Tea for Mum

We are celebrating for 3 Mums today… my Mummy and my Mother in Law and for me of course!  I received a beautiful restful morning in bed, with tea and toast after a big long sleep in (until 8 anyway!).  

We spent last night creating gifts for our Mums.  Beeswax candles with little typewritten notes explaining they are to be used stictly under relaxing conditions, and also some vintage teacups from a local antique store filled with bags of tea leaves. 

For the cards, we finally decided to tear out some pages from a little flip book we’ve had for years.  We agreed it was time to share the wit.  Again, typewritten notes were the flavour of the day!  So there you have it, some re-purposed gifts for our mothers.

Making Beeswax Candles

Ok, making a candle is way way way way easier than you may think.  I’m not sure if the way I do it is pc, but it seems to work and the candles burn just fine. 

First, find yourself some beeswax (other wax is fine, but beeswax is better for the environment, and your home).  I have found mine at the local markets, and also at a local Apiary, really cheap.  Next, find some beautiful glasses.  This is where op shops come in really handy.  The glasses we bought for our Mother’s Day candles were 25c each!   Baby food jars work well too, and you can wrap them in string, baking paper, ribbon, drawings etc.  The lady at the apiary gave me a few metres of wick, so I’ve just been using that, but you can buy wick really cheap on line.  I haven’t bothered using the tabs or anything, and mine are burning beautifully.

Ok, here it goes – how easy is this?

Thread some wick through a toothpick or skewer so that you can rest the toothpick across the top of the glass and the bottom of the wick touches the bottom of the glass or jar. 

Melt the wax.  In a separate glass jar in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds or so, or in a double boiler on the stove.   Add some essential oils (more than you think would be necessary).  Then pour into the glass/jar.  Pull the wick out once it has wax on it and straighten it, then put back in, as central as possible.  That’s it.  Leave it to cool, then trim the wick.

If you’re using a glass jar (baby food jar etc), put the chopped wax in it, put it in the microwave, then add the wick. Easy Peasy! 

I’ve never taken a class in candle making, and kind of made this all up as I went along, so if anyone has any more suggestions feel free to add them, but these candles are burning beautifully and smell delicious, even without the essential oils.

Our Mother’s Day candles used about 40 drops of essential oils each.  We made a blend of mandarin, bergamot and rose geranium, inspired by an Aesop massage oil we loved years ago!

Back on Track

Right, we’re finally back for 2010 (better late than never)! Gift ideas for this year will have an extra focus on re-using, re-purposing and creating. Although there will still be some gorgeous gifts easily purchased for those with not much time to spare.
In our household, 2010 brings a challenge of seriously reducing our plastic use inspired by fakeplasticfish.com, so this may be reflected in the gift ideas you see on this blog. Now, not being a purist (in any aspect of my life!), there will of course be occasions where plastic may be used, but we’re taking baby steps and trying to rid ourselves of the totally and obviously unnecessary plastic items, so we’ll see how we go.
Hope you enjoy reading and hopefully you’re inspired by at least something on the site for the next occasion you intend to give…

It’s a (Cheap) Wrap

Every year in our household we try to make a day of creating the year’s signature Christmas wrapping paper.  This year’s theme is red and gold, and involved my toddler using lots of red paint to stamp the newspaper and then I sprinkled with gold glitter as it was drying. 

Over the year we have saved all ribbons and bows from other gifts, and we’ve also bought some red and gold curling ribbon as a finishing touch.  So here’s the Christmas Wrap for 2009 - the year of the Bok Choy stamp!

Christmas All Rounders

Here is a collection of Christmas gift ideas if you’re stumped with someone on your list!

Vacu Vin Wine Saver - Every household needs one of these!  Even the households where a bottle of wine doesn’t last more than one evening – the cooking wine can do with saving too! 

Soda Stream – Another handy item for the house.  Perfect for the party season too!

Gorilla Torch – Just cool.  So handy and the latest gadget for that 4WDing, camping, home handy person.

Diptyque Burning Essence (for light bulbs) - Something a bit indulgent to keep the house smelling divine – a super luxurious twist on the candle craze.  The Kai range of room fragrances also make a delicious fresh smelling gift, conjuring up images of a tropical balmy holiday.

