Chalk Paint

Lochie Turns 2

This week my baby turned two! He is still the happiest baby toddler in the world although now he has a lot more ... spunk. This kid loves cars and trucks the way his brother loves animals. So it was a real boy event which was fun for me because I haven't done any rough and tough stuff for a long time. 

I'm not joking when I say it was the cheapest, easiest party EVER! It was even all cleaned up an hour after everyone left. Basically two year olds are happy with anything so no need to put a ton of effort in. Also I live in Queensland so you might know it's been raining since 2012!!! I am over it and my creative side is all soggy. (You can tell by my really creative post title.) 

 

Caution Rocky Road!

That teddy has road rage! The night before the party I realised this wooden table from Lochies train set would be great on the green table cloth and then I decided to just put the treats right on top. I would have made an actual sign that read 'Caution Rocky Road' but as you may know I'm lazy two year olds can't read so I just giggled for a good ten minutes to myself. 

I saw this truck idea ages ago when my Sister-in-law did it, so much easier than making a truck cake. I put Oreo dirt on top of the cake and a few chocolate honey comb boulders to pad out the gaps. I didn't even wrap that cardboard box it's sitting on! All these ideas have been done before it was all very easy and fun. 

 

They liked the dirt!

All Wrapped Up

Yes it’s well and truly over! {Christmas that is, not my long suffering blog} and it’s on to summer holidays for us Aussies. Since the last post I have moved house and am awaiting the build of our next home (which just started yesterday!) I will one day get around to putting up some photos of my last home as a tribute to it’s awesomeness!

Now at the risk of sounding old, how fast was the lead up to Christmas? And because the men in my family are now all in WA at the mines we had an early {fake} Christmas this year at the start of December so it came even quicker and I was totally unprepared. 

At the very beginning of December I was asked to do some decorations for our church Christmas party. It was one big BBQ with jumping castles, face painting and a giant slip and slide - basically a huge shindig for the kiddies. So I did something cheap and cheerful. Luckily it wasn’t too fancy because it was outside and just happened to be the windiest day of the year! Fyn and I collected pinecones {if your on the Gold Coast Bond Uni is always the place for Christmas pinecones} and sprayed them silver, so that was a grand cost of $3 for the spray paint.  Then I added some cheap baubles and curling ribbon to make these thingies.

We had about 12 umbrellas around the car park and a few tables for the food which were decorated with more pinecones and baubles in vases and bowls. Lets just say as most cheapo things do, they looked good en mass.  

Shortly after this party {fake} Christmas day arrived and even though I wanted it to be special I was totally unprepared so guess what the table looked like? Yep. Leftover party decorations. 

Colin Cowie close your eyes those are paper napkins! Also those mini pinecones on the plate were meant to have name tags wedged into them … oops no time.  And as I’m not even unpacking most of my things while waiting for the next house, I had to rummage around in my boxes to even find this stuff.

The kids were outside this year. I hung up all those thingies I made and I even put one over the table like a {cheapo} chandelier, the kids really appreciated that. The cups had stickers and pencils inside and I bought a large pad of colouring in from the two dollar store. But just in case you were thinking that colouring in pages as placemats are a genius idea which will keep the kids occupied while you have five minutes to yourself to eat a Christmas meal … think again.

While I love the blue and pink for a change in all honesty it’s just not me, especially for Christmas. So for real Christmas day I was actually prepared and I did the table much more to my liking.  Although I didn’t get around to buying some lilies on Christmas eve so a branch from the front hedge had to do, thankfully no one posh came for lunch.  {Sorry family, you know it's true!}

The bags have chocolates and treats inside and we had a little drinks buffet set up just to the side of the table. We had such a small group that I wrote a few pre-prepared names on our Christmas hats and had a game of celebrity heads while eating. Hilarious!  

Fyn made these chocolate trifles all by himself for the kids to eat. They are chocolate wobbles jelly, a ripple biscuit then Pauls chocolate custard topped with cream. Great kids recipe tastes really special and very easy to make. Meanwhile I made the most awesome from scratch triffle and all the adults choose these chocolate cups instead! The girls helped with these mini chocolate puddings which are just those marshmallow biscuits topped with white chocolate and mini m&ms. Although we realised after that it should have been two leaves and one berry.

Thats my tree star which couldn't fit on as my house is made for Hobits.

And as it’s far too late for Christmas wishes, happy and safe holidays everyone.

At The Hop

Paige turned 3 recently and even though Mia wont be 5 for a couple of months we'll be moving house then so I decided she could celebrate early and we had a combined birthday sock hop. 

