The Lollibop 2013 Queen Elizabeth Park

We are a Lollibop loving family who have made it our mission to attend the festival for little people ever year. With its new location (Queen Elizabeth Park) in Stratford, we couldn’t wait for this years event.

So… What did we think?

This year attending the event was myself and my sister, her 3 year old toddler Amy and my daughter Alice and toddler Harley. We opted to visit this years event on the Saturday (day two of this three day festival). With the new location being in Stratford this was meant to make it a whole lot simpler to get to! That was true except London Transport had decided that Saturday would be the perfect day for some engineering works on the DLR completely throwing our travel arrangements into chaos. This meant that instead of the one DLR train into Stratford we found ourselves having to take two trains, making our journey a little longer than first planned.

Once we arrived in Stratford we found there were plenty of staff designated along the main route to the festival to guide festival goers in the right direction. We arrived in the afternoon and given there had been a little rain that day the festival wasn’t as packed as I’d first expected which was fine by us as we got to do some of the things we had previously missed out on last year such as face painting and various other activities.

We saw Katie from cbeebies ‘I Can Cook’ and also Sid and Andy entertaining little festival goers in a big top style tent. The characters dotted around the festival were awesome, there was always someone to surprise us and make the kids laugh. This lovely bird was one of our favourites from the day…

The kids also had meet and greets with the Mr Men (much to the toddlers delight)! We had great fun getting creative. The kids used stamps to decorate Bandannas and we all enjoyed making sheep out of clay.

I think the biggest highlight of the day was watching the little ones get their groove on as they danced half the afternoon away. My three year old niece also bagged herself a prize in one of the dance offs and Harley was still dancing on the way home.

On site this year there was plenty of toilets avoiding long queues and little accidents. A buggy parking lot was provided which was undercover just incase of unexpected rain (which we experienced a little off throughout the afternoon) what’s more the buggy park was attended meaning we didn’t have to worry about our buggy going walk about.

The staff on the day were most helpful and we enjoyed a good proportion of our time down by the Heart FM tent were the kids had their face painted, danced to the music and played with the giant outdoor games provided, while we were able to relax and take a breather on one of the many deck chairs dotted about outside the tent.

We brought our own picnic along this year and found that there were plenty of picnic benches dotted around the festival site. Out stuff wasn’t to badly priced such as the balloons (£3 for small and £5 for large) we opted to buy ours before we left as we saw many balloons flying off into the sky throughout the afternoon. Lucky for the toddlers ours made it home in one piece. Our only complaint was the prices in which the ice cream vans were charging… £2 for an ice lolly and £3 for an ice cream! When there are 5 of you that really isn’t an option!

As we had expected the festival was a total hit with the children. Will we return for more Lollibop fun next year? Without a doubt we will… We can’t wait!

To find out more about the Lollibop festival and all its upcoming events check out there website, Facebook and Twitter Pages.

#silentsunday

Tutorial For Making Your Own Tactile Sensory Buddies

Children on the Autism spectrum can often have sensory processing difficulties, so much so that it affects their day to day life considerably. I’ve written plenty of material on this subject over the past 4 years but if you want to find out a little more on the subject just click HERE to be taken to one of my most detailed posts.

If you follow my blog you will already know that all my little mans senses are somewhat sensitive especially that of his tactile sense (touch). This can often make life very difficult for him. He can only wear certain material and practically lives in jogging bottoms (I can’t remember the last time he wore a pair of jeans). However, its not just his clothing that he finds difficult to tolerate but everyday things that he needs to touch such as pencils, or certain plastic and more besides. Little man explains that by touching certain objects he is left feeling “Fuzzy” his whole body goes cold, his hairs stand on end and his skin tingles endlessly. He describes such an experience to be painful even.

Nonetheless, there are certain textures little man wants to touch. He will seek such textures out and cannot rest In till his got a hold of them. This combined with his constant need for movement has resulted in me buying many types of sensory toy. When buying such items I look for toys that not only provide a pleasant tactile experience but also ones that double up as a fidget as well as stress relievers to help avoid meltdowns.

We have discovered some fabulous items online and many of them costing very little money. However, we can go through such high numbers that this can actually work out rather costly in the long run. That’s why I’ve taken to making them myself.

Today I want to share a really easy to follow step by step tutorial that shows you how you too can create easy handmade tactile sensory buddies with nothing more than some thread, felt, buttons and dry rice.

