Hand Painted Christmas Wrap

Once again Pinterest has inspired a craft project with my kids. I saw this pin for graffiti gift wrap created by the blogger's kids. I was impressed the blogger had let her kids undertake this craft activity in what appeared to be the living room of their house or apartment in Dallas-Fort Worth. Seeing how my son painted himself as much as the paper - not to mention me, the exterior wall on the house, balcony railing, outdoor plastic furniture and the window - I was certainly glad to have a backyard for this project!

And what fun we had! Once I had convinced Beau I really did want him to paint the large roll of paper on the ground (he seemed surprisingly reluctant to put brush to paint to paper...?), he dove in and started painting and splogging away. Then he accidentally painted my arm, and all attention was off the paper and onto painting himself! And everything in the vicinity! Thank goodness for washable finger paints!

But with Beau's splogges and finger painting, a few stars and spirals from me, we had some pretty great looking gift wrap paintings. (It just got too messy to photograph during the red painting)!

Whilst Beau took his nap these sheets of art turned into Christmas wrapping! Merry Christmas!!

I wonder whose doorstep these presents will arrive on...?

31 Days To A Better Photo

So a couple of months ago I participated in "March Photo A Day" challenge created by FatMumSlim author Chantelle. I enjoyed the challenge of finding an image to capture each day which fitted with the daily prompt word. But I had gone into the challenge thinking it may help me improve my photography skills. It definitely gave me many opportunities to photograph objects, scenes, and people I may not have otherwise snapped, but I don't think it helped me improve my photography skills - outside of iPhone-ography that is and some of my Photogene and Instagram editing skills.

After my husband gave me my digital camera 4 years ago, and at 8.5 months pregnant with our first son, I did take a beginners class - Digital photography 1: How to use a Digitial Camera in Venice, LA. I learned a lot in that class, but over time I have found myself relying more and more on the "digital-vari programs" of my camera rather than shooting fully manual or even just using the other advanced modes. And really when that is the case, why am I using a DSLR at all? I remember saying to my husband whilst viewing my cousins amazing photos of his trip visiting us in NYC, "Having children has really killed my photographic flair and abilities."

However, thanks to my sister's beau, Djordje, and a family trip away which included a spectacular evening sky of stars, I have been more and more playing with shooting manual. Sometimes this works, sometimes it takes me 10 minutes to get all the settings right, and then I find I may still have shots that are a little under- or over-exposed. In short, I need to learn more about my camera and the basic photography principles again.

Pinterest, of course, has also helped re-inspire me. I have stumbled across a myriad of "How to" pins over the past few months - "The photography tips 96 photographers wished they learned sooner", "Photography cheat sheet for exposure, shutter, aperture, ISO & white balance", "Advanced tips for sharper images", "The rule of thirds" - the list continues.

Then I came across this pin.




I read around this website for a couple of days (during our week long home-imprisonment thanks to whooping cough's cousin para-pertussis). And I decided to see how it went - after a recent rejection to volunteer on a school board (how humiliating) I decided my brain needed some extra stimulation.
So here it is. My 31 days to a better photo.

Day 1: Welcome
When did you realize how much you loved photos? What motivates you to love your images?

I bought my first SLR in high school and started taking photography as an extra-curricular subject. I LOVED watching an image I took come to life on the paper during processing in the dark room. It was the closest I had ever come to producing real magic. I truly loved that feeling.

A neighbour lent me her box of lenses and filters and polarizes. I played for hours with the different effects each created. I remember setting up a photo shoot with my younger sister (who was, and still is, adorable). I had my parents hold venetian blinds in the sunlight so that I could capture all the shadows on her face. I still remember the feeling of capturing those shots. Freezing that moment with my sister. I wonder where that photo is now...

After school I saved up and bought my first Nikon. An F65. I was in love. For 10 years I took that camera everywhere. I refused to switch to digital. I loved film. The magic - even if I wasn't the one processing the film.

But I did switch. The year my son was born, my husband gave me my Nikon D80. Now I was in love. Instant gratification. Unlimited number of "frames". I could shoot anything, anywhere, as many times as I wanted - and immediately see which to keep and which to trash - of course unless the image is completely black I rarely trash anything (I'm a little OCD about that).

