Entries Tagged as 'crafts'

how to make worry dolls for kids

Do you know what worry dolls are?  I hadn’t heard of them until a few weeks ago when Anya came home from school insisting that she needed a worry doll.  I googled it and found out that worry dolls come from Guatemala and that they are tiny dolls that fit comfortably in the palm of a child’s hand. These tiny dolls are made to take away a child’s worries.  Whenever your child has a worry, they can take the worry doll to bed with them, tell the doll their worry and place the doll under their pillow.  The next morning the worries are gone because they have been taken away by the doll.  Worry dolls are especially for kids but adults can use them too. I loved the idea so much – what a sweet and simple way to help your child with their worries.

Continue Reading "Worry dolls and how to make them"

Easter egg bunny craft ideas

I can’t remember doing many crafts as a kid but the one craft I remember doing each year was painting and decorating Easter eggs.  After we made our eggs, no matter how hideous they were, my mother would treasure them and almost treat them like they were priceless faberge eggs.  Only a mother could do that!  I haven’t painted an egg in years so this year I remembered in time and decided to make these cute black and white Easter egg bunnies.

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DIY Easter treat bags

I love Easter.  Not just because of all the divine chocolate you’re allowed to eat but also because of the four day weekend which is a rarity in the UK.  It’s a great time to switch off, spend time with family and of course eat more than your own weight in chocolate.  What’s not to love?

Last year I shared these free printable Easter treat boxes and this year I decided to make little DIY Easter treat bags that Anya can give to her friends.  One of my favourite bunnies out there is Miffy so he was the inspiration behind these cute little treat bags.  And the best part is that you don’t need to sew to make these bags, just use a glue gun instead.  Here’s what I did:

Continue Reading "Miffy inspired DIY Easter treat bags"

Djeco craft kit coloured sand

December is a month where we accumulate far too much.  Anya has her birthday and then a couple of weeks later it’s Christmas.  Apart from giving stuff to charity, I also don’t let Anya open all her presents at once.  Do you do the same or am I the only mean mama?  I seriously don’t think any kid can really appreciate 10-15 presents in one go or even 5.  So she is allowed to open the wrapping but not the gift itself. I keep them away and come a rainy day in January/February when it’s too cold or wet, she always has something to do.  Last week on one such day she opened this beautiful coloured sand Djeco craft kit and she was hooked for hours.

Continue Reading "A beautiful Djeco craft kit for a rainy day"

DIY water xylophone

With all this rain going on here in the UK, we’ve been spending lots of time indoors.  While I love watching the rain when I’m inside and dry, I can’t say that Anya feels the same.  She is restless.  So we’ve been having a few play dates, more tv than we should 😉 and lots of DIY and crafting time.  Of all the stuff we’ve made, Anya has most enjoyed making this DIY water xylophone that she spotted on Cbeebies. 

DIY water xylophone

It’s such an easy and pretty DIY that I thought I would share it here.  Simply let your kids fill 6-8 plastic or glass bottles with different amounts of water.  Mix in some paint, in the colours of your choice, and your musical instrument is ready.  Tap with a spoon or similar to explore the different musical sounds.  Anya made her water xylophone in a pastel palette which I thought was so pretty!

The mini milk bottles we used are from the gorgeous Pretty Little Party Shop.

fruit crafts for kids

Do you get homework over the Summer holidays?  We don’t but reading and writing practice is encouraged.  With the best will in the world I know I’m not going to sit down with Anya and start practicing writing every day or even every week.  We get enough homework during term time so we all need a break 😉 But I do think it’s a good idea to keep in touch with writing and reading so I thought I would make her a Summer diary where she can write what she does every few days.  Last week I rounded up some fabulous fruit crafts which inspired me to make these fruity DIY Summer diaries for Anya.

DIY diary journal for kids

Anya loved the idea of making fruit inspired DIY Summer journals and chose strawberry, pineapple and orange as her fruits.  If you’d like to make these, read on.

What you’ll need:
A6 notebooks
A4 coloured paper in red, yellow and orange
2-3 sheets thin green card
black pen and brown and white coloured pencil
scissors
tape or glue (optional)

Begin by covering your notebooks with the coloured paper.  When I was in school in India, we had to cover all our school books or there would be big trouble.  With so many years of practice I can now cover books with my eyes closed!  But in case you haven’t done it before, here’s how:

how to cover a notebook

Once the books are covered, you can stick or glue the inside flaps down but I prefer to leave them just folded without glue or tape.  Next I needed to make the books look more like the fruit they were meant to be.  I drew leaf shapes on my green card – just using a pencil.  This isn’t meant to be precise or perfect so just draw freehand.  I drew three different types of leaves – one for each fruit.  And then I cut them out.  But I wanted to create a bookmark too so I cut a long piece of card with the leaves cut out at the top as the picture below shows.  So you not only have a DIY Summer diary but also a super cute DIY bookmark to match.

easy fruit themed DIY ideas

To finish off these fruity DIY Summer diaries I used a fine black pen to add seeds to the strawberry, a brown coloured pencil to line the pineapple diary and a white coloured pencil to add a touch of white to the orange diary.

