Sports medal Hama bead mini bunting

If you are planning on watching the Olympics this summer or hosting a party to celebrate, why not make some bunting to decorate!

This mini bunting uses metallic Hama beads made into little medals and strung up on cardboard flags with cheerful ribbon.

Here's how I made it:

You need:

Metallic Hama beads and a circular peg board - I used gold, silver and bronze beads
Metallic and sparkly cardboard - again I used gold, silver and bronze
Red or gold ribbon
Bostik Fine and Wide Glu Pen

Instructions:

First make your Hama bead medals. I used the circular template and made circles that were 9 beads in diameter, using a contrasting colour to make a border. Iron them so that the beads melt together, ironing more on the reverse to make sure that the beads are well fused. I made three Hama bead medals for each string of bunting.

Make a paper triangular template for the bunting and cut out a bunting flag for each medal in a selection of metallic colours. Then use the Bostik Fine and Wide Glu Pen to stick the Hama bead medals to the cardboard flags. Use plenty of glue to make sure that they are well stuck, and leave until completely dry, preferably overnight.

Use a hole punch to make holes in the top corners of the flags and thread through with ribbon. Hang up your bunting and enjoy!

You might also like my other Olympic crafts - making collage Olympic rings and a simple cardboard tube Olympic torch.

The Olympics was fantastic, and now it's all over

We've been feeling a bit flat for the last couple of days. After all the excitement leading up to the Olympics, and the frantic ticket hunting that preceded and accompanied it, now we're feeling a bit lost. We were lucky enough to spend another few days up in London over the weekend (with many thanks to both our fantastic babysitters and hotel loyalty points). I know I've bored everyone entirely over the last few weeks with my Olympic posts, so as a final post here are some of our highlights from the last events.

Synchronised swimming was the event that I was most keen to see when we first started to look for tickets. I did really enjoy it, although the session only lasted 45 minutes which went quickly. I did learn one fact which fascinated me, synchronised swimmers train for 45 hours a week (not just the synchronised bit, but including general fitness, pilates, yoga and so on). Of course, when I thought about it, I realised that this must be true for most, if not all, top athletes. I hadn't really appreciated the time commitment involved, it's difficult to imagine what it must be like to be so dedicated to something.

We are big pizza fans over here, and we discovered a wonderful new pizza place - Franco Manca in Westfield Shopping Centre. It brought back fond memories of our favourite ever pizza, eaten many years ago in Naples. Definitely recommended if you pass one!

For a couple of sessions, our seats to the athletics were at the very back of the press stand - one of those big blocks of empty seats which were visible on the television. They filled up for the big races, but once they were over they quickly emptied out, so we were able to move down for a better view. As we were sitting there we noticed an Olympic torch being passed around below us which had been brought along by one of the spectators who had been a torch bearer. Along with everyone else we cheekily asked if we could have our photo taken with it - I was unbelievably excited!



The Closing Ceremony was amazing, we were dancing and singing along. It wasn't really what I was expecting, I thought that it would include some sort of look back at the games, montages of highlights and so on, and I must admit that I didn't really expect it to be as good as it was. There was so much going on, and it was so bright and cheerful.

The next morning we felt very down as we made our way back home. We were cheered up slightly by the new information sign pointing to Rio de Janeiro at the now empty Stratford Station!

It's been a fantastic few weeks and I know that I'm so lucky to have been able to experience so much. I never expected to be so moved by it all.

Olympic eventing continues - Track cycling, Trampolining, Swimming and Athletics

We've been spending the middle of this week in a funny sort of limbo - we've had another busy weekend at the Olympic Park with another to come, and now we're enjoying a quiet period in the middle before we head up again for the final weekend. On Saturday we managed to squeeze in three events - from Track Cycling in the Velodrome, to the North Greenwich Arena (aka the O2) for Trampolining, then back to the Olympic Park for the Swimming Finals at the Aquatic Centre. On Sunday we returned to the Olympic Stadium for the Athletics, including the 100m final.

