Partycraft Secrets

Puppy Love

2013-05-27T09:15:00.000+10:00

It's no secret that you-tube is home to a vast variety of humourous videos, many of them, seemingly of cats and dogs doing funny things. Whilst I'm not someone who can spend ages watching cat-antics, I must admit that there is something especially cute about kittens and puppies in odd places...

A couple of months ago, I came downstairs to see our cavoodle puppy in the doll's pram being pushed around by my youngest daughter Little Lotti told me (almost) convincingly that he "wanted" to be in there, and even tried to convince me he jumped up there all by himself... regardless, I confess - I took a dozen photos of our fur-baby and decided, what the heck, let's post one on the blog for every one can see... because hey, puppies are so darn cute...

More on party-craft soon... unless my puppy does something else I can't resist the urge to upload!!

Linda.

PS - as a post script it should be noted, that Dash has since grown up a bit, and whilst he is still cute he had a bad habit of eating all our cushions, and the occasional doll's leg right off... so needless to say that Little Lotti is not so keen on sharing her treasured possessions with her "little brother" any more... or at least not that she knows about... shhhh... she still doesn't know a favourite fairy 'disappeared' into the garbage can after she lost both arms and one leg... what a sad discovery that was!?!

Jumping castles

2013-05-22T09:49:00.002+10:00

It's no secret jumping castles are fab. They now come in such a wide variety of styles and shapes, colours and sizes - you can rent them, or even buy smaller versions to enjoy the jumpin' fun long after the party ends.

We recently went to a backyard dress-up party with a jumping castle that was purchased at a supermarket - wow... that was the stuff of dreams when I was a kid!

Whilst they may well kill the grass if left out too long, they are a brilliant addition to any party theme or scheme, and buy the parents a little time to chat, in between all the games and catering duties... oh... and I have it on good advice that parents have been known to give 'em a go post-party too!

Keep jumpin!
Linda.

Favourite Find: Floral vinyl

2013-05-08T12:04:00.002+10:00

It's no secret that one of the nice things about school holidays is that you can relx a little. Sure, you're still a mum, and you're now back on full-time duty, but you also don't have to be somewhere 'right NOW' which means you don't have to shout "get in the car!!!!" several times before your second cup of coffee.

In our recent school holidays, Happy Husband and I took the girls to Sydney Harbour where we showed them the sites (Opera House, Harbour Bridge and so on) and stopped for a harbor side snack and rest.

It was in the little Mexican-styled 'pop-up' cafe they had near the steps of the Opera House that I saw vinyl table cloths stapled to ex-pallet benches. They looked super simple to make (and yes you do have to watch out for splintery knees) and the stapled vinyl table tops made the whole space super-festive.

A quick trip to my local fabric store revealed plenty of vinyl florals on rolls, perfect to pick and choose from... now I just need to find a party excuse worthy of wrapping my dining table in flowers!

Stay crafty,
Linda.

Face painting a bald head

2013-05-06T14:19:00.001+10:00

It's no secret that some people have a better sense of humour than others, and some are more adventurous when it comes to trying out the ideas of children... goodness knows, I myself often make up lame excuses to get out of the bright ideas my two daughters try to foist on me! Which is why I am grateful to the dear, balding man who agreed to let my girls paint a turtle on his head!

They came up with the idea before the special guy had even arrived, and no sooner had he sat down at the dining table than they ambushed him with the idea, and he shrugged and said sure.

It was great fun to watch and the girls thought it was hilarious that he drove off at the end of the visit with his "turtle" still painted on his head... thankfully he made it home without incident... the mind boggles at what a policeman or petrol-station attendant would have made of his "decoration!"

So then... next time you're painting faces... look around for a bald head - they make great canvases!

Linda.

Favourite Find: Rainbow Duct Tape

2013-05-03T11:43:00.004+10:00

It's no secret that washi tape is groovy, although often expensive. Masking tape now comes in so many widths and colors that being crafty is fun and fast... but sometimes you need something stronger... and that's where multicoloured duct tape comes to the rescue!