So… Here it goes…

To make a tactile sensory buddy you will need the following materials…

A piece of felt in any colour you wish (measuring 17 by 11 cms)

Pen or pencil

Ruler

Sharp scissors or craft knife

Dress pins

Some tread in the same colour as your chosen felt.

Needle

Two medium size buttons of the same colour and size.

One Small pink self adhesive button

Four small red self adhesive buttons

Dry uncooked rice

How to put your buddy together…

1: Firstly cut your felt to size so that it measures roughly 11 cms across and 17 cms in length. Use your ruler to measure and your pen or pencil to clearly mark out where it is you will need to cut (don’t worry about pen marks as these wont be seen when finished.

2: once you have cut out your felt fold it in half and with your ruler and pen draw a line about half a centimetre from the edge of the felt on all the open sides of your fabric (not the folded bottom section). Hold in place with a few of your dress pins.

3: Now take your needle and thread in the same colour as your felt and start sewing along the 2 lines located at the sides (not the top section this comes after). Don’t worry to much if it looks a tad untidy with dangly loose ends etc as this will form the inner body of your tactile sensory buddy once you’ve turned it inside out.

4: Now sew along the top line but stop and tie of your thread once you hit the halfway mark. This section will be sewn later once we have turned the buddy inside out and sewed on all the accessories and filled it with rich.

5: Now turn your felt inside out so once closed no traces of tread can be seen.

6: Once you have done this turn your felt so that the smallest part becomes the top and the unstitched section is now at the side.

7: Now sew the two medium buttons on as eyes. Sew these on just one side of your buddy and sew them on from the inside so the ties are hidden. Do this by accessing the inside from the area you have yet to sew.

8: Now fill the buddy with dry uncooked rice and sew the remaining area. You could also use material glue to keep things tidy.

9: Add the pink self adhesive button for the nose.

10: Add your four red buttons as a mouth.

Finished!

This is a really simple addition to the collection I plan on creating. Be as creative as you like. Add funky feathers, painted spots, stripes and more.

The rice provides a very satisfying tactile experience and can be squeezed and played with easily. A great homemade sensory toy that doubles up as a fabulous stress toy… Sick! (Little mans words not mine by the way!)

Silent Sunday

NatWest Search For A New Iconic Piggy #pigsbykids

Have you heard about the NatWest #pigsbykids Campaign?

No? Well, let me fill you in then…

NatWest are encouraging children to save by way of launching a fabulous campaign based around its iconic piggy.

NatWest Piggies have long played a massive part in the banks advertisements and savings promotions… Its actually a huge part of NatWest as we know them! And I for one have always related the two very closely, especially given how I always wanted one of my own piggies. Its fair to say that the last piggy became somewhat famous within its own right, what with it being worth a good few quid nowadays. Maybe your lucky enough to still have one of your own?

Well, its a new generation of saving and with it must come a new generation of pig. So, with this, NatWest are encouraging kids to bank their pennies with a fabulous competition. They are on the look out for a new piggy icon and they want your children to get their creative juices flowing by way of creating one.

The winning child’s pig will then shoot to fame by becoming the brand new NatWest Pig.

Little Man and Alice-Sara have both been extremely busy creating their pigs. They have started the design plan on paper and are now applying their ideas to clay model designs which are not yet complete and still very much a working progress.

Nonetheless, I can’t wait to upload their final designs and enter them into this exciting competition.

It really has given little man lots of motivation, given his not all that keen on art due to his difficulties with fine motor skills and low concentration levels. Its really is a positive step that he feels inspired to give it a go.

I really like the message behind this campaign and love how NatWest are delivering it. This is a fabulous opportunity to get your children’s imaginations over flowing while teaching them why saving money is important. I wanted my children to have a good understanding about the campaign and the reasons behind it! I’m all for children having some degree of independence when it comes to money. Children need to learn the importance of saving and the true value of money at an early age.

I also think it would be pretty awesome to see a design created by a child used in such a way by NatWest. Children tend to have the most magical, wonderful and if not sometimes slightly strange ideas floating around in their heads. So, I for one cannot wait to see what both my children and others produce in the name of #pigsforkids

Alice’s paper creation

As the competition has a deadline of the 11th November 2012 I wanted to make sure everyone was aware so they could join in the fun and get creating Piggies of their own. However, I will be sure to pop back and share the children’s designs that they are currently creating with the use of some fantastic art materials that were so kindly supplied by NatWest.

Read the information below to discover some of the competition requirements and a link to the full terms and conditions over at Natwest.

The competition is open to children up to 13 years old.

The winning design will become the new NatWest pig.

