Scavenger Hunt.

I once organised one of these for a boyfriend’s birthday which turned out to be a whole lot of fun. I think they are a great idea to do with a group of friends or for a work activity and you could even have your hunt end at a camping / weekend away destination or picnic spot.

So what is a Scavenger hunt? A treasure hunt or your very own Amazing Race. Basically it is a list of clues given to everyone involved and the goal is to be the first to solve all the clues and make it to the final destination before the other players. You could make the teams up as pairs / couples or car loads, it’s up to you. To make it that extra bit competitive organise a prize for the winning team.

The list should be cryptic clues that requires the teams to solve and work out how to get to each check point along the way until reaching the final destination. So that there is no cheating along the way it is best to make sure each team has to collect some sort of proof that they have been to each check point.  They may have to take a photo or collect an item at each point. Items can either be planted by the scavenger hunt organiser or they can be pre-existing, or a combination of both.

 Some items they may need to collect along the way could include:

- A take-out menu from a Chinese restaurant
- A business card from a real estate agency
- The name of the person working at the service station
- Activity pamphlet from Hotel lobby
- A photo of a team member outside a building or with someone in uniform at that location.

You need to make sure you also give each team a map and “emergency envelopes” that they can open if they get really stuck. Make sure you tell them that time will be deducted from their final time if they open any envelopes. If you didn’t want to do emergency envelopes you could allow teams to call you for a clue if they get stuck (but time will be deducted if they take this option)

Make sure you tell everyone what to pack before arriving at the start point. (Picnic gear or weekend away gear etc) They won’t know if it’s a beach or mountain location either so you may even need to tell them what sort of clothing and items to pack.

When everyone has arrived to meet you at the starting point to collect the clues, maps and envelopes they will all need to be given the same start time. Once they have all taken off you can then drive straight to the destination place to greet the first team and take calls from anyone needing the extra help. Once all teams have arrived at your final destination you can award your prize and have a great laugh sharing stories on everyone’s adventure.

Vintage Caravan Obsession

There’s no denying it… I have a vintage caravan obsession. I love everything about them and I dream to one day own one. But for now, I’ll have to just continue with my photo collection. Last year I came across ‘vintage caravan magazine’ which is created by a couple who live in my home town of Maleny, QLD. Their magazine, website and Facebook pages are dedicated to not only showing off amazingly cute vintage caravans but are also jam packed with information on great events taking place all around Australia and New Zealand. Each event is a celebration of all things rockabilly, 50’s, hot rods, classic car, markets, live music and dancing. So if this type of event sounds like you I highly recommend checking out there sites and magazine. http://www.vintagecaravanmagazine.com.au

 Upcoming events that are taking place in and around Brisbane include:

  

Rodz, Rock 'n' Roll
 www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/pineriversfestival

Garterbelts & Gasoline Nostalgia Festival (Which I talked about in an earlier post)

www.garterbeltsandgasoline.com.au

Greazefest

www.robot.com.au
 
Here is a few of my favourite pics.

DIY Bunting Flags

I am 100% totally in love with bunting flags. They are so cute and fun looking and are really easy to make. Why not make a set for your home, garden or next celebration.  

The flags can be made from scrap material, old vintage sheets, doilies or any material you have lying around. The more material you have the longer your flags will be and remember the material doesn’t have to be the same for each piece.

 What you need:

-          Material

-          Pinking shears (Or straight material scissors if you don’t have pinking shears)

-          Piece of cardboard to make your pattern

-          Ruler and pen

-          Fabric chalk / pen

-          Pins

-          Thread

-          Sewing machine. (Can be sewed by hand but the machine is much faster and neater)

-          Double fold, extra wide bias tape in colour of your choice (Length you want flags to be)

-          Spray Starch

-          Iron

Here's How:

Using your ruler and pen draw up a template on your cardboard for your triangle pieces. 5 inch x 7 inch or similar.

Place your template about an inch from the edge of your fabric. Trace template with fabric pen / chalk. Trace around pieces of fabric until you have desired number of triangles.

Use pinking shears or scissors and cut out the flag pieces. Cut on the outside of the chalk line.

Line up your triangle pieces and place pieces into bias tape, making sure that shorter edge of the bias tape is on top. Leave about two inches between flags.

Pin flags to bias tape.

Thread up sewing machine and sew a straight line along your bias tape securing your triangle pieces in place. Make sure you leave enough room at each end to tie your flags up.

There you have it. So easy and simple yet so affective and fun.

Mexican Day of the Dead

Throwing a party and looking for a great theme? Sick of the same old 60’s, 80’s and Hawaiian parties? Well, have I got the theme for you. Mexican Day of the Dead. It’s not a very common theme so your party will be one to remember. There are lots of different things you can do to make your décor look amazing, the costumes are great and come on... who doesn’t love Mexican food.

The Back ground.
What is Mexican Day of the Dead you ask?  It’s a celebration in which Mexicans remember and honour their deceased loved ones. Though it may sound gloomy or morbid, it's not. It's a festive and colourful holiday in which the Mexican’s believe that spirits return to the Earth for one day of the year to be with their families. In Mexico it is celebrated on the first and second of November but when the Mexican food and culture is so good why not throw your own fiesta party any time of the year.

