our sunny long weekend...

It is a long weekend here...as Sunday was ANZAC Day here in Australia (25th April)...and also my nephew Ike's 7th birthday!

And for the forecast for the weekend was for sunny days of about 24C...beautiful....I love autumn...a bit crisper in the morning...and cooler nights...but lovely days...

Ben left for work on Friday...only for about a week or ten days...

So Saturday morning I attacked Evangeline's room....we did a lot of cleaning and sorting out in there...so it is a lot better now...

And then she helped me make a lasagna for dinner...she loves grating cheese...

Saturday afternoon I started a canvas ...I have had this idea in my head since January...and am finally getting onto it! It involves some of Ben's nautical charts...which I "aged" with coffee and walnut ink...some homemade stamps...and a canvas! I figured I had procrastinate enough...lol...I am not at all sure about the techniques of what I want to do so it will be an experiment! It is a canvas for my word for the year...family...as with my last canvas...I am letting Evangeline help...she help prepare the canvas with gesso...I think I will have to do a lot of it but think I will be able to let her help with the stamping...and maybe Morganne too....

Sunday...was another glorious day here...Lara came to play as her parents had 4 ANZAC services to attend ...

The other day Evangeline was asking about how bricks were made...then she disappeared off to make a mud brick...to fill the gap in the wall...So Lara and Evangeline decided to do some more" building"...so then I put them in the bath...And then a while later Morganne got in on the action! And then into the bath...Morganne has been drawing dinosaurs...see...two eyes and sharp teeth! She loves the Playschool Dinosaurs DVD...I do not mind her watching Play School as it is a fabulous creative arty musical theatrical children's programme....if you are not Australian you should really check it out...for ages about 2 - 6...

And if she isn't drawing...she is busy chopping up bits of paper...cutting is her latest craze....I got a cheap digital jelly camera for Evangeline in Target...for $20...she has been wanting a camera for a long time now but I did not want to spend a lot of money until she is older...this really works and she is SO happy with it! I have downloaded the pics onto her laptop (Ben's old one!) and shall pop them on a memory stick and put them on my computer soon so she can scrapbook!

I tried out a new recipe...Swedish Chocolate Balls or Chokladboll...very easy...and very yummy...kind of mocha balls really...best in the freezer as a bit sloppy...will try instant oats for it next time...and I tackled the ironing...

Morganne has been playing my violin...this is the one and only sculpture my dad ever made and so it is one of my most treasured possessions...he had a small picture of a violin from a magazine and decided to make this metal sculpture for me...it is fabulous...I have adhered the paper to my canvas...next step is to make the stamps...I have no idea how to do this..Now it is Monday... another wonderful sunny day...but not much happening around here...a bit of fun learning first thing this morning...some board games...and then puzzles and so on...Evangeline did some word puzzles and then wanted to write the words...Morganne did a few jigsaws and then sorted the cars etc... I have been catching up on a bit of house work...not that you can tell....groan...Mum is coming for tea so I have the slow cooker out....I am on the look out for some good Slow Cooker recipes...so let me know if you have a favourite...Lissy

a great idea....

This book by Shona Cole looks very interesting...how to be a mum and be creative...As another blogger Trudy put it...I have this deep desire in me to create; but as a busy momma, it is so difficult to find the time; but yet so needed. I do not wish to wait until my children are grown. I would like to live the life of an artistic mother before my children and in turn spark their creativity as well.

I know I get grumpy and grizzly if all I do is kids stuff and cooking and cleaning and so on...I am happy to be a mum...and I love being a mum...but I need to be creative too...If I am lucky I might win this book...but if not I think I will head to Fishpond and buy it! Lissy

cards...and other things...

I am not a card maker and have made some really bad ones in the past...lol...but I made one for my good friend Jen's 40th...I looked around on the internet for some inspiration and it actually turned out decent...lol...well I think she liked it!We went to the Pony Club in Mt Lawley to celebrate her birthday Friday night and had delicious tapas...

Everything else came to a grinding halt here Saturday...last week was busy busy busy...and so were were all very tired...so not much happened...other than some very excting loads of washing!!!

Ben arrived home from Manila Saturday morning at about 7.30 am ...

Evangeline had a "sleep over party" Saturday evening...though they were not actually staying the night but going with PJs, bears and sleeping bags! She had a ball!

I went to catch up with my mum's groups for dinner Saturday night...we went to a Lebanese restaurant in Vic Park called Ellie's Tent...it was fabulous! I will definitely go again...

