New Spring Crafts with Baker Ross

We are part of the Baker Ross blogger network and we get to try out lots of their lovely arts and crafts products. I'm a bit rubbish with craft bits though but fortunately Baker Ross cater for non-pinterest mums like me and have a whole host of easy to do kits on their website!

We were sent some exciting bits from their Spring range and Elliot couldn't wait to get stuck in.

The first thing that caught his eye was the Pond Pals Sticker Scenes (£3.49 for 4). He absolutely loves stickers of any description so this was the perfect activity for him.

There come in a pack of 4 and feature animal stickers such as heron, otter, kingfisher, swan, newt, frogs and fish. All the stickers are repositionable so it's an activity that can be used again and again. This was a big hit with Elliot and he's already asked me if Baker Ross do anymore sticker scenes!

The Creative Colouring Flower Wreaths (£2.50 for 6) was our next activity and this is another perfect kit for the little ones. The flowers on the wreaths are quite detailed and I'm sure any adult would enjoy colouring them but Elliot loved adding a splash of colour!

His colouring isn't overly neat and he's no where near able to stay in the lines but I don't think that matters, the finished result looks lovely :)

The wreaths also double up as Pat Butcher-esque earrings ;) 

 One of the other items we received was the Easter Train Kit (£1.99). This little kit includes foam pieces that slot together and no glue is needed. It does say it is easy to assemble but actually I found this so fiddly!! I knew Elliot would really struggle to do this one as it's aimed at older kids (5+) so I started it off for him but it was quite tricky.

I eventually managed to get it all put together and then noticed one of the train walls was round the wrong way meaning the wheel hole was in the wrong area...doh! Couldn't be bothered to take it all apart as it had taken me so long so our train is missing a wheel and probably wouldn't get too far! Elliot enjoyed decorating the train but I fear for it's durability.....!

Next up was the Super Mum Magnet Kits (£3.95 for 6) which Elliot really enjoyed. The superhero outfits can be mixed and matched and everything (except the capes) is sticky backed so no glue needed. This makes it a really good activity to do when you don't want to make lots of mess!

The last craft kit was the Bug Pom Pom decorations (£3.75 for 3) but this looked like it could be a bit fiddly for Elliot to get stuck into so we decided to leave this for another day when he wasn't so tired!

Are you a fan of crafts? Do you like ready to go kits like this or do your children prefer something more creative?

For a whole host of crafty bits, check out the Baker Ross website HERE

Disclaimer: We received the products for the purpose of the honest review. All views are my own

Halloween & Aututmn Crafts with Baker Ross

I love this time of year as the season changes into Autumn. I love spending cosy days at home in the warm drinking hot chocolate and looking ahead to Christmas! I like to have a well stocked craft cupboard for those kind of days so Elliot is kept entertained and not wanting to go on his iPad all day. (Because trust me, he would if I let him!)

Baker Ross have an amazing selection of craft goodies for kids and adults and I'm a big fan of their kits - they are perfect for a quiet afternoon at home when your children want to get crafty but you don't fancy getting the play doh and paints out again ;)

We are part of the Baker Ross Bloggers Network and now and again they send us lots of lovely goodies to try out. Last week we received a big box just in time for Halloween and we couldn't wait to see what was inside!

Haunted House Photo Frame Magnet Kits - £1.99 for 5 

Fibre Tip Pens - £1.98 for 3 packs

Leaf Sand Art Decorations - £3.49 for 5

Autumn Friends Stickers - £2.99 for 100

Skull Colour in gift bags - £1.49 for 6

Friendship Bracelets - £1.80 for 12

Halloween Dotty Art - £3.99 for 8

Elliot was really excited to see the photo frame kits because we had a set of these in a previous box and he absolutely loved making them. They are perfect for pre-schoolers are theres no gluing involved and all the foam parts are pre-cut. The only bit Elliot needed a hand with was cutting the photos to size. 

