Handmade Mother's Day Card Ideas

With Mother's Day fast approaching here in Australia, I've collected a roundup of some of my current favourite DIY Mother's Day card designs. Enjoy!

1. Floral Card

What's not to love about a floral pop up card? Find the pattern here.

2. Flower Bracelet Card

A card and bracelet in one! Get the tutorial here.

3. Folded Flower Envelope

Find the tutorial for this cute folded flower envelope and flower card here.

4. Simple Mother's Day Cards

Sweet card ideas you can put together in minutes.

5. Mum's Favourite Things Card

Whip up a card that celebrates mum's favourite things.

How to make family birthstone earrings

Make a pair of birthstone-inspired earrings featuring luscious glass beads that represent the entire family's birthstones.

I'll show you how to put this simple, yet eye-catching, pair of earrings together to represent the favourite people in your life.

Birthstone jewellery will always be popular, especially for mothers and grandmothers, so I was inspired to create this pair of birthstone-inspired earrings featuring vintage and Czech glass beads that represent a family of four close to my heart.

 

How to make a pair of family birthstone earrings

Materials

- 2 x 5-6mm glass beads

- 2 x 8mm glass beads

- 2 x 9mm rondelle beads

- 2 x 10mm Czech glass beads

- 2 x 50mm headpins

- 2 x leverback earhooks (to keep those earrings safely on your ears)

- round nose pliers

- needle nose pliers

- wire cutters

 

Steps

1. Thread one of each size of bead onto one headpin in order from largest to smallest. Using the wire cutters, cut off excess headpin, leaving 10mm of headpin to attach the beads to the earhook.

 

 2. Using the needle nose pliers, bend back the headpin as close to the beads as possible.

 

3. Using the round nose pliers, create a loop in the headpin end, but do not close the loop.

 

4. Hook the half-formed loop onto a leverback earhook.

 

5. Close the loop with the round nose pliers, straightening with the needle nose pliers if needed.

6. Repeat with the remaining bead supplies to create the second earring.

And there you have it, a gorgeous pair of earrings celebrating a family of four in meaningful and affordable style. 

Elegant drop earrings

 

Since at least the 1960s, women have been hunting for the perfect little black dress to wear to any occasion. So today I am sharing a quick and easy DIY for an elegant pair of earrings to match whichever LBD you choose for yourself!

 Supplies

 - 2 x 10mm black glass beads

- 40mm of thin (1.5-2mm wide) silver-plated chain

- 2 x silver-plated earring hooks (or sterling silver if you have sensitive ears)

- 2 x 30mm silver-plated headpins

- 4 x 6mm silver-plated filigree bead caps

Method

1. Place one bead cap, one bead, followed by another bead cap onto a headpin. Cut off excess headpin, leaving 8-10mm above the bead. Make a loop in the headpin; repeat with the remaining bead caps, bead and headpin.

2. Divide the chain into two 20mm lengths. Open the end link of one chain and attach the chain to a loop made in step 1. Repeat with the remaining chain and bead loop.

3. Open the hanging loop on one earring hook and attach to the free end of one of your chain and bead drops. Repeat with the remaining earring supplies, and there you have it, one pair of elegant earrings that will do your LBD proud!

Apple Pie Granola

The Cheeky Monkeys family are huge fans of granola, and homemade granola is our favourite because of the ability to tailor the ingredients to our current flavour(s) of the month.

Our current favourite is this apple pie-inspired granola, which is not only full of high fibre and high protein ingredients, but low in processed sugars too.

 

 

Ingredients

- 3 1/2 cups rolled oats

- 1/2 cup quinoa flakes

- 1/2 cup sultanas

- 1/2 cup dried apple, chopped

- 1/2 cup blanched hazelnuts, chopped

- 1/3 cup buckwheat groats

- 1/3 cup pepitas

- 1 tsp ground cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

- 1 tsp vanilla essence

- 1 Tb maple syrup

- 1 Tb powdered stevia

- 1/3 cup canola oil or coconut oil

 

 

1. Pre-heat your oven to 170°C. Line two large baking trays with non-stick baking paper.

Mix the dry ingredients (the first 7 ingredients) together in a large bowl.

2. Mix the last 6 ingredients together in a small bowl.

3. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together thoroughly.

4. Divide the granola mix between the two baking trays, spreading the mix evenly over the trays.

Bake the granola for 20-30 minutes, or until lightly browned, mixing every 5 minutes to ensure the granola doesn't burn.

5. Enjoy granola with your favourite milk!

* Alternatives:

- Rolled barley, rye, spelt or buckwheat work well as an alternative to the rolled oats and quinoa flakes

- Blanched almonds can be substituted for the hazelnuts, or leave out the nuts if you or your family members have nut allergies

A roundup of Regency bonnet DIYs

Regency and cosplay loving friends, today's post is perfect for those who are keen to make their own costume for future Jane Austen and regency era festivals!

Once you've settled on a dress for the day, you can follow one of these tutorials to create a matching bonnet or hat to complete your outfit.  Enjoy!

1. Upcycle a straw hat to create a sweet bonnet.

2. Not a bonnet, but a regency turban cap.

3. A different method for turning a straw hat into regency bonnet.

4. A drawn bonnet DIY for those with mad sewing skills.

5. Prefer the look of a stovepipe bonnet? Try this simple DIY.

Button Bracelet Roundup

Hello friends, I hope you're all well and coping with the isolation of being in lockdown (or whichever name your country is calling it).

