Thursday, October 22, 2009

Smallprint ...........


Today we meet local mum, Nikki Godden, who recently launched her brand new jewellery company, Smallprint, in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. Aimed at proud parents looking for a truly original keepsake or unique gift idea, the stunning pieces of individually handcrafted and engraved jewellery capture your child’s fingerprint forever in pure polished silver.

Nikki first encountered Smallprint whilst searching for alternative gifts for her son’s godparents. “I wanted to thank them for committing their time and love to my son,” she explains, “so I began looking for something a little different to the norm. As soon as I found Smallprint, I knew the distinctive pieces were perfect and I rushed off to have two necklaces and two sets of cufflinks made. I was so impressed; I even treated myself to a necklace!

“When my son was born, I, like lots of other new mums, had clay impressions of his footprints made and got messy with poster paints at home, trying to take handprints for our keepsake box so that we’d always remember how little he used to be. But my necklace was such an unusual and stylish way of keeping a memory and it’s become one of my most treasured possessions. It attracted so many compliments from friends and family that I decided to bring a Smallprint franchise to the region so that even more people can enjoy the jewellery. I’d also been thinking about how to fit work around raising my son and this new venture really gives me the perfect opportunity to find a balance.”

Smallprint uses precious metal clay to create original pieces of silver jewellery featuring a child’s fingerprint – once the clay has been rolled out and shaped, the child’s finger is gently pressed in place to create the print. Each piece is then individually sanded, engraved and fired, before being finished with solid silver settings. Prices start from £20.

Choose from a selection of necklaces, cufflinks, dogtags, keyrings and bracelet charms, all beautifully packaged for the perfect gift. Fingerprints can be taken in the comfort of your own home and if you invite four or five other mums to join you, you can benefit from a 25% discount on your own purchase.


For Christmas, Smallprint is introducing Christmas gifts created specifically for the festive period. The new range consists of four different Christmas tree decorations, an angel, a festive bell, a jolly snowman or a Christmas tree. Each one is individually handcrafted and engraved, capturing a child's fingerprint forever in pure polished silver. The stunning new designs are available from 1st October and cost £50 each.

For further enquiries you can call Nikki Godden at Smallprint on 01234 34 34 94 or 07736 27 99 90 Mon-Fri between 9am and 4pm or visit Smallprint online at www.smallp.co.uk


love from

x

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Smashing pumpkins!

This is a fantastic autumn project for your little ones from the very talented Natasha, from Nevie-pie Cakes. A paper mache pumpkin which can also be used as a treat holder. Natasha's own little darlings are 3 and 5 and really threw themselves into making these!
It is really easy to make but does require some drying time. It took them about two weeks from start to finish (but that wasn't every day as Natasha wanted to hold their interest.)

1. Blow up a balloon, don't blow it up all the way as you want more of a round shape. Then squish it a bit in your hands to make it even more round. Tape down the knot.

2. Make up your paste by mixing 1 part flour to 2 parts water. You want a nice consistancy not too runny and well mixed so there are no lumps.
3. Then start stripping.....the newspaper! Put the strips in the mixture and as you bring them out run your fingers down them so you get rid of any excess paste.
It's helpful if you stand the balloons up on old yogurt pots so they didn't wibble wobble everywhere.
You need at least three layers and let each layer dry completely before applying the next one. Natasha says, "We actually needed four layers and I was impressed that I only had to apply the last layer, normally I end up at the table doing craft projects while the kidlets run around screeching!".

4. Scrunch up a few strips of newspaper and roll them in your hands until they come together in a sausage shape, then put on the top of the pumpkin to make the stalk. Take another few strips and place them around the stalk to anchor it to the main body.

5. With a pen make a mark about one third down frm the top of the pumpkin and another mark about 2cm below that. Do the same on the other side.

6. Then with a craft knife cut around the top of the pumpkin, about two thirds up, inbetween the upper and lower marks.


8. Paint your pumpkin. Natasha used acrylic paint, mixing burnt orange with gold to give a slight pearlescent sheen. They painted the inside too. Natasha also mixed a bit of the gold with the green for the stalk. You will need a couple of coats of paint to cover the newspaper, and "as excitement was mounting and patience running out, I used a hairdryer to speed up the drying time. Then like everything else in our house it was given a liberal sprinkling of glitter!", exclaimed Natasha.



9. Finally thread a ribbon through the holes to make a perfect treat holder.

There you go! Doesn't the finished product look brilliant. Why not give it a go. Look out for other activities coming your way too........

Happy crafting.

love

x

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Meet Lucy from Baby Sensory


Some of you may have met Lucy at the Harpenden Fayre last month, well, here's a bit more about her and what she does....