As you can see, they look really good when finished! The only slight issue was that the magnet wasn't quite strong enough on the back to hold the frame but I just added a bit of strong glue to the back and it was fine. They are now taking pride of place on our fridge :) 

The next activity we did was the dotty pictures. I've not seen these before but they are really simple, yet effective and a great activity for kids as they can do by themselves!

I love the cute little Day of the Dead themed gift bags and think this would make a great activity for parties or playdates. They are quite small little bags but perfect to put a few Halloween treats in! 

We've not had the chance to try out the Leaf Sand Decorations yet but with half term just around the corner, this is a really fun activity to bring out on a rainy day. We tried out the Summery Sand Art in our last Baker Ross and it was a bit hit so we are looking forward to doing the Autumn themed one! 

Lots of the Halloween stuff has now been reduced on the Baker Ross website so get on over there! 

http://www.bakerross.co.uk/halloween

http://www.bakerross.co.uk/arts-and-crafts/autumn

Disclaimer: We received the products for the purpose of the honest review. All views are my own

Easter Crafts with Baker Ross

The Easter holidays can seem a bit of a long stretch if the weather is wet but why not use it as a good excuse to get some Easter arts and crafts done with your children?

Baker Ross have a huge range of seasonal items including lots of craft kits which are perfect for rainy days! And most of the kits contain everything you need so really handy for kids of all ages...and Mums that aren't very crafty! (That would be me!!)

We are part of the Baker Ross network so we were sent a box of Easter goodies to review. There's always a bit of excitement when the postman brings a Baker Ross delivery and Elliot couldn't wait to see what goodies we had!

The first thing he spotted was the Spring Bird Foam Stickers (£2.99 for 120). We have lots of stickers like these in our craft box and they are always really popular. The backing is really easy for little fingers to peel off and he loves nothing more than sticking them on a piece of card to make a picture.

Excuse the half eaten biscuit on the table!

We then decided to try out a couple of the craft kits. We were sent the Easter Bucket Buddy Kit (£3.60 for 3) and the Easter Honeycomb Decoration Kit (£2.75 for 5) and these were both a really great simple craft activity for Elliot.

He enjoyed colouring the decorations although the hardest part was stopping him from pulling off the crepe paper! Once coloured in, there was a little sticker which we peeled off and the honeycomb effect appeared.

The Easter buckets were also really simple. All the bits were ready to stick on so I just left Elliot to it. His finished Easter chick bucket looked more like Sloth from the Goonies but he was proud of it! He said he can't wait to put all his Easter eggs in it :)

Some other Easter bits we were sent were Chick Plastic Eggs (£1.99 for 10) and Easter Stampers (£3.60 for 10). We are a big fan of the stampers and we have quite a collection already. They can be used with paint or an ink pad and make a really fun activity. The plastic eggs are going to be used for an Easter Egg hunt but I know that Elliot will play with these afterwards too, knowing Elliot he will full them with plastic spiders and bugs!!

Finally, we were sent the Easter Egg Sand & Glitter Art Decorations (£2.75 for 10) and the Pastel Coloured Sand (£9.99 for 6). You peel off portions of the egg to reveal a sticky surface which you can then pour the sand onto. We have done something similar to these before and it was a real hit with Elliot and his friends so I'm looking forward to testing this kit out. We haven't had a chance to use them yet so will be saving this activity for a rainy day over Easter!

As always, I'm really impressed with the quality of the crafts and I love the fact that everything you need to complete the kits is included. I'm not a natural arts and crafter so these are a lifesaver for me!

For more information and lots more cool things, check out the Baker Ross website

Disclaimer: We received the products for the purpose of the honest review. All views are my own

Christmas Crafts with Baker Ross

We were recently sent a big box of festive goodies from Baker Ross and we had the tough job of testing them all out.....it's a hard job, someone's got to do it ;)

Baker Ross have lots and lots of seasonal items on their website and following on from the Autumn Crafts, the Christmas range is amazing. Christmas cards, stocking fillers, decorations, craft kits. stickers, paints, stampers, porcelain art....the list goes on!

