A Happy Goodbye...

~ by Emi and Kendal

So, how's everyone been?

Kendal and I thought we'd fill you in on what we've been up to in January, and then share some news with you.

So, my life... Where to begin? Let's start with Ru and Pixie.

Pixie has been pretty unwell with horrid cough after horrible cold, with Ru catching some of it too. This has pretty much been Snot House, I can tell you. On the positive side, she's had her first haircut, started Mama-Baby ballet lessons, and her speech has EXPLODED! We've had spontaneous cuddles accompanied by a cute little utterance of "Aaah voo!" - love you. If there's ever a moment to make your heart melt, that's it. There is a lot of new-found love for dolls, spending hours dragging Petal (her Mama-made Waldorf doll) around with her. Every animal is a horse and oddly, they all say 'miaow'. I also discovered that at 16 months old, Pixie's hair is long enough for me to French plait. More than that, it has been amazing to watch her learn. Such a different child from her brother, such a beautifully separate entity, such a delightfully unique soul. I am blessed with being able to see her life unfolding little by little every day...

Ru is just... always so completely Ru. His bright, effervescent self shines startlingly brilliant light into all the dark corners of my life. I am thankful for him. He is loving nursery, and loves to talk about his friends at school, especially Alfie, with whom he has a special bond. He's completely toilet trained... well... was toilet trained. We've had a couple of accidents this week, I think due to him being on the back end of a bad cold. He'll get it when he's ready, I just know it. We've had some fantastic new outbursts, learned from school including "That's not FAIR!", "If you keep doing that, I won't be your friend!" and "That's a pain in the ass."

Oh ok, that last one he learned from me.

Seriously though, I am exploring the new world that is fledgling friendships, learning the Small Person politics with him... It's tough to hear him say "So-and-so says that he won't be my friend anymore" but we're slowly getting a grip on it.

He's also really loving his role as Big Brother and Protector of his little sister. During half-term, a little boy pushed her over on purpose at a group we go to, and he was straight over, stood in between them declaring "That's my Pixie. You are NOT allowed to push her!". He adores her, just as much as she loves him. She has a serious case of idolisation.

As for Stephen, he's enjoying his job as a delivery driver for a big supermarket. I think he's relishing the pride of working hard to support his family. He's a good man. Our relationship is as strong as ever.

Myself... well... that certainly is a different story.

From a business point of view, MamaPixie is exploding with wonderful things! We have a photoshoot for the May/June 2013 release collection, 'A Whimsical Summer'. I'm also going to be attending several fairs, including one with my lovely friend Sarah. Stephen has joined me too, taking over the wooden side of things. On top of all that, we also have an expanded product list, including some VERY new quilted wings. I am always grateful for the brilliant customers we have, as each one brings Stephen and I closer to our dream of buying our own, very special home.

From a personal stance, things have been... difficult.

The reason we decided to take a break over January was at my request. I have mentioned before my on-going struggle with depression and during the latter part of 2012, I started taking anti-depressant medication. With the depression being dealt with, a lot, a LOT, of anxiety has come to the surface. Previously, I didn't *want* to leave the house. Now, it's terrifying to even consider going to Kendal's house 3 minutes walk down the road alone. I am unable to leave the house without Stephen being with me. I felt so bad that I even cut off my long pink hair and dyed it brown. I think that's the point I knew something was more than a little off.

Some incredible support, not least from Stephen, has been helping though. I've been reminded of the existence of amazing souls. Emma coming all the way from Derby just to spend a few hours with me. Hannah being a wonderful rock. Offers of help and support and love from my wonderful online Green Parent family too. There have been other good things too. I finished Ru and Pixie's handmade Waldorf dolls. I completely re-sorted and reorganised the attic and my storeroom. I taught myself to knit. I painted.

Most of all, I'm VERY proud to say that after not leaving the house alone in months, I have attended two half-hour Mama-Baby ballet classes with Pixie this year, just me and her. Fair enough, Stephen dropped us off, and picked us up, but for me, this might as well have been climbing Everest.

Tiny baby steps.
Just one.
Then one more.
Then another.
Then another.
And then one more.
I'll get there.

My word for the 2013, my focus if you will, is the word 'build'.

Build.

Not only to build up MamaPixie, but also to build up myself, to be the best that I can be.

In order to do this, I need to refocus my life. With MamaPixie being so successful, I simply cannot see a way to fit Crafty by Nurture in there as well. Without this blog, I will have more time to devote to my business, to my husband and children, and maybe even a little to myself. *Definitely* some for myself. I know that similarly, MamaMake's success has Kendal very busy too, both of us scuttling around like little industrious bees, (even though preggy Miss Kendal should be taking it easy... tut tut and a finger-wagging for you. *stern face*)

For the large part, it has been a pleasure sharing with you, whether that was baking and cooking, crafting or just speaking from the heart about something personal to me.

You will be able to catch up with me on the MamaPixie Facebook page, as well as over on my own personal blog, if you fancy it.

I wish all of you the best for 2013, along with more joy and happiness than you can handle!

Much love,

Emi, x

***

Well, the last two months have really flown by. Time has no meaning anymore to me - my pregnancy hormones have completely distorted any sense of what day or even month it is. But it has been a busy, busy time, that's for sure, and one that has led Emi and I to figure out what our priorities are for this year onwards, what we do and don't have time for, and sadly, what we have to let go of to make a little more room for the things that are most important.

I am pretty much as busy as I have ever been. Which is somewhat crazy considering I have a toddler and am nearly 7 months pregnant. But, such is life. There is a lot of it. Life, I mean. And I know that in two months time I simply won't have a choice but to stop, to rest, and to enjoy that strange, unreal newborn haze that lasts quite some time.

Aside from enjoying getting to know the newest member of our family, our goals this year are simply to move ever closer to the kind of life we imagine for ourselves. Namely, an unschooling, homesteading kind of life. Our evenings are spent filled with conversation about it and our days are spent working towards that. We hope that soon, Howard and I will both be able to 'work' from home. For me, that means MamaMake and writing, and for Howard, that means being a full-time author/writer.

I started MamaMake just over a year ago, two months after I'd learnt to sew, with the idea that maybe, now and then, I might sell some things I'd made. Looking back on the last year I was totally surprised to tally up just how much I'd ended up making for others - how many orders we'd had - and how busy it had kept me. When you love doing something, it truly doesn't feel like work, and I couldn't believe, for example, that I'd knitted nearly 40 elf hats in one year. How on earth did that pass me by? Are there really 40 little people walking about with something I've knitted. What a heart-warming thought!

