We've got some fun crafts for your to try at home
Brainwaves issue 9
1 of 6Doodle delight
We have a small space outside our back door where we sit and have a coffee. It was a plain white wall and so our grandchildren Freya, Colbie and Ollie decided it needed cheering up. We gave them some brushes and acrylic paints and they got to work. Once they’d finished, we sprayed a clear varnish over the wall to waterproof it. I love all their brightly coloured doodles. It’s lovely to sit and look at them and think about our beautiful grandchildren.
Julie Shord, Paignton, Devon
2 of 6Perfect pockets
I enjoy making resin pieces, but the powders I use to add colour to my work were always in a jumbled mess, and I’d get frustrated trying to find the right ones. Then, when I was in a charity shop, I spotted a photo album and thought that the plastic photo wallets inside would be perfect for storing my packets of pigment. Now, I’ve slotted them all in and can easily flip through and find what I need.
Apple O’Neill, Lytham St Annes, Lancs
3 of 6Knotty knitter no more!
I love knitting and I’ve done it for years. However, there was a jumper I’d started years ago and had then abandoned. It involved using lots of different balls of wool at the same time and it was very fiddly. The different yarns kept getting twisted up, but then I had an idea about how to keep them separate. I sealed each ball inside a Ziploc food bag. Now, I’ve stopped myself getting in a tangle and I’m determined to finish my lovely woolly-pully!
Karen Peckover, Hucknall, Notts
4 of 6Shell no!
I love cooking and baking, but whenever a recipe contained eggs, I’d often end up getting a few little bits of shell in the mixture that were hard to fish out. After trying lots of different methods, the one that eventually worked was to crack the egg into a saucer first. If there is any shell, it’s much easier to get it out.
Sheila Johnson, Peterlee, Co Durham
5 of 6Paw-casso at work!
I wanted to make a memorable keepsake of my dog Wiggles. So, I bought some non-toxic, children’s finger-paints and a square canvas. I dipped his paws into the paint and gently pressed them on to the canvas. The result was better than I could’ve hoped for, and Wiggles looks chuffed with his masterpiece too!
Krissie Cope, Prestwich, Gtr Manchester
6 of 6Hug in a box
My sister Kirsty needed cheering up, so I decided to make her a little survival kit. I filled it with some things that she could use to pamper herself with, like bath salts, a candle and some chocolate. I also popped in a teabag, because a brew always makes you feel better! But my favourite thing was getting the family to write down what they love about Kirsty on little scrolls. I put them all together in a pot so she could pull them out and read them. It definitely made her smile, so job done!
Stacey Greenwood Bullock, Wakefield, W Yorks