Hama Beads (Perler/ Melty) Crafts
Me and the kids love Hama beads (known as melty or Perler fuse beads) which are a very therapeutic and calming craft to do as a family.As well as making up kits there is the free style element of it.It helps with eye to hand co-ordination, colour recognition, using your imagination and most of all they are fun.
My invite to attend the G+ hangout went astray unfortunately but I’m sharing what we’ve made.
Mine and the kids first kit was a circus puppet theatre which consisted of a clown, a sailor boy, princess and a lion.
The second kit which I bought from a second hand shop for £3 was a butterfly girls kits.they were too big and complicated for the kids so I did them.
Then I decided after seeing a T.A.R.D.I.S Hama bead project on Pinterest I’d give it a go.I made two, fluffing up the second but they make great coasters.
The last but not least is Cat, my 7 year old’s pixie house and mushroom.So cute, they can be made into a brooch.
Back of sailor boy and sad clown
Smiley sailor boy and clown
Smiley lion and princess
Roaring lion and back of princess
Butterfly girl
Two sizes of T.A.R.D.I.S
Pixie house and Pixie mushroom
I’ve certainly been inspired by the hang out and I’ll trying out some new ideas with the kids the time we’re in together on a rainy day.
The projects featured in the Hama beads (Perler beads) G+ hangout:
- Maggy from Red Ted Art Hama bead cards and Hama bead bowls
- Kelly from Domestic Goddesque Epic Hama bead brooch and necklace
- Anthea from Zing Zing Tree Frame your hama bead creations
- Ali from Kids Chaos Despicable Me minion badge or keyring
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I’m Going To BritMums 2013 Live Meet And Greet Linky
With BritMums Live 2013 is just 3 days away I thought I’d introduce myself.I’m a single mum of 3 children, Kip is 11, Cat is 7 and Mouse is 5.We live in a second floor flat in North Wiltshire.
I’ve been blogging for 4 1/2 years.I’m better at the social media part than being a blogger.G+ is my favourite social media network, where I’m a community moderator for Arts and Crafts, All Things Slow Cooking and School Holiday Activities.
I blog the odd slow cooker, baking or vegetarian recipe, something craft related, days out with my kids, the odd linky, a few reviews and I host World of Beard every Thursday where I invite readers to rate the beard of a chosen candidate.
Name: Aly
Blog: PLUS 2.4 (NOT plus2point4)
Twitter ID: plus2point4
Height: 4″ 10 (very short)
Hair: Red henna dyed brown hair
Eyes: Hazel
Is this your first blogging conference?
Yes.Eeeeek!
Are you attending both days?
Yes, I’m staying with Jenny from Mummy Mishaps on the Friday night at the Travel Lodge and I’m going back home Saturday night.
What are you most looking forward to at BritMums Live 2013?
Seeing Kirsty Allsopp and Katy Hill in the flesh, meeting new and old bloggers and the MAHOOSIVE meal planned for Friday night after the BiB’s.
What are you wearing?
Jeans, t-shirt, green smart jacket and my amazing new Wonder Woman Converse.
What do you hope to gain from BritMums Live 2013?
I’m looking forward to learning a great deal from the sessions I’m attending.Meeting all those bloggers who write cracking blogs and I’ve chatted too on social media over the years
Tell us one thing about you that not everyone knows
I used to be a Red Cross Cadette for 3 years.
So that’s me!
I’m chopping up one of my business cards so you identify me from my avatar and blog badge to wear on my jacket.
Do come and say hello!
You can meet and greet others going to Brit Mums Live! our on their linky
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World Of Beard- Idris Elba (Luther)
Last week’s World of Beard candidate Richard Madden (Robb Stark )sadly had a lot of mows.Never mind,swiftly moving on to this week’s beard candidate Idris Elba.Back on our screen’s tonight in the BBC’s police drama as DCI John Luther.I’ll be catching up with it on iplayer as a new series of Big Brother starts tonight.
So rate Idris’s beard by commenting ‘grow’ or ‘mow’.If you like his beard comment ‘grow’ or ‘mow if you don’t.
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BritMums Live 2013: Oh My God I’m Actually going!
*inhales and exhales*
In little over a week I’ll be going to my first blogging conference.And I’m shitting myself.Having read all the tweets on Twitter and threads on Facebook about BritMums Live! 2013, I can honestly say the thought of going filled me with dread.Until a month ago I never contemplated about going but once the the last of the tickets went, my heart sank.Because if there ever was an opportunity to meet up with some epic bloggers, this year would be it.There are a couple of bloggers who are leaving for pastures new, out of the country, or to the other side of the world and this would of been my last and maybe only chance to meet them in person.
