lili's handmade crafts

Competition on our fb page

2013-11-22T16:43:00.000+00:00

Hello my lovers its been too long, I've been a bit busy being mum of 3 and doing all sorts of crafty things, and now that I look back I see thta its definitely been ages since I last posted in here, but if you really are with me you'ld ee that I've been on my FB pag nearly every day making updates posting pics etc. what I mean with all of this is go to my fb page like the page and while your at it why not enter our competition that ends at midnight today .

For now I'll leave you with a few links of a few tutorials that you may find helpful this Christmas season.

I know they are not mine but I dont see the point to do something that someone already did :) plus this way I help other kind souls to get some views ...

Well enough chatting hey,

I use tissue paper pom- poms all the time and for every possible occasion you may think off, well except funerals of course . I would think that red and white ones differing in size would make a wonderful Christmas decor don't you??

love wreaths no better way to tell the world your setting up for christmas and that you love it as well.

Table center piece an essential at any festive table.

Hope you find some inspiration from these videos

All together for Charity

2013-08-29T13:17:00.001+01:00

Hello everyone,

I've been a busy bee lately this school summer holidays are giving me a lot to do , but not even enough to do for the kids the result has been some pretty bored children and a lot of tantrums.

About this time last week I made a decision to make some items for a charity that would be selected by all of you.

The items soon to be donated will be some cake stencil borders some cake stencils for cup cakes, 2 fabric dolls 2 fabric teddies 1 fabric bunny, 2 sets of cards and envelopes ( 5 cards+ envelopes+gift tags ) all in an handmade box; Might not be much but hopefully it will help to raise some funds for the ones in need.

What I ask of you,, all of you who read this post is to go to our facebook page and choose one charity by leaving a comment with the name of the charity you choose.

When all the items I mentioned above are ready I'll post the pictures and I 'll also take a photo of me with the shop attendant of the lucky charity.

Here's some of the names of the charitys closse by:

OXFAM
NCH
NSPCC
ST. LUKES HOSPICE
CANCER RESEARCH UK
RSPCA

Now its all up to you my lovely crafty wackys.

See you soon,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Cake Decorating Acessories

2013-08-12T14:52:00.000+01:00

Hello my lovers,

In this area of our shop you'll find many things you need for cake decorating, some are essentials others aren't but all of them help in expanding our creativity regarding cake decoration. This post will be updated every time we got a new product for you, and to buy you'll only need to click on the buy it now button and follow the steps requested.

Cake Stencils

this stencils are handmade, there is a huge variety which will be increasing nearly every week, our stencils are reusable and are perfect to use with royal icing, edible glitter, edible luster dust, etc. To see the variations on each product just click the options and scroll down to find the preferred one.

BORDERS £2.50 + postage

How to Buy from Lili's Handmade Crafts

2013-08-05T16:59:00.002+01:00

Hello my lovers and thank you in advance for your orders. Here at LHC orders are created upon your requirements you can buy anything from mdf decorations or ornaments to papier mache box's , fabric pillows or dolls, etched glassed items or even items done with cardsotock; we also do and sell celebration cakes, sweets/ candy cakes, cup cakes cake stencils cake box's and boards etc. YOU NAME IT WE MAKE IT.

Most of our items can be personalised if you wish so leave us a message with your requirements.

BUTTERFLY DESIGN PERSONALIZED PILLOW (any colour fabric and font type and colour leave your requirements in the message to seller box when making the payment)

Fabric Dolls Experience

2013-08-04T10:51:00.001+01:00

Hello my wackys how have you all been,

Its been a busy week for me, and I'm definitely glad its the weekend , shame its Sunday already. So this past week I had 2 birthday parties to take my kids to and you might think its all good and easy but I don't quite find it that way, its summer school holidays now and the girls are home all day everyday, the result is a lot of arguing like " live your sister alone" - "don't do that"- " you gonna hurt yourselves"- bla bla bla can you see yourself in this picture?!! There's moments were we all are happy making a mess, playing board games, baking, dancing to music on TV, but it doesn't stop being challenging to cope with 2 little girls which are 6 and 3 years old and a baby who's 3 months old... sometimes I think I'm loosing my sanity lolol.

Sometimes I recon I like to test my limits you see with all the house work kids cooking etc. I like crafting and having 2 b-day parties coming would be the perfect time for me to try and make something new, which in my case was fabric dolls; I didn't realise how hard it would be to actually finish the projects on time for the birthdays and do everything a mum has to do including putting the baby to sleep ... Do you got the idea!?

Basically this dolls took me a hole day from start to finish, however in a normal day with kids in school and baby possibly in the nursery I recon it would take me only 2 hours, anyway they got done in the end and I'm very happy with the end result, they were my first 2 fabric dolls ever but I have a feeling there's more coming on.

What do you think?!! Do you like making stuff as well why not share some pictures with all of us :)

See you soon my wackys xxxxxxxxx

And that's it my wackys...

2013-07-19T12:17:00.002+01:00

Hello my lovers,

Today's post is to simply inform you that at the moment I wont be doing any more how to's written tutorials... why??? might you ask well, simply because I done most of them, well the ones I know at least ;) so the next post will be showing you some accomplished projects and they will have a link attached to it where you can click and go directly to the written tutorial... In future I'll also post video tutorials but for now it will have to be a bit on a standby :)

Also I'm going to some workshops now to try and learn new crafty things I'll share the experiences with you...

Because it would literally be impossible to forget summer school holidays are upon us ad some have even already started , we all know sometimes how had it is to keep the kids busy and out of each others troats so I'll also be posting about stuff you can do with them either at home or outdoors.... so you see we have loads to share with you in the next few weeks so keep tuned.

Crafty button box frame

2013-07-01T18:50:00.001+01:00

Hello my lovers,

Well here we are one more monday evening and I finally have some time in my hands to share a crafty HOW TO post with you;

Today's how to is fairly simple awfully easy but not everyone thinks about it.... and now that the summer school holidays are almost here you can even do it with your wee (little) ones :), all you need is a box frame, a lot of buttons, some felt but tha'ts actually optional and some patterned paper, hot glue or multi purpose fabric glue like fabritac for example... + you'll need to decide on wkat you want your picture to be and if you want to paint the frame or not ;) EASY !!!!!!!!!!

How To:

1st paint the frame and let it dry

2nd cut a felt shape ( or make the drawing directly on the patterned paper)

3rd glue the buttons onto the shape and let it dry.

4th place the shape onto the chosen patterned paper and then on the frame.

That's it really, could it be any easier?!!!

I would love to see what you've done so feel free to share on our facebook page Lili's handmade crafts.

see you all soon xxxxxxxxxxxx

How to transfer images onto canvas

2013-06-28T10:00:00.001+01:00

Hi there my lovers ,

Yes its been a long long time, and I know I'm due a few pictures videos and not to mention tutorials so here comes one just written for now, later on fingers crossed I'll be able to do a video but for now, this is how its gonna be has I'm still trying to sort of space in my house and time after taking care of 3 children to make the How to videos, hopefully coming very soon...

So here it goes:

1st cover your canvas with a gel medium such has liquitex use generous amounts of it has it will give you a better result in the end.

2nd Put some liquitex on the photo/image has well.

3rd Press the photo copy (laser is best) onto the canvas image down and let it dry all night.

