Fun ideas for Elf on the Shelf

Posted on December 13, 2020 by Fiona Martin

You know Christmas is getting close when Elf on the Shelf arrives in your house. My little boy absolutely loves discovering his elf each morning and finding out what mischief he has been up to. He also likes finding any little treats the elf has left him – it always brightens up his morning!

This year, 2020 has been a strange one for us all not being able to see our friends and family as much as we’d like. But our poor elf, who is fondly named Elvis been even more unfortunate. He has been in isolation since Christmas 2019!

How cute is this printed design on the jar – perfect for Elvis to snuggle up in keeping him away from mischief! You can check out various bundles of graphics available from Design Bundles that may be of use for either Christmas or other projects.

Baking with Elf on the Shelf

My boy was thrilled when he got up one morning to find this exciting scene across the kitchen…

I mean just how cute are those footprints, simply set out using a fun footprint stencil and some flour. We also loved the Personalised Christmas Pot Holder which looks very festive and perfect for any makes and

My boy was delighted to see there was even a gingerbread man baking kit from Craft & Crumb and was eager to make himself some sweet treats to enjoy. I love how it’s compact in a small box perfect to arrive with your elf. It contains the cutest little gingerbread man cutter along with the dried ingredients that you need. All you need to add is some butter and golden syrup.

Look how amazing the finished result is and a happy, proud little boy at the same time. This is such a fun activity for children and it’s great that you can use small businesses to get accessories and kits from to help you create the perfect Elf on the Shelf set up.

Bauble making with Elf on the Shelf

With Elvis appearing in a different place each day, one morning we found him on our Christmas tree. Here he is with a sheet of snowflake stickers, some fake snow, a reindeer model and a glass bauble.

This was a great activity that my boy loved and did all by himself – I absolutely love the finished bauble and it is one to treasure every year.

Random Acts of Kindness with Elf on the Shelf

This is a lovely task for children and one that I really enjoyed giving my child. He read it in the morning and didn’t really say anything but later on he kept giving me compliments which was lovely and then told me it was because of the sheet the elf had left him.

A wide selection of Printable Designs are available from Design Bundles – well worth checking out for any projects you may have.

Design Bundles is a great resource where you can get svg images perfect for a range of projects whether that’s Elf on the Shelf or something completely different at other times of the year.

Gifting with Elf on the Shelf

There’s nothing better than the feeling of giving a gift to others and that’s exactly what this Elf on the Shelf activity is about. Elvis arrived with a gift box, some chocolate sheets and a sheet of paper. My boy had fun wrapping up the gift box and decorating it ready to give to a member of the family at Christmas time.

Elf costume making

This is a good one to get creative with and another that my boy enjoyed. Elvis left him with some squares of material, pva glue and a length of cord. He was also wearing the cutest elf size face mask as inspiration as to what kind of things you could make. All by himself my boy created Elvis this new festive jacket which is a delight and perfect to help keep him warm on colder days.

Window sticker scene with Elf on the Shelf

One morning my boy came down extra early and found Elvis on our window sill with some delightful Scandi house window stickers and some coloured papers. It was fun to stick the houses onto our front window for passers by to see and also make some mini paper chains from the coloured papers. He firstly cut them into strips then stuck them into loops. We now have an array of mini paper chains across the house – a craft that all kids love and so simple to do.

It’s always worth checking out Design bundles for any new products they have to help you with your crafts.

Saturday night movies with Elf on the Shelf

When Elvis turns up with a huge bag of popcorn and his own snack bowl (which my boy adores and has used himself!), it would be rude not to pop out the Christmas movies and have a chilled out evening getting yourself in the festive mood. He also had a go at wrapping himself up and left us with some paper to get wrapping our presents. There is also a cute printed gift tag and some festive tape to really make sure our presents are looking smart.

Preparation for the big day with Elf on the Shelf

There’s nothing more exciting than Christmas Eve for children so when Elvis arrived with some great goodies to prepare you for the big day, my boy was thrilled. He brought some black card and a shiny pen along with the most fantastic glass bottle for Santa’s milk. He’d even made his own place card for the table which inspired my boy to copy his style and make some for all of the family. The Santa milk bottle was a huge hit and we can’t wait to fill it up ready for Santa to drink during his night of deliveries.

Crafting has never been easier than with Design Bundles with lots of great ideas worth checking out. As a digital company that provide everything from printables, designs, along with business resources – there really is something for everyone!

Monster High Designer Boo-Tique Frankie Stein Doll Review

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Fiona Martin

Monster High Designer Boo-Tique Frankie Stein Doll is the latest doll in the Monster High range from Mattel featuring Frankie, along with four dresses to design and decorate. It also comes with pens, stencils and stickers to use along with your creative flair to come up with some new dresses for Frankie.