Mimi, Little Lotti and I all made the pinata for Lotti's recent pony party in the park. We did the usual thing of covering a balloon with paper mache and then more paper mache, and then some white paper mache for good measure. We then painted it with left over house paint, and glued clip-art images of ponies and horses all over it, added some sparkly stickers for fun and then some stamped flowers for even more fun. Last of all, once the pinata was filled with treats, we had to close over the top hole, and affix fishing wire in a sort of 'net' around the pinata so we could take it to the park and hang it up.

Rainbow duct tape was the perfect find - yes, it's a little "busy" in a graphic sense, but it had a festive feel perfect for a pinata and best of all, it's super strong, so once stuck down it wasn't going anywhere.

And as for the pinata on the day? All the kids got to whack it with a stick, but although it grew holes all over the place, it never 'cracked' so Mummy got to take out all her pre-party tension and whack it some more... and still it didn't break! I guess we made it a little too well! So I put the stick away and then tore it apart... ah... treats rained down onto the happy kids.

Top tips for a pinata:
* hand out paper cups to the kids so they can collect their treasure,
* place a picnic rug underneath to avoid the treasures being trodden into the ground,
* look for sweets that are individually wrapped so that you minimise dirt getting onto food,
* have a few treats set aside and look for 'sad faces' so you can top up their empty cups,
* seriously consider whether a pinata is an age appropriate addition to your party, as I've written before how they can be dangerous things... blindfolded kids wielding big sticks around a group of fearless children all pressing in as close as they can to the action... hmmmm....

Regardless, I give the pinata a thumbs up as a memorable party-feature.

Enjoy!
Linda.

Pony Party

2013-05-01T11:45:00.003+10:00

It's no secret that I've been missing in action for a couple of weeks now. Life has been hectic (and sometimes horrible) with migraines, school holidays, helping a sick mother stay sane, and doing my best to celebrate my youngest daughter's 4th birthday with a pony party in the park.

Here I am, back, at least for now, and seriously contemplating getting a 'real job' in an office where other people are working, and wearing ironed clothes and shoes, as opposed to my usual casual sock-loving attire, and talking to each other in an adult-conversational way.

I will blog more soon, but let it be said that park parties rock! By having the party away from home there is far less cleaning to be done, you don't feel obliged to feed everyone mountains of food, you avoid the two party dilemmas of whether to serve alcohol to parents, and whether to allow your child to open the presents as they arrive (both of which are virtually impossible at a public park) and when the party is over you thrown the rubbish in the bin, scoop the rest up in your hamper and mosie on home to relax.... and don't even get me started on the money and time you save on decorations!

Sure, there is always the risk of rain, but wow, I'll seriously be considering an away from home party for ever after!

As for the pony party, it was a sheer delight to watch a dozen kids ride their hobby horses around the park, play pin the tail on the pony, and break up a home made pinata!

(The cake was store bought and then decorated by Little Lotti who sprinkled on the green 'grass' and glued on the icing flowers. I added the little girl on the horse, complete with party hat and parasol with a quick kebab-stick and pom-pom wool bunting to go over the top. Super fast, super easy, & big hit on the day.)

Viva la ponies!
Linda.

PS - for more party ideas, pop across to my Partycrafts Website.

Fairy Food

2013-04-18T14:30:00.000+10:00

It's no secret that fairies are little people... and that your own 'little people' probably adore fairies... and we all know that the one thing everyone loves more tha fairies is sweet treats!

Next time you're thinking of treats to make for a party, bake-sale, or afternoon tea, think little... think cute... think pink.

There are soooo many great things on the market that you can buy that are ready to serve, but why not make them you-nique by tricking them up a bit... take the humble marshmallow for example; why not pop them into a paper cupcake liner (you can even turn them inside out). Pop a pink marshmallow in a white liner and a white one in a pink liner, then use an icing pen to 'glue' caucasons or other dainties on top.

Not only do these little treats taste great, but they look amazing. Best of all, they take mere moments to make, and I promise that the ohs and ahs you get will make every one of those minutes worthwhile!

