Crafty ideas for entertaining the children

Our kitchen table is normally half-hidden under piles of the girls' drawings, and gluing and sticking masterpieces. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I've fallen into a bit of an artistic rut, in my old age.

There is now a limit to how much creative mess I can stand, and as an alumnus of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, where mess was encouraged and experimentation was a good thing, I feel extremely guilty.

When I found out about a local community art project called Making Space, the girls and I had to give it a whirl to see if it would inspire us.

Sessions are held every Saturday in Penicuik Town Hall. You cannot fail to find the town hall, as it looks like it should be in Trumpton, thanks to its quaint balcony and fancy clock.

Making Space is a loose collective of craft makers and creative types who are passionate about easily accessible craft education.

It offers a wonderful opportunity for intergenerational learning, and access to traditional craft, and they volunteer their precious time and skills for free. The only fee is a realistic donation (a couple of quid in our case) to cover the cost of the art materials you use.

At our first week we all made felt pictures and heart-shaped badges, and were pleasantly surprised with the results.

Dry felting is something I would never have thought to do with the girls. You have a thick sponge on which you place a background piece of material before stabbing small pieces of coloured wool with a very sharp needle, creating your image. Eve and Hope relished the challenge and loved every minute of it.

We have started making small felt animals, with the crafters' help. Hope made a tiny mouse and Eve a lovely ladybird and next week we are planning to start a bigger felting project, making a family of dinosaurs over a longer period.

The activities on offer change each week depending on which volunteers are available, so it's best to check the website to see what's on. Making Space is now part of our Saturday routine.

Post-ballet, and pre-gymnastics, we try to pop in and have a go at a new artistic project. Making Space is on at the same time as the coffee morning fund-raiser for the Penicuik Development Trust. They have big ideas for the disused Bank Mill, so you may find yourself tempted by delicious scones and home baking. Being creative is hungry work, and it's all in a great cause.

Making Space, every Saturday, between 11:30am-1pm, Penicuik Town Hall, http://makingspacepenicuik.blogspot.com

This article was first published in The Scotsman, 19 March, 2011