Christmas Calendars 2012

Finished and hung, ready for tomorrow. Hurrah!

(And for those of you who want to know what is in this year's calendars, read this post)

Xmas is still coming!

Still working on the Calendars - realised today, with 1 day to go until they need to be hung, ready for Saturday morning, that I forgot to get stamps for the numbers.

Flashback to Kindy: cutting up potatoes to make shape stamps...

I wonder....

Yay! Saved the day. It wasn't so easy cutting them with needy child clinging to leg, but they're close enough -  they're for a 4 and a 2 year old, they won't notice.


Speaking of presents for a 4 and a 2 year old, their main presents, that I have been working on for the past few weeks, are coming along nicely.

They still need to have their bridles sewn down to stop them from sliding up the nose (see horse), I have some bells to sew on the sides, and of course, I still need to attach them to the sticks (which I won’t do until just before Xmas, as it makes them so much harder to hide!)  I'm so excited about seeing the boys' faces when they find these under the tree!


UPDATE - Here are the finished beasts on their sticks!:

 

A Birthday Present for Finn

In the mornings the boys love snuggling on the couch under blankets - we all have our own TV blankets - I made Max one last year and Andy and I have our own. Finn is now old enough to have his own, I hope they'll stop squabbling over who is using whose! This came from a super-duper easy-peasy tutorial from Cat Taylor Design. How fabulous is that navy and white shark fabric?

Xmas is coming...

Which means it's time to start organising and putting together Christmas Calendars for my two little lads. As I said last year, we always had calendars when we were little, and they are for me one of the most memorable things about Christmas when I was young.

Finding 24 little presents is probably a whole lot easier these days, compared to back when Mum was making them, with $2 shops popping up in every group of shops. However, it is still a challenge finding age-appropriate gifts, things that aren't wasteful - toxic plastic toys that break within half an hour - and toys that will be enjoyed and played with more than once. I also look for packs that can be separated, as even at the $2 shop it's pretty easy to rack up a big bill when buying 40 or so little presents!

This year I decided to supplement the little toys with activities - for each I made a card or a ticket to represent what it is we are going to do. Because of this I had to think a little more carefully about what goes on what date, making sure that activities fall on weekends or non-kindy days.

Since I had a number of people ask last year what was in all the packages, I have taken photos and written a list - but don't tell the kids!

Top row is for Max, bottom for Finn. There are only a few days when they get different presents.

From left to right, the 1st - 24th Dec:

1. Picture of Father Christmas from here, along with cotton balls to stick on his beard each day.











2. Activity: Visit Father Christmas in the Enchanted Forest (for a Santa photo)
3. Chocolate coin
4. Farm animals
5. Bubble mixture
6. M: Homemade learn-to-make-pompoms kit/F: Money box (Finn McMissile)
7. Sheriff badges
8. 5x 10c coins to put in money boxes

9. Activity: Go out for ice cream ($2 taped to pic of ice cream)












10. Chocolate coin
11. Balloons
12. Farm animals
13. Candy cane
14. Stickers
15. Farm animals
16. Activity: Pic of goose - off to feed the ducks/geese/swans.
17: M: Paint a Santa ornament/F: bubble mixture

18: Activity: Bake Christmas biscuits (Christmas cookie cutter)












19: Chocolate coins
20: Glowsticks
21: Police badge

22: Activity: Visit to Transport Museum












23: Stickers
24: Candy cane

All wrapped up they look like this:

All that's left to do is make the calendar!

ANZAC Day

Pinterest + Pincushion

Have I already said how much I LOVE Pinterest? It's exactly what I've been looking for to save the amazing creations I come across on the internet and pictures of what-not, and to collect ideas and things that make me laugh.

I ADORE Pinterest. It's almost perfect. I can only think of 2 things that I would like to change: the ability to make a board private (sometimes there are things we don't all want all our family, friends and the world seeing - the sex of our impending baby, our wedding plans or the like...) and also that the pictures disappear if the original is taken down or moved. Obviously Pinterest can't actually store the gazillion amazing pictures people pin, but I worry about losing the ones I have pinned.

I have found so many great ideas to help me get organised (I love organising and being organised), lots to do or make with the boys and tons of gorgeous things to sew or create.

Here is one of the first things I made, based on an idea from a "Pin". For those not in the know, a Pin is an image that has been pinned on Pinterest. Pins are pinned onto boards, which you can organise anyway you want. My cushion is based on one from grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com

A pin cushion attached to my sewing machine. I can't tell you how much time this is going to save me. I am always leaving my pin cushion next to where I was pinning, or on the ironing board or next to the coffee machine (mmmm, coffee!).

Now I will always have one right where I need it!

A new bag

While holidaying in Australia over Christmas I bought a gorgeous new bag - Olga Berg - I am always drawn to Olga Berg bags, before I even look at the label. 

So anyway, this is me, moving on from a mummy bag - wanting a grown-up "me-bag" again. The downside of this, is that there are no compartments for nappies, wipes and the other necessary paraphenalia when one has kidlets.

So, out of necessity, I made the following "nappy clutch" and covered a Huggies wipes case to coordinate. The clutch holds 2 nappies, wipes, change mat and some nappy disposal bags. (Incidentally, after 20-something years, I am now finally over my aversion to all things yellow!)

 I am thinking these are going to make great baby shower presents! If you are wanting to cover a wipes box, I used this tutorial at this and that.