REMEMBER: if you have any text with the picture you'll need to print it in mirror image mode ok...

4th the next day use a wet sponge ( with water obviously " not completelly soaking ok?!") and dab the paper, and with the tips of your fingers start rubbing the paper off.

5th use a hot gun to dry it faster and then repeat the above has necessary, until you're just let with your image. It takes time and is quite messy but don't give up. Also don't rub to hard or you could actually remove bits of the print.

6th use some mode podge or the smae gel medium but I prefer mod podge has a sealer to protect your image and that's it really :)

So what are you waiting for go on start crafting, this makes wonderful gifts or home decoration ;o) If I can do it so can you ...
See you soon my wackys xxxxxxxxx

p.s. why not have a peep on our facebook page click like page share it and you might win a prize completely free of charge. We need "100 likes" and someone will be the lucky winner :)

DIY Baby CoT Bedding Set

2013-04-22T10:53:00.001+01:00

Hello everyone,

Well, I've been way over my head lately... yeah this pregnancy hormones are taking the best out of me, I've been moody, angry, teary you name it... Thank God there's only 9 more days left... Lets Hope I don't get the baby blues though lolol...

So today I bring you an almost finished project of mine, which is going to stay home but I or even you can always make and sell it yourself, the purpose of this one however is to stay here with me has a gift for my little unborn boy and to serve me has practise obviously :)

So on the saving bit of this post we have an old cot ( which was sanded down, primed and painted sky blue and the clear waxed) + we have fabric + wadding & the normal stuff like thread etc. ( whatever we need to actually make it)

Here's how it is so far:

This will be the cot bumper protection that goes around in a 3 way allowing me to see what's going on with my little one without having to get up an peeping.... It still needs to be attached together and filled with wadding .

This is the already finished duvet cover (2 faced) I can also use the back, which is an all white fabric with a blue gingham heart similar to this one....
On the saving side here I decides to make a cover instead of a quilt 'cause I already had a "duvet" bought when my first child was born but being her a girl I had to make it more boyish :)

So on my still to do list is finishing the bumper bit making some cot sheets, and making a matching change mat with 2 pouches 1 for the wipes and 1 for the nappies and cream, that I can just roll up and put it in the bag in order to take it with me wherever I go, and when I get home I'll just need to take it from my bag unroll and put it on the changing cot attachment that I currently have ideal don't you think no need to buy 2 different things .... SAVE UP SAVE UP my people, economy is no laughing matter at the moment is it?!

If you buy all of this in the shops it will cost you:

Quilt and Bumper set +- £25.00
Cot Sheets (fitted and flat set) +- £15.00
Changing mat usually around £10.00
PLUS the travel Changing mat £10.00 as well

This equal at least £60.00 and I'm being generous here cause it can be way more and you know it...

Now if you make it (this is how much you would spend +-):

5 meters of fabric (1m for the duvet cover; 1 m for the bumper; 2m for the sheets (or less) 1m for the changing mat) at £3.00 p/m = £15
1 meter of clear pvc for the changing mat = £4.99
2 meters of 4oz wadding for the bumper = £5
1 m Iron on velcro for closing the cover ( you wont need all of it) = £2.50

This will come to a total off £32.50 +- ... hummm what would you rather do?!! Not have any work whatsoever and buy something mass produced with no personal character, no charm or not even what you actually had in mind... or do exactly what you have in mind and even if you want personalise the whole thing which would just even had value to it?!!!

Hummm, not much to think is there?!! sometimes is better to be proactive and get your hands in it... Lets not forget the feel good factor of you being able to say "Yeah I did it myself " "I've done that" - OH so good... and lets just admit it the ahhh's of admiration from others always boost our self- esteem up.

This is why I love crafting :), the whole process of imagining the "drawing" how something will turn out the measuring, the cutting, the sewing the whole process is just magical and personal which for me is just priceless.

Hope you guys have a lovely day.

I'll show you the end result when my baby corner is all done :)

See you soon
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A first try at a Handmade Baby Sleep Positioner ( support)

2013-04-05T19:05:00.000+01:00

Hello my wackys,

GOD its been ages I know, but please don't give up on me, craftier times approach and Video tutorials as well ;) never done them before but everything has a first time right :) and challenge is my motto.

If you follow me on facebook you know what this post is about, if not I'll tell you, 1 week ago I was asked to do a little personalised pillow that would fit on a moses basket, that bit is no challenge for me anymore what accompanied it however was .... A Baby Sleep Positioner yeahp.... :-/ can you imagine my face when my partner at 7 am arrived work from home and told me that a colleague of his asked him that just because he had the brilliant idea to say that I do it __ WHAT a x$£? are u thinking?! I asked__ I never did anything like that and you know it I told him... I don't even have the right material its not just fabric and filling you know.?!! ____ What can't you do it?! ____ I don't know, how should I if I never even tried it... but I'll give it a go ... OH MY GOD, I was in way over my head no idea where to start where to order the foam measurements nothing........ ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ( frustration scream).

Well here's the end result anyway:

I'm not completely happy with it , in the future I'll use semi- cylinders instead in order to give more stability and I'll also use a thin foam base, and way wider Velcro wider elastic, etc. ... lets just say I learnt a lot from this experience.... bloody hell I didn't even think to look on the internet to see the designs of if before I ordered the foam cylinders oh well .... Whats done is done, hopefully they'll like it....

Here's one from the high street I found on the internet afterwards:

Ahhhhh ( thinking)..... This is how they're supposed to look like.... Geee.... After reading some reviews I saw that people wanted it a bit bigger so little old me decided to have the foam longer and slightly wider lolol well, the result is above....

I still prefer mine has with the elastics on the back you can adapt from moses basket to cot, the foam pads are completely removable so you can wash it or use them has a decor for the crib when the baby is older.

Well I don't know if they're gonna like it but practise makes perfect isn't it it was my first try and now I know what to do and what not to do and more importantly what's it suppose to look like looool :D

I steel prefer the design on mine has the shop ones look quite sterile :) nothing wrong with some pretty pink hearts is there :)?

Well know that I poured my heart out here, I feel much better... I will definitely be making more for sale just not completely with the same mistakes or should I call it quirkiness.

see you all soon my lovers, and don't not do or try something different just because you never did it or tried it before, we learn from our mistakes that's what crafting is all about.

See you soon everyone.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

How to make Bias binding step by step

2013-03-03T10:09:00.002+00:00

Hello my lovers,

Its been a while yes I know, but from now on I'll post more often, has I'm finally on my maternity leave and free to craft until my fingers go numb ;o) .

So I've fallen completely in love with a super machine by Simplicity that does bias binding & piping, isn't that fabulous so much easier than the manual process that's for sure, however at a whopping £115.00 +- at amazon for instance, has wonderful has it may be and although it would definitely speed up all the crafting process I don't think that at the moment I would consider such an investment, maybe in the near future though... we'll have to wait and see don't we?!!

So for all of us, simple minded and with an tight pocket here's how to do it the old fashion way.

What we obviously need however will definitely be:

Fabric of your choice;

An Iron & Ironing board obviously

A Ruler ( I prefer the metal ones)

Bias binding tool ( those little metal triangles that you can find in almost any haberdashery store or even on the Internet)

Scissors
Tailor's chalk

HOW TO:

Fold a square of fabric in half diagonally across the middle.

Press well and cut along the diagonal fold line.

