Wasteless Christmas gifts

So many gifts end up donated (with limited need for them, if they can't sell its just clutter in an opshop) or in landfill after Christmas that I try to give thoughtful wasteless gifts that won't hurt the earths resources or the fun won't tire out minutes after opening them. Here is my list of what we are gifting this year.

1. Diy bon bons; I finally found a creative solution for those odd small ends of wrapping paper, fill up an empty toilet roll with an activity sheet or sweet, a paper crown & a handwritten joke/fun fact by Kobe (the joke made no sense but hey that's 5 year olds for you lol) then wrap paper around it & tie with wool/string. I'm making these for family & neighbours as it was so easy!
2. Strapped for cash, offer a coupon for babysitting or cooking dinner or any chore. Who doesn't want a hand?
3. Vouchers or tickets are always a winner. Instead of stuff, offer an experience. We gave Kobes swim teacher some homemade (bakeswap) fudge & a voucher for Gelare ice cream. She was so shocked & grateful. She did such a wonderful job of getting a scared Kobe to put his head under water this term. I'm also going in with a handful of parents to give a joint kindy voucher for the teachers. Teachers get gifted with so much boxed chocolate, shower gel or trinkets (which I heard gets mostly donated or regifted thus letting them choose what they actually want/need).
4. Who gives a crap toilet paper. Toilet paper is an essential, plus this brand (sadly isn't easy to find/buy in a shop for me) comes wrapped in pretty paper which can be used for craft & the empty toilet rolls for Christmas bon bons. A portion of profits help build toilets in developing countries.
5. I have had my keepcup for years. It's a must have to take to movies or fairs/festivals to get my coffee fix. Disposable cardboard coffee cups are the second most littered item after plastic bottles & as they are lined with plastic they hang around for a long time. I have been caught out a few times & wanted my coffee fix so I kept the cup, cleaned out & used to plant seedlings & the disposable coffee cup is still going strong 6 months later. They have released a Star Wars range perfect for kidlets/fans. Another idea is stainless steel straws or lunchbox tiffin tins.
6. Homemade treats are my favourite. I received some yummy cookies from my neighbour & it made my day. Luke's family give out bulk box chocolate to adult family members so we are making some gingerbread men, coconut balls, diy cookie jars & lamington to gift out instead. I started hoarding glass jars months ago to gift them in.
7. For the person who has everything; why not gift a goodie box like Jodie did of deodorant, sanitary products, soap, skincare products to the less fortunate. The Kmart wishing tree is a charity we support every year with multiple gifts & we will be including a few gifts for teenage girls (teenagers & the elderly get the less gifts) this Christmas. I asked a couple friends & sister to buy some sanitary products to add to a gift which they were happy to do. Kobe & Dylan did their gifts to children.
8. Lush hair soap. Shampoo without the plastic bottle, hooray! It smells good & cleanses. Win win.

Happy Wednesday friends!
Grace

5 year old's christmas wishlist

 

 

Its that time of year where I sneakily ask Kobe what he wants for Christmas this year. I like to keep it simple & small & be organized by first week of December.

1. No surprises that Wheres Wally was on the list. I managed to find the Santa Spectacular version in Big W.

2.Walker books/Gamebook; Hornpipes hunt for pirate gold. I was lucky to find some of these at the markets. Skill level 1 is perfect for him. I will be putting aside an hour (per book) to read with him the clues to solve the puzzle adventure. I also love the Usborne range with Puzzle castle & Puzzle dungeon. Again I found these at the markets.

3.We try to have a family games night once a week & Cluedo junior where you try to work out who ate the cake is perfect for it. My lovely sister also found him a vintage game of Wheels of fortune.

4. Kobe is a mad fan of Kids spring baking championship on channel 33. These Drommar cookie cutters (that snail is crazy fun!) & Idealish flour sifter will help him bake in the kitchen all those recipes he writes down he wants to make.

5. Last of all, I had to include a toy that he wants. I cant help but cringe but its the Shopkins chef range where all the characters are food. I hope its a short phrase. He has already demanded the grandparents buy him this...if he behaves ofcourse.



