October happenings

more on this, below

Boo!

Just kidding.

I've actually become a bit of a Halloween 'scrooge' now that the kids are older. Not because I don't like it. I do. It's fabulous fun. Our suburb here in Canberra caught a little Halloween fever a few years ago, with mini ghouls haunting the streets, but it seems to have died down now. Nevertheless, I leave a creepy bowl outside our front door with freakish treats inside.

I guess I'm a bit over Halloween because it's just 'another' thing to do, you know? And to think, I used to decorate the entire house. AND Easter. And I'd hang streamers and puff up balloons at the mere whiff of any other festive occasion. Now, all that energy is reserved for Christmas.

If you've read my blog, you'll know I'm a Christmas Nut (perhaps a Brazil nut--sometimes Macadamia), and I've been particularly impatient this year. Not sure why. I want to try a new advent calendar and I also want to totally reinvent my decorating scheme. I'm going for silver and green, black and white this year. Here are some finds from Provincial Home Living and Adairs. Can you believe how gorgeous? Look at that leafy ribbon! and I'm [almond] nuts over the pine cone tree/ornaments, and the wreath. Gasp.

And here is one of many pompom garlands I've been dying to make. All white. And the little mini trees--I found them on ebay. I'm using them for this year's advent calendar.

today . . . halloween + illustrations

Today: is Halloween. I love Halloween - it's a shame it's not more widely-celebrated in Australia; it is originally a British festival, after all. I treated the kids to these little, ghostly goodie packs . . .

Today: I did one of my favourite things in the world - surprise my kids with little treats. We're in wind-down mode, so I didn't decorate the house like I normally do. Little surprise packs will have to suffice!

Today: I hauled out precious. Don't you just love these stunning little Halloween cards? I bought them in Japan five years ago and have been too precious to use them - until now. The kids loved them.

Today: my gorgeous friend Tina Snerling shared with me one of the characters from our upcoming kids' book - An Aussie Year. Introducing Ned! Tina is just so talented and I absolutely adore these beautiful kids she's creating for the book.

Today: I also picked up some roughs for the next Riley book - Riley and the Jumpy Kangaroo: A journey around Canberra. Kieron has outdone himself!

Today: I realised, a little late, that I had not sent this Halloween gift to my goddaughter in Bangkok. It's on its way today.

Today: peaches! Small and rock-hard and $1000 a kilo, but fragrant and still sooooo tempting. Ella will devour these.

Today: these honey jumbles had to come home with me. Riley was impressed. Then he asked for tick tock biscuits, too.

Today: a super-dooper find - yellow chevron mugs from Woollies! Just a few dollars each and I am totally in love. I only bought two - must go back.

 Today: I used my new Kikki-K plastic shopping bag at Woollies.

Today: I finally espied that Turkish Delight. The one that only appears at Christmas. I stocked up.

Today: I purchased our annual festive favourite. Will serve with berries and custard and ice cream, and will use the leftovers for French toast. One of my fave things ever.

Today: fabulous new breads at our local Woollies. Am obsessed with this grainy sourdough.

Today: Ella's dog walking dog payment for November, in the letterbox.

Today: also in the letterbox - a postcard! Remember those??

Today: azaleas pilfered from the garden and plonked right next to me.

Hope you had a lovely day today.

breezy sunshiny friday finds

We are travelling at the end of the year, so I've been rather tight on the shopping sprees of late - not wanting to spend a single sou on anything that might compromise a brilliant time away. But sometimes a girl's just gotta shop - and I've had a lot of fun attempting to finish my Christmas shopping this month {Christmas shopping at Christmastime is something I do NOT enjoy}. Of course, when you Christmas-shop, you get tempted along the way . . .

Since becoming obsessed with Instagram, I've discovered all manner of ways to make use of my photographic creations. I had these images {above} printed on stickers via prinstagram recently and they'll go in the kids' Christmas stockings. Love.

I also did a bit of a Country Road order, using my Spend and Save. Adore this red tray - some clothes for the kids, and our family breakfasts have become beach-chic with these orange/white striped mugs and bowls. They have brought such sunshine to our kitchen. The nest of frames are my favourite picture frames ever ever ever - we have several sets now - and that white tin three-tier container - it does make my heart go boom boom boom.

