Elfies Escapades.... Day 3

Just a quickie for now... I'll be back later today...

DAY 3 (December 3rd - I'm posting a day late) of Elfies Escapades

I deliberately left the tree without a star up top on December 1 when the girls and I decorated our tree.

During the day prior the girls and I had discussed the need for our tree to have a star at its peak.

Well on night 3 Elfie came through with the goods!

The girls awoke, searched the house and Little Little Miss M found Elfie perched up on a sparkly gold star.

Big Little Miss M declared that Elfie must of heard us talking and caught a shooting star on his journey back from the North Pole.

I'm loving Elfie being here maybe even more than the girls... what magical fun memories are in the process of being created! ♥

Cheers x

The Elf: Day Two

Well this morning the girls awoke and the first thing they wanted to do was turn the place upside down looking for Elfie...

Big Little Miss M thought he might be hiding in the laundry - under the trough or in the chest freezer.... NOPE!

Little Little Miss M simply assumed he'd be happily perched where he was when she blew him goodnight kisses the night before... he wasn't... "Elfie gone! Elfie gone!"

But then out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of red and white, something out of place on the dining table...

Lo and behold, there right in the middle of the table the girls discovered that Elfie was meeting and bonding with some of their most liked little figurines over a campfire (tealight) toasting marshmallows on toothpicks...

Elfie had even made sure that there were some long skewers and marshmallows waiting to be toasted by my girls....

They loved it and just think that Elfie is the bees knees...

Big Little Miss M cleaned her room, made her bed, shared with her sister and generally spent the day earning brownie points for Elfie in her pursuit to remain on the 'good' list!

Oh what fun is being had with Elfie in the house...

Now to prepare for tomorrows Elf adventure!

Cheers x

Worst Blogger Nominee and Elf on the Shelf...

First the nomination and then the fun of the Elf....

If there were an award for the worst blogger I'd certainly be up there with a nomination for most sporadic blogger at present... I started blogging and loved it (still do), loved sharing some refashions and tutes with you all.  

Then I decided the time had come to expand my home sewing and selling a little, especially since leaving the workforce to be a stay at home home and the perception that I had more times on my hands... ha! I don't know how I fit work in before! Full credit to those who work outside the home, parent, blog and more!

Well, not that I'm complaining but it really has come to dominate a large percentage of my 'me' time. The evenings when my two girls are asleep, the afternoons when they nap and any other moment I can grab in between, including the time I used to spend doing refashioning tutes and blogging :(

Now, I keep declaring I'm going to be here more often, whip up another tute for you and the fact that I haven't seems to keep me away from here more and for longer when really I do want to continue to blog - for me, for my family (one day I hope my girls will enjoy reading some of their earlier entries) and also to share with you!

So, rather than just slip out of the blogoshpere because I haven't a tute or some amazing refashion for you I'm just going to try and mix it up a little... make it a little more personal, a little more broader in scope. 

More about the day to day, what I've been sewing, what I've been cooking, what's caught my eye on Pinterest and yes, from time to time a tutorial if the inspiration and creativity strikes!

So, I'm kicking it off with at the very least to keep you all updated on our families first year of "Elf on the Shelf"

Introducing "Elfie" (yes, I'm certain there are many Elfie's out there - my 4yo and 2yo collaborated and came up with a name that I'm sure is often picked - but doesn't it suit him?).

My girls made and wrote letters to Santa on the 30th November and we sent them via North Pole Express Delivery Service asking if Santa could send an elf to spend some time with us in the lead up to the big day.

Well Santa came through and our very own elf arrived overnight, bringing with him a breakfast from the North pole - waffles, cream & syrup and a huge berry and melon fruit platter. He brought a few little gifts - some Christmas mugs for hot chocolate, some frozen cups for summer slushies (Australian Christmas can be a hot one!), advent calendars and a few sweet treats to eat whilst decorating the tree that Elfie brought along too!

Big Little Miss M was bursting with excitement, declaring, "Santa must be real!" 

 Little Little Miss M wide eyed with wonder just kept saying "Wow.... wow!"

We read the book together, popped on some jingle bells and rudolph, ate breakfast and then set about decorating the tree...

The girls thought these 'earrings' were brilliant.... Baubles - the season's hottest look!

Ooh, Elfie got to listen to some very amusing conversations today... my big girl at only 4 years old was questioning if Elfie was 'real' or just pretend before deciding he definitely was magic and NO ONE could touch him and my little little 2 year old just wants to cuddle him and talk babble talk all day to him!

Such a fun day... and now to set up Elfie's next 'elfscapade' for tomorrow! 

Come back tomorrow to see what Elfie's been up to...

Just a little bit of getting it out...

To be a better mother... 

(and no, I don't believe it's about copious amounts of fairy floss and cotton candy as big as your head... but hey, every once and a while maybe it is?)

Truth be told... 

I'm having quite a few day's lately where it feels like I've spent 99% of the day either cranky with my girls, yelling like a banshee to pick up the toys, don't put your fingers in there, no that is NOT edible, do not make me ask/tell you or see you do that again... and it goes on and on...

Often when they're peacefully asleep in bed and the house is quiet I think about the day... I really want my girls to love life, to laugh, to be strong and confident girls. I want to not only be the best mother I can be BUT to be even better than that. I want my girls to have happy memories of family times, shared love, fun - the belief in the fairies, Santa, and other magical and amazing childhood fantasies... of a childhood that brings a smile to their faces and a warmth to their hearts.

But no one tells you just how hard its going to be... how you honestly feel like you've been stripped of almost every last shred of sanity... when all you can do is quietly have a cry - out of not only exhaustion but so much more... more than words can adequately put meaning or substance to. Not that I thought it would be a walk in the park... it's just that nothing quite compares to trying to negotiate reason and logic with a two or four year old...

