Crafts – Diary of a First Child

Sometimes your children do something completely of their own accord that makes you sit back and think ‘Wow! I’m actually raising a decent person here!” Yesterday, Ameli did just that. I was busy simultaneously preparing for lunch, washing dishes and getting ready for our camping trip, when I walked into the living room and found Ameli folding papers. I asked her what she was doing, and she said “Making encouraging messages for people”.

Her plan was to open the window and toss them out into the wind and let people pick them up. When I pointed out that people might consider them litter, she agreed, and then decided that she’d hand them out as we were walking through town.

I thought it was incredibly sweet, and generous. She went onto Google and searched for ‘encouraging phrases’, wrote them out and decorated each ‘note’. When she ran out and wanted to make more, I thought the Bostik Bloggers ‘Flowers’ theme would work really well, so gave her the craft box, and here’s what she came up with: Read more: Flowery Encouragement Notes {BostikBloggers}

Used Tyre Fairy Gardens

Home / Creative Development / Used Tyre Fairy Gardens

May 11, 2017May 9, 2017 by Luschka

I’ve often seen fairy gardens made out of old tyres, but on trying to find out how to paint a tyre, I’ve found so much conflicting advice!

One site had a thread where people were discussing the best paint for your tyre with person A commenting that he had 30 years’ experience as a paint expert and that you should use an exterior oil based paint.

The next comment was from someone who had tried it and an oil based paint didn’t work. For every person suggesting a particular type of paint, another was refuting it and recommending something else. It was rather overwhelming, for something that was supposed to be a fun task.

Another site recommended washing then sanding then washing the tyre again, then using a primer before using one or another paint – that seems like hard work for a children’s fairy garden project!Read more: Used Tyre Fairy Gardens

Mother’s Day Crafts With Gel-A-Peel Pearly Pastels

Home / Products / Mother’s Day Crafts With Gel-A-Peel Pearly Pastels

March 13, 2017March 13, 2017 by Luschka

Following our first experience with Glow in the Dark Gel-a-Peel a few months ago, we were keen to try the Gel-a-Peel Pearly Pastels in time for Mothering Sunday. Of course this sees me overseeing the decoration of my own gifts, but hey ho, these are the sacrifices we must make. I absolutely loved the ‘frames’ that came with the kit, so decided to make them, but rather than cutting the pictures to size to fit inside, just used them as overlays. I love it!

Make Your Own Gift Box #BostikBloggers

Home / Mama Crafts / Make Your Own Gift Box #BostikBloggers

February 3, 2017February 3, 2017 by Luschka

Whether you do Valentines for the love of your life, or you simply do it for the kids, these little gift boxes are easy to make, and the perfect size for jewellery, cufflinks, or gift vouchers. I make them from half an A4-page. You can also make them bigger, of course.

You can also make them from paper, but they’re obviously not too strong then, or from card. I made this one from corrugated card, which is nice and strong, but the colour doesn’t run all the way through the paper.

Glow In The Dark Gel-A-Peel #DesignaDiary Review

Home / Good Stuff / Glow In The Dark Gel-A-Peel #DesignaDiary Review

February 2, 2017February 15, 2017 by Luschka

This week the kids and I were introduced for the first time to the joys of Gel-A-Peel. Gel-A-Peel is as the name suggests a liquid gel with which you can make patterns and shapes, decorations, jewellery and anything else you can think of really. Leave it to dry for a few hours and peel it off – hey presto!

Easy Christmas Decorations – Bostik Bloggers Christmas Edition

Home / Bostik Bloggers / Easy Christmas Decorations – Bostik Bloggers Christmas Edition

November 11, 2016November 12, 2016 by Luschka

Our Bostik Bloggers box this month arrived full of Christmas goodies, so we decided to dive right in and start making little Christmas decorations. I thought it would be a good time to use up some bits left over from earlier in the year too, so it’s a bit of a mix and match, but these are all easy, quick and simple ideas. Easy Christmas Decorations - Bostik Bloggers Christmas Edition Try these simple Christmas decorations

Learning About the Hindu Festival Of Diwali

Home / 4-5 / Learning About the Hindu Festival Of Diwali

October 14, 2016October 14, 2016 by Luschka

I can’t claim to have grown up with much awareness of religious diversity, and I can’t claim to be one way better or worse off for it, but I do know that my children are growing up in a much different way and in a very different place to the close, conservative, and supportive community that I did, so I think it’s important for them to learn two things: 1) Tolerance for other religions, 2) an understanding of other religions in relation to what I believe, and what I hope they will believe. Religious observances are also different now, and sometimes more commercial – for example the Colour Run, based on the Holli celebration, or locally, we have Electric Woods, where Robin Hill lights up the autumn nights inspired by Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights. While we could just go and enjoy the prettiness, I think there’s value in explaining what it is that we’re exposing ourselves to, so that the children can learn something about ‘other people’. As it was, the Electric Woods event saw us walking through the woods at Robin Hill enjoying the cold evening air, listening to music and looking at light displays. It was a lovely evening out, fuelled by hot chocolate. Read more: Learning About the Hindu Festival Of Diwali

DIY Bonfire Night Hair Clips #BostikBloggers

Home / Bostik Bloggers / DIY Bonfire Night Hair Clips #BostikBloggers

October 12, 2016October 12, 2016 by Luschka

This year is spinning by at an insane velocity! Here we are, still enjoying warm-ish days on – or at least near – the beach, and already thinking of bonfire night, which is less than a month away! This month our #BostikBloggers project theme was just that: Bonfire Night. I didn’t want to make something fireworks related this time, but thought we’d focus on the “fire” aspect of it.

I wanted to make something a little more step-by-step, too, so here’s our instructional on how to make bonfire hair clips.

Paper Plate Feelings Charades

Home / 4-5 / Paper Plate Feelings Charades

September 29, 2016September 28, 2016 by Luschka

On the theme of Feelings and Emotions, a fun, easy and cheap game to put together for the kids is one we’ve called Paper Plate Feelings Charades, but it can also be played as an emotions ‘Who am I’ kind of game.Read more: Paper Plate Feelings Charades

Halloween and Day of the Dead Mosaic Crafts

Home / 4-5 / Halloween and Day of the Dead Mosaic Crafts

September 26, 2016 by Luschka

It’s almost Halloween, which is kind of amusing because we don’t really ‘celebrate’ Halloween. Or Samhain. Or Day of the Dead. We have two birthdays in October which is pretty much enough for us, but you know… everyone’s doing it. Our Bostik Bloggers Box this month contained lots of Halloween-themed goodies, with a giant foam skeleton, pumpkin and bat. There are all sorts of little scrapbook odds and ends and paper, including Halloween confetti.

For these decorations we used:

Halloween themed scrap book paper
Webbed material
Halloween foams
Glu Dots
Bostik PVA Craft Glue