festive fun – After The Rain

Make your own Christmas wrapping paper and gift bags.

Published on November 29, 2017November 29, 2017 by Tara4 Comments

Guess what?! This is the last of our Christmas craft blogs – and it’s not even December!

Is that terrible? Or just organised? Maybe a bit of both? We’ve done the advent calendar, made the cards, looked at the the gift of giving and now we’ve moved on to wrapping paper and gift bags to put presents (I haven’t started buying yet) in.

Initially I thought it would be fun to stamp our own paper but I used one of those scratchy green cleaning pads, which was the only thing I had to hand. It wasn’t ideal as it soaked up the paint, which was probably to be expected.

Then I thought we could finger paint robins but Freya seemed to clock the huge roll of craft paper and decide maybe playing with her toys would be more fun (I think she managed 10 first).

We ended up with two good-sized sheets of paper but it wasn’t quite enough.

I’m sure I’ve made gift bags in the past but I couldn’t for the life of me remember where to start. Luckily good old YouTube to the rescue. I used this video which was very easy to follow (and the bags turned out well, I think). You can use any sort of paper. I picked craft paper because it’s sturdy. In the video she used newsprint and also actual wrapping paper as well as some she had designed herself. Once I got the hang of it I was able to knock them out quite quickly.

Hopefully people will think they are charming. Now I just need to start shopping for presents to fill them with!

Have you started/finished your Christmas shopping?

The Gift Of Giving Snowman Bag #BostikBlogger.

Published on November 22, 2017November 21, 2017 by Tara3 Comments

This year Freya really seems to be getting into Christmas – not least because she’s playing Mary in her class nativity (I’m welling up already and it’s still a week away).

She’s written a letter to Father Christmas listing some of the things she would like but I wanted to let her know, in a gentle way suitable for a four-year-old, that it’s not just about getting new stuff and that giving is just as important.

My mum’s friend is involved in a charity that helps disadvantaged families so I thought putting together a little Christmas parcel for a child, with Freya picking out some of the items, might be a good way to make her think but not cause her to worry too much. She’s quite a sensitive little soul so I have to be careful about the way I broach things.

We were sent a lovely little cloth bag in our craft box from Craft Merrily, which we receive as part of our role as Tots100 Bostik Bloggers. As this month’s theme is Christmas I thought we could decorate the bag using some of the other bits and bobs from the box and then fill it with some treats for a child in need.

To make and decorate the bag, you will need:

A cloth bag.

Snowman shape.

Glittery card.

Gold leaves (or something for his arms).

Two googly eyes.

Bostik White Glu.

Gold card.

Gems.

White pom pom (or cotton wool).

Orange pom pom (or something for his nose).

Beads or sequins for his mouth.

A label.

To make:

I don’t mind admitting I started off by asking Freya: “Do you wanna build a snowman?” (If you haven’t seen Frozen, it won’t mean much to you). She didn’t find it funny either.

It was only after we’d stuck on his eyes, buttons and made him a hat that I realised something was missing – his nose! Of course. I quickly found an orange pom pom to use.

Working out how to attach him to the bag is something I spent quite some time thinking about. Maybe I should glue him or sew him or a combination of the two. It was only when we had decorated him that I realised he had a sticky back (doh!).

After finishing off the decoration by sticking on beads for his smile and the white pom poms for snowballs, it was time to shop. We had some advice on what to buy and a mixture of practical and fun seemed to be the way to go. We are luckier than many people but still have a limited budget so we went to our local pound shop to get some things.

We came home and packed the bag and I sealed it with some double sided tape so the items don’t fall out. I wrote on the label what age child it was aimed at.

I know it’s only a little gesture but I hope it brings some joy to a small person this Christmas – and helps Freya realise how fortunate we are.

Please note: We were sent the box of craft items free of charge in return for a post.

My Sunday Photo – January 1, 2017.

Published on December 31, 2016December 31, 2016 by Tara40 Comments

Wishing you a happy new year! I hope you had a brilliant festive period and are now all set for 2017.

We had a quiet Christmas with just the three of us but it was lovely and relaxed – and Freya enjoyed time playing with her new toys.

The day after Boxing Day we decided to make a follow up trip to see the grey seal pups. This time we walked from Winterton rather than Horsey (you can see my previous post here).

It was a gorgeous day weather-wise and it seemed like almost everyone in Norfolk had the same idea as the beach was very popular.

It was well worth the walk, although we were upset by how close some people think it’s ok to get to the seals. One woman was about a foot away from a pup with her phone shoved in its face. I know they are quite used to people but they are still wild animals (and will bite).

We stayed a respectful distance away and with my zoom I was able to get some nice shots.

Sending my best wishes for a happy and healthy 2017 (with lots of great photo ops).