make something, save something

We put our tree up today! Pictures to come.
I made these memory wire bangles for a lovely friend and my little son helped me make some for his teacher too. I think they're pretty, I made one for myself! I am being as errmm ... thrifty as I can this year particularly where  I can use "stuff" and "talents" I already have. Apart from our new advent calendar {which was admittedly purchased under duress which I then justified by calling it a "reward"} there will be no new cards, tags, wrapping paper, decorations etc. I will be having a lovely time using all the lovely things from my vast stash. As much as I like  love shopping at this time of year, I am keen to simplify and slow right down and not buy {haha} in to the stress. I would rather be sitting on a beach. I think people are in to it... I think it's a trend. Will there be less consumerism this christmas? In the wake of the "occupy movement" will more people be buying from local small businesses or online via etsy etc?
Will Chermside be a ghost town at 2am during the annual all night shop?
I won't know because, breaking with tradition, this year I will be having coffee with my friends somewhere else. {will woolloongabba antique centre be open at that time do you think? }  ;-)

Our Advent Calendar

Anyone would think I'd announced that I was killing Christmas by the outcry of objection from my boys when I presented them with our new advent this year. Sorry boys, no tacky chocolate filled trademarked calendar from the supermarket - NOOOOOO!

They melt in this weather and every Christmas, without fail, my little redhead sneaks in to the fridge in the early hours and eats Dec 4 through to Dec 24 in a few tidy minutes.

My little one begged me to get this Father Christmas advent calendar with the idea, I suppose that I would fill it with candy canes or chocolates or even, over confidently recommended a that pokemon ds game would fit nicely in each of the draws!

Mummy thought that some lovely family christmas activities, written on little scrolls of paper would be such a fabulous, beautiful tradition to start - SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING KIDS!

I had some great ideas, stuff we do every year anyway but this way it's a little more special. I know they'll love it - for sure. I also got some ideas from Pinterest... just type in Advent Calendars. 

There are some fabulous ideas that you can do with your children to celebrate the season. 

Each of my boys will get a turn on alternate days and I will adjust the activity to suit them. 

They can save it as a voucher for another day if they want to.

Some ideas: gingerbread iced chocolate

christmas playdough

visit christmas lights

watch a christmas dvd

christmas baking

read a christmas book

christmas puzzle book {we have a very cool where's wally type christmas activity book}

I even relented and threw in a few vouchers for candy canes.

Ahh the joy of the Christmas season begins...

Happy Friday!

As we are about to enter a time of celebrating peace and goodwill I thought I'd share this

really beautifully made message for equality and anti-discrimination from getup australia

travelling via books and vintage maps

This little reading corner will have to be disrupted soon to make way for the Christmas Tree 

which will go up in about a week - ahh! 

The rocking chair was passed down from my mother or was it nan? 

I fed and rocked my two baby boys on it. 

The lovely map table was a derelict piece of junk on the side of the road a couple of months ago 

with a crumbling chipboard top. I really loved the cane frame and the little rusty castors for shoes and wonder what it was used for in it's past life. I tossed the remnants of the top and passed it on to my dad as a project to work on with my boys {I think Dad did most of the work!}. 

Dad is my Go To Guy when I need help with anything serious although, especially being a single parent I feel pretty good at doing quite a few things on my own {and by that I mean my 14 yr old helps me quite a bit, strong points being anything electric or digital or from ikea}. After building a new table top he suggested decoupaging the surface with old maps and I think it now looks marvellous!

So between my maps infront of me and my bookcase behind me, I can go anywhere! 

I am thinking of painting the cane white - thoughts?

icy poles!

This weather is too hot already and there are some tempers in our house that need cooling down!

I have found an inexhaustible source of inspiration on pinterest. 

Some healthy, some not healthy, some for kids and some for adults only. We are making vanilla yogurt with fresh blue berries tonight, I will let you know how they turn out. 

raspberry yoghurt 

herb infused lemonade 

coffee

green tea

lychee saketini 

{lots more delicious looking poptails here ➡ endless poptails from endless simmer such as 

  bloody mary, white sangria and bourbon butterscotch latte just to get you started}

oh my goodness they all look marvellous... I guess you could very easily make kid friendly 

versions by omitting the alcohol.

and finally...

rainbow popsicles!

do you have a favourite concoction for me to try?

The Jungle Giants - Mr Polite New Video

Aww the Jungle Giants' new video for Mr Polite is Amazing, Epic, Tragic, Beautiful!
I just can't even comprehend the work that goes into these animations!
The ending just kills me...

a fern in a cup

so maybe things can be fixed...

Susan suggested a bit of tarzan's grip so I got some and fixed it and it worked.

It now has a pretty fern in it and everyone's happy ~ Happy Friday!

Jacarandas!

I think they may be gone soon, the storms will blow the blossoms away. 

As I took these photos I could see them gently falling. There was also a beautiful soft scent and a lot of bees, possibly humming but I can't remember. 

Halloween Party and Trick or Treating

      

      

It wasn't much of a stretch to transform my little one into The Devil. 

My friend Leesa hosts trick or treating at her house every year as her neighbourhood goes to the most spectacular effort to celebrate Halloween. 

It's such a great experience and my boys came home with {literally} a bucket load of treats.

Some of the guests brought some wonderful halloweenish food. 

The handmade toffee apples' tags read "eat at your own risk".

There were also beautifully decorated cupcakes adorned with black rats, picket fences and tombstones.

The savoury food included some severed sausage fingers, which tasted great but kept giving me the creeps because they were so realistic. And these mummy pizza muffins were a cute idea and were very yummy too. Aren't the chocolate vampire fangs and brains gorgeous! 

The brains oozed out with gooey strawberry fondant!

Spiders crawled up the walls and spectres spectated from outside, hanging about waiting for someone to throw them a bone.