Jumping castles

It's no secret jumping castles are fab.  They now come in such a wide variety of styles and shapes, colours and sizes - you can rent them, or even buy smaller versions to enjoy the jumpin' fun long after the party ends.

We recently went to a backyard dress-up party with a jumping castle that was purchased at a supermarket - wow... that was the stuff of dreams when I was a kid!

Whilst they may well kill the grass if left out too long, they are a brilliant addition to any party theme or scheme, and buy the parents a little time to chat, in between all the games and catering duties... oh... and I have it on good advice that parents have been known to give 'em a go post-party too!

Keep jumpin!
Linda.

Favourite Find: Floral vinyl

It's no secret that one of the nice things about school holidays is that you can relx a little.  Sure, you're still a mum, and you're now back on full-time duty, but you also don't have to be somewhere 'right NOW' which means you don't have to shout "get in the car!!!!" several times before your second cup of coffee.

In our recent school holidays, Happy Husband and I took the girls to Sydney Harbour where we showed them the sites (Opera House, Harbour Bridge and so on) and stopped for a harbor side snack and rest.

It was in the little Mexican-styled 'pop-up' cafe they had near the steps of the Opera House that I saw vinyl table cloths stapled to ex-pallet benches.  They looked super simple to make (and yes you do have to watch out for splintery knees) and the stapled vinyl table tops made the whole space super-festive.

A quick trip to my local fabric store revealed plenty of vinyl florals on rolls, perfect to pick and choose from... now I just need to find a party excuse worthy of wrapping my dining table in flowers!

Stay crafty,
Linda.

Face painting a bald head

It's no secret that some people have a better sense of humour than others, and some are more adventurous when it comes to trying out the ideas of children... goodness knows, I myself often make up lame excuses to get out of the bright ideas my two daughters try to foist on me!  Which is why I am grateful to the dear, balding man who agreed to let my girls paint a turtle on his head!

They came up with the idea before the special guy had even arrived, and no sooner had he sat down at the dining table than they ambushed him with the idea, and he shrugged and said sure.

It was great fun to watch and the girls thought it was hilarious that he drove off at the end of the visit with his "turtle" still painted on his head... thankfully he made it home without incident... the mind boggles at what a policeman or petrol-station attendant would have made of his "decoration!"

So then... next time you're painting faces... look around for a bald head - they make great canvases!

Linda.

Favourite Find: Rainbow Duct Tape

It's no secret that washi tape is groovy, although often expensive.  Masking tape now comes in so many widths and colors that being crafty is fun and fast... but sometimes you need something stronger... and that's where multicoloured duct tape comes to the rescue!

Mimi, Little Lotti and I all made the pinata for Lotti's recent pony party in the park.  We did the usual thing of covering a balloon with paper mache and then more paper mache, and then some white paper mache for good measure.  We then painted it with left over house paint, and glued clip-art images of ponies and horses all over it, added some sparkly stickers for fun and then some stamped flowers for even more fun.  Last of all, once the pinata was filled with treats, we had to close over the top hole, and affix fishing wire in a sort of 'net' around the pinata so we could take it to the park and hang it up.

Rainbow duct tape was the perfect find - yes, it's a little "busy" in a graphic sense, but it had a festive feel perfect for a pinata and best of all, it's super strong, so once stuck down it wasn't going anywhere.

And as for the pinata on the day?  All the kids got to whack it with a stick, but although it grew holes all over the place, it never 'cracked' so Mummy got to take out all her pre-party tension and whack it some more... and still it didn't break!  I guess we made it a little too well!  So I put the stick away and then tore it apart... ah... treats rained down onto the happy kids.

Top tips for a pinata:
* hand out paper cups to the kids so they can collect their treasure,
* place a picnic rug underneath to avoid the treasures being trodden into the ground,
* look for sweets that are individually wrapped so that you minimise dirt getting onto food,
* have a few treats set aside and look for 'sad faces' so you can top up their empty cups,
* seriously consider whether a pinata is an age appropriate addition to your party, as I've written before how they can be dangerous things... blindfolded kids wielding big sticks around a group of fearless children all pressing in as close as they can to the action... hmmmm....

Regardless, I give the pinata a thumbs up as a memorable party-feature.

Enjoy!
Linda.

Pony Party

It's no secret that I've been missing in action for a couple of weeks now.  Life has been hectic (and sometimes horrible) with migraines, school holidays, helping a sick mother stay sane, and doing my best to celebrate my youngest daughter's 4th birthday with a pony party in the park.