Our bumper box contained Penguin Foam stickers, Christmas Ceramic Tealight holders, Christmas Stampers, Snowflake Stampers,  Festive Fingerprint Cards, Christmas Wreath Fingerprint Photoframe Kit and a 6 bottles of ready mixed paint.

We put our Christmas Tree up today so Elliot decided we would make the wreath photoframe kit, these little wreaths hang on the tree so a good option for us to do! As with lots of the Baker Ross kits, the instructions are so straight forward and even a not-very-creative person like me can make something that looks half decent! Elliot couldn't wait to get his fingers in the ink pad - lots of it ended up on the table as well as the decorations but fortunately it rubbed off ok....good old baby wipes ;)

Elliot did a great job in sticking down the ribbons on the wreath and I helped him out with the cutting - he was then able to stick the photo down onto the foam which made the back of the wreath. A bit of mummy assistance with the ribbon and he was good to go - he couldn't wait to hang them on the tree!

The next kit we tried was the festive fingerprint cards - this was very straightforward, so easy that it didn't need instructions. We just followed the pictures on the front of the packet and put our fingerprints in the right places! This was a bit hit with Elliot as he liked splodging his fingers in the inkpads! The pack contains 10 cards so plenty of spares for all your friends and family.

Elliot was overjoyed to spot the foam stickers in the box - he loves nothing more than sticking them on a bit of paper to create a scene. What's good with these stickers is that the backing paper comes off very easily making it perfect for little (and impatient) fingers! We decided to create a snowy scene with some white card - apparently the penguins were at the North Pole :)

Time to get the paints out next and we decided to give the stampers a go. I loved these, they were so Christmassy! All the stampers are nice and chunky which is perfect for little fingers and I loved the variety in the Christmas pack. The snowflakes were really pretty and Elliot enjoyed making a "frozen" themed picture with these. (no pics of these I'm afraid...was too busy stamping!)

Last but not least were the ceramic tealight holders. These can be decorated with porcelain pens or acrylic paints, both available from the Baker Ross website. We haven't decorated ours yet, but actually they look very sweet as they are, minus any paint!

This is just a very small selection of what Baker Ross has to offer and I'd definitely recommend checking out the website, especially the Christmas range! 

Disclaimer: We received the products for the purpose of the honest review. All views are my own

Autumn Crafts with Baker Ross

As you know from previous posts, we are part of the Baker Ross Bloggers Network, and we get to try out lots of their brilliant craft kits. Elliot gets very excited everytime he sees a box arrive because he knows that something fun will be inside!!

Our most recent box of goodies included lots of seasonal items. There is so much going on at this time of year with Halloween, the Rugby World Cup, Bonfire Night to name a few and the craft items we were sent reflected this colourful time of year.

Eagle eyed Elliot spotted the toys straight away! We had a selection of spooky skull whistles and little squeezy hedgehogs that lit up when bounced. I had no idea that Baker Ross sold little toys like this but they are perfect for party bags. I am throwing a 'spooky'party for Elliot's birthday in November so I will definitely be ordering some of these little items for the party bags. Maybe it's just my child but he loves all these plasticy toys - he has a drawer just full of them!

Our first make was the spooky bat bucket kits. I love the Baker Ross craft kits because they're always nice and simple and really fun for Elliot to get involved in. These ones were right up his street because he loves anything spooky!! Everything we needed was in the kit so we got started right away. Obviously he needed a bit of help with the fiddly bits but the finished result was pretty good. 

We then moved onto the hedgehog leaf decoration kits - these were a very simple idea but very effective! It was so easy to stick the leaves onto the hedgehog and I loved the Autumnal colours. Again, this kit came with everything we needed so it's perfect for a quick crafty activity.

Elliot was still enjoying our morning of making so we decided to try out the glitter stickers too. We've had sticker packs from Baker Ross before and they are brilliant - the bag is stuffed full of stickers! This one was no exception, lots and lots of different stickers and great Halloween colours too! We used a piece of card from our craft box in a nice dark blue which we thought looked like the night sky and Elliot had a great time peeling and sticking. We have tons of stickers left too!