So go on... have fairy tea party just because, adn make (rather than bake) some tiny treats to try!
Linda.

PS - don't forget there are plenty more fairy-party ideas available in my fairy party ebook!

Steamer Twirlers

2013-04-11T12:27:00.002+10:00

It's no secret that after a party you can be left with plenty to clean up, and inevitably, alot of it ends up in the bin. As a thoughtful crafter, I'm not sure that landfill is something I'm comfortable making. That's why I try to upcycle leftovers any which way I can.

After Mimi's 5th birthday last year I pulled down several lengths of crepe paper streamers. If you drop them carefully, and do your best not to twist or tangle them, they are basically in perfectly good order. So instead of tossing them, I turned them into 'twirlers' for my preschool daughters.

Here's what you'll need to make your own:

Streamers - cut to the same length, and preferably in an assortment of colours.
Drinking straws.
A stapler.

To make your own streamer twirler:

Simply fold the streamers over the end of the straw and staple in place (being sure you staple through the straw).
That's it!

Yes; the straw does bend, and yes; the twirler isn't going to last forever... but my girls had a great time in the back yard dancing, being ponies, and just generally having a colourful good time. It cost me nothing, took minutes to make, and helped saved the environment to boot!

Sometimes the best fun happens when you don't try to hard. So go on, bring some colour back into your life and up-cycle some streamers for some twirly fun.

Linda.

PS - you can now vote for my blog - simply click (here) or on the button on the right hand side of this blog! Thank you! x

Pretend Baby Bath Time

2013-04-08T13:24:00.002+10:00

It's no secret that outdoor play is so important for children. That's why, whenever the weather is right I throw open the doors and get my two young'ins out there.

If your yard is small or your children consider it 'boring' it's your job to come up with new ways to use their 'old' space.

Many, many months ago the girls and I came up with a super simple activity that lasted waaaay longer than I expected: washing baby dolls.

All I did was set up a couple of low tables, and popped a pre-loved plastic baby bath (a real one or buckets would work too) on one table, and a set of small hand towels and face washers on the other table, and the drying rack beside that. The girls enjoyed washing several of their dolls, shampooed their hair, and then dried them off, and washed all the towels for me... which was 'sweet' of them but entirely unforeseen .. and without the usual spin cycle of the washing machine, the towels took a LONG time to dry out!

So go on then - whether it's a baby-shower activity for young visitors, a spring cleaning initiative or a fun way to spend a mild afternoon - get the kids to wash their toys!

have fun!
Linda.

Easter Flower Power

2013-03-28T11:19:00.003+11:00

It's no secret that flowers look fabulous on any table. They are the perfect centerpiece just as they are. I love a good clean bowl that doesn't draw attention away from the beauty of the flowers... but as always... I luuurve to 'tweak'!

Here's two really fast ways that you can make a gorgeous flower arrangement you-nique:

Feathers - most local craft or discount-dollar stores sell coloured feathers, so pick out a selection that match your flowers and pop a few in amongst the flowers for a surprise for your guests.
Beads - select an assortment of beads in different shapes and colours (again try to match the flowers) and slip them into the vase. Some will float like bubbles and others will fall down like pebbles; all of them will glitter and shimmer for a wonderful effect.

Chances are if you're crafty you have both feathers AND beads lying about in your stash... you may also find some butterflies, plastic Easter eggs , or other items you can place in or around the flowers, or into the water below... there's no rules; just have fun!

So if you're hosting an Easter party, or just lucky enough to get a great big bunch of floral wonders, go the extra step and put a little crafty magic into the mix!

Go on... give your flowers some power!
Linda.

Just Hanging About

2013-03-22T13:04:00.002+11:00

It's no secret that mum's rarely get any time to 'just hang about' - it seems to be something of an occupational hazard that if we find ourselves with ten minutes of spare time we have to concentrate really hard and not blow it by succumbing to sorting out the ever-beckoning pile of laundry. When we do take a break it's often to relish a hot coffee or fall flat on our faces, fast sleep... ok, and maybe try to put our feet up with a good book... but then those ten minutes are all gone, done and dusted, so to speak, and it's time to get on with the housework once more.

