Blog tour & Giveaway :: Kids' Crafternoon Books

Last week I previewed the first two lovely books in the Kids' Crafternoon series to which I contributed some projects. The books were edited by the lovely Kathreen Ricketson of Whipup fame. Kathreen also publishes Action Pack - a fabulous e-mag full of activities for children. Kids and creativity is a subject she's obviously passionate about  (as am I) so I decided to ask her a few questions on that very topic.

What advice would you give to parents who want to nurture their children's creativity, but who don't think they are creative themselves?
I think that everyone is a little bit creative - they just don't realise it - or else they have forgotten it. You don't have to knit, sew or draw to be creative - you could be a gardener, a shed tinkerer, a natural actor, a great story teller or a wonderful cook instead.  Sometimes getting creative can be as simple as a paint set and some paper - or it might be making mud pies in the garden, or it could be using your empty toilet roll collection to make finger puppets. Use your talents and passions to encourage your kids to get creative with you. I think that adults need to nurture their creativity just as much as children - or maybe even more, for children it comes naturally you just need to give them a teeny tiny nudge and they are off.  Somewhere along the way in growing up and getting jobs and becoming responsible, we adults have forgotten to be creative and forgotten the joy and freedom in being creative. Being with children and giving them a helping hand is a great excuse for adults to rediscover their creative side.

Image source and book project tried by Siobhan of Beaspoke Quilts

Image source and book project tried by Maya of Maya Made

What do you think are the most important reasons for encouraging kids to be creative?
Being creative is not just about playing and having fun, well it is that too of course - but it is a whole heap more as well. Here are some reasons to get creative:
1. Creativity gives you the freedom to get messy and explore new ideas. Creating and exploring new ideas helps our cognitive development, increases our abstract thinking and problem solving skills - and we master new skills too.
2. Creativity creates feelings of well being towards others and yourself. Being in that mode of relaxation and joyous concentration actually has health benefits, decreases our levels of stress and makes us worry less. We become more confident and have higher self esteem, we are likely to achieve more in other areas as a result.
3. Living the life you dream - knowing that creativity does matter. Not being just a consumer, but putting back into society rather than just taking from it.

I really love Kathreen's thoughtful answers - I think she's given us a lot to ponder. Thanks Kathreen. If you want to get in and start making with your kids (or nieces and nephews, grandchildren, etc) a great place to start is the Kids' Crafternoon Sewing and Papercraft books! I have one copy of each book to give away to Australian residents. Just leave a comment about kids and creativity - things you like to do with your children, something you liked to do as a child, your thoughts on kids and creativity... anything. But don't get worried about what to write, the winners will be chosen at random. Please also tell me which book you would like to win. The first person chosen in the random draw will get the book of their choice.

The two winners will be picked at random on Monday 1st August. Australian residents only please.

This post is part of the blog tour for Kids' Crafternoon Sewing and Papercraft books. If you'd like to see more of the books and check out some projects that have been made from them you can visit:

22 Jul Poppytalk
23 Jul Picklebums
24 Jul Little Eco Footprints
25 Jul Beaspoke Quilts
26 Jul Maya Made
27 Jul Checkout girl
28 Jul the red thread
29 Jul We Wilsons
30 Jul Maggie Makes
31 Jul Mmm Crafts
1 Aug Domesticali
2 Aug Floating Ink
3 Aug Elizabeth Abernathy
4 Aug Mommy Coddle
5 Aug The Long Thread
6 Aug Hannah Fletcher
7 Aug Between the lines
8 August Go Make Me

If you'd like to purchase your own copy of the Kids' Crafternoon books they are available on Booktopia.
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Lovely Tutorials

Here are some I've seen and loved.

Dip Dye Cups on design*sponge. The colours...! I've seen quite a bit of dip dying around lately and I'm really loving the effect.

S'mores Kit on Creature Comforts. I've never tried S'mores but they sure look delish.

Hoola Hoop Rug on Family Fun. Awesome idea. we'll definitely try this. I'm not sure now where I saw this... it may have been WhipUp.

Retro Postage Stamps on bloesom kids. Fun and sweet.

Crochet stool top on Dottie Angel. Added to my 'to do' list.

Have you seen any great tutorials lately? Please share!
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Freedom :: Summer Collection

Earlier this week I braved the torrential rain to attend the launch of Freedom's Summer Collection at Carriageworks. In keeping with the summer theme we drank pineapple cocktails out of pineapples, complete with little umbrellas, and ate gelato under palm trees, while watching old movies at the 'outdoor' cinema. I got to hang out with Jo (on another whirlwind visit to Sydney), Megan (who did a wonderful job styling the event) and Lexi (I don't know how she does all she does and still manages to look so glamourous) and I didn't want to leave and go back to the reality of winter!

not so great photos taken on my iPhone

Edit: Check out Jo's post on Desire to Inspire for a lot of much, much better photos taken on the night.

When I hosted a giveaway for Freedom a few months ago a frequent comment was along the lines of I can't believe it's not butter! Freedom. Wait until you see the new collection: there are bold colours and great shapes, and styles that evoke New York to Shanghai. It's directional and inspirational. And it's all about allowing you to take different pieces and mix and match to suit your own style. Gotta love that.

