Check out my new craft blog!

Hey everyone!

I have just started a new blog called Craft to the Rafters. Here you will find posts on all my crafting shinanigans. I decided to create this blog so that I can keep my crafting projects separate from Lachlan's journey. I will however post any that involve Lachlan and are child-oriented. Most of you know however that I enourage more expressive art in young children, than 'craft'. However, we do still do some from time to time and often Lachlan becomes engrossed in my crafting projects. When this occurs, I modify the project to create one that is developmentally appropriate for him.

At the moment, there is only one project on Craft to the Rafters. This is the Folded Flower project that I posted on Lachlan's blog a few weeks ago. It has now been removed and moved to Craft to the Rafters so you can find it there.

Keep checking in at Craft to the Rafters. I'm working on Halloween wreath at the moment and various other things as I'm planning a pumpkin party for Lach and his friends. I just have to bring some of my good ol' American Halloween fun to Australia. It just isn't the same! A friend and I have also decided to craft together one evening a month (to give us a break from our normal tidying up after the kids fall asleep at night and then crashing and burning on the couch after a long day!). We thought it would be a great opportunity to do something we love and to have some girl chit chat...and of course, I just have to share what we come up with! :-)

Give your wand a little swish...

The other day Lachlan saw a magic wand on a program we were watching. Each time the wand was waved, something would appear: a rabbit, a dog, etc. "Oooooooo," he said. "Cooooool! I like this mommy!"

With that I set out to make a wand my little magician. I wanted to make something soft so he wouldn't hurt himself or others. Running around with a stick in his hand just shouts, "Doom!" A wooden star wand that you pick up at the craft shop was an option but then I could visualise it flying across the room like a ninja star towards his sister...hmmmm, perhaps not. So I decided to go with some felt and make my own tip of the wand. I turned to Rhythm & Rhyme for some inspiration. I'd seen some wands she made up awhile ago and liked their look. I however decided to use a real tree branch from our hard for the handle. We have a curry tree in our vegetable patch that we sadly have to constantly chop down because the root system is bothering our neighbours water pipes. We constantly hack at it to make sure it doesn't grow too big and of course it just grows back with a vengence. It has pretty much become a supply tree for me. I use the branches for all sorts things now!

I think the way I did this craft demonstrates how you can make something for little to no money. I actually had everything on hand and most of it was from something I recycled: the felt was from my scrap box, the branch was from the yard and the ribbons were from one of my shirts (you know the pesky hanger holder loops from the shoulders?), I snipped them off and the matched the wand perfectly and added a little pizazz, too! I used pure wool fleece as stuffing (I always have a bag on hand thanks to our local woolworks farm). I can't help but to think of the sheep when I'm using it. Lachlan always likes to run over to the paddock and say hello to them when we pick up supplies; so we do literally know our fleece by name :)

If you make a wand, make a design that is meaningful to your child. I chose to do moon and stars because Lachlan absolutley is fascinated by them both. I drew the star and moon free-handedly on paper and then used that as a template to cut from the felt. I just used a few beads from my craft box as stars. I sewed a larger, purplish bead as a 'wishing star.' After I finished sewing them all on I heated up the hot glue gun. While I was waiting for that to heat up, I sewed the purple ribbons to the base of the stars (hiding the top ends inside where the stuffing will go). I then glued the felt stars to each side of the branch. Next, I took the floss and began doing a blandket stitch around the outer edges, stuffing the star with wool on either side of the branch before closing it of with stitches. And, voila! There ya have it, I magical wand for you little magician made from natural fibres.

I was pleased with how it came out considering it was something I whipped up in a jiffy. I think this wand with the moon and stars would be a cute think to add to a child's bedtime who is a bit fussy about going to sleep. It could be that magical 'sleep wand' from the Goodnight Fairy. A wand that makes you very, very sleepy!

As all wands should have a special magical rhyme, I made this one up for ours:

"Give your wand a little swish, close your eyes and make a wish!"

What types of wands can you make up? I'd love to see what materials you use and what magical spell you give it!

Father's Day 2011

Gumnut Windchime

Today is Father's Day in the good ol' land of Oz! Lachlan was excited that he could give his daddy the gift that he had been working on- a gumnut windchime. This morning, when I told him it was the day to give his gift to daddy, he ran over to him as fast as his little feet could carry him ad handed him the box. When his daddy opened it, Lachlan acted like he was just as surprised to see what it was. He's so proud of it! We have it hanging from our back porch. There is a gentle breeze today and as I type this I can see it swaying in with pride. I love that Lachlan made it with clay; we can see his little toddler finger prints in it- a reminder that he was once that small. The middle imprint is from a seashell that Lachlan pressed into the clay. I let Lachlan design it as it his his creation, but if one wanted to make a decoration for their home, it would look great if you did an imprint of a gumnut or gumleaves to coordinate.

The rest of the day we spent at the city zoo. It was very fitting as many of the animals have just given birth to their own little babies and you could see some of the males watching over their young with pride; especially the meercats, where there were two young pups.

