Home Made Washing Powder

In light of my recent post on our financial status (post HERE and last weeks task HERE) and my commitment to setting one money saving or organising post per week, I decided that it was time to start making our own washing powder.
It is something that I have been thinking about for some time, probably ever since my sister made a big batch a few years ago. Washing powder was never really a financial issue to us when I owned my salon, as the salon paid for all of it, as I was doing the towels etc, however now that we are a one income family , and have 4 children , who create a fair bit of laundry, its a perfect solution to such an expense.
On average , we would do at LEAST a load a day, more often 2 loads, so in a week we would do about 10 loads of washing , if not more.
Towels, sheets, whites, blacks, colours, hubby's work clothes , cleaning cloths etc. And many loads of each. You get my drift?!


Upon searching the wonderful web, I managed to find quite a few recipes for Washing powder , and they were all a little bit different. The main things I was interested in were; whether it would be safe for a front loader machine, and whether it would be strong enough to remove grease and dirt from my husbands work clothes and mild enough on our childrens delicate skin.
I found some posts with recipes HERE and HERE and decided to combine a few to make my own.
It is probably not as cost effective as most of the others, but I know that it is going to clean our clothes well, and still maintain the colours, looks etc, and it sure beats spending over $6 a week on powder or $35 when it comes on special (super rarely) for a bulk pack.

You will need;

Something large to store your powder in - My tin is from Target, but some time ago but these are available in a lot of different stores and are reasonably priced!

A wooden spoon for mixing

A cheese grater

WASHING POWER

2 kg Washing Soda

1kg Nappy powder ( I used a cheaper version of Nappisan called Nappy Active)

1.5kg Borax

4 cups Lux Flakes

1 Bar Sard Soap (grated)

Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, tub or bucket and stir until thoroughly combined.

Pour into your storage tubs

Using 1-2 tablespoons is recommended, we will be using just one.

Voila!! Easy peasy and so economical!!

PLEASE NOTE:

- Now, I have used a Nappy whitening powder in our recipe , as I want it to clean well. We have 4 young children , who are hard on their clothes and I like them to come up nice.

-I also decided to add both the grated Sard soap and the Lux flakes, even though most recipes only used one or the other. Lux is fantastic for softening clothing and very gentle on young skin and Sard is great for stains and marks.

- You may want to/should really , wear a face mask for this. The powders can get up your nose a bit, which really cant be good!

- This isn't really the most natural of washing powders,but it works, sorry my bad!

- To buy all the ingredients in our town and shops, I had to go to an IGA for the Borax and Washing Soda

-If you use your machine water as grey water, eliminate the Borax so it is safer for your garden.

COSTING:

Washing Soda x 2 @ $3.51 ea = $7.02

Nappy Active = $4.80

Borax x 1.5 @ $4.89 = $7.33

Lux Flakes x 2/3 box @ $6.98 = $4.65

Sard Bar = $2.56

TOTAL = $26.36

So our total tub has cost us a little over $26 to make.

But how long will it last I hear you ask?

I measured out our tub, and with using the tin scoop that comes with the tub, we made 66 scoops.

I think that a tablespoon would roughly be about half a scoop , if not less , so really with these calculations we should be able to stretch it out further.

Half a scoop = 132 washes

132 washes in our home is about 13 weeks, so a little over 3 months

$26 for over 3 months worth of washing powder is pretty good going, I think!

$26 for 132 washes = a bit over 19c a wash!!

I am pretty stoked with our powder. We have been using it for quite a few days now. Our clothes feel really soft (probably more so than before), they smell beautiful and I have a sense of achievement which is probably more important than anything.

Next on the list is making my own Dish washing tablets, so I will let you now how that goes!!

Why not try and make some yourself?

I'd love to hear how you go!