DIY summer journal fruit craftfruit crafts for kidsDIY Summer journalfruit crafts for kids

My favourite journal is the strawberry one – I might even make one for myself!  If you’re looking for some more fruit craft inspiration, check out my round-up of some of the best.

"DIY wooden necklace ideas"

I’ve long been a fan of Merrilee Liddiard who writes the creative kids craft blog called MerMag.  She has now published a book full of the most fun crafts to make with your kids.  The thought behind the book is that we can make toys and fun things for our kids just like our grandparents did.  Everything doesn’t have to be bought but instead it’s all about engaging with your kids to create playful things where the making part is just as important as the playing.  Being the stylish mum that she is, Merrilee goes a step further with her book.  While it’s all about kids crafts it’s beautifully presented with thought given to the clothes the kids wear, the interiors and every detail so that it’s a book you can happily display on your coffee table. 

"paper plate crafts for kids""best craft book for kids 2014""DIY kids party pinata"

The book is called “Playful: Fun projects to make with + for kids” and has a big range of crafts including toy making, paper crafts, making dressing up stuff and lots more.  Some of my favourite crafts include those cute wooden necklaces (pictured at the top) and those giant animal cutouts.  That tiger pinata looks really fun for a party too.  There are many crafty mums out there but the reason I especially love Merrilee’s creations is because everything is do-able by non-crafty mums like me and it’s very easy to genuinely involve kids and let them do a lot of it.  Also, you never need ridiculous amounts of materials or complex tools.  And besides all her crafts look so beautiful don’t you think?

"pumpkin decorating ideas for kids"These party animal pumpkins are probably the coolest decorated pumpkins I’ve seen!  "easy pumpkin decorating ideas"These Disney inspired pumpkins are very easy to make but can you guess the characters? "no carve pumpkin decorating"These bejeweled pumpkins would be great for adding a bit of bling to your Halloween table. "DIY donut pumpkin decorating"These DIY donut pumpkins look good enough to eat, don’t you think?

•party animal pumpkins via handmade charlotte

"japanese origami paper"When I was a kid I remember being obsessed with origami.  It wasn’t just the beautiful art of folding paper that fascinated me but also the paper itself.  The detailed Japanese prints and bright, vivid colours, the smooth feel of the paper and the soft sheen all really grabbed me.  I remember using my origami sets to painstakingly cover my notebooks, pencil cases and anything else that I could manage.  And I always kept a secret stash of this paper hidden away in a drawer just in case… I’m sure I never had an origami paper emergency but I was always prepared!  So when I discovered Adeline Klam and her beautiful store it took me back to my ‘origami days’ and I was smitten.

"origami craft book"Adeline Klam’s boutique is brimming with origami sets, Japanese fabrics, origami ornaments and much more.  She also uses the beautiful paper to make lamps, tissue boxes, photo albums and other little things for the home.  But if you’re more of a DIY’er, Adeline has put together craft books on ideas of how to use this paper.  There’s of course an origami book but there’s also a super cute book on kokeshi dolls and how to turn these wonderful little ladies in to all manner of everyday objects from cushions to paper garlands.  Discovering this store has really re-kindled my origami love and I can’t wait to indulge in this craft with my daughter who is a bit young at the moment but soon, very soon I shall introduce her to to this wonderful and beautiful paper craft. 

Will this rain ever stop?  If you’re in England you’ll know what I mean but if you’re elsewhere… lucky you!  With the heavens opening nearly everyday for the last month, I’ve been on the hunt for some fun and eye-catching craft projects.  With so much time at home, the little ones need some entertainment and with that in mind, I’ve found 3 colourful little projects that are not too difficult and look really good when completed.  So here they are:

"how to make fruit balloons"These DIY fruit balloons look so bold, bright and fun and are easy to make too.  Once made you can hang them up on a garland and adorn your kiddies play space or they’d make great party decorations that don’t cost much at all.  You’ll find all the info you need to make them over at Oh Happy Day.

"easy craft project for kids"I love these DIY wool/ yarn letters and words that are very easy to make so even the little ones can get involved.  Make your bambinos name or initial or just make words that can be displayed on bookshelves, mantlepieces or anywhere you fancy.  This could be a fun thing to get kids to do at a party or when you have a play date.  You’ll find all the details over at Giddy Giddy.

"dip dyed pencils"These DIY dip dyed pencils would bring sunshine on the rainiest of days.  They’re so vibrant and cheerful and look like fun to make too.  Make a whole batch and you could even give them out as party favours.  Go as crazy as you like with the colour combos… the brighter, the better in my opinion.  Head to Modern Parents, Messy Kids where you’ll find all the details on making them.

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