Reuse/Recycle
My book ^_^
Yey! My book has finally been released. The whole process has taken over a year and, at times, I really didn’t think I would get there! It’s wonderful to finally be able to show you some pictures, and also to feel a bit more relaxed about the whole thing.
The book is called “eco-friendly crafting with kids” and contains 35 step-by-step projects for preschool kids and adults to create together. (Even though the book is aimed at preschoolers the projects would also be suitable for 5, 6 & 7 year olds).
I picked a fairly random set of images to show you…I was finding it hard to choose. The book really does look stunning, largely due to the efforts of photographer Carloyn Barber, stylist Liz Belton and Designer Sonya Nathoo.
The book is split into eight sections; homemade materials, music, nature, recycling bin, paper and card, sewing and threading, science and boredom busters.
I would love for you to buy a copy if you like the look of it *^_^*. You can purchase one at amazon.co.uk, amazon.com, amazon.ca, barnes & noble (and many other places). You can also order it from the book depository (which does free worldwide delivery) and lots of other websites! (btw my Australian pals and I use the book depository to send presents to one another and we’ve always been really happy with the service!)
Images excerpted from “eco-friendly crafting with kids” by Kate Lilley. Photography Copyright © Ryland Peters & Small Ltd. Reprinted with permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.
Space crayons
Hello! We’ve been struck down by some nasty bugs in the last few weeks so sorry (once again!) for the lack of updates.
Last night, I finally managed to peel myself off the sofa(!) and made these galaxy crayons for son #1 (he is currently fascinated with stars and planets).
If you, too, are interested in the night sky then did you know you can download high-res images from the hubble site? {Thanks Oh Happy Day for the heads up}. (I can feel a project coming on!)
Anyway, the crayons are really easy to make and fun to draw with. If you wanna have a go then see the tutorial after the jump.
If your little ones (or you) prefer bright colours then you can also make regular glitter crayons! Yay!
More starry links:
Galaxy playdough here!
Amazing ‘Stardust’ fashion photography by Ignacio Torres.
(I do still regularly pin my favorite crafts at Pinterest by the way…so if you wanna pop over then that would be cool!)
Magic wallet
Imade a magic wallet for my four year old this weekend (I remember playing with them when I was a kid). Anyway he loved it (….and I mean really loved it). He loved it so much he took it to bed with him. My three year old didn’t really ‘get it’ but he thought it was ace too!!
For those of you not familiar with magic wallets here’s a quick explanation of what they do. Basically the wallet opens both ways. If you pop some paper money on top of the green cross, close the wallet, and open it again, it will appear underneath the green cross. If you close and open the wallet again it will appear underneath the yellow lines.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t make brand new bank notes appear out of thin air….blast!
If you are intrigued, and want to know how to make one, please find full instructions after the jump.
{macramé: half knot spiral} washer & wingnut bracelet
Hello there! I finally got around to posting after a hectic few weeks. I’ve been working on a big project which is all done and dusted now so I will be making more frequent updates between now and Christmas…phew! I sincerely wish there were more hours in the day!
I’m hoping to post another Halloween craft in the next day or so. Between now and then here is another macramé bracelet.
It’s comprised of a’half knot spiral’ (and is even easier than the square knot bracelet I showed you previously).
A few people left comments about the last bracelet saying it looked like it may take too long to make. Rest assured, once you have sussed the knots, you can knock one up in ten minutes! (They are much quicker to make than friendship bracelets). If you don’t like the nuts/washers/wingnuts then just use beads instead. (Speaking of beads…I have a great giveaway coming up later on in the week so stay tuned).
By the way thanks to all you lovely people who ‘liked’ my facebook page. You made me feel very welcome! I’ll be posting all my favorite crafts from around the web there so check it out.
Full tutorial after the jump!
{macramé: square knot} string & hexnut bracelet
This bracelet has been inspired by this really wonderful “Braided Hex-nut Bracelet” tutorial which I pinned on Pinterest a while back.
Two things I absolutely love about this project are:
1) It’s cheap as chips: I already had string in the cupboard and the brass hexnuts were 3p each from the hardware shop.
2) It’s my kind of jewellery: I’m not really a girly girl IYKWIM!
The bracelet I made is a bit different to the ‘braided hex-nut bracelet’ and uses macrame instead, which is great, because I promised some tutorials a while back and felt a bit bad that I hadn’t written any yet!
Full instructions after the jump! Happy knotting!
