DIY: no-sew mad hatter easter bonnet

The other day I posted a fun DIY for making your own flower headpiece for Easter. Today, I've got another fun Easter project to make over the school holidays.

DIY: paper flower headpiece [easter]

Easter is less than two weeks away and if you're anything like me, then you'll probably be leaving things like decorations and Easter bonnet's until the last minute. So, in an attempt to save you and me from any last minute runs to the local craft store, I've come up with a couple of Easter bonnet headpieces for you and the small people in your life.

The first one which I'll show you today is a paper flower headpiece which is made using coloured cardstock, a couple of downloadable templates, scissors and hot glue. Easy peasy, fun and effective.

DIY: piñata wrapping paper

Here's an easy and fun way to wrap a birthday gift... make your own piñata gift wrap!

Here's what you need:

• tissue paper in different colours
• scissors (I used herb chopping scissors with multiple blades, but you can use plain scissors)
• glue stick
• kids kraft paper or butchers paper

5 ways to use felt pom poms

pom-pom 
A pom-pom (also spelled pom-pon, pompom or pompon) is a loose, fluffy, decorative ball or tuft of fibrous material. Pom-poms may come in many colors, sizes, and varieties and are made from a wide array of materials, including wool, cotton, paper, plastic, and occasionally feathers. 
source: wikipedia

But you knew that already, right!?

If your house is anything like mine, then you'll have more bags of lollypop sticks, wooden clothes pegs, glitter, tissue paper and felt pom poms than you know what to do with. You might have supplies left over from a creative project, or you may have purchased them with the intention of making something with them but instead they've just sat unused taunting you all this time.

I'm slowly making my way through my craft supplies and coming up with new ways to use them. Today, I've come up with 5 colourful ways to use up your felt pom poms.

make a paper garland using cupcake wrappers, straws and tissue paper

There's nothing wrong with store-bought paper garlands, but I'm all about custom, unique and one of a kind. I also think that being known for being creative amongst my group of friends, there's a level of expectation that I will make most things from scratch myself.

So when I was planning the decorations for my daughter's recent first birthday party, I started making tissue paper flowers. I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to do with them, but I knew that they would have a place within the overall confetti theme.

But it wasn't until I found some jumbo length straws in a two dollar shop that I got an idea. An idea for a fantastic straw and paper garland.  Here's how to make a paper garland in 5 simple (colourful) steps...

how to make festive cake stands

Here's a fun little DIY from my daughter's recent first birthday party.  As part of her confetti themed party I wanted to have some food displayed on colourful elevated stands. I didn't want to buy something specifically for the party, so I set out to make something unique (and budget-conscious). Here's how I did it and how you can do it too...

5 ways to decorate envelopes

Since starting the Creative Pen Pals project, I've immersed myself in all things snail mail. Because let's be honest, one of the greatest joys of receiving a penned letter is the initial reaction you have when you realise that there's an adorned beauty in amongst the bills.

Something I've found though, is that if you only have a couple of pen pals, the letter-writing kits which come in packs of 10 or 20 certainly start to become less exciting and more *groan* "there's that stationery again".

Don't get me wrong, I love me a cute printed letterhead, but I also love the uniqueness of receiving something that has been customised or is one of a kind. So it got me thinking. How can I easily create some lovely, colourful stationery that can be customised using the same technique but different supplies?

So I've come up with 5 ways that you can embellish standard envelopes (nothing fancy, just plain old envelopes from an office supplies store) with supplies from your craft stash. 

festive party ideas on a budget

My littlest one turned one on the weekend.  For a week leading up to her birthday, I was making lots of decorations and preparing for her party on Sunday, using every spare minute possible to cut, paint, glue, stick and create.

We didn't have a budget in mind, but as it was only a small party being hosted at our house, I didn't want to spend too much money. And if I can make it myself, then you know I will always accept the creative challenge.

The theme I decided on was 'confetti' which made it easy to customise the decor and to create a lot of things from scratch using paint and stickers along with some cheap supplies. It made the entire theming colourful, whimsical and fun.

Over the course of the next week I'm going to share with you the menu, decorations and ideas so that you can create your own confetti themed kids (or grown-up) party on a budget or find inspiration in everyday objects to DIY your own do.

