Billy Cart Markets - this weekend in Sydney's Northern Beaches

For those of you that live in Sydney, I have come across a gorgeous market - specialising in handmade children's goods - that is on this weekend. This Sunday, 26th June from 9am - 3pm, why not checkout Billy Cart Markets, situated in the Lakes Parish Hall, 21 Lagoon Street, Narrabeen. The handmade retailers that will be on hand have some beautiful wears and you can even go to their blog to get a more detailed look at what's on offer. The lovely part about this market, which caught my attention, was that the $2 entry fee goes to the Starlight Children's Foundation Australia. I have a pretty busy day but am hoping to go down and check it out for myself!

Easter Bonnet Time!

It's that time of year - Easter parade at school and time to construct that flamboyant monstrosity that we know as an Easter bonnet. I have fond memories of my mother & nonna creating wacky and way out creations for my school parade and had wondered how I would ever measure up when the time came for the baton to be passed to me and the responsibility now on my shoulders to come up with a work of art worthy of comparison. Luckily for me, Gigi's school likes to encourage the children's creativity and hence we only need to provide the materials and they are involved in the construction of their own hats. Phew, big sigh of relief. For those of you that have been lumbered with the task of DIY Easter bonnets, I have found some really cute websites and blogs to help you with some ideas. Whether you prefer layers of tulle and silk flowers, paper mache eggs and tiny yellow fluffy chickens, or more simply a paper plate tied with ribbon and decorated with pipe cleaners, left over Christmas tinsel and crepe paper, there is something for everyone at a cute little blog called Easter Bonnets on Parade. Other sites you way want to check out include Easter Craft, Decorative Packaging Blog and I also found a more modern take on an Easter bonnet on Boo5's blog - an Easter Fascinator. You could even put it away and bring it out again on Melbourne Cup Day! Happy hat making xox

Christmas Craft - Santa Serviettes

How cute are these? Something to keep the kids amused and at the same time, something practical you can use on Christmas day. I found this craft project on one of my favourite sites - Kidspot. Simple Santa serviettes made from some white craft paper, a couple of googly eyes and a red serviette. A great way to liven up your dinner table on Christmas Day ; )

Gigi & Lulu - Halloween Party Ideas 2008

Happy Halloween 2008! I have had many people ask me when I will be posting my Disney Party Princess ideas - I know, I know, I have been a bit slack but with so many photos to go through, it is a big job. Watch this space though, they are coming soon... Having said that, I have some great Halloween Party ideas for you after we had a lovely day on Friday with our little mother's group. With just 3 simple ideas, we joined in the Halloween spirit. The first 2 were party food ideas and then we did a little craft project. First up - Red Back Spider Bikkies. Very simple to make, I found this recipe on one of my fave websites - Kidspot - and all you need is some bikkies, some Smarties, Cadbury Rolls & some strap licorice. Admittedly, the kids left the licorice behind and picked off the Smarties and chocolates but they still looked good. A little tip - instead of sticking the legs on individually, keep the inch wide piece of strap in tact and cut the four pieces to almost the end, so that they all stay in one piece and fan them out to make 2 sets of 4 legs on either side of the sweets. Much less fiddly than trying to stick them all on one at a time. Next up, Dracula Fangs made from watermelons and coconut, again from Kidspot. Another tip - don't let the off-cuts of the watermelon go to waste - the tiny triangular pieces you cut out for the teeth can be served separately in a bowl on the side - great for a hot day like it was on Friday. JJ & Coco enjoyed their watermelon fangs as you can see above!
Finally, the kids had fun making their very own origami bat to take home as a memento from the party - very easy to make and great for hand-eye coordination:Gigi was really looking forward to meeting some trick or treaters this year (we decided to wait until next year to take her around the neighbourhood) and we had a jack-o-lantern hanging by our front door to welcome any to our house but this year was a slow year, with just one kid popping by. He was in luck though because Daddy gave him a big handful of lollies because we had plenty ready to go! Here are a couple more pictures from our Halloween preparations and clowning around:
UPDATE: Congratulations to Coco - less than 24 hours after our party, her mummy gave birth to a new baby brother. Maybe it was our Dracula Fangs & Red Back Spider Bikkies that got the ball rolling..xxx