Pencil crayon jewelry for designmom
Gabrielle from designmom.com asked me to come up with a ‘back-to-school’ themed project for her readers to try. I never did put together a full tutorial for the crayon necklace I made a few months ago so it gave me the perfect excuse.
Anyway I’ve had a heap of fun making these – one of my favorite projects so far (I think!). You can see the necklace, bracelet and brooch pictured. See below for a full tutorial or pop over to designmom.com.
Gabrielle has just launched a Work Life Balance Project on her blog and I thought it made a really good read. It’s a subject close to my heart because I feel like I spend most of my days spinning plates!
Speaking of going back to school my eldest son starts school on the 5th September. I’m so chuffed for him…because he really wants to go and seems so ready for it. On the other hand I’m pretty gutted. I’m going to miss hanging out with him! My youngest son goes in for a tonsillectomy on the same day! Emotion fuelled indeed! (Any advice on how to ‘hold-it-together’ would be most appreciated!).
By the way if you’re digging the whole pencil crayon thing then check out these wonderful sculptures by Jennifer Maestre and this wonderful jewelry by Maria Cristina Bellucci.
Felt pen inks
Our house is often like a felt-pen graveyard (in spite of persistant nagging)!
If you too are the owner of many a dried-up, squished-nib pen then worry not, simply chuck them in a pot of water overnight and make some really lovely liquid inks. (Use about 50ml of water for every felt pen).
I’m still trying to figure out what to make with all the plastic cases…ideas on a postcard please!
BTW….I’ve seen this idea before of the web, but can’t find the original source. If you know then please leave a comment and I’ll add it to the bottom of this post.
This idea origionally came from an article at childcentralstation – go check it out!
By the way I’m still addicted to pinterest. It’s just such a useful way of keeping track of visual material. Why not sign up…it’s free! You can check out my boards here and read my pinterview here!
Sorry things are still a bit quiet around here…another month and I will be posting more regularly again.
Woven paper gift topper
I‘m pretty chuffed with these woven paper gift toppers. They are a sinch to make and look really great with recycled newspaper wrap.
The idea originated from this woven yarn gift topper which you can see at giverslog.com and from this image which comes from the book More Last Minute Knitted Gifts.
How-to
♥ Cut some strips of colored paper. Mine were 0.5cm wide. They need to be long enough to wrap around your gift. If you have a paper shredder then this might make the job even quicker!
♥ Line up your vertical strips on a table top…you can use a bit of sticky tape at one end to hold them in place while you weave away.
♥ Weave the horizontal strips into the vertical strips.
♥ Using a bit of sticky tape secure to your gift. Job done!
I also made a rainbow gift topper….no surprise there then!
Happy Monday everyone!
Pencil crayon necklaces
Yesterday evening I ‘borrowed’ eight of my sons crayons and surreptitiously removed 7mm from the end of each one using a hacksaw. Today the crayons are back in their rightful place, my son is none the wiser, and I’m the proud owner of a new necklace!
I have seen these pencil crayon necklaces on the web before and have been itching to have a go. They are really easy to make. I used a junior hacksaw, tiny drill bit, sandpaper and a length of cotton. Each crayon-bead is 0.6mm in length. If anyone wants a more in-depth how-to please let me know.
I reckon they would make a lovely handmade present. All you need to do is add a nice clasp…sorted!
I also stole a whole orange pencil and made a pointy necklace too 
Off topic: Sorry it’s been a little quiet here of late. I have a big project on the go and it’s taking up every spare second. It’s probably going to be quiet for the next eight weeks or so but after that it will be business as usual.
In the Autumn I’m planning on redesigning the site a little and am going to somehow split it into two sections – so that there is a kids craft section and an adult crafts section.
I promised Aimee from Home Spun Threads that I would give her site a big shout out. She is running a ‘Summer Soiree’ (guest blog series) during May. Check it out because there are some lovely posts. I’m digging the ladybug basket. Very cute indeed! My youngest son is obsessed with bags at the moment so this is on our to-do list tomorrow.
My little (big) boy, Seth, was 4 last week! Hurray! I just want to rewind and replay the last four years…it’s been ACE.
Cereal box scenery – templates
Just a quick post to let you know the cereal box scenery templates are up! Thank you for all your lovely comments and emails. Please let me know how you get on and send pictures of your efforts! If you need a hand just give me a yell….or alternately leave a comment and i’ll get back to you.
The templates should work on most medium/large cereal boxes.
♥ Cereal box template – sides (pdf)
♥ Cereal box template – front (pdf)
♥ Cereal box template – back (pdf)
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