I could of bought my ticket back in November, bagged myself a sponsor and be one of those who was talking frantically about where they were staying for the Friday and who with etc etc.But I didn’t and I wouldn’t say I was jealous, just that I could of kicked myself for not taking the opportunity to go.
The last couple of years have seen me going from not so confident person in real life to overly confident online.It’s really easy to come across as someone who you aren’t really in real life.I mean I don’t lie about myself, what you read on my blog and around social media is true but it’s ever so easy to tap out a few words or Google a few things and make you seem like the most out there person.
Any how as I’ve managed to gain a little more confidence travelling with my kids and then on my own further than Bristol, I thought it was time I’d take the plunge to attend a conference.Luckily, I managed to get a BritMums Live! 2013 ticket by a wing and a prayer, I’ve arranged for my kids to stay with their dad for two nights, I’m sharing a double bed with Jenny of Mummy Mishaps at the Travel Lodge, advanced train tickets have been bought and I booked my meal for the Friday night after the BiBs awards.
Although this time last week, a few days after I bought my ticket I may have freaked out a bit.A barrage of questions, worries, questions and worries and more questions entered my head and I poured them out onto a Facebook thread.Gemma from Hello! It’s Gemma! pointed out her guide to One Bloggers Guide To Blogging Conferences that she wrote and Tanya from Mummy barrow shared her post about her Brit Mums Excitement from last year.Thank you ladies, I feel a lot better now.
So I know I’m not alone.I have been inundated with reassurances, answers and most of all understanding.
I’m not alone, others have come forward to say they are shy, introverts and some were going to BML for the first time, some have never met other bloggers.
I’ve been the TOTS 100 Bristol blog camp and Bristol blog summit, so I don’t feel so nervous about not knowing anyone, but it’s going to be a BIG event in a BIG place with LOTS of people.
*inhales and exhales*
Thankfully the lovely Susannah and Jennifer co-founders of BritMums have came up with a great idea of having BritMums Butterflies, whose job it is to make people feel welcome and not alone on the day.But the best part of the Butterflies is they have been introducing themselves via their blogs and BritMums vlogs.The best ice breaker is joining the BritMums Butterflies Facebook group, where I ‘know’ people from their blogs and I’ve ‘met’ some very new bloggers, so it’s becoming a bit more easier to manage actually getting on the train now and meeting up with other ‘quivering wrecks’.
Now what the Jeff am I going to wear?
This post was inspired by Tots 100 The Secret Blogger: I’m Scared Of Blog Conferences and Five’s A fellowship: Just Another Wall flower.
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London Zoo Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Event
During the may half term break we went to London Zoo for a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle event.It’s been almost 11 years since I went to London and that was with the ex and his dad whilst I was pregnant with Kip.We left Chippenham just before 8:30 am and arrived just after 10 am in London Paddington station.Slightly bewildered we managed to ask which tube to get to the zoo.We took the tube to Regents park station.There was a 5 minute walk to Regents park and a 20 minute walk through regents park.We arrived 5 minutes before the welcome meeting started.
Kudos to me for not getting me and the kids lost.
We met up with Maggy from Red Ted Art, Erica from Nine To Thirty Three and Nikki form Stressy Mummy.It was so nice to meet other bloggers in person after chatting with them online and reading their blogs for so long.
The kids had a little play of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures, motor bikes, Pizza play set and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Lair set before we had a short guided tour of the zoo.
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| A free scrapbooking design by Smilebox |
We then went back to The Maplin pavilion for more playing with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.The kids were given a picture to colour in for the colouring competition.We then had a nice buffet lunch, Kip got his own specially prepared lunch as he has allergies, he really enjoyed that.The colouring competition winners were announced, we didn’t win.But we received a goody bag full of great toys among which was a bike and a talking figure and each child who attended the event was allowed to take home a figure.
The event finished before 2pm, so we had an hour to go round the rest of the zoo we didn’t see during the guided tour.It was by then raining constantly and we got thoroughly wet but it didn’t stop us from enjoying ourselves.The last part of the zoo we visited was the Bug centre where I filmed a colony of leaf cutter ants that were loose walking along a rope, which was so amazing to see.
We got back to Paddington just before 4:30 pm and home for 7:30pm.It was a longer but very enjoyable day.
Disclaimer:
We had free entry to London Zoo and I was paid for travel costs via Bright PR.
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