Monster Head Wall Art with Bostik

Posted on June 30, 2015 by Abi

Rarrrrrr! Did I scare you all? Probably not but pretending to be a scary monster is one of those essential parts of childhood. Why not combine all the thrill and amusement of shocking the family with a craft activity. Try out my Monster Head Wall Art tutorial and your little ones are bound to have a roaring good time! This blog was made from supplies given to me by Bostik as part of their Craft Ambassador program, search Bostik on the side bar to see some of my previous Bostik crafts.

What You’ll Need

Bostik Glu Dots

Blu Tack White Glu

Cardboard cone (buy a blank one from a craft store or make one)

Piece of felt

2 Polystyrene balls

Pompoms, feathers, foam shapes or anything you fancy to decorate your monster pal

Step 1

Every self respecting monster needs terrifying skin, cut some shapes from the felt and glue onto the cone using the Blu Tack White Glu, then leave to dry completely. My daughter cut out triangle shapes and glued them from the tip of the cardboard cone to the back to create scales.

Step 2

Draw some pupils onto the two polystyrene balls, these will become your eyes. Stick the eyes together using a Bostik Glu Dot. Then attach two glu dots to the bottom of each eye and stick onto the end of the cone.

Step 3

Time to decorate and let your imagination run wild!! We stuck foam hand shapes to the back of our monster’s head. Then we used wired feathers which were bent at a right angle and threaded between the eyes, these were stuck inside the cone using tape to give a really secure anchor. Small pom poms were stuck at random around the head using glu dots, and then we stuck a larger fluffy pom pom onto the tip of the cone/head to give the monster a bright blue nose.

Of course you could decorate your monster in whatever way you fancy.

Step 4

To hang the head on the wall simply position over a nail or picture hook (that may be a job best left to the parents if hammers are involved!!) then stand back and admire your monstrously good craft skills.

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Pop Up Kings Road with Skribbies shoes!

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Abi

Skribbies are footwear that can be drawn on, wiped clean and then drawn on again. I was intrigued by the idea but wondered how they would work in reality.

For the first two weeks of August, 387 Kings Road, London has opened it’s doors as part of Pop Up Britain. For a limited time you can purchase products from some of the most exciting online brands in a physical store. I popped along to the launch event to meet the Skribbies team. A few recognisable faces were also in attendance such as CBeebies’ Sid Sloane, much to the kids delight!

The store itself is situated quite a long way down the Kings Road, but it’s definitely worth a visit. There are eight temporary residents selling a range of goods suitable for kids, mums-to-be and the home. There are also craft activities and face painting to keep little ones occupied while you browse. My son insisted on having his face painted as Batman before posing with Sid at the front of the store.

It was great to see the shoes in real life and have a chance to test them out.

Will kids actually enjoy drawing on their shoes?

The kids ran straight past the craft and face painting tables to sit on the floor and start doodling. They drew several designs while we were there and have continued to enjoy changing their shoes daily. Even Sid got in on the colouring action, unfortunately as Skribbies are only available in Junior sizes 10 – Adult size 3 so they were never going to fit him!

I can definitely understand the appeal of these trainers as they remind me of my own childhood, filled with customisable headbands with names written across them in embossed script. Skribbies creator Jennifer Duthie laughed when I mentioned this, as such memories were apparently part of her inspiration when creating the range! I also wonder if I can squirrel the shoes away of an evening and write little reminders on them like ‘tidy your room’ or ‘put your washing in the basket’ it could be a whole new brand of parenting 😛

I can confidently say that kids (and adults!) really enjoying drawing on their shoes.

Will the designs last when walking about or in the rain?

All three children wore their shoes from the pop up store over to the Natural History Museum, then on several tubes and walking around London. As long as the design has dried they seem to last. I haven’t tested them out in the rain yet, but I am told they will survive as long as they have been given time to dry before venturing out.

Are they durable?

