Archive
Craft: DIY hairclip hanger
I spotted this beautiful hair clip organiser at the impeccably styled home of the Aunt-Who-Thinks-Of-Everything. It looks like something one could make …
And, that would be my 2,000 words on craft for the week. Enjoy!
UPDATE: Reader Anita has kindly sent in a picture of another:-
Thought of the day …
I love the Italian proverb on these gorgeous little ice cream cups: After the game, the king and pawn go into the same box. Says a lot.
What I loved even more was the ice cream itself. Miss Six had American Chocolate – which we all enjoyed. I had Pistachio – which we all enjoyed. Miss Nine finished her Carmel & Hazelnut Gelato before I could introduce her to the joys of taxation (‘Mama Tax’).
Have a great Friday! If it’s not so great, ice cream helps….
Craft: fabric colouring set & recycled paper notebook
Craft is something that other people do better than me.
I’m mostly appreciative of other people’s efforts (although please don’t send me any toilet roll dollies) and I know a winner when I see it.
It being spring carnival / school fete season, I thought I’d share two little projects which you might find inspiring. Since a hot glue gun is a weapon in my hands, I won’t pretend to know how to make these items, but will depend upon the picture-being-worth-a-thousand-words saying. So, my four thousand words on craft this week are as follows:
With thanks to readers Lee (for the colouring kit) & Joanna (for the purse-sized notebook).
Kid invents eco-car
I recently went on excursion with year ones (as in 6 & 7 year olds) to Brisbane’s GOMA (Gallery of Modern Art) and noticed this poster flashed up on the screen (from another cohort of children, not our year ones). Children had been invited to draw whatever they liked on sheets of card and they were put up on display.
Child explains transport of the future
Give the kid a prize for combining humour with scientific acumen.
PS. How are the ‘green cars’ Toyota was building us for our $35M grant?
Review: Scrambled Egg
Rarely does one use the word “delightful” these days without sounding twee, however, this book is delightful – and that’s a good thing. Children deserve stories that are uplifting. We’re getting a bit bored with eco-anxiety and parents-are-envirovandals type stories. Story-telling should be about story-telling; heavy moralising belongs elsewhere. Why depress kids? We should be inspiring love and awe and letting kids be kids.
Scrambled Egg is a beautiful Australian book. It’s simply gorgeous to look at and a good read. It’s about stepping up to a challenge (finding the mother of the lost egg) and problem-solving with the help of good friends. As a bonus, children learn about Australian native animals and the amazing outback.
Thumbs up. (Recommended for ages 2-10).
PS. Check out Wendy’s artwork – her emus and camels will make you smile!
Catch your own TinkerBell – DIY fairy house
Catch your own TinkerBell - DIY fairy house
Being Book Week in Australia and all, some of us have been obsessing about how to dress our kids for the school fancy dress parade. Some people, like The Auntie Who Thinks of Everything, go so far as to make props.
As I’m severely allergic to craft, and could only bring myself to make a swag (comprising stick with tea towel tied to the end of it) for one of my children’s props today (Miss Nine went as pretty-boy, Huckleberry Finn), I thought I’d share Auntie’s more inspired creation.
The lid flips open and the interior has been tastefully decorated in fully fledged fairy style. Awesome work,
Auntie!
If anyone has photos from Book Week or special crafty ideas they’d like featured on the blog, contact me through the comments box and I’ll see what I can do.
Happy fairy hunting, and good reading!
The Other Column 
Curly Question: Explain this to a nine year old girl
Here’s a curly question for your Friday cup of coffee…. How do you explain this advertisement to nine and six year old girls, who happen to pick it up in the mailbox? It was the back cover of a new free mag distributed around Brisbane last week, called Brisbane’s River Wrap Magazine.
Arty, but too much?
The female actor has purple bruises on her face and upper body, suggesting strangulation… The man looks like he forgot to attend a few rehab appointments and didn’t make the cut for MasterChef – or is he advertising kitchen knives? (“Look Mummy, he has the same knife as you…” Hmmm). Or, could this be the cover of the new Spring-Summer catalogue for Relationships Australia?
Sex with knives doesn’t belong on the back cover of a free family magazine. We didn’t ask for it to be in our letterbox.
Thank you so much, Brisbane City Council and the Queensland Government for putting funding towards this – maybe you could have some guidelines on how grants-funded projects use the money in appropriate promotions? Just sayin’.