• Choose Happy! motivational banner
    crafts - die cutting - sewing - Sizzix crafts

    Choose Happy! motivational banner

    July 1, 2016 - By 

    The weather is dull and dreary at the moment, plus I feel totally disorientated by events happening in the UK at the moment. In fact I’m really upset about the decision and what it means for our future. Crafting never fails to cheer me up so today I’m sharing a sweet little sewing project. Over the last week I’ve been tidying up my craft space. I recently bought a large peg board for my little craft corner which is fun to re-arrange. Over on the Sizzix blog I have made a lovely little motivational banner and you can find my…

  • Orla Kiely covered mini chest of drawers
    crafts - homestyle - Orla Kiely - tutorial - upcycling

    Ikea hack – Orla Kiely mini chest of drawers

    June 29, 2016 - By 

    I’m sure everyone has the Moppe mini chest of drawers from Ikea. It’s not cheap but we’ve had ours for years as they are perfect for storing my smaller sewing notions. The only problem I have with things from Ikea, is that everyone has them, so I love to add a personal touch. As an Orla Kiely fan I knew they would look amazing covered with my favourite stem paper, so that’s what I did! image from Ikea I love quick and easy DIY projects but I have to admit – this isn’t one of them. The easy option was…

  • crafts - Kids crafts - Sports crafts - tutorial

    Tour de France inspired bicycle craft for kids

    June 27, 2016 - By 

    We’re surrounded by big sporting events at the moment. We’re still participating in Euro 2016, Wimbledon started today and we have the Tour de France, the Olympics, Tour of Britain and the Paralympics still to look forward to. Our family love to get outdoors and active so all these sporty events are the perfect inspiration for us. Today we’re sharing a really fun Tour de France-inspired bicycle craft for kids – perfect if the weather is keeping you indoors. You will need: a paper plate black permanent pen contact paper scissors coloured pieces of cellophane How to make a Tour…

  • Duck Tape passport cover tutorial
    crafts - Duck Tape crafts - Kids crafts - tutorial

    Duck Tape passport cover tutorial

    June 26, 2016 - By 

    Very early this morning I opened our cabin curtains to see we had docked back at Southampton. After a few days away on Ventura I was pretty glad to be back on firm ground. Just a few days before I had whipped up some colourful Duck Tape passport covers for the family. Duck Tape passport cover tutorial I love crafting with Duck Tape and have a pretty good selection of prints and patterns. This is a bit of a stash buster craft which I was shamed into doing when my 6 year old counted how many rolls of Duck Tape…

  • crafts - garden crafts - Kids crafts - Recycled crafts - Toilet roll crafts - tutorial

    Recycled cardboard tube seed pots

    June 23, 2016 - By 

    Today I’m taking part in Project: recycle and create, a monthly blog celebrating eco-friendly creativity in children. This months theme was cardboard tubes which we always seem to have plenty of, except when you need them! I have been asking everyone to save their cardboard tubes this month so we had a few to play around with to make recycled cardboard tube seed pots. I cut a standard cardboard tube in half using my Swann Morton blade. I placed one half to one side. Using a pair of scissors I cut about a third of the way down the tube.…

  • crafts - Handmade gifts

    Children’s drawings are the funniest thing

    June 21, 2016 - By 

    My children’s drawings are the funniest thing. I’m a bit of a hoarder and keep a lot of their drawings because they really make me smile. My 6 year old recently did a hilarious drawing of The Queen which you can see here. His drawing style has developed a lot since he’s been in Year 1 and I love the pictures he brings home which often feature a mash up of Star Wars and whatever he has been learning in school that day. My 4 year has only recently started drawing people.  We bought a very cool book for her…

  • 9 crafts to celebrate The BFG
    crafts - Kids crafts - Roald Dahl crafts

    The best crafts for kids to celebrate Roald Dahl’s The BFG

    June 21, 2016 - By 

    As huge fans of Roald Dahl and his amazing stories this is a very exciting year. Not only are we celebrating the 100th anniversary of Roald Dahl’s birth, but 2016 also sees the release of the highly anticipated The BFG Movie. We keep seeing trailers for the new film which looks fantastic. The BFG Movie follows the Big Friendly Giant and his new friend Sophie as they set out to stop the horrible Other Giants in Giant Country who love guzzling humans beans. It’s out on July 22nd here in the UK, a date firmly marked on our calendar with a…

  • DIY kid-friendly luggage label
    crafts - die cutting - Sizzix crafts

    DIY kid-friendly luggage label

    June 17, 2016 - By 

    With the summer holidays looming for many, our crafting is taking a practical turn. Today I’m sharing the DIY kid-friendly luggage label tutorial I wrote for the Sizzix blog. This is a fun craft that kids can easily get involved with. We have a large collection of Duck Tapes so they enjoyed picking their favourite but this would also work well with washi tape. Fingers crossed there won’t be any more lost luggage! Hop on over to the Sizzix blog for the full tutorial for my kid-friendly luggage labels. You may be interested in my other Sizzix makes: How to…

  • All Things Crafty box
    crafts - Kids crafts - subscription box

    All Things Crafty box for June

    June 15, 2016 - By 

    I love trying subscription boxes and the latest was the All Things Crafty Box. Each box is full of at least 7 craft activities for kids and each month has a different theme, ours was Insects and Creepy Crawlies as 20-26th June is National Insect Week. Each All Things Crafty Box contains a number of activities and craft supplies aimed at 3-6 years old so this was perfect for my children. It comes in a slim but large box which didn’t fit through our letterbox. It contained: Stanley the friendly pompom spider, Build and stick picture frame, Colour in bug…