Felt-Ed Kit Club 2016

I'm so excited to be talking to you about my felt kit club.  I've been planning it for months and finally I'm ready to launch! To be honest, it sometimes felt like I was never going to be ready but I'm so pleased to be able to tell you that I am!

I love making felt and I want to share it with everyone - in fact, I'd love to teach the world to felt! It's such an amazing art form and anyone can do it regardless of age or ability. The kit club is a great way to learn how to make felt whilst creating 12 fabulous projects throughout 2016.

When you sign up, you'll receive a basic felting kit complete with a small bamboo mat, bubble wrap, a spray bottle, soap and a bag to keep it all in then, every month, you'll receive a kit with everything you need, including a link to a video tutorial, to create a great project. 

Each kit is a surprise you can be certain you will love it just as much as I do and they're suitable for children and adults alike! They make a great Christmas gift, or a little treat for yourself! 

Sign ups launch on Friday 6th November at 9am and to make sure you don't miss out you need to sign up to my mailing list using the link on the right hand side of this page (there might even be a little discount code when reminder goes out!) 

5 Spooky Halloween Crafts for Kids

Halloween is just around the corner and so is the opportunity for some spooky themed crafts.

I've picked 5 of my favourite to share with you today.

Witchy Owl

I just adore these little pine cone owl witches and they'd look so cute all lined up on a shelf or window sill. Go out and collect some pine cones then take card, or felt, and create their eyes, beak and of course their little hat.

Check out the tutorial to make these here.

Glittery Wizard Wand

Being a huge Harry Potter fan, I just couldn't resist this tutorial for glittery wands. Collect some sticks on your autumn walks, cover them in glue and add piles of glitter. Once dry, spend the rest of the day practising your best spells.

Tutorial available here.

Witches Hats Good Enough to Eat

How great would these hats look at a party? Create some delicious witches hats using ice cream cones, biscuits chocolate and sweeties then enjoy eating them in half the time. 

You can check out the tutorial here.

Paper Plate Spiders

Dangle these around your house to create a creepy Halloween vibe. You just need paper plates, paint, pipe cleaners and googly eyes to make them. Why not create a whole family of spiders in different colours?

Find the tutorial here

Wooden Spoon Mummies

I've taught a few children's workshops on how to make these and they're so easy to. 

You will need: wooden spoons, long white pipe cleaners, bandages, glue and a black marker pen. 

1. Begin by drawing eyes on your wooden spoon using the marker pen.

2. Next, wrap the pipe cleaner round the handle of the spoon to create arms. 

3. Then begin wrapping your bandage round your spoon, starting with the handle, and covering the whole spoon and arms. Once it's all covered, secure the end of the bandage with a bit of glue.

4. Enjoy scaring everyone with your mummy! 

Autumn Art and Crafts

I love autumn! The crisp days, wrapping up warm in a snuggly scarf and admiring the beautiful colours nature brings us.

Leaves are just so luscious at this time of year and I'm always amazed by the range of colours you can see on one tree. From bright oranges to deep reds, there's plenty to inspire you.

A walk through the fallen leaves, listening to them crunch under your boots, is a great way to enjoy the season and an opportunity to collect some specimens for these awesome autumn crafts which explore shape, texture and colour as well as hitting some maths, English and science objectives on the way. 

Leaf Rubbings

I love this tutorial from EDventures!  Create beautiful leaf rubbings which allow you to explore texture, colour and the different parts of a leaf. Dry your leaves, grab some waxed paper and crayons and take beautiful rubbings of your leaves.

Leaf Printing

Once you've taken your rubbings, try your hand at printing with the leaves. Using the different shapes, create patterns. Identify repetition in pattern and colour to create a beautiful work of art. Create a picture where the leaves are printed from smallest to largest or vice versa.

Leaf Bunting

What could look more beautiful than your own autumn leaf bunting? Another opportunity to create patterns with your leaves and to explore repetition through both shape and colour or order your bunting by size or by the number of points on each leaf. 

ArtfulParent writes a great tutorial on how to do this with waxed paper but this would work really well with sticky back plastic or laminating pouches! 

Leaf Identification Book

Create an identification book using the leaves you've collected on your walk. 

For younger children, glue the leaves into the book and record the names of each leaf underneath. Older children can make observed sketches of the leaves, studying them closely, and write a more detailed description of the leaf and the tree from which it came. 

This leaf identifier from the BBC is a great way to get started. 

Have lots of fun exploring these autumn activities and tell me all about them in the comments below or on my Facebook Page!