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Make It Perfect

Make It Perfect

.Lego Sack.


When I made a heap of “Peek-A-Boo” Toy Sacks to combat the toy clutter, I just wasn’t sure what to do with the Lego. It continued living in a plastic box, but I would cringe every time I heard that long c-r-a-s-h and saw Lego strewn all over the floor. Oscar is pretty good at packing it up, but it was getting rather tedious. Then the Lego box was being used as a boat and it broke. So we started storing the Lego in a Toy Sack, but it just wasn’t working.


A short while later we were having a play date with our special friends and discussing various ways to store Lego (VERY important topic of conversation on a play date!) and one of my friends remembered a circular mat that turned into a bag in which Lego could be both played on and stored in. BINGO! Of course, if I used some more of my lovely Ta-Dot fabric it would blend in perfectly with the Toy Sacks! I told Oscar about it, he drew up some plans (I’ll have to take a photo and show it to you soon – it is so cute!) and one weekend we sewed it together.

Ta Da! The all-problems-solved LEGO SACK!

When the Lego is packed away, it sits neatly like this:


Then, when the kids are ready to play all they have to do is untie…


…stretch…


…pull apart…


…spread it out…


…and build away!


The beauty about the Lego Sack, is that if as many blocks as possible are kept ON the mat when playing, then it will mean no packing up later on. All you have to do is pull the drawstrings tight and the mat gathers up into the sack!


We’ve had it for a couple of weeks and it is working really well. Oscar is quite careful to keep most of the blocks on the mat and happily packs up when he is finished aswell.

I plan on sharing a tutorial for the Lego Sack in the next week or two so if you have Lego issues (or any other small toys that are a pain to keep clean) then maybe this would be helpful for you?

August 20, 2010
Make It Perfect

.Sleeping the Kids.

The blog has been quiet this week. Everything has been fairly low-key around here lately actually. It started with Jaron getting sick on Sunday and then Lil quickly followed on Monday evening. After a shocking night with her up and crying for hours on Tuesday (very out of character for her to wake in the night time) I took her to the doctor on Wednesday to find that she has a throat and ear infection. Poor little thing. There has been icky pussy wax flowing from her ears for a few days (yeah, really gross) but she started on antibiotics yesterday and has really perked up today.

So, my big plan this week was to get started on a new pattern. The ideas are flowing and I know exactly what I need to do, but when the kids finally get to bed at night the inspiration stops and I have not managed to touch the sewing machine once this week. It will happen…as soon as this creative-block passes 🙂

This week has marked the 6 month anniversary living in our new house. When we first moved in we told ourselves that we would have the landscaping finished in 2 months…and it still isn’t done. Hopefully in a few more weeks it will be mostly taken care of. We haven’t really had a weekend for 6 months and are feeling it. It is all worth it at the end of the day though – our own home with everything as we like it.

We are getting set to put some more decorating touches on the inside of the house too…I’ve been doing a little internet surfing to get some inspiration and am in love with this kid’s bedroom. I love my kids sharing a room. At the moment Tommy has his own, but when he gets bigger I know he will want to join in with the big kids. I’ve told Jaron that in the next house we build, I want a big bedroom for all three to share just like this set up. I don’t know how long they will want to share for…hopefully until they are 10? Jaron will just have to do some clever architecture stuff to make the room usable once they are a bit older and decide they need their own space. At the moment, the kid’s bedrooms are set up so that they only house their beds and books. All of the toys are in the studio so, to me, having a bedroom each is a total waste of space if all they are doing is sleeping there.

Anyway, that’s enough rambling from me. I’m off to go and write some lists and maybe even cut into some fabric 😉

August 19, 2010
Make It Perfect

.Recipe Monday.

I think these biscuits are supposed to mimic Arnotts Kingstons. They are close and were good for a tasty for a homemade treat.

Coconut Chocolate Crunchies
125g butter
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 Tbs golden syrup or treacle
2 eggs
2 cups self-raising flour
1 cup dessicated coconut
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
chocolate icing (I made mine using icing sugar, cocoa, butter and water)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line trays with baking paper.
Beat butter, sugar and syrup until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
Stir in sifted flour, coconut and oats.
Roll rounded teaspoons of mixture into balls; place about 5cm apart on trays. Flatten with a fork.
Bake about 12 minutes.
When cool, sandwich biscuits together with chocolate icing.

August 16, 2010
Make It Perfect

.New earrings.

I have to admit that I didn’t expect earrings to sell as well as they have in the Citrus pOp shop. I guess not having my own ears pierced has made me ignorant to how cool earrings actually are 🙂 (I am about 75% sure that I am going to get my ears pierced very soon now!)

After quickly selling most of my stock, I have now restocked and included loads more styles to choose from. At only $10 a pair they are a great gift and cheap enough to treat yourself for no particular reason 😉

Here are a few of my favourites:

August 14, 2010
Make It Perfect

.Art Swap Package #1.

I love the posty…well, maybe not the posty himself (although he is a cool guy), but I love the surprises he brings in the mail! The coolest thing about online shopping is the excitement of receiving it on your doorstep in your PJs – after buying it online in your PJs!!

I wasn’t expecting anything exciting in the mail today and don’t have any purchases on their way to me (it is the best when you forget you have bought something though and it surprises you!) so was totally perplexed when the posty dropped off a mailing tube and it was post marked USA.

Jaron was working from home today and I saw his “what the heck have you bought now?” look being thrown my way. I was wracking my brains trying to remember what I had bought that would have to be rolled up into a tube and even more confused when I opened it up and found this inside:

Remember the Art Exchange Project: Art Swap I blogged about last month? I know how these chain mail things can easily not work if one person breaks the link, but thought that out of 36 gifts, I would be bound to get at least one or two things in the mail and would be happy with that. But, oh my goodness!!! My jaw dropped when I received this brilliant canvas print in this morning.

The penny dropped when I read Katie’s note and she explained that this was her Art Swap gift to me. I didn’t expect to receive something this awesome. If you are not a member of my church then you may be a little confused as to what the picture is all about. It is a photograph (taken by Katie) of one of our faith’s most prominent temples in Salt Lake City. I have wanted a picture of the temple to display in our new home but hadn’t found one that I loved so this is just perfect! I’m going to take it to be framed next week and can’t wait to get it up on the wall.

Katie has an Etsy store, Katie’s Clicks where she sells her canvas prints – there are heaps of beautiful photographs to choose from, go and check them out.
She also blogs at Something About Kate – and is giving away this print at the moment! Hurry though, the giveaway ends in about 24 hours so quickly go and leave a comment! I really want to enter but think that would be a little greedy of me 😉

Thankyou so much Katie 🙂 I am so excited and honoured to have received this beautiful canvas in the mail today.

In other Art Swap news…my art swap recipient has received her package and blogged about it here. How cute do the hairclips look in her daughter’s hair? Margie also has a unique Made It store selling funky cloth dolls, personalised soft toys, wooden blocks and more at mydezigns.

August 13, 2010