Kids Craft Day

The kids in my family share my passion for crafts so when it gets to this time of year I love to by them crafty Christmas presents so that it's something we can all work on together. This year my youngest cousin got a crafty book as a Christmas present and she was so excited to show me all the wonderful things she wanted to make!

We started by making a yes and a maybe list of all the things she wanted to make but after ending up with 10 things on the yes list we had to a bit more narrowing down!

So here are the 3 things we narrowed it down to....

First we started of with blinging up her shoes! This was the one she was most excited about and it required a bit of thinking on my part as we would need to use some strong glue to do it. I had a choice between using super glue or hot glue and with young children in the mix I wasn't keen on using either! however i settled on the hot glue as it dries much quicker and they had less chance of gluing their fingers together.

I pulled out all the beads and let them pick which they wanted to use. Rosa's big sister came up with the idea of putting her name on them and then came up with a design around the name that Rosa was very happy with. We started by writing on the letters with a marker pen. The way we worked the gluing is that I would put a dab of glue on the shoe and then my cousins took it in turn to place on the beads using tweezers so that their hands didn't touch the glue and then we would press them down to make sure they were stuck on properly.

The girls were over the moon with these shoes and Rosa can't wait to were them to her street dancing class in the new year

Then we got started on project number two. This project Rosa had chosen to make it as a present for her Daddy. In the craft book she had there was a picture of a very girly looking material pin board and as I started telling her about all the material I had in my house she screamed when I mentioned tartan and said that she wanted to make a tartan one for her Dad because he's Scottish (they all live in England)

This was another project that was difficult to do with young kids as it requires the use of a staple gun. My cousin Matthew as just started high school and is enjoying his wood work classes etc so this seemed like the perfect project for him to take lead on.

We lay down a piece of material that was larger than the pin board on a table, and then a piece of wadding that was the same size as the board, finally putting the pin board on top. I then pulled the material over to the back and held that in place while Matthew pressed down on the staple gun. He was a little bit shaky with it so I held the staple gun in place for him and checked there was no fingers in the way before letting him know it was safe to press down.

Once we had finished with the material, Rosa picked which ribbon she wanted to use and Matthew chose how to lay it down on the board before we stapled that on as well. As an extra touch, all the kids added a special note on the pin board!

After all this crafting the kids were getting tired so we took a little time out and watched a film but this also gave us some time to work on the final project of the day which was friendship bracelets. This was a really simple project to do while sitting on the couch. We just took some embroidery thread in Christmas colours and plated them. Only took 5 minutes but the kids loved them

I also had my friends kids round that morning and as they were a bit younger we just put out lots of bits and bobs for them to glue to paper and they made some really fab pictures! unfortunately in all the rush of people turning up and leaving I forgot to take photos of them!

So I hope this gives you a few ideas for crafts you can do with Children but also the main thing I learned was that kids really love picking their own crafts to do and are so proud with the results when they finish them! Get a list of ideas together that you feel comfortable making and then let your kids pick which of those they would like to do!

I'll be back xx

Happy Birthday Quinn

Today is my amazing boyfriends  birthday so I thought id take a break from the Christmas theme to wish him a very happy birthday and share this monster cupcake tutorial with you guys!

What you need:

Cupcake Iingredients ( I use this recipe and it comes out perfect every time http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-2183283/Recipe-Let-eat-cake-cake.html)

Whipping cream

Muffin or large cupcake cases

Monster Cupcake pack (mine came from hobby craft)

Step 1

Bake your cakes using the recipe above but split it between the cupcake cases

I used a heaped teaspoonful in each but it depends on the size of your cases. You dont want to fill it by more than half as there should be room at the top of your case when you are finished baking them

Step 2

Once your cakes have cooled, scoop the centre out of each of the cakes

Step 3

Whip up your cream and then add it to the holes in your cake

Step 4

Take the smaller of your cakes out their cases and place them upside down on top of a cake you have left in the case

Step 5

Cover your cakes as you wish. I had lots of left over whipped cream so I used that but you could use butter

icing or something similar instead

Step 6

destract whoever you are making them for - I put Quinn in front of the xbox :)

Step 7

Take your monster decorations and go crazy!!!

