The sewing bug has hit

I like to dabble in different creative fields will all sorts of media, and where I can I try to incorporate creativity into each day with my children weather it be cooking, craft, painting, dress ups etc

I find handmade things beautiful and full of love and I always think it's lovely when I receive a gift that's thought through and made just for me. I try where I can to make gifts when I have the time for friends and family and I'm always trying to challenge myself with new creative skills and projects.

When it comes to sewing I've been doing it for years but I've only ever been comfortable hand sewing and up until a couple of months ago I had never attempted to use a sewing machine.

Let me try to explain...
 Previous to 2 months ago I would think about using a sewing machine and it would scare me, it sounds silly and it is ...but when it comes to creativity I like to have control, the control of holding the needle in my hand gliding it through the material stitch by stitch, making unique stitches, each one different to the next.

I like the character of a hand stitched item and thinking about a using sewing machine made me think.....the control would be somewhat gone- I would be somewhat board- I would break it!- cause myself some odd type of injury. All of the bad and none of the good thoughts.
It was almost as if the simple object of a sewing machine was some evil form of robot, not that different to a deceptacon from the world of transformers. It was sure to transform into my worst enemy and be the object between my creations and me.

I know it's sounds so spastic beyond belief but I am happy to say that I am cured of this horrible sewing monster robot fear and my creative juices are still flowing.

I have had my Mothers Old perfectly good sewing machine sitting gathering dust for years now and it was time to give it some life again.
My Mother made all her clothes when  she was younger and enjoyed it immensely but she hasn't used it since her late teens when she became a quadriplegic due to a motorcycle accident.

Now that I am a Mother of a little girl I really wanted to learn how to sew her some clothes so the day came when I asked my Father if he could give me a sewing machine lesson...Yep you read it right. My Father is rather domesticated and can use the sewing machine!!!
So with Mother talking Dad and I through the ropes of the sewing machine, me cursing and dad trying to remember how to thread the cotton to prepare the machine, my journey of machine sewing began.

I have to confess I am now hooked and believe that the sewing bug has hit me bad.
I'll let the following pictures tell the tale of my sewing journey so far....

I started practice with cushions

a up cycled men's transformers shirt

and one of Miss Thalia's

owl shirts that no longer fit

(couldn't resist hand stitching around the owl for further detail :P)

next a cushion for each munchkin

material of their choice

Thomas for Declan and Thalia's "Peter Rabbit'

Then Hubby insisted that he needed a cushion for his car too,

he often has a snooze in the car before work if he gets there early enough :P

next came a birthday present

for a gorgeous little 1yr old

nick named "the strawberry princess" since  before birth

a dolly for miss Thalia

named "Maisie"

a dolly babushka for a newborn

baby girl

a birthday pressie

for a Big 4 r old boy

who loves trains and plays soccer

(the small soccor ball and train fit in the babushka's pockets)

He has been named "Bob Bushka"

by his happy owner

another pic of the large fabric soccer ball

in comparison to the real deal

small babushka taggie

for yet another newborn girl

*I then made another large Babushka with babushka baby to fit in her belly pocket but didn't get a picture before giving to a little girl for her 2nd birthday*

next was a Dr Seuss cushion for our lounge room :)

a personalised name pillow and tooth fairy pillow

for a Big 4yr olds Birthday

(Cat in the Hat being one of his faves)

a personalised bunting for Declan's

racing car party

and the last creation was

a babushka girl along with a pillow/babushka bed

for a 3yr old girls Birthday.

now that our busy birthday months have passed I can attempt to tackle some dresses for my little princess....wish me luck cause I'm going to need it! LOL

I sure am glad that I started on the sewing machine and I can't see that I will be stopping anytime soon.

Painting with water

King Declan and Thalia painting it up

 We love to paint!!!
My munchkins often ask me if they can do painting as they enjoy it so much :)

Painting opens up a child's world of colour and imagination. Children revel in the experience of brushing, splattering, dripping, squeezing and squelching paint. The resulting picture is much less important than the creative process and the enjoyment of the experience.

Painting is bound to make quite a mess.....well at least sometimes.

Why not paint with water on a nice sunny day to make for some exciting outside water play.
Easy to prepare, no cleaning involved, no mess, cheap and fun fun fun.

 All you need is a bucket, bowl or container of water and some paint brushes and the fun can begin.

