Meoooooow! Mrrrow! Meoooow! Moaw? Cats get bored. They get insistent. They end up patting at your hair and 'settling down' on your keyboard while you're trying to do very important tweeting. The only solution is to whip them up something to entertain them while you're too busy to scratch behind their ears. Which is where we turn to Fantastic Toys.
Fantastic Toys is crammed full of felt, paper and fluff lovelies for you to make yourself. Their Cat Toy Critters, with a free downloadable template, are made from felt and thread, and can be filled with catnip to drive your kitty wild with cat distraction, while you get on with your life a little less cat-harassed.
They also have an Etsy shop with some fantastic things including an Alice in Wonderland paper playset inspired by the children's classic.
Handmade treats for kitty, no more accidental tweet that say "ppppppppp;;;;;;;;;;;;;iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiikkkkkkkkk" for you.
There are probably about a million nativity plays going on this week as the mangers, wise men and donkeys are broken out to celebrate the tale behind the festive season. If you don't get the chance to get your nativity on this year then why not create your own in the comfort of your own home?
The Holy Handcrafters of Antioch's Bible Puppets are a nod in the direction of handcrafting the holy and add a bit of a giggle to learning a bit about all things biblical.
Witness Daniel and his terrifying finger puppet lions, a rather irate felt Moses with a burning bush, Jonah and a fairly sinister swallowing whale and a unsettlingly cheerful Gabriel bringing the good news in sparkly felt.
The Holy Handcrafter can't seem to explain why her whale puppet appears to be blessed with thumbs though. Not sure a person-swallowing whale with thumbs is quite my craft cup of tea but they do make me laugh.
So grab your felt and scissors and start making yourself your own little manger scene for Christmas.
When Judith Needham's daughter wanted a playhouse, instead of buying her one of those plastic things from Argos that we all wanted as a child (I didn't have one, but I did have a play kitchen. Maybe that's when my obsession with food started...hmm...) she made one herself!I would have loved that when I was little, in fact, I probably wouldn't ever have come out.
Judith is a willow weaver by trade so I guess it wasn't very hard for her, but impressive nontheless, no? I'm not the only one who thinks so since it was a finalist in the 2007 Grand Designs Awards!
If you think your little one would like this (or you want to use it as your main residence - hey, mortgage rates are terrible right now) you can buy The Dreaming Spires Willow Playhouse for £1,500 plus delivery.
[Via Poppytalk]
Related: From shelving unit to my first kitchen | Terrifying monster car by Elmer Presslee
As a child, I loved turning shelving units to my own nefarious purposes, creating all manner of inpromptu dollshouses and puppet theatres out of them whenever the whim so took me.
Unfortunately for my parents, these were usually items of furniture that were needed for important purposes around the house (even if my dolls felt differently), so if you've got young kids, why not pre-empt them and turn a redundant set of shelves into something they can play with? This 'first kitchen' idea is simply adorable, and would be easy to create using some spare wallpaper, toys and DIY tools. Check out how it was done over at Ikea Hacker.
I would not give my child this, can I just say?
The monster car even has a brain for a cushion, and one large, horrible eye. It's designed and made by Elmer Presslee, and while disgusting, the craftsmanship and detail is strangely beautiful.
This...unique...car thing is terrifying to me now, and I'm not two. But that's just me. A friend I showed said 'That thing is bad ass. Wish I had one as a kid.'
If you agree with him, and would like to buy this (really?!), you cant contact Elmer Presslee through he website. But just be prepared for all the money you'll be spending on child therapy in the future.
Related:Pimp my (toddler's) ride HOW TO: Make a kids' kitchen from shelves | How to transform a doll into a mermaid
It's hard to believe that this adorable child's kitchen unit started life as the ubiquitous shelving set pictured on the left, but it really did, and the proof can be found here. It's maker, Lisa, is a total newbie to the world of crafty customisation and says on her blog 'I can do it, anyone can!'
Find out how she did it, including tips on making toys child-safe, here.
[Via Ikea Hacker]
A great way to use up old fabric scraps and padding is to make toys. Irregular shapes and crazy colours make for fun and imaginative fuzzy friends that kids will love, while adults will know they've come from pre-loved sources, helping rid the planet of excess waste. Snuggle Herd has perfected the art of upcycling and makes the cutest softies out of thrifted t-shirts and stuffs them with shredded wool fiber reclaimed from unwanted sweaters. You can buy members of the ever expanding herd, including Elsa the Elephant (pictured) who was once a sweater here.
Related: How to make a snake toy with old tights | Bobby Dazzler: terrific handmade toys on tour
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