Faery Door Fun!

"You're walking alone on a gray, rainy day
When an orange kitten prances with lust
You think a while and then come to the conclusion
He was sprinkled by Tinker Bell's Pixie Dust

A laugh in dead silence, a storm in the desert
Little rabbits and deer sweep and dust
The house is clean and happy again
While we never notice Tinker Bell's Pixie Dust

You can try as hard as you want
But magic is a hard thing to rust
Finally you give up and think
Must be the work of Tink's Pixie Dust"
Author: C. Marquardt 

 
Do you adore fairies? Is it school holidays? Are your kids constantly bored? Then this is the place for you! I am going to tell you how to create your very own Fairy Doors!!

You Will Need:

You will need these items

- 8 popsicle sticks
- A sturdy glue
- Mod Podge
- Paint of your colour choice
- Scissors
- a paintbrush
- A pen

Method:
To create this wonderful decoration you must follow these simple instructions!

1. Place 6 six in a row vertically  

 

6 in a row

2. Stick glue on a 7th stick and place it diagonally from the bottom left corner to the top right corner.

3. Cut an 8th stick a little bit at the top and then in half. There will now be 3 pieces, 1 small and 2 about the same size. Place the same sized ones at the top and bottom, horizontally.

 Well done! That's the tricky part.
4. Now flip over the door so none of those sticks are seen.

5. Now to paint! If the first 3 steps were not of the kiddie's interest, this is their part for sure! You can paint any colour you wish, whether you are an adventurous little elf or a elegant fairy princess.

6. You may now wish to coat in a nice layer of 'Mod Podge' or craft glaze to give it a sturdy look.

7. I'm sure you remember that little piece of stick we cut earlier? This is when it comes in handy!
Once your door is completely dry you can paint your little "Number Plate"** to match your beautiful fairy door. Once this is dry, take out your texta, craft pencil or Sharpie and write a number of your choice on the small piece of stick. I also found it nice to write a message such as 'Elf lives here' or 'Tooth Fairy'

** = Optional
I hope you liked this small tutorial on how to make faery doors! If you did like it, and tried it yourself, you may like to post a picture of it on our 'Secret Fairy Directory' organisation on facebook!
Secret Fairy Directory


~Thanks, Ant&Mum

5 EASY Steps to Getting Started at Markets with Kids

Starting an enterprise with your kids is not much different from starting a big serious adult-like one. It's one with many steps and many lessons ;) It's also something everyone can do, even if you have absolutely no experience. All it takes is a can-do attitude!

Starting a market stall with your kids is fun, low stress (and low risk) yet with the rewards of growth, time together, meeting new people, learning new skills and of course pocket money ;)

1. Starting conversations

We started with what we know best. Ourselves. We wanted to sell to us.... Well, people like us ;) after all, that's what we know, right? It's really important for the kids to reflect on their own interests, what drives them, their shopping habits etc. It's such a great activity in self awareness. Chat about it when you go to the supermarket, look at prices, store positioning, packaging. Get excited! 

Become commercially aware. Ask questions like: I wonder how much it costs to make that item? Do I like it? Would I buy that? Would I buy more than one or more than once? Items sold in a shop are sold because they fill a need/want and make people money. The people that provide the raw materials, the people who make the product, they people who sell it, all do so to make a profit. Back to the item itself, how could you improve it?

These conversations don't need to take place in a board room during a scheduled meeting, these are idle conversations that take place whenever.... Shopping, watching ads on tv, washing the dishes..... You get the picture.

Our first stall together

2. Think of what to sell

Find a product/s that you can make together but something the kids can also do alongside you. Brainstorm together. Utilize Pinterest, Instagram and Google for inspiration.

We started by making hair clips and hair bands. To get a professional product, it does require adult input and finishing most of the time. that doesn't mean the kids don't contribute! We sewed our headbands. My daughter wasn't confident enough to sew at the level required so she watched and worked alongside me, doing other important jobs. She selected fabrics, learnt about fabric types, measured, cut and ironed. She designed the packaging, did the math (that will require its own topic I think!) .... You get the picture. 

The conversations we started in 1, they continue throughout all of the steps. Talking every part through together is probably the most important aspect.

3. Look up local markets

Most markets these days have their own Facebook page or Instagram. Look them up together, get a feel for what stalls there might be, decide whether the customers will be your demographic (though often you don't really know until you get there and do it). 