With Mimi in 'big school' now five days a week, Little Lotti and I have been hanging out a fair bit together. A week or two ago we went to the beach and collected sea glass, this week it was driftwood. We bought the pieces home, washed them and left them to sun-dry, then sorted them from longest to shortest. With a rusty saw (super dangerous for young people - so no - I did not let her help) I made small notches top and bottom along the mid-point of each stick. We then used fishing line to loop around each stick and tie it off, and hey presto; driftwood mobile.

It's currently spinning in the breeze under the stairs and reminds me daily that there is more than one way to hang about in style!

Take care people,
Linda.

Easter Night Light

2013-03-15T09:29:00.003+11:00

It's no secret that battery-operated LED night-lights are super cute and rather useful when you're feeling crafty. I've already blogged about how you can pop them in decorated plastic noodle boxes to make tricky lanterns, but recently the girls and I have been getting ready for Easter, and popping the egg-shaped one into a variety of "nests."

My favourite one so far has been the faux-shell-and-flower-wreath that was used at my wedding to go around one of several candles.

The girls love the light on it's own, but somehow nestled into it's little nest, it looks even more comforting... sadly... not comforting enough to put them straight to sleep! Little Lotti still takes waaaaaay toooooo loooooong to go to sleep each night and still wakes up pre-dawn most days.... which is REALLY early given that Summer is barely over. Sigh. Imagine what it's going to be like when her brain is fueled by Easter-chocolate!

Take care & rest easy,
Linda.

Paint Swatch Testing

2013-03-11T13:36:00.000+11:00

It's no secret that choosing colours for a home renovation is both exciting and daunting. Every time you think you've found your pallette you see another picture in a magazine and wonder if you ought to make a swap... then you walk into someone else's house / shop and see your idea and realise it's perfect - or not quite right... oh and then you see a paint add that tells you what's all the rage and you wonder what if...

In trying to get a beach house colour palette recently, I thought I had it nutted down to 4 shades; sand and stone for outside and lots of white with silver and aqua features for the interior... of course those terms hardly truly describe colours that could just as easily be called champagne, coffee, moonlight, teal... or sand-bank, crab-crest, shell-side, surf-wave... and so on and so on for all infinity (what a wonderful job it must be to name colours!)

I arrived at the color scheme through trial and error, research of multiple magazines and library books on the subject of beach houses, cottage, retro family homes etc. To stop my mind spinning out of control and trying to help explain to someone how those colours look when combined with furnishings of different shades, I used a quick trick:

Get the biggest colour swatches you can, in your preferred shade or close to it.
Fan the colours out side by side to see how they go together.
Now lay the colour-fan over the top of pages in a colour-book or home-magazine.

Although the images in the corner can't possibly help explain what the real colours looked like when I did the exercise, I was able to show someone that a colour scheme which was essentially silver-aqua worked fine with greys, blues and greens (as you'd expect) but also with pinks. Orange and dark browns were not too bad, yellow was going to be a tricky depending on the shade, and so on.

Next time you're wondering about which colours to use, try this test as a way to reconfirm your choice, and take some of the guess work out of what complimentary colours you should be able to add later for extra interest.

Regards,
Linda.

Vintage Tea Party

2013-03-06T13:58:00.001+11:00

It's no secret that "vintage" is oh so "today". I recently went to a lovely little vintage tea party for a friend who was turning 4. Little Lotti loved getting dressed up in "something beautiful" as instructed and I was rather impressed by how gloriously decked out the house was!

It's always a pleasure to go to a party that has been themed and crafted to the extent that I do for my own parties. There was plenty of hand made edibles and decorations, mixed in with brand new, hired and borrowed elements all combined in just the right way.

The colour scheme was my favourite "neopolitan ice-cream" scheme; all strawberry, vanilla and chocolate (ie pastel pink, cream and the palest brown).

