Something noteworthy

I wanted to start a series on here, for the weeks when I'm not particularly inspired to be creative. I wanted to write about people who I find 'noteworthy', hense the title.

To begin, I had been fortunate enough to have my crafting hero answer some questions for me, but then some things came up and I've decided to write up her interview another time.

The last few weeks, my head has felt like it was going to implode - I've felt a literal pressure building inside my skull. We lost another house contract, no one is really interested in ours, it's all costing money we don't have and then I found out on Monday, that there has been a monumental stuff up at the kindy. Not only have we never paid a cent for Big's fees, but they are twice as much as we were told they would be. Massive debt.

None of my toys have sold since September. Centrelink told me I'm at home, so "you don't need childcare". I will neither confirm nor deny that I called David at work and sobbed uncontrollably into the phone until he had to hang up.

Here is the noteworthy bit - I have amazing friends! Friends who can see past the rubbish and love me anyway.

Monday morning, I went to visit my gorgeous friend, Alana. Her little one was teething and clingy, her big girl and Little refused to get on, but we talked craft and art (her work is amazing. She is so talented!) and she emailed me a truckload of links for online stores that she loves.

I find Alana so amazing. She eats organic, knows her natural therapies inside and out and gently offers suggestions, rather than being judgemental. She truly is beautiful inside and out and when I left her house, I felt so refreshed after sitting in the silent bush (they have no neighbours) talking and enjoying her company.

On Wednesday, I went to see an equally gorgeous, talented, artistic friend. She is a rare treasure indeed. Bek nursed my darling sister-in-law so selflessly in her last days. Bek is unwell herself and has 3 kids, but she is so generous with her time.

So I drove up the hill to see her. We chatted, crafted, laughed, drank tea, ate chocolate and she made me the most delicious lunch! We realised how much we have in common and gushed over how beautiful each other's children are.

I drove home feeling lighter than I had in such a long time. The pressure in my head dissipated and I felt happy.

When I got home, I checked my emails. I had deliberately not checked them while visiting Bek. I had taken Alana's advice and signed up for one of the sites - making my first sale within 24 hours!!

I am so lucky to have wonderful friends. Bek and Alana are just two of them and their love and generosity is truly noteworthy.

(Don't foget about the giveaway!)

GIVEAWAY TIME!!

In celebration of Willowbel Creations's online store, I am giving away an elephant, and you can choose the colours of the cape and mask!

To enter: like my facebook page and share the giveaway status.

For a bonus entry, follow this blog via Networked Blogs or your own blogging account (links are on the sidebar).

Giveaway closes on Sunday, June 2 2013.

Good luck!

What is going on in her head?

Despite the fact that I carried both of my girls, gave birth to them, fed them for almost a year each and am at home with them virtually 24/7, there are times when I look at them - really look at them - and wonder if I really know them at all.

This is especially true of Big. She is almost 5, determined, talkative, inquisitive, emotional, affectionate, imaginative and loving. But I often find myself curious about what is really going on in her head. She loves making up stories and she describes very vivid pictures from her imagination.

A few months ago, I taught Big how to hand sew simple items. When her best friend's birthday drew near, Big insisted on making her something for a present. I asked her what she wanted to make and she replied, "A rainbow with arms and legs and a face."

We went to Spotlight and she gave me instructions about fabric and I told her I would do the difficult sewing. We set about designing and cutting out. It took me a while to get my head around sewing arches, but I did it!

It is massive. Huge. But Big was so thrilled with it. She helped me stuff it and then proudly sewed the stuffing opening shut. She wrapped it and took it to her friend's school (we pick her up once a week and it happened to fall on her birthday). It was a success and loved, making both girls' days.

Once this project was done, Big threw herself into sculpting with playdough, proudly showing off her creations. She loves bright colours and there is usually a love heart or a fairy involved.

(That is her suitcase - packed for a trip we are taking in September. She has been carting it around all week!)

There are a lot of tears when what she creates with her hands does not match what she sees in her head. She finds that the biggest frustration of all. We have many conversations about perfection and the fact that it is not real or necessary. One day I hope we both learn that lesson!

The more she creates, the more I feel like I get to know her better and I realise that there is so much more to her than the fact that she is my daughter.

I found fairies in our garden...

More than anything, I love making things for my girls, especially when they can give me input on what they want. Seeing their faces when what they have imagined comes to life is so thrilling!

A couple of weeks ago, we had a birthday party to attend. The invitation arrived in our letterbox and it called for Avengers to assemble! Unfortunately, I have two girls who have no idea who the Avengers are, so Big was a little confused.

I explained that it was a costume party and she immediately asked if she could go as Tinker Bell. Once she gets an idea in her head, it is next to impossible to shake it, so I set about making a Tinker Bell costume.
 

Hubby wanted to dress Little as the Hulk, which reduced Big to tears because she found the idea of a green sister scary. But the problem was soon solved.

As soon as Little saw Big in her Tinker Bell costume, she asked, "Mine?" Within a couple of days, two costumes had been made. I had bought Little a tutu from a second hand shop, so hers ended up being a bright pink costume to save time. It is that bright, that I had to move away from the window when I was cutting it out because the sun on it hurt my eyes!

Little wore her costume almost every day, but Big wanted to save hers for the party.

At the party, the parents and extended family had gone all out! A city backdrop had been painted and an uncle, who is a photographer, took photos of each child posing in their costumes. The party favours were a frame for each child with their photo in it. The birthday boy's mum had covered each frame with pages from old comic books. The girls love theirs!!

While Big wore store bought Tinker Bell wings that had been a gift, I did make Little's. I'm happy to post a tutorial if anyone is interested. They were very basic to make.