A quick little Valentine gift

February 14, 2018 | poppypeach

With Valentine’s day around the corner, I had a bit of a task on my hands to make last-minute valentines for my Kinder and 1st-grade students. So here is a quickie tutorial on making these cute little wooden bead heart necklaces.

Supplies needed: a stash of wooden beads – 25mm (about 1″), watercolour paint, brushes, skewers, a tall mason jar, sharpie, concreters string (from OSH) and Mod Podge.

Paint your beads all the colours of the rainbow using a watercolour wash on each bead, use a skewer to hold the beads in place. When the paint is dry draw a heart with sharpie and seal with mod podge on aluminium foil. The beads are ready to be strung and given to the kiddos as little Valentine gifts from their teacher! A super cool and somewhat quick project, I did have help with quality testing from my 9-year-old daughter – lucky!

This is a super cute kinder card my co-teacher came up with using tissue paper squares, glue and then cutting the card to make a card for their parents.

These are observational watercolour drawings made by the 1st-grade class for a card for their parents – such beautiful watercolours created.

This was another kinder card using sequins, a sticker and a heart doily – I really love seeing what the kids make when given the opportunity to craft.

This is an invitation for making the paper plate heart sewing with yarn craft for the 1st-grade class. All you need is some yarn, paper plates prepped with a heart shape and a hole punch and yarn needles. This is the perfect craft to practice sewing with a large needle and ready punched holes.

And sewing last week with my volunteer class at Stevenson Elementary was making felt emoji keyrings – featured is one make by a 5th grader. We precut the circle and the kids can embellish whatever emoji they like from our emoji poster for ideas or create their own.

And I thought last week was pretty quiet with the 100th day of school – the Kinders bought in 100 of different things like coins, seeds, Perler beads, pom poms and these two with beads and little tiny felt houses. I remember when I did it with my kids it was 100 buttons stuck on some cardstock, maybe I was too overwhelmed with the two kids to be super creative at the time 😉

Again the amazing ramen recipe from Minimalist Baker and this time with a poached egg and seaweed – an absolute favourite at my place each week, especially in the winter.

This is the Japanese Pizza from 101 cookbooks with a watermelon radish salad with a side of chanterelles and homemade miso mayo drizzled over the top – such a divine meal for the mushroom lover.

And I thought last week was pretty quiet – checking over all of this it seemed like quite a busy week for me, oh and I got some sewing done on the weekend too as I was inspired by some love bird fabric I found at FabMo. It is so good to sit at my sewing machine again 😀 we have a break from school/work next week so time to organise the study/sewing room and do some sewing.

Riding into the Holidays

December 6, 2016 | poppypeach

This weekend was a bike celebration weekend starting with a SVBC (Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition) party on Friday night and then our own Safe Mountain View holiday party on Sunday. I found this great poster from when I was in Australia where “A metre matters” when driving by a cyclist that is 0.09 less than a yard so maybe here in the US they can start creating posters where ‘A Yard Matters’ and have a picture of a SUV next to a cyclist to promote bicycle safety on the road. First we need to see more green paint and some protected bike lanes which leads me to….

Safe Mountain View (who I vounteer with) who is an independent pedestrian and bicycle advocacy where “We envision a network of safe trails, and bike boulevards that enable children and families to get anywhere in Mountain View and beyond by cycling or walking. This network will connect neighbourhoods to schools, parks, the public library, nearby shops and restaurants, and public transit”. I joined my friends Cherie and John on this mission and we are trying to make this a reality in the future. In fact our night ride the other night to the party was loads of fun and I suggested we have our board meetings on the bike 🙂

We had our party on Sunday at a friends house (who were generous enough to offer their house for the event). We had about 30 or so people come and chat about the dream of having protected bike lanes in Mountain View and to have 35 miles of connected trails by 2025. We have a council member chatting to a founding member of Safe Mountain View, Pat on the left and John on the right is chatting to my hubby about the future on the roads with protected bike lanes. So many European countries have this in place so to have protected bike lanes on the road is possible – let’s make it happen!

Thursday we had our LED Cuff making day in the Arts Focus class and the kids absolutely love it. We always need extra volunteers with this project as it is really important to follow the directions carefully so the light comes on and the project works. This green LED cuff is by one of the kinder kids who embellished it with a little heart – he was so happy!

I have been sharing making skills with my friend Cristiana from Pebble and Fire we have been sharing ceramics and sewing tricks. This time Cristiana wanted to make a table runner with a little pocket for a napkin and the cutlery out of this super beautiful fabric from Harts Fabrics in Santa Cruz. It looks fabulous with this setting and it came out so well, to be honest I did not know how it would look or sit on the table until I saw the pic and it’s perfect.

