26/52

These boys

on an afternoon trip to the snow

with their hero daddy

Make My Week - Necklaces

Last year I did a class to learn how to make these necklaces

Mine aren't always perfect but I do love to make them as gifts. The challenge is still giving them even when they aren't perfect.

I try to choose colours or images that suit the person especially.

There were some bloggers that took these home in April

Joining in with Crafty Show n Tell - click on the button on the right.

Love you more than a perfect dried fig (which has nothing to do with anything but I love dried figs - just so you know!)

 

Matariki Crafting

Take some wheat (29cents per 100g at Bin Inn)

add some fabric from the travelling stash box and my own stash

a quick sew up

and 4 very happy little friends who we dropped them off to one day after school.

Such an easy, quick and practical way to share the love this winter.

Leonie has a tutorial here if you'd like to up-cycle some old clothing into wheatie bags too (or as our recipients call them 'warm cuddlies' - isn't that so much nicer?)

Joining in with the Matariki Crafting Linky you know because I like the idea of winning prizes and stuff.

Love you more than a 'warm cuddly' on a cold night

B.M.W.B - Surprises

Another mama and I surprised our boys with an unexpected afternoon tea and crafty session.

None of them knew.

I love that so much about being a grown up - the ability to plan surprises for people.

The boys were all chuffed with their creations.

The youngest 2 found themselves both in theirs on the same day last week - so cute.

Becoming the Mama I want to be is about taking time to enjoy the journey of parenting, to honour it's value and to hopefully inspire and encourage each other. 

Simple. Achievable. Intentional: becoming the mama I want to be

Button code on the right if you want it

25/52

Playing with Pop

Reading a car magazine he chose from the school library

a photo every week of these growing boys

Things to Enjoy

Sadly the promised snow has not eventuated but the freezing temperatures have happily graced us with their company. And so the fire roars and we enjoy its warmth and think of those who are still living in cold houses. (I'm sure there are people very grateful the snow has not fallen for good reasons. I only wanted snow for the boys home, The Atlas home and the pretty!)

Grateful for people who do things the old fashioned way - I took this photo in front of a cafe. He is one of the original owners of the cafe. He's picking the apples for crab-apple jelly that they make and sell.

Grateful for tickets - The Atlas got us family tickets to a very special show coming to chch - watch this preview. It is such a massive treat for us as a family and I am so, so grateful for a man who thinks the arts and performance are worthwhile to watch. (Even though I know he loves sport more)



Grateful for short videos that make men and women laugh.out.loud - you will not regret watching this :o)


It's Not About the Nail from Jason Headley on Vimeo.

Grateful for the inspiration of people who overcome



watch - enjoy - laugh - be inspired

Here's to a cosey weekend xxx

love you more than a bucket of dry kindling

Joining in with Meghan

Matariki Craft - For Those Without Skills

When I saw Juliet's line up for the Matariki Craft Blog Hop and her idea that 'a tutorial might be nice'. I did what any self-respecting, self-obsessed, lacking-in-skill crafter would do in such a situation and thought, 'oh cr*p! I should never have said yes!'

So.... with that wonderful and faith-inspiring start here is my M.C.B.H post (you know I already got tired of writing all those words!). This is a craft and tutorial for people like me who are fast, cheap, and low in the skills department....(I am speaking of craft-approach here may I add!).

Welcome to DIY Silhouette Hoops

 Can you trace? Can you iron? (note, I am not asking do you iron - that is a whole other question. Do you own an iron?) Are your cutting out skills pretty awesome? Are you a dab hand with a glue gun or a simple gathering stitch?

Yes? Super, you too will be able to whip up 17 of these before the linky party begins on 26th of June.

You need:
Side profile photo of a person/child/animal...... this can be on your computer or printed
Bakers paper (or similar for tracing)
Scissors - I did the whole thing with dodgy paper scissors
Small square of HeatnBond (or similar - it's iron on stuff that sticks fabric to fabric) you can get it here
Small embroidery hoop or a small picture frame would work
Pencil
Piece of fabric large enough to fit in the hoop or frame
Piece of contrast (black in this instance) fabric large enough for the head

Let the magic begin

1. With the photo on screen use the zoom in/out function (usually a slider thing at the bottom of the screen) to get your photo to the right size.

2. Hold/ Blue Tack/ Tape your photo above and trace around the face carefully trying to get details accurate

3. Cut out carefully

4. Using the bakers paper silhouette trace around this onto the backing paper of the HeatnBond - if you want the face to be facing (ho, ho pun intended!) a particular way reverse the direction it is facing on this step.(Confused?? Logical directions have never been my strong suit!)

