Everyday Creating #09

It has been awhile since we last played with our hamma beads but as Lj got a new princess set for her birthday we brought them all out again. MJ made these really cool cards. You have to have and show a 'tree' pass to be allowed entry into his bedroom. He is really into setting up a club and has started a minecraft club at school...I think it has come from his love of 'The Secret Seven' stories.

Everyday Creating #08 Imogens Sock Owl party

Today I had a Lilyjean, Quirky&Handmade Crafting party. A fun loving group of 7 yr olds made these totally quirky and lovable sock owls. They managed well with the challenge of sewing and the glue gun came in handy for the button eyes and feet. I loved how the girls wanted to customise their owls outfits adding hairbands, blankets and all sorts from my scrap bag. I must have threaded 100 needles today!

Well done girls and thank you Imogen for inviting me to your party!

Lj timeline...4th birthday

 June 2010

 June 2011

 June 2012

 June 2013

 

 June 2014

I have a feeling that these time lines each year are going to get harder and harder...I can hardly believe it is a year since she turned 3 and yet as I read through last years post I can see how much she has progressed. Since last year she has been to Pre school for 4 months and then in Nursery for 6 months. She loved Preschool and currently loves Nursery, wishing that she can also go at weekends.

She has a kind heart, loving to share and take care of others.
She throws herself into activities whole heartily and likes to explain the rules and lead the game.
She has a great giggle which we hear often. She makes us laugh often like when she hurts herself and I hear her whisper to herself  'be brave, Lily, be brave'.
She loves to draw, colour, make, stick, cut and spends most of her free time creating something. When she is not making she is likely to be looking after her baby and dogie.
She can write her name and all the letters of the alphabet. She is easily frustrated if she makes a mistake. She thinks she can spell like MJ and tries to sound out words. MJ likes to test her on her adding and she rises to the challenge and is beginning to understand the principles.
She loves to have friends come and stay so is really enjoying our recent visitors although for the first time today she told me that she misses having her own bedroom now that she has moved out to let her Uncle stay.
She is still afraid of most dogs although she is trying to be brave and stroke little Barney. She is also afraid of all insects, no matter how small!
Her favourite foods are any variety of fruit, sweets and cheese.
Going to nursery exhausts her and when she goes to bed at 7pm she is asleep within minutes but often wakes in the night wanting someone to lie beside her or warm her up!

Lj's 4th birthday

This week Lj turned 4! It has been a long awaited birthday...she started talking about it before Christmas!

We decided on an after school school garden party and invited a few friends and our neighbours. Thankfully the weather was kind and we were able to play games and have food outside.

The night before MJ and I set to work on her cake. We used pre coloured icing on the top and round the base. Then used butter icing coloured green and piped it using my Wilton 233 (which I had purchased to create MJ's monster birthday cake a couple of years ago). I was surprised how much MJ enjoyed cutting and placing the butterfly and flower shapes from pre coloured icing on the cake. 

I managed to get her mud kitchen constructed and painted in time too. It was a hit on the day and I think it help create many hours of fun over the summer.

With all the busyness of the day I didn't manage to get any photos of our marshmallow flowers but they went down so well I think we will be trying them again and maybe next time I will get a photo!

Everyday Creating #07

Well, I thought it might happen...a few days off from Everyday Creating due to visitors coming and going but we were also hit by sickness bugs which made the week pass in a bit of a blur.

Tonight we are back to creating which involves trying out the latest craze of 'loom bands'. I was surprised how quickly MJ was able to get going on his own bracelets but then I almost fell off my chair when Lj picked it up straight away too. For the past hour they have been busily creating, trying out various methods of construction and feeling rather proud of their results.

Everyday Creating #06

It's the fortnight of birthdays. 10 family and friends birthdays in 14 days and a very special anniversary thrown in this year for good measure. So I got my card making factory working and made a whole lot of pinwheels! I have to be honest, I didn't make these today. Today is all about cake making and getting ready for Lj's birthday tomorrow but we will keep those creative things for tomorrows post.

