Valentines Day Goodie Bags

I loved the Xmas Goodie Bags I made for my niece and nephews last year I decided to make them some for Valentines Day, infact Im going to try and do these little things for most of the holidays this year...

I wanted to make two different cookies, gingerbread and shortbread. And I sadly no matter how hard I tried to look for some, couldnt find ANY cookie cutters in Valentines day theme, I had a little heart, but I wanted like a cupid for example...but none of the cheap dollar stores had any, the Warehouse didnt, KMart, Spotlight....no one....Simon got me a set of Heart Shape Cookie cutter with different sizes in them....I felt really stink about him getting them for me....and paying for them..they werent cheap. But they would have to do - I can bet I will find what im looking for after Valentines....!!

I wanted to dunk my short bread into chocolate, and for the gingerbread I wanted to do some fondant icing on them like with my onesie cookies from last year at the comps....Meggan came over to make cookies with me, and I couldnt find a gingerbread recipie, and my gingerbread cookie cutters - I have some like these ABC Gingerbread - well they are in one of my boxes with all my stuff for when I eventually move out of home and I wasnt going through them all to find them, I know there is a recipie on the back of the packet. So I ended up with just Shortbread. I coated some of them with chocolate and iced the other half with pink fondant icing.

I managed to get some heart shape marshmallows, and I hunted down to find chocolates in hearts but I only managed to find ONE little bag at the warehouse they were all sold out (they had been on special 2 for $4) - i was feeling really low now, I couldnt find lollipops either i ended up getting chupa chups, and I had no other real heart shape candy, mum went up to the dairy and fruit and vege store and managed to get some gummi lollies in hearts...I was depleted...

I put my goodie bags together however, one for my niece, and one each for my nephews - I also made an addition bag each for Meggan and Michael to give to their school teacher (what a grease up aye??) and for baby Emma I got her a little teddy with bow on it with hearts and a little onesie with hearts on it for her Valentines Present.

Its the thought that counts..! Easter I will be better prepared!! Given they already have Eggs out now!!

Goodie Bags

Detail - the paper is from my minds eye, the stamp was one sent to me Heidi Swapp I believe, I painted my silver heart brads from Kerri, and used my Fiskars Apron Lace border punch on the Toppers.

House Mouse ATC

I signed up to a ATC Swap over on the Fiskateers Board last year for House Mouse ATCs - and Im fortunate to own ONE stamp from this series, I was sent it with a whole pile of goodies one day from fellow fiskateer Merlene. I havent done any crafting for a while and I thought since Uni has finally finished I might as well use it as an insentive right?

I was stumped on what to do for it - And Simon gladly helped me out with it, we sort of went for a Willy Wonka slash Candyland sort of theme.We had so much fun with it, we went for a chocolate river, and Simon wanted a waterfall coming down like the one you see in Wonka's factory....so we went for a trip to Subway and got some fat clear straws from there, I think Simon liked this project purely because he got to use the hot glue gun...he is addicted to that thing, doesnt matter what I do when Im out in my room he is in there wasting away the glue in the guns on something..!

We had a few things like liqorice made from foam and some glitter and matchsticks put together to make lollie pops...and cotton wool inked to make candy floss clouds.I coloured the mouse in with water colour pencils.

I only made one set as I only had one stamp.

Baby Clothes Bouquet + Baby Cards

So my friend Tracy down in Christchurch is due with a baby at the end of the month and I know from when I was staying with her the things she still needed to get more of for her daughter. So I decided to give a crack at making a clothing bouquet after seeing one on Martha Stewarts Website - there is a video on youtube somewhere that shows how to make them and other similar items.

 

I had a big stash of florist tape both in green and white from a random bag of things we brought on clearance some years ago from Spotlight (they use to just bag up stuff they wanted to get rid of for a few dollars - I think we got them around the time of my sister's wedding in 2004).