The closing date for entries is 12pm on 11th November 2012

Terms and conditions apply and should be read over on the NatWest website.

This is an advertising promotion for NatWest.

I am promoting the competition as its one of great interest and something the children will be taking part in themselves. I was not paid to write this but NatWest did supply the children with a great craft kit to help them create their own little piggies.

Beautiful Books From Top That Publishing

When I saw that ‘Top That Publishing PLC‘ were looking for reviewers I couldn’t wait to volunteer! You see top that have a fabulous range of beautifully illustrated children’s titles that myself and the children have totally fallen in love with.

They say that first impressions are everything! Well, you wont be disappointed with ‘Top That’. One of our books was sent gift wrapped in the prettiest Christmas paper, finished with beautifully tied ribbon. Once opened we did not only discover a beautiful Christmas tale but the added addition of some Christmas silver coins and festive wrapped chocolate balls… A lovely thoughtful touch.

The titles we were sent were as followed…

The Froobels Fun Things To Make And Do
The Froobels Little Jack Potato And The Big Suprise
Santas Sleigh (With Pop Out & Build Sleigh)
When I Dream Of Christmas

I was particularly excited to receive ‘The Froobels Fun Things to Make and Do‘ book and as expected it came packed with crafting inspiration. We are planning to make pasta pictures and potato stampers this week thanks to the creative ideas given. The book also comes with over 400 stickers (that you will find in the back pages of the book). Of course the toddler was excited at discovering these as most little people are, Harley is no exception when it comes to sticker mad toddlers.

Little Jack Potato is a mini book containing a cute & engaging tale combine with questions to further encourage children to become involved in the story. What was really interesting was how I’d just introduced Jacket potatoes into the toddlers diet. He loves them and I’d been hearing the word Jacket Potato for a week or more when the book arrived. He instantly took to the book purely because it was based on a Froobels character called Jack Potato. Harley totally enjoyed the story and remained engaged throughout.

This book also contains a number of stickers which I showed Harley once we had completed the story. (Otherwise his attention would have certainly been lost sooner).

Press Out and Build – Santas Sleigh is so much more than a book its a creative construction set designed to keep ones mind busy for hours. Not only does this come with a beautifully illustrated Christmas tale but also a pop out card construction kit that needs colouring in then slotting together.

However, this may sound simple enough, but things are not always as they may first seem. Trust me, this isn’t one for smaller children! It’s incredible fiddly and much more complex than one may first think! There are many pieces and once complete the constructed sleigh measures an impressive 4 ft long.

The recommend age for this book is 7+ but be prepared to put in the time to help you your construct the sleigh.

Currently my daughter is busy colouring in the many reindeers to pull the sleigh and when she’s finished we will be putting this up together. Note… The making of the sleigh as well as our projects from the Make and Do title will be displayed and shared on my sister blog Mummy of many Talents.

Lastly, there was that beautifully gift wrapped book “When I dream of Christmas” This is a delightful paperback with stunning illustrations throughout. Its certainly one designed to put the family in the mood for Christmas and its been Harley’s choice of a bedtime story on a number of occasions since we first received it.

As a family we would highly recommend ‘Top That’ books. Each of the above titles has offered fun, enchantment and magic in its own special way. Its so easy to get children to open there imagination when being read a book from the Top That collection and I’d return again and again.

We will be doing some of the crafts from the Make and Do book and sharing these on the blog Mummy of many Talents in the next week. We will also be sharing our pop out and build sleigh over there too.

Disclaimer: We were sent the books from Top That in-order to share our thoughts and opinions. All words are honest and that of my own. I was not paid to write the review.

Preparations for Halloween

I love Halloween I’m a big kid at heart. It’s more than the actual night of Halloween that excites me. Its the fun leading up to it.

We do lots of crafting, where we make spooky decorations and funky treats. At the moment we are actually making spooky bookmarks, a creepy wreath and some freaky masks. These I plan to show on my sister blog Mummy of many talents over the next couple of days or so.

Little man can be a bit funny when it comes to Halloween. He doesn’t mind it if we go out of the house, he even enjoys a spot of trick or treating around some Pre selected neighbours houses. However staying in is what seems to make him anxious.

One year, a couple of kids dashed some eggs at the front door. We returned home just as they were in the process of egging the living room widows and this really upset little man. What made it worse was the children were of course wearing mask so we couldn’t see them. When at school a couple of kids were laughing about the incident and poking fun at little man. It really upset him as he was puzzled how they knew… He failed to relate the two and draw the conclusion that it was in fact these very children who had done the egging.

