• crafts - Crafts for adults - Halloween crafts - handmade - Kids crafts - tutorial

    No-Carve Pumpkin ideas

    As much as I love Halloween I never actually want to spend my time pumpkin carving. This year we’ve done things a little differently. We purchased our pumpkin from Waitrose along with a couple of cute munchkins (mini pumpkins) and they make a great display on our dining room table. The toddler has been going on and on about carving the pumpkin but instead of reaching for the knife I grabbed my washi tape collection instead. Easy No-Carve Pumpkin ideas How about using washi tape for a no carve pumpkin? No mess and you can change the expression as often…

  • crafts - Crafts for adults - handmade - tutorial

    How to make a Cozy Cone Motel

    My 3 year old has been a huge fan of the Disney Cars films for a while now. He still loves Thomas & Friends but he loves to play with all his cars and watch the films if we’ve had a busy day. I’ve been on the look out for some simple crafts to enhance his playing and found a great idea on Pinterest to recreate Sally Carrera’s Cozy Cone Motel in Radiator Springs. Easy Cozy Cone Motel This was a really simple craft. I spotted a couple of orange cones in a charity shop and when I got them…

  • crafts - Crafts for adults - handmade - tutorial - vintage

    Things to do with Scrabble tiles – Scrabble bathroom sign

    I can often be found scouring my local charity shops for vintage Scrabble sets. I don’t collect them to play Scrabble, which is a shame as it’s a great game, but I use the Scrabble tiles for crafting! Take a look at my latest post about Scrabble tiles over on PinAddicts if you need some inspiration. I thought it was about time I actually made something with them, other than my Scrabble-inspired tile biscuits. When we moved into our house the most noticeable thing was the number of empty picture hooks around each room. The place had been covered with…

  • crafts - Crafts for adults - handmade - Playmobil Playologist

    Crafting with Playmobil

    I’m pretty delighted to tell you that I’ve been featured by Mammasaurus as part of the weekly Parenting Pin It Party. I’m all about having fun with a glue gun and my Playmobil clock is one of my favourite projects so far. I have more Playmobil fun for you today as I just can’t resist those colourful little plastic people! You know I love to hang around on Pinterest and I’m sure you’ve all seen the animal topped glass jars which have been spray painted one colour. How to make Playmobil jar toppers I thought it would be fun to…

  • crafts - Crafts for adults - handmade - Recycled crafts - tutorial

    Pinned it, made it – Playmobil Clock

    I have a very special make to show you today, I’m quite proud of this one! The toddler is really interested in telling the time and we bought him his first digital watch last week. We’re in the process of re-decorating his room so when I saw a colourful clock made with Playmobil people on Pinterest (pinned here) I knew I had to try making it myself. Equipment needed to make a Playmobil clock: Vintage Playmobil figures pegboard painted white clock mechanism glue gun and glue How to make an upcycled Playmobil clock Playmobil is very popular in our house…

  • crafts - Crafts for adults - handmade - sewing

    Dyeing wool blankets

    There’s something lovely about old wool blankets. They feel lovely and are easy to transform into something useful, thank goodness we no longer need them on our beds. I’ve been on the lookout for vintage wool blankets for ages and recently bought a double blanket in perfect condition in a charity shop in Frome for only £3.99. They seem to be getting harder to find but I was really pleased with this one. It still had its original label and was an unusual peach colour. Dyeing wool blankets It was too big to use so I cut it into several…

  • birthday - crafts - Crafts for adults - handmade

    How to make a Lightning McQueen piñata

    The toddler turned 3 a couple of week ago and for the last couple of months has been a little obsessed with the films Cars and Cars 2. He still loves his Thomas the Tank Engine but I’d say every day he’ll spend a little more time with his collection of Cars. Thanks to Christmas and birthday presents he now has quite a collection of both. A bit like his Thomas obsession, he also has to wear Cars-themed clothing, eat and drink from Cars plates and cups and has a bedroom covered in posters of cars! Anyway, for his birthday…

  • Chinese New Year crafts - crafts - Crafts for adults - handmade - sewing

    5 minute fortune cookie (for Chinese New Year)

    It feels like the New Year has brought lots of crafting opportunities with it and the toddler and I have been busy. Chinese New Year will be celebrated on February 10th, so we’ve made some fabric fortune cookies that look good enough to eat. They were really quick to make, so perfect for a cold afternoon. Supplies needed to make 5 minute fortune cookies You will need: a 4 inch circle (we drew round a can from the kitchen cupboard on a piece of cardboard) a 5 inch square of felt a 5 inch square of fabric a different fortune,…

  • baking - Christmas - Crafts for adults

    Simple Christmas cupcake wreath

    When Whitworths challenged me to use their new baking sugars at home they asked me to try a couple of recipes from their own website and one of my own. So far I’ve made Butternut Squash soup using Whitworths Light Soft Brown Sugar, and Honeycomb Crunch using Whitworths Granulated Sugar. Both recipes were pretty simple and delicious. Simple Christmas cupcake wreath Most of my thoughts are now on the festive season so it made sense to bake something yummy with a seasonal twist. I thought of an edible seasonal wreath, a Christmas cupcake wreath! I made the wreath in a couple of…