Mean Mum

Yep thats me. A meanie Mum!! Hmm well maybe not, but I tell you what, sometimes I feel like it!!
And the feeling is growing and increasing daily!
Lately I have been feeling a bit torn with the idea of technology for our children.
Now don't get me wrong, I am not anti technology. Hell I have the iPad next to me, my iPhone on charge and I am tapping away at a laptop.
However our kids have not really been introduced to technology and I am happy about that, and hoping it stays that way for some time to come.
Please don't think I am bagging you if you have different views than me, because I am not, but simply stating my dilemma.

It feels like, more and more these days, that most kids own an iPod, a Gameboy (DSI or whatever) or even iPads. Technology right at their fingertips, without a want or need for anything more.
I understand the value in these, that they can be great educational and co ordination tools, the entertainment factor etc but I am still not sold. Call me a sceptic, call me silly.
Even though my decision and feelings sit well with me for keeping these from our kids and in the way we are choosing to raise our children,but I can't help but feel .... almost guilty.
Are we , in a way, outcasting our kids? Are we depriving them of something that nearly every one of their peers has?!

To be honest, I just want our children to be .. kids.
To use their imagination for games and role play, the independence to know when they are bored and create something for themselves to do that doesn't involve batteries or sounds.
To know that Mum and Dads phones are just that... Mum and Dads. Our phones , our toys and things they are not allowed to play with.
Its almost like a Pringles packet, once you pop, you can't stop. Once you hand over that precious smart phone or tablet/iPad, and they get a taste of the excitement and games, you might as well say "Sayonara" to ever gaining that control back, or trying to justify to them that they indeed, belong to you.

I don't know about you, but I would not hand my child an envelope with $700 in it and trust them that it will be there, untouched, unscathed and the package all intact, in an hour or 2.
Yet schools are putting these tablets on their student book lists. Parents are handing these precious devices to their kids to play with. These 'toys' shatter to within an inch of their lives with a slip of the fingers and yet 2 and 3 years olds throw them around like they are rag dolls.

Our eldest, who is 4, has played on my iPad a few times. It is a VERY rare treat for her, when the young ones are asleep etc, but it hasn't happened for quite a few months, and she never asks for it either. Even when it is right under her nose, she never looks twice.
We have set rules that these are adult toys and they abide by them.
Are certain kids drawn to technology out of personality or out of habit? I'm curious, what do you think?
I find it hard to allow and introduce these technological devices into our lives and home, when I prefer wood toys over plastic and organic products over normal.
Mean Mum, I know, You can say it!!

But as I said, the guilt may be starting to set in.
Her cousins and friends own iPods, DSI's and those Leapfrog things.
I am sure that one day (I hope in the distant future) she with ask for one. Put one on her Birthday or Christmas list and I am sure , one day, we will have to succumb to the pressure.
I hope that day is years from now.
I hope that She can continue to happily play doctors and hospitals with her dolls. That she can play blocks and trains with her Brothers and Sister.
That when bored , they can head outside to play , and when travelling they can stare out of the window at the scenery.


That's another thing!! Do you allow your children to have car DVD players?
Are they reserved for long trips? Or just running around town?
I am curious. We have DVD players that strap to the headrests of our car but only ever use them for long trips. To Shark Bay (5hrs) at Easter or the occasional Perth trip (4 1/2 hrs). And even this is out of habit. Again, once you start using them, its hard to stop.
But on a trip to my sisters house on a farm (an hour away) we don't use them, and the kids still have a ball. Constantly singing, searching for cows and sheep and admiring the countryside.


All these dilemmas parents are faced with on a day to day basis.
All these decisions we have to make on behalf of our little people.
All these things that could potentially go wrong. Could backfire.

Oh well, I guess , in the end, as long as we are all happy and confident in our decisions for our family, that's all we can ask. We can't compare and judge upon others.
Each to their own and all that jazz!!

But tell me, if I was to take the technology route, where do we start?
Hypothetically..... of course!!

Bathroom Wall Art

Following on from my previous post on our Main Bathroom and to finish the first of my Home Organising Posts, I wanted to add something pretty to the walls.