I love portraits. Of my sons. Of my husband. Of my family. I love capturing emotion. Freezing a moment. Or better yet, freezing many many consecutive moments so that if I flick through them fast I can see the movement of those moments. I love seeing my sons' beautiful blue eyes, smiling or crying or thinking or singing. A good shot for me has magic eyes. Is full of emotion.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Pinterest DIY Fail

Well it was bound to happen. I attempted another DIY project inspired by Pinterest and it was a flop. I saw these cute painted vases and jars on Pinterest a few months ago, and after my success with the twine wrapped vases I was was keen for more cute vases. And I had heaps of paint left in the sample pots from the previous DIY project.

So I gathered together a few vessels of varying sizes - a vegemite jar, a pasta sauce jar, a wine bottle. And I set to work swirling paint around in the jars and setting them to rest. They looked spectacular.



 

However, this is when I encountered my first problem - 2 days later the jars were still wet. And the paint appeared to be sliding down the glass and leaving large streaks. So I re-swirled and set them to dry again. 

Fast forward 2 days - same problem. So I examined the "pins" which had inspired me and read a little more about what others had done. The first set of instructions - which I had followed suggested it was as easy as "pouring a dollop of paint into the bottle gradually rotate/swirl the paint inside until the paint coats the entire interior. Some may need two coats. Dry on a damp or plastic dropsheet. And voila! "

This however was not the consensus with the other pins. There were suggestions of surface conditioner, draining the vases upside-down on damp paper towel for a few hours before turning them on their sides to dry for 48 hours. Well it was too late for surface conditioner but I did drain the vases upside down and then turn them onto their sides to dry. This method at least got the paint to dry, but it did not solve my problem of streaks.

None-the-less it was time for my sister's baby shower and I wanted to use the jars as vases. They looked cute, even with the streaks. But after the shower had finished I ran into my final problem. The paint had bubbled off the glass completely and was floating in the water. The flowers were looking a little worse for wear. Thats when I read the final piece of advise from the "pins" I had seen on Pinterest. "Remember these are only for DECOR. Don't drink out of them, heck... I wouldn't even put water in mine. I'm simply sitting them on the shelf."



But it was not a complete failure. The vases did look cute for the baby shower even if I had to throw them out at the end. They attracted a few comments and praise - though the twine-wrapped-vases were the real stars. 





[I have to say that I clearly didn't take any photos which showed up the streaks and flaws in the little jar-vases - they still look pretty cute in all these photos.]

What DIY failures have you encountered?

One Persons Trash...

...Is Another Persons Treasure!

Whilst I recently read an article about the "crazy phenomenon [that]... devoted mothers get on Pinterest" and how really all our children want is for us to be present and loving. I totally agree.

But I also know I am a Pinterest-addict. And every now and then I find something amongst the 1000's of items I "pin" which gives me an activity to share with my family. So yes, once again Pinterest has given me craft-inspiration. Of course, I saw this idea months ago, but I finally took action a few weeks ago and tackled this project. All that I needed was some empty bottles, kitchen string, PVC glue, and some sample pots of paint which I picked up at the Hardware. The best part of the project, was having my little helper paint the bottles!

I used a wine bottle, a beer bottle and an olive oil bottle so that I had "vases" of varying sizes and shapes. And I chose to paint them in 3 different colours as I was thinking about using them for my sister's baby sprinkle next month.

It was a quick and easy project (though truthfully I stretched it out over a number of weeks, as I took awhile to visit the hardware and then actually paint the vases). The flowers I bought to display in the vases when they were completed are cheap carnations - a flower I usually ignore and avoid, but once again Pinterest showed me they are an often overlooked flower (and so cheap!).

What do you think about the role social-media, such as Pinterest, play in our roles as Mothers? Do they make us feel inadequate because we aren't living up to the ideals we see there? Or are you a fan/addict?





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Easter Egg Arts & Hunts

Nothing like a festive holiday to get the crafty-homemaker blood pumping. And with Pinterest ever at the ready to inspire, there were literally 100's of ideas to ... be overwhelmed by. Hence, after such a good effort last year with my silk-tie-dyed-eggs, this year I didn't decorate even a 1!

