Crafty Kwak's: Super Fly Crafty Party.

This weekend Crafty Kwak's rocked up at a Bugtastic 6th Birthday party for a spot of Super Fly mask making. We studied common types of fly and each child created their own mask to take home, carefully created to their own fly design. 

Inspiration:

Photos c/o Google images.

It was a fun filled, sun filled Bugtastic Saturday afternoon. Here are a few photos from the event...

Photos:

Crafty Kwak's parties available now, email: queenkwak@hotmail.co.uk to enquire. n.x

Crafty Kwak's: Korean Mask craft photo-booth.

A spot of photo-booth action from last months Crafty Kwak's Korean Mask class. Check out the amazing masks the children designed, clever beans.

Crafty Kwak's: Summer Holiday Kites & Boats.

I have just set up a bright and sunny window display, on a bright and gloriously sunny morning over at Salt & Pepper, ready for the two classes this summer holiday. Well I did, once I had finished making the kite below. And once I had broken the news to the little lady that we were not off to the park to fly it first. No. Boo. The kite is a full size example of what we shall be creating in the Kite building workshop, a tissue paper and wool beauty. On the day there will be a plethora of materials for the kiddos to go freestyle kite building crazy, it is going to be a good one.

Kite:

Window close up:

From the side:

And the other side, in case you missed a bit:

Here are the posters...

Kites:

Boats:

If you are local and would like to book your child(ren) in, please email: queenkwak@hotmail.co.uk spaces are going fast. And if anyone, local or otherwise would like to 'Like' and share the Crafty Kwak's Facebook page, I would be forever grateful. Here is the link to the page. Thank you ever so.
Right, so now to go start on the goodie bags, and then get out in that sunshine... Toodlepip.

Crafty Kwak's: Summer holiday Boat & Kite prep.

Ive been a bit slow on posting updates on Crafty Kwak's, there was a whole Korean mask day since the last mention. I will post those photos when I get a chance, but until then here are a few bits I have been making for the posters/ window displays for the two forthcoming classes this summer holiday at Salt & Pepper, Southfields. First up are photos for "The Great Southfields Boat Race". A class of boat design and build which will be followed by an actual boat race. Prizes to be won, its going to be lots of fun. Here are a selection of boats I have built:

Rainbow Bright:

Ahoy There:

Spotty Dotty:

And here are a few kites I whipped up for the Kite building workshop. The children will be designing, building and decorating themselves a full size kite to take home and fly.

Rainbow Kite:

Floral Beauty:

Fancy Ribbon:

All enquiries please email: queenkwak@hotmail.co.uk. Posters to follow shortly.

London scavenger Hunt, perfect for the kiddo's.

Well hello, its been a while hasn't it? Life has been KER-azy bananas. Life/ work/ life/ work and so on. I have a bundle of things I would like to share on here and rather than instantly bombarding you with lots of work efforts I thought I would share a little fun day we spent with the babies and their friends. Now this dates back to the Easter hols (I told you its been a while) but it was a fun day and hopefully by the end of this this I will have fathomed how to add a free download onto this, yes thats right free stuff, hoorah!!
So Easter, looking for something fun to do with the littlies, a friend and myself decided to take the little ones on a stroll around London to see some sights. We do in fact live in London, but to be fair we don't really ever (ok never) go and see such sights. So the night before our adventure I whipped up this little scavenger hunt, purely as I thought it might be fun and entertain them. I happened to have a pack of union jack pencils, like you do which was a nice touch, though probably I was the only one who appreciated such things. 

London baby:

I wont lie, this is a shoddy effort of a map. I earnt a living creating plans so I am actually disgusted with myself, but I figure its simple and should be easy to read, and I very well might have made it ever so slightly super quickly. Background map courtesy of Google maps.

So you can see the route we took, it was not that far, and fine for the two three year old's in the party (with buggies for back up) to manage. We began at embankment, headed to Downing street and so on. The entire route took us about 5 hours in total with a lunch break around the Strand. 

On your marks:

Get set, GO. Little lady very eager to start.

Downing Street:

The police guarding the gates were very friendly, chatted away, and posed for photos with the friends (my children were scared). We saw a few cars being searched and we ticked off a few treasures along the way. Happy children.

Horse Guards Parade:

With a stroke of luck we rocked up at the Horse Guards Parade just in time for the changing of the guard. Brilliant, the kiddos LOVED it. Loved the horses, loved the guards, they had a lot of fun.

Say cheeeessseee:

A few poses at the horse guards parade. The boy wasn't up for posing that day.

Backs:

I LOVE this photo, bless them. My son is in blue on the right, and the love of his life/ apple of his eye is standing next to him, he is properly in love. Aged 3.

Trafalgar Square:

Stuck on Nelson.

On guard:

At the Stable yard guards.

Buckingham Palace:

Coo-eeee Queen.

Big Ben:

We passed Big Ben on the route back.

Complete:

And this was my two's completed sheets, even the little one got into it and postboxes/ buses are forever more pointed out on your daily travels.

