Category: Crafts

Crafts including crochet, knitting, paper crafts & children’s crafts

My Ever-growing Yarn Wish List

Crochet / 7 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I have an ever-growing Yarn wish list right now. Whilst I do have 2 projects on the go right now, a granny square blanket for myself and one for my brothers cat Mia. I’m still using up all my sparkly yarn but I’ve been eyeing up some lovely new colours and brands I’ve discovered.

I still consider myself a newbie when it comes to crochet and I openly admit to being clueless when it comes to different yarns but some are just sooo lovely! I love self patterning yarns, anything purple, grey or super soft. The girls regularly point out yarns they like and want used on a project too but this list is just for me.

My Yarn Wish list

 

Caron Cakes

Anyone who loves to crochet or knit has no doubt heard of Caron cakes, self-patterning yarns that come in a glorious array of colours. These are fantastic for a range of projects and look especially lovely when used for shawls. Here are my favourite 4 Caron Cakes.

Yarn wish list- Bumbleberry caron cake

Bumbleberry

I love the gorgeous combination of purples in this Bumbleberry Self Striping Aran Yarn. I could use this on so many projects for myself!

lilac frosting caron cake

Lilac Frosting

The Lilac frosting would make a lovely scarf for winter with just a hint of lilac throughout. I usually avoid lighter colours but I do love the way this Caron cake turns out.

 

Mixed Berry Caron Cake

Mixed Berry

I’ve had my eye on this gorgeous Mixed Berry Caron cake since I first discovered them. I think this would be perfect for a project for Eva. Maybe a nice cardigan if I can work out how to crochet one!

Faerie cake caron cake

Faerie Cake

The last yarn on my Caron cake wishlist is this gorgeous Faerie Cake. I just love the colours in this, I’ve no idea what I would use it for but I definitely need it in my yarn stash asap.

 

purple fizz

Purple Fizz

Stylecraft Wondersoft DK Merry-go-Round in Purple Fizz is another self-patterning wool which I would love to make some cushions out of. I want to funk up my sofa soon and have a few different cushion cover ideas.

candy

Candy

King Cole Flash DK Knitting yarn in Candy is gorgeous. I would love to make some cushions for the girls room. Ok I know I said this list is for me but I couldn’t help but slip one in for the girls too!

What’s on your Yarn wish list right now? Which of the above yarns is your favourite?

Woodland Garland – Crafty Creatives Subscription Box

Craft Subscriptions / 7 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I’ve been making a woodland garland after receiving the Crafty Creatives Subscription box to review. A fun crafty box with creatives in mind. Crafty Creative boxes are £15 plus p&p (£2.95) each month. My box contained everything needed to make a woodland garland, felt, threads, eyes, stuffing and templates.

Crafty Creatives Subscription Box

Crafty Creatives

The woodland garland looks so cute and I knew it would be something that would no doubt end up in the girls room. I decided to start when the girls were in bed so I definitely wouldn’t get disturbed as I’m not great at sewing. I love to craft and crochet is usually my go to but I couldn’t wait to see how I got on with the crafty creatives box.

My Woodland Garland

I started with the Squirrel, cutting out the templates first then finding the correct felt. With so many shades of brown I was a little confused to be honest. I think a colour chart would have been quite helpful. Once I had got over my colour confusion I got to work pinning the templates to the felt. I then cut out each piece & stitched the details on. Finally I stitched the back & front together adding stuffing as I went.

Squirrel

The instructions are easy to understand and in no time I had made my first stuffed animal for this fantastic woodland garland. I was quite proud of myself as sewing isn’t my strong point yet following the simple instructions I managed to make something that actually does resemble a Squirrel.. yay me!

Stuffed Squirrel - Crafty Creatives subscription box

Seriously, how cute is that Squirrel!?

I made each one in order so I didn’t get too confused or mix anything up. It was lovely to see each one coming together piece by piece and really enjoyed making them. I usually find sewing stressful but everything is so small and cute I found it quite relaxing!

