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And just like that, we’ve moved seamlessly from the world of pirates and the high seas, to detectives, mysteries, magnifying glasses and solving crimes.

I’m actually not quite sure what the trigger was; perhaps there was none. All I know is that my almost-four-year-old is now very slowly investigating his world, magnifying glass in hand, looking for clues that monsters have been visiting, and following (real and imagined) footprints on the floor.

My conversations with Judah nowadays tend to follow this tract:

Me: Judah, what do you want for lunch?

J: I need you to come with me and look for the foofprimts I saw outside with my magmify glass.

Me: Peanut butter or honey on your sandwich?

J: Mummy, when did you see the monster yesterday?

Me: Only when he was dancing in the front garden. Now, what do you want for lunch?

J: Um, I want some money to catch the plane to the detective shop in Adelaide.

Whenever it isn’t mealtime or naptime or you-need-to-do-this-now time, we all join in the detective work. This morning, I explained to him that good detectives ask a lot of questions, and write the answers down in a notebook that they keep in their pockets. Said notebook was found, and a pencil given, and the questions began; random things like, what did you have for breakfast? Or, why do you like yellow?

I guess you never know what questions will solve the mystery, right?

What games are your little ones playing at the moment? Or, do you remember playing detective games when you were a kid?

Nat

Finding Inspiration

I find inspiration in everyday places.

Whether it’s walking into a material shop stocked to the hilt with beautiful fabrics, or brainstorming about what new thing I can make for my sweet niece or handsome nephew for Christmas, small slices of inspiration can be found hiding in every nook and cranny. You just have to know how to hunt it down, and how to recognise it when it’s finally found.

To help my inspiration process along, I collect things – beautiful buttons, ribbon, material, or interesting knick-knacks that I come across. I’ve often found that having these little bits around can spark an idea, remind me of something precious from my childhood, or just give me the nudge to try out a new idea.

And something I’ve always loved – drawing and sketching – also plays a big part in my creative process. My house is filled with bursting journals and random scraps of paper covered with little images, which may (or may not) become the beginnings of something in the future. I’ve often found that the practice of sketching can lead down a path which may not have been planned, but which sees the creation of something you may not quite have imagined yet.

Sometimes plucking an idea out of the ether seems like a total impossibility. And sometimes creativity gets… stuck. When all things fail, I always try to look for a need (which somehow relates to your area of skill), and attempt to fill it in a different way. Like, for example, I noticed that when I started making our Quill & Ink dolls, that there were only a few options on the market for dolls for boys – real boysy cuddling companions (who like getting dirty, climbing trees and making mud pies almost as much as their owners do). And after a little thought, finding some old fashioned names, and sourcing the perfect fabric, it was a lot easier to take the leap to make Charlie.

Charlie, Spencer, Luca & Thaddeus

My two-cents worth of advice?

1. Enjoy the process! Creativity, imagination and making something new are amazing things.

2. Take notes while you’re experimenting and making, so that when you’re happy with the final product, you can re-create it.

3. Don’t worry if things go awry; few things ever go smoothly first time around, but you’ll learn lots of valuable lessons, and what not to do for next time in the process.

How do you find inspiration?



Kim

Grateful #5: What are you thankful for today?

Happy weekend!

It’s a warm and sunny Saturday morning here, and I’m about to head out to play with the little ones. But before I do, this week I’m grateful for:

Forgiveness. I think this is one of the most powerful and amazing things we can do as human beings, don’t you? Forgiveness is born out of love; it means mended hearts, peaceful minds, and new beginnings. I see it most often in the reconciled fights between my toddlers as they embrace one another, easily and readily forgiving pushes, knocked down towers, snatched favourites, and pulled hair (which are the biggest trials in their world to date). I love the whole-hearted way that children forgive one another – it’s definitely something I’ve learnt from this week.

The Internet. I freely admit to having an infatuated love of the internet. In the last hour alone, I’ve found a recipe for potato and parmesan soup and parsley pesto, read half a dozen blogs from all over the world, found out why my pumpkins aren’t growing any bigger, paid a few bills, found a free sewing pattern, and read up on toilet training. Thank goodness that we live in an age of abundant and readily available information.

Imagination. I had a wildly vivid imagination as a kid. And after a brief leave of absence (due to baby/childrearing responsibilities), the vibrant and dramatic parts of my imagination seem to be making a reappearance. I’m having wonderful dreams and allowing room for daydreams, and I think I’m almost ready to pick up all my notes and story plans and leap head-first into a creative writing mindset again. It’s all very exciting!

Hoping your weekend is filled with family, chocolate, warm hot cross buns, love and sneaky Easter bunnies,

Nat

Ps. Want to play too? Lovely Maxabella is on holidays this week, but you can leave your grateful list in the comment section below x

Image from here.