Happy Tuesday friends!
Grace

The joy of bakeswaps

Put your hands up if you hate baking/cooking & the mountain of dirty dishes that come with it. Me me me!!! But you need a variety of snacks to feed constantly hungry children. Enter genius idea of asking a few kindy mums if they would be interested in doing a weekly bakeswap where we all bring something to share. Hence sorting my dilemma & only having to bake one thing but getting a variety of goodies in return. I do admit to sneaking some for morning tea while Kobe is at kindy lol but I do remember to put aside some for him. I started this in term 3 I think & have never been happier.

Here are a few snaps of some deliciousness that I photographed before it was devoured.

Muesli bars

Kobe has just started it to eat muesli bars.

 

 

Crumble

 

 

Passionfruit slice

 

Apple carrot cake

(I borrowed Belinda's bakeswap recipe & added some icing. I make this every week for my boys who love it).

 

I must admit on a lazy bakeweek on grabbing my mums homemade springrolls & passing them off as I made them. Shhh... Or my safe option is usually lamingtons as everybody loves that sugary treat. And this week Im being sneaky & using a packet mix but adding fruit to it to look made from scratch lol.

Hopefully I didn't make you too hungry.
Happy Wednesday's friends!
Grace

PS. The top relish was cauliflower that my lovely mummy friend Kaysey made.

Halloween 2016

Halloween was a lot quieter this year being on a Monday. We celebrated twice by taking Kobe earlier to a Halloween themed disco. His face has 3 different textures of green (2 facepaint & 1 eyeshadow) as he carried on crying (he doesn't like facepaint) for a good half hour I kept having to reapply. I think in future to stick with a mask to limit the drama & stress. I found his top in an opshop the day before. Clearly Im Harry Potter (& for the eagle eyes yes that is a Slytherin robe oops...).

 

When I found this fake knife at the markets, I just knew my ginger haired child would be Chucky. That movie gave me a many nightmares when I was younger. Clearly this costume is so wrong yet so right. Dylan was ready to scare all those tricksters that came to our door (or more like it giggle & wave).

 

 

There were so many awesome costumes out & about. My lovely frined Kym went as a unicorn (how did I not take her photo is beyond me?!?). I also saw an Edward Scissorhands, a giant hotdog & a Barbie complete in toy box.

 

 

 

We only had time for a couple upcycling craft projects so the scary gingerbread men will have to wait for next year sadly. Kobe helped to paint an old doll as a Zombie who we hid in the front hedge to frighten passerbys. Some old dolls heads (sorry Ken & friend) were also used to make spooky specimen jars.

 

I hope you all had a happy Halloween!

Grace

RESTYLE 2016: "After dark challenge"

Im hopping on the RESTYLE "afterdark" challenge as I wore this get up twice in the last few months (ballet show & a date night) & it just works. As I usually don't go out as much at night anymore as I would rather be home with the kidlets I prefer not to spend a lot of dollars on going out clothes but I want clothes that are versatile & I can mix & match to make several outfits & not look cheap.

 

I thought why not share a few preloved shops where I tend to shop if Im looking for fabulous threads.

*The closet revolution- an upmarket boutique opshop (which is an extension of Save the Children charity) specialising in corporate officewear, racewear & formalwear. I spotted Gucci heels, a Thurley belt & some divine Seed heritage pants (that were sadly too big).

*Beleza vintage- Owner Claire is no longer in her Northbridge store, but you can usually find her at vintage markets or Instagram. She has amazing vintage & standout pieces.

*Mercado 32- I have been stalking the Instagram account of this Leederville consignment shop for months waiting for the moment someone offloads their Gorman winter harvest dress (I have been pining over for years...). I do love the curated styling of their shop manikins.

*Salvation Army Belmont- One of my favourite op shops plus there are 3 on the same strip of shops. They have a designer rack & I picked up a lovely Ermis cape & some vintage jumpers for the boys hee hee.

