Aeroplane Party for my baby boy's first birthday.

Had my baby boy's first birthday party this weekend. Was hard work and a lot of planning but SO worth it! Will share some of the day's details, and some recipe's too.

Detail of the 'airport'

Entrance to the house - decorated with New Zealand flag bunting, and the 'airline' name

I went with an aeroplane theme, but took it a bit further to include the whole experience of flying and travel.

Setting the scene with a toy aeroplane. Note all the cool drinks and spoon holder covered with old maps.

I made a very big aeroplane cake all by myself, and decorated it with a yummy butter icing. The cake recipe is one I've found online. A nice, basic and easy recipe you can find here: http://www.stayathomemum.net.au/recipes/baking/sand-cake/
 

The massive aeroplane cake - and I made it myself from scratch! Hard work!

I also had some GORGEOUS rainbow cupcakes made by the talented Corli at Le Petit Four. Not only were they SUPER cute on the outside. Inside they were an amazing rainbow in colour.

rainbow cupcakes

The 'baggage claim' area

For the party favours my mum and I made A4 size drawstring bags, and decorated them with the Royal New Zealand Airforce Logo. I thought they looked really neat.
I also attached personalized 'pilot licenses' for each child. Inside the bags were an inflatable beach ball globe, an aeroplane spoon, a hand decorated party blower and an aeroplane sweet.

Close up of the 'pilot licenses' This one is for my 2 year old :-)

Content of the favour bag: an inflatable globe, an aeroplane spoon, an aeroplane sweet and a party blower that I redecorated.

For the birthday boy I made a pilot uniform bib to wear at the party, and also had a pilot hat knitted by the talented Sonia from Creative Aertz. He looked gorgeous, if I have to say so myself! :-)

The bib I made for the birthday boy.

Birthday boy Chris modelling his cute pilot hat and bib.

Planning an aeroplane party...

I have not posted for a while. (sorry!)
Had a lot going on, like moving house, but I'm planning with catch up with my blogging - promise!

Well, my baby boy is turning one this month. Can't believe how fast time goes. So sad...
I am planning an aeroplane party for him, and have been VERY inspired. SO many great ideas out there! If you've not discovered the wonderful word of Pinterest yet, you MUST have a look. For me its like candy land must be for kids.
My only problem now is that I have too many ideas and inspirations, and not enough time to do them all.

Anyway (getting of topic)I made some cute Aeroplane ticket invites, and send them in some of those old fashioned Air Mail envelopes. (LOVE them)

 

Now the invites are done and dusted, and in about 2 weeks it's party time.

I have SO much to do. 

Almost everything with the party is handmade by me and my mum, so it really is a labour of love. Will share photos of the party when I can. :-)

Traditional Kitchen Tea (Bridal Shower)

According to the Wikipedia:
"A bridal shower is a gift-giving party held for a bride-to-be in anticipation of her wedding. The custom originated in the 1890s and is today most common in the United States, Canada, and by North American influence, in Australia."
Well, in South Africa - where I'm from - we call it a Kitchen Tea" or "Kombuis Tee" in Afrikaans, and it is very similar to a bridal shower.

I organised my brother's bride-to-be (Nina's) Kitchen Tea, and had lots of fun planning and organizing the event.

It was at the Auckland Botanical Gardens, and I made an informal "high tea" (if there is such a thing) in lime green and orange tones. We played some games; like translating some Afrikaans phrases into English, guessing what is in the gifts, offering eggs (according to Filipino traditions) to St Claire to have good weather on the wedding day  we had a quiz on the husband to be's favourite things and dislikes.
Every wrong answer was 'rewarded' with something she had to wear or put on. Things like a veil on the head, apron, necklace made from green scrubbers and goldilocks, and a bridal bouquet made from kitchen utensils, wash cloths and the like.

