Artline Monday - Half term ideas

How are you enjoying half term? Are your children bored already? Well I’ve got a few ideas for you today to keep them busy until they go back to school!

Half term ideas - created with Artline pens

Rock painting

My girls love it when we paint rocks together!  Some of them we keep to hide around our garden and some we give to family and friends as little gifts, the rest of the rocks we take out with us to hide for anyone to find and we wonder about where they will end up.  There are quite a few posts on this blog about how to get started and ideas for things you can paint, you can find them all here.  If you want to know if anyone is painting and hiding rocks in your area check on Facebook to see if there is a local group and then you can go on a rock hunting adventure too!

Put up or make a tent

Some of my favourite childhood memories are of being in a tent in the back garden with my brother and our friends, if you have a tent why don't you pop it up outside?  If you don't have a tent it is fun to try and make one out of blankets, sheets and pegs, you just need to be creative with planning it out!

Have a pj day

PJ days are the best, especially if it is raining!  If you have a day where you don't need to leave the house this week then tell everyone to keep on their pjs and spend the day playing board games and watching your favourite films together.  Don't forget the snacks and a fluffy blanket if it's a bit chilly too!

Visit the library

If you are lucky enough to still have a local library, take advantage of it and go and choose some books to borrow!  There might even be some fun sessions on over the holiday so it's worth asking the staff if they have any children's activities taking place.

Do some baking

Even if you're no where near "Bake Off" standard it is still nice to get in the kitchen and make some thing together.  We quite often make fairy cakes and cupcakes using packet mixes and sometimes cookies out of a roll of premade dough, I'm not great in the kitchen but I try!

Arts and crafts

There are nearly two years worth of Artline arts and crafts posts on this blog, take a look through them and see what takes your fancy!  I think my all time favourite craft was the cute cloud bookmark but you can find all the other posts here.

Have I missed out your favourite holiday activity, let me know and maybe we can try it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Lamy Safari fountain pen in rose powder

If you don't already know Lamy is a German company who have been designing and making all kinds of pens since 1966.  I am a big fan of their fountain pens and I have a small collection of them at home.  When I saw their new pastel range I thought it would be nice for me to review one as they are very popular at the moment so I reached out to Lamy and they said they would send me one for this post.  I chose the rose powder pen but it really was a close call between that and the blue macaron and mint glaze colours, they are all just so pretty!

Anyway, here she is in all her glory!  Isn't she lovely?

Lamy Safari fountain pen in rose powder

I absolutely adore the pale pink shade they used for this pen, it reminds me a little of strawberry milkshake and other sweet treats like cupcakes and macarons!

Pen test in my notebook

The Safari range was first released in the 1980's and is still a firm favourite today!  Lamy introduce new colours each year but the overall design stays the same, why mess with perfection?

Design points of the Safari fountain pen:

• Made from ABS plastic
• Black chromium-plated steel nib
• Spring loaded pocket clip (usually silver in colour)
• Triangular grip
• View window for ink cartridge

Triangular grip for comfort

The pen is made from a sturdy plastic so it feels quite substantial in your hand but without being too heavy and the ergonomic grip is designed to help you hold it comfortably, making it perfect for writing letters, lists or taking lots of notes at work or school!  The whole pen (apart from the nib and clip) is the same colour unlike the Lx and Al-Star ranges which have a transparent black grip section instead.  

Medium silver steel nib

This pen comes with a medium nib but if you prefer a different size you can change this as replacement nibs are sold separately.  Talking of nibs, one of the main reasons I love Lamy fountain pens is because they write beautifully, they don't skip or drag as you use them and I've never had one leak on me!

There is a cartridge of blue ink in the box so you can start using your pen straight away.  When the blue ink runs out I think I will replace it with a nice pink one, let me know if you have any recommendations!

Pretty, pastel perfection

I really can't fault the Safari fountain pen, I have been using my green one for the last three years and it's still great!  It is a fantastic "everyday" pen, you can pop it into your bag, pen loop or pocket without worrying about it getting scratched or damaged and for under £20 it's a bargain!  If you want to start using a fountain pen or are looking for a nice, shiny new one then I would definitely recommend a Safari!

If you want to check out the other colours available you can find them all on the Lamy website and if you want to see my fountain pens you can find them here!

Thank you to Jessica from Lamy for sending me this beautiful pen and thank you to you too for stopping by and reading my review!


Do you love the pastels collection?  Let me know which is your favourite!


*Disclaimer - this pen was given to me free of charge for the purpose of this review, as always all opinions are honest and my own.

Artline Monday - World Meditation Day

Tomorrow is World Meditation Day, a time to focus on yourself and your wellbeing.  I have been thinking about ways I can unwind recently so when I discovered this day it felt a little serendipitous!  I am definitely going to give it a go tomorrow and if it helps me it might become part of my daily routine!

World meditation day - created with Artline pens

The best way to celebrate this day is by making an effort to relax and clear your mind, whether that is by finding a quiet spot and sitting there while you try to calm the thoughts whizzing around your brain or by doing some yoga or other physical activity that helps you find peace.

If you can, take some time tomorrow and find a place where you feel at ease and relaxed.  This could be outside in your garden or somewhere with a nice view or you could sit in your lounge or lay on your bed.  Then get into a comfortable position, close your eyes and focus on your breathing, slow your breathing right down, inhale for 7 seconds, hold it for 5 seconds and then exhale for 7 seconds.  Try to let go of all your thoughts and clear your mind.  Even if you don't master the art of mediation straight away you should feel more relaxed and less tense after you have spent some quiet time focusing on yourself and your breathing. 


Do you already meditate or are you thinking about giving it a go?  I'd love to know!