Woodland Garland - Mushroom

I loved that I only needed scissors and pins to complete this project. Unfortunately I ended up having to use a little of my own black and white thread. That is highly likely to be down to my poor sewing skills in all fairness. I tend to find the back of my work looks an absolute mess when I sew. Making the woodland garland has made me consider sewing a little bit more as I really did enjoy making each one.

 

Woodland Garland

Crafty Creatives work to put together a new box each month and collaborate with small businesses to do so. I think this is a fantastic idea and I would love to see what they come up with next!

What do you think? Does the Crafty Creatives Subscription Box sound like something you would enjoy too?

 

Lace Shell Edged Shawl Crochet Project – Complete

Crafts / 7 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I’ve been working on a Lace Shell Edged Shawl since my birthday after some good friends spoilt me with crochet supplies! I received a handy box full of purple sparkly wool, hooks, a magazine & beginners crochet guide. I was over the moon and still am!

A box of treats!

Crochet goodies

 

Anyone that knows me will know I absolutely love crochet! I taught myself slowly over the last few year after finding knitting difficult with 2 children running around. Crochet is much easier to pick up & put down when I have spare time. My confidence has grown loads and I’ve made some lovely items that I’m quite proud of. I’ve crocheted several items now including bags, a flower heart wreath, dolls clothes, blankets for Eva and Izzy, scarves and more! I really enjoy crochet, it helps with my anxiety & depression too so this was the perfect birthday present!

I love seeing the girls with their blankets I made for them 😍

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Lace Shell Edged Shawl

With plenty of purple wool, I sat and looked through the magazines to find myself a nice project. I found a pattern for a gorgeous lace edged shawl so I instantly got to work on a purple one for myself! The crochet beginners guide has a lovely pattern which I decided to adapt slightly using a different sized hook. I won’t deny I only changed the pattern so I could use my lovely new 3mm purple hook instead of a 5mm one!

Lace shell edged Shawl

Using the Crochet Beginners guide I finally got the hang of a magic ring which will be useful in so many projects. I’ve also recently taught myself how to do a standing crochet stitch, great for hiding any mistakes haha!

My lace shell edged shawl grew quite quickly considering the hook size difference. The shawl took longer than planned but I’m still pleased I managed it in a month! We’ve had a busy few weeks, a surprise trip to Southend pier, Izzy being poorly and Eva going back to school . Somehow I have still managed to sneak in a few rows here and there.

Finally finished!

The design itself is quite simple but it has a lace shell edging which is nice and a little different to the shell edging on Izzy’s crochet blanket I recently made her. I madea few mistakes so had to frog several rows throughout but I eventually got there!

My shawl is finally finished! Still need to wash and block it but YAY!

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One of the magazines came with a shawl pin to use too. Now I’ve learnt more stitches and tricks my ‘to make’ list is growing quickly! With 5 more balls of purple to use I’m on the hunt for another little project haha!

What do you think of the shawl? What would you make if you had plenty of wool to use?

 

Weekend Box – Snazaroo Face Paints

Crafts / 7 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

Weekend Box have teamed up with Snazaroo and created a fantastic face paints box. Eva loves Weekend Boxes, you may remember she reviewed some boxes last year and had her photo featured on Facebook too! We love subscription boxes that keep us entertained over the weekend. Weekend Boxes are suitable for 4-9 years. This fabulous mini box is just £2.99!

Weekend Snazaroo Box

Of course Eva was extremely excited to discover a Weekend Box addressed to her this week and couldn’t wait to see what was inside and start having some creative fun!

Inside The Weekend Box

Weekend Box

Eva still loves the characters on the box and how it is packaged, she loves that she can open the box and read about the animals before finally discovering what’s actually inside the box. She remember the cute woodland characters from last year and loves Hattie the Hedgehog.

Weekend Box Snazaroo

Snazaroo Face Paints!

As you can see Eva was really excited to discover her Weekend Box had Snazaroo face paints inside! Snazaroo face paints are suitable from 3 years. They are so easy to use, just add water, even Izzy joined in and had a go. Snazaroo face paints are made in the UK, they are skin friendly, fragrance and paraben free and are formulated from premium cosmetic ingredients to be gentle on skin. We all have sensitive skin, cheap face paints causes rashes but we have no problems at all with Snazaroo face paints.

