Kids Craft – Easter Egg Pendants

With it being Easter I’ve got even more Easter inspiration to share with you all, with the addition of these cute little glittered egg pendants each on its own beaded necklace.

You will need…

Packet of mini polystrene eggs
Various shades of glitter
Section of necklace threads
Selection of beads (big and chunky for little hands)
Mod Podge Gloss
Tiger wire
Self adhesive gems
Tacky glue

Tools…
Wire clippers or scissors
Glue brush (4 mod podge)
Plastic bags or jars
Tooth pick

Step 1 Take your mini polystrene eggs (however many you wish to make) and one by one cover in a coat of tacky glue.

Step 2 Place your different coloured glitters into different sandwich bags, jars or other clean clear containers. Place each egg in a bag (one egg to one bag) tie and then Vicariously shake to completely cover the eggs in the glitter.

Step 3 Use a tooth pic to remove the eggs from their bags and leave them to dry for at least a few hours before covering each in a layer of mod podge gloss.

Step 4 After a further 30 minutes or so drying time, use a needle to pierce a hole at the top of your egg from one end to the other. Now thread the tiger wire through the egg and tread on a couple of beads, twist and make a hanging loop by twisting again.

Step 5 Now thread the egg through your necklace thread.

Step 6 Now, stick a self adhesive gem to the centre of your egg.

Step 7 Now thread some big metallic beads onto the thread and tie.

Step 8 Now wear and watch as others admire your bling!

The Possibilities are endless….

Kids Easter Crafts – Pom-Pom Eggs

Just a quick one to share a cute little Easter craft the children have been engaging in.

What you’ll need..

Various Size Pom-Poms
Egg Template (or make your own from card)
Card
Tacky Glue
Hole Punch
Thick & Thin Ribbon
Scissors
Pencil
Eraser/Rubber

The children loved this activity. Both Alice who is 10 and the toddler of 3 enjoyed the craft equally. Yes, it can get a little messy, especially when your a toddler, but nothing a little soapy water cannot fix.

Its simple, take a pencil and some card and draw around your egg template. Do this for how ever many egg decorations you want to make. Now cut this out and then rub away any visible pencil marks with an eraser (you may have to create the egg shapes for smaller children as I did for the toddler).

Next step is to use a hole punch to make a hole at the top of each egg.

Now take some really sloppy tacky white glue and begin to work section by section. Spread glue and then layer Pom-Poms on top side by side.

Push the Pom-Poms as close together as you can, filling any gaps with smaller Pom-Poms. Once completely covered, leave to dry.

Once the egg has dried, tread through your thick ribbon and tie into a knot ready for hanging.

You can turn the egg over on the reverse side and decorate in the same way so both sides are completely covered. Completely optional, it may depend on how patient the children are being and their overall level of engagement by this stage.

If your not doing both sides then now is the time to place your thin ribbon around the centre of your egg, finishing off with a pretty bow.

These can also be decorated with other materials such as sequins and gems, felt or paint… Let their imaginations run wild.

All thats left to do is to hang and proudly display… These look great hung from natural tree brunches that have been placed in a soiled pot. They even look great hanging at the window so passers by can admire. I have a bus stop outside my window so the children’s decorations have been admired by many (even the bus drivers lol).

Christmas Ornament Exchange

Merry Christmas everyone

Just a quick one…

A while back we shared some of our Christmas decorations as part of the Christmas ornament exchange project that was shared on the lovely Redredarts blog along with some other fabulous bloggers who hosted a Linky showcasing some beautiful homemade ornaments.

The whole idea was to make a homemade tree decoration, snap a pic and along with a quick “How Too” post it to your blog before finally sharing the link on exchange Linky.

Once everyone was done sharing us bloggers were randomly drawn and paired up together for the exchange.

The rest was simple. Just contact the blogger you were paired with, grab their address and send them your homemade creation in the post. Once you have received yours, snap yet another picture and share your received decoration on your blog.

