The annual Christmas photo session

How come it takes not more than 5 seconds and we have this?

Postcard swap

It seems I have signed up for a postcard swap. So I decided to do something different from what I normally do, just to surprise myself. It's paper with fusible webbing on top layered with fibre and embossing powder and some more fusible webbing.



Then I ironed the whole thing. That's normally the only time the iron comes out, for art and sewing purposes. I was quite impressed in how it turned out. Then I added some letters and that's that.


Fun and quick to do.

Mending

Big Monkey's school uniform consists of the school jumper and jeans. Hence her jeans get a lot of wear and sometimes that results into holes. Not surprisingly as they also sit on the mat a lot for work. This the Montessori Way.

Well, this time I thought I've got a bit more experience with sewing now so I'll try and add a patch. I used my new found knowledge on how to sew a nice edge around the design and used some bondaweb to get the patch onto the jeans.



The reason that the patch is not centred is because neither was the hole underneath.

December Daily

I've decided to join the December Daily that Ali Edwards does every year on her blog.

I found the lovely blue album with matching Christmas Paper so I've made my book all ready for December.


Ali Edwards uses lots of transparencies this year. I didn't have any and I don't think I'd like them with that album anyway but for the first page I wanted something different. So I used a sheet of velum and added painted circles I added with an old jar lid.


The paper I found had a sheet with numbers on, how convenient. I must have bought it for a special project that didn't happen. That paper must have been in my to do box for two years I think. Luckily I still like it a lot. The colours are very pretty and for a change it's not your typical Christmas colours.


I plan to add a sort of calendar on the back side of the divider page with the daily photo on the front of the page in the protector. On the back side I will add all the not so pretty parts like entrance tickets (they don't do them like the use to, don't they?) and the odd receipt.

Little Monkey does his own thing

The other day he took a liking to the little bin in the play room, the noise it makes when the lid closes to be precise. By the time I came back with a cut apple a whole pack of wet wipes have disappeared in there. Now, that wasn't alright, was it? Yes, he agreed, naughty. Right. So he jugged the dolls house furniture instead. Which is not a problem until the time it comes to empty the bin into the big bin for proper throwing out. Then we have to remember that this is still needed.

The following day he decided that Big Monkey should help him get dressed without any help from me. They found this:


Cute, no? A full 6 days after Halloween, which we don't celebrate in any case, he decided it's the day to wear a pumpkin outfit. I love the big squishy pumpkin belly.

My Birthday

It has been a while. Here is a photo of my birthday.


As you can see I had lots of help opening presents. Big Monkey decided which present to open and Little Monkey helped ripping them open. We also had the "it's-my-necklace-issue" again. I got a lovely bumble bee necklace that Little Monkey took a liking to. He gave in surprisingly quick though. But doesn't he look flash in his shirt? He wanted to celebrate from the moment we got up in the morning. He screamed, 'appy birday until it was the right moment. Big Monkey was equally excited but is much better at containing herself. She had to stay home from school as she had a bad cold. Still, that didn't stop her from wrapping the presents for Daddy Monkey.

Mojo Monday

The Monkeys are invited to another party so I need another card. Time to check out Mojo Monday again for some inspiration.


I made this one first but when I glued the number 4 on a piece of the backing paper came off. That won't do, so I had to make the orange one.


They turned out well I thought, I'm beginning to enjoy making cards

A special Birthday Treat

As it's been Daddy Monkey's Birthday last week and mine will be tomorrow we gave ourselves the big treat of spending the weekend away. Without the little Monkeys! We went to Bath which doesn't offer much for little Monkeys. We had a very posh Dinner and we visited the Bath Spa Thermae.
This one doesn't even allow Children under the age of 16! It does have a roof top pool, however. You can have a look here and see the pool. You might have to wait a bit until it turns up again. That pool is really spectacular. It was freezing when we came up, somehow we managed to walk up the outside stairs rather than find the lift or indoor stair case. But it was worth it, the water is warm and when we arrived up the church bells started. A very nice touch we thought.