Even though the room is VERY small, there was a perfect wall for art and I needed some colour in there too!

I found these cute FREE printable on Pinterest from HERE and loved the simplicity of the designs and the colours. The main towels we use for the kids are a blue and the Boon frog is green so they match nicely ( the FLUSH sign is more of a green than it appears in my photos).

I managed to pick up these frames at Red Dot ( I know, they look like Ikea huh?! Red Dot sell nearly exact copies, cheaper but not quite as good quality) , framed them, then mounted on the wall with my beloved 3M Command Strips .

I can not speak highly enough of those strips, I can now hang things when I want to , without the help of hubby to drill holes, they peel off without much fuss and hold so securely!

And while we were at it, our bathroom got a little prettiness added as well!
A cute Ikea print (that I picked up for 50c last time we were there!) , another copycat frame from Red Dot ( a great alternative to those that live 500 km or more from Ikea like me) and another bare wall, made over!

All up, I think the frames for the kids bathroom came to $21 and ours was about $12, so pretty cheap for cool wall art!

Our Main Bathroom

As spoken about in my last post (sorry for the whinge by the way, but thank you ALL for your unbelievable support and responses) I am embarking on a series of organising and budget savvy projects and tips. I plan on sharing one a week, maybe more, but certainly no less.

I do hope you can participate in these projects with me, share any ideas or requests you may have and even share some photos on my Facebook page - I would love to see the results and fruits of your labour.

The first of many, many jobs that needed doing was a tidy up of our Main bathroom. This is the bathroom our 3 oldest kids ( they are still only 4, 2, 2) use and often like to play in during the day ( Much to my absolute disgust!!)

This bathroom is absolutely tiny. Painfully small in fact. Our en suite is about double the size. Silly really.

 We purchased our house as a Spec Home, it was during the construction stage but the plan was locked in and well underway by then. Needless to say, if we ever built a house, I would be increasing the size of the Main bathroom.

I will do a run through as to how I have reorganised things in here for practicality and ease.

To store the kids bath toys ( they don't have too many as I don't like to use ones that hold water and get mouldy , yuck!) we use the cool Boon Frog Pod. These are fantastic for storing toys, as the scoop detaches for ease of clean up and the water can drain freely. There is also a space on the top for storing bath products.
We have had ours for well over 12 months, Max and Lacey received it as a present for their first Birthdays. I know they are pricey , but they are well worth the money, so maybe instead of buying another Fisher Price toy for your child's birthday or Christmas, this is the perfect alternative.

 I like to have a hand towel somewhere convenient in the bathroom as the kids are forever washing their hands, I know it can only be a good thing, however sometimes I don't feel that way!
So that the towel hangs to a perfect height for the kids, and because we have limited hanging space with towels etc, we use an S hook ( I bought a pack for our Laundry organising ) and had a few spare. I bought them from Ikea but have also seem them in Red Dot and Bunnings.
They hang perfectly, I just have to make sure I purchase hand towels with a large tag at the back.

VANITY

Our kids use Electric Toothbrushes, as do we. Its actually a lot easier to clean their teeth more thoroughly and faster with them (and they got them for their birthdays , boring parents huh? But kids don't care and they love them!)

In the white tin , from Ikea, we store a few manual toothbrushes, toothpaste and a rinsing cup.

I have found that the most economical hand wash for our family to use is actually the Enjo Method Foaming hand wash. Because it foams, you are using less, and one pump fills your hand. Not only that , but the top locks in so that no little fingers can have a party with the foams all over the bathroom (which has happened before with another product!!)

In the Vanity cupboard, we store all the kids towels. As we had more children, and the Linen cupboard filled up, and bath time became more stressful, this seemed like the logical place for them. Easy access and perfect for visitors too.

Our baby bath seat is stored on the bottom shelf and I have just resorted the top baskets and labelled them accordingly.

The jug is for washing hair in the bath.