Joining ranks with Sam has meant that MamaMake has become a proper business - We launched our Spring Line at the beginning of January with the same intention as we've always had - to add a little 'handmade whimsy' to people's lives, and since then have been kept very busy sewing, knitting, talking to customers, planning our seasonal items and coming up with new ideas for the future.

I've been writing more at Ava and the Snowman which gained an unexpected amount of support last year and which has led me to a variety of other writing ventures which I am so excited to be a part of this year. Writing will always be a huge part of my life and with AATS, I feel like I finally have a lot to say on a topic (parenting, unschooling etc) that I never, ever get bored of.

Howard has just finished his novel and is working diligently on the editing stage, and we are both trying to prepare ourselves for what it will be like to have two (two!) children. Even if that is only painting some furniture and sorting out our garden. (Oh if you only knew how little I know about gardening and how thankful I am I have a friend who is going to tell me exactly what I need to be doing come Spring!)

As for Ava, she is blossoming into this amazing little two year old who continues to be the best person I've ever met. This is such a great age. I know she may yet go through a tantruming or rebellious phase but so far our days are filled with the most incredible conversations and delightful time together. Hearing all about her thoughts on things (this morning she requested a 'tin of tomatoes' for breakfast!), her memories (I never knew a two year old could remember so much) and the things she learns every single day, is just the most incredible parenting experience so far. She is completely smitten with the idea of Ezra, draws pictures of him constantly, talks to my tummy and gives it cuddles, and is obsessed with watching birthing videos and trying to figure out how Mama is going to 'poo Ezra out'. Hmmm.

She is a very sweet, very gentle and very creative little soul and I count my lucky stars every day that I get to be her Mama. With little over two months to go until we meet Ezra, I am finding myself getting a strong idea of who this little man might be, in the same way I did with Ava (and was oddly right, too). I really can't wait to meet him, to see our family fill out a little more, and to get on with living together and moving forwards in the ways we want to.

When I am not doing MamaMake things, or writing, I am trying to give myself time to practice hypnobirthing, to do meditations and to enjoy the pregnancy yoga I've been attending. To prepare myself for, fingers crossed, a homebirth, and to just make room in my head and heart for what is going to be a huge and life-changing experience for our family.

Like Emi said, it has been a true pleasure to share this space and parts of my life with you, and it has been amazing to receive your support and feedback in return. For now, I will be busily sewing or knitting away at MamaMake (I've become obsessed with knitting of late - and discovered I am a complete and utter yarn snob!) or at Ava and the Snowman, where I will be writing a lot more, trying to articulate what it's like going from one to two children, and continuing to explore our unschooling adventures.

Thank you, sincerely, for being here with us.

Wishing you all love and happiness,

Kendal x

'...and it was nearly done, this frail 

Traveling coincidence; and what it held 

Stood ready to be loosed with all the power 

That being changed can give. We slowed again, 

And as the tightened brakes took hold, there swelled 

A sense of falling, like an arrow-shower 

Sent out of sight, somewhere becoming rain.'

from The Whitsun Weddings, by Philip Larkin

Father Christmas? No thank you!

 ~ by Emi

The Christmas tradition that I remember most vividly from my childhood was to do with Father Christmas. On Christmas Eve, we would put out a mince pie, a glass of milk (we don't want him drinking and sleighing now!), and a carrot for Rudolph. Oh, and a blue Smartie for the mouse. You didn't leave a blue Smartie for the mouse who shrinks, climbs through the keyhole, unlocks the door, and lets Father Christmas in? Well, how else does he get into houses that don't have chimneys, eh?

My little sister and I would wake up in the morning and discover that only crumbs remained of the mince pie, the carrot and Smartie had been nibbled and the milk had been drunk. Proof, in our eyes, that Father Christmas had truly been. That, and the massive pile of gifts under the tree.

This would happen every year, even long after my sister and I knew the truth about the man in red. It was one of those things that I planned to do with my children.

That is... until I actually had children.

I remember my first conversation with Stephen about the big man, and tentatively saying "I don't know if I want to tell Ru about Father Christmas.". To my surprise, Stephen agreed with me.

As parents, we try to lead by example to our children. We try and be calm in the face of crisis, whether that be a broken washing machine or a broken crayon. We try to be gentle with others, affectionate to those we love, giving Littles positive behaviour  to model their own on. We don't tell untruths either. Herein lies the issue.

Whilst I loved the magic of Santa sneaking into the house and delivering gifts when I was a child, the prospect of telling what is effectively an extended lie to my children for what could be upwards of five or six years seems very wrong. It just doesn't sit comfortably.

Don't lie, children, it's wrong. But a man in red delivers your gifts every Christmas.

How can I expect my children to be truthful when I am telling them a pretty massive lie? It really is a difficult one, as we want to encourage and embrace the special magic of this time of year, but do it in a way that doesn't involve telling a child about the absolute real existence of a fictional character. But also doing it in a way that doesn't then upset other children who do believe. And that's just the start of it. What then of the Easter Bunny? The Tooth Fairy? Any fairy? How far do you go with being truthful about what's real and what's not? It's a toughie, I can tell you.



Then we have the bribery side of it all.

"Be good or else no presents for you!"

I was regularly threatened in November and December with the prospect of no gifts. I was made to eat all my dinner with a swift comment of "Well, I'd better phone Father Christmas then and tell him not to bring you anything.". I was coerced into tidying my bedroom with a "He doesn't bring presents to children with messy rooms.".

Scary stuff.

It really is bribery. Do it or ELSE.

Don't get me wrong, I am so not above bribing my child on occasion. We've all done it. However, this whole thing of only good children getting presents seems like an awfully scary threat to a Little. Even his nursery teachers have used it to get him to 'sit tidily' and to clean up.

When you really think about it, it's not bribery... it's actually a threat. And the prospect of threatening my kids isn't a fun one, I can tell you.

I think, what makes me most uncomfortable though, is this withdrawal of gifts. We tell our children that we love them, and that gifts are given with love but woe betide you if you are naughty! No presents for you. And their little head links no presents with no love.

Stephen and I are finding it especially difficult this year as Ru is really at an age where he understands that Christmas and Yule are special. He's also 3, and very impressionable. We've already had him ask "Who is Father Christmas? So-and-so at school says that he gives presents. Will he bring me some? My teacher says I have to be good or I won't get anything."

Oh, my Small Boy.

In the end, my response to his question was very simply... no.