If you're wondering how we've managed to get all these tickets, it's all down to my husband. We didn't receive any tickets in the first round, and only tickets for a few less popular events in the second round. In the month or so before the games started, my husband began stalking the ticket website and the other websites that pulled down information about the latest ticket sales. He bought lots and lots of tickets, most of which we sold back as they were replaced by tickets to better events. Yes, he did become a little addicted, and no, I don't know what he's going to do when it's all over. It is quite an investment, although the vast majority of our tickets are in the cheapest seats.

When we entered the Velodrome we could see why it had been particularly difficult to buy tickets, as it felt very small. This meant that although we were far back we still had a good view, and there was a real sense of the cyclists being spurred on by the noise of the crowd. We didn't see any finals, but it was still really exciting, especially when there were two cyclists racing.


I enjoyed the trampolining because the whole event was completed in a couple of hours, and there was no hanging around. We saw sixteen ladies each perform two routines, then the eight with the best scores went through to the final. The huge stadium was packed and we were very high up but we still had a good view, although I spent the whole time with bated breath though in case one of the ladies bounced off!

I didn't really like the Aquatics Centre as a venue. It has a huge overhanging ceiling in the middle, and we were in the second row from the back so we were very high above the pool. Because of the central ceiling we couldn't even see most of the spectators on the other side of the pool, and if we had been watching diving we wouldn't have been able to see the top board. We actually managed to swap our original seats for some at the same level on the other side, and we found out from the young man next to us that our new seats had been returned because they had belonged to his mother, and she couldn't stay in the seats because they gave her vertigo! I can see why, and it also felt very claustrophobic. The swimming was exciting, and we were lucky enough to be there for Michael Phelp's final gold medal and presentation.


After a long day, we returned the next day for the Athletics and the 100m final. We arrived a bit early so we were able to have a bit of a wander around the Olympic Park. The landscaping in the park is really beautiful, with lots of flowers and it's all generally really clean and tidy.


At all the events we've seen I've loved watching the preparations that you can't see on the television, for example the volunteers moving the starting blocks and lane numbers about, and keeping track of the athletes possessions in big plastic boxes. It's all incredibly well co-ordinated, and they all perform their manoeuvres in complete sync with each other. The build up to the 100m final was huge, with the excitement building in the crowd and the helicopters hovering overhead. Although I had teased Ram about paying all that money for less than 10 seconds, overall I'd say it was worth it. Our seats were at the very top of the press area, and as we left we paused at the bottom of the steps for a few minutes to look over and watch the athletes being interviewed just below us.


We experienced a brief moment of excitement as we joined the crowds outside the stadium and found ourselves caught in a crowd right next to Boris Johnson! I've no idea how he had ended up there away from the VIP area, he was ushered through the gate that we were being prevented from using, accompanied by much friendly ribbing!

We've been travelling in to the Olympic Park from Ebbsfleet which has been a really good move. There are big crowds leaving the park, but once you can get away from everyone travelling into central London there are very few people heading out Kent way, and because the trains go every few minutes they are nearly empty. The volunteers are also doing a really good job of keeping the crowds under control and moving, there's very little hanging around even at busy times.

An Olympic weekend - Beach Volleyball and Tennis

After our very exciting visit to see the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony last week, we were lucky enough to spend this weekend in London seeing some more events.

This time we travelled up by train from Angmering. On the way up we met one of the volunteers. One thing that has really stood out so far in our Olympic experience has been the dedication and enthusiasm of the volunteers - all the ones that we have met have been so friendly and helpful. This gentleman was one of a team of people driving athletes and other important people around London, and it was really interesting to talk to someone involved.

We had a fantastic hotel really near to Buckingham Palace. It was also free - one of the advantages of having a husband who travels for work and accumulates loyalty points. We were even upgraded to a suite! We went straight out into the pouring rain to catch the end of the Women's Road Cycling as they sped past. We were almost at the end of the route (the finishing line was ticketed) and the three ladies in the lead were very much ahead, it felt like a good couple of minutes before the next group came along.

