Sabrina is a Lifestyle, Parenting and Product Review Blogger. A Writer, Photographer, Reviewer, Home Cook, Crafter & Nature Enthusiast. You will find a bit of all those categories here on Severn Wishes Blog, Welcome to Sabrina's Lifestyle Blogging & Honest Reviews.
Well, I’m not sure what happened to September, I must have blinked and missed it! The days flew by and before I knew it I was receiving my dispatch email for this October box! Goodness! I hope my latest Reveal finds you well, and that you enjoy seeing what was inside the October box with me. Thank you for joining me today as I go through the contents of the October 2023 Treatbox!
If you would like to see my unboxing video please click this link which will take you to my video onmy Facebook page
What was inside… a Woodland Theme…
October Calendar Print Treatbox Original Enamel Pin – Be Kind with a Bear Treatbox Original Socks – Toadstools Gnaw Chocolate Bar – Belgium Chocolate 35g The Make Arcade – Toadstool Decoration Kit Treatbox Original Prints – Colouring Sheets for Autumn x 2 Timeless Aroma’s – Soy Wax Melts – Fireside Treats Gardner’s Cookie – Hedgehog Shape Biscuit “Hedge Hug”
My Honest Opinion
I find that every Autumn box is one of my favourite boxes of the year, without a doubt as I look back on them, the themes and items are always excellent in October. This box is up there in my top 3 of this year.
My favourite items are the Bear Pin, the Socks and the cute Biscuit! I thought the colouring pages were also really well designed and I cannot wait to sit around with a mug of something warm to drink, nibbling my chocolate and colouring them in. I loved that we have a real mixture of items this month, and I can’t wait to put my toadstool socks on! I also look forward to doing the Craft Kit, that looks great! We have done Make Arcade before and to add a little handmade Toadstool to my autumn décor is going to be fabulous! (So long as I don’t stuff up the sewing ha ha!) I will do a video of it when I make it and put it on my socials.
I’m really not a fan of the wax melts, we’ve had a fair few of these, I can’t ever use them due to allergies, my son is allergic to soya it makes him very sick. As soon as I’m done with the review they have to be relegated to my garage where my son can’t smell or come into contact with them. This is the only item I didn’t like inside this month’s box. Though the item is lovely and of high quality and lots of other people will find they can use them and enjoy their autumn scent, it’s just not possible in my house sadly.
Even disregarding the wax melts that I cannot use the box is still in my top ten for the year, for the simple fact that it’s been a well executed theme and the items all come in at a very high standard. We have four Treatbox original items which are what makes the box extra special in my eyes.
Overall I love it, what a great box, and I’m really going to enjoy using and eating the products. Check out my social media for the items in use when I do get to each of them as the month goes on. Now for some more of my photography.
Thank you for reading this unboxing post and review with me today. Don’t forget to follow me across my social media for more updates on the products as I use them throughout the month.
Search #SevernWishesBlog on Google or #SevernSabrina on Instagram, Alternatively click here to follow me on Facebook / Instagram / YouTube
If you’re thinking of subscribing to Treatbox I’ve also attached a link to their websiteTreatboxUK Don’t forget to tell them you saw my review when you order too!
And what a lovely few weeks of sunshine we have had here in the United Kingdom. We have been very lucky lately, though I think we could do with some rain now.
It’s time to Review the Treatbox for June, and I must say I really enjoyed unboxing this one. If you’d like to see my video then click on any of the Social Media links at the end of my blog post to find it.
The theme this month was Self Care amidst the chaos of Summer Life, with lots of Tropical Paradise images of Palm Trees used throughout the Treatbox originals and icons of sunshine too.
Let’s take a look at all of the items contained in the June box, there was certainly a pink theme going on as well as the palm trees. The pink makes me think of flamingos!
What was inside the June 2023 Box?
June Calendar Print Treatbox Original Keyring “You Got This” Treatbox Original Notebook “have a nice day” blank Treatbox Original Socks “Good Vibes” in Pink treatme Coconut Lip Balm Handbag Size 10ml Gardners Cookie Biscuit with a Tropical Palm design Miss Patisserie Shower Steam Block with Aromatherapy Scents 120g Treatbox Original Adult Colouring Pages x 2 A4 “good vibes” & “one day at a time”
This month we received the Calendar Print, 6 items and 2 A4 Colouring Pages. I think we had a nice mixture of things in different categories.
What is my honest opinion of the contents in this box?
Overall I think this is an excellent box with a good theme that was balanced throughout. I probably sound like a broken record with always loving the socks and the positive vibes that the boxes are known for. But I really love how this month we did indeed get a bit of everything. Something to eat, something to wear, something to use, something to do, something for our self care and something to give us a boost.
When Treatbox has a mixture of items like what I’ve mentioned above, the box flows well and the theme can easily be established. By having a wide range of things which include enjoying, using and doing, there is something for everybody. This month I am happy because I can enjoy every single item within the box and I have no need to gift away anything.
My favourite items this month are… everything! There hasn’t been an item I didn’t like. I think the lip balm is lovely, I’ve been using it while the sun has been out and it made my lips soft. The socks have also been worn already when it was cold the other evening, so comfy! I am planning to enjoy the cookie biscuit this coming weekend so I will pop that on my social media when I tuck into that one!
I have put the notepad into my spares collection for now because I started a new journal a few weeks ago so it’s not needed at present but it will get used eventually. I really like the shower block, it smells lovely and I only opened it a little bit, I feel like it will go a long way actually, and although it says break it in half, I think quarters or even smaller would suffice.