Hope you guys have had as much fun as us today 

I'll be back xx

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree...

Hopefully by now you are all getting in the Christmas spirit...are at least getting some spirits in you!! But between all the drinking and eating, you decide you want something different from your traditional Christmas tree, then this tutorial is definitely for you!

What you need

• 3D Christmas Tree (This one is from hobby craft and was given to me by my AMAZING friend Tatum)
• A shed loads of buttons (I needed about 3x300g bags - which also came from hobby craft)
• Black spray paint
• silver paint
• scouring pad
• assortment of beads
• glue gun

Step 1

Working your way round the tree, glue on your buttons. I used a hot glue gun at it makes sure the buttons are sturdy and don't start pushing each other down.

Step 2

Take the tree outside and spray paint it black, making sure you get in between all the little buttons. Also make sure it's not windy when you do it as I learnt the hard way when the black paint came back in my face! Bring the tree back inside and leave it to dry. I put it next to the heater and it dried in no time.

Step 3

Once the tree is dry, put a very small amount of silver paint on the scourer and then dab it on some paper so that there is only a thin layer. 

Gently rub the scourer down the tree until you have silver lines over the top of the buttons and you are happy with the effect. I had to go over some a few times to get the look I wanted.

Step 4

For the tree ornaments I bought a range of beads and strung them together, using this silver embroidery thread.

Step 5

I then glued the decorations evenly round the tree and then stuck these little bows over the top of the glue so you don't see the join.

There you have it and it only took 5 steps!

I'll be back xx

twit twoo - this is owl is easy to do!!!

For the last week I've been running a competition to win this cute little guy 

and today I announced Victoria Russell as the winner!

 BUT 

don't worry if it wasn't you as I've created this tutorial so you can create your own!

What you need

• an owl (I got mine from hobby craft)
• different material
• scissors
• PVA glue
• 2 buttons for eyes

Step 1

Cut the material into lots of small pieces. 

Step 2

start layering the material on the owl using the PVA glue. I cut out yellow and orange flowers of the beak and feet

Step 3

Keep coving the owl until you can't see any of the original ornament, making sure that you have a thin layer of PVA glue over the top of all the material, just like you would do with normal paper decoupage. This helps you mould the material into all the curves.

Step 4

Cut two circles out of your remaining material and glue into the eye sockets, then gluing the buttons in the centre of the circles. See that wasn't difficult at all - go on, give it a go!!!

I'll be back xx

Crafts for your new home

Moving into a new home is an exciting but stressful time! You've spent years looking at lovely things in shops saying to yourself "when I have my own house, I'll have something like this", and then when you actually buy somewhere your mind goes blank!

I spent the first month of living in my new flat flicking through house magazines and wondering how the hell I was going to be able to afford to make my home look beautiful. The thing was that there was very few things within those pages to inspire me, most if it kind of looked the same...I wanted something that was a bit more personal and wasn't going to cost the earth. It was then I started to really get into my crafting!

You can't go into a room in my house without seeing something handmade and it really makes my day when someone complements your décor, knowing that it's a little part of you.

My friend Ashley got in contact this week after moving into her very own home, asking for some help decorating. Hopefully these tutorials will help inspire you to make your home as cheerful as your personality!!!

So what better way to kick off than with the first thing your guests will see as they come in...the coat rack!

These 3 coat racks are completely different but would be a real feature piece right at your front door and all of them could be personalised. for example:

If you and your partner were animals, what would you be and why...got them? 

Why not turn that into your coat rack and then you have a fun story to tell people while hanging up your coats!

           animal coat rack - bright nest                          twig coat rack - ali does it

But no-one will see your beautiful pieces of art work without some good lighting. I've found a lamp and wall light to show you that you can have more light in your life than those plastic cones from B&Q!

