Spring Flower Picture ~Bostik Challenge

In my previous post I shared  a post of how to make a spring flower wreath that my crafting buddy Little M and I made. We also make this love spring flower picture to hang in little M's bedroom. In the Bostik box there were some hama beads and a flower shape plate. Little M really enjoyed arranging the coloured beads on the flower plate to make a flower.I was amazed at how much manual dexterity she has got as she was meticulous in the arrangement for a six year old.

Things you will need to make the spring flower picture:

Two pieces of a5 card one patterned and one glitter.

4 inch piece of ribbon

Hama beads

Flower plate to arrange the hama beads on

Bostik Glue

Scissors

Ruler

Pencil

How to make the spring flower picture:

1. Arrange the hama beads onto the flower plate.

2. THIS STEP HAS TO BE DONE BY AN ADULT ONLY- Place a piece of grease proof paper over the hama bead picture and using a hot iron iron the picture gently until the beads stick to each other. Leave the picture to cool.

3. Once cooled gently removed the ironed hama bead picture from the flower plate.

3. Cut out a rectangle by from the patterned card 15 cm x 13 cm and a 12.5 cm x 10 cm from the glitter card

4. Position and stick the glitter card to the patterned card.

5. and stick it onto the glitter card in the centre.

6. Make a loop with the ribbon and stick it in the centre of the top end of the card to make a hanging loop.

This craft is suitable for young children although, adult supervision may be required for using scissors. If you like this project check the link below for more art and craft projects, that you can do with your children.

Kids Arts and Craft Videos
Kids Arts and Crafts Projects 

 Being part of the Bostik 2018 bloggers with Tots100 and Merrily Crafts, I was sent some craft items in a box to create this project.

Spring Flower Wreath~Bostik Challenge

This month the bostik challenge box is all about flowers and spring. We are into April and the garden is finally looking colourful with daffodils and tulips. Hopefully with the lighter evenings if the weather improves we can enjoy the out doors more. At the moment the weather is awful so this Sunday when little M came over to craft we could not go out to the park or the garden as its been raining non stop.
Little M wanted to make some flowers to take for her parents but when we looked in the craft box there were already so many pretty flower cut outs we decided to use those and make a pretty flower wreath with them as a gift. Little M really enjoyed making this wreath, it did not take very long to make so we also made a Spring flower picture with hama beads and card for her bedroom which we will share in our next post.

To make the flower wreath you will need:

Two sheets of stiff card
Some green crepe paper cut into 1 inch strips
Assorted sized cut out flowers
Piece of string approx 12 inches long
Bostik Glue
Scissors
Pencil.

How to make the wreath:

1. On the card using a side plate as a template draw a circle.
2. On the same card using a smaller plate draw another circle.
3. Cut out the larger circle using the scissors.
4. Cut out the smaller circle using the scissors so your card will look like a doughnut.
5. Repeat the process for the second card and then stick the two doughnut shaped cards together using the Bostik Glue.

6. Secure one end of the green crepe paper strip with glue onto the card and start wrapping the green paper all around the card, secure the final end with glue.
7. You should have a green crepe paper ring now.
8. Fold the string in half and tie a knot at the loose end. Loop the string onto the ring to make a hanging loop.

9. Using the bostik glue arrange and stick on the flowers in any pattern you desire.

This craft is suitable for young children although, adult supervision may be required for using scissors. If you like this project check the link below for more art and craft projects, that you can do with your children.

Kids Arts and Craft Videos
Kids Arts and Crafts Projects 

 Being part of the Bostik 2018 bloggers with Tots100 and Merrily Crafts, I was sent some craft items in a box to create this project.

Love Birds~Bostik Challenge

We are already approaching spring but you would not have thought so with the sub zero temperatures that UK have been experiencing recently. I do love the Spring season, the first flowers popping their heads through the frosty ground and the sound of birds chirping in the early morning, almost like they have woken up from a long hibernation.
The Bostik box this month is themed flying and birds, so as always little M my crafting buddy  and I got together one cold Sunday afternoon to play with the items in the box.
We decided to make use of the pretty feathers in the box and make some lovely love bird stick puppets.

Items you will need for the stick puppets are:

1 round Paper plate
Pencil
Scissors
4 Feathers
2 Stickon Eyes
2 Lolly sticks
Bostik, stickon sellotape rounds
Bostik Glue dots
Bostik Glue
Stick on flower decorations
Funky foam  yellow and pink


How to Make the Love Bird Stick Puppets:

1. On the paper plate draw an "S "shape as shown in picture.

2. Cut the shape out so that you have two bird shapes.

3. Cut two triangle shapes for birds beaks from the yellow funky foam.
4. Using the Bostik tape discs stick the beak to the bird.

