Pimp My Cubby House!

Do your kids L-O-V-E making cubby houses or blanket fortes?  Mine do, and are absolutely crazy for them.  A weekend does not go by without "Mum, can we make a cubby?", which is why I have a stash of old sheets in the linen cupboard just for this purpose. Anyway, this weekend, when we got a break in the weather (it's been raining pretty solid here for a couple of months now), my son & I decided to "pimp" one of the sheets and make it much more "cubby-like".

 

We thought an Indian-inspired theme would be fun, and would make the whole cubby experience feel a bit more like being in a teepee, so we set about finding some shapes to stick directly onto the sheet with the intention of then spray painting over the entire sheet leaving us with a coloured sheet and white shapes.  

 

I have a Silhouette Cameo machine so I searched "Indian" using the Silhouette software and purchased a random set of shapes that my son liked (which, FYI, cost 99c per shape).  If you don't have a Silhouette then you could just download shapes straight from the internet (actually my very first thought was to go out and collect things from the bush or beach - leaves, shells, twigs etc - and use them but, to be honest, I just couldn't be bothered doing that!).  The good thing about the Silhouette is it cuts adhesive vinyl so our shapes could be stuck directly onto our sheet.  We placed shapes randomly over the sheet, in no order whatsoever, and also added in some lines and zig-zags with painters tape.  I then mixed up two bottles of watered-down fabric paint, gave them an extra good shake, and we got to spraying.  We gave the sheet a really good spray, with lots of coats, and then once it was dry we peeled everything off to reveal our characters underneath - always the most exciting bit. 

 

 

 

 

 

It turned out really quite good, especially being that it was one of those "on a whim" projects that I wasn't sure would even work.  Thankfully it worked, we both had a good time doing it together and now the kids have a quirky teepee-inspired sheet to add a bit of oomph and personality to their cubby-house making.  After we'd finished, I thought it would've been a good idea to have their names, their hand prints and the date on it ... but by then we were done, the paint had been emptied and there was no going back for more.  Maybe the next sheet ...

Father's Day or Birthday Printable for Dad

 

Eeek, Father's Day has just sort of crept up and bitten me on the bum!  I'm not quite sure how we got to September so quickly.  Anyway, if you, like me, have been caught a little unprepared this year, I've put together a fun little printable with questions about Daddy for the kids to answer (in their own words) and fill in (in their own writing) and also space for a special photograph.  It's a good little exercise for the kids to do and can be a nice keepsake to look back on.  It can be used for Father's Day or for Daddy's birthday - it's up to the kids to fill in the blanks.

 

So, here it is, and ... Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful Daddy's out there.  I hope you get spoilt on your special day and the kids say lots of good stuff about you!!

 

A Book of Paper

One of my craftilicious friends loves nothing more than staying up into the wee small hours making greeting cards, gift tags and anything else to do with lovely paper.  In the six years that we've known each other I don't remember ever receiving a commercial card from her - they are always handmade, very cute and of course, special.  As a little gift to her, and to fuel her late nights (pfft, as if she needs more late nights, she's just had her third baby!), I put together a "Book of Papers" for her.  It is a collection of scrapbooking paper bound together conveniently in a book with each sheet perforated for easy removal.  This way she has a collection at her fingertips and won't need to drag her three kids around Spotlight replenishing her supply ... although knowing her, she'll need a new stash in about a week!  Seriously.  When I gave her this little book she texted me a photo within about two hours showing me a card she made with it.  See, crafta-c-c-c-razy!

 

  

  

I bought the majority of paper online from Scraptherapy (about 40 sheets), made up a cover page using the Rhonna app on my i-phone, added a sheet of vellum, a clear front and a back cover, and then had it wire bound at Officeworks.  I wasn't sure how to perforate the pages so I just used my pattern tracing wheel, and guess what?  It worked.  You can pick up a tracing wheel for around $3.00 at your local craft/sewing store and yet a piece of equipment with a perforator attachment would've cost me around $70.  Happy, happy substituter!

 

 

 

 

I think this is a lovely, personal gift for the crafting person in your life and it doesn't have to be limited to scrapbooking paper.  It could be a more "specialised" compilation - perhaps Japanese origami paper, organic paper or handmade paper, or even gift-wrapping paper in A3.  Sounds beautiful, don't you think? I know I'd like one!

Underwater Birthday Adventure

 

Gosh, it feels like ages since I've sat down to write a blog post - I may have forgotten how!

Last year for my son's 5th birthday, we held a Tenpin Bowling Party for him where he got to invite three of his best little friends to a morning of bowling, rather than having a big, all-out, crazy, expensive, chaotic affair at home.  It worked really well, the boys had a great time and because there were only four of them, they could focus on each other, enjoy their bowling and just have a bit of fun without all the "fuss".  Sometimes I think kids' parties are just too big, too busy and end up becoming a bit overwhelming for our little ones.  Anyway, this year, because it worked so well last year, we decided to do a similar thing.  Our son chose three of his friends from pre-primary and we took them all on an "underwater adventure" to a fabulous aquarium we have here in WA called AQWA.  It is such a fantastic place for kids to learn about marine life and to really get up close and personal with Western Australia's sea creatures.  This is how it played out ...

