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upcycling

9 ways to re-use Scrabble tiles

9 ways to re-use Scrabble tiles

Posted on July 7, 2017 by jenny

I love searching for vintage toys and games in charity shops, especially when the pieces can be upcycled into something else. Scrabble and other letter games are brilliant for upcycling and I’ve made quite a lot with vintage Scrabble tiles. With the end of term fast approaching some of these items could easily be made…

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Upcycled jigsaw puzzle magnets

Upcycled jigsaw puzzle magnets {A-Z Play at Home}

Posted on July 7, 2017 by jenny

Each week I’ve been taking part in the A-Z Play at Home blog hop. This weeks’ letter was J and for once I kew exactly what to make. My children love spotting birds in our little back garden. We have quite a large tree which we’ve hung with bird feeders and the children love nothing…

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How to make a simple cable reel blackboard

How to make a simple cable reel blackboard

Posted on June 28, 2017April 25, 2020 by jenny

A few weeks ago I shared a recent upcycle of a wooden cable reel. We turned it into a fairy house for the children to play with. We actually picked up two cable reels so today I’m going to show you what we did with the other. Cable reels are great and there are so…

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How to build a bug hotel - the gingerbread house blog

How to build a bug hotel {Part 2}

Posted on June 3, 2017March 23, 2020 by jenny

A few weeks ago I mentioned how we started work building our own bug hotel. The kids love learning about all the different animals they see in the garden so we thought a bug hotel would be fun. What we used to build a Bug Hotel bricks flower pot corrugated cardboard bamboo sticks cardboard tubes…

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How to make a cable reel fairy house

How to make a cable reel fairy house

Posted on May 23, 2017May 11, 2020 by jenny

A while ago now we spotted a couple of wooden cable reels and knew they would be fun to upcycle into a fairy toadstool house for the children to play with. My 5 year old loves her fairy play and I thought this would be a great little upcycling project, as well as making something…

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Creating an Easter crate for kids

Creating an Easter crate for kids

Posted on April 2, 2017September 18, 2021 by jenny

I’ve always enjoyed celebrating Easter. Since our children came along Easter has got bigger and bigger. Before there was giving Easter eggs and enjoying a family meal. Now there are Easter Egg hunts, Easter baking, Easter crafts and gifts. My kids love Easter as much as I do but I’m glad it’s not on the…

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Wooden Advent tree {Ikea hack}

Wooden Advent tree {Ikea hack}

Posted on November 30, 2016November 14, 2021 by jenny

Earlier in the summer I attended a tablescaping event as part of the Ikea Autumn/Winter press show. I saw some great Christmas products and knew I would be going to buy some in store. We went to Ikea in October and I was so happy to see they had set up their Christmas displays. I…

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Our homemade wooden sleigh {Book Advent planning}

Posted on November 15, 2016November 14, 2021 by jenny

Last year I really wanted a way to display our Book Advent. A pile of 24 books takes up quite a lot of room but I wanted them to be accessible and not look out of place amongst the Christmas decorations. In previous years I’ve experimented with wrapping them up. One year they were covered…

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painting with Annie Sloan

Orla Kiely inspired stool

Posted on October 14, 2016October 14, 2016 by jenny

I’ve been needing to inject a bit more colour into our living room. I had some Orla Kiely wrapping paper left over and thought it would be perfect for updating our little stool. A while ago I painted it with a Miffy face but it’s been looking a little sad, definitely in need of some…

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Welcome to the gingerbread house blog. I’m Jenny, London mum of two teens. Craft and family lifestyle blogger, occasional baker of gingerbread. Find out more about us, our latest crafts, and be inspired by our days out. Contact me jenny@the-gingerbread-house.co.uk

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Latest posts

  • Creating the Ultimate Summer Play Space June 18, 2026
  • The Weekly Edit {Week 24/2026} June 15, 2026
  • Tobio’s vs. Emily Lex: The Definitive Watercolor Guide June 14, 2026
  • Air-Dry Masterpieces by Hazel Brady {book review} June 13, 2026

2005-2026

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