Daisy Jane Duck: A Tutorial

Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life.  ~ S.D. Gordon

Inspired by the various Easter symbols of New Life including my baby bunnies, bilbies, and ducklings etc.,  I searched for a nice template to make a cute little duckling for my daughters to enhance our Easter celebrations and decorations.  All to no avail.  Thus I set about creating my own.  After many discussions and drawings in our family on Saturday morning we have come up with a template we love which we'd like to share with you to make your own duckling.  I am very excited as this is my very first tutorial to be able to share.  

We were inspired by one of our favourite ducklings in this house - Daisy from the collection of books by Jane Simmons commencing with Come on, Daisy!. Thus, our little duckling is named Daisy Jane in honour of her inspiration.  I am very grateful to my Generous Gentleman who has a very good ability for bringing the image in his head to paper.  Curiously he is also more talented than I am at penning the image in my head as well (hmmm a husband who can read my mind, I wish!) so I give all due credit to him for the body of Daisy Jane.  All else is my very own creation, penned with my own hand.  Can you tell I'm just a teency bit excited to present my first tutorial?!

You will find the template and tutorial here.

If you decide to make your own Daisy Jane Duck please leave a comment here so we can come and visit you to see yours.  You will also find some more of mine on flickr.

Do you need a few more ideas for Kind Deeds to surprise someone special with to participate in my Easter Giveaway: a bouquet of flowers from your garden or the florist, a song written for someone, a few lines of what someone means to you in prose or poetry, a phone call to someone you'd like to be back in touch with.  Please come back to comment about how you surprised someone with something kind.  It will indeed make us smile to see your kindnesses shared.

Preparing for Easter

I think of the garden after the rain;
And hope to my heart comes singing,
At morn the cherry-blooms will be white,
And the Easter bells be ringing!  ~Edna Dean Proctor, "Easter Bells"

A sneak peak of something which took my creative energies and time on the weekend.  A little something which I rather fancy would enjoy a splash in the rain, of which we've had only a smidgen last week when I was busy story writing.

So now I am busy writing some instructions so you can make one of these little friends to help you and your little ones celebrate Easter in a more frugal, more ethical, less fattening kind of way ;).

You should see me back here soon...I hope.

In the meantime be sure you visit my last post for my Easter Giveaway.

A Special Kind Deed for Easter Giveaway

The great Easter truth is not that we are to live newly after death - that is not the great thing - but that...we are to, and may, live nobly now because we are to live forever.
~Phillips Brooks

In a couple of weeks from now we will all be celebrating Easter.  So the period of Lent is almost over.  There is still a little time however for you to be involved in doing something special during this unique reflective time of the year.  In her Reception class my daughter has been encouraged to complete good deeds and kind tasks during the period of lent rather than focus on giving something up (like chocolate which so often people seem to do. They then binge on Easter Sunday with choc eggs.  Now tell me what is the point of that!!  You must read here for more info about An Ethical Easter).  I have really enjoyed watching her blossom and grow and perform kind deeds for us here at home.  Yes, sometimes she needs to be reminded but she is still growing and learning about life.

I have also been inspired by this concept and thought it might be nice if a little baby bunny would hop into your door to celebrate the New Life which Easter represents.  In order for you to receive your little bunny you simply need to do something unique and special which will surprise another and cause them to feel loved and appreciated.  When you have completed this task please share with us the surprise your recipient received by leaving a comment here.  On Easter Sunday Ess and I will read through all the kind deeds which have been performed and choose a winner for a precious bunny Easter Giveaway.

If you haven't yet read the story of some of the kind deeds in our home have a look here for Part I, II, III and Finale.

Wishing you a meaningful preparation for Easter time.

Bunnies for Easter and The Princess and the Garden (Finale)

"Here comes Peter Cottontail right down the bunny trail..." ~ Beatrice Potter 

The bunnies are multiplying.  This morning we found this sweet little bunny outside little Eee's bedroom door awaiting her arrival.  

So they join us to delight a couple of very precious girls as we begin our preparations for Easter.

Easter is only a couple of weeks away now.  I have been inspired to create by Mel and Fiona who are having an Egg-ceptional Egg-xtravaganza for Easter creating.  I absolutely fell in love with Fiona's adorable soft cuddly white bunny trimmed with chocolate and pale blue.

So here is my version of the little Betz White bunny.  I have used some fleecy lined soft pink fabric inside out (I hope that doesn't come back to haunt me).  I wanted that lovely soft feeling of fleece.  It is a very frugal bunny as everything came from my stash which was started many many years ago.  I think I probably wore this fabric as a comfy warm top in my teens!  The felt heart is blanket-stitched onto the bunny's rump and the eyes are simply stitched on with black embroidery floss. I absolutely fell in love with Fiona's stitched-on eyes and decided this would be the best idea for my little bub.  Although she loves the "beepys" (buttons which make this sound when you press them), so one remains on the heart.