The bath products now get stored in these great Skubb boxes from Ikea. About $9 for a pack of 6, they are really cheap, washable, wipable and perfect for wet surfaces. I had these left over from other organising projects and just re purposed them here.

The one on the left has the excess products, as I like to purchase things in advance when on special, and also some creams and oils for different skin  ailments, irritations etc.

The one on the right is for Face washers/flannels. Again for convenience.

The labels were made on the computer, cut out using a scallop circle punch then a larger circle punch in a cute card stock.

So there you have our simple storage and organising for the essentials during bath time and peak hour!! The only thing missing, would be some cute wall art, as the room looks a bit dull, and I have found the perfect pieces.

More details and links tomorrow

Have Friday everyone!

Honey Health Cake

Yesterday was a home day for us. You the type, kids happily playing screaming and shouting and fighting, so on these days I like to bake some snacks for our family, plus I was expecting a rare visit from my Nanny and Aunt. ( it was so lovely to have them visiting and chatting) So I wanted to bake something yummy for afternoon tea. I made the easy and yummy Simplicity Cake and then while I was putting some things away, I noticed a very yummy sounding recipe on the back of the White Wings Wholemeal SR Flour Packet. Upon closer inspection, I knew I didn't have over half the ingredients but thought I could make up my own sort of cake.

So I did.

And its yummy.

Like really yummy.

So yummy that I had to take this dodgy night time photo quickly , in case it is all gone by tomorrow!!

However if you don't like nuts or fruit in your cake, you enjoy the sweeter things in life, then it may not be the cake for you!

HONEY HEALTH CAKE

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups Wholemeal SR Flour

1 cup Honey

1 cup Water

1/4 cup brown sugar

30 g butter

250g mixed fruit ( mine didn't have Glace cherries)

1/4 cup slithered almonds

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

1/4 cup LSA mix

1 Tbsp White Chia seeds

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180 degrees and grease and line a 19cm square cake tin.

Combine Honey, water, butter and brown sugar in a saucepan and stir constantly until dissolved and mixed. Do not bring it to the boil.

Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Sift flour into a mixing bowl.

Add nuts, LSA mix, Chia seeds , spices and Mixed fruit and stir.

When saucepan contents are cool, at to the dry mix and fold together.

Pour into prepared Cake tin and bake for 50 mins for until cooked through .

Cool in tin and either serve on its own or with lemon/orange icing ( I used the juice of a mandarine in our icing).

This cake is a bit of a cross with a slice. It has some gorgeous flavours and would be so easy to mix up and create new versions.
For instance, swapping the nutmeg for mixed spice, or the cinnamon for ginger.
The peanuts and almonds for walnuts and pecans.
The Mixed fruit for dates and the White chia seeds for sesame.
As long as the dry ingredients are the same ratio , it should be ok.

Now all that is left to do , is boil the kettle, make a cuppa and enjoy :)

Life

..................it isn't easy. Its not for the weak hearted. Nobody ever said it was. But it doesn't make it any easy to accept or deal with.

Life is precious, such a gift yet so unappreciated. Taken for granted by lots, wanted by some and unfortunately taken from many far too soon.

But.. it doesn't make it any easier.

Life can throw you lemons. Do you suck on them and be sour? Or pour yourself a tequila and enjoy the slammer?

Some days are hard. Harder than others. Some days are great, better than others. You have to take the good with the bad, or so they say, but when it comes down to it, I am pretty bloody lucky. I have more good days than bad, I am alive, I am blessed with 4 amazingly gorgeous children and one very spunky, sweet and caring hubby and I have a home. Warm, safe and ours. Our home.

Money. Money is the core of all evil. Its what makes the world tick, and unfortunately the fuel for life.
Money is basis for a happy , content life? Is it not?
I wish I was the type of person to not worry, not care about what money we had, what we owed and how we were going to make it. But I do. I worry. A lot.
And you know what? I am more fortunate that a lot of people. More fortunate that some people will ever be in their lifetime.
Yet I worry.
I am fortunate to be able to stay home and care for our children. Be there for them, for everything. See them grow, develop and flourish, before my very eyes.
I am lucky. Luckier than my Mum was.
For that I am grateful. Very very grateful.