The textures were lacey; with paper doilies, plastic lace table cloths, and paper cupcake liner crafts.

Her beautiful combination would look great for a ballerina or princess party, as well as a girl's baby shower.

Top tips from the crafty mum:

Start weeks in advance so there's no rush.
Make one small project at a time with the kids as part of their weekly craft-time.
Stick to your theme-scheme when buying / making things (in this case lace / pink-cream).
Borrow items from other mums so you minimise expenses.
Have fun!

Well done to her for a beautiful party - and good luck to all of you out there getting ready for your next do!

Linda.

DIY "Vintage" Mirror

2013-03-01T10:57:00.000+11:00

It's no secret that vintage mirrors are very desirable .. and very expensive. Real Baroque or Rococo ones are way beyond most people's price point, 'Venetian' mirrors are better, and reproduction-styled modern mirrors are even more affordable. By far the most affordable, however, are the ones you make yourself!

Ok, so my mirror's not trying to convince anyone it's the real thing, but when it comes to little girls playing dress-up, I'm not sure you have to convince them of anything, other than the fact that they are, and will always be, gorgeous little ladies.

Here's what I used:

A dollar-store mirror with a black plastic frame - go for round or oval with a ribbed finish so that you can lay your beads in one of the low 'ruts.'
Left over house paint (I mixed my own using white gloss, and approximately a tablespoon of blue and a teaspoon of grey).
a silver dollar-store necklace.
a broken Christmas decoration, also in silver.

Here's what I did:

carefully paint the mirror frame.
cut the necklace so that it's now a long string.
test the necklace to see whether it goes all the way around the mirror - if it doesn't be sure to leave the opening either exactly at the center of the bottom/top of the mirror frame, or off to one side (which is a lot easier and more quirky).
run super-glue around the 'rut' where you are going to lay your necklace.
lay the necklace in the glue, remembering to leave the opening where you want it.
glue other embellishments on to finish.

Make your own chabby-chic mirror in less than 15-minutes (plus drying time) - it's super fast, fun, cheap, and the results are well worth it if the girls' feedback is anything to go by!

PS - Mother's Day is coming up in Australia... maybe make one for mum? After all, a lady is never too old to admire herself in the mirror. x

Enjoy!
Linda.

Turquoise and Coral - Color Combo

2013-02-27T13:50:00.001+11:00

It's no secret that it's a happy day when you're young children finally start to dress themselves. Mimi has long been a self-dresser, mainly because she is VERY particular about what she likes to wear. She will often lay all her pieces of apparel on the bedroom floor, swapping this shirt or that skirt, until she has a mini-me laid out on the ground to her liking, then, and only then, she gets dressed.

Yes, such pre-dressing-angst is a pain some times, especially when you're in a hurry, but it is far easier than dealing with the 'other kid,' who doesn't want to wear anything, or at least not that, or this, or whatever else you pick out for them and try to jamb over their head in growing desperation that they turn up to preschool in something other than their pajamas!

Little Lotti decided for herself this morning, (ok so it took some persuasion), that since she didn't like what I was choosing for her, the best thing she could do was pick it out herself and get changed - Woohoo!

As we were walking to school I took a photo of her pretty little colour combo; coral and turquoise. I love both colours on their own, but together, they are especially beachy.

And to make this post more crafty - here's a top tip for you to try while viewing your Pinterest boards. Regular readers know that I love the 'squint test' where you semi close your eyes to look at the world, the reason being that you get rid of all the detail and just see basic colors. Well the same thing applies to your Pinterest boards.

If you hit the control and minus buttons on your keyboard (Ctrl-) you minimize your screen, or zoom out, and can see the whole board as a series of tiny pictures. (You can do the same for any screen on your computer, including this here, now - and you can reverse the process by hitting "Ctrl+").

Now look at your Pinterest board - what do you see - lots of the same colour? A rainbow? Neutrals, brights, bolds, patterns? It's a fun way to see the essence of what you've been digitally collecting. You might also get a whole new idea for a colour combo for your next craft project, furniture redo or room paint!