I was paired with the lovely Katie from…Randomness.
Sadly my decorations only got to her on Christmas eve as the first time I’d sent them I’d actually written my own address on the package and sent them back to myself…. Stupid, I know. I can only blame this on my overloaded Christmas brain.

So first here’s what Katie sent me…

I love how Katie upcycled children’s toys to create fab little decorations! One of the decorations she sent me was that of a child’s miniature toy donkey which she glittered and then fitted with a hanging loop. Another was a marble that really sparkled when it was hanging by a fairy light.

Katie also used broken crockery, filing down rough sharp edges before finally gluing hooks on to the back of them.

These are all excellent ways to create inexpensive decorations while recycling things you already have within the home.

So here’s what I sent Katie…

My little bag of decorations contained 2 paper mâché stars, wooden glittered heart, and one shabby chic lace and acrylic heart.

A big thanks to those blogs who organised the exchange especially Redtedart who was one of the projects organisers.

It was great fun and a fantastic way of gaining creative ideas.

Lastly thanks to Katie for the decorations.

Why not get involved next year and who knows maybe we’ll be paired to exchange. 🙂

Merry Christmas

Mummy of Many Talents

Our homemade Christmas

A bit late I know but I finally finished the families Christmas wreath that I decorated with natural woodland finds, glittery baubles, miniature bells and snow. This year my bauble choice was that of silver & white with the added addition of bright pink.

I was meant to have this completed a few weeks back but what with the children and all the Christmas shopping this kind of ended up on the back burner.

Despite having only completed my wreath it was actually really simple to make.

I used…

Large Polystyrene Wreath
PVA Glue
Fine Silver Glitter
Silver Paint
String
Silver Glitter Twigs
Pine Cones
Large Dried Flower
Small White Baubles
Large Silver Glitter Baubles
Medium Pink Baubles (glitter & plain)
Silver Spray Paint
White Spray Paint
Pins
Craft Wire
Artificial Holly & Berries
Snow Spray

Tools needed…

Scissors
Thick Brush (for glue)
Thick Paint Brush
Thin Paint Brush

Heres some pictures showing how this came together…

Leave to dry over night

Painting…

Cover entire wreath, allow to dry and add second coat if desired. You should now have something like this

Spray painting…

Decorating

I filled gaps with more silver twigs that I’d cut to size.

Cover your wreath in snow spray adding more to some areas than others

This creates a fantastic finish

#silentsunday

#silentsunday gets festive

Homemade Cath Kidston Inspired Christmas Baubles

My tree is extremely fun this year, I’ve let go and just gone with the flow! I’ve not tired myself down to a colour scheme or particular style as I usually would. seriously, this year its an explosion of colour and creativity with shop brought bright baubles, handmade wooden gingerbread hearts, shabby chic ornaments and dazzling home made snowflakes.

I must admit I’m feeling pretty proud to be out of my comfort zone. I love brights and this year I even brought neon baubles in funky pinks, blues greens and yellows. These mixed in with all our homemade crafts give the tree a very unique edge and I’ve got to admit I’m kinda loving it.

Yes, my love of all things vintage and shabby chic would seem something of an odd mix with that of bright bold colours, but again the home made girly decorations of pastel yarn tied hearts and gingerbread men slot in rather nicely.

Some of my favourite decorations I’ve made this year are that of the Cath Kidston inspired shabby chic fabric covered glitter baubles in pretty pinks and creams. These fabric covered baubles have been glittered with shimmering golden Mod Podge with an added touch of ultra fine pink glitter dust making them beautifully unique.

These are really extremely easy to create and a great way to upcycle them old baubles that have seen better holiday’s.

So here’s what you’ll need and some very quick simple instructions to get going and create your own baubles.

