Hand Painted Canvas Shoes

Today was Day 1 of the school holidays so we thought we'd kick things off with a craft activity. I found some canvas shoes for $3.50 a pair at Kmart last week so today we went back and picked up a few pairs for an afternoon shoe painting session.  

Before we started I used masking tape around the soles of the shoes so they'd stay (mostly) free from paint. I used masking tape on my 5 year old's shoes to help create the design - this is a fantastic way to get a good result with younger kids because the tape does the tricky part for you.

We used a combination of fabric paint and fabric pens along with some stamps that I found at a market last week.

It was a really fun family activity and something different to our usual crafts. Have fun with this one - the possibilities are endless!

It's about time!

Gah. Sorry guys. Here we are in September and I haven't even finished telling you about the Liver Detox we did in July. Such is life at the moment.

The detox went really well. We both had some aches and pains but they resolved and we both had loads of energy, slept really well, and felt generally healthier and more alert. We eased back in to dairy, gluten (me) and meat over about two weeks.

Then, around three weeks ago our 5 year old son woke in the night vomiting. I stayed with him and rubbed his back as he threw up over and over again. If you're a parent you'll know that awful hopeless feeling when you can't take the bad stuff away no matter how much you want to. Vomiting bugs are the worst. Three days later my husband caught the bug. 24 hours after him, I had it. Then 24 hours later our 9 year old daughter caught it. Oh, the fun. We'd just bought a new front loader washing machine and I've never been so thankful for an appliance purchase in my life.

We all gradually recovered except that we continue to have digestion issues and three out of four of us can't tolerate any dairy foods. One of those three is our wee boy, who already has coeliac disease and a severe egg allergy. The other day he looked up from his drawing and said, "Mum, there's nothing left I can eat". It feels that way sometimes.

In other news, I've been madly planning an upcoming Star Wars themed birthday party. I'll update you on that after the big day on Oct 6th. Having grown up in a house full of females who are definitely not interested in science fiction, I was a bit out of the loop with the whole Star Wars thing. I've had a great time on Pinterest (where there are a scary number of "Star Wars Wedding" boards - really??) and also watching the original movies with the family. I now know my Chewie from my Yoda and which colour light sabers the good guys should have.

So on top of tummy bugs, and party planning (with costumes required) there has been a week of school performances (with more costumes needed). It's been a busy old time.

I hope to update this blog a little more frequently now that I've gotten more used to balancing working part time, mummy stuff, and craftiness. I've been inspired lately, and have spotted a few good finds like these rubber stamps that I picked up for $10 at Lawson Magpie Markets last Sunday. I'm already planning some cool things to make with these.

Happy Crafting everyone!

Becs