Everyday Creating #05

On Thursday afternoon I decided to take the bull by the horns and get started on a mud kitchen for Lj. I spent a few hours in the afternoon and most of the evening constructing it. There was a lot of screwing and unscrewing before I finally got my head around how to make it. Along the way I snapped a drill bit and embedded another one.

Today I gave it two coats of wood stain and am looking forward to adding the little bits and pieces I have collected for it before putting it in place tomorrow night after she has gone to bed.

Everyday Creating #04

Last night I got started on a mud kitchen for Lj which I hope to have finished for her birthday. Today we cleared a space in the garden for her new kitchen and my 'everyday creating' was some simple bunting which will hang above it.

Everyday Creating #03

Lj and I did a spot of baking this morning in anticipation of family and friends coming and going over the next few days. I had thought we would leave the gingerbread plain but Lj had other ideas so now the men have bow ties and the ladies have bows in their hair.

This is what I should be creating just now but instead I keep getting distracted by thoughts of...

A mud kitchen for Lj's birthday present. I feel it should be easy to make out of all the scraps of wood in the garage but for some reason I'm struggling to get started. I know M could knock it together in a few hours but considering how busy and tired he is at the moment I'm afraid to ask.

Meanwhile I'm enjoying the sound of Rend Collective and am debating buying the CD...the CD cover is pretty cool too.

OK time to stop procrastinating and get some work done!

Everyday Creating #02

Today, we have a little lined handbag commissioned by my friend for her niece. I love making little things like this and Lj loved to run down the street to deliver it.

Everyday creating #01

At the moment we are doing lots of creating at Lj- Quirky&Handmade headquarters. Each day my 'to do' list is long but has a mix of the usual chores alongside more fun and creative tasks. I thought I might try and do a quick blog post each day of the creative project we are working on. This might only last a few days as we have a few big changes to our daily schedule coming up, some temporary and some a little more permanent, so who knows if the creative tasks on my 'to do' list will ever find time for completion.

Today...

  A logo for a young adults church group.

Paper, pens and glue

Lj will be turning 4 years old in under 2 weeks so I should probably keep this post until then but while the mood is upon me I'm doing it today. When people ask me what they should give Lj for her birthday, the only thing that springs to mind is paper, pens and glue. This girl gets through ALOT of paper. Here is a little selection of her recent masterpieces.

Her play room work space with Doggie in baby's car seat, a baby in their high chair and a baby beside her in its pram.

Her out door work space! Painting her butterfly wings.

Ready for nursery dressed as a butterfly!

Her and family at the play park.

Houses at night!

Lj and me crossing the road at the traffic lights.

A spider?!

As I picked Lj up from nursery last week her teacher told me about the project they were working on that session. Their topic is 'Vehicles' and Lj had wanted to make a double decker bus. The teacher went on to explain that this was not going to be simply a painted cereal box with circular wheels stuck on. Lj's bus was to have a floor, a large window at the front, smaller windows on the sides, a door at the front and in the middle, an area for the driver and stairs to the upper deck. Apparently, a week later, and the bus is still not finished!

Med Cruise 2014 Day 7-10 Pompeii, Kotor and Split

Pompeii, Italy

Kotor, Montenegro

Split, Croatia

Med Cruise 2014- Day 4, 5 & 6 Cannes, Pisa and Rome

 Cannes, France

 

Pisa, Italy

Lj's impression of the 'bendy' tower of Pisa.

Rome, Italy

When I think of our day in Rome, I think of our tour guide. She was a fasinating lady who seemed to know just about everything there was to know about the Vatican. She did work in the Vatican museum so I suppose it should be no surprise but her love of Rome shone through in all she said.

Med Cruise 2014 Day 11 & 12 Venice

Venice...where do I start.

Tasty Ice cream and pizza everywhere
Cute boutique shops
Canals...gondolas...water taxis...quaint bridges
Amazing views from Bell tower
Stunning architecture
Breath taking vistas
Sunshine
Hard to find, but totally worth it, quirky hotel.

I'm still in love with Venice.