More love for Pinterest

Following on from my recent participation in the Pinterest #pinitforward campaign, I asked my sister to write me a guest post about Pinterest. You see, it was through Anna that I first discovered Pinterest, and so I have her to thank for introducing me to it! So here's over to Anna:

When I first started using Pinterest I thought it would be one of those things I'd play with for a bit and then forget about. But now I love it and go there every day. It’s a brilliant way of saving things you find as you browse the web – a recipe you’d like to try, or a craft you think the kids would like – as well as looking through the things other people have found.

I have 22 boards. They range from recipes, crafts, pattern inspiration and ideas for things to do with the girls, as well as things I think are just cool and interesting! The board with the most followers, and my favourite to browse myself, is my crochet & knitted blankets board – I love all the colours and the designs, and it always leaves me feeling cosy.

As a designer, I also find Pinterest useful for my work. Pinterest recently started allowing ‘secret’ boards – perfect for making mood boards and collecting inspiration without sharing it all with the world. And scrolling through the main page feeds is great for spotting trends and seeing what people are looking for.

Pinterest is one of those things that, once you get used to it, you wonder how you managed without it! It’s such a convenient way to organise not just pictures but online information of all kinds. Give it a try, but be warned, it’s addictive!

(Anna is mum to Laura (4) and Emily (2) as well as designing knitting patterns. She blogs at http://beepbeepdesigns.blogspot.com

Tactile alphabet cards

This month I'm joining in the PinAddicts Challenge with a craft that appealed to me as soon as I saw it - some tactile alphabet cards which I pinned from Fairy Dust Teaching. I probably don't spend enough time working on letters with Harry at the moment, I tend to think that it is something that he'll pick up easily enough when he starts school. But I loved how bright and colourful these alphabet cards were, and it looked like something that would be a lot of fun for us to make together.

For the cards I cut up an old, sturdy nappy box. Each card measures approximately 8cm x 12cm. We painted the backgrounds in a variety of different colours, then before we started putting letters on I planned the layout in advance so that I was happy with the spread of the colours.

Then we made our letters. I drew an outline in pencil, and let Harry glue on the different things. I was a bit worried that I would struggle to think of 26 different things to use, but once I started I kept thinking of more and more ideas! I loved watching Harry's fine motor skills at work. He's also enjoying patterning at the moment, so some of the letters are made using patterns in the colours.

I used lowercase letters instead of the uppercase letters in the original pin, because those are the ones that I want him to become familiar with first. Perhaps we'll go on to make an uppercase set next!

Here's what I used for the different letters:

a - star eyelets, b - small beads, c - curtain hooks, d - sequins, e - cord , f - macaroni pasta, g - red lentils , h - gold stars, i - cotton wool, j - small stones, k - ribbon , l - lollipop stick, m - pipecleaner, n - felt , o - scraps of wool, p - large beads, q - pom poms, r - shredded paper, s - glitter , t - washi tape , u - scrap of fabric, v - lace, w - nails, x - sandpaper, y - tin foil , z - paperclips.

The cards are still loose at the moment but I'm planning on attaching them to his bedroom wall somehow, perhaps gluing them on to a larger piece of cardboard as a background.

If you would like to follow me on Pinterest I would love to see you, you can find my Pinterest boards here. If you pin a lot, why not challenge yourself to make some of those things that you are busy pinning!

PinAddicts Challenge for February - Altered book pages

In those long, empty days before children I used to enjoy having a go at altered books. They combine all sorts of crafts, and in particular two that I enjoy - collage and painting. I completed one small board book, lots of pages in a larger hardback book, and bought a third hardback book to make a new, themed one.

Then the children came along, and it has taken me until now to pick the craft up again. The book that I am using is called "Three" (purchased from the "Withdrawn for sale" shelf at the library) and I quite like the idea of theming some pages around the number three and things that come in threes. I'd been putting off working on the book for a long time as I was a bit stuck for inspiration, so I did a bit of searching on Pinterest, and found loads of ideas to get me started. I chose two altered book page designs that I really liked, and had a go at them myself.