With Mother's day almost upon us in Australia, the US, and several other countries, I know that lockdown has made celebrating difficult this year.
So, I've put together a roundup of button bracelet tutorials that are easy enough for kids and teens to create for Mum, maybe with a little help from Dad!

1. This suede and button bracelet is the easiest of the lot, and perfect for the Mum who loves minimalist jewellery.

2. Another simple bracelet, but with a unique look.

3. A fun button bracelet perfect for those with a big button stash.

4. A perfect button bracelet for the Mum who loves bangles.

5. This button charm bracelet will need some basic jewellery making skills.

5 Anzac Day Ideas

With the world all topsy turvy right now, it's nice to still be able to do some of the old things we did to keep up some level of normality.

So, even though Aussies and New Zealanders can't be out and about at Anzac Day commemorations this April 25th, there are still some things we can do to remember this day.

Here are four simple ideas you can do from the safety of home.

1. Australia's RSL is livestreaming a short commemorative service and asking Australians to stand in their driveways at 6am instead of attending the usual Anzac Day marches.

2. Make poppies out of coffee filters with your kids.

3. Make a rosemary wreath for your door - rosemary is a symbol of remembrance.

4. Another one the kids can do, make felt poppies to wear on your lapel.

5. Tired of the same old Anzac biscuits?  Why not try an Anzac slice for something different.

DIY earrings from Lindt chocolate bunny bells

Hey chocolate lovers!  Now that Easter is well and truly past, I'm assuming that you've eaten through your entire stash of Easter chocolates.

Grandma Monkeys rather generously gifts all her grandkids with Lindt chocolate bunnies every year, which leaves my Cheeky Monkeys with the dilemma of what to do with the leftover bell after you've eaten the chocolate.

Well, here is a quick and easy solution for those who want to avoid sending items to landfill!

Supplies

- 2 x Lindt chocolate bunny bells (or any bells you have on hand)

- 2 x gold-plated earhooks

- jewellery pliers

STEP 1

Gather your supplies, keeping aside the chocolate bunnies for post jewellery-making consumption if you haven't already eaten them.

STEP 2

Using your jewellery pliers, open the loop at the bottom of the earhooks. Hang one bell onto an earhook loop, then close the loop.  Repeat with the other bell and earhook and you're done!

Alternatives

- If you want your earrings to look a little festive, you could tie a mini ribbon bow to the bells

- Collect enough bells, and you could attach them to gold-plated chain to make a fun bracelet or anklet

6 Easter Food and Decor Ideas

Easter has got to be one of my most favourite times of year, with a four day long weekend to especially remember and celebrate God's saving grace.

Although we're travelling this Easter, the Two Cheeky Monkeys family usually spends Easter weekend celebrating with our friends and loved ones.

Here are 6 ideas to help you with your Easter celebrations this coming weekend!

Wreaths are a fun way to add a seasonal touch to your home.

Celebrate your Christian faith with this free printable.

Perfect as guest placecards or to display a seasonal word.

Feed them in rustic Italian style with this Easter pie.

Serve your guests with a luscious edible wreath!

You can't have a celebration without gorgeous drinks to serve your guests.

DIY Chandelier Earrings

Chandelier-style earrings will never go out of fashion and look great with both casual and more dressy outfits.  And this super lightweight and sparkly pair are so easy to put together yourself, they will glam up any outfit you team them with!

I went with a bluish-multicoloured plus silver-plated metal theme, but feel free to go with your favourite colours.  You can use any style of round or teardrop-shaped chandelier finding for these earrings, and you can also swap the imperial crystal beads I used for Swarovski crystal or Czech firepolish beads.

Follow along for the full DIY!

Supplies

- 2 x metal chandelier drop earring findings

- silver-plated headpins

- 2 x silver-plated fishhook earwires

- 8 x imperial crystal oval beads (4x6 mm size)

- 2 x imperial crystal oval beads (6x8 mm size)

- jewellery pliers

STEP 1

Gather all your materials, making sure that you have one headpin for each bead as well as round nose pliers, chain nose pliers and headpin cutters (or an all in one tool).

STEP 2

Thread each bead onto a headpin.  Cut off excess pin, leaving approximately 1 cm of spare metal.  Create a bead dangle with each bead and headpin, but DON'T close the loop just yet.

STEP 3

Attach one large bead dangle to the central loop (or space in my case) of the chandelier finding and close the loop.  Attach the smaller bead dangles to the remaining loops on your chandelier.  Repeat with the other earring.

STEP 4

Attach one fishhook earwire to the top of each chandelier, and that's it, you've got yourself a pair of swishy and sparkly earrings that will brighten your day, quite literally!

6 pancake recipes to try this St Patrick's day

Whether you love to cook pancakes for special days such as Shrove Tuesday, St Patrick's day, or on weekends "just because", you'll love this roundup of 6 pancake recipes.

With gluten free, basic no fail, low carb and more, there's a recipe for almost anyone - enjoy!

1. If you've never made pancakes before, this basic recipe will become your "go to", fail-proof recipe.

2. Celebrate St Patrick's day with fun, green pancakes.

3. Banana and oatmeal pancakes are a great way to get more fruit and fibre into your diet while still treating yourself.

4. Coeliacs can enjoy pancakes too, with this easy recipe.

5. Pancakes are such a versatile food that you can even adapt the recipe to create a delicious, vegan pancake.

6. And if you've jumped on the low carb or keto diet bandwagons, you don't have to miss out on pancakes either!