He also watches to much news on the TV (as much as I try to discourage) so, when he heard about a local gang who were robbing people in their homes by posing as trick or treaters he begged we didn’t open the door the entire night.

This year my plan involves being out from the moment the sun goes down and the vampires and witches start parading the streets. We will do our usual visit to the neighbours then head to my mums for a glass of wine (soft drinks for the kids) and go home only once the candy hungry children have started to dispel.

Usually we have costume dilemmas when it comes to little man. His tactile defensive so really can’t tolerate anything for long. He usually removes any mask before we’ve even left the house. Not so long ago he reviewed an awesome Freddy costume but again the mask proved too much so this got passed on to little sister who now looks forward to wearing it.

Thankfully, his decided on a costume he wants to wear and although it requires him to wear a mask, its fitted with foam padding around the bridge of the nose making it much more comfortable for him to wear. It’s from Very who do some excellent Halloween Costumes

Its called the Evil Eye Skull and The mask has this awesome feature where its eyes flash red and fade in and out. It comes with robe and over drape and despite it being designed for a child aged 8-10 it still fits the little man perfectly. He has loads of room in it to more about and can wear it over his own clothes comfortably.

Harley is likely to have his face painted or maybe I’ll have to get extra creative and find him something halloween themed but not to scary… After all he is only almost 3.

As for me, I’ve decided to go as myself! After all I’ve lost count of the amount of times my children have branded me a wicked witch… *evil laugh*

So… What’s everyone else up to? Anyone got any creative Halloween ideas to share?

How To Make Your Own Christmas Cards

I love Arts and crafts and feature most on my sister blog Mummy of Many Talents.

But as I’ve already shared a post on personalised Christmas cards on this blog today I thought it would be pretty cool to feature this here too.

I was actually given the idea to create the cards by the lovely people at “Getting Personal” who have some fantastic Christmas gift ideas and its their falt I’ve come over all festive

Christmas can be an expensive time of year and making your own cards and decorations can often lesson the burden a little.

So, I spent the weekend (well, just the Sunday) making some Christmas cards. Here’s what I made and a little step by step guide on how I did it.

Sparkly Christmas Tree Card

What I Used To Make It…
Black A4 Card
Mix of Green Sequins
Fine Green Glitter
White Deco Pen
Black Deco Pen
Mix of Sparkly Card
Mix of Ribbon
Sticky Gems
PVA Glue
Brush
Glue Dots
Glue Tabs
Pencil
Scissors

Step 1) Take your black card and fold in half.

Step 2) Draw the shape of a large Christmas Tree in Pencil (ensuring you leave enough room for a star on top and a potting pot at the bottom)

Step 3) Take some sparkly card (I used gold) and cut out the shape of a pot for your tree. Then use glue dots to stick it in place (this is less messy).

Step 4) Take some more sparkly card in different colours and designs. Cut into different shapes.

Step 5) Arrange your sparkly shapes around your tree to resemble wrapped presents. Once you are happy with the arrangement use sticky tabs to stick in place (Sticky Tabs are best as these make your presents look 3D).

Step 6) Use some silver sparkly card to cut out 2 small triangle and arrange these into the shape of a star sticking it to the top if your tree.

Step 7) With a brush start to cover your Christmas tree with PVA glue.

Step 8) Take your sequins and start to sprinkle them over your tree.

Step 9) Once your tree is covered in sequins use your fine green glitter to fill in all the spaces and gaps between the sequins.

Step 10) Shake and bang off any excess sequins and glitter.

Step 11) Choose some different coloured/patterned ribbon.

Step 12) Use the ribbon to decorate the presents under the tree.

Step 13) Use your black deco pen to add extra detail to your presents.

Step 14) Use the sticky gems to add finishing touches to your presents.

Step 15) With the white Deco pen cover your card in white dots as to create the effects of snow.

Christmas Gift Card

What I Used…

3 Different Types Of Sparkly and Patterned Card
1 Sheet of A4 White Card
Mixture of Patterned Ribbon
Glue Dots
Sticky tabs
Sticky Gems
2x Sticky Gem Boarders (black & Red)
Scissors

Step 1) Fold your white card and then cut a medium size square out of one of your 3 pieces of sparkly card.

Step 2) Stick the cut card to the middle of your white card with the use of a few sticky tabs (these are better as they produce a 3D effect).

Step 3) Cut two pieces of ribbon and stick them to your card with glue dots crossing one over the other.

