Nursery Rhyme Craft

Sooo... Here are a few crafty things we've been making at school, for those people who might be looking for ideas.

Humpty Dumpty,

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,

and Hickory Dickory Dock. Colourful fun!

The Phantom of the Opera

Oh, my gosh, oh, my gosh!!!!!!!!!!!!! Went to see the Phantom of the Opera at the Burswood Theatre last night and it was MAGNIFICENT!

Fell in love with it when the movie came out a couple of years ago (with Gerard Butler), and now have fallen in love with the theatre performance with Anthony Warlow. His voice was superb!! And the heartwrenchingness (new word) of it all! I always bawl in the last five minutes of the movie, and I bawled in the theatre as well! (I could have wailed, but I had to hold back, being in public and all!) The costumes were stunning, the backdrops, unbelievable, and seriously, I do not know how they moved those sets so quickly. There were lots of fireball effects and flashes of light. The lake scenes were breathtaking, and not one of the singers missed a note, and those notes are wild! What a beautiful, romantic way to celebrate Valentine's Day weekend!

Theatre. Oh, why am I not there more often? I realised during the show that I NEED to be going to the theatre more often. Some of the most emotional, heart-swelling moments I've felt in my life were at the theatre. We saw Peter Pan when I was very small, and I remember the actors being so high up, and thinking, "they can fly, they can fly!" When the lights went down at Beauty and the Beast on ice (about 15 years ago,) my heart thumped like crazy. I saw The Nutcracker, and Cinderella at the ballet and I was filled with utter joy at the costumes and the magic of it all. We saw We Will Rock You (the musical) and sang Queen songs nonstop for about six months afterwards! I've had similar levels of excitement at live bands, however they just don't have the colour and backdrops of the theatre to sweep you away into another world.

I bought the programme (how can you not?) and a phantom mask, and I have already made a new display on my antique desk. (How to get in touch with your inner goth in one fell swoop!)

If you're even slightly inclined to go to the theatre, you MUST see this! The melodies of the songs stay in your head and heart forever!

Lights outside the Burswood Casino.

What do your keys say about you?

I thought this might be an interesting question to ask yourself. Take a look at your keys to read a little of your personality and life.

My friend, Emma, gave me the little Kimmi friendship doll, because she knows I love Japanese/Chinese things. Jack bought me the Chinese Dragon in glass from the Salamanca markets in Hobart, Tasmania (one of my favourite places). And I got the Cadbury key ring from the Cadbury Chocolate Factory in Hobart (love, love, adore chocolate!) Also, purple is one of my favourite colours to wear.

Looking at the keys themselves, I have a car key, house key, classroom key, playground key and 2 suitcase keys. From this you can tell I am a teacher, I drive, I have a home to go to, and I like to travel!

So, without quickly going to the shops and buying any glamorous key rings (no cheating!) let's see what your keys tell us about you! You can leave a comment here or a link to your own blog if you wish.

Gingerbread Men

We've been reading the story of the Gingerbread Man at school. Each child made a paper Gingerbread Man last week,

and today we made 'real' Gingerbread Men. They were YUM, and so cute!

My Favourite Blogs

Check out the new bit I've added to our blog, a list of other blogs I follow. It is an eclectic collection; some are by friends and family of course, but most are arty, crafty sites. Through links on different people's sites (and believe me, the links go on FOREVER once you start), I've found a bunch of people who are either scrapbookers, painters, sewers, soft toy makers, interior designers, junk hunters, fashionistas or homemakers. All of them love taking photos, and have a great sense of humour. Many of them have a shop on etsy. Keeping up with them, and commenting on their sites keeps the world smaller and brighter! Love it!

A dang good read

Just had to tell you that I just read an amazing book called The Weight of Water. I really like Anita Shreve's writing; it's poetic, detached, and explores human frailty. The settings are always bleak, to match the state of mind of the characters. That doesn't sound like happy reading, but, man, it's intriguing! It's a murder mystery too, for those who like a bit of gore. Highly, highly recommended!

Sooorrrryyyy!

I knew it would take me ages to get back to blogging, but I finally made it! The day before school started I spent an hour or so adding the finishing touches:

Dress up clothes on the rack, reading cushion and posters in place...

fishing rods untangled.

The whole view. And Jack. Looks a bit cluttered, but it is really just the angle.

This angle is better. And perhaps only because I know how bad it can get!

And then we went to the beach for our last flirtation with freedom!!

By 'freedom', I mean not having to get up early and rush, rush, rush every morning. I'm a pretty laid back (or is that lazy) person, and full steam ahead before 10am is tricky for me. Only being honest.