We made up some paper bowl "Jellyfish" invitations (I got the inspiration from here).

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I packed some activities for each of the kids to do when they needed a break from all the visual stimulation (read when four boys together start to get a little cuckoo for coco pops).  I downloaded some Year 1 - 3 level activity sheets straight from the AQWA site where there is a tonne of resources and educational info.  It really is a very well thought-out site, especially for kids and schools.

  

 

Because the trip to AQWA was a bit over an hour by car, I packed a little snack box for each of them.  They didn't need too much, with our arrival time being close to lunch, but you know what kids and food are like ... plus food always helps in long car rides!

 

 

The fun starts the moment you arrive at AQWA.  There are over 40 beautiful living exhibits of WA marine life for the kids to get excited over and learn from.  There's sea dragons, there's pineapple fish (what?), there's fluro anemones and then there's the ... walk-through aquarium!  Oh my goodness, just try to contain four boys while they walk under 3 million litres of Indian Ocean water in this magical underwater world - it's tough, I tell you, tough. With stingrays casting giant shadows as they glide overhead, or sharks looking you directly in the eye as they cruise slyly by, or graceful and gorgeous turtles slowly making their way towards you for a closer look - the boys were in awe.  They were in their element and genuinely interested and intrigued by the sea creatures surrounding them - and, of course, a little rambunctious and excitable, but then again they're little boys and this is their "thing", they "get it". When inside time became too much, we headed out to "Marmion Marine Park" where the kids could handle live sea animals - sea urchins, starfish, coral - in a Touch Pool (they loved, loved, loved this) and then wandered across to a quiet lagoon called "Stingray Bay" where an abundance of rays and fish swim, and almost nibble, at your feet. It's a very chilled area and is perfect for taking-5 with the kids, especially in great weather. 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

AQWA is a very cool place for both kids and adults and taking our little birthday group there was a lot of fun, and educational too - it also saved me from becoming a stressed-out weirdo over having to put on a birthday "production".  I tend to get a bit crazy (and grumpy) if I've got something big to organise ... I'm more of an "intimate" kinda girl!

 

As a type of "favour", I sent the boys home with a dried thorny starfish each which I bought from a lovely site called "Simply Shells".  I'm not particularly into shells myself but the site really does have a beautiful variety of shells, sea urchins and starfish, and the quality is so much nicer than the mixed bags of shells you sometimes see in Spotlight and Cost Plus - plus they are sustainably sourced and only prolific breeding shells are stocked, which made me feel okay about my purchase.

 

 

 

All in all, this little "underwater adventure" was a success and from all accounts the boys (and one little sister) really did have a "whale" of a time.  Hehehehe.  Had to get that in!

Oh, and we did have cake - the day before at our family lunch, and in keeping with the theme I tried my hand at chocolate cupcakes with black fondant shark fins.  Yay, they worked ... always a gamble when it involves me and cupcakes!  I did actually slip with the bicarb soda but the kids were none the wiser!  Phew.

Have you been on any birthday adventures lately? 

A Winter Road-Trip

 

Next week is the start of the July school holidays (hoorah!) so we are heading north for a bit of warmth and chill-out time. We will be spending a week at a remote little beachside community about 600kms from our home where there is nothing but the beach and an itty-bitty General Store. The only thing for us to do will revolve around the beach and relaxing. A real escape. The perfect opportunity to do nothing. To just be. I like the sound of that.

I am trying to pack very lightly and to not take too much stuff for the kids. I figure they'll be at the beach or outside for the majority of the time anyway - but for those times they need some quiet, inside time (and Mummy needs a quiet coffee - yes, I'm taking my coffee machine with me!), or if the weather outside isn't fantastic, I have put together just three little boxes of amusement.

The first one - MAKE - is a "jewellery making kit". I bought about 5 packets of beads from Spotlight, plus some I already had in our craft box, and bought a variety of twine, stretchy thread and silicone bangles so they can put together whatever type of jewellery they feel like. They may even collect some shells and make up their own.

 

The second one - CREATE - is just a random selection of paper cut-outs for the kids to glue on paper. I was given a beautiful company profile last week at work from a Graphic Design company and the illustrations were so lovely I brought it home and cut it up for the kids to use. I'm quite sure that's not really what he had in mind for his professional publication!

