Toy House

Young children always seem to play with lots of small toys, as opposed to one big toy. My six year old in particular likes to play with army toys, and, as a result, has a growing number of little army men, tanks and helicopters.

In order to restore a bit of tidyness into his bedroom, I decided to make him a thrifty 'home' for these. The material I used were an old shoe box, a pair of scissors and some army tape - bought from an army surplus store (but also available on eBay).

I simply wrapped the box in the tape, to cover the pink writing. I also cut a whole into the side of the box for the men to climb in and out of. It took about five minutes to make, but looks really effective.

Easy Peasy Baking

I love to bake with my six year old son, but to keep his attention recipes need to be short and easy to follow. So I thought I'd share with you my three favourite bakes for people with little time and a sweet tooth!

Marshmallow Fudge
These take hardly any time to prepare and you can add your own extra flavours. Try replacing the milk with Baileys, mix in some cocoa powder, or add a dollop or two of peanut butter.

450g icing sugar
100g marshmallows
100g butter
2 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

• Grease a baking tin or line with baking paper
• Cut marshmallows in half and put in a saucepan with butter, milk and vanilla.
• Gently heat until everything has melted.
• Sift icing sugar into the warm mix, stir well and then pour into baking tin.
• Leave to harden in the fridge.

Cookie Monster Bites
These are literally the simpliest cakes to make with the minimalist of effort. Kudos to my friend Kelly for the idea.

100g softened butter
200g icing sugar
Desiccated coconut
Blue food colouring
Chocolate buttons
Chocolate chip cookies

• Cream the butter and icing sugar to make butter icing.
• Add the coconut and food colouring and mix together well.
• Roll into golf ball sized balls, pressing in a dent or the mouth and leave to set in the fridge.
• Then decorate with chocolate buttons as eyes and chocolate chip cookies in the mouth.

Mini Truffles
225g choloclate
4tbsp double cream
1 tsp vanilla essence
Hundreds and thousands/ Cocoa powder

• Melt chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water.
• Add cream and stir well.
• Leave to cool for 20minutes then add the vanilla essence.
• Put the mixture in the fridge for an hour and a half.
• When cool roll into small balls and decorate by either dipping into hundreds and thousands or dusting with cocoa powder

Handmade 2012: A Mouse House

Goodnight Mrs Mouse. Goodnight baby Mouse... Ok ok, so they're not mice. Clearly they are some kind of dog/ bear Sylvanian Family. Regardless, this a simple homemade present to melt the heart of any little girl.

To start with, you need a box. I used a small (about 4" x 4") gift box I found in my craft trunk. I then lined the box with some pretty wrapping paper.

For the duvet, I used two pieces of scrap material, sandwiched a small amount of wadding in the middle and sewed it shut. The same method was used for the pillow, in a co-ordinating fabric.

 All that is needed now is the mouse (or other animal) to live in the house. The result? A simple, thrifty gift.

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: Father's Day Present Ideas

With Father's Day just around the corner, I've been thinking of present ideas that my little one and I can make for the various dad figures in our lives. In my experience, a handmade present is always more gratefully received on such occasions as it shows more thought has gone into personalising the day. So if you're stuck for thrifty inspiration, look no further!

Earlier this year I made several superhero outfits for some of my son's friends. Why not adapt this idea and sew a cape on a tee shirt for your dad.

Simply cut your chosen fabric to size, pin on to the tee shirt, and then sew into place. You could even use fabric pens/paints to design a Superdad motif on the front. He'll love running around the garden pretending to be a superhero. You could even buy him a new pair of pants and make him wear them over his trousers!

Or why not upcycle some cufflinks? For my friend Jim's birthday recently I bought a pair of basic cufflinks fastenings and personalised them. I used a glue gun to attach scrabble tiles of his initials to each cufflink. But Lego pieces, buttons or old coins would work equally well. Poundland are currently selling cufflinks for £1 so this would be a very cheap but lovely gift for the dad in your life.

Another easy present idea would be to make them a cork notice board, using cork's from wine bottles. When I made mine a few years ago I collected corks over about two months, but I've now realised you can buy the corks from home brewing shops and online.

All that is needed is to buy a large-ish photo frame and a piece of card to fit in it. Then glue the corks onto the card. Maybe attach a photo of the two of you with a pin, as a nice finishing touch.

For a lovely handmade present from the little ones, get arty. My son has just made some Jackson Pollock inspired photo frames for friends of his. Using plain wooden photo frames, he splattered different coloured paints over them. I think the frames cost £1.20 for a pack of three from Ikea. This technique would also work well to decorate a 'man box' for dad's, to keep their odds and ends in. S.C.R.A.P blog has some useful tips for this.

Photo taken from S.C.R.AP. blog

I would love to hear about any more 'man' present ideas you've had. Drop me an email at Thrift-Queen@hotmail.co.uk or Tweet me @QueenThrift and have fun making!