*Salvation Army Southern River (on Ranford Rd)- I love this op shop for great condition preloved boys clothes which are so hard to find, I picked up 3 jumpers for Kobe for $12. My friend Kira scored a bunch of funky boots at this one. Plus there are 2 other opshops on the same shopping strip.

*Redcross Fremantle- is a treasure trove of vintage, eclectic & designer fashion.

*Melville markets- seriously you always walk away with something fabulous here, my last buy was a denim pinafore for $5.

*Belmont markets- it can be hit & miss but I have bought a lovely Olga Berg clutch here before. 

*Cannington Megabarn opshop (55 Bannister road)- its a (Good Sammy Industries) warehouse of clothes chucked into cage trolleys, if your patient to go thru clothes then its worth a look, my arms got sore from sifting thru clothes piles. On the upside, when I visited clothes were weighed at $6/kg. I ended up with 4 items for $6 which was great.

*I previously shared some other shops here.

 

 

 

 

Outfit; Cameo off the shoulder top/ Melville markets, fushia pants/ Melville markets, bug earrings/ Garage sale trail 2 years ago & YSL makeup bag used as clutch/ opshop many years ago.

 

Have you scored any preloved bargains of late? Care to share any other hidden op shop gems in Perth?

 

Happy Sunday friends!

Grace

Love

That four letter word LOVE, that most of us spend our lives searching to find the right person to say them to & be loved back. And for those lucky ones that do find their special someone, I hope your day is as magical as this wedding was.

 

It has been a while since I captured photos. I have been busy raising my 2 boys & most days I'm playing catch ups but I took some time out (months ago) to capture these gorgeous wedding photos.

If your interested in having a photography session please email me at graceasecondhandlife@gmail.com

 

Happy Friday friends!

Grace

Melbourne shop love (& some delightful opshops too!!!)

Ok so I'm not much of a shopper anymore due to the kids usually playing up at the shops (one time forever etched in my brain, I lost Kobe for a few minutes as he was playing hide & seek & didn't tell me we were playing; enter mini breakdown, hysterical tears & some fellow lovely mum's who helped me find him in his hiding spot minutes later) & a house bursting at the seams with stuff.
However I did mark down a couple shops I just had to visit whilst in Melbourne & found some more interesting ones along the way & thought to share.

Let's start with the opshops, oh the thrill of the chase of a bargain!!!

City centre
*Shag- a mix of new edgy gear & retro vintage. I was left speechless at the window display & ready to move on in. (There are 2 in Melbourne the photo is of the window display at Shop 20, Centreway Arcade).
**Hunter gatherers- located upstairs in the Royal arcade. It's tiny but all the good stuff is on show & at decent prices. It's style is eclectic. I got a gorgeous block puzzle for Kobe for Christmas for $4. It's the sister shop to Brotherhood of St Laurence.
*Brotherhood of St Laurence- these op shops are gems & 20 shops are located across Melbourne. So worth any track down!!! I only had time to go the one in the basement of The Royal arcade.
*The Conscious closet- I found out about this preloved women's clothes shop upon return. Sniff sniff I didn't get there as it looks amazing! Plus they at offering 10% off this week as part of national op shop week, check out their Facebook page as to how to get 10% off.

Prahran
1.**Redcross  - hands down the best op shop I have been in all year. It's a tiny shop but full of designer boutique labels. I walked out with mint condition Witchery overalls (the ones in the header photo, love love. I wear them atleast 3 times a week) for $30. Located across the road from Prahran markets. The staff are so lovely too!!!
*Chapel street Bazaar- a curated treasure trove of vintage loveliness. You pay top price for top pieces. (Don't bring the kids as too many breakables).
*Uniting care mission- your typical opshop. 211 Chapel Street.


General shop love 
Prahran

3.*Shop neutral- my favourite Eco store ever!!! Located in the Prahran markets, it's filled with everything you need to live a life less of plastic. I bought a bamboo bottle brush scrubber, a bamboo veggie brush, Sienna nail polish & a stainless steel straw brush cleaner.
*Little Sweethearts (also located in Prahran markets)- lots of cutesy stuff for the kidlets.
*The nomad society- where all the beautiful homewares live.
Prahran is full of delightful shops & if we had more than a couple hours (Dylan needed a nap) I could of browsed happily in all of them.

