CRAFTS AND DIY
The Deceptively Simple Joy of a Cardboard Box
I love how interesting the simplest of things can be. And few things have more endless possibilities than that of a cardboard box! It is deceptively simple. And it can elicit a lot of joy for a long time, just depending on how you look at it. Big, small, square, rectangular, all these boxes ...
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CRAFTS AND DIY
Create a Winter Wonderland -- make faux snow that is surprisingly real!
My children are desperate for snow! While I realise it is January and some areas of the world are covered in it, hibernating because of it, and wishing it would start to melt away so cabin fever would disappear. Meanwhile, my children are watching the forecast and wishing for flakes! So this weekend we decided ...
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OUTDOORS
Watercolour sidewalk chalk -- such a simple but genius idea!
I took this photo a few months ago here in Amsterdam on one of the last warm and sunny days of the year. This girl was drawing on the sidewalk with pavement chalk, and had the brilliant idea to add water and brushes to the fun -- resulting in deeper and brighter colours and a ...
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VALENTINE'S DAY CRAFTS
Rose & Lavender Bath Soak -- great for mama time!
Bring colour into your grey winter days, wake up your senses, and treat yourself to this very simple homemade bath soak. Then turn on the water and... relax! This pretty, and very simple soak consists of a few ingredients, and can be made in a few quick minutes, with or without children. We made ...
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CHRISTMAS CRAFTS
Maple seed dragonfly ornament
The last and the most simple craft tutorial from me for this year is this cute and delicate little maple seed dragonfly ornament. It is (again) made from dry, thin sticks and dry maple seed pods that are just about everywhere. At least here where I live. The four things you will need are: Thin ...
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CHRISTMAS CRAFTS
Angel pasta ornaments, ridiculously cute and made of pasta!
As promised, here is my second tutorial, absolutely perfect for Christmas time. I think these angel pasta ornaments would also look absolutely amazing as gift decoration; we will definitely be using them that way. And these are made of things which I’m almost certain you have at home. And the outcome is ridiculously cute in ...
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CHRISTMAS CRAFTS
Cranberry Garland -- a simple little Christmas craft and decoration
Growing up, we always made cranberry garlands for our Christmas tree at home, and after posting a photo of my daughter making them last year on Instagram, I was surprised to realise it is not common in Europe! People loved the idea, and kept asking me how to do it, so I thought I would ...
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CHRISTMAS CRAFTS
Festive & Fragrant Pomanders -- a great tradition and an easy craft too!
Orange and clove pomanders are so very simple to make, oh so very beautiful, and exactly the festive touch every home needs too. The colour instantly brightens a room, but the very very best feature is their delightful scent! The smell is incredible! Fresh, yet warm, these oranges studded with cloves are the essence of ...
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CHRISTMAS CRAFTS
Bright & Merry -- Holiday Cards which only take seconds to make!
Cute Christmas cards that take seconds to make and seconds to dry: that is surely a crafting win! After all, factory assembly line crafting is rarely fun for kiddos! So mass-producing handmade cards has to be super simple, and super quick. And don't you love the bright colours in our string of Christmas lights? They ...
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CHRISTMAS CRAFTS
Little Acorn People Ornaments
I ask this every single year but still – can you believe it’s almost Christmas again? It really does come faster every single year! And again like every year, I am so NOT ready. But, since the vacation starts next week I want to write down at least some craft ideas to (hopefully) make with ...
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CHRISTMAS CRAFTS
Make your own Christmas wreath -- it's easy!
This was one of those experimental craft projects... but I figured there is NO way we can't make our very own Christmas wreaths. So, I gathered some supplies dropped by a friend's house, had a cup of tea, and got right down to wreath-making work. And we are so happy with our experiment.... and the ...
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CRAFTS AND DIY
Making beeswax candles -- a lovely holiday craft (and a perfect gift)!