I also did some local printing this week - a 2013 calendar from my instagram pics, using the divine calendar template from Paislee Press. I absolutely LOVE her work and have since downloaded some other templates which can be used in Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator. I'll be sticking these twelve 5 x 7 images to my studio wall come January, for a unique and very special take on my annual calendar.

I've been bitten by the redecorating bug this month, too, and - having just signed a new book contract - decided to splurge a little on some new furniture. More on that soon, but I also gathered up a beautiful new rug and some soft furnishings. Here is a sneak peek of my Freedom flamingo cushion. I've stashed it away to use on our new sofas next month. This colour scheme is a real departure for me.

This morning I dashed out really early to take Ella to her high school induction morning {she loved it!} and before I could possibly nose the car out of the driveway, I simply had to stop and snap the morning sun through our lavender. It's taken a while for this batch of heaven to 'take' in our garden, and it's now flourishing. Delighted.

I then coffeed with my friend Sylvia and shopped a wee dram - could not resist this divine tea-for-one set from Typo, on sale. My dear mum had a tea-for-one set in the 70s and I love this new take on an old classic.

I then got sucked into Country Road {it was beyond my control} and came out with these stunners . . . yes, we need to take the red tin picnic basket out for a picnic-run this weekend.

I'm on the hunt for a beautiful year 6 graduation dinner frock for Ella, and, dropping into David Jones, I espied some gorgeous options which we'll go check out tomorrow. In the meantime, I couldn't resist these chevron swimmers {the stripe is the same colour as my toenail polish!} for her and some divine tissue paper from Typo. I have a thing for tissue paper.

I also have a thing for Christmas paper. This is from Kikki-K. How could I resist? Truly?

Speaking of toenail polish, whilst invading Seed for Halloween candy for the kids, I simply couldn't leave without this fluoro orange paint and also this cherry red. Am agonising over which toenail colour to go for Halloween.

And how retro-delish is this candy?

On the way home, I dashed into the Fresh Food Market for a tray of mangoes for the weekend {they'll be gone in a snap} and this incredibly evil nut loaf, crusted in sugar from Crust.

Ok, I am now putting the credit card on ice, and will leave you with this glorious windswept Canberra day - this photo taken on the way home {from the car window}.

Have a gorgeous weekend, all. Hope to see you at Gungahlin Library tomorrow for storytime with Mem Fox and Judy Horacek.

x

Piñata Tips

I'm a great piñata lover and we always have one at each and every party, even Halloween.

Last Halloween, however, I had a piñata diaster...

I originally wanted to make a spider piñata but the shape of the balloon didn't work, so it ended up becoming a bat. Mindful of the piñatas I've made over the years that were so tough they had to be sawed open, I made this one a little thinner than usual.

The kids were so excited as they queued for what they consider the funnest game of all. Being such patient little monsters, they lined up and mucked around for the camera as I searched the house for my missing piñata stick. Unable to find it, I instead opted for a softball bat.

Riley was first, followed by Brett, who, coupled with brute strength, a thinner than average piñata, a great hulking softball bat and a lucky dead-centre smack, the piñata cracked open on his first hit.

Thankfully, the 20+ kids queued for a go, didn't dissolve in tears and instead found solace in the mass of candy tumbling onto the grass.

So... having survived that disappointment with minimal wrath, here are my tips for making the perfect smashable piñata...

Presuming you are using glue made from cornflour (cornstarch) and water, make the piñata with about 4 layers of paper (not including your cover paper).

Use thick string or ribbon to hang it. DO NOT use a baseball, softball or t-ball bat.

Consider blindfolding the kids to make the rounds of hitting go longer.

Limit each turn to three swings (not three hits).

Line up your kids in order of strength and competence.

Littlies first.

Spookfest in the 'Burbs

Halloween mania in the suburbs at our house yesterday! While the atmosphere is still not quite as electrifying as it is amongst those who officially celebrate the festival (the United States, the UK, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Sweden and Switzerland), things are changing here in Aus, and we were surpised to have a set of trick-or-treaters knock on our door last night.

Fun!

Before the celebrations began, we dressed up the kids - I was so short on time this year and had not really properly prepped either costume. Ella wanted to be a ghost rider à la Martha Stewart on the cover of this year's Halloween magazine annual. I made the top hat from cardboard and sequinned trim. She wore her school shirt, white jeans, brown boots and one of my black dresscoats. It turned out surprisingly fabulous for such a slap-happy job!