Apply for them, some require filling out of forms and a detailed description of what you will be selling. If you are selling food, make sure you have a license for the area the market is held.

4. Get creative!

Create yourselves a brand! You want to be remembered and noticed for the goods you sell. An identity! So, work on a name for your stall and a bit of sign writing ... This is fun and can be done as a whole family. You don't need fancy expensive materials, just a smidgen bit of ingenuity ;) Try and align your stall name, signs and tags so they represent your stall (e.g last year we went with a chalkboard theme, all our tags/labels and signs were black with white writing).

5. Don't stress.

Take your time, try not to 'be in charge'. Let the kids come up with ideas and don't be afraid to run with outrageous ideas. Every weird and ridiculous notion leads to one that will work ;) Also be aware that creativity, motivation, enthusiasm and cooperation will naturally ebb and flow. Take advantage of the high days, but don't stress on low days.... It's supposed to be fun ;)

Crew Member Sol

Hi my name is Sol and I am one of the technical advisers for kids do markets. I chose this position because I could not think of anything I could make and sell, personally I am not really a maker and much prefer drawing I thought about making cards but I didn’t expect it to work so I decided to be the technical adviser since I am quite good with technology. I help to edit the videos and thanks for reading.

à à à JJJJJ

Super easy Patchwork pillow How-To

So, we have our first 'how-to' video by our extraordinary girls, Jane and Skye (Frankie and Rainbow)!
They are teaching us how to create an extra easy, beautiful patchwork cushion. Featuring really simple instructions to follow this video will be great to assist young children in this amazing creation.

Please watch and share with your family, friends and facebook!

Market Review - Nook Market

Hey! My name is Antonia and today I am going to review my experience at the Nook Market in Montrose Bay.
Here is a status:

 Day - Saturday
Weather - Miserable, cloudy, foggy, rainy, drizzly, cold.
Venue - Montrose Bay Yacht Club
Attenders from KDM - Little Gems, Little Birds, Mum & Ant.

I thought, although the bad weather, it was really enjoyable. I really liked just sitting and talking and laughing. It was great. We had lots of customers that were really talkative and we met many awesome people.

We sold wheat grass!

The Scene

It was an epic help that we had a coffee/cafe stall next to our stall so they lent us a awning to protect us from bad weather.
I think 'The Nook Market' is a great, happy place to go to and I would most definitely recommend checking it out next time you're down there! The staff are friendly, the stalls are great and there is easy access to facilities and a nice, hot coffee!

~Thanks, Ant & Mum

Frankie and Rainbow

Hi I’m Skye and I am 7 turning 8 in seven days and my team mate is yummy, she is called Jane. Our stall is called ‘Frankie and Rainbow’. I like making a lot of things.

  

We got into Kids Do Markets because we met Ant and her Mum one day when we went to a Girl Guides Market. We thought they were really nice.

We started our own stall at Willow Court and Ant and her Mum asked us if we wanted to join Kids Do Markets. I was busking with Ant and we had a lot of fun. We sell beads, cards and we are starting our own screenprint pillows. We also sell Patchwork pillow Packs and I have just started to film ‘how to’ videos.

I really like getting ready for the next market and I like looking at all the other stalls and what other kids make. It makes me feel really nice being part of Kids Do Markets because you are being with a really nice group of people. 

Look out for us at the markets.

Skye

Crew Profile - Little Birds

Hi, we are Little Birds.

Little Birds is Isaac, Toby and Poppy.

We do lots of craft at home, just for fun.


Each one of us likes doing something different so we try lots of different crafts.

So far....

Isaac likes the beach and collects driftwood. He likes whittling and wood work and combines these interests and skills to make beautiful driftwood bird trees.

Toby likes to work with paper and creates all sorts of origami decorations

Poppy likes any craft she can get to. Lately she has been making cards.

We are always busy trying to pick up new skills.


As we research we learn other things like history, science, how things work and more about the world.

There is always something special about things that are home made.

For us craft is fun and relaxing.

Craft is something that we can all do together.

It gives us all the opportunity to teach and encourage each other and also to learn new skills from each other.

It is great to make something beautiful.

Thanks Kids do markets for the opportunity to share our craft and for our brilliant friends who inspire us!