The Party Edit

New York baker Elizabeth Mayhew of the Dutchy of Millbrook bakery shares her favorite butter frosting recipe

Easter Bake and Make Looking for Easter cake decoration ideas? Our designers have created 6 delightful Easter cake toppers for you and your kids to craft. How to make Cake Toppers These 6 toppers include fantastic illustrations of a girl bunny with basket, a boy bunny, 2 pretty flowers with leaves, a carrot and a cute chick – ideal to transform cupcakes into Easter treats. You will need a printer, card (or print onto paper and stick onto card), cocktail sticks, scissors, tape or glue, ribbons (optional), and of course... cakes! Download Now Step 1 Print out the sheets and cut out the toppers with scissors. Step 2 Glue the front and back of each topper to a cocktail stick (for safety, you can cut the sharp ends off). Step 3 Add colorful ribbons, if you want. Step 4 Pop the toppers on to your cupcakes (or they will look wonderful on a large Easter cake too). An easy way to create sensational looking treats for your Easter family gathering. We love Easter –  the fun, the food, the gifts! Gifts don’t have to just be candy though… why not give a longer-lasting surprise? Like the beautiful Alice fabric doll who has a fun bunny headband, our little bunny doll in a mini suitcase, or Easter coloring posters. Discover More Easter Fun Time Make Easter fabulous fun with games the whole family will enjoy. Our Meri Meri designers have created an Easter Bingo game especially for you, just print it out and play. We’ve also got lots of other game ideas too. READ MORE >

Dig, build and demolish – what a great theme for a kids’ party! We share our favourite construction party games with you for lots of fun.

Keep the Christmas magic alive by sending Santa a letter and crafting a reply! With our free, printable templates & top tips for writing a response, you’ll ace the holidays this year

Make a Picture Frame A homemade picture frame makes a gorgeous gift for granny, or for you or your kids to keep a favorite photograph in. Our talented design team have created two 3D frames for you to make – beautiful butterflies or dynamic dinosaurs. We also share our top ideas on how to take the perfect photographs to pop into your frames. Create a Fabulous Frame Make your photographs look amazing with these butterfly or dinosaur frames. Click here to download the free templates. To make the frames you will need: A printer, printer paper and card, scissors, glue or sticky foam pads, thread, cord or craft wire, sequins, beads and googly eyes. You can also use stickers for decoration (we’ve got a wide range, check them out here). And, of course, you will need a fabulous photograph to frame! (6” x 4” size). Step 1: Print out the templates for the frames onto paper and glue onto card or print it straight onto card. The stand piece will ideally need to be glued to a thicker piece of card or to two pieces of thin card to give it extra strength. Print out your choice of illustrations from the templates. Cut out all the pieces you wish to use. Step 2: To make the frame, first decide if you want it to be landscape or portrait (this will obviously depend on the photograph you want to frame). Take the back piece and glue along the shaded areas (itʼs important you only glue the 3 sides so you can easily slide your photo in at the end!). Then stick the front of your frame to the back piece. For the stand, firstly fold along the dotted line. Lay the stand down flat on the back of your frame so that the short side is parallel with the bottom of the frame. Stick the top part of the stand down as shown. Step 3: Now for the decorations. Use glue or sticky foam pads to attach your characters to make your frame really stand out. The butterflies can be made to look 3D by folding them in half and using thread, cord or craft wire to make antennae. Or add googly eyes to the dinosaurs. Then just have fun adding on as many embellishments as you like. Or why not try personalising your frame with some of our sensational stickers? Step 4: Once youʼre happy with your design, finish off by sliding your chosen photo into the frame. Take the Perfect Photograph 1. Get your subject off-center. Apparently, it’s a common mistake to think the subject of your photographs should be directly in the center of the shot. However, this is said to reduce overall visual interest, causing a less than stimulating effect. So, get your subject to stand slightly off-center for a more interesting result. 2. Bigger is better. A lot of people have the subject of their photograph too small in the shot. So, zoom in or get closer with your camera. 3. Go for patterns. Our eyes love patterns, so make your photograph more exciting by including lots of them in the shot – so this could be with clothing, accessories (check out our amazing hair accessories, enamel pins, embroidered brooches and necklaces) or your background, like flowers, trees or a colorful painting.

