Valentine’s Day is tomorrow but it can be expected that many partners out there will be running around last minute trying to find the perfect present.

Flowers is a lovely present but leaving it to the eleventh hour will only result in you getting the last pick of a terrible bunch.

What is more, it doesn’t really scream effort when it is obvious you have bought them on your way home from work from the local corner shop.

It isn’t too late to make something for your loved one. Creating your own gift is brilliant because it allows you to personalise the present with his/her name and with their favourite colours. And a homemade gift really shows how much you care because you have put thought and time into making it.

So grab one of our aprons and put a smile on your special someone’s face this Valentine’s Day with some of these top arts and crafts ideas.

Why not make her some jewellery with matching earrings and necklace using odd bits of buttons, beads and Swarovski crystals?

Or make a pretty picture frame/canvas? A heart frame is really easy to make so it is great for beginners and it only takes 30 minutes!

Show your creative side by making a cute button-heart cushion to makeover the living room, or decorate some candles with garland trim and gems?

And as well as the present, why not make a homemade card for her too with bows, ribbons and feathers?

Make a collage by printing out some pictures of the two of you and cover the card to remind yourselves of all the good times that you have had over the years.

Get the kids involved too by encouraging them to make their mum or dad a card. It will entertain them for a couple of hours and they can use their imagination with colourful felt tip pens and crayons.

Check out Ulsterweavers.co.uk today to have a look at all our gorgeous homeware and matching kid’s chef hats and aprons. Have a romantic Valentine’s Day everyone!

Today is Friday 13^th and superstitious folklores state that it is a day of bad luck.

Although there is no written evidence for a ‘Friday the 13^th’ superstition taking place before the 19th century, why do so many people believe it is unlucky?

One theory is that the number 13 is deemed an unlucky number and that Friday is a fateful day and therefore the two unfortunate theories have amalgamated together.

But the impact on present society is far greater than one can imagine. The phobia of Friday the 13^th is called ‘friggatriskaidekaphobia’ and according to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in North Carolina, America, on average 21 million people in the United States is affected by the fear of this day.

It is reported that some people are so paralysed by fear of Friday the 13^th that they avoid doing their normal routines and stay cooped up indoors. Many cancel flights that they are scheduled to take and it is estimated that the US lose up to $900 million in business on this day.

Are you superstitious? Sometimes it is better to be safe than sorry, but if you really do feel compelled to stay inside your house on this day, entertain yourself and the family with fun arts and crafts with the help of Ulster Weavers.com

Don one of Ulster weavers gorgeous apron ranges to protect your clothing and spend time as a family doing homemade projects. Why not print out a paper calendar for the year and encourage the kids to be creative and decorate each month with a theme?

Children and parents will be going back to school/work in the New Year, so why not incite the little ones to draw some colourful pictures for you to put up in your office or on your desk?

Is there a relative’s birthday in January? Support the kids to make homemade cards with crayons, glitter and bit and bobs. The extra effort will really show how much as a family you care and the personalisation is a lovely sentiment.

And after all the hard work, sit down as a household with some scrumptious tea and biscuits and keep the pot of tea piping hot with our tea and kitchen cosies.

Stripe Child's PVC Apron

Vintage Rose Cotton Apron

Jack Child's PVC Apron

We are already a week or so into 2012 and although the majority of the world has celebrated it already, it isn’t until 27^th January that China commemorates its New Year.

The Chinese zodiac year of 2012 is the Dragon.

Astrology is very important to Chinese communities and this year is said to be extra special because the dragon is so revered. In Chinese astrology the dragon is seen as a powerful almighty king because it is made from different parts of animals such as an eagle, snake, fish and tiger and so it holds superior significance.

Even today, people from China associate the dragon symbol with power and wisdom and therefore if one is born in the Chinese Year of the Dragon they are said to be wise, powerful and have a certain aura about them.

A dragon can breathe out fire and has a long sharp tongue and this reflects in a person’s personality who is born in the zodiac year in that they can be a hothead and be quite sarcastic. But with regards to the celebrations, regions across the UK with large Chinese communities will be throwing fun and fantastic festivities including dances, parades, fireworks and rides.  

