Day 3 Blogtoberfest - Are the school holidays over yet?

We are in the 2nd week of our Term 3 school holidays here, and its about now that I start to lag. I will admit 24 hours a day with three children starts to take its toll and yesterday I hit the wall. A trip to Melbourne with the 3 said children (for business, not pleasure unfortunately) probably contributed. I find driving in Melbourne (as I don't live there) stressful and the closure of the Burnely and Domain tunnels (they go under part of the city) added to my stress.

Even before we were back home I had announced (to the delight of the children) we would be getting takeaway for dinner, as I couldn't even get my head around the idea of cooking.

But today is a new morning and we are off to swimming lessons (intensive swim during the school holidays), we have cookie dough in the refrigerator to bake and oldest needs a new pair of shoes! The weather is also supposed to be glorious in our part of the world, so maybe some work in the backyard is in store.

Only 4 more sleeps left and the children are back at kinder and school. I'm sure come Monday I will be wishing it was still the school holidays:) Cyndy Pin It

My Creative Space - The Dollhouse

OK, I have decided to do it. What you ask? Decorate a dollhouse. You heard right, a DOLLHOUSE. Littlest wanted one for Christmas and I fully intended to do it then, but time (or lack thereof) caught up with me and I had to jettison the idea.

And so it went on my to do list for her birthday. Which is this MONTH.

So when did I start? Um mm, last week. Yes, I know call me crazy. I am thinking this will be one of those "we will keep working on it once I've given it to you" gifts. So far I have glued it together. Ah yeah, that is it. The challenge, of course, has been getting time to work on it when littlest isn't around, which as it's school holidays hasn't really happened.

So since I haven't been able to work on it physically, I've been planning. Figuring out paint colours for the outside and inside, "wall paper", how to do the floors, searching the internet for furniture/accessory tutorials and picking out a few furniture items to buy.

(potential kitchen and lounge flooring and wallpapers)

 

(potential master bedroom and children's bedroom wallpaper and flooring )

And hopefully next Monday morning (when she is back at kinder) I will be able to start getting some real work done:)

I hope you have been getting a little bit more done than me in your creative space this week. To see what others have been up to or more inspiration visit Our Creative Spaces. Cyndy Pin It

My Creative Space

This week the children are on school holiday. I can't believe how fast the term went! I think littlest going to kinder was the accelerator - there was so much more to do and more of a schedule for me.

In contrast to the craziness of term one, so far the school holiday has been about doing nothing. Yes, that is right, NOTHING. Nothing scheduled, no where we have to be and I am loving it!

I am, however, using this time to plan birthdays. Littlest and middle are both April babies. Middle wants a craft party (hmm, wonder where she gets that from:) and littlest wants a princess party. I have middle's birthday gifts all sorted, but do have some work to do for littlest. My plan had been a doll's house, but with only two weeks to go not sure that is going to happen. I do have some new clothes for Miss Polly in process and I think there might be a winter skirt or two that gets done.

And then there is Easter. Usually I am quite prepared, but this year it has snuck up on me. Sadly, I haven't been able to find any white eggs so no egg dying:( We also make Easter cookies, but we probably won't do until Easter Monday. I haven't even put up the Easter decorations! Yes, I really am slacking! Today, today I promise:)

In anticipation of putting up the Easter decorations today I made an Easter bunting from vintage children's books last night.

Over the last couple of weeks I picked up a few Little Golden Books featuring bunnies with the idea of making an Easter bunting from them (I don't think I paid more than fifty cents for a book).

It was pretty simply; I pulled out the pages with nice pictures, traced the bunting shape on them and cut them out.

I then folded the top of each flag over paper twine and glued them down to string them together.

It's bunnies, not Easter per se, but I think it will add a little Easter flair to the house:)

I hope you are getting lots done in your creative space this week or you can visit Our Creative Spaces to get inspiration from others:) Happy Easter, Cyndy Pin It

My Creative Space - Easter Finger Puppets with an Australian Twist!

My creative space has been a bit hit or miss over the summer holiday. With all three children home there just hasn't been the time I would like (or space for that matter as they have taken over all spaces including my crafting studio, the kitchen table:) as keeping them occupied has taken centre stage.

But amongst the strawberry picking, beach going, op shopping, movie going, play dating, board gaming, video gaming, crafting and legoing I have been working on one little project for my Madeit shop - Easter finger puppets! I know, I know Easter already? But for once I am trying to be ahead of the curve:)

I find the focus on chocolate at Easter a bit overwhelming, so I try to minimize the chocolate by giving the children a few small bits and bobs in their baskets. I came up with the idea of Easter finger puppets last year. I know pretty mundane, but there is an Australian twist, as they include not only a bunny and a chick, but an Easter bilby:) They seemed to be a hit last year with the kids and friends, so I decided to make some to sell in my Madeit shop this year.

Despite the lack of routine and the feeling of constant chaos and clutter about the house, these summer holidays have passed quickly. Oldest and middle start back to school next week and littlest starts 4 year old kinder. Now that will be a big change - not sure what I will do without my constant shadow of almost 4 years!

Hope your holidays have been enjoyable whether you have been creative or not:). For more creative spaces this week check here. Cyndy Pin It

A Little Moment: Strawberry Fields

Friday we picked strawberries and had a picnic with friends. It reminded me of my childhood and how my mother used to drag my sister and I out to pick all manner of fruits and veges from season to season. I realize now how lucky I was to have such a mother! I hope someday my children think I am that same kind of mother:) Cyndy

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My Creative Space...

It's the second week of the school holidays and the demands have definitely caught up with me! Unfortunately, I haven't been as productive as I would like, especially in light of the fact that I have my first market coming up in less than a month!

