The first of many things to be made from my stash of felt from the other week! This sweet hair clip is for my cousin's daughter for her birthday... I have seen these mini bunting cards around and thought it was the perfect way to use up the felt scraps in style. Cute huh!
We also made Easter biscuits! My crazy haired girl helping me with icing. For a 2.5yr old, she is pretty good in the kitchen!
Have a lovely Easter everyone, I have enjoyed joining in this creative space and almost need an entire day to get to everyone's spaces... I don't know how you do it Kirsty!
Tenho estado muito ocupado com as selecções distritais de Lisboa que preparam a ida à Festa do Basquetebol a disputar no Algarve. O site da FEB publica um artigo do seleccionador de Espanha ,Sergio Scariolo, que bem podia servir de tema para reflexão...
Relaciones padres-entrenador y viceversa Durante estos días he leído en la página web de la FEB (www.feb.es) las informaciones y los reportajes elaborados alrededor del Campeonato de España Minibasket de selecciones autonómicas, una fiesta del baloncesto que anualmente regenera la ilusión y proyecta el futuro del basket español. Me identifico y alineo completamente con las declaraciones de Ángel Palmi, director deportivo de la FEB, quien afirmaba en una entrevista que “lo prioritario en el Mini no es ganar, sino estar con los amigos y aprender”. Suscribo esta finalidad en mi doble papel de padre y entrenador profesional. Me doy cuenta de lo importante que es la educación a través del deporte y de la función tan esencial que ejercen los entrenadores. Es a estos entrenadores a los que debemos pedir un esfuerzo de coherencia entre el mensaje educativo que transmiten y sus acciones en los entrenamientos y los partidos. Añado en este punto la transcendencia e importancia que aquí debe desempeñar el club, responsable de la elección y formación de los entrenadores que trabajan con los jugadores en edades de formación. Es fundamental que los clubes mantengan una coherencia entre lo que piden a sus entrenadores y cómo valoran su trabajo. Considero que la educación táctica y competitiva tiene que ser progresiva y lógica en la evolución del jugador por las categorías de cantera. Por consecuencia, igual de progresiva tiene que ser la exigencia de resultados. Puede pasar que en algunas ocasiones los clubes promocionen a aquellos entrenadores que han conseguido títulos con los equipos de formación, pero raramente he visto a un instructor transformarse en un gran entrenador “sobre la piel” de sus propios jugadores. Indudablemente ganar no es malo. Sí lo es si se logra de una forma especulativa, acudiendo, por ejemplo, a una defensa zonal durante cuarenta minutos o extremando la sistematizando de los ataques. Esa conducta puede ayudar a ganar un partido, pero no impulsa la consagración del técnico como un entrenador de alto nivel. A los entrenadores que trabajáis con equipos de formación os ánimo a ser equilibrados, eligiendo adecuadamente los instrumentos que os ayuden a competir sin desviaros de la línea de coherencia y del objetivo de una progresión adecuada de los jóvenes valores.
LOS PADRES SEGÚN EL ENTRENADOR Hablo ahora del papel que desempeñan los padres desde el punto de vista del entrenador. No me parece que el papel paterno y materno se circunscriba a ser el de meros espectadores. Los hijos reclaman de los padres un seguimiento discreto, alejado de los “espectáculos” que algunos ofrecen desde la grada. Los padres deben interesarse por su hijo deportista, animar al equipo e incluso celebrar los pequeños éxitos. Si yo fuera el entrenador de ese equipo de formación, reclamaría a los padres que arropen a sus hijos y que colaboren conmigo en crear un buen deportista en un deporte de equipo. El cariño y el apoyo de los padres resultan fundamentales y se complementan con la labor que desempeña el entrenador, pero para ello se debe predicar con el ejemplo.
La confusión no puede desconcertar al jugador. Los mensajes de los padres y del entrenador deben concordar y la vía educativa puede tener dos canales que confluyan en una misma línea. El clima positivo debe rodear el entorno del niño. Recuerdo que durante mi etapa como responsable de la sección de baloncesto del Real Madrid se creó un Departamento de Psicología que apuntaba su trabajo hacia los niños y sus familiares. Se organizaron cursos dirigidos a los padres y se mejoraron las relaciones con ellos. Animo a todos los clubes a trabajar en este sentido e incluso recomiendo a los entrenadores que organicen una serie de reuniones con los padres de sus chavales en las que se les expliquen las claves de este trabajo y la coordinación en los mensajes que los niños reciben por parte de su entrenador y los que le llegan desde el entorno familiar.