City Centre
2. *Funkis- This shop which specialises in Swedish style clogs has been on my hitlist for years. I have always wanted a pair of clogs that will never outdate & it's an added bonus they use vegetable dye. I bought the classic low clog which is the comfiest shoes I own & I got zero blisters from walking in them (mostly pushing a pram) all day everyday.
*Jasper junior- it's slogan is "toy suppliers to Santa" & you better believe that as its true the moment you walk in the shop! All the best kids products in one shop. The girls costumes upstairs are oh so lovely. And I heart the educational DIY products like the mini power house science kit . I have bookmarked this for when Kobe is old enough.
*Rap- a boutique shop, I only took notice of the gorgeous baby & kids products. They do sell other things too.

I only bought a few things as much as I like browsing, Im careful to only buy things that I deem "forever items".

Happy Wednesday friends!
Grace

**I have numbered my top 3 shops to visit; Prahan Redcross, Funkis & Shop Neutral.

What I learnt from "Plastic free July" while travelling with kids

My household is not zero waste but we do try to limit as much wastage as possible. Unless you shop at a bulk store, it feels like everything in the supermarket is wrapped in plastic. I decided to do "plastic free July" as best as I could. We as a family actually snuck away to Melbourne for a few days in July while undertaking this challenge.

What I learnt while travelling
* I knew there was going to be slip ups. I preordered our meals on the plane when I booked in June & they came out wrapped in plastic. I kept the plastic cutlery (one way & refused for trip home) which I cleaned & can be used for the next kids party. Next time I'm flying on a trip 4 hours & under, I will eat at the airport & prepack some bakery snacks in a paper bag or cut fruit in a reusable container.
*I did pack some bribes for Kobe which were store bought cookies & chocolate with the plastic recycled at Coles (via their Redcycle program). I need bribes & can not avoid this until I can make chocolate as good as Cadbury.
*I forgot to ask for no straw in my drink at one eatery so I binned a straw. I did pack my stainless steel straw but didn't end up using it.
*Being away for so long, I couldn't puréed any food for Dylan (as we stayed in a hotel) so I bought a stack of baby food in glass which I washed & recycled in one of many recycle bins dotted around Melbourne. I underestimated how much I needed & bought 2 plastic wrapped baby food (Woolworth metros where I shopped, stocked only the plastic wrapped pouches).
*Although I packed 2 Camelbak drink bottles for Kobe & I, which I filled up at Cafes who offered free jugs of water,  street water fountains or from boiled kettle water which cooled overnight. I still had to buy 6 large single use water bottles. We were on our feet walking most the day & I did not want anyone passing out from thirst. Plus Dylan needed water for his formula drink. I recycled these in the recycle bins. In future I will pack 4 large reuseable drink bottles.
*I didn't pack a keepcup & I really needed a coffee so I binned one polystyrene cup my coffee was in. In hindsight I should of asked what sort of cup my coffee was coming in & refuse. I did keep & reuse a cardboard cup to be used for growing micro herbs.

*Perth & Melbourne airports have recycling bins so if you have stuff to recycle which had foodstuff in, you can do a quick trip to the toilets sink to wash then recycle in the recycle bins. Which is exactly what this weirdo did lol.