Saturday was another holiday show over at Graham Middle School with friends of mine from the community who make these super cool craft kits – check them out at Kraft Kaboodle. I wanted to buy a gift for one of my sewing students who had a birthday party on the weekend. The added bonus was that I bought their next kit which is a beautful flower petal ball that is perfect for the holidays, I think I will take it with us on our winter break and make it for the tree. The excellent thing about it is that it teaches the running stitch by using pins to pin the petals on the stryfoam ball and it is such a beautiful finished product. As for my booth down the end of the aisle with my textile bags, hairbands, glasses pouch, coin purses and clothes with $5 infinity scarves and 20% off still could not draw in the crowds – it was a quiet day but the fact that my product was not in the stocking filler bracket of $5 and under it was a tough sell. Still each show I will learn from my experiences and with my plate full of study at the moment as soon as this stock is done so am I. It is nice to be walking a different path – time to sew just for fun!

A piece a Week – Birthday Sprinkles Cake for birthday number 8

April 4, 2016May 28, 2016 | poppypeach

A week of birthdays ending with my birthday today – whew! I cannot believe it is April already and that my birthday is nearly over. It was a relaxing day catching up on what I have to do at the library next Tuesday – we are making a double drawstring bag which is a fun and easy project!

Last week was a week of making cakes, dresses, kids projects and preparation for a birthday party – Whew! We had seen these cakes on Pinterest and wanted to make one for the party, it is made with India Tree Nature’s Colors Carnival Mix Sprinkles. Placing the sprinkles on the top with the stencil was the easy part – see the pic with a parchment stencil of an 8 cut out. Though I realised when you want to take the stencil off place the cake in the fridge for the icing to set a little bit before the stencil is removed otherwise you will see some rough areas of the icing, which is what happened to this 8!

Fun Sprinkles all over the stencil number 8

Big number 8 stencil

The next step was putting the sprinkles on a vertical surface up the side of the cake evenly. This worked out to be quite tricky so we found a couple of YouTube videos that helped us out with the process of placing the sprinkles by hand around the side of the cake.

Adding the sprinkles one by one… our initial plan?!?

My baking assistant

Saturday we organised a small party for some friends at the local paint your own pottery studio downtown called Fireworks Ceramics we had enough kiddos to have the party room which was a lot of fun for everyone. There was a place for snacks and the kids each received a piece of pottery to paint as their project. Here we are trying to look our best for the party!

A very happy 8th to Missy

Each child chose what they liked and put their name on the bottom and painted them with a glaze so when the piece is fired it looks nice, bright and shiny.

The painted pieces by the party guests

The cake was a big hit with everyone wanting to come back for seconds. I made my favorite whole wheat vanilla pound cake recipe from the King Arthur Baking book. It is a perfect cake for icing and decorating as it stays together very well with not a lot of crumbs.

The 8 cake in action

Do I have to blow out the candles??

We tried to marble the inside of the cake with natural food coloring – it was an experiment that works better with not so natural food colors that I had used in the past when making cakes. This time the marble effect is very subtle and fades when the cake is baked. Still I think it was worth seeing what would happen.

The first piece of cake – with a little bit of marbling

On the actual birthday which was Wednesday we went out to dinner to Sushi Tomi downtown Mountain View. That is one fine sushi joint! I had not been there since I was pregnant with Holly as it can always be way too busy with a line out the front – which is a good thing for a sushi restaurant. We had a delicious spread of hand rolls and some incredibly fresh seafood, the standout being the soft shell crab. As I had not bought a new dress for a birthday dinner I ended up making one that day using a pattern from a Japanese Pattern book a friend gave me. Everything is written in Japanese and trying to work out which pattern is which can make you cross eyed. I just needed the dress and the sleeve and found them eventually ready to trace. I really like the look of the dress and I have used a fabric a friend gave me from a dress she did not complete. I like how it had the pleats that she already made for her dress included in this dress. The sleeves are a standout for me with the gold glitter fabric Missy chose out of my stash of costume fabrics.

Wearing the dress I made from a Japanese sewing book

Friday I had to come up with an Australian theme craft for the class. We had decided to make peg dolls at the beginning of the week. But in between chatting to the teacher he wanted it to be an Australian focus so we made Pegapus (Platypus) book marks for the kids. They enjoyed them and it was not very messy and a cinch to clean up – we could have taken it a step further and added a tail and feet though the time ran out. Any crafts you like to do with the kids in your class? Feel free to share…

Platypus peg craft for the classroom

A piece a Week – My Signature Sari Skirt

December 14, 2015May 28, 2016 | poppypeach

Playing around with circle skirts I discovered that with the incredible drape that a Sari has it makes a perfect skirt. The hem on these lovely fun skirts are over 6 yards so it takes me an hour to apply the finish to the hem. This is my favorite as I love the colors and mix of the patterns. This was added to my collection for my final Holiday Gift Show last weekend – how good it feels to be able to relax now!

