Easy Chicken Craft

I found my inspiration for this sweet chicken craft in an old copy of the your family magazine. The template I used was actually meant for a hen beanbag, which I would have loved to have made, but wasn't brave enough to attempt. I enjoyed making a paper version though (far easier too!)

Did you know that the frilly part on top of the chicken's head is called a "comb" and the wobbly bit below it's beak, a "wattle"? Aren't those just the perfect names for those body parts :)? For a nice labeled photograph of the parts of a chicken, peck your way over to Farming Friends and there's lots of interesting information and print-outs about chickens at Enchanted Learning.

Till next time. 

PS. Sharing at:
 Show and Tell @ ABC and 123

The sweetest smelling Garbage Truck

At Christmas my hubby and I received some Lindt chocolate...mmm, don't you just love Lindt? I thought the papers were too pretty to throw away and they smell so good too.

If you have a little guy in your house, I'm willing to bet he loves the garbage truck. Ours comes on a Tuesday and I always say a small prayer that it will arrive before Little One has to go off to school. So when I suggested that we make a garbage truck, he was really keen. 

I cut out the truck beforehand and with the craft glue in hand and a little help on my part, Little One glued the pieces down to make the truck. Then the really fun part began - smelling and rolling the chocolate papers into balls and sticking them into the truck. All in all he enjoyed the activity and our sweet smelling garbage truck has claimed a spot on the fridge. :)

Till next time.

Sharing at: Show and Tell @ ABC and 123

Georgie's Picks {Sorta famous} and a Give Away Challenge update

I've overheard Big One say to some of his friends: "Do you want to be famous? My Mom can put you on her blog. "


That makes me smile.


So Big One thinks he's sorta famous :). This is one of his friends who kinda liked that idea...

:)

And now...did you join me in the Give Away Challenge? How are you doing? Yesterday was Day 20 for me and I have managed to part with 65 things so far.  Things like linen, towels, jewelry, cutlery, crockery, toys and clothes. Tonight I tackle my clothing cupboard, so I know that I'll have lots more to add. If you have also been giving stuff away, please do let me know about your progress.


Till next time. 

Bunny and Tail Colour Match

I wasn't going to post again this weekend, but I couldn't resist sharing these bunnies that we made this morning and also linking it up to a fun Easter Linky Party (see below).

I used this sweet bunny template from Punkin Patterns to cut out a number of coloured bunnies. I then set up a little bunny tail station. Little One loved sticking the matching tails (pom poms) onto the bunnies and it was a good recap of all his colours. We also spoke a bit about the missing colours. His best part was squeezing out the glue - I had to pry the tube from his little hands :).

I love how these turned out. I think that there is so much you could do with them. I am going to use them as Easter gift tags and if there's time I might make some bunting for our Easter table tomorrow.

I'm sharing these at the Hippity Hop Easter Project Hop. To see lots more fun Easter ideas, just click on the button below.

PS. Also sharing at Show and Tell @ ABC and 123.

Easter garden Sensory box

 I whipped up this Easter garden sensory box for Little One yesterday. I added some coloured rice, Easter eggs, pom poms, some mini garden tools, planters, paper flowers and butterflies. I would have liked to have had a little watering can, but I couldn't find one, so we used our imagination :).

Little One first gobbled up some of the Easter eggs (of course!) and then got down to some playing.

To colour the rice, put it in a deep bowl and add food colouring and a little bit of water. Stir in well and keep adding until you are happy with the colour. Then spread it out to dry on a big tray. I put mine outside for a few hours and it dried easily. 

Wishing you and yours a very Blessed Easter weekend! 

PS. Sharing this at Spring Link Up @ Rust and Sunshine.

Design a Ring

Recognise these? The little plastic seals under the lid and that you pull out of a big juice box. They look like plastic rings, don't you think?

Add some play dough and beads and you can transform them into these...ooh la la

These "designer" rings were created by some girlfriends (aged 10 and 12), who came over for a lovely play date. Wouldn't this make a super activity for a little girl's birthday party?

Till next time :)

PS. Shared at

 For the Kids Friday @ Sun Scholars

Play Dough Activities Link Up @ The Imagination Tree 

30 day {Give Away} Challenge

 

It's AUTUMN over here in the Southern hemisphere. Yippeee!!  Or maybe it's the first few days of SPRING for you? It's also my blog's second birthday this month - I can hardly believe it. In celebration of this special month, I would have loved to have shared 30 days of giveaways with you. Maybe one day, when my blog's all grown-up and famous, I'll have the opportunity to do just that :). But instead this post is not about giveaways - sorry if you're disappointed! - this post is actually about YOU giving stuff away. 

