• Jyn Erso's Death Star cookies - the gingerbread house
    baking - gingerbread - Star Wars crafts

    Jyn Erso’s Death Star cookies

    January 7, 2017 - By 

    Having a 6 year old who is obsessed with Star Wars can be hard work. Since watching Rogue One and receiving lots of books about it at Christmas, means every time he opens his mouth he’s talking about Star Wars. I’ve seen the film too, and loved it. My children went back to school this week and I wanted to make them a fun after school snack. You know I love making gingerbread so I made a batch of gingerbread cookies, and named them Jyn Erso’s Death Star cookies. “That’s no moon. It’s a space station.“ If you’ve watched Rogue…

  • Mistletoe sun catcher against a blue sky
    Christmas - crafts - Kids crafts - Recycled crafts - tutorial

    Mistletoe sun catcher

    January 6, 2017 - By 

    Mistletoe is such a pretty plant. We usually buy a bunch in December to hang inside our home – the perfect thing to grab a Christmas kiss under! This year we couldn’t find any to bring indoors so we decided to make our own mistletoe sun catcher. Mistletoe sun catcher craft for kids We used: cellophane wrappers from sweets, contact paper and white card. First I drew a piece of mistletoe on a sheet of white card. I cut out the mistletoe using my scalpel and cutting mat but you could do this with scissors. I covered one side with…

  • EmbellishBox - monthly templates for paper cutting
    crafts - handmade - Paper craft - Paper cut art - subscription box

    EmbellishBox monthly templates for paper cutting {subscription box}

    January 4, 2017 - By 

    Last year I really embraced paper cutting. I love paper cutting. It requires few materials and seems to take up less room than my sewing stuff. It’s also easier to put down and pick up again which is why I have a folder full of paper cuts! Having worked my way through Cut It Out! by Poppy Chancellor I was looking for more designs to cut out. I bought a few books from Amazon and then heard about the Embellish Box. This is a monthly subscription box for paper cutters. It sounded great so I bought myself a box and…

  • Issue 74 Mollie Makes Dachshund Brooch Kit
    crafts - handmade - Mollie Makes crafts - sewing

    Mollie Makes Dachshund Brooch Kit

    January 3, 2017 - By 

    Every month I challenge myself to make the Mollie Makes magazine cover gift. I’ve subscribed since it first came out and have a drawer full of unopened kits – but no more! I’ve been making more time for grown up crafting and I love to make the kits and hopefully try something new. I’ve been terrible lately, the last few kits haven’t been very inspiring but I did want to make the latest one. Issue 74 Mollie Makes Dachshund Brooch Kit The Mollie Makes Dachshund Brooch Kit was designed by Alina Bunaciu of Hana Letters. The kit contained everything needed…

  • Monday Happy List - hot chocolate
    Lego - mindfulness - Monday Happy List

    Monday Happy List – week 119

    January 2, 2017 - By 

    I love the period between Christmas and New Year. My husband had taken the whole time as annual leave so we were able to relax and went to my mum’s house for a few days. My weekly Happy List helps me be mindful of the small things which have happened in the previous week. If you do something twice does that make it a tradition? I hope so. On Boxing Day we went to our local Pantomime. It was bad but in a good way and everyone seemed to enjoy it. It felt like everyone received Lego for Christmas except…

  • 24 Elf on the Shelf ideas that work
    Christmas - Elf on the Shelf

    24 Elf on the Shelf ideas that work

    January 1, 2017 - By 

    Apologies, this is going to be a picture heavy post. For the last few years we’ve been visited by an elf. He arrives on December 1st with our Advent crate and disappears on the 24th, leaving us a Christmas Eve crate. I see a lot of negative press about Elf on the Shelf and I’m not really sure why. He is not there to shock the children into behaving. In fact he’s a little silly and tries to do something different every day to make them smile. My children are 5 and 6 so I’m not sure how long they…

  • 9 New Year’s Eve Party Ideas For Kids
    crafts - handmade - New Year crafts

    9 New Year’s Eve Party Ideas For Kids

    December 31, 2016 - By 

    After the success of our Christmas Eve box I wanted to repeat the idea with a New Year’s Eve box! The children know that we are coming to the end of 2016. It’s been a long time since I went out on New Year’s Eve but there’s no reason not to celebrate at home with the children and make some special family memories. This year I’ll be recycling our Christmas Eve box but I’m going to try and buy another if my husband lets me visit Ikea anytime soon! My children love to party so I’ve come up with 9 New Year’s…

  • New Year recycled bells craft for New Year
    crafts - New Year crafts - Recycled crafts

    New Year bells craft for kids

    December 30, 2016 - By 

    I can’t mark the passing of an old year and the start of a new year without making something. Our recycling bin is full so I took the opportunity to rescue a couple of yoghurt pots and tin foil from it. I think it’s the perfect time of year to squeeze in a craft or two. I’ve added links to our other New Years crafts at the bottom of this post, just in case you are feeling inspired! New Year bells craft for kids A few years ago we made paper bells to mark the New Year. Our updated version…

  • Simple Thank You cards for kids to make {free printable} from the gingerbread house blog
    Christmas - crafts - free printables - handmade - Handmade gifts

    Simple Thank You cards for kids to make {free printable}

    December 29, 2016 - By 

    I love making homemade Thank you cards. Every year my children receive lovely Christmas gifts and I want them to put some effort into the thank you cards they send. When they were younger we sent homemade photocards but now they can write their names (and my Year 2 son can write a lot more!) then I want them to make their own cards. This year I designed my own card. They are super simple but there is some scope for creativity! Simple Thank You cards for kids to make I added the words Thank You in large letters to…