Homes

Here’s a quick and easy birthday “cake” for a child who doesn’t like cake. Turn a small tub of vanilla ice-cream out onto a plate. On the top of the “cake”, outline in chocolate buttons or Smarties the age of the birthday child. Add a paper frill around the sides of the ice-cream and stick […]

Wear an oven mitt to stroke air out of adhesive paper when covering school books. It makes a tricky job much easier.

A backpack filled with toys, books and snacks and hung from the front seat of your car is a great way to entertain children on long journeys. It’s easily accessible and will keep them amused for ages.

Buy a wooden mug tree for the nursery – you can use it hang up all the hair bows and hats you seem to acquire for your baby, making them instantly accessible.

Make the littlies their own “grocery shop”. Trim to size the labels from smaller-size canned foods and glue them onto empty film containers, making miniatures of the products. Small cereal packets and juice boxes can be added to the mini-supermarket.

Renew the features on old, faded dolls’ faces by using a cream foundation and blending in blusher (works best on matt surfaces). Nail polish is excellent for lipstick, and waterproof mascara can be used for eyelashes.

Encourage kids to eat their lunch sandwiches by using a teddy bear or gingerbread man biscuit cutter to cut them into shapes. Add currants or sultanas for eyes.

Tracksuits that become too short in the arms and legs as children grow can be lengthened by inserting bands of contrasting fabrics.

Putting names on kids’ school pencils is quicker and easier if you shave off a strip of wood with a potato peeler instead of a knife.

Use a laundry marker to make a matching symbol or number on each pair of white socks in the wash so that they’re easy to match at putting away time.