Emma is really into pretend play at the moment, so I thought it was time to introduce her to my favourite roll play toy as a child, the Doctor Play set. I had a Fisher Price one as a girl, and it really got a workout. Instead of buying her a whole lot of plastic stuff, I rummaged around in…
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Carving your own stamps is super fun and not as difficult as you may think. Supplies are relatively inexpensive and it’s a great way to personalize gift cards, wrapping paper and scrapbook projects. Start off with a simple design like this mushroom to build up your skills and confidence, then have fun illustrating your own designs. The kids will love…
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It’s been a while since I posted a needle felting project, so I thought I would treat you to something a little bit special. I really love the idea of children playing with toys made from natural materials like wool, it’s really important developmentally to give them a rich sensory experience that plastic toys just don’t offer. This needle felted…
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I just bought a new compact camera to take on my trip to Japan next week. Eeeep! Exciting! It takes fab photos and has super cute retro styling, but unfortunately the camera strap that came with it was a little bit blah. The only solution was to ‘get crafty’! I found some cute ribbon in my stash that was the…
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This tutorial was originally created and published last winter on my (sadly neglected) sewing blog MADE OF CLOTH. It had a great positive feedback so I thought it was worth revisiting. I recommend this as a project for intermediate sewers and assumes some experience with inserting zips and attaching bias binding. Last winter Emma had a giant growth spurt, her…
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Ever since I used my Japanese cross stitch book to make some cute brooches with fuse beads last year, I’ve been looking at all cross stitch through totally different eyes – especially my small collection of pretty vintage cross stitched doileys and serviettes. Small motifs translate brilliantly to fuse bead projects like these coasters. Have a look in your linen…
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A little while ago I posted this tutorial on how add knee patches to jeans. It’s a simple way to get some extra life out of your kids clothes. This week the lovely and very talented Draw!Pilgrim has created some free printable templates that can be used to create cute patches to make those tired duds into something special. Read…
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I acquired a ton of this ‘disposable’ wooden cutlery recently which was crying out for a fun and colourful makeover. With Emma’s birthday approaching I thought it would be a pretty alternative to the usual plastic fare widely on offer. To ensure the cutlery would remain ‘food safe’ I used food colouring rather than paint or fabric dye for this…
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