Get swinging in this Sari – which sold to a friend for their grand daughter as a gift!

At my friends house we had a holiday and gift boutique which was fun meeting some new people in a pocket of Los Altos I am familiar with my acupuncturist and grocery store there. Ideally I think with shows at home, publicity is key and maybe shoot for earlier in the season when shopping is on peoples minds. I think last weekend was just for last minute gifts with a lower price tag. Still it is always a learning experience with each show that I do.

My table of goodies ready for sale

Last week was also the final class for the Fall session of our Arts Focus classes at school! It was so good to see the kids really enjoy making the pipe cleaner dolls – so much imagination in making them. The first pic is of the group quilt project that the children made the squares for and they were quilting buttons on it to complete the quilt before binding. What an amazing achievement for the whole class to work on two quilts. Next up in January is the Art Show at City Hall and that is always exciting to see each art class present their works.

A pipe cleaner doll by a 2nd grade boy

Love the hair on this pipe cleaner doll made by a 3rd grade girl

Oh and how can I forget on Thursday night last week the kids had project night and they each presented to me their projects that they have been working on in class. My son working on this amazing Family Trip Project and virtually booked all the flights, accommodation and activities using his math skills for us to go to Lanai, Hawaii (I don’t know how we can access the place 98% of it is owned by some rich guy). He also presented a 3D printed project which was a holder for his ear buds for his computer – they got to use engineering and design skills, how lucky is this 10 year old – working on real world projects!!

My daughter designed a habitat for a venus fly trap – check one of them out here, looking very healthy indeed. The project was fascinating learning about what the fly trap needs to survive. I had to try and catch a fruit fly with tweezers to feed this guy on project night – maybe I will have to employ my Karate and chopsticks next time to be successful (watch The Karate Kid).

Feed me Seymour!! (Little Shop of Horrors – reference)

I was so happy on Sunday I went for a bike ride but by the time I reached half way and turned around I saw this huge grey cloud I rode straight into and got drenched by the rain, it felt so good!!

A piece a Week – Dickens Fair Dress

December 8, 2015May 28, 2016 | poppypeach

After a few years of absence from the Dickens Fair we decided to revisit the idea again this year with the kids – now that they are older. Being very crowded we had to keep a close eye on all the kiddos – we went with some Aussie friends of ours who are even talking about going back next year! I will happily go back just to hear ‘Merry Christmas’ in an English accent! I just love people watching and being inspired by the costumes.

My costume was found at my fave vintage store in Mountain View – Empire Vintage on Villa Street. Soon we will have no vintage store and it will be a very sad Mountain View! The owner is moving and retiring from retail which is great for her as she has had 9 years in the biz and being the only vintage in the South Bay that is one fine find 🙂 I am so happy that I have had the opportunity to see Empire Vintage and support them as a local business. There is a super sale at the moment and I found this at their warehouse sale after Halloween for $5 – it was a very big skirt so I just took a panel and turned it into the front bodice, I have used another fabric for the back which works fine. I love looking at this dress as it is so ruffled and very fun to wear!

Pip Pip and Cheerio we are off to the Dickens Fair

The corset shop window is always amazing with these real life models with the corsets – this is a woman with a bottle of Absinthe and her green corset and fabulous skirt. This display reminds me of the green fairy from Moulin Rouge.

Fancy some Absinthe??

As we were wandering the vendors in the streets of London we found the a these beautifully tooled leather masks to try on. Here we are trying on a couple of owls and Ash is a fantasy creature.

All in disguise

Who let the fox out??

We were watching a conjurer in action and the younger girls decided to check out the shopping close by and found this cute children’s clothing store called Nanna’s Nursery where Missy’s Renaissance Fair dress was converted to Victorian with a bonnet, crochet collar, bow and all! The hoop under the skirt was bought as a Christmas gift from Christmas money and looks lovely underneath this dress.

Missy in her Victorian garb!

The big bow from the sash at the back

On our next adventure to the kids area with the carousel for only the little ones and Missy was very happy to have found this lion with a crown ready for his spin around and around!

Riding the African animal carousel

We all loved these boards to take pictures and the kids laughed and laughed and spent ages in behind the screens.

Who is scared of the big, bad wolf!

The Puss in Boots crew

After serious discussion about fairy houses and what they are going to do with them in the house, that is keep them in their room! So the kids decided to make them with their Christmas money and here they are… I spent a couple of hours with the kids watching them make them, at least I could sit down as it was the end of the day and my feet were ready for a rest!

