Stories

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!

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.

Looking for fun craft activities for your little people? Our talented designers have crafted an amazing Harry paper doll for everyone to enjoy. They’ve also created Ruby, Matilda, Carolyn and Lila paper dolls – do check them out in our stories section (so you can make several friends for Harry to play with). Harry Loves to Travel Harry is a real adventurer and enjoys exploring the world and going on marvellous holidays – perfect for imaginative play!   Download our Harry printable paper doll template and 2 pages of his clothes and accessories onto card (or print onto normal paper and stick onto card) Click here to download. He comes with a sensational suitcase which you can make, then fill, with all his favourite things needed for the perfect get-away – including clothes, suntan lotion, a camera, a mask and snorkel, binoculars, bucket and spade, sunglasses, toothbrush and toothpaste. Here are the instructions on how to make his suitcase: Step 1: Print onto card, and cut around the suitcase and handle. Step 2:  Fold along all of the dashed lines.Step 3: Put glue or double-sided tape on the tabs and stick into position following the printed arrows. Step 4: Stick on the handle. Create Harry’s Many Looks As well as travelling and going to the beach, Harry loves performing magic shows and comes with an amazing star-sprinkled cape, top hat and wand. He also loves to pretend to be a pirate and has a fabulous pirate hat and striped top. He enjoys taking photographs whilst on walks on cooler days, so has a woolly hat, gloves and sweatshirt to stay warm in. Keep all his clothes and accessories neat and tidy in his suitcase when he’s on his travels. Then, when at home, if you prefer you can hang them onto a neat little washing line (see our Ruby blog for details).

Little people love to show their friends and family they adore them – and what better way than with a hand-crafted colourful friendship bracelet? Our talented design team have created one for your kids to make and give as a gift to their favourite person or people. We also share other craft creations, to team with the bracelet, to make it even more exciting to give and receive. How to Make the Bracelet Simply click here to download the template to make your beautiful bracelet. You will need: A printer, paper and card, scissors, pencil and ball of putty (or something to make a small hole in the card), 7 strands of thread (embroidery threads work well), each approx 20 inches long. Instructions: Step 1: Print out the loom template and stick onto some card. Cut it out and make cuts along each of the small lines. Step 2: Make a hole in the middle of the loom by putting a ball of putty underneath and pushing through a pencil.Step 3: Take 7 strands of thread and knot them together at one end, leaving an inch of thread loose at the end so you have a decorative tassel. Step 4: Push the knotted end through the hole in the middle of the loom so the knot is on the underside. Step 5: Thread each of the strands through each of the slots, you should be left with one empty slot. Step 6: Hold your loom so the empty slot is at the top. Count 3 strands to the left and move this third stands into the empty slot. Step 7: Turn your loom so the new empty slot is at the top. Count 3 strands to the left again and move it to the empty slot.Step 8: Keep repeating stage 6 and 7 and you’ll see your friendship bracelet grow from under the loom. Keep the threads nice and tight in the slots as you continue making your bracelet.Step 9: Keep going until your bracelet is long enough to tie around your wrist. When you are happy with it, remove it from the loom, tie a knot in the end and cut off the loose threads, leaving an inch at the end to make another tassel. Now you can make as many as you like and give them to your friends!   3 Friendly Ways to Present Your Bracelet 1. In a card. If you can’t see your friends at the moment, then send your bracelets by post inside a special homemade card. We’ve created 3 amazing notecards for you to make – an adorable sausage dog, dreamy sailboat and a cherry ice-cream, go here for the instructions and downloads. As an extra touch, why not include a quote about the wonders of friendship?Here are our favourites: “A sweet friendship refreshes the soul.” - Proverbs 27:9 “Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.” - Eleanor Roosevelt. “There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends.” - Jane Austen. “The only way to have a friend is to be one.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson. “Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together.” - Woodrow Wilson. 2. Pop it into a piñata. Little piñata favours are the perfect way to present your bracelet to a friend. Put it inside and they’ll get a lovely surprise when they open it. Make your own mini piñata, go here for ideas or choose one of our lovely designs which include unicorns, llamas, skull and crossbones, flamingos, swans, robots, mermaids, crocodiles and rainbows. 3. Include it with a gift. If it’s your friend’s birthday then you may want to team your homemade friendship bracelet with another gift too. Look for presents that have a true friendship meaning, like our Secret Notebook necklace or a notebook for them to write notes to you, like our sausage dog, unicorn and cat notebooks.