Summer Poundland Bargains

 After the success of the Thrift-Queen's 2011 post 'Winter Poundland Bargains', a summer version seems a must. My favourite seasonal products include:

• Union Flag decorations - for the Queen's jubilee and the olympics
• Kids outdoor summer toys - waterguns, frisbee's etc
• Disoposable BBQ's - *mega bargain*

Handmade 2012: Bunting

I love bunting. Perfect for garden parties, presents for little one's, and we even have it strung up in our bedroom. Plus, it is a fabulously thirfty way to use up scraps of fabric and brightens up any space.

bedroom bunting

My top tip? Don't be too bothered about getting the triangles all the same size, it'll make it look too uniformed. Just judge it as you go.

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!

Handmade 2012: Kids Detective Box

WANTED: An easy, cheap and fun handmade kids present.

Why not make a detective kit. All young children love to play spy, so help fuel their imagination with this simple and thrifty box of goodies.

ideas of items to include

Here are some photo's of the contents of the detective box:

outline Chalks, cotton bud [swab sticks], finger print ink pads and binoculars

I made a secret storage book by carving out the inside of an old boring history book. 

finger print lifting kit - corn flour in a travel size make-up pot, a make-up  'dusting' brush and some sellotape for lifting the prints.

all good detective's must carry a notepad

Handmade 2012: Monster Bookmarks

I'm moving house next week, and in packing up my books, I found a copy of 'The Island'. Although a thoroughly good read, it isn't actually my book! I borrowed it from my sister in law at least a year ago and had obviously failed to return it (sorry Megan).

As an apology I made her a cute little monster bookmark. I simply cut off the corner of an envelope, raided my son's craft box and decorated! Simple, thrifty and a fun craft for all ages.

Have Yourself A Very Thrifty Christmas: Stockings

PANIC NOT! It's not too late for a few cheap stocking fillers to be purchased. I personally think no stocking is complete without a bag of chocolate coins and a satsuma. But for those of you who are looking for more adventurous, yet thrifty inspiration, there are some great websites who are still accepting guaranteed Christmas delivery.

 
Stocking-fillers.co.uk sell an amazing variety of cheap Christmas gifts and Christmas essentials. They have price brackets as low as £1 and under, perfect if you have kids, or even for the 'big kids' in your life! Their last order date is 4pm on Thursday 22nd December.

For those of you looking for more class, less tack, a couple of years ago, The Guardian compiled a list of the best Christmas gifts for less than £5. I would also recommend Find Me A Gift who have a very good 'Secret Santa' section. They also are accepting orders until 4pm on Thursday 22nd December.

Or why not get truely thrifty and make your own stockings? This step by step Guide is even suitable for sewing novices.

Have Yourself A Very Thrifty Christmas: Decorations

Looking to save money this Christmas? Look no further thanks to the Thrift-Queen's thrifty Christmas tips, starting with decorating.

When decorating your house, it's important to remember less is more. It is easy to get caught up in the spirit of Christmas and end up having to live in a glitter-tastic, sparkling frenzied house. But equally, decorating doesn't have to be elaborate or expensive to look fabulous. Some people like to decorate the whole house - inside and out - whilst others decorate one room or only the tree. Whatever your preference, avoid the wrath of the recession and get thrifty. Below are my top three thrifty tips to achieve a beautiful, yet inexpensive, festive home.

• Be Natural: Add some free natural cheer to your home. Use ivy to wind round your banisters or drape over the mantelpiece. Pine cones make excellent Christmas tree decorations. For a more elegant look, they can be sprayed silver or gold. Or why not fill a bowl with them as a simple table centre piece. Tree branches arranged in a tall vase can look stunning as a decoration or as a Christmas tree alternative. Add colour and hang some pretty baubles on them.
• Get Kid Creative: If you have young children in your family, encourage them to help with decorating the house. Make paper-chains, use empty toilet rolls to make fairies and cut snowflakes out of paper. You could even let them loose with a can of fake snow to spray window. Disney's Family Craft website is an excellent source for cheap and easy Christmas decoration ideas. My favourite is Santa's list, with a twist; using a painted thread spool (see below.)

•  Make Existing Decor Seasonal: At Christmas I like to make other things in my house look festive. I decorate candles and mirrors with tartan ribbon, and add candy canes to fruit bowls or scatter them on my dressing table. Instead of a table runner, I alternate candles and either pine cones or nuts in a line. It makes the table look festive yet elegant. When I bake, I make Christmas shaped cookies and display them on a cake stand in the kitchen. The key aspect of this thrifty method of decorating is to use what you have and dress it up with either garland, ribbon, pretty beads or some other Christmassy items.

Hello Again

Hello again Thrift-Queen readers, apologies for my blogging absence. In the past ten days I have had an offer accepted on a beautiful new house and I've also organised and hosted my son's 6th Harry Potter themed birthday party (I feel old). Which was a roaring success.

New thrifty related posts coming soon 'Moving House Doesn't Have To Cost The Earth' and 'DIY Children's Birthday Party For Less Than £60'.