Decorations.
Think fiesta cross Mexican. Bright colours, bunting flags, paper flowers, sugar skulls, lantanas, inflatable cactus, Mexican material drapes, piñata's, skeletons etc. Why not try and make your own piñata’s like I showed in my earlier post.

Costumes.

You have to have the sugar skull make up but Mexican attire is also a must. There is also the option of a skeleton costume or Mexican attire without the face paint. Ladies, don't forget plenty of flowers in the hair.

 

Food.
This is the best part because not only is Mexican food so easy to prepare but it is so darn tasty. The best foods I think include burritos, Mexican layered dip, avocado dip, tacos, corn on the cob and sugar skull cookies. Sangria punch is also a must and why not welcome each guest on arrival with a shoot of tequila.

So there you have it. All the tips you need for your very own Mexican Day of the Dead party. I did this theme for my 30th and it wasn't only a lot of fun for my guests but I had a great time organising and creating it.

DIY Hot Water Bottle Cover

Why not recycle your old daggy jumper into a huggable cosy hot water bottle cover! It's super easy and quick to do. If you don't have an old jumper to use you can pick up some great ones at the 2nd hand stores. Here's how it's done.

You will need:
4 to 6 Cute buttons. (optional)
An old knitted roll - neck jumper.
Hot water bottle.
Needle and thread.
Sheet of newspaper.
Felt tip pen.
Scissors.
Pins.

How To:
Give your jumper a good hot wash and tumble dry to shrink it a bit. (This will help it keep its shape) Put your hot water bottle on top of your piece of newspaper and draw around the entire outline of your hottie to make your template. Turn your jumper inside out and place it on a flat surface with the roll neck at the top. (Make sure it's nice and flat and any bumps are smoothed out.)

Pin your template piece to the inside-out jumper. The top of the hot water bottle template piece (where you fill the hottie up) should be level with the top of the roll neck. Your jumper will be wider in the neck than your hot water bottle is. 

Now its time to start cutting! You need to cut your jumper in a "U" shape using your template as a guide. To cut the "U" shape, first cut around the bottom curve of the hot water bottle to match the shape of its bottom (you will need to add 1cm when you cut to allow for your seams / stitching) Next cut up each side of the template in a straight line all the way to the top of the sweater.

Now its time to start stitching! Your jumper should still be inside-out. You need to sew from the shoulder seam down each side, around the bottom curve and back up to the other shoulder seam.  Basically you are sewing a "U" shape just like you cut out.  You can hand-sew this seam with small sturdy stitches, or you can sew on your machine for a fast result. Trim away any loose ends. Now, turn hot water bottle cover in the right way out.

You can sew on buttons if you choose or if you used a jumper like my top picture with the buttons and opening already in place you can simply snip the old buttons off with care and stitch on your chosen buttons. (if your jumper was an old 2nd hand one with fugly buttons you may choose to replace them)

That's it! Your done. You can add ribbon or ties to the neck of your bottle if you choose like the following pictures or leave as it is.  Time to get cosy!

DIY Pinatas

I came across this great little DIY Pinata idea online and I just had to share. I think these would be great at any party, wedding or BBQ and they are so easy to make. The best thing about them is they are refillable so you can use them over and over again! Pinatas can be so expensive and these are really affordable. You can even make them in all different sizes.

Materials Needed: small paper lanterns, crepe paper sheets, scissors, double stick tape, twine and freezer paper.

Cut 4-6 strips of crepe paper, 1.5 inches wide.  Cut the fringe on one side, about every .25 inch, don’t go all the way through, leave a small whole strip to keep the fringe attached together.

Insert the wire form to open your lantern.  Put strips of tape around the bottom  of the lantern, like rays of light from the bottom.  Make them pretty long, and cover the whole lantern, top to bottom, for quicker results.
Unwrap the fringed strips and start wrapping from the bottom around. Be sure to press the strip down firmly to secure it to the lantern (and to ensure the tape is adhered well.)  Work your way around the lantern in a spiral, adding tape or more strips as needed, until you reach the top. Add a piece of tape to the end to finish. Fluff the fringe a bit, and you have one spunky little lantern.

Take a 4- 5 inch square piece of freezer paper and cut a circle.  Tape a piece of twine to the dull side.  Cut two slits on opposite sides of the circle, this will allow the circle to sit flat in the lantern around the wire form.  Insert the circle, twine side down, through the bottom of the lantern.  Flatten with a wooden spoon from the top.  You just want to make sure there are no big open holes where the “plug” doesn’t sit flush so the confetti (or treats) will stay in.

If you have any extra fringed pieces left, cut them up for confetti and add store bought confetti for sparkle. Fill your lantern with a good sized handful.

Hang. Pull. Party. Repeat.  No one will feel left out because you can just refill these babies and pull again! Hide a prize in a whole cluster and have your guest’s pick which one has the prize? Having a baby shower? A fun idea could be to have all white lanterns with either pink or blue confetti inside to do a gender reveal? Why not create your very own pinatas for your next celebration.