Here I am, back, at least for now, and seriously contemplating getting a 'real job' in an office where other people are working, and wearing ironed clothes and shoes, as opposed to my usual casual sock-loving attire, and talking to each other in an adult-conversational way.

I will blog more soon, but let it be said that park parties rock!  By having the party away from home there is far less cleaning to be done, you don't feel obliged to feed everyone mountains of food, you avoid the two party dilemmas of whether to serve alcohol to parents, and whether to allow your child to open the presents as they arrive (both of which are virtually impossible at a public park) and when the party is over you thrown the rubbish in the bin, scoop the rest up in your hamper and mosie on home to relax.... and don't even get me started on the money and time you save on decorations!

Sure, there is always the risk of rain, but wow, I'll seriously be considering an away from home party for ever after!

As for the pony party, it was a sheer delight to watch a dozen kids ride their hobby horses around the park, play pin the tail on the pony, and break up a home made pinata!

(The cake was store bought and then decorated by Little Lotti who sprinkled on the green 'grass' and glued on the icing flowers.  I added the little girl on the horse, complete with party hat and parasol  with a quick kebab-stick and pom-pom wool bunting to go over the top.  Super fast, super easy, & big hit on the day.)

Viva la ponies!
Linda.

PS - for more party ideas, pop across to my Partycrafts Website.

Fairy Food

It's no secret that fairies are little people... and that your own 'little people' probably adore fairies... and we all know that the one thing everyone loves more tha fairies is sweet treats!

Next time you're thinking of treats to make for a party, bake-sale, or afternoon tea, think little... think cute... think pink.

There are soooo many great things on the market that you can buy that are ready to serve, but why not make them you-nique by tricking them up a bit... take the humble marshmallow for example; why not pop them into a paper cupcake liner (you can even turn them inside out).  Pop a pink marshmallow in a white liner and a white one in a pink liner, then use an icing pen to 'glue' caucasons or other dainties on top.

Not only do these little treats taste great, but they look amazing.  Best of all, they take mere moments to make, and I promise that the ohs and ahs you get will make every one of those minutes worthwhile!

So go on... have  fairy tea party just because, adn make (rather than bake) some tiny treats to try!
Linda.

PS - don't forget there are plenty more fairy-party ideas available in my fairy party ebook!

Steamer Twirlers

It's no secret that after a party you can be left with plenty to clean up, and inevitably, alot of it ends up in the bin.  As a thoughtful crafter, I'm not sure that landfill is something I'm comfortable making.  That's why I try to upcycle leftovers any which way I can.

After Mimi's 5th birthday last year I pulled down several lengths of crepe paper streamers.  If you drop them carefully, and do your best not to twist or tangle them, they are basically in perfectly good order.  So instead of tossing them, I turned them into 'twirlers' for my preschool daughters.

Here's what you'll need to make your own:

• Streamers - cut to the same length, and preferably in an assortment of colours.
• Drinking straws.
• A stapler.

To make your own streamer twirler:

• Simply fold the streamers over the end of the straw and staple in place (being sure you staple through the straw).
• That's it!

Yes; the straw does bend, and yes; the twirler isn't going to last forever... but my girls had a great time in the back yard dancing, being ponies, and just generally having a colourful good time.  It cost me nothing, took minutes to make, and helped saved the environment to boot!

Sometimes the best fun happens when you don't try to hard.  So go on, bring some colour back into your life and up-cycle some streamers for some twirly fun.

Linda.

PS - you can now vote for my blog - simply click (here) or on the button on the right hand side of this blog!  Thank you! x

Pretend Baby Bath Time

It's no secret that outdoor play is so important for children.  That's why, whenever the weather is right I throw open the doors and get my two young'ins out there.

If your yard is small or your children consider it 'boring' it's your job to come up with new ways to use their 'old' space.

Many, many months ago the girls and I came up with a super simple activity that lasted waaaay longer than I expected: washing baby dolls.

All I did was set up a couple of low tables, and popped a pre-loved plastic baby bath (a real one or buckets would work too) on one table, and a set of small hand towels and face washers on the other table, and the drying rack beside that.  The girls enjoyed washing several of their dolls, shampooed their hair, and then dried them off, and washed all the towels for me... which was 'sweet' of them but entirely unforeseen .. and without the usual spin cycle of the washing machine, the towels took a LONG time to dry out!

So go on then - whether it's a baby-shower activity for young visitors, a spring cleaning initiative  or a fun way to spend a mild afternoon - get the kids to wash their toys!

have fun!
Linda.