Spotlight - Bic Walker

One of my very talented friends is starting yet another venture and I am lucky enough to be able to have a bit of a play with her.

Bic Walker is one of those who can not only turn their hand at anything, she takes things to the next level and actually gets them done. She is an artist, public speaker, and has written and published two childrens' books. The first, A Safe Place to Live, is a childrens' book about her families escape from Vietnam as a refugee. The second is called Finding Hope which is again a true story about a child in a Cambodian orphanage. All the proceeds from this book go to charity - www.hopeforcambodianchildren.org. So, not only is she an entrepreneur, she is also an philanthropist. How can I not help?

Bic has a range of products www.bicwalker.com and she is trying to increase the range order to raise money and awareness for Hope for Cambodian Children. She has cards and pendants based on her artwork (she illustrated both books), and she had some of her artwork printed on fabric to look art other ways to use it. This is where I come in.

I threaded up the machine and also powered up the Silhouette and had a bit of a go at some samples.

 

Above are the original artworks lifted from Bic's site. High Tea on the left and Just Jam on the right. These are the images on the bags below.

The first bag is a decent size but obviously needs some interfacing. The fabric is a light weight cotton and I really just wanted to get an idea of the pattern. I have lined it in a heavier weight fabric to give it some body.
Number 2 is on the right and you can see the drummer from Just Jam. This is a vinyl transfer onto black. Again I was using what I had - the orange vinyl is for the Big Squirrels work shirts(!)

This next bag is one of my favourites. It is  chevron drill from Spotlight with a lightweight plastic over the top. On one side you can see Hope and on the other is the line drawing of the drummer. 

And of course saving the best til last - plastic coated tote bag of the High Tea ladies. This has the same print front and back and lightweight clear plastic over the top. The handles are black with decorative aqua stitching - again what I had. This is still just a sample but I think this is the best outcome of all.

Bic hasn't seen these yet - they are better in person, but I think we are heading in the right direction.

squeak squeak BANG!

This is a wordy one so skip it if you'd like.

The old saying - the squeaky wheel gets the oil is so true. The education and readiness of my twins has long been a concern of mine and I have been active in the school to try and make sure they are getting what they need. I am at drop offs, pick ups and special events - but only just discovered that that is not enough. If you want something to happen you NEED to be an advocate for your child. I have got the the point that I don't care how pushy I appear, I just want what they need.

Now, the boys are in grade 1. They are on the young side of things and current trends say that boys in December should be held back in kinder, and twins - well even more so. Put into that mix auditory processing disorder and you now have a bit better picture. With the help of speechies and OTs the decision was made to go to prep and they excelled. The structure was what they needed and socially they are doing fine.

But I felt they were behind educationally. They were initially in separate grades to give them the opportunity to develop as individuals. This was great. I would pop in and see the teachers, both independently said They're doing fine. I would say Really? And they would give me a weird look and say - Yes! Really! So, I would wander off thinking how different are the kids at school to at home????

Come end April and a big move happens. They move into new pods. This is all of the grade 1s (some 90 kids) in one big open space. They are taught as 2 large classes, each with 2 teachers. So my boys who each have their own friends are now thrust back together, people asking which one is which, to boys that they didn't even realise was a twin. One step forward two steps back.

The big room is noisy, filled with kids and the teachers are learning each others style and how to work as a team in a new environment. All fine - but I feel it is at the expense of my kids. During this time. the boys come home with stickers on them and the story of where they come from seems to vary. When I finally get a chance to grab a teacher, she explains that they are getting additional help with words and handwriting. As I tried to explain to her, the additional help is appreciated - I just didn't know about it and I can help if I know what they are doing.

I then try and organise to catch the other teacher as Benji is displaying some troubling behaviour. The poor kid thinks he is stupid and to punish himself for not knowing things, he is pulling out his hair, hitting, biting and pinching himself. I can't do nothing, so when the meeting falls through I wrote a letter. I am not having a go at the teachers, I just need them to understand how I feel, what the kids are doing and how we can all move forward and fix the problems.

Not surprisingly a meeting was quickly arranged and it was action stations. There have been a lot of issues that have caused this - teachers strikes from last year and this year meant no comments on reports, no parent teacher interview this year, the move to the new room meant notes didn't get sent etc for which they were very apologetic. I am fine with all that - I just don't want my kids falling through the cracks - particularly 2 of them.