With Ella (above), is my gorgeous goddaughter Izzy, who came as a rather stunning little vampiress.

Riley, after falling in love with a set of horrifying teeth, insisted on coming as a mummy, only we couldn't find enough bandages that didn't come with a sports therapist's $20 markup, and so he was only half-swathed. Creepy, nonetheless.

I was up at 5.30am (husband is out of the country) to decorate the outdoors. I made a 'spooky' banner from shiny black card and used swathes of orange and black organza. Ghosts are made from white organza and white balloons with black card eyes and mouth.

I also hung balloons and papercut strings of sensational skeletons and skulls, purchased in Beijing. Paper pumpkin laterns hung from the trees and a large cardboard skeleton creeped out anyone wanting to escape the yard.

I had wanted to set this up in front of black fabric, spin his head down so it was hidden away, and take photos of the kids behind him - with their heads in place of the skeleton's - but this decorating was a lot of work and I simply ran out of puff.

I printed off creepy words and stuck them to black card, cut the edges with decorative scissors and tacked on the walls. Black bats are also really effective and so simple to cut out - arrange en masse as though a cloud of screeching bloodsuckers have just escaped the cave.

The tables were dotted with creepy-looking plants and statuettes, and some wonderful black card candelabras found at Spartys.

Indoors, the creepfest continued. Being such a warm day, we kept anything melty inside. On the dining room table, a gallery of eerie family photos peeked out at anyone daring to snaffle a goodie bag.

Before guests arrived, Ella and Izzy decorated the grim jelly with lolly snakes and the treats were brought out to drool over.

Outdoors, we had the hot food onto tables as soon as the guests arrived. Labelling the food really creeps out the guests - and this is a good good thing at a Halloween party.

As guests arrived, we were absolutely delighted at the impressive calibre of the costumes!

 

 

The games began after some goulish nibbles, with Ghost Hunt. Stick a white ghost on the back of some large card and then have kids place a pumpkin where they think the ghost will be. Nearest wins.

It was then on to Mummy Wrap. Unravel a toilet roll and re-roll, interspersing with treats every few metres. You may need to use more than one roll if you have a lot of children. The kids stand in a circle and start wrapping themselves and when a treat falls out, it's passed on to the next kid who starts wrapping. Make sure you use strong toilet paper.

Zombie Tag was a real hit. The zombie wears an eye-covering mask and gloves and intermittently groans, with arms outstretched. When it groans, the other kids must also put their arms out and groan (so zombie can find them and perhaps touch them). When a child is touched, he becomes the zombie. The last kid to remain untouched wins.

 

I'm a great piñata lover and seeing as though we had no trick-or-treat, I thought it would be a great way to disperse candy. I originally wanted to make a spider piñata but the shape of the balloon didn't work, so it ended up becoming a bat. Mindful of the piñatas I've made over the years that were so tough they had to be sawed open, I made this one a little thinner than usual.

The kids were so excited as they queued for what they consider the funnest game of all. Being such patient little monsters, they lined up and mucked around for the camera as I searched the house for my missing piñata stick. Unable to find it, I instead opted for a softball bat.

Riley was first, followed by Brett, who, coupled with brute strength, a thinner than average piñata, a great hulking softball bat and a lucky dead-centre smack, the piñata cracked open on his first hit.

Thankfully, the 20+ kids queued for a go, didn't dissolve in tears and instead found solace in the mass of candy tumbling onto the grass.

So... here are my tips for making the perfect smashable piñata...

Presuming you are using glue made from cornflour (cornstarch) and water, make the piñata with about 4 layers of paper (not including your cover paper). Use thick string or ribbon to hang it. DO NOT use a baseball, softball or t-ball bat. Consider blindfolding the kids to make the rounds of hitting go longer. Limit each turn to three swings (not three hits). Line up your kids in order of strength and competence. Littlies first.

A round of Hot Potato finished off the games and I was too exhausted to implement Mummy Wrap and Skeleton Relay.

Next year.

Hope you had a spooky Halloween!

CREDITS
 
Photo contributions by Shevaun Macks
 
Incredible Philly cheese skull with sweet chilli sauce blood by Shevaun Macks
 
Awesome wig wearing by Shevaun Macks
 
Wicked trio of boys by Shevaun Macks

 

Kids Parties A-Z