I'll conclude today with the final section of the story of The Princess and the Garden which I am presuming (hoping;)) some of you have been reading with your daughters.  So as not to keep them waiting...Early the next morning as the sun rose to shine the dawn’s light softly in her room, the little girl woke and was delighted to see the fairies she’d played with the afternoon before approaching through her window.   “Come quickly”, they called to the little girl, “we have a beautiful place for you to see.  A lovely lady would like to share her garden with you for all your days.”

The little girl moved on with the fairies.  She could not believe the sight she beheld at the gate of the garden.  It was beautiful!  As she walked through the gate she felt a familiar feeling – it felt like home! 

The Gardener gasped in delight to see and then to hold her beautiful princess. 

The Princess revelled in the hug she received, the warm embrace, the hug that held her tightly.  She would always remember that first hug, the very first time her mother held her close and she knew she was loved, with a love like no other.

For me this story has an obvious meaning but there is always something underlying this speaking to me.  Now here is my challenge for you.  Can you find any hidden meaning in this story??  Does it remind you of another story close to heart?  What are your interpretations of this story? I'd love to hear any ideas you have or stories to share.   Now I can hear those cogs turning!

Tomorrow I'll have an easier and beautiful task for you to complete.  See you then.

The Creative Process and The Princess and the Garden (Part III)

A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.  ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Flight to Arras, 1942

Let's begin with a sneak peak of something which seemed to hop into Ess's bedroom last night.

It is so good to be creating again, but then again do I ever stop.  I am certainly a creative person and am not satisfied unless I am creating something.  I will put many other things on hold, such as cleaning and tidying up, to ensure that this part of me, the very central core of who I am, is being attended to.  You see I am made in the image of my Creator.  God is the ultimate creator, thus being made in His image means that I must create also.  If I do not, certain frustration ensues.

I have been assigned a little reflective project this week by Our Creative Community.  It is a challenge to write about The Creative Process.

I find that my creativity is ignited by the everyday tasks which I have been assigned to do.  Usually the results of my creativity serve to nourish my family, as this is currently my primary role.  So any and every simple task will be seen in a creative light including the preparation of meals, play with my children and also their education. You have seen the fruits of my creativity in the abundance of healthy recipes which I create in order to meet our families particular dietary needs.  You see this in the writing of stories for my daughters to read and illustrate.  You see this in my sewing and crafting in order to make things for them which need to be used such as The Art Smock (which sadly is no longer, we think it was tossed in the bin at school).  I also create in order to delight and surprise them, to make them feel special and worth spending time and energy on.

You see I am a bit of a rebel at heart and while I am not one to reinvent the wheel, so to speak, I always seem to swim against the flow.  I will not be bound by what others are doing, or what has gone before me.  When I can see other ways to do things which meet my goals in the way I am raising my family I will change everything to creatively meet needs.  I will resist eating takeaway food because I know it is not as healthy for my family or our hip pocket.  This requires me to be creative with the items of food I have stored in my frig and pantry.  I will resist purchasing that toy that everyone else has because I know I will have much more joy in making one for my girls than spending the time, effort and money going out to purchase something that someone else has created.  I know Ess appreciates the things I make for her more than other toys as every morning she wakes and comes out of her room with a collection of her "essentials" which include: the blanket I knitted her, the doll I made her for Christmas (see in my header pic), the muff and one mitten set I am in the middle of completing for her.  The fact I make them for her shows her how much I value her, value creating for her and value teaching her skills about creating which will go with her for life.

I struggle to create when the everyday tasks I need to complete seem insurmountable and tiresome.  Yet when I turn my thoughts to see those same tasks differently my creativity resurfaces and a spark returns.  I find new inspiration from chatting with friends, communing with God, particular inspirational blogs and simple everyday life.

The joy of my creativity is certainly in the giving and watching the recipient receive.  Their gratitude is absolutely enough for me.  It is also a joy when others see what I do and are inspired to do something similar.  It is wonderful when the values I espouse are shared with others and we unite to achieve a common goal.  Blogs are a great way to share.

I consider myself very very fortunate to be living a very creative life.  It is constant, it is always,  it is all around.  I am thankful that this is where God has me at the moment, in a place where I can creatively be me.

I'll finish in the garden with my princess for the next section of the story ~ The Princess and the Garden.  (Firstly read Part I and Part II)...“Let’s busy ourselves with the bees”, the energetic fairies decided. “We’ll find them on the garlic chives and on the basil flowers as well”, the little girl declared.  As they all buzzed and flew around with the bees the girl recognised another familiar sight.  It was a very dainty and delicate sparkly bright fairy in each.  “Oh, I’ve found Grace the Garlic Fairy and Basilica the Basil Fairy.  I know you’d love to play as well.”  They all buzzed and twirled, flew and danced, and enjoyed the afternoon together.

