be creative daily!

12/03/2020

A Green Easter – is it possible?

Having a green Easter is it possible? Well, we have a few suggestions on making minor changes to help impact the environment. Making tiny changes is all that matters. You shouldn’t feel guilty about decisions you have to make based on time availability or budget. Sometimes we splurge when we don’t need to but as long as we reuse and recycle then you are doing your bit. The Egg Okay, so if you are lucky you will get an easter egg or lots of small little ones wrapped in foil.... Read More

12/03/2020

Thank You to All Our Mums

I think being a parent is such hard work. It’s a constant part of your life that never stops, even when you are away from them, you are constantly thinking about them. This post is just a little thank you to all our mums out there, whatever shape or title they fall under. Thank you. Mums or the role of mum is a hard one. You are teacher, carer, hug giver, disciplinarian, nurse, cook, cleaner, organiser, driver, nightmare chaser, bodyguard, costume maker and personal shopper. The list is never-ending. Every... Read More

05/03/2020

A Homemade Easter

It doesn’t take long for the Christmas decorations to be whipped away and the easter eggs come out. Don’t get us wrong, we love chocolate and any excuse to eat a chocolate-covered anything. However, we are thinking a wee bit greener and a wee bit more sustainable. We don’t want to encourage everyone to go crazy and buy lots of props for this holiday. Although we do love seeing pictures of everyone’s home all decorated up. We just want to encourage everyone to reuse and recycle where you can. Homemade... Read More

29/02/2020

Murray Marvels’ Travel Art Materials

Travel art materials are of a certain interest to me as I am off on my honeymoon soon and I am taking limited art supplies in order to draw whilst I am out there. I have also challenged myself to 12 drawings and painting that I would be proud enough to sell. Limiting yourself to a few art supplies can be a challenge in itself. Finding the perfect sketchbook has been by far the trickiest thing so far and I am still not sure that I have the right size.... Read More

21/02/2020
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Gouache: What It Is and How to Use it

You have probably heard of Gouache before but may not know any more about it (other than it’s strange name!). We were the same when we first found it, but now we know what is and how to use it, we thought we would share our knowledge on all things Gouache. What is Gouache? Gouache is a type of watercolour. It falls between acrylic and watercolour, which is probably why I haven’t mastered it yet. I am so used to building my layers up that working with flat opaque colours... Read More

14/02/2020

Save the Bees and get garden savvy

Oh, I love bees I really do. I think they are so clever and helpful and their pollinating and hard works help us breathe! Having a small garden or even no garden isn’t really an excuse. You can help the bees in lots of ways here are a few that we love… Start by planting Paris and London have award-winning honey and the reason isn’t because of their botanical gardens, it’s actually because of window boxes and roof-top gardens. That fancy orchid you bought may just be the cream of... Read More

06/02/2020

A Very Romantic Homemade Valentine’s Day

Okay, I am going to be mushy here and we all know I don’t really do mushy but here goes. For this Valentine’s day, I am going to make an effort. I still don’t believe in spending lots of money or going out to a restaurant that costs a fortune on this one day. No, this Valentine’s, as my first married valentines I am going all out, you name it, I’m doing it. Reds and Pinks ( a colour combo I really appreciate) is the theme I’m going with In... Read More

Valentine's Day card 30/01/2020

Valentine’s Day: Gifting our hearts to the Earth

Its time to think a little greener when it comes to spending your money. We all know when it comes to Valentine’s Day I am not a fan. So the idea of gifting it to the Earth or just making small changes to help our environmental impact pleases me immensely. So below is just a few ideas to help you gift our hearts to the Earth. Make an edible Valentine’s Day gift When it comes to food I am all in and I love an edible valentine. Biscuits, yes please!... Read More

23/01/2020
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Pantone Colour of the Year: Classic Blue

Pantone Colour Of the Year is ‘Classic Blue’ and it feels right especially for January. Classic blues has been creeping into our homes for the last few years. It is wonderful to see it in pride of place as the Official Pantone Colour of 2020. We can look forward to seeing it more in our homes, fashion and design work. But how much will it affect our arts and crafts? Only time will tell. January Blues is a real thing Its winter, Christmas is gone, the buildup has been replaced... Read More

16/01/2020
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Origami – The Art For All Ages

Origami is the Japanese art of paper folding and is suitable for all ages. You can buy papers or start with a little kit. Normal printer paper can work but can be a little thick. You don’t need anything but papers and instructions. I learnt origami at school. A man came in to teach us how to make an origami lily and I picked it up fairly easily. When it comes to art and crafts I do find it easier to watch someone create something rather than follow instructions. When... Read More

