More from our August 2013 Issue, Number 24

Our August 2013 includes articles from:

Millie-Mae, Toby & Mummy makes... Eton Mess

This month’s make fell into place when the children asked to go strawberry picking on a very hot Saturday afternoon. So our challenge started with finding and picking a lovely large basket of strawberries. But what to do with them all having paid for them? Well, I thought it would be nice for Mummy (me) to take a step back this month and let the children (Millie-Mae and Toby) take total control. As they are young, it had to be kept simple, and yes Eton Mess is really simple – but it’s delicious and just perfect for two under 7s to rustle up on their own!


To read the full article you can purchase issue 24 from our website here

Gluten Free & Dairy Free Recipes
Forgiving, quick and easy recipes free from gluten and dairy products by Elderberry Arts.
Recipes for:

Grilled Pineapple and Coconut
Banana Ice cream
Avocado chocolate pudding



To read the full article you can purchase issue 24 from our website here

Crafting on a Budget

In theory the weather is usually nice atthis time of year, but as we all know it’s definitely hit and miss so far in 2013. I’m sure we all love to be outside when the sun is shining, and with the limited sunny days we’ve had so far it’s nice to seize them as they land.

I don’t know about the rest of you but the sunshine certainly throws my creative drift into overdrive, and if I can take my crafting outside it’s even better. Just recently Yorkshire has been blessed with masses of sunshine and with it came an abundance of inspiration, not only for some new products but for my next Crafting on a Budget article.

Whilst playing in the garden with my young niece I discovered some old terracotta pots that had been cast aside. They were crying out for a good reinvention!

To read the full article by SmallSurprisesBoutique you can purchase issue 24 from our website here

Create a Salt Patterned Silk Scarf

Make your own gorgeous intricately patterned silk scarf to wear in this fabulous summer weather!

To read the full article by Jane Cameron you can purchase issue 24 from our website here





Damoiselle Designs

I got hooked on crafting when I was little - I was always borrowing fabric or buttons from my mum and ‘making’ something that would inevitably look strange and fall apart a few minutes later. I started crafting a bit better when I was about ten - I set up a mini business decorating and selling hair bands to friends, but when I got to comprehensive school  making your own things became ‘uncool’ and I slowly drifted into other hobbies. But now here I am a few years later at fifteen with an admittedly slightly bigger business set up!
My mum’s been selling her crafts online for a while now, and when she realised my interest in practicing some of the techniques from my Textiles GCSE class, she suggested that we buy the equipment needed and make a few things to sell. And so Damoiselle Designs was born.

To read the full article you can purchase issue 24 from our website here

Don't miss out on:

The British Love Affair with the Beach Hut

Tina in the Garden

Time for Tea - Two tea related projects

and much more!

Millie - Mae & Mummy Makes - A Wooden Plaque for Grandad's Garden

Millie - Mae & Mummy Makes - A Wooden Plaque for Grandad's Garden

Published in Issue 23, June 2013

Written by Tracey from WowThankYou

www.wowthankyou.co.uk

You will need:
Wood (for plaque and stake)
Wooden letters
Paints (various colours)
Lots of brushes
PVA glue
Clear varnish
Decoration (stickers and stick on figures)

Step 1. Because our piece of wood wasn’t 100% suitable for living outdoors, we started by painting it all over (twice) with some white ceiling paint.




Step 2. Once totally dry, paint the plaque with your chosen background colours – we chose mainly yellow with a blue section at the bottom (the pond).

Step 3. While the plaque is drying, carefully paint the wooden letters. Leave to dry, then repeat.

Step 4. Once totally dry, use the PVA glue to stick the letters onto the plaque.





Step 5. While the letters are drying, carefully add your decorations (stickers, etc.) Leave overnight to dry.

Step 6. Attach the stake at the back (drill a hole, and use screws), paint it white all over. Leave to dry.As this is for outdoor use, once all the decorations have dried, we gave the plaque two coats of clear varnish.





Step 7. Leave a good 24-48 hours for the varnish to set hard, then wrap it up and present as a gift to granddad, who promptly put it in place behind his garden fishpond.


Millie-Mae (6) is the daughter of Tracey Kifford, founder and owner of the online marketplace WowThankYou.

Millie-Mae and Mummy makes .... An Olympic Kite

Published in issue 18, August 2012

Written by Tracey Kifford

Expecting the Summer holidays to be full of blue skies and heatwaves and picnics we thought a good activity for this issue would be to make a kite! Alas it has yet to stop raining so we’ve not yet ventured outdoors for the maiden flight … but any day now …
Truthfully this wasn’t just a Millie-Mae and Mummy activity, but Daddy and Toby joined in too …

You will need:

Canes (I had a pack of indoor plant canes)

Tape (opaque tape as well as masking/‘gaffer’ tape)

Sail material (we used old PVC party tablecloths)

Ribbon for the tail

String

Scissors

Pen/Pencil

Hacksaw/knife to trim canes

Stapler

Measuring tape

Instructions:

1. To make a traditional ‘diamond-shaped’ kite you first need to get two lengths of cane – one that’s 36” and the other 33”. Our canes were shorter than this, so we carefully bound two together using the masking tape.

2. Position the 33” cane across the longer one 10” down from the top. Secure them together using the masking tape following a figure of eight pattern until it is securely held in place.

3. Using the knife or small saw, cut a small notch into the ends of each cane (if you are worried about them splitting, first wrap a small piece of tape around the top) – this is to attach string around the outside to attach the sail to. Make sure the notches are in line …

4. Take your string, and starting at the top feed the string into the notch and then run it round the outside of the frame. Keep it taut, while making sure the diamond shape is maintained. When you’ve gone all the way around, snip the top of the string – you should now be left with the kite skeleton.

5. Lay out your sail. We used old thin PVC party tablecloths that you can buy in most supermarkets, but you can use a dustbin bag, strong wrapping paper, or even newspaper (it just needs to be light). Lay the kite skeleton over the sail and then draw around it, leaving a margin of 1-1.5”. I found it easier to tape the frame to the sail to prevent it from slipping.

6. Take your clear tape. Fold the sail over the string and tape down. Repeat all the way around – now it looks like a kite! 

7. To attach the tail, we used 3 ribbons each of 2 metres long. We stapled the ribbon to the end of the kite to secure it, and then taped over it.

8. If you are serious about flying the kite (which we are), you will need to carry out in situ adjustments in the field – as it all comes down to balance. We attached some string 2” above the cross-piece and approximately 4” below it. We then tied our single line to this loop. The kite is now finished and is ready to fly!! 

As you can see we made two kites, which the children are excited about taking outdoors to fly. They are so light, we’re optimistically confident that (with a bit of patience) we’ll get them airborne on a breezy, dry day. Until then, they take pride of place in our dining room and have become the ‘must see’ items for any unsuspecting visitors!

Millie-Mae is the nearly 6 year old daughter of Tracey Kifford, founder and owner of the marketplace WowThankYou (www.wowthankyou.co.uk). Toby is 3¾.

Happy flying!

xxx