Decide how wide you want your bias binding strips to be and mark lines spaced at intervals of the finished width parallel with the diagonal side you just cut.

Cut through both layers along the diagonal chalk lines.

           To join strips, hold the right sides of the ends of two strips together so that one strip is
           perpendicular to the other, and sew along the diagonal seam.

           Press the seam open and trim the ears of fabric visible from the right side, then fold and press
           the bias tape as desired.

Make sure you have folded on the bias of the fabric by matching the crosswise grain to the selvage, so that the two grain lines are perpendicular to each other.

The tape can be pressed and folded once or twice towards the middle along each side to make single-fold or double-fold bias tape.

A quilters' rotary cutter, mat and ruler can be used to cut strips of equal length easily and without marking the fabric, you can also used the aid of the binding tool if you find necessary, it speeds up the process a bit but if you don't have any don't fret .

Here's a youtube video to help you visualise it ( and no its not me on it, I'm a bit camera shy ;o) ):

http://youtu.be/zScaWid2G6c

Hope this video helps.

See you soon my lovely crafty wackys :)
xxxxxxx

DIY Valentines Gifts

2013-02-10T09:45:00.000+00:00

Hello again my lovers,

Today will be all about valentines, for me its just another day, the "shops" however arranged 1 more excuse for people to spend money, sometimes money that they don't even have.... I think love should be shown all year round and not a specific day, but anyway this is the culture we live in and so here goes some ideas for stuff to make ( which for me is way more meaningful) instead of spending without limits :)

Regarding history however here's how it all started:
St. Valentine's Day began as a liturgical celebration of one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus. The most popular martyrology associated with Saint Valentine was that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire; during his imprisonment, he is said to have healed the daughter of his jailer Asterius. Legend states that before his execution he wrote "from your Valentine" as a farewell to her.^[5]^[6]

The day was first associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. By the 15th century, it had evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines").^[1]^[3] Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.^[11]

And there you have it my lovelies, I think that mass produced says it all, for me its the little gestures all year round that count has I said so before, but you obviously don't have to think like me. So here's some ideas other than the originals " flowers; chocolates; and card"...

Valentines Gifts Ideas:

Make a heart shaped cake

Make some heart cookies and decorate them

Make a voucher book full of naughtiness ;)

Make a candle light dinner just for 2 with rose petals spread on the table

Make a pillow saying LOVE ( or one with a portrait of the 2 of you, or any sort of statement like I love you because ...)

Decorate and personalise a couple of ceramic mugs, with porcelain pens

If you think of anything else that you could do why not leave us a coment ;)

See you soon my lovers
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DIY hello kitty pillow

2013-02-09T18:27:00.000+00:00

Hello my lovelies, how have you lot been??

I finally re-started crafting this last week, has I had to make one pressie for a lovely little girl (7) that I know, I made her an hello kitty pillow, needless to say that she was very happy with it, and even slept with it that night, what more can one ask, but for it to be loved by the ones we care about ?!!

It sure makes my day, and makes all the time I spend crafting worth it, the smile and the thought of an accomplished project makes me happy.... mind you I'm well known to start more than one project at a time... sometimes not even finish them, especially when they're for me lolol XD am I the only one?! Hope not...

Here's a picture of the pillow:

If you would like to make a pillow like this, here's what you'll need:

- Plain white 100% cotton fabric
- Iron on Transfer paper
- Scissors
- Inkjet Printer
- Rectangular cardboard to serve has a template for the pillow size/shape
- Pins
- Butterfly Big Shot Die for the back + Jean fabric
- Google images
- Sewing machine ( + colour matching thread)
- Iron & Board or a heat presser
- Polyester filling ( toy stuffing)
- bondaweb

How To:

- Fold Fabric in half
- Line the cardboard shape and pin it to the fabric; cut the fabric according to the card template
- Select the images you'll require and print them onto the specialist paper
- Cut the required shape be it a rectangle, a heart , a circle or a square
- Cut the images and position them on the fabric, take time to consider this has you wont be able to change it after
- Press the images with a very hot iron (ATTENTION: TURN OFF THE STEAM) or the heat presser for at least one minute keep checking
- Place the fabric right sides facing each other, and make a cut in the middle off the fabric piece which will be the back so that you can turn it later....
- Sew all around the fabric, thus completely closing it
- Turn the pillow through the hole you made and pop out the corners
- Fill the pillow through that hole and when full use the butterfly die cut together with the bondaweb to seal it and disguise the hole

And there you have it a homemade personalised/ or not pillow.

Hope you guys give it a try, has it is a very easy project for anyone to make :)

See you soon sweeties.

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Meals On a Budget (saving you money)

2013-01-20T10:46:00.000+00:00

Hello my lovers,

2013 is here and for many of us there's an arshe reality out there... many families are in so much debt that they can't possibly see a way out of it, they may think that everything's over, that the only thing they could or can do is to sell everything they have in order to pay their debts and while that is not entirely a lie, no one really wants to do it, do we?? Plus things loose value with time so hey wouldn't be worth has much has when you bought them.

I know that this post wont solve all your problems, but it may ease at least the food bill for a family of four....

There's a misconception out there in what relates to food, many people think that they need to be full or feel full to not be hungry, and that my lovers is such a big lie, has its been tested and told by so many doctors and nutritionists....

So in this post, I'm going to give you some recipes, with how much they would cost and how many people it can feed.

My advise to you however is plan your weekly meals, and this includes the breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner.... make a little table, and then a list with what ingredients you'll need for them; I prefer to shop daily instead of weekly or monthly , cause that way I can get more on top of what I'm spending.... A LITTLE ADVISE: when you go shopping go directly to the area where your ingredients are, don't walk around or you may be tempted to spend more than what you'll actually have to.

So, lets give ourselves a budget of at least £5 a day, here are some examples of what you can cook/buy:

Breakfast & Snack : bowl of cereals (you can buy a packet of cereals for less than £2.00 and it will last you at least 1 week, if you have kids, if not it will last you even longer, try to buy the supermarket brand instead of the big brands for even more savings)
                                                 cup of coffee or tea and a slice of toast ( now we all need milk, has it provides us with calcium which 's much needed for our bones 1l of milk at the moment is at least £0.70 but it will last more than one day "usually"; to reduced even more the costs of this choice, why not make your own bread, a packet of 1.5kg bread flour is around £1.20 and it will allow you to make more than one loaf, plus the fast action yeast which will be around £0.65 which come in 5 packets, meaning that you could make 6 loafs, again try the supermarket brand, I know I DO)
                                                 yogurt and fruit ( the £ on yogurt prices differ largely, but lets say you buy a packet of french style smooth yogurt its £1.00, lets say you have a yogurt maker that makes batches of 7 or 8 pots, you'ld only need 1 pot , 1 litre of milk or less to make a batch of another 8, well this would be a lovely saving for a family with kids wont you say; regarding the fruit if you don't go all VIP it is quite accessible regarding prices, if you reackon that fresh fruit is expensive why not try the canned ones; I would do anything to keep my family healthy, budget or no budget wouldn't you?)
                                                   Cereal Bars lovellie and nutritious, this would be more expensive but would be healthier than crisps or cookies as a snack, regarding the snack time its up to you ;)