EL ENTRENADOR SEGÚN LOS PADRES Como al comienzo de este escrito os comentaba, la reflexión que desarrollo en el blog la efectúo tanto desde el punto de vista de padre como en mi papel de entrenador. Construyo ahora estos comentarios en versión padre. Mis dos hijos practican ocasionalmente cuatro o cinco deportes, pero a la hora de definir su propia pasión al niño le gusta el baloncesto y la niña se decanta por el baile. Mi papel de padre me impulsa a no forzar la práctica de alguna disciplina, animándoles a seguir con todo lo que les atrae sin impedir que manifiesten sus preferencias. Ser padre también me exige una función de control sobre el funcionamiento del grupo deportivo en el que está inmerso mi hijo. Creo que podemos estar legitimados a exigir seriedad, puntualidad, higiene, educación… En definitiva, el respeto por los múltiples valores que son inherentes a la práctica deportiva y que apuntalan la formación integral de la persona. Mantengo el modo padre con el piloto de entrenador encendido. Teniendo conocimiento de baloncesto, me interesa controlar –sin alejarme de la objetividad- que mi hijo sea uno más del grupo y que reciba un trato equitativo respecto al resto de compañeros. Si tuviera la sensación de que no fuera así, intentaría descubrirlo desde el diálogo directo con el entrenador, evitando los comentarios con el niño antes de saber lo que pasa. Otro de los aspectos que me interesa conocer es si en los entrenamientos se trabaja en una dirección coherente con lo que se considera la correcta progresión y evolución –no utilización- del jugador. Por ejemplo, me preocuparía que en los ejercicios de fundamentos individuales se trabajen por igual ambas manos y también que se enseñe a utilizar el pivote con ambos pies. No creo que comentar estos aspectos sea extralimitarme en mi función como padre sino ofrecer una contribución positiva, manteniendo como último recurso integrar lo que le niño practica con su equipo jugando-entrenando a solas con él. De todos modos, y anticipando lo que será un nuevo asunto en este blog (la gestión del entorno de un jugador y del equipo), las relaciones padres-entrenador y padres-jugador no se extinguen cuando el deportista finaliza su etapa de formación. Sorprendería a muchos darse cuenta de que esta influencia también es muy importante cuando el joven se convierte en jugador del primer equipo.
Some dear friends in Brisbane are having an engagement party soon and sent out these stunning invitations! Unfortunately we won't be flying up for it but will make it to the wedding later in the year :-)
I have to take some credit for supplying the idea I saw on the fabulous Melbourne blog, Eat Drink Chic :-) But I can't take any credit for creating them! Hannah was lucky enough to have a very patient sister Rachel to make the hearts for her and Phil even joined in on the action by sewing up the felt pouches! Good man :-)
I think you would agree the colours they chose are fabulous, I love the Grey felt with the yellow. Colin Cowie has a saying about a great start to an event is making a big impression within the first 5 minutes of guests arriving but I think it also starts with the invites, don't you. This is sure to be a wonderful celebration!
The very clever and oh so lovely children's author - Tania McCartney is a bit of a party throwing champion and I had to share her son's Pirate themed birthday party with you! When we have girls we tend to lean towards all things girly - it makes sense... but I thought this was a great theme to share for the boys! (and could be re-invented for girls, "Elizabeth Swan style")
No details are missed from the cool treasure hunt invites - to the decorations and the fabulous themed food!
How cool is that cake!
I hope you enjoy these ideas from Tania, she has more photos on her blog and a whole list of themed birthdays for your viewing pleasure!
Lots of lovely stallholders with beautiful things made yesterday's Handmade Market quite the drool fest. I was pretty restrained and even though I didn't have a stall this time I was still busy for most of the day and only did a spot of shopping right at the end. I purchased a few lovely items from my two biggest LOVES... stationery and fabric!