I couldn't find anywhere to credit the original images so I haven't linked them here, but you can see them on my growing Altered Books pinboard. The first is an outline tree and the second is a cartoon sketch of a little girl, outlined in white. They are both very different to anything that I've painted or drawn before.

I might add something to the tree as I think it's a bit bare, perhaps add some writing in and turn it into a family tree or story.

I wanted the little girl to resemble Mia, but she came out looking a bit older than I intended. She is also a bit more bright and cheerful than the original, she also appears to have been unintentionally inspired by illustrator Nick Sharratt! I used watercolour to paint her and then outlined with slightly diluted white acrylic paint.

I loved working with the watercolours, and even better I actually managed to complete some of the painting while I had small children about, either occupied elsewhere or doing some painting of their own. Both pages were very quick and satisfying to finish.

Now I'm going to carry on with the book, but start to incorporate some of my own ideas. I really like the idea of drawing another girl, so I might try her out again on a different page, and maybe put a little boy in there somewhere too. I'd like to have a go with some collage too.

If you enjoy using Pinterest for inspiration, why not check out the PinAddicts Challenge and see what everyone has been making this month!

PinAddicts challenge - Pizza cookie with sweets

It's time for another PinAddicts challenge, and I have another foodie one! Pizza is a favourite meal in this household, and cookies are a favourite treat. This recipe for a giant pizza cookie combines the two!

My original inspiration came from A little bit of heaven on a plate - Chocolate pizza recipe. I wanted to make more of a biscuit base though, so I used the recipe from another pin - A Mothers Ramblings - As big as your head cookies. I didn't add any sweets to the actual cookie recipe, I kept it plain as I was going to be using sweets on top.

Ingredients:

Base:
125g brown sugar
75g caster sugar
125g butter (softened)
2tsp vanilla essence
1 egg
1tsp baking powder
150g plain flour

Topping:
Icing sugar
Red food colouring
Water
100g bar white chocolate
Sweets

Method:

Cream the sugar and butter together, easier if the butter is softened first. Then add the vanilla essence and the egg, then finally the flour and baking powder. The mixture will have the texture of a thick paste. I lined a pizza tray with greaseproof paper and then spread the dough out evenly on top with a knife. It will spread a little when cooking so leave a small gap around the edges. Mine spread out really nicely leaving a good crust.



Ready to go in the oven

Bake in the oven at 180C (slightly lower for fan assisted ovens) for about twenty minutes. It is ready when it has started to brown on top, but it will still appear quite soft. It needs to cool for a little while, and then it will harden up.

 

 

Then for the fun part - the decorating! Originally I was going to use jam for the tomato sauce, but my son suggested using icing and I think that worked better. I just used icing sugar, with lots of red food colouring to make it nice and dark, and water. I'm afraid I can't give exact quantities as I always guess my icing! We spread it out over the base, and then sprinkled the grated chocolate on top before scattering with sweets. I didn't choose particularly realistic ones as I just used what we had, but you could try and choose sweets that look like the different ingredients that you like on a pizza!

I think it looked pretty good when it was finished (and it tasted delicious too!).

 

 

Make sure that you stop by the PinAddicts Challenge website so see what everyone else has been making this month!

Pinterest cake - the one with Kit Kats and Smarties

I've been using Pinterest for quite a while, almost as long as I've been blogging. In that time I have pinned many things, and one of the very first things I pinned was this cake. I think that it will probably be familiar to most regular Pinterest users, in fact if you use Pinterest you probably have it pinned somewhere yourself! When I recently spotted a brilliant version by Knitty Mummy it reminded me that with Ram's birthday coming up it would be the perfect opportunity for me to try it out.