Making beeswax candles is a perfect DIY project for these cosy months of the year. Beeswax is entirely natural, even edible! So it's perfectly safe to play with, even by the littlest children. But making beeswax candles (and decorating them) is a lovely activity for all ages. I really like playing around with the wax ...
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CRAFTS AND DIY
An easy Christmas craft: clay ornaments and decorations
This is honestly the easiest Christmas craft, something the kids can do almost entirely on their own, and it has the prettiest result! Last weekend I handed the kids a package of Sculpey clay and some cookie cutters. I gave them each a glass bottle (to use as a rolling pin), and together they made ...
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SKIN CARE AND MAKE UP
Homemade natural lip balm with beeswax and shea butter
'Tis the season! Of chapped lips and dry cheeks. All of my children have been complaining about dry lips and have been asking for lip balm. I've been reading some negative things about over-the-counter chapstick though, like the use of ingredients such as petroleum jelly / petrolatum (vaseline) and parabens. Things I don't want my kids ...
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CRAFTS AND DIY
Halloween luminaries, a sweet last-minute craft and fun for all ages!
Halloween is not a traditional holiday in the Netherlands, but we have adopted the tradition. The children like to dress up, we decorate the house with spooks and spiders and I make some scary dishes for dinner. We do walk around the neighbourhood -- there's a specific street where people really make an effort to ...
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CRAFTS AND DIY
Creepy Critter Collage -- Halloween Craft Fun
This was one of those 'see-as-you-make' projects after school with some friends, and we love the end result of our creepy critter collages! You only need a few materials (but can easily improvise with what you have at home). And it takes about ten minutes to make one, adding a bit of halloween creepiness to ...
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AUTUMN CRAFTS
Conker spiderwebs, an easy autumn craft with such pretty results!
This is an oldie but a goodie. As a child I used to make conker spiderwebs in school and with my mum. And so do my children. It's an easy autumn craft, manageable for little hands but also extremely entertaining for bigger ones. We all made conker spiderwebs the other day -- it's quite an ...
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AUTUMN CRAFTS
Pressed paper clay leaves -- a little fall craft project
Leaves are changing colours and falling in Amsterdam and the colours of the trees are so pretty. When we're going for little walks in our neighbourhood, we can't help but come back with some colourful leaves in our hands. Little treasures!! The colourful autumnal leaves were the inspiration behind this little craft project: beautiful, pressed ...
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CRAFTS AND DIY
Papier-Mâché Pumpkins -- fun Halloween decoration
It's October, which means Halloween excitement is happening our house. It also means we have some fun Halloween crafts up our sleeve for the next few weeks. But I was reminded of our papier-mâché pumpkin we made last year! Actually, we made a whole box of fruit and vegetables, but really, just making pumpkins would be ...
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AUTUMN CRAFTS
Gilded Leaf Garland -- a craft for all of Autumn
Last year we went into Autumn leaf collection overdrive, so I needed to find some clever ways to embrace the collection (mountain!) of leaves and create something artful from them. So today I will share our Autumnal gilded garland with you, which was done in stages and was really a very relaxed craft, especially since ...
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CRAFTS AND DIY
Pressed Floral Luminaires & Vases -- a craft farewell to Summer
Summer isn't yet over, and Autumn hasn't truly begun (at least not on the trees), but this weekend a grey and cold morning almost seemed to demand crafting in pajamas! Since we were tired (our third day home from the holidays, and the start of a new school year) we wanted a 'lazy craft' using only ...
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CRAFTS AND DIY
Friendship Bracelet Tutorial
Just recently I came across this bracelet making technique I have never seen before even though it’s only been around a couple thousand years. : ) It is called Kumihimo and it comes from Japan. This is just the very basic technique of Kumihimo, there are many much more complicated ones you can find on ...
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RECIPES
Watermelon Shark -- the hit of every party and picnic
It is never too late in the summer for a little more fun, so consider this your last and greatest trick... a shark carved out of watermelon, and a fruit salad bowl all-in-one! YES! It has been the biggest hit at every party and picnic for two summers straight. I can't believe I haven't posted ...
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