Some lovely babushka fabric from Retro Mummy (note this is not my market stash :)
A lovely card from the lovely Claire of Schmooks (top picture)
A gorgeous piece of fabric from Third Bird to go towards my 'Australian screen printed fabric' patchwork cover for my big floor cushion.
and last but not least a beautiful card from Poppy Letter Press - of which I would love to have bought her entire range!! I am actually going to frame this one. I saw some beautiful big white frames with white mats at freedom perfect for this size card! Of course it is green and has a botanical theme!!!
See I told you I was restrained!! I now have one month until baby #2 makes an appearance... The next milestone is Shop Handmade opening in approximately two weeks!! How exciting - it is all making this pregnancy whiz past rather fast :-)
I found this devine blog called Tartelette which features a gazillion amazing recipes and most of them SWEET - which I love.... how divine is this photo - well since Helen is a food photographer/stylist and French Pastry chef - it is no surprise really!!! The images make your mouth water. I quite like whipping out my macro lense to photograph food - especially when it is something I have made etc... Although some of my favourite macro photos I have taken are of fruit! This blog will be going straight to google reader!
I always include a handwritten note with my etsy or madeit sales and love this little print from Lena Corwin's book, "Printing by hand". Sadly, I haven't used the book much but it was well worth it and there are many projects on my 'to do' list! This is one pattern of hers I have used over and over though.
I made the stamp from adhesive foam from the $2 shop on a block of wood and used acrylic paints to stamp my cards, not ink. I would probably use two layers of foam next time to make the stamp sit higher off the block! I also used this print on a little bag a while back.
How adorable is this little chandelier to add some bling and class to your nursery :-) Some more amazing photos of Jenny's daughters bedroom here. Another amazing photographer that captures children beautifully! I love the idea of incorporating a birthday cake into the photo shoot - a winning combo I think! (You'll have to check out her site to see what I am talking about!)
I have such a big bag of 'reject' patterns from my sister's mother-in-law that I inherited. I was going to sell them on e bay or something... It will be a job to do before we move! I of course kept all the cool ones, like these pictured! My sister has a massive bag of rejects also... and she doesn't really sew! Some patterns I kept just because they made me laugh - like the knitting patterns for men - such bad photos! This bottom Butterick pattern is very Jackie O inspired I think!
Estive em Vila Real a participar numa acção de formação para os técnicos locais. Valeram a pena os muitos quilómetros que tive de percorrer para fazer afinal de contas o que sempre gostei : ensinar o pouco que sei . Encontrei aqui uma realidade que me não é estranha , muitos treinadores que querem também mudar a sua realidade mas que encontram pouco apoio para esse interesse e para as suas propostas sempre adiadas. O tema abordado : o ataque DDM , tem aplicação no nosso basquetebol, e deveria ser tema de confronto de ideias e modelos que na minha opinião pertencem ao passado e são responsáveis , também , pelo nosso cada vez maior atraso... Fico à espera que me convidem para este ou outro tema.
The Boston Celtics are getting closer in on a third straight Atlantic Division title thanks mainly to their defense. A resurgent Paul Pierce also has helped. Pierce and the Celtics seek to triumph their fifth straight on Monday night when they complete a three-game road trip against the Utah Jazz.
Another division title is all but a foregone conclusion for Boston (45-24), which has a 10-game lead over Toronto with 13 games remaining. The Celtics have looked particularly strong this month, winning nine of 12, including the last four by an average of 13.5 points.
Recebi uma boa prenda no dia do pai : "Para o maior Pai do Mundo (em tamanho e em carácter), um grande beijinho dos filhos... e do Izzy, que nunca morde o dono."
I am really not carrying as big with this baby as I did with Anya but all the same I am looking forward to being back in my normal clothes!!! So I went window shopping on Anthro! I am not really one for patterns and I like to feel comfy.... there is a big lean toward casual here....
and then something for date night somewhere nice....
There is a very cute tutorial on how to make Patchwork Easter Eggs by Purl Bee. Easily something the kids could help with... even if it is just decorating the fabric before and after! A nice weekend activity and something lovely to make that doesn't involve Chocolate! I thought I would get in early as Easter will be here before we know it! I also got some cute easter cookie cutters to make some biscuits with Anya! We might try and get a bit more creative with icing this time...
I LOVE fresh 'new' items in multicoloured bundles, think: pencils, paper, paints and my newly acquired wool felt! I have banned myself from buying new supplies until after we move, after the baby and when I get back into the swing of things.... yada yada.... but I did get a small bundle of 12 new colours in a wool blend to play with! It is a lot thinner than acrylic but I do love natural fibres and feel guilty using the nasty stuff, it's also more expensive of course but that's the reality of using the real deal!
