Stories

Kids love challenging memory games, especially for at-home fun. Parents will be pleased to know they can also help improve attention, concentration and focus – all whilst providing enjoyment! 

Christmas cookies and gingerbread men are festive treats everyone loves. Host a fun cookie decorating party for the whole family!

Print out and make this super cute robot card to make for dad on Father’s Day 

Discover our guide to hosting the ultimate dinner party with easy hosting ideas, decorating tips, theme inspiration and more.

For little royals and budding princesses, throw a princess party complete with magical costumes, gorgeous garlands, and beautiful princess illustrations. 

Discover our guide to hosting the best fairy birthday party, whether it’s for kids or adults – from food ideas and costume inspiration to activities galore, we have everything you need for a successful event.

Little princes and princesses will adore making this princess castle using our free downloadable template!

As summer approaches, we reveal how to host the best mermaid party ever.

Kids love skittles – setting them up and knocking them down is excellent entertainment. We’ve designed a fabulous paper skittle set for you to make and play with. It features amazing safari animals your little people will love. We also reveal how to craft different types of balls to knock the skittles down with. Create the Safari Skittles Time for some sensational safari fun with these paper skittles featuring a lion, elephant, rhino, monkey, cheetah and zebra, with fabulous embellishments.Please click here to download the templates. You will need: a printer, paper, thin card, scissors and glue. Instructions: Step 1: Print out the templates and glue the rectangular pieces onto thin card. Cut out all the pieces. Step 2: Curve the rectangles into a tube shape and glue along the guide shown. This will form the body of each of your animal skittles.    Step 3: For the animal heads, firstly fold along all the dotted lines.    Step 4: For the elephant and rhino, fold them in half and then fold out the sides of the head at the crease line, folding the elephant ears out as well. Glue together the front sections, just up to the crease line. Step 5: For the lion, cut along all the lines marked on the circular mane to create a fringing affect. Stick the lion’s face in the middle of the mane.     Step 6: For the zebra, fold down along the two creases on the nose and fold in the two tabs on the sides. These tabs will be used to attach the zebra head to the body. Glue just the end part of the nose together. Then make the black mane by folding the mane piece in half and glue together just the black section, folding out the two white tabs at the bottom. Cut along each of the lines marked on the black section to create a fringe effect. Slide the mane into the slot on the head of the zebra and glue down the tabs on the underside to hold it in place.Step 7: All the heads can be paired up with their matching body and glued in place. Line up the skittles, grab a ball and get ready to play!   Craft a Ball If you’ve got a light ball, then you can use this to knock over the skittles. Or, why not make your own balls for extra fun? Here are 3 types you can craft. 1. A bouncy ball. It’s chemistry time! Simply mix borax, corn starch, glue, water and food coloring together, leave to dry and hey presto – a bouncy ball! Go here for the instructions. 2. A rice and balloon ball. The great thing about balloon balls is that you can use them as juggling balls too! All you have to do is fill a small food bag with uncooked rice or sand until you have enough to create a small ball. Seal the bag with a tie, wrap it around, then place cut balloons over it. Here are the instructions and video. 3. A paper ball. Wrap layers of paper into a ball shape, then use tape to hold them in place. Finish with a colored paper layer, like our fabulous safari wrapping paper and add decorations too, if you want, like stickers. (Check out our amazing sticker range here, particularly the mini jungle sticker roll with safari animals). Or draw animals to match the skittles and stick them onto the balls with glue. If you want to play the skittles game as part of a safari party, then check out our brilliant Go Wild party range and our Safari Party In A Box bundle which includes: 1. Go Wild plates  2. Napkins  3. Cups  4. Cupcake kit  5. Candles  6. Leopard mask card  7. Go Wild garland  8. Cheetah foil balloon  9. Ray Zebra knitted organic toy.  

From the majestic City Palace to the wonderous Hawal Mahal via independent havelis, our founder's top picks of Jaipur 

Fun and stylish temporary tattoos for kids – perfect for party favours, costume extras or playful activities. How to apply temporary tattoos and take them off.

Print out and make this easy dinosaur crafting activity for a sensational prehistoric addition to your garden

Make an enchanting Fairy Garden. The perfect family project for your summer break.

With the new Barbie movie released this summer, here’s how to throw a stylish and empowering Barbie party!

The author, podcast host and vintage fashion collector on her love of Barbie and passion for creating head-turning costumes

Gravity-defying acrobats, mischievous clowns, bareback horse riders and thoughtful creative direction... Gifford’s Circus is a breath-taking spectacular of diverse talent. Originally homegrown in the Cotswolds, the circus now tours the country and is loved by British celebrities like Stella McCartney, Helena Bonham Carter and Lily Allen. 

This beautiful jewellery box is easy to make with just card and ribbon, using our free downloadable template. A perfect rainy-day activity, or used as favours for a ballet-themed party – just write each guest’s name in the frame provided.

