Tuesday 29 September 2015

Giveaway: Two Tickets for ICHF's 'Crafts for Christmas' Shows at The NEC in Birmingham, 5th-8th November

Great news! Not only am I heading back to the NEC in November for another great event with ICHF, I have a pair of tickets to giveaway to one of you lovely lot!

Friday 25 September 2015

The Making Home Weekly Link Up #7

Welcome to the #MakingHome weekly link up!

Be inspired by posts all about home; moving house, decorating, DIY, family activities, recipes, gardening and more. It’s all here under one roof at Mrs Crafty B’s.

In light of actually getting some paint up on a few walls and of course finding my crafty self again, I have been having a think about the personal touches we can put on our home. Hubby B and I have very different tastes so this can sometimes be a bit of a challenge. I've decided to start with something simple. Lampshades. Much to the dismay of most of our visitors, we are still bare bulbed around the place with the exception of our front room which is sporting the lampshade I made for the Hillarys craft competition. I have a real liking for these lampshade making kits and I have picked up some superhero wallpaper to make one for the boys room. I love that I can have something that no one else has, even if it's neutral! A bonus is that they are quite easy and satisfying to make. Have you ever had a go? Here is a little tutorial. It also includes some matching washable coaster covers.
How to make your own lampshade and matching coasters

Tuesday 22 September 2015

10 Things to Make With Your Foraged Blackberries

When we lived back in Cambridge, we were really lucky to have a long driveway with a blackberry bush along the whole length. We also had sloe berries and three types of apple tree on our property! As you can imagine, I didn't need much more of an excuse to bake apple and blackberry cakes, muffins, crumbles and flapjacks around this time of year. Although we told our friends and neighbours to help themselves, we were not short of blackberries so I would try and freeze them for future bakes. 

It's around now that people head out to find blackberries (now I haven't got them literally on my doorstep, this means me too!) so I thought I would gather a few recipes from around the bloggosphere and suggest 10 things you could make with the blackberries you manage to forage. 

Friday 18 September 2015

The Making Home Weekly Link Up #6

Welcome to the #MakingHome weekly link up!

Be inspired by posts all about home; moving house, decorating, DIY, family activities, recipes, gardening and more. It’s all here under one roof at Mrs Crafty B’s.

This week has been a mixed bag of getting organised for big lifestyle changes, an exciting meeting with a group of amazing people (can't wait to share this one), settling the Little Bs into new school and nursery routines with a few trips to emergency centres and dentists thrown in for fun. Baby B had another incident with a tooth that he knocked when he was 18 months. I'm quickly learning that being a mum of two boys is not for the faint hearted. I certainly took Littlest B by surprise this afternoon though when I turned a corner to have him throw a ball at my face resulting in my Mummy reflexes punching the ball back at him *Mummy Ninja yeah....don't mess.*

Anyway, I'm feeling in need of getting my crafting routine back with my stress levels running a little higher than I am used to and I certainly need to get back to baking; this weekend I plan on making some millionaire shortbread but in the meantime, I thought I would share this recipe for oaty banana muffins; perfect for a weekend brunch.
Oaty banana muffins

Tuesday 15 September 2015

What September Brings 2015

Spring is the season of new life and fresh beginnings; but come autumn, September brings a whole host of new starts and excitement. Here is why I love September and a run down of things you have to look forward to! 

Saturday 12 September 2015

How to Make a Pom Pom Rain Cloud

You may remember a few months ago that I acquired a neat little gadget that gave me the ability to make up to 20 pom poms in one go. The Multipom has been hiding away for a short while with the busy summer we have had at Crafty B's HQ but the list of pom pom projects is ever growing. In this post I am going to give you a little instruction on how to make a cute little rain cloud with all those pom poms you will be making. Perfect with the coming of September. See, rain isn't all bad! 

Friday 11 September 2015

The Making Home Weekly Link Up #5

Welcome to the #MakingHome weekly link up!

Be inspired by posts all about home; moving house, decorating, DIY, family activities, recipes, gardening and more. It’s all here under one roof at Mrs Crafty B’s.

It has been a strange week over at Crafty Bs' HQ with a big change in routine imminent. Whilst as Mummy I am concerned about the effects of this change on the Little Bs, as a crafty addict I am thinking about how and when I am going to schedule in my crafty time. I am in desperate need of organisation tactics so with my FiloFax back in play and a new shopping list app in use I am on the lookout for great ways to stay organised. I wouldn't be without my family planner and for #MakingHome this week, I am featuring these upcycled magazine files which I turned into a file tray to keep track of mail, things to do and things to file!
Upcycled Ikea Magazine Files

Thursday 10 September 2015

Making The Weekly Shopping Quicker and Easier with the New Capitan List App

Over the summer holidays, the weekly shopping routine got to be a bit hectic. We were making more than one trip over a few days, going for random things, doubling up by accident and forgetting various items. Now the new term has started and I am working regularly, I don't have time to not be organised. So imagine my excitement when I was asked to try out a brand new list app, Capitan. We all know I love a good list! 
The new Capitan List App

Monday 7 September 2015

A Simple Craft Guide For Beginners by Sykes Cottages

Here is something I thought you Crafty B's would enjoy. I have recently discovered this Simple Craft Guide which was put together by a collection of bloggers for Sykes Cottages. It gives you instructions for several simple craft projects to try your hand at. Perfect for a bit of inspiration or to get you into the crafting spirit.

Friday 4 September 2015

The Making Home Weekly Link Up #4

Welcome to the #MakingHome weekly link up!

Be inspired by posts all about home; moving house, decorating, DIY, family activities, recipes, gardening and more. It’s all here under one roof at Mrs Crafty B’s.

We had a busy week last week with all the painting going on but this week I have been scouring the world wide web for decor inspiration. Mainly I have been think about what to hang on the walls. I am really keen to have a 'gallery' style feature in the front room and in the Little Bs' room I would really like to go for some bright coloured and random frames with some personalised art. Of course I will keep you posted on that front but in the meantime, here are a couple of posts on how to make your own personalised wall art.
http://www.mrscraftyb.co.uk/2015/06/national-upcycling-day-24th-june-2015.html
Upcycled heart picture made with butterflies

Wednesday 2 September 2015

Homemade Hanging Bird Feeders with Moulds and Pine Cones

On visiting a friend of ours when Baby B was around 2 years old, he enjoyed putting seeds out each morning and watching the birds fly down to feed. Always keen to encourage wildlife in the garden (and create a welcome environment for anything that will eat plant eating bugs) we then began to make our own bird seed 'cakes'. 

With the colder weather in sight and our feathered friends always being glad of a little extra food, these are great to make and store in the freezer ready for hanging.