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Posts Tagged ‘ideas’

  1. The next great impressionist

    April 30, 2013 by Amy Hansford

    I’m an alright parent. I try to do one activity a day with/for Little L. I don’t always succeed. We watch a lot of telly. God bless Cbeebies.

    Very, very occasionally I do something that’s not half bad. That happened this week. And I’m so damned chuffed, I’m sharing it with you on here because it’s a brilliant idea and it’s what we’re doing from now on.

    With three birthdays this weekend, we’d already got the presents sorted but not the wrapping paper. Thanks to funny tummies, we skipped on swimming and spent the morning snuggling up under a blanket instead. By lunch, I was feeling like a guilty lazy mum so thought I’d be brave and set up some painting. But what? Then it hit me;

    We’d make our own wrapping paper. We had everything we needed – paints, bib, huge roll of paper from Ikea. So this is how it went down;

    Having set stuff up in the kitchen, I drew three themed pictures; butterflies, jungle and under the sea. These matched the presents.

    2013 04 26 paint 1

    Because I’m lazy, I can’t be doing with paint pallets. Instead, I splurged the paint directly on to the picture tactically. That way Little L could schmoosh it around as she wished.

    2013 04 26 paint 5

    When I say schmoosh, I mean it literally. Having been taught to do so at nursery, Little L automatically started painting and using her hands. It’s all good – I still didn’t have to clean paint pallets so I was happy.

    2013 04 26 paint 7

    And so, to the finished article. Cheap (free!), entertained Little L, and end-of-painting-time-tantrums were avoided by the golden phrase ‘this is the last one now, okay?’

    2013 04 26 paint 8

    I was really rather impressed at what happened next. I put the rag on the table to clean it and Little L took over to do it herself. A child who paints then cleans up after herself. I know, I have no idea either. Blooming well done Busy Bees nursery for training her up, that’s all I say.

    2013 04 26 paint 11

    And that’s your lot. 15 minutes worth of me being impressed at what a mess it wasn’t. Time where Little L was impressively focused. A result that meant funkily wrapped presents. So if you invite Little L to a party, expect a one-of-a-kind wrapping on the gift.


  2. World Book Day 2011

    February 16, 2011 by Amy Hansford

    It’s that time again!
    It’s the day to celebrate all that is good and inspiring about books. The day where all the children and teachers dress up as various characters to bring their favourite stories to life.

    Click here to see the last update of the costume inspiration list for World Book Day. Don’t forget to let me know which you did so I can add it to the list for next year!


  3. Costumes: Cocktails

    January 1, 2011 by Amy Hansford

    A theme I’d not given much thought to before was the subject of this year’s NYE Party. First question: do you go as an actual cocktail, or the literal translation of the name? For the pun costumes, you need to pick those which people might actually have heard of.? While there probably is a cocktail representative of a cheerleader, no-one will have heard of it so you’ll lose the punch (if you’ll pardon the pun). So, below is a list of those which we came up with.

    BarbarellaBarbarella
    Black RussianBlack Russian outfit
    Black WidowBlack spider costume
    Bloody MaryBloodied nativity costume with doll baby Jesus
    Blue HawaiianHawaiian outfit in blue
    Bridesmaid Cooler – Bridesmaid wearing sunglasses
    Chocolate SailorSailor outfit with lots of chocolates
    Cockney ChampagnePearly King with a champagne badge
    Eggnog – Noggin the Nog (Viking) with lots of Kinder Eggs or similar
    Fallen AngelEvil angel costume
    Mai Tai – Wear a tie with the label ‘this tie is the property of [your name]’
    Manhattan
    – Man with a hat on
    Mexican ChocolateMexican with lots of chocolate
    Naked Twister – Wear a Twister mat and little else
    Pina Colada – wear a colander with attached penises
    ShandySandy from Grease but pissed
    Shirley TempleShirley Temple
    Strawberry Bandit -Typical burglar costume but in red with a green mask/hat
    Strawberry Flapper – Flapper costume with attached strawberries
    White RussianWhite Russian outfit


  4. Shaken but not stirred

    December 27, 2010 by Amy Hansford

    Alright, last post for the day, I promise. I’m just overexcited at actually having something to write about and the time to do so.
    With 2011 looming, it’s almost time for the New Year’s Eve party. The theme this year is Cocktails.

    In a few days, i.e. once the party has been and gone, I will publish one of those handy ‘costume idea’ lists including pictures for y’all. But until then, I’m remaining tight lipped. Half the fun of costume parties is the mystery of what everyone goes as, and I can’t be giving any clues away on here of course…


  5. Costumes: Television

    February 22, 2010 by Amy Hansford

    One of the widest themes around – trust me! I will be starting small with this post and adding to it as we go, or rather, as I remember. Do add your own ideas! And remember, we already have the Kids TV section so no talk of Rainbow or Fraggle Rock here.