Lunch & Dinners: Pasta & Meatballs (pasta £0.24/£0.50; meatballs £1.75/ £2.29 canned tomato £ 0.35/£0.60; onion £0.90 p/kg; Garlic £0.30/£0.70; white wine vinegar £0.80; Italian dried herbs £0.20 = £4.54 total : 4 people = £1.13 per person)

                                             Russian Salad (Mixed Vegetables £1.10; Tuna £0.64 ; Eggs £0.95; Potatoes £0.69; Mayonnaise £1.00 = £4.38 Total : 4 people = £1.09 pp)

                                            Chicken Pie ( Puff pastry block £1.10, Chicken £2.00, Mushrooms £0.78, Single Cream £1.05= £4.93 total : 4 people = £1.23 pp)

                                            Creamy Soups (Potatoes £0.69, Carrots£0.90, Parsnips£0.80, Onions£0.90, Olive oil£1.38 =£4.67 Total :4 people = £1.16 pp)

                                             Fish fingers & Mash ( Fish Fingers £1.00, Mash £1.14 = £2.14 Total:4 people = £0.53pp)

                                             Pasta with tomato sauce and poached eggs (Pasta £0.50, Canned Tomato £0.35, onions £0.60, garlic £0.30, dried herbs £0.20, eggs £0.95 =£2.90Total : 4 people= £0.73pp)

                                             Sausages & Mash with Gravy (Fresh sausages £1.38, Mash £1.14, Gravy £0.75 = £3.27Total : 4 people = £0.81pp)

                                             Cottage pie (Potatoes £0.69, Mince£2.00 Mixed Vegetables£1.10, Onions£0.90, Garlic£0.30 olive oil£1.38 = £6.37Total __ I know this is more than a fiver but there will be a lot of ingredients leftover from other meals, like the onions, garlic, the potatoes and even the olive oil____:4 people=£1.59 pp)

                                             Salads ( Mixed salad leafs or just lettuce is up to you £1.00, tomato£0.82, cucumber£0.50, onions£0.60, salad cream£0.66, breaded chicken burgers "bites" other £ 0.72___ be smart with your budget=£4.30Total : 4 people =£1.07pp)

                                             Fish cakes, mixed veg and chips (Fish cakes£1.25 , Mixed Vegetables£1.10 , Chips£2.00 = £4.35Total :4 people = £1.08pp)

                                             Homemade Pizza (you could also do the bases yourself if you already have the ingredients___pizza bases£1.18(x2), tomato ketchup£1.00 "or sauce", Topping of choice £0.78"I chose hot dogs cause my kids love it" grated Cheese£1.74 = £4.70Total :4 people = £1.17pp)

                                             Chili com Carne ( rice £1.38, mince beef£2.00, Kidney beans£0.27(x2),canned tomato£0.35 (x2), onions£0.60, garlic£0.30, chili flakes£0.70= £6.22Total (again I know its more than £5.00 but you will still have some of the ingredients leftover):4 people= £1.55pp)

                                             Macaroni Cheese (macaroni£0.50, Single Cream£1.65, Grated Cheese£2.13=£4.28Total:4people= £1.07pp)

Etc. you got the idea don't you....

I'm currently ahaving some issues posting images go figure...

I hope this post manages to help anyone who is counting their pennies or simply trying to save some cash for a specific reason, I wish you lot all the best.

See you soon,

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Earn some money on the side

2013-01-13T12:15:00.000+00:00

Hello my wackys how have you lot been lately?!! Yeahp the New Year is here and with it way to many redundancy's unfortunately.

I found a great article on the web on how or what you could do to earn some extra cash, if you find yourself in a difficult situation at the moment, if you only managed to get a part time job, or even if you're simply a staying at home mum ( people sometimes haven't got a clue of how hard it can be) ... who knows, here's a few ideas of what you could do. Hope it helps... or that at least will make you have a brain storm.

So, here they are:

1 Antiques/collectibles dealing Know your stuff when it comes to certain kinds of collectibles? If so this can be a great way to make money from a hobby. Trading sites such as eBay make it easier than ever to reach your target market, according to Trent Hamm, author of US money-saving blog thesimpledollar.com. "I had some success with this myself in the past, trading cards and video games," he says.

2 Babysitting If you can spare a few evenings and know any parents desperate to get out, there are few simpler ways to make a few extra pounds.

3 Bed and breakfast Got a spare room? Live near somewhere of interest to tourists, or close to a student area? Note you'll almost certainly need planning, mortgage lender and health and safety approvals first.

4 Biscuit/sweet making Homemade biscuits and confectionery can be a great seller, says Hamm. "Bake and package them well, and try reselling through a local gift shop. People in your social network may buy batches for special occasions."

5 Cake making/decorating If you enjoy baking and have an artistic touch, making and decorating cakes can be a really satisfying way of earning extra money. "One of my mother's old friends does this and makes quite a bit on the side," says Hamm.

6 Car boot sales This is a part-time occupation that increases earnings and broadens horizons as you make sales and get to travel, says Emma Jones, author of Working 5 to 9: How to Start a Successful Business in your Spare Time, and founder of the website enterprisenation.com. "Consider selling specialist items and building a reputation for being the go-to person; offering your knowledge and expertise with the product can increase the price you're paid," she suggests.

7 Car cleaning/valeting Have a meticulous eye for detail and love to get things spotless? This could be a perfect side business for you. "Many people are quite happy to pay well for this service," points out Hamm.

8 Catering Formal qualifications are not strictly required for catering, which is more about producing and delivering good food. However, the organisational aspects may be easier after some instruction, such as a City & Guilds certificate (NVQ or other) in hospitality and catering.

9 Census distributor Every 10 years a census is held in England and Wales. The next one is in 2011, but you can register now to be considered for a range of related roles in your area, including collection and delivery. See censusjobs.co.uk.

10 Childcare There's great potential to earn extra money from looking after kids, but you'll need to adore children (not just your own), have boundless energy and patience and in many cases must satisfy Ofsted criteria.
Any adult who looks after another person's child for more than two hours on any one day in a location other than the child's home (so excluding most babysitters and nannies) needs to register with Ofsted – it's not a particularly complicated process but does include medical, criminal and domestic safety checks. Nannies can look after the children of up to two sets of parents, in one of their home environments, without being Ofsted-registered.
Failing to meet the criteria can land you in court, so check here for the full list of Ofsted restrictions.

11 Computer repairer/troubleshooter Despite the proliferation of technology in our lives, many people still find computers complicated to maintain and terrifying if they go wrong. If you have a reassuring manner and are not fazed by the inner workings of a PC, offer your services locally and let word of mouth do the rest. "I had some success doing this in the past," says Hamm.

12 Cosmetics sales This is very much a social business activity so be prepared to spend lots of time meeting and talking to people. You'll be selling mainly by networking and often through parties in other people's homes, so an outgoing manner and immaculate personal presentation skills are essential.

13 Data entry Perhaps not the most thrilling of part-time pursuits, but data entry can nevertheless offer an extremely steady (not to mention flexible) source of extra income. You generally get paid for the number of entries you make rather than by the hour, which means you can go back and forth to it when you get a spare few minutes.

14 Dinner preparation "I recently met a woman who earned quite a bit of money as a very part-time chef," says Hamm. "Once a week, she would go to someones house and prepare a homemade meal for their family, then do all the dishes and cleaning up. This gives the family plenty of together time, while earning her some cash in hand." If you love to cook, this can be a great extra earnings opportunity, but be prepared to put some effort into finding your customers.

