Nesquik is running a brilliant promotion at the moment. All you have to do is send in a picture of your child’s artwork and they will post you a Crayola art pack. I can’t tell you exactly what is in the pack but it looks pretty good in the photo below!

The “best” entries will be featured in a gallery on the site (I have a teensy issue with “best” here because when it comes to childrens’ art, well, who is to say what’s best…) and each month a professional designer will also pick a winner for the grand prize. This month you could win entry to the National Space Centre for a family of four plus £225 towards travel and spending money.

You can submit your entry here. That is Beth from Derby’s entry from the gallery in the main above. Well done, Beth!

After what seems like forever, and loads of anxiety over lining up polka dots, the summer dress is finished!

To be honest it needs a bit of finishing but I don’t know exactly how to do that on my machine. I was thinking of sewing ribbons over all of the rough edges. Anyone know what the best thing to do is?

As cute as this is, the best part was how much fun we had making it (except when I nearly had my fingers sewed together!)

Here is the front:

And this is the back:

I’m incredibly proud of how well we lined everything up, especially around the zipper:

My last post on the dress is here, if you’re interested!

Yay for knitting! And yay for HobbyCraft putting their knitting range online. There are some great deals to be found on the site plus you don’t pay shipping on orders over £30.

This lovely wooly Patons Fairytale Colour 4 Me Mixed plus loads of other colours in the range are on sale for under £3 per ball.

You can also stock up on adorable patterns like this Sirdar Snuggly Snowflake Chunky.

GREAT news for anyone who likes to do crafty things like I do! I just discovered HobbyCraft is having a summer clearance event and there are loads of great deals. Plus you’ll get free shipping if you spend over £30. Click here to start shopping!

Keep reading for some of the best offers.

Yay!!

HobbyCraft Craft Scissors – 8 inch Only £1.84 (was £3.69)				Sirdar Juicy DK 50g Yarn Only £1.79 (was £3.59)
HobbyCraft 50 Pack of Pastel Fab Foam Sheets Only £3.49 (was £6.99)				Derwent Academy 24 Colour Pencils Only £4.99 (was £9.99)
Reeves Acrylic Painting Set for Dummies Only £14.99 (was £29.99)				HobbyCraft A4 Paper Cutter Only £18.99 (was £33.99)

I’m sewing again! I invested in a nice machine and have been busying myself hemming jeans and converting our eyelet curtains into track ones. I’m trying to keep a running total of how much I’ve saved in DIY to justify the cost.

Now I’m trying something challenging – dress making! It is a slow-going process because, really, there just aren’t enough hours in the day. When I was younger my mum made me take a sewing course because she thought it was a useful skill for everyone to have. I agree with her now but at the time I’ll admit it felt a bit mortifying! But because of that course and her help, I used to kind of know what I was doing. Now I’m far less confident and I keep having to google things to remember the way to do things.

But we’re making progress. I took the picture below of my pattern-pinning:

And this is the top half. I worked really hard to make sure it was symmetrical!

To take a break from the tricky stuff, we used the extra fabric to make a bag that required no pattern! Very proud of making this from scratch, even though it was pretty simple:

I love the way the fancy stitches on the new sewing machine make even quick projects look really good!

By all accounts the weather in London was spectacular this week…up until last night’s rainstorm. Given the unpredictability of English weather in general I thought I’d keep us safe by writing up another art project post!

This time round, we’re doing seaside-inspired “sand” art. You’ll need plenty of table salt, powder paints or chalk, paper or plastic disposable cups, clean and dry glass jars and some ice lolly sticks or stirrers (a few extra lifted from Starbucks will do).

1. Line up about half a dozen cups and pour a good portion of salt in each cup.

2. Add a different colour of paint powder to each cup – or scrape a stick of chalk with a knife. Mix well.

3. Fill your jar with one colour at a time by pouring carefully or spooning in.

4. Use sticks to push the salt into patterns as you layer and/or tilt the jar as you pour in the salt.

5. Fill to the tip top to prevent the salt shaking around in the jar and put the lid on tightly.

Optional: paint the jar lid and decorate with stickers.

Yay! Colourful, summery sand art!

Dyeing Easter eggs is a brilliant American tradition and so easy to do. The only catch is that you’ve got to buy white eggs to get the best result, so that means spending a few extra quid on duck eggs. See a few snaps from when we did this last year above and below.

Besides the duck eggs, you need food colouring, vinegar, crayons, Easter-ish stickers, cups and spoons.

1. Hard-boil your eggs and let cool completely.

2. Make dye by mixing one part food colouring with two parts white vinegar. You need enough to submerge the eggs. (If you can get your hands on a Paas egg dyeing kit, you can skip this step and follow the package instructions).

3. Colour simple pictures or designs or write names on the eggs with crayon.

4. Dip eggs in dye. Play around with this, you can do one colour, half and half, one then another. There is no wrong way!

5. Once dry, add stickers.

You can keep hard-boiled eggs in the refrigerator for up to a week, so you’ve got a week of lovely egg and cress sandwiches and fancy eggs in your future.

There are two really fun, free kids events on this Sunday in London.

First, up the Pump House Gallery’s Dress to Excess Costume Making Workshop! The workshop is inspired by the Pump House’s current exhibition by Alex Pollard and Claire Stephenson. Kids can take along old and tired clothes to embellish and customise, or create theatrical and over the top outfits from scratch using bizarre materials.

The workshop will take place from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. and are for children aged 3 and up. Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

To book a place on a workshop email:  pumphouse@wandsworth.gov.uk including the name and date of the workshop you are booking for, your full name, and names and ages of the children attending.

Also worth checking out on Sunday is the Heroes and Heroines Family Day at Sutton House. From 12:30 to 4:00 p.m, children can try on a suit of armour and learn about the historical heroes of Sutton House through art activities and games.

From 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday the Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House is hosting its free family workshops and this week the theme is Watercolour Wonderlands.

Kids ages 6-12 can discover the delights of watercolour painting and create a wall hanging or scroll inspired by work in the Courtauld Gallery.

To take part, collect your free ticket at 1:00 p.m. on the day of the event from the information desk in the Seamen’s Hall. Spaces are limited, so tickets are allocated on a first come first served basis. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

On Saturday, head to Somerset House from 11-1 or 2-4:30 to make snowflakes and icicle mobiles.

In the free holiday workshop, children of all ages can create a glittering vision of wintry cool to hang up at home using frosty, icy patterns and stained glass effects!

Also on Saturday, visit the Roman Road Market for some Christmas shopping. There will also be free ice skating on the temporary rink on Usher Road (off Roman Road).

Santa will be out and about roaming ‘the Roman’ handing out gifts to children under 11 years old ‘whether they’ve been naughty or nice’.

And you can warm up with a free hot drink and nibbling on a mince pie whilst listening to local choirs performing cheerful carols or the brass band at Gladstone Place.

On Sunday, check out Christmas on the Canal at the grand opening of City Road Basin in Islington.

Festive activities include Christmas markets, boat trips, Santa’s Grotto on board the Angel boat, Carol singing, a snow machine, mulled wine and mince pies and a giant tree Christmas lights switch-on.