White walls and Kids creative space

Well, I faced the music involving holidays while sick with sick children and while there was some " Don't say no, no, no, no, no,no, just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ,yeah" there was also a 5 yo bursting into song in the bath  singing " I think I wanna marry you" that made it all ok.

Another white wall finished. Ignore the cream window trim, that's a fiddly job beyond my capabilities right now. Just fuzz your eyes and admire all the other white. Remember how it used to look?

 I moved the kids craft space from in front of our bifold doors, tidied it all up and they were straight there creating. Roboboy intermittently pulls a few glorious masterpieces out of his hat.

The Giraffe. From memory this giraffe had some kind of neck injury hence the head down eating cacti situation.

Night Owl. This one came home from Feng Shui Nonna's ( aka my mother's) house. She has been giving him blank canvases since he was 2.

And that other wall? Well, only undercoat so far but giving me goosebumps already. That was a high as I could reach with a footstool. Remember this was an impromptu febrile child in front of TV paint job.

And the aforementioned sick child with fevers came out of his room wearing this in his ear.

"Mama" he said, " come at look at my cochlear implant". His mate at school has one and not to feel left out he just had to whip up his own. We are all about embracing diversity over at Betsy's. Heck, we wrote the manual on diversity. You'll find us under Q for Quirky.

Roboboy and I had a special treat yesterday. We went and saw Cars 2, just the two of us. We both loved it. Lots of fast racing, explosions and cars with awesome secret agent sexy British accents. Afterwards, we looked at some toy shops and I gave in and bought something on a whim, for no good reason other than pure unadulterated 5 year old boy love. And of course, it has been lovingly taken to bed for the last 2 nights.

Yep, that's the cat on the left and Finn McMissile action vehicle with triple missile launcher on the right.

Scared to face the music tomorrow

Today was just one of those weird crazy days with its own momentum. Poor Legoman doesn't know what hit him. All he wanted to do was try out his new  attachments for our Dyson vacuum cleaner. As that involved moving one of our lounge chairs I pounced, knowing this kind of opportunity may not come again for months.

Then we started to clean that huge bank of north facing windows inside and out that were covered in dust and mould and had not been cleaned properly since we moved in 10 months ago. The kids were enthusiastic for all of about 10 minutes then dropped like flies and started doing their own thing, with a few nudges along the way. Liongirl threw the contents of an entire puzzle box across the floor in a huff and while in timeout in her room proceeded to pull at least 87 books out of her bookshelf before coming to her senses and setting up a tea party quite happily.

While waiting for the final spray of my favourite mould killer to do its work, we set up a blanket in the garden and had a morning tea picnic. Then the windows were finished- sparkling clean, and the old blinds and brackets removed. This window is north facing and has the most wonderful winter light streaming in and we never use the blinds so they are gone.

And then Roboboy suddenly wanted a nap. Which he hasn't remotely considered since he was at kindy about 9 months ago. Sure enough he was sick- fever 39.5. So we provided drinks, cuddles, panadol and copious tv while he collapsed on the lounge. So between cooking Chicken, corn and noodle soup from scratch and providing regular temperature checks and medication, I decided, I as am prone to do, that now would be the ideal time to start painting that really clean wall. Windows open to remove fumes- check. Kids nearby to supervise- check. Legoman happily building lego with Liongirl- check. Would you belive I nearly covered that entire wall? Photos coming soon.

I had to scrape this section back as the paint was bubbling. I love seeing the layers of colour history in an old house. Under the custard comes spearmint green. Under that is an olivey green. Goodness knows what's under that one. I usually undercoat and then sand any imperfections as there is likely to be some lead paint around and much better to leave it undisturbed and sand the layer of new undercoat.

So, tomorrow is looking like a day to be feared. Child one- sick with high fevers and severe phobia of taking any medication. Child 2 still on antibiotics from recent infection, still snotty and whingy but thankfully no fear of taking medication. Mother in law sick with pneumonia so unable to be of any assistance. Mother at work. Husband at work. Me- oh yes I've got what child one has. Starting to feel better after 9 days of not feeling good but the glands in my neck are so swollen I look like a rugby forward and can't turn my head properly. Will be getting throught the day courtesy of ABC kids and knowing that no matter what, Legoman will make sure he will be home in time for me to watch "The Block".

Gifted Rosella seeds

In my work I am lucky enough to get to look after people and get to know them over many many years. Sometimes we talk about mutual interests, like gardening. Recently, one lady that  I know well mentioned that a friend of hers propagated rosella bushes. My ears pricked up immediately as I have been looking for one of these bushes since I saw one in a  friend's garden. They are gorgeous to look at and functional as well, with flowers that can be used to make jam, or even a tea of sorts.

The following week she returned and came bearing gifts. A little jar full of those blue stones and some seeds mixed in. The blue granules are copper sulphate and are there to keep the mould away until September when it should be warm enough to plant the seeds. And another much bigger jar full of rosella flowers, dried and ready for making an infusion. The taste was unusual, warm and rich with a vague hint of berries and with just  a little sugar it was delicious. The colour of the water was also a beautiful pinky ruby red and inspired a photograph.