        

Faux Table Lamp - Hostess with the mostest     
    

                    canvas light - design sponge      

Everyone always needs a vase at the ready for when they get that unexpected bouquet and these mason jar vases can be personalised to match the colours your choose for the walls. Or if you just want something small to show off those wild flowers you are growing in your garden, then this balloon vase made me smile so much.

  

                       balloon vase - curbly                          jar vase - please note paper


Buying artwork for your walls can really empty your bank but the two ideas below are really inexpensive ways to fill up that empty wall space.

       

            wallpaper art - thrifty décor chic                           paper butterflies - kerry axley

and here is one for your floor...

stencilled rug - cutting edge stencils

So after all that walking around your house, your guests are going to need somewhere to sit. I can't believe how simple this bench is to make considering how expensive they can be in the shops! 

stripped bench - live lovely diy

but what you asked for was ideas with mirrors and boy have I found some. The first takes a simple mirror frame and turns it into a an upmarket classy lady!

upcycled mirror - lilikoi joy

or you can use beads or beans to add some texture to the wood.

bean frame - martha stewart

If you are happy with the actual mirror frame then why not stencil around it. You could do an Alice through the looking glass theme or make your mirror look like a vintage hand mirror.

     

stencil around mirror - crafty little gnome

Turn your mirrors into artwork with these tutorials. I love the touch of ribbon with the glass.

        

    love mirrors - HGTV                     text on mirrors - brassy apple

simple artwork - dabbling crafter

I love the idea of turning something old into something useful and this table is just gorgeous! Brilliant for when you have your friends round for a drink.

framed table - e living

And last but not least, here is an amazing focal point for Christmas. You can never have too much outdoors indoors!

Christmas mirror - anythingology

There are so many ideas out there to help you transform your home and hopefully these will help to get you on your way! 

I'll be back xx

Last Minute Halloween Decorations

Having a Halloween party tomorrow? running out of time to get things really? Well here are a few quick tutorials to make sure your party goes off without a hitch!

Last weekend I threw a Halloween party but it had been a long week at work and I had to rush Friday night and Saturday morning to get everything ready. Halloween crafting doesn't need to be difficult though so I quickly pulled together a few ideas and gave them my best crack with thinks I had lying around the house...



I used this ghost tutorial and used a cheap wreath I had bought for Christmas, which I wrapped in black material and added bats and a boo sign for a spooky welcome message! Best thing was that I didn't actually need to glue anything to the wreath so I can unwrap it all and still use it for Christmas.

    

Spooky Ghost tutorial - one good thing by jillee   

You have already seen my wallpaper bunting but this was great to jazz up the walls a bit.

   

Wallpaper bunting - Crafta La Vista

These ravens were soooo cheap and easy to do. I just drew one raven as a template and then cut round it to make the others. I did some bats as well for an extra spooky feel.

To add a bit of atmosphere to the place I made these mummy candle holders using a bandage from my first aid kit, a jam jar and a couple of googly eyes which were in my sewing box (but you might have some stuck on one of your old birthday cards)

     

mummy candle holder - vitamin ha

I had a friend coming who can't eat gluten or wheat so I wanted to make a cake she could eat, unfortunately it was so hot in the flat that it melted before see arrived and then after I cut one slice off, the cat jumped up and started licking it - typical! At least my mate got a piece.

I used this tutorial for the design and then used my cake angels book for the recipe. 

    

Frankenstein Cake - sparkle cupcake

This was my favourite decoration! this creepy hand print was really easy to make and only needs PVA glue and some food colouring - easy peasy!!

    

 bloody hand print - kylyssa

Once the guests got in the mood we started playing a part game that had tricks for the losers and treats for the winners.

We had alcoholic test tube shots (pink for treats and green for tricks)

     

Blood cocktails - Martha Stewart

And for those who weren't drinking - we had spider lollies which I'd already bought on Amazon (cookies and cream for the treat and BEER flavour for the trick)

                                                               

     

Spider Pops - house of baby piranha 

So hopefully these will help you out before tomorrow night and hope you all have an amazing time.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

 I'll Be Back xx