Blogtoberfest Day 5

Image from here

It's almost lunchtime, and we are all still in pyjamas. Do you ever have pyjama days?

They are needed here every so often on school holidays.

On the agenda for this "crafternoon" (as coined by Master 7), will be some peg people and biscuit making.

Check out Ali's peg people here, and choose some new biscuit cutters here! I am coveting the babushka doll cutters and the electric guitar!
Enjoy your day - hug your kids and smile at a stranger. xx

Peg doll image from here

Handmade birthday presents for kids

I am putting together a booklet for my craft group on handmade birthday presents for children. These are generally projects adults will make for kids, but may include some ideas for kids to make for their friends and siblings.

In the past, I have made various presents, and have decided to collate some simple projects that anyone can do. I am not claiming any of these as my original ideas, and credits will be attributed. What are your craft ideas for kids' presents? I have a couple more in my head, not yet made, which I hope will make it into this booklet. I may have bitten off more than I can chew....

apron

pinny

pillowcase dress

knitted back pack

pram quilt

Air guitar by redmag!

Poncho

Dress-ups stand

Crayon melts

Apron

bibs

bunting

hair accessories

craft rolls

library bags

skirts

cushions

tops

booties

knitted food

Felt food

Mugs painted by kids


And examples of beautiful gifts by this amazing crafter, who's permission is not yet sought - E we need to talk!

Journals
Skirts
Car tidy
Puppets
Fabric Boxes
Lacing cards
Texta rolls
Car neck cushions
Doll's clothes
Board games
Books we have written and illustrated

What else have I forgotten??!

School holidays - the halfway point

If we mums are honest, there are two positions to take on school holidays. Position one is the mother who loves spending more time with her kids, being creative, making, baking, visiting, reading, playing, being buried in the sandpit. Position two is the mother for whom the school holidays are a mere countdown to school going back.

I have discovered that I sit neatly on the fence at this stage in my kids' lives. Master 7 as many of you know has Aspergers' Syndrome. The first few days of the holidays are thus awful for him as he adjusts to changes in his daily routine, and for greater chunks of the day allocated to unpredictability. There are only so many things I can plan to do in a day, and some days even though he sees it drawn or written down, he wants to do something else. Understandable. It's ok for him to spring something on me, just not the other way around. Miss 3 loves drawing, painting, making; the most portable of activities and easily adaptable to the plans for Master 7. Messy crafts just don't tend to go down well every day here...



We are now halfway through the ACT holidays, and the kids are flagging. They want and need some routine, and mornings provide that. Afternoons however seem to go on forever! Mr BB is away for work for a couple of weeks, and so there is no respite from Mum for the little people.

I have therefore dusted off some tried and true activities that you may want to try to get you through the next few days. As they are familiar, Master 7 is happy to try them. As they are creative, Miss 3 is all over them.

Toilet roll craft. Rattles, binoculars, didgeridoos, rockets, cars, slides, tunnels, planes; there is no end to the uses of the rolls. Try some of these web sites for additional ideas and printables to help you.

DLTK is a winner for most crafts and activities here.

Have a puppet show using the creatures from here.

If you find the idea of craft using toilet rolls eeewwww, then just use cardboard tubes from food wrap, al-foil, etc. Cut them using a bread knife, the sawing action makes it easy.

You can also add some fabric scraps to make serviette rings here.

My other tip. Don't underestimate the power of Google. Any kids' craft, craft recipe, technique etc can be found this way. Similarly the search function of YouTube. Bubble mixture, street chalk, bakers' clay, edible paint, papier mache, crystal garden, hand plaque,or even a vinegar volcano

Finally, everyone's favourite, with thanks to k3 crafts:

Uncooked Play Dough

2 cups of plain flour
4 tablespoons of 'cream of tartar'
2 tablespoons of cooking oil
1 cup of salt
2 cups of boiling water
food colouring

Just pop it all in a mixing bowl and mix!

It looks as though it is not going to mix well at first but hang in there and throw it onto the bench to knead, and it will come together really nicely.

We put different things in ours also such as glitter and sand. Just be careful you don't put things in like rice as they tend to go mouldy - we find glitter is really good.

Hope this helps everyone.

