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…
Tag: handmade
Vintage bunting blanket
I’ve had an idea about making a bunting blanket for a while, using a vintage blanket and scraps from my stash. Vintage bunting blanket I love experimenting with dye so tried dyeing part of an old baby blue cashmere blanket with Dylon Sunflower Yellow handwash dye. It didn’t look pretty during the process and I…
Hand print lilies for Mother’s Day
It’s Mothers Day and I have a lovely easy craft to share with you which is perfect for little hands – let me know if you try it for yourselves! You will need: pencil scissors white and green paper straws yellow pipe cleaners sticky tape Hand print lilies for Mother’s Day First trace around your…
Hand print birthday cake
I just love the way a hand print can be made into anything you want it to. Yesterday Daddy celebrated surviving another year of being a father of two so we thought we would make him a very special card. We carefully painted the palm of the toddlers hand one colour and each finger a…
What I’m reading: Hand quilted with love
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…
Paper daffodil bunting
It’s been sunny and my thoughts are firmly on Spring. Our house has a beautiful bay window in the lounge which is absolutely perfect for our home-made sun catchers and bunting. We thought it would be fun to make paper daffodils and some extras to hang in the window. The toddler enjoyed this as it…
eco-friendly crafting with kids
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…
Sock Puppet Madness
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…
Handmade Valentine wrapping paper
Along with our handmade Valentine’s Day cards I thought it would be fun to make our own wrapping paper too. I love using brown paper as it is so easy to personalise with washi tape, stickers or paint. I saw packs of heart stickers in my local Tiger store, which is where I buy most…




