A love of craft has always weaved in and out of Tracey Radford’s life: throughout her childhood in Northern Ireland, her career as a BBC journalist and now, as a busy mum of three. When her husband was posted to Afghanistan for a year in 2011, she started writing a blog to let off steam. It quickly became a space to explore and share new craft ideas. A keen recycler and upcycler, the crafting house rule is: ‘only what’s to hand is allowed’, which usually means whatever’s in the recycling pile! Tracey started making cardboard animals with her daughter, and that’s how their zoo adventure began. Their clever creatures are now a hugely popular part of her blog. Visit Tracey’s blog at patchworkparent.blogspot.co.uk. Tracey is based in Gloucestershire, UK.