5. From the funky foam cut out heart shape as shown in picture to make the birds wings.

6. Using the Bostik glue dots stick the feathers on to the birds tail end.
7. On top of the feathers stick on the heart shape to make the birds wing. Stick on the eye.

8. Decorate your love bird with some flower stickers.

9. Turn the bird over and on the back side position the lolly stick and stick it.

The love bird stick puppet is ready for play.

This craft is suitable for young children although, adult supervision may be required for using scissors. If you like this project check the link below for more art and craft projects, that you can do with your children.

Kids Arts and Craft Videos
Kids Arts and Crafts Projects 

 Being part of the Bostik 2018 bloggers with Tots100 and Merrily Crafts, I was sent some craft items in a box to create this project.

Udaipur~India Travels

I have been writing about my travels around Rajasthan India over the last few months. Our next stop after Jaipur and Jodpur was the beautiful city of Udaipur. 

We had a total of two full days to spend in Udaipur. We stayed at the Ramada Udaipur Hotel and Spa, it is outside the city center away from the hustle and bustle. The hotel is beautiful and has a very heritage feel to it. 

We arrived very late to Udaipur so we spent the evening relaxing in the hotel. After a delicious Rajasthani dinner, we enjoyed a lovely Rajasthani Folk show that the hotel had arranged for the guests. It was beautiful and we joined in with the dancing too.

There are many historic and religious places you can visit in Udaipur however if you are limited for time like we were, I would suggest to pick 2-3 key places to visit and enjoy them thoroughly.

The next day after a hearty breakfast, we visited the City palace and Museum in the morning and then took a boat ride on the Lake Pichola with a stopover for lunch/ afternoon tea at Jagmandir palace hotel.The evening we took advantage of the light show before enjoying dinner at a lakeside restaurant.

I am sharing with you a little about the places we visited:

City Palace and Museum:

Built over a period of nearly 400 years, City Palace is situated in the city of Udaipur, Rajasthan. It is a magnificent palace which looks beautiful from outside and is equally interesting from inside. The palace boasts wonderful architecture heritage from the Mewar Dynasty, its traditions, the interior have walls carved with beautiful designs using marble and glass.

Within the palace is a government museum. On show are many antic artefacts, beautiful paintings, rare musical instruments, and exhibits of ancient Gods, silver and gold ornament displays, glass works and much more. To fully understand and enjoy the Mewar history it is recommended to take a guided tour of the palace. Alternatively there is audio tour available in various languages too. 

The ticket price for the palace entrance is 30 rs, however there is an additional charge for the museum entrance and you have to pay extra to take cameras and videos.

The ticket prices are:

Adult 250 rs

Child 100 rs,

Additional charge for camera/video 250 rs,

Guide 250 rs,

Audio guide 200rs

The palace opening times are 9.30am-5.30pm, last entry 4.30pm

Light Show:

In the evening there are two sound and light shows at the palace between 7-8 and 8-9 pm. One is in Hindi and the other is in English, prices vary according to which one you go to, the English one more geared to tourists is more expensive. The charges are:

Adult/Child 150-500rs /100-200rs

Lake Pichola

Lake Pichola is situated in Udaipur city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is named after the nearby Picholi village. The lake is an artificial fresh water lake, created in the year 1362 by Pichhu Banjara during the ruling period of Maharana Lakha. It is set with the perfect backdrop of lush green hills and has and The City Palace of Udaipur stretching along the eastern banks of this lake. 

Along the lake you can also visit the Mohan Mandir which is situated in the north-east corner of Lake Pichola. The picturesque lake is surrounded by hotels and many small rooftop cafes and guest houses. The lake is encased by ghats such as Gangaur Ghat, Lal Ghat, Hanuman Ghat, Ambrai Ghat and many others Ghats. In the southern part of this lake, there is a hill that is known as Machhala Magra and you can see glimpse of Eklinggarh Fort from here.

Lake Pichola comprises of several islands that accompany the calm waters of the lake. On Jag Island you will find the well-known Taj Lake Palace Hotel and also the nearby Jagmandir Island where you will find the Jagmandir Palace, which is now a hotel. Both hotels are beautiful inside and out and are also used as destination wedding venues by the rich and elite.

Above all, a trip to Pichola Lake would be incomplete with a boat ride.You can take a boat ride at any time of the day and there is an option to stop off at Jagmandir Island Palace Hotel before returning back to the city palace. The boat ride is INR 400 before 2 PM and INR 700 per person after 2 PM.

