Homemade Play Dough

I recently bought some little pots of cheap play dough (I had planned to take it on a plane journey until the other half pointed out that it looks like explosive), we had a play with it today. Suffice to say we didn't play with it for long, it smelt like chemicals and was really sticky. £1.50 wasted as it went in the bin. So I thought I'd try making some, especially as when I looked at recipes I had everything in the cupboard except for food colouring.

The recipe I used was:

2 cups of plain flour
2 cups of warm water
1 cup of salt
4 dessert spoons of vegetable oil
3 teaspoons of Cream of Tartar (or 3 sachets)
Food colouring (I bought primary colours and mixed to also make green, purple and orange)

 

I was expecting this to be a messy job that I'd regret starting but it was so easy! Simply put all the ingredients (except the food colouring) in a pan on the hob and heat until it binds together and is no longer 'wet.' If it is still sticking to your hand rather than itself heat it a little longer, it took 5-7minutes for me. It should look like this...

 

 

Allow it to cool and then knead together so it is smooth. I did this on a tray just in case any stuck to the worktop. Next separate into the number of colours you have. Make a dent in each of your balls of dough and add your colours. At this point I also added some essential oil to some of the balls to make it an extra sensory experience. Knead the food colouring into each ball - being sure to wash your hands in between so you don't contaminate the different colours.

 

 

Now get creative!

 

You can store the play dough in an air tight box. If it starts to dry out your can add a little water or equally if it gets sticky you can reheat it. I haven't tried either of these methods yet and it might be easier to just start again.

 

 

 

Happy moulding!

Em xx





DIY: Play Kitchen

Ever since Millie was a teeny, tiny thought I have been checking out DIY play kitchens (mainly on Pinterest!) so I was incredibly excited to get started with my own project as her Christmas present.

The first challenge is finding the right piece of furniture to upcycle. I found this TV cabinet at an auction, it is a little on the large size but it means it provides plenty of storage. 

 

For the sink I used a dog bowl and painted door knobs for the taps. The faucet was the most difficult part and took a little trial and error. I spray painted a plastic plumbing pipe, filled it with expanding foam and glued in some wooden dowels. The dowels stop the faucet from just snapping off (this happened a couple of times before I worked out how to fix it). I also added some blue fabric before the foam set to look like water. The hob it made from circles cut from cork board and four spray painted door knobs.

 

 

 

At 19 months Millie mainly bangs about the food and takes the lids on and off pans, but this will be a toy that grows with her. We had our 10 year old nieces over in the holidays and they loved it, so it may not have been the cheapest option when it comes to play kitchens but I'm hoping it will be played with for a long time to come. 

 

 

Happy (play) cooking!

Em xx

 

 



DIY: Maxi Nightie

I suffered wearing pajama bottoms for years, waking up with them all twisted and uncomfortable. 
So I decided that I give nighties a go, normally categorizing them with little girls and granny's or something more racy than necessary for actually sleeping in. I found a couple of nice jersey nighties with a little stretchy lace detail around the top, then discovered the maxi version. Even better, warm, comfortable, and you can answer the door without feeling totally exposed in your nightwear. I only managed to purchase one of these before they stopped stocking them and I've never found one since so after some searching I decided to make one.

This is a very simple sewing project and I recommend you think about rocking a maxi nightie.

You will need: 
1 x 1.5 meter jersey fabric
1 meter elasticated lace trim
1/2 meter elastic for straps (approx. 0.5cm thick)
Thread in matching colors to your jersey and lace
Sewing machine
Fabric scissors
Pins

1. Cut out two pieces of jersey. Starting 30cm width at the top and graduating out to 70cm and 120cm in length. (I cut on the fold so the photo below is one piece folded in half)

2. Sew up the side seams, right sides together.

3. Sew the elastic lace to the top of the nightie. You might needed to sew along the top and the bottom depending on the depth of your lace.

4. Sew on your straps about 4 inches from each side seam. (I left the bottom because jersey just rolls)

Team with some leggings and a comfy jumper for lounging in. 

Emily's Home Tour: Dining Room

I love this room, I think it is possibly my favourite in the house. I love how light it is and I LOVE my Orla Kiely wallpaper. I'm blogging it now because we've actually decided to change things about a bit. Having a small person in the house changes your priorities big time and although I love having a room designated to dining, practically it would be better served as a play room with a dining function. So in the next few weeks this room will change (NOT the wallpaper, that's staying and I'll try not to have palpitations if we do messy play).

So here it is at the moment... check back soon to see how it gets changed into a playroom.

