Spelling and Grammar

I've got a thing about spelling and grammar. I studied Speech Pathology and therefore I should technically know all the rules. I don't. This doesn't stop me from being pedantic about certain things.

Some of my grievances include:

- unnecessary use of apostrophes.
Plural. I picked the boys up from school.
Possessive. The boy's football gear was missing

- your vs you're.
Your is possessive. Is that your dog?
You're is a contraction of you and are. You're the one responsible for getting it right.

-their vs there
Their is possessive. Look at their dog
There is a pronoun or refers to a place. Look over there

-affect vs effect
Affect is a verb. Eating too much will affect your weight.
Effect is a noun. The effect of eating too much is putting on weight.

- spelling - check it!










Disclaimer: I'm not perfect. Apologies for any grammatical or spelling mistakes.

Craft Activity 2 - Easy peezy polar fleece scarf.

It's getting cool and everyone needs a scarf.

If a grown up does this project it can take 5 minutes but if you choose to let your child take control, this project could provide entertainment for an hour and it's soooo easy. Why not make one for every outfit.

1. Take 20 cms of polar fleece in chosen colour - there are some really cool 2 colour fabrics available.












2. Measure approx 15cm in from each edge and cut approx 1cm wide strips in from the selvedge (the edge bit of the fabric that looks slightly different to the rest of the fabric)













so it ends up looking like this:














And this is what it looks like on:















Remember that there is no need to be too careful. Polar fleece doesn't fray. Yey!

Our first of many craft activities - Felt Sunglass Case

Rather than post this on Facebook I thought that my sharing of simple kids craft activities would be bettered suited to the underutilised and little known EllaBella BOO! blog. Welcome!

The first project I would like to share is one that both my children enjoyed. Miss 6 has not completed hers as yet as she has not been well and therefore her concentration has not been so good (she's a bit like here mother in that respect).

So.....project 1 was found here:

http://www.sewtogether.com.au/1/post/2010/12/sew-together-with-children-part-2.html

Sew Together is as sewing school in Sydney run by 2 sisters. This in itself is a brilliant idea and I'm trying to convince my close friend to start one up in the South / South Eastern suburbs of Melbourne. We'll wait and see on that one.

Anyway here is a picture of the original sunglass case as made by the ladies at Sew Together:




and here are the pictures of the sunglass cases as made by my children:


I think they've done a pretty good job.


Some tips:

• use woollen felt as recommended. I think it's tougher than acrylic.
• for my 6 year old I didn't punch holes .... however this probably depends on how much experience your child has and how strong they are (pushing a needle through the felt can be a challenge)
• I did however mark dots at regular intervals to provide a guide as to where to push the needle.
• Let you child trace and cut out the shapes they would like on the case. This provides greater ownership and it really looks a bit cuter when they've cut it a bit wonky.

Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed the first craft activity. Until next time........

A lazy Sunday morning

What are we to do when Dad stayed up late watching the soccer and needs a sleep in and it's cold and wet outside? Stay in our pyjamas, play with the train set and do some crafty activities we found on the internet. I've recently subscribed to Minigaga Daily Gaga and this morning I received this

www.minigaga.com/2010/06/19/1116/

a perfect rainy Sunday activity

I'm new to this...

Wow! Who ever thought that I'd write a blog. I've been labelled 'an analogue girl in a digital world' before. I guess that's why my website has taken (let's say) a little while longer than planned. It's up and running now but there's still lots to learn and I'm sure there will be for years to come. Thankyou to all those people I have asked for help, I'll be asking again (he he).

Anyway, please visit my new website www.ellabellaBOO.com.au