Handmade 2012: Dinosaur Tail

the finished dino tail - modelled by my six year old

Roooaaaarrr! Fancy a change from giving tacky plastic toys? A dinosaur tail makes the perfect handmade present for toddlers to race around the house wearing!

the materials

I got the idea to make this from my new favourite website tipjunkie.com - which is where you'll find all the instructions. It took about half an hour to make, and I drafted my mum in to help me (thanks mum). The fabric cost approximately £10, but that's because I chose really thick material so I didn't have to 'double up' as tipjunkie suggests.

You could easily modify the tail. Why not use an old fleece for the spikes to give it some texture, or make it for a girl and sew with pretty Cath Kidston fabrics.

Handmade 2012: Bandana Bibs

If like me, you have lots of friends and family with small children, then you have just stumbled across a lovely gift for them. Bandana bibs are stylish yet practical. I always thinks it is a shame to see little ones in beautiful outfits, only to be ruined by an ugly bib. But the best bit? Bandana bibs are really easy to make!

They have two layers, cotton to absorb - ideal for a raid through the offcuts bin in your local haberdashery (hello Cath Kidston); and towelling to prevent anything soaking through to the little one's clothes.

Bandana bib template

I find it easiest to make a template, but after that it's quite straight forward to make. Simply cut to size and sew your chosen cotton to the towelling. Then add a fastening to the ends. Some people use poppers, but I prefer velcro for the ease of sewing.

Velcro fastening

Bandana bibs make ideal presents, albeit to new born babies or toddlers, and they're thrifty to boot!

Budget Cath Kidston Wallpaper

 I LOVE all things Cath Kidston, but I find a lot of her products to be quite expensive. But panic not! A British wallpaper company, Eden, make a range of purse friendly wallpapers called Millie which have a charming likeness to some of Cath Kidston's most sought after designs, but for over half the price!

There are several websites that stock these style-savvy designs. One of my favourites, wallpapersandborders.co.uk sell the above featured Red/Cream Rose Millie Flower for an amazingly thrifty £10.99 per roll. It would make a beautiful vintage feature in any room. For fans of the floral look, I've found that Focus DIY sell a variety Millie wallpapers, including Millie Blue, which features small red roses on a sky blue background.

The Thrift-Queen also recommends the website wallpaperdirect, which sell a few varieties of Millie wallpaper. Specifically, they do an exact copy of Cath Kidston's now discontinued blue polka dot wallpaper, Blue Spot for £15.99 per roll. So now there is no excuse not to have beautiful rooms on a budget.