School and Easter holidays are off to a wet start in Sydney.
We were looking for things to make and after a false start with some DIY glow-in-the-dark water (don't ask!) which was spilt all over a bed the girls settled into a mother-approved activity and got busy with some scrapbook paper and a stack of blank cards:
Happy holidays to all!
I put my hand up recently to do a parent activity with the children at Miss Wink's pre-school.
As always, you can count on Pinterest for some handy inspiration: I had seen this colour-it-yourself Ikea fabric floating around the web in various guises: as dresses, skirts & cushions.
Ikea Tidny fabric: Image source: Ikea website
I bought a panel and we had a round table paint session for an hour or so one morning.
I then found some colourful backing fabric and made the panel into two 24 inch floor cushions for the kids to use in their pre-school room. It was heaps of fun and everyone had a go at painting including the teachers.
PROJECT DETAILS:
Ikea "Tidny" fabric (1 metre) pre-washed.
We used everyday acrylic paint in various colours mixed with a "fabric medium" product from Spotlight to fix the colour (you need to heat set with an iron after painting). This made the project much cheaper and easier than trying to source actual fabric paints.
Pillow inserts, backing fabric and zips from Spotlight.
I used a tutorial from Design Sponge blog here for the zippered pillow covers which I'd never attempted before. It was very easy and I learned a new technique!
This is a school holiday sewing project Cee Cee and I worked on together: a little pouch for her digital camera.
We came up with a simple pattern and ironed some fusible wadding to the inside of the lining pieces to give the camera some nice cushioned protection.
Cee Cee is keen to take on my old Janome as her own and get into some sewing projects.
I just have to convince her to let up a bit on the pedal speed.....(and to be ready to outlay the cash for a new machine of my own - hee hee!)
A certain someone turned 4 recently. Most birthdays in our house are celebrated with one of these sponge cakes that look a bit like the Opera House.
My mother buys them from a local shop and they're loaded with yummy fresh cream and strawberries complete with their leaves.
Of course it's also fun to throw a few eyeball cupcakes into the mix...
Who says craft and football don't mix? Cee Cee set off to the football with Dad yesterday decked out in a ribbon scrunchie in team colours.
This was hastily put together 15 mins prior to departure by knotting some lengths of ribbon around a piece of hair elastic.
This is an idea we saw at a local school fete where the mums had made up batches of these in the school's house colours.
Am rugging up today along no doubt with all you other Sydneysiders....It's cold out there folks!
This play mat or "reading mat" has been playing host to gatherings of kiddies, soft toys, dolls and books in a corner of Miss Wink's bedroom for some time. Here it is in its WIP stages.
It was going to be donated for a kindergarten fundraiser but that didn't quite pan out so we kept it here at home.
Having never made a quilt and having no real idea how to photograph one properly I've just left it scrunched up hoping that you get the general idea. You can also see some bookmarks that Cee Cee made by lining up fabric scraps and sewing them to bookmark sized pieces of felt.
I added some plain and contrast strips to the main zoo animals panel and quilted it with both straight and wavy lines. I also used Rita of "Red Pepper Quilts" unbound quilt tutorial as a guide - quick and easy.
Good luck to all those with back-to-schoolers....
A bit of holiday fun: give the kids some washi tape and a pair of safety scissors and ask them to make a little "quilt" on a piece of card.
Mount each one on some matching folded card and you have some super cute gift tags.
I made this bookmark for Cee Cee (who is a big mouse fan) using an adorable iron-on cross-stitch patch made by Katia of Plushka which I've had tucked away for a little while. (As you can see Katia has made some gorgeous bookmarks herself - hence the inspiration!)
I think 7 is a hard age to find good books for if you've outgrown baby books but aren't quite into Harry Potter yet. (I'd be keen to know if you have similar aged kids and have any recommendations about books they love?)
Anyway, here are some of our summer reading picks:
Violet Mackerel's Brilliant Plot by Anna Branford (a gorgeous book which I loved reading with her).
The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me by Roald Dahl (anything by Roald Dahl is good at the moment).
Meet Letty by Alison Lloyd (part of the wonderful "Our Australian Girl" historical series aimed at the under-12s).
Utterly Me (Clarice Bean) by Lauren Child (utterly fab!)