5. Iron the HeatnBond onto the square of black/contrast fabric

6. Cut out carefully, peel off baking paper

7. Iron this on to your larger fabric (shiny side down)

8. Put in hoop

9. With the extra 'frill of fabric' either - cut out leaving a small edge all round and glue this to the inside of the embroidery hoop OR whip a gathering or running stitch around and draw up.

DONE! I know easy right? (also you can possibly see why I don't usually write tutorials!)

Extra for experts: (can you tell I was a teacher in a past life?)

• Turn these into cushions as I did for my boys last year - using fabric to represents the subject's interests (I did stitch over the faces on these for my own piece of mind - a little nose peeling back would be impossible to resist picking at)
• Embroider a name/ quote/ message
• Make a family portrait wall with a hoop for each family member - it would be nice to let them choose the fabric and write on the back of the hoop the name and age of each person
• Turn these into blocks for a family quilt - I can imagine this one being a hit with a grandparent who had a lot of grandbabies (and easy to do with families in different locations because they could email in photos or all make their own blocks)

I think this craft is perfect if you've lost your sewing mojo - or if you never had any sewing mojo. It's so personal and special and handmade and yet - quick, easy, cheap. What's not to love? Apart from the HeatnBond you might just have all of this already in your 'craft kit'.

Make sure you get involved with linking up your winter projects at the end for a chance to win exciting prizes. And if you feel especially magnanimous you could make one of these and then I will feel way more successful than I should :o) oh, oh and pin it too if you think you might make it later, because it's good for my self-esteem ;o)!!

Also sharing, as I do on Thursdays, with Show N Tell. If you're crafty and you know it strut your stuff!

Pop over tomorrow to see what the VERY talented Leonie is crafting, be prepared to feel impressed - I always do when I see what she makes.

Winner and Other Random Stuff Kids Say

The 4 year old:

Me: Pardon Me
Bounce: Me?
Me: No, pardon me
Bounce: But I didn't blow off
Me: No I did
Bounce: Oh

The 7 year old:

(we were having a getting changed relay - as you do)
Flip: Why do you always wear these covers? (bra)
Me: Because I need them to hold my bosoms in place so they don't knock me out when I jump about
Flip: I know, on wipeout (the favourite programme) they should say none of the ladies can wear bosom covers then they would all be knocked out. (laughs)

Boys?!

Winner of the Stuck On You voucher -congrats to - Holly 

Winter Crafting Inspiration

It rained and it rained and it rained - or so the story of Pooh and Piglet goes.

These are some photos I took of the streets around us yesterday.

So if you too are bundled up inside trying to keep warm and busy might I suggest some time browsing the Matariki Blog Hop?

Crafters, tutorials, inspiration and if you get all inspired to make there's a time to link in and a chance to win some lovely prizes too.

Here's the line up: Do go and check out the ones that have already posted.

Tuesday 11^th June- Lisa - Big Little

Wednesday 12^th June - Louana - NZ Green Buttons

Thursday 13^th June - Stella - The Golden Adventures of a Very Dark Horse

Friday 14^th - Nin - Make. Life. Beautiful

We'll have a wee break over the weekend.

Monday 17^th June - Laura - HOOTNZ

Tuesday 18^th June – Rhiannon - Toast and Life

Wednesday 19^th June - Dee - Dee*Construction

Thursday 20^th June – Miriam – Create Hope Inspire

Friday 21^st June - Leonie – Sunshine x 3

Another break over the weekend

Monday 24^nd June - Roz - Squiltz

Tuesday 25^d June – Holly- Hollymayb

Wednesday 26^th June - Juliet (the original host and the link from the matariki button)

Final round-up and Linky Party!!!

Wednesday 10^th July- Linky Party Closes

Friday 12^th July- Prize winners announced

 

Happy winter days my friends

love you more than the smell of damp wool :o) x

 

B.M.W.B - At Your Level

I am always so thrilled by the way the boys respond when I play down at their level, fully engaged in whatever they are playing and even suggesting play myself.

When they got out the car mat recently I sat down on the floor with them and started my own crazy car commentary as the cars drove towards each other. (FYI you can buy this by the metre at spotlight)

They thought it was so hilarious. They didn't say - that doesn't make sense, or dumb, or you just changed accents for the train - they don't criticise, they respond with delight.

...and that is the great joy of play at their level. It's just mucking about and being silly, and really what more successful thing is there than making your kids laugh? You don't have to try hard to organise it, you just have to get off the couch and sit on the floor and e.n.g.a.g.e.

On Sunday afternoon the family (extended) got together for Uncle A's birthday and it was so sweet to see Daddy and Pop and Uncle A and Ma and Flip playing UNO and Monopoly Deal together. Flip LOVED it.

The other advantage with play at their level is it changes the photo perspective too.