With 2 fun Snazaroo face painting kits to use Eva couldn’t wait to start using them. Eva loved the Birthday party face paint stamp kit. She especially loved the cupcake and face stamps so we started with those.

Cupcake Face Paint

We tried out the mini face paint kit next and decided to follow the directions on the box to see if it was as simple as it looks. We need a little more practice but Eva loved the end result! The 3 step guide was so easy to follow and Snazaroo have more guides online.


The Snazaroo Weekend Box is so much fun and something we can use again. You can invite some friends round & paint all their faces as there is plenty of paint in those kits! This is definitely something we would recommend as it kept us busy for quite some time. Of course we then had 2 clowns running around causing havoc in the flat haha!

Because Snazaroo face paints are water based they are so easy to clean off. Using wet wipes we had clean faces again in minutes! We love the mini kit so much! There are five vibrant themes available – Summer, Carnival, Halloween, Christmas and Easter. The colourful summer packs include a fun Festive Mask (made up of bright pink, white and royal blue) and a Jester (featuring grass green, white and purple).

Snazaroo paint a smile

Do you love the look of the Snazaroo Weekend Box too?

*I received this product in exchange for an honest review.

 

First Granny Square Blanket Finished!

Crafts / 7 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

It’s true! My first granny square blanket is finished at last! Just over 2 months ago I shared the start of my first  granny square project . Since then it’s been growing at a fair pace considering all the interruptions I’ve had. When I ran out of wool I shared a quick update on how it was turning out and asked for suggestions for a border.

My First Granny Square blanket is finished

As suggested I went for a shell border & Izzy chose a gorgeous Robin Paintbox wool in Rumba for it. I like it but think perhaps a slightly bigger shell would have looked a little better. Izzy of course disagrees & I wasn’t allowed to change it! In all fairness I’m not good at deciding these things haha.

Shell border

144 squares hasn’t taken anywhere near as long as I expected. Whilst I had hoped to finish my first granny square blanket at least a week ago I am surprised how quickly it grew. I ran out of the blue and purple wool half way through. This meant I was stuck for a week or so. As soon as I picked up more I got back on it and somehow managed to work pretty fast though. Considering we’ve had a busy few weeks I am surprised!

My First Granny Square Blanket Is Finished!!

My first granny square blanket is finished

Whilst I can see where I need to make changes for future blankets I am quite pleased with my first attempt. I can see this being the first of many granny square blankets as I’ve really enjoyed working on this. It hasn’t taken as long as expected and Izzy loves how it’s turned out too. She’s spent the entire day snuggled up with her new blanket which is lovely to see!

I am definitely becoming more confident now and mistakes don’t stress me out as much as I know easy fixes now. Crochet has really helped me deal with pain and stress a lot better too. Having something to focus on is really calming and the finished product always gives me a sense of achievement. The only problem is..

Now I’m on the hunt for my next project.. any suggestions? 😂

Little Tiger Press Books 30th Birthday

Book Reviews / 7 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple
Little Tiger Press Books 30th Birthday

The girls and I were invited to celebrate Little Tiger Press Books 30th birthday on Saturday, at Discover in Stratford – London. Eva was especially excited at the idea of getting to meet authors and illustrators as she has become a total bookworm. So excited she woke us at 6am that day!

Tracet Corderoy reading Fairytale Pets

When we arrived Author Tracey Corderoy read her book Fairytale Pets, an absolutely fantastic story full of fun characters. As Tracey read illustrator Jorge Martin drew the characters which was amazing to watch! Eva sat mesmerized listening to the story whilst Izzy was… well Izzy haha! She spent half the time listening and half trying to ‘pop’ balloons.

After Tracey read the story to us Beth from Little Tiger Press ran through what we would be doing. There were 4 tables where we would spend 15 minutes at each. Authors and illustrators had crafts laid out based on their book. They all looked fantastic but biscuits definitely lured all the children in!