She looked gorgeous...hehehe


The food are always a highlight at events like these, and this one was no exception!
My Mum made very yummy banana and date loafs, which I decorated with these adorable toppers I got from The Pretty Blog. Available for FREE to print and use how you like!
I painted them with water paint to give them a washed out colour in orange and lime green.

Also decorated a yummy chocolate cake, baked by my good friend Corli from Le Petit Four with some small kitchen utensils and a little framed card. Coli also made some other delicious contributions to the kitchen tea, like these scrummy poppyseed cupcakes with lemon icing. YUM!!

It was such a fun day - and I'm so happy to welcome Nina to our family!
Will share some photos and details of a special recipe box I made for her in my next blog post :-)

Mini savoury cheese and pesto scones.

Wedding fever..

Well - It's been totally wedding fever around our house recently.

My brother got married this Saturday with a WONDERFUL girl. I couldn't be happier for them!

To lead us all into the wedding obsession, it was of course, the BIG royal wedding of Kate and Prince William a week before my brother's wedding. I also organized a Kitchen Tea for her, and I was SO inspired with what I've found on the net for weddings!

Wish all of these resources were there when I got married!

Will be sharing some of my wedding inspiration in the next couple of posts, but firstly I want to share a FANTASTIC wedding idea blog I've found. Lots of free downloads and printables and of course loads of inspiration!

Have a look at http://www.theprettyblog.com/ - I know you will be inspired!

xxx

Detail of the Keyring gift decoration I made for the couple.

The gorgeous couple - My brother David and Nina.

DIY Weekend - Button and Craft tins

I thought I would start making some crafty DIY projects to share.

I know when I browse the internet, especially Blogs; I keep finding ideas and inspiration. So only fair to provide some back. :-)

This project I made for my Mum.

When I was a little girl, I use to always play with my Mum's button collection whenever she had her sewing machine out. She had this lovely big tin, full of an all-sort collection of buttons. Some were new, some pretty old and vintage. All very pretty.

I use to LOVE organizing and grouping them together. Colour with colour, pattern with pattern. Hours of fun.

Since we've moved to New Zealand, more than 8 years ago, her gorgeous collection of buttons have been kept in a plastic ice-cream container. So I thought I would make a button tin for her, and an extra tin for her knitting needles.

They would look great in her craft room!

Covered Tins

To make this you will need:

- Baby formula tins or any other big tins you can find.

-Textile in a print/design/colour you like.

-Blackboard paint

- white acrylic paint or home paint

-Spray on glue

-scissors

-cheap plastic tape measures or ribbon of your choice

-masking tape

-glue gun

Step 1:

After cleaning your tins, apply 3 coats of blackboard paint where you would like it on the tin. On one or both tins. Whatever you like.

Then paint the rest of the tin with the white paint. This coat is essential if your fabric is a little see-through... otherwise you will still be able to read whatever is on the tin through your textile. Not nice..

Step 2:

After the paint dried, measure and cut your fabric to fit around the tin. Now put masking tape over the blackboard paint to protect it from the spray glue. Then spray the tin with the spray on glue.

Step 4:

Carefully stick the textile on the tin, making sure you don't create any air bubbles with your application.

Now measure a piece of the cheap measuring tape or ribbon to use as a trim where ever you want along the edge of the tin.

Then glue it on with your glue gun.

All done! And you have LOVELY tins, perfect for a lot of things! Would be great in kids rooms to organize craft materials, or even in the kitchen.

Drum roll please.... and the winner is....

Nikki Bollen!!

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!! Please send me your details to franda.zondagh@slingshot.co.nz, and I will post it out to you on Tuesday after our wonderful Easter Break!

I'm also pretty excited to announce that I've opened an Online Shop for all my goodies! Please go and have a browse!!

Thanks for all the support everyone! As most of you know, it's hard to make some extra money while being a full time mummy! And it is nice to be able to say I LOVE making all of my stuff!

xxxx

Give Away time!!

Been planning a wee give away...

Would anyone out there like to win this??