We haven’t had them long but considering all my children are very hard on their shoes and we had several trips and stubs in London I’m amazed they are still in one piece already. Only time will tell, but so far it’s a thumbs up!

Will parents like them?

I do. They hold a magical appeal that keeps my children quiet and occupied for long stretches at a time! My youngest is also notoriously fussy when it comes to his footwear and he loves these shoes. Plus the fact that they have Neon accents makes the kids easier to spot should they wander a bit further away from you than you would like.

We all had a fabulous time meeting the Skribbies team and trying out the new shoes. I can honestly see these becoming a must have accessory for cool kids and parents will enjoy the peace they seem to bring. I would definitely recommend visiting the store to see the shoes in person and meet the team if you can.

Pop Up Store Details

Situated at: 387 Kings Road, London, SW10 0LR

Open: 1st – 14th August

Opening hours: 10am – 6.30pm

Skribbies Details

Skribbies are available in three colour variations; pink/red, neon yellow/black and blue/navy.

Size Range: Junior size 10 – Adult size 3

Each pair of Skribbies comes with a pack of magic pens, a wristband to wipe the designs off and stickers to further customise.

Further colours and designs and planned for the future including low-top trainers.

They are priced at £35.95 and available to purchase online from www.skribbies.com or in person from the Kings Road Pop Up Store.

Skribbies on Facebook www.facebook.com/skribbies

Skribbies on Twitter www.twitter.com/skribbies

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Shakti Exhibition at Kedleston Hall Derbyshire

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Abi

Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire is the seat of the Curzon family, who have owned the estate since at least 1297. George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston became the Viceroy of India in 1899 and had a passion for Indian art and culture. He was responsible for restoring many of India’s landmarks such as the world famous Taj Mahal. Kedleston itself is now owned by the National Trust and within the lower floors you can find the ‘Eastern Museum’ which holds a collection of objects collected by Lord Curzon and his family on their travels in Asia.

Kedleston has recently been chosen as one of the venues for the Shakti Exhibition. The main purpose of this is to look at ties between Britain and India from a cultural and artistic perspective. The exhibition has been organised by Meadow Arts (further details can be found on their website). I was excited to be able to attend the launch of this amazing exhibition which took place on a glorious Friday evening. Here is a view from one of the first floor balconies.

Before we began viewing the exhibition there was a chance to talk to other guests in Ceasar’s Hall on the ground floor of Kedleston. We were served some wonderful food and glasses of wine.

Meadow Arts have produced a small booklet with maps to the various artworks and explanations as to why the work was included. Amongst the pillars I spied my first piece :). A large round golden ball covered in exquisite embroideries. I tried to take lots of pictures but the camera really doesn’t do this piece justice, it needs to be viewed in the flesh.

One picture that particularly caught my eye was called ‘My Virtual Daughter’ by artist Bharti Parmar. It’s a silkscreen print on Fabriano embellished with silk thread. Again you really do need to see the piece for yourself to appreciate the full beauty.

We moved from Caesar’s Hall to the State Floor and the magnificent Marble Hall. In the middle of this room was a large crown made with ivory duco paint on fibre reinforced plastic. It’s modelled on Elizabeth II’s crown and the surface is covered with the names of those who fell during the fight for independence. In this picture we are standing listening to Anne de Charmant, Director and Curator of meadow Arts.

I have visited Kedleston Hall many times before but it was wonderful to see contemporary works of art displayed in such a historic setting. It was also rather fabulous to be able to walk around with very few others (but that’s probably being little a bit selfish!! :P)

The last picture is of a large gilded head made by Ravinder Reddy, one of India’s most celebrated contemporary artists.

There are many more pieces of art and I would thoroughly recommend people make the effort to visit if they can. The exhibtion is going to be at Kedleston Hall until 31 October 2013. They can also be viewed in Powis Castle, Welshpool, Oriel Davies, Newton and Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

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