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.
Easter is almost here. What are your plans for the long weekend? We are planning a trip to the Natural History Museum, lots of down time, some delicious food and of course a few crafts. I love Easter crafts, especially Easter bunny crafts that can be so, so cute! So I’ve been collecting some ideas to try out over the weekend and in the holidays. I’ve rounded up 9 of my absolute favourite ones that include some edible ones too. Most of these Easter bunny crafts are easy to make and perfect to keep little people busy over the holidays:
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:
Autumn is definitely here and when you are surrounded by an abundance of leaves in the most amazing colours, it seems crazy not to do something with them. There are so many fun crafts you can do with autumn leaves that kids will just adore getting involved in. I’ve got a fun idea for a craft which I plan to do soon but in the meantime, I have collected 7 fabulous autumn leaf crafts that you can make today. Most of these crafts don’t require anything special but instead can be done using stuff you have lying around the home. Just get the kids to gather a bagful of leaves each and get started:
Paint your leaves and make fun animals. The shapes of the leaves are so great for making all kinds of animals and the stems are the perfect ready made noses or tails.
Instead of animal faces, you can just paint the leaves in pretty colours or patterns which is easier for younger kids to do. How stunning do the bright colours look and I’m especially loving the polka dots.
For a super sweet and simple DIY, how cute are these animal headbands? All you need is a handful of leaves, some kraft paper and a pen and you’re good to go. Easy and oh so cute!
This is another great idea for a craft using autumn leaves. If you’ve got paper punchers in any shape, you can punch out autumn leaves and then what you make with them is entirely up to you. I’m thinking collages, bracelets, bookmarks or anything at all.
I think these fishy leaves are just the best. Make a whole aquarium using just some leaves and two paint colours – fab!
Using leaves and other gathered bits like sticks, seeds and acorns, make the funniest leaf faces! I love how simple this craft is, perfect even for the youngest of kids.
For older kids looking for a bit more of a challenge, try embroidering autumn leaves – create faces, patterns or even stitch up a few leaves together to make a garland.
I love each of these autumn leaf crafts and can’t choose which one to try first! Have you done anything fun with autumn leaves? Do share in the comments.
Image credits and find all the how to’s: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
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.
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!
I don’t really know why but I always get much more excited about Easter crafts than I do about Christmas or any other occasion. With this in mind, last week I shared some fabulous Easter egg decorating ideas and the week before I had some adorable Easter bunny card printables created especially for you. This week I have another fab free printable coming for you but today I wanted to share some fun and unusual Easter bunny crafts to try out over the holidays. I went looking and here are my favourites:
This is such a cute idea to make your own bunny t-shirts. You could actually make any item of clothing using the same idea.
I know Easter is all about indulging in chocolate but you can also have fun with healthier treats like these bunny bagels. How cute are they? Made with cream cheese and fruit, they look so adorable – I don’t think any little kid would be able to resist.
If like me you’re a Miffy fan, Easter is the perfect time to indulge in lots of Miffy shaped things like this cute DIY miffy bag perfect to fill with little chocolate eggs.
I did warn you that I was a bit Miffy obsessed so here is another Miffy craft. This pastel Miffy bunting would look great for an Easter party or even as a year round kids room decoration and it comes with a free printable template making it super easy to make.
These DIY Easter bunny envelopes not only look cute but will keep little hands busy for a while. This is one craft kids can make on their own and then fill with little toys or treats for themselves or for a friend.
Easter can’t be complete without a set of bunny ears for each of the kids and maybe even for the adults! I’m loving these DIY bunny ears that are easy to make too.
Last but not least are these fun bunny decorations to hang up over the Easter weekend. Or instead you could just decorate paper plates in a similar way – add ears and a little face to the middle.
These are some of my favourite Easter bunny crafts – I really want to have a go at making those ears and that Miffy garland. Do you enjoy Easter crafts? What crafts will you be doing this Easter?
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.
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?
The Summer holidays have been here for a couple of weeks now and are a welcome break from the routine. With the beautiful UK weather, we’ve been indulging in lots of outdoor time. But since I work from home, I can’t take Anya out morning to evening every day as I need to find time to work. If you work from home, you’ll know that the constant questions, demands for food and expressions of boredom make working nearly impossible or at least means you take three times as long to do anything! While the TV and ipad are good at keeping her distracted, I like to use these in moderation. So instead I’ve been stocking up on a few creative little activities which I’ve started giving her when she needs something to do. Nothing complicated, just the very simplest little things I’ve bought which she can create with by herself. I thought I would share the three that have been the biggest hits so far:
Let’s Make Some Great Fingerprint Art is such a fun book. The book is packed with loads and loads of ideas for making art with your fingers. All you need is a colourful inkpad and a pencil to complete the pictures you create. Anya loved this book and takes it out nearly everyday since I gave it to her.
I spotted this massive jar of beads in Ikea a while ago. They’re not exactly beads but mini tube shaped bits that Anya has used for all sorts of creations. From making jewellery to sticking them on paper to make pictures, this jar has so many uses. Anya has also used these beads to make up counting by colours kind of games. But be warned, every time they come out, you’ll be treading on little bits of plastic for days to come!
This last one was a bit of an impromptu made-up thing but Anya loved it so I thought it was worth sharing. I needed to get on with some urgent work so needed her occupied. I just made a huge sheet of paper, pulled put some poster paints and told her to have fun. She ended up painting with her fingers and had a ball.
How do you keep your kids occupied? I’d love to hear your ideas.
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Ebabee Likes is a style guide for babies, kids, teens and their mamas. It’s all about inspiration, ideas and indulging yourself and your brood. It’s written by me ~ Nomita ~ a style loving girl from Mumbai who now live’s in London. Read More...
