A busy week for me this one, with a touch of madness I feel. I sometimes wonder why I volunteer myself for such things, why I choose to put myself out there so much at times. But then how can I not? How can I be a stay-at-home-mum with no employment to speak of, and not get involved with activities at the Little People's school when I am Time Rich?? Of course I can't shake my head and say no. Of course I have to jump in with both feet and get involved.
So this week finds me leading the way in organising a Mothers Day craft project with the school children. The hope is that it'll be a fun activity for them to do, resulting in a lovely gift for all those Mummies, and also a little cash will be generated to put in to the schools coffers.
I've had a few weeks to get it together with this project, but in typical fashion I don't prepare in advance and instead choose my usual fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants approach. Its OK I think, because The Idea has already been sorted. The Creative Design has been established, my ideas got a Nod at the recent PTA meeting. All I need to do is bring it all together. Purchase craft materials and the such like. Eaaaasy, no probs, I can get away with doing this oooo let me see, the day before? The day itself? I kid you not, this is generally how I operate, you would not want me on your team.
So want to see what my Idea was? Want to see the Creative Design?
Ok, well here you can see we need lots of brightly coloured card. A heart punch too.
Many, many frazzled minutes are spent cutting and punching and snipping.
Components for the Creative Design are assembled....
Hearts (two sizes), butterfly bodies and butterfly wings, all cut by hand.
With-love-from labels printed, and little cards cut and folded too.
Butterfly wings and bodies are glued together.
Butterfly wings are decorated, my-my I'm enjoying this.
Butterfly attaches to folded card with a jaunty label glued inside.
Space to write ones name, and a little x too.
Now if you pass me the selotape I can stick the whole butterfly ensemble to a brightly coloured lolly pop stick, and ta-dah!!! A Sticky Butterfly!!!
Hmm sorry, what was that?
What am I proposing to do with this butterfly stick?
Where am I gonna stick it, excuse me???
Well....into a PPP of course!!
A PPP, yes :: a Pretty Potted Primula!!!
Look.......
Don't you just think the Little People are going to enjoy making these?
And don't you think all those Mummies are going to love them?
Simple, yet effective.
Now then, need to figure out where/how to purhcase 100 PPP's.
Need to go and harass poor unsuspecting plant man on the plant stall at the market.
Plant man is very nice indeed, says I can surely pop to his nursery and purchase 100 PPP's.
And so this morning (the first day of The Project) I pop to the nursery and fill my car boot up with glorious PPP's.
I dance around with delight when I get home, opening and closing my car boot several times just to get that ker-pow effect of seeing all this floral goodness in there.
Open-Ahhhhh!!!-close. Open-Oooooeeee!!!-close. Open-ohhhhhHHhHhhhhh!!!-close.
It absolutely thrills me to bits to have a car full of flowers.
And this afternnoon, off I go to school and spend a couple hours working with the smallest class which happens to contain my own Little Lady. We successfully transform 30 PPP's with crafty Butterfly Goodness, and everyone is delighted. Teachers are wowed, children are excited, me, well, I'm both of those things and a few others besides.
Tomorrow afternoon I shall go back for more. And the next day. And the next. We have one hundred of these to get through, four more classes of children.
And then there will be The Moment on Friday afternoon, when one hundred Little People will come tumbling out of classrooms, clutching their PPP with its sticky Butterfly to proudly present to their Mummy.
Ahhhhh, I am SO looking forward to that moment, I shall have two of these coming back at me from my two Little People, and I'll be very happy indeed I expect.
xxx
ooooh, i love them so! i keep mine going year round and i nurture them so carefully. the sluglets are a problem in southern california so i spray my prims with ammonia water. not sure of the proportion, any seems to work. i just love them! jkj
Posted by: jane | March 27, 2009 at 02:34 AM
Brilliantly done, Lucy! I want to be one of those lucky recipients!
Posted by: gardenymph | March 19, 2009 at 01:42 AM
These are so cute - so springy!!
Posted by: Anne | March 19, 2009 at 12:31 AM
Well done you, it's always good to hear about parents who get involved in their children's school. When my two were younger I was heavily involved, came up with all sorts of ideas for fund-raising and we had great fun organising all sorts of events. Like most schools, there was a small band of us willing to give up our time but I felt it was so important, teaches your kids a valuable lesson IMO.I love your project, you'll make the Mummys very happy. Be prepared to spend a lot more time at the school :)
Posted by: gill | March 18, 2009 at 08:49 PM
Mothers day in England? Here in Italy its Fathers Day! I wonder why all the countries have different days for these events?
Lovely butterflies...is there one left for you?
