Projects for Paula

Two Friday's ago my desk makeover was featured in a lovely article by Caroline at Salsa Pie.

Caroline not only has her main site, she also has a complementary "How To" site with instructions for the projects she features.

With nearly four kids, Caroline has just decided to manage her posting schedule to include a recipe, a project and a featured person each week, and she really does have some lovely ideas.

So, dear Paula, it's a good place to stop and perhaps gather inspiration for regaining some of your art/craft mojo. I know you can do it!

Procrastinating about my really real life

Today we were meant to go to Brisbane and visit friends. But B had a quick trip to emergency with asthma last night, so we've decided to stay home and be sensible today.

Which means instead of doing this - 

Pic from here

(yes, Helen and Annie, I had high expectations), I'm doing this -

and there is still this lot to deal with too - 

(it was much happier as a merry-go-round I think).

I've already done a bit of this -

which is handy for finding things like this -

and even this -

(there's nothing like being prepared). 

B, through her wheezing, has decided a new 'up do' might help her feel better - 

And S has decided to choose her lunch from her literary references -

(and yes, that's a nappy OVER her pants - we're having some issues there).

Speaking of literature, I did just finish "Mao's Last Dancer", finally, which was a pleasant change from my usual library of bedside tomes - 

 

This is my latest favourite though - hilarious.

OK, enough chatting. Thanks for coming by. I'm now going back to sort out this - 

Yep. Looking forward to the next party actually...

If you've got a moment, check out this great post about mummy bloggers at mamamia.

My Creative Space - The Third Birthday Challenge

Look, I don't have pay TV, so maybe it's been done before, but I'm thinking that kids party "event management" could be the next reality TV "big thing". And this has been my creative space this week.

The Challenge - to do a not-to-stressy three year old's birthday party at home, with a merry-go-round theme, for seven little (and admittedly non-judgemental) guests.

 
The Conditions - daylight hours are out due to normal household/parenting stuff, you need to breastfeed every couple of hours and there'll be lots of siblings coming too because it's school holidays.And don't go stupid with the budget.

The Reality -  And I'm happy to admit a lot of this party was about me - and how I wanted to do my child's birthday party. I really like to make memories for all of us, and to be able to look back on the year and have it punctuated by memorable and happy events. That's why I stay up late and do this crafty stuff. Often things don't quite go to plan, and I was a bit frantic just before the 10am deadline (with heavy editing I'm sure it could have been entertaining) but all things considered, this one was a goodie.

There were quite a few kids and the rain held off just long enough...

The hobby horses were a hit. I ended up making six (for seven guests - I know - but I was obviously a little bleary that night, but then I was pretty sure I could count on at least one little one refusing to participate) and my self-imposed condition was that I had to use fabrics and ribbons from my stash. With my mother-in-law's help, I stuffed them with the innards of some old (washed) pillows but I did buy some lovely new broomsticks (not too expensive though). I used the darning foot to 'free motion' stitch around the eyes (felt circles with a top layer of clear plastic) and predictably stabbed myself with the needle - geez, is there a secret about that foot that I don't know about?

Used this video tutorial for inspiration to make the horses.

The clothesline carousel was great (there were more kids involved just before I took this photo - really!).

The cake was fun, but I gave up on the idea of having a cake on the top too and used a circle of cardboard with a wedge cut out of it to make a pointed roof thingy.

And there is no such thing as a horse-shaped cookie cutter in this town (seriously - don't little girls like ponies anymore? I thought they'd be so easy to find...), so those horses are shaped with a play dough cutter and skewered with well, a skewer. S wanted a red cake, so I used Cathie's recipe for Red Velvet Cake, and it rose and rose... would have been perfect to cut into four layers for this cake icing attempt actually.

And finally, some thank-you bags containing some odd bits and pieces that I hoped little ones would like.

The Judgement - with a bit of grandmotherly and friendly help in the kitchen, almost everything went according to plan.

When asked what her favourite part of the day was, S replied, "The merry-go-round cake".

Better than anything Gary, George or Matt could have said.

For more creative spaces, head over to Kirsty at Kootooyoo.

