Geo Piñata

It’s hard to craft empires with two small people on the scene, but I’ve been head over heels with Confetti System-esque pretties for such a long time, I NEEDED a silver shimmery piñata like these babies (no, birthday parties are not about the kids, as if that required clarification).

It was actually pretty easy, although the final product was a victim of the bad weather too – was going to take photos of it, pristine and draped over a tree branch. In the end it it didn’t get its photoshoot until post whacking, so it looks a little worse for wear. But was mega happy with it. All in all a simple and satisfying little project.

I grabbed an old box and cut fives sides, utilising the existing fold, then just stuck ’em together with tape. Because I was a bit worried that my construction would be too sturdy, I made some “windows” in a couple of panels and papered them over for easy lolly release.

Then just ran double sided tape up the sides and stuck on lengths of fringed foil. I found that folding lengths of foil into approx 10cm widths similar to a packet of crepe paper, then cutting, worked a treat.

Popped a plait of twisted tissue paper through the top and voila!

PS don’t forget to fill before raising the roof :)

Gem Birthday

So I umm-ed and ahh-ed and generally drove my loved ones crazy trying to find The Perfect Venue for the Berries’ birthday. A spot that was pretty, with parking, that we could reserve, etc etc. And then it rained, biblically, and everyone squeezed into the not-so-big-when-it’s-full-of-kids-big-new-house. I guess they gave it a pretty good christening… Needless to say I won’t be throwing a kids party this big ever again! So, dear reader, please humour me by imagining all my little crafty fancies hung from the delightfully gnarled and ancient branches of morton bay fig trees, with the afternoon sun glinting and dappling each shiny thing, and happy children frolicking, instead of this grey old inside day.

Pinterest Wednesday – birthday time

Bloody hell who pressed the fast forward button. So it’s coming up to that time. That holy-shit-where’d-my-baby-go time. Bring it on. We’re doing a double headed birthday while we still can, in fact the Big Berry managed to make it seem like her own idea. Winning. So speaking of winning, I’m going a sparkly, gold-plated, gem-encrusted theme. A pair of gems, that’s what we got :)

 

The Great Pouch Push

Or, Shit That Only Parents Could Possibly Give A Damn About, the Rafferty’s Edition

So I spend a fortune on those suckable pouch baby food things, Rafferty’s Garden or whatever brand’s sitting next to it on the shelf. There’s no substance to them, and the packaging is wasteful and blah blah. But they get eaten. And you don’t have to remember a spoon (I’m sorry who spoons them? Ridiculous what’s the point). Pretty much since The Little Berry started solids, I’ve been saying I should make my own and was promptly overwhelmed by brand choice. Anyway, Itti Bitti (they of the raver-esque fluffy fur cloth nappies), were having a sale on their version, Sinchies, so I finally bought a bunch on impulse. And then they sat in the cupboard for another couple of months and now here we are!

Yikes, I hope no journo’s read that intro. Apologies.

What this post should really be titled is Product Review: Sinchies Baby Food Pouches. Just pretend the above ramble doesn’t exist.

So…

 

Here be the pouch. Clear which is great you can see/remember what you’ve put inside. I bought the little funnel that goes with, but next time I’m  going to chuck in a piping bag and pipe them full, much faster than waiting for gravity to do her thing.

 

Was a bit of a fiddle to work out exactly how full to make ’em so they’d close, but they do seem to zip up nice and tight. I made a strawberry and coconut creamed rice first off which I figure will make a good snack for both girls.

 

Ta da! Mother of the year award: ME. Next up is a pumpkin, quinoa, apple number. I’m aiming for crowd-pleasing but filling. Will report back on the reception.

Christmas Table

AKA an excuse for lots of photos of pretty flowers. Mirrored runner from IKEA. Orchids $10 from Kings Cross markets. Ivy stolen from the end of the street. Giant silver baubley lantern thingies, DIY here.

Wrapping High

So Mr B and I have spent another rapturous evening with him working spreadsheets and tonight, me wrapping Christmas presents. Would you believe we are both deeply satisfied? Why does a bit of sticky tape and some shiny wrapping paper bring me such deep joy. No frigging idea. Not even any craftiness this year, just scored a killer little pack in the mail from The Souvenir Society. With free shipping!

 

Ahhhhh…

 

 

Speedy Christmas Wreath

 

Question, giant fans: what can you do with a hoola hoop in 15 minutes?

You can turn it into a Christmas wreath!

 

This is so super easy, hang something, anything in the middle or leave it plain, I just wrapped it in hessian but you could use tinsel, even kitchen foil. Bit of pine trimmed from next door’s overhang and some dried out gum from a gift bouquet. Sorted.

Pinterest Friday: Big Berry Room #1

Hey folks! Bit of a cheeky way to let the cat out of the bag, but we’ve moved house. More on that later. In major troubleshooting mode, but these things tend to cascade until I’m formulating colour schemes while feeding a baby at 4am. Issue number one is new curtains for the girls’ rooms (note, that’s rooms, plural). Which means a whole redecorating avalanche. With huge props to Mandi from Vintage Revivals, whose colour scheme I’ve basically stolen, here’s what we’re lookin’ at:

All this and more poppet-worthy pretties here

Kaffeeklatsch: Meadow

So, the lastest episode of “I rememeber when this used to be blah blah before they changed it and made it shit”. EXCEPT! This time it’s actually been made bloody marvellous. Prince Alfred Pool used to be a dive, and not in that springboard kinda way. I spent many a hungover Sunday sucking on a Frosty Fruit and soaking up some sunshine, semi-catatonic by the poolside when it was my local. However while I’m feeling quite worse for wear in the way only parenthood can manage, the pool has been reinvorgorated in a major way, and there’s a rocking little cafe attached called, sweetly, Meadow.

They have all the yummies a girl could ask for including brioche french toast with coconut ice cream. Yes indeedy that’s ice cream for breakfast thankyouverymuch.

What you really want to know about Meadow, is that while sipping your trendy acai smoothie out of a mason jar (yawn), you overlook this baby:

It’s a perfect little playground within yelling distance and it makes socialising with kids not death. These two connoisseurs gave it the thumbs up…

Since it’s connected to the pool, it’s open proper early, plus rumour has it there’s free entry to the pool for the next little while. Get your skates on. Frosty Fruits not included…

Meadow
Prince Alfred Park
Chalmers St Surry Hills

Holiday

 

So after that fairly miserable post, something happy: holiday snaps. We played with butterflies, cuddled crocs, made enough sandcastles to populate an empire and just chilled out (while we weren’t feeding/settling/dressing/bathing/cursing/cleaning small people).

Palm Cove is kid heaven.