Whether you want to call it Spring cleaning or Autumn cleaning, I want to challenge you to get rid of some clutter and simplify your life a bit. Since last year I've been on quite a mission to clear the clutter and SIMPLIFY my home. I have been doing lots of sorting and decluttering and of course that means lots of giving away. I wish I had counted the items...I might have given away about 100 things so far?...actually I have no idea, that's just a wild guess. But this strong desire to make my life simpler by having less stuff continues daily. I think it makes me function better and if I'm doing that, then I'm a better, more effective, calmer, happier, more patient Mommy! So, that's really the reason why I thought I would ask you to join me. Are you in :)?

Here's the challenge: Could you part with one thing (big or small) every day for the next thirty days? You can give it away on the spot or put it in a box and part with it at the end of the month. That's up to you. Something I've noticed in my clearing-the-clutter process, is that if I revisit a spot that I have recently cleared, there's inevitably something else I'm happy to part with. I think it's just human nature to look at an item and if you're unsure to hold onto it. But, when you revisit it, it's much easier to get rid if it the second time around.

This blog is a great way for me to stay accountable, so this challenge is for me as much as it is for you.  I won't be posting about it regularly. Maybe just one half-way post, but you're welcome to keep in touch with me via email (see my About Me page) if you need some inspiration. Or touch base on my Love and Lollipops Facebook page.

Oh, one last thing. I have been reading these super blogs for inspiration in this area of my life. I thought they may inspire you too. 

Simple Mom 

I'm an Organizing Junkie 

Organising Queen

Let me know if you're joining me and Happy Clearing the Clutter!

PS. You could even consider getting your kiddos to join you in the challenge. I think I might just ask Big One to give it a go.

Mini Designer Bottle Top and Play Dough Cakes

Bottle tops + play dough = cakes...who would have thought?

These mini cakes were inspired by some very clever creations I saw at  Anne Farrell's blog. I thought of trying to make these with glue, but then realised that it would require some really fine precision gluing and both children wouldn't necessarily be in the mood for such sticky fingers. So play dough to the rescue :).

I have tried a few play dough recipes, but this is definitely one of my all time favourites. It is soooo easy to make and the best part - no stove required!

To create the soft icing colours, I added very little food colouring to the dough. The yellow was our "custard" filling and we used deep purple as our chocolate icing, because I (unfortunately) forgot to make some brown coloured dough. To make a soft chocolatey color, you can simply add a little bit of cocoa to the recipe.

The little beads make for pretty sprinkles to decorate the cakes - don't forget to also have some red ones to add as cherries or strawberries :). 

Wouldn't these make such a sweet addition to a small doll's tea party?

 

The play dough recipe, found via The Mother Lode. 

1 cup flour
2 Tbs cream of tarter
1 Tbs vegetable oil
1/2 cup of granulated salt
Add some essence for a nice aroma (orange, almond, peppermint)

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and then add a cup of boiling water. Stir until combined and turn it out onto a floured board and knead until smooth. Colour can be added to the boiling water or at the kneading stage. I divide the batch in half and add the colouring at the kneading stage. When you divide it in half, there is enough for two nice hand-sized balls of dough. Just a tip - wear gloves when kneading - the food colouring does stain your skin and it isn't very easy to clean off. Store your dough in an airtight container. 

If you have never made play dough before, I really want to encourage you to give it a go. For many years I used store-bought dough and I have always disliked the artificial and overpowering smell. This dough is really wonderful :). 

Till next time...have fun!

Sharing at:
Show and Tell @ ABC and 123 
For the Kids Friday @ Sun Scholars 
Kid's Co-op 
Too Cute Tuesday @ Funky Polkadot Giraffe 

Play Dough Activities Link Up @ The Imagination Tree 

Recycled Robots

I have been collecting bits and bobs for our robots forever. At Christmas time, I kept all those little plastic and metal pieces that the toys were attached to in the boxes (you know those pieces - the ones that make it near impossible to detach the toy from the box!). Added to that, anything that looked like it could belong to a robot. 

Paper clips, keys, metal bottle tops, batteries (I'm careful that they are not leaking), empty tablet sheets, bobbins (think that's what you call them?), broken toys - it all came in handy.

Granny contributed some nice tins and I set out all the treasures and let the children explore and create.  I joined in too of course - I really can't help myself :)

Big One even decided to hammer a hole and attach the arms of one robot with some small nuts and bolts. He used glue and Prestik to stick down the rest.

Till next time - happy collecting and creating :)

PS. Sharing this at  

For the Kids Friday @ Sun Scholars

Show and Tell @ ABC and 123 

Fun Frugal Linky Party @ Fun Frugal Mommy 

Adam's Art Spot : Bendy Cardboard Characters

Adam's Art Spot is my oldest son's space here on the blog to share his often quirky art and craft ideas.

I haven't shared an Adam's Art Spot for ages, so I'm really happy to do so today.

Not much explanation is required. The cardboard used to create these little characters are from our recycling box - mainly empty biscuit, tea or cereal boxes. The best part is that after creating these, you can play with them :).

 Cool hey?