Other Wins during Plastic Free July
*I found a shampoo bar which replaces my bottled shampoo (which I have a bit left to use). I'm on the lookout for a decent conditioner or recipe for one to make. I have been using apple cider vinegar but my hair is quite dry & needs more moisture.
*I pack a cutlery kit when I'm out & about now. Which is basically a couple forks, spoons and stainless straws wrapped in a tea towel. Now I won't be trapped getting plastic cutlery. I still have to make a massive point of asking for "no straw" when ordering a drink.
*That standalone bakeries are ok with you bringing a large container to take home pies in but when you pull out a cloth bag (aka a clean pillowcase) to cart bread home they still try to wrap it in plastic first?!? I explained my plastic free mantra & since that first time, the bakery staff happily place my bread in my pillowcase without weird looks (they must be use to me- winner!).
*Deli departments at the large supermarket were A ok putting sliced meat into plastic reuseable containers brought from home (apart from one incident).  I just have to remember to take the price sticker off when I go back.
*I use plastic grocery bags I get from family who would just throw them out which I use as bin liners but now have discovered that large brown paper bags are super handy as a bin liner (compostable too). These are usually from boutiques & fast food chains (I have lovely people who offload their old brown bags or paper gift bags to me). I only put dry rubbish into these or the paper will tear.
*Baked my own crackers which aren't as good as the store bought ones but they will do.
*No more plastic wrapped laundry powder for me as I have gone back to making my own laundry powder which is 1 grated soap, 1 cup borax, 2 cups washing soda crystals & a few drops of lavender essential oil. I use half of one laundry scoop per load.

Other Failures during Plastic free July
*I can not bring myself (yet) to live without the following plastic wrapped goodies; Panko breadcrumbs, Cadbury, toothpaste, wraps, baby corn puffs (they come in foil), yoghurt & cheese (I can't find blocks of it in any deli/market unwrapped). I was able to recycle most of the plastic except for the toothpaste, cheese & foil wrappers. And every now & then I forget my cloth pillowcase bag at the bakery so I get a plastic wrapped bread.
*I won't deny my boys a balloon or their loot bag full of plastic wrapped lollies & chocolate at parties. It's too much for me to expect my 5 year old to be accepting of being the only child going without these at a party. He is however a champion recycler at home.
*I did accept strawberries as gifts which came in plastic containers (which I use to sort craft bits & bobs).

I made a vast improvement upon last year & hope to keep this up as well as I can throughout the year.

Happy Monday friends!
Grace

Theme cakes

 

July is a month full of birthdays. So why not dedicate a post to delicious cake, Theme cakes. Kobe is a mad fan of search & find books so I made him a "Where's Wally" cake for his birthday. It turned out really good considering it was my first time using royal icing. I did stain my hands from using food dye to colour white royal icing which washed off after a few days.  

 

 

We recently watched & enjoyed "The Lorax" (I now want the catchy soundtrack lol) so I made these cupcakes for Poppy's birthday.

 

 

 

Not to exclude some talented mummies I know, my friend Kira aced another birthday cake with this doll cake dotted with fluffy marshmallows.

 

 

And what little girl wouldn't wont a Frozen cake? My friend Nicole made this for her daughters birthday last year. The snowflakes were divine!

 

 



Happy Wednesday friends!

Grace

 

**I apologise if your on a diet while viewing these delicious cakes...

27/52

 

"A portrait of my children, whenever I can in 2016".

 

Catching big brother Kobe jumping in with Dylan to entertain him while I ran around getting a couple chores done.

 

Kobe: obsessed with activity books & Where's Wally books.

Dylan: cut his first tooth.

 

Its been a while here in blogland but hopefully I can get back to a somewhat regular posting soon.

 

Happy Wednesday friends!

Grace

*Joining in with The 52 Project.

City farm community garden

Tomorrow is "Botanics garden open day" so in the theme of embracing nature & gardens, this post is to celebrate community gardens. To me there is nothing more refreshing than going outdoors & wandering thru greenery & being inspired by what others can grow. So when City farm community gardens had an open day as part of an eco festival I jumped at the chance to wander thru the gardens.

I love the vertical wall planter, made up of multiple pots of herbs slotted into the wall. I just wish I wasn't so hopeless with gardening. I try try try then turn my back for a day or too & the damn snails have buffeted on the seedlings. I still have hope for my beetroot & corn & Im excited for the broccoli that my 4 year old is attempting to grow in an upcycled water table come pot.

 

 

 

Im so intrigued by these insect hotels like the one in the photo above.