My Small Sweet Boy, some people like to believe that Father Christmas brings presents for them on Christmas. And that's ok. It's a lovely story and a lovely idea. Yule and Christmas are about being kind to those we love, and letting them know that we care about them very much. We give presents to remind them that they are very special to us. Your presents come from your Mama and Daddy and Pixie who love you SO much.

For me, the idea that we give gifts to those we love, but that those gifts, and thus our love, are conditional really makes my stomach churn.

My love for my child doesn't diminish when he refuses to tidy up. Nor does it diminish when he pushes his sister, or sits on the cat, or throws his trains at the window.

I want him to tidy up, because he knows that we take pride in our home and it makes us all happier when we have space and room to play and create. I want him to not push his sister because he knows that it makes her feel sad and could hurt her, the same for why he shouldn't sit on the cat. I want him not to throw his trains at the window because he knows that he could hurt someone or break something, and know that we treat our possessions with respect and kindness.

I don't want him to do these things out of fear that he won't get presents. That doesn't seem like an awfully good life lesson to learn at all. I don't want him to keep the idea in his head that gifts, and our love, are conditional, based only on his behaviour. All children need to know that they are loved unconditionally, no matter what they do.

I have absolutely no doubt that in many homes, Father Christmas is welcomed and celebrated as the Bringer of Presents, and that this person is both magical and benevolent, loved by all. But the argument that by not 'doing' Father Christmas, that I am taking away the magic of Christmas for my children, then I have to say that, with all due respect, I think that that argument is wrong.

The magic of this time of year, whether you celebrate Hannukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa or Yule, is in US. Yes, it is great to get presents, but the real special magic is in seeing the joy on someone else's face when they open their gift that we made specially for them.

It's in those bedtime hot chocolates with extra marshmallows.

It's in sitting in the dark with only the twinkling tree lights for company, sharing what our favourite part of the day was.

It's in making decorations together as a family.

It's in seeing birds in your garden enjoy the feeders you made them.

It's in being woken up to look out of the window at the spectacle of a world made unfamiliar by snow.

It's in sleepy snuggles under a cosy duvet, and secret present wrapping, and a new dress made by your Mama, and special books, and a trip out to see the lights, and making cinnamon cookies and gingerbread men, and the sequin you find in your hair from crafting earlier in the day, and celebrating one another.

It's in experiences.

It's in memories that he and his sister will remember and share with their own children one day.

It's not in a portly gentleman in crimson who breaks into your house, eats your food and leaves presents.



It's in LOVE.

That's real magic.

“We do not need magic to transform our world.

We carry all of the power we need inside ourselves already.”
  ~ J. K. Rowling

Crafty Tutorial: Wintery Cloud Dough

 ~ by Emi

Today, in the midst of a VERY busy festive period, happily making away for MamaPixie orders, friends and family, I am going to share with you a little something that kept both my children amused for an hour. An Hour, I tell you! A whole glorious hour in which I cleaned my kitchen, filled my washing machine and made bread. With the whole 'no tv' thing still very much in play, an hour to clean was a sending from the skies!

What is this magical activity?

Wintery Cloud Dough.

Oh yes, baby.

And it's made from items you probably already have in your house!

Plain flour and baby oil.

That's it.

Oh, and some glitter.


Literally, we're going to mix 8 parts flour to one part oil. Throw in a whole bunch of glitter so it sparkles like Glinda the Good Witch's dress and mix.

It forms this wonderful substance that smells divine and has a very odd consistency. Whilst looking like sand, you can compress it to form more solid structures.

I'm finding it a particular challenge right now to find activities that both 3 1/2 year old Ru and 15 months old Pixie can BOTH do, without one or more of them getting frustrated with themselves or their sibling. This worked a treat.

Not only is a brilliant sensory activity, but again, like so many Crafty by Nurture activities, can be adapted for different themes. Pink and red glitter and you've got Valentine's Cloud Dough! Bury chocolate coins in there with some rainbow sequins and you've got St Patrick's Day Cloud Dough!

I do warn you though, this is likely to get all over your floor but the baby oil makes it smell luscious, so it's not too much of a problem! I wouldn't do this on carpet, so if you don't have laminate flooring, BIG sheets of plastic will be needed or wrap up and head outside to play!

And now, if you don't mind, I have an absolute ton of work to do, as well as a baby whose bottom I suspect, if the smell is anything to go by, needs changing!

"When Christmas bells are swinging above the fields of snow,

we hear sweet voices ringing from lands of long ago,

and etched on vacant places

are half-forgotten faces

of friends we used to cherish,

and loves we used to know."

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Recipe: Honey-Cinnamon Sore-Throat Sweets

~ by Emi

Now, I don't know about you guys, but in our home, when one person catches a cold, you can pretty much guarantee that everyone else will eventually get it!

However, no one EVER gets ill as badly as my husband Stephen does. If ever there was a dictionary definition of 'man flu', his picture would be next to it. He sniffles, down-hearted on the sofa, troughing through large amounts of throats sweets that only seem to numb for a short while but don't seem to actually solve the underlying issues.

I decided that I was going to make him some special sweets for his throat, in the hopes that it would get rid of my gently weeping man-child. (Okay, so Stephen hasn't actually been *weeping*, but he hasn't been at his best!)

All you need for these is;

* honey
* cinnamon
* a silicon icecube tray
* butter
* greaseproof paper


Remember my post about toffee apples? It's a very similar process.

Get a saucepan and throw in about half a jar of honey, followed by a sprinkle of cinnamon. You could also add ginger too, or instead of the cinnamon if you liked, or omit them all together and have them as pure honey.

We're going to gently heat it to a rolling bubble until it reaches the 'hard-crack' stage.

Now, as most people don't own a sugar thermometer, so I'm going to teach you how to identify when your sugar has reached this stage.

Make sure you have a glass of cold water. Every so often, using a wooden spoon, drip a little of your honey mixture into the water. If you want your sweets to be more like boiled sweets, then heat until it immediately hardens and can be snapped when dropped in the water.

I wanted more chewy sweets though, so when you drop your honey mix in the water, you want it to harden, but also to have a tiny bit of pliability to it.

Grease a silicon icecube tray with butter and slowly, carefully fill each section with your mixture. You'll notice a couple of mine have lollysticks in, I wanted to test how they'd work as lollies. Not well, would be the answer to that.

If you've not used cinnamon, then your mixture will be deep golden and clear.

Leave your sweets to set at room temperature. Whilst they're setting, lightly butter some greaseproof paper and cut into wide strips.

