39 Valentine gifts to make and give.
February 8, 2013
I’m a bit in two minds about Valentine’s Day. Some of me sits on the “It’s a created day that is all about retailers and spending money” and the other side of me feels it’s great to be reminded to tell the people we love….that we love them in a more intentional way.
This year I feel more of the second…. hence the post….. but have tried to make it a little more creative (rather than spendy) because self created things almost always* help communicate the love better.
Ideas For Creative Dates
Super Lovey- Dovey
For the Kids
Ideas to Bake
Countdowns to Valentine’s Day (or count on….)Ā
Cards
Everything else.
* Yes if you have asked for something specifically ….or have been promised something and you receive a sweet handmade gift, you won’t feel the love!Half a GIANT list of fete and fair tutorials and printables.. (Part 1)
September 15, 2012
Often we are keen to help with school or church fetes but are not sure where to start.
So, I have put together a giant list of fete and fair tutorials from around the blogging world.
So many clever people out there!
For me…. what makes a great craft to make for a fete or fair, is one that is inexpensive to make and buy , fun, quick to make, fairly easy to put together, and something people would want to hand there money over for.
All the images below are by the original tutorial writers. If you want to try one… just click on the creators name and it will take you straight there.
Stay tuned for the next instalment.
Let me know what you think.
- Ā Bunting Cards (tiny party invite) byĀ The Pleated Poppy.
- Ā Tissue Paper Pom Poms by diy WeddingĀ
- Ā DIY sugar body scrub by Craftiness is not an option.
- Ā Waterproof shower caps by Smashed Peas and Carrots.
- Ā Felt Tissue Pouches by My Growing Home
- Ā Simple Shopping Bags by The Purl Bee
- Ā House pillows by Craft and Creativity.
- Ā Beaded Heart Wand by First Palette.
- Ā 3D Owl printables by Craft and Creativity.
- Ā Any colour chalk board paint by Salt Tree.
- Ā Angel placecard by Allsorts.
- Ā Covered Mouse pads by Coming Home To Roost.
- Ā Fairies in a Jar by Organised Chaos.
- Ā Paper Decoration Star by Craft and Creativity.
- Ā Button Thumbtacks by FellowFellowĀ
- Reindeer Gift Tag Printable by Eatdrinkchic.
- Knitted Mini Stockings by Little Cotton Rabbits.
- Ā Edible Teabag Cookie (Gluten Dairy and Sugar free) Ā by Whatever’s leftĀ
- Ā Wooden Fork Dolls by Craft and Creativity.
- Ā Spray Painted Animals on lids by Pysselbolaget
- Ā Fabric Covered Lights by Rebeccasdiy.
- Ā Time for tea Soap by Cumbersome.Ā
- Ā Owl iphone case by handmade.Ā
- Ā Tea bag gift Tag by the studio of MaeĀ
- Ā Monogram bags by zszywka
- Ā Plush Monsters by Blueberry Moon.
- Ā Plush Penguin by Purl Bee.
- Ā Felt ball garland by The SoHo
- Lavender Satchels byĀ Purl BeeĀ
- Chalk Paint Cheese Tray by Wit & Whistle
Inspire Me : Guy Laramee
August 20, 2012
This guy Guy is amazing!
Sculptured Landscapes made from old books.
A beautiful upcycle.
You can see more here.
REPOST: Mini Picassos
September 30, 2011
On the blogĀ Art projects for kids, Kathy Barbro shares a project she does with 9 year olds.
I mentioned it on my giant list of holiday fun things.Ā Cubism like Picasso’s.
I thought given my girls were on both sides of this age group I would give it a go.
We made a few modifications:
- Size of paper. We used A7 black paper. Why? I find it’s good to try a new technique small. That way, it gets finished and they learn a new technique. We are all different, so one child might like the new art form, and another may not. Going small allows everyone to finish one, and for the keen beans to do more!
- Good quality coloured pencils not oil pastels. Why? Oil pastels are messy, pencils aren’t. We love these ones. Doing a smaller artwork meant the areas to colour were smaller, and this is easier with a pencil. 10 year old liked the technique and so made another A5 size drawings and used pastels for it.
- Metallic pencil for the outline. Why? We had them in the house, and metallic pencil on black paper makes even a simple drawing look fantastic.
- Made them into cards. Why? We are in a cardy kind of mood at our house and it’s a great way to use mini picassos.
REPOST: I love one-on-on time…. and so does she.
September 29, 2011
Wednesday was lovely in so many ways!
Whilst the 10 and 11 year old were off having a few days with the grandparents (thanks guys!) 7 year old and I had some rare one-on-one crafty sewy girlie time.
We used the sewn heart card project I mentioned and linked to in the giant list of things to do.
I cut the shapes from the box of paper scraps, selecting only the pink and white papers.
After making a pile of hearts in different sizes, I also made a pile of square and rectangle shapes, and a pile of the heart outlines.
I then found some pink and white buttons and thread to add to the mix.
Here is what my clever little sausage made…. She has even sold 3 cards so far to friends and given one away!
A few things I learnt or was reminded of:
- Third children rarely get time with mum alone, especially to do something fun and learn a new skill.
- Learning to sew through paper/card is an excellent starting point because the paper is firm and doesn’t get ‘bunched up’ when you sew over it. It stays where you put it.
- There are lots of little steps to sewing even straight lines…. I only realised when I tried to show someone else how to do it.
- In design, it is sometimes helpful to reduce the possibilities. This is especially true with kids because every element you add requires more skills from them but actually decreases the creativity. In this project, I opened up one new possibility at a time, as she mastered the previous one.
- She’s a really fun kid who’s skill at learning new things surprised me.
Fete feedback
September 11, 2011
The school fete is fast approaching, so I have been raking my brain and the internet for some inspiration. As usual….lots of ideas….not a lot of time/money to create some craft stall winners.
So….. what I would love from you is some feedback.
What should I (and my band of crafting mumma’s) be spending our hours making? Please let me know in the comments below what you would buy at a school fete and a rough price. Ā Also if you have kids….ask them. Lots of kids bought things from the craft stall last year. I would love their feedback too.

Last year we made these and these inspired by my friend Kat. This year maybe these windmill drinking straws. The tutorial and image source is at 'Ginger and George'.s

Sleep masks. This panda one is too cute. I think I could maybe try some other animals as well. Idea and image from Craftster.
Kit ideas….so the kids can do it themselves.
If you have never heard of these….and the picture isn’t helping at all. Have a look at how to makeĀ Seed bombs. This could also fit into the next category…. things for kids to make and do.
Things for kids to buy…. and do…
Other ideas :
- cards
- lavender bags
- door stops
- origami brooches
- oilskin lunchbags
- felted stuffed animals
- berets or hats
- homemade heating pads
- pet rocks
- summer snowballs (for water fighting)
If you want to make any of the crafts yourself, all the images have a click through to a tutorial. The fast approaching holidays is a good time to try some of them out.
For an idea of what we made for the craft stall at last years fete, look here and here and here.