Things have been quiet over here at Betsy's as we are currently in the midst of the inaugural Winter Solstice 2011 Snotfest. There is not a lot of room for inspiration or creativity when the most frequently uttered sentence is "Mama, I've got gooby, need tissue" in the most piteous high pitched whining tone ever imagined. You know they really are sick when they conk out while watching "The Fairies" on the telly.

There was a tiny reprieve though today with a quick peek in my favourite oppy. As I was ferretting through the manchester I was told there was also a 5% discount for completing a questionnaire. As if there was any doubt about bringing home this little pile of vintage sheet beauties but at $4.75 each, no further thought was required.

My favourite is the orange floral on the top, closely followed by the mustard floral doona cover with matching ruffled pillowcase on the bottom of the pile, would you believe original tags still intact. Although the statement on the tag that it was part of a collection that also included matching curtains and  wallpaper was slightly concerning.

Totally addicted to fetes

We hit another of our local school fetes today. We couldn't not go, we have mates at this one. Who need our support, and companionship on the unlimited rides. We are starting to worry though that the smalls may start to consider it normal weekend etiquette to obtain an all day ride pass to while away those gorgeous blue skied wintery days. This was the lolly necklace tree on the sweet stall. These necklaces are THE item to have and sold out in a jiffy. A few fantales and a lollipop on a ribbon and Bob's your uncle thankyou very much and even the boys are lining up for these.

How cool is that tree adorned in all it's sugary glory?

And check out the sweet stall in general. Looks as spectacular as a box of chocolates I think. Put together by a mate of mine who runs the best Wedding and Reception Stylist company in the Southern hemisphere. ( Ok well definitely Queensland- she just won the two top Bridal Industry awards for Wedding Hire and Decorating) I will now shamelessly plug her talents - if you are planning a beach or garden wedding pop over to Beautiful Beach Weddings and take a peek.

Of course we had to sample the wares. How cute are these fairy mushroom sprinkle marshmallows on a stick?

And how good is a $1 helicopter toy when it provides hours of fun and conversation.

Not to forget those rides in the last hour or so when there are no queues and you can just go back on over and over and over and over......

And the other really good part for me was getting to sneak in at 7 am on my own to ferret through the trash and treasure. A mountain of kids books for $1 each, Real Living magazines for 50cents each (I only started buying this year but managed to find most of 2010) and a pile of puzzles for $2 a pop. We are all wonderfully weary and are vowing no more fetes...... well, until August at least.

Reverse Garbage

Today we trotted off to Reverse Garbage to check out the free kids workshops as part of a family fun open day celebrating their recent move to new larger premises. Roboboy was most pleased with his huge fill a bag for $7 haul plus the green plastic thingy for 20 cents that is destined to become the foundations for a medieval castle.

 Liongirl is doing a spectacular version of her sulky lip pout. Unsure if this is because she has just realized she has spent the morning wearing a bonnet designed for a 6 month old baby or if she knows she can't compete with Roboboys cracker of a pose that surely destines him for a Target catalogue feature.

They spent a good hour or so whiling away time at a creative workshop for kids. All the bits and bobs you could dream of - fur, fabric plastic thingies, string, adhesive dots and unlimited glue, scissors and hole punches.

Within an hour they had made mobiles, a plane, a spotty dinosaur, a furry mouse and a necklace. Not to mention Liongirl herself using an entire bottle of glue. Then it was time to check out the warehouse and fill a bag with craft goodies to take home.

Reverse garbage takes off cuts and remnants from all kinds of factories  and businesses then on sells them to the community to avoid them going to landfill. The also have a small shop where you can buy items crafted from these cast off items. The warehouse is a den of crafting treasures. Including things you never knew you needed.

Spiky wheels, sheepskin remnants, topographical maps - they have them.

Looking for that Luna Park mask?

Plaster feet - with toes for $2, without for $1. Which frankly begs the question- where are the toes?

Oodles of fabric remnants, ropes, cords and carpet bits.

And every boy needs his very own man at work road sign. Actually this would have been a good back up for Roboboy's second birthday as the combine harvester proved difficult to source.

The kids loved filling the bag with goodies of their choice, and as soon as Roboboy can sway the democratic prep vote towards a space theme I'll be back for some of that silver padded stuff in the bucket on the right.

Back home a creative vibe was happening and we launched into creating our turret for the castle theme at school. Legoman and the kids snaffled some of my grey deck paint and started work.

Can you see where we are heading? Tomorrow we have to add some arched windows, cobblestone walls, a drawbridge and a moat, then it's off to school.

The perils of vintage wallpaper

This blog post could equally be titled "Corkboard and wallpaper- lessons in frustration" or "How to have big ideas and execute them poorly".