You'll be amazed at how easy (and cheap) it is to create a colourful setting that'll have your guests swooning.

re-purposing thrifted finds

There are two things that I can honestly say really excite me in this life:

1. being able to make something by hand
2. finding great treasures whilst thrifting

To be able to combine the two is even more blissful. So when I found a few things at my local op-shop recently, I knew straight away what I was going to do with each of them. And it's not what you would think.

The total for these three items came to a whopping $4! And I have to say, I love a bargain just as much as the hunt itself.  Let me take you through what I purchased and how I've re-purposed those items into something useful...

Pressed drinking glass, 99c 

There's nothing special here really. They're a dime a dozen (so the saying goes).  And you might be wondering why I only purchased one. The answer is "no, it's not to complete a set".  I have been looking for a toothbrush holder for some time now. I don't like anything I've seen out in the shops, but this little re-purposed gem works well in the bathroom of our new place.

Yellow daisy soap dish, $1.99

Yes, this would make a lovely soap dish. But I don't like soap in cake form. Especially when you have children living with you. And I have a thing about shed hair. Even my own. So cake soap is a no-no in our household. Instead I'm using this little sweet dish to hold my garlic on the kitchen bench. And she looks mighty sweet in her new home.

Embroidered waffle hand towel, 99c

This, I have to say, was my most favourite find of all.  I adore thrifting things which others have hand made, but have somehow found their unloved way into a "random" basket at the op shop. So much time goes into embroidery and cross-stitch, so to just toss it away is rather sad.  But you need to have a vision of how it could be re-used or re-purposed into something a little more spectacular and even a little less nanna.  

So this little 99cent baby has been turned into a beauty case complete with kiss frame. I'm using it to put all my hospital toiletries into for the upcoming arrival of baby no 2. 

I think it's just divine to have something completely one-of-a-kind that no-one else in this world has. Makes you feel a little more special and a little less like you've just purchased something mass produced and over-priced which Mrs Jenkins down the road probably has one of too.

So, go forth my thrity friends. The key here is not to overspend and to think big. You can turn a humble unloved tea towel into a much-loved cushion, a crocheted doily into a panel on a children's dress or in this instance an embroidered hand towel into a toiletries case. Let your imagination run free!

how to make bath bombs

About this activity:

This is a fun activity to do with kids and if yours are anything like my 6 year old who wants to be a scientist, they’ll love mixing up this “potion” in the kitchen.  You’ll not only have fun making them, but you’ll also know exactly what you’re putting in the bath!  No nasties here.

What you need before you get started:

1 ½ cups bicarbonate soda (grocery store)
½ cup citric acid powder (grocery store or chemist)
Sweet almond oil (chemist)
An essential oil such as peppermint, lavender or your favourite blend
Herbal teabags (chamomile, lemon, rosehip) or dried flowers
Food colouring (optional)
Sieve
Rubber gloves (to stop the food colouring from staining fingers)
Silicone ice-cube tray with fun shapes – mine is from Ikea but you can get them elsewhere too

How to make it:
For the bath bomb base: In a large bowl sift the bicarb soda and cirtric acid to ensure no lumps. 

Let’s start customising: you can make a variety of different smelling bath bombs and the easiest way to differentiate them is by the food colouring you use.  From the bath bomb base you’ll get approximately 2-4 batches of different bath bombs, dependant on the size of your ice-cube tray moulds!

In a separate bowl add ½ cup of your bath bomb base.  To this you’re going to add any other dry ingredients you want to use such as herbal teas, pot pourri and dried flowers such as rose petals or pot pourri.  Be as creative here as you like. My son doesn’t like “floaties” in his bath, so we limited our additions to fine chamomile tea rather than flower petals which will unfurl and increase once added to warm bath water.

In a separate small mixing bowl or measuring cup add ½ teaspoon of almond oil, a few drops of your desired food colouring (if you only have a couple of colours you can consider letting the kids mix the colours to make a third!) and a few drops of your chosen essential oil.  Mix them well so that they bond.  Now you’re going to add your wet ingredients to your dry ones and mix them quickly so that the bicarb and citric acid don’t fix too much.  You want to save some of that fizz for the bath!

I had to help my kiddo with the mixing part to make sure that the small amount of wet ingredients were thoroughly combined with the dry ingredients so that the bath bombs set properly.  Otherwise you’re going to end up with crumbly bath bombs that aren’t solid.