When evening came, the fairies knew they had been in the company of a most sincere Princess - a princess with whom the Gardener would love to share her garden, her blossoms, her herbs and all her plants. They raced to the garden and found the Gardener there.  She sat outside in the cool of the evening under the shade of a Jacaranda tree. She was waiting expectantly and was delighted to see her fairies return.  She rose to greet them and immediately knew that the news they would share would fill her heart with joy.

“We’ve found her!” they exclaimed.  The one to come and join you here is beautiful, she’s bright, she’s kind.  She is fun and she is pretty.  But more than that she loves the garden, she knows the plants therein and she recognised each of us one by one as she drew close to play.  Not a thing passed by unnoticed.  We know she is a true Princess. 

“Oh, please bring her here,” the Gardener cried.  She knew her heart’s longing would be fulfilled...

The Princess and the Garden (Part II)

One kind deed begets another.

Just look at what I arrived on my pillow last night!

To understand the full significance of this little posy of petunias you might like to read about The Princess and the Garden which I wrote yesterday.

Excuse the terrible photography (I am yet to figure out how to take great shots with my camera at night time), but I just couldn't miss the opportunity to share the goodness going around our house at the moment.

I am delighted to see my daughter learning to give and doing so of her own accord.

And for those of you who might be reading the story to your little girls here is the next section.

...At last she came!  She was drawn to the bright pink flowers, “Aren’t these beautiful bright pink petunias, “ she exclaimed. “Oh! and look there’s the tiniest sweetest garden fairy.  What’s your name?” the little girl asked.  

“I’m Peta the Petunia Fairy. Come and play with me amongst these pink flowers over here.” 

“They’re the beautiful rose blooms - The Children’s Rose, “ the girl exclaimed.  And they danced and played and smelled the delectable fragrance of the rose.  With her sweet little nose absorbing the fragrance of a bloom so near, the little girl detected a hint of cinnamon and a sparkle of fairy dust.  At once she spotted the rested fairy, “Hello, you must be Rosetta the Rose Fairy.”  “Indeed I am” Rosetta replied.  And the three of them danced and twirled all around the pretty garden...

Please do share any kind deeds that are happening around your home at the moment.  We'd love to read about the smiles you share, they bring a smile to us here.

The Princess and the Garden

To think creatively, we must be able to look afresh at what we normally take for granted.  ~George Kneller

I have found that sites which I am drawn to again and again are those which inspire creativity in me.  They encourage me to see the everyday things I am doing in a new light and urge me to act according to my own creative spirit.  One such site is dear Juliane's Fröken Skicklig.  She is having a giveaway this month which propels you to undertake a very special task which will warm the heart of at least one of those special people around you.

Feeling heartened on an otherwise lethargic day I decided to surprise my eldest princess Ess.  While she watched a movie with Daddy indoors I ventured outside to the garden to pick her a bouquet of flowers.

The bouquet contained petunias and a rose, basil flowers, garlic chive flowers and mint.  Its fragrance was beautiful.

I then placed it on her pillow and proceeded to write her a little story, that was coming to mind, in a tiny homemade book.

It is the story of the Princess and the Garden.  It was to be a short little story for her to read and illustrate.  It turned into quite a long fairytale of nearly 1000 words so I may not publish it here.  Let me know if you'd like to read it however, as I may change my mind.  We'll see!

Later that afternoon Ess ran to me calling out, "Mummy, mummy, you've got to see my bed.  It's amazing!  Who did that?"  (I am certain she was convinced the fairies had been in her room again.  I didn't say anything to the contrary but somehow I think she came to realise who the real life fairy was).  "Let me read the story" she cried.  And so we spent the late afternoon and evening reading the story over a few times so Daddy could enjoy it too.

The story commenced thus...There was once a gardener who longed to find a Princess to enjoy her pretty garden with her.  Only a true princess would know all the flowers and herbs and how to care for them.  So the gardener called on the Fairies of the Garden to find her a princess, a true Princess.

“My dear fairies”, she said longingly, “I long for a sweet princess to share my garden with me, to delight in the blossoms, to dance amongst the plants, to enjoy the fragrance and delicious flavour of all my herbs.  Please find the sweetest, kindest, brightest Princess who would love to share this garden.”

And so the fairies set off.  They had seen many sweet girls in their travels from Fairyland, yet they knew the one who’d meet the Gardener’s desires would be a most particular one.  She would be able to see them, those delicate tiny fairies, as they rested contentedly, yet with eager anticipation, in the flowers by which the girl passed.  The girl who saw the fairies would be immediately recognised as a Princess.

The fairies came to rest in various flowers and waited for the little girl to pass as she came out to play.  Patiently, they waited....

The creativity inspired by Juliane's little set task went further as the following day was filled with lots of drawing in our backyard.  Ess enjoyed illustrating the first couple of pages of the fairytale which I had to print out for her.

Later my darling could be heard saying "Thankyou for my present."

Even later she said, "I love my present. Thankyou so much!"

Her gratitude is absolutely thanks enough for me.