Craft a Friendship Bracelet Little people love to show their friends and family they adore them – and what better way than with a hand-crafted colorful friendship bracelet? Our talented design team have created one for your kids to make and give as a gift to their favorite person or people. We also share other craft creations, to team with the bracelet, to make it even more exciting to give and receive. How to Make the Bracelet Simply click here to download the template to make your beautiful bracelet. You will need: A printer, paper and card, scissors, pencil and ball of putty (or something to make a small hole in the card), 7 strands of thread (embroidery threads work well), each approx 20 inches long. Instructions: Step 1: Print out the loom template and stick onto some card. Cut it out and make cuts along each of the small lines. Step 2: Make a hole in the middle of the loom by putting a ball of putty underneath and pushing through a pencil.Step 3: Take 7 strands of thread and knot them together at one end, leaving an inch of thread loose at the end so you have a decorative tassel. Step 4: Push the knotted end through the hole in the middle of the loom so the knot is on the underside. Step 5: Thread each of the strands through each of the slots, you should be left with one empty slot. Step 6: Hold your loom so the empty slot is at the top. Count 3 strands to the left and move this third stands into the empty slot. Step 7: Turn your loom so the new empty slot is at the top. Count 3 strands to the left again and move it to the empty slot.Step 8: Keep repeating stage 6 and 7 and you’ll see your friendship bracelet grow from under the loom. Keep the threads nice and tight in the slots as you continue making your bracelet.Step 9: Keep going until your bracelet is long enough to tie around your wrist. When you are happy with it, remove it from the loom, tie a knot in the end and cut off the loose threads, leaving an inch at the end to make another tassel. Now you can make as many as you like and give them to your friends!   3 Friendly Ways to Present Your Bracelet 1. In a card. If you can’t see your friends at the moment, then send your bracelets by post inside a special homemade card. We’ve created 3 amazing notecards for you to make – an adorable sausage dog, dreamy sailboat and a cherry ice-cream, go here for the instructions and downloads. As an extra touch, why not include a quote about the wonders of friendship?Here are our favorites: “A sweet friendship refreshes the soul.” - Proverbs 27:9 “Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.” - Eleanor Roosevelt. “There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends.” - Jane Austen. “The only way to have a friend is to be one.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson. “Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together.” - Woodrow Wilson. 2. Pop it into a piñata. Little piñata favors are the perfect way to present your bracelet to a friend. Put it inside and they’ll get a lovely surprise when they open it. Make your own mini piñata, go here for ideas or choose one of our lovely designs which include unicorns, llamas, skull and crossbones, flamingos, swans, robots, mermaids, crocodiles and rainbows. 3. Include it with a gift. If it’s your friend’s birthday then you may want to team your homemade friendship bracelet with another gift too. Look for presents that have a true friendship meaning, like our Secret Notebook necklace or a notebook for them to write notes to you, like our sausage dog, unicorn and cat notebooks.

Flower Power Flowers are fabulous for craft making  – whether you use real ones or paper designs. We’ve created a beautiful 3D floral headband to look sensational at summer parties, and rounded up two other flower makes your kids will love too. Craft a Floral Headband Look summery fantastic fast with this headband. Go here to download the free template. You will need: a printer; printer paper or thin card; colored paper or card; glue; scissors; pompoms, beads or buttons to embellish; a gold pen or foiled gold paper/card (optional). Step 1: Print out the flowers and leaves onto paper or thin card and cut them out. Step 2: Cut a thin strip of colored paper/thin card to make the headband. Make sure it is long enough to go around your head. Step 3: To create a 3D effect with the flowers, fold the flower in half one way, and then open it up and fold it in half the other way. For the flowers with more than 4 petals, simply fold the petals another two times until all the petals have a crease line in them. Step 4: Overlap the flowers by putting one on top of another and finish by adding a pompom, bead or button in the center. Alternatively, you could cut out circles of gold paper or card and stick these down or add some gold pen. Step 5: Each leaf has a front and back. Stick the two pieces together and fold the leaf in the middle at a slight angle. Step 6: Now assemble your headdress by sticking on the leaves and flowers. Stick the ends of the headband together and it’s ready to wear.   Construct Flower Butterfly Wings Create wings, made from fresh flowers, with this design made by our talented team. Go here for the details. Perfect to do at a party as a craft, or for summer fun with your kids. Make a Floral Garland Make an indoor, or outdoor, party look amazing with our floral garland crafted from beautiful paper flowers. Click here for the details. If you want a party to look floral fantastic, then we’ve got lots of gorgeous floral plates, napkins and cups everyone will love, including roses and delicate pastels. 1. Large Pajaki Chandelier 2. Bright Floral Tattoos 3. Flower Jewel Necklace 4. Flower Jewel Hair Clips 5. English Garden Party Hats 6. Bright Floral Napkins 7. Flower Garden Plates 8. Floral Halo Crown 9. English Garden Party Cups   Shop our English Garden collection here