To be honest Paige wanted a fairy party {which I told her would be so lovely} meanwhile I talked up twirly skirts and glitter balls then wooed her with promises of strawberry milk and fries, not to mention my wild demonstrations of the jive all around the kitchen until finally she was converted to a rock and roll theme. I only feel a tinsy bit guilty since she has never mentioned fairies in her life until we started talking about her party. {Of course she hasn't mentioned sock hops either, but that's neither here nor there.} 

Before the party I spent an hour washing, dusting, sweeping and generally de-wintering the outdoor area before realising it was way too cold and windy to have it outside. What a waste of time! So even though there was a bunch of little {screaming} girls on their way we had to have it inside. Which meant a quick re-arange of the decorations. I think it turned out well.

These records were $5 for a box of eight at the op shop. That's very glittery cardboard in the centre though it doesn't show in the photos. Obviously the juke box pinata was meant to be hanging from my outside hook but it turned out to be a great table decoration instead. Lolly bags from the dollar store and florescent pink tulle, which cost about $1 a meter. 

The girls looking so cute in their cheapo outfits. Mia's tutu skirt is from the dollar store and was falling apart by the end of the party, Paige's was on sale at Spotlight for $14 and the tops are $3 from Kmart. {I love the new Kmart!}

Fifi the poodle was the rock and roll clincher for Paige, marshmallows are her favourite. Which I kept telling myself around 11pm when I was still putting them on Fifi individually! She looks so smug about it too. Your supposed to put the marshmallows all around her body but my icing was too dry and they wouldn't stick thank goodness because I don't know if I could've been bothered. {Don't mention her stubby legs, she's really self conscious.}

The kids got a pink tray {plastic plate} of diner style food. These burger cupcakes were very tasty and so easy to make, way faster and simpler than Fifi the {flippin} poodle. Instructions below. And making an appearance at every party we do, wobbles jelly cups. This time chocolate with a musk stick, canned whipped cream and a jaffa on top to look like a sundae. Other food served, wedges, curly fries, hotdogs, fairy bread, fruit and flavoured milk. You could also do spiders {floats} if you had older kids, ice cream sundaes, pizza, milk shakes or banana splits. I forgot to put out my Oreos. 

We played lots of fab 50s tunes and the girls had a really good time.

And I had the last laugh Fifi!

Hamburger Cupcakes

So easy. Packet cake mix, packet brownie mix and packet icing. Bake mixes, slice cupcakes, cut brownies into circles {I used my 1/4 cup measure} use finger to slightly wet the top of the cupcakes and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Tint the icing red {tomato sauce} yellow {mustard} and green {lettuce} place in snap-lock bags and snip the ends off to pipe on top of the brownies. Use a powder rather than a liquid to get a true red colour and snip your piping bag small, mine was slightly too big. 

Amazing idea from Bakerella. 

Bamping

Hello blog, still clean and pretty despite neglect. Unlike my 'on school holidays' house now full of sick people. 

Just wanted to post our Bamping adventures. 

What's Bamping you say? 

Well first there was the very Aussie tradition of camping. Then the 'too fancy for dirt' lot created Glamping {glamourous camping} and now making a comeback from my childhood is back yard camping, or Bamping as my sister so fashionably termed it. Perfect for mums with small kids and/or dads who love to buy camping gear but not actually use it. You know who you are. 

I promised I would take the kids camping last holidays and it didn't happen so now in the dead of winter I've been forced to follow through {darn my peppy camp talk} and the thought of porta-cots, toilet blocks and road trips mixed with the cold was too much for this mama. So we Bamped it up out the back!

So this is the fire pit I picked up at Bunnings a really good buy we will be using this a lot! You can get small ones for only $29! That means toasted marshmallows when ever you want! Everyone should have one. 

A civilised camp dinner, hotdogs and salad with s'mores for desert {of course!} I used these disposable foil trays so the kids could make their s'mores around the fire a bit easier also great for serving a single hot dog. I have been using them for years they are perfect as party take home containers because they come with lids and look great with big ribbons and tags attached also great for christmas gifts full of homemade treats that you or the kids have made and they are really cheap. Also furry friends are the perfect chocolates for s'mores and on another s'mores related note, Fyn had a camping party one year and the kids got little bags with their own s'mores ingredients. As soon as this tray went beside the fire I thought of those individual bags ... probably a better idea than a tray full of goodies,  I think you can guess why! 

The kids collecting marshmallow toasting sticks.

And that there is why I love bamping!