I have coloured in one of the two adult colouring sheets so far, and I enjoyed doing it. And although I didn’t need another keyring in my life I do love this quote, and my son has sort of claimed it now anyway and has hung it in his bedroom currently.
Without a doubt one of the best boxes of the year so far, I look forward to trying out the remainder of the products as the weeks of June progress. Don’t forget to follow me on social media as I post product updates on there all the time too when I wear and use or finish an item. What item is your favourite this month?
Time for some more of my photography!
Thank you for joining me for this unboxing and review today! Anddon’t forget to follow me across my social media for more updates.
Search #SevernWishesBlog on Google or #SevernSabrina on Instagram, Alternatively click here to follow me on Facebook / Instagram / YouTube
If you’re thinking of subscribing to Treatbox or just to see what boxes the team have been creating lately then click the link I’ve attached here for their website TreatboxUK
Have a great June and I hope I see you here again soon!
I am a huge believer in passing on knowledge to people when it might be useful to them, and for many years I had considered being a teacher. However my life took a different direction once I went off to university. It didn’t stop me from coming up with things that others may find handy though, it was just one of many reasons I decided to start my blog all those years ago.
After I became a parent I found I was coming up with lots of hacks and tips for my son that other parents might also find useful. This particular blog post today is all about NUMBERS! My son learnt his numbers 1 to 10 very quickly thanks to my tips and tricks, by the time he started preschool at 3 he could count to 31. He is now 4 and thanks to my encouragement he can count to a whopping 500!
The fab thing about my tips is that you may already have some of these items laying around in your home that you can use, and if not you can make your own cards like I have also done. Check out online second hand and local shops if you don’t have anything, as well as asking friends who may have slightly older children if they could have a clear out for you.Let me tell you about how I introduced and taught my son about numbers.
Child Clocks or Numbered Blocks
Your baby may already have toys with numbers on, things for age 6 month plus normally have various things on them, you may find a mix of nature and numerical combinations or well known characters with basic shapes and or numbers too. Toys and playmats also sometimes have numbers, those talking toys certainly will, but teaching your little one how to recognise a number visually is important.
You can easily get wooden toys that contain clocks on them or boards with numbers that can be removed and set out in a numerical order. These toys are great for learning the starter numbers (1-10) but also for starting with basic mathematics too. I bought my son a board of numbers and he has a wooden clock as well gifted by a relative. The blocks in my image above were bought online and are of the brand Infantino, these BPA free plastic cubes have an array of animals and numerical variations on them such as dots and actual written numbers. They were some of the first numbers my son saw as a baby.
My son would like to count things around him, so say I gave him 4 smiley faces for his tea I would ask how many I had given him, soon he started counting everything. 2 swings at the park, 7 birds on the fence, 5 sheep in the field. And so on, and lots of praise and encouragement when they get something right is also essential. Make learning a fun thing to do and participate in.
You can also begin time telling by showing them a phone or a watch and asking them to find the time. If they have a child’s clock they can match that time. A children’s clock may just have turn-able clock hands or some have the digits that are also removeable too. For example it might be 10.30am so you ask them what that would look like on their clock and see if they select the numbers appropriately. Making it fun means that it is more likely to sink in to their mind. If they have breakfast at 7.30am every day, you could ask them what the time is on the kitchen clock if you have a steady routine, or if bedtime is 7pm too.
The Home Calendar Block
My calendar block is also a clock! Many of us will have a Calendar block at home, these blocks rotate daily and allow children to understand the passing of days into months. When my son was two I introduced him to my block set, and every single morning before breakfast we would rotate the blocks. I started by giving him one and me the other, I would say something like “Today is the 17th so we need a 1 and a 7, I have the 7, can you find me a 1 please?” And his interest developed from there. Soon I could ask him to find any of the numbers from One to Thirty One and he could place them on the block correctly. For the past two years we have done this every day and he has learnt to count up to 31 just by doing the calendar. My son also asked me why the months were different numbers, why it didn’t go up to Thirty Two and such, it sparked an interest which lead to me making his flashcards up to 50 numbers.
Flashcards – Bought or Homemade
Flashcards are great, you can buy them from most online toy retailers, or if are creative and have pens, like me you could make them. My son has 50 of these homemade numbers now, and thanks to some games he can count up to 500. He does number work at school, and even got an award recently for how good he was with counting numbers. Making it colourful and fun is inviting the child to participate. Always encourage but never force your child to learn, do it on their own terms when you are at home. Plus if it is fun they will be more likely to want to repeat the exercise. My son is currently doing writing practice for his letters and numbers and coming on great thanks to wipeable board books which I highly recommend because they are reusable.
Originally I only made ten numbers but my son was soon asking for more, and the more he enjoyed counting them and laying them out in their order, the more I wanted to continue making and encouraging that growth in learning.
When my son turned 3 I also made a set of flashcards that had the number and the written word such as One and 1 on them, this was so my son learnt the word associated with the number in preparation for reading and writing them.
Other Fun Number Related Activities
Playing Dominoes is another fun learning activity which requires the counting of numbers, and games like Yahtzee, Playing Cards or Rummikub are also fun to start with children of a going to school age.
However you keep using numbers in your child’s life, know this, you are helping them learn through play.
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Thank you for reading this parenting related blog post today. I have tons of parenting tips and hacks across my blog and social media. I even do a Monday Mum Hack on Instagram.
Today it’s the turn of the October 2022 box from Treatbox UK!