But thats not to say I didn't get a little crafty this Easter. It just all culminated on Saturday night when the Easter Bunny was a knocking. I was so excited for my 3 year old to have a great Easter after a rather dismal Christmas which ended with a 2 day hospital stay and a severe case of scarlet fever for him. Noah was very excited about the Easter Bunny, about the special treats he may leave him and about Daddy being home from work for 4 days! (We were all pretty excited about that last one)!

So once "the children were all tucked snug in their beds, while visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads" we got to work. Hiding easter eggs, writing Easter messages from the Bunny himself, eating carrots and spilling cups of water. We also hid a new Veggietales DVD about Easter. But best of all was the "Magic-powder-foot-prints" trail left by the Easter Bunny as he hoped all over the house.

In true form, the boys were up before 5am! We woke up Aunty Jess, who I am sure was having 2nd thoughts about her decision to sleep over, and we went on our Easter hunt in the grey light of dawn. Magic!

A trip to church, an afternoon nap, and then it was Round #2 at cousin Elliot's house. More eggs, chickens, rabbits, and even a few books and musical shakers mixed in there too. How spoilt the boys all were by the Easter Bunny!

Playdough Play

After once again being inspired by Pinterest, Noah and I set out this morning to make playdough together during Beau's naptime. I had seen a "pin" on Pinterest espousing to have "the best playdough recipe ever". It was worth a try and I had no better clue as to what a good recipe was for playdough. So with my eager little helper we got started. (For details of the recipe go here).

The plan was to make just one batch - Noah chose to make it blue, and it looked spectacular. But Noah was very excited and wanted to try all the colours, so we decided to make some more. We then made purple and yellow. Noah learnt all about mixing colours and why we don't put some of every colour in together (unless we wanted brown/black playdough). Whilst Noah was eager to keep going, Beau woke up and ended our playdough-colour-mixing-lesson-fun.

Of course, waiting for the playdough to cool down was the hardest part!

We did learn something else along the way as well. I couldn't find the plain flour when we started out. All I could find was my husbands Tippo OO flour for making pasta and pizza dough. So we used that instead. When we were cooking the second batch on the stove, I spotted the plain flour behind the stove (of course) and so we made the yellow with plain flour. But OO flour makes AMAZING playdough! So silky and soft and springy! The poor yellow playdough just seemed so inferior in comparison! So now we have the BEST PLAYDOUGH RECIPE EVER!

BEST PLAYDOUGH RECIPE EVER!

1 cup OO flour

1 cup water

1/4 cup salt

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 Tbls. vegetable oil

food coloring (I used 4-6 drops)

Dump all the ingredients into your pot and give them a good stir. Put your pot on the stove and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it forms into a ball. As soon as it joins into one big glob, take it off the heat and dump it onto your counter or some wax paper.  Wait for it to cool, then knead it a few times until it is nice and soft.

Enjoy!

A Hungry Little Caterpillar Party

For my son's 1st Birthday/Christening we had a Very Hungry Caterpillar party. I first came upon the idea on none-other than Pinterest! Of Course! And was inspired and excited to make my little guys party lots of fun. First order of business was the invitations, and thanks to my sister's advise of printing them out as photos, they were amazingly vibrant and colourful!

Then it was onto decorations. A "Happy Birthday" bunting in Hungry Caterpillar theme, and lots of caterpillars made from various materials - cardboard, paper lanterns and pom poms. And of course some of the decorations were also inspired by the book with glass vessels filled with the fruits eaten in the story.

I loved the idea of trying to cater for the party according to what the Little Caterpillar eats in this classic children's book. So we had cupcakes and watermelon, cheese and salami, cherries (in lieu of cherry pie I just presented the cherries in a pie-dish!), loads of fruit and I made some delicious fruit ice-blocks for the kids (again inspired from Pinterest). For the birthday cake I made a Scandinavian Almond Cake with Cream and Berries (as my Mum is gluten intolerant) which represented the caterpillars head, and then made chocolate and vanilla cupcakes with green icing for the body. I also dusted the cupcakes with edible glitter which I got from Something for Cake to give them a little extra glitz.

