The Whirlwind Post

The past few months have been something of a whirlwind. I cannot believe that it's already April. My head is still in February. On Wednesday I thought it was Thursday. And when it's 3am my brain seems to think it's a good time to be fully wide awake, up and doing things.

Hang in there as I present to you a great big listing of amazing, fun, easy, beautiful content to keep you entertained for the new couple of weeks. Let's get into it!

Origami Bracelet

Paper Bouquet

Dream Catcher

Egg Nest Fascinator

Chocolate Basket

Braille Slate

Sashiko Sewing

Stalactite Experiment

Paper Puppets

Stained Glass Heart

Mini Photo Gallery

Shibori Shirt

Ice Cream Toy

Rocket Launch Experiment

Tinsel Lantern Ball

The Twenty Twenty Crafting High Home Stretch

2020 is actually drawing to a close. It was a slow year, for sure. Yet somehow, as we see the New Year in sight suddenly a home run seems possible.

If however you're not feeling that home run I recommend taking time out from your troubles by giving yourself permission to rest, sleep, read, write, draw, craft, or anything you want. You can do it, and it will refresh your brain. Even if you think there's no time, give yourself five minutes. Just five minutes out of your day will make a lot of difference.

I've been whittling away the days producing some end of year projects, and exploring such products as the Cricut Joy and Bostik. In my field of work/play - play/work there is seriously a lot of cutting and gluing. Which, you know, I'm not complaining about, because this is what I do. But I can honestly say it's the sweetest pleasure when I get to operate tools and use materials that make the work process faster and more comfortable. #workingsmarter Am I right?

Making Christmas cards: with Cricut Joy and Bostik glue

This week I experimented with making two very different Christmas cards, using the above mentioned Cricut Joy and Bostik tools and materials. The content is available on Youtube, in which I share my process, and some of my insights.

• Make a Cricut Joy Christmas card (with Bostik)
• Make a Summery Cricut Joy Christmas card (with Bostik)

If you wish to see more of my journey with the Cricut Joy, I have a dedicated page with links to my Youtube videos on the topic.

Plus, I've a bundle of festive, end of year craft projects for you to have a look at over at My Poppet, Kidspot.

My Poppet: Candy Cane Earrings

Kidspot: Santa Tree Cone

Kidspot: Teacher's Gift Box

My Poppet: Orange Pomander Balls

Kidspot: Drink Glass Charms

Kidspot: Bauble Wreath

Kidspot: Confetti Bowl

Hacky sack + Heart Pillow + Freddie Prinze Jr

Life is not linear. Have you noticed? You zig zag from place to place. Memories can drag you backward. You shuttle toward the future pulled along by anxiety. Then just when you think your head might completely spin off you're dropped into a lull-less ocean, completely devoid of ebb and flow. From there you have a choice – float and wait things out, or... you can cup your hands and gently begin swimming in some direction.

I used to be a floater. I still am to some degree, but only when I'm fatigued. When I feel I've floated long enough, I choose a direction, any direction, and I begin to swim. Very rarely do I hit an island, but that doesn't seem to matter. The important thing is that I'm swimming. It's important to balance these things out – rest and swim, rest and swim.

'Cup your hands' and 'swimming' are my metaphors for the work I do, whether that be Content Creation, Illustration, Photography, Design and Doll Making. These jobs are the peg that anchor me in today.

Do you ever feel this way? Do you have an anchor? What activities make you feel whole?

With restrictions beginning to ease, I am once again excited to spruik on about my entry into the incube8r exhibit Lights Camera Fashion. The show date was pushed back to later in the year, and now here we are. This particular exhibit will not have an opening night, but it will be open for a glorious four weeks.

This week on My Poppet Makes I have created for you a 'no sew' heart pillow project. It's super easy and fun for everyone. Head on over to My Poppet Makes to access the template and instructions.

So, who remembers hacky sacks? They've been around for decades in one form or another. Balloon hacky sacks and Freddie Prinze Jr were on trend when I was in high school. And now we can get them back on trend again (Hacky sacks, I mean.). Head over to Kidspot to find out how to make these juggling projectiles.

