Crafts with kids

Doing crafts is always fun but crafts with kids is even better!

I have had an incredibly busy week, there was Brownie pack holiday for three days and two nights and then fun with the family.

Pack holiday is a fun but slightly stressful time. Trying to work out how to keep 17 children occupied with a mixture of crafts, games and general running about can be slightly tricky, if not due to the fact that there are too many crafts to do and games to play!

The rest of my week holiday was spent trying to relax and see the family. This included spending time with my two nieces and nephew. One of my nieces has become extraordinarily crafty, which is brilliant!

My niece and I ended up making a bear from a DIY kit that she had bought earlier on in the week. We found that there were guide holes here there shouldn't be and none where there should! But that just added to the fun and making the holes was easy.

Can Cooking Be A Craft?

My Mum had booked afternoon tea for Mothers day and unfortunately we had to cancel due to circumstances changing (as they always do!) so I decided to make afternoon tea!

I decided after looking at the BBC Good Food Blog that I would make scones and a Lemon drizzle cake; I mean it didn't look that hard... and it wasn't!!!

During my latest visit to the states I bought my Mum a Chinese tea set from China Town in San Francisco.

We ended up having a lovely alternative afternoon tea including stir fry and jasmine tea.

Sewing

I know how to darn a sock or sew a seam, I EVEN know how to sew a Brownie badge onto a blanket!

However, I need to learn how to use a sewing machine. I remember using one when I was younger, my Mum teaching me how to sew pockets using pieces of kitchen towel and red thread.

I have decided that it would be fun to make some bunting for the street party we will be having at Brownies to commemorate the marriage of Prince William and Kate.

Lets see how this will turn out, I'm not holding much hope.

Pom-pom's!

My cousin made pom-pom people for my two nieces for Christmas and it got me thinking "pom-pom's can't be that hard!" so here is the beginning of my take on the pom-pom person...

Decoupage

Oh to be a child again!

A friend and I decided to raid hobbycraft for whatever we could get!

I decided this could be fun to try out decoupage on a few boring old boxes.

I had forgotten how fun it is to play with PVA and tissue paper!

Crochet

Crochet is the first craft that I have attempted and there is still so much to learn! After failing at knitting as a young teenager it occured to me that one hook must be easier than two needles.

I started with the easiest thing that I could think of, a cushion cover! (not the easiest thing)

Being a large piece of fabric this meant that there was the potential for the tension to vary. Luckily this worked out quite well.





Then I thought "why not try flowers, they can't be that hard!" and their not if you know where to look for help...YouTube http://tinyurl.com/387wata

Kirstie's Home Made Home

One Wednesday evening when sitting bored at home flicking through the channels I spotted Kirstie's Home Made Home.

As I am currently looking at and dreaming about my first home it was amazing to see that you could buy furniture with history and character at the same price you would pay for an Ikea flat pack.

Then she looked at crochet and it got me thinking, I could make something for my future home NOW!

I have started this blog to look into the arts and crafts that take my fancy and see what the general consessus is on crafts today. Whats "trendy"? What are the youth of today making and doing? Are people still being taught these crafts by Parents and Grandparents?

In this throw-away day and age it is nice to own something that had love and care put into it and should last a little longer than that Primark skirt that you bought for £5.