Tag: Blogging

Posted in crafts

Craft: Decorative Easter Eggs

Posted on by brightblueballoon

We have recently moved and have a number of boxes! Needless to say we have built a number of forts, stores and houses. This week we have put some of the packaging materials to good use and made decorative Easter eggs.

It took a bit of research to name the types of board/packaging materials we used but I can confirm we used honeycomb board and corrugated cardboard sheets!

Materials we used:

  • Honeycomb board
  • Corrugated cardboard sheets
  • Magazines
  • Sticky tape
  • Scissors
  • Pen

After drawing an egg shape on the honeycomb board I cut it out and peeled the sheet of cardboard off one side.

The fun followed as to the boys tore pages out of the magazines, crumpled them up and placed them in the holes on the board.

After they were finished I used some of the corrugated cardboard sheets to make a border around the eggs, which was stuck on using sticky tape.

Owen and Carson thoroughly enjoyed this craft and were happy with their decorative eggs. It was easy for them to do and they had fun ripping the paper and crumpling it.

There was little mess to clean up afterwards, in fact it all went in the recycling!

Happy page turning and crafting x

©️ Lisa Moralee McLardy

Posted in Uncategorized

Bullet journal for the fridge

Posted on by brightblueballoon

I do like a bullet journal and try to make use of one as much as possible. I am a visual person and need to be reminded of things /dates on our schedule.

I decided to try be productive this morning and make these bullet journal calendars to stick on the fridge. That way we can see our schedule and be reminded throughout the day.

Hopefully they will help us on our quest to be super organised!

What do you do to help remember things on your schedule?

Happy page turning x

#bulletjournal #organsing #organizing #bulletjourneling #tryingtobeorganized #bulletjournalforthefridge #fridgenotes #productive #productivity #productivitywithtea #tea #aquarellebrush #pilotvball #staaquarellebrush #colours #colours #schedule

Posted in Poems

Hold on tight to the string

Posted on by brightblueballoon

Just over year ago I felt inspired to start this blog and instagram account (@abrightblueballoon). I had just started illustrating the children’s book I wrote about a bright blue balloon (entitled A Wonderful Thing to Win).

I have always loved to write and its been a part of my journey for quite some time. Additionally I have always loved art and being creative, this unfortunately was put on the shelf for a while. It was something I ironically never had time for.

My children have provided me with a world of creativity and joy which has lead to a rediscovery. An opportunity to clear the dust and explore. This is a place to share and be creative. It’s not easy to allocate time to this space with little ones but I am grateful when I do manage to make time.

Brightblueballoon.com is place to share stories, poems, drawings, photos and books we love. So far I love seeing where the bright blue balloon will float to next, what will we discover and where will it be?

This is a poem inspired by the bright blue balloon journey and the pages we turn.

Hold on tight to the string

Tie a loop in the string,

hold on tight

To the blue balloon, so bright

Float up, up ,up

And begin…

Soar through journeys told,

And yet to be discovered,

Journeys far or just a step in the cupboard,

Journeys with an important date – not to be late,

Journeys to woods of enchantment or caves of wonders

Look below

Remember the things you know

Look up

Soar high

Roam the sky

Question why

Learn the reasons

Enter worlds of imagination

Epic wonders,

Unique creations

Hold on tight to

The loop on the string

Absorb everything

Take a moment,

Take many

Pause and reflect

Before you float down, down, down

Reach the last page,

With the looming full stop

Breath

It’s complete

You are still you but more

Different to before

The words stay with you

They are now a part of your existence

Let them inspire

Let them be free

Until the next journey begins,

With the turn of a page

And once more you float up, up ,up

.

.

.

Happy page turning x

©️ Lisa Moralee McLardy

Posted in Uncategorized

Craft: Mix and match robots

Posted on by brightblueballoon

This week we have had fun creating our own mix and match robots. The boys really enjoyed them and it kept them occupied for a while.

After drawing the robots on A4 paper we coloured them in.

I cut each picture into three strips and then the boys had fun mixing and matching.

What kind of mix and match characters would you make?

I think we will make aliens next 🙂

Happy page turning x

©️ Lisa Moralee McLardy

Posted in Poems

Happy Pancake Day!

Posted on by brightblueballoon

It’s pancake day, yay! This post was from last year but I wanted to share it again.

Hope you get a chance to enjoy some pancakes for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

🥘

Pancakes for breakfast and dinner too

Maybe a salad for lunch – yes that will do

Gather the ingredients there are seven on the list

Get ready to mix

2 cups of flour, 2 and a half teaspoons of baking powder, 3 tablespoons of sugar and a pinch of salt.

In a separate bowl beat two eggs and 1 and a half to 2 cups of milk. Then add to the dry ingredients and mix, mix, mix

Lastly add two tablespoons of melted butter until you have a silky smooth batter.

Heat up a pan – not too hot that it splatters.

Cook and flip repeatedly, it should make a lot.

Decorate with blueberries and banana

Don’t forget a drizzle from the maple syrup pot

Pancakes for breakfast and dinner too

Happy Pancake Day to you!