 

City farm community gardens is a Men of trees iniative & produce grown is supplied to the City farm café. On occasion they host workshops covering gardening, compost, worm farms, even healthy food cooking for kids. On Saturdays they have stalls of artisans who sell local produce & art.

If your ever near the city its definitely worth a stop.
Happy Saturday friends!
Grace ox

The cloth nappy debate

It can be overwhelming to be mindful of every factor when it comes to environmental issues.
I have read online that disposable nappies take between 200-500 years to break down. And that in Australia alone we dispose of more than 5 million a year?!? An alternative is cloth nappies which ultimately save a disposable nappy from landfill but use other resources such as energy & water to clean them.
With this in mind, I use half & half disposable/cloth nappies with Dylan saving about 21 nappies from landfill a week. I did the same with Kobe until he was fully toilet trained. Cloth nappies is definitely not the easy road but its not hard fete either (though I have thrown out some nasty soiled cloth nappies that I gagged & could not bring myself to wash). I prefer cloth nappies at home (but not overnight sleep) & use disposables when out.
20 years ago when my sister had her babies she diapered them with the old school square towel nappies & a pin to secure them. I'm so lucky nowadays there are more variety in cloth nappies. I either use the all in one nappy with a mioliner (sort of like a paper liner that catches the poop making it easy to clean) which can be composted (but I bin them) or the nappy covers & line them with a bamboo or polyester/nylon (sadly a sythetic fabric) cloth liner which I wash with the cloth nappies.

*Bumgenius is my number one choice for cloth nappies. Available in velcro or snap button fasteners in a range of colours. I find it fits best to both my boys bottoms. Layered with organic cotton inserts. The snap button front allows you to shorten the nappy to fit a smaller baby however I leave it like a harry highpants.
*Bambino Mio. Love these. I use the Miosoft nappy cover with velcro fastening (with a liner). Covered by a thick layer of plastic so quite absorbent & easy to wipe. Liners are a mix of polyester & nylon which are both synthetics sadly. The Miosolo all in one nappy come in a range of patterns & the one size (adjustable snap buttons) fit from birth onwards. When Dylan starts potty training in a couple years, I will be getting him the potty training nappy.
*Peapods are so easy to use (Dylan is wearing the green one in the photo below). I use the one size nappy. The bamboo inserts go inside & can wash separately. Every now & then, these are soiled heavily (because I didn't put the extra nappy liner in) & the plastic coating inside even survived an overnight soak in hot water. They do attract a fair bit of fluff from the microfleece inside which seems to help keep the moisture in.
*Eenee designs. I use the pouch nappy pants which have a thin stretchy outer with a plastic clip on inside. I always insert a cloth liner. Its the least bulkiest cloth nappy which is great under pants. Easy to wipe & wash. I think it's great that their website has a section devoted to preloved nappies.
*Bambooty . I was baby gifted to Kobe & reused on Dylan the newborn easy nights all in one cloth nappy. So bright & comfortable. The inserts are sewn in & fold up. The only downer was both boys grew too fast for the smallest size. I definitely will be investing in more of these but in the larger size.
*Baby beehinds.  I use the bamboo fitted which comes with 2 bamboo clip in liners. This nappy did harden when I soaked it overnight in hot water. I found it quite bulky so I usually let Dylan wear it without pants or a nappy cover. Baby beehinds do sell water resistant & wool nappy covers but I haven't use them.

On another environmental note, did anyone else stumble across this article about over 1000kgs of wet wipes being cleaned (by a crane & also buckets) from a Queensland sewerage. I'm left scratching my head why anyone would flush a wet wipe?

** I sourced most of the cloth nappies I use from markets.
** To prevent mould, I try to airdry dirty nappies before I wash them, I dry them in the sun (as the sun is a natural bleacher) & I spritz some lavender oil on them while drying.
**Although I stand by using cloth nappies, my partner Luke & sister Annie dont like them. Their complaint is Dylan has leaked thru on a couple occasions while wearing a cloth nappy (thru to their clothes) but he has also done that wearing a disposable nappy.
** By using cloth nappies, I have an extra laundry load a week & I wash them with socks & underwear.