When the sweets have set, pop them out of the tray and wrap each individual sweet in the greaseproof paper. This prevents them from sticking to one another in storage.

My husband now has a little tub of these in his work van to ease his sore throat! They are delicious, I have to say. (I even snaffled a few to keep for myself. I'm not ill. They just taste good.)

Remember, it is not advisable to give honey to children under the age of one, and small sweets can be a choking hazard for younger children, so use your common sense.

DaddyBlog: No TV and No Beer Make Daddy... something... something...

No beer and no TV make Stephen... something... something

A Lament  An Epiphany by Stephen

As a child, I watched an inordinately large amount of television. We had a Rumbelow's rented 'Baird' brand TV with a top loading jet-engine of a VCR, and a membership to our local video shop. This combination fuelled my love of the moving image.

To cut a long story short, my mum was exceptionally ill with cancer for most of my childhood so quite a lot of my weekends involved the renting of a film or two from the video shop and watching them until the magnetic tape inside literally melted. By the time I was a teenager, I had seen a wide range of films (from Ferngully to Robocop and beyond) and had a passion for the little black-hole sat in the corner of our living room. 

This is a habit I have carried through my life and enjoy nothing more than to recharge in front of a well-acted or visually stunning piece of celluloid history. In fact, my wife and I first bonded over our love of the film 300. I believe Emi has also mentioned before about filling up your cup and watching films is one of mine.

Skip a few scenes (see what I did there?) to October 2012 and picture a conversation between my wife and I:

Emi: I think we should have a month without TV

Me: Sounds good. When? 2013?

Emi: November? This year?

Me: Noooooooooo! (with all the extended vowels of Darth Vader realising Padme was dead)

And thus it was decided, we were to experiment with a complete ban on TV/laptop based viewing for all Ralphs to see what difference it would make to Ru, and us, as a family. I'll admit I was sceptical, actually, I nearly cried! It had taken me near 4 years to convince my wife we needed an 32 inch LCD TV and now we were to neglect her for a whole month?! (That's right, our TV is female.)

To put things into context however, we don't watch that much television as a family because we don't own a TV licence - it's all above board, we have declared our TV usage to the licensing authority - so it is never on as background noise as we have been used to in the past, pre-children. More specifically, many of the children of Ru's age that my wife and I have experience of have tended to have more screen time than he does. Nevertheless, the decision was made as we started to notice the TV was beginning to be used more and Ru was becoming quite impressionable, often copying various parts of things he had seen - some good, some bad.

For example, he seemed to combat a small fear of dark corners/the unknown by yelling 'EXPECTO PETRONUM!!!' complete with wand-flick motion. On the flip-side of the magical coin, he would sometimes respond to our requests to do/not do something with a wand-flick and a spell cast noise as if it somehow exonerated him from the request.

I was prepared for the worst, genuinely convinced (being the soft-touch parent) that I would receive a barrage of requests for My Little Pony, Super-Hero Squad, or the Saw films (the latter from my wife I may add) but I have been surprised and by halfway through the month I could actually count Ru's requests on one hand.

Here comes the Epiphany

It dawned on me that this month was actually likely to be harder on (and quite possibly more about) Emi and I, so we introduced a new rule: No TV for Ru and minimal TV after he was asleep for us. (And certainly no Skyrim for my wife.)

I'm writing this now at the end of the month and there have been some very interesting things that we've noticed. (Heeeeeeeere's listy!)

1. Ru's creativity. He has asked to do 'an activity' far more than he has asked for the TV and we have more doodles than we know what to do with.

2. My relationship with Ru. I'm not the creative parent, I love spending time with my kids but I suck at arty stuff. This month Ru and I performed our very first, completely Daddy set-up, no intervention from Mama, art based activity. We painted a pirate ship on the sea! Check us out!

3. Ru's reading. Well, it should be 'reading' as he tends to look at pictures or have one of us read to him. Anyway, before now Ru has tended to fill his spare time with books... LOTS of books! Somehow he is now asking for reading time a lot more. In fact, I'm having to leave this post now to read 'Thomas and Friends 1001 Stickers Book'... Back in a mo'.

I'm back, we've counted everything on every page and discovered Ru can autonomously count to 10. Awesome!

4. My relationship with Emi. Please refer to the below diagram for an analogy, including wine as well.

To be honest, this month has coincided with Ru's 3rd month at nursery so you could put some of this down to his developmental stage or his recent socialisation with his new clique - and it *is* a clique, or maybe a posse? But there is an overall point to be made.

As I mentioned, I was sceptical about this idea at first. I wasn't that keen on it to be honest, but I've realised that a little more involvement from Mama and Daddy goes a long way. In fact, we've decided to keep it up (to a degree) by watching only *one* film together as a family on a Saturday evening. This will be Ru's only TV time.

I guess, that I should complete the title of this post now:

No beer and no TV makes Daddy...

...more creative.



Emi's VersionIn the spirit of honesty, I too was dreading 'No TV November', as we dubbed it. I genuinely thought that no television meant that I would be the one who would be doing the extra activities, crafts, playing and games that Ru would undoubtedly need to occupy his bright mind. I was expecting more exhaustion and losing-of-temper on my part.

Boy, was I wrong.

In the best way possible, Stephen has stepped up to the challenge. So much so, in fact, that very little has changed for me in the everyday schedule of our home. Whilst I have obviously relished the extra time with Ru, more importantly, it seems to have opened a heretofore closed door in Stephen's parenting skills. As he has shared, he's not the crafty parent, and there have been many times where I have had to badger him into joining us in art-based activities. Not now.

Stephen and I are a very close couple anyway (Kendal says we're 'talkers'), chatting all the way through films, critiquing, debating and discussing. With far less film viewing, I've been surprised by the further increased amounts of talking we've actually we done. We even spent one glorious night playing one another favourite songs from our teenage years (and learning that Stephen likes more cheese than I ever knew previous to this. This may be the only bad part of No TV! *wink*)

(I have added this part in afterwards, after a request for more information on how no television has affected Ru. Many thanks to Jane for this.)Ru is a normal three year old boy. He can be loud, boisterous, rough, independent, opinionated, and aggressive, typical behaviours often exhibited at this stage in a child's development.

I know that I have had some conversations with Kendal a few months ago, expressing my worries that Ru was simply being too aggressive at times, and not knowing how to combat that. He went through a phase where physical retaliation was his first response to being asked to do something that he did not like or want to do. Myself, Stephen, once or twice Kendal have been on the receiving end of this, along with Pixie and even Ava.

