Easter Cross

Easter is just round the corner, perhaps, just minutes away, or hours, or a day to go, depending on which part of the world you're in.

What do we see for Easter? Rabbits, eggs, chocolates, chicks, hot cross buns. It has become so commercialised, it's frightening.

Today I'd like to share this Easter cross with you. Easter bears special meaning for me as I remember the death on the cross that Jesus took on the cross for everyone's sins and his victorious resurrection on the third day.

The cross is made to look like chains - Jesus has come to break away the chains of sin and death.
The woven crown - That represents this crown of thorns he was made to wear.
The heart - At the very very start of it all, was love from God to save man out of sin and damnation. It was also a reminder of Romans 10:9 that says, "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
The flowers - They represent new life and growth.

What meaning does Easter bear for you?

First market for 2014

It's been a long hibernation from balloons! It's been so hot, I really didn't want to waste my time and balloons. We had a few terribly hot days, with a max of 43 degrees. I'm thankful that there're no fire in my area!

Anyways, it's back to Kuraby Market this weekend and my eldest daughter wanted to come along. She had fun on the jumping castle. Bought her a day pass so she could go on it anytime she wanted.

Some photos from the morning :

 Koala headband

Happy man hat

Dragon. The boy told me what he wanted and I made it according to his instructions. Interesting time we had together! Red head, orange horns and wings, blue body. I must admit that I am not too pleased with it, but it seemed to fit what he wanted and he was excited to fly it around!

 Flower decoration on my gazebo.

Another flower decoration on the gazebo.The original creator for this kind of flowers, called, Flowy, is an extremely talented balloon twister and instructor, Antonio Rodriguez. I've been meaning to try it and I'm glad I did! It is so much fun to add features to the flowers! You can purchase Anotnio's Flowy DVD instructions here. This is not an affiliated link, I just wanted to share the fun of making this balloon.

Christmas at the market

Went back to the market yesterday and made some Christmassy balloons.

A reindeer headband, turkey, guilt-free and sugar-free candy cane, a mini Christmas tree and sculptures with santa's hat.

 

 

The turkey and the girl with santa's hat were sold to a lady, rather reluctantly on my part. She has 2 young children. I have my pricing up on a board that says, "Balloon scluptures cost $3-$10, give as you please." She wanted me to name a price and I asked her for $10 for both of them. She looked at me in horror and said, "Maybe $3? Here says $3-$10. Children will play with the balloons and they'll pop in a few minutes." Well, if that's how much she perceives them to be worth, then there's nothing more to say.

There were also a few takers for the new dog I learnt from ChiTwist on youtube. It is very adorable and even adults walk past going, "Aww... so cute!" Strangely enough, this simple dog earned more money than the elaborately cute turkey!
      

      
Had my first go at a camel too! A little girl's request. This family never fails to buy their two girls a balloon each every time I go. This time was a camel for her favourite soft toy. And you guessed it - a camel. She even held it steady for me to have a reference! I didn't get to take a photo of it and had to make another one at home. So, here it is!

Well, here's wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and may this season bring you God's peace, love and joy!

World Toilet Day

It's World Toilet Day today. It's aim to to raise awareness and improve sanitation around the world. It was started by a Singaporean businessman. You can read all about this movement and what they do at their webpage, worldtoilet.org.

Today is also my birthday and I'd like to give myself a birthday present. So, I made this toilet seat inspired by a photo I saw on Flickr. I assume the originator is Michelle Patterson, as the photo was on her Flickr page. Anyways, here's the photo. And below, is my version.

Spent the most time getting the cover and seat arranged, because the water part kept leaking and the seat won't stay down. Had to use double sided tape eventually, but I'm loving it! :)

Market day challenges!

Interesting start to the market today. Arrived at location only to find that I was not on the list! The staff on site had to find a spot to accommodate me. That's market life for you. :) Especially for casual leases like me, it's easy to miss our booking.

Nevertheless, it was a wonderful morning. I was set up beside a coffee truck and in the fruits and vegetables section.

Had two boys challenged me to a dragon and guess what, I just made one a couple of days ago! I just simplified it for them. They sat in front of me, under the sun and watched while I made it up. They asked questions and told me about their amazing balloon inflating skills with the round balloons. This was what I came up with for them and stuck it onto a balloon stick for them to fly it around. It lasted for about 1.5hrs before the legs got pulled apart by one of their siblings.

Had a little girl wanting a balloon and the grandma said that they would wait for grandpa to come and ask for permission. The little girl got a horse and I was asked a question I never thought anyone would ask. Grandma asked where the money goes to and I was taken aback for a minute before replying that it comes to me. After they had left, I reckon I should have said that it goes to feeding my family and paying bills. Next time. :)

Made myself a poppy flower headband. It was for Remembrance Day on Monday.

A little bit of cheer and extra

Had to get some chicken feed yesterday for our new chicks and went to my favourite farmers' provider, Farmcraft, at Acacia Ridge.

Made them this sunshine rainbow centrepiece to add some cheer to the gloomy rainy day. I double stuffed the base balloons using black in white to make it look greyish.

They then mentioned a opening celebration today and asked if I could make a few more. I said I could, but ended up making them something different.

This cow bouquet of heart wands came out instead. Thought that they could hand some out to children if they like.

And I had to play around with the editing software on my phone and liked this one very much. :)

Slow day at the Saturday market

Went to my usual farmers market on Saturday for some balloon twisting and it was another slow day. But it wasn't too bad, as I was in a better spot and had more interaction with people passing by.

The first balloon I made that day was for a baby. Probably about 3-4 months old. She's such a gorgeous little one! Her parents had set up an iced tea stall diagonally opposite where I was and she was being held by another stallholder who knew them. They asked for a balloon for the little one and I made her this happy little bracelet. Mum came over later that morning with a cup of iced tea and thanked me for the balloon saying that her daughter would not go to sleep with the balloon on he wrist! She did fall asleep eventually when mum took the balloon away. :)

Then there was this mum who came to ask for a balloon car for her 2.5y.o. son. She had bags of groceries in her hands and balancing two plates of food. I suggested that she rest her arms and leave her groceries on the ground while she waits. She did, but left to buy more stuff! I was nearly finished when she came back and offered to hold on to her balloon while she puts stuff into her car. She gave me a totally unexpected answer, "I can do this, I work at Ikea!" Now, what kind of training do they give at Ikea that transforms one into an octopus? I thought that was hilarious that she associated her ability to hold things to her working at Ikea.

Being a slow day, I thought I'll try my hands at something bigger and one that I've not tried before. Looked up the internet for other balloon pictures and here it is, a balloon bicycle with ideas from many balloon twisters!

Made up a quick superman while having nothing to do. 2 balloons and a scrap for the head. The bottom one had changes made to the head, changing it to a 5" round. I think I need to steer away from the red and blue superhero. Spiderman is red and blue and so is Superman....

Hopefully traffic will be better next time. :)