Gift Guide - Quality Craft Kits

A few weeks ago we posted a guide to crafty activities to keep the kids amused over the summer holidays.  During our hunt for crafty and creative project ideas we came across lots creative people who have put together craft kits to buy.

These quality kits contain everything you need to make up a simple craft project, supplies, tools, instructions and some useful tips.

We have created a gift guide with our favourite quality craft kits - they are from small independent companies and designer-makers and will make wonderful gifts for creative freinds and family.

This kit from www.artfelt.co.uk contains everything you need to make this amazingly cute and colourful needle felted elephant.

From www.thelittleknitkitcompany.co.uk - Knit and create your own seaside cottage

Eco Jewellery making kit from www.notmassproduced.com

Make a little pe kit or shoe bag for a pre-schooler or for a child starting nursery - everything is included and it's simple to sew up. Pump Bag Kit from www.kotorikits.com

www.handprinted.co.uk has everything you need to start lino cutting in this lino cutting starter set.  Lino Cuts are great for printing your own greetings cards - it could save you a fortune at Christmas!

We hope you agree these kits look fantastic - have you ever bought or received a craft kit as a gift?  We'd love to hear about what you created...

DIY Home Decoration ideas

Do you want to spruce up your home with a few interesting decorations, but would rather not spend a fortune or buy any mass produced, unoriginal pieces?  We have a little collection of home décor tutorials we have found on our travels across the net. We think you will really love these fun ideas.  Simple DIY projects to give your home decoration and you a little lift.  

A vase of handmade needle felted balls on sticks

These look so effective and each little felt ball only takes a few minutes to make up.  The tutorial is available over on Design Sponge, written up by Kate Pruitt - you could use any colour as the 'wool roving' you need can be brought in a myriad of organically dyed colours and is very readily available die to the recent resurgence in the craft of needle felting.  Go rainbow bright if you want!

Vase in a wall frame Project

This project found on website 'Sunset' is brilliant - it enables you to update your décor seasonally - just a quick wonder around the garden or park and you are bound to find a pretty bloom or some fresh foliage to cheer up your room.   You will need a shadow box frame (Ikea do them from fsc wood) and also a little item called a 'pin frog' which you use to stick the stem of the bloom securely into a shallow dish of water with, we googled and they can be bought for a few pounds - alternatively you could make one from pins and a little piece of leather or something that won't dissintegrate in the water.  When it doesn't have flowers in, you could simply place another pretty little object - or even a paper flower.

Handmade Decorative Cork Balls

This is a great excuse to start amassing some wine corks! The tutorial from fabulous blogger Andi of 'All put together' is also so simple a child could make them (if they're old enough to use the hot glue gun!)  All you really need are plenty of corks, a polystyrene ball (they sell these in garden centres and craft shops) and a trusty glue gun.  Andi also recommends painting the central ball darker to hide any white bits that may show.

If they all sound great, but you don't have time to make them (or enough corks yet!), you could also head over to our home collection over at Not Mass Produced, there are some wonderful handmade decorations and home accessories to browse through.

We'll post more of these great tutorials as we find them, let us know if you have found any great home decoration tutorials, we'd love to take a look and get inspired!  

Pinteresting Stuff - Pine Cone Lions

Spotted these adorable lions created from Pine Cones, we want to create a whole pride of these!