Handmade, polymer clay fuchsia pendant, with a stiffened up-cycled crochet leaf (with beading detail) on a brass tone chain. RRP: $35. Comes in this CUTE up-cycled, stiffened crochet drawstring bag. RRP: $6. TOTAL VALUE OF PRIZE: $41.00

How to enter:

1. Simply join my facebook page of Once Again,and tag yourself in the competition photo.

2. Come and comment that you did this on this blog entry.

Its that easy!

- Competition closes on the 21st April 2011 at 7pm NZ time.

- Competition is open to New Zealand and Australian residents, and includes postage cost.

- Winner will be announced on this blog first, and then on facebook.

- Winner will be randomly drawn out of the people that did all the requirements needed to enter this competition.

There is also a bonus, random draw for a gorgeous pair of stiffened crochet earrings if we reach 150 likers on the facebook page by the 21st April. So spread the news and recommend the page to your friends!

Stiffened, up-cycled, crochet earrings, with a bronze tone ear hooks. RRP: $12

Devonport craft market - done and dusted (for April)

Had a BUSY week last week making and creating enough stock to take to the Devonport Craft Market on Sunday. I worked like a crazy woman every time my boys let me - and really got into it when they were sleeping!

It ended up being a lovely day at the market - sunny and almost summer like - probable the last of this wonderful weather before the real cold sets in.

I got lovely feedback (and some sales) with my creations, and it makes it really worthwhile to see someone else appreciate my craftiness!

My mini maracas with the cute ice-cream design.

In between I even got some time to make a new bracelet. I crocheted a cute bracelet with some colourful electricity wire while I was chatting to customers. Now I need to get my hands on more wire...

I also started making jewellery from those gorgeous silver spoons and forks I bought at the op-shop the other day. They are still a bit rough, and not as perfect as I want them, but it is a start... will be perfecting them soon ( I hope!)

Upcoming jewelery designer and new projects

My two year old son is fascinated by my jewellery making, and today I scraped the courage (and patience) together to let him play with my beads while I work. Usually I don't let him mess with my beads and findings, because:

a- He still likes to put everything in his mouth, and

b- He will probably throw them everywhere.

But he was really good, and tried to copy me with what I was doing, putting beads on wires. I was pretty impressed with him getting the wire into those small holes, and not loosing his patience with it.

Now that I know he can handle it, I will let him play with them again :-)

I also painted these cute little tin buckets with some blackboard paint. Great way to organize pens, pencils, chopsticks etc... I love the way it looks! Will be selling these too at the upcoming market on the 3rd April.

Wire beads and an upcoming market

OoOoOo!!! Pretty excited about some wire.... that I've made into beads. Gorgeous copper, gold and greens. It's so much fun!

I have a coiling gizmo, that I purchased about 6 years ago, and  I've FINALLY started playing with it.

I know. I know... 6 years! I just kept it in its little box in my drawer, promising myself to do some creating with it as some stage when I have time... and well... just never had the time! Also I have to admit, it sounded complicated to use, and above my skill level.

But I was wrong! Not too difficult (just a little hard on the fingers) and HEAPS of fun! I can see myself go through stacks of wire with this.

Here is some of the beads:

I decided to make a bracelet with them, and I am quite happy with how it turned out:

I also booked a stall for my first market with Once Again. It will be at the Devonport Craft Market on Sunday 3rd April 2011 at the Devonport Community House, 32 Clarence Street, Devonport.10 - 3pm. Now I have to move my butt (when the kids are sleeping) to make enough stock! Eek! Looking forward to showing all my handy work to the public though!

Funky wheel earrings - up-cycled from my boys broken toys!

Here is also a preview of some of the other items I made this week:

Necklace in brass made with hand stamped disc, heart made from a broken up-cycled teacup, and charms.

Weekend festival and some silver spoons

Had a lovely weekend - went to Browns Bay for the Cairo to Cape Town Street Festival with my two boys, Mum, friend Nicola and her son Ben on Saturday.
I love walking through stalls (always see things I want and I always get inspiration)  Also had some lovely ice-creams on the beach and a Savannah apple cider - Bliss.

