There's a giraffe in my garden...

Many hours and many loo rolls later, Terribly Tall Terry is ready for the Hay Literary Festival!
Definitely a labour of love, but worth it I think.
He'll be watching over me during the Make Your Own Zoo workshops in the Make and Take tent this Thursday.
We'd love to see you!

Linking up with Photalife's My Sunday Photo 

Birds of a feather - easy egg carton craft

I'm really fond of these little birds, and they're easy to make.

You'll need:
1 egg box
Small feathers
PVA/craft glue
Nail scissors (to make holes)
paint
fine black felt tip pen

1. First, roughly cut a cone from the egg box - this makes it easier to work with. We measured 3cm from the top and marked each side (make it any size you want though). Join the marks and cut along the line. Measuring helps keep the cone base nice and even.

2.  Paint the cone any colour you like.
Putting it on your finger is a handy way to paint the bottom edges.

3. When dry, choose the side you want for the front and with a fine black felt-tip or gel pen draw eyes close to the top.

4. Use the nail scissors to make a small hole in the top and one at the back (about 1cm from the bottom). Keep the scissors closed, press down and twist carefully from side to side. If you're making the birds with kids, always supervise this part, or make the holes yourself.

5. Dab some glue behind the holes and push a suitable feather in each one - small and fluffy for the head plume and a little longer and showy for the tail feathers. We got these lovely colourful speckled ones from The Works, but you can buy them online too.

6. For the wings, you'll need 2 little fluffy feathers or if none are small enough, cut pieces from the top of a larger one. Brush a very thin layer of glue on the sides (so it doesn't stick through the features) and stick them down.

7. Just below the eyes dot a small but thick blob of yellow paint with a fine paintbrush, and leave to dry.

OR, if you'd like a sticky-out beak, cut a thin strip of cereal box card, colour it with a yellow felt tip, snip a V at one end and cut off about a cm.
Make a horizontal slot below the eyes with the nails scissors (keep closed, press and twist gently). Dab a little glue behind the slot and push the beak into place.

Hay workshops and a hungry giraffe...

I got a bit carried away and promised someone I'd make a giant giraffe out of loo rolls...
It seemed like such a good idea at the time.

Now of course I am sort of regretting it, as I'm not totally sure what I'm doing. Really hadn't thought it through. But that's what happens when you get caught up in a wave excitement - and I was - I was proper surfing that wave, because the toddler-sized giraffe is for the Hay Festival. THE Hay Festival!

I love the Hay Festival, and this year I'm going to be there, not just visiting, but actually doing Make Your Own Zoo workshops, like the one I did before Christmas. Such an amazing opportunity.

We're lucky enough to live fairly close to Hay, so the 2 week Literary Festival has always been an easy option for us, and it's a great way to spend a day. Such a relaxed event; just wander in - you only need tickets for the talks, which you can book in advance online, or on the day, if there are any spaces left. Always such an interesting, diverse range of writers - serious, funny, thought-provoking, informative, quirky, illuminating - a long list and a packed programme. Don't really want to say there's something for everyone; such a cliche, but there probably is. The rest of the time you can amble around the stalls, check out the food hall, do a spot of people/celeb watching and then maybe enjoy a glass of something lovely as you sit in the sun (hopefully) reading a book you've just bought. Or snoozing.

Obviously this would be a perfect... if you managed to go without kids. If that's not possible, during Half Term week they lay on loads of activities - talks by well known kids' authors and all kinds of workshops, like the one I'm doing.

I'm going to be in the Make and Take tent on the 2nd June, and there'll be 4 free sessions throughout the day. My plan is a different animal per session, so now I have to work out which ones and how much prep to do, based on what I learnt from the workshops last year. Need to keep things moving along - definitely learnt that.

But I can't properly think about the workshops until I finish the giant giraffe, which is by no means a quick make...

I've used pieces of cereal box card and newspaper to slot tubes together - it is surprisingly sturdy.

Different sized tubes helped a lot with the head.

I've still not completely sure about the body, or how it's all going to come together, and I keep running out of tubes! I've been on the scrounge for weeks, but it is a bit awkward to keep asking, and this giraffe is just gobbling them up.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Moth Menace (Tineola bisselliella)

Getty images

Small with shiny, dusty wings, they look really harmless,

but if moths find your woolies drawer, they'll leave your jumpers armless.

What's worse the little blighters seem to have discerning taste,

so it's not the chunky hand knits that's their favourite nesting place,

No, it's cashmere that's the yarn of choice, CASHMERE if you please!

and when I shook mine out last week it looked like holey cheese.

That wasn't all, they'd had a ball! Made me feel quite queasy,

so I googled how to shift them.

Turns out it isn't easy.

Moth Balls work though not just moths who think the things are lethal,

what's the point in using them if all your clothes smell evil?

But we were well past the prevention stage; way too late, for sure;

can't hot wash my best jumpers, I need another cure.

So I stick them in the freezer, a few items at a time,

and pray it kills the pesky eggs and larva in its prime.

Then I buy a cotton zip-up bag to fill my woolies drawer

and every time it's opened there's a waft of lavender.

Now I smell like Yardley's soap, and finding jumpers is a bore,

But moths I've got your number,

touch my cashmere and it's WAR.

(And if you doubt me at all

just count the smudges on the wall...)

Linking up with Victoria's Prose for Thought

Tyrella

Back to the beach where we played in the sand,

time didn't matter and nothing was planned.

Back to the sea that made us squeal from the cold,

laughing and splashing, no care in the world.

Back to those rocks that are made for adventure,

hands dipped in pools, just never quite sure...

Back to the place with the pockets of treasure,

so many shells all tumbled together.

Back to the beach to watch my kids play

next to the shadows of yesterday.

Linking up with Photolife's My Sunday Photo and Victoria's Prose for Thought

Shelf life - Sunday photo

Believe it or not the rest of our house is relatively clutter free - but I made up for it here...

It's sort of like the old me escaped and went on a trinket/toy/tat gathering binge.

To be fair, many of the toys are ones I've made and can't face selling, and there's a lot of stuff rescued from my 8 year old daughter's room. She doesn't like ANYTHING on surfaces (what's wrong with her??) - I'll often find a small pile of unwanted nicknacks outside her bedroom door. Can't bear to get rid of them, so I shuffle things along.... and make a space.

Linking up with Photalife's My Sunday Photo

Photo shoot - Sunday photo

Just back from a busy two day photo shoot for the animal board books and next craft book. Not as glamorous as it might sound, but unquestionably more interesting than my usual Thursday/Friday routine! We were in a basement studio somewhere in east London; facing a small but significant cardboard mountain of stuff to do.

I spent all day on my feet, or leaning over a table, holding my breath while I moved animals and tiny flowers/butterflies/snakes into place. Knocked the trees over a few times and the whole lot went like dominos which wasn't at all funny... Heaps of patience required. And my back's in bits.

I've spent a daft number of hours over the last month, making all the teeny finishing touches, like squirrels, rabbits, daisies, patchwork hills.
Many, many things.
Hope they'll make a difference.

Walking and tubing it back to Paddington on a Friday evening with a collection of shoe boxes, and a large art folder was a nightmare. So, so relieved to get to the station; felt like punching the air. But that good feeling didn't last long. The train was heaving. Ended up standing all the way to Bristol Parkway because I hadn't reserved a ticket.
Won't be doing that again.

Linking up with My Sunday Photo at Photalife.