Funky Kid Friday - Messy Fashion

I like to get a bit crafty when I can, but because time (and resources) are limited, it has to be something that is quick, easy and effective!

I've always thought that paint splatter looks quite cool and I thought it'd be easy to replicate and quite good fun!! I am really into monochrome at the moment (as if you hadn't noticed!!) so I bought a big pack of white socks, a pair of white leggings and a pack of white vests.  About two weeks ago I hung them all on my washing line and then I grabbed a paint brush and some black Dylon fabric paint (which I already had) and I simply went outside, loaded up the paint brush and repeatedly splattered both sides of the clothing!

Hanging the clothes on the washing line was a great idea because it meant I could access both sides of the fabric at the same time (if I'd laid them on the floor I wouldn't have been able to turn them over until the first side was dry).  It also meant they could air dry easily.  What wasn't so sensible was that I didn't think about what I was wearing.  I wore my denim dress and quite quickly I ended up with some paint splatters on it!! At that point I took the dress off, put a black top & leggings on, hung the dress on the line with the other clothes and resumed splatting!!

All in all it took me about half an hour.  Once the paint had dried I brought them inside and ironed them to set the paint.  That was it!!  I think they look amazing.  Even my own dress, it looks cool!

Ice Lolly Tee - Chapter One

Leggings - me!

Mocs - Belle & The Bear

Whale Cardi - Yumi

Dress - Charity Shop (splattered by me)

Tights - Slugs & Snails

Shoes - Lotta From Stockholm

What do you think?

Have you heard of the children's clothing shop Gorgeous Little George?  They have launched their own range of t shirts recently and I'm really loving them.  I bought one for Felix that says "Mummy is a Blogger" and it's getting some real love on Instagram!!

If you've written any kids fashion posts lately, link up below!  Don't forget to check out the giveaway I'm running here for a beautiful Elodie Details hooded towel.  On Insta I'm giving away a fantastic bedding set!

Happy Friday everyone! X

**linking with Mummy's Got Style & Style Me Sunday**

I made this! Getting crafty with Laura Ashley

I am quite a  crafty person naturally, I love to create, I love colours, I love texture.  I just don't find much time to do it now I'm a Mum.  I know some parents are always up to something crafty but I'm usually too busy blogging, researching fashions, reading, faffing about online, selling stuff on eBay, trying to catch up with hubby,  All the usual stuff.  Craft doesn't always get a look in!

Lovely bloggers network Joe Blogs contacted me a while back and asked if I'd like to attend their craft event at @Bristol in Bristol (duh!).  I leapt at the chance.  It's not that often there are blogging events that close to me.  Plus, a chance to craft without the kids crawling over me for a couple of hours- yes please!

The day itself actually worked out well for us as a family (something I do worry about with blogging events is them taking family time up) as we have @Bristol family membership so whilst I was getting my craft on, Pete took the boys around the delights @Bristol has to offer (we love it there and I have to say it's very worthwhile getting membership but that's a post for another day!).

The craft event itself was actually hosted with The Crafty Hen (who run craft workshops) and Laura Ashley.  I'm not all that knowledgeable about Laura Ashley so I was excited to see what their fabrics would be like!

I wasn't entirely sure about what we would be crafting but when we arrived we were told that we would be making a cover for a notebook and some Suffolk Puffs.  I didn't have a clue what on earth a Suffolk Puff would be (let's not make any crude jokes here!) so I just thought I'd focus on the notebook.

Covering a notebook is, in theory, relatively simple.  But double sided sticky tape is a beehatch to work with, excuse my French.  It took me a lot longer to get the job done.  It's probably made harder by the fact I'm a bit of a perfectionist and I wanted my finished cover to look good!  There were some beautiful fabrics to choose from (all from Laura Ashley's current collection) and some cute accessories like buttons and ribbons.  We had access to needles, thread and a glue gun.  We received a demo from the ladies of The Crafty Hen (who were great, very patient and helpful!) and had a handout with simple instructions on.  In the end I quite liked my cover!

