My mermaids are done!

I know it's a bit pathetic to pinterest your *own* creations, but I wanted to add this one to my to-do board so I didn't forget to finish!

I made my niece the redheaded mermaid from my tutorial (click here) but she said she really wanted a blonde mermaid. Fair enough, I guess, being that my niece is blonde! Then of course, Miss Piggy also wanted a blonde one, and demanded I also make one for my other niece who's birthday party was last weekend.

I have two more nieces, what's the bet I'm making two more blonde mermaids before long?! Sigh. At least they are loved. And I feel useful :)

Please leave me a message if you have a go at making your own.

Fun times with Green hair

I'm not a swimmer - I have "swum" (and I use the term loosely) in a life jacket many times. When you grow up on a mountain far from the ocean with a town pool that opens seasonally, it's difficult to build up any sort of proficiency.

Well this summer, as part if my general 'more exercise' plan, I have been "swimming" a couple of times a week if not more. With a kick board to help, I've been doing laps, stretching my legs and hopefully working off all those chewy cola bottles I'm so addicted to right now.

Alas, good work never comes without it's own form of built-in punishment, does it?! My hair is slowly turning an awful shade of green. Yikes!

I realised that hardly any of my friends are blonde anymore - I guess we're all using our disposable income buying school shoes instead of visiting the hairdresser - but I did think of one friend who might be able to help. You know, in a hurry. Because sometimes you just need to de-green your hair at 10pm. Particularly if you have to go somewhere with *real* grown-ups the next day.

Luckily she is married to someone she refers to as Mr Hair, the irony being that despite working in the hair industry, he is completely bald.

They recommended washing my hair, then rinsing in a bicarb/vinegar mix, leaning ten mins and then rinsing out.

I dutifully followed directions, trying not to squeal too loudly when the mixture foamed all over my bathroom. I carefully popped a shower cap over the whole chaos and sat back to wait.


I wish I'd been as careful in the removal of said shower cap - water flooded my face, giving me quite an abrasive treatment! Hubby laughed at me, it would only happen to me, apparently.

The next day I had to go out with not only slightly green hair but a red blotchy face to boot. Serves me right for trying to get fit, I guess!

I have to say though, my hair seemed to enjoy it (after another shampoo back to golden and bouncy to boot) and now I've got some moisture back into my face (and it's sort of regained its top layer of skin) it's looking pretty rejuvenated too!

Still, to be on the safe side I think I will invest in some green-removing shampoo for the future ;)

DIY Christmas stockings

We seem to have lost the kids Christmas stockings - I fear they might have gone out with the wrapping paper in 2009 - so this year I decided to make new ones with the kids.

They had a lot of fun - Miss Piggy and I went out to Spotlight to choose the fabric (that wasn't so fun, MP had a meltdown over 'too many choices') then I worked with them one-on-one to get the stockings done. Each one took about half an hour to complete, even with little hands assisting.

We cut a stocking shape from scrap paper

We chose fabrics - one thick strip and a thinner strip for the top

We folded the thinner strip of fabric in half and sewed it to the thick strip. I top stitched where the fabrics joined.

We folded the strip in half (right sides together) then we traced the stocking onto the fabric

We cut and we sewed (the kids pushed the pedal on the machines)

No, I haven't brushed my hair! Don't judge me, I'm on holidays!

And we were done!

We hot-glued decorations on the front and loops for hanging at the top.

The kids are so proud to have made their very own stockings!

Christmas decoration from scraps

Because I work with small people, I'm always on the lookout for simple, quick and cost-effective (ie almost free) craft activities. Here's something I came up with in front of the telly. It's one of the projects that didn't make the 'cut' for doing with a large group of kids as it was a bit too involved for small hands to do independently. More of a one-on-one type activity if small people are involved.

Puffy fabric tree decoration:

1. Locate all materials - fabric scraps and embellishments.

2. Cut four identical squares. Trace circles onto two of them.

3. Sew felt embellishments onto the circle - mine are felt hearts and I sewed them on using the machine. You may choose to hand stitch.

4. With right sides together, sew around the circle line you traced at step 2. You can sew directly on the line or just inside the line. Up to you. Leave a gap at the top for turning inside out.

5. Trim and notch the edges of the circles. Or just cut around with pinking shears if you aren't too fussy (I'm not).

6. Turn inside out and stuff.

7. Now decorate. You can use the open part at the top to sew in a ribbon if required. I crocheted a border around the outside, you may choose to sew or glue on lace, ribbon, anything. Remember, this is a project for kids, so I'm keeping it simple!

8. Go delight grandma with your beautiful home-made ornament. Or hang on your own tree!

Enjoy! I'll be back tomorrow with an even simpler ornament - a sew along I did with more than a dozen kids.

Crafty fix: Paper cranes

After a few hectic weeks, I really needed to de-stress tonight. Some rubbishy telly with hubby, takeaway after the kids were in bed and Aldi's finest chocolates were just what the evening called for. And craft. I have been feeling shrivelled and exhausted and absolutely aching for some craft time. So I made the best of what resources I had at hand - literally!

