I have a tiny set of watercolours which every now and again, when I have 2 minutes, I get them out and make something with. I start lots of ideas, trying things out for another day when I have more time!

The boys always want to have a turn and to try and save my precious brushes and paints from being mixed to oblivion I promised them a better game.

Water pistol water colours!

All you need is water, food colouring, (colours of your choice) pistols and paper. I'd suggest a thick paper or card, or stack your sheets and watch the colours seep through making more abstract art. 

Mix your colours with a few drops of food colouring. This takes seconds to mix as opposed to watering down children's paint. You don't even need to stir!

The tricky part is filling the pistols as the nozzle is so small! But I suggest using a small jug.

Then have fun!

The last part is making sure you do lots of oohs and aahs at the mini abstract masterpieces!

Shoot a single colour and you can cut out cute hearts to make bunting.

Happy, simple days.

Linking up this half term activity idea with Tuesday Tutorials and Parenting Pin it Party

Ok, so we had big news this week.

We made an offer for a forever house in the Somerset countryside and on Thursday it got accepted.

Wooooooo hoooooooo!

I literally jumped with both feet off the air and did a silent dance with Rich, whilst still on the phone to the estate agent!

It's felt like an eternity finding a house, losing 2 and spending what feels like every waking minute checking Rightmove and Zoopla. Even my in laws have been chained to iPads and laptops on holiday, trawling the listings on the property sites and losing hours clicking through house photos.

But we found one. We were actually going to view a different house when we chose to have a quick diversion to the forever house. I had asked for an official viewing but the estate agent couldn't fit us in and so instead suggested a drive by initially to see if we like the look and feel of the house and area. 

As we drove through the tiny village I knew we were about to see something special and as soon as we pulled up to the front of the house we could feel this was the one.

I jumped out of the car and snapped a few photos of the front. A symmetrical house with a door in the middle and windows either side, just like you would draw as a child, and as luck would have it the lady of the house popped her head out and said hello.

We introduced ourselves and explained we were on route to another viewing but had just 5 minutes for a quick peek outside. 

As we walked around the back of the house I almost cried and whispered to Rich "This is the one." It had me at the giant peonies.

From the cottage front garden to the secret walled are to the office barn above the garages, to the lawn "Where the family play croquet" said the owners, we had fallen in love.

There was just something to discover around every corner. They have cultivated the most beautiful garden in the 30 years they have lived at the house.

I said to the owners as we walked around admiring the flowers, the first thing I would do, if we were lucky enough to buy your house is to string fairy lights all over the pergola!

I know it may seem like tempting fate, to share the house before we have exchanged, but do you know what, it's more fun to share!

I want to enjoy every second of the excitement. This time it feels we have found our home. A forever home.

15 days to exchange! Ready, steady go!

Linking up with #hdygg and Mammasaurus

After discovering the Somerset Flower Farm last year I have popped back regularly for a bunch of their beautiful home grown flowers which I love photographing and sharing with you.

So can you imagine my giddiness when yesterday I went to help style and photograph their new website imagery?!

There is something so precious and delicate about knowing where the flowers actually come from. To see them being cut and wrapped for you to take home feels even more of a special treat. I loved how the boys were fascinated with the farm - you can read about our visit here.

Flowers are my luxury item! I fill the house with little jars, vases and bowls with fresh flowers and make one bunch work really hard!

Not only does the flower farm sell stems you can buy there and then, to take home and make your house pretty, Mandy will make up bespoke bouquets whilst you browse her vintage china, glassware, crockery and more, you can also order your wedding flowers straight from the farm.

I can't wait for Mandy to start her workshops too. As soon as I know more I will share it with you!

I was in heaven. A hot sunny day, a shady spot to set up our photo shoots and hazy sunshine across the fields.

The flower farm is a rustic paradise. It's not a perfectly staged shop, it's organic, in every way. And each time I visit, it's character and charm has evolved. Mandy's talented creative eye means that the barn shop is bursting with wonderful displays, little vessels bursting with colour and texture. 

But despite it's rustic charm you get an overwhelming feeling of opulence. Flower varieties you will never see in a supermarket and buckets teaming with stems so long you need to look twice to appreciate their raw state. Not the perfectly packaged, tied with an elastic band varieties, just bucket after bucket teaming with buds, it's like the best pic and mix in the world!

Here are some of my favourites! Apart from a little sharpening here and there, this is how they are. The colours are so vivid and needed no editing at all! The giant rose was the star of the show!

The photo shoot was intense and exhausting but wonderful at the same time! Mandy and I bounced off each other and established a friendship yesterday. The most important thing for me from a product shoot is to be able to give the talented client as much material as possible, to share in different ways and at different times of the year.

The flower farm photos need to work for all types of social media (think cropped square for Instagram, portrait for Pinterest, nice banners for Facebook cover photos etc), for their new website and that represent different seasons or celebrations. Of course, with flowers they are a seasonal entity! But Mandy and I tried to capture different atmospheres so she has lots of content to share all year round. Real photos in the actual setting, not perfectly light studio shots. I hope I captured the essence of Mandy and Ken's beautiful business and can't wait to see the new website live.

Make sure you follow @SomersetFlowerFarm so you can be spoilt with lots of lovely floral photos and news!