potato stamp prints

My favourite kind of kiddy activity is the one where Mummy gets to explore her creativity just as much as Little Little.

If you're of the same opinion you might just love this one...potato stamping madness!

This activity was such a winner. Inexpensive, easy, and fun. Sophia literally spent the whole morning on it, loving every minute.

Here's the process, in case you're keen to give it a go.

You'll need:

calico (cheap as chips--I got 3 metres from Spotlight for $2.99 per metre)

small potatoes

paints (I just used the acrylics we had at home which worked well and saved us money, however, you may want to use fabric paints if you're planning to create something that needs washing)

a couple of plates to spread the paint on and a small, sharp knife to carve the potaotes

spray glue (can buy cans from Spotlight and art supply stores--by far the quickest and most effective method of gluing fabric)

pieces of card or cardboard (I used a few old filing boxes and chopped them up with a stanley knife--cardboard boxes would be perfect also)

Step 1. The trickiest part was cutting the potato stamps. You might need to practise a few times. Sophia was happy to 'cut' her own potatoes with a blunt butter knife while she told me what shapes she wanted cut. :) You may find it easier to cut them when your littlie is asleep. In that case you'll need to rest your stamps in a bowl of water so they don't brown and shrivel up.

Step 2. Chop up some large pieces of fabric for your toddler to use as a canvas, and a few pieces for yourself also. Spread some paint on to a plate (thinly) and stamp away.

Toddler involvement probably ends here! Sophia made three large prints. We turned one into a wall hanging...

...and used the other as cute, kiddie personalized gift wrapping.

While Sophia busily stamped away I stamped onto little scraps and spray glued the pieces onto cardboard. I now have a supply of fun gift cards.

Here's the process:

Step 3. I did all the spray gluing once Sophia was asleep. It's pretty toxic stuff. Cut your card to match your piece of fabric. Place the card on newspaper, outside, and spray with glue. Lay the fabric on top and press down on it with a magazine to fix in place. Leave for a few minutes to dry.

I also made a few patterns on large pieces (roughly 50cm square) that I sewed into cushion covers...

These cushion covers took 30 minutes to sew. I used a simple slip over method. No zips, no buttons. I'll outline the process soon when I post the raw linen cushions I'm making. Watch this space...

Happy stamping!

:)

a few things

This weekend was full of birthdays, family, friends, yummy food and windy beach outings.

I have so much to be thankful for.

Life is good.

Here are a couple of things I've been thinking about:

I am so appreciative of the people in my life who seek to see the best in others.

They truly sparkle--

the result of years of walking on the bright side of life.

A little family goal we have is to scrap negativity.

We want our home to be a positive place.

A worry-free, anxiety-free, gloom-free zone.

Is it any wonder that, statistically, positive people maintain better health?

I think they are likely to enjoy life a lot more as well.

This weekend my dear friend Emma reminded me of a book I read a couple of years ago, A Mother's Heart.

I remember the effect this book had on me when my daughter was only six months old--inspiring me to be a better mother.

Emma mentioned a blog she's been reading that has had a similar effect for her:

Kelle Hampton's Enjoying the Small things.

I've been reading through Kelly's posts since then and: wow.

Talk about a mother who makes the most of the small moments with her children and who lives life on the bright side.

And loves it.

I dare any mother out there to read Nella's birth story and not be moved. There are always reasons to find life hard and there are always things to worry about. But I guarantee there's always more to be thankful for.

And there's always room to love more.

Here are a couple of her stunning photographs:

Here's another thought:

I have been dwelling on a little extension to our family goal recently which is to always assume the best of people.

I guess it's another definition of grace.

I cannot fully understand what motivates the actions and choices of others and I can never fully comprehend their history or their circumstances--especially when their personality is very different to my own, and sometimes, no matter how well I know them.

Here's our new family value: we refuse to make judgements.

We want to always see the best,

assume the best

and give the benefit of the doubt.

It begins in our minds and with our thoughts about others.

Here's my paraphrase of a quote I heard recently:

What I think about, I begin to say. What I begin to say, I begin to do. What I begin to do, I become.

I want my defaults--to myself and to others--to be love peace and joy.

Here is another blog that I have been loving recently: forty-sixth at grace.

