What to put in a child's craft kit and where to buy craft supplies

What to Put in a Child’s Craft Box

May 21, 2019July 1, 20216 Comments

What should I put in my child’s craft box? Being the owner of Made By Me Craft Parties my children have access to a whole room full of craft supplies and as a result, they’re eager recipients of my cast-offs! But what do you do if you’re just starting out? What on earth do you buy to set up your children with art and craft supplies and start their first craft kit?

Here’s a list of things I think are perfect items for your kit;

Felt tips/coloured pencils
Little Brian Paint Sticks (For toddlers and younger kids – these are AMAZING!)
Plain white card
Coloured paper
Stickers
Glitter (if you can bare it!) Eco glitter is even better.
Beads
Pipe cleaners
Sticky foam shapes and gems
Washi tape (paper Sellotape)
PVA glue
Pritt Stick glue
Scissors (age dependent)
Lollypop sticks
Apron for younger kids
Small pop up bin or similar
Watercolour paints for older kids and paint brushes

Where to buy craft supplies?

It can be an expensive lark getting all these supplies together if you’re just starting out. So don’t rush off to the expensive craft stores, besides, with a little bit of time and thought you can put together a kit for very little cost.

Firstly, if you have a Scrapstore near you, this is an excellent place to start. You can buy a bag or box of scrap for a few pounds and fill it with ribbon, wool, paper, card, embellishments, boxes and random bits and bobs for modelling. Scrapstores often have a shelf of art supplies for sale, such as paints and glue that are good value.

Secondly, consider a trip to the likes of Poundland, Wilkinsons, The Range and even Lidl or Aldi. The art range at Ikea is also fantastic and well priced and of course you can pick up lots of bits online at ebay and Amazon.

You won’t be able to get all the supplies in one place, but you can certainly pick up a few bargains on your travels to get you on your way. Just choose your materials carefully if you’re buying for older children, it’s worth investing a bit more money into their paint brushes and paper.

Finally, you can find ready-made boxes of crafts in lots of the supermarkets and craft stores and these are well worth buying as a birthday present. Besides, you can then add to them as and when you see any bits you like.

Organising Craft Supplies

Once you’ve bought all your goodies, there are lots of ways to organise them. Check out my blog post on how to store children’s craft supplies, which gives you lots of ideas for craft storage and making crafting accessible for your children.

I hope you’re inspired on what to put in your child’s craft box, what else would you add? Have you found a hidden gem to purchase your craft supplies from? I’d love to know in the comments.

Photos were taken by Samantha Prewett Photography

PS. Some of these links are affiliate links, which means I earn a little bit of money if you make a purchase – thank you for your support. x

Ker Pow!

June 16, 2016February 26, 2020Leave a comment

It’s been ages since I last blogged, but I promise you I’ve been beavering away running craft parties and coming up with new designs and themes for you (not sunning myself in the South of France …sigh).

First up is the superhero cuff. Of course, boys like crafting too and I’m keen to include lots of party options for them. Keep an eye out for my Superhero ‘Capes, cuffs and masks’ party option which is coming soon, but for the meantime, the cuffs have been added into the Craft Mania Party. If you’ve a mix of boys and girls you could choose to have a mixed activity of crowns and cuffs.

I’d also like to introduce my Catching the Sun and Casing your Dreams party. Sun catchers are a lovely option for craft parties, especially in the summer. I’ll provide all the beautiful materials to produce a masterpiece that can be treasured for years to come. The children will be able to add pom poms, tassels and ribbons to their creations to give them extra wow.

So that’s a taster of some ideas I’ve been working on, I hope you like them. What would your child choose to make if they had a craft party? I’d love to hear from you and discuss your party needs, you can contact me at lexy@madebymeparties.co.uk

My Little Pony Party – All the fun and games!

November 26, 2015February 26, 2020Leave a comment

I recently hosted a My Little Pony Party for my daughter Izzy. You can read all about the party theme and décor over on my previous post. I’d now like to share with you the details of the fun and games.

As the My Little Pony Party had quite a few young guests I decided not to do a craft activity this time, but in the usual Made By Me style, I wanted to make the games a bit unusual!

We warmed up with a disco and some musical statues and bumps just to get the party started and swiftly moved onto Cloud Blowing.

The opening credits of My Little Pony show the ponies on a hot air balloon in the clouds and Rainbow Dash is a Pegasus (for those of you not in the know!) so a cloud blowing game fitted perfectly! I lined the children up on one side of the hall behind a pre-marked line and gave them each a straw and cotton wool ball (the cloud). The aim of the game is to blow the ‘cloud’ across the hall to the finish line using only the straw. It was very funny and a real hit.

