Life As We Know It

366 photos: 58-64

 

Monday: I'm considering trying out scrap booking. I can't start right now, there are too many other things going on, so in the meantime I'm studying inspiring layouts. All of the above are by Sarah Youde. Love her style.

 

Tuesday: I never knew napkin rings could be so fun...

 

Wednesday: We had fantastic spring-weather most of last week. The heating went off, layers of clothing were shed, and lots of time was spent outside again. Wonderful!

 

Thursday: Pop in unannounced any weekday afternoon and you are likely to find me buried under a mountain of laundry being folded.

 

Friday: This is why I love this project so much. After showing you Kirby sleeping in the buggy last week, he gave up that nap, and now only has one nap a day! I'm so glad I caught it when I did.

 

Saturday: Sometimes a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do (to get away from her brother).

 

Sunday: Ugh! Heating back on due to rain, sleet and snow.

 

And that was our week 9. See you soon with a journal page or two.

 

366 photos: day 30-36

 

Monday: Curled up in bed reading ("One Day" by David Nicholls) with a cuppa by my side= nighttime bliss.

 

Tuesday: Ink on my hands= bliss too!

 

Wednesday: After school silliness on the sofa.

 

Thursday: Getting ready for a craft evening with a friend.

 

Friday: YES!!! I finally got it (kind of)! I have been trying to get a picture of the little man using the occasional tables and bar stools as walkers for ages, but as soon as he sees the camera he comes over to investigate.

 

Saturday: Waiting for their daddy.

 

Sunday: Snow!!! And a first for Alan and Aoife- making a snowman.

 

And that's week 5 done! And we're into another month. How fun!

 

Creative dreams: 2012

 

Mixed media project in progress

 

I'm still catching up on what I'd like to do this year. Today a quick one on where I'd like to go creatively .

 

:: I would like to start blogging five days a week.

As much as I wanted to, it just wasn't possible to post daily before. Now I think it may be. It certainly feels right. I'd also like to update the design and layout a bit, maybe get customised buttons, that sort of thing.

 

:: I would like to improve my photography.

At the moment I feel like my photos are a bit hit and miss. I'm still learning my camera, and my lenses, but I love photography and would really like to improve my skills. I'm hoping to take a class or two to help me along.

I would also like to turn my 366 photos into a photo book at the end of the year.

 

:: I would like to do more visual journaling

I'm itching to get back into art jounaling again now things are starting to calm back down after all the birthdays and Christmas. I left a couple of unfinished pages that are desperate for attention, and have a many new ideas too. I can't wait to be covered in paint again.

I would also really like to do something like a smash journal with the mementos I have saved over the years. They used to go in my diary, but I no longer keep one and I since I didn't know what to do with them, they were dumped in a box for me to deal with later. I have been pouring over smash book videos on youtube lately and really like that as a way to store them.

 

:: I would like to finish our cross-stitch stockings.

I now have 4 stocking in various stages of completion. I would really like to finish them this year, even if it means working on them all year. I would like them all hanging on the mantelpiece come December.

 

Anything else is a bonus!

What are your creative dreams this year?

 

Pay it forward: 2012

 

I saw this idea on facebook at the weekend and really liked it. Sadly my friends over there weren't too keen on the idea. But maybe you are?

(I have reworded it slightly to better suit the world of blogging)

 

Pay it forward: 2012

I promise to make something handmade for the first 5 people who comment on this blog post. They must in turn post this on their blog and make something handmade for the first 5 people who comment on their post. And so on.

The only rules are that it has to be handmade by you, and that they must receive it before 2012 ends.

 

Anyone up for it?

 

the gratitude journal

 

 

When I decided on "gratitude" as my word of the year, I realised I also needed a gratitude journal. But none of of the journals I found in the shops or online felt quite right. I wanted one that had enough pages for the whole year, and that I could easily add bits to without it falling apart on me. So I decided to make my own.

The journal measures 13 x 18 cm. To make the cover, I painted a large sheet of watercolour paper using water soluble crayons, then layered with stamps and splats until I was happy with the look of it. I didn't want it to be too grungy or overpowering. I cut out two pieces to the size I wanted, hole-punched them, rounded the corners, added lettering and a band of lace tape and called it done.

 

 

For the inside, I chose mostly plain, lightweight papers in a range of colours so I can journal, stamp, doodle and embellish to my heart's content. I rounded the corners and hole-punched the pages too. And I made sure to get large (32 mm) binding rings so it can comfortably grow a little.

I love it! It works really well for me so far. And I love actively looking out for things I'm grateful for each day and writing them down. Long may it continue!

Have a sweet Christmas {a card}

 

 

So a couple of weeks ago I asked my more experienced friends on FB if they tip the lollipop lady/man (crossing guard) at Christmas.

They didn't really know, but a relative joked I should give the lollipop lady a card and a lollipop.

That's when I remembered this card. We don't really do Valentines, but I thought this was such a sweet idea (excuse the pun) that I stored it away for a later day. This was it.

So at the wekend, I dragged Aoife out in the cold to get a nice picture against our brick wall, then edited it and added text in Picasa.

Such a quick and easy craft, yet so fun. I like it!

 

 

Felt activity die

 

 

Aoife is really into games this summer, which is so much fun. We spend much of our days playing hide and seek, I spy with my little eye, board games galore, and whatever running/ jumping/ dancing game she's just made up.

So I was trying to think of a game to make Aoife to keep her moving indoors even on the wettest of days (it is raining a lot  this summer and she's a real bundle of energy), and which preferably only used scraps from my stash.

I thought she'd like this felt activity die.

It was inspired by something similar seen on Cbeebies this spring (which is kind of funny since it was made to keep her away from the telly), which I thought Aoife would like.

And she does. She absolutely loves it.

 

Do you want to make one too?

 

You'll need:

 

Paper and pencil, or letter templates

Scissors

Felt scraps for 6 squares

Felt (or fabric) scraps for letters

Embroidery floss

Stuffing

Buttons (optional)

 

How to make them:

 

1.  Cut out 6 felt squares of equal size.

(I had some some A4ish sheets of felt in my stash so I just folded them over like a triangle so the edges met, then cut off the excess to give me a square. That also left enough scrap felt for letters)

2. Make letter templates on your piece of paper, then cut out. Or use ready made.

3. Pin letter templates to scrap pieces of felt or fabric and cut out. Sew on buttons, if using.

 

 

4. Centre the words on your felt squares and sew on.

(I hand-stitched mine)

 

5. Arrange your squares like a cross (4 squares high, with a square either side of the second or third one up) in the order you'd like them to be, then join all sides bar one.

(I used blanket stitch)

6. Stuff the cube tightly.

7. Finish off the last edge the same way as the others.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Kids' craft kits

 

 

I had first planned on making Aoife some craft kits for when Kirby was born, but ran out of time and energy at the end of the pregnancy, so decided to make them for the summer holidays instead. Whenever the crafting bug hits her (which it does quite often), she can just grab one of these from the craft station and get going without having to wait for me to prepare everything.

 

 

 

I basically just thought up some nice easy projects for her to make, trying to keep the supplies to things we already have in our stash, and prepared them as needed. Then I put them in some document wallets with poppers and left them on top of the craft station. No need to make it more complicated than necessary. The one above is of a little boat on the sea using scraps of felt and a toothpick.

I'm hoping to keep ahead of the game. She still has lots to do here, but whenever I have 5 minutes spare I try to prep another kit so she pretty much has an endless supply.