Are you as excited as I am? I love October! Autumn colours and Halloween! I wonder how many themes are contained in this months box! Let’s open it and see!
If you would prefer to watch my unboxing video you can find it on my Facebook here
What’s Inside the Box for October 2022?
Treatbox Calendar Print – October Treatbox Original Autumn Theme Socks Treatbox Original A5 Print “I’m Ready for Cosy Jumpers…” The Make Arcade X Treatbox – Spooky Craft Kit – Pumpkin Bag of Cocoba Signature Drinking Chocolate – Eat Drink Love Mini Book by Ruth Jones – Love Untold (Excusive First Look) Mini Jade Gua Sha – Face Relaxing Tool in Organza Bag Spooky Biscuit Little Ghost
Here are more of my pictures… (leaves and pumpkins were not included in the box)
What’s my honest opinion for this month?
When I first opened this box and took a peek inside I just knew I was going to love it. I also appreciate just how hard it must be to keep regular subscribers like myself, happy, due to them not wanting to constantly repeat certain items. But this month Zoe and her Treatbox team have really out-done themselves! Where do I start?! Let’s go with my favourite item, and it has to be the socks! I’m someone who has continually said I love the socks that come in Treatbox, but this time they are extra special due to them having Treatbox sewn into the design along the base. Autumnal themed and beautiful as well makes all the difference too. Following on from the socks to receive a brand new item is excellent, the Jade Gua Sha is a face relaxing tool to help aid the skin and blood flow. We haven’t had anything of this sort before and I cannot wait to give this a go over the coming weekend. The usual Calendar Print and the A5 Print are lovely again this month, I like to rotate my prints around my home and I just put up the ones from the last three years of Autumn Treatboxes! I must get a photo of them all together for my social media to show you! We also have a make-able item this month which I love! Crafting our own little Pumpkin! Yay! It’s not the first time we’ve seen Make Arcade and Treatbox collaborate however it’s the first Spooky Craft Kit we’ve had, and every kit has so far been unique and unusual and I love that! We get to make something and keep it and by making it our own it becomes personal too!Watch out on my socials because I will update you when I do this Craft kit!
What’s next? Oh yes, the huge bag of 54% cocoa chocolate! Which can be enjoyed eaten, drunk or melted. And you can even enjoy it with your Biscuit! Mine was a little Ghost and he’s so cute! Despite being smashed up in the post he will be enjoyed over the weekend too! Finally we have the Ruth Jones mini book which is a first look chapter of an up and coming new story she’s done. Ideal to pop into your handbag if you know you’re going to be sat in a waiting room at any point this month.
Overall I think this has been one of my favourite boxes of this year so far. We have got something to eat, something to make into a drink, something to do, an item to read and something to create, an item to display and an item to wear. Plus an item which could be seen as our new self care. All of which when combined make an all rounded box or treats and will make October better for having them. With the autumn and Halloween themes combined with general luxury treats it’s a lovely box this month.
Thank you for joining me for another Reveal and Review from me, Severn Sabrina! I loved this box it was fantastic!
Don’t forget to follow me on my social media for more updates and individual product reviews as well as items in use too. Search #SevernSabrina or #SevernWishesBlog
Have a great October and don’t forget to keep up to date with my socials so that you can see when I do make my Craft Kit and use the other bits of this box too.
This month is always a great one for pictures! I share Lifestyle and Nature Photography on my Instagram as well.
I love everything about a crisp Autumn day, the colours of nature in the trees, the warm sunshine and the cooler air. Wrapping up in warm clothing and taking a walk in the countryside cannot be beaten at this time of year. But how can you bring that beauty of Autumn into your home in simple yet beautiful ways and on a strict budget! Well here is how I do it!
Throw – Dunelm
My Items I bought on a Budget for Autumn Décor over the last few years
Glitter Pumpkins – Poundstretcher – £1 Plastic Light Up Pumpkin – B&M – £4 Artificial Autumn Leaves – The Works – £1 a bag (50 leaves per bag) Wreaths, Craft Items and Wooden Pieces – The Works / eBay – 50p – £5 Autumn Fleece Throws – Asda £6 / Tesco £6 / Dunelm £7+ Artificial Pumpkins / Pine Cones / Acorns – eBay – £4-£12 depending upon how many pieces you want and which country you decide to order them from (China prices are cheaper but you’ll wait around 3 weeks for the delivery). Autumn Cushions – Autumn Designed Cushions or Cushion Covers – Amazon / eBay / Dunelm £3 – £9
(Some of the items in my pictures I have purchased from years 2020, 2021 and 2022 and only similar items may now be available from their respective sellers).
Glitter Pumpkins – Poundstretcher
My delightful Cat in a Scarf Cushion from Next from 6 years ago.
I love nothing more than to cuddle up on my sofa with my cushions and fleece throws, getting cosy as the cold nights draw in. I have a whole box filled with throws, I have some for every season. It’s the turn of my Autumn throws like the one above, it’s navy and orange design emanating the colours of autumn.
Autumn Basket
I used an old wicker basket that I had laying around to create an Autumnal display. Inside I placed artificial leaves, pumpkins and acorns, with some pine cones. Take some leaves and gently slot them in around the outside, so that no matter what angle you look across at it you will see an autumnal theme. You can use any spare Basket or even a Box you have laying around, paint it if you wanted to! And any size works too, the smaller your item the less things you’ll need to fill it up.
