Half-Term Creative Activities

In Viking Knits (reviewed below) Lasse L. Matberg describes the following:

‘I have lots of childhood memories of my mother and grandmother knitting. In the autumn and winter, I think they knitted practically every evening, making beautiful sweaters, hats, gloves and warm winter socks that the family wore a lot.’

In our busy lives, it’s so easy not to take the time to be creative, many people have started creative businesses, but then being creative seems almost like work.

Children and young adults have lived through stressful times already in their young lives, coping with Covid, surrounded by worrying news broadcasts and concerns about the cost of living, and even reduced resources in their schools and colleges. The reality too is that many parents are either working and juggling childcare or trying to run their own businesses from home.

So although not easy, this half-term could be an opportunity to try and plan some time together to relax and create some happy memories. 

Wherever you live there are free places that you can visit, or take the opportunity to watch a film together, or go out for a meal and take advantage of some of the discounted offers that may be available locally.

Alternatively buy ingredients and do some simple and easy baking, or create a meal together, and have a ‘no tech at the table’ rule (for adults too) and finish with simple games that everyone can join in with that are fun and not too competitive. 

If children see adults naturally enjoying being creative, sewing, knitting, drawing, and taking photographs, you can encourage their curiosity and interest in creative activities from a young age. 

As much of the school day is taken up with more academic subjects, being creative at home can be a wonderful opportunity to enjoy learning new crafts, having fun and relaxing together.

It doesn’t cost much to gather paper, paints, air-dried clay, crayons, pencils, and setting time aside to experiment with being creative is something that even the most reluctant can join in.

We have a delightful collection of books as inspiration for all the family.

Viking Knits – Over 40 Scandi knits for men, women & children by Lasse L. Matberg

Description ; Learn to knit over 40 items for men, women and children with ‘The Viking’, social media star Lasse L. Matberg.

Lasse L. Matberg comes from a family who, for generations, have been working to create beautiful, quality crafted items by hand fathers and grandfathers were craftsmen, and mothers and grandmothers often worked hard knitting warm garments for the whole family. Viking Knits is a tribute to good-quality, practical needlework, inspired by the Vikings’ warm, all-weather garments.

From tough-wearing sweaters and outerwear to elegant cardigans and jackets, all have been made in a beautiful Scandinavian style. Whether you love traditional, Nordic colourwork patterns and cables, or modern, textured knits, there is something for everyone. Clear instructions are provided for each project, and charts are included where needed.

‘I hope this book will inspire you to create something valuable with your hands,’ says Lasse L. Matberg. ‘Welcome to a knitting book with both tradition and versatility.’

https://www.searchpress.com/book/9781800920774/viking-knits

Review

This fabulous book is an absolutely stunning collection of warm and cosy sweaters, perfect for the variations in our climate.

The patterns are grouped into the following:

THE BEST EVERYDAY SWEATERS 

KNITS FOR THE GREAT OUTDOORS 

NORSE SWEATERS 

COSY ACCESSORIES 

Each one is beautifully photographed with clear instructions to help you create delightful additions to your wardrobe.  

Paper Craft Home – Sarah Louise Matthews
25 beautiful projects to cut, fold and shape 

Description 

Papercrafting is a perennial favourite among crafters it’s creative, accessible, and inexpensive, making it perfect for gifting. A blank sheet of paper offers limitless possibilities and unexpected ways in which it can be cut, scored, creased, shaped, and glued to transform an everyday material into something extraordinary and precious. 

In this book by renowned paper engineer and papercut product designer Sarah Louise Matthews, you will discover 25 gorgeous papercraft projects for home décor to make for yourself or as gifts for friends and family. Start by learning the essential techniques, including papercutting, scoring, folding, shaping, and glueing, then dive straight into the myriad beautiful designs from pop-up cards and cake toppers to lampshades, fairylights and even a cuckoo clock! For the more complex designs, templates have also been printed in the book which you can scan or trace for a quick and easy start to your paper cutting journey. 