Jonny Lambert Author Of An only lonely panda

I managed to coax the girls away from the biscuits and we sat with Jonny Lambert, Author & illustrator of An Only Lonely Panda. Jonny had Tiger masks to cut out and wear. He was brilliant with the girls, chatting away with us all and helping Eva whilst I helped Izzy.

The girls loved acting like tigers with their masks, getting out their claws and growling!

Tiny Tantrums - Caroline Crowe

At the next table we met Caroline Crowe, author of Tiny Tantrums.  Tiny Tantrum monsters had been cut out ready for decorating. Again the girls happily chatted away whilst making their monsters, adding googly eyes & colouring them.

As always Eva made her’s extra colourful whilst Izzy enjoyed giving her monster 4 eyes. They both brought home their monsters to finish off too.

Making Biscuits with Tracey Corderoy

We then moved on to the table the girls had their eye on at the start, Tracey Corderoy had delicious biscuits for them to decorate with icing and a range of sprinkles. The girls loved chatting to Tracey and covering their biscuits. They also made a paper bag grumpy bear from the story!

Izzy icing her biscuit

Izzy concentrated so much making her biscuit, no surprise there. She loves her food haha!

Making her own 'Actually that is MY blanket, baby!'

When the final bell rang Eva ran over to the final table. ‘That is Actually MY blanket, Baby!’ author Angie Morgan and illustrator Kate Alizadeh helped the children decorate their own blanket.

Izzy drawing with Jorge Martin

 

Whilst Eva was busy glittering, Jorge Martin sat with Izzy drawing a tiger. Izzy of course took over! Between them they made this cute tiger with a basket of fruit for him to eat.

Little Tiger by Izzy & Jorge Martin

 

Eva loved making her blanket and getting glitter everywhere. Izzy did get round to making her own blanket too but I accidentally left it behind. Oops.. bad mummy!

Izzy and Kate Alizadeh decorating a blanket

 

 

At the end Caroline Crowe read Tiny Tantrums and the girls had lots of fun joining in and stamping their feet. Izzy tried getting a little too involved . She loved the story and had to be pulled back. She was over the moon to discover she had a copy to take home at the end.

Caroline Crowe reading Tiny Tantrums

To finish celebrating Little Tiger Press Books 30th Birthday there was a buffet. Of course this made Izzy extremely happy! A Little Tiger tote was handed out too. Inside were the 4 books from each table. The girls were able to get them signed by the authors and illustrators too which of course made Eva ecstatic. A beautiful selection of books to add to their ever growing book case!

It was lovely being invited to Little Tiger Press Books 30th Birthday party. It was a brilliant afternoon & I got to meet another blogger too, Bell From Bow who surprised me by recognising me. Pretty cool but so unexpected I probably went bright red!

Discover

After the party we were able to explore Discover and it’s fantastic play areas. You may have seen from My Sunday Photo’s. The girls were amazed by it and I can’t deny I was too! The magical tree with it’s musical notes & hidey holes for the kids to play in, Hootahs flying observatory & the outside play area have to be our favourite parts. We spent well over an hour there before having to head back for the train. We will be going back there in the summer to play as it is so cool!

Did you know it was Little Tiger Press Books 30th Birthday? Do you have any of the books mentioned here?

 

Making Dreamcatchers

Crafts / 7 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple
Making Dreamcatchers

We’ve been making Dreamcatchers this week after Eva made one last week at forest school. Her’s broke as she decided to bring it home unfinished so we decided to make our own. We’ve been trying to find fun crafty activities for days at home including learning Origami which was great fun and making dreamcatchers sounded like a fun idea.

Dreamcatchers are simple to make & can be made using a range of materials. We had wire from previous crafts which we used for our hoop. We also used wool from my stash & some beads.

Making Dreamcatchers

1. We taped our hoop together using duct tape to make sure it was secure. 

2. Next we wound the wool around the hoop until it was covered, leaving a metre or 2 of wool for the next step.

3. Once the hoop was covered we began threading beads onto the wool. For each bead we added we crossed the wool across the hoop to create a pattern. 