Water Bottle – For the sports fanatic or for a busy Mum on the go.  A water bottle always comes in handy, saves you money and the environment.

Picnic Rug/Basket – Perfect for a couple who love their romantic picnics, or also for a young family who always find themselves at the park.  Thermos do a great range of waterproof backed blankets and fully stocked picnic backpacks.

More to come…

Tween Gift Dilemmas

I am currently facing the difficult task of buying my 10 and 11 year old nieces their Christmas gifts.  Just the term “tween” makes me shudder as I think of young girls wearing makeup and reading inappropriate magazines.  In previous years these girls have been satisfied with the usual dress ups, toys and books, but this year I’m really feeling the pressure to get it right.  They suddenly seem to be at the age where giving them the wrong thing would be the end of the world. 

I’d hate to buy them something too “babyish”, or not cool enough, but I also want to avoid the trap of buying expensive (and often useless) licenced merchandise , am trying to avoid the video game thing and also can’t afford to buy one tiny and very expensive bead to add to their charm bracelets.   So where does that leave me?  Wanting to buy them something that doesn’t need to be the right brand for their particular tastes, something that brings them some joy and trying to avoid things that unecessarily speed up the maturity process.  So here are some gift ideas for those children who aren’t quite teenagers but who now have very particular tastes and ideas about what they like.

Kitchen Appliances – Something practical like a kitchen appliance always comes in handy for a young girl or boy seeking to be a  bit more independent in the home.  Donut makers are all the rage this year.  Also cool are slushie makers, ice shavers, milkshake makers and waffle makers.

Other ideas for the kitchen include cookbooks, cupcake pans or you could create a little cooking kit (apron, spatula, measuring spoons and cups).

 

The Great Outdoors - Sticking with the practical theme a gardening kit including gardening tools, pots, herbs to plant, seeds and gardening gloves also makes a cute boy or girl gift.  Beach supplies, beach bags and towels, hats and body boards are also fun ideas for this time of year.

Precious treasures – Girls of this age love their precious little trinkets and personal effects that make them feel that little bit more responsible and in charge of their lives.  For example, a special jewellery box, diary, address and birthday books or beautiful photo albums for them to fill with their favourite memories. 

Puzzles and board games are a great gift to give to a family if you’re trying to avoid lots of little gifts for each child.  Check with the parents so they’re not doubling up on the classic board games. 

Craft supplies suit some kids of this age (but not all!).  There are some great beading, crocheting, origami and knitting kits available.   These Klutz Wishing Stars are a cute little gift for clever and crafty kids, and the little origami stars they produce can be used to make decorations, bracelets or stick them on gifts instead of ribbons and bows!

 

Boys and their Toys – Boys can be a little easier to buy for at this age, as they usually still enjoy doing what they’ve always done.  So if they’ve always been into construction, or science, or sports equipment, you can look for something along the same theme but more appropriate for their age.  I’ve just discovered the Meccano Metal Robot models, which don’t require the child to have any other Meccano products, and act as a very cool ‘puzzle’ type toy to keep them occupied while building, and then makes a great ornament in their room.   They’re also very reasonably priced ($20-$30 depending on number of pieces).  

Personal Space – Kids of this age also like to make a bit of a statement stylewise, so could really enjoy some decorating items for their bedroom, such as wall or window art, a stylish canvas or framed print.  Or something comfy like a big slouchy bean bag or funky chair.  Beware they may be a bit particular so make sure you get a sense of their style first!

So there you have it, a few gift ideas if you’re stuck buying for this difficult age group!  Any more suggestions are welcome!

Children’s Gift Guide by Age

Here are some gift ideas at a glance if you need a bit of direction!  This is a work in progress, more ideas and details to come soon!  This page will be a permanent fixture under “Children’s Gifts” (at the top of the Home page).