Cheers and Happy Play Doughing! (get into it, it is really relaxing to knead)

Yes, these are generally all messy, but they'll love them, and anyway, who vacuums daily on the holidays?!

xx

Bestest Easter Craft by Far!

I wish I understood German. Maybe the pattern is self-explanatory, unsure if it's easy or not though. Rather gorgeous egg-tote anyhow! Check it out here. May try my hand at it today.

Lots of do-able downloadable (free) crafts as usual at Crayola dot com (Ramadan, Diwali, many festivals covered here), and lovely Easter templates at the Powerhouse Museum see www.play.powerhousemuseum.com which helped me make this Easter top for Miss 2!

Cheats tute for last-minute Easter outfit for last day of school:

Take the template and trace onto iron-on interfacing. Iron it on!

Select your fabric from the stash...

Cut out your shape and peel off the backing, iron it in place over stain/s that won't budge.

Sit in front of the telly watching your favourite show and handstitch in place with a decorative stitch. If you are in a rush, use the Janome or similar.

Ta da!

Pair with tiered skirt by JustJess and there is your own cute little Easter Bunny!

Last day of Term One here and we are all rather excited. Easter crafts all afternoon will be done and lots of Hot Cross Buns consumed over the next few days. YUM.

Taking the kids to church on Sunday for an introduction to an Easter service... Fingers crossed. Determined that Easter means more to them than chocolate and buns, so they can make up their own minds as they grow.

xx

Felt like it

Pip is having a felty craft along. I thought I'd share one of our favourite felty toys - little Steiner finger puppets. Lovely craft to do with felt. I love the plait at the back of her head! Miss 2 thinks she is a treasure, so keeps her up on a shelf, only to play with at special times. She's lovely. We call her Daisy. For a great tutorial to make your own Steiner doll, go here!

j

Lego hat for Master 6

Master 6 (soon to be Master 7), loves this version we made of the Lego Cap, sighted at Brickvention 09 in Melbourne last month. It took us less than 20 minutes, and is fully interchangeable. The people can be replaced by "mobiles", and despite it fragility, it's quite a hit.

I am thinking it would make a good party craft for the boys later in the month actually...




j

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary, How Does your Garden Grow?

Master 6 made me a watering can recently during a session of "box construction". Box Construction involves raiding the recycle box and the useful box and coming up with an amazing and unique piece of installation art.


He has begged me to use it... as long as I don't get it wet. I'll do my best honey. X

The garden in the meantime has transformed again. I have previously mentioned the joy of a rental garden, where every season, surprises appear. Every time I stand at the sink, these smile at me. At best, there were over thirty, long-stemmed roses. Perhaps Eiffel Tower, perhaps not. Identifying roses is not my strong suit.


Our veggies have also 'sprouted' forth (he he), with lettuces, tomatoes and basil in particular loving their positions:



The cucumbers are slow, there are no olives on the tree (yet), and the oregano is sprouting. Can you guess what I am concocting?

Hint: Now I just need a goat, to make my own fetta cheese and my salad is complete!

YUM

Record cover craft - quick and easy

Remember these?


Vintage record cover containing super-scratched record, became chookie goodness:


Record destined for this life:


Yay!

Craft for lazy parents...

"Glue Mummy?"

I found a big bag of peel-off shapes in the cheap shop the other day, and pounced. Noting my kids love craft, and I don't like mess inside (we rent...), Miss 2 grabbed some bands from around yarn I was knitting, to make bracelets. Very clever little lass, peeled off the Christmas shapes and we now have accessories.


Orders taken, she may open a shop...

Master 6 sells his paper planes for $2.50 with a discount to kids who don't get their own pocket money, so her craft may also be put on the market. Master 6 reckons he can sell them at lunchtime to the girls.... Ah, I love my enterprising offspring!!

j

Snifflies that work for the Earth

Silly post title, I know, but the kids and I have decided tissues are a waste of trees, as we ploughed through the last box. Instead of buying more, to cope with the inevitable Winter runny noses, we made a lid for the empty box using a painting of Miss 2's, and filled it with "nice soft hankies - like Granny's" (in the words of Master 6).

Easy.

Much more comforting, softer on the nose, and a great use of my vintage hankie collection!!



We borrowed the idea from somewhere - maybe Consumption Rebellion? Thanks!!