 

The third one - PLAY - is my absolute favourite and so beautifully old-fashioned in my mind. It's Paper Dolls!!! I haven't played with Paper Dolls since I was a kid and haven't really noticed them "out there" so when I stumbled across The Toymaker website, I was so excited. It really is a beautiful, whimsical site where you can find lots and lots of free downloadable paper toys to make, as well as free bedtime stories and other wonderful things. The owner of the site, Marilyn Scott-Waters, does all of the illustrating herself (such a clever lady) and her goal is "to help grownups and kids spend time together making things". Love it. Old fashioned, original, beautiful and free. What a find. And, because there are both boy and girl dolls and clothes, I think my son will have a fun time with it. I'm hoping my daughter will too but she's two and, well, not the gentlest little lady when it comes to delicate paper things. I hoping her big brother will show her how it's done!

 

 

 

So that's about the size of the "craft station" for our week away. If it gets used, great, but if not it will always come in handy back here at home.

The car-ride to our holiday destination is going to be a rather long one but I'm not overpacking or overthinking that either (thinking "pack-lightly, pack-lightly"). For the first time ever we will be using DVD players - a lovely friend is lending us her double DVD player so the kids will both have a screen at the back of their seat. It's going to be such a novelty for them, the problem will be turning it off! They will also have their "drawing boards" (Etch-a-Sketch thingies) which are permanently in our car, their own notebooks and colour pencils and some activity books, plus their regular toys in the Car-Seat Catch-Alls I made last year. I may also take the DIY Magnetic Games from last year but it will depend on how much room we have.

 

 

And last but not least (and this was a brilliant idea from my sister which I am extremely grateful for), I have bought two Stable Tables so the kids have a nice steady spot on their laps to draw, eat and play. We can also use the tables while we're away to eat in front of the TV ... 'cause we're on holiday and you're allowed to do stuff like that on holiday!!



This is totally not the Stable Table I bought but it was so super cute I had to pop it here instead of the red and blue K-mart versions I bought! Source



So, it's time. Time to relax, time to do not much at all, time to switch off and time to be with my little family. I hope you enjoy your break (if it's school holidays where you are) and get to spend some quality down-time with your "babies" and loved ones. Take care and I'll "see you" when we return! x

Little Clay Bowls

Have you ever wanted to make something from clay but haven't because the thought of having to find a kiln for glazing and firing seemed a tad too hard?  Me too.  I had played around with air-dried clay before with my kids, making little Christmas ornaments and whatever they wanted to make - snakes, gingerbread men, unidentifiable objects, but never really took it seriously ... until the other day. 

I bought some of this air-dried clay from Spotlight the other week with the intention of letting the kids play with it again and create whatever they wanted.

While they were making snakes (again), shapes and unidentifiable objects (again) and I was sitting beside them getting a bit restless, I made some little clay gifts tags.  I rolled some doily fabric over the clay which made a really pretty impression.  I was a little bit smitten with my tags. 

Then I got a fraction excited.  I would have a go at making some small bowls, with the pretty impression.  So that's what I did - and the best bit was it was really, really easy.  Hoorah.

I rolled out a chunk of clay and laid the doily fabric over the top.  I rolled again, a few times - not too hard but just firm enough to get a good imprint.

 

I placed a small bowl over the clay and cut around it with a knife.

I lifted the clay off the baking paper and placed it gently inside the bowl.

Then it gets left to dry, overnight, or longer (I left mine two days).  Once it's dry it shrinks a tiny bit so it just falls out of the bowl.  Ohhhhhhh, this is the exciting bit because out pops a perfectly (or imperfectly as hand-made is) formed little bowl.

I then lightly sanded the rim of the bowl, using a fine sandpaper, to get rid of any rough or lumpy bits. And that's it.  No firing, no glazing, no kiln required.  A walk in the park.
 

Gave them a coat of white paint.  The clay is white and can be left that way but I just wanted it to be white-white not grey-white.

I decided to use both bowls in my little girl's room for her growing collection of hair-ties and clips so I wanted to brighten them up a bit.  I painted one yellow on the outside and one yellow on the inside. 

I also finished them off with a gloss varnish (I used Jo Sonja's Gloss Varnish but you could probably use any water-based varnish). Squeal!!!  I love it when an idea turns into super-cuteness reality!

Here is my daughter's collection of hair-ties and clips, spilling over, in a way-too-small trinket box ...

 

And now in their new home ...

 



And some "hand-made imperfection" close-ups ...

What do you think?  I really like them, totally love the pattern thing, and I'm pretty sure I have found a new addiction (oh dear).  I still have half my packet of clay left so I will definitely be making some more.  I might even have a go at making some small plates or even tinier vessels for holding things like paper-clips, pins, craft supplies etc.  What I love about the air-dried clay is its versatility and that it's so accessible and easy for everyone to use.  You don't have to be creative to use it - just have a play and see what happens.  If you don't like what you've made, squash it, roll it out again and try something else.  Try pressing the clay with different patterns, shapes or objects ... grab a leaf and see what that does, or something out of the kitchen drawer, or the Tupperware cupboard.  Just have a go. 
It's therapy, I tell you!