Posted on October 21, 2016February 10, 2023 by janet — Leave a comment

How to fix Jigsaw Puzzles

I have grown up doing jigsaw puzzles, my family love them and every now and then along comes one that is just too good to break up!

Fixing your jigsaw puzzles so you can hang them on the wall is really quite simple.

You will need:

Fixative/Glue
Old Newspaper (optional)
Wall hangings

You don’t have to use newspaper but it can make jigsaw puzzles a bit more stable if you build it on a good hard flat surface. Once you’ve built your jigsaw slide it on to some old newspaper.

Then depending on what fixative you use you either simply spray the jigsaw fixative on the front of your jigsaw, following the directions on the can, or apply glue as per the directions. Leave to harden and there you have it. Yep it’s as simple as that.

From personal experience the fixative lasts for years. So even if you don’t hang the puzzle immediately you can store it by laying it flat until later. Under a bed is an ideal location!

You’ll need to choose how to hang your jigsaw. You could either glue some strapping to the back then attach some string or hooks, or slide poster holders along the top (and bottom to add weight) and thread string through these. Or frame your jigsaw.

Happy Puzzling!

Some of the most eye catching jigsaw puzzles I’ve seen are children’s ones that were originally posters. Like the one shown above, an illustration by Amanda Loverseed. Now as a jigsaw you can have the pleasure of the puzzle and the satisfaction of displaying your finished handiwork.

My favourite jigsaw puzzles have to be wooden ones. I remember getting them as a child, they seemed to be more common then, and more recently from Wentworth with their famous whimsies. Like this one:

Posted on September 13, 2016July 12, 2018 by janet — Leave a comment

5 Steps to Perfect Gift Wrapping

Phoenix Trading gift wrapping Flamingo Paperie

Here are a few simple steps to make sure your gift wrapping looks good and doesn’t take hours to do.

1 Buy Quality Gift Wrapping Paper

If you want your gift to look neat then you need wrapping paper that won’t crumple or rip when you start to cut it or fold it. A decent grade of paper (100gsm or more) will make your job easier and make the end result look better.

2 Use Matching or Complimenting Tag

I have 4 children so I’ve been to a few children’s parties and how often have I seen presents with no tag and no card attached. There probably was a card when it was handed over but in the excitement it’s all been put to one side and the card and gift have become separated. It’s really nice to say thank you afterwards but if you don’t know who the present is from then you can’t. A good idea is to stock up on plain tags that will go with anything, like manilla ones, or a multi pack.

3 Use Ribbon

It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to add ribbon to a present. The most elaborate is probably organza ribbon but for a special occasion it really does the business. However baker’s twine is a really good buy and has lots of other uses too, or raffia is very cheap and a multi-coloured one looks fab.

If using organza, try adding an extra complimentary colour to the bow.

4 Cut straight lines

This is very hard to do with poor grade wrapping paper (see point 1) as most likely the paper will rip as you cut. Especially that foil stuff that looked so good on the roll and seemed really good value but when you open it you realise why it was so cheap as it falls apart in your hands.

Buy wrapping paper that has gridlines on the back, it makes your job easier and we’re all for that.

5 Keep it Simple

Don’t try and overcomplicate things. Sure you can find some great ideas for Japanese wrapping with fancy folds and origami on Pinterest and maybe for the odd occasion it’s great to give that a go. But when it comes to children’s parties, or Christmas where there’s a lot to do, keep it simple and make your life easier.

You can find lots of other great ideas and inspiration on Youtube.

If you found this useful and want another simple wrapping idea try The Gift Bag

Posted on August 27, 2016June 21, 2023 by janet — Leave a comment

Things to put in a Christmas Eve Box

Ideas for a Christmas Eve Box

Thought I would ask my three older children (10, 7 and 5) what goodies they would like in a Christmas Eve Box and here’s what they suggested.

First find a box, add a few sweets and maybe some hot chocolate and you will keep the whole family entertained. Start the Christmas festivities off the night before. This one is ideal and not too pricey either.

1 Refill pack

Save yourself time and get the Christmas Eve Box Refill containing craft, colouring, decorations and games. Just add your own sweets and hot chocolate.

2 Snow

Even if it’s a beautiful sunny day outside, you can still have snow inside with this safe, non toxic instant snow – just add water. For a couple of quid you can’t go wrong with this in a Christmas Eve box.

3 Doodling

With 6 sheets in this Christmas Holiday Fun pack there are oodles of doodles to keep the whole family scribbling if necessary.

