Tag: DIY

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Moving House Gift Idea

moving house gift idea

Here’s a lovely moving house gift idea I made recently for a family who moved to St. Louis in the States, last month.

This gift idea is ideal for people moving somewhere new. It’s a year of day out ideas to help them get to know their new local neighbourhood.

I scoured the internet for fun and quirky things to do for the family, trying not to find things that cost too much. I kept in mind the seasons and the weather it’ll likely be. Finding an unusual ice-cream parlour to go to in January probably wouldn’t be that fun!

I also checked out event sites, to see if there were any one-off festivals or events going on that might not be on the usual ‘things to do in St Louis’ type websites.

When you start googling there really are so many ideas that makes me bet there’s so many unfound gems in my own neighbourhood!

I typed the ideas into text boxes on a word document, giving all the info they’d need to find out more online, and cut out the different cards.

I decorated 12 envelopes adding the month of the year to each one.

Fill the envelopes and tie with string adding a handwritten tag. Hopefully this will give the family a year of fun memories to start making together in their new home town.

I’ve made this gift a few times for a few friends, it works for lots of occasions. A year of date night ideas for the first year of marriage, a year of things to do with a newborn baby.

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Do you know someone who would love something handmade like this? Why not give it a go too.

Other handmade gift ideas you might like…

A thoughtful gift for a mama-to-be

A gift for anyone who loves crocheting

A wedding anniversary gift idea

A personalised frame for a friend

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How To Make A Vision Board

Jar of flowers

At the beginning of the year we hosted ‘How To Make A Vision Board’ Workshops helping people get intentional about the year ahead.

Writing this at the beginning of lockdown 2020, the sessions took place just over 10 weeks ago and in that time, the world has dramatically changed. I don’t think any of us imagined the year would go like this.

I knew had to do something to help focus on the things I can control and try and be mindful about letting go of the things I can’t. 

So I thought about the concept of vision boards, why can’t the same practice work for seasons as well as years. Surely you can make a positive plan for any season in life. New school years, moving homes, transitioning jobs etc.

So here’s your ‘How To’ guide on how to make a vision board for any season of life.

Vision board for lockdown

How to make a vision board

  1. Choose your vision board style

Choose a style that you’ll enjoy making, a list, collage, Pinterest board, illustrations. This one I did in the style of a big doodled brainstorm on an A2 piece of paper.

2. Decide the areas you wanna focus on

On a scrap bit of paper, write down the main areas of your life that you would love to focus on or improve. If you’re struggling to think, we’ve created this handy guide to help you think of potential areas and ideas to go on your board. For me I chose:

  • Friendships
  • Marriage
  • Reuben (my son)
  • The home
  • Faith
  • Community
  • Education
  • Health

3. Dream up the best for each one

Go through each area, still on your separate piece of paper, write down ideas that you’d love to try, learn, do, feel. Think of things that might bring you joy. 

Think about your situation right now, how could you use your position or opportunity for the better? For example, as I’m writing in lockdown you might be one of the ones stuck at home, cut off from your normal routine. Are there things you’ve always wanted to do but never had the time? Are there things on your To Do list that just never get ticked off? What could this ‘time out’ offer you? A bigger appreciation for the simple things?

If useful, I’ll give you one of my own examples, under my child ‘Reuben’ I thought of all the things I could do will make the time with my 11 month old more special. Some things on my list:

  • Make things for him to play with
  • Create a fun photoshoot with him
  • Try new recipes for him to eat
  • Teach him a new word each week
  • Find an online baby group to stream into
  • Google sensory toy ideas from household objects
  • Find alternative educational tv shows  

If you’re stuck for inspiration, I’d highly recommend checking out Pinterest and do a search for each area. E.g. ‘home improvement ideas’ or ‘fun activities to do with kids’ or ‘ways to have fun at home’. There really is so many resources out there that could inspire you on things you’d love to do.

Another example of thinking outside the box, you could be in a dead end job you don’t enjoy and are bored stiff. Are there moments of the day where you could explore other industries or roles? Are there people in your job, that you don’t know yet that could help you? Is anyone in job roles that you would love to be one day that you could shadow or learn from. Try and think out the box, and dream up new opportunities, building your roadmap on how to get there.

4. Prettify the vision

Once you’ve created your list, you can either leave it as it is, or turn it in into a beautiful illustration.

If you have magazines or newspapers at home, tear out images/words/colours that represent the things you’ve made on the list. E.g You want to start writing letters to your friends, find pictures of a postbox or envelopes, or a stamp.

If like me during lockdown you have no magazines or newspapers, turn your list into a colourful poster. If you’ve got kids, this could be an activity you could do together as a family. Write the areas of your life out in big, then write your ideas around them in different colours and font styles. You could doodle illustrations that match what you’d like to achieve. For example If you wanna use this time to learn French – you could draw a little French flag. 

vision board for lockdown with calligraphy

Et voila!

There you have it, an intentional plan, bringing you purpose and highlighting the things that could bring you more joy.

It’s only been a few days since making mine, but it’s already made a difference to me mentally. Knowing I have a rough plan for the next few months is comforting and if on a day, the only task I manage to complete is ‘defrost the freezer’ I weirdly still feel a sense of accomplishment!

If this has inspired you or encouraged you to make something similar I’d love to know. Drop me an email or a message me in the comments below.

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How to make THE best cocktails every time

Pinch and a (rum) punch, first day of the month. Happy April everyone. We don’t wanna do any fooling here, it’s already a tough old world out there, so here’s your ultimate guide for making the best cocktails every time.

