Pink Princess turns 3

While Sunday was cool at least the sun was out.

There were pink presents

pink cake pink party frock a pink table, pink balloons and pink food.

There were handmade party hats out of cardboard – so easy and gave the kids glitter pens and stickers for a little crafty action.

Instead of goodie bags full of sugar (which I do love) I decided to paint paper mache boxes with bright Porters paints chalkboard. It was $20 for 500ml but there are other plans for it so it wasn’t too  bad. They were filled with chalk, pencils, coloured paper, water activated paints and stickers and some token chocolate. I thought it would be a good thing to keep in the car for child amusement emergencies while out and about. They would make quite neat gifts too.

Parsley came out really cute, but she deserves her own post hopefully tomorrow.

My Creative Space

party, Party , PARTY this week.

The goodie bags with lots of ideas and not much action yet. As with the DIY party hats.

The party dress in need of waists and hems and arm hole detailing.

Parsley while finished is waiting for some snaps to hold her outfits up, no strip tease please! And she needs a place to live.

Caleb wants to make her fairy wings and have not even contemplated that one yet, may have to pick out store bought one.

The super sparkly cape is actually completely finished, that is one tick at least!

So when there was an hour last night it was spent finishing Poppy’s dress for her friends party today that she has refused to wear as it isn’t pink enough – I wont have to worry about that on Sunday. We decided with our pink tights and shoes it could pass for ok. Note the PINK drink in the photo!

More creative goodies that are hopefully more organised at Kirst’s House and she has out my favourite – flocking an floss!

Boys Will Be Boys (warning – rant ahead)

There is no generalisation that I despise more than “Boys will be boys”. Sure boys can be more physical than girls but is that by nature or because it is sub-consciously encouraged in boys with those personalities and discouraged early in girls if it is their innate personality. There is no suggestion that boys should sit quietly in a corner and play all day, I love nothing more than seeing both my kids running around yelling and rolling down the hill at the local park. What I am baffled by is the enabling of our boys to carry on with socially unacceptable behaviour - if fighting is not OK at 25 or 15 why do people turn a blind eye at 5. The school playground should be somewhere where kids are able to take a break and run around and freely interact with peers, not games that take the veil of ‘superhero’ games which is really code word for pushing, in your face, that with increased excitement that is so common at this age, degenerates to hitting, punching, kicking and biting and favours size and strength. Maybe I am being unfair to expect the same thing from both Poppy and Caleb? Maybe I am being unfair to expect too much from school, but my real guile is when I see his behaviour change because he thinks that it is acceptable to push your little sister or hit. So ends frustrated Mama rant. 

Something crafty at least - Do you remember Caleb’s foray into softie making – we are still working our way through the book (in order of course). This one is Lucy’s Monster and is actually a really good one for kids to do. You draw the outline and sew around it which is much easier than worrying about seam allowances and if there is a little wonk it doesn’t really matter. I drew the outline on tracing paper so it was super clear and just tore it off once he was finished sewing.

My Creative Space

The elephant wardrobe is still under construction this week, but the birthday girl doesn’t want to be outshone by a pachyderm so the party frock is underway. The dress is quite a simple silhouette and hoping the fabric and the fullness will do the work. It had to be pink, thankfully the gorgeous babushka fabric from Kelani is one pink I can definitely live with.

More creative goodness at Kirst’s house.

Clever Friends

I have loved Sam’s gorgeous drawings for ages so when I was lucky enough to win a brooch it too forever for me to choose which one I liked the most. How cute is Rapunzel and the cards are quite hard to write notes in and part with.

Cath has started making the most divine brooches too at My Bearded Pigeon. Once I saw the beautiful orange butterfly there was some instant reversible denim headband sewing.  It is the perfect home for it and a robot maybe needed very soon.

The super clever Cath is also a finalist with her amazing red deer stitching in the Feeling Stitchy competition , have you voted yet?

Winter Dresses

Many moons ago on a creative space far, far away there lived a couple of Poppy dresses waiting patiently. While they have been finished finding a chance to take a decent photo hasn’t been so easy, hooray for a little bit of sun.