After a little lunch break (a chance to catch up with lovelies like Ella, Kath, Lucy and others we got back to the crafting.  Now it was time for me to find out what on earth a Suffolk Puff would be!   The answer is that they are circles of material on which you sew a running stitch around the edge - this is then pulled to create a scrunched up "puff" shape.  Once you have created your puff you can use it in as many ways as you can think of.  A rosette, a hair piece, a broach.  Decorated with ribbons, buttons and net.  I found myself really falling for these puffs because they are so simple and yet so effective.  I can think of so many ways I could use them and I think that they'd make lovely presents.  I ended up making three in different sizes and then creating a facinator which actually, I'm damn proud of!

It was a great afternoon.  Thanks to all involved! My crafty juices have started flowing again!

Trendy Thursday - hand printed chic!

Last Thursday I had a few precious hours to myself and I knew exactly what I wanted to do.  For ages now I've been inspired by hand printed items by Woody & Florence and the hand made look of clothing lines such as Bobo Choses and Beau Loves.  I really wanted to print a few items for the boys to wear and these were the results:

I have to say I was quite pleased with the results! Felix has already worn a couple of the vests underneath outfits and I think they really added a cool edge!

Ruffle collar - Polarn O Pyret

Kawaii Cloud Vest - Whistle & Flute

Harlequin leggings - Rock Your Baby

Socks - The Bamboo Design

Moccasins - Belle & The Bear

Snake Vest - Mini Rodini

Harlequin leggings - H&M

Socks - Bebedepino via Gnome & Post

Have you made any hand printed items for your children?  Or any other handmade items?

If you've got a kids fashion post, link it up below!  Please don't forget to comment here, link back to my blog and visit others who join in!

The Sticker Club - A weekly kids sticker club!

A short while ago an exciting email landed in my inbox asking if Ethan would like to have stickers sent to him for him to do with whatever he wants.  I didn't even need to run the question by Ethan, I knew he'd love the chance!

Are there any children that don't like stickers?  I don't think so!  The idea behind The Sticker Club is simple.  You sign up online and your child receives a hand folded packet of stickers once a week.  The cost is £1.99 per week.  Subscriptions are auto-renewing but can be cancelled at any time.  The stickers themselves are designed by up and coming designers so are guaranteed to be of great quality, modern and attractive.

Image Source - The Sticker Club

Ethan received his first pack towards the end of August and since then has continued to receive a pack each week.  There are so many things you can do with them.  Keeping it simple, Ethan likes to stick them on paper and incorporate them in his drawings.   However, we have also decorated around the house.  There was one little set that reminded Ethan of Minecraft so he wanted to keep those ones in his bedroom - we stuck them on his shelf!

We decorated the back of our ipad, our phones, the fridge, even Ethan's lunch box.  We've used them in Thank You cards.  They are so cool that adults like them too!

I'm actually holding some sets back now because I think they will also make lovely stocking fillers and gifts for other children.

Overall, I think it's a great idea.  Anything that encourages craft and creativity is good in my book.  One suggestion I would offer would be choosing different options when it comes to frequency.  I think for us, one pack a week is a little too much.  We'd probably get on better with 1-2 packs per month.  Obviously you can cancel and restart membership whenever you like but it'd be nice to have different frequencies to choose from.  The club only launched on the 1st of September though, so this may well be something they are planning for the future!

Go check them out!

Trendy Thursday - paint your own tshirt!

I've been wanting to get my creative mojo back lately.  I still haven't got into crochet and knitting as much as I'd like to.  It just doesn't come very naturally to me.  I've always been artistic, I love colour, putting things together. I love decorating my home, I think I have a good sense of space and love arranging things.. but wool and I don't seem to get along just yet!

Felix, like most babies, chews EVERYTHING.  Ethan once said to me, "Mummy, Felix likes to chew the world!".  It really stuck with me.  Slogan tees are still so trendy right now, and I thought to myself that "chew the world" would be a great phrase to have on a top for Felix, one that would really mean something to us as a family.. and it wouldn't be too hard to do!