Ben and the girls played SNAP! on Sunday morning...Evangeline loves it...Morganne had a go too! And pulled lots of funny faces...
And we went to Simona's Sunday for lunch and a swim and such...so that was fun...and after all that in one weekend I had to go to bed at 7.30 pm on Sunday night!

Ben was at home shifting ploughs etc as this morning a crane came to load more ploughs onto the truck to go to the farm. These are the old ploughs my dad restored and we are going to set them all up in a shed at the farm...Ben's parents were here too and Morganne had a ball watching...So it was a busy weekend for us! And this week looks busy too...Lissy

felting and creating...

I have decided that February is my Creative Month...

Last month was dedicated to clearing out the house and I did a LOT...there is still lots to go...but I had to have a break...lol...it was doing my head in! I am a messy creative hoarder by nature and although my inner clean neat minimalist self has been trying to get out there is only so much I can do...lol...

So this month I have been creating...YAY!!! Plus it helps that Ben is home for me to handball parenting duties too!

I have created layouts for three classes for the Wave Rock Retreat in March...

And layouts for term time at Scrappin' Outback...so if you are heading into Hyden to scrap, Karen will have some of my classes there for you to do!

And then today I went to a toy making class with Emily at Silver Tree...I am so glad she invited me along...I had FUN!

Morganne came along and had Yindi and another little girl to play with in a lovely shady playground right out the window of where we were working...

It was dry felting taught by Nicole...I had never tried it before...my creations lack finesse but I love them...an angel for each of my girls...

And some birds to make a baby mobile for a friend's little bub due mid year...they kept blowing around in the breeze but you get the idea! They are actually looking rather cute hanging in the window in the playroom... Next week is wet felting...I think we are making a cute little gnome or baby like this ....And I'd love to go and make a doll like this... And look at some of the other amazing things Nicole makes...all from felt wool stuff....And I have done a couple of other things over the weekend...A birthday album for Morganne's Rainbow Party...And a layout of her actual birthday...But never fear I am actually still working on the de cluttering...I am in the play room this week...

I have cleared most of it out and I am going to make some tough decisions over toys...we have far to many and some of it is very commercial stuff...and there is stuff they do not play with...and baby toys...

I prefer my girls to use their creativity to play...and they mostly do....so the other stuff needs to go!

Plus if I keep toy making they will have some fabulous new things to play with! Lissy

create...

I have just being wanting to do something creative...anything really...just a little bit of time for me...an hour maybe...if you are not into making or creating things then you probably think what's the big deal...but I have always made and created things...sewing, art, crafts, jewellery, scrap booking, photography...all sorts...but have done nothing much recently...and we all need sanity break!

So yesterday and today I made sure I had a "me" break...and I am trying not to feel guilty about snatching a hour for myself...I have had some ideas swimming in my head to create a canvas based on my word for the year "remember"...(see post below called this year)... it turned out quite differently to how I planned and of course is full of imperfection and mistakes as I was impatient to get it done! But I like the result...It is called "dans le jardin de mon pere" (written on the last two letters... and means in my father's garden) from the text of the book I was using for my flowers and letters...which seemed appropriate as ...to be all "arty" on you ...I was thinking of my dad and the ideas he planted in our minds of the importance of family and working on relationships to make them grow...he was not at all a gardener...hated it!...but the seeds he planted in our minds have grown...something to remember and pass on to our kids....

I layered and stitched papers for the background...then stamped the flowers on book pages...and printed red letters on the book pages too...cut them out and glues them on...easy! And used loads of Mod Podge to stick and seal it all...

And I let E help (in her super hero outfit...read on)...boy was that hard too do...but I managed to get over my fear of something being messed up...figuring I had not created perfection anyway!
It is now sitting above the fridge...we have a LOT of brick walls that could do with something colourful!I love the work of Jennifer Judd-McGee...so that got me started but I am afraid mine is a poor imitation of her fabulous work...I have several of her prints yet to be put on the wall...I am hoping Ben might put some pictures up for me when he gets home this time...especially all the family photos...

Other things...E has been a superhero most of the day! This is her idea of a superhero outfit...she wants a real bat man style cape though so I shall have to go and buy some material and create one for her...but she was quite happy with a tea towel and a peg! We have had a busy day really doing this and that and then mum, my sister and the boys came over this afternoon for a swim...and now it is time to get ready for bed and get a bit of sleep before the next feed - Lissy