                                                        

We have been going through a small "rough patch" financially, which I am sure is minor compared to some, but for a short time, I let it consume me. It affected the way I was living, it affected my ability to smile at things. And for me that is big, huge even.
It seemed like all the bills and problems all happened at once. The garage door breaks, the dishwasher stops working and that unexpected bill pops up. All at once.
But I decided that that wasn't good enough. A very , very wise woman said to me " There is no use worrying about it, its not going to change things". She was right, she always is.
So I changed my attitude, we changed our attitude and I am proud to say we are closing in on the last few days in this fortnight before pay day again, and we have money in our bank. Its a miracle or its due to not worrying. But its ok.

Worrying doesn't change things, it never has and never will. Please remember that.

I hope that if you are having a "rough patch" or if your rough patch is feeling a bit bigger than you care to like or want, then you will find comfort and solace in this. You are not alone.
Everyone is facing difficulties, in some way or other. Financially, emotionally, with their health or family.
Its how you deal with them that counts. Chin up, carry on and don't let that smile fade, not ever.
And remember, just because someone looks as if they might be ok, not having issues, lack of funds and their life seems so perfect. This may not be the case.
Life is hard. Its a hard financial time for most. We all have to stick together.

So what am I proposing? Where am I going with this?

Well you know that I like to decorate, organise, bake etc. All the good things.
Well I am proposing we all work together.
Once a week I will do an organising post on a part of my home, a cupboard, area or room.
One per week.  A low budget way of improving areas because to me, if my house is clean, tidy and organised , I feel better. It makes everything feel better.
Once a week I will share a low budget, cost effective tip on something. Anything. A way to cut costs and make better use of our hard earned money.
These are the things we can control. We may not be able to control a lot of the things that cause us to worry, but we can control these.
This is for me. For me to be accountable.
But also for you too. Play along. Organise with me.
Share your tips and tricks.
One a week, I am sure you can handle that!!

So who is in?

First up, the kids bathroom. Stay tuned.......


For an inspirational story, written by a gorgeous, sweet lady, please check this out.

Fifty Shades of..... blushing

Mission Complete. I came , I read, I obsessed, I finished.
Mission "Read these popular books" is complete.
Remember I posted about my intent HERE
I must admit, to begin with, I think like everyone else I was a bit 'meh'.
It seemed rather boring, took a fairly long time to get into and I don't usually like that in a book. I lose interest, put the book down and don't start it again for another 12 months when we go on holidays again. 
However these were different. I knew they had to get better, or everyone was raving about some seriously boring stuff.
And boy did they get more interesting!
I finished all 3 books in 4 days. I liked them. I liked them a lot!!
Do I think there were well written? Not particularly.
Do I think that they were super interesting? Not really.
Do I think some of the content was a bit..... off? Maybe.

But you know what?! Who cares!! Seriously!
I am no writer, so who am I to judge? I find it amusing that all these critics/ bloggers/wannabe book reviewers are writing these scathing, negative reviews. Knocking the writer and her talent, the story line, the "raunchy" scenes and the "behind all the sex scenes the story line was lame" sorta attitudes.

To me a book is about entertainment. They take me to a world and place that is different to mine. Its a break from reality and a bit of fun. I think if people are taking books too seriously, then they need a bit more spice in their life!! Just sayin', a bit of Christian Grey kinda spice maybe?! Just sayin'.

Behind all the Mummy Porn stuff ( and I am NOT saying I didn't like it, hmmmm I perhaps did, and so did my husband, let me tell you! ;)) I really liked the story line. My good friend actually summed it up well, the story line is one for everyone to think about. Looks can be deceiving, and people manage to put up pretty good fronts. I think it was a great reminder that in life we are all too quick to judge people and they way they are. Because sometimes they have been dealt a pretty terrible hand, and this defines and makes them who they are. Or at least gives them a bit of an excuse for their behaviour. You just never know.
Not only that but also about change. It is possible for people to change, to improve and take a more positive step in their lives, all with a bit of love , guidance and TLC.