Step 4) Cut two more smaller squares from the remaining two pieces of sparkly/pattern card you have chosen (ensuring they are roughly the same size).

Step 5) Again with the use of sticky tabs, stick the two squares either side of the bigger square ensuring they slightly overlap. Make sure either square is slightly tipped at an angle like that above.

Step 6) Take your remaining ribbon choices and repeat step 3 for the remaining two squares.

Step 7) Stick some gems in the middle of your squares to add the finishing touches to your gifts.

Step 8) Take your red gem boarder and carefully add this to the top and bottom of your card cutting away any excess.

Step 9) Take your black boarder and apply about 1 1/4 of the boarder above your decorated squares and then the same amount just below the squares (see the above image).

Christmas Stocking Card

What I Used…

A4 Piece of Black Card
1 Piece of small sparkly card
Sticky Tabs
Silver Gel Pen
Scissors
1 Sticky gem

Step 1) fold your A4 black card then cut it in half.

Step 2) Cut out a stocking shape from your sparkly card.

Step 3) Stick the stocking at an angle to the middle of the card using sticky tabs (as to give it a 3D effect).

Step 4) With the silver gel pen draw a craved line starting from each end of the stocking to each end of the card (as to create the string your stocking is hanging from).

Step 5) With the use of the silver gel pen write the word “Joy” at an angle just below your stocking on the right hand side.

Step 6) Add one large sparkly gem to the middle top section of your stocking to give it some bling

Step 7) Now use your silver gel pen to add all final touches such as a boarder to edges of card and bows along your stockings string (see images above).

It’s hard to give a rough indication of what each card costs because I had all the materials at home. But as you can see for all 3 cards I’ve mainly used the same materials throughout and with most of my craft materials being brought fairly cheaply they are guaranteed to be really cost efficient.

Here’s a list of most of the materials, their cost and where you can get them from.

1 massive bag off mixed Green Sequins £1 (Pound Land).

Black and Red Gem Boards £1each (Pound Land).

Black and White Card 99p each (99p Store).

Green Fine Glitter Tube (Hobby Craft) unsure of price but under £3.

Sticky Gems £1 (Pound Land).

Glue Dots £1.50 (Wilkinson)

Glue Tabs £1 (Pound Land)

PVA Glue £1 (The Works)

Deco Pens £10 pack of 6 (Baker Ross) but you can just use felt tip pens at a £1

Sparkly Card 20 different small squares £2 (eBay). Any patterned card is fine!

Silver Gel Pen Pack of 6 £1.29 (Lidl).

Ribbon various (mainly eBay) brought cheaply.

Save Your Pennies This Half Term

Can you believe it? The next school half term is already upon us!

Its my experience that half term can lead to expense, the type we parents just cannot afford. This post offers some inexpensive ideas designed to help you keep the kids happy this coming Half Term.

Firstly, be creative! Creativity cost nothing, yet it comes in endless supply. Think up some fun and engaging activities for inside the home. Get the children making Halloween decorations then together decorate the house in your spooky creations. You can bake cupcakes, even the none baking parent can pick up a packet of cheap cake mix at their local supermarket. There are endless things you can do to keep the kids happy without leaving the house. Board games and craft projects are just a handful.

If the thought of staying indoors drives you mad, head to your local park to collect acorns, pine cones and conkers. All can be found on the ground this time of the year and each will provide hours of crafty fun. Why not keep yourself and the kids active with a game of football or for those with dogs, take a nice stroll along the green chain walk. Bike & scooter rides in the woods have always been a favourite with my children.

Always check your local papers for events taking place in your local area. Most Local authorities lay on free or cheap family activities during school breaks.

Those living in the city can visit one of the many city farms. These are usually really inexpensive and in many cases completely free to visit. They also offer numerous activities specially programmed for the holidays.

Lastly, entertain the kids and have a good old sort out at the same time? Get the kids sorting out all the things they no longer need, clothes, toys etc… With the Incentive that they can sell the items at a local bootfair. My kids love doing bootfairs, especially when selling their own things as they get to earn some money. Most bootfairs run all year round and only charge a small fee to sell. So, not only are you entertaining the kids in an inexpensive way, but you may also earn a little cash too… Bonus!

Crafting with kids – Glass and Porcelain Painting

Over the last week I’ve been doing some really fun craft projects with the children.

And guess what? Even the Little man has been getting involved!

I wanted to do something that each child would find both interesting and fun, something we could do together as a family regardless of everyone’s differing interest. I needed the activity to apply to each child’s interest, something they really love therefore needing little if not any encouragement from mum! Basically participating because they want to.

