Home-made ballerina skirt

E has been smiling non-stop since we made a ballerina skirt together this afternoon.  We found 2 rolls of tulle in pink and cream in a charity shop, and used a waist-length piece of elastic and knots to transform them into a skirt.  I don't think I've ever made anything which requires such little skill but looks so good! If you'd like to make one you'll need scissors, tulle and a length of elastic.

1. Cut the elastic so it fits around your lucky recipients waist.  Ti the ends  of the elastic together to make a loop.
2. Cut the tulle into strips twice as long as you'd like the final skirt length.
3. Take one length of tulle and fold it in half.  Attach the tulle to the elastic using a loopy knot (I'm not sure what it's called).  I've popped some photographs showing the knot at the bottom of the post as it's much easier than trying to describe it. 
4. Continue tying strips of tulle along the length of elastic, until it's covered all the way around..  

Snowdrops....

We visited Colesbourne Park yesterday to see their wonderful snowdrops.  It was so cold, I couldn't feel any sense of Spring being round the corner.  It was beautiful though, and now I'm looking forward to the arrival of seasonal flowers - ranunculas, tulips, freesias and violets - I love jam jars full of spring flowers on my mantlepiece.

Valentines Day 2012

I know Valentines Day is over-commercialised, but it seems curmudgeonly to ignore it completely.  We received so many smiles when the children were walking home with their heart-shaped balloons, and yet more from passer-bys when we hung them in our window. Happy Days!

Let's Make Dens!

introducing...

Den Building Week 

11th - 19th February 2012

No rules, just lots of half term indoor fun. Use sheets, blankets, cardboard and cushions to create magical hideaways! To take part, post a picture of your den on your blog, linking back to this post and don't forget to leave a link back to your blog in the comments below, so we can see your amazing creations!   

We have also created a Den Building Flickr Group, please post your pictures there too and we can link to them all at the end of the week!  


If you'd like to help spread the word, I've made a blog button you can display on your blog.  (To do this, open your blog Design page,  click Add a Gadget, scroll down to chose HTML/Java Script and then paste the code shown underneath my button into the content box.  Ta dah!)    

A blog collaboration between Bristol Parenting Cafe and fellow indoor den lover Emma Bradshaw! 

Den-making III

We've been indulging in one of our favourite activities - indoor den making.  I've written about our dens previously here and here and this our latest creation.  We've previously just used 4 broom handles and one bed, but E got a bit cross about not having her own den, so I duly went to our local hardware shop and bought 4 more to make a separate den for her.  J came up with the genius idea of creating one gigantic den and it totally transformed their bedroom.  So far the den has been a school and a market place and V loves hiding in there.