Top 20 Children's Halloween Books

My Favourite 20 Children's Halloween Books

1. The Halloween Kid- Rhode Montijo
2. Dem Bones- Bob Barner
3. The Hallo-Weiner- Dav Pilkey
4. Spooky Hour- Tony Mitton
5. Moonlight the Halloween Cat- Cynthia Rylant and Melissa Sweet
6. Big Pumpkin- Erica Silverman and S.D. Schlindler
7. Halloween Night- Marjorie Dennis Murray and Brandon Dorman
8. ABC's of Halloween- Patricia Reeder Eubank
9. Halloween Day- Anne Rockwell
10. Wobble the Witch Cat- Mary Calhoun
11. What Was I Scared Of?- Dr Seuss
12. Just Say Boo- Susan Hood and Jed Henry
13. Skeleton Hiccups- Margery Cuyler and S.D. Schindler
14. Funny Bones- Allan Ahlberg and Janet Ahlerg
15. Ghosts in the House- Kazuno Kohara
16. Halloween Sky Ride- Elizabeth Spurr and Ethan Long
17. Goodnight Goon- Michael Rex
18. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown- Charles M. Schulz
19. Working Mummies- Joan Horton and Drazen Kozjan
20. The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid Of Anything- Linda D. Williams and Megan Lloyd

I remember last Winter everyone was raiding the local charity shops for Christmas stories to do a little book Advent to count down the days till Christmas. So I was getting a head start at the weekend when I came across a few Halloween themed stories and decided to do a mini version in the run up to Halloween. It's pretty easy to do. Any books to do with pumpkins, witches, zombies, ghosts, skeletons, monsters goes!

Girls Sweet Nursery Design

A family friend is expecting a little girl so I put together this quick mood board as she wanted something quite traditional with a calming and relaxing colour theme. The perfect shade of pink for a girls room (in my opinion) is Satin Bow by Dulux. I've painted two rooms this shade now and had so many compliments on it. It looks warm in the winter, fresh in the summer, looks fab against white, black, navy.. It basically looks good with a LOT of colours. 

Room Design

I've been asked to design a room and this is the mood board I've come up with. The walls and furniture in the sunlounge are all white and the owners wish to keep them this way, so I wanted to add a few bursts of vibrant colour to freshen the space up. There is an old cabinet that is really not looking its best, and this shade of duck egg blue would really bring out its lovely edges and features, as well as softening the contrast between the crisp white and the splashes of navy and cerise.

N's Room Update

So Noah's room is starting to take shape. All of the furniture were very generous hand me downs from Feather & Black and red shelving from Ikea and I think they go really well with the colour scheme we picked. I didn't want the theme to be too restrictive so that it can be really quickly updated as he grows up and his tastes changed. The art work was a bargain find from the Debenhams clearance sale (all three canvases for £30) but you can currently find similar vintage comic style pieces for sale in B&M.

The Peanut characters we recently purchased during our trip to Bets-y-coed. They have some amazing shops there full of unique toys and gifts and I fully recommend anyone looking for somewhere to visit in the United Kingdom to go check it out. There was a fab book shops with expensive children's designer books a fraction of the price you would find anywhere else, and a shop full of the most amazing sheepskin rugs so we will be picking up some on our next visit to keep our rooms warm and cosy during the winter months. I also spotted this amazing vintage Bagpuss about to be tossed into a skip would you believe! I asked if I could give him a home and after a round in the washing machine he was good to go. The yellow submarine is from Forbidden Planet. A must-go for exceptionally cool, one-of-a-kind toys.

This side of the room is still looking a bit sparse. I'm waiting for the new blind and curtains to be delivered. I've purchased some multi-coloured pom pom trim to add to the curtains to give this corner a splash of colour. I'm also thinking of getting some huge Kelly Green velvet cushions from H&M Home to brighten up the bed, and a few other wall details to bring it all together.

This table is usually covered with a huge mountain of books Noah likes to read before bed. At the moment he's loving these Goodnight Darth Vader bed time stories which are short and sweet.

Cable & Cotton are an amazing company that do beautiful and colourful lighting. I've been recommending them to everyone I know. Such a fun and simple way to jazz up a room. You can pick the length and the colour combinations to go with your colour scheme so they can be as subtle or as bold as you would like. Another nice idea would be to use them as Christmas lights. They look so pretty when it is bed time, really calming and therapeutic (ideal for getting a night owl off to sleep!)

The ever growing collection of action figurines. I think there are about five more now. Where as I was obsessed with Barbies when I was little, N is absolutely crazy about 'his boys'.

Christmas kicks. This boy has some serious footwear. Shoe envy.

Getting Ready for Winter

The weather has suddenly gotten much cooler and we're beginning to feel that winter will soon be upon us. We've been digging around for our old long johns and wooly socks in preparation and trying to go on as many walks whilst the weather is still nice. Here are a few pictures from our adventures. I've noticed I haven't been taking as many pictures as we used to. A sign of the changing times. Now that N is growing up he's so full of energy that every second is on the move and chances to sit still and capture the memory with a photo are very rare.
Winter is definitely our favourite season. Donning wellies and thick warm coats, long frosty walks, drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows when we get through the door and doing tonnes of painting, baking and cooking when it's just too murky and rainy to get out for long. Plus it's the one time of the year when you don't mind piling on a few extra pounds. Christmas will soon be here and I cannot wait! I think this year will be the first one that N really gets into the swing of things and has an understanding about what's going on. He seems more interested in helping pick presents for other people than choosing what he would like which is rather sweet. I love how he is such a generous and giving little boy. He's always really thoughtful and sweet towards others and that is so nice to see.

The Little One's Room

Sneak Peek! So we finally got around to decorating the little one's room. After much deliberation we decided not to go with a particular theme so that pieces could be added or taken away as his tastes mature. We'll be adding the finishing touches soon. All that is left to do are the curtains with black tassel trimming and I need to get cracking on the three pieces of art work that will adorn the walls opposite his bed. So far so good though. It's exactly how I imagined. I wanted a colour that looked like a velvety night's sky. Something dark, soothing and rather cozy. The shade we went for in the end is the Dulux Sapphire Springs in Shade 1 in the matte finish. His room is quite small so I wanted to go for a rather bold colour and this inky hue is just perfect. The night light is from Ikea and the pop of yellow works really well against the dark blue. The bedding is also an Ikea purchase and reversible, with a dark grey side for Winter and a white side which will look good in the Summer months. He absolutely loves hanging out in his 'little cave' as he calls it and he sleeps so well in there. Mission accomplished. Will update with more pictures once it is complete.

Brightening up a dull Autumn day

How sweet is this little bouquet? I popped into Aldi for some of their award winning Prosecco and could not resist picking up some lovely flowers at the same time. The picture doesnt do them justice, the vase was overflowing with flowers and tiny buds beginning to blossom.. And it only cost £15! Much prettier than the usual bunch you might pick up from Tesco for around the same price. Aldi is definitely the place to go to if you want to grab some fragant flowers to freshen up your home and brighten up a rainy day. It also cannot be beaten on its selection of wines and bubbly. Add to your basket some continental chocolates and you have yourself the perfect last minute Birthday gift for a fraction of the price you would pay elsewhere. I find flowers so therapeutic and soothing. When I'm older I'll definitely be one of those little old ladies you see on a Summer's day, pottering about in the garden and tending to all the roses and flower beds with a dozen fat overfed cats relaxing on the front lawn. My Grandmother has always cared for all the local strays in her neighbourhood so the 'Cat Lady' gene is definitely in my blood.