Little man is by far the hardest of my children to engage in any type of activity, especially that of arts and crafts.This basically means that when thinking up an activity I always need to think outside the box! More than not my ideas are inspired by little mans overly intense interest (aka, special interest). This used to be just transport, however, WWE (wrestling) and Lego have now been added to the list.

The idea I had was one that meant little man could incorporate anyone of his interest (all three if desired). It was important for me to have him involved. Throughout this years summer holiday little man hasn’t shown much motivation towards anything we’ve done.

Alice-Sara would also love this free style idea as she’s naturally very creative and engages herself well when drawing or crafting.

So… Just what was my idea for a fun and engaging art project?

Plate Decorating: Yep, that’s right! Having done something similar as a child as part of a school project (using a much more complicated process mind you) Plate decorating is actually a lot fun!

I’m not taking about drawing a picture onto a paper plate… Oh no!
I wanted the children to have something of a keepsake. I wanted them to have something they could keep for a long period of time, looking back on their creative flair with pride. As mentioned I did something similar at school (well, it was at nursery actually). We were given a special type of paper to take home. We were instructed to draw our design on it and then bring it back once complete. They then sent our designs of to have some company transfer them onto these plastic plates. I was 4-years-old and remember that activity like I did it just yesterday. My Grandmother had my plate displayed on her living room wall up In-till the day she died.. I think my father has it now!

The above was the inspiration for my idea, though I wanted to do things a little differently from back in the eighties so went shopping for some plain white dinner plates which I found easily enough in a local pound shop meaning I got a total of 4 for the bargain basement price of £4.

Later that evening myself and the two eldest children sat down ready for work. Little man was reluctant to begin with but once I’d explained there were no specific designs, he could design as he liked he was more willing to try. He doesn’t like colouring because his a perfectionist and finds it hard to stay within the lines of his drawing. This is due to his poor fine motor skills and often causes him problems.

As we were drawing our designs directly onto porcelain plates we need to use some special types of pen (normal felts would just rub away). For this we used Brilliant Porcelain Paint Pens, Acrylic Deco Pens and I also used on mine PicTixx 3D Glitter Pens all from the fabulous Baker Ross.

The children had fun and even sat by one another for a full 10 minutes before bickering (believe me thats a long time)!

Little man’s design was focused around his interest in wresting and this mostly consisted of a selection of different words written in different colours. As some of you may know, little man stopped writing for a good year and a half of his life, only doing so on a computer. To see him now writing and of his own free will, is most pleasing.

Little man didn’t spend a great deal of time adding his design to his plate. He did lose interest pretty quickly! As I’ve previously stated, his very hard to engage. Nonetheless, I’m dead proud of his contribution to the project and love his wrestling plate.

Alice-Sara designed a Monster High plate. This consisted of the monsters high logo with a couple of funky eyes placed on either side. She then added some funky lips and fangs before finally adding lots of different coloured speckles to finish off.

I absolutely loved it.

The pens are really easy to use as opposed to using paints and brushes. By using the pens the children have a greater control over their design. Alice and Little man mainly used the Brilliant Porcelain Paint Pens on their plates. The only thing you must ensure is that they don’t press down to hard as then too much paint gets released and the design will run. Once the children had both finished their plate I sealed their designs in the oven at 160’c.

I also got in on the action and having no idea what I wanted to do, I just messed around a little. I ended up with this funky enchanted forest design that I doodled around my twitter handle.

I also used PicTixx 3D Glitter Pens that can be applied to almost any surface and even washed at 30 degrees (I’m also currently using these on a pair of jeans I’m customising for my daughter) in this case I used the PicTixx to add a little sparkle to my plates finished design.

We also decorated some glass with Deco and Porcelain pens and though we haven’t quite finished yet here’s a little taster of how it’s going.

This made a lovely evening of crafting and the project is easy to do with really effective results.

You don’t have to buy new plates to personalise, you could always up cycle old ones you already have. I’m currently doing the same with some old jam jars and a vase thats seen better days (I’ll be sure to share with all once I’ve finished).

Recap; What we used for both our plates and glass painting.

Large white plates from pound store (£1 each) (brought 4 so total £4)
Old jars and glasses we already had in the cupboards
PicTixx 3D Glitter Pens from Baker Ross (5 pack) £9.99
Brilliant Porcelain Paint Pens from Baker Ross (6 pack) £10.99
Acrylic Deco Pens from Baker Ross (6 pack) £10.99

Baker Ross online store can be found on line. Just click Here