15 Become a DJ It goes without saying that you need a deep love of music and an extensive collection of tunes before you can even consider DJing, but as much of the work is at evenings and weekends, it could make a perfect side business. Be ready to cater for a range of crowds and musical preferences, not just your passion. Learn the ropes by concentrating first on weddings and birthday parties or by doing roadie work for an established DJ, which will gain you useful contacts.

16 Be a doula Jasmine Birtles, the founder of website moneymagpie.com, says you can make between £12 and £15 an hour or £250-£500 for a birth by being a doula – a birth partner and post-birth partner. "If you've had a baby and you want to help new mothers, do a short course with Britishdoulas.co.uk and work locally," she says. "You do what a grandmother or sister might do for a new mum, such as giving moral support, helping around the house, caring for the baby and supporting the whole family."

17 Flower arranging Imagine doing what you love and getting paid for it, which is what this idea brings to mind. "The nature of the product means you're likely to cater to a local audience, so why not impress with a business card and delivery car adorned with flower power," suggests Jones of enterprisenation.com. "It'll turn heads and attract new business as you turn corners."

18 Garage/garden sales "One person I know holds a garage sale at their house almost every weekend during summer," says Hamm. "They get a lot of regular customers who stop by almost every weekend to see what's on sale. That person then goes to neighbours and friends and offers to sell their stuff for them, splitting the proceeds. People are usually happy to do this since they can get rid of unwanted items and earn a bit of money, too."

19 Gardening services "I've had requests from others for people willing to do this, so the demand is out there," says Hamm. "To put it simply, some people are willing to pay others to get a vegetable or flower garden started so that they can have access to ultra-fresh produce without doing all the legwork."

20 Making greetings cards If you're the kind of person who loves making things, why not try your hand at cards? Ask a local shopkeeper what kind sells best and follow their advice, working to a distinctive style of your own. Then try selling to family, friends and local businesses. Be mindful of material costs and time taken though, as wastage can be expensive in such a low-value product.

21 Handyman services Know your way round a toolbox? Let people know that they can call you for little repair jobs, relatively straightforward DIY tasks such as putting up shelves or assembling flat-pack furniture. "You'd be amazed at the simple things people are willing to pay others to help them with," says Hamm.

22 Host and teach foreign students "This is a great way of renting your room without getting stuck with the flatshare from hell," says Birtles. "Foreign students don't usually stay longer than a couple of months at a time, so if they're annoying at least you know they'll go soon."
Usually the deal is B&B, but sometimes you need to give them an evening meal too. Get in touch with your nearest English language schools and let them know you have a room to rent, Birtles advises. The website idiom.co.uk has a list of schools in the UK. You can make up to £200 a week depending on where you live.

23 House cleaning "This is an idea you can start yourself, or consider being part of a house-cleaning franchise such as Molly Maid where you have the benefit of being your own boss as well as the support of a central team," says Jones.

24 Ironing/laundry services "Even in these cash-strapped times, some people hate ironing so much they're willing to pay others to do it (at least in the posh parts of town)," says Birtles of moneymagpie.com, who suggests either registering with domestic agencies such as mrshunts.co.uk or setting up your own local service.
"Check out the competition, see how much they charge, and undercut. Either work for an hourly rate, a fee per item or a fee per lb," she says. You should get between £8 and £12 per hour, between 50p and £1 per item or between 50p and £1 per lb of clothes, depending on where you work."

25 Jewellery selling Never mind Tupperware – if you have jewellery you no longer wear or want, try organising a party to sell it, says Jones. "Websites that organise these parties, such as ounces2pounds.co.uk, are going great guns in signing up ladies who want to earn extra income in their spare time," she says.

26 Knitting/alteration/sewing services A big growth area, as more people come to appreciate the value in repairing and patching up clothes. If you're handy with a sewing machine, there's serious money to be made. Once you get known locally, word-of-mouth should do the rest.

27 Leaflet distributing Delivering leaflets to people's houses could be a profitable and healthy way to spend a few spare hours a week. Call into your local shops and restaurants to see if they need help distributing flyers, menus and so on.

28 Market research Get paid for your opinions by signing up with sarosresearch.com and taking part in focus groups, suggests Birtles. "You get between £50-£100 cash, plus food and drink for saying what you think about products or services for a few hours. Or be the one asking the questions. Ipsos Mori offers flexible hours to people willing to do phone interviews or knock on doors to ask people questions. You make between £8-£10 an hour on average."

29 Musical performance If you can play a musical (especially orchestral) instrument to a high enough standard, know a few choice solo pieces and look presentable, spread the word locally – weddings and other formal functions can be a lucrative source of performance income.

30 Online surveys It's possible to make pocket money by filling in internet surveys – though moneymagpie.com's Birtles advises caution, as there are hundreds of bogus companies on the net. "Toluna, Ciao!, Lightspeed Panel, and Valued Opinions are all pukka," she says. "You make between 50p and £5 per survey. Click here for more information and a list of genuine survey companies.

31 Online trading Sites such as eBay and Amazon make it easy for people to dabble in e-commerce. "Start with a clearout of your attic," suggests Dan Wilson, author of Make Serious Money on eBay. "If you start to sell other goods, focus on things you can get hold of easily, or are passionate about. And have an eye on the Christmas market: think about what will be selling well in a few months' time."

32 Personal organiser/assistant If you are good at filing and managing tasks, and know someone who isn't, why not offer to share your expertise with them for a small consideration? Being organised is a valuable skill, and whether it's for a small company or a friend there may be more of a market for this than meets the eye. Ask around friends or look on listings websites including gumtree.com.

33 Personal shopping "This is an idea that nicely taps into our desire for personal service," says Jones. "There's also potential to niche this business, for example focusing on time-starved ladies. Making it niche brings down marketing costs and increases customer loyalty."

34 Personal tutoring If you are a part-time teacher or are perhaps taking a career break to look after young children, this can be a great way to make a little money while keeping your syllabus knowledge up to date. Try advertising locally or registering with an agency like Personal Tutors.

35 Pet grooming "Many people loathe bathing their pets and trimming their hair – I know I do," says Hamm. "Pet groomers can do this for a small fee – a perfect job for a person who loves dogs and cats."

36 Pet minding/walking "Dog-walking is a fantastic earner if you love animals and enjoy the outdoors," says Birtles. "On average you can make between £10-£15 per hour, per dog." Get good and you can be walking two or more at a time. Offer pet-minding as well and you can make a whole business out of it. "You'll need public liability insurance in case something happens to the dogs or members of the public," she warns.

37 Online referrals expert There's money to be made from your email address book: a surprising number of companies will pay you if you can persuade your friends to become their customers. Check out the website refermehappy.com, an online matching service where you can get referral bonuses from companies like Sky, Virgin Media and First Direct.

38 Rent out your stuff You can rent pretty much anything now, although space is still the most profitable "item", says Birtles. "Rent your driveway on parkatmyhouse.com if you live somewhere popular, or your possessions from a baby bath to your lawnmower on sites like rentnotbuy.co.uk and Zilok ," she advises. "Currently there are more items on offer than requests to lease things, but it's worth a try."