Ash’s house with the dragon on the roof and his friend Jacobs Fairy House

Missys house with the fairy at the pathway

A piece a Week – The library workshop and a sock cat!

August 2, 2015May 28, 2016 | poppypeach

This week was totally taken over by the preparation of the workshop for the Mountain View Library. We had 15 people show up for the event and 4 machines and a serger & 2 volunteers and myself to teach the workshop. The workshop was a patchwork tote using FabMo fabric interior design 8″ and 12″ squares. Everyone was really enthusiastic about the project and wanted to completed their tote! For a challenge to the sewers in the class I added make a french seam on either side seam as a featured technique. I made a couple of videos for those who had to finish the project at home – part 1 https://vimeo.com/134362917 & part 2 https://vimeo.com/134363222. I did have a student who was super keen to finish so here is the completed bag by one happy maker!

Meredith with her 12″ square patchwork tote

The other side of her bag with the how to sheet

Time out on the weekend was spent heading to San Francisco to finally see the Circus Bella show. Missy did a circus camp at the beginning of the summer and the teachers were from Circus Bella and she really loved it. The show was part of a series of free shows and is perfect for a day out to the city. This was at Mission Bay just across from the Caltrain being super easy to get to!

Chilling out waiting for the show in the shade!

Cat rescue on the fireman’s pole!

Post show the music was a bit loud so Missy hid somewhere for a while to get some peace and quiet!

This easy craft was created this week with the kids orphan socks and we found this craft in an old magazine and it is a fabulous idea for any old socks. This is Stripey the sock kitty!

With Stripey the DIY sock kitty

A piece a Week – A tote bag sample for the Local Library Workshop

June 13, 2015May 28, 2016 | poppypeach

I am getting excited about teaching folks how to make a patchwork bag from 8″ squares from FabMo fabric samples. The Library Services Manager asked if I would like to host a workshop sometime at the library and this has been months in the making. Between busy schedules of myself, the library and FabMo we finally have set a date for June 25. It will be a creative collaboration presented by FabMo and the Mountain View Library and the totes will be free to take home to whoever wants to make one. The fun thing is that there are so many designs and patterns to choose from and every bag will be a one of a kind!

If you have ever wanted to try out sewing or would like to make a patchwork bag register at the library – flyers to be out soon… watch this space!!

Snacking tote made from 8″ pieces sunset, sky and grass side

Snacking tote made from 8″ pieces – pink & grey side

Lunchin’ tote made from 8″ pieces

Beach tote made from 12″ pieces

B side of the Beach tote made from 12″ pieces

Our kids craft project this week is pom poms – it was fine for the first one or two and Missy decided she wanted to make a snowman. I should have a picture of that guy but he got terribly squashed in my bag so here is our rainbow pom pom hanging happily at the front door.

A piece a Week – Kids Time Out from Camp, Let’s Get Crafting! A birdhouse redo…

July 15, 2014May 28, 2016 | poppypeach

This week it was a downtime week with no camp for the kiddos so we took it easy had some playdates with friends and hung out listening to audio books. The project of this week was something easy and because I have a lot of magazines I needed to find a project that uses paper… I decided that collage would be an easy option and not so boring for the kiddos.

Well, if there is a book to distract you other projects just don’t cut it for my older one! Still he attempted this project and made the orange and green bird house keeping the under colour paint because he it looks good! Better something than nothing, they both enjoyed the Modge Podge painting which seals and glues in one quick brush, just love it!! My missy made hers and called it cherry because of all the pink and flowers and she drew cherries on the top and bottom to make it her own.

What ya need is some magazines – go on and tear them up!, Elmers Glue for positioning of the paper, modge podge and crafting paint brushes (ones that you do not use for painting).

They are now hanging in the tree in the garden and looked ever so fancy!

This birhouse is For you

Orange jewelled beauty

The snow house

Cherry the bird house

I see you!

An attempt at collage by my older son!

A piece a week – Making with the kids, crafting without the internet

June 28, 2014May 28, 2016 | poppypeach

I wanted to post the crafts the kiddos and I were working on when we were in the cabin in the woods. There was no access to the outside world so I could not post while we were there, which was fine! Amazing what you can achieve when there is no internet to distract you 🙂 We made embroidered photographs with embellishments. The idea was from an Etsy tutorial using vintage postcards.

Embroidered photos with sequins

A sequin goat and lichen in the snow

A glam marmot and mustang and sunset by the kids

I have a few select pics that caught my eye from the 1000 or so pictures that I still have to edit from our trip to Lassen Volcanic Park and Mt Shasta.