Gingerbread rugby teams....

On Sunday Miss Five, Miss nearly Two and I made gingerbread men for Father's Day. We're Rugby World Cup mad around here, and super excited that there's only a few days to go. So Miss Five's idea was to make a team of All Blacks, and a team of Wallabies (since Dad is Australian).

Once we'd made the little guys, we iced their 'shirts' using normal icing but piped their faces and the Wallabies insignia using special Icing Writing Pens. How cool they are! I'd never used them before.

Maddie kept asking me 'which one is the boss of the team?' (meaning the captain) so we nominated the biggest two gingerbread men. She knew the All Backs' boss was 'Richycaw' but she didn't know the Wallabies captain - so he remained just the 'boss!'

The best part was once Dad had seen his treat, there were enough gingerbread men to go around the GrandPops too...

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Welcome home...from Madi bleu!

Welcome to my new home. It's a 1930s bungalow, still with original stained glass door...

Which opens to reveal a 'grand' entrance hallway (well, it's grand for someone who's never had a hallway before!). Welcoming in our visitors in pride of place is....

Us!
Courtesy of the fabulous Madi Bleu (NZ artist Amanda), we've proudly hung a personalised family portrait of me, hubbie, Maddie and Lorilou and our wee dog Oscar.

I've loved Amanda's textile and upcycled collages made from fabric, zippers, buttons, vintage scraps and other loved items for a long time now, and blogged about her before on babybites. In fact it was her creations gracing a fabulous striped wallpaper wall that first inspired me to try designer wallpaper in my own house.

So when she notified on her facebook fan page that she would be taking orders for 'family portraits' I jumped at the chance. All I had to do was send in a photo...and wait for a 2011 moment in time to be immortalised into a special Madi Bleu for a forever keepsake. Thanks so much Amanda, you are hugely talented!

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Baby Bites Column: Handmade Love Notes in a Bottle for Valentines Day

Handmade love notes and yummy treats for Valentine’s are the best way to say I love you to your partner. They’re even better when they’ve been made by your kids! Check out these two fabulous ideas you can make with your children at home this week, without having to spend a fortune.

I simply adore Mini Eco’s “love note in a bottle” made with invisible ink and paper cut out hearts. The invisible ink is made with lemon juice – how clever is that! You could pick up the love hearts or some little craft gems from the craft stand in your local stationary store. You could also substitute the paper hearts with confetti, beach shells, or flowers from your garden, or how about making one of those garlands of paper dolls to put inside, to symbolise your family holding hands?

I also love these little cupcake wrappers, called, ‘treat and trinket trays’ made out of fabric scraps and ribbons. A downloadable free pattern from US fabric designer Heather Bailey, the pattern also comes with a chocolate cupcake recipe. Easy!

Read my original column on Baby Bites online magazine here, and while you are there, enter Baby Bites' 2nd Birthday Prize Draw! It's amazing, loaded with goodies and includes a giveaway prize of a lily pad.

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