Becoming the Mama I want to be is about taking time to enjoy the journey of parenting, to honour it's value and to hopefully inspire and encourage each other. 

Simple. Achievable. Intentional: becoming the mama I want to be

Button code on the right if you want it

24/52

This big boy who loves spending time with his Daddy so much. I love how cuddly he is and how he just shines when he is joyful.

This littler one who I have SO much fun with during our days off. Here he is with his little friend going up the gondola.

and playing on the school playground waiting to see his favourite person in the world.

I'm so loving this project. I don't bother linking in because it's such a great and well subscribed to project it doesn't make any difference to have one less participant. However, I am very grateful to Jodi who came up with the idea.

Make My Week - Ceramics

A few weeks ago I went to 2 Friday evening workshops with the lovely Gillian of Mudbird

and look what I made!

3 ninjas (for my 3 ninjas) - I was the only one that made ninjas, as you may imagine. Others did crosses and hearts - all different, all amazing.

and hearts and stars

I love these

so much fun and 'easy when you know how'!

The small stars are going to be Christmas decorations. I make the boys a decoration each year. Completed decoration in June - why yes I am efficient! Thank you for noticing :o)

the 4 big hearts are for my mama, my 2 sisters and 1 for me - 3 women I love very much (actually 4 I quite like myself too!) I'm not sure which will get what yet....

Joining in for show n tell with a whole lot of talented crafty babes


don't forget to enter the giveaway okay?

Books to Read When Your Soul Needs Strength

I've been reading rather a few books lately, some bought and others borrowed.

Books that are for my spirit. Books that I think are especially encouraging and helpful and maybe even healing for the soul of a woman that might be feeling a bit battered, judged, confused or just tired with life and trying to juggle a million plates!

Some of these I've read recently and others are books I've read a while ago.

If you want something to read this winter and your soul needs encouraging or stretching or challenging can I recommend one or more of these titles?

The 1000 Gifts - A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are - Ann Voskamp
I love Ann's blog and her book. Both have challenged me to appreciate the mundane, the ground hog days, the less-than-impressive parts of life. She is so honest and beautiful and her writing is poetic and filled with imagery that captures my imagination. This is a book for people who want to get back to the heart of a God who cares about small things, unnoticed things, things done with love. I adore this book. There is a lot of lofty praise for this book but for me it's enough that I frequently want to cry with delight and joy when i read it.

A Year of Biblical Womanhood - Rachel Held Evans
This book is a book for women who want to understand what the bible actually says about women. It's a great choice if you feel a bit scared that possible the bible and God only like quiet women who like sewing, homeschooling and having hundreds of babies. (which it doesn't just by the way!) It's a funny book and an encouraging book. It gives a lot of context and some great profiles of some very impressive women in the bible. I think any woman would find this book life giving and affirming of who they are.

I Dared to Call Him Father - Bilquis Sheikh
A book written a while ago about a woman who took a dangerous risk of trusting and leaning in to God despite the serious possible backlash and the love she found. A wonderful book.

Kisses from Katie - Katie Davis
Another book to cry through. About the amazing, beautiful, courageous journey of Katie Davis who lives in Uganda with her 14 adopted daughters and runs an amazing charity called Amazima - that provides for local children to go to school... and so much more. Beautiful, challenging, inspiring. She also blogs here.

What's So Amazing About Grace? and Soul Survivor (how my soul survived the church) - Philip Yancey
Both of these books are filled with the message over and over that God loves us and his love is SO big and expansive it covers over the failings, the brokenness, the stupid/thoughtless/terrible ways in which we, Christians and the church have behaved. Yancey is a journalist and so these books are very readable. They aren't heavy, religious books they are tales that encounter you, encourage you, challenge you and give you hope.

The Return of the Prodigal Son - Henri Nouwen
If you are familiar with the story about the prodigal son - who takes his inheritance, wastes it and returns hoping to become a slave to his father but instead finds love and restoration (it's a parable Jesus told), this book takes it deeper. When Nouwen came across a painting by Rembrandt of this scene it had a massive impact on him and led him to a place of exploring the depths of this incredibly beautiful picture of God's love to us.

The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S.Lewis
I'm going to read all 7 of these again over winter. I try to read them all every couple of years. These books are good for my soul and the depiction of Aslan very good for my understanding of Jesus.

If you'd like to look for a second hand version of any of these I would also suggest this site. Less carbon miles, less consumption of new things - win, win! They currently have I Dared to Call Him Father $6, several of the Narnia books, some Yancey books (although not the ones I mentioned), ... and probably others.

What book/s have you read that have spoken to your heart and encouraged you?

Love you more than a good book, a quilt and a bar of green and blacks chocolate x

(Links provided for your convenience I don't get anything from your purchase and none are review copies)