Sorry about the iPhone photo, this really is a low-key, budget effort!

I folded these little cranes while we sat eating marzipan and enjoying some escapism.

If you want a tutorial on how you too can drive your spouse crazy, rustling chocolate wrappers down your end of the lounge, here is a favourite site of mine http://www.origami-fun.com/origami-crane.html At least it didn't cost him anything!

Enjoy!

Thirteen...

Thirteen years ago my life was turned upside down - an ending and a beginning and a nineteen year old girl lost in the confusion. Today marks the anniversary of the beginning of my adulthood.

This tree is on our street... it flowers for a few weeks a year and was flowering tonight.

We put the kids in the car, set up the tripod and ended up having to use the

headlights for light... We take so many photos of the kids' milestones,

I wanted something for us. To mark 13 years of ups and downs,

of sharing and loving and growing older (growing up?) together.

Thirteen years ago today, Jase and I moved furniture, unpacked boxes and set up our first home. We were so excited, two youngsters playing 'house' and rattling around our new place like tic tacs in a shoebox. What would we ever do with such a big home, we wondered. When would we ever get enough furniture to make it looked lived in?

On the other side of the country, my Dad's life was ending. It was sudden and shocking but at the same time a day I had been expecting for some time. It didn't need to happen, but it finally had.

When I look over my life, I see so many instances of death and rebirth in the same instance. This is just perhaps the most obvious, so today I pause to think about how far I've come in thirteen years.

I look around at all I have been blessed with - a full pantry, somewhere soft and warm to lay my head at night and four of the most beautiful people I could ever imagine. And stuff. Too much stuff.  So much stuff that sometimes my biggest gripe is what to do with it all. What a problem to have! Thirteen years ago, I could never have imagined I could ever face that sort of conundrum.

I search my heart and I find it full of hope and love... and faith that things always happen for a reason, that every lesson brings me closer to the sort of person I want to be. I have faith too, that those I love are never lost and that God watches over us until we meet again.

I thank God - for giving me the dark days so that I can bask in the glorious sunshine when the clouds finally part, appreciating the small things and (trying) never to take things for granted. And for giving me Jason. My friend, the father of my children, my love. The man who knows all my quirks and flaws and loves me regardless. I am blessed.

Things to do in stormy weather

I took this photo just over a week ago when we had bushfires in our region.

The picture does not do it justice. The sun was a deep red to look at,

like a red alien eye hanging in the sky. I was too lazy to get any storm photos

today. I preferred looking at the underside of my quilt

Today I was woken by my husband literally leaping out of bed at the sound of thunder shaking our roof. "What was THAT?!" he yelled running to the window. It was the loudest rainless thunder I think I've ever heard, and I've lived in some pretty stormy places! Before we knew it, Mr Z was leaping onto our bed saying sadly, "It's not going to be a very good Saturday, it's raining!".

So while I lay there in the semi-darkness, trying to pretend that thunder and a combo of two of my most favourite boys had NOT woken me up, I mentally compiled a list of things I loved to do in stormy weather as a kid.

1. Build cubbies out of furniture and blankets. Consider this one done. Our loungeroom is currently a mess of a semi-demolished cubby large enough to house a family of five. And a dog. I say semi-demolished because it turns out Small Boy does a pretty good Godzilla impersonation.

2. Make hot chocolate. Our hot chocolate had solidified in its container (it's been a while since any serious sort of rain) so we had to make do with Milo, but I did put a swirl of whipped-cream-from-a-can on the top of the kids' drinks. This was a hit with Mr Z, Miss Piggy didn't like it but Small Boy happily cleaned hers up :)

3. Watch a family movie. We saw the second half of "Camp Rock" peeking out from under the blanket cubby. Well, I actually sat to one side because I have a bit of a thing with small confined spaces and until recently couldn't even get into a zipped up sleeping bag without an anxiety attack!!! The kids had a wonderful time.

And then the rain stopped. And I missed out on my other rainy day activities :( It rains so infrequently here (except when it rains it pours) I just get excited at the chance to sit home in the gloom, looking out at the rain drops hurtling from the sky from the relative dry of my verandah.



Here are the other things I wanted to do:

1. Walk in the rain. I have the raincoats, umbrellas and gumboots by the back door in case the rain starts up again.

2. Group cooking in the kitchen. But we're going to make cupcakes this arv - rain, hail or shine :)

3. Read picture books in bed. Who am I kidding, I love to do this in any weather!

4. Colouring in. Love colouring in, but also love getting outside. Rain makes it seem more ok to sit around the kitchen table staring out the window :)


Instead, we raced around on the verandah - the kids on their plastic bikes/scooters, me in my bare feet. I pushed Small Boy on the swing until we were both smiling so much I felt one of us would burst. Now we're planning part two of our Saturday :)