Cloud Blowing game

We finished off the party with a quieter game of My Little Pony Bingo after the party tea as the children were getting quite lively. This meant the children went home slightly calmer (and I hear they were all shattered).

While the games were going on we also had Rarity’s Beauty Boutique where the party guests could get their faces painted with cutie marks and mini temporary tattoos.

Rarity’s beauty station

The photo booth was very popular (especially with the boys!). I provided a basket of fancy dress and created a gorgeous backdrop of a giant silver cloud with a rainbow of hearts dangling down. I was so pleased with how the photos turned out.

Photo booth fun!

You may have noticed that the birthday girl wasn’t wearing any old dress. I had planned on buying a new party dress but apparently that was too easy ;). My daughter wanted a more fancy dress feel to her outfit, so I got the tulle out and went for it! She was delighted with the end result.

Rainbow Dash tulle dress and headband

Izzy’s actual birthday was on a Monday and she had mentioned that she would like to wear a 6 badge to school. Sadly she reminded me at 5pm on the Sunday and I had totally forgotten (oops). So I had to raid the craft room, where I used a few of my glitter and ribbon scraps to put together this beautiful badge. I was so pleased with the final result I plan to offer these up for sale. Isn’t it funny how new ideas and products can sometimes come along by accident?

When my daughter asked for a My Little Pony party, I have to admit I was a bit disappointed with the theme choice. But over the last few months I’ve developed a bit of a soft spot for these brightly coloured crazy ponies!

** UPDATE **
You can read all about Eliza’s My Little Pony themed craft party over at the Chelsea Mamma blog.

My Little Pony Party – The Little Details

November 12, 2015July 15, 20205 Comments

A Rainbow Pony Party

I styled and hosted a My Little Pony Party for my daughter’s 6th birthday and it was so much fun! I must admit, I’ve never been a big fan of character birthday parties and all the branded gear that goes with them. So I took the MLP theme but added a huge dose of rainbow decorations and added the occasional branded ballon or napkin.

Party Decorations

The decorations were all themed around Rainbow Dash and her rainbow mane. So lots of bright bunting, streamers, tissue paper pom-pom clouds, and table confetti were the order of the day. I was particularly pleased with the rainbow we created, with the simple use of crepe streamers (although it did put my brother through slight trauma trying to get it all even to fit the gap).

The Party Table

I decorated the party table with a plain white table cloth and sprinkled large tissue paper circle confetti down the middle. I used rainbow and My Little Pony napkins and found these awesome plastic bottles with straws from Home Bargains. They were so good as there were no drinks spillages and I can use them again. I finished the look with a few foil balloons.

Rainbow Pony Party Tea

For the party tea, I used cardboard lunchboxes from Party Delights and they were so effective! They saved a lot of time and there was a lot less wastage. Inside I put 2 finger sandwiches, a yoghurt tube, a small packet of raisins, and I found some cute cardboard muffin pots to put a few cocktail sausages and sausage rolls.

Sweet Treats and the Cake

Dessert was a selection of small cakes, some great rainbow cupcakes and these brilliant rice crispie cakes lollies that I found on the Capture By Lucy blog. My daughter absolutely loved making them for her friends.

Cake collage — Beautiful rainbow cup cakes, easy cake pops and a Rainbow Dash masterpiece!

The birthday cake was made by a good friend and inside there were layers of rainbow sponge (I was so busy running around at the party, consequently I didn’t get a photo of that).

Party Favours

As you might already know, I like to make party favours a bit different (without spending a fortune). Befitting of the rainbow theme we gave each party goer a small tin of rainbow paints (from Amazon) and a strip of rainbow laces wrapped in a belly band of pretty paper and a thank you tag.

Craft Parties and DIY Party Kits

Finally, if you’re local to Dorset, you can book a Pony Craft Party with me. If you’re not local or want a small party, I’ve created a beautiful DIY rainbow pony craft kit, perfect for a DIY craft party at home or as a gift for a horse-crazy child.

Want to learn more? see what Chelsea Mamma thought about my MLP craft party making manes, tails and decorating pencil cases.

Pony craft kit, including pony mane and tail making and pencil case decorating

I had a ball planning and designing this party and the birthday girl had such fun! Find out all about the party games and activities here.
Friendship is magic … (as the My Little Pony motto goes!)…

Unique and beautiful party decorations

May 14, 2015May 14, 2015Leave a comment

Since I started up Made By Me Craft Parties it’s amazed me how many people want something a little bit unique and special for their celebration events. I thought it would be nice to share some of my commissions and inspire you lovely people!

First up, and quite possibly my favourite so far is my pin wheel commission. The Students’ Union at Bournemouth University contacted me about designing and making something special for their centrepieces for an awards ceremony. This is what I came up with; it’s fun, fitting for an awards ceremony and reflects the seaside location too! These would also look fabulous at a wedding in pastel colours.