Autumn Basket from above
Light-Up Battery Pumpkin Clear – B&M (2021)
Autumn Wreath
An autumn wreath is simple to make from some of the items you’ve already bought for decorations like the pine cones and artificial leaves. You can also go on a nature walk, gather items off the floor (do not remove them from hedges or trees) and dry them out on a towel over the course of the next week. My wreaths are from The Works and eBay. You can buy them as Metal, Rattan or Wicker, but I try to buy plant based ones where they are sustainably grown and made when possible. To make a wreath take your circle base and then using a glue gun attach a selection of artificial leaves as a base layer for your other items like pine cones and artificial pumpkins. Leave it to dry for at least a day before hanging it up, or lay it flat as a centre piece of a table for example. You could stand a vase in the centre of it to continue the theme. I used some Wooden items as decorations for my indoor only wreath as well, which I picked up from The Works over the past two years. The Owls are a particular favourite of mine. I am proud with how both of my wreaths have turned out. See my images below.
Homemade Wreath I made 2021
My outdoor wreath is a metal ring that I have glued a selection of items including the artificial leaves and pumpkins, small pine cones and artificial acorns.
Homemade Wreath I made 2022
Thank you for reading this Lifestyle blog post today, I hope you have enjoyed looking at my Autumn décor and I do hope I have inspired you to decorate your own home – even if it is on a strict budget like mine has been over the last few years!
Your children may also enjoy making some Autumn Craft pictures with dried autumn leaves that can be painted and printed, or simply glue a nature picture together in autumn glory and all the colours you can find. It’s so easy to do a nice printed picture using dried shapes from nature and you can even display it in your home after as part of the seasons décor.
Here is a Photo montage of Bee’s that I have taken this past year… as a Nature Photographer I am constantly making images.
AWESOME FACTS ABOUT BEES
Bees are insects that have 6 legs and 5 eyes.
Bees have been around for approximately 30 million years.
Here in the United Kingdom we house around 270 species of Bees.
Worldwide there are more than 20,000 species of Bees.
Honey made from Bees was found inside the tombs of Egyptian Pharaoh’s and it would still be edible today.
Honey Bees communicate with one another through dancing moves!
Bees can fly up to 20 MPH!
Male Bees are called Drones.
Female Bees are called Worker Bees.
The Queen Bee can lay up to 2000 eggs a day and a hive will only have one Queen.
A Honey Bee will only make 1 Tablespoon of honey in their lifetime.
Some species of Bee are solitary and live alone except for reproduction moments, these often live underground too!
On average a Bee will fly 32,000 miles in their lifetime and visit more than 1 million flowers!
Honey Bees live in Bee Hives where they work together to make Honey.
If a Bee loses its stinger it will die – so make sure not to hit them and let them just fly around you and fly off again – once they realise you’re not a flower you won’t interest them anyway!
SABRINA’S HOW TO MAKE A 3D BEE!
I thought what better way to immortalise the Bee than to make your very own 3D craft version of one! I came up with this last year but sadly I missed the deadline for World Bee Day 2021, so I have saved it all for today! World Bee Day 2022! They are fairly easy to make and I will now tell you exactly what you need before we begin the how to method!
One Sheet of A4 Thin Yellow Card or Thick Paper One Scissors One Piece of Cereal Box Card Pens – black and brown A Permanent Pen – Black with a Fine End (for the Wings) Double Sided Sticky Tape A Piece of Thin Plastic (mine was off some toy packaging) (for the Wings) Two Circular Objects to Draw Around – 1 for the Small Bee Head and 1 for the Body Circles
Step 1. Cut All of Your Circles Out – You need 1 head, 1 main body out of box card and four out of the yellow card. The yellow and the body have to be the same size, but the head needs to be 1/4 of the size. Put some double sided sticky tape on the cereal box card circle because this will be your base to work the rest up on. Put the other yellow circles down on a flat surface ready for their details.
Step 2. Draw some sections on the 4 yellow circles that will become the Bee body, you will need to have 3 sections that are lined horizontally and similar in size to each of the other matching circles (See image below). Colour these in Brown. The best thing to do is to have them on top of one another, mark the section the same and attempt to line them up with the opposite side. With the small Circle that is yellow (the Bee head), you need to draw two large Oval Eyes in Black, and then do some vertical lined streaks in brown so it looks like fur. Leave the top section of it Yellow, we will be sticking it to the body shortly.
Step 3. Stick the Head to the Body using double sided tape with only 1/4 of it attached to the Card and the rest sticking out. Now place the Bee in front of you, with the head facing you (facing South). You want to now take one of the striped yellow body sections, choose the one that is least lined up. Put some double sided tape on the back of it and stick it down on to the main card body, covering the edge of the head, with the stripes going horizontally across the Bee body. Place this beneath something heavy for a few minutes so as to stick it all into place while we do steps 4 and 5.
Step 4. Take your Plastic now and Scissors and permanent pen. You want to draw out two identical wings, Bee wings tend to have some ridged ends but you can just do ovals with a pointed end if you’re not confident (See Images below). Look at my Bee montage at the start of this blog post for wing inspiration! Once you are happy with the drawing cut them out, and make sure they’re the same size by overlapping them and trimming any overhanging edges.
Step 5. Draw some lines down the wings with the permanent thin pen, try to match the Bee wings (again take inspiration from my pictures at the start but be creative too this is your own Bee!) and match each other, make the same marks on both wings by having them side by side as you create the lines. Place them off to one side to fully dry. (If you use normal pen on plastic it will likely rub off).