How to make the best cocktails
How to make the best cocktails

I came across this clever recipe on Pinterest and you can make THE best cocktails with pretty much any ingredients.

All you gotta do is remember the rhyme…

1 of sour, 2 of sweet, 3 of strong and 4 of weak

Firstly pick the unit you’re gonna use depending on how many people it’s for. E.g. if it’s just for yourself you might wanna use a shot measure and if it’s for the whole household, you might wanna use a jug… just make sure you use the same unit all the way through.

So to give you an example, here’s my favourite concoction…

1 shot of sour – fresh lime juice (you could also use lemon juice)

2 shots of sweet – grenadine (you could also use sugar syrup/gomme)

3 shots of strong – spiced rum (the fun part, pick any spirit that takes your fancy)

4 shots of weak – pineapple juice (choose any juice or soft drink) 

So for anyone wondering what to do at home, have some fun experimenting until you find your favourite. Just remember to keep to the 1234 ratio.

Add some fruit when you’re ready to serve and don’t forget to make sure you have plenty of ice!

I personally think pineapple and kiwi always makes a prettier punch, and even more delicious!

What’s the first cocktail ingredients you’re gonna try?

If you’re making cocktails for a celebration, have you checked out our guide on how to have a party at home during lockdown?

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How to Celebrate at Home

wedding table decorations

Did you have a big party planned during this isolation period? A birthday? A family celebration?⁣
⁣
Please still recognise the day! It certainly won’t be as you imagined but you could still make some fun memories.⁣
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It’s our 7th birthday next week, so here’s 7 ways to celebrate special occasions while stuck at home…⁣

1. Create a virtual party with your nearest and dearest. Zoom video conferencing is WONDERFUL for large groups. You could still send out invites in the post to make it feel special. Set the date and time, include a BYOB reminder and have a few drinks and catch up with your pals.

2. Why not organise a dinner date on video with your loved ones. Everyone prepare a fancy meal at home and light a candle for a bit of atmosphere. Plan to eat and meet at a certain time and have dinner together on WhatsApp or Facetime.

3. And if you wanna play some party games, do it virtually. Headsup (charades style app), download a pub quiz, or play 2 truths and a lie. Read my lips (microphone off and guess what they say) is a goodie! Or a drawing challenge (describe something for people to draw and they have to guess what it is), and you can’t go wrong with a few rounds of Would You Rather.

4. If there’s a birthday in your household, decorate with the things you have around your home. You could make this a fun activity if you’ve got kids. Paper chains out of magazines, hand painted signs or why not dig those fairy lights out from your Christmas decor box. You could even have a clothes sort out and turn any old tshirts into bunting flags with scissors and a stapler!

5. Treat the birthday girl/boy and organise all your meals to be fun and a little less normal. Breakfast eggs fried in metal cookie cutter shapes, chocolate spread painted words on toast. Lunch could be sandwiches cut into heart shapes. Dinners could be arranged into a face with a fruit platter rainbow for dessert. Be creative and make your meals that little bit different.

6. Download free printables to create a few personalised touches around the home. Some of our favourite printables out there…

7. Finally host a ‘make it’ competition on video chat. Watermelon carving, flower arranging, lego robot building, baby grow decorating, T-shirt embroidering, cake decorating, canvas painting. Everyone make it together while on video chat, then present your creations and vote for the best one!

Hopefully an idea or two to help you make the most of a pooey situation.

Hang in there friends x

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Free bunting for all

To celebrate our 7th birthday we’ve made a beautiful printable for you to make and use at home, either for celebrations, as gifts, or decorations for the home.

All you’ll need: string, a hole punch and some scissors.

Print out this floral bunting by clicking on the link below.

You’ll find the first few pages are the letters ‘happy birthday’. If you would like to create your own personalised message, I’ve designed the whole alphabet, so print out the letters you need for whatever phrase you would like to create.

Print onto paper or thin card, then cut out the flags.

Hole punch or use scissors to make teeny holes in the top corners.

Thread the flags along the string (in the right order) and there you have it.

To add some va va voom, before making holes, you could mount these flags onto different coloured card or paper.

Use the bunting for a wall, along the edge of a table or along a curtain pole. Keep somewhere safe and flat, and reuse again and again!

Credit: I used a stunning photo taken by Georgia de Lotz to create this bunting. Thank you Georgia! 🙂

Your Free Bunting

As well as receiving free printable bunting, you will also receive monthly free DIY tutorials, creative inspiration and ideas to get crafty at home. If you do not want to receive this monthly dose of creative inspiration, click ‘unsubscribe’ at the bottom of the email.

Download your free bunting here

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A Handmade Cuppa Tea Gift Idea

The best gifts are handmade and this one’s an easy one for anyone to make.

You’ll need a plain mug which you can pick up from most homeware shops, a few coloured sharpie pens and a packet of alphabet stickers, both can be purchased from Hobbycraft or a general Craft Store.

If you’re gifting this for someone, you could personalise this by using the first letter of their name. Choose your letter or letters and stick them on the mug. Then with your sharpie pens, draw hundreds of tiny dots around the letter. For added effect, use a few colours and gradually fade and make the dots more spaced out the further you get away from the sticker.

Once you’re happy, peel off the sticker from the mug and you’re left with an outline of the letter.

There you have it, fill it with treats, their favourite teabags or a packet of biscuits and you’ve got a beautiful hand personalised gift.

A quick note, these dots won’t survive in the dishwasher, so handwash them only 🙂