Time permitting, there are many other sightseeing places you can visit in Udaipur some of them are:

Temples:

Eklingji Temple

Srinathji Temple

Saas-Bahu Temple

Rishabhdeo Jain Temple

Palaces:

Fateh Prakash Palace

Kumbhalgarh Fort

Lakes:

Lake Fatehsagar

Jaisamand Lake

Wild life and Parks:

Sajjangarth Wildlife Sanctuary

Museums:

Bagore ki Haveli

Maharana Pratap Museum

Crystal Gallery

We spent our second day in Udaipur shopping. You will find beautiful Rajasthani meenakari item, colorful textiles, gemstone paintings, oxidized silver & copper items, Pichwai & miniature paintings, sculptures, panels, paintings, and other item in marble stone. Costume jewellery, lac bangles and jhoothis (embroidered shoes) are a must purchase as they are beautiful. We particularly like the mirror work cushions and bed spreads and also the colorful Bandani sarees and ethnic wear. There are many bazaars and markets dotted around and you will be mesmerized with the beautiful and colorful Rajasthani  artefacts and the shopping experience is one not to be missed.

Our next destination from Udaipur is Mount Abu which I will feature in my next post.

 To read about my other posts in the India Travels series see the links below.

10 Essentials to carry in your hand luggage.

Top 15 India travel Tips
Haridwar

Rishikesh

Jaipur
Choki Dhani Jaipur

Jodpur

Globenfeld Watch~ Review and Giveaway

Valentines day has just gone and now I have my partners birthday coming up soon. It's so difficult to know what presents to buy him as he has every imaginable gadget that anyone can have. Keeping this in mind I tend to buy him cloths and accessories and activity packages.

This year I am buying him a Shirt, a matching tie, some cuff links ,tie pin and a watch. My partner is fussy when it comes to watches, he does like them to be chunky and solid looking. My search for a watch led me to the Super sport Globenfeld Watch.The Globenfeld watch fits all the criteria he likes in a watch. Sturdy, Smart and Sleek.

The watch has a scratch resistant mineral crystal glass front that keeps the case protected. It includes a dual analogue/digital display, 12/24 time formats, alarm with chime, stopwatch/timer with lap/reset, and back light function for night vision.

It has a dial framed within a contrasting Tachymeter. It also features steel arrow hands and 3 windowed dials. The Super Sport Globenfeld White 2.0 features a simple to adjust metal band that is solid and supports the overall watch face extremely well.

The watch retails at £59.99 and definitely offers great value for money, furthermore it comes with a 5 year guarantee. Globenfeld also offer a no quibble 60 day money back guarantee if you are not satisfied with the product.

Overall the watch is solid, smart and extremely durable and suitable for smart or casual wear.It comes in a stylish grey presentation box and would make a wonderful gift for the man in your life.

**In collaboration with Globenfeld

Globenfeld have been extremely generous and they have agreed to giveaway one watch to one citrusspice reader.

How to enter:

Simply enter the giveaway using  the Gleam widget below, leaving a blog comment is mandatory part of the entry.The winner will be notified by email once the competition ends.

• Prize Super sport Globenfeld Watch
• This competition is open to UK residents only over 18 years of age. Please read the rules below .
• Leaving a blog comment is mandatory and failure to do so will void any other entries.
• Closing date -  11th March 2018 12 am

Win a Globenfeld Super Sport Men's Watch #1

Easter Bunnies~ Bostik Challenge

The  Bostik Box for March is Easter themed, it has a lot of Easter themed cut outs, chicks ,eggs and buttons. It certainly looks like a fun box. As always the arrival of the Bostik box means that its time for Little M  my crafting partner to visit. On Sunday little M arrived to spend the afternoon with me. We went for a walk around the aquadrome and fed the ducks as the weather was bright and sunny although a little cold. After feeding the ducks it started to drizzle, typical British weather so we ran to shelter at the little coffee shop at the aquadrome.
We both had steaming cups of hot chocolate to warm us up and enjoyed a yummy slice of cake before we returned home to do some crafting.

Little M looked through  the box and we decided to make some Easter bunnies. You can see how we made them in the post below.

Equipment you will need:

To make three rabbits

3 Polystyrene Easter Eggs
Three different colour ribbons 9 inches in length to make bows
Funky foam in yellow, pink and green (for feet)
White card (for ears)
Pink, yellow and green paper (for ears)
Bostik Glue
Bostik Glue dots
Scissors
Pencil
Felt tip pens black, yellow, green and pink

How to make:

1.On the funky foam draw and cut out the rabbits feet as shown in the photograph , Cut 3 one of each colour.

2. Draw an teardrop shape on the white card and cut out 6, two for each rabbit.
3. Draw another teardrop shape smaller than the first on the pink, green and yellow paper cut out two of each colour.

4. Using the Bostik glue stick the smaller teardrop shape as shown in the photo onto the white card, you should now have two yellow, two pink and two green ears.

5. Using the glue dots, attach the wider part of the polystyrene egg to sit on the rabbits feet.
6. Using the Bostik glue dots attach the ears to the top end of the egg to make the ears.