The standout pieces are from the new limited edition range. Freedom launched their first limited edition range last season, and apparently most of it sold out as soon as it hit the stores. How amazing is the Three Sisters settee? The new collection will be in store on 22nd August, so you'll have to elbow me out of the way for one of those upholstered Jack & Jill stools! Loving the shape and the handles.

Also on my must have list are the fabulously quirky garden gnomes in all their glossy glory, and these great outdoor chairs.

Love this light too!

Another standout is this stunning big coffee table with a hammered finish.

The glossy liquorice Spice Hall table (above) is long and narrow with chunky turned legs and looked fab paired with the square stools in antique white, red and teal.

As you know I don't blog about things unless I love them - even if there are cocktails involved - but there are so many things that called my name in this collection. See anything you like?
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Inspiration :: Ella Robinson

Multi media textile artist Ella Robinson creates these vibrant sculptures from driftwood, thread and plastic tubing. I love the way the intense colours and precise stripes of the manmade elements really pop against the organic forms of the found driftwood. I'd be thrilled to have one of these in my garden!

All images: Ella Robinson

Ella also creates accessories using the same techniques and materials... they are scaled down versions of her sculptures.
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Light and Bright dining

In the depths of winter on a miserable rainy day I'm swooning over these light and bright summery dining rooms - very diverse in their styling, but all lovely.

Image source: Red online

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Craft + Technology = Love

Embroider your own iPhone case! Use the patterns supplied or create your own design. Love it.

Available from connect design.


Found via Cafe Cartolina, via Unplugged.

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Kids' Crafternoon

Earlier this year I was asked to contribute some craft projects for a new series of books called Kids' Crafternoon. The first two books in the series are Papercraft and Sewing, and I was excited to receive copies of them in the mail last week. The other two titles - Felting and Beading - will be out in November.

My shadow box project.

My papier mache animals project

My illustrated softy brooches project

The books are full of fun projects for school aged children and require minimal or no supervision. They can be completed in an afternoon or less. Perfect for when you hear that familiar cry "I'm bored!". (When Roxy says this I tell her that only boring people get bored. Which is always met with the response "Oh Muuuumm!!") These books would be perfect to pull out during winter school holidays, rainy weekends and for quiet time after a big day at school.

The design and photography are lovely, the instructions are clear and there are templates in the front of the book. If you'd like to win a copy stay tuned... next week I will have one copy of each book to give away as part of the Kids' Crafternoon Blog Tour.

Edit: The kids' Crafternoon books are available at good bookshops, including Readings and Booktopia.
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Giveaway Winner

Just where has this week gone?! I actually thought it was Wednesday today, but I just realised that I'm a day late announcing the winner of the giveaway. School holidays as a single mum means no time for work, blogging, or me. But it has been so enjoyable... if a little stressful because of things not getting done. Not even a photo to accompany this post. I did love hearing what you've all been up to in the comments on the giveaway post, so thanks.

So. The winner. I consulted random.org and the winning number is comment 50.

Josefina Hatara said she's been out taking pictures with her new lomographic camera. Congrats Josephina the Oh My Deer! will be heading your way. (I've emailed you to get your postal details)

School goes back on Tuesday, so I'm hoping to be hanging out here more often then. And all going to plan, there may be some work getting done too.
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Affordable Wall Art

Now that the Design Files post is up I'll show you some more corners of my home over the next few weeks. One of the things that I enjoy doing is utilising inexpensive and unexpected things as "art". It's fantastic to have wonderful art on your walls but often you need a more affordable alternative.

Two of the things I have around my home pretending to be art are tea towels and vintage board games.

The tea towel above is from Able & Game. I love it so much. I glued a narrow piece of white cardboard to the top edge at the back of the tea towel and when it was dry I simply added Blu-Tac to attach it to the wall. A couple of small pieces of Blu-Tac hold the bottom corners in place.

Below is a typographic tea towel from Yardage Design. The great thing is that if you get sick of them as art you can always use the tea towels in your kitchen.

Vintage board games also make fun and graphic artworks. I picked up both the Bingo and Video Village games at markets for a couple of dollars each. You can also find them on eBay and Etsy, but usually for a higher price. I always keep my eyes open at garage sales, fetes, markets etc for vintage ephemera. You never know what you might find.

There are so many designers printing lovely things on tea towels these days. These examples by Leah Duncan would look gorgeous in any room.

 I'll follow up with a second instalment of ideas for affordable wall art next week.
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One of those days...

It's almost 4 o'clock, I've been awake since 6am and I feel like I have done nothing today. Here's how it went:

Wake up and hang out with Roxy, have breakfast, etc.
Check emails and browse a few blogs.
Put some washing on.
Unpack the dishwasher.
Get Roxy in the bath and help her wash her hair.
Have a shower and get dressed.
Get Roxy organised ready to be picked up for a day out.
Think about all I will accomplish today and write a list.
Tidy up. Change the bed sheets.
Do some paper craft with Roxy.
See Roxy off.
It's 11.00. Now... some work!
Make a few phone calls and go online to order a few office supplies.
Hang the washing out and put another load on.
Put the kettle on.
Answer the phone and talk to a friend... for 45 minutes!
Pay some bills.