Without giving too much away , Christian had a terrible start to life, in the most influential years of a child , and had some terrible things done to him. Then as a teenager, there were some "complex" issues to kick start his sexual experiences and these all made him a bitter, troubled soul.
Then he found Anastasia.

Henry Cavill- British Actor and voted as the best image of Christian Grey yet, on the Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy Facebook page. Who would you choose to play him in a movie?

                         
 So... all in all... I love them!! I miss the characters, I miss the gorgeous Christian Grey and I miss the love and passion they have for each other. I think you know when you genuinely enjoyed a book when you can say that about the characters.
The books have given me a new outlook on my relationship with my husband and my love for him (excuse the sappiness) but it really does make you realise just how lucky you are sometimes.

The OMG kinky moments were a tad hard to digest, but it takes all sorts of people , and they were enlightening and entertaining that is for sure!

And as a result of the books? I am sure there are plenty of husbands and partners out there that loved them just as much!!!

So if you haven't read them already, I encourage you to do so, what have you got to lose?
Laters baby....

Bright Buttons Toys Giveaway

If you are boring , over protective , caring parent like me, when you are buying toys or gifts for your children, you look at the learning and developing aspects associated with it. Toys are toys and kids are kids, but it doesn't mean that we can give them the extra bit of support and encouragement to grow and learn from their play.  Thats what I love about my fabulous sponsor.

Amanda is a Educational and Developmental Psychologist and all items stocked by Bright Buttons Toys were chosen based on quality, reputation, providing a high level of education and learning, and uniqueness.  A large majority of the toys are wooden and are going back to the more traditional toys that encourage imagination, fun and play. 

All my favourite things and all available in the one place!

To read the full story behind Bright Buttons Toys read HERE

Thanks to Amanda and Bright Buttons Toys, we have a Voila 3D Shapes and Shadows set to giveaway!

These fabulous shapes are new in at the online store and will aid children in shape recognition, then mathematics and drawing.

You can find them and read more about them HERE

                                         


Entry is easy! Simply use the the Rafflecopter below, complete both the requests-  signing up to the Bright Buttons Toys newsletter ( down the bottom of the left hand side of the homepage) and being a Liker of their Facebook Page.
The giveaway will end at 12am Tuesday 17th July and I will announce the winner later on in the day.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and Conditions

This giveaway is open to Australian Residents only. Sorry

The winner will be announced on my Facebook page and on this blog post.

If a the winner does not contact me within 3 days of the giveaway ending, I reserve the right to re-draw another winner.

Disclaimer
I have NOT been paid to run this giveaway or plug Bright Buttons Toys.
All of the opinions and views are that of my own, I genuinely LOVE their stuff.
Bright Buttons Toys have provided the prize for this giveaway, cos they are nice :)

Mid Year Appreciation

Time flies when you are having fun and our gorgeous big girl has certainly had her fair share of fun over the last semester at Kindy.
It was a big change for her, and the whole family really. Stella has grown and developed so much over the past 5 months or so, its been quite amazing to watch.
The things she is saying now (some of them not so great, not swearing or anything but the usual " you're not my friend anymore, I don't want to play with you anymore" to Max and Lacey :( ) that sort of business, but also the new words, letter recognition and writing, songs, sayings, knowledge, and the biggest change has been to her self esteem.
As hard as it is for us to think ( and all who know our gorgeous girl well) , she NEVER EVER stops talking at home, she is loud, excited and quite confident, in the comfort of her own home.
At school, she is a different girl. She is quiet, withdrawn and does not say a lot.
However her teachers have said she has started to come out of her shell, she holds conversation and is engaging in active play. Just what a mother wants to hear. (especially one that has never really had problems with being shy!!)