Musical sessions, with homemade instruments, are guaranteed to make your summer parties extra enjoyable. Our talented design team have created a delightful little drum for your kids to make and play. We also share our favourite summer songs to sing and drum along to. Make a Delightful Drum This fabulous spinning drum will create a sensational beat. Perfect for party fun. Simply download the template here. You have a choice of a coloured drum, or go for the plain version which you can colour in with your favourite colours. You will need: A printer Paper/Card (if you use paper, glue it onto thin card like an old cereal packet) Scissors Glue Sticky tape A paper straw (we’ve got a great choice of striped or shiny straws, see here) Thin cord or string (approximately 6 inches long) 2 beads (or you could use buttons) A skewer/pencil Putty (for making the holes in the card) Colouring pencils or pens to use on the colouring version. (Optional) Instructions: Step 1: Print and cut out the 3 pieces.Step 2: Make the holes in the long piece of card by placing some putty underneath the printed X’s and pushing a skewer or pencil through. Small holes are needed, big enough to thread the cord/string through and a large hole in the middle big enough to push the straw through.Step 3: Cut your cord/string in half so you have two 3 inch long pieces. Thread them both into the small holes and tape a small amount of the cord/string in place on the inside.  Step 4: Push about 1 inch of the straw into the big hole and cut three small slits into the end of the straw that has been pushed in. Flatten out the slits and securely stick them down flat to the card strip using tape.Step 5: Fold down all the flaps along the two sides of the card strip and curve the whole thing round into a circle shape. Glue or tape it in place.  Step 6: Add glue to the tabs and stick the card circles onto both sides and stick firmly in place.  Step 7: Finally thread a bead or button onto the ends of the cord/string. Tie a big knot at the ends to avoid the bead/button coming off and the drum is ready to spin! Summer of fun play list A wonderful way to really enjoy the summer of 2020 is to have a fabulous play list whilst you party. Listen, sing or play along with your drum.  Click here to play the Meri Meri Summer Garden Party Playlist, a mix of classic and modern feelgood summery tunes.

Flowers are fabulous for craft making  – whether you use real ones or paper designs. We’ve created a beautiful 3D floral headband to look sensational at summer parties, and rounded up two other flower makes your kids will love too. Craft a Floral Headband Look summery fantastic fast with this headband. Go here to download the free template. You will need: a printer; printer paper or thin card; coloured paper or card; glue; scissors; pompoms, beads or buttons to embellish; a gold pen or foiled gold paper/card (optional). Step 1: Print out the flowers and leaves onto paper or thin card and cut them out. Step 2: Cut a thin strip of coloured paper/thin card to make the headband. Make sure it is long enough to go around your head. Step 3: To create a 3D effect with the flowers, fold the flower in half one way, and then open it up and fold it in half the other way. For the flowers with more than 4 petals, simply fold the petals another two times until all the petals have a crease line in them. Step 4: Overlap the flowers by putting one on top of another and finish by adding a pompom, bead or button in the centre. Alternatively, you could cut out circles of gold paper or card and stick these down or add some gold pen. Step 5: Each leaf has a front and back. Stick the two pieces together and fold the leaf in the middle at a slight angle. Step 6: Now assemble your headdress by sticking on the leaves and flowers. Stick the ends of the headband together and it’s ready to wear.   Construct Flower Butterfly Wings Create wings, made from fresh flowers, with this design made by our talented team. Go here for the details. Perfect to do at a party as a craft, or for summer fun with your kids. Make a Floral Garland Make an indoor, or outdoor, party look amazing with our floral garland crafted from beautiful paper flowers. Click here for the details. If you want a party to look floral fantastic, then we’ve got lots of gorgeous floral plates, napkins and cups everyone will love, including roses and delicate pastels. 1. Large Pajaki Chandelier 2. Bright Floral Tattoos 3. Flower Jewel Necklace 4. Flower Jewel Hair Clips 5. English Garden Party Hats 6. Bright Floral Napkins 7. Flower Garden Plates 8. Floral Halo Crown 9. English Garden Party Cups   Shop our English Garden collection here