As you can see, these craft sets are perfect for pre-schoolers and perfect for Mums who aren't very creative...like me!!

We had a great time getting crafty and still have the Rugby finger puppets and Rocket stained glass effect decorations to make....we are saving them for our next rainy day!

All the above items that we have reviewed cost under a fiver which is an absolute bargain. 

Check out the Baker Ross website for lots more craft ideas

Father's Day Crafts with Baker Ross

As part of the Baker Ross Network, we were sent a big box of Father's Day themed goodies. These included Wooden Keyring Kits, Wooden decorations, Face Cards, Handprint decoration kits and Tshirt Craft Boxes (not pictured)

Why is it so hard to get a toddler to look at the camera and smile!

As always Elliot couldn't wait to get stuck in! We decided to make the handprint decorations first. The instructions were easy to follow, the hardest part was finding a photo to go in it! Elliot only has little hands so we drew round my hand, he did say that the fingers looked a bit like sausages - thanks Elliot!! 

Elliot did get a bit over-enthusiastic and broke the frame but once it was stuck down, it wasn't noticeable! He loved sticking on the stars and he was really pleased with the finished result. 

Our next activity was the keyrings. These were a little fiddly getting the string through the beads and I had to take over on this one but Elliot did help by choosing which colour was going on where! 

We ran out of time for the other activities but we will definitely be finishing these in time for Father's Day. You can't beat an arty gift like these for the little ones to give their dad!

Baker Ross just have such an extensive selection on their website - there is something for everyone's creativity level, even people like me who have zero creativity! All the craft kits we received are all price under a fiver which is great value. 

For more Father's Day ideas, check out the Baker Ross website

Linking up with.....

Summer Crafts with Baker Ross

We recently became part of the Baker Ross Blogger Network which means we get to try out lots of their lovely craft kits and supplies. Our craft box at home is getting bigger and bigger and it's great to have a different range of items to dip into on rainy days at home!

Baker Ross is a family run business and they are one of the leading suppliers of arts & craft materials to schools, playgroups and organisations in the UK. Did you know they offer over 4000 items on their website?!

 A new Summer range has recently been launched on their website and there are so many fun things on offer for budding Mister Makers! All the prices are really reasonable and there are lots of kits for under a fiver which is great news if you're on a budget.

We were sent a selection of summer themed crafts so here's how we got on....

Elliot decided that our first make of the day should be the Sandcastle photo Frame Magnet Kits. He needed a bit of help cutting the photos to size (he hasn't quite mastered scissors yet!) but did everything else himself - he couldn't wait to start sticking the foam shapes down! Once assembled, the sandcastles look really great and I love the bright summery colours. I also love that Elliot was able to get so involved, he was really proud of his finished masterpieces. Especially the Andy one! (Poor Daddy was a bit put out that his photo wasn't featured so we promised we'd make some more another day!)

Our next creation was a toss up between the dinosaur stampers or the foam mermaid stickers. Luckily Elliot went for the stickers (phew, I wasn't in the mood for getting the paints out!!). The stickers come in a variation of shapes (fish, starfish, seaweed, mermaids etc) and there's 120 in the packet, all for £2.99 which is great value. We raided our craft stash and found some coloured card and glue to make a beachy theme. As you can see, my crafting skills are a bit limited so it looks a bit naff but Elliot thought it was great ..."Look, a beach Mummy!"

Elliot loves stickers and this little activity kept him amused for ages, especially peeling the stickers off, that bit took a lot of concentration! He couldn't wait for his Dad to get home from work so he could show him his mermaids...but he wasn't able to tell me why there was a fish in the sun ;)

We had lots of fun testing out the Baker Ross products and we can't wait for the next rainy day so have an excuse to stay home and make stuff :)

Look out for a review of the Baker Ross Father's Day Range coming very soon! 

Linking up with...