Bunting seems to have struck a cord in many people’s hearts for a while now and I’ve made up lots of bespoke paper bunting this year.

My mini bunting makes a perfect party bag gift and has been a best seller. It comes beautifully packaged and can be personalised and themed however you want.

I really enjoy pulling whole parties together, this spectacle themed party was one of my most challenging briefs to date, but I think it works beautifully. I sourced a cake and balloons before creating paper bunting and this gorgeous photo booth prop jar. I bet hours of fun was had with the beards and glasses!

I do love a good party and I’m looking forward to my next challenge! If you would like me to create bespoke party decorations for a party you are planning, please get in touch with your ideas at lexy@madebymeparties.co.uk.

Made By Me: making craft parties special

February 9, 2015October 4, 2017Leave a comment

Planning a party can be a stressful and expensive business and the choice of themes and activites out there is mind boggling! A craft party gives people a chance to bond, relax and create something a little bit different to take home.

So, who am I? My name is Lexy and I’m a crafty (not like a fox!), mother of 2, a born planner, organiser and fun loving too. I’ve made my own greetings cards since I was a child and have tried my hand at loads of different crafts; I’ve sewn, beaded, painted, stuck, cut and glittered my way through life and have loved every minute!

A Made by Me craft party is all about having fun and creating something fabulous! I can teach a new skill or create craft activities to fit a theme of a party, for example decorating a castle for a princess party or making hot air balloons for a balloon party.

So who are the parties for?
My aim is to spread the love of crafting and my parties can be tailored to fit any age and ability. Children’s birthday parties are an obvious choice, but lets be honest, adults love to get creative too, so I offer activities for team building events, hen parties and baby showers. Or how about keeping the kids entertained at a wedding or as part of the entertainment at a summer festival?

What crafts can we do?
The craft parties include crafts such as pencil case decorating, tote bag decorating, decopatch (decorating paper mache shapes), tutu making, castle decorating, card making, paper bunting and bird boxes, notebook decorating, crown and mask making, ceramic money box painting and the list is always growing! I can match the activities to any theme and colours.

What’s included in a Made By Me Craft party?
I want your experience to be as stress free and enjoyable as possible, I will run a craft party to suit your interests, needs and theme and make it age appropriate.
I can also do a mixture of party games, face painting and crafts for younger children.
I’ll bring all the craft materials, aprons for the younger children and a table cloth.
I’ll clean up afterwards and make sure everyone goes home with something to be proud of!
You can even use many of the craft items your guests produce as part of the party bag/favour. How about filling the decorated pencil cases or tote bags with a few sweets or a small notebook and pen?

What makes Made By Me special?
The reviews and testimonials I’ve received speak for themselves, but you can count on me to listen to your needs and requirements and create a bespoke service just for you. If you can’t see what you want on my website, just ask me if I can help.
I think attention to detail makes all the difference, so I’ll make sure the art materials are laid out beautifully and the party will have a bespoke welcome sign too.

How can I book a party or a service offered by Made By Me?
Simply call me on 07779 870183 or email me at Lexy@madebymeparties.co.uk with your party date, requirements and theme (if you have one) and we can take it from there!

Thanks for reading and I hope I can create a crafty party for you soon 🙂

Frozen Party Ideas – Icy Decorations, Pretty Invitations and Yummy Favours

January 5, 2015July 7, 2020Leave a comment

For my daughter’s fifth birthday we held a Frozen themed garden party for a few friends and family. I spent many hours scouring Pinterest for the best Frozen party ideas and there are a lot to choose from!

I handmade most of the party decorations and might have gone a teensy bit crazy, but you’re only 5 once right?

Frozen Invitations

I wanted to give a feel for the Frozen colours without using the characters. Consequently, to set the theme, I designed these frosty invitations and added a bit of subtle sparkle on the snowflakes after printing. Canva is a great place to design your own free invitations and you’ll find lots of templates to choose from.

Frozen Party Favours

I adore the handmade touch and made these cute foam Elsa crowns for each of the guests. I found a free crown template on My Sister’s Suitcase blog and added gems and glitter.

The Olaf favour thank you tags matched the invitations in design. The bags contained sweets to build your own snowman. Each bag contained; large and small marshmallows, raisins, orange jelly bean noses and chocolate matchsticks.

Frozen party ideas. pale blue, foam Elsa crowns

Frozen party ideas. Build your own snowman party favours, containing marshmallows and chocolate Matchmakers.

Frozen Party Decorations

I transformed the party venue into a beautiful Frozen wonderland! There were touches of handmade icicles, meters of bunting, balloons and snowflakes throughout. This pom pom bunting is so cute and can be used for all sorts of different themes. If you’d like to make your own pom poms, you can follow my tutorial here.

