a peek inside the fishbowl

11 Aug, 2012

Halo

Posted by andrea tomkins in: Easy ways to make kids happy|File under crafty|Publishing/writing/career stuff

This was my last week writing at CanadianFamily.ca. My contract is over, and although I’m a little sad it has come to an end, looking back I can’t deny that it’s been a wonderful nine months and a very fun and fulfilling experience in many ways.

Some of you might not know this but I hired my youngest daughter to be my assistant every week. She was thrilled to be earning an income and seeing our projects being showcased online in a space that isn’t her mother’s blog. We brainstormed ideas each week and she helped me shop, set up, do the craft, clean up, and pose for photos. We’ve done some great crafty projects together and it’s renewed my love for easy DIY projects, but more importantly, I hope this little experience ignited a little spark inside of her and showed her that it is possible to find good paying work doing something you love. And I think this was the most valuable part of this job and I’m very grateful we had this opportunity.

For our last column we decided to make flower crowns/fairy halos. It’s a special topic for me, because she showed me how to make them, and not the other way around. Here she is with her finished product. Isn’t that sweet?

Flower crown

If you’ve never made anything like this before I urge you to try it. It falls within my favourite category of crafts, that is, easy and quick with great results. You can read the “how-to” part over here. You can look at all of our past projects here if you like too.

Anyway, we are on the lookout to replace this with a similar gig. I’m not sure if one exists, but please drop me a line if you know of anyone who would like to hire a mother/daughter crafting team! I know the odds are slim, but I thought I’d ask the universe anyway. (A word of warning: we’re not very Martha-like. We don’t strive for A+ perfection because we prefer the process and want to keep it fun and memorable.)

So there it is.

In the meantime I thought I’d continue posting our creative activities here every week. I won’t be limiting it to the traditional idea of crafts, but going beyond scissors, glue, and crayons (although there will be some of that too). We’ll be including science and nature-related activities too. Is that ok with you? I’ve enjoyed it too much to let it go just yet.


5 Responses to "Halo"

1 | Harry Nowell

August 11th, 2012 at 12:51 pm

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When one door closes another will open! More fun coming I am sure!

I liked this comment:
“showed her that it is possible to find good paying work doing something you love. And I think this was the most valuable part of this job and I’m very grateful we had this opportunity.”

So true!

2 | andrea

August 11th, 2012 at 3:03 pm

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Thank you Harry. I know this to be true. This opportunity came out of the blue, and I know another one will follow soon. :)

3 | Nancy

August 11th, 2012 at 3:47 pm

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That comment resonated with me too. It takes a lot of courage to turn your back on a conventional job to do what you love. Congrats on doing that and showing that side of life to your child. I hope to be doing the same thing very soon. Good luck to you!

4 | Valerie

August 11th, 2012 at 3:49 pm

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Sorry to see this end – I’ve been really enjoying it. Thanks for this last one – I’ve read about girls making them, but never knew how. Can’t believe I’ve never made one myself!

5 | Anne Boys

August 11th, 2012 at 3:50 pm

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Bring on the crafts! It’s a wonderful idea!

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My name is Andrea and I live in the Westboro area of Ottawa with my husband Mark and our dog Piper who is kind of a big deal on Instagram. We also have two human offspring: Emma (24) and Sarah (22). During the day I work as a writer at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. I am a longtime Ottawa blogger and I've occupied this little corner of the WWW since 1999. The Fishbowl is my whiteboard, water cooler, and journal, all rolled into one. I'm passionate about healthy living, arts and culture, travel, great gear, good food, and sharing the best of Ottawa. I also love vegetables, photography, gadgets, and great design.

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