Stella has always loved school, she loves crafting and painting. Loves colouring in, loves playing with her little friends, and most of all, she loves her teachers.
So I wanted to show them how much we have appreciated all their hard work, over the first semester. I know that it is customary to only give thank yous at the end of the school year, however I think it is pretty safe to say that Early Childhood teachers, work their butts off and these ladies care for our precious girl 3 days a week!!
It doesn't have to be a big present, nor expensive, but just something to show your appreciation and kick start their holidays off on the right foot!

So I set to creating some simple tags using some black doilies , scrap pieces of paper and bakers twine , for the packages (just simple brown paper sand which bags)

Baked up a storm, and packed a few pieces in each bag and tied with some bakers twine and small tags, showing what they were.

I made a yummy fruit cake , sugar free and yummy! Instead of using Mangoes, I used peaches.

And also the most requested treat in our home, choc chip cookies.

The tags were stamped inside, saying the customary "thank you" and a little note to each teacher.

They were well received, Stella LOVED giving them to her teachers and felt so proud! Even better, they were so cheap but perfect to show just how much you appreciate everything they do for your little one.

Crepe Paper Spiders

I have been meaning to share this craft with you for a little while but life and sickness has got in the way of a lot of things , unfortunately! These Crepe Paper Spiders were the last creations we made for our Insect theme and the kids thought they were pretty cool!!

Easy as again, simply chop some black crepe paper into little squares, and get the kids to cover the whole back of a paper plate with glue and then the squares.

Finish with some googly eyes and staple on 8 long lanky pipe cleaner legs, bent into shape.

As part of our theme, we have also been reading ;

A Very Hungry Caterpiller

Bugs, Bugs, Bugs

 and have watched;

A Bugs Life

Ants

Why not try it at home?

We have had a short break from scheduled Craft in the last week or so (but still did some at Playgroup and some free painting sessions at home), but will start with our new theme of "Under The Sea" in the next few days! I can't wait!! All the ideas are buzzing through my head!

Doily Hangings

After making these gorgeous hangings for Angus' Christening display, and sharing a before pic on my Facebook page, I have received a lot of queries about making them, and sharing the instructions.

The budget for our party was very small, but I knew I wanted to have a few things hanging. The paper lanterns are quite pricey, so there was always the crepe paper pom poms, but I was really short on time. The whole christening was organised in just a few weeks and I only started making and organising the week of, as I was sick before hand.

So if you want to try them at home, here is how I made them.

You will need a few packets of the extra large paper doilys, a stapler, double sided tape and fishing line to hang them.

 I bought my doilys from one of our cheapy shops, they were $2.50 and had about 8 -10 in each packet, I only bought one packet, however I did make a few small ones aswell.

I also had the idea, once they were made of course, that I could have used a Glimmermist Spray to change the colours and add a bit of shimmer, which I will definately try next time.

First, gently fold the doily in a consentina fashion, like you would a fan. It should look like this;

Repeat the process for another 3 doilys so you have 4 in total.

Lay the 4 doily stacks on top of each other.

Punch a few staples through the middle of the strips, 2 is enough.

Then put a strip of double sided tape about 3cm to one side of the staples.

Also put strips of tape in between the stacks of doilys. (Meaning, between the layer of one doily finishing and another starting)

Remove backing on double sided tape and stick the sides together.

You can see in the picture below where I have attached one doily to another ( in the middle) , then on the left, I will repeat the process. This is creating a cirle when stretchout out, instead of seperate doilys.

In the end , this is what it should look like, when stretch and fanned out.

For the small one I just used 3 doilys, but used the same method.

Gently thread a length of fishing line through a few top holes in the doily and tie.

We attached these to the ceiling with a few drawing pins, as they are quite light!

Enjoy them looking gorgeous.

I hope the instructions have been easy enough to follow!! I would love to see your doily hangings in use , so send me some pictures if you can!