Day 5: Scavenger Hunt and Heart Balloon Bomb

I remember loving scavenger hunts when I was little, the excitement of getting a clue right and advancing to the next one. So much fun! If giving chocolates or flowers isn't your thing, why not create a tailor made scavenger hunt for the one(s) you love this Valentine's day.

Day 4: Heart Felt Garland

Instead of sending a traditional valentine, why not send this cute heart felt (pun intended) garland. It's simple to make but it also has huge impact and can be appreciated long after Valentine's day. 

Day 3: Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Nothing says I love you like baked goods right? Well if you make these red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for a special someone this Valentine's day, they are sure to feel loved! 

Day 2: Heart Crayon Valentines

Isla was super excited when I told her we were making these for her friends at preschool for Valentine's day. This is a great craft to include the kids in plus its affordable and cute! Step by step guide after the jump.

Five Days of Valentine's Day Ideas

I can't say that I've always been a big fan of the concept of Valentine's day. I don't need a specific day to remind me to tell the people I love that I love them! I make a point to tell my kids everyday just how much I love them, even when they've driven me nuts. I always remember to tell them that I love them to the moon and back and around all the stars before I tuck them in at night. I can admit, however, that after 10 years of being with my husband, I have gotten a bit slack at letting him know how much he means to me. Our wedding anniversary is four days after Valentine's day so we tend to just skip over February 14th, but not this year! This year I am going in with gusto. I've come up with 5 fun crafts/foods/surprises to make this Valentine's memorable. So, check back each day because I will be sharing one idea per day for the next five days.

First up... Heart Shaped Quinoa Pancakes!

What To Do On A Rainy Day?

Bake and play games of course! It's been very dreary and wet the past few days here. It's just starting to look a little bit less gloomy today but we needed a plan of action yesterday and here's what we came up with: make and decorate ginger bread cookies, make and play the fishing magnet game! 

So if you're looking for a few fun things to do on a rainy day, try these out. We had loads of fun!

Misty Valley Blueberry Farm Adventure

Ok I'll admit it, I'm obsessed with blueberries. I cannot get enough of them. I have them every morning whether in my kale protein shake or on my toasted muesli. I mainly buy them in bulk, frozen but sometimes if they're on special we get a real treat and actually buy them fresh! Since I am a self proclaimed blueberry connoisseur, I thought I knew what blueberries tasted like, but wow have my taste buds been deceived.

Flutter Sleeve Dress Tutorial and Free Pattern

Isla had her mind made up that she wanted a cute teddy bear with pretty rainbow pyjamas for Christmas and nothing else would do, this was six days before Christmas! I quickly got onto ebay and purchased said fabric and tracked down the cutest teddy I could find that would get here in time. Isla loves the Jellycat little rabbits she's had since she was a baby so when I found the Jellycat teddy bear I thought it would be a hit. I spent ages scouring the internet trying to find a free pattern for some cute pyjamas for the teddy, but didn't find exactly what I was looking for so I ended up making my own pattern and it turned out to be really simple and quick to make and luckily Isla was super excited on Christmas day to receive exactly what she asked Santa for. I promised a free pattern and tutorial for the teddy pyjamas, the pattern can be downloaded by clicking here and below is the step by step tutorial. This is the first time I've done a sewing tutorial so if I've missed anything or something needs clarification please feel free to leave a comment.

Happy sewing!

A Cooking Challenge: Ravioli from scratch

The challenge: what to cook for our 94 year old neighbour who has probably eaten everything imaginable? Hmmm. 

Quinoa Blueberry Pancakes

Well so far I'm off to a great start with this blogging thing. Two posts in one week! I'm determined to prove the naysayers wrong  "*cough*Jeremy*cough*". I said I would post my recipe for blueberry quinoa pancakes that I made for Christmas breakfast, so without further ado here it is after the jump:

Not a New Year's Resolution

Another year has past and at times it feels like 2013 flew by in a torrent of playdates, classes, exams, trips to the beach, crafting, renovations and the like, but at other times (when the kids are on holidays from preschool or fighting with each other) it feels like the year has crept by. I am not one for New Year's resolutions, simply because I am well aware of who I am, and that is someone who is passionate about my ideas and plans but only until I am distracted by other things like everyday life, that my plans seem to inevitably fall to the wayside. I seem to be setting this blog thing up for it's demise before I've even begun but I am hoping that this is a plan for the new year that I can actually stick to. This will hopefully be a space where I can blog about crafts I'm currently working on by myself and with the kids, recipes I've made or tried that I love, home renovations, musings about life here in Sydney and who knows I might even find it's therapeutic to have this journal of sorts.