Step 6. Now it comes to the tricky part, you need to take your Bee body parts and fold them in half, all three of them with the coloured lines on the inside of the half fold. Make sure that the centre is through the middle of the horizontal lined sections. Do this for all three and also make sure they are folded the same across the sections so when stacked together they are the same (or close as you can).
Step 7. Once you have folded them and they do match best they can, you need to take two of them to start with, and place some double sided tape strips on the one side of each one, so that is one taped only the left underside and one taped only on the right on the yellow underside of each of them. Take a look at my photograph below for clarification on the folds and the tape.
Step 8. Take your folded Bee body circles and place one on either side of the main Bee body with the head. Line them up with the circle that is already on it, the one you put the tape on the left underside goes on the left, and the right taped side on the right. When you push the body middles together they should be flush and straight in the centre and aligned with the head. Make sure the stripes line up and are horizontal to the head that is facing south, and the crease line for your folds should be straight up from that facing north. If this is accurate you can now remove the double sided tape, stick one side down at a time, to the main body. Then do the opposite side (see Step 7 and 8 images) and this leaves you with the other half of each circle standing up on end. The final circle you still have will go in between them causing the body parts to stand up 3D.
Step 9. Attaching the final circle on to the body is just about lining it up. First you need to put some double sided tape on to the pieces that are already attached to the Bee body that you stuck down in Step 8. (See image Steps 9 and 10 to clarify this next step). With the double sided tape now in place but not removed the tabs yet, you first line up the circles, look at it and think do the edges match and is it horizontal across the body? If the answer is yes then remove the tape tabs and stick that final circle on to the top of the Bee in between the other pieces.
Step 10. Press and hold the Bee body firmly now, gently run your fingers down each of the sides to press the circles fully together and ensuring the tape grips flush. Once they look like they are fully stuck with no gaps anywhere you can now make sure your wings are dry from earlier.
Step 11. Take your plastic wings from before, line them up with where you want them to go on the Bee body (they are usually attached to the middle section of a bee’s body). Then take two thin strips of double sided tape and match those up on either side, stick down the tape. (See Step 10 and 12 image for wing tape placement).
Step 12. Attach the wings now and make sure you press them down on to the tape for at least a minute to ensure the plastic gets a really good grip. Hold the Bee upside down and make sure they don’t come loose, if they do then press again.
Step 13. Tidy up any lines on the Bee and trim any edges with scissors that aren’t in line to neaten her up. Then you have your Queen Bee! You could hang her up somewhere or make her a little hive…
HAPPY WORLD BEE DAY! You now have a friendly Bee to live in your home and remind you of their importance, coolness and cuteness.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP THE BEES?
Make a wildflower pot, planter or corner of your garden and attract bees and help them with their pollinating. You can get wild flower seeds free with some things such as “30 Days Wild) and Brands often give them away with food products too.
Don’t pull out all of your weeds, leave a few because bees need them especially because weeds are usually the first flowers of the new season.
If a Bee comes into your house leave it alone, open some windows and let it find its way out, do not attack it or attempt to catch it because it may sting in fear and then it will sadly die. Most Bee’s will head straight back out a door or window when they smell the fresh air.
Visit a local Apiary and But Local Honey products when possible.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE A CRAFTY BEE HIVE? What You Will Need
Tiny Craft Wooden Bees (Found in The Works craft shop) A Narrow Sided Box or a Lid from Something (Rectangle is best) Disposable Dehumidifier Pot Lids – doesn’t matter what colour as you will Paint them Brown Paint and a Paintbrush
Step 1. Paint your box and the humidifier pot lids you have collected, they should be brown or a mixture of brown and black and yellow. Step 2. Leave them to dry somewhere flat overnight at least. Step 3. Place something to resemble honey and nectar between the lids, maybe tissue paper? Step 4. Stick the Two (or more) lids together to form mini hive type structures. Step 5. Stick the lids into the box and stick your Bee’s around. Done!
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog post today, I hope you have enjoyed it. If you make any Bee’s please share your pictures with me on social media, use the hashtag #SevernSabrina and #SabrinasHowToMake or tag me on them using @Severn_Sabrina or @SevernWishes Blog.
Happy Easter! I hope you’re having a wonderful long weekend!
If you’ve already been out and about and are now looking for something to do within your home to keep the children entertained, then why not check out all my craft pieces below, show your children and they might want to give them a go! They are all really easy and just need a few minutes of your time as the adult to deal with some scissor cutting and poking holes, and then they can begin! You won’t need any fancy craft equipment for any of these either, just gather the following items on my list below and you’re good to go!
If you were wondering what it cost me to make all of the craft items I have done in recent posts it was about £15. That includes all of the double sided tape, various packs of white and coloured card, good quality colouring pens, craft balls and pipe cleaners among other things. But I have lots of them left over from these purchases too for use in future craft projects. I actually have more crafty items in the works and I’m still using up the same items and haven’t needed to buy any additional ones.
Sabrina’s TOP TIP: Making up a Craft box is a great idea, it will keep everything neat and tidy. Throw in left over pieces of card, toilet rolls and crafting left overs. I recommend a Really Useful Box or a similar one which has a tight fitting lid. These are also really strong and stackable for easy storing away.
✩✩✩ What Will We Need for all these Projects ✩✩✩
Toilet Rolls Cereal Box Cards Pens to Decorate Scissors A Pen or Pencil A Ruler Pipe Cleaners Fluffy Craft Balls Coloured Card Googly Eyes Double Sided Tape Pritt Stick or PVA used sparingly
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How to Make Sabrina’s Fluffy Craft Easter Animals
These cute and fluffy animals were made using cereal box card, double sided tape and a bag of craft balls! In all it cost me about £2! And we have a ton of balls left over which we can use as flower middles and things like that – I use them in other projects too. This one is easy for little children, you do the templates and then add the glue on and then they can go to town with all the sticking!