In the end it is probably the most impressive, and yet easiest, cake that I have ever attempted. I just made a basic Victoria sandwich cake, with plenty of icing in the middle and on the top, and blobs around the sides to hold the Kit Kats in place. It doesn't matter if the icing is lumpy or poorly spread, as it is all covered up anyway. The ribbon holds it all nice and tightly together.

For reference, I used 18 Kit Kats and four tubes of Smarties. It could perhaps have done with another tube of Smarties to achieve full coverage.

I'm linking up this month to the PinAddicts Challenge, which is now hosted over on its very own blog. Pop by to see what everyone else has been making!

PinAddicts Pinterest Challenge - I Spy Jar

This month, the PinAddicts Pinterest Challenge is being hosted at My Lovebumps.

This I Spy Jar was one of the first things that I pinned, but I've held off making one until now because I wasn't sure that Harry was old enough to appreciate it. I also wanted to make it in a glass jar, and he needed to be old enough to be trusted with it.

I have pinned the jar here - I Spy Jar, and it comes originally from Meet the Dubiens where you can find detailed instructions and some more ideas for contents. Here is my version:

I Spy Jar

I used an old pasta sauce jar. To remove the label from the jar I soaked it in WD40, and it peeled right off. I like to think that our home is fairly uncluttered, but I found it very easy to gather together tiny items to put inside by raiding the toy box, my craft supplies and the bowl in the kitchen that we keep for keys and other junk. I used brown rice for the bulk of the jar (just what we had in the cupboard) and I found that you don't need to leave much space at the top of the jar at all.

Contents of my I Spy Jar

My contents are - leaf bead, old heart earring, toy handbag, flower bead, heart cutout, nut, marble, butterfly eraser, pom pom, penny, shell, stone, craft flower, paperclip, plastic cow, silver bead, eyelet, googly eye, blue button, star sequin, snowflake brad, yellow button, tiny clothes peg, doll crown, pink drawing pin, safety pin, flat shell.

Harry is fascinated by it and I can't stop turning it around myself!

Make sure to stop by and check out the other entries into the challenge!

The PinAddicts Pinterest Challenge - Water play

This month, the fantastic PinAddicts Pinterest Challenge is being hosted by simplyoutnumbered.

I spotted an idea for a garden water play structure on Pinterest fairly recently, and it stood out immediately because Harry has a fascination with water and pipes at the moment and it looked like a really fun activity that he would enjoy. The one that I have pinned is from Taming the Goblin and is based on an idea from Sun Hats and Wellie Boots. Both are far, far more sophisticated than mine!


Garden water play structure

Luckily our recycle bin was full, so I was able to collect together some plastic bottles and pots. We have a trellis wall leading into our vegetable patch which was a perfect spot to use. I attached the bottles to the trellis using string and coated wire. I began with a simple top to bottom structure as it can be easily changed, and also it was more difficult than I had expected! The water had a habit of splattering off in unexpected directions. I think that perhaps I placed my bottles too far apart.

This was really fun, and I'm looking forward to expanding and improving it over the summer! Make sure to pop by and visit the others that are taking part in the challenge this month.

The PinAddicts Pinterest Challenge - Five Little Ducks

It's time for the PinAddicts Pinterest challenge once again, it seems to come around so quickly! This month the challenge is being hosted by "But why, Mummy, why?"

I've posted before about how Harry loves acting out stories and rhymes using props. I've seen some great ideas online, and one that caught my eye was these felt ducks to use when singing "Five little ducks went swimming one day". I love that these ones from ohsofelty are so simple.



Image source: http://felt.co.nz/listing/23450/5-Little-Duck-Finger-Puppets


 I didn't have much yellow felt left, but I was pleased to make use of some which was rather poor quality (I think it may have come in a reduced children's craft kit). I didn't have enough yellow to make the backs too, so I used a funny coral colour that I wasn't that fond of.

