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As a child I would spend hours making friendship bracelets for my friends and myself but I haven't made one since the 90's. I have been trying to re-learn how to make them and thought I would share. 1. For this bracelet I'm going to use four colours as I'm just starting up and don't want to get too complex. To measure the length to cut the threads I take a length hold it up to my nose and pull it down to my finger tips, then do it again as I'm going to loop it at the top so I want one length long enough to be two strings in the bracelet. It's always better to have too much thread than not enough. I do this for each colour and after cutting them to the same length I put them all together fold them in half and tie off at the top with a simple knot to secure them all together leaving enough thread at the top to tie the bracelet around my wrist when it's finished. I have taped the loop to the table to hold the bracelet in place while I work on ...

Make your own Christmas Cards! Here's an idea... Make your own Christmas cards! Many shop bought cards are thrown away each year. Why not get creative and make some cards of your own? Give your loved ones a special gift which is unique to you! Add a photo for a personal touch. baby/child handprint into holly, why not print a christmas tree or something else like.... ... this fun baby/kids hand print Father Christmas card! Fun Snowman fingerprint design. Maybe go bigger and make a potato print snow-man!   Kaleidoscope Stamp £2.50 at Toyday Why not create a fun card with our Christmas stamp which doubles up as a kaleidoscope. A great combo!

In this tutorial I am going to show you how to paint a realistic and beautiful butterfly with face paints. The material and tools are very important, you'll need to visit a good art shop and invest in a collection of good brushes. You will need 1 medium round sable (about a size 6), 1 small round synthetic water colour brush (size 2) and 1 long haired acrylic Rigger brush (any size, smaller the better). Along with a set of face paints you will also want to have some cosmetic glitter, a couple of water pots, a mirror and some face wipes. The first step is to paint a white background for the butterfly, this helps brighten the overlaying colours, using the large sable brush. Keep your paint  fairly thick and ensure the wings are not touching each other. Then begin to build up the layers of colour, beginning with the palest. Switch to the smaller brush for the final red details. Now use the rigger brush to put on the fine details in black. First the body and a...

Recently, I have been having a clear out and selling lots of unwanted things on eBay. When a particular book didn't sell, it seemed a shame to throw it away, and I had a great idea -  to make it into a secret hollow storage book box . I took some photo's along the way to show you how I made it. What you will need  A Book (That you never want to read again!) A Sharp Knife With A New Blade A Pen Some Patience and Parental Assistance Please note: This project requires a very sharp knife, so please ask an adult to carry out the cutting for you . First of all, mark the cut out area approx 2" from the edge of the book Very carefully make incisions along the lines with the knife (ASK AN ADULT TO DO THIS). I used a piece of wood as a guide; a steel rule would be perfect. Carefully pull out the pages Then repeat the process of marking, cutting and pulling out the pages. This does require patience. Especially if you chose a thick book! Once you ...

This is a step by step guide to professional chalk board sign writing showing you the tools of the trade and the correct applications used in the art of sign writing. I have been sign writing for many years and I learned my technique from an old master craftsman who was one of the last of his kind. History Back in post war Britain young people were taught advanced lettering and calligraphy as a trade as there was no such thing as a vinyl cutter and every sign or advert was hand painted. The gentleman I once knew was of that age and he had been to sign writing school as a boy where he practiced all the fonts and styles until he could paint them with his eyes closed. I was only lucky enough to know him for a short time before he died but it was long enough to pick up many of these outmoded skills, and he left me his prize brushes which I am still using today.  Measuring  You Will Need ...  A selection of rulers, set squares and spirit levels. Masking Tape ...

I've been looking through the book- 'How To Win A Conker Fight' and wrote my blog last week based on one of the chapters.  This week I saw a really funny magic trick for children and should be performed to an adult. The idea of the magic trick is to make the coin vanish and by doing so hopefully managing to get yourself some money by (politely) asking the adult- 'can I keep the coin?'  Here's how it works- You will need: 1 glass 2 sheet of A3 card Pencil Glue  handkerchief/cloth A coin (supplied by chosen adult) Before doing the trick you must- turn the glass upside down on one of the sheets of card draw a circle around the rim of the glass and cut the circle out stick the cut-out circle of paper to the rim of the glass (using the glue) once dried, use a flat service to put the glass onto the other sheet of card ( facing down) this will make the glass look like a typical empty glass Then you are ready to perform your trick! A...

Creating paper beads is a really easy and fun way of making your own jewellery. With a little practice you can achieve very professional results without shelling out a fortune for equipment. Things You Will Need        Scraps of Paper      Large Pair of Scissors       A Piece of Thin Wire or Tooth Picks         Wood Glue or PVA       Varnish or Clear Nail Polish    A Small Brush Top Tips If you haven't got any craft paper you could create your own by decorating plain paper with felt tips. Plain white paper with multicoloured scribbles makes great beads! Recycling old newspaper can look very stylish too. When varnishing it is a good idea to use metal wire rather than a toothpick so it doesn’t stick. You could even dip them whole into varnish if you prefer but be sure to allow all the excess varnish to drip ...