Step 1. Draw on a cereal box, inside on the flat side piece, whatever shape you like, a Rabbit, a Chick, an Easter Egg, whatever you like or your children want. Step 2. Cut out your templates, make them as big or as small as you like. Step 3. Use PVA or Pritt Stick or Doubled Sided Tape to coat your template with glue. Step 4. Provide a clean and flat surface for your little ones to sit and stick the fluffy craft balls to their card template. Step 5. Add googly eyes or card beaks or any other items you want to finish them off. Step 6. Let them dry overnight, place a piece of kitchen roll or newspaper on a flat surface, add the template, add another layer of tissue or newspaper, and then place a heavy book on top overnight to flatten them down and help the balls to stick. Step 7. Next day you can display them around your home.
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How to Make Sabrina’s Toilet Roll Flowers
My easy toilet roll flowers are so simple to do! They only take about ten minutes to make once your toilet roll is decorated and dry. You could make a load of these, if you have a kitchen roll tube you may even get 3 flowers worth of petals from one tube! I would like to try and make a Rainbow of these!
Step 1. Let the Children decorate their toilet rolls and let them dry. Step 2. An adult then cuts the toilet rolls into equal width pieces to make the petals. Step 3. An adult also then uses the pointy end of their open scissors to poke holes that are 1cm up from the end and through both sides of each petal. (See my photo). Step 4. The petals can now be opened out and gently threaded on to a pipe cleaner through the holes made with the scissors. Push them on until they hit the middle of the pipe and keep adding round. Step 5. Curve the Pipe Cleaner round as you go, after each petal, and then after the final one is added you push the ends of the pipe back through the final petal holes to neaten it up. Line it up spaced between the petals while it is flat on a table and then push a fluffy craft ball into the middle. Step 6. Hang your flowers up around your home on ribbon or string for a nice decoration.
Step 3 – 1 cm in from the petal end
Step 3 – making holes through the petals
Step 4.
Step 4 to 5.
Step 5.
Step 6.
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Step 2 – Cut the Decorated Roll into 5 Pieces
How to Make Sabrina’s Toilet Roll Easter Bunny
My cute toilet roll bunny’s are great for the Easter break! And they should stand up all by themselves! They are a little trickier than the flowers, but lots of fun still! They all start with a decorated toilet roll anyway so make sure you just save them up and get little ones to colour them in.
Step 1. Children decorate toilet rolls and let them dry. Step 2. An adult cuts the toilet rolls into 5 pieces, a base, two ears, a middle and a head. (See Photo). Step 3. An adult uses the pointy end of scissors to poke holes in the pieces, each one is specific. So… Base is one hole, central on one side. Middle piece is two holes, one top one bottom just push the card flat together and the scissor end straight through. The Head piece needs one hole in the base at the centre, and off centre at the top it needs two holes. Each ear needs two holes, both on the same side at either end before the point. (See My Photo). Step 4. Using a Pipe Cleaner push it on to the base and bend the end, attach the fluffy tail. Step 5. Add the Middle to the pipe cleaner, push it down until it is flush and flat against the base. Step 6. Take the Head piece, thread it on through the single hole, make it flush on the Middle piece of roll and then push another fluffy ball down the pipe cleaner until it sits in the middle of the roll. Step 7. Push the pipe cleaner up through one of the holes in the top, and curve the pipe cleaner round, make sure the bunny parts are all flush and together for the body. Step 8. Add each ear by pushing the pipe cleaner up through one side with the holes on, in through the bottom hole and out of the top hole, bend the pipe cleaner round and then through the top hole of the final ear and down through the bottom hole. Step 9. The final step is to push the rest of the pipe cleaner down through the second hole on the bunny head, if you have more than 1cm of pipe left cut it off, then push the last 1cm into the fluffy ball within the roll bunny head, this neatens it up and gets the pointy end of the pipe cleaner hidden away. Step 10. Adjust your bunny feet base and middle parts so that the bunny is aligned and he should stand up all by himself!
Step 3 – use my guide to make the necessary holes
Step 4 – Base and Tail
Step 7 and Step 8 – Threading the Ears
My bunny making video tutorial can be found on my Facebook page if you get stuck which is right here
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How to Make Sabrina’s Circle Petal Flower Card
This one is nice and easy and once all the cutting out is done, children can stick them down however they like to design their own flowers.
Step 1. Fold a Piece of Card in half for your card base. Step 2. Draw around a circular object many many times on some different pieces of coloured card. Step 3. Cut out these circles carefully and assemble flat. Step 4. Every circle needs to be folded in half. Step 5. Assemble your Flower by arranging the petals with one side sticking up to make it 3D. Step 6. Cut out a small circle in a bright colour for the centre of each flower. Step 7. Once happy with the design either pritt stick or double sided tape each petal down to the card. Step 8. Make leaves or stems from card, or use pens to decorate your card.
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Thank you for reading this (long) Craft related blog post today, I always showing you my latest “Sabrina’s How To Make’s”! And if you have any questions for me about how to do something you’ve seen on my blog then please comment below on this post and I will happily answer them for you. I hope that you have seen something you would like to try and make yourself!