I have, however, managed to work on a few note cards. In August I made some Sydney Favourite Places note cards for my partner in the Seaweed and Raine Sunshine in the Mail Swap (to see some of the other fabulous swap items made by the various participants you can visit here). I made them using a 1970's book written for children on New South Wales (NSW). I love the colours, the kitschy illustrations, and the facts about places in the book.

The book on NSW was one of a set, and yes, I managed to score one on each state:) How cool is that? This week I decided to make similar note cards to the NSW ones from the book on Victoria. It was actually quite hard; there are illustrations and facts on the front and back of each page so I could only pick one from each page. In some cases I went for colour (like the Moomba one), in other case I went for famous places (like the MCG one). Not surprisingly most of the places featured in the book were in Melbourne. There was one poor little page about Geelong, but the illustration was all gray and it talked about the industrial/port side of Geelong. Not terribly interesting card making material:(

Like the Sydney note card set, I love the way these have turned out so far. I still have a few more to make, but I have encountered the classic "running out of materials while in the middle of a project" problem and need to get some more card stock so that I can finish them off. As a result, this project will probably be in the "in progress" pile for a little while.

I hope you are getting more done in your creative space than I am this week! For more lovely spaces you can visit here. Cyndy

PS For all you footy fans I thought I would share some gratuitous pics from the parade yesterday in Geelong to celebrate our third Premiership in 5 years:)

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My Creative Space

This week we are on school holidays. In between keeping kids busy/entertained I have been working on stock for my first market which is now only a month away!

As I say those words out loud I feel the panic in the pit of my stomach. Have I bitten off more than I can chew? I also have a list of Christmas gifts and items that I need to make for family and friends! I just need to stay focused and disciplined, right? Right:)

As I am not a one-at-a-time-project kinda person, I have been working on a variety of projects, including bunting, felt food, Christmas decorations, fabric headbands and cards! One of the projects I have enjoyed the most though, is making bias tape.

The last time I made bias tape was about 25 years ago (for a Laura Ashley pattern dress I made for a family wedding - am I dating myself?:) I don't know why it's been so long, because it was really easy and very satisfying as a project. I used the needle in the ironing board method, which is a little bit fiddly, but it worked surprisingly well. The best thing about it was how the bias tape felt - so much better than the stuff you buy! I made it to use on some Christmas buntings I have been making for the market. Not sure I ever want to buy bias tape again:)

I hope you have been getting lots done in your space this week. For more lovely spaces make sure you visit here. Cyndy Pin It

My Creative Space...

This week I have started getting ready for my first market! That's right, a market:) It's not til November, so still a ways off, but with how things work around here I figure I need to focus on it when I can. If you have any market advice or tips I would love to hear it!

I have also been working on some more Christmas items. In keeping with my love of felt food, I have been working on some Christmas themed felt food. This is my first take on a Christmas pudding. I am also thinking about doing BBQ shrimp on a skewer, but need to figure out what I can use as a skewer that won't be sharp - a paddle pop stick perhaps? Well, I am sure I will come up with something:)

Hope you are getting lots done in your creative space this week! For more lovely spaces you can go here. Cyndy

PS can you believe it's the school holidays - starts tomorrow for us, that means only one term left in the year! Where has the time gone?! Pin It

And they are back!

Yes, that's right, the school holidays are officially over! Don't know how we did it, but somehow we made it to school on time this morning - despite everyone still going to bed later than usual last night. When my son first started school I wasn't sure about two weeks of school holidays between each term, as it was different than what I had experienced growing up in the US, but after four years I think it works. Both of the older kids were excited to be going back; to see their friends and teachers, to share what they had done on the holiday, and as my oldest daughter said, "to not be bored anymore":)

The children did a variety of things over the school holiday: they visited their cousins, went to the movies, went to Scienceworks, went to the Hottie Cover Challenge exhibition at Open Drawer (only one more week left to see it!) and did a lot of crafts and cooking. While we always seem to start off with a bang by the end, I will admit we get a little lazy and just stay at home. Yesterday the girls played school (guess they really wanted to go back) and my son made Anzac cookies. It was a nice day at home.

While in a way things get easier for me (only one child at home most of the day instead of three) they also get busier as we get stuck back into swimming, ballet, sport etc...Hmm, only 10 more weeks until the next school holidays! Cyndy Pin It

My Creative Space

This really isn't about my creative space this week, it's about my oldest daughter's (age 7). This is the second week of the school holidays here in Victoria. Pretty much every day her first question is "what can I make?" So far this week she has made a canvas picture, felt sushi, a button hair clip, an artist palette brooch and a decorated T-shirt. Yes, she exhausts me:)

Hope you are getting lots done in your creative space this week. You can see more creative spaces here. Cyndy

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My Creative Space

OK, so my picture is not about creating today - just some gratuitous cuteness I thought I would share:) It's school holidays for us, so everything is a bit out of whack this week - one day we even stayed in our pj's ALL day! I have squeezed in a little time on the peg magnets from last week finishing five of eight sets - I might have to share a pic of them in the next day or two:)

The above picture is the newest member of our family - Ginger. She is cat number two for us. I didn't plan on getting her (and yes, it was me not the children who wanted to get her), but I saw her at the vets and it was love at first sight. She's been with us for about 8 weeks. In case you are wondering, she is called Ginger because she has a ginger paw. I won a food basket at the school Trivia Night/Auction two weeks ago and finally emptied it the other day. I guess Ginger thought it would make a cosy bed for her. The result was too cute, hence the pic!

Hope you are enjoying your school holidays or getting time to create in your space. For more creative spaces you can visit here. Cyndy Pin It