Why not join in the events by donning some Ulster weavers.com PVC aprons and making dragon arts and crafts?

Entertain the children by making your own dragons to celebrate the Chinese New Year with paper and coloured pens and use colourful bits and bobs to make it as bright and flamboyant as possible. Try using red tissue paper to create a lively dragon that is breathing fire and colour him in with crayons.

If the kids really want to get involved, pass the hours by on a horrid rainy afternoon by making dragon masks that the little ones can wear and role play around the house. Or why not make a dancing toy paper dragon using paper, chopsticks and lots of glitter. Just simply fold a piece of paper in half length-wise and fold it over to create a bendy effect that will form the animal’s body.

Check out Ulster Weavers today for gorgeous aprons that will protect the children’s clothing during arts and crafts.

From this weekend until the end of August is the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the largest arts festival in the world.

For over 50 years Scotland’s capital city has seen a unique explosion of creative energy within the Fringe and it takes place for three weeks every year.

Thousands of performers take to a multitude of stages all over Edinburgh to present shows for every taste; from big names in the world of entertainment to unknown artists looking to build their careers. The festival caters for everyone and anyone including dance, comedy, theatres, musicals, exhibitions and music.  So get inspired to do your own arts and crafts and then let the creativity flow with Ulster Weavers PVC aprons.

HISTORY

The event started back in 1947 when the newly formed Edinburgh International Festival was crashed by eight theatre groups, who turned up uninvited to perform. The initiative was created to celebrate and enrich European cultural lift in the wake of Second World War. Year on year more and more performers crashed the festival until 1959 when the Festival Fringe Society was set up in response to the success of the growing trend.

So join in the celebrations of arts and entertainment at the 2011 Festival Fringe with the help of our gorgeous arts and crafts aprons. We have a wide variety of cotton, PVC and childrens aprons with just about every style you can think of; so if you want to express your inner creativity by painting or drawing you can do and protect your clothing at the same.

Tea Party Cotton Apron

Bliss Cotton Apron

Home Sweet Home Child's Cotton Shaped Apron

Kate Middleton painting, pity she's not wearing an apron

A celebrity doesn’t really have much spare time on their hands what with being a celeb and partying and working; but how do they relax when they have precious time off?

Some famous stars have openly spoken out about getting some down time by knitting, listening to music and hanging out with friends and family. So it may come as a surprise that a bunch of icons also enjoy doing arts and crafts.

Richard Madeley who is widely known as being a British TV presenter, who fronted the show This Morning with his wife Judy, reportedly loves arts and crafts. His daughter Chloe Madeley told Heat magazine that her dad hearts biros and bits of paper and that he loves making banners.

The Londoner’s big secret has been let slip that he makes his own banners with multi-coloured biros, not paint or crayons. Awww bet he got tons of practises in when Chloe was taking part in the ITV reality television show “Dancing on Ice”!

And even the royals have been publicly showing off their artistic talents whilst painting with school children on their visit to Los Angeles, America.

HRH Prince William and Kate Middleton promoted a visual arts and performance organisation during their royal tour by sitting down in a classroom and creating their own art pieces.

Will, the future King of England, painted an abstract square whereas Kate painted a red snail.

So express your inner imagination and have fun getting creative with the help of Ulster Weavers and our fantastic aprons. And get the kids involved too to pass the time on these hot sunny days with our cute childrens aprons- they are brilliant to protect clothing from paint splash backs!

Painting Child's PVC Apron

Domestic Goddess PVC Apron

Betty Shaped Cotton Apron

On this day in 1893 the “Happy Birthday To You” song was published!

According to the 1998 Guinness Book of World Records, the song is the most recognised song in the English language which is no surprise seeing as we sing it every year for someone’s birthday.

It has been translated into at least 18 various languages making it a universal tune.

The melody and lyrics were actually written by two sisters called Mildred Hill and Patty Smith Hill and it was originally intended for a classroom greeting song titled “Good Morning To All”.