4 Colour in Ideas

This huge paper tablecloth will keep everyone busy at Christmas. Either use it just as something to do or for maximum value put it on the table for Christmas dinner with a few pens, crayons or coloured pencils and watch all ages get stuck in. Also makes a great poster.

Alternatively try the colour in Christmas Tree from Flamingo Paperie, or their colour in nativity bunting.

5 Christmas Cracker

It’s Christmas after all, there probably need to be some sweets and what better way to add to a Christmas Eve box than in a cracker. Cadbury have lots of Christmas confectionary ideas as you would imagine. If you don’t do chocolate, e.g. if you’re dairy free then Hampergifts have some fabulous retro sweet hampers and packs.

6 Craft Ideas

If your children love craft activities then check out Flamingo Paperie’s DIY gift tags. They have other craft packs too.

7 Books

If you need some ideas of books for Christmas Eve then we traditionally read Twas the Night Before Christmas before they go to bed on Christmas Eve but they also love Illustrated Stories for Christmas. A Christmas Carol is also a great read for older children. Christmas Day will be so busy that bedtime stories probably won’t happen. I believe no Christmas Eve Box is complete without a story. Settle them down for bed and take the chance to stop for a minute and remember what Christmas is all about amidst the preparations. If you are true bookworms then plan ahead with some Christmas advent books.

8 Jigsaws

All my family, from ages 1 to 80+ love jigsaws. So I always get a couple of Christmas jigsaws in for the holiday. It’s just perfect for those ‘I’m bored’ moments when the weather is too bad to send them outside. When I get a chance to sit down for 5 minutes it’s great relaxation for me too.

9 DVD

Of course there is always the option of a DVD. Why not schedule in an hour or two to put your feet up, get out the popcorn and watch a DVD together. Our Christmas favourites are Muppet Christmas Carol, It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street and Elf. What’s your favourite? Share with us in the comments below, it might give someone else who’s stuck an idea for their Christmas Eve box.

10 Chatterboxes

Remember these? We called them fortune tellers I think. This pack from Flamingo Paperie has 6 sheets, with jokes, forfeits, fortunes and more. Great fun for Christmas Eve and could be used for Christmas Dinner entertainments too. For just a couple of quid it provides lasting fun for all.

I haven’t tried myself but I did think if you are making your own Christmas crackers that you could include one of these in each cracker if you do some of the initial folding.

You can see a video I did of a Christmas Eve Box full of activities here.

Posted on February 4, 2016January 23, 2023 by janet — Leave a comment

Simple Origami Hearts

Origami heart craft activity Valentines Day children

Make your own hearts from squares of leftover wrapping paper, or tissue paper.

These can be used for decoration, or to make your own cards.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZtvAUBR7Pc]

Why not pop a personalised message inside one?

If you liked this, you might also like my paper chain hearts.

Posted on December 1, 2015September 20, 2017 by janet — Leave a comment

The Gift Bag

I’ve seen lots of different ways to make a gift bag but this is the most simple but effective one I’ve found. Christmas gift bag wrapping craft

Making it also holds the basis for wrapping a standard gift parcel and making it look just that little bit neater than usual.

Gift Bag Guide

Lay out your gift wrap and box
Fold over the leading edge by 1cm
Fold the leading edge to align with the far corner of the box
Crease the fold along the near corner edge
Fold in the second side and crease
Apply double sided tape to the leading edge and seal
Fold down top edge and fold in the sides
Turn in the bottom edge to match the diagonal folds
Apply double sided tape and seal up
Press all edges along the box, to give firm creases
Gently remove the box
Carefully pinch the edges to form the sides of the bag
Fold over the top by 3cm and then fold again
Place the ribbon around the bag, keeping the ribbon straight
Tie a bow at the top, and rearrange the bow to the front

It does make a big difference if you use quality wrapping paper, please don’t buy the cheap stuff as it will just rip!

If you’d like to know more about wrapping ideas do get in touch. I do gift wrapping workshops all year round.

Download this gift bag guide now.

You might like these 5 steps to gift wrapping.

Follow my Youtube channel for more gift wrapping ideas.

Posted on November 30, 2015January 23, 2023 by janet — Leave a comment

Paper Chain Hearts

Remember making paper chains when you were little? Endless cutting up of newspaper, or old wrapping paper to make the strips, then glue or staples as you linked them together?

Want to do it again?!

I love making paper chains with my children but I confess I take the easy way out now and use pre-gummed paper chains.

However, recently I’ve been busy trying other ideas with the paper strips, like these heart decorations. Really simple to do and my 9 year old discovered if you turn them upside-down they look like Christmas trees.

I did make a video of how to make these hearts for Valentines Day.