Freebies: Free Race Day for Armed Forces

On Sunday 20th November, 2011, Exeter Racecourse are holding a FREE race day for members of the armed forces. There are 2000 free places available on a first come, first served basis. The event, which is a fundraiser for Help For Heroes, has been named the BAFFTAS (The British Armed Forces Families Thanks & Awareness Sunday). More information on the event is available at The East Midlands Reserve Forces Website.

Families are welcome to accompany members and each free entry will be entitled to bring a guest for just £7.50 (half-price) and children under 17 years will have free entry too. There will be six races to watch and many other activities to participate in.

To reserve free tickets (subject to availability) or take advantage of pre-booking discounts, book online via Exeter Racecourse using promotion code EXEH4HNOV20. Military ID or British Legion Membership will then have to be presented with ticket on arrival to guarantee free entry.

The Thrift-Queen recommends as it's free and for a worthwhile cause.

Freebies: The Sun Newspaper - FREE LEGO!

The Thrift-Queen's top tip for this week: every day The Sun newspaper is giving away a free Lego toy on purchase of the paper. It started on Saturday with a star wars Lego set and suffice to say I had a very happy five year old child. Yes, it meant lowering my standards considerably [in buying The Sun], but free Lego? Yes please!

Alphabet Accessory

 

When your child has outgrown their alphabet building blocks, why not re-use their forgotten treasures to make your own unique and thrifty word displays. You could spell out 'Noel' for the mantelpiece at Christmas, or use them for a feature in your bathroom with the word 'Relax' spelt out. Display words can be quite expensive in the shops so save yourself money and make your home style-savvy.

Top Five Free Hobbies

"Beware the hobby that eats." Benjamin Franklin

About six months ago, it occurred to me that many of my favourite hobbies were generally costing me more than I could afford. Snowboarding, pole dancing classes and theatre trips were leaving me with limited funds, so I set about trying to replace them with free or virtually free new hobbies. My top five thrifty favourites are as follows:

1. Thrifty sports and exercise. Such as hiking, football, walking/running, darts, tennis, skateboarding, basketball and cycling.
2. Music. Re-learn or teach yourself to play an instrument. Attend gigs for 'up-and-coming' bands. Less notoriety = cheaper tickets.
3. Cooking and baking. Challenging, cheap and child-friendly.
4. Blogging. Share your passion and give yourself a voice.
5. Arts and crafts [see previous article Get The Crafting Bug]. Or why not take up knitting, sewing, painting or photography.

Do you have any recommendations for cheap yet fun hobbies I could try? Leave me a comment or email me at thrift-queen@hotmail.co.uk

So Long Summer

The evenings are darker, the kids are back at school and the post-summer holidays blues have kicked in. Sounds like a perfect time to get thriftful.

Sell any summer clothes or accessories that you no longer want on Ebay  or Gumtree, late summer holiday go-ers will snap them up. But don't go crazy for Autumn/Winter clothes just yet. Get style-savvy and save yourself money by updating your favourite summer clothes for the cooler weather. To a pretty summer dress, try adding a pair of leggings and a mac. Or team your favouite shorts with tights and a wool knit jumper. Reinvention is the key to thriftful wardrobe sucess!

If you have children, hit the pre Autumn/Winter sales and buy the next size up clothes for them to wear next summer. Similarily, maybe you could partake in a car boot sale for any outdoor toys your kids no longer play with/ have grown out of. As for their school packed lunches, instead of buying pre packaged single serve items, use tupperware or other reusable containers. It will save money in the long run. My five year old son's favourite lunch time snack is humous and cucumber/carrot sticks. Easy and cheap. But don’t forget, lunch boxes aren’t just for kids. Taking your leftovers to work the next day will also help save money.

The beginning of autumn is a good time to get thriftfully prepared for the change in season. Shop around using a price comparison site to check you're getting the best possible deal on your services, such as gas and electricity. Some companies are introducing fix rate payments over the next couple of years, and with fuel costs predicted to rise it's a good time to be prepared. As for Christmas, now is the perfect time to start shopping for gifts to help spread the cost. Plan for your next trip abroad and invest in a set of portable digital luggage scales. A good quality set will set you back a mere £15 and as http://www.digital-luggage-scales.co.uk/ notes, "for every kilo you are over your bag allowance it could set you back at least £7.50 with some long haul flights even charging £30 per kg extra". Thriftful preparation at it's best.

Babysitting Circle

THE PROBLEM: Wanting (needing) an evening out when you have small children, but not being able to afford the astronomical babysitting fee's.

THE SOLUTION: Start a babysitting circle.

THE LOWDOWN: Ask around at you child's school/ nursery/ playgroup etc, for others who would like to join. Typically, everyone in the group has a set amount of tokens (say eight one-hour cards and eight half-hour cards). You save tokens when you babysit for other people and you use them to 'pay' with when you want to go out, child-free, yourselves. At the end of each session, the hirers pay by cards in hours and half hours to the nearest time. After midnight double payment incurs.

THE BENEFITS: Save yourself money, be thriftful and make good friends. Plus, if your child wakes up, it's to a familiar face.