I love being a mother. I love my two little girls -as mothers do - with a love so strong that they consume my whole heart... I want the best for them, including the best of me and sometimes it saddens me to think, in the peace of the evening that perhaps today we didn't even come close to that... and yes there is tomorrow, but there will only ever be one today and I despise feeling like I want a 'do-over'

Hmmm... yes, well in the absence of a do-over I guess I'll just sleep on it and resolve to try that little bit harder when I wake. Maybe, we all need to feel a little bit of a failure at times so that we can appreciate the successes - the unprompted manners, the random compliment paid from a stranger about your well behaved child/ren, the times when laughter fills the air and big squeezey cuddles and sloppy kisses abound (oh and don't forget that fairy floss).

~To let go of the little things, laugh at the crazy things and marvel at the wondrous things~

"SpaNGle*" snap facebook giveaway!

We all LOVE a giveaway don't we? 

Well head over to my facebook page... 

SpaNGle*

... NOW... 

and become a 'liker' and then be sure to pop back here and leave a comment telling me so....

because in about 1 hour....

 (8PM AEDST)

 you can take part in my facebook giveaway and take home this gorgeous pillowcase dress:

Open WORLDWIDE to anyone who is a 'liker' of my facebook page....

PLUS if you want an extra entry, follow my blog and again leave a separate comment letting me know!

The winner will be decided using Random.com to select a number (which will correspond to the comments) and will be posted here once decided!

****UPDATE****
And the winner....
as decided by Random.org...

Comment 27... JODESS,

CONGRATULATIONS!!! 

And the winner of the VIP Shopping Pass to SpaNGle*s next sale night...

is comment 7

Dafina Rexha... Congratulations - you have won a pass to shop and choose to purchase ONE item from SpaNGle*s next market night sale on Facebook PRIOR to the sale opening!!!

Hmmm... I kind of let my one year 'blogoversary' just slip right by! Not much ado... no fanfare...

I guess I've never been much for one on my birthdays (for the kiddo's its different - nothing beats an awesome cake and the delight of the littlies opening their presents and blowing out the candles and all round just feeling that little bit extra special!)

I've been super busy with... life, children, sewing - you name it... oh and trying to convince the hubby that we NEED to paint the house while the weather is good and he's got leave from work (I know it doesn't seem fair that I load him up with house renovation type things on this work break... but when else can I do it?)

Okay... change of subject (I'll keep you posted on the house painting situation as it *hopefully* progresses)...

Here's just a few things I've fallen for lately:

Upcycled dresses and fashion from the lovely Bec from See-Sam. Check out here FB page and say g'day... here's my two lovelies in their See-Sam dresses (and they've another two custom makes on the way!)

Oh Pinterest... I think I'll always be a fan!

The most recent project I undertook via some pinspiration, was these super easy cupcake wrappers...

Source: Intimate Weddings

Here's the link to the fabulously easy and ridiculously cheap tutorial.... I managed to make 30 from a packet of ten 12" paper doilies - so happy... they look just as good as the expensive bought ones only better because they don't cost a fortune (and you don't cringe or mentally calculate the costs when someone rips it from the cupcake and discards the wrapper without a second thought)!

And my most favourite brand new kitchen gadget/utensil...

I happened across this amazing, non stick, mini-cheesecake and pudding tray at a discount kitchen supply store on a recent trip to the city! Needless to say I have been churning out the cheesecake creations... this tray makes achieving perfectly professional looking mini cheesecakes a breeze! I love how the bottoms pop out... so far every cheesecake I've made with the tray has come out perfectly - I'll photograph one for you all if I can manage it before they get gobbled up. Not so good for my waistline perhaps...

Oh and while your here, why not take a moment to pop by my facebook page... I'll be running a giveaway on Saturday at 8PM (Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time)... 

Hope to see you over there! So what pinterest project has taken your fancy lately? Do you have a most favourite kitchen gadget or utensil you just cannot live without? Or who is your favourite handmade label at the moment? I'd love to know!

Cheers xo

When moons align, the wind is right and the world conspires WITH you...

Rolled hems and I...  (or rolled hems and me - as I'm told is correct grammar these days???) we have a relationship that is often tempestuous! I like to tuck the rolled hem foot away and pretend it doesn't exist but at the same time I just love the finished look of the neat little hem that it can create (when the moons align, the wind is right, the world is conspiring with me and it all works as it should, that is!)

Well people... today was one of those days!

Gorgeous, little and neat rolled hems! Bliss!

I heard about a little hint of snipping the start corner on a 45degree angle to help it feed onto the foot. Sounds easy enough... and it seemed to work too! I was on a ROLL!!! (heehee... really sad pun I know, but I just had to!)

UNTIL... it seemed my new found confidence with the rolled hems was short lived as then my machine began to skip threads, bunch up the bobbin thread and generally give me grief!

Time to inspect... and look what I found:

How disgracefully, lint filled is my bobbin holder? Kind of embarrassing. I'm not sure when I last cleaned it out - and I know, I know, I should be cleaning it after each use... but really, how many of us do that? What, you do? Okay, I'm off today to buy a can of compressed air... I believe that I should be cleaning the serger EVERY time too - I'm not even going to let you get a look in that baby!

Anyhow, my poor dusty machine got a bit of a dust out and she was back to giving me perfectly rolled hems. I wonder how much better she'll perform once I start giving her a burst of compressed air every day!

Oh, and did you notice the new blog header? Do you remember the old one? I thought it needed an update... what do you think? I'm not sure on it yet - it might grow on me though, we'll see.

Hope you're having a day where all your moons are aligning, the wind is right and that the world is conspiring with you - whatever you're doing!

Cheers xx