We’ve been playing with some of our festive itty bitty’s over the weekend. I wrote a little about them the other day, they are collectable plush toys from Hallmark. They are very tactile and the perfect size for little hands. There are a range of characters to collect including the Justice League, the Wizard of Oz, Peanuts and Scooby Doo. New ranges are being released and we’re really excited about the Star Wars ones which I want to get for my 5 year old (and perhaps my husband too!). The only difficulty would be in choosing them as I know…
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I have to admit that things have felt a little flat lately after a few busy weekends with friends and family. Not to say it hasn’t been another one of those weeks! On Tuesday my 4 year old had her Christmas performance at her new nursery. Last year she sat and didn’t join in with anything so my expectations were low for this year. Fortunately she was really excited about it and joined in with every song. I loved seeing her so happy and surrounded by her new friends. My 5 year old had his Christmas play on Thursday. They…
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Last week I told you about the special gifts we had been sent to wrap for the Honeypot’s Children’s charity, which is the only charity in the UK who provide consistent respite support for young carers, aged between 5 and 12. This Christmas Sellotape is donating festive gifts for vulnerable children and young carers at the Honeypot Children’s Charity and sharing the magic of giving. They asked me to get involved with wrapping a couple of gifts so last week we carved our own stamps and hand stamped festive trees on brown paper on one of the gifts. Today we wrapped our…
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My 5 year old has been pretty much hooked on Minecraft since we introduced it to him a couple of months ago. He’s allowed 30 minutes a day if he’s done his homework and helped with some chores. I’d like to say it’s a family thing as my husband and daughter are equally addicted, I seem to be the only person who doesn’t play it. A couple of months ago he wrote his Christmas wish list and Minecraft featured pretty heavily. I thought I would share our Minecraft gift guide with you, there are a few things he has asked…
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My children love small toys, the kind that fit easily into their rucksack or a pocket. I was asked to review itty bitty’s from Hallmark and these are just the kind of toy my children love to collect. If you haven’t heard of itty bitty’s before they are new from Hallmark and are a collectable plush toy. Big in the US and Australia they have recently come to the UK. There is a huge range of characters and they appeal to both children and adults. We were sent a selection of Super Heroes, Scooby Doo and characters from the Wizard…
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You probably don’t need me to tell you I love all things gingerbread. Around this time of year there are some lovely products in the shops so today I thought I would tell you about some of my favourite products. Over the last couple of months I’ve been buying some fun gingerbread products, ranging from baking kits, crafts for the children and even a special limited edition Lego Gingerbread House. Baking kits I start thinking about baking gingerbread as soon as the leaves start to fall from the trees. This year we’ve been busy baking and decorating and enjoyed trying…
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I love making my own decorations at this time of year. There’s something so lovely about hanging up things you have made yourself. For a fun, festive craft activity, the Hobbycraft Christmas Elf Sewing Kit allows you to create your own decorations! This pack contains the essential bits and bobs (except for tacky glue and basic sewing needle) to make an adorable elf character for the Christmas season. Simply follow the step by step instructions in the pack to create a very festive Santa’s little helper. Using the felt shapes provided, follow the instructions to sew, fill and glue your way…
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Today I finally got the chance to try something I’ve been wanting to do for ages – carve my own stamps. I bought a kit which contained a couple of sheets of rubber, a carving tool with a gouge tip and some ink pads. There were no instructions which meant I had to make it up as I went along, but it all turned out ok in the end. How to carve your own stamps I cut the rubber sheet into 4 pieces and drew out my design on one of the pieces. Then I started to gouge out the…
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We seem to be surrounded by boxes and packaging at this time of year. I’ve ordered some Christmas gifts online and have been inundated with boxes which the children have been having lots of fun with. The boxes have become cars, trains, even a place to sit and watch tv. I thought it would be fun to challenge the children to make a 3D Christmas grotto using the lid of a box. Staedtler sent us a bundle of their products to get creative and they really enjoyed themselves. Crafting a Christmas Grotto Little Sis decided she wanted to paint the…