Try it!

Farewell for now, and happy dressing!
Linda.

Painting Autumn Leaves

2013-02-26T09:52:00.002+11:00

It's no secret that Autumn comes but once a year, there's no harm collecting ideas however while you wait to collect leaves. In Australia, where I blog, Summer is drawing to an end, and Autumn is drawing near. I'm a big fan of Autumn, I love the more temperate weather and the glory of the changing trees.

While tidying up my blog files, I found this picture of a painted leaf which Little Lotti made at preschool last year. It's a super easy idea, easily made 'more artistic' by restricting the paint palette that you serve up; the Autumnal colors of red, orange, yellow and brown are a great place to start.

Big leaves work best, and of course there's no harm trying the painting trick in Spring on big green leaves... although there's something almost immoral about painting a leaf that was alive, versus picking a dead one off the ground and tricking it up.

Painting leaves, rocks, bark and other found objects from nature is a great activity for little people, and there's no reason you can't use it as a craft party project.

Enjoy the last moments of your own season, and get ready for the next one!
Best wishes,
Linda.

You See, I See, We All See, Sea Glass

2013-02-21T11:29:00.003+11:00

It's no secret that sea-glass is a wonderful thing. While I'm not particualy partial to the brown blobby bits, I LOVE the white and ADORE the aqua shades that you sometimes find. The other reason that I'm enamoured by the stuff, is that I enjoy the 'circle of life' moment that it represents; glass is essentially made from molten sand, so how amazing that that glass is then returned to the sand!

After recently reading a book which made reference to sea glass, and trying to explain to the girls what it was (and really it is a terrible and wonderous thing when you think about it; someone tosses a broken bottle into the ocean (BOO) and the ocean's tides and rough sand slowly polishes the ragged edges until the shards are oh so soft and tactile (WOO HOO)), imagine my surprise, and Little Lotti's, when we went to a beach that was literally strewn with sea glass. If you're lucky enough to find sea glass on the beach, be sure to let your little ones know that not all the glass lying around is safe to pick up (BOO HOO.)

On this particular day, Mimi was at kindergarten, and after being sick for most of last week, it was wonderful to walk slowly, sit under the hot sun in damp sand, run my fingers through the shelly-sand and unearth all the pieces of sea glass and roll them up in my tshirt for taking home.

As fate and Australia's iconic beer bottles would have it, most of the glass we were finding was poo-brown, but we did manage to find some much more beautiful pieces to bring home (ok, so I brought the sea-foam shades home while Lotti only wanted to collect the poo-bits... gotta love preschoolers!)

Lotti washed the sea glass off when we got home and put it into a plastic aqua bowl... the sea glass now takes pride of place on the side table, and reminds me of how nice life is when I slow my pace.

Remember to take your time people; enjoy your children's company, sit in sunshine, and look, really look, at the wonderful world around you!

Linda.

Worn Out and Weathered - me and the furniture!

2013-02-20T13:46:00.000+11:00

It's no secret that part of keeping a tidy house is knowing what to throw out and when... but being a crafty little mother, it's oh so tempting to pick up some of that road side 'trash' and turn it into a little treasure. That's what I've been busy doing this week; painting worn out old furniture rather than blogging about papercraft the way I probably ought to!

Inspired by the recent help I've been giving a friend for her beach house, I couldn't help but say "oh nice!" when I saw a giant wicker blanket-box sitting beside some broken debris on the side of the road. Sure it looked a bit battle scarred from some sort of run in with a few splashes of dark grey paint, it had certainly had seen better decor-days and had a something of a lean to it, but it was still standing... Since wicker has always screamed "beach house!" to me, I pulled over and grabbed the basket and whipped up a batch of the palest blue paint in an old coffee jar by mixing white-gloss and a tiny-touch of bright blue. The basket still leans, but it's wavy texture looks to me like sea-waves rolling in, and the not-quite-consistent blue-white way that it's painted (thanks Little Lotti and Mimi) gives an aged-patina to the new paintwork.

