a duchess and a jewellery box

beautiful huh?

Recently, a friend restored a very special ( had it all my life) duchess for us, I love it. 

She buys and restores all sorts of furniture and while I was there I spied this jewellery box. While I was gushing over it and wondering how I could persuade her to it sell it to me she told me I could have it! How lucky are we?

The music starts playing as you open a drawer and stops when you close it. So sweet.

It got gold handles and a two coats of the left over blue paint we used in our bathroom ( Resene half oriental bay) and I think it looks perfect.

zelfs

A post for the parents who are as anti holes in newly painted wall as I am!

M is really keen on these wee zelf things. We don't mind as there's only 12 in the set, they're inexpensive and they're helping her learn to break her nail biting habit.

She wanted to display them, I recently gave my brother's family her printer's drawer- so with that option gone here's what we came up with for on her big pin board.

1. Find a thick sturdy shoe box lid

2. Rule a line on the side and along the top that is the same distance from the side as the edge, cut with a craft knife.

 3. Put masking ( or washi) tape on the cut edges and paint

5. When dry, pin to a cork/ memo board- done!

Would also be cute for lego figures or any other small items.

We also used an egg carton to make them a 12 zelf bed/ carry case with their own half flower felt blankets..the things we do! : )

sharing the love

I made these up with the kids for them to give to their class after school on Valentines day. I'm trying to teach them that giving feels good.

They're not my idea- just an adaption from many different versions I've seen on my internet wanderings, I do think the heart shaped lollipops are a cute touch though : )

Here's how we made them:

We took a photo of each them with their hand out like they're holding something. I went on picmonkey to add the text and printed them off using snapfish. I wish I'd gone to a instant photo place though as T's frame got cropped out during printing.  I went back to picmonkey to use hearts to blank out their names- just because this blog is public.

Using a craft knife I made a wee cut in the photo where their hand is and pushed a lollipop through. We taped them on the back and double sided the lollipop to the front too.

We got the bag of 50 lollipops off trade me for $10. The 50 photos ( 25 each) also came to $10- so that works out at 40c per Valentine,  pretty good.

A bit of fun that will hopefully bring smiles to wee faces.

a new to us stool

We've put a trolley in T's room for him to make and display his lego 'creations'. We don't have room for his red desk chair. Like lots of kids, he's MAD keen on making up things sometimes spending hours pottering away in his room, so this change is a permanent one.

He still needed a seat for his desk so I went to an op shop today on the look out for a wooden stool. Out the back of one shop they had a great one, a bit beaten up but perfect, all except for the fact that it belonged to the local Labour MP Offices next door so I was told I couldn't have it. 

Not being one to let minor details like that get in my way, I went next door and asked if they'd sell it to me. I was told by his secretary " just take it,  a gift from Clayton Cosgrove."  

Thanks Clayton. Its fits the bill perfectly.

I'm quite keen on its roughed up painty look- so decided to give it a good scrub and just paint the seat

all done, I love it

frozen dinosaur eggs

As I stood at the sink for aaaaaages filling one water balloon up after another ( never again). I wondered what filled ones would come out like when frozen. I put some in the freezer and I've been waiting for a nice warm day to see.

Take them out of the freezer and give them a rub with a towel to get the balloon off.

They looked like dinosaur eggs to us, we loved the shapes inside them. Little kids would like these, especially those teething.

The kids had lots of fun trying to melt them or trying to have them not melt ( lots of great discussion around sun and shade) but the real fun started when I put my camera down and dared them to both put one down the back of their pants! x 

Mr Mischief

What he's been up to leading up to today...

playing candy crush

waiting nude while his washing dries

raiding the lolly jar

the zelfs taped him down and stopped his antics this night

playing with the plasters!

this morning's with an afternoon treat