Newborn - Skwish, Tiny toys, Calm Music, Mobiles, Scrunchy toys, Feeding equipment (bibs, spoons, plates etc), Bumbo, Swing (to hang in tree)

12 months – Dolls!  Pull along toys,  Finger Puppets, Tea sets, Trucks, Xylophone, Hammer/Peg toys, Drums, Small Photo Albums full of familiar toys and faces

Two – Dolls and anything to do with Dolls, Puzzles, Water troughs/sandpits,  Magnadoodle/Etch a Sketch, Chalk, Playdough and playdough toys, Buckets and spades, Sandpit toys, Bath toys, Train sets, Chopping fruit, Threading Toys and Pasta Necklaces

Three – Basic Games (e.g. memory/snap), Dress ups, Construction (Duplo, Mega Blocks etc, wooden blocks), Cooking utensils, Playdough toys, Train sets, Musical instruments, Puppets, Dolls house, Farm animals (e.g. Schleich, Animalz), Puzzles, Playdough

4-5 – Cookbook and cooking supplies, Gardening tools, Jewellery box, Trinkets, Jewellery, more dress ups, Construction (lego, meccano etc), Spirograph, Kite, Puzzles

6-7 - card games (Uno, Skipbo), Stationery, Construction (Lego, Meccano etc), Music

8-9 – Meccano, Lego, Craft supplies, Stationery, Jewellery, Music Players (MP3 docks/CD player)

10-12 – Kitchen appliances, Diaries and journals, Craft supplies, Beading supplies, Board games, Puzzles, Address and Birthday books, Beach supplies (bag, towel, hat), iTunes Gift Card

All Ages – Wall Art, Book ends, Craft/Art supplies, Hats, Books, Puzzles, Photo Albums, Sunglasses, Music, Money Box, Crockery, Quilt Sets, Water bottle (e.g. Sigg)

Matchstick Garden

Here’s a little gift perfect for giving in a card!  I came across this on the weekend in a little toy store and thought it was a great way to add a little magic to a kid’s birthday card.  A little matchbook with each matchstick holding seeds ready for planting.  Just tear off a matchstick and stick it into a little pot, that’s it!  Matchstick Garden come in wildflower or herb varieties.

Something to Bring Along

 

I often wonder how people with children or other full time jobs have time to just whip something up to bring over for afternoon tea.  I, on the other hand, always feel rushed with the basic stuff, like getting dressed, and getting stuff into the car.  

I now have a collection of quick recipes, which are super easy to make and don’t need a special trip to the store just to find the right ingredients.  The end result is something delicious to take to a friend’s house for morning or afternoon tea, or to give as a little gift.  They’re also so quick and don’t mess up the kitchen too much, so perfect for giving as a treat when you’ve got visitors coming.

Cinnamon Teacake – This is my adaptation of a Women’s Weekly recipe that is so easy, yet so perfect for afternoon tea and delicious every time.  It’s beautiful with sliced apple placed on top, but you can try other fruit if apple’s not your cup of tea.  Apricots work really well too. 

This recipe is perfect if you don’t have much time, and if you’re light on ingredients.  It doesn’t call for any unusual ingredients, and only needs a little butter and 1 egg, so it’s usually easy to find all the stuff to whip this one together.

• 60g softened butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup Self Raising flour (sifted)
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 Granny Smith apple (peeled and sliced)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 180C.  Beat butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until light and creamy.  Add flour, milk and cinnamon and stir until smooth.  Spread into a greased and lined 20cm round cake tin (it will look very small in the tin), then arrange the apple on top.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Once cooked, brush the cake with some melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. 

The Lemonade Scone Recipe – It’s a popular one, but often one we forget to use at crisis times!  This is easy to do if you have cans of lemonade and longlife cream on standby in the cupboard!  These really are a cheat’s version of the traditional light and flaky scone recipe, but they’re so good, most people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.  And they’re so easy!  You really only need a mixing bowl and a measuring jug, so there’s minimal washing up too.  There’s a few tricks to scones, firstly, don’t over work the dough, just combine the dough and then gently pat out.  Try to cut as many scones from the dough the first time as possible, as the scones become a bit tougher with each additional handling to re-pat out the dough.

• 200ml cold lemonade
• 1/2 cup thickened cream
• 2 cups Self Raising Flour

Preheat oven to 200C.  Sift the flour into a bowl.  In a separate bowl combine cream and lemonade, then add to the flour.   Mix until just combined (should be fairly wet and sticky, but if it doesn’t come together as a dough then add another tablespoon of flour), then gently pat out onto a floured surface.  Using a floured scone cutter, cut out the scones and place on a baking sheet on baking paper and bake for 16-18 minutes.