39 Slivers of Time OK, this isn't strictly a business idea, but sliversoftime.com matches people with a few spare hours here and there with part-time work. Register with the site, then put your spare time on the calendar. Your hours are sent to local agencies and businesses who regularly use part-time workers.

40 Selling ad space on a personal blog This is not a big money-earner to start with but could be if you work at it, reckons Birtles. "Set up your own blog (do it for free with blogger.com) and fill it with great writing, photos, videos and anything else you're passionate about," she advises. "Get ads automatically through Google Adsense and make a few pence every time someone clicks on an ad."
Do book reviews and make money selling the books through Amazon's affiliate programme.

41 Scrapbook making Many people dream of having beautiful scrapbooks, says Hamm. "They collect all the materials they want to go in them, but never follow through on the actual creation. You can step in here – take their ideas and materials and assemble a scrapbook for them."

42 Selling lost luggage Auction houses round the country routinely sell off lost luggage that the airlines have failed to match with their owners. "For example, Greasby's in south London sells off BA's lost items every week," points out Birtles. "You bid blind on bags that have had the expensive stuff removed (cameras, iPods etc) and then sell the bag and contents on eBay or at a car boot sale. Bags generally go for between £5-£50. Your profit depends on what's in them!"

43 Translating If you are fluent in a second language, translation services are in demand as UK companies look overseas for new sales. But be warned: it's a serious business and you'll need professional qualifications from an accredited body (such as the Institute of Translation and Interpreting or the Chartered Institute of Linguists) and professional indemnity insurance before setting up.
For public service translating work you'll also need a diploma in public service interpreting law, a licence from the National Register of Public Service Interpreters and to be registered with an approved interpreting body.
"Once qualified, register with translation sites such as lingo24.com and language123.com and grow from there," suggests Jones.

44 "Ugly" modelling If you look, shall we say, different, you could make money in ads, photoshoots or appearances through the Ugly model agency. "People with phenomenal tattoos, piercings or just very "interesting" faces can make thousands doing commercials, videos or corporate appearances," says Birtles.

45 Vegetable growing If you have some suitable garden space and the requisite green fingers, focus on one vegetable and sell the excess to local greengrocers and at farmers' markets. "My father does this with tomatoes and earns some solid extra money in the summer," says Hamm.

46 Virtual assistant "Many ultra-busy professionals appreciate having someone who can check and answer their email, organise task lists for them, update their calendars and so on, with minimal interaction," says Hamm. "You can provide this service from home with a good internet connection."

47 Website designing An increasingly competitive field as the software needed becomes more and more mainstream. However if you have a good eye for design generally and formal training, it can be a profitable side business.

48 Wedding/social photographer You'll need a website or blog to showcase your work, but if you're confident that your photography is good enough, there's no reason why you can't do wedding/function work professionally. Do your homework though – you'll need to take charge of arranging people into groups and know all the classic poses expected of the occasion.

49 Wedding planning If you're one of those people who can't help but flip through bridal magazines and daydream about nuptial arrangements, this might be perfect for you. "A great way to get started is to develop a website on the topic, get to know people online and offer your services to the community," says Hamm.

50 Writing letters to magazines You can make between £10-£200 for a good letter or photograph to a weekly magazine such as Take a Break or Pick Me Up, suggests Birtles. "If you have a really juicy story you can make even more, and you don't even have to write it, she says. Women's magazines particularly are usually desperate for items for their letters' pages, and even quite tame stuff often gets in.

And there you, this are just a few things that you could do, if you think of anything else leave us a coment, so that we could help more people looking for some sort of hope on what they could do to earn some extra pennies.

Thank you, and see you all soon.
xxxxxx

Christmas Presents on a Budget by Stepchange

2012-12-21T10:33:00.001+00:00

Hello my wackys, do you have everything ready yet?!! Did you decide to buy the presents or be crafty and imaginative and make them yourselves?!!

Well If you still don't have everything you need or are too skinned to actually buy something why not try this ideas from StepChange.

1. A cookie kit that’ll cost you crumbs
Putting together a cookie making kit is a doddle.
Start off with a glass jam jar big enough to store things in (mason jars are very cheap on eBay).
Find a cookie recipe and put together the dry ingredients needed for them. Measure the ingredients out and wrap them up in sweet wrappers or little squares of cloth. Layer the ingredients in the jar with the first ingredients needed on top.
Now, remember the recipe? Copy the recipe from the website or type it out from the book and then put it in an old fashioned font such as Blackadder or Edwardian script on Word. Print it out to about a quarter of the size of an A4 piece of paper and cut it to size.
Take a little saucer and fill it halfway with cold coffee. Place the cut out of the recipe on the coffee and swirl it around until it’s completely covered, then place it on a dry surface that won’t stain. Don’t leave the paper in there too long or it’ll go soggy! If it’s taking a while to dry, you can help it along with a hairdryer.
Once dry, you’ll see that you’ve created what looks like parchment. You can then put a ribbon through one corner of the slip of paper and tie it to the jar. Ta-daaah!
If you’d prefer a demonstration, this handy video explains it all.

2. Mirror image
This idea is great if you’re buying present for a teenage girl. Pick up a cheap mirror (you can get beautiful mirrors for cheap in charity shops) and some glass paint and fine detail brushes (you can buy these cheaply online or at any craft shop).
Open up Word on your computer and find a really pretty font. Once you’ve found the right one write something to make the recipient feel good every time they see it, such as “gorgeous” or “beautiful”. Print it and cut the letters out so you have a stencil in the sheet of paper.
Take the paper and place it over the top of the mirror face. Paint over the letters with your glass paint in whatever colour you like. Once the letters are dry, you can go over the outlines with black glass paint or glitter glass paint. Jazz it up with some pretty rhinestones or butterfly stickers. Keep a cotton swab handy to dab away smudges.

3. Homemade handwarmers
We all know someone who has ice blocks for hands (that’s me in our house). Take some soft material like felt, wool or cashmere and cut into four rectangles, all a good three inches (ten centimetres) longer and wider than your hand. Split into pairs and sew them on three sides so they look like little pillows.
You can buy ceramic pie weights for cheap. They’re small, heat resistant pebbles traditionally used for padding out pie crusts (too costly? You can also use rice). Fill up the pillows you made with the pie weights or rice and stitch each of them shut.
Now, you can warm up your coat pockets and your fingers by bunging these cute handwarmers in the microwave for a couple of minutes (mind you don’t get them too hot). No more chilly fingers!

4. A secret place

This is a fun gift idea for bookworms or for people who like to squirrel things away. Take an old leather-bound book (once again, charities can be counted on for a whole array of dusty tomes) Here’s a great video that’ll show you how to do it step by step.

Christmas Cards on a Budget

2012-12-15T13:37:00.003+00:00

Hellllooooooo!!!!

My God it looks like this year has gone by so darn fast... I mean, I can still remember almost everything I've done in January!! Is it just me?!!

Well here we are, its the 15th of December and there's only 10 more days until Christmas, my Christmas shopping and handmade stuff is almost all done, missing only 1 or 2 things really...

Today I instituted on my self to make a pillow, some drawer fresheners, and the Christmas Cards for my neighbours... Yeah you read it right the first time, here in the uk it seems that you give cards on every little or big occasion that you might think off, being it Easter, Christmas, birthdays graduations, being poorly, loosing a tooth, you name it, they make it lol :)

So to make this cards I used a Digital Software called Serif Craft artist, I personally love it really you can do so much with it, cards, invitations photo books, journals, table decorations etc., they have all sorts off digikits which are amazing.

