May | 2011 | Gregarious Peach

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Film Friday – Newcastle

17 Comments Posted in: film | May 27, 2011

Film Friday!

This is the first episode in a series of four (yes FOUR, I am sorry!) from our trip to Newcastle last December.

I would share more with you today but I have an upload limit on Vimeo and it’s been reached Until next Film Friday I guess.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend. What are your plans?

My little sister is coming to visit and we’re going to make favours and decorations for Peach’s party next month. Don’t these look great? We’re also going to attempt something very silly but more on that another day. I hope you all have lots of fun too

xx G

Tutorial: Fairy Wings

20 Comments Posted in: Tutorials | May 25, 2011

Yesterday a reader (and old friend) of Gregarious Peach requested intructions on how to make these fairy wings I made last year and I thought it was about time I made that tutorial I’d been meaning to make!

I love our little fairy wings we made late last year. They’ve been a constant play-thing for the kids and have made easy costumes to parties. Plus, I am of the firm belief that childhood should be magical and that every child needs fairy wings. I wasn’t too taken with the cheap sparkly overly pink options available at shops and decided to make my own.

These make great photography props.

These wings are not hard or expensive to make and have been well played with for the last 6 months.

If you want to give it a go to make some yourself you will need 2 hours and the following materials:

2 wire coat hangers

1 pair stockings (preferably white)

Paint

Incense

Matches

Scissors

Masking tape or a narrow strip of fabric

Elastic (for straps – though additional stocking could also be used as pictured above)

Strong hands

Step by step instructions after the jump:

thankful for this

21 Comments Posted in: things i'm thankful for | May 24, 2011

21/100

Oh my oh my I am thankful that I am able to have a gym membership. I feel almost petty being so thankful for such a thing. But my, oh my, I love my gym. There was a time when this wasn’t financially viable for us (especially when I’d have gone oh…you know, once in a year?) and I am so thankful that I have the luxury to go work out during the day - I feel like a lady of leisure every time I stroll into my gym with my high tops on. I love the gym! My step, yoga and pilates classes seemed to be filled with ladies who seemingly don’t need to work out because they’re already so fit and the aqua aerobics class is filled with smart mouthed seniors who back chat the instructor. I love it!

Also, you know what? It’s more than how fun the classes are.

Lately I haven’t been feeling like me.

I’ve been going to the gym nearly every day of the week (and I can’t begin to tell you how much I have loathed exercise). I’ve turned off my noisy ad filled radio in the car and I am listening to quiet music that makes my heart sing. I’m saying phrases in Tagalog (Filipino) and surprising even myself. I am more focused. I can finally taste the difference between good chocolate and bad chocolate. I am less composed of fat. I rode my bike up a hill the other day and thought “Oh my god, why did I ever think this bike was crappy – it peddles so easy!” and then realised it has nothing to do with the bike and more to do with having some muscles in my legs. I keep looking in the mirror and saying “who are you!” and myself keeps looking back and saying “YOU!” (And you know what? I’ve had a lot more time to spend looking in the mirror now that I have a gym membership)

I keep thinking to myself – this isn’t me! I don’t exercise! I don’t remember anything. I don’t style my hair. I don’t have the discipline to teach myself a language. I can’t go a month without eating a single morsel of junk food. But it’s slowly dawning on me that this is me and I can do whatever the heck I set my mind to (and my bets are that you can too!).

I’ve spent nearly 3 years rushing in and out of the shower with a toddler at my heels (and often remaining there while I shower), I’ve gobbled down anything I can grab on my way to stopping the toddler removing all the plates from the cupboard. Entire weeks have gone by and I haven’t even brushed my hair (and there is only so much hiding a messy bun can do). Aside from having a friend or family watch the kiddos for an hour or two once in a blue moon – I haven’t left the side of a child in 3 years… and I mean that literally. I eat, sleep, breathe little people who wipe their snot on my sleeve.

Now I have me time and it is so, so, soooo blissful. I take our two to the child minding where some lovely ladies work. I settle them in and then FORGET THEM for an hour. I spent time feeling guilty about leaving them but then I told myself no, this is good for you and for them. And it has been.

This morning while I was bouncing around like a lunatic in my body step class and sweating like the not-yet-fit-and-entitrely-uncoordinated-try-hard I am, I felt so alive and so utterly thankful.

Community Living // Shopping for 8 – A photo essay

6 Comments Posted in: alternative living | May 23, 2011

This is the 6th and final post in our series on community living. If you missed the others they are here: - Introduction, The Hows, A Kitchen of Chaos – A photo Essay, What’s hard & What we loved

Sweetness:

Conscientious shoppers (or pretending to be)

There is some great kinship in sharing the craziness that is your spouse with another friend. I must admit it was quite a relief when Heidi could cast me a look like this and I would know it wasn’t just me who was concerned for the man I married.