Sweet Muffins - My version of sweet muffins are reasonably healthy, with not much sugar, to keep the kids slightly less insane.  You can really put anything you like in them.  Any type of berries, diced or pureed apple, pear, mashed banana, cinnamon, ginger, dried apricots, sultanas, pureed apple etc.  Mashed banana and blueberries are the kids’ favourite and pear and lots of ginger is my pick of the week!

So here’s the basic recipe, and once again, it’s so quick and easy! 

• 1 cup plain yoghurt
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup Self Raising flour (sifted)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup fruit (chopped/diced/whatever)

Preheat oven to 180C.  Mix together the oats, yoghurt, oil and egg, then sift in the flour and baking powder and gently fold the flour and fruit through.  Only stir until the mixture is just combined and then spoon into greased muffin tins.  Bake for 20 minutes or until golden on top.  Makes about 12 cupcake sized muffins.

These ones are even better with half wholemeal flour, half white SR flour, just add an extra half teaspoon of baking powder.  Look here for more muffin tips.

 

Savoury Muffins – Again, put whatever you want in them!  Cheese, dried rosemary, corn, bacon, ham, capsicum, parsley, basil etc.  This is my family’s favourite version:

 

 

• 1 cup SR flour
• 60g melted butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 teaspoon chopped dried rosemary
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 4 rashers chopped, cooked bacon (or chopped ham)

Preheat oven to 200C.  Grease muffin tin.  Put flour into a bowl, then add all the bits you’ve chosen – in this case, oats, cheese, bacon and rosemary.  In a separate bowl whisk egg, milk and melted butter together.  Add this to the flour mixture until just combined.  Put mixture into muffin tins and top each with a little grated cheese.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden.

Hand-Me-Downs

Passed down clothes come in very handy for kids.  Some children make it through their childhood without ever needing any new clothes.  This saves a truckload of money, not to mention a massive reduction in their carbon footprint before they can even say global warming.

Recycled clothes are especially handy at times when kids wear clothes for a few months (or even weeks)  and then outgrow them.  Or when they’re crawling and destroying endless pairs of pants and you need as many as you can get!  Or for the toddlers and preschoolers who somehow stain/tear/cut/stretch everything you put them in.  There are swap meets, recycled boutiques and numerous online stores (including ebay) if you’re looking for a cheaper way to dress your kids. 

There is one time, however, when hand-me-down clothes can be a little frustrating…

When you have a new baby, and you’re learning to cope with very little sleep, and are getting used to doing an extra 3 loads of washing a day, the last thing you need is someone giving you 2 big crates of baby clothes to go through, wash, sort and put away before the baby outgrows them. 

Often you receive so many new clothes when you have a baby, that you wonder if you’ll even need the second hand stuff,  but after a few months, when all the gift giving is over, you’ll usually find gaps in your baby’s wardrobe where you could easily fit in some recycled stuff!

If you’re thinking of giving your old baby clothes to a friend, here’s a few things to consider:

1. Be little bit selective.  If the item has been washed so many times that it’s scratchy, then ditch it.  No baby would be comfy in it.  If it’s covered in stains or missing buttons and you probably wouldn’t put your kids in it, then ditch it or donate it. 
2. When handing down newborn baby clothes (under 3 months), consider giving the person the option of going through the clothes well before their baby is due.
3. If you’re passing down older baby and toddler clothes (and have to wait to find out the sex) wait until their baby is a few months old, so they don’t have to do it when they’re already under unbelievable pressure.
4. Jeans, cardigans and coats make good hand me downs as they wear well and don’t tend to change much in style.  Read more here on how to choose clothes that will make good hand me downs.

Sometimes you keep some really precious items of clothing with good friends in mind, hoping they’ll have the right gendered offspring to can pass them on to!   I think it’s sweet to wash and bundle up 2 or 3 of your favourite items to give as (or with) a new baby gift.  You could add a photograph of your little one in them, and a note to let them know how special the clothes were to you and your baby.  You can always let the person know you’ve got loads more where that came from when they’re ready to rummage through it all.

There’s some good tips on storing hand-me-downs here.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not ungrateful when it comes to hand-me-down clothes, and I know everyone has a different take on it, but timing really is everything if you’re giving them to a new mum!