The song lyrics were changed to “Happy Birthday To You” and became so popular that their other sister, Jessica Hill, filed a lawsuit in 1934 for the melody. It wasn’t until 1935 that the infamous record was copyrighted and published as “Happy Birthday”.

Celebrate the birthday festivities by doing arts and crafts with the family with the help of Ulster Weavers. We have some ultra-cute PVC Aprons which can be worn to protect your clothing from mess and damage.

Why not make your own birthday cards, bake some birthday cupcakes or make simple bunting with coloured card and paper trimmings for a pretty party decoration. If you are buying a present how about making your very own bag to put the gift in, or save cash by creating your own party favours.

Just wear one of Ulster Weaver’s fantastic Aprons and let your imagination run wild!

Party Scrapbooking Page

Create memories of a party or celebration with patterned papers and embellishments on a scrapbook page.

It only takes an hour to make and is a little bit more challenging for those who are intermediate experienced with arts and crafts.

Make the book and customise it however you want whether it is with glitter, stars, fabric, paint or coloured pens.

Instructions

Butterfly Card

Use pretty papers and flower gems to embellish this butterfly card, and then send to someone special for their birthday.

Personalise to the receiver’s needs and style and try and find make it to match their favourite colour.

This is perfect for beginners and really shows how much you care, as it involves that little bit of extra effort.

Instructions

Glass Bead Bracelet

This is a super cute idea which shows personalisation and creativity!

It is a great gift for the warmer months as she can customise her outfits with the on-going colour trends and makes a perfect present for any mum, sister, niece or aunty!

Although it looks quite complicated, it is surprisingly easy to make and you can use whatever shade beads you want and have it finished in less than 60 minutes.

Instructions

For all the Brits who will be frantically rushing to the shops this Saturday for a last-minute card for their dad for Father’s Day, they will probably not get much choice.

The saying, “the early bird catches the worm”, is true in that the leftover cards may not be humorous or nice or indeed have the envelopes missing.

But you can avoid all the drama of ransacking the high street by simply making your own card! Going to so much effort by creating a personalised card really shows your dad how much you care about him and he will definitely appreciate the hard work that has gone into the art and craft.

Wear one of Ulster Weavers Aprons and use your imagination and get creative by using paints, coloured pens, fabric, glitter, feather and more to make a card that he will store as a keepsake forever. Why not print out a picture of the two of you and stick it to the front cover as a lovely reminder of past memories?

Decorate the card with your dad’s favourite items whether that is sport, beer, DIY tools or food which will put a smile on his face and really individualise it for your number one pa.

Really go to town with a Father’s Day theme such as motoring madness or football fun or try out some of these designs for yourself! But make sure you wear of one our PVC Aprons though to avoid getting your clothes dirtied or messy.

May has been officially declared Britain’s craft and design month!

Craft and Design Month has been nationally recognised to enhance the growing awareness and appreciation of fine art and craft; so what better time to get involved and have fun this summer than now.

Crafts are a fantastic pastime for the whole family to get involved that are perfect to amuse the kids for hours, as well as save costs on buying presents for birthdays or purchasing decorations for the home.

Celebrate and promote crafts across the UK for the entirety of May with the hundreds of events taking place up and down the country; or simply show your gratitude in the comfort of your own home by trying some of these exciting ideas.

So grab one of our funky Aprons and get those creative juices flowing; and get the little monsters aboard too with cute Childrens Aprons so their clothing doesn’t get ruined!

Sunshine Summer Bracelet

This craft looks quite complicated and complex but in fact it is really easy to make and it is the perfect accessory to any summer outfit this season.

The glass beads are bright and colourful but you can always use your favourite colour to suit your own taste.

And better still, it only takes 30 minutes to make!

Instructions

Summer Fruits Necklace

This craft is an ideal present for the female relatives in your family!

It can be a cute gift for your mum this summer whether it is for her birthday or just to show how much you care; or be a gorgeous accessory for yourself to embellish any fashion trend.

The design takes around 45 minutes to make but you can pick whatever coloured beads and style you want, so the piece will be individual to you!

Instructions

Fruity Tablecloth Weights

Add a touch of colour and flair to your dining garnishes this summer by making some fruity tablecloth weights.