Happy Saturday friends!
Grace

Clean up Australia day & encouraging children to care for the environment

Last Sunday was "Clean up Australia Day" where once a year likeminded people gather in groups to pick up rubbish & do their part in keeping this earth clean. I took Kobe along to help clean up across from an amusement park (where 80% of the rubbish we picked up came from, yet there were ZERO volunteers from that amusement park which was a BIG letdown).
Most of the rubbish collected was the amusement park wristbands which customers casually discarded once they exit the amusement park. Every time we picked one up, I would remind Kobe we just saved a wild animal from accidentally swallowing one.
It is so important to me to instill values to Kobe so that he doesn't take this earth for granted. That we should all give back to maintain it. He loves picking up rubbish so he really didn't need convincing to help out.
As a thank you, us volunteers received an Onya cloth bag (made from 51% recycled bottles per cloth bag which is awesome considering around 65% of plastic bottles are left in landfill per year taking up to 1000 years to decompose). These bags are so durable, lightweight, can roll up into the tiniest bag & can easily clip onto your handbag. I am madly inlove with them.

If you want to encourage your child into picking up rubbish then look no further than these rubbish pick up tools (they are seriously fun for everyone you just cant stop picking up rubbish with them, plus they are great for picking up sharp objects). And these Little Pope gardener gardening gloves are delightful & come in the sweetest patterns like ladybugs, dragonflys, flowers (& more). I have about 4 pairs for Kobe. The only downer is handwash is recommended & I hate handwashing.

Interested in being more sustainable? (**Most of these are Western Australia based)
*Recycle Australia you can list items you either want to swap or giveaway.
*Recycle right website (& they even have an app) is a useful tool if you want to learn more about what can be recycled. You can even go on a tour of a recycling centre (I'm waiting til Kobe is a few years older until we go).
*Living smart has courses on wormfarms, compost, growing your own food & cutting down on your energy bills.
*Subiaco has a series of nature play themed activities during March for the kiddies.
*Rockingham regional environmental centre  is a non for profit centre with a strong focus on educating everyone on environmental issues. They do charge a small entry fee.
*Canning River eco education centre offers an extensive list of "Nearer to nature" activities (in Mundaring) to encourage kids into nature based activities for a fee.
*Cockburn council has worm farm workshops, bokashi compost bin work shops, city chooks & green gardening work shops to name a few.
*Perth city farm (which Im frequent because I love it so) is hosting an Eco fair on April 3.
*Join in with earth hour at Hilton Harvest community gardens annual twilight fair on March 19.

Happy Wednesday friends!
Grace

5/52

5/52

 

 

Kobe, this is your solution when you hear your brother cry...

 

 

 

Dylan, you have been curiously watching me eat so I gave you a spoon to see what you would do with it. I think you will be ready for solids in a few short weeks.

 

Happy Sunday friends!

Grace

Handmade gift ideas

I have been feeling a little creatively stifled lately so I decided to go thru my photo archives of things I have sewn either for my family or friends/friend's child for gifts as inspiration. This year I hope to be more creative & make most of the gifts we give.

 

 

 

Kobe is a mad fan of "Cut throat kitchen" & "Chopped" so I couldn't help myself by making a few extra food bits & an apron to add to his cooking challenges. A tutorial on how I made the ice cream cone is here. I made the apron from an old smock dress.

 

 

 

I sewed these dolls clothes for Kobes cousin's cabbage patch doll (modelled on my extremely old doll whose hair I butchered}. I love love the retro bathers I made from fabric from a top I bought but never wore.

 

 

 

 

Last year I made a lego/duplo mat for my next door neighbour's boy. I never understood the value of these mats until Kobe received lego for his birthday & Christmas. Perfect for him to play on & then when he is finished I just pull on the drawstrings to close it up like a bag. No more stepping on random lego pieces.

 

 

 

 

Jazzing up some otherwise plain jumpers with cutesy animals.

 

Happy Wednesday friends!

Grace