Rainy Day Activities - Animal Masks from Albetta

Sometimes it's hard to think of things to do on rainy days. You've baked enough cakes to feed a whole village, you've jumped in every muddle puddle in a 5 mile radius and you've watched enough Peppa Pig to last you a lifetime. We like sitting down to watch a film when it's wet outside but there's only so many times you can watch The Lion King! 

We were sent some lovely animal masks from kids website Albetta to try out and I thought they'd make a perfect rainy day activity. I'd not heard of Albetta before but after a little look on their website I found some lovely items ranging from baby clothes to bunting!  

The animal masks pack contain 8 different masks including Charlie the Dog, Corentine the Hen, Leo the Pig, Daisy the Cow, Werewolf the Wolf, Gaspard the Fox, Max the Raven and Ernest the Bear, The masks are made by a French company called Mitik, hence some of the more unusual name choices! 

My first impressions were how colourful the packaging was and how different the masks look compared with other make-your-masks craft sets. The designs were really eye catching and the actual masks make the animal faces look 3D! 

Elliot couldn't wait to get stuck in and straight away chose a wolf and a fox to make. Firstly we painted our masks - this is where you can get creative! We normally shy away from messy painting at home but I was well prepared with a plastic sheet for the floor, plenty of wipes, an apron for Elliot and lots of paint! We decided to stick with plainer colours as it was our first attempt so the fox was orange and the wolf a dark blue...but we did add some glitter so he would sparkle :) 

We left the masks to dry for a few hours and then came the exciting bit...assembling them! The masks come on a large piece of card which is pre-cut so you just simply pop the shapes out, and so it doesn't even matter if little ones paint over the outline. The instructions were very easy to understand and we'd attached in the ears and nose in a matter of seconds. Lastly we attached a piece of elastic (also supplied in the packet) and this was a bit fiddly so definitely needs an adult to do if smaller children are making the masks. 

Then...ta da! A wolf and a fox! You could even add more detail once the first coat of paint is dry but as you can see, Elliot was very happy with how these ones turned out and I'm not sure he'd have the patience for us to add more paint ;)

The masks are recommended for 4 years and up but Elliot is only 2 and still enjoyed making them. Adult assistance is recommended for the fiddy bits but I'm sure kids of all ages would enjoy painting and creating a masterpiece! 

Thumbs up from Elliot and he can't wait for the next rainy day so he can make another mask!

Love this photo!!

For more information, please visit www.Albetta.co.uk 

BuyTshirtsOnline - T-Shirt Design Kit Review

We were very fortunate this week to receive a package from www.buytshirtsonline.co.uk which contained a t-shirt design kit for us to try out.

I thought that Buytshirtsonline just sold wholesale t-shirts to workplaces so I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered they offered kits like this!

What's included
- White Fruit of the Loom t-shirt
- Fabric paints
- Dinosaur iron on transfer
- Instructions

They offer all kinds of transfers including Superheroes and Frozen but I chose dinosaurs because Elliot is really really into his dinos at the moment! The transfer was really good quality and Elliot loved the fact it was a fierce t-rex!

The t-shirt was really soft and great quality. I opted for a size 3-4 because I wasn't sure on the sizing but it does seem pretty true to size which is great as it means Elliot has a bit of growing room in it yet :)

I cut out the transfer leaving a 5mm edge and placed it face down onto the tshirt. The instructions said to iron onto it for 60-90 seconds but it took a little longer than this, around 3-4 minutes. After leaving it to cool, I pulled off the back paper and the transfer was complete - it looked really good!

Elliot was itching to get involved at this point so he told me what he wanted on his t-shirt (stars and spiders!) and I made a start with the fabric paints. The paints were a little bit gloopy but once I'd got used to how to apply it, it was fine. Elliot helped me with the spiders but he supervised most of it ;)

I left the t-shirt hanging up to dry overnight and the next morning it was all dry. The paint was quite puffy which gave it a really cool 3d effect. Elliot loved his t-shirt and couldn't wait to try it on!

These kits would be perfect for parties or just something to keep your kids quiet for a few hours on a rainy day!

*Disclaimer: I received the kit for the purpose of this honest review. All views are my own