I was also really pleased with how the foam icicles turned out. Furthermore, they were easy and cost-effective to make and looked great!

Blue and white pop pom bunting for a Frozen themed party

Frozen themed party decorations. Icicles, bunting and balloons at the house entrance.

Finally, our playhouse was crying out to be turned into Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post and the conservatory looked perfect with meters of handmade blue and sparkly silver garlands, balloons and a homemade castle. (Which we decorated as one of the activities).

Girl in front of a play house which has been turned into Wandering Oakens Trading Post.

Frozen party decorations, blue balloons, cardboard castle and bunting

I hope you’re inspired for your Frozen party decorations! Please hop over to Your Ultimate Guide to Frozen Party Games for more inspiration.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed my Frozen party ideas post. Contact me at Lexy@madebymeparties.co.uk and let’s chat about how I can help you at your next event, by entertaining the children with a craft party.

Up, up and away!

November 17, 2014July 11, 2017Leave a comment

Here at Made By Me Craft Parties, we’re all about making parties special and unique! A new customer asked me to come up with a craft activity for a balloon themed 6th birthday party for her little girl.

So, Made By Me came up with the answer and the children had a lovely time ‘decopatching’ some hot air balloons which then became the party favours at the end of the day! I’m so pleased with the result and the children had a ball!

Decopatch is about covering a small box or shape with layers of petty paper and glue. The children then personalised their balloons with lots of gorgeous embellishments. Take a look at these happy faces and their fabulous creations!

Don’t just take my word for it, I’m thrilled to say that the party girl’s mum had this to say about the party ‘Lexy is professional, friendly and a great organiser. The children all went away with a unique and personal gift from the party and I would certainly recommended Made by Me Craft Parties to anyone needing a crafty touch to their event.’

Do you have a special birthday or event coming up that needs the wow factor? Contact us with your requirements and we’ll provide a unique and bespoke service. Contact Lexy at Lexy@madebymeparties.co.uk for more details.

Your Ultimate Guide to Awesome Frozen Party Games!

November 5, 2014July 6, 2020Leave a comment

‘Do you wanna build a snowman?’ My daughter (Izzy) certainly did! So for her 5th birthday party, we put on a Frozen extravaganza for 14 of her friends! Planning the Frozen party games was such fun, and of course, it was even more fun running them!

Castle Decorating

The party kicked off with a ‘Decorate Elsa’s castle’ activity. We did a spot of reusing and recycling to make the castle and Mr Made By Me (hubby Martin) did a grand job! I’ve found a great supplier for super glamorous cardboard castles for any future Made By Me Craft Parties. This activity was more popular than I had imagined and the girls kept going back to add a few more jewels and embellishments throughout the party.

Girls decorating a cardboard castle at a Frozen garden party

Frozen Party Games: Do You Wanna Build A Snowman?

Next up was ‘Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?’ We split the girls into teams and asked 4 unsuspecting parents to be our victims (er … I mean, Olafs). Each team had a roll of toilet paper, 3 buttons, a carrot nose and a scarf and they had to dress up their adult as Olaf. Cue lots of laughter and fun!

Frozen party games - parents being dressed up as Olaf using toilet roll

Girl turning an adult into Olaf using toilet roll

‘Making It Snow’ Balloon Popping Game

I thought it would be amazing if we could make it snow for the party. So I took an idea I’d seen on Pinterest and changed it up to suit our Frozen needs. We filled balloons with some Christmas chocolate snowballs, silver sequins, some tiny cotton balls and also a party guest’s name on a piece of paper (so we knew whose turn it was next to pop). We hung the balloons from our conservatory roof and each girl got to pop a balloon. It was a bit like pass the parcel with a bang!

The party was in September on one of those unexpectedly hot days and my cunning plan went a bit melty! I hadn’t factored in the hot conservatory and the chocolate … there were a few chocolate smears as a result. Oops!

It’s also worth noting, that it’s a good idea to check with parents about whether their children are OK with loud balloon popping noises! There were a few children who covered their ears.

Making it snow using Frozen themed party games. Girl popping a balloon filled with snow.

Pin The Nose On Olaf

We finished up the party with some quieter games of ‘Pin the Nose on Olaf ‘and ‘Frozen musical statues’.

Pin the carrot nose on Olaf Frozen themed party game

If you would like me to run a Frozen themed craft party for your child, contact me for details at lexy@madebymeparties.co.uk

Thanks for reading! If you would like more Frozen party inspiration, check out my Frozen party decorations blog post. I had so much fun making them!

Made By Me Craft Parties

Beautiful, fun and Personalised Craft Parties in Dorset and the South

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