I remember one awful occasion at a group we go to where Ru and a boy called Dexter were very much at odds with one another for the whole session. I was feeling very embarrassed that my normally loving boy was acting like... well... a bully. Luckily, Dexter's mother Nicola reassured me that this was indeed a phase, that she had gone through it, that I would get through it, that it would pass and that no one was judging me for it. I'm not sure Nicola knew exactly *how* helpful her words were and how much they were needed at that moment.

Stephen and I added a lot of physical, aggressive play into our daily routine after reading Playful Parenting which really helped. Combined with a move on my part towards being more 'gentle' as a parent (assisted by anti-depressant medication) and consistently addressing the causes of his actions rather than rectifying the actions themselves, Ru's overall aggression dropped massively. We were relieved at Ru's first Parent's Evening for nursery when his teachers reported that they had seen no hitting or other aggression towards classmates or staff from him.

However, no one likes seeing their child being unkind to others, and there were still occasions where Ru would be too rough, whether purposefully or not. This was one of the reasons that we chose to do No TV November.

At the end of it, we had noticed a further decrease in Ru's aggressive behaviour. Whilst I cannot attribute this ONLY to the lack of television, in fact, I think if anything it is a combination of that, as well as even more activities than usual, as well as more one-on-one Daddy-Son time, that has created this.

Kendal has mentioned in her Day in the Life post about how her home feels somehow calmer with the TV off. Now, I don't know about calmer (with my two, our home is anything OTHER than calm!), but it has had a subtle knock-on effect that has rippled outward to other aspects of our daily life.


There have also been occasions this month where I simply have been unable to complete general household tidying and cleaning, because I haven't had the television to occupy Ru. In these cases, I simply left it till later, which is frustrating for me, but ultimately I suppose is beneficial for Ru. We even had a couple of days where everyone was ill that would have been SO MUCH EASIER with TV! (Although I'm proud to report that we didn't give in!)

(Having said that, Ru tells us that he was put in 'Time-Out' at nursery this week for 'hitting Alastair', but as the teachers haven't mentioned this to us, we're not sure if this is pretend or actually happened - Hmmm... maybe a post about that annoying phase that children go through where they explore lying about everything is coming!)




The most wonderful thing that has come from no television isn't decreased aggression (although that is one of the good results!) or an altogether calmer atmosphere or a lower electricity bill.

It's the strengthening of the Daddy-Son bond between Stephen and Ru. Without screen time, BOTH of their imaginations have bloomed even further. To walk downstairs and see them painting together, doing an art activity that I didn't set up... Well, let's just say it's up there as one of my favourite Proud Of My Husband moments.

We will definitely be continuing with our hugely restricted screen time amounts, although after much discussion (okay, not *that* much) we've decided that Ru loves Harry Potter WAY too much for us to remove that from the dvd collection!

However, suggestions and recommendations of wonderful, gentle films are very much welcome!

"I don't watch television, I think it destroys the art of talking about oneself."
Stephen Fry

Why Handmade?

~ by Emi

I love December. It is such a wonderful time of year, with a beautiful and strong focus on family. This emphasis on something so important is also expressed when we give gifts to those we love.

In our home, we don't give many gifts to one another. We use the following saying to guide our choices;

Something you want

Something you need

Something to wear

And something to read

On top of this, Ru and Pixie are given a larger joint gift, which last year was a wooden gnome house with little gnomes I had made, and this year is a dressing up trunk filled with handmade costumes. They also get a stocking each with a few little trivial things that we'll have picked up during the year and stored away.

Whilst some gifts are bought, we do love handmade.

There are a myriad of reasons that we do this, and not just because of my own fledgling business, MamaPixie. I know many, many brilliantly creative people who spend time, effort and money in making bespoke items that any one with a modicum of sense would be proud to gift to someone they love.

There are a million reasons why we should give handmade, and I'd like to share a few of mine and Stephen's.


Firstly, you are often supporting work-at-home-Mamas and Papas, like myself, like Kendal. You are providing a vital supplemental income that clothes our children, pays our bills, or in Kendal's case, save up to buy a much-needed car! Not only that, when you buy handmade, it gives the sellers the opportunity to then spend that money on handmade items from others, and the chain continues! This makes great sense from an economic point of view, supporting small, and often local, businesses.


Secondly, quality. How often have you bought something from a large chain store and the item simply falls apart within days, much to the frustration of parent and child alike? Artisan crafters have spent hours designing, perfecting and tweaking their products. They've handpicked the materials. They've made each item with love and care, something that certainly can't be said for all larger businesses.

Tied into this is the fact that as Melissa from Holmes-made says "As an artisan, I take loads of care to produce exactly what the customer wants and to go beyond in terms of customer service. You just don't get that on the high street." I take great pride in my work, and will go that extra mile to make something just right.

You know what else is brilliant? We actually LIKE our jobs! We don't turn up to work and complain the whole day with a face like spilt gruel. We enjoy what we do.


Our third point is the wonderful fact that custom items are exactly that. Custom. You can adapt the item in question until it is perfect. You as a customer often become one of the designers, and it makes us feel good to know that our input is value, something very often lost in modern retail. For example, I worked very closely with a lovely woman to create a unique Hobbit-style wool cloak, even down to tiny details like the drape of the hood. Collaboration is a wonderful thing.

You are also honouring the creative in others, something I personally strive to encourage in my children and value in myself. To quote Sarah at Felt so good, you are "supporting individuals and individuality, not corporations who often dodge their social responsibilities."



Number four, handmade items can often have a lower impact on the environment and have greater levels of sustainability. Handmade items aren't from a large waste-producing factory and shipped round the globe using fossil fuels.  Buying handmade items with a smaller carbon footprint benefits everyone. Not only that, many crafters reuse, repurpose and upcycle items that may otherwise end up in landfill.


Number 5. You don't have to deal with the hell that shopping in a city in December. You know, that time of year where normally sane people think nothing of shoulder-barging you out of the way in order to get their sweaty grasping hands on the last must-have plastic crap on the shelf? The fractious children who want to go see the lights and not be dragged and crushed in department stores? The harried mothers? The bored, impatient fathers?

Surely this is reason alone?!



And lastly, my favourite and I think the most important.

Number 6.

It helps us teach our children the value of something, not the price.

It tells the ones we love that we care enough, that we know them well enough, to choose something as individual as they are. I know that I would feel more thrilled with an item that someone has taken time to pick or make themselves, knowing it will be cherished, than something grabbed off a shop shelf at the last minute.