Many Brits take advantage of the glorious sunshine and soaring temperatures this season by eating outdoors alfresco, so why not decorate the garden table with some fun and interesting ornaments.

And practically, they could really come in handy when a gust of wind flies by so the cloth isn’t swept off the table with all the content with it!

Instructions

There are many confusions and disputing dates around the world about when is Milk Day.

It has been suggested though, that we celebrate it on Tuesday 11^th January 2011, as the day milk was delivered in glass bottles for the first time in 1878.

Glass bottles were chosen as they kept the milk fresh and healthy which was then supplied to many customers on this special day.

Beforehand, milk had been given to consumers in big cans which were exposed to many harmful elements.

It is reported refrigerated milk didn’t even come into existence until 1938.

INTERESTING MILK FACTS

• All cows are female; male cattle are called bulls.
• Dairy cows provide over 90 per cent of the entire planet’s milk supply.
• It takes 12 pounds of milk to make a single gallon of ice cream.
• Milk is actually comprised of 85 to 95 per cent water.
• A single cow produces about 90 glasses of milk per day and approx. 200,000 glasses of milk per lifetime.

Here are some fun milk arts and crafts the family can do together; so grab your Apron and get involved!

Use paints, felt tip pens, or odd bits and bobs like string that you can stick on and let your imagination run wild.

Please be careful when handling the recyclable items, as they may have sharp edges which can cut the children’s fingers. And always use children’s safety scissors when cutting cardboard or paper.

Cartoon Characters

A great way to recycle your used milk cartons is to turn them into fun and playful cartoon characters. First and foremost though, make sure you wash them out beforehand or they will smell of gone-off sour milk; not very pleasant!

By using some bottle tops you can create a lorry, a trailer, an angel, a person’s face, a train, traffic lights, or even a spaceship.

Instructions

Milk Pen Pot

This is perfect for kids about six-years-old and above to make a great storage space for all their pens and crayons, so their desks can stay tidy and de-cluttered.

What is fantastic about this craft is the kids can design it anyway they want; with their favourite TV star, or Disney character, or to colour-coordinate with their bedroom colour scheme and style.

Instructions

Milk Paint

Sounds weird but at least with this craft, the kids really can eat their art supply!

This will keep the monsters busy for a while and by wearing Childrens Aprons they can really enjoy themselves and be messy (but at least the powder dries fairly quickly.)

What’s better, it is inexpensive and you can make a variety of colours for your children to play with.

Why not use the milk paint to decorate the cartoon characters craft?

Instructions

Cakes Child's PVC Apron

Patchwork Cat's Child's PVC Apron

Today, in 1643, the famous mathematician Sir Isaac Newton was born. The mathematician and physicist, who was born at Woolsthorpe, near Grantham in Lincolnshire, is one of the foremost scientific intellects of all time for over 300 years.

He is well known for the discovery of gravity, with the iconic apple falling from the tree to the ground scene as well as experimenting on the composition of light, discovering that white light is composed of the same system of colours that can be seen in a rainbow.

He died on 31 March 1727 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

So, to celebrate the infamous mathematician why not grab your Apron on and make some arts and craft numbers?

You can draw big numbers on card and use paints, or glitter, colouring pens or materials such as feathers or string and decorate the number figures. It is a great art past-time for the kids to do inside whilst on a rainy day and also a fantastic educational technique for them to learn their math.

And by getting the little ones to wear Childrens Aprons, you can be sure that no mess will get on their new clothes from Christmas.

Just follow these simple instructions and remember, have fun!

What To Do:

1. Choose a number, maybe their favourite or lucky number, or even their age.
2. Draw the number on cardboard or poster board, or A4 paper.
3. The number should be quite large and bulky, so it is easier to colour in or hang up when finished.
4. Cut the number out.
5. Outline some fun designs on the number shape or different coloured sections.
6. Using pens or paint, fill in the numbers.

Ulster Weavers have some fantastic Aprons for you to choose from, which are perfect for those grubby little monsters!

Animal Farm Child's PVC Apron

Painting Child's PVC Apron