Kids will love our specially designed knight’s castle. Fun to make and even more fun to have adventures with. We also share our favorite ideas for a dashing knight’s party. To Make The Knight’s Castle This magical castle comes with 2 knights on horseback, a sword-wielding knight, a knight with a crossbow, flags, a dastardly dragon and castle ground scenery including a tree and 2 rabbits.Click here to print it out onto card (or paper which can then be stuck onto card). You will need: Scissors Glue Double sided tape (optional) Craft knife Push pin and tack Pencil String or rope Darning needle Cocktail sticks Egg box base Instructions:  Step 1: Cut out the windows and around the door using a craft knife. Make sure you leave the bottom of the door attached. Step 2: Fold down the door and glue the separate door piece onto the back, to make it double sided. Step 3: Punch holes in the front of the castle and in the door (use a push pin with a piece of tack behind, and then extend the hole with a pencil). Cut two pieces of string (or rope) 6 inches long. Thread them through the front of the castle and through the door and knot each end. This will create a drawbridge. Step 4: Fold the tabs on the front and back of the castle and attach the sides. You can now place the egg box in the back. Step 5: Fold the flags in half and glue them on the top of the cocktail sticks. Step 6: Set the scene. 4 Ways to Enjoy a Knight’s Party If the castle has made your kids yearn for a knight’s party, then we’ve got lots of ideas for you to make it a party to remember. 1. Party table Add lots of style with shining silver plates (check out our brilliant silver foil shield shaped plates), they look great hung on the walls as decorations too!) and sparkling candlesticks (for safety, use candles with fake flames). 1. Shield Plates 2. Knights Cake Topper 3. Dragon Stand-Up Card 4. Knights Large Napkins 5. Knights Small Napkins 6. Knights Large Plates 7. Knights Cup8. Knights Helmets 2. Party crafts and games There are some fabulous knight themed crafts and games they’ll love to make and play. We particularly like the teeny tiny catapault make which can be used to fire missiles at castle walls or dragons (which you can make out of cardboard) to knock them down. Another great game is a trio of challenges to test the knights’ aim, strength and wit. To test their aim, blow bubbles and get them to pop them before they hit the ground (you can give them cardboard swords for this if you want, which you can get them to make first as a craft activity). For their strength challenge, get them each to take a turn to whack a pinata (with a plastic or wooden sword) to see who can burst it open (we’ve got fabulous silver foil numbered pinatas that will look fantastic at a knight’s party). For the wit section, get each knight to tell the queen or king (pick an adult at the party) a joke, whomever makes them laugh the loudest is the winner. 3. Dress-up Transform with our fabulous Dragon Knights’ helmets. For wonderful tips on how to make a sword, shield and tunic go here. 4. Party food and drinks Create a banquet by serving large platters of food and jugs of drink. Good choices are dragon eggs (add green, blue or red food coloring to the water when boiling boiled eggs), fruit swords (pieces of fruit on wooden skewers), shield sandwiches or pizza (cut into shield shapes, and decorated with small pieces of bell pepper and lunch meat on top to give color and crunch) and cupcakes with knight themed toppers (like our set with silver foil cupcake cases and colorful knights and dragons toppers). For drinks, if you want a gory touch (which let’s face it, kids love!) why not serve Dragon’s Blood? (simply serve cherryade or mix soda water with some raspberry or cranberry juice).

Your kids will love to pretend to have their own deli– taking everyone’s orders and then making a ‘meal’ to remember. Our clever designers have created menus and lots of food items to print out and play with. We also share our favorite party sandwich ideas. Order, Create and Serve The fabulous foods include bread, tomato, lettuce, turkey, roast beef, bacon, avocado, peanut butter, strawberry jelly, tuna, cheese, pickles, cucumber, a fried egg, mayo, tomato ketchup and there’s even a ‘knife’ to use. Perfect for culinary creativity. Click here to download the templates Simply print out all the menus and food items onto card (or print onto paper and then glue onto card), cut them out and get ready for fun.Why not get your kids some paper party plates and napkins to serve their ‘food’ on too? We’ve got fabulous ranges to choose from with amazing designs and all the colors of the rainbow.   Perfect Party Sandwich Ideas If playing with pretend sandwiches has made everyone hungry, it’s time to rustle up some of the real thing. Here are three ways to make them with a difference to turn the meal into a party! 1. Make works of art With the clever use of ingredients you can make sandwiches look like charming creations. We love these crazy crab and sailboat sandwiches, these woodland animal sandwiches, and this remarkable race car sandwich.  2. Shape them up Transform a humble sandwich into a special shape to really delight the kids. Do this with your favorite cookie cutters, or cut them with a knife. We’ve got a great stainless steel cookie cutter range, including a unicorn, sausage dog and a fox. 3. Switch up your sandwich type A sandwich doesn’t just have to have 2 slices of bread. Why not try an open sandwich, pinwheel or a multi-tiered variety where you use a selection of different breads and fillings? Go here for more information.