I haven’t vanished!!

Eagle eyed readers of my blog may have noticed a marked decrease in posts in the last few months. I promise I haven’t vanished.

I have however been through an operation which had an extended recovery period. Then just when things should have been returning to normal I moved house. Plus we had extensions, moves and other operations going on across the whole family. I am now sitting surrounded by half unpacked boxes and feeling really rather tired but… I think life can finally calm down now!

I do have plans for future posts but for today I just wanted to give a little explanation for my absence. I also thought I’d share this amusing graphic I was sent from stuartmorris.co.uk it doesn’t really have any relevance to this post but it made me smile none the less. Perhaps I’ll draw you all a self portrait for next time 🙂

Stuart Morris - Children's drawings - infographic

Autumn and Halloween crafts with Bostik!

The nights are closing in and cold air is sweeping through our homes, Autumn is definitely here! There’s no need to be downcast though, less time out playing means more time indoors crafting for all members of the family. Today I’m showing you some fun Autumn and Halloween crafts that your kids are bound to enjoy. As part of the Bostik Craft Bloggers Network I receive a regular box of themed goodies that let my kids and I enjoy a great afternoon coming up with interesting ideas that are fun to make.

DSC_0209This month our box contained:

Pegs

Lolly Sticks

Pipe Cleaners

Faux Leaves

Bostik Glu Dots

Bostik Glu Pen

Ribbon

Polystyrene Balls

Melting Beads

Greaseproof Paper

Here’s what that lovely box turned into:

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Autumn Peg Fairies

A slight twist on the standard peg person, these peg fairies look great standing on a shelf or hung upon a tree.

Autumn Peg Fairies

Using the Bostik Glu dots two leaves are wrapped around a peg to create the fairy’s skirt.IMG_0498

Next cut a lolly stick into a few pieces and secure to both sides of the peg using the Bostik Glu Dots to make arms.IMG_0502

Wrap ribbon around the peg over and under the arms to make the bodice. Secure using the Bostik Glu Pen.IMG_0504

Next two leaves are used to make the wings. Using a Bostik Glu Dot stick part of a leaf down as shown in the following picture.IMG_0505

Stick to the back of your fairy.IMG_0509

We left our fairies looking simple, but of course you could create hair using wool and draw on a face.

Pumpkin & Skeleton Decorations

Made with specially designed beads these pumpkin and skeleton designs are the work of my son and husband. They could also be used as seasonal coasters.

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The beads are arranged in your chosen design upon a board. A piece of greaseproof paper is then laid upon the design and ironed. The iron melts the beads which joins them together.

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Spider Monster and Eyeball Decorations

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My daughter and youngest son made these designs by colouring in polystyrene balls. The spider monster then had pipe cleaners pushed into place and secured using the Bostik glu pen to make legs. They are very proud of their spooky creations.

Make your own Fabric Knitting Bag, Pencil Roll & Fabric Flowers with Bostik!

Time for my latest post as part of the Bostik Craft Bloggers Network. With this box of crafty goodies my kids and I made a knitting bag for my daughter, a pencil roll and gorgeous fabric flowers complete with their own vase. Bostik kindly sent me a box containing the items seen in the picture below:

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The key ingredient in this box was Bostik Sew Simple fabric glue. This amazing glue allows you to stick fabric together in an instant, completely bypassing the need for laborious sewing.

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Fabric Flowers with Vase!

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To make the vase for our flowers we used the Bostik Sew Simple fabric glue to attach fabric to a simple cardboard container. At the base the fabric is clipped into wide strips to allow them to be folded and glued into place.DSC_0850

The flowers are made by cutting a strip of fabric wider than a pipe cleaner. The fabric is glued along one edge to cover the pipe cleaner, keep a small piece of pipe cleaner sticking out of each end.DSC_0853

Another pipe cleaner is looped around the first on one end, this will create the stem of your flower.DSC_0855

The fabric is then bent and wrapped around the stem to create a flower shape. To finish wrap the end of the first pipe cleaner tightly around the stem to secure.DSC_0859

Make several more and display in your brand new fabric vase!

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Knitting Bag!

My daughter has only recently started to knit and as any knitter will know having a bag to keep your needles and wool in is essential to avoid complete confusion and tangled threads.DSC_0352

The bag is just a plain fabric bag. Using the Bostik Sew Simple fabric glue we stuck a large panel of cotton fabric to the front. My daughter then selected colourful foam letters which spell out ‘Knitting’ and glued them into place.DSC_0345

Inside the bag we attached a smaller piece of fabric, which was the perfect size to slip her knitting needles into. This was sewn into place to give a little extra strength.

 

DSC_0349Pencil Roll!

If your children are anything like mine then you’ll be used to finding stray pencils and crayons in all manner of places. Having a pencil roll keeps the best of them organised and is perfect for taking on a trip out and about.DSC_0348

To make the pencil roll I adapted a tutorial I found online at http://two-little-monkies.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/sewing-tutorial-w-pictures-crayon-caddy.html. It’s a great little tutorial and definitely worth a go.