Free Stuff:

So this is the image you can download, it is at A4, and as you can see there are two hunts per sheet. To download please click here. Please DO NOT download to sell/ make profit from/ take credit for the artwork, this has been purely created as a fun activity by me Queen kwak. I appreciate  the free stuff isn't quite free gold but if it gives one family something to do this summer holidays then I shall be a happy bunny. Happy London hunting all, tell me how your adventures went if you do use the hunt.

All Artwork copyright of Queen Kwak.

Crafty Kwak's: Window display.

I set up the shop window display at salt & pepper this week, with a little help from my boy. Bunting, garlands, a nest of spring chicks with decorated eggs, surrounded by flying papier mache birds... lots of pretty Easter goodness. It was a lot of fun to set up and super fun to make out of all kinds of scrap papers.

Up close:

Lots of pretty colours. The golden bunny (I want the golden bunny) is a permanent feature at salt & pepper.

Easter chicks:

With my boy behind... Now when I say he helped me, that's a loose term and more like he ran/ scooted about like a crazy loon and made puzzles with John the manager.

Flying:

The papier mache birds are all suspended on twine, they float and sway around in the breeze, looking like they are flying.

Poster:

There are just a couple spaces remaining now for the April class, so should you be local or know anyone who is then please forward this poster on. Also I have now set up a crafty Kwak's facebook page, so if you have a facebook account, then pretty please, please click here and like us... Thanking you lots and lots and lots.

Crafty Kwak's Art, Design and Craft class, Southfields.

I very happy to announce that I am embarking on a new venture. From Monday 17th February, this coming half term I shall be hosting the first Crafty Kwak's Art, Design and Craft class at Salt & Pepper in Southfields, London. The classes are suitable for all children aged between 3-8 years and will be held every month at Salt and Pepper from here on. Subject to numbers the class will hopefully become every 2 weeks shortly. Ages 3- 4years will be held on Mondays and 5-8 years will be held on a Saturday afternoon. On months, like this month where there is a school holiday all children will be on the Monday. In each class I will cover a different seasonal or themed topic, and children will leave the lesson with new skills and a three dimensional product they can play with, use as decoration or give away as a gift. I will post the flyers on here for each month and hope to share some of the creations the children create. I am also in the process of building a website solely for Crafty Kwak's classes. For details please read the flyer below which is now littering the local area and filling the inboxes of many a local parent with school aged children.

Flyer:

So here are all the details. If anything is unclear, please do ask. So this months theme is Chinese new year and what better to make than a Chinese dragon. I had so much fun making this bad boy:

Dragon puppet:

So one hand operates his mouth and the other moves the tail to help him dance. We will be making simplified versions of this dragon puppet during the class with the older age groups. 

Felt lantern garland:

This garland is for the window display, I made the little lanterns out of felt and strung them upon butchers twine.

Hanging Chinese globes:

These colourful globe lanterns were super simple to make. Highly decorated versions of these are what I have planned for the little children.

Window Display:

I dragged my lucky cat, aka Prawn cracker over to partake in the display. My babies were most surprised to spot him, when we next walked past.

Another angle:

Spot the pumpkin bottom between prawn cracker and the dragon? It looks like a lion... Amazing.

So if you live in the area, or know someone who does and maybe interested pretty please, do pass on this info on. And if anyone has any ideas or suggestions for the class, please also share.

Illustration: TDAC Seaweed rice illustrated recipe.

Here is a little something I have been working on over the summer holidays in honour of my little lady. A little illustrated recipe of the very first food she ate and what is still to this day her absolute most favourite food ever, Seaweed rice. I have sent it to the website They Draw and Cook, a brilliant site filled with lovely illustrated recipes (check it out, there is some amazing stuff). I hope they like it enough to add it to the site, fingers crossed on that, but here is the recipe illustration, a recipe I created myself, though I am not too sure if that is something to be too proud of, it is pretty easy plus a bit gloopy, but the little lady LOVES it.

Recipe Illustration:

The entire piece.

To the left:

So you can see it in a little more detail.

And to the right:

A bit more detail for you.

Gloopy:

So this is what it really looks like. Serve gloopy, in a porridge like consistency. And its not just for the babies,  King Kwak has been known to often enjoy a bowl, though admittedly it is not really my cup of tea.

First sampling:

The little ladies first sampling of the wondrous stuff. She is just too cute in these two photos, it makes my heart ache. She is 6 months, we were on holiday in Jeju Island, a little island off of Korea, and the restaurant brought her a bowl. Having only had powdered rice/ porridge and fruit until that point, we figured why not and that was the beginning of her love. My recipe is my interpretation of what was served that day. No idea if it tasted similar, purely based on appearance only I'm afraid.

Nom nom:

Still going strong, here she is about a year ago properly devouring it. Look how overjoyed the doll behind her is, proper wooping and air punching... Go seaweed rice!!

I will keep you posted if it is included on the website.

Artwork copyright of Queen Kwak.