Stick Horse Pattern

We're trying to get back to simple pleasures with the kids, which means board games, puzzles, make believe, stories and timeless toys. Stick horses used to be a staple in any child's toy treasury and our kids do really love pretending to gallop around our apartment on their "horses". So when a friend's little boy was having a birthday and I knew he loved horses, I thought a stick horse would be the prefect gift. To find out how to make your very own stick horse with my free pattern and directions, click below.

What Makes You Happy?

Ok, so right now I'm meant to be studying for a pathophysiology quiz I have tomorrow but to be honest I don't think my brain can take looking at another case study so instead I thought I'd distract myself with a blog post. I've actually had the Sheryl Crow song, "If It Makes You Happy" stuck in my head for the last couple of hours, so I thought I'd just go with it! 

Vanity Revamp

So I don't know about you, but the bathroom is the main thing I always make sure is super clean when we have people over. As strange as it sounds, I feel like you can tell a lot from a person's bathroom and how they keep it. Anyway, our bathroom was in need of a pick me up. We retiled it about 5 years ago and it's still in good shape (though we've always wished that we had gotten lighter tiles) but it definitely needed something to lighten it up a bit. I came up with the very simple idea of updating our vanity by adding panelling and painting it white. See how I transformed our vanity...

Dress to Skirt Refashion

There is just something about yellow that cheers me up. I love the colour and I seem to gravitate towards it not only when choosing clothing but also when decorating. We painted the kids room yellow when we first bought our apartment five years ago and I still love the colour and I will admit to sitting in there when I need a pick me up. So when I spotted a cute pale yellow dress in a thrift store a while ago for $7 I snapped it up. Sadly it really didn't fit me in the bust and I was constantly having to pull it up, plus the tie at the waist felt a bit dated, so I decided to turn it into a skirt! Click below for step by step instructions on how to refashion a dress into a skirt. 

Happy Mother's Day

I don't know if I fully understood or appreciated what my mum did for me growing up or what she sacrificed so that I could do the things I wanted to do, but since having children myself, I've really come to comprehend what she's done for me and how she's supported me through the years. Though living on different continents for the last nine years or so and being busy with our own lives I'm really lucky to know I can always count on her. 

My mum and grandma are super talented and creative women and I owe all my crafting, sewing and cooking knowledge to them. My mum is an amazing artist and she illustrated the mouse on a toadstool in the above picture, along with a series of other children's paintings for the kids' room. I wish I had even a fraction of my mum's ability to draw and paint, but I can barely draw stick figures. My daughter, Isla, however is a budding artist and frequently tells us she wants to be an artist, like grandma, when she goes up. 

I have very found memories of watching my grandma at her sewing machine when I was little. She always had a project going and would frequently be making things for friends, neighbours, the hair dresser, you name it and they would get a quillow or bunny, like the one in the photo, which she made me when I was little. I treasure that bunny, even though its dress has lost its elastic and its mouth is a bit more downturn after years of being played with, it reminds me of how much she loves me because I know what it's like to want to make something special for your kids and see their faces light up when you give it to them.

So I want to thank my mum and grandma for their love, support and inspiration to create.

Happy Mother's Day

Rail Trail Adventure Part 2: Red Velvet Cherry Ripe

Another bakery stop on our Rail Trail Adventure brought us to Goulburn Bakery. I couldn't resist trying their Red Velvet cake, which they called a Red Velvet Cheesecake (I'm guessing because of the cream cheese icing) but I wasn't expecting it to taste exactly like a Cherry Ripe! Eating it reminded me of childhood and I couldn't wait to try to make my own version at home.

Mother's Day Market Tote

Why not surprise mum this Mother's Day with fresh bread, fruit and flowers from the local farmers market in her very own market tote bag that you've made her! You can even make her brunch from your selection of market goodies.