Not sure what’s happening…

I realised today that it’s been three weeks since I last updated here, and I’m really not sure what’s happening with that.

Generally speaking, I’ve maintained momentum, but when it comes to writing something for my personal blog I’ve drawn a big blank… I’m disinterested.

I’m actually thinking of giving Kidzarama away.

My interests are moving away from children’s craft and into collecting craft tutorials, sewing & crochet patterns, for which I have other (blogspot) blogs.

I don’t think this is the usual “bloggers’ burnout”, as I’m keeping pace with those other blogs quite nicely.

I just think about writing something here & I’m totally uninspired.

Maybe I stopped just blogging here for the enjoyment of it & got too focused on statistics and such.

Bear with me as I figure this one out, huh?

Make Mum’s Cuppa Special on Mother’s Day

Question:
What do you get when you cross some tea bags, a pair of pinking shears, a stapler and your old clothing?

Answer:
A fantastic Mother’s Day gift that will go on giving her warm fuzzies for months.

Here’s how to personalise Mum’s cuppa.

1. Buy a box of Mum’s favourite brand of tea and gently tear the tags off all the bags.
2. Get the kids to do lots of little drawings of a similar size to the tags.
3. Staple the new tags onto the string of each tea bag.

We bought a box of 100 tea bags, so that the treat would last for a few months, however 100 tiny drawings was a bit much to expect of my little artists.

I made up the short-fall by cutting up scraps of clean pretty fabric with pinking shears in Mum’s favourite colour (blue).

My scraps were purposely chosen, from clothing that each of us has worn in the past, to evoke lots of wonderful loving memories.

Tips:

• One thing I have learnt from doing this is that is impossible to put teabags back in their box neatly. So I’d suggest you look into getting a little gift box to scatter yours in.

• If you have problems stapling your tags onto the string, try glue instead. - or just tie the string around a scrap of fabric.

• Ideas for tag materials:
  • scrapbooking paper
  • magazine pictures
  • photos of family members
  • ribbons or woollen bows
  • crochet hearts or flowers
  • beads and buttons

Wishing you all a warm & loving Mother’s Day this year.

Top 5 ways to Save this Winter

Even though we don’t get weather cold enough for us to really see snow-covered berries here, I’m still kind of dreading how cold it will be here during our first Winter in our new home.

We’ve moved from the top of a hill to down in a shallow valley, with a sort-of-creek in the reserve out back, so that will mean less sunlight to warm the place, and more fog.

Probably frost, even.
{but we still love it here}

With prices going up every-which-way, we’re trying to come up with new ideas on how to save on heating expenses this year.

Here’s my list of the top 5 ways to keep warm on a budget:

1. Wearing layers ~ We have tights, long johns & singlets for us all this year, which will last us for a number of years. Wearing a t-shirt under long-sleeve shirts will help, as will two pairs of socks on really cold days.
2. Leave the oven door open ~ After you’ve finished cooking and turned it off, that is. That way the warmth will spread through the house.
3. Heat packs in the bed ~ While they will need to be heated in the microwave, it’s a short burst of energy as opposed to an hour spent on warming up the electric blankets.
4. Get active ~ If you’re feeling the cold, get up, take off your jumper and start cleaning. Wash up, put a load of washing on, clean the bathtub.
   The activity will get your circulation going, and if you then put your jumper back on, you’ll be warm for longer.
5. Leave a couple of windows open ~ This sounds strange at first, but we catch most of our winter sicknesses as a result of spending too much time closed up inside.
   By locking your windows open when you go out for the day, you’ll freshen the air in your home, saving you money on medicines during this season.

What’s your top tip for saving money over Winter?
I’d love for you to share it in the comments below