DIY projects

DIY CHRISTMAS PLACE CARD GIFT IDEA

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR YOUR LOVED ONES? SOMETHING THAT MAYBE EXTRAORDINAIRE? AND HAS STRONG PERSONAL LEVEL?

Christmas season is here…means gift hunting starts now.

However, our family loves DIY. As a family, we have one tradition that we carry through over the years – is to give something personalised to our beloved families and friends. We want the absolute best for our loved ones. Seeing them smile with genuine appreciation at something we’ve given them is enough to send us soaring with happiness. We hope they get that its more than just a gift, it is our gesture of your appreciation for them.

So…this year….we have finally prepared something pretty and practical for all the receiver. It is something that suits all ages and is versatile to be collected as your fave house decor. We were inspired by @paperplayground to make a place card / (slash) photo frame. How cute this idea is. YES! It is a place card with your name and our Christmas wishes for you, then when the Christmas season is over, fell free to change the namecard with your latest holiday photos. Yipppiiee! Sounds like a plan, huh?? I thought ot myself – Brilliant! I would love love love love to receive that sort of gift from someone. ><

Now, let’s get onto business.

THINGS YOU NEED:

Acrylic photo block frame (with or without glitters) – I used glitter ones to create snow effect
personalised name card – design by Canva (free design templates app)

AUD 6
AUD 8
AUD 8
AUD 0
AUD 0

HOW TO:

Select your favourite design on Canva
Write the name on it
Print the name cards
Place the name cards on the frame instead of photo

Jared has prepared 20+ namecards this year to be given out to his friends. We are pretty much ready for this festive giving season. What a year it has been. Thankful that finally today we can press the”pause” button and reflect to the past 48 weeks. AGAIN! We found that God is faithful through our faithless season. Today we are blessed beyond to be a blessing to others.

We do hope that this simple idea will help you sort out your Christmas present this year. Easy to make at very low cost. Why not give them a try? If you have any other personalised Christmas gift ideas – please share below on the comment. I need some inspirations for next year. 😉 Bye for now….

Love,

Kenny

8 LAST MINUTE IDEAS FOR KIDS HALLOWEEN COSTUME

Hey yeah!! Who doesn’t excited for Halloween?! Anyone’s ready with their pumpkins? What about Halloween costumes?

Honestly, I am SO pumped for Halloween, but thinking about the preparation heading to the D-day was a bit too much now this time round, especially with our second boy, Asher, on board. Time is very crucial for me. Everyday I am challenged to think and do things more creatively; to save my time and energy.

And who knows that preparing a kid costume is a mountain work and effort?! But, do not worry. I have prepared some easy ideas for busy moms like us. You don’t need to spend any dollars on it, look around some stuffs inside your house you wouldn’t ever thought will be a life-saver for this Halloween season.

8 LAST MINUTE HALLOWEEN KIDS COSTUME IDEAS

1. Baby Burrito

who can resist this deliciousness in a wrap? So dayummm… Also a good way to keep your baby warm and calm during trick & treats.

2. Smurf

this photo was taken on Halloween 2014, when Jared was 4 months old. I woke up that day feeling discouraged cause I realised I haven’t had any costume prepared for my little one. Then suddenly, an idea came into my mind the moment I skimmed through Jared’s wardrobe (mostly blue and white – the theme of his nursery room). But, how cute it turned out at the end aye! Do you agree with me?

3. Baby Skeleton

My favourite invention this year. 1) Get white mask tape / 2) Cut them equally in size / 3) Stick them on the a black onesie (baby/toddler) or top & pant (kid)

Yes! Who would ever thought that white mask tape can do all the job for you busy momma. This is the way to go when you’re running out of time. Perfect for boys or girls.

4. Baby Tarzan

Do you have an old leopard or pattern scarf? It may not sounds so trendy today, but do not throw them away yet. Cause this could be a life changer for this particular Halloween season. Turn your baby into mini Tarzan. This outfit is perfect for the warmer weather in souther hemisphere too.

5. The Mummy

Tissue Roll takes a big part in my life. It cleans almost everything around the house, and it does me a favour in time in needs for Halloween season. Roll them all over the body and stick them with white tape. Trick or treat ready in 10 minutes. LET’S GO SPOOKY!!

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6. Pumpkinlicious

you can never go wrong with pumpkin costume right? 1) Get an orange onesie / 2) double tap – cut it into some shapes / 3) Stick them all onto the dress

Above are some costumes I made for the boys. BUT, girls..don’t you worry. I have asked my 2 favourite talented momma of girl to share one spook-tacular costume for their girls. Let’s take a peak.

