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!

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

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. 

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

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! 

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! 

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

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

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.

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.

Upcycled heart picture made with butterflies

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.

The Making Home Weekly Link Up #3

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.

Our #MakingHome home journey took us into the world of paint colors, rollers, paint brushes and masking tape this week and I can't wait to share the results; but for now I am leaving you with a post all about painting your own murals. It might be a little clue as to what we have been up to! 

Painting your own mural 

Handmade 3D Butterfly Wall Art With Ikea

Very recently my niece became the proud owner of her very own bedroom! Adamant that she wanted it to be pink and yellow, I decided to make her something special to put on her wall. At first I thought I would make a box frame or some bunting; but then I spotted a pack of gift tags in my local IKEA store and became inspired to make this! 

The Making Home Weekly Link Up #2

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.

Last week we had some amazing posts linked up; from seed tags to repainted dining furniture, garden make overs to decoupage bookcases and more! One of my favourite posts was by Kelly of Scissors Paper Rock who shared how to make several types of flavoured tipple. Perfect for Christmas preparation obviously!

In our #MakingHome efforts this week I have been focusing on trying to clear out the garage which has been a dumping ground since the move. I feel like de-cluttering is a permanent job that is always on the list but I am hoping that by the end of summer we will be less cluttered and more organized. We have also been thinking more about painting as it seems like this will be on the cards soon. I did a little research into where to start so here's a few tips on 'How To Paint Your House'

Getting Thrifty With Lemons and Limes

Let’s set the scene. You are doing your weekly shop, trying to be careful about your spending and you head to the reduced ailse to see what bargains you can grab. Once you have filtered though all of the stuff you would never eat, you notice a tray of reduced lemons and limes. You may use the odd slice but you will just be paying for the honour of throwing these away at home right? 

The Making Home Weekly Link Up #1

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 I am hopping back in time and sharing a post all about how this adventure got underway back in October 2014 when we bought our first house and moved to the Welsh Valleys from the Cambridgeshire countryside.

The First Steps in Making Home

Rose Gold Plated Star Charms Bracelet: Jewellery Maker Kit Review

I love trying all sorts of crafts as you will all know; but jewellery making is something I hadn't yet tried my hand at. It always seemed like you had to have an awful lot of bits and bobs with beads being sold in bulk and wires in metre roles and I never really wanted to commit; especially if it was making something that I wouldn't necessarily wear. Then I was given the opportunity to try out making my own jewellery with a kit by Jewellery Maker.

How to Paint Your Own Mural at Home

Instead of displaying small pieces of your artwork around your home, why not take up an entire wall to show off your creative flair? The word ‘mural’ can be a little daunting, as if you are tasked with painting the Sistine Chapel, but all it means is that you get to use a section of a wall - or the entirety of it - to paint something that shows off your personality, style and creativity.

So, where do you start? Here’s a few tips to making your own mural:

How to Paint Your House

The time has come in our #MakingHome adventure to seriously think about our painting choices. Having bought a new build property, we were advised to wait for 12-18 months before painting and although we've had the odd chat about colours, picked up colour charts etc, 12 months will be approaching in October and I cannot wait to get started! I want to make sure we do a proper job from the get go so I'm starting to get to grips with what I need to think about.

Top Tips For Keeping Your Little Ones Entertained Over the Summer Holiday

The summer holidays have started and I've decided that I need to have back up entertainment plans for when the TV time has been exhausted and the Little Bs are (ahem…I am) bored of playing cars and football aka kicking the ball in random directions. We tend to do quite well in filling our days with random window shopping trips and lunch in Ikea (the boys love the showrooms), trips to the park, garden antics, crafty stuff and 'picwics' but sometimes we need a little inspiration to think outside of the box. Rather than save 1000 links to unachievable ideas or spend lots of money on big day trips, I decided to ask fellow blogger their top tips for keeping little ones entertained over the summer. Then I thought I would share them with you lovely lot! So here goes…

This Summer Mrs Crafty B Will...

The lovely Leanne over at A Slice of My Life Wales has tagged me in a Summer 'to do list' so with routines getting changed up a bit and lots going on, I have decided to have a little think about the things I would love to make sure I do this summer.

Tips For Taking Your Craft Business Beyond Etsy

There are more than 1.4 million sellers on Etsy and growing, with many vendors selling products that are similarly themed or even close in appearance. These similarities and a hungry market can in some ways benefit sellers, particularly those who have just started out on the path of turning their craft hobby into their day job. However, if you’re starting to tire of turning 3.5 per cent of your profits over to the platform in addition to their listing fees, it might be time to think about graduating to your own site and running your own craft business. Here are a few hints and tips to help you on your journey…

Chocolate Oat Crumblies With Sally Akins

Sally Akins is a UK Food and Lifestyle blogger who lives in Shropshire with her husband and their two sons. She blogs at SallyAkins.com and can also be found on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Today she is sharing her super yummy looking chocolate oat crumbles.

Mini Maker Activities with Science Made Simple

I am always on the lookout for fun activities to keep Baby B entertained on different levels as he becomes more inquisitive about the world. We are a massive fans of fun learning activities and encouraging a genuine desire for wanting to find out new things and there is great value in doing science experiments with your #MiniMakers…aside from the fact they are SUPER fun and sometimes a bit messy!

How to Sew a Frozen Art Carry Case - Free Tutorial

I have teamed up with Plush Addict to show you how to make this art carry case for your #MiniMakers

50 Things That Make Mrs Crafty B Happy

A while ago I was tagged by Leanne over at 'A Slice of My Life Wales' in a challenge to list 50 things that make me happy.

It's simple. Link to the person who tagged you, devise your list and tag some more people to take the challenge.

How to Make Personalised Map Tile Coasters

This weekend I hopped over to The Diary Of A Jewellery Lover to share a crafty tutorial.

Head on over to see how you can make your very own personalised tile coasters just like these ones!

National Upcycling Day 24th June 2015 #UpcycleRevolution Upcycled WallArt

Today is National Upcycling Day as campaigned for by Gumtree along with a group of the UK's top upcycling and lifestyle bloggers. As you know, I am a big fan of upcyling so I thought I would contribute and point you all in the direction of the #UpcycleRevolution

Scrapstores are amazing places to find material for crafting and upcyling projects. With a bit of creativity and barely a dent in your money tin, you can create something individual to you; like this wall art!

Top Ten Things That Mrs Crafty B is Buzzin' About in June

I have been keeping note of some of the fabulous things that I've seen, heard or experienced so that can share them with you Crafty Bs. Here are the top ten things that I am loving this month...

Crafting With Hillarys: How to Make A Handmade Lampshade and Washable Fabric Coaster Covers

Made-to-measure window dressing company Hillarys, invited myself along with some other bloggers to take part in a challenge; to see what we could craft with 1m² of one of their beautiful fabrics.
With the launch of #MakingHome I jumped at the chance to get involved. I didn't just think along the lines of 'craft' but what I could make that was usable in my mission to create a beautiful home as well as easily replicable for you Crafty Bs.

Happily one of the choices of fabric, Rayna Apple, beautifully complimented our intended colour scheme for the front room (green and grey). As of yet, we have nothing decorative in the front room including (shock horror) a lamp or light shade! I have seen plenty of lampshade making kits and workshops so I thought I would give it a go. Knowing I would have lots of fabric left over