Enjoy a Musical Summer Party Musical sessions, with homemade instruments, are guaranteed to make your summer parties extra enjoyable. Our talented design team have created a delightful little drum for your kids to make and play. We also share our favorite summer songs to sing and drum along to. Make a Delightful Drum This fabulous spinning drum will create a sensational beat. Perfect for party fun. Simply download the template here. You have a choice of a colored drum, or go for the plain version which you can color in with your favorite colors. You will need: A printer Paper/Card (if you use paper, glue it onto thin card like an old cereal packet) Scissors Glue Sticky tape A paper straw (we’ve got a great choice of striped or shiny straws, see here) Thin cord or string (approximately 6 inches long) 2 beads (or you could use buttons) A skewer/pencil Putty (for making the holes in the card) Coloring pencils or pens to use on the coloring version. (Optional) Instructions: Step 1: Print and cut out the 3 pieces.Step 2: Make the holes in the long piece of card by placing some putty underneath the printed X’s and pushing a skewer or pencil through. Small holes are needed, big enough to thread the cord/string through and a large hole in the middle big enough to push the straw through.Step 3: Cut your cord/string in half so you have two 3 inch long pieces. Thread them both into the small holes and tape a small amount of the cord/string in place on the inside.  Step 4: Push about 1 inch of the straw into the big hole and cut three small slits into the end of the straw that has been pushed in. Flatten out the slits and securely stick them down flat to the card strip using tape.Step 5: Fold down all the flaps along the two sides of the card strip and curve the whole thing round into a circle shape. Glue or tape it in place.  Step 6: Add glue to the tabs and stick the card circles onto both sides and stick firmly in place.  Step 7: Finally thread a bead or button onto the ends of the cord/string. Tie a big knot at the ends to avoid the bead/button coming off and the drum is ready to spin! Summer of fun play list A wonderful way to really enjoy the summer of 2020 is to have a fabulous play list whilst you party. Listen, sing or play along with your drum.  Click here to play the Meri Meri Summer Garden Party Playlist, a mix of classic and modern feelgood summery tunes.

Sensational Sandwich Make Your kids will love to pretend to have their own deli– taking everyone’s orders and then making a ‘meal’ to remember. Our clever designers have created menus and lots of food items to print out and play with. We also share our favorite party sandwich ideas. Order, Create and Serve The fabulous foods include bread, tomato, lettuce, turkey, roast beef, bacon, avocado, peanut butter, strawberry jelly, tuna, cheese, pickles, cucumber, a fried egg, mayo, tomato ketchup and there’s even a ‘knife’ to use. Perfect for culinary creativity. Click here to download the templates Simply print out all the menus and food items onto card (or print onto paper and then glue onto card), cut them out and get ready for fun.Why not get your kids some paper party plates and napkins to serve their ‘food’ on too? We’ve got fabulous ranges to choose from with amazing designs and all the colors of the rainbow.   Perfect Party Sandwich Ideas If playing with pretend sandwiches has made everyone hungry, it’s time to rustle up some of the real thing. Here are three ways to make them with a difference to turn the meal into a party! 1. Make works of art With the clever use of ingredients you can make sandwiches look like charming creations. We love these crazy crab and sailboat sandwiches, these woodland animal sandwiches, and this remarkable race car sandwich.  2. Shape them up Transform a humble sandwich into a special shape to really delight the kids. Do this with your favorite cookie cutters, or cut them with a knife. We’ve got a great stainless steel cookie cutter range, including a unicorn, sausage dog and flowers. 3. Switch up your sandwich type A sandwich doesn’t just have to have 2 slices of bread. Why not try an open sandwich, pinwheel or a multi-tiered variety where you use a selection of different breads and fillings? Go here for more information.

