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That Mummy Smile

Creative, Style and Family

Valentine’s Crafting

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There’s nothing better than giving those that you love something personal and homemade. This Valentines Day, why not get creative with the whole family and try your hand at these fun crafts. Using a variety of materials, gift someone a treat handmade with love.

Mixed Media Valentines Card

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What you need

Card

Floral wrapping paper or magazine

Watercolour paints

Paintbrush

Pencil

Scissors

String

Glue

Instructions:

  1. Fold your piece of Card in half.
  2. Cut out some flower and foliage from your wrapping paper.
  3. Gather them into a bunch and stick onto the card.
  4. Sketch out your vase.
  5. Paint over your pencil drawing, adding stems onto your flowers.
  6. Glue on some string and bow.
  7. To finish, attach a Valentines message to your string bow.

Cardboard Cacti

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What you need:

Scrap cardboard

Ramekin dish or plant pot

Acrylic Paint

Paintbrush

Scissors

Glue

Pencil

Marker pen

Brown paper

Instructions:

  1. Sketch out your Cactus shapes on the cardboard and cut out.
  2. Make narrow cut slits using your scissors on each piece.
  3. Paint your shapes in your desired Cacti colour.
  4. Using your marker pen, add the details once the paint has dried.
  5. Slot together your shapes to create your Cactus plant.
  6. Using strong glue, stick down your cardboard plant onto the base of the Ramekin.
  7. Cover the Ramekin with a strip of brown paper and glue to secure.

Clay Heart Necklace

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What you need:

Air hardening modelling Clay

Acrylic Paint

Paintbrush

Glitter

Threading Cord

Clay shaping tool

Instructions:

  1. Mould small amounts of clay into heart shapes.
  2. Using the shaping tool, make a small hole in the centre of each heart.
  3. Paint the hearts and sprinkle glitter to decorate.
  4. Rest aside the hearts to dry overnight.
  5. Thread the cord through the finished clay hearts and tie into a knot.

Hanging Heart Garland

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What you need:

Coloured Card

Scissors

Stapler

Instructions:

  1. Cut the card into strips about 1.5cm in width.
  2. To begin the garland, secure x4 strips of card in your hand.
  3. Staple on one end to secure, about 2cm in from the end.
  4. Splay the 2 outer strips and meet the ends together with another 2 strips.
  5. Staple the ends together as before.
  6. Repeat this process until you have the desired length of your Garland.

by Laura xx

My Valentine’s Gift Guide for all!

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Valentine’s Day… Is it that time of year again? With Christmas all cleared up, packed away and the tune of ‘jingle bells’ finally out of our heads, the shop shelves are now stocking with all things ‘LOVE’! For all the heartbroken and singles out there, it really does feel as though it’s shoved in your face; the flowers, the cards, the perfume, the boxes of chocolates. On average, apparently men spend roughly £40 on a Valentine’s gift compared to women who spend on average £24. And get this… the total amount of money spent on flowers for this particular day is a whopping £300 million!

Tye and I typically exchange a card and I usually get flowers bought for me from Wild at Heart, near my house. Tye calls them ‘meadow’ flowers because they’re beautiful and wild looking. I’m a bit slack on getting him a gift because his birthday is 3 days later!

Ive handpicked a few gifts to give you a little nudge and some ideas if you’ve not quite thought about it yet. Gift giving for Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be just for your husband, wife or partner. It could be for your children, best friend, grandma, godparent etc. We all have many special people in our lives who we care for and love very much. If like me you’re a little strapped for cash, a homemade card goes down a TREAT 😉

FOR HER

This gorgeous Sarah Baily wallet is YUMMY. I’ve had my eye on these for a while now, so this is a secret nod to my husband! Two of my favourite things in life: Cow hide and metallic leather! What’s not to love? They come in a variety of colour options and if you think your other half’s budget will stretch, then why not go all out and ask for one of the bags!! Click here for the website.

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Who loves a bit of ‘Twinning’? One of my fav new brands is Scamp and Dude (previous post about them here), who do some really fun childrenswear pieces, but also these fabulous sweaters for us women too! So you and your littles can match in your leopard prints. Click here for the website.image

A scented candle goes down sooooo well in my family. This M&S Per Una one smells FAB and will really get your home smelling lurrrrrrvly. Click here for the website.image

If you’re in need of a new addition to your wardrobe, or even looking for a new little something to wear on date night, this Zara blouse is gorge! This bird printed top with pretty bow detail on the sleeves is only £29.99 and looks brilliant on any shape because the stripes run vertically! Click here for the website.

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FOR HIM

Did you pull out the ‘socks and jumper’ card AGAIN this Christmas for the man in your life? Well I certainly did…with a few Ferrera Roche’s thrown in for good measure 😉 With a love for Retro design, the very British brand GPO have a selection of nostalgic old fashioned telephones and radios. I particularly love this state of the art Memphis Digital Radio. Not only is it a radio but it also allows you to record all of your vinyl records and cd’s onto your USB stick! The perfect Valentine’s present for the gadget man. Click here for website.

New Photography

 

Now this is a game to get everyone talking and I mean literally, among a group of friends/ family. Covering topics such as Sex, Money, Relationships, Work and Family, ‘The Confessions Game’ is for the REALISTS. I’ve just discovered this company The School of Life and they seem to have some very thought provoking tools and products to help develop emotional intelligence. Click here to view website.

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FOR THE KIDS

I recently discovered Zoofold at a Christmas Fair last year. These impressive cardboard masks are such fun, whether worn on your head or even hung on the wall. Simple but so effective…all you need is a steady hand to assemble! Click here for website.

imageimagePucker up with this helium balloon. From my favourite party suppliers Pretty Little Party Shop, this party accessory will provide lots of fun. Click here for website.image

Look at these gorgeous Girl Gang sweaters by Essex Mama. This new limited edition heart patch is on long sleeved tees as well as the sweatshirts. For both kids and adults… I LOVE THEM! Click here for website.

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For all you sticker fans (not just the kids!), if you don’t already know about Pipsticks, then check them out now. Based in the US (YES they ship internationally…whoohooooo!), this sticker loving brand create the best sticker packs which you can purchase as a one-off buy OR even better, subscribe to a monthly surprise delivery! I favour the latter of course. This Valentine’s Day selection looks pretty awesome. Click here for website.image

AND FINALLY….

If you’re looking to give more of a personalised gift this year, then why not order one of my customised watercolour Wreath Art Paintings. Totally made to order and designed to your specifications, they are A4 on acid free quality watercolour paper and mounted for only £18.50. You can find them on Instagram @wreathArtbyLaura or Facebook HERE. Below are some examples of previous orders.

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By Laura xx

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