If you do make any of my craft items please tag me on social media using the hashtag #SabrinasHowToMake I really look forward to seeing them!
✩ Sabrina ✩
Check out my previous How to Make Craft posts for these beautiful 3D paper flowers!
Hello and Welcome! If you’re a regular visitor to Severn Wishes Blog then you’ll know that I love to do lots of Art and Craft! If you’re new here then hi, and after this blog post please check out the remainder of my fun Crafts in the section here.
Paper Flowers are a wonderful alternative to buying fresh ones, the beauty of these homemade gifts is that they won’t wilt and have to one day be thrown away, these can be treasured by the loved one receiving them, forever! Give a single flower or make a bouquet it’s up to you!
What Do I Need?
A Ruler (30cm) A Pen or Pencil Pipe Cleaners various Colours Thin Coloured Card or Thick Coloured Paper Pens for Decorating the Petals (optional) Fluffy Craft Balls (Flower Centres) Scissors
My Step by Step Visual Guide is really easy to follow, but I also uploaded videos to my social media if you would prefer to follow that! Carry on reading for my step by step and photographic guide.
SABRINA’S STEP BY STEP GUIDE
1. Cut Squares from your chosen Coloured Card. For example I made my Orange Flower with a 7cm, a 8cm and a 10cm Square. Three Squares is an ideal amount of layers but you can do just two or even more layers if you wish. Assemble these squares on a flat surface ready for the individual folding process. (See my images below for additional guidance).
2. Fold each square you have in half to form a rectangle, do this by folding the bottom line up to the top line and line up the crease and push flat. Repeat for every piece you have.
3. Next, you fold each rectangle back into a square shape by folding it from the left to right and flatten and crease down flat once again.
4. Finally you will have all your layers into folded squares, and these now need to be made into Triangles. But to do this correctly for the next steps you must not rotate them at all during the folding process. Make sure that you fold the bottom right corner of your squares up to the top left, flatten and crease.
5. Next you need to draw a petal shape on every flattened triangle, make sure not to rotate it from when you folded it when you draw on it, otherwise it won’t cut intact during step 6.
6. Now you need to carefully cut out your shapes, gently follow the line and then discard these cut offs for the recycling because you don’t need them.
7. Time for the moment of truth, open out the flowers gently and slowly so as not to tear them. Lay them out flat and make sure they are an entire piece.
8. With the crease lines facing at each compass point you need to mark the petals that are in the South East corner of each flower. (See my images below if you are uncertain).
9. Carefully cut these petals away from the flower, be sure to only follow the crease lines of the folds when you cut and don’t be tempted to cut it too low in the centre, just enough for the spare petal to gently come free. You don’t need these now and these spare pieces can all be recycled at the end of your crafting session.
10. Next step is to mark the petal on the right of the one you just cut away, on each of your flower layers, and then stick a piece of double sided tape or a blob of glue on to that mark.
11. Doing each layer one at a time now, gently place the flower into your hand, and with the other hand carefully fold the petal on the left side over the petal on the right side. The creases and folds we made at the start should allow you to do this easily, if not gently fold the creases again and try again, the flower should (with some gentle persuasion) create a 3D flower with the shape similar to a cone. Push down on the glued part and make sure that you have aligned the petals and that it is stuck down. Repeat this for all flowers and layers that you want to make.
12. Carefully lay out each of the Flower layers now that they are 3D. You now need to decorate them if you want to with lines or dots before we assemble them. If making them with small children you may want them to decorate at Step 10, before you make them 3D.
13. During this step you want to use the end of the Pipe Cleaner you have chosen to gently pierce through the middle of the Flower layers, take one at a time, and force the pin end of the Pipe Cleaner directly through the centre where the creases and folds meet. Once all of the layers are pierced you can now arrange them in order of size.
14. Assemble your finished Paper Flower by sliding the layers on to the Pipe Cleaner, you do want to leave about a 4mm bit of the pipe cleaner poking out so that you can push on a coloured fluffy craft ball (if you have one) and this neatens the whole look of the flower plus it covers the pointed end of the pipe cleaner.
15. Adjust the Petals by rotating the layers slowly on the pipe cleaner stem until you are satisfied with the flowers final look. I hope you are happy with your flower! You can play around and add other things too if you like! Be creative and I cannot wait to see yours! Tag me! #SabrinasHowToMake
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Thank you for reading this Craft related blog post today, I always love doing my “Sabrina’s How To Make’s”! And if you have any questions for me then please comment below on this post and I will happily answer them for you. If you make some flowers please tag me on social media using the hashtag #SabrinasHowToMake and I really look forward to seeing them!
Hello! It’s time for the March 2022 Treatbox UK unboxing, Reveal and Review!
March is my Birthday month, and it is of course when we welcome Spring and everything about new life! I was excited when I opened the box and the theme inside was “Daisy” as in the flowers! I wonder what treats await me…
I decided to video record my unboxing for this Treatbox, it has been years since I did one but I felt like the time was right to bring the video aspect back! You can see it on my Facebook page or my Instagram account if you would prefer to watch the video. If not please keep reading as I unbox this amazing March box from TreatboxUK.
What is Inside the March 2022 Box?
Treatbox UK March 2022 Calendar Print Daily Mood Colouring Page Treatbox Original Notepad with Daisy’s Oxeye Daisy Seeds for us to Plant Silver Plated Daisy Earrings Clipper Chamomile Tea x 2 Bags Daisy Pin Badge “You are one of a kind so be Kind to yourself” Daisy Chain Coaster “You’re so beautiful when you bloom your own way” Yellow Daisy Pen
What is my Honest Opinion on this Box?