Nifty Notecards to Make Why send a letter to friends and family on plain paper, when you can send them something really special? Our fabulous designers have created not 1, not 2, but 3 fabulous notecards for you to make. We also share our favorite famous inspirational quotes, perfect to add to your notes. Three Terrific Notecards There’s something to suit everyone – an adorable sausage dog, a dreamy sailing boat or a delicious looking ice-cream. You will need: a printer, paper/card, scissors, coloring pencils or pens, twine, tape or glue, foiled card and colored paper (optional). Please go here for the templates. Boat Notecard Step 1: Print out the sheets and cut out the notecards with scissors. Step 2: Fold back the sails along the dotted lines. You will need to add color. You can do this with coloring pencils or you can cut out the sails from colored paper. We found that stripes work really well on one of the sails. Step 3: Use the anchor template on some silver foiled card or you can just color it in using a silver pen. Step 4: Poke a hole in the top of the anchor using a pencil and then another in the main part of the boat. Step 5: Next take your twine and tie to the anchor and then the boat. Step 6: Glue the ­flag in the middle of the sails. Sausage dog and Ice-cream notecards Step 1: Print out the sheets and cut out the notecards with scissors. Step 2: Fold along the dotted lines. The ice cream notecard folds in on itself and the sausage dog folds like a concertina. Step 3: (Sausage Dog only). Cut the round tag for the dog collar from some silver foil card or color with a silver foil pen, and glue on to the collar. Step 4: Stick the ­flaps down using glue or tape. Write your notes and send to your friends or family. For extra embellishment you can decorate the envelope and card with lots of fun stickers. We’ve got a great range including unicorns, mermaids, tropical, space and many more. Famous inspirational quotes Want to add something inspirational to your notes, but can’t find the words? Try using these quotes from famous people. “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” - Albert Einstein. “Keep your face always toward the sunshine—and shadows will fall behind you.” - Walt Whitman. “It doesn’t matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop.” - Confucius. “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” - Walt Disney. “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’.” - Audrey Hepburn. “What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson “If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint’, then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.” - Vincent Van Gogh. “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” - Theodore Roosevelt. “Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.” - Dr. Seuss

Light up the Fourth of July Our designer team have created a fabulous firework-themed red, white and blue garland with 3D rockets for you to make to brighten up your home, and patriotic cup cake toppers too. Make your Firework Garland This sensational garland will look amazing wherever you hang it. It’s great fun to make too! Click here to print out all the parts. You will need: Card (or print onto paper and then glue onto card) Scissors String Glue Step 1. Cut out and fold in half the diamond shapes to make triangular garland pennants. Make sure you leave a good length of string before and after all the pennants, room enough for the rockets and to hang the garland up. Step 2. Cut out the rocket tails including the thin sections. Then glue along the side at the top and roll up. Step 3. Glue one edge of the rocket, roll up and stick together. Step 4. Glue the rocket tail inside the rocket. Step 5. Make a cone shape with the rocket top and stick together.  Step 6. Glue the top 2 tabs of the rocket inside the cone. Step 7. Pinch the top of the tabs to stick securely. Step 8. Fold the rocket back loop in half. Step 9. Glue one side of the rocket back loop to the back of the rocket. Step 10. Once secure, hook the back tab over the garland. Step 11. Glue the other half of the back loop together, sandwiching the string, holding it in place. Create Charming Cup Cake Toppers These cup cake toppers look fabulous, and are easy to make. Click here to print them out. You will need: Card (or print onto paper and then glue onto card) Scissors Glue Cocktail sticks Simply cut out the toppers, apply glue and fold in half over a cocktail stick. The hearts don’t fold, just stick the 2 together with glue, with the cocktail stick in the middle. If you want to add more red, white and blue and shimmering silver stars to your party, check out our fantastic Fourth of July range here. It includes garlands, confetti rockets, silver star confetti balloons, plates, cups, napkins and a cupcake kit.  

Our talented designers have crafted amazing cut out paper dolls for everyone to enjoy. They’re based on our beautiful best-selling fabric dolls. They’ve also designed gorgeous clothes and accessories, for stylish looks and activities.

Delight your little ones with our adorable, printable cake toppers and read our tips on how to create the perfect picnic complete with delicious treats!

If your kids love to dress up, they’ll adore our mermaid tail make crafted from metallic cupcake cases. Perfect for little mermaid and mermen imaginative play. We also share our favorite under-the-sea game ideas.

Ahoy me hearties! Little people who enjoy swashbuckling adventures will love to make, and play with, our excellent egg box pirate ship and accessories. Especially designed for you by our talented designers, it’ll give hours of ship-shape fun.

Let the ocean inspire your little people to make beautiful crafts. Our talented designers have created an amazing aquarium make for them, filled with colourful fish. We’ve also rounded up lots of other fantastic under the sea creative ideas.

We’ve designed gorgeous clay trinket dishes that you can make at home - a perfect place to keep special little items safe, they're little pots of creative fun. These also make fabulous gifts to send to grannies and friends.

Your garden is full of potential for beautiful crafts to make with your kids. Our talented designers have created amazing butterfly wings, made with petals, leaves and flowers – they look so beautiful!

Give your little people hours of imaginative playtime with our amazing paper dolls, crafted by our talented designers. They’re based on our beautiful best-selling fabric dolls Ruby, Matilda and Lila. They’ve also designed gorgeous paper doll clothes and accessories.

Little boys and girls love to pretend to fly, whether it’s by dressing up as a rocket to zoom to the moon, or wearing a superman or superwoman cape. Playing with toys that fly is also amazing fun. So, our designers have created a special napkin parachute for your kids to make.