Heat up some homemade soup and put some toast on for lunch.

Look at my Google Reader and browse a few more blogs.

Eat lunch while browsing the internet.

Boil the kettle again, and this time make a cup of tea.
Take my cutting mat out to the dining table to cut some Sweeties fabric so I can fill some orders. (I do usually have stock cut and packed and ready to go, but I've run out and need to restock at the moment)
On the way I pass the laundry and realise I have more washing to hang out.

Hang out the washing.

Answer some emails. (sorry if you're waiting on a response from me... I have a backlog!)
Tip out the cold tea.
Realise it's 4 o'clock and I have to get to the Post Office and haven't cut the fabric or packed the orders.
Check my list and see that I have only crossed off 2 things!
Write a blog post about it.

Edit: Oh and I did also spend a sizeable chunk of time on the phone sorting out my car insurance, rego, and a few other things as I've just sold a car and bought another one.

Do you have days like this too? I have good intentions and even write times next to my list items, but when it's a beautiful day in winter I need to get the washing out, when a friend calls who I haven't spoken to in ages I don't feel like I can cut them off, and I tend to get a bit distracted by my computer... Then it gets to 4pm and I stress about losing the day.

Have a great weekend. I hope to have a more productive one!

x
Lisa
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abcd winter wrap up

Last Thursday we held our abcd winter event and it was a great night as aways. We had our best turn out yet, with 36 of us (35 women and one brave guy!) enjoying a chat over drinks and some great pub food. As usual Steph from Bondville did an awesome job as co-host and co-organiser. Amongst other things Steph handles the mailing list and facebook and is a natural born mingler!

At the meet up we have goodie bags, which are optional and lots of fun. It's not all about the goodie bags, but they are eagerly anticipated! The idea is that people can contribute something to the bags for others to remember them by. There was some serious thought, creativity and generosity that went into the contents of the bags. This is what I found in mine (the captions are listed clockwise from top left):

Some of the beautifully packaged goodies.
Janette, My Sweet Prints

My goodie bag.
Sasha, Faint Impressions
Heather, Heather Keiko
Jessica, Oscar & Ruby

Pauline, Sophisticated Yum
Sally, Jambo Chameleon
Vesna, My Little Jedi

Amy, Badskirt.

Kirsten, Lilypad Designs
Tessa Down That Little Lane
Kamilla, Kareena and Fran, Ministry of Home Economics
Pauline The Party Studio

Anastasia, Anastasia Drawing & Dreaming
Helen, Helen Edwards
Ditty, Ditmeister
Suzanna, Mon Tresor

Kate, Another Donkey Design
Fiona, Fiona Kate
Anni, Milk & Honey Photography
Siobhan, Beaspoke Quilts

Suzy, Floating World Design
Saffron, Saffron Craig
Steph, Wedding Ideas Australia and Bondville
Roberta and Peta, Rowantree Design

Kamilla, Little Originals
Bec, Honi Design

Thanks to everyone who came along and made the night the success that it was. In addition to those listed above, we also had the pleasure of the company of: Suzi (Urban Road), Sophie (Scoops Design), Ginevra (Ginevra), Kasia (Laikonik), Luz (Feltisimo), Emily (The Style Workshop), Steph (Moobear Designs),  Melissa (The Art of Teddy Bears), and Geoffrey.

If you live in (or can get to) Sydney and you think you'd like to join us next time join our mailing list to be notified of the details. This is a quarterly event, so it will be around the end of September.

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Time for a Giveaway

It's been a while since my last giveaway...  I love my new(ish) Oh My Deer! so much that I thought you might like the chance to win one. I have mine in my studio/office - they work in any room, but are a particularly lovely addition to a child's room. This is the large version (there's a smaller one too) - it stands 35 cm tall.

Just comment here telling me what you've been up to lately. Easy huh? I'll choose the winner of a large Oh My Deer! at random on Wednesday 13th and will post it anywhere.
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My Home on The Design Files

About a month ago I spent a lovely day with super sweet Lucy of The Design Files. Lucy was here to photograph my house and I'm excited to tell you that you can now see the photos of my somewhat eclectic decorating style here on Lucy's awesome blog. (when you click on that link be sure to scroll up because it seems to take you to the centre of the post) Hilariously Lucy makes a few references to the number of cushions I have... if you're a regular visitor here you'll know that it's no secret: I'm into cushions.

Thanks Lucy!

Image: The Design Files
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Smalltown

In the '70s my mum was a bit crazy for macrame. I think she attended a class or two and next thing we knew we had macrame pot plant hangers, macrame jewellery and other assorted craftiness in our home. Mum was really into it. So it's with a great sense of nostalgia that I put together this post about Smalltown.

Melbourne-based Sarah creates stunning macrame planters, lights and commissioned installations. They feel really fresh and contemporary -  I particularly love the way they puddle on the floor - and they have made me rethink macrame. Would I dare to make myself some lovely white hanging planters? Yes. I think I would. Do you love them too?

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