In a world where our children are becoming more and more focused on the 'need' to Have ALL The Things, handmade is an even more vital part of the festive season. You are sharing, giving, something special to others. Not in order to get something in return, but simply for the joy of letting someone know you appreciate and cherish them, which surely is the point of the season, no matter what religion you are part of.

At this time of year especially, children can become over-whelmed with well-intentioned but ultimately pointless gifts, swamped, drowning in a mess of mass-produced sparkly tat that rapidly loses its polish and attraction.

I refuse to let our home be a part of that.

“That's the thing with handmade items.
They still have the person's mark on them,
and when you hold them,
you feel less alone."Aimee Bender

So, I share with you some of my most favourite artisan, British crafters. These are all people whom I have done business with and know that their work is of the greatest quality with the highest customer service.

I hope hope hope that you'll 'like' them on Facebook, peruse their Etsy stores and maybe buy the person you love something unique and special, something that will be cherished... just like they are.




My own shop
MamaPixie on Etsy
MamaPixie on Facebook
 - bespoke children's clothing, costumes and playcloaks, felt Waldorf crowns, wooden trees and more


Kendal's shop
Mama Make on Etsy
Mama Make on Facebook
 - beautiful childrens clothes, hand-knitted elf hats, family hearts, and the most gorgeous bloomers you've ever seen!


Washed-Up Family
 - unique sea-glass jewellery


Holmes-made
 - stunning papercuts and Christmas cards


ArwenMakes
 - speciality custom-dyed wool, knitted goods and jewellery


Button Pocket
 - the coolest custom, handmade bags you'll EVER find!


AislingDezines
 - bespoke bunting, woollen goods and tie dye


Serendipity
 - handcarved and perfectly pyrographed wooden boxes, fairie doors and more


Felt so good
 - imaginative felted playmats and items


Earthworks Journals
 - handcrafted, hand-tooled journals (quite honestly, the best I've ever owned!)

Crafty Tutorial: Waldorf Winter Window Transparencies

 ~ By Emi



I am lucky, blessed, to have a great many talented friends. But my favourite recently, the one I am most jealous of... is Melissa.

Melissa does the most beautiful papercuts over at Holmes-made. Stephen and I are lucky enough to own a bespoke piece of work from her, that was commissioned as a wedding anniversary gift for us.

She has been so inspiring for me recently that when I was faced with a decidedly boring and blank living room window to decorate, I decided to mix a traditional Waldorf transparencies with Melissa's beautiful papercutting techniques.

Today, I'm going to show you how I made...

THESE!

I've used a mixture of techniques here, so that you can pick and choose which ones your children will be able to attempt (or yourself!).

So, first off, we're going to need black card, a scalpel/craft knife, tissue paper, contact paper, Sharpies/felt tips/crayons, glitter and glue. I used mount board which has the benefit of being thick and sturdy... and the disadvantage of being thick and a pain in the ass to cut through. You could just as easily use cardboard or even paper. Cut it to the size you want. I made the Tomten A4-ish and the others A3.


Let's do the stag first...

Next, we're going to draw on the BACK of our mount board (or whatever you're using). We'll need a wavy line marking the 'frame' of the drawing and then a design. You're going to draw whatever design you like, as simple or as complex as your heart desires, but do remember that the more intricate it is, the more difficult it's going to be to cut out.

I chose a stag, pausing daintily in a winter landscape. Perhaps, for the more cynical among you, he is pausing, hiding from a hunter. For me, however... well... I like to think he's admiring a particularly pretty snowflake.

Up next, Cutting Out. This is the tough part. You WILL need to do this on a cutting mat, so that you don't damage your work surface. They are easy enough to find in your local craft shop, along with the craft knives, one of which you will need for this step.

I'm sure I don't need to remind you that these blades are SHARP! This is not something young children can do, although older ones with adequate supervision may enjoy it. Whether your children are dextrous and mature enough to manage this task, that's a judgement call only you can make. As Ru is only three, I figured it was probably best to supply him with a particularly large stack of toast and hope that that held his attention long enough for me to finish this!

The next few photographs will show you the process of me cutting out my handsome deer. Use your craft knife carefully (CAREFULLY!) and just take your time.

I did the outline of the frame first, then cut away large sections that weren't needed. I then moved on to doing the small details, such as his antlers and tail. The final picture shows the finished cut-out.

It was at this point that the toast ceased to capture Ru's attention. He wandered over to me and announced "Why is Bambi on your paper, Mama?!" That's right, I can't help but feel a bit proud of myself when I draw something and my Small Boy recognises it. It doesn't work the opposite way though - cue me asking him "Wow! That's a lovely painting of a... a... well, it's a... Well, why don't you tell me about your painting?"

We now move on to the tissue paper part (this is where the Waldorf transparencies inspiration comes in!).

This is where you can let your creativity run away with you!

I simply layered white and varying shades of blue tissue paper on the BACK of the mount board, sticking down each layer around the edge of the frame with pva glue.

From here, it's simply a matter of letting it dry, and then fixing it to a window, allowing Mr Sunlight to do his job, or popping some candles behind it to illuminate it. And because I'm a sparkle-kinda girl at heart, I sprayed the front of mine with hairspray and liberally twinkled it with silver glitter. Just gives it a little somethin' somethin'. (You can't actually SEE the glitter in the dark, but at least it'll shimmer in the daytime!)

I might have also been a little overenthusiastic with my glitter because when Steven saw the floor, he sighed, said "You do know you've got glitter all over the... Never mind. Just... clean it up." in the brow-beaten tone of a man who knows he's going to be finding glitter on his clothes for the next four days.

There.

Doesn't he look handsome?






Next up is the quiet Winter landscape. This one is MUCH more toddler-friendly! Simply cut out a frame, cover one side with contact paper and then get your Little to add glitter and torn up tissue paper.

Once this step was completed, I drew a few details onto the back with black Sharpie, then covered the back with more contact paper.

And finally, the happy little Tomten. Again, cut out your frame and glue on a layer of tissue paper. Then, draw whatever design you like on it. I used wax crayons, but pencils and felt tips would be just as effective. I drew mine on my light box so that I could see exactly how it was going to look in our window, but that's not essential. You could also trace an image and let your child colour it in. (Side note: I found my Tomten picture to use as inspiration from this artist on DeviantArt)

As with most of my Crafty Tutorials, these are easily adaptable to other seasons or subjects. These would also be AMAZING as A1 size backgrounds for Seasons Tables (guess what one of the new products I'm going to be stocking at MamaPixie is going to be?)