09/01/2020

Look ahead to a Greener 2020

Our main goal for 2020 is to make it a greener year. Hopefully, by making these positive, sustainable changes, we can make this infiltrate every part of our business from packing to our offices and our own recycling. By taking care of our business, it in turn helps us take care of you. How to be Greener: Reuse Recycle We really want to make this year greener; with the use of recycled boxes (literally) and the go green climate initiative from DHL for our overseas parcels put into place. We... Read More

01/01/2020
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Happy New Year: Bring on 2020

Well, it really has been a lovely Christmas and this year we have accomplished so much. Set ourselves mini-challenges and hit them straight on. Its time to appreciate the little things. 2019 will be the year that we started reaching out more into our immediate areas, and started supporting Havering Mind. We ran a half marathon, went to the Wheels and Wings event and ran a workshop where all the money went to Mind and we also supported the Chritsmas Havering Mind show where we handed out free presents to... Read More

13/12/2019

Nostalgic toys: Maybe this one is better for the adults!

Nostalgic toys: Maybe this one is better for the adults!! I am not joking if your children have used this in the summer its time to get it out and use it at your Christmas parties! When I was younger I really really wanted a Mr Frosty maker, I am pretty sure it was on my Santa list for a few years but I never got it. When I say they had released it the inner child in me longs for a Mr Frosty. Perfect for Summer cones and ideal... Read More

06/12/2019
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20 Minute Indoor Christmas Wreath

This is such a simple indoor Chrsitmas wreath, it takes only a few items and 20 minutes of your day. You will have enough materials left from the wreath to make another and it’s all under a tenner! You will need: Wire cutters, secateurs or kitchen scissors Rafia covered wire Gold berries on wire Fir branch Any other Christmas bits and bobs you want to add That’s it. That’s all you need. This craft wire is 10 meters long so if you wanted to make it fuller then you just... Read More

19/11/2019
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Printing your own wrapping paper

Printing your own wrapping paper is ridiculously satisfying. This year I am trying to be more conscientious so I won’t be having plastic shiny paper or glitter ones as they end up in the bin. Glitter and shiny paper cant be recycled. I will use up what I bought last year. Loving colour at Christmas doesn’t mean I have always prefered brown wrap anyway, I like pretty ribbons and using decorations instead of tags. Trying to be mindful just exacerbates my inner hoarder so I don’t care. I save my... Read More

15/11/2019
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Adding Luminance to your pencil drawings

Sorry for the pun but I couldn’t help it. Today I will be writing about luminance pencils and how they really do add luminance to your pencil drawings. We all know I am a huge fan of Caran D’ache, I just rate them as incredible pencils with unmatched quality. Let’s talk about the actual pencils The pencil are lusciously thick and creamy with a 3.8mm core. This is a wax-based pencil range and although when laying down the colour it is thick and creamy, the core is not ridiculously soft... Read More

Toneontone 31/10/2019
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Autumn Crafting

Autumn is definitely here, the trees are turning into gorgeous shades. The nights are darker. The heating is sporadically on and hot drinks have replaced ice-cold glasses of water. Yes, these crafts are ideal for all year round but there is something about creating them for Autumn. Making things bright and cosy! Rock painting Yes, you can do this all year round but now that the garden is starting look bare again. Perhaps by painting plant pots and hand painting rocks, you can add a bit more colour to your... Read More

24/10/2019
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Getting started with Face Paint

Face paint is easy but you need to have a few basics and be confident enough to practise! You don’t need lots of expensive equipment, just a few essential tools… That’s it, that’s all you need to get started but there are always extras like face paint sticks, gems, glitters gels, biodegradable glitters and stencils. You can go to town on colours but really when you get started you just need the basics. If you have some ideas of the faces and colours you want to use then start with... Read More

17/10/2019

Inktober: Halfway through

To be honest with you, the whole process of sharing my sketches with you is fairly daunting. We are halfway through the Inktober challenge and it has been, well, challenging. I do like a challenge, don’t get me wrong. 31 days of drawing is a challenge It’s very exposing Putting your work out there, and not my best work either just quick sketches and 2-minute drawings makes me feel exposed. That people will look at them and judge me and my work. Some have taken me twenty minutes to draw,... Read More

10/10/2019
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Half Marathon: Our first one. We Did It!

So, we did it! We just completed the challenge of running our first Half Marathon. It really was a challenge for all of us. We all agreed we needed to train more but we were really lucky, with the weather and with the community spirit. The crowds cheering you on really does make you feel great, it also forces you not to walk because you don’t want to let them down, even if you are tired and just need a minute.  I think we would all agree that having our... Read More