I do so love being sent craft books to review and was lucky to receive a copy of folk art needlecraft – 35 step-by-step projects using traditional motifs from across the globe by Clare Youngs. I have recently been trying to improve my limited knowledge of stitches so this book arrived at a great time for me. It is full of lovely inspiring projects for the home, children and gifts, all of which can be completed in a couple of evenings. Some of the projects really appealed to me and have been added to my Day Zero craft list! I…
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One of my favourite books as a child was The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Did you know it was so popular that he went on to write 13 more Oz books? This was one story I couldn’t wait to share with the children and I have been able to thanks to a new, beautiful pop-up version of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It has had a makeover at the hands of Stella Gurney, with illustrations by Lorna Freytag, and ties in with a new version by Disney. 2013 is the year of Oz with live action…
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No not us, but Little Sis. For the last 15 months she has quite happily shared a room with us, but it’s time for her to go. Not that I don’t love having her with us but I want her to go straight into her own room when we move. Last year we had our spare room subdivided so she does have her own room. We just need to remove our guest bed and move her cot in. It’s been freshly decorated so it’s all ready for her. We moved her brother into his own room when he was 6…
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I’ve been working on a couple of patchwork projects lately. As well as a Union Jack cot quilt, I’m also making some patchwork doll quilts for my daughter. I was really keen to get my hands on hand quilted with love by Sarah Fielke. The book is subtitled patchwork projects inspired by a passion for quilting and it’s a beautiful book. I think of myself as a pretty competent maker of patchwork, I’m not so confident at quilting. In Hand Quilted with Love Sarah Fielke encourages and inspires you to step outside of your comfort zone! The book includes 16…
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We were sent a copy of Eco-friendly Crafting with Kids by Kate Lilley, who writes the hugely popular Mini-eco blog. I’ve been a fan of her blog for years, using one of her shadow puppet templates to make a Halloween tshirt for the toddler back in 2011. The book is as lovely and colourful as her blog and includes 35 projects designed for preschoolers up to and including the age of 5. The projects are split into themes: homemade materials, music, nature, recycling bin, paper and card, sewing and threading, science and a bonus section of boredom busters at the…
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It’s been a long time since I did anything with my socks, except wear them. The one and only time I’ve made a sock monkey was back in 2008 but they are still very much in vogue. Sock Puppet Madness Take Bawston the ornery cat puppet, for example. He’s a baseball fan with a questionable temper, so watch what you say to him. A more friendly guy is Sebastian Metaphor. He may seem aloof with his hipster appearance but behind those sleepy eyes lies a heart of gold. If you are a sophisticated sort why not have a crack at…
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Disney Junior’s brand new original 3D animation for preschoolers “Henry Hugglemonster”, will premiere on the channel next week on 8th February. The series follows the adventures of fun-loving, five-year-old Henry Hugglemonster, the middle child in a happy, close-knit monster family – The Hugglemonsters of Roarsville. The series was developed from children’s book “I’m a Happy Hugglewug” by Children’s Laureate award-winner, Niamh Sharkey, published by Walker Books. We were lucky enough to meet Niamh Sharkey last week and have a personal reading and art masterclass with her and a couple of other lovely bloggers. My toddler absolutely adores “Henry Monster” as…
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I’m a huge fan of Elyse Major’s blog, Tinkered Treasures, so was very happy to be sent a copy of her new book to review. Adding charm to the everyday is the concept behind Elyse Major’s first book, Tinkered Treasures. It features more than 35 projects, each craft is designed for beginners and can easily be elaborated with, according to your own skill level. Tinkering is the name given by Elyse to the transformation of everyday items. Through you can pick up some great ideas for embellishing, repurposing and altering using items you’ll already have. The projects are split into…
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The toddler is very lucky for he was recently sent a lovely picture book and audiobook featuring Myro, the smallest plane in the world. Aimed at pre-schoolers, this is a series for children which follows the adventures of Myro as he settles into his new home in Australia. Myro is created and published by Nick Rose, who bought a Microlight in 2004 and flew it around Australia. He then began developing the series when he realised there was a gap in the market for a quality series of children’s story books and iPad story Apps about aeroplanes that encourage children…