    Ashes to Ashes – Gene Hunt, Alex Drake
    Doctor Who
    – any of the Doctors, Ace, Rose, Martha, Cyberman, Dalek, Captain Jack
    Family GuyPeter, Lois, Chris, Meg, Stewie, Brian, Quagmire, Cleveland and all the rest
    FireflyCaptain Mal, Zoe, Wash, Inara, Jayne, Kaylee, Simon, River, Shepherd
    FuturamaFry, Leela, Bender, Hermes, Dr Zoidberg, the Professor, Amy, Zapp Branigan
    Life on Mars – Gene Hunt, Sam Tyler
    Red Dwarf – Lister, Arnold Rimmer, Ace Rimmer, Kryten, Cat, Dwayne Dibley, Kochanski, Mr Flibble, Holly
    The SimpsonsHomer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie, Flanders, Nelson and all the rest
    South Park – Cartman, Kenny, Kyle, Stan and the rest
    Top Gear – if you can go as all three (plus the Stig) you’re on to a winner *new*


  6. To dress or not to dress

    February 20, 2010 by Amy Hansford

    I’ve had a number of people* asking me about Rocky Horror lately, all of whom have pretty much started their query with ‘But you have to dress up though, don’t you?’.

    The short answer is ‘no, but you may get into it more if you do’.

    The long answer is this:
    The average audience for Rocky Horror (costume wise) is about 50/50. Of those dressed up, they go across the whole spectrum – die hards in show accurate costumes, gangs in basques and boas, to civvies with lippie. That’s all for the lads and the ladies.

    Speaking of which, chaps, you don’t have to wear make up. I know! Revelationary. There’s Brad, the Narrator and Eddie to choose from. Girls, you don’t have to walk around in a thong! There’s Janet’s lovely pink dress, a Phantom and Columbia to choose from.

    If you want to be a member of the plain clothes force, that’s okay too! You might want to bring something in a bag – sunglasses, a paper hat and a lipstick – in the case you find yourself the only one not dressed up and therefore feeling a bit left out. But I’ve seen the show a number of times in my normal gear. It’s really okay.

    Admittedly, I now have my heart set on creating a stage accurate Phantom costume for April, but until then I’m happy watching it in a corset and jeans for a bit. No need to get my bottom out unnecessarily, but great if everyone else wants to!

    *4 actually
    Lots of piccies in here care of the lovely Timewarp, the official Rocky Horror fan club


  7. Costumes: Pubs

    December 21, 2009 by Amy Hansford

    This year, one of the New Year party invites came with a theme I’d not experienced before; Pub Names. Fairly obvious when you think about it, but still one I’d not given much thought to. I’ve pretty much figured out what I’m going as now, but for those of you in my earlier predicament, here’s a handy list of ideal pub names.

    All Bar One – paint every number over your top over and over again, except the number 1
    Anchor
    Bat and Ball
    The Black Cap
    The Blind Beggar – host to 10,000 London cabbies, all seemingly present at the Kray shoot out.
    Boathouse
    Bricklayer’s Arms – brickie
    The Bright Star
    The Butcher
    The Castle
    Cat and Fiddle
    Charlie Brown’s
    The Chequers – black and white dress
    Cock and Bull – oh, behave.
    The Compasses
    Cricketers
    Cross Keys
    The Crown – Beefeater
    The Devil’s Punchbowl
    Dirty Dick’s – Dick Turpin
    Dog and Bear
    Dog and Duck
    The English Rose
    The Fisherman’s Arms
    Flame – gay pub in Luton
    The Fox
    Fox and Hounds
    George and the Dragon – think Saint George in his knight phase
    The Globe
    The Grapes
    Green Man – meant to be a spirit of the woods; with modernisation, now the Green Giant who sells sweetcorn
    The Halfway House
    The Highwayman – Dick Turpin
    Hog’s Head
    Hope and Anchor
    The Horseshoe
    Hungry Horse
    The Jolly Sailor
    King’s Arms/Head – choose a king
    Leaky Cauldron
    Lord Nelson
    Man in the Moon – think the Mighty Boosh
    Nag’s Head
    The Phoenix
    Pig and Whistle
    Pink Punters
    Prince of Wales
    The Queen Vic – Queen Victoria
    Queen’s Arms/Head – choose a queen
    The Railway Tavern
    Red Dragon
    Red Lion
    Robin Hood
    Rose and Crown
    Sherlock Holmes – the famous detective
    Slug and Lettuce
    The Smugglers
    Three Broomsticks
    Three Tuns
    Unicorn
    White Bear
    White Hart
    White Horse
    White Lion
    The Winchester – go as Shaun of the Dead
    The Woolpack – sheep


  8. Frank’s Green Gown

    August 20, 2009 by Amy Hansford

    The fabulous Phil Dunk over at the Timewarp forums has discovered this superb Frank surgeon gown. Notoriously difficult to find, this little beauty is pretty much perfect. Phil suggests that you may wish to snip off the elasticated wrists. Aside from that, this is an incredibly important find, given the difficulty people have had tracking them down. And at just over a tenner each, it’s worth getting a couple! Well done Phil!