Now we're back home and both kids are zonked out after a long outing. The house is very quiet and still, probably the best Father's Day gift to hubby of all! I wonder if I can request that for Mother's Day as well?

I'll leave you with a Father's Day poem...

What Is A Dad?

A dad is someone who
wants to catch you before you fall
but instead picks you up,
brushes you off,
and lets you try again.

A dad is someone who
wants to keep you from making mistakes
but instead lets you find your own way,
even though his heart breaks in silence
when you get hurt.

A dad is someone who
holds you when you cry,
scolds you when you break the rules,
shines with pride when you succeed,
and has faith in you even when you fail...

- Unknown

Treasures in a Bottle

A bottle of treasures

So today I was going through my bedside table and came across a little box full of tiny pendants that I have collected since I was a knee high to a grasshopper. Don't ask me why I hang on to such things. All I can say is that I have a hard time throwing things away from my childhood; especially now since they are probably (as our nephew would say) antiques! Anything made before the year 2000 is ancient to him!

I was sitting on the bed looking at all these little charms and taking a walk down memory lane: a little golden locket from my grandmother, a silver cowboy boot from my friend Katie in the 6th grade and a tiny butterfly that was my sister's. I remember where I was when they were given to me, like it was yesterday: sitting on my grandmother's bed, at my birthday party surrounded by friends and in my sister's room when she decided she had out grown such things. I remember thinking that I had something new and special; a little treasure.

I began thinking today what I could do with these little trinkets as I didn't want to just chuck them in the bin, but they are certainly doing no good just sitting in a dusty drawer among other things that I never use. Lachlan tip-toed in my room and stood next to where I was sitting. It was as if he knew I was looking at something special and needed to approach quietly and gently.
"Oh!" he said, with a little twinkle in his eye. "What's that called, Mommy?"
I told him they were pendants and he repeated the word. He began to point ad say each one: "butterfly, sailboat, boot..."
As he was doing this it made me feel like I was back to working with my developmental therapy patients. I have a "I Spy" bag filled with little objects and rice in which the child can explore. It looks like a huge bean bag but has a vinyl window where the child can see what is inside. As the bag is moved, new objects appear that were once hidden within all the rice. I use it as a fun way to have a conversation with a child to test their receptive and expressive language. I might ask, "Where is the zebra?" or say, "Here is a shoe. What color is it?"

I thought to myself that these little things in my hand would be perfect for that and I could make my own little "I Spy" game; but one with a few of my childhood treasures. I asked Lachlan if he'd like to make a 'treasure bottle' with me. Of course, he was keen! I mean you don't hear the word treasure as a toddler and not want to see what that is all about!

Some of the treasures we added, but ot all...

 I went around the house and dug through all my little odds and ends drawers for tiny objects. Afterall I was going to need a few more things to make our bottle worthy of exploring. Before we knew it we had an assortment of things that we just small enough to fit through the time of our bottle.
 I choose to use a long wavy shape bottle with a cork. I like the look of it and more importantly it is a great size for toddler hands. It is glass which teaches him how to be gentle but it is not so bulky that it would slip out of his hands easily- the point is to move and rotate the bottle a lot to unbury the treasures.
Here is the list of things that went into our bottle. If you make one, write up a list o you don't forget and if you give it as a gift, the receiver will have fun trying to find all the items.

• thumb tack
• screw
• cowboy boot
• sail boat
• turtle
• paperclip
• flower
• button
• leaf
• gumnut
• sea shell
• diamond
• butterfly
• golden locket
• magic crystal

Remember that whatever you choose to put in your bottle must be small enough to move around easily within that size of bottle. If you put large objects in a small or narrow bottle they won't move around well and will jump together. Tiny objects get nicely lost in the rice. You may also use larger bottles, such as a mason jar. Items can be larger than the ones I used in that case.

Lachlan helped me fill the jar with rice and the treasures and a closed it tightly with the cork. I like the cork because you can push it in to the resistance you want and can still undo it if you'd like. The most secure I can make it with my strength is too hard for Lachlan or myself to undo but I'm sure not too hard for my strong, brauny hubby to open :-)

So there you have it; a nice little treasure bottle of memories to, well...treasure! Things that once were special to me, can now be special for Lachlan. He can now sit and have fun discovering a bit of my childhood memories and who knows, perhaps they become his now too! Until next time, folks, happy treasure hunting!

Happy Birthday, Ong!

Over the weekend was my father-in-law's birthday. He is also known affectionately as 'Ong,' (grandpa in Vietnamese) by his grandchildren Lachlan adores his Ong and particularly looks forward to Saturday night dinners at Ong and Ba's house. It takes me nearly an hour to get there with traffic but it is worth it to see how Lachlan's face lights up when he sees my father-in-law and my mother-in-law's pho can not be beat so that makes it very worth it, too!
This particular Saturday was very special as we were going out for dinner to a restaurant for Ong's birthday. Lachlan could care less about going to a restaurant. He was excited that it was his grandpa's birthday and just as importantly, that there would be birthday cake...and even more important than that, there would be birthday candles. Lachlan told me that day he thought Ong might be turning three as he is older than Lachlan, a mature two.