 

*We enjoy having pancakes every Saturday/Sunday for brunch. We have a few allergies in the household so we usually substitute flour with gluten free flour, butter with dairy free spread, milk with soya milk and eggs with egg replacer. They still turn out yummy and the boys love them.

Copyright (C) Lisa Moralee McLardy 2018

Posted in Uncategorized

365 days of bright blue balloon!

Posted on by brightblueballoon

A year ago I published my first blog posts here @brightblueballoon.com

I have loved being a part of the WordPress community and am so glad that the page turning will continue! Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to give advice, read, like and follow my journey here.

Have a super weekend everyone!

Happy page turning x

©️ Lisa Moralee McLardy

Posted in eBook

Book Release: Edinburgh City Festivity

Posted on by brightblueballoon

Edinburgh is a fascinating place. It’s history and creativity accompany journeys along its cobbled streets, and with every step I can’t help but feel inspired.

It’s is here in this city where I have rediscovered my passion for writing and art. .

Over the past year I have come to understand the age old saying “You can do anything you put your mind to”.

Last year I wrote three children’s stories inspired by my boys. Deep down I knew they needed to be illustrated. At first I didn’t believe it could be done but slowly over time I started to believe that maybe it could.

Many, many late nights later I am so excited to say that if you believe in yourself you can!!!

Even if the deadline you gave yourself for the beginning of December turns into the end of December and even if you end up staying up too late. You can!

My latest book was inspired by the Edinburgh Christmas Markets and the joy it brings.

Edinburgh City Festivity is available exclusively on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. It will be on promotion tomorrow for FREE download.

A Wonderful Thing to Win and Hoo at the Zoo are also available exclusively on Amazon.

As you enjoy the rest of the holiday season remember “You can do anything you put your mind to”.

Happy page turning x

#edinburghcityfestivity #inspiration #youcan #newbook #childrensbook

©️Lisa Moralee McLardy

Posted in Uncategorized

Craft: how we made our tree for play

Posted on by brightblueballoon

The tree is up and the boys just love it! The decorations to don’t seem to stay in the same place though… 

Carson (age 2) has been particularly fascinated with the tree and keeps taking the decorations on and off resulting in a few swaying moments for the tree. Enter the Christmas tree craft. We had fun making a tree dedicated for play and putting decorations on and off, on and off, on and off. You get the idea. I am pretty happy with how this turned out and the boys are enjoying it, which was the purpose of the craft.
This is how we made our tree for play.

Materials

    Cardboard
    Pen
    Scissors
    Green paint
    Paint brush
    Clothes pegs
    String
    Festive decorations/any kind of decoration (stickers, coloured paper etc).
Directions
  • After the cardboard was folded in half I drew half a tree and then cut it out.
  • A little elf helped to paint both sides of the tree using green paint.

  • We chose to paint the pegs green to blend in with the tree but other colours but other colours would work too!
  • Once the tree and pegs were dry the pegs were attached around the tree.
  • I added sting to one peg and attached to the top of the tree to hang up.
  • Lastly the boys were invited to decorate, decorate, decorate then take everything off and repeat! Owen and Carson also stuck twigs on that had fallen off the real tree. Stickers and glitter can also be added. Battery operated lights and a star we added to finish off the tree.
Let us know of you make your own tree and send a picture too if you wish.
Happy page turning and tree making x
©️Lisa Moralee McLardy
Posted in Uncategorized

Christmas baking, crafts and reading have commenced!

Posted on by brightblueballoon

While Owen and Daddy spent Sunday morning at the cinema, Carson and I made the first batch of sugar cookies (gluten, egg and dairy free). I always like to bake a batch as early as possible in the season, a few trial and errors so to speak. Pretty happy with how these turned out though. We divided the dough into three to make different flavours (plain, cranberry & cinnamon and chocolate chip).

A few years ago just before Owen’s first Christmas just we took a trip to Berlin, Germany where they have the famous Ampelmann traffic lights. We bought Ampelmann shaped cookie cutters and it has become a tradition to use these during the festive season. Cant believe that the first batch of cookies is almost finished!

In the afternoon the boys did some Christmas crafts. I cut out tree and snowman shapes out of coloured paper and they decorated them using small round stickers. We attached them to cotton and stuck them up. Owen and Carson had great fun decorating their trees and snowmen and there wasn’t a lot of mess to clean up afterwards!

After dinner we retrieved the Christmas books from storage and had a read and reread.

What festive crafts, baking or reading have you been up to?

Happy page turning x

©️ Lisa Moralee McLardy 2018

Posted in Quotes

More today means less stress tomorrow!

Posted on by brightblueballoon

We are striving to be more organised and tick the list. During this process I am learning more and more that sometimes just one more thing can make a big difference, even if it is tidying the toys before bed or organising breakfast the night before. It doesn’t have to be a big thing just something.

More today means less stress tomorrow!

Happy page turning x

©️ Lisa Moralee McLardy