Before it all starts-party party party…!

With a start date in the calendar of 1st September, I have decided that August will be a practice month! This will hopefully give me some feel for problems that might be encountered and will hopefully galvanise me into sorting out anything that needs sorting before my year starts.

So far this month, the biggest challenge has been a birthday party! BigSmall was invited to a 4th birthday party, and as a practice run, I decided to make the birthday boy’s present. I have made presents for small people’s birthday s before, but in the past I have decorated plain t-shirts that I have bought new, and I won’t be able to do this, so I had to think of another plan!

The plan I came up with was beanbags. I thought it would be quick and easy, I have loads of fabric to use up, and all I would need to buy would be some rice to fill them with. I was worng-it wasn’t quick and easy-it was a bit fiddly and took far longer than I thought it would, and I’d obviously left it all until the night before the party, meaning I was up until nearly midnight, so was alittle grumpy the following day! But I think they came out ok, and I think the birthday boy liked them. Here is a picture

and here is a link to the tutorial I did on my Shouty Cat Makes blog if you fancy having a go yourself!

It also threw up the question of gift wrapping and cards! I made this bag here to serve as gift wrapping, and storage for the beanbags,

and it was super easy, so I will definitely be doing more of these! Here is the link to the tutorial I found.

Big Small and I then made a card together. He did a ‘beautiful painting’, and I cut a number 4 out of a squareof card and used the empty bit of the 4 (if that makes sense) to glue over the top of the painting. It would be much better if I had a picture to help explain all this but I forgot-sorry! I will try better next time…

The next problem is my parent’s Ruby Wedding Anniversary this weekend. Anyone got any speedy thrifty yet amazing homemade anniversary present ideas…??