This is a simple elastic neckline and cuff dress made with Heather Ross from the last Amitie sale. Instead of casing the elastic I used the ‘elastic zig zag’ stitch on the machine and stretched the thin elastic as I went, so much quicker and sat better.

The deer fabric is one of my favourites, added to the stash from Patchwork on Central quite a while ago and teamed with glittery denim yoke and bell sleeves. This one brings a smile every time with a little retro vibe. I could of ironed it before I took the photo but that just means we are friends now and I don’t feel that I have too.

Do you think you get more of an idea on a hanger or on the child? I can never decide?

My Creative Space

Parsley although a little wonky is still pretty darn cute. This week’s mission is an elephant wardrobe for our lovely lady. Feeling pretty proud of myself considering there is still 2weeks to go till the B-day, but as usual there are 3 millions plans in the works.

More creative goodness over at Kirsty’s

Foxy 8

There doesn’t seem to be as much of me in the blog of late so when Miss Kate started this little one why not join in. A couple of weeks ago was bloggers without make up and have been thinking about it . Although confrontational at the initial thought I have been pondering why that is. It is not that villagers are chasing me away with pitch forks so why does posting photos seem like such a big deal – what message does that send to my daughter. So anyway I got over myself and I am going to refrain from saying derogatory things like ‘ignore the bags under the eyes’

1. Favourite meal to eat? Thai and Indian or anything with chocolate, yes please.

2. Do you have a quirky eccentricity? Nothing that sounds as exotic as an eccentricity. Um I don’t like fruit. I wont drive in between 2 trucks if I can help it. I talk to myself a lot. I always say orange if I mean green. I think that the card is almost as important as the present. Like to eat something sweet at the end of every meal.

3. My middle name? I don’t have one, Dad just decided that was just another thing you had to learn how to spell – high hopes. Both kids have middle names that start with J and for some reason that seemed important at the time,

4. I am passionate about doing the best job that I can for my family. If they can look back and think that they were supported and loved that is enough for me.

5. Thongs or Birkenstocks? Leftover from being a Queensland girl thongs for sure, even in Melbourne mine get a work out for as long as humanly possible and ignore my blue icy toes.

6. Who was I before I had kids? Pretty much the same - work wise still have the same job working from home. There was definitely more money and time but much less laughter. There is certainly confidence that has come for me as a mother.

7. Have I ever been arrested? No, usually a rule follower

8. This weekend I will have? Early morning swimming lessons every Saturday, it is not like there is going to be a sleep in anyway and then kid wrangling and working. Finally got the car radio working and enjoyed playing CD’s that brought back lots of long forgotten memories and sang badly and loud.  

My Creative Space

Usually there is one project on the go, I really don’t like having heaps of unfinished projects floating around but that seems to be the theme this week.

The music girls from last week finished and a bit of beach action in the cooler weather helps warm the toes. Only one panel left now though there may be a little quilt break as practical sewing sneaks in.

Elephant parts that will hopefully look less like an Alfred Hitchcock film soon. It is Poppy’s birthday at the end of the month and there are definite Parsley plans of grandeur.

Caleb pants that haven’t even managed a stitch in them yet.

A dress that is nearly done for Poppy that is awaiting hems and a little tuck in at the neck and another dress waiting patiently in the wings.

Phew, and thanks for all the lovely cape comments from yesterday. It really is super easy to do even without a pattern and done much like Kirst’s except not as cool. I can hope to try and work on a tutorial before summer but looking at the to-do-list?!

More creative spaces    , that are perhaps more creative and less like  a job list at Kirsty’s place

Cute Attack

There was an idea for a little cape with slit arm holes that even though wasn’t going to be red but decided it had to be. The ladybug pockets speak for themselves and just enough of one of my favourite fabrics with ladybugs to line the hood. It isn’t quite how I pictured it in my head but loving the retro feel - Even the sad snotty child seemed impressed.