I love her style. Her use of white space and poetry. Her stunning photos and ridiculously good-looking food. You may also notice the inspiration for the cupcakes I baked for my Dad's birthday this weekend (top image).

Love it.

Here's a taste:

And here's another recipe from 'the book' to add to the blog this week. A pretty darn good chocolate mousse.

Click here for the recipe.

Unfortunately I don't know who gave it to me, but thank you whoever you are! Yum!

Hope you all had wonderful weekends!

Lots of love

xxx

'You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.' Atticus Finch

quick and easy kiddie apron

Apron complete = less toddler clothes to wash. Yay!

This was so quick and easy to make. I'll outline the steps below, however I am very much a self taught sewer so there are likely to be neater and more efficient ways out there. Feel free to comment and let me know.

I had a square of this Little Red Riding-Hood fabric lying around and some scraps of red, however an old tea towel would be perfect. I think I'll actually make a few more using tea towels for fabric.

Step 1. Chop two corners off your square of fabric. Mine were perhaps a little deep (I tend to experiment as I go) so next time I won't take as much off and I'll keep the cut straight, not curved, for simpler sewing. Whip around the edges with an overlocker (or in my case a large zigzag stitch). Fold over edges and sew. (If I was being very careful I'd double fold and iron before sewing--needless to say I was being characteristically hasty.)

Step 2. Chop 3 strips for the neck and the back ties. Make sure you measure them out to fit over a toddler-sized head. And if you want to wrap and tie the straps around the body, they'll need to be longer. Mine were roughly 30cm each.

Step 3. Fold strips and sew, leaving a cm or two unstitched at each end. Chop a little off the corners on the sewn side (as shown). Grab a safety pin and use it to pull the fabric through on itself then iron flat.

Step 4. Tuck the rough edges inside the strip and sew down. Sew to apron in a square shape and reinforce by sewing an X through the middle.

Voila! Apron in use...

Could make for a cute (and cheap) gift for a little person. Watch this space for a few more using tea towels...

lighting love

I am a big fan of lights! I ran across a few cool DIYs this week and it set me on a hunt to find links to more great lighting...so I'll share. (Above image from here.)

This is an awesome lighting DIY by Arounna Khounnoraj of Bookhou. Love it.

Love these tea cup chandeliers from Domestic Construction.

Another clever DIY, the 'Whirl It Lampshade', (made by winding glue covered wool around a balloon) by Pickles.

Some great lamps by Yuriko Takahashi.

And I want some of these crocheted lanterns by Mokkatanten. Love.

baking (cooking) the book: part 2

I added an old favourite to the mix this week. My husband had been craving Taco Soup (a recipe given to me by my auntie) which I've enjoyed many times but never actually cooked myself.

Verdict: SO EASY (didn't realize quite how easy--a zillion cans of things mixed together an heated, really) and a bit of an all-round winter winner. Yum.

Husband's craving: satisfied.

I thought I'd combine it with a corn bread recipe I added to my scrap book a year or so ago. I'd been reading a book set in Georgia at the time, full of descriptions of southern food. The book made me hunt this recipe down. It's a bit of a winner also.

And as for the baking: Peanut Brownies. Another of my Nan's old recipes. I say old because A) it's another childhood favourite, and B) my grandmother used pounds and ounces and all those archaic measurements despite living in the 21st century, so I had to do a haphazard conversion (not sure whether it worked for me) and C) it includes shreddo. Does anyone bake with shreddo anymore? I'm such a baking novice I really have no clue.

Verdict: the RECIPE is amazing, we devoured these things as kids, however I think that winging the metric conversion was not the best idea. The texture was not what it should be, from memory. I'll stick the old measurements in here (easy for you Americans) and suggest that any Kiwi reading use an internet conversion site to get the recipe just right--it's worth it. I'll have to try again I think.

Extra baking tip: Spoon the mixture on to the tray in lumps and don't press them flat. I did. They all spread into one another and I had to break up chunks of biscuit like peanut brittle. They looked a little rustic compared to Nan's perfect cookie bundles. :)

more French goodness...

I managed to stumble across another great French store this week called Smallable. Love these guitar cases and this travel bag...

Love these lamps for kids and this fuzzy sheep rocker...

Am also a fan of their plates, cups and aprons for kids...

And these little cloud cushions...

This is also a great store to check out: NY based Canvas.