Nursery Makeover #2 Wall Stickers and Shelf Trims

Well I had a big clear out of the nursery and finding homes for all my precious stuff was hard work but finally it was done. So now the nursery looked boring and bleak.

The room needed something to brighten it up and so I bought some Decowall, Little Monkeys and Animals Height Chart Wall Stickers. I asked Grandad to put this up while I was making some shelf trims. He didn't shout or curse too much so I think it must have gone up OK. They are described as Removable, Repositionable without leaving any trace but when we tried to take it off to reposition it took the paint off. This wasn't a problem for us as the room hasn't been recently decorated and I think it will be on the wall for a long time but I would have been annoyed if it was freshly painted.

 It looked fantastic when it was done. I'm sure Bear will love it. Don't know how I'll get him to stand still to get his height though!

The shelves in the corner were old shelves from an end unit that I had reused. They are a bit tatty but too good to throw out. I had previously trimmed them with paper tape, flowers and mirrors but this was not suitable for a toddlers room so I took that off and replaced it with lovely green bunting and little train bunting to match the curtains. If you'd like to make them there is a picture guide here.

I think they are adorable and make the room really happy. I still have to decide on what to put on the shelves. At the moment all that is there is Samuel Crowe, a pirate I knitted a while ago.

Bear loves the animals.

Bear won't stand still to measure his height and absolutely loves the animals. What do you think?

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Mick the Amazing WW1 Dog

Charles John Ripsher was born in 1876 in Tottenham, London. He was the 2nd of nine children and brother to my great grandmother. He enlisted into the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers when he was 19 and was injured in Colenso during the Boer war but this is not about him it's about his dog, Mick.

This is a true story. His "biography" was originally published in the Animals Friend Magazine 100 years ago. This is my version using that article, snippets from "The Sprig" newspaper and quarantine records .

Mick was a 5 year old Irish terrier that lived with Charles and his family but was also a regimental pet to the men in the 2nd battalion. When WW1 broke out Charles was posted to the front in France and left Mick with his wife and children in Dover.

Mick was happy with that for a while but soon pined for his master and friends and somehow managed to smuggle himself onto a boat that was taking troops to the front. He arrived in France and spent a long time searching for them. One day saw his master walking with some of his Company and they were reunited but not for long. Gunfire and shells exploding frightened Mick and he ran away. He was hit in the shoulder with shrapnel and taken to St. Nazaire Hospital and nursed back to health. As soon as he was fit he got out of the hospital and found his way back to his master in the trenches at Armentieres.

A few days later the order was given to attack so they rushed out of the trenches with Mick leading the attack as he had done many times on manoeuvres. He was hit by a bullet in the leg and returned to the hospital for 3 weeks with his leg in splints. He returned to the battlefield and spent 6 months in total with the troops.

It was obviously too dangerous for Mick so he was sent home with one of the men from the regiment and arrived in Folkestone where he was kept in quarantine for 4 months. 

He was then allowed to go to Charles' sister Beatrice in London. Whilst in London he collected for the Red Cross in New Bond Street for "Our Day" 1915. He managed to collect £6 14s 5½d. Worth about £693 today.

Sadly I do not know what happened to Mick. My grandad use to tell me this story and it never had an unhappy ending so I hope he lived happily ever after.

Charles' son Charles David Ripsher was a Hurricane pilot in the second world war. His story must wait for another day.

10 Signs That a Baby Has Become a Toddler.

Bear is almost 13 months and is definitely a toddler. How can I be so sure? How can you tell if your baby is now a toddler?

What are the signs that the cute little baby has turned into a terrifying toddler?

1. Toddling

Pretty obvious really, Bear can toddle so he must be a toddler. He is so cute when he walks, arms out like Frankenstein's monster. He can step over small obstructions and step around larger ones.

But that's not a toddler, that's a baby walking. A toddler grabs your hands and pulls you in the opposite direction that you want to go.

"Lets walk to the swings" oh no, not toddler. He thinks "lets walk over there into the wet grass" or  "I want to walk down that really steep slope into the puddle at the bottom" or "I must pick up and eat that delicious thing on the floor".

2. Nappies

Oh my! What happened to the baby poo that was hated so much? Now we have toddler poo. It made Grandad retch and our eyes water.

3. Shouting

I remember the days when we all clapped and laughed at his first gurgle, at his little babbles. His first word. Well now he chats away in his own little language that vaguely resemble words and it's so cute;

Blueberry      "b..b"
Flower          "lowr"
Ball              "bol"
Book            "bkk"

Then he goes into toddler speak;

"Please may I have that?" becomes "AAHHH!!!AAHHH!!!AAHHH!!!" with a finger pointing at the object of desire.

4. Fearlessness

A baby is unaware of dangers but a toddler is fearless. Bear knows how to climb down from the sofa safely but has discovered the fun of launching himself from a lying position, off the sofa, face first to the floor. Only an outstretched hand and a perfect catch by Grandad saved the day - and Bears head.

He can also dive into his tent. A quick run up, arms outstretched in front, propelled forward with both feet off the floor. Just like a swimmer into a pool.