I bought a long sleeved top in a nice bright neon yellow on eBay for about £3 brand new.  I also bought myself some Dylon fabric pens, also from eBay for £4. They both arrived last week and I set about putting my plan in action.

At first, I was thinking of just going with the phrase, but then I decided it would look good with a small image.  I sketched out a few ideas and then I was ready to go.

When using fabric pens, you want the fabric to be clean and dry.  I inserted some card inside the top to stop ink bleeding through and also to make it easier to draw.

The pens were relatively straightforward to use but they did drag a little on the fabric.  I found it got easier as I got more used to them.  Before drawing on the fabric I drew my design on in pencil to save any errors.

Design your own t shirt!

It was all very quick and easy.  I just wanted something simple so stuck with just a black penned design.  I like the outcome.  It looks homemade but in a way that's quite "in" at the moment.

I am now planning quite a few different designs for both of my boys.  There are all sorts of funny phrases Ethan comes out with and funny things Felix does.  This is a great way to help remember these things for the future as well, and they will hopefully become special keepsakes for the boys!

Just a little bit of news to share with you - Polarn O Pyret, one of my favourite brands, have a special 20% off EVERYTHING event this weekend.  It starts tomorrow and ends on Sunday.  I love their clothing and find it washes and lasts really really well.  I have PO.P items that have been worn by more than 4 children that are still going well so this is a great chance to buy something for children that you hopefully see worn again by your grandchildren!  Head over to PO.P from tomorrow to grab a bargain.

What have your funky monkeys been rocking this week?  Have you ever made any clothing for your children?  Link up your kids fashion blog posts below.  Don't forget you can tweet me your links using #TrendyThursday.  Please comment here, display my badge and link to my blog in your post and visit others who join in! Thank you! xx

Hama Time!

I can't help say that... hama beads.  Have you heard of them?  I remember them from my childhood, I remember them as an activity on Brownie Pack Holidays in particular.  They were right up my street then, and they still are now!

A few weeks ago, DKL Marketing Ltd offered Ethan and I the chance to try out and review a Hama Beads set on my blog.  I knew I'd love it, I wasn't sure if Ethan would or not.  Turns out he loves "Hama Time" as we now call it.

We were sent a "My First Hama Beads" set which is suitable for ages 3+ and are the largest sized Hama Beads.  Bigger than the ones I was used to as a child (but I was much older than Ethan when I used them!) but just right for his grip and fingers.  The set includes three peg boards onto which you place the beads (three designs, a whale, a bear and a tortoise) and enough beads to make at least two of each.  As soon as Ethan saw the box he wanted to have a go.  As it turns out, Hama Beads are the perfect half term entertainment!!

The first design Ethan wanted to have a go at was the whale.  I was surprised by how well the beads kept his attention and how well he was able to follow the guide picture.  He stuck to the design (with some guidance from me) apart from one difference - he wanted his whale to have pink lips.  That was fine with me!! I'm all for following a design, that's a skill in itself, but I also want him to have his own creative flair!

It took Ethan about 15 minutes to get his design finished  and then we went into the kitchen so I could do the "adult" part of the craft - ironing the beads.  This is essential.  The heat of the iron melts the beads together so your design can come off the peg board and be played with/looked at/enjoyed/mounted in a frame.  Don't worry, you use special paper (rather like greaseproof paper but provided by Hama) between the beads and your iron.  Otherwise you'd have a real mess!  I found this bit easy easy.  You have to do it quite slowly, moving your iron in circular movements, but it's easy to do.  You can tell when the design is melted together sufficiently because it's much clearer to see through the ironing paper.  Once you've ironed your design, that's it.  You can't use those beads again.  But why would you want to when you have such a lovely craft item to show off!!!

Ethan is very proud of his whale and we have since made a bear.  We'll have a go at the tortoise next.  I'm planning a purchase of beads for myself because I think I'll be able to make fab tree decorations for Christmas with them!!

I think this is truly the craft for us.  It's bright, fun, easy for Ethan to do with quick results and it's pretty mess free (a great thing in my book!).

***This is not a sponsored post.  We were provided the Hama Bead set free of charge from DKL but all opinions are my own***