4. After the hoop was complete we tied a piece of wool to the dreamcatcher to hang it on.

Whilst wrapping the hoop can take a bit of time & patience there are ways around that. Using a painted cross-stitch hoop would work just as well.

The pattern can be as simple as Eva’s or as hectic as the one Izzy & I made together. Feathers or ribbons can be attached to the bottom of the Dreamcatchers to pretty them up too.

Whilst winding the wool around the hoop takes a little bit of time this is a fantastic activity for kids around 5+.

Younger kids

Izzy obviously had a fair bit of help with her dreamcatcher but threaded the beads herself. To keep her occupied whilst I wound wool around her hoop she practised threading beads onto wool making a cute little keyring for herself. I thought I’d mention this as it can be a struggle with kids of different ages & abilities to find something the little ones can do to feel involved.

Simple, cute & Izzy felt super proud of herself!

Both girls love their dreamcatchers & have them hanging over their beds.

Have you made a dreamcatcher before? Do you have any tips or different materials that could be used?

10 Ways To Keep Kids Busy Indoors Without A Screen

Crafts / 7 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I’ve put together a list of 10 ways to keep kids busy indoors without a screen. We don’t have a garden which limits what the girls can do if we stay at home. I try to keep screen time down, whilst they do have tablets I try to encourage the girls to play as much as possible. The girls are often looking for suggestions or asking for our help to set up some of their favourites from below, check out our list if you’ve run out of ideas.

10 Ways To Keep Kids Busy Indoors Without A Screen

1. Indoor tents

These can be made with sheets & blankets using pegs or bulldog clips to keep them together. Use the backs of dining chairs to create little dens and let the kids run with their imaginations. The girls have had castles, caves, houses & shops depending on what they decide to play each time. Use pillows & blankets inside to create ‘furniture’ & ‘walls’.

 

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2. Origami

We’ve been learning origami and not only does it keep us busy making they can make fabulous gifts such as bookmarks. Bookmarks are our favourite as they are so simple to make and can be decorated in so many ways.

10 ways to keep kids busy indoors without a screen - Origami

3. Washing up

Kids love playing with water! Whether it’s a plastic tea set or like Izzy some stones the kids have collected they will love washing them up. Set them up on the kitchen/bathroom (anywhere that can be mopped!) floor with a small wash bowl on a towel. Guaranteed they will be busy for hours!

stone washing

4. Colouring/drawing

We always have a ton of paper/card & colouring books around for the girls for colouring & drawing. They love colouring with sparkly gel pens, they keep them busy & quiet!

 

5. Tea parties/Indoor Picnic

My girls love setting up on the floor with a blanket & their tea sets for a tea party! Izzy especially loves using her Lucy Locket Wooden Tea-set. Both girls love to dress up and have princess tea parties, pirate picnics & more. As a treat sometimes we let the girls have a real picnic whilst they play too.

Glittery cake

6. Simple Crafts

Whether you have craft supplies or not there’s always something to be made! Toilet roll tubes are always handy they can be used as telescopes which can be coloured & decorated, Maybe a fancy toilet roll tube pencil pot? Perhaps simple picture to pop on the wall?Pound shops are fantastic for stocking up on foam shapes, card, glue etc!

 

Always a craft day here 👌😍 💜

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7. Baking

Cakes, cookies & biscuites are all quick & easy to make. Kiids of all ages can join in pouring & mixing. They are fun to decorate and of course delicious too! If you’re feeling a little adventurous why not try out or Italian Chocolate Chip Bread Recipe?

Italian chocolate chip bread

8. Building 

Whether it’s Lego, Mega bloks, Duplo, wooden blocks or even lolly pop sticks! Building is so much fun and allows kids to get creative! Build castles, houses, cars, planes, people, towers it all keeps them busy & helps with fine motor skills.