I have plans for a few more, a couple will be scenes from The Story Of The Snow Children by Sybille Von Olfers, (including one for Kendal and Ava) and then one will be a large background for our Winter table, both of which I shall be adding pictures of to this post as I complete them!

So, get on with it! Don't forget to post photos of your completed window transparencies over on our Crafty by Nurture Facebook page, and check out more of Melissa's beautiful papercuts here.

What NOT To Say To Pregnant Women

 ~ by Emi

There are several pregnant women in my life right now, and Kendal chief among them. I am a real baby person. I simply love pregnant women. I ask before touching bumps but if given permission, frankly, I could sit there all day squealing and going "There's a baby in there! It's so amazing!". I have to say that Kendal puts up with this beautifully. As does our friend Laura, currently pregnant with her third. My lovely stepmama, on the other hand, whilst pregnant with my little brother kept telling me to chill out and stop harassing her!

I was thinking, earlier this week, about the things I miss about pregnancy, like the kicks and movement, the special feeling of carrying life inside you...

Which inevitably led me to thinking about what I HATED people saying to me whilst I was pregnant.

So my post today is...

EMI'S GUIDE TO WHAT NOT TO SAY TO PREGNANT WOMEN

1. "Oh my goodness! You're so big!"

For the love of all that is wonderful in this world, when speaking to a pregnant woman, DO NOT use the word 'big' or any derivation thereof to describe her. This point includes (but is not limited to) the following words;

hefty
large
huge
humongous
enormous
colossal
elephantine

You don't need to tell her that her bump is enormous. SHE KNOWS! She's been living with it every second of every day. It doesn't matter that she's so big that she's doing that 'wheelbarrow' walk. It doesn't matter that she's so big she can rest a cup of tea on her bump. It doesn't matter that she's so big that she has her own gravitational pull and small objects are orbiting her.

Just don't comment on it.

You also don't need to ask her, even jokingly "Are you *sure* you're not having twins?!"

(And if you feel the need to give your pregnant friend a 'cute' nickname, stick with Preggy or something similar that is non-offensive. DO NOT, under any circumstances, come up with a name like... oh, I don't know... 'Preggo The WonderHorse'. And yes, my husband *did* call me this.)




2. "Kiss goodbye to your sex life!"Also known as You'll Never Have Sex Again or the variant You'll Lose Your Sex Drive Whilst You're Pregnant.

These are all lies.

With Pixie's pregnancy, I was simply too tired to have sex. Poor Stephen would look at me with yearning eyes, only to see me fast asleep, snoring away, honking like a walrus with a cold within seconds. With Ru's, I was hornier than a teenage boy who just simultaneously discovered that his parents have gone out shopping and that his internet browser has a private browsing function.

And you will have sex again because sex, frankly, is AWESOME.

And if we didn't, the human race would be doomed. Which is bad.

It might take a few days, a couple of weeks, or months, but it will happen. I have noticed that it seems to be that the general consensus among crunchy parents is that we don't tend to wait as long as non-crunchies after birth.

You never know, you may end up like me after Ru's birth. So hopped up on love for this tiny being that you made with this amazing manandisn'thebrilliantandlookwhatwemadetogetherilovehim
andiloveoursonandwowmyhormonesaregoingcrazyandbloodyhellI'mhornygetupstairsintobedrightnow.

Or something like that.



3. "You won't have a full night of sleep ever again!"Okay, so this one is sort of true. It may well be a while before you have a full 8 hours of sleep in one go, but your pregnant friend will have heard this a thousand times, and if she has kids already, she is likely to be a pro at managing on three hours. It's just not helpful.




4. "You're not having pain relief! *laugh* Just you wait, you'll be begging for an epidural!" aka. 'Birth plan?! HA!'You may be right. She may end up begging for pain relief (me during my labour with Ru). She may breeze through it in 2 hours and 37 minutes from start to finish (me during my labour with Pixie).

Let her write the no-drugs, water-labour birth plan. It's not hurting you.

And if, in the end, you were right, you don't need to mention it. Be smug on the inside!





5. "Babies are so expensive!"This usually goes hand in hand with "You *NEED* this £500 pushchair/£200 cot/£30 babygrow/other over-priced item!".

You know what babies need? Milk, love, cuddles. That's pretty much it.

Kids can be expensive... if you let them be. It's up to you whether you pick Marks and Spencers to do your monthly food shop, or Asda. It's up to you whether you buy a £100 sling or a £500 3-in-1 travel system. It's up to you whether you choose designer baby clothes or charity shop finds.

Make your choice.





6. "Are you getting married before the baby is born?"This is a personal bug bear for me. By all means, if you feel the need to get married before having children, so be it. But having the same surname as your partner and a piece of paper saying 'Hey! You're married!' *doesn't* automatically make you a better parent. I feel like that's an old-fashioned notion, and on a par with other gems of 'wisdom' like A child needs a mother AND a father.

Stephen and I didn't get married until Ru was a year old. I like to think we've done ok as parents. We didn't magically become SuperMum and SuperDad the day after the ceremony. In fact, I remember my dad being very clear about the fact that he'd have preferred us to be be married before Ru was born. Stephen's parents even offered to pay for a wedding for us whilst I was pregnant. (We politely declined.)

Make no bones about it, I LOVE being married, but really, it is much the same as before our wedding day, only now I have a dress I'm unlikely to wear ever again in my wardrobe.


7. "Wow, you look rough."You are only allowed to tell pregnant women that they look beautiful and glowing and gorgeous and oh-doesn't-pregnancy-suit-you and so on.

Do not tell her she looks rough.

Do not tell her she looks exhausted and tired.

Definitely don't tell her she has cankles from water retention.

Best not to mention varicose veins.

Oh, or stretchmarks.

If you MUST comment on her physical appearance, tell her that her boobs look cracking. Comment on how healthy her hair or skin looks. Or, my personal favourite "Oh my god! You can't even tell you're pregnant from behind!".

She might be stood there sweating like an overweight man in a cake shop (or my husband after consuming an enormous steak) but lie through your teeth. She'll probably respond to your "You're positively glowing!" with "Nope, that would be sweat." but it's better than telling her something negative and having her look at you like this...




8. "I/my friend/my sister/my aunty's friend's third cousin once removed had *insert scary birth story here*"I have been known to respond to people who say this to me with a polite 'Fuuuuuuuck you.'.

This is the BIGGIE. Your pregnant friend does NOT want or need to hear your negative birth story.

I'll say it again because it is so important.

Your pregnant friend does NOT want or need to hear your negative birth story.