8 yr old Miss M was keen to have a go at customising the dresses. You get four including the one Frankie is wearing and they are all slightly different in design and of various colours. Miss M was off so I let her get on with it and was keen to see what she came up with when she had finished.

Miss M designed four great dresses, I think she did a brilliant job and most of all she had great fun doing it. She even decorated the backs so they are double sided designs. The dresses each come with a cardboard hanger which is useful when colouring on them, but also are fun when playing with them and helping Frankie choose an outfit to wear. The only think I’ll say is that the dress Frankie comes wearing has velcro down the back which the other three don’t but hopefully with a little practice Miss M will get the hang of them.

Overall this is a fun doll with the added bonus of getting to design her dresses as well as playing with her. The dresses are pretty standard so would fit any other dolls from the Monster High range you already had.

I think Frankie looks great in all her new customised outfits and this is a great toy for a child to play with that adds another dimension with the designing rather than just being a doll!

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received the product in order to write an honest review.

Beados Glitter Quick Dry Design Studio – Review

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Fiona Martin

Beados Glitter Quick Dry Design Studio from Character has been a huge hit with Miss M. With lots of coloured and glittery beads that magically join together when sprayed with water, the designs are simple to make and effective when finished.

Suitable for ages 4+, although they would probably require assistance at that age, Miss M who is just 7 sat and did this craft set unaided and independently, meaning she was thrilled at the results knowing it was all her own work.

The set consists of a fan which requires 2 AA batteries, 2 boards to make the designs on, some design templates, various packs of coloured beads, a divided dish to use to hold the beads, a tool to pick the beads up, a water spray bottle and some stands to help display your finished work.

You can either copy the designs from the template or for younger children you can put the template underneath the board so you can follow the design by putting the correct coloured beads on top. The tweezer like tool helps you to pick up a bead and place it in the correct place on the board. I really liked the glittery beads and think they really enhanced the finished designs.

Once you have completed the design, you use the spray bottle to gently spray a layer of water across the whole design and then place it under the fan to try. Miss M loved following through with this process as she could complete it herself from start to finish.

The beads adhered together well once they were wet. We did find that if too much water was used it was a good idea to turn the design over once partially dry to let the other side dry fully rather than sit in water on the tray.

With plenty of concentration, the Beados really kept Miss M occupied and is a fun craft that’s a little bit different from the things Miss M normally does which helped maintain her interest. It made her feel very grown up using the fan herself and showing me her finishing projects.

The designs looked really good once dry and can be used for many things. There are a few various stands included, one to stand a design upright, another with a sucker to put on a window and another one with a sucker that you could stick anywhere. There are also some little attachments that you can adhere to a design with little water and they have a hole in which you can thread some string or ribbon through and use as a keyring or attach to a bag.

Beados has been a big hit here for Miss M who loved working with the beads and was really pleased with the finished pieces. This would be great for any art and craft fan, and you can purchase additional bead sets to make further designs after and the fan can be used again and again. Why not take a look at Beados next time you are looking for a gift?

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received the products in order to write the review.

Bloom Pops Flower Design Studio from Cool Create – Review

Posted on August 28, 2014 by Fiona Martin

Bloom Pops Flower Design Studio from Cool Create is a fun craft kit where you can design flower motifs. They can be made again and again in different designs or used to stick wherever you want, be it something you want to decorate, make a badge or whatever else you choose.

With over 2 sheets of fabric flower petals, 1 Bloom Pop Maker, 6 sticky pads, 6 flower bases, 6 silicon buttons, 18 flower spacers, 1 unpopper tool, 1 display tree, 45 sparkly gems and instructions you can create many unique designed fabric flowers, which any young girl who loves creating, designing and making will enjoy!

It comes with a doll figure which is used to pop the button centre of the flower on but pushing her arms down. Aimed at 5yrs + this was perfect for 6yr old Miss M to play with and create with independently and something she enjoyed doing.

I like the fact that it comes with a moulded tray on which to put all the pieces, there are several sections to put the smaller pieces in and a set place to stand the popper doll. It also comes with a display tree upon which you can display your flower creations and this also fits into the tray.

Miss M really enjoying making different flower combinations. You build a flower by starting with a base, adding layers of petals and spacers which add to the 3D effect, and then use the doll popper to pop a middle onto the flower which also holds it all together. You then have the option of putting a sticky pad on the back, depending on where or how you want to use the flower. They is also an unpicker tool which easily unpops the centre of the flower allowing you to take it apart and start again with a new design.

We’ve enjoyed Bloom Pops, it’s a fun way to be creative and a bit different to other craft sets. The flowers look lovely displayed on the tree in Miss M’s bedroom and she plans to use other flowers in pictures and artwork that she makes.

Why not give Bloom Pops a try today?

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received Bloom Pops in order to write the review.