A mum from Edinburgh has explained exactly how she created an activity board for her son, Josh, at home for just £20.
Taylor Cowin, 23, put the whole thing together with a little help from her dad to keep her 19-month-old boy busy at home - but did it for a third the price of buying one in ready-made.
"I first came up with the idea a few weeks before Christmas when I was trying to think of what I could get my little boy," Taylor told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk
"He had so many toys and I really wanted him to have something a bit more special and unique so I started to look at busy boards online. They were all great but prices started at around £60 and even went into the hundreds, and they were all quite small compared to what I was looking for!
"I didn’t really expect to make anything brilliant but I just thought 'why not give it a go myself and see how it goes!’"
Taylor put the busy board together using things she already had in the house.
"I just started to gather little things from the cupboards like switches, door stoppers, door handles and so on that I already had and could potentially use. Then I added my little boy's xylophone because he loves it," she said.
"I also thought about how he loves cars and buses and knew it would be a good idea to use a car or bus shape. Then I just searched for lots of random things on ebay to see what came up and if anything could be used.
"I used spare wood that my mum and dad already had in their garden. I only really had to buy the paint, lights and the tie, zip and button boards. It cost me about £20 for those things.”
Once she'd decided what the board would look like, it was time to get building it.
"I decided on the bus shape and drew it onto the wood. My dad then cut the shape because I really don’t trust myself with power tools!” Taylor said.
"Then I painted it red and I did two or three coats of paint. It took quite a while to dry as it was in my mum and dad's shed and the weather was cold but once it was dry we took it into the house and started to attach the lights and everything else onto it.
"I used cable ties to attach everything onto it so that there wouldn’t be the possibility of any nails falling off. I felt that this would be a safer option for my little boy.
"It took about a week or so to be completely finished and we then attached it to my little boy's bedroom wall. It’s not perfect but he loves it!”
And it turner out even better than Taylor hoped.
"I am very pleased with how it turned out because I really wasn’t expecting it to actually be any good,” she said.
"I think it is the perfect thing to have at home because it really does keep my little boy occupied which is especially important for times like this when you do need to spend more time at home.
"Not only that but it’s also a brilliant time for people to take on these project and try to make things themselves because it really does help with boredom!
Taylor also had some advice for anyone thinking of copying her.
“The tip I would give to anybody who would like to do something similar is that even if you don’t think you’re that good at art or making things you should still give it a try!," she said.
"I’ve never been one for drawing or making things but I think it still turned out quite well and I think most people could do it if they tried.
"Also, check your cupboards for random things lying around that you already have but haven’t been using. I saved myself a lot of money doing that!
