Teach me.. how to make an everyday film

Beautifully vibrant and effervescent Bron of Maxabella Loves is on a quest to learn new things. As if she's not a smarty pants enough ALREADY?! She asked me to share some tips with her on how to make everyday films. How to turn everyday, routine, kinda boring stuff into great little time capsules!

Of course I was happy to oblige. I received such an overwhelmingly warm response following the piece I put together for the recent Voices of 2014 Online Masterclass (the actual link to the video seems to be on the blink - perhaps email Kidspot if you would like to view it) - so many of you contacted me to say how inspired you felt to make films - and within a week or two you sent me links to the wonderful beginnings of your journeys into film making! I love making films and I love seeing others being bitten by the bug and trying something new too.

So head over to Bron's and have a little look. You can see a little film I made about a trip to the playground on Easter Sunday morning, back in April. While you're there, be sure to check out Bron's beautiful photos from her family's recent holiday to Fiji - so beautiful Bron! And so not jealous. AT ALL.

how to :: reindeer stamped wrapping paper

It's been a while since we've done some seriously fun potato stamping. Whoever decided to cut open a spud and stamp it in some paint was a genius. {I cannot help but think of Daddy Pig doing this. You know the one?!} One of the activities on our advent calendar activity list is make potato stamped wrapping paper. So on Saturday we decided this would be the activity of the day. Until I realised we had no potatoes. Not even any maggety old ones in the bottom of the pantry. So we used the next best thing - garden rocks! Obviously the surface area was not as optimal as a spud, but the kids couldn't have cared less. Rocks were found, smocks went on, art tablecloth went down, paint was squeezed, away they went.

Ruby had a good go at turning the little coloured splodges into reindeer. She was highly unimpressed with my no-mouth-reindeer. That would never do! She converted a good patch (granted it was a pretty big piece of paper), and I finished the rest very late into the evening while enjoying Love Actually. Quite amazing how enjoyable it was transforming strangely shaped paint spots into little animals with just a few strokes of a permanent marker. You have to agree - they've got character, yes?

The good news is our potato stash was restored this morning. And there are plenty more potato stamped wrapping paper options ahead of us.

*I realise this a very loose 'how to'.. but really, I think it's pretty self explanatory!

how to :: late night, last minute christmas gifting

Got a Christmas party coming up? Need a little homemade gift for your loved ones? Or people you may not love so much but are forced to spend your workdays with who would think less of you if you didn't give them something for Christmas? Here's how you do it.

Dash to the shops late on a Saturday afternoon to collect a handful of supplies for your amazing salads you have been allocated to take to your Christmas party the following day.

While you're there, panic when you realise you haven't bought any Christmas cards to give your friends - seeing as it's a CHRISTMAS party - nor given any thought to the fact you should probably be gifting something to show them you do actually care.

Buy some little cheapo cards and clear cello bags. The important point here is to be absolutely sure you give no thought whatsoever to the fact you only have blue and white twine left at home to use for wrapping, and randomly grab a pack of cards that in NO WAY match your twine.

Call your sister in the confectionary aisle and get her to help you refresh your failing memory on the loose quantities that are involved for your chosen WINNING recipe. Reassure yourself that if you've got the wrong amounts of ingredients, you can make it work regardless. You are that good. When you get home, surprise yourself that your memory is actually useful for the really important stuff - remembering quantities of chocolate.

Plan your enjoyable evening between a festive kitchen stint and editing at the computer. Abort plans when you fall asleep putting your toddler to bed and wake at 9.30pm, groggy and disorientated.

Fight all urges to raise the white flag and head straight for your bed covers. Make a cup of tea. Tell yourself to keep your eyes OPEN.

Get going on THE BEST peppermint bark you will ever taste. (Believe me, I have tried a few different recipes and this one wins, hands down. Don't waste your time on anything else.)

While you're waiting for layers to set, do some editing.

After the stroke of midnight when you have put your final layer on, and your editing is finished, go to bed happy that you actually achieved what you set out to do.

In the morning, leave your bark out for ten minutes to come to room temperature, then try to cut and bag it without the smalls seeing you. Give up after 30 seconds when they can smell it. Like sniffer dogs. Try not to lose your shit when they ask for 753 pieces. Be kind and give them a few dregs.

Write heartfelt messages on your non-matching Christmas cards. Use your kids' fancy Christmas tree shaped hole punch to attach to your bags with your non-matching twine.

When you're bagged and tagged, eat the scraps.

Last and most importantly, feel genuinely happy when your friends are truly grateful for their little Christmas gift. Got it? Good.

My favourite re-hashing edible handmade Christmas gift