• Christmas - handmade

    Red and white candy wreath

    I can’t believe it’s two weeks until Christmas. I felt so organised until I realised I hadn’t made half the decorations I wanted to. This evening I made a yarn wreath which was top of my list. It was a great project to do, especially as I didn’t need to buy anything. I covered the polystyrene circle in red and white wool and wrapped a chain of felt candy sweeties through it. I love working with felt and the felt candies are spaced with red and white beads – this project definitely ticks my red and white decoration theme! Although…

  • Christmas - handmade

    Handmade Christmas decorations

    This year I have two little people who I really want to make Christmas special for. I know Christmas doesn’t have to be about spending lots of money but I may have been a bit silly with the amount of presents they have! Fortunately I also love to save money where I can which is why we’ve been busy getting our craft on and making our own decorations. I thought I’d share 5 of our favourite handmade Christmas decorations: Handprint family Christmas tree – The toddler loves to paint so really enjoyed this craft. We all covered our hands in…

  • Christmas - crafts - handmade

    Melted bead decorations

    We’re making as many decorations as we can this year, all with our red and white theme. I really wanted to try melting plastic beads inside cookie cutters, so we did. Melted bead decorations I wasn’t sure what the toddler would make of the colourful plastic beads but at 33 months he really enjoyed it. Granted, I’ve been finding them caught in the floor boards ever since, but he enjoyed himself and that’s all that really matters. I picked up a huge box of small plastic beads at my local charity shop so this was a cheap and easy craft.…

  • Christmas - handmade

    Wrapping gifts made easy

    Can I admit to really enjoying wrapping presents? It doesn’t matter what shape or size. I just pour a glass of wine, switch the radio on and get my supplies out. Yes, my name is Jenny and I have a box of gift wrapping supplies. It contains: Scotch Precision Scissors Scotch Pop-up Handband and refills Brown paper for wrapping Handmade gift tags Although I enjoy wrapping it can be time consuming which is why the Pop-up Handband from Scotch is great for saving time. Do you remember I mentioned we’re starting a book advent on December 1st? Well this week…

  • Christmas - competition - crafts - gingerbread - handmade - sewing - swap

    Felt Christmas decorations

    I’ve been enjoying spending time sewing felt Christmas decorations. I’ve signed up for a couple of Christmas craft swaps which has meant some happy hours looking through my favourite craft books. Felt Christmas decorations I decided to try something different so made these three felt decorations and framed them in small embroidery hoops. Each hoop is only 3 inches so they are the perfect size for hanging on a tree. Hopefully you can tell they are a candy cane, gum drop sweeties and a gingerbread couple. The pattern was from one of my favourite craft books Fa la la la…

  • Crafts for kids - handmade - Kids crafts - tutorial

    Recycled sweet wrapper decorations

    If you are looking for a fun craft for toddlers, look no further. We’ve been busy making festive baubles from sweetie wrappers! I’m sad to say I’ve been saving colourful sweetie wrappers for a rainy day and then I thought of a great activity for the toddler. Equipment you will need to make recycled sweet wrapper decorations: card scissors double sided sticky tape ribbon I cut 6 circles from black card and then cut smaller circles out of them (using baby food jars as a template). The toddler adores sticky tape so I gave him small pieces of tape and…

  • Christmas - crafts - handmade - vintage

    Vintage letter cards banner

    There are so many Christmas crafts I want to make this year. For the first time in my adult life I have decided we’re having a colour theme so hopefully the house will look co-ordinated for once. The theme is very simple – red and white, with a vintage vibe. Vintage letter cards banner I’m ashamed to say we already have our advent candles up on the mantle piece, which I de-cluttered specially. They look lovely and I’m wondering if I’ll want to light them when the time comes. We’re trying to keep the house tidy and clean as we’re…

  • crafts - garden crafts - handmade

    How to make a homemade bird feeder

    We thought we would try something a bit different. Our garden is beginning to look very bare, the leaves have fallen from the bushes and trees and what is left is looking very brown. There’s nothing to attract birds so we made some handmade bird feeders using cookie cutters. What you need: bird seed raisins pack of suet string scissors cookie cutters This is a really easy activity and there is plenty of scope for little fingers to get involved. Empty the pack of suet into a bowl and add the bird feed and raisins. Mix with your hands so…

  • book review - Cath Kidston - Christmas - competition - crafts - handmade - sewing

    Make your own Christmas decorations!

    Over the past few evenings I’ve been busy making 12 festive decorations from Cath Kidston’s latest book – Make Your Own Christmas Decorations. Featuring 12 projects the book includes the patterns as well as the felt, thread, pompoms and cord so all you’ll need is a basic sewing kit and some toy stuffing! There are patterns for a Christmas Robin, Father Christmas, Striped Stocking, Gift-Wrapped Present, Christmas Tree, Frosty Snowman, Winter Reindeer, Holly & Berries, Christmas pudding, Snowy Cottage, Festive Stanley and Christmas Angel. Make your own Christmas decorations! Each project is well laid out and includes a large colour…