After the success of the first re-painting project with my daughters, I took a punt and picked up a set of bedside drawers (missing one drawer), and painted it bright white and popped a wicker basket into the bottom opening. Next trip to the hardware house I'll cost those little gingerbread-brackets that you put on veranda posts, and see if they come small enough to pop the scrolls into the corners to decorate the bottom shelf instead of the basket... or I'll just pull the pink liner out of the basket so that we stay in seaside-mode.

I then painted a road-side wire pot-plant rack in bright blue and a child's wicker rocking chair that we were given years ago in an off-white gloss and will reupholster the little seat cushion using a blue&white tea-towel to give it a more nautical look... if only I could get our puppy Dash to stop chewing on the armrests - cheeky pup!!!!

So much to do and so little time (my migraines have been shocking, and of all the family members, I'm finding the new-school routine hardest to get used to... at preschool "school starts at 9 o'clock" is a fairly arbitrary statement, at "big school" however, they mean it! And yes, I am an organised person, but my 3 year old is notoriously unhappy about wearing shoes, and no matter how early I start the "let's go!" routine... we always seem to be running late!)

PS - thank you to those 'random strangers' who read the article about me in Prevention Magazine and sent me messages of support / queries about how to start your own groups. My website has a $5.50 ebook on how to create your own little self-support group, or you can read more on this blog about how to proceed - the first step is to invite someone for a cup of coffee and start talking (and remember to invite someone that you think you can help, not someone who you think can help you - it's a subtle but enormous difference!)

Stay crafty,
Linda.

AUSTRALIAN GIVEAWAY

2013-02-12T13:19:00.000+11:00

It's no secret that giveaways are super-fun, for both the giver-away-ers and the recipients! That's why I'm excited to let you know that the Party-Wagon is giving away a stack of party-prizes for Australian readers... over $1000 in fact!

See more about all the cool stuff you can get by reading the blog post - Simply click the link to go to The Party Wagon - good luck!

Linda.

Last Minute Valentines Craft Ideas

2013-02-11T12:56:00.002+11:00

It's no secret that Valentine's is mere moments away, and whilst many of us don't prescribe to the bells-and-whistles way of saying "I love you" to those we should, there's no harm making a small something to remind those special people that we really do care.

Here's just a few things you can try (each idea has a full blog post to give you more information.)

For a gift you can consider adding buttons and stick on gems to cuff-links or, make a fake-flower sphere, decorate a photo-box, use wool and craft sticks to make ‘kiss-crosses’, add bling to a set of thrift store glasses, make felt love heart hair-clip holders, wrap gifts in tea towels (or more boyish tshirts), ice biscuits to look like froggy-prince charmings to be eaten rather than kissed, add print paper decals to gift bags, look for assorted bargain plates with matching colours, decorate a cake stand, make paper-window decorations, or for something a little more ‘fairytale-like’ try putting your (paper) heart in a bottle.

For cards you can make a circular photo-card, use the sticky tape transfer tutorial, photograph flowers and print them out as the card cover,or create 'thanks for all the sweet times’ card with lolly-pop attached.

This year, as the mother of a new-schooler, I am exhausted! I'm also helping someone design a beach-house, and as such I have NO time to craft at the moment - but - of course - I can't front up with nothing on the day... so with luck Happy Husband will get a "cheque-book" of I-O-Us with a variety of nice things we can do together over the weeks to come... it's the best way I can think of to do something... just not now!!

Best wishes,

Linda.

New Year - New Inspiration

2013-02-05T12:57:00.001+11:00

It's no secret that 2013 is going to be bigger and better than ever, for whatever reason, no matter who you are... how can you not think so when we're still in those early days of new commitments and resolute resolutions?!

My eldest daughter Mimi started kindergarten two days ago and is loving "high school" and her new uniform soooo much. The only downside, according to her, is that wearing shoes all day makes your feet hot and she doesn't understand why they're not giving out homework! Her little sister Lotti, who's now in the 'big class' at preschool a couple of days a week, is bemused by all the fuss over Mimi's "blue dress" (uniform) and all the attention she receives from the Year-6 'buddies' in the playground when she arrives... her turn will come, and when it does, I don't doubt she'll revel in her own blue-dress-hot-shoe-moment.