Once you’ve mixed it thoroughly, you’re going to start filling your moulds.  The trick here is to compact them down into the mould with the back of a teaspoon as you go and when you think you’ve reached the top use your fingers to press the mixture down into the moulds even more.  You’ll get quite a bit in each shaped hole. 

Tip: if they’re not squished down properly, they’ll come out in pieces rather than a solid shape.

Depending on the weather and humidity in the air your bath bombs will take 24-48 hours to thoroughly dry.  To get them out, you just flip your ice-cube tray upside down and gently push each bath bomb out of its hole onto a paper towel.

The bath bomb base (of bicarb and citric acid) can be stored in an airtight container if you find that you only use half a batch at a time – like we do.  Then you’ve got it sitting there ready for the next batch.

I hope you enjoy making your own bath bombs in different colours, shapes and scents just as much as you'll enjoy using them.

Original recipe from Kidspot

the simple life (aka pink lemonade)

via Pinterest

On Friday I was handed a lovely big shopping-bag of farm-fresh lemons from a gentleman whom I work with. He's fortunate enough to own a farm with cows, lemon trees and dozens of different types of roses (amongst other things).


Immediately my head started to conjure up images of lemon tarts, lemon curd and home made lemonade. So when I got home with said lemons, I googled pink lemonade recipes. 


Frankly I wasn't happy with the results of the search as I was quite specific in the ingredients which I wanted to use. So I made up my own recipe and thought you might like to try it for yourself. I've since emailed the recipe to B-Fab and she's made it and tweeted me to say she's glad she'd made a double batch!


Pink Lemonade Cordial

It should be noted that the following measurements will make a cordial which you should then mix at a ratio of 1:1 with sparkling mineral water or just plain old still water. Good luck to you if you attempt to drink it un-mixed!

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 8-10 fresh strawberries

Method

In a saucepan pour in the water and heat until boiling. When it reaches boiling point, add the sugar and stir until all dissolved. Set aside to cool.  Crush your strawberries with a potato masher or in a small food processor (you may add some lemon juice if using a food processor). If so desired, strain the strawberry mixture through a sieve to remove any large chunks. I left mine in because I don't have a problem with small delicious pieces of strawberry floating in my drink.

Add the lemon juice and strawberry mix to the cooled sugar water, pour the entire mixture into a sterilised glass bottle, give it a good shake (after popping the lid on of course), and chill for a few hours.  

Delicious and refreshing. And full of sugary goodness.

P.S. it would also be nice with vodka.

P.P.S. I had all good intentions of styling a beautiful shot of my home made pink lemonade, but with everything that I've got to do over the next few weeks, I'm trying to eliminate any non-essentials. In times like these it's fortunate that we have Pinterest to turn to. Upon entering my search term of 'pink lemonade' I was instantly presented with the cream of the crop of pink lemonade shots.

P.P.P.S. I didn't get to making any lemon tarts or lemon curd. But I still have about 20 lemons left, so it might even happen in between the great big shop tasks list. Which is where I'll be today. And tomorrow.

free houses

No, you didn't misread the title.  I did in fact say "free" followed closely by the word "houses". No, I'm not rich and no, I'm not doing some freakin' fantastically huge blog giveaway.  Sorry, if you were under the pretence that you were in fact going to win a home. I don't even own a home. No siree. So I definitely can't be giving one away.

Instead, I thought you'd enjoy some mini house projects. Little ones. Sweet ones. Cute ones. Paper ones. Fabric ones.

There's something about a sweet miniature that is really appealing to me.  Maybe it's the fact that it's a bite-sized craft or that it's easy to clean up and store.  Not really sure, but I have been really into mini-anything lately.

Here are some really lovely mini houses which you can download, print and make at home.  A home for your home. You could even make a little town.  The kid would have awesome fun driving his cars around a mini town.

fabric covered cardboard houses via Pinterest

sweet Christmas paper houses via Pinterest

vintage style glitter house via Martha Stewart

little felt light-up houses via Poopscape

You could make some with some kids - maybe your own, or maybe with your nieces or nephews, or next-door neighbours kids.  Or hell, you could just make some on your own. I am!

If you know anyone who's giving away any homes you'll be sure to send 'em my way, won't you.


P.S. did I just mention Christmas in August? Oh dear. Shoot me now.