Free Halloween Printables!

If you've got plans for tomorrow night - whether it's a full blown party, a spot of trick or treating, or just a cosy night in with the poison of your choice - I've got some great ideas for the finishing touches for you!

Firstly, I've created this free A4 Hocus Pocus Halloween Print for you - just click here to get your free download and print it off!*

If you're hosting a party these free printable Halloween wine labels will help everyone keep track of their drinks (the labels are best printed onto heavy paper, such as 160gsm card or gloss photo paper):*

Or if you're feeling a bit ogre-like and don't want to be disturbed by trick or treaters, simply print off this free A4 Halloween door poster for your door:*

If you're looking for even more great free printables, decorations, games and things to do, I've created a special Halloween Pinterest board too - packed full of ideas that are all free!

Have a spookylicious night tomorrow!
Sarah x

* Free for personal use. Not for commercial use or resale. Copyright PhotoFairytales.co.uk

PhotoFairytales - websites through the ages...

When a new baby arrives one of the first things new parents do is whip out the camera and snap every little movement, smile, milestone that their gorgeous newborn makes. Of course, why wouldn't you? And it doesn't stop there of course, we're madly photographing and recording them through every step of their lives, one way or another.

So, that got me thinking: (apart from my human 'baby', and my 'fur babies', of course!) my 'baby' is my business, and yet the emphasis with that is always about changing and improving, moving forward and evolving - never marking anything for posterity, or remembering times past. So wouldn't it be great to flip through some old images of how it looked when it was a newborn?!

OK, this might not be of huge interest to you if you haven't known me or my website for long, but - in the same way you react when someone shows you their baby photo album - bear with me, be polite: especially as PhotoFairytales was, erm, actually quite an ugly baby!

So by harnessing the power of the internet, I've been able to get some screenshots of PhotoFairytales through the years. I couldn't find one from right back at the beginning (2009), but I did manage to find one from 2011...

Like I say, PhotoFairytales was an ugly baby! I thought it looked so good at the time - but all those colours and all that busy-ness.. what was going through my head?!

Moving forward 2 years to 2013, and things are starting to look a bit better:

Still a bit busy and cluttered, but at least the colours are easier to live with now! I've even got a proper logo...

This is how it looked back in May 2016 - or what I think I'll call "The Wordy Year" (I obviously wanted to get my message across quick: look at all that reading you had to do!). Prettier colours though.

And finally, this is what it looks like today: less cluttered, a more streamlined colour scheme, and a lot less reading to do!:

I think from now on I'm going to make it a 'thing' to take a screenshot before I do any major changes to my website - just for old time's sake. And that way, any time I fancy a wander down memory lane - or a laugh at my old website skills - I can have a flick through my 'PhotoFairytales Through the Ages Album'!

Which one do you think looks best (and please don't say "the first one"!)?

Sarah x

Your Autumn 'To Do' List

I'm on the mailing list for a certain DIY chain that sends out emails telling me the jobs I need to do in my garden that month... and I must admit, I usually cast them to the bin. I mean, I don't really need to be told I should be out raking up leaves or top dressing the grass - especially when I'd much rather be doing pretty much anything else!

So, I thought I'd create my own 'Jobs to do this Autumn' list, but something a bit more fun - full of things we'd all enjoy ticking off!

Top 12 things to do this Autumn, simple, cheap, fun and cosy

Top 12 fun things to do this Autumn

1. Re-read an old favourite book - got a book that you read many moons ago, that you remember fondly? One that you've read a few times already perhaps? This is the time of year for sticking your nose in a good book, so why not dig out an old book that you know you loved the first time around? I'm planning on revisiting 'Wuthering Heights' again - I loved it when I read it in my teens, so it will be interesting to see if I still do!
2. Get the blankets out - it's all about being cosy at this time of year. It may not be quite cold enough to turn on the heating properly yet, so having a couple of gorgeous throws in the living room that you can snuggle under will be perfect.
3. Candle Power - we had a power cut here at home last weekend, which meant we had to dig out the candles and it was so cosy! It was actually secretly disappointing when the power came back on... maybe we should schedule in a pre-planned power cut every now and then? No telly, the low glow of candles, and a card game with the family, or swapping ghost stories!
4. Leaf kicking - I mean, who doesn't enjoy kicking the leaves about at this time of year?! Fun for all the family!
5. Fall down a Pinterest rabbit hole - figuratively speaking! Anyone who's ever spent so much as 2 minutes on Pinterest will know how easy it is for one click to lead to another. Why not plan an evening or afternoon of pinning and creating a few new boards? Ideas for the garden for the spring, storage ideas, gorgeous bathrooms, a new haircut, creative things to do with toilet rolls, whatever - you'll be inspired! Make a start by visiting my own Autumn inspired board on Pinterest by clicking here.
6. Bake a cake and have some hot chocolate - we've been good, we've spent the summer eating salads and drinking plenty of water, so why not take a day off and do some baking? Coffee & Walnut, Lemon Drizzle, Brownies? Dig out the recipe book or have a Google and get your mouth watering...
7. Start (casually) thinking about Christmas! It might be a bit early for some, but if you have a few hours spare why not grab a notebook and start planning? Get ahead of the game with gift ideas, recipe planning, dates for your diary, and a spot of online shopping!
8. Watch an old movie - something black and white or in glorious technicolour! An old favourite that isn't demanding, doesn't bear any relation to modern life, and will whisk you away to a different world for a couple of hours.
9. Invite friends or family round for Sunday lunch - stick a joint in the oven, get everyone to bring a side dish or dessert (and bottle of wine), and have a relaxing time full of good company and banter.
10. Visit your local park - the trees look amazing at this time of year, full of colour. Go for a stroll or a bike ride and enjoy the colours. Head to your nearest city and have a wonder around the park. Or failing that maybe you have an arboretum or some woods near you, or perhaps a stately home with grounds open to the public?
11. Visit the seaside - I know it sounds weird, but in my opinion the BEST time to visit the seaside is in the autumn and winter! Wrap up warm and go for a bracing walk along the prom. You might be lucky and find a kiosk that's still open and selling freshly made hot doughnuts rolled in sugar...
12. Go stargazing - the earlier nights are perfect for star spotting. You may need to head out into the countryside to get away from the glow of lights, but pick a clear night, bundle up warm and take a flask of something warming - and maybe a slice of that cake you baked in step 6...

Sarah x

Now a favourite blogger on MyBump2Baby!

If you're a parent to a pre-schooler or expecting a baby, I'm sure you'll love MyBump2Baby - it's a website and free app packed full of support and reviews from other parents, advice, events, directories, news and information. Lots of features to make a parent's life a little easier! A great resource that's completely free to use, the site is the UK’s fastest growing pregnancy to pre-school directory.

...and I'm delighted to announce that my blog has been chosen as one of MyBump2Baby's favourite blogs, and is featured on the site and app too!

Sarah :)

WIN a free personalised handmade baby board book worth £28.50!

I'm working on a brand new design to add to my range of personalised handmade board books for Christmas - and I need your help!

The new design will have a Christmas theme, and I'm looking for suggestions for a book title. The person with the winning suggestion will will their very own laminated board book, worth £28.50!

For full details on how to enter just click the Competitions, Discounts & Giveaways tab above!

Sarah x