Black Swan – by Elizabeth Veth (@elizabeth_veth)

Can it be any cuter than this? This moment made me wishing to have one little girl in the family. gahhh… oh please zoom in to those bad bats on the wall and floor. Aren’t they gorgeous?! And yes you guessed it, this lady made them all. Quick tutorial below:

8. Black Riding Hood – by Ivone Hendarta (@ivonehendarta)

Bringing the dark side of Red Riding Hood this Halloween. why not?! Such a genius idea. Spooky yet girly. Imagine this tiny munchkin knocking on your house door, can’t you not give them your whole bag of candies?

So, which one is your favourite? Do you find some hope this Halloween? I hope these ideas help you getting Halloween ready this year. We can all do this and let’s have fun together!! Creating memories together with our little ones. HAPYY HALLOWEEN FRIENDS>>

Love,

Kenny

STEP BY STEP TO DIY YOUR PERSONALISED DREAM CATCHER

I am currently in the progress of doing the nursery for my 2nd boy. I am so excited but at the same time worry that it will cost me much.

I always wanted to have add a dreamy feel to the room. But it is simply not easy, because the newborn will share the bedroom with my 3 year old toddler. Thus, I decided to play around with the wall art rather than adding more furniture to the room.

Then, I was searching online for black dream catcher, since the theme of the room is monochrome following Jared’s corner style. I really don’t keen to change a thing. I wanted to keep the aesthetic and the feel of the room itself. BUT, I couldn’t find any shop selling a “black” dreamcatcher. Most of them selling the white or cream one, I don’t know why. Which to my preference is a way too girly for a boy’s room.

And yes!! I thought to myself, let’s make your own. DIY DREAMCATCHER. For the boys room. Thanks youtube and pinterest for the ideas. I AM EXTREMELY HAPPY with the end result! And I would like to share with you the step by step. It is low cost and easy to make, it only cost me two episodes of The Good Doctor. I bought most of the materials on Spotlight.

PS: you may use other color and type/style of ribbons according to your preference.

You will need:

Metal ring
Doily
Faux Suede Cord
Thin Cord
Cotton Lace
Satin Ribbon
Fine Lace
Pompom Ribbon
Feathers
Scissors
A ruler or tape measure
Clothespeg or paper clip (optional)

Steps:

WRAPPING THE METAL RING

Start by tying 1 piece of faux suede cord onto the metal ring leaving 30 cm tail. Use the clothespeg or your finger to hold this knot in place. Then start wrapping the cord tightly around the metal ring leaving no gaps between each wrap. When you have covered the ring, tie the end of the cord onto the ring at the same place as your first knot. Cut the end so it is the same length as the first tail. Tie the 2 tail ends together to create a hanging loop and cut off any excess.

ATTACHING THE DOILY

Measure 1 metre of the thin cord, and tie it onto the ring at the base of your hanging loop. Keep the leftover thin cord for tying on the feathers later on.

There are 12 “points” on the edge of the doily. Take your cord and weave it through a hole on one of these points. Continue to weave around the ring and through the points until you have completed the full circle. Stretch the doily as you work to make sure it is centred and covers the centre of the metal ring. Tie the cord off once you get back to the point on the metal ring where you started. Trim off any excess.

MEASURING & CUTTING THE TRIM

Measure and cut 4 kinds of the trims into 20 pieces according to the table below.

PIECE #	TYPE OF TRIM	LENGTH OF PIECE
1	COTTON LACE	82cm
2	COTTON LACE	82cm
3	SATIN	78cm
4	SATIN	78cm
5	FINE LACE	74cm
6	FINE LACE	74cm
7	POMPOM	70cm
8	POMPOM	70cm
9	COTTON LACE	66cm
10	COTTON LACE	66cm
11	SATIN	62cm
12	SATIN	62cm
13	FINE LACE	58cm
14	FINE LACE	58cm
15	POMPOM	54cm
16	POMPOM	54cm
17	SATIN	50cm
18	SATIN	50cm
19	FINE LACE	46cm
20	FINE LACE	46cm

TYING ON THE TRIM

Fold each piece of trim and tie onto the ring so it makes 2 hanging tails. Start with pieces #1 and 2 at the bottom centre, then add pieces #3 and 4 to the left and right to it. Carry on with piece #5 and 6 and continue to add 1 piece the left and 1 piece to the right, until you finish with piece #20.

If you measure and tie your trim correctly then your dreamcatcher will have a v-shape when you have finished. If not, just use scissors to trim the ends to form a V.

ADDING THE FEATHERS

Measure and cut the remaining piece of your thin cord into the following lengths:

PIECE #	LENGTH OF PIECE
1	40cm
2	30cm
3	30cm
4	20cm
5	20cm

Tie one and of each piece of cord around the shaft of the feather.

Take piece #1 and tie it to the bottom centre of the metal ring. The feather should hang evenly with the bottom of the trim. Tie pieces #2 and 3 to the left and right of piece #1. Then tie pieces #4 and 5 to the left and right of #2 and 3. Snip off the ends of the cord.

