Things that entertain a 1 year old - part 2

1. Feeding pipe cleaners into colander holes

2. Joining two colanders together

3. Picking up cut up bits of pipe cleaner with a big magnet

4. Putting all the little bits of pipe cleaner in a bottle

5. And emptying them all out again!

Another not very successful jelly!

In case it isn't clear (which I know it isn't!), this was my attempt to create a spotty jelly! I made strawberry, blackcurrant

Home Sweet Home. Wool wrapped wall decoration

Following a Pin - spot (see here) for a kids DIY Yarn Font. I decided it was just the thing for a blank space in the dining room just as you come in the front door. I have been wanted to do something like Home Sweet Home or Welcome to our Home and this seemed like just the thing.

I didn't do it exactly the same way. I didn't have any wire and I knew pipe cleaners would not be long or strong enough so I used my new found, favourite, lightweight, modelling material..... scrunched up aluminium foil.

Then super simple - tied on scraps of wool/yarn and wound it round and round. I then stuck it to the wall using command strips. And I LOVE it. It is my new favourite thing in the house. It is so colourful and homespun, it can't help but raise a smile and make me feel all warm inside everytime I see it.

Mr Tumble's Spotty Birthday Cake (inside and out!)

The Hidden Spotty Design

Charlie's second birthday already and time to think of another cake! He is mad for Justin and Mr Tumble on Something Special (CBeebies) and so I thought we could have a go at a spotty cake. But that was too dull and so I thought I would have a bash at a hidden design cake and make it spotty on the inside too as a surprise.

I started by making the standard pound cake mix but split up the mix into 6 and added food colouring to make different colours.

I baked these in a mini muffin tray sprayed with cake release for about 15mins.

I then made another standard pound cake vanilla mix. I placed the cooked (and cooled) mini muffin cakes in a standard cake tin and spread the raw mix over and around the precooked ones. I then baked this for 22 mins (a few mins less than I ordinarily would). You have to be careful when testing it, to make sure the skewer goes in the vanilla mix not one of the spots!

I decorated with precoloured fondant icing (as the colouring is more intense than when you add it yourself).

It just so happened that the give away gift for Something Special magazine was a Mr Tumble figurine this month so I stood him next to the cake to alleviate any doubt that it was just a spotty cake!!!

Colourful mini muffins. A.K.A The Spots

The cooked 'Spots' covered in the vanilla raw cake mix, ready for their second bake.

Tank top to Xmas Tree

This is a tank top that all 3 boys have worn and outgrown. Rather than throwing it away I decided to make it into a festive decoration. So I cut up a vague tree shape and sewed it together and stuffed it and stitched a stick in as a stem. I decorated with some of the buttons from Nan's old button tin. I just want to finish it by drilling a hole into a log round so the stick has a base.

Advent parcels

This year I realised we had so many Xmassy bits and bobs, like books and DVDs and singing creatures and such like, that as an extension from last years advent calendars (where I popped a note in with their chocolate to say what Xmas related activity we would do that day) I would make a whole separate advent parcel calendar.
So this is what we did. I pop a note in the pocket to say who gets to open that day's parcel.
Here is a list of what the parcels are;
1. Chocolate Advent Calendars
2. Tickets to go see Santa
3. Christingles
4. Cards to write for their friends
5. 3 Christmas story books
6. Snowy Night story book
7. Xmas biscuit cutters (for gingerbread village making)
8. Mr Hanky - the Xmas Poo
9. Santa Claus the Movie
10. Xmas Sticker books
11. Star for the Tree
12. Nativity jigsaw
13. Singing Xmas Dog
14. Sellotape for wrapping their presents to each other
15. Mince pie tin for baking
16. Elf DVD
17. Santa hats
18. Pere Noel book
19. Ho ho ho'ing soft toy Santa
20. Stick man book
21. The Grinch DVD
22. The story of the Nativity book
23. The Night before Xmas book
24. Their stockings

Xmas Tree Biscuits

For the School Christmas Cake Sale, the boys and I made these Gingerbread Christmas Trees with smarties for baubles and vibrant green icing.

Mint Choc Chip Cookies (aka Grinch biscuits)

For the School Xmas Cake Stall I made some of this festive version of the best ever chewy cookie recipe (found here). For this version I added some peppermint extract, chocolate chips and a little green food colouring. Bob's your Uncle - Grinch biscuits.

Hama Bead Christmas Tree Decorations

We whiled away a Saturday morning making these festive tree decorations with the Hama beads. They would make great little presents but I can't bring myself to give them away!

Magic Reindeer Food

Another Christmas Fayre/Fair make. This one is an annual make. I made the label myself as I couldn't find a printable that was quite right. They are the usual mix of oats and glitter wrapped in cellophane.

Reindeer Poop & Snowman Poo

Another make for the School Xmas Fair/Fayre. Reindeer Poo, chocolate raisins.

The Snowman Poo is tictacs

I have lost the link for the free printables I used but google it and there are loads! They went down a storm especially with the boys. Toilet humour reigns strong!

Santa's Magic Key

I made these for the school Xmas Fair/Fayre for fundraising purposes. I got the free printable here. It was the nicest one I could find, although a little American with the cookies but I think they went down well.

I bought the keys Wilkinsons. I didn't intend to buy them as I thought I had a whole pile of old house keys from various residences but no idea which! Turns out I don't have as many as I thought. But these decorative keys were quite bargainous and nice and old fashioned and weighty.

Baby Quilts

I have been very, very busy beavering away making a couple of baby quilts for two very close friends who have both had gorgeous bouncy baby boys. Here are some pictures of one of them.

I made it double sided (in the hope they would like at least one side) and used the clouds as the quilting lines.

I saw the phrase 'Eat, Sleep, Play, Repeat' somewhere when Charlie was a tiny baby and it really resonated with me as being exactly what it is all about! I was very excited to find that a new quilting shop opened in Grantham just a month or 2 before we moved here. I found some great fabrics and can't wait to have another reason to visit. 

Blankets as curtains

When I had the idea for this I Googled it and very little came up so this is for anyone who Googles it in the future!
I really wanted to have woolen blankets as my living room curtains. This was because I wanted to bring a little of our Scottish experience with us in our move back down south but also because they were relatively cheap but beautiful quality material being woolen. It also happened that they were exactly the right dimensions.
So, I found these clip curtain rings and just did it and I love the results. I know using blankets for curtains was what you did in the old days when you were too poor for real curtains or just needed a temporary fix but to be honest I think the result it lovely and I will keep them like this as a permanent thing.

Awesome Witches Brew trick

This is the BEST Halloween trick ever. The kids were totally absorbed and in absolute awe and wonder of the magic. Basically you tell them that you bought this bottle of drink from a witch who was selling door to door. (You buy it from the supermarket, It's fizzy, flavoured water and put a free printable spooky label on it). Then you pour it into the cups and by magic each cup is a poured clear but fills the cup as a colour and then the next cup is even more magical because it isn't even the same colour and the next and the next and they are flavoured not just plain water!

The trick is to set the cups out earlier with ice. Hidden under the ice is a tiny dab of food colouring which when the fizzy water is poured over it mixes up and makes the water that colour.

Total awe and wonder - achieved!