I LOVED IT!
Okay so I have had A LOT of Treat boxes over the years, and this March 2022 box is right up there with some of the greats. I loved the Daisy theme, and I loved how the theme was apparent across everything in the box, from the bought items through to the Treatbox Originals.
I loved every item, but if I had to pick three favourites they would be… The Earrings, The Daisy Pin Badge and the Coaster. But closely followed by the Notepad and the Colouring sheet. I think these unique colouring pages are an excellent calming aspect of the boxes and I would love to keep seeing them included in the Treat boxes to come.
Overall a wonderful box that has left me with very high expectations for April! (Oops!) I loved that we had items to do and to use and to make, rather than them all just be items to sit around gathering dust. PLUS I thought that no face / eye masks this month was a great thing too! It’s wonderful to have new things that we have not seen in Treatbox yet. I now have so many coasters that are all so unique I am just going to start collecting Coasters now, it’s my new thing 😀
A TOP TOP TOP BOX! Thanks Zoe and the Team for creating this extra special box this month!
Thank you for reading this Unboxing Reveal today, I hope you have enjoyed it.
Please pop by in early April to see the next Reveal and Review of Treatbox UK! OR Check out my social media for the unboxing video which will be going live once I receive the box!
Have a lovely month of March and I hope to see you back again soon.
Hello Severn Wishes Blog Fans! Today I am bringing you a Lifestyle / Parenting / Hacks / Product Review article I have written all about something I have now owned for well over a year! And that item is… The TUFF TRAY!
These fantastic trays are usually found in a school setting, especially with younger children like those in a preschool or nursery setting, but due to their versatility they have been becoming more and more popular with mums who are able to do a lot with their children at home.
As soon as I heard about them I knew it would be a great investment for the future. I ordered mine in black but they do come in a variety of colours. I preferred the black due to it not getting stained or if we made any scuff marks with toys they wouldn’t be showing up as easily. Overall I’m really happy with the quality of the tray for what I paid for it. So far it has withstood a toddler doing all sorts on it and in it! I chose to purchase without the stand so it was then just suitable for laying down on the floor.
Be it Sensory, Messy Play or just toys on a flat surface, the Tuff Tray is ideal for lots of reasons when you have little ones growing up. Here are just some of the many ways that we have used our tray this past year or so! Both in visual form and I made a little list too!
1. Ideal for Craft to keep the craft pieces and mess contained in the tray borders.
2. Great for when you want to do some Messy Play and use paint so it doesn’t get on the floor.
3. Doing some experimenting with foods in toddlerhood? Keep those rice crispies, rice grains and other food stuffs within easy clean up-able reach. You can wipe clean anything off it.
4. Using Glitter today? This tray is ideal to wipe clean after your picture making as the bits will all be contained within the tray walls. Sit your children outside of it and let the mess be inside (mostly).
5. Potty Training? Stick the Potty in the centre of the tray on the floor, and it will be easy to clean spillages off the plastic rather than off your floor!
6. Building Lego or Duplo or Blocks? It can be annoying for little ones if pieces are rolling away or falling over all the while! But on the tuff tray they won’t get far at all! It also means it is a flat surface for the building to become easier on little hands.
7. Doing a Jigsaw? Be it an adult one or a children’s one? Do it on your Tuff Tray and you’ll be able to move it at a moments notice off the floor and then continue it later.
8. Want to do some baking with the kids but you want to do it at their level? It is much safer to do it on the floor where nobody is balancing and this tray doubles as a big flat surface, just clean it with sterilising spray and let it air dry before you start any food preparation.
9. Sensory Play can involve all sorts of things like craft or food stuffs, having it all contained within the Tuff Tray makes life easier for you and if you planned to do it for a few sessions over a week you could even leave it on the tray and just move the whole tray instead of packing everything up.
10. Play-Doh can get messy and easily sticks to hard surfaces like tables or floors, but by using a Tuff Tray base for all of the items they are contained within its sides. If you choose to get a stand with your tray you can even have the tray at a suitable height for your little ones. Or you can do what I do and maintain it on a flat floor, whichever is easier for you.
11. A Tuff Tray can be used outside for a water table or a sand table due to its sides being all the way around with no holes within its surface.
12. Design a World – Use your Tuff Tray and things like chalks or washable paint to create a world, a map or a world for your children to put their toys in to and play. I have drawn a road on mine for my sons toy cars before now and also used elements like sand made of ground cereal to make a beach.
So overall the Tuff Tray doubles up as another useful hard surface within your home and is ideal for playing, learning and food preparing. Young children can safely sit within its boundary or outside of it leaning in in order to play. There are no sharp edges on the Tray and the hard plastic is coated so its easy to wipe clean after every use. I purchased the standard (medium) size but it is also available in small or extra large depending on the supplier you’re purchasing it from. They are also available in many colours. Prices range from £11 to £70 and all Tray prices do depend upon the colour, and the size and whether you wish to buy a stand with your Tuff Tray purchase. They can be used inside or outside but I would recommend you keep them out of direct sunlight and harsh weather conditions and keep them inside a garage or shed when not in use in order to maintain the sturdiness of the plastic.
What do we use our Tuff Tray for the most?
Craft and Messy Play and Sensory Play mainly.
Thank you for reading this blog post today, I hope I have inspired you and if I have then I would love to hear what you and your family use your Tuff Tray for!
Enjoy the rest of your February!
✩ Sabrina ✩
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