 

To make your flowers you need the following basic items: 

• Florist Tape - the type that you pull and it stretchs out and becomes takky/sticky
• Florist Wire - I recommend a nice sturdy wire, you want one that will hold the weight of the clothes
• Fake Flowers/Leaves - for a bit of a finishing touch, and to add depth to the bouquet
• Clothes - all in ones, socks, teeshirts, bibs, hats, mittens, wash clothes etc.

 

It takes a bit of getting the hang of with folding the items and rolling them up, then wrapping the tape around - dont be shy with the tape especially around where the bottom of the "bud" meets the "steam" as it can sometimes pull apart. The tape IS safe for on baby clothes and regardless of if your using white or green it will not stain it.

I had a variety of socks, bibs, booties, hats, mittens, onesies, tee shirts, petal skirts, wash cloths making up my flowers for this - with a couple of pacifiers added in, I hung two wine charms off the bucket (both were from my table setting I did last year for the culinary comps). I also put in the bottom of the bucket a fleece blanket and a couple of flanette wraps. (I knew that tracy was in need of blankets, bibs and socks.

Must add that Simon did help me with the final "floral arrangement" I just couldnt get it to go how I liked without it having lots of gaps in it...but he somehow brought out some logical mathematical thing on how to do it...(I blame having a mother who teachers maths for that part..) - Im pretty happy with my first ever attempt.

I also made a couple of baby cards, one for Tracy and one for her neighbour who had twins the same time as her - I added in a little gift for her girls to be sent down with Tracy's gift.

Tracy's Card

Kayleigh's Card

Happy New Year!!! 2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Here is to an amazing new year..!!

My mate Toni invited me over to see the new year in she did, we spent the night playing random games with her and a few of her mates and one of my co workers Matilide and her partner Ben who Toni also knows (actually it was at Toni's birthday I met them - little did we know at the time we worked together in different departments!!). This was Simon's second time meeting them as he had met them at my work's xmas party. Simon and Ben spent a long time playing with swords they did...(both Tili and Ben are in a circle together - that was where they met and formed a relationship).

We watched as the fireworks went off over by the Skytower - Toni has a slight view from her deck at her house to the Skytower. We finished the evening off with a movie...which I fell asleep in before waking up sometime in the early hours of the morning deciding  I wanted to go home to my bed. Usually I stay over at Toni's and crash on her couch when I have been at her house but I just wasnt overly feeling well. I wanted my nice bed that and I had to be at my Dad's for a family BBQ on New Year's Day....bless Simon for driving home....he shouldnt have technically speaking, but I was no good being pretty much asleep.

The family BBQ was good - got to met my step nephews whom I missed out on meeting in November due to me collapsing and going into hospital - leaving me with just one of my step nieces that I havent met now. I hardly see my step siblings, and I dont have an overly close bond or relationship with them all - my sister on the other hand seems to have more of a bond than me. She has the slight advantage that her husband's family lived when the moved here from the UK when he was little with my Step Sister's partner's family after they came from the UK also. My Brother in Law and his siblings are also close friends with one of my Step Brothers (this all happened before my dad split with my mum and got with my step mum of course...but you can see how there was already that relationship/bond before out families came together through common law I guess). I have always felt left out, I am and still am the youngest - and my relationship with my Dad sadly has slipped away as much as I have tried to keep it going (we use to be really close growing up before he left).

After everyone left me and Simon stayed behind for a little bit to give my dad and step mum their xmas presents. We had a little talk about our plans and stuff for this new year and other things....I tried to get Simon and Dad talking...by mentioning things like radios and electronics, Simon is into similar things as dad is....we talked about Simon possibly getting a job in NZ - we are waiting for a company to call him back for a second interview as a follow up to one he had in December or so.

While it was a good day....I really felt left out and even more down when I heard my dad make a comment about not wanting anymore grandkids....I dont know how serious he is about that comment but that pretty much makes me feel stink....because my sister has 4kids and my step siblings having kids...its like if I even was able to get pregnant which I highly doubt...by some miracle it happening again....it wont be accepted...? My dad wasnt overly impressed or remotely interested with my first baby that I lost....so I can feel that I will just get the same reception from him. We have only really just started talking about now after my miscarraige in 2007....

Sigh...