the decision

[deep breath]

having given you followers a (welcome?) respite this week, i have taken some time to reassess this blog-thingie.

i appreciated all your comments and suggestions.

one friend gently reminded me that the good (the friendships & opportunities) made through blogging greatly outweigh the bad. and that it is my space and my responsibility to take control of and not be bullied into hiding.

she was right. and so, (for now) i have decided to keep this blog open. i want to keep writing the kind of blog i enjoy reading - not one that is cryptic or just about stuff i make (yawwwwn.

however, i will most likely go back through my posts and delete some, or at least, the photos off some.

i have never gone hunting for followers or held giveaways with conditions to gain followers in the hope that anyone who chooses to follow me does so from a genuine interest. and if for any reason in the future you become disinterested, please don't hesitate to un-follow me. i won't mind, promise!

(having said that i may be planning a giveaway at 100 followers.. ;) )

i'm excited to keep sharing this journey with you amazing people.

thanks! xo

(some "weaving" we've been attempting on a small thrifted wooden loom)

made my week #16 - life is not an emergency

i came across some old photos the other day. and yes, would you look at that, i had a baby girl once.

she's now 7 (seven!) and the saddest thing? i kinda can't remember her being little. at all.

and the not-remembering is why i desperately cling to these moments that make my week. every week.

::the days are long, the years are short::

Make my Week #16 - An Easter-ish Egg

Happy Easter Monday!

Happy ANZAC day!

Happy birthday Mum day!

and....

Happy 'Humptietta the Easter-ish Egg' day!

hands up if you had a Humpty Dumpty softie when you were a kid? we had a knitted one.
this is adapted from a vintage softies book that has found its home on my shelf.

why the 'yuk'~

thank you for your kind comments.

i didn't mean to alarm you, but it is something we need to be aware of.

so, in hope to aid your safe journey through the internets i'll share what freaked me out:

i have a very small collection of photos on flickr - mostly of dolls and stuff i've made. but in order to free up some hard drive space i had put some photos from blog posts over there too.

always pretty careful about privacy and content.

but if you remember a few weeks ago i posted an adorable photo of Monte wearing Jada's fairy dress? (don't bother searching for it, it's gone) that was one of the photos over at flickr.

it had gained a lot more hits than i care to think about.

(most likely from a pretty perverse community)

so, it isn't blogger that's necessarily the problem but the thought of exposing my children to violation - however unintentionally - is the concern. especially in the copying/misuse of their images.

so my options are:

1. go through all my posts and delete images of kids

2. go private and do invites/requests up to 100 readers.

3. go private and have a separate "make-stuff"/Tiny Eyes blog.

4. delete entire blog and start fresh.

5. delete and quit blogging.

we're having a mini-break this week so i think i'm going to take this time to decide on my course of action (i'd appreciate any suggestions though! am i overreacting??)

(further reading on this topic is this post by Angela from Striking Keys)

yuk.

am thinking of going private with this blog.

(creepy-creeps + spunky boys)

might do a separate Tiny Eyes blog for just stuff I make, no kiddos.

will let you know...

xo

made my week #15

it's all about the boys this week

::a lot of making::

::a lot of cuddling::

::a lot of eating (homemade hot cross buns)::

(oh and don't be alarmed about the doilies on the chairs...i was just cracking myself up one day by having them there. they aren't there to stay!)

Happy, happy Good Friday xO

homework

the goody bags for my guests last weekend included a homework assignment - a plain cloth doll to design/decorate as they wished.

here's mine:

here's Kristin's:

and Rhiannon's:

and Stella's:

i think they all passed with an A+, don't you?

one good thing about winter

these!

(and it seems he'll be walking pretty soon too so we'll get to see his fierce little hiney)

love.these.pants!!

anzac art (for kids)

my mother's birthday is on ANZAC day so she has always loved red poppies and every year, in some form or another, there is a red poppy included in her birthday present.

so i thought i'd share a very simple (but visually pleasing!) ANZAC art project we did to use as birthday art for my mum this year.

::step one::

using watercolours and a toothbrush, flick green paint on the lower half of your paper. then flick red across the middle.

***

::step two::

paint red flowerheads on the upper half of your paper and before the paint dries, stand the paper up and tap it on the table until the paint runs down (to become stems).

***

::step three::

paint black centres in the middle of the red flower heads and mount on black cardstock for an ANZAC day card or frame in a bought frame for a fancier looking gift.

hope your holidays are going well

x

Make my Week #15 - vintage silhouette

besides making my house inhabitable for guests i didn't really make anything last week so yesterday i made this silhouette portrait of Danny using a vintage children's picture book.

(not crazy about the "shooting gallery" placement though...??!)

the frame is a painted thrift find.

x

peeps & peeks

(Stella's photo)

still totally buzzing from having these cool ladies visit (did they really??) ....and kinda wishing they were still here to distract me from this cold, bleak day!

Stella has posted some gorgeous pics over at her blog

part one: arriving

part two: hanging

part three: rain

part four: leaving

...which includes a peek in the goody bags and at the 'homework assignment' i took the liberty of assigning everyone:

watch this space~

today

::then::

::now::

Danny Arlo enjoyed rediscovering his moses basket today.

we met on the net

wanna know what's better than really great blog friends?

really great REAL LIFE blog friends.

it was such an enjoyable slumber party with these sweet babes and their inspiring mamas (although a couple of the babes could have done with a bit more of the slumbering!! sheesh~)

Danny even got motivated by all the walking little-people and took his first ever steps! hurrah.

(ps. do you totally love how all the babes are rocking their Squidgyum clothes? much too cute)

what do you do (pt 2)

when you have 3 really talented blogger friends coming to stay for the night and you hope-like-crazy they like you?

make them goodies bags.

see you soon Rhiannon, Stella and Kristin!

we're powdering our noses

somebody's expecting company and has been getting all fancied up...

and i'm LOVING it!

nothing like an overnight stay of a few (never-before-met) blog friends to get 3-year-old To Do jobs done around the place!

before: (ewwww, this was on the list from moving day. it was like showering in a coffin) after: (oh, hello light!! JR was away when i did this...go ahead, be impressed! i was)

(oh, if you're wondering what we did with the chair, it has been well and truly claimed as a family member. it's staying! (yay)

so excited for friday (and desperately wondering where i can stash my ironing mountain...)