Posted by: charlie | March 18, 2009 at 04:05 PM
How delightful! All the little people will be bursting with joy as they hand their butterfly PPP's to their proud and delighted Mums - it will surely be a sight to behold. Well done, Lucy.
Posted by: Alison | March 18, 2009 at 03:22 PM
PPP pretty perfect presents!
Posted by: monica | March 18, 2009 at 03:05 PM
What a bootful of beauty. And what a wonderful idea. I'm sure the Little Peoples of your school will love making them, and as a Mummy I know I would be thrilled to receive a handmade gift like that. Lovely too that they have the pretty flower but then the butterfly card can be saved and treasured for years to come, how thoughtful.
Posted by: Julie | March 18, 2009 at 02:08 PM
These are fabulous! The moms will be thrilled!
Posted by: Shelley in SC | March 18, 2009 at 11:53 AM
wow, they are lovely and so nice of you to do that with them ! The mums will love them, i know i would. I have been busy using your tutorial for making the jar covers today, will pop some pics on my blog later, i think i am going to get addicted to making these they look so nice. I must try the flower next.
sarah x
Posted by: sarah | March 18, 2009 at 11:45 AM
This is such a lovely idea. Lots of happy Mommys on friday!
Jackie :-)
Posted by: Jackie | March 18, 2009 at 11:17 AM
Having been talking about rainbows on my blog, I come on here and there are more rainbows!!! And what beautiful ones they are too!! A really lovely idea! Your school has a true gem in you! Keep the ideas flowing!
Posted by: alisonb2 | March 18, 2009 at 11:03 AM
what an uplifting post!Full of laughter fun and mischief!!!thats a brilliant idea for the kiddies so cute. kathleen
Posted by: kathleen | March 18, 2009 at 10:48 AM
ahh, there's nothing like having a project to get stuck into! Great idea, the mummies (and daddies in some cases) will be chuffed to bits, no doubt.
You will be seeing PPP and butterflies for weeks after this! (no bad thing)
x
Posted by: Anna | March 18, 2009 at 10:03 AM
what lovely gifts for Mothers day, I help out a my eldests school and at the nursery they both went to now and again, recently at school we did some bayeaux tapestry work, it looked fab (which reminds me I must go in and get some pics for the blog)
Posted by: Trish | March 18, 2009 at 09:30 AM
What an absolutely lovely idea! And how right you are - a boot full of lovely, flowery goodness. Brilliant!
Posted by: Lesley | March 18, 2009 at 09:23 AM
I think that there will be many a mum with a tear in their eye this weekend when they receive their flower and label. A beautiful idea, best wishes, Pj x
Posted by: pj | March 18, 2009 at 09:21 AM
Such a gorgeous idea!! I am going to hijack the whole project for my children's church class. Luckily only 10 on a good day -and as my daughter is in the class it means i will get to have one too!!
Posted by: leeanne | March 18, 2009 at 09:13 AM
Ah Lucy! What better introduction can the little people population of the world have to the world of colourful craft than your good self.
I guarantee you will have tears in your eyes when all of those children come running out of school on Friday excitedly showing their mums what they have made (all by themselves of course)!!!
Posted by: aneela | March 18, 2009 at 09:09 AM
Excellent idea and very gorgeous project!
My compliments
With friendship
AnnaPaula
Posted by: AnnaPaula | March 18, 2009 at 09:05 AM
Lucy, I am so pleased that I popped in this morning to read your blog, as my two have painted plant pots to plant hyacynths and give to the grandparents for mothers day and I need to make a card so I have pinched your idea and guess what we are making today. I will take photos later and put them on my blog. I hope your activity goes well.
xxx
Posted by: Louise | March 18, 2009 at 09:00 AM
Oh I used to love helping with crafts when mine were tiny at school. These are just wonderful, how lucky the school is to have you on their team!
Posted by: louise | March 18, 2009 at 08:35 AM
Just think of all the happiness you'll create with this wonderful idea. Well done. Brilliant!!
Sue xx
Posted by: Sue | March 18, 2009 at 07:57 AM
When I was a little girl we always received a brightly coloured potted primula at the Mothering Sunday church service to take back to our mother - there were even extra there for those adults in the congregation who wished to pass something on to their elderly mums - seeing all those lovely plants huddled together in your car boot brought that memory right back to me.
Posted by: Anne Bebbington | March 18, 2009 at 07:45 AM
what can i say lucy....a boot blooming with PPPs. That's just delightful. I can imagine you opening and reopening the boot just to entertain yrself silly. LOL!!Oh! Such fun. :)
Posted by: tien nee | March 18, 2009 at 07:06 AM