As for me, I've been busy trying to enjoy every last moment of holidays with my two little girls, knowing that from this week onwards, they're growing up and will be spending many of their awake hours with a new teacher, who no doubt is more adept at teaching, but may not have their hearts always in their hands.

There's been some craft over the holidays, but mostly it's been fun in the sun... but fear not, I have plans for Valentines Day and will start posting plenty of pink soon enough.

The second best thing that happened to me this week, is to finally see myself in a national women's magazine. I gave an interview last year and went to a fun photoshoot, but at long last I got to hold the glossy mag in my hand and sneak a peak at myself and my friends playing real-life "inspirations". I've posted a few happy-snaps out of the magazine article (click image to enlarge), feel free to purchase your own edition at your local newsagent to read the whole interview / story... it's all about the benefits of working in groups - and of course you can read all about the concept of 6 Degrees of Support by clicking here for the link to my blog, or here to purchase a self-help guide on how to set up your own group!

It's so nice to be back on line, I can't wait for a creative year for all of us!
Best wishes,
Linda.

Merry Christmas to one and all!

2012-12-20T13:47:00.000+11:00

It's no secret that the year is almost over, the presents all wrapped... or mostly... and that Christmas is only a few sleeps away.

I'm going to hang up my craft scissors and enjoy my family's craft-free company for awhile, and dream up more ideas to make 2013 even bigger and better, and more crafty than ever!

Merry Christmas everyone; may Santa fill your stockings with many inspirational ideas and enough time to make it all!

Lots of love,
Linda. x

Edible Angels

2012-12-19T10:08:00.003+11:00

It's no secret that making gingerbread men is a fun pastime for the Christmas period - but what if instead of turning out lots of little fellows, you turned out a few angelic versions fit for the festive season!

It's so simple even the kids can do it, and I don't really need to tell you how it's done, but for the sake of tutorial-convention, here goes:

What you'll need:

Gingerbread biscuits (angelic icing faces optional),
Paper doilies (sized to suit).

Here's what to do:

Cut your doilies in half,
Lay one semi-circle under each angel biscuit,
Serve on a coloured plate to suit your occasion,
Enjoy!

The same edible craft could also be used to make keepsakes (simply stick the wings onto the back of the biscuit with icing and pop in a cellophane bag) or on plates for a fairy party.

Christmas is almost here - woo hoo - can't wait!
Enjoy the last of 2012.
Linda.

Convert your handwriting into a free font!

2012-12-13T12:28:00.001+11:00

It's no secret that I worship fonts and typography (you'll find plenty of links to wordy posters or free fonts over on my facebook page), but today I discovered something pretty amazing - a site where you can convert your own handwriting into a font to use on your computer.

Here is the tutorial - if it is not showing up as a new font, you can see it written in my new handwriting font by clicking on the image in the top corner!

OMG - I am soooo excited!

I just found a site where you can make your own font from your handwriting for FREE, and it is easy once you get the hang of it:

1. Visit the website below,

2. Download the template,

3. Fill out the template (TAKE YOUR TIME and use a MEDIUM thickness pen; I used a thin black pen which didn’t work so I had to re-trace all my letters which is why it looks scratchy),

4. Scan the template into your computer,

5. Upload the file onto the free-font website,

6. Wait for it to convert,

7. Right click on the ‘ttf’ file it generates to save it to your computer,

8. Drag a copy of the font into your font file on your hard drive.

9. Start using it in word or powerpoint!

10. (More instructions on the site).

Best wishes,

Linda @ Partycraft Secrets

(PS – this image was made in Word from my own handwriting font... again; go slow or you end up with some funny results... but it really works amazingly well and is so much fun!)

Here is the website:

http://www.myscriptfont.com/

Enjoy!

Linda.