I have about a dozen projects on the go over here at Betsy's and today I really just wanted to follow through and complete something. I attacked this with a crazed zealot like intensity that comes from having a very short window of time without interruptions. It was also one of those slightly spur of the moment creative ventures that came about while I was painting some more white walls. I had just done another coat and while waiting the 2 requisite hours to recoat, decided that I could probably use the same paint elsewhere.

I have had this corkboard since I was about 14. The fact that  it  has followed me from my childhood bedroom  to 3 share houses to this house seems downright strange. Many other items have been culled and forgotten but this humble corkboard has hung in there. Back in the 80's it was brown with pine trim.

Back in about 1997 it received a white undercoat and it's pretty much looked like this since then. Recently I stumbled across some wonderful vintage wallpaper and thought that Corky might appreciate a makeover. Having never used wallpaper before I have to admit I was a little sucked in by the funkiness of it all and given that vj walls are not suitable for wallpaper, this was the only place I could think of to try it out.

Well aware of my  lack of skills with respect to wallpaper wrangling, I decided to pretend the wallpaper was just plain paper and use spray adhesive to attach it to the cork. Seems like a reasonable and well considered concept doesn't it.?
Except that despite generously spraying both the paper and the board, there was pretty much nothing  happening in the adhesive department. Hmm. So I thought maybe I should treat it like wallpaper and follow the wallpapering instructions. So, I cut it to size, dunked it in a bucket of warm water and tried again. Still, pretty much nothing happening. So I sprayed a little bit more adhesive and then it seemed to stick a little. And then unstick itself. Despite furious smoothing out of lumps, there are some rumples and the adhesion quotient is on the low end.

I'm still not sure if it was due to the fact that  the wallpaper is vintage 80's and has lost it's adhesive tendencies or if the painted cork is the issue. Legoman's take is that the porous cork is probably absorbing all the glue. Hate to think he might actually be on the money. Eventually with much cursing and half a can of spray adhesive it seems to have stuck although it wouldn't surprise me if it all detaches and rolls off tomorrow when it completely dries.

I do think that while it's still intact it does look quite lovely. And it's completely finished ( until I have to superglue it back together). Product disclaimer :  Any obvious wrinkles in wallpaper should be (until proven otherwise)  presumed to be reflections from the rumply folds in  my new boots (thankyou Myer stocktake sale and a gift voucher ferretted from the depths of my purse).

Vintage clobber and friends with chainsaws

It was a weekend of epic proportions over here at Betsy's. The momentous occasion involved both children going for their first sleepover together at Nonna's. Not being the sort of people who would waste such an opportunity we packed in as much as we could. We had dinner at a Thai restaurant, saw a movie, slept in until 8 am (the first 8 continuous hours of sleep had for about 5 years) and then went out for brunch at our favourite West End cafe.
Then there was even time for a little prowl around the West End shops. The above photo is from a cute little shop called

and they had some wonderful local designers as well as the cute little under the stairs arrangement of vintage inspired kids clothes and a toy room and blackboard.

A few doors down was a haven of vintage goodies called Bang Doll Vintage.

It was a visual feast of colour with outfits for the whole family. Fancy some lederhosen for your 7 yo son, yep they had those as well (on the left behind that lovely mustard coloured bag) . I was also quite inspired by the vintage apron collection and  a gorgeous red velvet brocade lounge that the owner  proudly told me he rescued  mere minutes before an encounter with a bulldozer at the tip.

I was quite enamoured with the green and yellow ensemble. Legoman was relieved that it appeared to be a tiny size 6. Yellow and lime green are really not my colours but gosh such a glorious sight to feast the eyes on.

We wanted to pop into Nook which is the cutest little shop of hand made bits and bobs but unfortunately they were shut. The shop cat was most welcoming however and was more than happy to come and smooch us.

Other than breakfast we displayed superb shopping restraint. Probably because later that day we planned to head off to an art gallery to look at an exhibition of one of our favourite artists. More on that soon.....

Back home, children all delivered it was time for some friends with chainsaws. One of our friends who follows the blog offered to send her hubby over with his chainsaw expertise to help Legoman with that massive branch. There was much pontificating over weights, angles and anticipated trajectories before one  large branch swung down on the end of a rope. Another small tree was felled before they became nervous and moved onto warming the barbie instead. As I was anticipating many more felled branches than actually occurred the photos are frankly almost as unimpressive as the actual branch felling but watching the good man with the machine was pure artistry.

Meanwhile the boys armed themselves with hammers and got stuck into some serious macadamnia nut collecting and cracking. We have a random 70's style concrete slab in our backyard which is the home of all nut cracking attempts and chalk art works. Legoman keeps wanting to dig it up but boys love nothing more than a good concrete slab and for the time being it is staying.

And the girls, well there were numerous tea parties, baking of sandpit cakes and a hearty game of Dora snakes and ladders. When you are 2 that actually involves lots of excited dice throwing and shouting of random unrelated numbers.

Eternal gratitude to Nonnas and understanding friends with powertools.