Papercutting is one of the most popular crafts around, and no wonder with just a few tools you can draw beautiful designs with your scalpel and experience the relaxing, creative and rewarding experience of paperworking.

https://www.searchpress.com/book/9781782216209/paper-craft-home

Simple Origami – Adeline Klam

Over 50 pretty paper-folding projects

Description

This is origami at its most simple and elegant. With a special focus on photographic step-by-step instructions, this book makes it easy to create over 50 different paper projects, from sea lions to sailing boats.

Detailed illustrations show exactly how and where to place your hands at every step and projects are given a difficulty rating for ease of reference. Simply follow the diagrams and watch origami creations of all kinds come to life at your fingertips.

Brought to you from the Parisian boutique of Adeline Klam, this book is full of beautiful designs, fun toys, useful tips and paper surprises of every shape and size.

https://www.searchpress.com/book/9781800920835/simple-origami

Review
These two delightful books present beautiful paper projects suitable for all the family to create and at all levels. 

Taken together they will provide hours of fun creating both imaginative, but also useful items for the home.  More suitable for adults, or with close adult supervision, in Paper Craft Home, Sarah Louise Matthews has created the most exquisite designs including a lantern, a vase, floral fairy lights, cherry blossom twigs, trinket boxes, lampshade, gem garland, and so much more. 

In Simple Origami, Adeline Klam, has created a collection of little projects ranging from very simple to more detailed, but still very achievable for all levels, this includes starting with a simple boat, and little animals, a cat, a rabbit, a simple frog and seasonal creations and many more delightful ideas.

The Cosplay Book of Ballgowns – Regan Cerato and Kelley Pullman

A complete guide to creating your own masterpiece

Description:

Design and sew a gown fit for cosplay royalty! Follow along with world-champion cosplayers Cowbutt Crunchies as they take sewists of all skill levels through magical ballgown builds.

https://www.searchpress.com/book/9781644031933/the-cosplay-book-of-ballgowns

Review

Beautifully illustrated and with step-by-step instructions the comprehensive content includes:

Introduction to Ballgowns: Ball Gown Anatomy & Basics, Ball Gowns in Cosplay, Getting Started

Beginning Your Project: Materials, Fabric & Tools, Creating a Project Plan, Before You Sew

Undergarments: Choosing Your Undergarments, Corsetry, Hoop Skirts, Petticoats, Unconventional Undergarments

The Skirt: Skirt Shapes and Patterns, Construction, Pockets, Finishings

The Bodice: Planning the Right Bodice, Construction

Finishing Touches: Embellishments, Footwear, Sitting and Walking, Photography and Posing

This imaginative and creative book contains not only really useful information for creating cosplay gowns, but also helpful information for anyone wanting to create a magical ballgown, or a beautiful dress for a special occasion.

More creative ideas can be found at https://www.searchpress.com  or by visiting some of our other posts. 

While all this creativity is taking place, you might want to try some of the delicious recipes from the following:

Bored of Lunch: The Healthy Slow Cooker Book – Nathan Anthony

Description : The must-have first cookbook from the hugely popular healthy eating blog, Bored of Lunch.

Nathan Anthony, the home cook with over 1.2million followers, shares delicious and easy home-style recipes that can all be made in your slow cooker while you get on with your day.

From pastas and risottos to curries, fakeaways and family favourites this book is packed with dishes for any day of the week or occasion such as Honey Chilli Beef Noodles, Garlic Mac and Cheese, Lemon Butter Chicken and even a Sunday Roast. With simple, foolproof methods and no fancy or hard-to-find ingredients this is the perfect book for anyone who wants delicious meals that make you feel great too.

https://www.waterstones.com/book/bored-of-lunch-the-healthy-slow-cooker-book/nathan-anthony/9781529903546

Review

As well as ideas for a tasty lunch, there are also recipes for weekday dinners, family favourites and comfort food including Baked Potato, Carrot & Coriander Soup, Pulled Pork Buns with Guacamole, Vegetarian Lasagne, Sausage and Baby Potato Casserole, Beef Bourguignon, Mini Egg Fudge, Potato & Leek Soup, and many more delicious recipes. 

This delightful book is packed full of creative ideas, perfect for creating a delicious meal that can be left to cook while you enjoy creative activities and at the end you can all enjoy a tasty meal together. Highly Recommended! 

Bored of Lunch: The Healthy Slow Cooker Book – Nathan Anthony is published by Ebury Publishing