  9. Janet Weiss at half the price

    August 4, 2009 by Amy Hansford

    Since publishing pictures of our lovely Janet Weiss pink dress on AIBM (from the Rocky Horror Picture Show), we’ve had a couple of enquiries regarding budget versions. While that’s not something we can do with this costume, I can instead share my top tip for instant Janets.

    The Jackie O costume is a godsend – pretty good on colour and shape and with a high neck – golddust! All it takes is a gingham collar and belt, white buttons and a bit of white trim, and it’ll look perfect with a white cardigan over the top. Who wants bulky arms under a cardi anyway?
    Always available on Ebay for cheaper than the stores (watch our for p&p), this is a great solution. You should be able to do the entire outfit for ?30.

    I may not maintain the Student’s Guide to Rocky Horror Costumes anymore, but I still keep my eye out for bargains!


  10. Costumes: Disney

    April 17, 2009 by Amy Hansford

    This week’s costume query is for a Disney themed party. There are so many Disney films out there, making this a really fun party to dress up for, not least because of all the bright comic colours. Also, it’s a great opportunity to go as? pair, with many of the costume standing up in their own right.
    Below are various characters and their film. Will you be the goodie or the baddie?

    Aladdin – Aladdin
    Alice – Alice in Wonderland
    Anamaria – voodoo witch from Pirates of the Caribbean
    Ariel – The Little Mermaid
    Beast – Beauty & the Beast
    Belle – Beauty & the Beast
    Bert the Chimney Sweep – Mary Poppins
    Boo – Monsters Inc.
    Buzz Lightyear – Toy Story
    Captain Hook – Peter Pan
    Cheerleader – High School Musical
    Cheshire Cat – Alice in Wonderland
    Christopher Robin – Winnie the Pooh
    Cinderella – Cinderella
    Cruella De Ville – 101 Dalmations
    Davy Crockett – Davy Crockett
    Donald Duck – general Disney
    Dwarf (Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Sleepy, Sneezy and the other one) – Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
    Edna Mode – The Incredibles
    Eeyore – Winnie the Pooh
    Elizabeth Swann – Pirates of the Caribbean
    Eve – Wall~E
    Evil Queen – Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
    Gabriella – High School Musical
    Gaston – Beauty & the Beast
    Genie – Aladdin
    Gepetto – Pinocchio
    Goofy – general Disney
    Greek Chorus – Hercules
    Hercules – Hercules
    Hocus Pocus witch – Hocus Pocus
    The Incredibles – The Incredibles
    Jack Sparrow – Pirates of the Caribbean
    Jessie – Toy Story 2
    King Trident – The Little Mermaid
    Mad Hatter – Alice in Wonderland
    Mary Poppins – Mary Poppins
    Mickey Mouse – general Disney
    Milleficent – Evil witch from Sleeping Beauty
    Minnie Mouse – general Disney
    Mowgli – The Jungle Book
    Mr Potato Head – Toy Story
    Peter Pan – Peter Pan
    Piglet – Winnie the Pooh
    Pinocchio – Pinocchio
    Pocahontas – Pocahontas
    Pongo – 101 Dalmations
    Prince Charming – Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
    Princess Jasmin – Aladdin
    Queen of Hearts – Alice in Wonderland
    Sebastian the Crab – The Little Mermaid
    Simba – the Lion King
    Sleeping Beauty – Sleeping Beauty
    Smee – Peter Pan
    Snow White – Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
    Suit of armour – Bedknobs and Broomsticks
    Sully – Monsters Inc.
    Tarzan – Tarzan
    Tigger – Winnie the Pooh
    Tinkerbell – Peter Pan
    Troy – High School Musical
    Tweedledum & Tweedledee – Alice in Wonderland
    Ursula – The Little Mermaid
    Walle – Wall~E
    Wendy – Peter Pan
    White Rabbit – Alice in Wonderland
    Winnie the Pooh – Winnie the Pooh
    Woody – Toy Story

    Not generally associated with Disney, they also made the live action version of Popeye, so there’s him, Olive Oil and Bluto to choose from too.