We had an early dinner before heading to the Beach Volleyball. There were long queues to get in (and once inside even longer queues for refreshments, although we take our own so that didn't bother us!) which meant that we took our seats just as the play was beginning. The stadium was in a fantastic setting, with clear views of the tops of the London Eye and Big Ben. Some people were perhaps a little unimpressed by the understandable lack of tiny bikinis on a chilly evening, but the atmosphere was absolutely fantastic. I loved the loud bursts of music each time a point was scored, and there were many scantiliy clad ladies (and gentlemen) in attendance to entertain the crowd with dancing in between games. There was plenty of drinking going on, and a group of young men in our block were entertaining the crowd by passing around towers made of plastic beer cups and encouraging people to add more and more until it fell over, it all made for a very merry evening.

After a lovely lie-in the next morning we headed to Wimbledon for the tennis. We had Centre Court tickets with a reserved seat all day, and we didn't realise until we arrived that we could also go and watch games on any other court apart from Court 1. It was a very long day but packed with some excellent tennis, including Federer in the men's singles and the Williams sisters in the doubles. The atmosphere was quite a contrast to the night before, no moving around during play, and just whispering and polite clapping.

We took a free shuttle bus back to Wimbledon station, and walked straight onto a train. Although it was busy, I don't think it was really any busier than a normal rush hour would have been and we managed to find seats on the train for our journey back home. Now for a few days rest and a chance to reacquaint ourselves with the children before we are up there again next weekend!

The London Olympics 2012 Opening Ceremony - we were there!

Last night, the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony took place at the Olympic Park in London, and we were lucky enough to actually be there! I posted last week about how, despite not receiving any tickets in the first round and only a few to less popular events in the second round, thanks to my husband's determination and persistance over the last few weeks we have been lucky enough to build up an excellent selection of tickets. He was even able to secure a ticket to the Opening Ceremony just a couple of days ago for his sister to join us. We are also extremely fortunate in my parents, who have effectively put their lives on hold for the next couple of weeks to act as our babysitters!

We booked our parking at Ebbsfleet International for £8 and then caught the Javelin train in to Stratford. It only took about ten minutes, and because we arrived quite early the train was nearly empty. It was a very smooth process, and we arrived right in the middle of the Olympic Park. It was starting to get busy, with lots of people milling about. We wandered around looking at the lanyards that many people were wearing, unfortunately I'm not very good at celebrity spotting but there were lots of people with the title "Athlete" which was very exciting! We were right opposite the Olympic Village, and we could see all the country flags hanging out of the windows.

We had some tickets to collect, so Ram went and joined the queue at the Box Office. The queue didn't seem too long, although it did take a while to get everything sorted. Then we went into the Westfield Shopping Centre for some dinner. The shops had all closed but the restaurants were just letting the last people in, so we were able to enjoy a relaxed dinner in an emptying restaurant away from the crowds outside.

At 5pm the Olympic Park was opened to the public. We weren't first in the queue and had expected a long wait to get through security, but to our surpise the process was really fast and we didn't have to wait at all. The older gentleman in front of us set off the metal detector as he went through, and proudly produced the reason - a gold Olympic medal from the 1964 Olympics! Of course we were suitably impressed, and he allowed us to have a close look at his medal - and even to touch it!

On the other side the atmosphere was buzzing. There were television crews aplenty, and when Ram recognised a BBC presenter he couldn't resist jumping in front of the camera, an event shortly followed by a phone call from his cousin who had just seen him live on television!


We took a slow walk up to the stadium, pausing frequently to take plenty of photos and drink in the atmosphere. The Olympic Park was beautiful and clean, and although busy there was plenty of space to mill around. We had to refill our water bottles so we found the free water fountains, and there were plenty of toilets too which is always appreciated!


Then it was time to enter the Stadium. Our seats were pretty high up which was a steep climb, but because the area in the centre was so big we still had a good view. The first thing that we noticed when we took our seats was the "paddle" attached to the seat in front with lights on the front of it. Of course there was much speculation about what was going to happen, especially where the cauldron for the Olympic flame would be as there was nothing obvious. The set, with its grassy hills, waterwheel and little cottages looked pretty permanent.