And here's a little nostalgic appreciation for hacky sacks, abstract performance art and a certain nineties teen crush:

Felt Art + Marbling Design + Learning

Are your running out of craft ideas? Not to fret, as I've got you covered with another two projects. 

Kidspot: DIY Felt Art Set

Head over to Kidspot to get your hands on a Felt Art Template set I created. This set is the perfect starter kit for creating felt images. This activity is perfect for isolation, or travel (life after isolation).

My Poppet: DIY Marble Design Hat

In My Poppet land, I have shown how simple and easy it is to marble a three dimensional blank canvas. 

Here's a fun fact about the marbling ink (Bokuundo) used in this project. I bought the marbling ink from an art store fifteen years ago, and it's still good to use. 

WC Digital Portrait © Melissa Gaggiano

I have signed up for a swag of short art courses. I've completed a portraiture course that combines water colour with digital elements. The other courses I'm working through include BJD making, Art Toy Design, and Pop-up Book Making.

Time to Repair, Make, Reflect

In this time of social distancing, which can make a messy cocktail of loneliness and boredom, it makes all the difference having activities to keep your mind busy and engaged in a healthy way. Here I've put together a bunch of new projects that can help you in this slightly new found hermit existence.

My Poppet Makes: Darning Socks

Have you got a pile of holey socks which, apart from the unravelling blackholes, could be perfectly fine. Rather than throwing out those holey socks, head over to My Poppet and try a simple darning tutorial. A few things I love about this activity – it's easy, basic sewing; it'll add colour to your otherwise humdrum socks; it doesn't take long to repair the holes, and will extend the life of said socks.

Kidspot: Worry Doll

A loss of routine and uncertainty can produce distress. The act of working with your hands can help calm the mind, whether it be through sewing, drawing, baking, or really any form of creation. If you or your family members are feeling lost and out of sorts during social distancing, try making a worry doll. I have produced my own version of a worry doll for Kidspot, in a very easy to follow video tutorial.

Did you know worry dolls originate from a Guatemalan legend? It is a Mayan tradition to present children with a worry doll to free them of their nightmares. Before going to bed a child can whisper their worries to the doll. The doll is placed under the pillow, and the next day the child wakes worry free. Exploring deeper into the origin of the worry doll the tradition is connected to the legend of  Princess Lxmucane, who received the gift of problem solving from the sun god.

Kidspot: Stationery Caddy

Another recent Kidspot craft tutorial I recommend checking out is a DIY Stationery Caddy. You'll laugh when you see what I used to make this. While home based learning is in progress, having an easy to carry stationery container can be the perfect item, and craft activity, for the kids' temporary school space.

My Poppet Makes: DIY Paper Cherry Blossom Mobile

One last item in my activity round up, if you have a love of paper craft, mobiles, cherry blossom, and Japanese culture, then I have something for you. It is a DIY Paper Cherry Blossom Mobile. That's a mouthful! You can decorate your home with one of these mobiles. Or make a handful of them for a garden party. 

An amazing plus to this project – if you own a Cricut cutting machine, there is an SVG file version of the flower template. Having a Cricut will save you so much time and energy in cutting out these intricate flower designs.

Busy as Ants and Bees

I've been spending a lot more time in the garden. It takes effort and care to tend to a garden, but it's the kind of work that has a calming affect on the mind. If you're feeling overwhelmed, lost, or even without momentum, taking care of the nature that surrounds you can help your mental health.

In between trying to make things grow in the backyard, I have busily been creating content, and preparing for an art exhibit. There will be more information about the exhibit down the track. For now I wanted to draw to your attention other works of the past couple of months. Such as the...

My Poppet Bookmark, celebrating the Chinese New Year. It's now the year of the Rat, don't you know.

{My Poppet link}

I produced a Kidspot craft video, showing how to make a 'Dummy' Fairy Home.

{Kidspot link}

My pride and joy, for the Christmas period, was the My Poppet – Santa Face Pin. How adorable is this?

{My Poppet link}

Xmas Crafts

2019 runs it's final lap as we head in toward end of year celebrations, revelations, relaxations, considerations, contemplations...

