• Kids crafts - Recycled crafts - tutorial

    How to make recycled envelopes

    A couple of weeks ago I was at the V&A and found a great template for making envelopes. I’ve collected a few vintage annuals and magazines and thought this would be a lovely way to give them a new lease of life. The template couldn’t be easier to use. I found some pages from an old Rupert the Bear annual, drew around the template and cut out the shapes. I followed the instructions on the template and folded the paper into an envelope. You need to be quite precise with your folding otherwise you’re left with a small gap. However,…

  • Apple Day crafts - Autumn - Kids crafts - tutorial

    Apple Day craft – cork print apple wreath

    I can’t help but start thinking about Autumn. The weather has coolled down, the nights are darker quicker and we seem to have our shoes and jumpers on more than the previous week. I’m really hoping we can go to an event for Apple Day this year. We’ve been playing around with apple crafts and today I’m sharing with you our simple cork print apple wreath. Corks are great for crafting with, they’re a lovely size for small hands to grip, and small enough that you can make a really defined shape. Materials you will need to make a cork…

  • book review - Kids crafts - tutorial - What I'm reading

    Here come the girls

    I love to hand sew, I love to make things for my children and it’s the perfect hobby for giving my brain a rest from blogging. As soon as I saw Crafty Dolls by Jane Bull I thought of Little Sis. She loves her dolls and she loves it when I make things for her and I really hope she will be interested in making things like this soon. Crafty Dolls, the latest in Jane Bull’s successful craft series, shoes you how to create your own adorable doll collection at home. You can choose from more than 30 knitted and…

  • book review - Kids crafts

    10 star crafts for kids

    My children absolutely adore stars. Little Sis loves to sing and can often be heard singing Twinkle Twinkle, or her version of it anyway. Her latest favourite book is Serafina Starfish, a touch and feel book, which is perfect for babies and toddlers, which she was sent from Meadow Kids. It’s a fun story about Serafina Starfish who doesn’t like living in the sea. She wanted to live in the sky like a real star, but when she gets there she realises she misses her friends and quickly returns home. Touch and feel books are great for little hands and…

  • Kids crafts - playing - toy review

    Crafting with Aquabeads

    A couple of weeks ago Big Brother was sent the Deluxe Aquabeads Set to review. This set costs £19.99 and is available from Amazon and all good toy shops. He was very excited when he saw the box! He enjoys crafting with Hama beads and these are similar, small beads which can be used to make patterns. The difference is that you set them with water so no waiting around for mum to get the iron out! The Aquabeads Deluxe Set is the perfect set for new Aquabeaders! With over 800 beads, and 8 template sheets there are plenty of…

  • Duck Tape crafts - Kids crafts - tutorial

    20 Duck Tape crafts

    Last week I attended the Hobbycraft Christmas preview. I loved getting a sneak preview of the new Christmas products and hearing about some fabulous new lines for Gruffalo and Peppa Pig fans. They had a couple of crafts set up which you could try and I was able to try my hand at making Duck Tape bows. Hobbycraft sell Duck Tape in all colours and prints and it’s a really versatile craft material. You can make a bow in seconds from a couple of pieces of duck tape folded in half and a split pin. I had so much fun…

  • Baker Ross Blogger Network - Kids crafts - Recycled crafts - tutorial

    Upcycled cardboard box fish tank

    We have a fresh water tropical tank which my husband gives a lot of attention to. We recently received a parcel of crafting goodies from Baker Ross to keep us going through the summer holidays and as soon as I saw a pack of Tropical Fish Foam stickers I knew what we could make – our own tank full of little fishes. Materials you will need to make a fish tank Cardboard box Baker Ross Tropical Fish Foam Stickers Blue paint Blue and green felt or craft foam Sticky dots How to make a cardboard box fish tank I cut…

  • days out - Kids crafts - London - tutorial

    20 Disney Planes activities

    Sometimes blogging has some major perks. Today was one of those days as we were invited to a gala screening of  Planes 2: Fire and Rescue. As the mother of two pre-schoolers who love Disney I knew this was an offer we couldn’t turn down. So we were all pretty excited when we got to The Odeon in Leicester Square for the gala screening of Planes 2: Fire and Rescue. There was a special fire engine outside along with some firemen, we had our photograph taken with Dusty Crophopper, and enjoyed some colouring and games before the film started. Planes:…

  • crafts - Kids crafts - Nature crafts - tutorial

    Painting with flowers

    We’re fully embracing the warm summer weather and having fun with some summer crafting. It’s lovely to see our garden bursting with colour and we decided to pick some flowers and try painting with them. The children were excited about painting with something other than a sponge or paint brush. Painting with flowers materials: Flowers or leaves Acrylic paint Paint tray Paper Painting with flowers We headed out into the garden and looked for flowers we could pick. We found daisies and dandelions and other things I don’t know the name of. We picked them with enough stalk to hold…