Review of the year

I have to admit I am loving the break between Christmas and new year, with no time pressures, no deadlines and nowhere in particular to be. We've been on walks, relaxed in front of the TV catching up with the Chrismas specials, and played with the kids' new toys. I do however have one eye …

Last minute gift idea

It's not to late to make a few last minute gifts this Christmas. Phew! That's a relief as I still have six to make!! This simple calendar gift will be cherished for the entire year and is suitable for making gifts for men as well as women, something I often struggle with. Handmade gifts tend …

Gift Boxes round up

I consider wrapping gifts one of the great traditions of Christmas. Like writing the cards and decorating the tree, it's best done with mulled wine and a classic Christmas soundtrack. It's also a tradition in our family to have a table gift. I think this was originally an alternative to crackers on the table, but …

It’s a wrap!

My brother has become renowned for his extravagent Christmas gift wrap, pulling out all the stops ....and the pound notes.... to outdo us all with the presentation of his (admittedly well -thought) gifts. He's purchased amazing gift boxes, gone rustic with brown paper and string coupled with extravagent gift tags that can be used for …

Teacher’s gifts – hanging decorations (incorporating a few Tuesday Tips)

We really are on the final countdown to the big day now. Just six sleeps!! Tomorrow is the last day for the kids at school, I am working until Friday and then just two days remain to manically prepare all of the handmade table decorations, desserts, sweet treats and wrap everything! (That's for tomorrow's blog …

Simple Eucalyptus Wreath tutorial

I am going to attempt to post a festive tutorial every day this week (EEEK! Not Saturday and Sunday though; I will be far too preoccupied with last minute panics, frantic trips to the shops for gift wrap, sprouts and tin foil, slaving over a hot stove, panicking a bit more and also getting tipsy …

Handmade Harry Potter Themed Birthday

Last week we celebrated my little lady's 9th birthday. To put this blog post into context, she is an enormous Harry Potter fan. And I mean a fan, to the extreme! For example when she hands her homework in, she puts Harry Potter as her name. (What's that about?!) And for her creative writing lessons …

Tri-fold shutter card tutorial – Tuesday Tip (with link to cut file)

This week's #Tuesday Tip is more of a #TuesdayTutorial and I am making the most of the winter weather. We've had an amazing amount of snow here, schools have been closed for three days and it's wrecking havoc with my pre-Christmas plans. However, I am a snow addict and am definitely NOT complaining. I don't …

Tuesday Tip – Frugal Crafting

I never like to waste a single thing when crafting and given that often the packaging has been designed with as much attention to detail as the product itself, this should not be overlooked. Take for instance the Dovecraft Time to Sparkle collection. The paper pad comes with a beautiful double layer cover, one of …

Cracker style gift box – Free cut file

I saw a tweet last week from a lady called Lucy, posting as @Shawtiibabyy and was immediately inspired to have a go at the boxes she had created. She had in turn been inspired by a tutorial by Linda Parker which I watched and then created my own Cricut file (only using the free shapes available) …