We’re in the fourth week of COVID-19 lockdown. It’s certainly been tense at times in the Smith house, but we’re all still healthy, and I’m incredibly grateful for that; I sincerely hope you and your loved ones are well, too. The weather has been gorgeous for the most part, which has helped as the boys love being outdoors.
For less favourable days, I’ve tried to find some new indoor activities that we can do as a family, and I was delighted to find Draw with Rob on YouTube.
As children get older it becomes harder to know what to buy them as gifts. I have a group of friends whose children are the same age as our two, and the year when our eldest children were turning seven, the idea of a book voucher, or gift card, came up.
When I was young I loved getting book vouchers (back then they were actually vouchers, like paper money!) as the whole experience of browsing a bookshop was something I loved – and still do! Nowadays, book vouchers tend to come as a gift card and while it is a great present, it may be a less exciting prospect for a child than something big to unwrap 🙂
It’s the time of year once again when the days get a little longer, the spring flowers begin to emerge and my thoughts turn to celebrating Valentine’s Day. I’m not sure I am a hopeless romantic all year round, but I do like to make February 14th special for my loved ones.
I’ve been looking for a Valentine’s craft; something I haven’t tried before. Dainty string hearts caught my eye on Pinterest. They’re quick to make with no mess – perfect for getting the boys involved too. On Day 30 of #100DaysNoTV, we tried some Valentine’s needlecraft.
I have an iPhone. I have an Instagram account. I don’t have a lot of knowledge about using my iPhone to take amazing photographs, other than the basic techniques. Or rather, I didn’t, because I recently attended an iPhoneography Workshop with Instagram queen, Sara Tasker.
Organised by Shutter Hub as part of their OPEN 2016, Sara – of Me & Orla – travelled down from Yorkshire to NOVI in Cambridge to teach us some of the tricks that would help us to take better photos using just our smartphones.
A super simple activity for Day 17 of #100DaysNoTV. I made a little memento of an autumn walk I had with the boys last year. They love being outdoors and collecting “treasure”, and we had carefully chosen some fallen leaves and – incredibly for the time of year – buttercups and daisies. I pressed them, stored them, and now (finally) they’re displayed!
Luckily, I was able to use things we already had in the house. I used a frame that had been sitting in a drawer, for goodness knows how long. We have an abundance of card and poster paint, so there was no issue with making a background for the flowers and leaves to stick on. I just had to decide how I wanted it to look.
I’ve always been envious of anyone who can create beautiful things out of paper and make it look effortless. Paper aeroplanes and fortune tellers (who else made those at school?) I could make, but it was time to try something a bit more advanced.
My friend Julie designs and makes – by hand – the most beautiful bespoke wedding stationery. For a recent wedding, she was commissioned to make paper flowers for buttonholes and corsages; I asked if she could teach me how to do it. On Day 16 of #100DaysNoTV we made a whole bunch together.
On Day 4 of #100DaysNoTV I joined a good friend for an evening of felt crafting, helped along by a bit of girly chatter and a soupçon of white wine.
Textiles have never been something I’ve found easy to work with. I made one decent item in our (short-lived) sewing class at secondary school – a small patchwork cushion. Beyond that, I’ve thought about making lots of things, but never got around to it.
On Day 3 of #100DaysNoTV I took ordinary cork boards and used a simple technique to brighten them up. Having previously done this for our boys’ playroom to display their artwork, I thought it would be lovely to make a couple more – this time for the grown-ups.
#100DaysNoTV 