The Xmas spirit can be fun, but for some it is not always a jolly time. With the cultivated image of what we think Xmas Day should look like, the postcard view can be hard to live up to. It shouldn't matter if there's only one present, or if the Xmas tree is a drawing on piece of paper, yet we do worry that we aren't able to recreate picture perfection on this one day of the year.
For me, the take away of Xmas Day is having a moment of relief, and kindness. Kindness to the stranger on the street, kindness to those we care about, but also kindness to ourselves. It's not always easy, but somewhere between the rush of 'life' traffic we can get lost along the way. So, this season, whether you celebrate Xmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ōmisoka or the New Year I hope you are able to find something in yourself to love and appreciate.

{My Poppet link}

In other things Xmassie, if you're looking for decorating and present ideas that are ever so easy to make, and inexpensive, head on over to My Poppet – a pretty and clever craft resource. Top of my list is this Xmas Tree Ornament, which is actually a miniature Xmas Tree. Can you imagine a Xmas Tree completely decorated with Xmas Trees?

Here are some other Xmassie nuggets on My Poppet:

• My Poppet – Advent Calendar Coloring Page
• My Poppet – Modern Crochet Calendar
• My Poppet – Paper Christmas Angel
• My Poppet – Scrap Fabric Twine Baubles

Before heading off I also wish to highlight another Xmassie craft project which I produced for Kidspot. It's of a refurbished book which I converted into an angel. For the tutorial video and details head on over to Kidspot. If you so wanted you could use this tutorial as a basis for making a miniature model Xmas tree or even a Dalek. Or, how about a Xmas Dalek. What do you think? Too much, or just enough?

Coffee + Pizza + Spook Town Fun

So much life has been happening. Some things you might expect and plan for. Other things... not so much. The holidays have been and gone. And while I had a mental list of things to do during that period, it all fell away when one by one kids got sick.

One small bit at a time I am picking up the pieces, and finding balance between work, creativity and rest. For now, let me catch you up on the happenings of past weeks.

Halloween is upon us, and I've got some spooky Halloween love to share. I can't help it, I think Halloween is such fun. So... Shimmer your way over to My Poppet Makes to find out how I up-cycled a spooky, yet utterly darling Halloween wreath.

I spent one glorious Crafternoon 'making stuff' with likeminded crafters, eating delicious cake and drinking Nescafé. Head on over to My Poppet Living. and get the full story and pictures from the Nescafé Crafternoon. I seriously need to do Crafternoons more often. People + food + making stuff = healthy combination.

Happiness is a baked pizza served straight out of a hot BBQ. So it was a crafty love fest for me, designing and making a pizza cushion for Kidspot. Head over to Kidspot to access my DIY 'pizza cushion' craft video.

A while back I produced a project for My Poppet Makes, showing how to transform a shoebox into a vintage trunk. In round up to this project, I created another project detailing how to create sturdy, layered shelves within the shoebox. It's the perfect way for storing all those easy to lose little pieces. Head on over to My Poppet Makes to find out how to make:

1/ Make a Vintage Trunk Storage Box

2/ DIY Storage Box Solution Small Items

Sweet Little Storage

{My Poppet link}

Hey you, Neat Freaks! I've got something real special lined up for you. If you head over to My Poppet you will find my latest DIY project. It is all about 'storage' and 'containment' (love those words) of all those cute, yet annoyingly teeny bits and pieces that usually wind up inside of the vacuum cleaner. So if you've got a heap of empty boxes that have no subdivisions then this project is perfect for you.

A little side note: This project is loosely a Part Two of another project on My Poppet which is about shoebox decorating. You'll love it!

{My Poppet link}

A Kaleidoscope of Butterflies

{My Poppet}

I just discovered that a group of butterflies is known as a kaleidoscope. How neat is that? I can picture it, being inside a kaleidoscope filled with butterflies. In fact that give me an idea for another project, but that's for another time. Right now, I want you, to check out my latest butterfly craft project, over at My Poppet.

And if you cannot get enough of butterfly craft, My Poppet also has this butterfly lantern, for you to try.