Being a parent I know the school holidays can be quite stressful. As much as I love my children, it's hard work keeping them occupied without breaking the bank. Today I’ve come up with some relatively cheap Craft ideas to keep the kids occupied with the help of Calico Laine! I find that Youtube, Pinterest and google are an excellent place to find inspiration but the few ideas I’m going to share have been tried and tested!! Here at Calico Laine one of our best selling craft products is the Docraft all purpose acrylic paint. It's available in 60 fantastic colours as well as 12 metallic’s, 5 pearl effect paints and 5 speciality mediums. I have a cupboard full of these paints, they’re child friendly, non toxic and washable! This week my kids and I are going to make salt dough cookies and then paint them. The dough has the same consistency as a regular cookie mix and my children love cutting out all different shapes with either a blunt knife or cookie cutters. Although this project is traditionally a festive one, we’re making decorations to hang in the wendy house to brighten it up ready for the summer. Another Crafting activity my kids enjoy is making finger puppets out of felt, we’ve made pirates, animals and princesses to name a few. They never cease to surprise with their creative imaginations. All you need to get started is a few coloured squares of felt, a needle and thread and some glue. I always use the High Tack glue, it's great value, safe with the kids and you can water it down should you need to. If your kids enjoy this project then you can expand on this and make hand puppets, sock monkeys or key rings. Felt is so versatile and easy to use; your options are endless really! I’ve discussed two of our favourite Crafty pastimes but if you visit our website then you’ll easily be inspired. Recently we’ve also made pencil cases, elaborate hair bows and button men to name a few. We’re always up to something Crafty, I believe that encouraging my children to be imaginative is a vital and fun part of their development.