Friday is for - Potato stamping

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am a bit of a scrimp when it comes to gift wrap. Wrapping paper can be expensive and in my personal opinion I would rather spend the extra 5 or 8 bucks on the actual gift than on the wrap and card. 
In the past I have used the kids paintings and drawings from craft activities and kindy, brown paper bags with labels made from golden books that I've found at thrift stores, pages from old atlases and butchers paper with iron on transfers that I have found on the cheap. I usually then write straight on the gift wrap my message to the giftee instead of giving a card. Most, if not all, of the ribbon I ever used is recycled from gifts I have received or leftovers in my sewing stuff. One Christmas I drew the ribbons onto the wrapping with a permanent red marker!
This weekend we are attending a kids party and so we have to wrap a present. Because it's school holidays I thought i would double the task as an activity to keep the kids happy. So this morning was all about potatoes and stamping.

 With the addition of a little picture from a 0.99cent golden book and a message I think we've done a good job.

I love when I can make a task that needs to be done into something fun the kids can help with.

a little pressie for Lucy

This is just one of the presents that Lucy got for her birthday. I mentioned the idea to Clint and in his handy way just knocked them together one day. I painted them up and put some pretty paper inside to look like wall paper for the birdies. Each roof comes off so at night we drop little battery operated tea lights in and it is a nice alternative to a plug in night light.

So pretty. I still wish it was my room.

Shower Pretty

Shower pretty - you know - the ultimate accessory to wear when you are wear nothing else - in the shower.

Clearly this is not me modelling

However I would love to have her complexion - not one freckle, pimple or wrinkle anywhere!

Flynn took a liking to the her, especially with the Xmas hat on

Come up for air son!

 My insanely clever friend has a really amazing ability to see beauty in things that others just can't see. See seems to be able to take ordinary items and tweak them into one of a kind, personalised magic. I remember when she was pregnant and she would arrive in the most gorgeous dresses and we'd all be hounding her for the shop where she found it, and she would just smile and tell us how she rescued the item and smocked here and snipped there. Voila. She is more than a clever sewer. Simply because she doesn't need instructions or rules. She can see beyond something into it's fantastic potential. (Secretly I hope that is why she is my friend and she can see some future fantastic in me too!)

This is what is going to help this little girl grow long beautiful healthy hair

Well it was in fact this same friend that made these beautiful shower caps. I love shower caps and now Lucy is in the good habit of using them too. These ones are so handy because you just throw them through the wash every week.

Can you see the gifting potential too? Teamed up with a body scrub and other goodies.....