell my unique and colourful abstract art via my website shop.

You'll find me blogging on all things productivity, personal development, small business, creativity and art over on my new website, www.sarahstewart.co.uk

I also write a weekly newsletter, which you can subscribe to here.

Lastly, if you want to hit me up on Instagram (where I hang out most days!), you'll find me here:

@sarahstewart.co.uk

@sarahstewart_art

@sarahstewart_wellness

@veritythevw

Best,

Sarah x

Crafting - Washi Tape Inspiration

I am absolutely loving Washi tape. The first tape that I bought wasn't very adhesive, but I've had better success with the mt brand. There is such a huge selection available and I'm struggling not to buy all of them!! I've been using my tape to display my Violet + Percy word garlands, decorate my FiloFax and make envelopes pretty. It did get me thinking though... what else could the tape be used for? So of course I took to Pinterest to find out!

{Mini Bunting}

How cute are these mini bunting! These would be ideal for party invites or even to decorate a wee dolls house.

{House}

I just love everything about this photograph. The colours, the Washi tape, the star...

{Patterned Wall}

I love the polka dot stickers that you can get, but this is just another way of easily decorating a wall.

{Dipped Legs}

This is a great way to inject some colour and try a new trend without having to fully commit.

{Frame Accent}

Such a good idea to add a pop of colour, and then when your scheme changes you can very easily change the tape!

{Hanging Trees} 

I thought this would make good decorations for any holiday... for example hanging little hearts for Valentine's Day or Easter bunnies

Are you a fan of Washi tape, and what do you use it for?

{Vlog Challenge - Week 4}

This week we went to see Yellow Valley by Starcatchers at the Glasgow Tramway (@GlasgowTramway) as part of the Culture 2014 programme.

After the show we grabbed a snack at the cafe and relaxed in The Hidden Gardens. It was a fantastic afternoon & we all thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Check out the vlog for more!

Yellow Valley at Glasgow Tramway

Yellow Valley

Wild flowers at The Hidden Gardens

My son and his girlfriend ;-)

The Hidden Gardens

Watch the vlog below to find out what this is all about!!

{My New House - Prints for the Hallway}

I've repainted my hallway and as such I've rejigged a few things here and there...

I've now got three black metal frames to fill, and I was thinking of framing some monochrome words or quotes.

Here are my top 5:

PaperInkPrints

lettersonlove

RockTheCustard

lettersonlove

LatteDesign

What do you think? Do you have a favourite? Which 3 should I go for?

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{Matters to You, with John Lewis}

If you haven't already seen the campaign, then take a look at the new John Lewis 'Matters to You' Home Insurance advert... highlighting the emotional side of insuring the things that matter to you.

John Lewis adverts are always so clever aren't they! (I adored the Christmas one last year - massive tear jerker!).

As part of the campaign, John Lewis have launched a children's drawing competition. 

All you have to do is choose your child's masterpiece on the theme 'favourite things / what matters most', photograph it, and write a little bit about what it means to your child, you and how it makes you feel. Would be a great activity for the Easter holidays :-)

To enter head on over to the John Lewis competition site to upload your picture and details. You can find the terms and conditions here. 

There will be four winners, and each winners artwork will be worked up by professional illustrator Emily Woodard which will then be framed with the original into a piece of art to treasure forever.

Here's Emily at work:

The competition closes on 24th April at 10am - so not much time left to enter!

Here's one of my favourite masterpieces that the eldest drew... what matters most to us is our friends and family. We're a sociable family and the kids are confident talking to lots of different people during our daily routines. In this picture, you'll see my two kiddies with the joiner and electrician (we had just moved into our new house and were getting lots of things fixed!!) and that's me as a fairy up in the sky! The eldest's favourite part is their 'jelly hair'!!

{Daughter's 2nd Birthday - a Painting Party}

For my daughter's first birthday party, I hosted an afternoon tea party for family & friends. This year I decided on a smaller affair - a little party for her cousins (six children under 5 years of age!). One of her favourite things to do is paint, so what better than a painting party!

I got lots of inspiration from Pinterest and put together a few ideas.

{The decorations}
Coloured streamers
Lots and lots of brightly coloured balloons

{To eat}
A selection of rolls
Cocktail sausages, crisps & nibbles
Strawberries & grapes
Jelly & cream
Iced biscuits
Paint palette cupcakes

{The cake}
A plain madeira sponge which the kiddies 'painted' with food colouring

{The games}
Painting a canvas using paper plate stencils
Pass the parcel - each kiddie received a packet of pencils and a box of paints for the winner
Musical statues

Here are the pics...:

Presents for the birthday girl 

Busy baking - thank you to Auntie Ali

Streamers from Party Delights (where I also bought some brightly coloured plates, cups & bowls)

Cupcake paint palettes inspired by this pin. I got the wooden palettes from eBay.

Creating their masterpieces (I managed to find cheap canvases from a local cash & carry - they were £2 each). I cut out stencils on paper plates of stars and hearts which I drew using cookie cutter shapes. I was inspired by A Little Learning for Two for this :-)

Note the dust sheets everywhere! We were hoping to be in the garden for this activity, but the weather had other plans!!

Jelly and whippy cream with sprinkles - yum!

Inspired by Sprinkle of Glitter, I recreated some milk bottles with sprinkles and heart straws. 

Sorry for the absolutely rubbish photograph, but you get the idea!

After lunch we then 'painted' the birthday cake with food colouring

The finished cake, complete with sparkler!

My daughter's finished canvas.

The party was a great success. There were enough activities to keep the kiddies entertained and they all left with a piece of cake and a canvas!

{Artwork for a Toddler Bedroom}

As you know, I've been decorating my daughter's new bedroom. So far, so good.... however, I need to get a few more prints to liven up the walls and then she's all set. First stop, etsy... I just love this online site for finding something a bit more unusual and unique. So, here is my round up of some fabulous finds for artwork for a toddler bedroom that I discovered on etsy:

You Are So Cool (why thank you!! lol!) by ohdearmolly

Oh My Deer (I say 'oh dear me'... a lot!) by ilovedesignlondon

Daybreak by soveryhappyart (a bit more grown up, but some fab colours!)

Sugar & Spice by trendypeas

Sweetheart by EmmaGarner

Pug by Wallfry

I fell in love with the dog range of nursery prints by Wallfry, and my daughter absolutely adores dogs! So, I've ended up purchasing three of the dog prints - a greyhound, a beagle and an Old English sheepdog. They are super cute, and I think they're rather funky! I'm sure she'll love them! My plan is to frame them in ornate white frames which I think will look brill on her dusky pink walls.

What are your thoughts? Any favourites?

I'm wondering if I could get the deer print to say 'oh deer me' and then I'd definitely buy it! lol :-)