She doesn't need to hear that you were in labour for 75 hours, that you had to have 18 stitches because you tore so badly, that you had an episiotomy or ceasarean or whatever. Keep it to yourself. I'm truly sorry if you had a rubbish experience during your own labour, but your scary story isn't going to help right now.

The amazing woman who ran the pregnancy yoga class I attended explained that often, when women share their traumatic birth story, it's because they've not completely dealt with it themselves. This is often very true, and if you need to deal with the fallout from a less-than-perfect labour, and/or seek a sympathetic ear then I urge you to do so... but NOT to pregnant women.

Positive birth stories ONLY please.

(And every time you do hear a negative one, head over here for an antidote.)




In the end, pregnancy is truly a miracle. And yes, by the end of it, we women are enormous, sweaty, shambling, wheelbarrow-walking creatures whose natural enemies are flights of staircases and shoes that require tying up. But don't say that.

Just smile sweetly, and hand your pregnant friend some more cake.




We'd love to hear what some of the most ridiculous and hilarious things you've been told whilst pregnant are!

Crafty Tutorial - Salt Dough Decorations and Diwali Lamps

 ~ By Emi

We have had a very busy couple of days, busier than usual. We've been doing a lot of home improvements, painting doors and cupboards with magnet paint and blackboard paint. We've also been learning about Diwali and getting VERY excited about Winter.

Actually, I'm the only one who's been getting excited about the last bit.

So excited, in fact, that we've started on festive decorations already. Yes, I'm well aware it's only November but I'm not going to apologise because I LOVE THE FESTIVE SEASON!

Aaaaanyway...

This Crafty Tutorial today is a twofer - Diwali lamps *AND* salt dough decorations!

First things first, you're going to need to know how to make salt dough. It could not be simpler; 1 part salt, 2 parts plain flour, 1 part water. Stir. Knead until pliable. Create.

If it's too wet, add more flour and salt. Too dry, add a little water.

Salt dough has to be one of the most brilliant creative substances in the history of the world. It is incredibly cheap to make, and is so versatile.

To make the lamps, we made simple bowl shapes, big enough to put a tea light in safely.

Then we baked them for about an hour at 180*C. While they were baking, we talked about Diwali, specifically about how Hindus light little lamps to signify the triumph of good over evil. Now, I don't know about you, but I wouldn't trust my boisterous kids or cats near oil lamps, so we substituted little candles instead.

After baking, let them cool, and then go crazy with paint and glitter and sequins! We used matt wall paint on ours from the numerous tester pots we have stashed in a cupboard, and then used pva glue to stick sequins to our lamps. And then we glitterfied the heck out of them, because frankly, you can NEVER have too much glitter.

Once everything is dried, simply pop in your lit tealight and... Ta Daa!

Beautiful.

Part Two now - Salt Dough Decorations

Because we had dough left over from our lamps, we decided to make a few festive stars! The photos are very self-explanatory, the only things you need to remember are to put holes in the top of them before you bake and then how to bake your cut-outs; 180*C for about an hour.

Cut.
Bake.
Decorate.
Hang.

We're going to make a whole bunch of these for Ru's friends at nursery, and for our own Christmas/Yule tree as they are cheap to make en mass, and he really enjoyed the process. The individual ones we'll hang on ribbon, but the ones in the photograph above will be added to one looooooooong ribbon to make a star garland.

As well as making lamps and decorations, salt dough can also be used for those baby handprint plaques that grandparents seem to love! We're going to be making some ourselves over the next few days as gifts for Stephen's parents, as they really like cute, homemade things like that.

For older children, salt dough can be used to create models to bake and then paint, so are a brilliant way of making additions for your seasons table too!


And now, I'm off to make my lovely spawn some dinner, and then we're having a special candle-lit bath tonight with our Diwali lamps and our lanterns from Monday's post.

Have a wonderful evening everyone, and Diwali blessings!

Let this diwali burn all your bad times and enter you in good times.

Crafty Tutorial - Lanterns

 ~ by Emi

I love fire.

I really do.

There's something magical about the way it moves and I can easily get lost in watching a candle gleam and flicker. There's something hopeful about that tiny little flame lighting up the darkness and bringing light to those who need it.

Ru has inherited my pyromaniacal tendencies; he's as spellbound by flame as I am. I remember when he was smaller, he used to sit on my knee and simply watch the tiny lights of our candles dance in the dark.

Given that it's getting darker earlier as the Winter draws in, I thought I'd make some lanterns.

These are perfect for any celebration, be it Christingle, Diwali, Hannukah, or otherwise. Many of the Pagan celebrations in the darker half of the year celebrate light within the darkness, indeed Yule is a celebration *about* the world returning to life, and light, after the deep rest of Winter, so as a family we tend to make a LOT of light-related crafty things this time of year.

You will need only a few supplies for these, and they're really quick to make too.

You'll need some clean glass jars, PVA glue, paintbrushes, tissue paper ripped into small pieces, glitter and tea lights.

Firstly, arrange your supplies. And child. Don't forget the child, that's the *most* important bit.

Now, we're going to liberally cover the outside of the glass jars with PVA glue. I cannot tell you how much Ru LOVED this part! I'm pretty sure he spent more time stirring and dripping the gloop than he did actually doing the activity itself!

Once suitably covered, start sticking on your tissue paper pieces. We used white and three different blues for a wintry feel, but you could choose whatever colours you like best. when you've stuck the tissue paper over it in one full layer, give it another coating of glue and then more tissue paper.

This is mine...

Now, I'd advise putting glue on the *sides* of the jar and NOT on the bottom. However, my artistic toddler has a creative, avant garde bent, and got a little carried away, so his lantern ended up like this...

Well, you gotta love his enthusiasm.

Anyway, next, give your jar one final light coating of glue and then sprinkle glitter on to it, again we used blues and silver. Leave them to dry.

Once they've properly dried, simply light a tea light candle and drop it in, then bask in the glittery glowy goodness...

It would be easy to make these in other colour schemes, reds and oranges for Autumn, pastels for Spring etc. I'm thinking we need a full set of seven, each one a different colour of the rainbow.

As with any open flames, make sure they are out of the reach of children and pets and that you don't leave them unattended.

Kendal and I love to see the things you've made from our Crafty Tutorials, so don't forget to post photos of your creations on the Crafty by Nurture Facebook page!

"At times, our own light goes out

and is rekindled by a spark

from another person.
Each of us has cause to think
with deep gratitude of those

who have lighted the flame

within us."~ Albert Schweitzer