TADAAAA….

Your dream catcher is ready to hang.

What do you think about this? Yay or Nay? Leave your comment below. Create your own personalised dreamcatcher for your little ones is easy at low-cost.

Love,
Kenny

DIY GOLDEN RUSTIC EASTER EGG

WHO’S EGGCITED FOR EASTER?! WE ARE!!

While my boy is so freaking excited to eat tons of chocolate eggs, mommy is so NOT agree on this matter. So, I decided to shift his attention by asking him to decorate foam eggs to add extra details touch to our wooden dinner table in house.

Talks about wood, I am going to create something rustic for this easter. I decided to make a DIY: GOLD RUSTIC EASTER EGG. A perfect decoration for both indoor and outdoor easter festive. A pretty little touch to your dining table and to the tree too.

Let’s get into business now. We’re gonna get a little messy here. These activities are full of splish and splash, I would say the messier the merrier. I didn’t get a chance to take picture during the painting process because we were both soaked up in paint and too afraid to take the camera with me 😦 It was a messy process but again FULL OF FUN! J loved it too. Yeahhh.. who doesn’t like making a mess?! huh.

so….Here are some of the stuffs you need to prepare (you may get most of them on the art & craft shop nearest your place)

foam egg

white poster paint

brown poster paint

gold poster paint

black poster paint

kids paint brush

comb

cleaned egg cage

toothbrush

And here’s step by step – how to make GOLDEN RUSTIC EASTER EGG:

Mix white poster paint with a dash of brown poster paint to create cream colour.
Dip in the foam eggs into the mixture (cream colour) – leave them to a complete dry.
Use the kids brush, paint roughly some lines on the coloured cream egg with gold poster paint. Leave them to dry.
Cover your table surface with newspapers, cause we’re going messy now. Splish splash the black poster paint on the foam egg by brushing the toothbrush onto the comb until the whole egg covered with black dots. Leave them to dry
Place the eggs on cleaned egg cage.
Voila!! They are ready to beautify your dinner table.

What an easy way to make your DIY rustic eggs, huh? It is rustic yet sophisticated. One easy way to sweeten your dinner table and impress your guests this weekend. Now, clean your house, get the chicken roast and find some unexpected spots to hide the eggs. Hope you all had an amazing Easter Celebration with beloved ones.

Oh and Easter is not complete without an easter bunny right? Say hello to our companion this year, this white bunny worth for $1.96, bargain sale on Bed Bath & Table. Mommy is happy! So, how do you like my new creation? Comment below for your opinions.

Bye for now. See you on my next DIY project. Cause mama makes things happen on any budget. X

Love,

Kenny

AN EASY & FUN WAY TO LIGHTEN UP YOUR KIDS ROOM FOR UNDER A$10

“Good night, sweet dreams, sleep tight little one” (lights off) – What does that familiar sentence even mean to us, moms?! It most likely means cheers to another year of night wake ups.

My 31 months son is still afraid of dark, even more now than before. So, he sleeps with full lights on during the night. And I can’t afford the electricity bills no more (no..not that broke though). I just wanted to introduce him an idea of dim lights. To give him more calm and relaxing feelings before bed and through the night. He had a bed lamp next to his crib, but it does not look like a lamp that he used to know (lamp : lights illuminate from above/ceiling) to him. Thus, bed lamp does not count as a lamp. Duh.

So, I decided to install some 3D lanterns on his room, and hang them on top of his head. (so make sure you don’t use any heavy products which would be dangerous to put on top of children’s head). I am hoping J will take these 3D lanterns a real lamp and he would sleep through the night feeling secure because the lights are still on. Not to brag though, but these DIY LOOKS SUPER COOL! TOP IT UP BECAUSE ITS MONOCHROME. oh yeahhh//

Here are some of the equipments you need:

Adhesive Round Cord Clips Clear ($7 for 12pcs)

I involved J during the process too, I let him stick the round labels all around the lantern. Cause kids, they love stickers, don’t they?! Rather than sticking them on the wall, let them make craft with those stickers. Sounds FUN aye. Well, at least it was such a FUN experience for both J and me. That’s my motherhood goal. MAKING LEARNING FUN.

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Can’t wait to see the results of our first crafting project together?! Tadaaaaaaa…. cool stuffs under $10. too easy. Decorating your kids room on budget? IT IS TOTALLY POSSIBLE! AND DEFINITELY FUN! Get dirty and clean up later. 😉 Mumma you make things happen.

NOW…It is time to hang them and say a new good night to Jared and his brighter room. To give extra 3D looks, use a nylon wire fishing to hang the lanterns. Place one of them higher than the other if possible. And here’s the finish look. What do you think? I can’t believe it that I would get 2 lanterns for under 10 bucks! Oh that feeling of BARGAINS….make me dance all day long. ^^