I asked Lachlan that morning if he'd like to make Ong a special birthday card. "Oh, yes!!!!" was his response, in true Lachlan fashion as always. He carefully thought about what he would draw. His result was a picture of Ong and his birthday cake, with three candles, complete with little flames on top.

Later that night we gave the card to Ong and ate dinner at a chinese restaurant. Unfortunatley Lachlan, his sister and myself had to leave before the cake as it was getting way past bedtime and a couple of little guests were getting a bit cranky. I am always the one who gets to leave parties early ( the 'boob factor'). I can't remember the last time I stayed for the cake at a party! Daddy however was very nice and brought some home for us. The kids had been asleep for hours but I stayed up to taste a slice :)

Getting Crafty

In February, Lachlan and I joined a Steiner playgroup. Although I don't plan on sending Lachlan to our local Steiner school, the playgroup has been invaluable for both Lachlan and me. The wonderful thing about Steiner playgroups, is that the focus is completely on the child and on the parent to be fully present with the child during the hours of playgroup. The environment is relaxing (though the lavender oil helps this!) and all of the toys and materials are made from natural fibers. The children are encouraged to do a lot of work with their hands; they knead their own bio-dynamic-organic brown bread rolls which are baked for morning tea time. There is also an organic vegetable garden where the children can pick fresh veggies and herbs to go with their bread. My favourite time has been craft where the parents begin the project of making a toy for their children. Older children can help in the process and if the children are too young, the adult makes the toy on their own. All of the chidlren whether they assist or not enjoy watching their parents at work and are very excited when they can hold the finished project and explore all of its endless capabilities.

The playgroup has been such a blessing for me. I have been able to interact with other like-minded parents; those who the use of natural materials, organics, sustainability and who also actively work at having a very connected relationship with their children. I have always loved to use my creative thinking abilities when I've had the time but I haven't done a lot of toy-making when it comes to craft; most of my craft involves household decoration or entertaining table pieces. The thought of making something for Lachlan that he might treasure always sounded appealing but I suppose I never really new where to start or found my inspiration. Well....now I am inspired! Ever since our new playgroup, I have been crafting away all of my free time! I've been taking all the techniques I've learned at our weekly playgroups and expanding upon them at home. So far I have felted, sewed and even done some woodwork. I am addicted!

Felt Balls

Thanks to my dear cousin, whose daughter attends a Steiner school in the U.S. I have been exposed to numerous blogs involving Steiner-inspired arts and crafts. It has been a lot of fun reading through them and gaining more motivation to make something special for Lachlan. I first started out making felt balls. I made a small one and then also a larger one with a bell inside that jingles. I have been amazed at how much Lachlan loves these simple felt balls. He has made up his own games with them and we have both had a blast chasing them around the house. Since the are felt, I don't have to worry about anyone getting hurt or anything breaking.

My next project was to make a felt shape from a cookie cutter. This was something very easy and that Lachlan could help me with as well. It was time consuming but we were both pleased with the end result--a steam train! Of course this made my inspiring train engineer very happy as trains are all the talk in our house! I added some detail to the train with a blanket-stitch around the edge.

Sporting his crown

Our little Prince

Earlier this week, I decided to make a crown for Lachlan using some left over felt I had from a Thanksgiving project where I made turkey finger puppets--okay, so I guess I do craft a few kids things now and again...I made this crown not thinking Lachlan would actually wear it as he doesn't typically like to put things on his head; however I was motivated to practice my blanket-stitching and a crown is easy to do. I pulled out some brown felt and stitched it into a crown and dug up some old buttons to act as jewels. To my surprise, Lachlan has just loved this crown! He loves to wear it while playing at home and for the last two nights he has insisted on sleeping with it. A true sleeping beauty, I tell you!

Wooden Sail Boat

At play group my current projects have been a felted fish, heart ornament and most recently completed, a wooden sail boat. Lachlan was particularly excited about the sail boat. He's enjoyed playing with it in the bathtub and also in our pretend ocean that he and I made out of a blue towel spread out on the living room floor. We through in some sea shells, sea animals and our felt fish (of course!). Lachlan also came up with the idea of building a ferry so that his matchbox cars could go across the sea.

Noelle's Doll

Lastly, I have just finished this evening my first doll! I'm very excited because I wanted to buy a similar doll for Lachlan when he was a bub but never did. Now I have hand-made one for baby Noelle who is due in just 3 weeks time. It is a very simple, teething blanket doll; inspired by some blogs I've read and by the Kathe Kruse collection of organic teething dolls which I have been interested in.I was a bit nervous to tackle it, even though it is a simple doll. Sewing is something that I've just been recently doing and I'm not that great but I'm slowly getting the hang of it and with each project I learn something new from my mistakes which makes the next goal I tackle a little bit more successful than the previous.

I hope you enjoy the pics of my latest crafting adventures but most importantly I post them because I hope they will inspire you to make something special for your child. There is no greater gift than watching your little one play with something you made from love. They don't care about the imperfections, they just treasure what was made especially for them from someone they love so dearly.