We also made these at playgroup - cupcake wrappers and foam hearts threaded onto wool with those plastic kiddie needles :-) They could make nice little easter garlands in shades of yellow!
Oh and if you are feeling peckish - I have a recipe for some killer biscuits - Greek Almond.... mmmm.... *mouth watering*
“Was that wrong? Should I not have done that? I'm sorry, I'm gonna have to plead ignorance on this one, because if I had known that sort of thing was frowned upon...” stated George Costanza in a famous episode of Seinfeld after getting caught with the cleaning lady where he worked.
Some people might ask similar questions while questionably filling out their NCAA March Madness brackets. They need George’s help to justify their methods. Often the stakes are hight for winner of March Madness brackets like money or even demonic plastic heads that resemble a certain pedophile looking Gonzaga player. Even if there is not money on the line or a creepy plastic trophy there is still a lot of pride for the winner. What am I talking about? I’m talking about 3 kinds of March Madness bracket filler-outers who are basically cheating when they fill our their brackets. I’m here to call you out.
First, and certainly the most offensive is the person who fills out their bracket exactly with all the higher ranked teams winning every game all the way to the final four. Almost every year I see a person who fills out their bracket straight by the numbers. What is the point of filling in the brackets if you’re just going to copy the numbers? I guess you have some hard decisions when you get your four #1 seeds to the Final Four. Too bad the brackets don’t tell you which team will win it all by the rankings, so sorry. The most logical pick would be just to take the best overall ranked team to win it all.
I do realize that these rankings are given by college basketball experts, but come on people take a chance. Filling out a bracket like this is just plain boring. Why not solve a really easy Sudoku puzzle instead because that’s basically what you’re doing. Not to get sexist, but I’m going to because I swear it’s always a girl who thinks she is so smart who picks all #1’s. It is stupid though. Only once in history has all four #1 seeds made it to the final four which was recently in 2008.
The second offenders are the ones who copy exactly what an ESPN analyst has. It’s not wrong to look at these experts opinions are, but to copy exactly their picks is dense. I know these are so called experts, but they are wrong all the time. This takes a little more work than the first offenders so I commend them for their determination. Think for yourselves people. This is supposed to be fun, not see who can copy and paste correctly.
Another offender in this category is one who waits till the end and copies exactly what their knowledgeable friend has except for one game; therefore, making that game the deciding factor. This is an especially jerk-store move when the only game difference is one game that the other person might be gambling on. Anyone one who does this is basically the spawn of Satan and should be treated as such.
The third and final way to bracket cheat is one that I have been guilty of, but I have repented and will not do this again. Some might say that this isn’t cheating, but it is just increasing their odds. I say it all depends on what is at stake and how much you are going to brag after the victory. For instance, if I am in 10 different March Madness bracket groups and I pick different winners in each, then my odds for winning at least one of them increases, but my chances for losing the other 9 are probably higher. It’s not cheating to be in 10 different leagues or even to fill out more than one bracket, but it is very lame if you get worked in 9 leagues and then boast that you are this March Madness genius to the only league that you picked correctly.
I would like to see people pick the same teams in all their leagues. Put their money where their mouth is kind of thing. Then if you’re right you could win all 10 leagues. How sweet would that be? How much more satisfying is it to root for the teams you picked in all your leagues instead of saying, “Well it doesn’t matter who wins because I have a contingency plan for every possible scenario because I filled in so many brackets. This isn’t your stock portfolio, this is Madness. Let the 300 jokes stop here, because if you’re going to fill out 300 brackets I don’t want to hear it from you.
So now you know that these kinds of things are frowned upon. And yes George, it was wrong.
Definitely not an exhaustive list but some food for thought....
Have business cards and make them easy to find on your stall.
Professional presentation is always encouraged as stall holders are a reflection on the market you attend! (i.e. iron your tablecloths people)
Signage is key to people knowing who you are, finding your stall, branding recognition and overall presentation.
Signage is even more effective when people can see it! Get creative - 'height' is key. Signage on your table gets lost the minute you have a couple of customers stand in front of it.