Even though the televised show wasn't due to start for a long time, we were still entertained. Four huge clouds were being marched about, and at intervals different animals were brought out into the fields, alongside actors performing little pieces - moving the animals about, playing cricket and having picnics on the grass. 



As 8.12pm approached we were able to see the paddles in action as they lit up to form a huge countdown to a flypast by the Red Arrows - we couldn't see them because we were well under the roof, but we heard them! We also received our instructions, as there were lots of things that we had to do to help create the atmosphere. We were all given 3D glasses which let to great excitement, although of course we found out later that there was nothing 3D in the show at all, it was just to make us part of the scenery!

For the beginning of the show the entire audience area was covered with with huge blue sheets, which we had to push up and down from underneath to create the effect of a sea with a tiny island in the middle. Unfortunately it didn't actually make it to the televised show which is a shame as it must have looked really good! Then the show began.

It was truly spectacular. There was so much going on in all directions, it was impossible to take it all in. It was amazing watching the co-ordination going on below, as the countryside set was slowly dismantled and the Industrial Revolution began, complete with rising towers and the forging of a huge ring in the central furnace, which rose up to meet the four other Olympic rings in the roof of the Stadium. Then the journey began through Britain's modern history with a few surprises along the way - I still can't believe that they persuaded the Queen to take part in a James Bond segment!


The Athletes Parade did take a while, and to be honest if I'd been watching from home this would have been the point at which I went to bed. But actually being there was an amazing experience. Afterwards a group of cyclists circled the stadium with huge glowing doves on their backs - a representation of the doves that were released at the Games in ancient times to signal peace. Then followed the speeches and of course the lighting of the cauldron, which was beautiful and was followed by some spectacular fireworks.


It finished late, and we were a little concerned about our train back to Ebbsfleet. However it turned out that once we'd walked to the station it was only a very small crowd, and we were on a train back to the car within minutes.

We had a brilliant time and I'm so lucky to have had the opportunity to experience it. The show was absolutely fantastic and it's an occasion that we'll remember for the rest of our lives.

Did you watch the Opening Ceremony? What did you think?

Want to involve your children in the Olympic spirit? Why not make some Olympic Rings or an Olympic Torch!

The Olympic flame arrives in Worthing and our Olympic story begins

The build up to the London 2012 Olympics started in this household some time ago, back in March 2011 when the very first round of ticket sales started. We applied for a wide range of tickets, both popular and unpopular events, and to our disappointment we didn't receive any at all. We were then however eligible for the second round of tickets, and with a 6am start we were able to purchase six tickets to events that, although not our first choices, meant that at least we would be watching something.

Then about a month ago, as people began to re-sell their unwanted tickets, small numbers became available. Since then, Ram has spent most of his time, day and night, with the ticket sales screens loaded onto the computer, constantly hitting refresh. His dedication has paid off, and we have found ourselves the lucky owners of quite a few tickets to some really good events, including the football final, track cycling at the velodrome, athletics and swimming finals and the Closing Ceremony. Most of our tickets are in the lowest price band, with the logic that we'd rather see a wider range of events than just a few at the higher prices. We have even sold back nearly all of our original tickets, having managed to replace them with tickets to events that appeal to us much more. Part of Ram's success was been down to a website that constantly polled and checked the availability of all the tickets you are interested in.

There was however one elusive pair of tickets that Ram was still waiting for, having been awake most of last night constantly checking to see if any more had been released. Then, this afternoon, as we waited by the side of the road for the Torch Relay in a damp and drizzly Worthing, he spotted a refreshed page on his phone, dialled in as quickly as he could, and minutes later we were so excited to find that we are now in possession of tickets for the Opening Ceremony!

I'm not the sportiest of people, and I must admit that it's the ceremonies that I'm most looking forward to. But I am also looking forward to the rhythmic gymnastics, because that sounds like it will be quite spectacular. Some of the other events are new to me and also look like they will be amazing to watch. I'm not sure how we're going to manage with the crowds, and I'm also just hoping that I have the stamina to make it through! We will also have used up all our babysitting credits for the next few years at least!

If you want to get in the Olympic mood, why not make some collage Olympic Rings, or hold your very own Olympic Torch Relay.