The meeting was positive and I now feel that both teachers have an eye on them. Lots of information was not passed on from Prep so it is almost like a term wasted. Something that does bother me is the political correctness of the whole system - where no-one likes to say it how it is. If they are behind then just tell me. If they are slow to pick things up - then thats how it is. Don't dress it up with a bow. Nothing is going to help them down the track - we have to get on it now so that they don't fall too far behind.

As a result, I actually feel better. We have set up a communication book where the teachers will let me know they program for the upcoming week and I can do some pre-teaching at home. We have a greater focus on home schooling, with reading, spelling and fine motor becoming much more of a focus. Hopefully, we are on the upward swing and have caught it early enough. What it has shown me is that you have to trust your gut and go out an fight for your kids because no one else is going to do it for you!

B Inspired

My clever girlfriend Marg bought a shop. She has made a big switch from the corporate accounting world, but if anyone can make it work - it is this one.

I was privileged enough to work, no, I played shops, for a couple of days and it was fabulous fun. I finished my stint with a party - as you do. The launch party of Marg's B Inspired was also her birthday. 

Her store is in Mailing Road, Canterbury and it a long standing stationary store - but full of other goodies which we had fun stocking.

This is a new range of specklefarm that is great for the kids.

The beautiful store with pressed metal ceilings and chandeliers and all the cabinetry is antique furniture, has an olde world feel.

Homewears and desk accessories sit beside cards, soaps and hankies.

Decorative globes, waterbottles or environmentally friendly notebooks

Oh - these are the cakes from the bakery down the road. DELISH!

Huge range of invitations and kids cards. She has a great range of vintage inspired childrens cards.

Oh - and whats a party withouth champagne. I love these little bottles with the straws (which are also available at B Inspired - Mailing Road, Canterbury)

If your out that way - go say Hi to Marg!

Karate kid

Happy Mothers Day

 My darling boys spoiled me this mothers day - even with one of the heat packs I made! and I thankfully got the change to spoil my mum one more mothers day.

 We had a lovely turkey dinner and raspberry cake served hot - a Donna Hay in todays paper.

Happy Mothers Day - to all the mothers everywhere.

Andy Griffiths

It was a warm May afternoon and we ventured to the Dandenongs to the Rhododendron Gardens for a Book week special. A girlfriend had organised the kids tickets, and to look after the twins at her house, while I took our bigger kids to the festivities. A big win for me.
I took a blanket and a magazine, and unbelievable got the change to lay out in the afternoon sun and read while Xandy and friend ran off and became part of the show. It started with a show and then an activity which saw the kids run off into the garden in search of words. When they found all the words - which were hanging from trees they had to write a poem.
Kids were dotting everywhere and it was only when everyone seemed to be settling to write that I began to worry where they were.

 This is how I found them. Everyone else had gone back to their parents for help but these too had no interest at all in me and were determined to get their winning entries in. Bless.

Then we were hustled into a long line and marched up through the gardens to the main building. This is where Andy Griffith would be speaking. The kids got a spot on the floor and I headed to the back. He spoke for about an hour - talking to the kids about how he gets his inventive stories. The kids had opportunities to ask questions. All the kids seem to enjoy this, and what was lovely to see was how many boys he attracted to reading.

Now was the time for form a line for book signing. Seems a few people have problems with this and whilst we weren't a long distance from the front, the line was increadibly 'thick' towards the front. We stood, unmoving for 45 minutes. DID NOT MOVE! By that point we'd invested so much time that we may as well stay. The kids were no longer in line and I was holding a space for the kid behind us.
In the middle of the room, the three kids got out their books and started brainstorming their own Andy Inspired book. One of the kids they had only met in that line!

 Finally, a whole hour after we'd lined up did we get our book signed. As we were considered the patient ones, he even wrote their names! I can't say I envy that job. Having waited that long, the kids really were happy for the meeting.

The Big Sale

Our school mothers day stall went off without a hitch today. We sold out of EVERYTHING and didn't even have to do an afterschool sale as we were clear out of stock. Truly a fabulous result - and a massive relief.

We had wrapped everything in cellophane which made it look much more professional. My 140 heat packs were wrapped and looked great - and thank god- they all sold too.

Now to put my feet up and hope that I don't get three heat packs for mothers day!