I made up cute green striped lollybags (also purchased from Something for Cake) with Hungry Caterpillar stickers (from the Eric Carle Museum), Wiggles biscuits and jelly snakes and sour gummy worms.

All up I think the party was great. I didn't get around to doing a lot of the things I had planned - such as asking my 3 year old son to hide the pom pom caterpillars we had spent a day making together around the garden for the kids to find (no matter the kids had fun destroying the playroom and the caterpillars will be an extra something to go in with the thank you cards).Nor did I get around to kaing photos of the dessert table before the kids got stuck into it! Nor did I put feet on the caterpillars as my son kept pointing out to me!

But my little caterpillar had a great time and I think the party was a success. If not exhausting!

Fire truck! Fire truck! I want to ride in a fire truck!

My sons current favorite song is Ivan Ulz' 'Fire Truck' _ which he can incidentally sing word perfect (not to blow his trumpet or anything)! As such it seemed only fitting that for his 3rd birthday we throw him a Fire Truck themed party.

So I began scouring Pinterest for ideas and inspiration for a cake, for decorations and for food. I love Pinterest! There were ideas a-plenty. I found a cake I could attempt, and dessert table decoration ideas and inspiration in general. So I got to work (who doesn't love a good art-&-craft project after all?

I created fire truck invitations by scanning the lid of Noah's giant floor sized fire truck puzzle (it's about 3 foot long), cutting out the images and printing the party information on the back.

I also used the giant floor puzzle as a stencil to draw and paint a large fire truck on which to play "pin-the-fireman-on-the-fire-truck". This was quite time consuming and my husband came home many nights to find me painting the 3 foot fire truck. But my son loved it and this fire truck painting is now hanging on the wall in my sons' playroom















The cake I decided to make was inspired by a Betty Crocker Fire Engine cake and after an initial cake failure (trying to make a gluten-free flourless hazelnut cake) I think the cake turned out pretty great! But it took a whole day to decorate with 2 kids to wrangle in between making icing, mixing colors and applying finishing touches! And there was definitely more red food coloring used than I care to admit (especially to the mothers of the other children who attended the party).

The initial cake failure....




The success cake taking its 'Fire Truck' form...















I decorated the cake table with some of the many many fire trucks and FDNY vehicles my son has accumulated in his 3 short years. And I made a "Happy Birthday Noah" bunting from wrapping paper and hand traced the letters onto it (we don't currently have a printer) using fridge magnet letters. I made toothpick stickers with FDNY emblems or fire hats and the words "Noah is Turning 3!" printed on them for the food trays and each of the children received a sticker badge as they arrived.






For the food we served mini burgers and sausage-sizzle, fairy bread and bowls of red berries.






All up I think it was a great party and my little Fireman loved it! He didn't notice that I forgot all about the 'Martha-Stewart-inspired-tissue-paper-fireballs' which I made or the fire truck piñata his Dad had bought for the party. He just loved wearing his fireman outfit all day!

Crayon Art C/O Pinterest

Of late, I have become quite fascinated with the world of Pinterest. There is a myriad, a kaleidoscope even, of DIY craft ideas and art projects. One of the first ones I saw was this amazing art with crayons and I have been dying to try it out.

Of course I was hindered for several weeks by the lack of crayons available in retail outlets around the Northern Beaches of Sydney, and gone are the days of Amazon.com delivering next day (sad face). But I finally found a pack of 64 crayons at Humphreys on Manly Corso, along with a canvas and I was all set to go.

Whilst I invited my 2 year old son to help me glue to crayons to the canvas, we both realised pretty quickly I was not actually going to let him do much participating. So whilst he played with the spare paint brushes, I glued the crayons to the canvas.

Then we had to wait for the glue to dry.

I finally got back to the task at hand whilst Noah was having a rare nap, but I soon realised watching the crayons melt down the canvas would be more fun with him beside me. So I woke him up. He was not very impressed with me, and less impressed when I suggested he sit on the stool to watch and help. The hair dryer was too loud and he was hungry. But he had to agree that the colours were pretty spectacular sliding down the white canvas.

What a fun project (for me anyway) and I know this will look great in the kids playroom!