 

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9. Reading

There are always plenty of reading materials around, finding a series of books or magazines or comic can be a fantastic way to encourage children to read. Even young children will enjoy sitting with their favourite books. Izzy loves to ‘read’ books she knows well to me using the pictures.

10.Write/Draw Your Own Story 

Writing can be fun! Secret diaries are fantastic for encouraging older children to write. A fun activity for all ages is to create your own story, it could be a picture story, a comic strip, or simply writing. Covers can be made & decorated for their stories & split pins or staples mean they can keep their book together!

 

Crochet Catch Up – Granny Square Project

Crafts / 7 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I figured it was time for a bit of a crochet catch up following my Granny Square Blanket post. Almost 2 months since I started but we all know I’m slow with projects! Most of the time it’s down to my indecisiveness, I hate making decisions and never know what colours or patterns to use. Luckily this time I used a fantastic pattern generator Mrs A from Hooks & Dragons (My crochet guru!) passed on to me. Using that plus some input from Izzy the granny square blanket I ended up with the pattern below.

Crochet catch up - granny square project

After finding myself motivated enough to keep on top of blogging, I shared a post of 10 blogging tips to stay motivated  of course that meant I then lost my motivation. Or rather I quickly found myself falling behind again as I became more motivated to crochet instead.
Granny square project in progress

 

I was ferociously crocheting granny squares for quite a while and the blanket began to grow quite quickly. I picked up a second hook in the same size to pop in my handbag with a small ball of wool for journeys. It really helps my anxiety & passes time quite quickly, the drive to the Rochester Dickens Festival went so fast whilst I crocheted another square.

Using the 4 colours has worked better than I expected though and even though I hate pink, I do love the way this blanket is working up! I have really enjoyed working on this blanket, Until I ran out of purple & blue wool! Now I’m at a bit of a standstill until I have bought more tomorrow.. One day I will learn to always pick up extra haha!

Working out the pattern means I know exactly how many squares of each colour scheme I need. Which also means it will be easier to continue once I have more wool. I am keeping track of the pattern so I can make another similar one for Eva too.

I’m currently around halfway through the blanket!

I still need to work out a border to finish it off, any suggestions? I’m not sure which colour or pattern to use for the border. I’m hoping to have the blanket finished by the end of summer. A nice slow easier project I can pick up & put down easily has been just what I needed. I will definitely be making more granny square projects!

So there you go a little crochet catch up for my readers. What have you been working on recently?  What do you think of the blanket? 

Learning Origami With The Girls

Crafts / 7 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I’ve been learning Origami with the girls after the Mr picked up an Origami tricks book for Eva. I remembered spotting Origami paper in the craft section & picked up 2 packs of 120 coloured square sheets of paper. The girls love sitting and making things and Origami seemed something fun but easy to clear up after. Win!

Fortune tellers were something everyone could make when I was at school & I remember spending hours making and playing with them. The book showed how to make Fortune Tellers amongst other things & I made one to show Eva. She was really interested in making a ship’s wheel. The Mr sat with her and helped her a little bit and she soon proudly presented her ships wheel.

Ship's wheel origami

Izzy wanted me to make a frog she found in the book so I gave it a go. Feeling pleased with my first attempt I made a second one as Izzy wanted her frog to have a sister. She spent a whole morning playing with the frogs, making them hop & flip everywhere.

Frog Origami

 

 

Origami Animals

After making the frogs I decided I wanted to learn more Origami tricks so had a look around for some tutorials. I ended up making a cat & a dog whilst Izzy & the Mr went shopping haha! The cat most definitely needs improving but the dog didn’t turn out too bad. Izzy was impressed at least when she returned to find them lined up on the arm of the sofa waiting for her!

Cat Origami

Dog Origami

 

 

There are so many Origami tutorials online from book animals, bookmarks, characters, flowers and more! We ended up making a ladybird and bookmarks too. In just one day we managed to make quite a few different things.

Origami Makes

I love how simple some of these are to make and can see us having fun learning new Origami makes for quite some time. Such a cheap and fun activity to do with the kids!

 

Have you learnt Origami before? What I your best make to date?