Category: Parenting

Kids Ergo — the end to fidgeting at the table?!

Posted on November 25, 2019 by

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KidsErgo — the end to fidgeting at the table?! {Heather's Handmade Life}

No more crouching and kneeling on their kitchen chairs or tipping them back so far we think someone’s going to get a concussion.

Category: Activities, Parenting, Playtime, Sponsored, The Mom SceneTags: ,

Christmas gifts for tween boys are NOT EASY

Posted on November 13, 2019 by

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Christmas gifts for tween boys {Heather's Handmade Life}

Our son is almost exactly nine and a half years old. He’s very much entering TWEEN territory which means, apparently, that it is much, much harder to buy him Christmas gifts.

Category: Holidays, Our Son, ParentingTags: , , , ,

Five ways to strengthen sibling friendship

Posted on October 30, 2019 by

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Five ways to strengthen sibling friendship {Heather's Handmade Life}

I’m totally jinxing this by writing it, but our nine-year-old son and seven-year-old get along very well. Here are five specific things I do to ensure they stay best buddies.

Category: Our Daughter, Our Son, Parenting, The Mom SceneTags: ,

I’m Heather Laura Clarke. I’m journalist and blogger in beautiful Nova Scotia, I have an 9-year-old son and a 7-year-old daughter, I married my high school sweetheart, and this is the story of my handmade life.

I have depression and anxiety, and I fight like hell every day to keep it from taking over my life. Making things isn’t just a hobby — it’s part of what keeps me alive.

Whether I’m decorating a room, busting out my power tools to build furniture, getting muddy in the pottery studio, sewing clothes for my kids, or cross-stitching a swear word, I’m all about using my creativity to craft a life I love.

@HFXHeather on Instagram
I spent hours woodworking this morning and it felt great to be back at it — after what felt like months of just sewing and painting. Handmade Christmas gifts, coming right up! . . . #woodworking #craftsman #webuildpride #womenwithpowertools #allthesawdust #building #handmade #wood Once I finished my impasto flowers, I had to decide what to do next! I settled on trying another portrait — yikes — except this one is going to be in a more abstract, impasto style. . . In this week’s class I did the “underpainting” which is just laying on a base layer of colour. . . I’ve always loved this photo of my babies, back when they could both fit in a grocery cart baby seat! . . #oilpainting #oilpaintings #workinprogress #artclass #underpainting #underpaintinginprogress My painting has been safely delivered to the @marigoldcentre and will be on display tomorrow (Dec. 4) through Dec. 19. . . I can’t wait to see it on the wall. It’s called “Bloom Where You’re Planted” and it’s the third oil painting I’ve done with my class (first two were lemons and the kids, as seen in my “Oil Painting” highlight reel). . . This one is my first impasto piece, which means the paint is THICK and you can see brush strokes / palette knife work. . . I really loved making it — except those times when I cursed the leaves! — so it won’t be my last impasto. . . Scroll to see the unique way I “signed” the painting — technically the frame — using my 3D pen! . . If you’re local, go say hi to it! 🥰 . . #oilpainting #ecmmedia #painting #impastopainting #beginnerpainter #floralpainting #paintedflowers #artshow #marigoldcentre #trurons #truro Pretty sure I will never get Tchaikovsky out of my head, but it’s been an amazing #Nutcracker2019 weekend! Three shows over two days. Long rehearsals. Months of practice. Exhausting for the dancers *and* their parents, but oh so worth it to see them onstage and watch the magic happen. . . . #nutcracker #nutty2019 #gingersnaps #firstnutcracker #dancemom #dancelife Wearing pantyhose + heels + a homemade dress and hoping there are no wardrobe malfunctions! 😂 Let’s go, Nutcracker performance No. 1! . . . #handmade #handmadeclothing #sewing #velvet #christmasdress #nutcracker #cdanutty19 Sad but rad. Anxious but courageous. Always fighting for myself. . . . #mentalhealth #mentalillness #mentalwellness #depression #anxiety #momswithanxiety #momswithdepression #ecmmedia #sadbutrad #wearyourlabel #sicknotweak
@HFXHeather on Twitter
My Top Posts
DIY dog crate cover
Easy DIY sofa tables
How to sew a cozy nap mat
How to transfer photos to wood (without a million failed attempts)
Super easy quilt top for beginners
Our board game wall
DIY monkey bars
Yardzee! DIY Yahtzee for the yard
Sew a reversible circle skirt
Can you paint fabric storage cubes?
PREGNANCY blog posts
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© Heather Laura Clarke and Heather’s Handmade Life, 2009-2019. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Heather Laura Clarke and Heather’s Handmade Life with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.