*TIP* - Pop up banners are the best for indoors - the Banner shop do a very cheap X banner for $49. These type of banners aren't suited for outdoors - you are better getting a vinyl sign with eyelets so you can attach with a rope or making your own!
Less is more on print material - use one brilliant image with your logo/business name at the top.
Why not entice shoppers with a bowl of lollies etc.. Make sure it is seasonal, i.e. not likely to melt or a wrapped lolly that can't be smudged all over your product!!
A very clever marketing tool I saw recently was 'branded' fans in Summer - it was a very HOT day and everyone was walking around advertising for this particular stall holder - SMART! People were driven to the stall to get a fan... and while they were there....
It is hard competing with fellow stall-holders for business when you have a similar product. Try and think outside the box with the way you display your items. Again, sometimes simplicity is the key...
Have an emergency box packed with things like, BABY wipes (for you and all that dirty money you are handling), panadol, WATER, snacks, business cars, blue tak, pins for your tablecloth etc...
A simple notebook & pen can be a great way to capture people's comments, what is your hottest product that day, what have people asked for that you don't have, potential sales to follow up on.
Be nice to your neighbours and stick to the space you have been allocated.
If you are feeling a little disgruntled with the organisers, it's best not to complain to your neighbours nor customers - the crafting community is very small and there are such things as secret shoppers :-)
Look interested!!! Looking bored isn't very appealing to customers and please don't bring the paper or a book to read!
A chair is handy but only on your break or for your helper.
Everyone loves a friendly stall-holder as long as you let them peruse your stall comfortably - they are more likely to make a purchase if you aren't watching them like a hawk or looking like a desperate 'rabbit in the spotlight - dying for a sale'.
Most of all have fun, try and visit some other stalls - you never know you could make a few friends and score some fabulous market loot yourself!
I collated this post for the Handmade Market blog ages ago and realised I didn't ever publish it on my own blog - so here it is!
After waking from yesterday's sugar coma, I still had sugary goodness on the brain and felt inclined to share a couple of great Australian suppliers I have found on-line. One is Little Betsy Baker who I have blogged about previously and recently I discovered another called Baking Pleasures. They cross-over a little in supplies but do have different things.
Some supplies you can pick up from Baking Pleasures to make your dessert bar shine for any special occasion:
My lovely friend Jordan from Polkadot Prints created this gorgeous Ice Cream Sundae Buffet for her sister's baby shower! Jordan is a talented Graphic Designer/Full-time Mum/all round nice gal - whose lovely designs can now be purchased in her new shop! How good does this look!!!! I personally LOVE the pink bottles of drink :-)
These dessert bars are only going to get more and more popular here in Australia! If you think this looks all too-hard, then you can purchase Jordan's party packages to start with, then all you have to do is buy your sugary loot and off you go! But there is no reason you can't include plenty of healthy fruit and wholesome goodness too!
Jordan includes her supplier information on part two of her baby shower post! Enjoy dreaming up some lovely celebration ideas of your own!
I was in a baking mood over the weekend and made Greek Almond biscuits for the first time (pic below)! They were easy and DELICIOUS! I also made Meringues / Mini Pavlova's! Mmmm
I was feeling quite tired after two big nights of a completely manic shopping frenzy with 30 or so women! Not in person... but on my Grace Designs Facebook page! I had quite a bit of market stock and samples to 'move' - so I held a Facebook - End of Summer Sale! It was not my original idea but was very successful and I am thrilled with the outcome. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the friendly banter and the whole community feel that went on in those few hours - I think everyone else did too. It was meant to be for just two hours on Thurs night but that night we went for 3 and the following night for another 2hrs. PHEW! Lots of paperwork and posting to do now!
I will write a post on the whole experience another time... In the meantime enjoy the Greek Almond Biscuit recipe!
Greek Almond Biscuits
3 cups almond meal (375g)
1 cup caster sugar (220g)
3 drops of almond essence
3 egg whites
1 cup flaked almonds (80g)
Pre-heat oven - moderate 180 degrees
Combine almond meal, sugar and essence in large bowl. Add add whites and stir until mixtures forms a firm paste.
Roll level tablespoons of mixture into the flaked almonds, then roll into 8cm longs (approx size of your pointer finger)
Press on the remaining almonds. Shape logs to form crescents.
Place on baking-paper-lined oven trays, bake in mod oven for 15 mins or until lightly browned.