You will needs

Some old baubles (as many as desired)

Fabric scraps (Cath Kidston never fails to impress)

Selection of thick ribbon (long enough to tie around the middle conference of each bauble)

Selection of thin ribbon to hang baubles from your Christmas tree

Ultra fine glitter dust in pink (or whichever colour suits your fabric)

Mod Podge Shimmer (gold)

Decopatch Glossy Glue (optional as can just use the mod podge)

Tools

Glue brushes
Scissors
Embellishment sticky tabs

Your Baubles don’t have to be recycled as you can always pick up a bargain pack from your local PoundLand or equivalent. I also brought some great baubles for another craft project for 10p each in our local charity shop. Basically… If you have no baubles to Upcycle these can be picked up both easily and cheaply.

Step 1 – once you have decided on your fabric, cut it into small pieces (size can vary depending on bauble size and desired style)

Step 2 – Right, firstly add some mod podge to a mixing cup followed by a good few sprinkles of ultra fine glitter. mix well and cover till needed.

Step 3 – Now, given the mod podge is a gold shimmer with added glitter, you may feel its a waste to use it as the undercoat for glueing fabric. However if your using a bauble that has a very dark or prominent colour, then using the mod podge will help to prevent the colour gleaming through. I used just the shimmer mod podge for my pink bauble and both glossy Decopatch glue and shimmer mod podge for my cream bauble.

Now start coating the bauble with your chosen glue. If working with both glues, use the Decopatch glossy glue for the undercoat and the mod podge for the outer coat (this requires patience as you will be required to continuously swap between brushes every few seconds). If using just mod podge then just paint it directly onto the bauble layering fabric and mod podge as you go.

Note… The outer section should only have a thin layer of mod podge as this will be the baubles finish. If second coats are desired these can be applied only once your first coat is dry. This avoids bumps and drips forming. Also try to brush in pretty much the same directions to avoid noticeable odd looking brush marks.

Step 4 – now attach a decoration hook or if you don’t have any some thread or ribbon (don’t worry you can change for prettier hanging ribbon later). You need to attach either one of the above now so that you are able to hang your baubles as to allow them to dry quickly and evenly. My mod podge only pink decoration was actually dry in an impressive 30 minutes where my cream bauble took considerably longer. I just left them both over night as they were decopatched in fabric just before I headed of to bed.

Step 5 – Once dry inspect baubles and if second coat of mod podge is required then again cover in a very thin layer and then allow to dry (do not add any more fabric just mod podge)!

Step 6 – Once all coats are applied and baubles are nice and dry, its time to add the finishing touches.

For each bauble take your chosen thick ribbon, cut down to size and wrap around the middle of your bauble (securing with a few glue dots or embellishment sticky tabs if needed). Now, tie into a centre bow. If desired, use a small piece of ribbon in the same colour to wrap around the centre of your bow. Secure in place with a glue dot or very small embellishment sticky tab. This will give the bow a really neat and tidy finish.

Step 7 – now choose your thin hanging ribbon. for my pink bauble, I have gone for a striking thin pink ribbon to match my bow and a white glittery organza ribbon to hang my cream bauble. If you don’t fancy adding any more ribbon at all, yarn looks really effective! You could just use a decoration hook for a really easy and simple look.

So, there you have it! Cath Kidston inspired fabric glitter baubles that are simple to create.

Shabby Chic decorations for my tree of randomness!

#silentsunday

Kids Christmas Crafts – Hanging Paper Plates

Here we have a really simple Christmas craft activity for crafty kids.

Both my 9 year old daughter and the toddler who is 3 next month, were keen to get creative with paint and paper plates.

After a bit of a think Alice-Sara came up with the idea of making some hanging window or ceiling decorations.

What the children used…

Large Paper Plates
Selection of paints
Ribbon
Little glitter
Sticky Gems.

How too make your own.

The method was really very simple take a big paper plate & fold it in half. No snip a little hole around 3 cms from the edge. Then cut out some more shapes, diamonds or stars… Whatever you fancy!

Now unfold your plate which should now reveal a beautiful pattern.

Its now time to get creative with some paints. Add some glitter too if desired (it is Christmas after all)! Once complete leave to dry.

Once dry add some sticky gems to decorate and thread some Christmassy ribbon through the hole.

Tie the ribbon at the end and then hang from window pane or ceiling.