I also used the Marta Stewart Scoring Board, to score and fold them as well has the envelopes to which I also used my Sizzix eclips; and here's the result:

Hope it will inspire you in doing your own, and it does save a bit of cash has you can always make personalised cards with your fam pics.

See you soon xxxx

Handmade Xmas cards by a 6 year old :)

2012-12-09T14:25:00.000+00:00

Hello my lovers,

Well today is the last day off rest before another chaotic working week for many of us, my little/big angel have been receiving some Christmas cards from her classmates at school, but we didn't leave the house this weekend has there's been an awful so much to do, plus I'm a really homy kind of person...

My God she was going on and on and on about the cards " mommy we have to do them, mommy everyone gave me one so I've got to give some as well -that's fair" - Ok OK lets do some then... what size do you want?! what about the shape?! , what colour card would you prefer?, what about the design on the front?! " MOMMY... can we put some glitter on them as well please" - Yes honey, which colour?!! "Can we have a santa as well" - Yes, sweetie... it is your cards after all.

So here's the end result:

We used : Big Shot Machine, Martha Stewart Scoring Board, the second biggest square from the framelits, the snowflake embossing folder, modgepodge and white glitter,1 small red rhinestone & here comes santa stamp...

I helped with the scoring, placing of the framelit, putting the glue around the snowflake and the rhinestone in the middle, she then wrote all her class mates names on her own, I hope they like it, she had so much fun and I'm one proud mommy :D .

I hope that this incentivates you to make your own cards instead of buying them, they don't have to be like this they can be has elaborate has you wish, I suppose I'm trying to give her the crafting bug lol.

See you soon!!!

xxxx

DIY Christmas Presents on a low budget

2012-12-01T11:01:00.002+00:00

Hello my friends,

I've been overwhelmed with all the blog views I've been having lately, for that a thank you very much for all of you out there :).

Now the subject in matter here today is Christmas presents and more importantly a low budget, if it means giving one or more people a similar thing then let it be it, there's nothing wrong with that is there?! Plus hand made by you as a lot more meaning to your family and friends...

So I been here thinking and thinking pondering on the budget issue of things and I reached the conclusion that you can do it for less than £5 for each person, so lets tackle the groups one by one

CLOSSE FAMILY ( Mother, Father, Sisters or/ & Brothers, Grandma's, Grandpa's, Son, Daughter, etc.)
CLOSE FRIENDS (Best Friends, Life friends, School mates etc.)
WORK MATES (presents exchange)

So regarding the closse family, think... do you have children yourself if so, your mum and dad would love something that they could look at and remember them of their grand kids or of family fun, like for example their hand print, foot print, something written by them, a journal or photo book with their pictures (grandparents with grand kids); and this my lovers you can definitely do yourself :)

Here's a list of supplies for different projects, and some suppliers here in the uk (I'm sure you'll find and have craft stores in your country as well)

www.hobbycraft.co.uk ; www.bakerross.co.uk ; www.craftycrocodiles.co.uk
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porcelain paint pens or whatever you need for your project ( the pens would cost around £2.20 each)
porcelain plate; mug; egg cups or anything related to your project it could even be a tile ( this item range in between £0.35 and £1.50), the end result however is priceless :)

Here's some examples:

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Fabric bag, Plain t-shirts, Plain aprons etc. ( this items cost in between £0.95 and £2.50 per piece)
Fabric Pens, fabric paints, Fabric Dies ( this will cost in between £1.95 for pens and £3.95 for pots)

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For Journals or Photo books you can do a lot of different things, use different materials, stuff that you might even already have at home : cardboard patterned paper, photos, stamps, fabric and wadding for the covers who knows the world is your oyster, here's some pictures;

If you don't own anything whatsoever than to keep things on a low budget you can always buy a scrapbook ( which is +- £1.00 depending on the size, update the cover with either some fabric or patterned paper and print the pictures and cut shapes to decorate, write stuff in it, just be sure to take your time has it is supposed to be something with a lot of sentiment in it)

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For other family like brothers/sisters you could have a really nice picture frame with you and them and this would definitely cost less than a fiver specially if you print the picture yourself, if you'd like to personalise it even further make some a mattboard behind the picture, you could use your patterned paper for that or some wall paper depending on the size that's really up to you, you could also stencil & paint a plain frame to add some character to it.

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NOw, FRIENDS AND PRESENTS EXCHANGE why not do a batch of home made jam, I have some recipes on my blog or you can search the internet and recipe books for others ( to save some extra cash you can reuse old jars, don't forget to sterilised them tho) make a really nice label either with your pc or patterned handwritten card stock and add some ribbon and fabric on the top to cover the lid. ( it will certainly make more than only one jam jar, so you'll have more than one gift right there.

You can also make some biscuits or cakes and decorate the outside with some cute packaging or make a little box to put it in if you don't do it yourself you can find some cute boxes in this website www.craftcompany.co.uk.

Make some scented drawer or wardrobe freshener with just some fabric and dried lavender, dried lemon grass, you name it... you can also personalise this little tokens with your friends initials or a drawing in case the fabric is plain.

This are only a few ideas there is so much you can do without having to spend tons of money on shop bought presents... I know you will come out with great ideas, even better than mine to be honest. So why not start right now, have a brain storm and put your hands to it, I would love to have your feedback and hear about your ideas .

See you soon my lovelies :)

xxx

Air Drying Clay Christmas Decor. with your kids

2012-11-26T12:47:00.000+00:00

Hello my lovers,

Well I wasn't feeling very well, so I decided to stay home and try to have some rest, you may be thinking " you had all weekend for that"... well that's actually not the case... with this 2 little pretend to be monsters and all the house work one has to do, cause it can't possibly be tackled during the week for work reasons has you may well know... I'm already knackered even before the working week starts ... oh well...

So it got me thinking well I may not be able to walk due to a pain in my leg buuuuttt I can sit down, I may not be able to right or read a book due to my headache but I can still craft...hummmmm

So I grabbed the air drying clay, my fimo moulds called my little one (she's nearly 3, if you do it with your kids be very careful, not to let them touch their face or swallow any bit) to help me as well, she sat on my side and looked eager to start "What are you doing mommy she asked" - "we're going to make some Christmas tree decorations" I told her; Yeihhh she said with the chickiest smile you could ever see on a child...

So the material you'll need and that we used is:

- air drying clay
- moulds or cookie cutters
- rubber stamps for patterns or designs
- plastic bags to cover the table
- 1 toothpick ( to make the hanging holes)
- some ribbon or cord
- gloves (optional - if you don't want your hands to get all mucky)
- an hard surface covered with foil or plastic bags to let them dry
- acrylic paints ( spray, etc. - your choice really)
- PVA glue + Glitter ( you choose the colours)

NOTE: it obviously only gets decorated after completely dry which may take around 24h depending on how deep it is; Let it dry away from any windows or sun exposure or it may crack.

How to:

1- take some clay and shape it into a ball or several balls that's up to you, with a pvc roller or one you would only use for crafts roll the clay out into about 0.3mm thickness;

2- place it on your moulds, or use the cookie cutters at this stage, and demold or stamp with the designs you want them to have;

3- Place it on the hard surface covered with a plastic bag or foil and let it dry;

4- when completely dried, paint it and decorate it;

5- attach the ribbon when the paint is dry, and finally hang it up, and enjoy your and your kids work of art.