And here's cheers to a husband who is starting to 'get' my blogging and actually offered to help take a photo of the horses. Thanks D.

And about that reality TV show - I'd be keen, but sorry, I'm too busy doing it for really real.

It all came together

After a bleak, cold and windy Saturday we were truly blessed by the weather for my littlest one's Christening last Sunday...

Many of our (very large and lovely) extended family were able to make it, and the kids sat along the playground like galahs on a fence - probably knowing they were being easily supervised by their parents...

As the last one of my brood, with exactly eleven years to the day between the Christening of the first and the last, it was a little bit emotional but pretty much perfect. I had lots of helpers with the food and children, and just added a few special touches to the day, working on the 'papercut' theme that I'd started with the invitation artwork.

Lovely now that the full set have been 'done', to look back and see that I've changed my way of doing things a little...

Child Number One didn't even get his name on his candle.

I made the white garment for child number one, so thought it'd be interesting to look back at each child wearing it. With only about eight photos to choose from for the first two, and about 200 each for the last two (hello digital cameras!), the photography has definitely improved. But not the waistline. Must get back to that project...

Now for little J's confirmation and first communion later this year...

Green Soup

I think most green soups look better at the start...

...than at the end.

But they are yummy.

Here are the details of two green soups we've been enjoying around here lately.

Basil and Zucchini Soup (a Weight Watchers Recipe, actually. Even my husband likes this one.)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic
4 cups boiling water
3 crumbled chicken stock cubes
7 chopped zucchini
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
375ml evaporated low fat milk

Heat oil in large saucepan and cook onion and garlic until soft and golden.
Add water, stock, zucchini and basil. Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer 10 mins or until veges are soft.
Process or blend until smooth. Add milk and heat. Don't boil. Serve with parmesan. You're done.

Broccoli Soup

4-5 heads & stems of broccoli, roughly chopped
2 large leeks, washed and chopped
3 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
3 chicken stock cubes
1 tsp nutmeg and pepper to taste

Throw all of that in a big pot, cover with boiling water and simmer til tender.

Blend up and serve with a swirl of cream and a sprinkle of grated parmesan.

Yum.

My Creative Space - giddyup

Cue Godfather music...

We're getting ready for a christening and a 3rd birthday party in the coming week, so there's actually plenty of creative stuff going on around here this holidays. The horse head was pretty easy, and will hopefully be the first of quite a flock (what is the multiple for horses again?) as S wanted a 'merry-go-round' theme and I'm planning to make them all gallop in circles on hobby horses... that's lateral (and economical) thinking for you.

And my child isn't trying to be The Joker, that's vegemite from her toast.

Her invites were a group effort with my drawings, the boys writing and her extra swirls and were also delivered yesterday...

It's such a lovely thing to have so much to report! Now I'm off to get more polar fleece out for the friendly 'herd' (is that the word?).

To check out some other lovely creative things, head over to Kirsty's at Kootooyoo!

That Donna is really quite clever

Having recently watched Masterchef's Masterclass where Donna Hay showed the final 8 contestants how to ice a four layer chocolate cake, I scoffed as they all oohed and ahhed and pronounced her a 'genius' for measuring the amount of filling between each layer so they were all totally even.

Here is a pic of Donna's cake from her magazine:

I hearby apologise to Donna, because here is mine:

Now I'm not complaining. And I'm not beating myself up about it, because it was well received by the birthday boy (hence the car cake topper) and, if Gary, George and Matt are to believed, "it all comes down to the taste", well then, I succeeded. It did taste good, and oh, that chocolate cream cheese icing is terrific...

But I used tins that were 20cm round (not matching ones either) instead of 18cm round, and my first two cakes were so flat I ended up making another batch. And I lined the tins with paper but my bottom circles were bigger than the bases and I cut notches in them, instead of cutting notches on the side sheets and leaving the bottom circle neater (that sounds very confusing, are you still following me?). And perhaps I should have used real buttermilk rather than resorting to my usual 'dash of vinegar in the milk' trick...

Here ends the debrief.

I just wanted to say, I take my hat off to you Ms Hay. I may not gasp 'genius' as you ice a cake, but you certainly know your stuff.