Its as easy as that!

You can add anything you like to your plates. Maybe some feathers, bows or lollypop sticks…. Be as creative as you like.

Remember the plates will spin and twist around so you may want to cover both sides of your plate in your Christmassy designs.

Well done Alice and Harley Mummy loves your Christmassy Decs

How Too Make Shabby Chic Style Christmas Decorations

I love these hanging Christmas tree hearts. I brought the paper mâché hearts with a set of paper mâché decorations from eBay (see earlier post where I use Decopatch and paint to decorate the paper mâché stars for our tree).

Again, I used both paint and Decopatch to decorate the hearts.

Here’s what else I used…

2x Decopatch Paper mâché heart decorations
Baby pink metallic pearlised acrylic paint
Fine baby pink glitter
Pearlescent pink tissue paper
Small white paper doyley
Strip of black lace
Small self adhesive crystals
Hot pink ribbon
Gingham baby pink ribbon
2 Medium baby pink buttons
Tiny hot pink button
2x small white bow embellishments.
Decopatch glossy glue
Glue dots

Tools…
Scissors.
Paint and glue brushes

How to Make Acrylic Pink Christmas Heart.

First apply two coats of the baby pink pearlised acrylic paint to both sides of your heart (leaving to dry in between each coat).

Once dry take your strip of black lace and cut into small pieces. Now use Decopatch glossy glue to apply the lace to your heart. Stick the pieces of the lace to the heart leaving spaces In between. Make sure you glue over the top of the lace as well as the bottom. The glue dries clear so don’t panic. Now just leave to dry for an hour or so.

Next stick some self adhesive crystals to the floral sections of the lace.

Now add a white bow embellishment to either side of the heart using glue dots.

Lastly tie a bow to the stars tread with the hot pink ribbon.

How Too Make The Decopatch Heart decoration…

Cut or just rip an A5 size piece of your pearlescent pink tissue paper into small pieces. Now glue the pieces to the heart using decopatch glossy glue. Do this by overlapping the pieces and applying glue to both the heart and over the top of the paper. Add two layers on each side.

Leave for around 3-4 hours to dry, however if you can leave over night this would be best.

Once dry cut 2 small pieces from the outer section of a small sized paper doyley (no bigger than the length of your heart). Line up the piece of doyley on your heart so that it goes down at an angle starting at the top right hand side and finishing at the bottom left hand side.

Now glue it in place with the glossy Decopatch glue. Add the glue both to the body of the heart and over the top of the doyley just as you did with the tissue paper (only don’t rip it up). Do this for both sides of your heart.

Now hang someplace safe and leave to dry for around one hour.

Once dry carefully brush a little glue over the top of the doyley so that the glue falls between the holes. Then sprinkle your fine pink glitter over the top before shaking off any excess. Do this for both sides of the heart.

Next use a glue dot to add the medium pink buttons to each side of the heart. Add the buttons to the centre of the heart on top of the doyley.

Lastly tie a bow to the tread of the heart using the gingham pink ribbon before finally adding the tiny hot pink button to the middle of the bow.

Now all thats left to do is hang your decorations. These can be hung from the Christmas tree, over a fireplace or anywhere else you like! What’s great about these shabby chic Christmas hearts is that they can actually be used to decorate the home all year round. They look awesome hanging from a dresser or bedpost.

Where to buy materials…
Patterned and pearlescent tissue paper (PoundLand)
Fine glitter (PoundLand £1 for 4 pots)
Hot pink ribbon (HobbyCraft)
Gingham pink ribbon (Baker Ross Ltd)
I got my buttons and Lace strips from eBay but you can buy from most craft stores.
Baby pink metallic pearlised acrylic paint (Baker Ross Ltd)
Decopatch Decorations eBay (but Decopatch sell similar online)
Self adhesive crystals (PoundLand)
Doyley (30 pack PoundLand)
Bow embellishments (PoundLand)
Decopatch glue vanish (Decopatch Place online store) Note this may seem expensive but it last forever.