Mine have come out quite large, which does make them a little uncomfortable to hold, but you don't need them all in place for very long! It does mean that they are much too big for Harry's fingers though, which is something that I should have considered. I thought that he would be quite happy to sit and watch while I acted it out, but of course he wants to join in too! Oh, and you won't be seeing any more yellow felt creations for a while until I've had a chance to restock!

I'm loving taking part in such a friendly linky, please visit and have a look at what everyone else has been creating this month.

The PinAddicts Pinterest Challenge - Cress Heads

I've really been getting in to planting things lately with Harry. We've planted lots of vegetables and flowers, but they take a long time to grow so I thought that it was time to try some cress. I found these lovely cress heads on Pinterest so I thought we'd give them a go for this month's Pinterest Challenge, which this month is being hosted by Sew Scrumptious. You can find the pin here on my Pinterest board, and here is the original picture with a link to the instructions:

Image Source http://www.rhs.org.uk/Children/For-families/Grow-it!/Cress

You just need to take the feet from an old pair of tights, put a teaspoon or so of cress seeds in first and then fill with compost. Tie at the bottom, use an elastic band to make a nose, and decorate. I used some foam stickers that we had lying around. Although the original instructions actually say to use two teaspoons of seeds, I found that this was too many really so you can use fewer. I sat mine in plastic cups for stability. Here they are after just a few days:

My version of the cress heads

They start growing almost straightaway, so are great for pretty much instant gratification. I'm not too keen on actually eating the cress though, but the seeds were cheap!

I love taking part in this linky because I really enjoy seeing all the gorgeous creations. You can visit them all here.

The PinAddicts Pinterest Challenge - Felt owl picture

For my second entry into the PinAddicts challenge, hosted this month by Melksham Mum I was inspired by these gorgeous little Felt Owls at Bugs and Fishes.

Image source http://bugsandfishes.blogspot.com/2011/08/how-to-felt-owl.html

I decided that rather than making a stuffed owl, I would use the design in a small picture frame. I used an Ikea Ram frame, which I also used to make my felt name picture.

I made my own owl template based upon the Bugs and Fishes design, and chose colours from my felt stash. It was very tempting to go mad with lots of different colours, so I tried to introduce some continuity by making most of the stitching yellow. I also painted the frame yellow to match. My owl came out a little wonky (perhaps because I drew him freehand rather than use the template which the designer kindly provides), so I set him at a jaunty angle to try and hide it.

I had some space left in the frame which needed to be filled. I originally cut out some small letters to spell 'owl' and placed them along the top, but I didn't feel that it looked right, so instead I made him a little branch with a leaf, and I also gave him some feet. I glued all the pieces onto some white linen for a backing.

Owl designs are very popular at the moment, and I'm really pleased with him!

See all the other entries into this month's PinAddicts Challenge here.

The PinAddicts Pinterest Challenge - Cardboard play biscuits

I'm a huge fan of Pinterest and I've been using it for a few months now. You can find me on Pinterest here. It has really inspired me, both with crafts to try for myself and things to do with the little ones. Probably like many users of the site, I spend more time pinning and dreaming that I do creating, so when I found out about the Pinterest Challenge hosted by Life, As I know it I was really inspired to look again at all the things that I've pinned and make a start on some of the activities.

The idea is to choose something from your boards to create, and then link up your projects on the first Monday of every month. There is even a prize, although I think that the biggest reward is the sense of achievement! I found out about the challenge a bit late for this month so I've started with an easy one.

Making cardboard biscuits was a great activity for occupying Harry and I for a short while on a cold, winter afternoon. I love making play food, and Harry loves playing with it, so these cardboard play biscuits from This and that about kids... looked easy and fun. It was not even just about the finished product, as we also pretended that we were making real biscuits, even putting them on baking trays into the 'oven' (airing cupboard) to dry.

Here is our effort, nice and sparkly and rather festive looking!

Cardboard play biscuits

Make sure to stop by the Pinterest Challenge Linky for this month to see everyone else's entries, and I'm planning to find something a little more challenging for next month!