7. Tie three small bows from the ribbons and stick them using  glue dots between the rabbits ears.

8. Using a back felt tip pen draw eyes and nose for the rabbits face.
9. Using coloured pens draw the mouth.

This craft is suitable for young children although, adult supervision may be required for using scissors. If you like this project check the link below for more art and craft projects, that you can do with your children.

Kids Arts and Craft Videos
Kids Arts and Crafts Projects 

 Being part of the Bostik 2018 bloggers with Tots100 and Merrily Crafts, I was sent some craft items in a box to create this project.

Make your own Heart Bunting for Valentines day ~Bostik Challenge

In my last Bostik Challenge post I showed you how to make a valentines card with your kids. Using some more of the craft items I had left over I am creating a Valentines Bunting to hang up. It's easy to make and looks really lovely pinned onto the garden fence or on a bedroom wall.
This pretty bunting only requires scraps of coloured card, string and some baby clothes pegs and within a jiffy you will have this awesome bunting.

To make the bunting you will need:

Scrap sheets of patterned card
Heat shaped template
Pencil
Scissors
Bostik Glue
hear shaped stickets
1 metre of string
12 Baby clothes pegs

To see how I made the bunting do check this video below:

 This craft is suitable for young children although, adult supervision may be required for using scissors. If you like this project check the link below for more art and craft projects, that you can do with your children.
Kids Arts and Craft Videos
Kids Arts and Crafts Projects 

 Being part of the Bostik 2018 bloggers with Tots100 and Merrily Crafts, I was sent some craft items in a box to create this project.

Valentines Card to make with young Kids ~ Bostik challenge

For the last two years I have been part of the Bostik Bloggers craft challenges. For those who are reading my post for the first time, this is like a monthly subscription of craft box where each month the item that arrive are specific to a theme. The idea is to create some themed craft with youngsters using the item supplied in the box. We always work a month ahead so that if any of you readers want to recreate our crafts for the occasion you have plenty of time. Each month my little crafting buddy Little M and I make different items and share them on this blog. It's a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon and get crafting.

I have again signed up to the Bostik bloggers 2018 challenges for another year as Little M and I have so much fun together making crafty things. From our  December/January box we made Chinese New Year lanterns and Chinese New Year calendar for the upcoming Chinese new year this  Feb 2018. It is a wonderful to introduce other cultures to your children through craft.

For January the Bostik box is Valentine themed ready for February, however our Bostik box went on a grand tour of the UK post office sorting offices and finally it arrived  a little late but safely. You will still have time to recreate the card in plenty of time before valentines day as its really simple to make.

On Sunday Little M  arrived to spend the afternoon with me.We made our smoothie in our Optimum 9400 blender, which as always is the way we start our crafting session. Little M wanted today's smoothie to be pinky red colour  so we made Melon, Purple Carrot and  Beetroot smoothie.

Little M was really fascinated with the purple carrot as she had never seen one before. She kept asking how the carrot got its purple colour from and to be honest I too did not know so anyone who is a gardening expert please do let us know in the comments below how purple carrots come about!!!! :)

After we enjoyed the smoothie, we made some strawberries dipped in chocolate for her to take as a gift for her mum and dad.

To make the chocolate strawberries, I melted the milk chocolate and white chocolate in separate bowls and let little M carefully dip the strawberries in the chocolate and then dipped the chocolate covered strawberries into some edible sprinkles. We set the dipped strawberries on parchment paper on a tray and put them in the fridge to set. Such an easy task yet makes wonderful edible gifts.
Chocolate dipped strawberries all ready we set about making our pretty valentine card using all the craft items supplied in the Bostik box so that she could give it to her parents with the edible treats.

For the card you will need:

A blank white card folded in half.
Pink patterned card
Brown ready cut out heart
An envelope that will fit the card.
2 mini paper roses
Stick on heart stickers

How to make the card:

1. Cut a square out of the patterned paper slightly smaller than the front of the card and glue it on to the white card.

2. Peel and stick Bostik Glue dots onto the brown card  heart cutout and stick to the patterned card.

3. Twist the stems of the two mini roses to make one. Position on top of the brown heart and stick on with glue dots where the rose buds are. Peel and stick a decorative heart to the stems to secure to the card.

4. At the bottom left corner of the envelope peel and stick a matching decorative heart. Your card is now ready for gifting.

NB- You can use any card combination and personalise the card with any type of stickers, buttons or drawings. 

This craft is suitable for young children although, adult supervision may be required for using scissors.

If you like this project check the link below for more art and craft projects, that you can do with your children.

Kids Arts and Craft Videos
Kids Arts and Crafts Projects

Being part of the Bostik 2018 bloggers with Tots100 and Merrily Crafts, I was sent some craft items in a box to create this project.