"Hi, my name is Lucy and I got involved with Baby Sensory 3 years ago. I was the 1st franchisee and was based in the Bromley area. I built the business up and at its peak I had 245 babies a week signed up to the classes. I sold the Bromley business while I was 7 months pregnant, sold our house and moved to Wheathampstead just 3 weeks before becoming a Mama. Now a Mum myself - 14 weeks ago!! I have a beautiful baby girl - Eva. "
Lucy then decided to set up Baby Sensory - St Albans after the success in Bromley and hoped the local Mums and Dads would enjoy the classes just as much as they had in the Bromley area. Lucy has a class leader - Kara who runs the classes, as she wanted to focus on being a Mum for a while and enjoy her own baby girl.
Lucy says, "Eva is so lucky as she gets to go to the classes twice a week, once with Mummy and then with Daddy - he loves it too - great bonding for all of us!! ".

Baby Sensory provides something new for parents and babies to look forward to every week. Activities include every possible sensory experience from sign language to fibre optic light shows, amazing bouncy light balls, rainbows, bubbles, bells, baby scuba diving effect and a whole lot more! No session is ever the same. What's really exciting about Baby Sensory is that it is not only designed to encourage early infancy development (babies have the ability to take in twice as much information than college students), but also to provide literally hundreds of simple and tangible activities that you can take home to have fun and develop with your baby.

All activities are accompanied by fun, upbeat music, some of which is original to Baby Sensory. From Mozart to Rock and Roll, there is something to suit every baby and every occasion. Parents entering the universe of parenthood won't go far wrong with Baby Sensory as the sessions are also designed to help parents understand the needs of their baby, how to comfort, massage and communicate through signing - Lucy currently has babies at the age of eight months capable of asking for things such as "more milk" through simple sign language! The joy and sense of awe that arises from seeing your baby learn, communicate and develop is well worth the effort of squeezing it into your weekly schedule. In fact, Lucy is so confident you'll love Baby Sensory that she offers the first session completely free of charge so you have the opportunity to join in on a fun session with no obligation!
To find out more vist the Baby Sensory website. Also you can contact
Kara via email - stalbans@babysensory.co.uk or call her on 07810 695637 with any questions you may have.

x

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

creepy crawlies

If you are looking for a simple recipe to make with the kids for Halloween, or anytime, why not try these chocolate marshmallow spiders? The kids will get into such a gooey mess, they will love it!
All you need is:
approx. 100g chocolate for melting
10-12 regular sized marshmallows (more if you like to eat as you go along!)
a packet of strawberry or liquorice laces
sweets/silver balls/raisins for eyes

Firstly, break up your chocolate and melt in a microwave or in a bowl over some bowling water, best to get a grown up to do this bit!

Once the choc is melted and has had time to cool down a bit, get the kids (or grown ups) to dip the marshmallows in and coat them completely in the choc.
Next you can add the 'legs', the chopped up laces. These too can be dipped in the melted choc if you prefer.

Add some 'eyes' and put to one side with their spider pals. You may wish to place them on a piece of greaseproof paper as it's easier to remove them once they've set. Alternatively you can add a disc of rice paper to the bottom of the spiders.

Place in the fridge for an hour or so until the chocolate has set, then scoff, scoff, scoff.

Mmmm, yummy!

Thank you Marie Kitchen from Heartfelt Handmade for sharing these critters with us. More activities to come. In the meantime, don't forget to email us your own creative ideas, to be in with a chance of being featured in a future posting.

Happy making!

x

Have yourself a Crafty Halloween......

Spooky season is on it's way and it's something the kids can really get stuck into with lots of fun crafts, games and recipes. Here at More Than A Mama we will be showing you some of our very own activities that we will be enjoying with our own little devils, why don't you give them a go too.


Here is a funky halloween card for you from artist Katy Leigh. Click on the picture above and save to your documents, then print it out and get the kids to colour them in. Pumpkin-tastic!

Keep checking back for more crafty ideas or send us your own (with a few pics) to morethanamamauk.googlemail.com, the best ones will be posted here on the MTAM blog!

Have fun!

x

Thursday, October 1, 2009

More Than A Mama Hampers



More Than a Mama is delighted to offer you our corporate gift baskets. Baskets can be assembled to accommodate a range of budgets and all goods are subject to a 10% discount off the RRP price.

It's the perfect gift for a work colleague, baby shower or friend and can be tailored for boys, girls, unisex or even twins!

For more information or to order a basket please email us at;
morethanamamauk@googlemail.com


We ran a free prize draw for a More Than A Mama basket at our Harpenden Fayre and are delighted to announce Helen Exley as the winner! Congratulations!

Love,

x