• gingerbread house cross stitch
    Crafts for adults - gingerbread house

    Cross stitch gingerbread house

    September 1, 2022 - By 

    I’m not the biggest fan of the art of cross stitch. Cross stitch is a form of counted thread embroidery which involves an x stitch on fabric with an even and open weave like Aida. Some people think it’s the simplest form of embroidery, but I actually find it quite hard to find the right place for my needle! Thankfully it is easy to see where you’ve gone wrong and unpick a stitch or two. Anyway, when I saw that Cotton Clara had produced a gingerbread house cross stitch kit I bought myself one. I love anything related to gingerbread…

  • Father’s Day nuts and bolts sign
    Father's Day

    Father’s Day nuts and bolts sign

    June 13, 2020 - By 

    You all know we craft a lot, but that’s multiplied since lockdown began here in the UK. I’m so thankful my children love to create and we spend most afternoons sitting around our dining room table crafting together. I’ve lost count of the number of little books my children have made for the different art classes they like to teach me. It’s fun and keeps them busy, and one day I hope they will remember this time as quality family time above all else. Over the last few weeks we’ve made a start on our Father’s Day crafting and I…

  • Cricut made Advent calendar
    Advent crafts - Christmas - Crafts for adults - Cricut Maker

    DIY re-useable wooden advent calendars

    January 12, 2020 - By 

    Last year my children asked for Advent calendars I just couldn’t find in the shops. They asked for a Pokemon and Minecraft Advent calendar. They’ve always enjoyed opening their Advent calendars and I didn’t want to disappoint them, especially as they still believe the Elf on the Shelf makes them for them. As we couldn’t buy the Advent calendars we wanted we decided to make our own re-useable advent calendars that could be used again. Our idea was for a simple wooden box frame with 24 little Advent bags hanging from three wooden dowels which would contain Pokemon toys for…

  • rainbow mosaic
    Crafts for adults

    Mosaic workshop with Michelle Greenwood Brown

    July 27, 2019 - By 

    You all know I love a challenge. I’ve been wanting to try mosaic making for a while but just haven’t found any suitable mosaic courses in London. I really admire the work of Teignmouth artist, Michelle Greenwood Brown, so was delighted when I found she was running a course when we would be in Devon. The Mosaic workshop was called Creative with Crockery and promised it was suitable for beginners or those with some experience. In it we would learn to cut and shape recycled ceramic plates and tiles with tile nippers and make your own mosaic owl, chicken or…

  • Hip Hip Hooray wooden banner embroidery kit
    Crafts for adults

    Hip Hip Hooray wooden banner embroidery kit

    June 7, 2019 - By 

    I couldn’t resist another craft kit. I have no patience for longer projects at the moment but when I saw an email from Cotton Clara I really couldn’t resist buying myself a cute Cotton Clara wooden banner embroidery kit. I went for one with the message Hip Hip Hooray and chose a mustard coloured thread to compliment our living room. Hip Hip Hooray wooden banner embroidery kit This was a simple kit but just what I needed. Inside the pack was the wooden laser cut banner, mustard coloured thread, a needle and string to hang up the completed banner. I…

  • Clay fingerprint Christmas tree decorations for kids to make
    Christmas - Crafts for kids

    Clay fingerprint Christmas tree decorations for kids to make

    December 19, 2018 - By 

    Every year we try and make our own decoration to add to either our main Christmas tree or the smaller trees both children have in their bedrooms. We have made some fun keepsake Christmas decorations from air drying clay so thought we would add clay fingerprint Christmas tree decorations for kids to our collection. Supplies to make clay fingerprint Christmas tree decorations  Air drying clay Christmas tree cookie cutter Paint Black sharpie Bakers twine to hang How to make Clay fingerprint Christmas tree decorations We bought a large block of air drying clay so cut off a chunk large enough…

  • Handmade Christmas cards with Stampin' Up!
    Christmas - Crafts for adults - Paper craft

    Handmade Christmas cards with Stampin’ Up!

    December 12, 2018 - By 

    A few weeks I received a lovely bundle of craft supplies from Stampin’ Up!. You may remember I was first introduced to them back in 2012 when I attended a lovely craft event to learn more about them and their products. Stampin’ Up! are leaders in decorative stamps, handmade greeting cards, and papercrafting. They make products which inspire people to discover and share their creativity. Handmade Christmas cards with Stampin’ Up! I received Stampin’ Up’s! Christmas Card Kit which included the Making Christmas Bright Photopolymer Stamp Set, Clear Block D, All Is Bright A4 Cardstock Pack, Whisper White Thick A4 Cardstock, Call Me…

  • How to make your own Squishy Popcorn
    Crafts for kids

    How to make your own Squishy Popcorn

    July 13, 2018 - By 

    Last month we reviewed the fabulous How to make your own Squishies & Slime magbook. It’s a brilliant book for crafty kids with over 50 DIY projects to squish, squash, smoosh and stretch. Both my kids love squishies, especially the smaller ones they got from Squishy Box. Our family love to craft so it was inevitable that we would make some of the squishies from the magbook. How to make your own Squishy Popcorn The children chose several they wanted to make and the first one was popcorn. It wasn’t hard to find the right supplies. We bought large sponges from…

  • Valentine’s clay handprint keepsake
    Crafts for kids - Handmade gifts - Handprint art - Valentines Day crafts

    Valentine’s clay handprint keepsake

    February 8, 2018 - By 

    A few weeks ago my daughter and I were shopping in Hobbycraft where we found a huge display of air drying clay alongside some inspiration of things to make. My daughter wanted to try making something at home so we bought a huge pack of white air drying clay and went home. How to make a Valentine’s clay handprint keepsake We cut the block of clay in half and rolled out one half until it was large enough to place both her hands on it. She pressed both her hands into the clay and I drew around them with a…