Keep the Christmas magic alive by sending Santa a letter and crafting a reply! With our free, printable templates & top tips for writing a response, you’ll ace the holidays this year.

Playing with paper glider airplanes is a fabulous activity, especially when you get to craft them first and then let them fly, fly away! We’ve created two special designs your kids will love – a fiery dragon and a fantastic flamingo. Also follow our tips on how to make them fly the best. Dragon and Flamingo Airplane Gliders Will they choose a dragon or flamingo, or maybe both? To make them you will need: a printer, paper, fluted card (1mm thick postal boxes work best), scissors and a craft knife (get parents involved with cutting to keep little fingers safe!), glue, poster putty or several paper clips. Click here for the free download. Step 1. Print and cut out both of the body pieces and one tail and wing piece. It is optional if you want to also cut out the underside of the wings and tail. Step 2. Glue one side of the body down to the card and cut it out using either scissors or a craft knife, then glue the other body piece to the reverse side. Glue the wing and tail pieces to the card and cut those out, gluing on the underside pieces to the reverse if you choose to. Tip: Use a craft knife to cut out the slots. Step 3. Slide the tail onto the end slot, and the wings into the middle slot. If your card is a little too thick to fit into the slot, you can squash the fluted card to make it a bit thinner and it should fit in a lot easier. Add the paper fire in the dragon’s mouth by sliding it into the small slit on its mouth. Step 4. For the glider to fly properly it will need some weight on the nose end. Add a small ball of poster putty or a paper clip to the flamingo’s beak or on the dragon’s nose. Step 5. Test flight! To judge if you have enough weight on the glider, throw it forwards and if it drops to the ground, tail first, then simply add more putty or an extra paper clip to the nose end until your glider flies more smoothly. Make Them Fly Fabulously Here are 3 important ways to help to make your airplane glider fly the farthest. Hold and throw it using your most dominant hand. Get into position - throw the airplane as if you were throwing a  baseball, taking a slight forward step as you throw it. Release it into the air at the proper point of your throw – which is the maximum part of the arc and not when your arm starts arcing downwards. These planes also make a great party activity. The dragon is perfect for a knight or princess party, and the pink flamingo is excellent for a tropical theme. We’ve got a sensational choice of knight, princess and flamingo themed party supplies.   Kids will adore our charming Ringo the Flamingo knitted large organic soft toy as a gift.  

A homemade picture frame makes a gorgeous gift for granny, or for you or your kids to keep a favorite photograph in. Our talented design team have created two 3D frames for you to make – beautiful butterflies or dynamic dinosaurs. We also share our top ideas on how to take the perfect photographs to pop into your frames. Create a Fabulous Frame Make your photographs look amazing with these butterfly or dinosaur frames. Click here to download the free templates. To make the frames you will need: A printer, printer paper and card, scissors, glue or sticky foam pads, thread, cord or craft wire, sequins, beads and googly eyes. You can also use stickers for decoration (we’ve got a wide range, check them out here). And, of course, you will need a fabulous photograph to frame! (6” x 4” size). Step 1: Print out the templates for the frames onto paper and glue onto card or print it straight onto card. The stand piece will ideally need to be glued to a thicker piece of card or to two pieces of thin card to give it extra strength. Print out your choice of illustrations from the templates. Cut out all the pieces you wish to use. Step 2: To make the frame, first decide if you want it to be landscape or portrait (this will obviously depend on the photograph you want to frame). Take the back piece and glue along the shaded areas (itʼs important you only glue the 3 sides so you can easily slide your photo in at the end!). Then stick the front of your frame to the back piece. For the stand, firstly fold along the dotted line. Lay the stand down flat on the back of your frame so that the short side is parallel with the bottom of the frame. Stick the top part of the stand down as shown. Step 3: Now for the decorations. Use glue or sticky foam pads to attach your characters to make your frame really stand out. The butterflies can be made to look 3D by folding them in half and using thread, cord or craft wire to make antennae. Or add googly eyes to the dinosaurs. Then just have fun adding on as many embellishments as you like. Or why not try personalising your frame with some of our sensational stickers? Step 4: Once youʼre happy with your design, finish off by sliding your chosen photo into the frame. Take the Perfect Photograph 1. Get your subject off-center. Apparently, it’s a common mistake to think the subject of your photographs should be directly in the center of the shot. However, this is said to reduce overall visual interest, causing a less than stimulating effect. So, get your subject to stand slightly off-center for a more interesting result. 2. Bigger is better. A lot of people have the subject of their photograph too small in the shot. So, zoom in or get closer with your camera. 3. Go for patterns. Our eyes love patterns, so make your photograph more exciting by including lots of them in the shot – so this could be with clothing, accessories (check out our amazing hair accessories, enamel pins, embroidered brooches and necklaces) or your background, like flowers, trees or a colorful painting.