Hope you enjoy doing it has much has I did.

Go on have some fun and quality time with your little ones, there's nothing like creating memories with them :)

xxxxx

St. Mary's Cathedral Christmas Raffle DIY Prizes

2012-11-25T14:52:00.000+00:00

Hello my lovers,

Sunday seems to go by really fast... in fact faster now then ever before, Christmas is nearly here, Kids are going crazy asking for this, that and all the rest and to top it off school holidays are upon us :) yes yes I know we all love it...

So, St. Marys Cathedral is holding a raffle after the show that the kids will present before the holidays start, parents friends and family were asked to help out with some prizzies to get people interested and then raise funds that would then go towards the school; SO you ask?! - well, I decided to get crafty and make some prizies...

I made a list of things that I could do, and this is what I came up with:
* a x-mas saying canvas
* a blue soft toy
* a box of x-mas tree decorations
* 1 set of Gift boxes
* 1 stationery set
* 1 mini album set

I already made one of the prizies " Christmas saying canvas", I used the sizzix eclips machine some vinyl , a canvas board, some modge podge and some glitter .
Here's a video off some of the steps.

I apologise in advance for my english has its not my native language :) hope you like it, it was my first video ever so hopefully the following ones will be better ;) .

My baby Girl is 6

2012-11-18T20:17:00.000+00:00

Hello everyone how have you lot been?!!

Busy yeah, I can believe that more than you think this day to day shores, Christmas run, and in eventuality b-days or other party's do take the better of you every now and then, the secret is "FOCUS" yes you heard me.. "Focus " is the key ingredient in any recipe, any shore or any project, don't loose hope it will all get better or done soon, and then a wonderful thing happens you "will" be able to relax in the knowing that all you had to do is now done... so start it early so that you can finish it early and then RELAX...

Anyway, with all I had to do this week I also had to prepare two birthday cakes, yeahp not one not 3 2. I cant believe that six years and 3 days ago I had the most traumatic, intense, amazing moment of my life or any women's life GAVE BIRTH... there is no words to describe it really at one point we just want it out, and another we just feel so much love when we see and hold that little sprout for the first time; it is magical.

We didn't make any party per say because it was a school day, instead my lovely sprout :D asked me to make her a cake so that she could celebrate with her school friends and colleagues, and another one so that we could sing happy b-day with her, that was her day and she decided what she wanted to do, so we ended up going to Macdonalds as well.

Here's some pictures of the cakes:

She is an Hello Kitty fanatic, so I designed the topper and then e-mailed it to a lady on e-bay that printed it onto icing "paper"

This one was my first ever done with Icing I think it came out quite alright don't you?!

Now, If I were to buy this from a shop it would cost me at least £15 to £20 each and making it myself I spent £15 including the boards and cake box to take it all the way to school ( inc. the hello kitty topper) 1 kg of flour costing at around £0.80 the same on sugar and eggs plus butter it all brings me to less than £20, so there you go 2 cakes for the price of 1 :) I'm one happy mommy, and whats best is that she loved it .

See you soon my lovers and remember sometimes it pays off to do things yourself, and it has a whole different meaning to it obviously :)

xxxx

Letters for Santa

2012-11-11T12:55:00.000+00:00

Hello my wackys,

How has everyone been lately?! Yeahp that time of the year is arriving once again, and there's only 6 weeks until Christmas the most busy time of the year in any shop, everyone is rushing around buying this that and all the rest, many people I know have all the Christmas shopping sorted, me however is a whole different story, I haven't done a thing yet the work, my girls, housework and this pregnancy... yes yes I know... its true Pregnancy are leaving me drained;

However in the hope of changing this little fact I'm making this letters to Santa Template for my little ones, I saw some in the shops but I believe they are charging way to much for what it is £2.00 to £3.50 for a couple of A4 cute letters with 2 envelopes and 2 pretend Santa stamps seem a bit of a highway robbery :), so little old me thought, if they can do it why couldn't I?!

So here they are, I used a software called craftartist:

Now , all we need is a red or green envelope and a pretend stamp, and voila your own letter to santa, you can ask your child to make the stamps themselves, and that way it will be much more magical, and santa will get it way faster.

If you don't have the software I used you can always do it with word and some google images :)

Go on, you have a try I'm sure the kids will love whatever you do.

*****

Halloween Holidays, Keeping Kids Busy

2012-10-26T10:26:00.001+01:00

Hello my wackys,

Now, we all know how demanding motherhood is, now I'm not saying it cant also be rewarding... we never forget the first smiles, when they first started to eat the first time they started to talk and walk, the first day of school and so on...

Now what about the bit that drives us crazy, the tantrums, the winning, the moaning, the arguing with the parents, the mess, etc. you know where I'm coming from.

Most of us work, and at school holidays we would then leave them at the nursery or take the same amount of time of so that we can take care of them and not spend tons of money in childcare.

Now, speaking for myself, I would love to spend more time with my kids but it is granted that they drive me completely nuts, they cry they moan they fight over the smallest things ever and on top of it all they never stop, it is definitely draining; so I thought I cant possibly be the only one feeling this way, what can WE do together so that they don't drive me nuts here's some ideas:

* Take them to the kitchen and make some cookies for when daddy comes home from work;
* Make time for art, like finger painting, drawing, colouring, etc.
* Have some home cinema time, prepare some popcorn and drinks in advance and darken the room for a more truthful experience;
* Ask them for help to tidy up and them give them a reward;
* Have a treasure hunt
* Have a picnic, if the weather allows, if not why not a tea party

This are just a few ideas, and you could always go to websites like www.bakerross.co.uk ; or www.craftycrocodiles.co.uk; which have craft kits available and many other things that would help keep your kids busy, why don't you have a look I bet you'll be surprised.

Hope I helped you some how.

See you soon my wackys ***

Cancer Support Event Ideas

2012-10-13T09:34:00.000+01:00

Hello my wackys how have you lot been?!

Here at the Lilis handmade Crafts household we've been busier than ever, Christmas orders are already coming through, and having only weekends to craft is definitely a bit tight, but we'll manage ;); anyway that's not the reason for this post is it?! Nope definitely not...

So here it goes, on the coming 26th of October there is currently a campaign here in the UK called Cancer Support Wear it pink, many of us have been affected by this illness or know someone who may or may not be with us that has been affected by it, My hunt for example died with it she had a bowel cancer and unfortunately it spread to fast and she is no longer among us in presence but still in our hearts and minds.

SO?! You might be asking, right... I would like to propose to everyone and I mean everyone, to make a small gesture to help in funding the researchers to find a way to cure this (I mean a more efficient way), and in order to help with the funding why not make a coffee morning at your work place, or a Tea party for example.... at the place where I work everyone is going to wear pink and have pink ribbons and I'm thinking about making a cake ( with a pink ribbon topper obviously) and some sweets gift bags or boxes with the ribbon design as well, every penny earned by it will be directly sent to the fund.

Here's some images taken from the Internet to give you some ideas if you're interested, or would actually like to do something that could help so many people that are currently affected by this reality in their lives...

See you soon my lovelies, hope you have a wonderful weekend.

****