It took some effort but I found the perfect stick for my giant bunch of flowers. It was worth the scrapes and cuts I endured wrestling it from the plum tree. It is surely a stick that has no equal. Stick-tastic! Now to get the flowers onto it…
These were inspired by some giant fake flowers I saw in a craft store. They were beautifully constructed out of wire and coloured netting fabric. They were also $25.00 – each. Instead I bought some aluminium foil and tissue paper and came up with my own giant foil flower.




Now all I need is a big stick to make a bunch…..
Here are some more samples of the children’s work from my craft workshops at the Loftus Community Centre.

Mini Jungles made with cardboard, twigs, blue cellophane, pebbles, green tissue paper and lots and lots of paper mache glue.

The bags are made by snipping the top of one paper plate and stapling it, facing inwards, to another plate. Fold the top over and stick a little Velcro on the inside to keep it closed. Then add some string or ribbon for a strap.

Notebooks to fit inside the handbags. Using the same sticky back foam I had the children decorate the front of the books and then slip a mini pencil into the side. The pencils were originally full sized. I cut them in half with pruning shears and sharpened the blunt end. That way they fit into the bags.
I recently ran 2 childrens craft workshops for the Loftus Community Centre School Holiday Program. This term they went wild with a Jungle Theme. The first class was for the younger kids. There are many words I could use to describe running a class of 3-5 year olds, “Simple” and “Relaxing” would not be among them. Never-the-less, we all had fun and I emerged from the 2.5 hours with my sanity intact…more or less… The little ones tackled each project with enthusiasm and gusto. The most popular would have to be the jungle necklaces.

To make a jungle necklace you will need some green card cut into leaf shapes and hole punched at the bottom of each leaf.

Some string - plastic string is the easiest for little fingers to thread - and some coloured tube pasta.

This project uses old blown halogen globes. Note: halogens have a glass covering and should be handled with care. The angels are for ornamental purposes only, such as hanging on a Christmas tree. They are not suitable for general play.

You will need: • blown halogen globes • small styrofoam balls • glue (PVA or a hot glue gun) • scissors • craft knife • cotton wool • decorative paper • fine felt tip marker

Use the craft knife to slice a slit into the ball. The slit helps the ball attach to the top of the globe.