A TIP FOR THE CRAFTY

You should keep a magnet in your sewing kit to help find pins you drop on the floor (This is much safer than finding them in your feet later on!)

A RECYCLED STORAGE SOLUTION FOR THE ORGANISED

I haven't met many people (or should I say 'women' instead of people?) who believe in 'enough storage'. Personally, I can never have enough storage solutions. As a person who makes things quite often, I always have something that needs to be put away but I never seem to have enough area to put them away all nice and neatly. I am a fairly fussy person too and I do enjoy it when things are where they are meant to be but like I said, unfortunately, there is no such thing as 'enough' in my world when it comes down to storage.

The above picture shows that it is possible to use a recyclable item to get rid of some of the clutter at home so easily. The circles are actually just paper towel rolls and depending on the size of your items, they can be cut into two or three and make smaller rooms. They can also be closed on one end, so that they can be used for small items such as buttons, nails etc too.

Have a nice and easy day today!

HOW TO MAKE A PAPER BOAT

When at home, Mr. Junior plays on his own at times but his favourite is doing things with us. He generally does things like crafty projects or cooking related activities with me and does gardening and things that require tools with Mr. Hubby the most.

He loves being involved in daily activities and responsibilities and we are happy to keep it that way. However, there are times when he doesn't want to do anything on his own and can't find anything to do with me during the day and he comes and asks me whether we can 'make' something. He even gives me ideas at times.

About a week ago, he wanted to make a boat with me. As a child, I remember of making hundreds of them but I couldn't remember the right steps on that day for some reason. So, I jumped online and refreshed my mind using some online tutorials. After a few minutes, we made our first boat together with him. It was really fun. We only used what we had in hand for paper at the time and it doesn't look the best. So, excuse the picture but regardless of how imperfect it looks, it was one great activity for us to do together and made Mr. Junior very happy. I believe that is what matters the most after all, don't you think?

Below is a video recorded tutorial on how to make a paper boat. Enjoy!

A CRAFTY DECORATION IDEA

What a brilliant idea to share once again! So easy, so personal, so unique! You could use this idea and change it a bit if you wanted to. For example, if you are a teacher and are looking for a crafty idea to do with your students, you could form groups of 5 (or so) students and each group can have their unique hand stamped wreath. Alternatively, if you are a parent and would like to do something with your family, you could make this using each family member's hand prints. You can make a wreath with it and put it on a door or you can frame it!

DID YOU KNOW ... ? (15)

Since 1945 more than six million people from across the world have come to Australia to live. Today, more than 20 per cent of Australians are foreign born and more than 40 per cent are of mixed cultural origin. In our homes we speak 226 languages - after English, the most popular are Italian, Greek, Cantonese and Arabic.

Here is the source of this information. 

GUEST POST: HOW TO MAKE FELT BALLS

This tutorial comes from Belinda Connelly of Fairythread. A big thank you to Belinda for the tutorial as well as the special offer for the readers of this blog (see note below). 

Make your own felt balls - great for the kids to try!

"the ball is the first toy a child should have, for it is the symbol of the whole" Froebel

This soft and simple ball is made from 100% pure wool which is then hand felted. It is warm and comforting to touch and provides a wonderful means for your baby to become aware of movement as well as stimulating the senses and imagination. 

You will need: 

•unspun wool 

•large bowl or kitchen sink

•dishwashing detergent

•warm & cold water

•towel

(I find it easiest to work over the kitchen sink)

1. Wind very thin strands of the wool round and round in a random pattern to form a ball shape. Make it a third bigger than the intended size as it will shrink in the process.

2. Submerge the ball in warm water until it is soaked. Squirt generously with washing up liquid.

3. Now work the ball as though you are making a snowball 'cupping' and 'packing' it with your hands. Rub the ball, making sure to keep its round form. You need to work quickly: rubbing, cupping and packing so that the outer fibres begin to lock together. This will take about 7 minutes.

4. While rinsing the ball in cold water now, continue the above actions. This helps to firm the locking of the fibres.

5. Resubmerge the ball in warm water, add a little more detergent and work for a further 5 minutes.

6. Rinse thoroughly in cold water, making sure to squeeze out all of the soap.

7. Rub in a towel to dry. I like to leave mine on top of my hot water service overnight to dry thoroughly.

Note: You can buy your own felt ball kits from Fairythread (www.facebook.com/fairythread). Mention this blog to receive 10% off normal price!

BRINGING UP ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY BABIES

There are many ways that can help us bring up our babies as environmentally friendly as possible. Below is a list of suggestions most of which are quite easy to do. Please feel free to add to this list your tips in the comments section below.

1. Breastfeed: There are many reasons why it is best to breastfeed babies in general but here, lets look at it from the environmental perspective. By not using packaged foods, you will be supporting a healthy environment (no factory carbon footprints caused during production of foods)
2. Make your own baby foods at home: When your child is ready for solids, cook his foods yourself at home. It is cheaper and healthier (and pretty easy too). 
3. Re-usable nappies vs disposable nappies: It takes 200-500 years for a disposable nappy to dissolve. It is arguable that the amount of energy and water used for washing the cloth nappies may be less harmful to the environment than the modern single use nappies.
4. Use cloth and water instead of wet wipes: Some cotton cloth  and water is so much better for your baby and the environment than the wet wipes. However, if you have a convenience issue with that, you may try to use the cloth/water at home and the wet tissues when out and about.
5. Share: Re-use baby/kids clothes and toys. Share them with others (with other family members' or friends' kids or you could choose the pre-owned ones when shopping and then pass them on to others when done with them) as opposed to buying new at all times. 
6. Choose environmentally friendly toys: Plastic is bad for your child's health as well as our planet. Choose the toys that are made using natural materials such as wood and cotton. You could even give a go at making a toy at home or choose the handmade ones when shopping.
7. Go for cotton baby clothes: Good for your baby, good for the environment, and more durable than many other materials/fabrics!
8. Read tags: Read the ingredients used in baby shampoos, soaps and other products and try to buy the ones that have natural ingredients. It may be more expensive but it would definitely be worth it. At least try to swap the one that you use the most with a natural one even if you can't afford to purchase all of your baby's products from the natural/organic range. Alternatively, make your own! Many products that we/our kids use on a regular basis can be home-made. (Let me know if there is a particular product that you would like me to write about or share a tutorial of)
9. Use natural disinfectants: Instead of using chemicals like bleach, use natural options such as bicarbonate and vinegar when cleaning baby products (toys, pacifiers etc). You can use them in general house cleaning purposes too. (I have already written about a few options such as homemade cleaning products for babies, homemade hand sanitizers, homemade laundry detergents, homemade all-purpose cleaning products, and more but If you need more information, stay tuned! I will be posting more about homemade disinfectants in the future.)
10. Be an example: Teach them how to love and protect our planet/world/environment not only verbally but by being a good example too. They are likely to be more interested and passionate about it if they see you as a caring person and if it is a part of your lifestyle.