Fill your bucket with water.
Find a suitable surface for painting such as paths, walls, fences and so on.

My munchkins as you can see from the photo's were thrilled...
Thalia painted the house walls while King Declan painted his Castle!!! :P
As the painting and their little imaginations grew they moved on to painting/washing outdoor toys, painting the fence, painting pavers, watching how painting things changed it's colour and watched as the hot sun dried the "paint"

Endless possibilities to explore and all of it based around water.....a great activity now the days are getting hotter.


Other things to try:

Using paint rollers instead of paint brushes
Paint shadows
Add colour to the water.

Encourage your children to embrace the world of painting and they won't even now that they are learning new concepts, colour recognition, painting techniques, using their fine and gross motor skills, expressing themselves on a different level and so much more......all while having a blast :D

Homemade kitchen play food for fun!

A couple of weeks ago I sat at my laptop, tired eyes not yet fully functioning in the morning with coffee in hand while the munchkins were already greeting the day with energy and enthusiasm.

My early morning routine of flicking on face book while having a much needed coffee was very inspiring on this particular day... as I sifted through my news feed and peeped at my friends updated album's I saw an activity so simple, creative, delightful, fun, inviting, educational and a bonus of being on the very cheap side of play tools for children.
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It was then that I decided to go to the shops to pay that bill that I had been staring at for over a week, just for the fact that a visit to the art/craft shop nearby the post office would be very convenient :)

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My friend Vanessa had posted some photo's of her son (20 months) playing beautifully with some homemade play food
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what you need= wool, felt and some utensils that you will find in your kitchen!!!

So simple and full of good points: .

• interesting textures for little hands to feel and explore
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• a choice of colour's to aid in visual appeal and colour recognition
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• enables you to shape your own food using a creative and/or imaginative outlook
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• You can size your felt foods accordingly, to make the foods safe for the child's needs - making it age appropriate
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• an introduction to the cooking world and food prep in the kitchen
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• object recognition through different foods represented.

Vanessa, your a gem!!! as you can clearly see for the photo's above my kids had a fab. time with their new play foods, making dinner for the whole family and serving it up.
I'd like to take this opportunity to let you know just how creative my friend Vanessa actually is...and invite you to take part in her crafts and crafts from others, all lovingly made to go to an awesome cause.
Go check out the face book page she created a few weeks back here :
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Crafts-for-Funds-Pakistan-Flood-Relief-2010/154998587853414
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This initiative has been launched to raise funds for the victims of the recent floods in Pakistan. These floods hit close to home for Vanessa and her family as her in laws live in Pakistan, although thankfully not the affected area.
After Vanessa visiting Pakistan herself last year it's feels close to home and she can imagine how the scenario has affected many people.
The lack of attention that the media if giving the Pakistan floods simply made Vanessa feel that no one cares and/or knows about the devastation of these floods.
So Vanessa is doing all she can from her home in Australia to tell those she can and gather support for those who need it.
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It began with a few Pakistani handcrafted shawls and is growing thanks to friends who are donating crafts of their own to be sold for the cause. Further contributions are needed, as this is a cause that will be ongoing.
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The face book page above also shares photo's, links, video's, news articles and facts in relation to the Pakistan floods.
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Simply go have a peek for yourself and see the fabulous crafts that are on offer!
If you would rather make a donation directly to the cause then you can do so through Paiman Alumni Trust at this
site:
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http://www.paimantrust.org/DonateNow
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All money raised through this page with go to Paiman Alumni Trust to be used for flood relief.
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Or simply contact Vanessa through the Craft for Funds Pakistan flood relief face book page if you have any of your own crafts to donate for the cause :)

The face book page even made it to Vanessa's local
newspaper to share the love-
http://www.greaterdandenongweekly.com.au/news/local/news/general/group-has-flood-aid-all-stitched-up/1958595.aspx
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Before life as a Yummy Mummy Vanessa was a childcare worker hence her wonderful idea's for play spaces/ toys. This theme also flows into her crafts that are available from the face book page- soft sensory hand made baby rattles, kitted baby/infant toddler clothing, custom baby mobiles and I'm sure there is much more to come in the near future so it's worth the look!
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lastly please take a minute out of your day to thank God for the things that you have and think about those in Pakistan who are in dire need as you read this.
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thank you ox