Then we discovered a great, well hidden, little Hospice shop and I found some gorgeous silver spoons and forks. Have some BRILLIANT ideas for those!!
The weather was warm and sunny, SO nice - we better enjoy the last of the warm, dry weather before the winter start. Not long now!
xxx

Watching the devastation in Japan..

Sitting in front of the TV at the moment watching the big, scary earthquake coverage from Japan. Have to say the Tsunami is really freaky. My heart goes out to all the people in Japan, and of course Christchurch, who also had their share about 2 weeks ago.

I couldn't believe that devastation happening in my own country, and now in Japan...

I've also donated some of my items for charity auctions to raise money for the Christchurch earthquake fund. Three of those have already sold,  but three will be going up soon. These three will be listed on Trade Me through 'Handmade for Christchurch"

Have a look at their other auctions too. It is for such a good cause!

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Members/Listings.aspx?member=3720030

Go and spend some money on gorgeous handmade items!!!

Here are the items I donated that is still to go up on auction:

Handmade polymer clay rose and stiffened crochet leaf necklace.

UPDATE: These auctions have now been loaded (14/03/2011)

 Go and have a look!

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Jewellery-watches/Earrings/Other/auction-361304525.htm

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Jewellery-watches/Earrings/Other/auction-361305347.htm

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Jewellery-watches/Necklaces-pendants/Other/auction-361306513.htm

Cute wooden bird and cage earrings

"Kisses for Christchurch" wooden earrings

Salvation Army Store hunting and in-organic inspiration.

Went to the salvation army store in Browns Bay today, and found a few items that sparked some more inspiration. Op-shops are dangerous places for me to go... I always find a lot of 'junk' I like, and I have to be honest, we really don't have place for all my junk.

 But sometimes from junk, comes the COOLEST ideas.

The other day, I was helping my youngest brother move house, and low and behold... in-organics was happening in his neighbourhood.

For those of you that don't know what in-organics is, it is one of my favourite Auckland, New Zealand things..

Once a year you get a letter in the post from the City Council telling you that it is your turn to put your in-organics out for collection. For a whole weekend you decide what stuff in your house needs to be dumped, and then drag it out to the curb.

It can be almost anything; a broken couch, broken toys, the old TV, rusty fan... (you get the idea)

On the Monday morning, the council comes with their big trucks and pick it up. How fantastic is that???

Meanwhile the whole neighbourhood is looking through each others piles, and re-homing items they think is worth keeping. I reckon it is the ultimate recycling!

Well... I was looking through piles (I can't help myself, and I have no shame) and I found a broken doll. Only her head and torso was left. Some kid obviously enjoyed playing with her at some stage (evident from the pen marks on her cheeks..) And I decided I would take her home...  I had an idea..

I then made her into the COOLEST jewellery ever. (well, I think so) The ears and the eyes have sold already (didn't last long) and I'm sure the mouth and nose necklaces will sell as well. Apparently other people like weird too?

Now I'm always looking for more dolls...

Do you have any for me?? Please?? :-)

My inspiration is back!

Glad to say that inspiration is 'once again' firmly planted in my brain! :-)

 While pregnant with my second son, I lost all inspiration that was left in me after my first pregnancy, and all I could really concentrate on was growing this new life inside me while taking care of my demanding toddler.

I suffered a bit of postnatal  depression since my seconds son's birth 6 months ago, but thankfully to a fantastic husband and an observant Mum, I did get some help for this. The medicine started taking effect and it is like the "light" went back on. I didn't realize how dark it had become...

I made this recycled neck tie necklace - LOVE it!

I've started with my 'Once again' crafting endeavours in January 2011 - and I mainly make things from recycled, up-cycled materials. Although I'm not limiting myself there. I'm going where ever this new wave of inspiration is taking me.

So expect variety! :-)