Theme Thursday: Sweets

Today's theme is Sweets! This theme is particularly good for girls, "Sugar and spice and all things nice!". Of course there's no reason you can't do this for a boy too!

Invitations

These invites from From Head to Toe Designs are so adorable. I love the funky colours and stripes! These invites are personalized and you print them from your own printer.

Decorations

This is such a simple but brilliant idea! Attach balloons to sticks and wrap with cellophane to create giant lollipop decorations. Just add colourful banners or paperchains and you're done! Photo from Indulgy

Food

This theme is the perfect excuse to indulge your sweet tooth! Here are some great ideas and examples.

Sweets galore from Style Motivation

Pretty pink food from Miss Milli World

Party Favors

Why not have a go at making your own washcloth sweets? I made several of these for a friend and they were well received =) Simply roll up two baby washcloths and wrap with cellophane and ribbon to resemble sweets!

As always let me know if you try out this theme or if you have any suggestions for future Theme Thursdays =)

Hayley x

  

Organizing a tiny craft space

Its no secret that my craft space is a desk in the corner of my small bedroom. A few weeks ago I was despairing at the amount of stuff littering my desk, I was running out of space to put things and for me, cluttered space=cluttered mind. It felt like my creativity was literally sapping out.

So I decided enough was enough and spent over a week sorting, organising and storing, trying to create more space for myself. It definitely wasn't easy but I did it! I now have a lot more room to work and find it much easier to find what I'm looking for! So if you have a small craft space that is overflowing and want to sort it out, here is what I did =)

• The first thing I did was decide where the main problem was. For me, it was my ribbon, I had reels and packs of the stuff everywhere! I also had large packs of scrapbook papers that were too big to fit on a shelf or in a draw. By identifying the main thing that is causing the clutter, you can look for a solution.
• This step took me ages but it was so worth it! I sorted through everything in my bedroom. Not just my craft stuff... Everything. I went through my wardrobe, my chest of drawers, my desk, my shelves, the boxes under my bed. Everything went in 3 piles, Keep, Bin or Charity Shop. During this step I realised that I hoard Birthday and Christmas cards... You can read about that here.
• Once that mammoth task was over, I removed the bin liners that were for going in the bin or to charity, then looked to see how much "new" space I had. I was thrilled, I now had 1 big drawer, 1 little drawer, 1 shelf in my wardrobe and 1 large box under my bed that were completely empty! 
• I found a place for everything that didn't yet have a home. Apart from my ribbon and scrapbook papers, I had a plan for them...  
• I enlisted the help of my Grandad to fix rails on the top compartment of a "double storage cube" I bought from Argos. Pics are below and the full post is here.

Before

After- Ribbon on rails and my big paper pads fit in the bottom!

So my craftroom/bedroom is finally sorted! I'm working hard to keep it that way! If you want to have a go at this too my top tips are:

• Use clear storage boxes and jars so that you can see what is inside
• Use files and labels to organise papers and documents
• Make the most of wall space, put up shelves
• Be creative!
• If you can't find the right storage DIY!

If you do this, let me know how you get on! =)

Hayley x

Life at a craft fair

I have done a few fairs now and as my crafty Facebook friends who haven't taken the plunge yet keep asking me what it is like, I decided to keep a diary! Today I was at a Christmas Fair at my local church hall so here is how it went =)

9:10am- Packed the car and set off. I take my mam's car to craft fairs as it has a much bigger boot than my little car. My mam comes too to help me out, I'm really glad of her support, it sounds silly but I would be really nervous if I went to a fair alone!

9:30- Arrived and set up my stall. I try to place some of my items on cake stands or on top of boxes so that I don't have everything at the same height. The trick is to get the right amount of items on the stall, not too many and not too little. It can be a delicate balance. I also place children's items near the front of the table so that the little ones can spot them!

10:00- The fair opened. At first it was fairly quiet, just the stallholders, organisers and their families looking at each others stalls.

10:30- There was a sudden rush and loads of people appeared at once! I was really glad to have my mam with me as we served multiple customers at once. I sold several of my snow flake chocolate boxes and post-it notepads in the space of 15 minutes!

 11:00- The fair continued to be really busy, with loads of local people that I know coming in. By 11am I had made my table money, yay! The table fee for this particular fair was higher than I normally pay because it was raising funds for the church hall. Anyway it was well worth it!

12:00- Locals continued to stream in. I sold a lot of stocking fillers and gift sets. I also had some great conversations with customers about how I get my ideas and why I started crafting. Its a great feeling when people make nice comments about your work =)

12:45- The fair started to die down, most people left but I managed to make a couple of last minute sales. Had a great talk with two young girls about my post-it notepads, they had bought one each and wanted to know how I made them. They were fascinated, although I think when you are 5/6 everything is a bit more exciting! =) 

1:00- Home time! I packed up and said goodbye to everyone. The lady who organised it has taken my number and will let me know if she arranges another fair.

I sold lots of items today. Its a fantastic feeling knowing that you are taking home less than you came with! Although the table fee was higher I made a good profit and wouldn't hesitate to do another fair at this location!

