• Christmas - crafts - gingerbread

    Hama bead gingerbread man

    October 27, 2016 - By 

    I’m trying really hard not to think about Christmas – but pretty much failing miserably! My children are excited about Halloween on Monday and my daughter has her birthday at the end of November. I try to concentrate on my daughter’s birthday but I know a few lots of Christmas crafts will be slipping in during November. A few weeks ago I spotted a cute nursery rhyme themed hama bead set. It included a gingerbread man so I had to buy it for me my children. As soon as my son saw it he wanted to make the gingerbread man. He…

  • festive upcycled sign
    Christmas - Christmas - Crafts for adults - tutorial - upcycling

    Make a festive upcycled sign with lights

    December 18, 2015 - By 

    We love to decorate the house for Christmas and every year we try to add a new decoration to our stash. I love our handmade tradition, my mum always made room for the handmade Christmas decorations we brought home for school and I fully embrace this with my own children too. Harveys asked me to write a post about my favourite Christmas crafts as part of their Harveys Yule Rules. This year we’ve made festive wreaths and tree decorations and a couple of weekends ago we made something larger for the house. Harveys featured the finished craft on their blog…

  • How to bleach bottle brush trees
    Christmas - Christmas - Crafts for adults - tutorial

    How to bleach bottle brush trees

    November 11, 2014 - By 

    This year’s obsession is house-shaped tea light holders. We recently put up two long shelves in our living room. They’re really long and high up enough so they can’t be taken over by my 4 year old and his obsession with making displays of his toys. I’ve accumulated a small collection of tea light holders and I’ve made them into a little village, complete with sweet little bottle brush trees. I was aiming for a green and white theme but a few red houses have slipped in so I thought I would mix up the colour even more by bleaching…

  • Christmas - gingerbread - Handmade gifts

    10 gingerbread foods to bake

    September 28, 2014 - By 

    You know by now that I love gingerbread, not just at Christmas but all year round. I’ve drawn up a little list of 10 of my favourite gingerbread foods to bake. We love making gingerbread men as much as anyone but some of these are just a little bit different and so much fun. 10 gingerbread foods to bake You can make gingerbread biscuits in any shape or size. I’ve been collecting vintage cookie cutters for years and my children love to rifle through the collection to choose their favourites. I have a never fail gingerbread recipe and sometimes the…

  • Christmas - Christmas - gingerbread - gingerbread house - Kids crafts - tutorial

    15 gingerbread activities for kids

    September 21, 2014 - By 

    My children love to hear the classic story of the gingerbread boy all year round so I thought it might be fun to look for some related activities. Here our 15 brilliant gingerbread activities for kids. 15 gingerbread activities for kids I love this idea of crafting a gingerbread house themed puffy paint shadow box from Teach Preschool. I’ve never made our own puffy paint but it sounds simple, and I think I might try adding some ground gingerbread for a full on sensory experience. My children love to use their hands so gingerbread playdough is a favourite activity. For…

  • easy handmade flower pot snowpeople
    Christmas - crafts - garden crafts - handmade - tutorial - upcycling

    Winter activities for small people

    December 27, 2013 - By 

    I hope you’ve all had a lovely Christmas. Not that our winter holiday is over but I have let out a small sigh of relief that presents have been opened and enjoyed and several big meals have been cooked and eaten. My two little people have not let Christmas get in their way and have been wanting to be crafty regardless of their piles of presents. We’ve had playdough, practising our writing, colouring and stamping as well as outdoor family activities including a couple of walks, a trip to the park with their scooters and taking my son’s model boat…

  • Christmas

    Something special for someone special

    December 27, 2013 - By 

    I have to be honest and say that my children were totally spoilt over Christmas. What with extra large stockings, presents from Father Christmas and family our house is now resembling a toy shop. I’m sure I’m not the only parent who was guilty of spending too much but it was totally worth it to see how happy my children were opening their presents and playing with their new toys. Something special for someone special Just before Christmas I was contacted about an initiative which aimed to give people a little bit extra this Christmas. I was given a voucher…

  • Christmas - competition - crafts - handmade

    Mollie Makes giveaway

    January 14, 2013 - By 

    I’m a bit late in reviewing Mollie Makes Christmas but it’s a lovely book and well worth getting hold of. I’ve long been a fan of Mollie Makes and Mollie Makes Christmas brings together a collection of different projects from Mollie Makes magazine’s favourite designers. Perfect for those who love to make their own decorations and gifts, the book features over 20 projects to knit, crochet, fold, stitch and sew. I recognised some of the names of the contributors but many were new to me and I love discovering new designers. The book appeals to me on lots of levels;…

  • Christmas - crafts - handmade

    Christmas Eve traditions

    December 24, 2012 - By 

    I can’t quite believe it’s Christmas Eve. After months of planning I must admit the only thing I hadn’t really thought about was the food, resulting in a last minute dash around the supermarket at the weekend! We’re slowly starting our own family traditions. This year the children have lovely new pyjamas to go to bed in. We’ve got a selection of Christmas films to watch and books to read. We are looking forward to the minute my husband finishes work (luckily he works from home) so we can really start Christmas. Tonight we’ll be leaving out some treats for…