5.  Exploring

Baby proofing the house was not too difficult. A few pillows propped against hard corners, a gate across the door, a tent to hide the music system and all it's lovely buttons, a fireguard not to save from fire but to stop him bashing it with toys and banging his head on the marble hearth.

He can rock his tent until it topples, he can reach so much further. The oven, the hob, the coffee table, the door knobs (only a matter of time and he will be able to turn them). Nothing is safe. Soon he will discover climbing aids.

Toddler proofing! I think I'll just get a padded cell.

6. Defiance

Bear knows what "no" means. He will continue to do whatever whilst looking you straight in the eye. He can shake his head to mean "no" but he prefers to arch his back, straighten his legs, scream and wave his arms. A simple no would do.

Bear knows not to suck the pen, he sucks it then shakes his head. So that's OK then.

7. The Drop

Bear has perfected the throw. He can throw a ball or a toy or food, preferably sloppy food, across the room but only a toddler can do the drop.

Looking you straight in the eyes he holds something over the edge of the highchair and waits. It is always in the hand furthest from where you are sitting and he waits. As soon as he has your attention and you move towards him he just drops it to the floor, then looks over the edge and say's with regret "aww".

8. Helping

Helping to sweep the floor or do the washing or dust the furniture. Toddler Bear wants to help but he's rubbish at it. The broom is too big and he hits me and everything with the handle. The duster is boring so he eats it. The washing must never be in the basket or the machine it must be on the floor unless it is on the floor then it must be put into the machine. When the machine is on he must press all the buttons and then lean with his little face watching the drum go around and around.

9. Role Play

He copies everything from sounds to actions.

He can make the noise of a monkey with actions "ooh ooh aah aah ooh ooh!"
He can jump like a kangeroo
He can huff and puff like Grandad
He likes to feed his baby doll or the washing basket.

10. Laughter

If you laugh, he laughs too.

Real laughter, not just giggles when tickled but proper laughter. Laughing with and at things. The sort that you end up joining in so everyone is laughing and no-one can remember why. Tears roll down your face and you have to take a breath.

I miss the baby but I'm loving the toddler.

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Thornhill Farm Shop and Animal Paddock

We wanted to go out today but because it was very foggy we didn't want to travel far. Only a few minutes drive from our house in Cardiff is Thornhill Farm Shop. We pass it often and knew it had a shop and a cafe but hadn't visited for a long time and until I read CardiffMummySays post I didn't realise that they also had an animal paddock, free to visit for customers.

So after Bears morning nap we headed out. The lanes to the farm were very foggy and it got worse the closer we got. We were glad to have decided to stay close to home.

The car park was full and the overflow carpark was busy too. I wasn't expecting that as the children had gone back to school.

The little cafe looked really busy but we were here to see the animals and visit the shop. We walked past a small play area that looked great on a dry day but a bit damp today and onto the very wet grass towards the animals.

We were not disappointed.

There were chickens

And donkeys

And pigs

And llamas

And horses (They had disappeared into the fog)

And pigs (same pigs but just had to see them again!)

And goats

And guinea pigs

And a climbing Frame.

There was also a station to wash your hands. We didnt visit it because we didnt touch any of the animals. They were all a bit large for Bear and damp too!

Bear loved seeing all the animals and he would have also loved to have a go on the little trikes that are in the play area but it was all a bit wet today.

It's free to visit except in December when they bring the animals inside for their Christmas Experience and charge £2 per person.

We finished our visit in the shop. It sells a wide range of produce and something for everyone. Next time I think we will definitely stop for coffee and hopefully to see the views.

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Nursery Makeover #1 Curtains

Bear has his own bedroom in our house. This is great when he naps and stays overnight. The problem is that this room is really my craft room, well was!

It was OK to have it full of my stuff when he was a baby but now he's a toddler I need to make it into a nursery. I'm sure it won't be long before he's climbing out of his cot and so I really need to make the room fun and safe for him.

I had a spare pair of navy curtains that were too wide and too long for the window. Now the colder weather has arrived I needed to shorten them as they would cover the radiator and stop the heat getting into the room. This was my task for today, just shorten the curtains. You can see how I shortened them here.

While I was doing that I decided to make them narrower and decorate them to make them toddler friendly.

I didn't want anything too stimulating that would keep Bear awake looking at the curtains and decided on a train. I found my template on Sweetclipart.com. They have a variety of simple designs to choose from.

Equipment

Curtains
Template
Fabric Remnants
Bondaweb
Steam Iron
Ironing board
Pencil
Scissors

Instructions

First get a template of your design. I chose a simple train engine and carriage. The simpler the better.

 Trace the design onto the bondaweb. One side has paper, the other glue.

 I wanted my designs to mirror each other so I folded the bondaweb and traced another engine.

 Then iron the bondaweb to the wrong side of the fabric.

Cut out.

They are red but the sunlight made them photograph as pink.

I did the same for the carriages. They were identical both ways so I just cut 6 the same.

Then place onto the curtains.

Remove paper backing and press

Do the same for the other curtain. I measured mine from the hem so they matched.

As you can see the room is full of my clutter. That's a project for next weekend.

Before and After

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