 

 

 

Some of my favourite things are in this room. A print Paul and I bought for our first Christmas in this house (it reminds me of our honeymoon in Sweden), our Rob Ryan vase which was a wedding present and my ever growing collection of vintage jugs.

 

All the furniture in this room is second hand... the side board was from a charity shop, the table used to be my sisters and the chairs (painted in Annie Sloan Duck Egg Blue and Arles) were from an auction.

 

 

Up the stairs is my gallery wall of friends of family. Its a mix match of frames that I painted white. Millie loves to point out the family she doesn't see often and its lovely to have them where she sees them all the time. 

 



Emily x

Stocking Fillers for Him: Ideas

It has suddenly occurred to me that although it still looks and feels like September, actually it is nearing the end of November and Christmas is coming ever closer (how did that happen, it was JUST JANUARY?) I love Christmas. I love buying presents, decorating, planning how the table will look... the whole shebang! However, every year the thing I struggle with is buying gifts for the men in my life (mainly a husband and a Dad). Why are they so hard to buy for?

I've decided to get a head start with this mammoth feat and get thinking about Paul's stocking. As children we always had a stocking with little, cheap(ish) gifts that we'd open in our parent's bed. We've continued this tradition as adults (but we're mainly in our own beds now!) So, every year I have done Paul a stocking which is much harder than doing them for my mum and sisters. We now have a fairly standard list for our stockings, but this needed male-ing up for the husbands and boyfriends... here are my ideas for this year.

 

1. A Christmas Tree decoration (make sure you like it too as it'll be on your tree... i.e. no Darth Vader heads!)

2. Something to do/play like 'Beer in a Matchbox' - available from www.notonthehighstreet.com

3. A big bar of his favourite chocolate

4. Miniatures of his favourite tipple - check out www.justminiatures.co.uk for a huge selection

5. Novelty underpants (be careful if you Google this, it's quite a sight!) - these are from www.bhs.co.uk 

6. Novelty socks - available pretty much everywhere (Primark is probably a good bet)

 

Well, that's the basics covered. Then if your boy is anything like mine, he's not a fan of 'tat', he has to have things he'll use... try some of these:

 

 

1. Football soap on a rope (you can pretty much get any ball to suit his favoured sport)

2. Mini screwdriver kit - this is from www.screwfix.com

3. Lightsaber pen (most 30 something men are Star Wars fans!)

4. Phone cover - from www.notonthehighstreet.com

5. Nanoblocks - this is really tiny lego, a proper challenge!

6. Not exactly something he needs but it would definitely get a play on Christmas Day - remote controlled car in a can - find similar on www.amazon.co.uk

 

If you have any other ideas for stocking fillers for 'him' please let me know!

 

Happy Shopping

Em x



Wheelie Book/Toy Box

We don't have tons of room in our house so I'm always on the look out for storage solutions for toys and books. I've had these wine boxes for a while and I'm so pleased I've finally found a good use for them.

 

Putting the box together is pretty easy. I'd use a drill/power screwdriver for ease and speed. Turn the box upside down and position the blocks in the corners. Put a caster over the block and screw in place (make sure your screws are not too long and won't poke through the box).

 

Now all you need to do is decorate. I sanded the edges of the box as it was a bit rough. Then I painted the whole things with Annie Sloan 'Old White' chalk paint which needs very little preparation and no primer. I did a couple of coats and painted one side with blackboard paint. I finished it off with some washi tape around the top.

 



I'm making another one for toys now!
Em x

DIY: Skirt

I've been keeping an eye out for a stable little black skirt to go with my various patterned tops I have. so far I haven't seen anything I liked but have seen lots of easy DIY skirts on Pinterest. 

You will need: 


1x1 meter jersey
1 meter waistband elastic (approx. 1 inch thick)  

Thread
Sewing machine
Fabric scissors
Pins

1.Cut two pieces of fabric 70cm x 100cm 
2. Sew one side seam together. 

3. Measure the waistband elastic around your middle and cut. Mark the center of the elastic with a pin and line it up with the side seam.

4. Lay out the elastic and the skirt. You need to pin the skirt to the waistband elastic. Your skirt piece will be longer so you may need to put some little pleats in. But leave enough to be pulling the elastic as you sew. 

5. Sew the jersey to the elastic pulling the elastic as you sew.

6. Sew the final side seam up. 

7. Its is optional as to whether you wish to hem your skirt or not as jersey does roll. I just left mine as a raw edge. 

You can adjust these measurements to whatever length you want your skirt to be.

This skirt was so easy to make and so wearable I ended up making three!