Hayley x 

Racing Car Nappy Cake

Some of you may remember me talking about a custom order that I couldn't wait to show off, back in September. Well I can finally unveil it! So here it is: F1 racing car complete with Jensen Bear ;)

 
It contains 7 nappies, 2 muslin cloths, 1 bottle, 1 body suit, 1 pair of socks, 

1 bear and a pair of scratch mitts.

 
I actually used a picture of Jensen Buttons F1 car to get the shape and colours as accurate as possible.



I really enjoyed making this little guy, I'm really proud of how he turned out!

Unfortunately the customer who ordered him has disappeared from the 

internet... But I'm sure I'll find him a new home soon!


Thanks for visiting!

Hayley x  

Theme Thursday: Cars

Today's theme is cars! Perfect for a baby boy, although there's no reason you can't throw a cars baby shower for a girl too!

Invitations

These car postcard invitations from Hindland are so cool. They are personalised and you print them from your own printer. I love the chevrons and the cute car image!

Decorations

What about making some racing flags to hang on the walls or getting red, yellow and green balloons to symbolize traffic lights? It can be as low key or as over the top as you want! Here is an example from Catch My Party

Food

These car cakes put the biggest smile on my face. I don't think I could bear to eat them! They are mini cakes with smarties for wheels, being driven by a shortbread teddy! Amazing idea from Paperblog!

Favors

How fab is this idea for party favors? Take mini baby bottles and fill with sweets. Attach a thank you note around the neck of the bottle and you're done! Idea from Catch My Party

As always let me know if you try any of these ideas or if you have any suggestions for future themes!

Hayley x

Theme Thursday: Circus

This weeks theme is Circus! I really loved researching this one, so many great ideas!

Invitations

I adore these personalised printable invitations from Hello Love Designs. I just love the vintage style and the cute wording!

Decorations

This theme is the perfect excuse to go over the top with the decorations! Just buy or make colourful bunting, flags, banners, paper chains and balloons. Go crazy if you want to, after all it is the circus! Here is a fab example from the De Su Mama blog

Food

When I was researching this theme last week, I fell in love with all the brilliant ideas for Circus themed food! Here are the links to my favourites!

Mini circus food from To Be Consumed

Fab ideas from Making it Sweet

Party Favours

As simple as they come, popcorn boxes! Fill with little treats and thank you notes. Photo below from Beau Coup

As always let me know if you try out this theme or if you have any suggestions for future Theme Thursdays =)

Hayley x

Light up wooden Christmas decoration

I was in my favourite craft store last week when I spotted this gorgeous wooden house. It has a colour changing LED bulb inside and looks great when it is lit up. However I couldn't help but think that it needed some colour...

So out came my Promarkers! I did colour in the walls but it was a similar colour to the wood so it hasn't changed too much. I coloured the roof red and yellow/gold to go with the colour scheme in my living room =)

I coloured in the couple outside the house

With the light turned on =)

When the light changes colour =)

I really enjoyed doing this, it's been a very long time since I last used my Promarkers! Let me know what you think =)

Hayley x

Presenting: The Baby Shower Box!

Over the last few years Baby Showers have greatly grown in popularity in the UK. However planning a Baby Shower can be very stressful and time consuming. Choosing a theme, planning, budgeting and hunting for matching decorations, invites and tableware, the list goes on! Another common problem is finding suitable Baby Shower wares, as many shops don't stock them or have a very limited range, especially if the gender of the baby is unknown!

When I started Theme Thursday and started trying to source themed Baby Shower wares, I was astonished by the lack of choice on the high street! It seemed that if you wanted a themed shower you either had to go down the DIY route or source everything online. But a lot of people don't have the time for that! Not to mention the hassle and cost! However I think I have come up with a solution. Allow me to unveil my newest product:

The Baby Shower Box!

The Baby Shower Box contains everything that you need for the perfect Baby Shower for up to 16 people! No stress, no fuss, just provide a venue and refreshments. Everything that you need has been sourced, gathered and packed into a beautifully presented kit! The theme for this kit is Animal Crackers and everything in the box coordinates to the photo shown below. This adorable theme is suitable for both boys and girls, perfect if the baby's gender is a surprise!

So what is included?

• Invitations
• Balloons
• Table cover
• Table centerpiece
• Plates 
• Cups
• Napkins
• Hanging decorations

So now for the important bit, the price:

I have sourced the materials to assemble four of these kits. They are the prototypes so I will be offering them for an introductory price of £25 including free postage. If the kits are a success and I make more they will not be offered at this price again! The RRP of making a similar kit yourself is approx £28 not including P&P so you will be saving money as well as time and effort!

If you would like to order a Baby Shower Box or would like more information you can email me at nappycakesandgifts@hotmail.com or message me through my Facebook Page. I will require a £10 deposit to secure your slot, the rest to be paid when the kits are ready to be posted. There are only four slots available at this price so don't delay! =)

If you are planning a Baby Shower for more/less than 16 people do still get in touch and I'll see what I can do!

Bye for now,
Hayley x