I make things, therefore I am ... Mum!

Since the birth of her children, our author Florina Schwander looks at empty toilet rolls in a completely different way and no longer only orders online from the orange clothing giant, but also from the craft shop with similar lettering. And anyway: Pinterest is the new Netflix!

When I became a mum, my life changed in many ways. But not just in the way you think now. Lack of sleep? Pah, dark circles are a good 3D effect for my eyes. Lack of couple time? Sex, what's that?
But seriously, since becoming a mum, my old love of crafting has been rekindled. And I really love it.

Do it yourself? Forget it!

I used to make fun of homemade gifts. I grinned inwardly at a craft shop that stubbornly persists in a prime location in Bern's city centre. And who, apart from hardened handicraft teachers, are the handicraft departments in large department stores for, who buys bare chopping boards to paint or countless types of «Chräueli»?

Then came the child. The first one. Who loved to play with modelling clay every day. Whose hobby was felt-tip pens. Who kept the lid of every pet bottle, every squeeze bottle: «Mum, we could make something nice with that!». Us? Yes, us.

And so it came about that I no longer just save stylish home furnishings on Pinterest, but also create boards on the topics of salt dough, ribbons and all the things you can make from small footprints and handprints.
It wasn't long before my daughter and I pasted together for the first time. That was the final straw for me. The smell and consistency of this paste took me back to my kindergarten days when we enthusiastically made a rattle out of an old light bulb with paste. Since then, we've spent every spare minute at home tinkering and delighting friends and family with our home-made creations. And I'm still secretly grinning inside at the memory of my former self and my aversion to handicraft gifts.

I grin inwardly, remembering my earlier aversion to handmade gifts.

Incidentally, when asked what they would like to do the next day, my second and third-born children recently said: «Baftle, mum, baffftle!» So I still have a long crafting career ahead of me. I'm looking forward to it!

Three of my favourite craft ideas for the Christmas season:

Ehrensache, dass ich das Bild für diesen Artikel selbst gebastelt habe. Mit den Zwillingen habe ich eine moderne Familie von «Schneemännern und -frauen» aus Lehm geformt und trocknen lassen. Sie haben für die Kopfbedeckung gesorgt, ich für den Rest. So geht das. 
It goes without saying that I made the picture for this article myself. With the twins, I moulded a modern family of "snowmen and women" out of clay and left them to dry. They did the headgear, I did the rest. That's how it works.
Der Spassfaktor ist hoch: Wann darf man denn schon in die Farbe stehen mit blutten Füssen? Für den Elch braucht es einen Fussabdruck, ein paar Filzstifte und ein bisschen Fantasie. Eignet sich besonders auch für kleinere Kinder. 
The fun factor is high: when do you get to stand in the paint with bloody feet? For the moose, you need a footprint, a few felt-tip pens and a bit of imagination. Particularly suitable for younger children.
Mein Highlight im Dezember: Kerzenziehen. Habe ich schon als Kind gerne gemacht und jetzt auch wieder entdeckt. Sorry, liebe Freunde und Familie, für den Geschenk-Spoiler!
My highlight in December: candle making. I loved making them as a child and have now rediscovered them. Sorry, dear friends and family, for the gift spoiler!

Read more:

  • Starting school is more fun with this home-made pencil case.
  • Experts are therefore calling for a return to free play for children - preferably in nature.
  • Communism in the sandpit: three suggestions for stress-free digging.
Schere, Lehm oder ebene eine Schaufel in der Hand, Hauptsache etwas Handfestes machen. Autorin Florina Schwander ist Redaktorin bei Fritz+Fränzi und Hobbybastlerin zu Hause mit ihren 2.5-jährigen Zwillingsjungs und der 4.5-jährigen Tochter. 
Scissors, clay or even a shovel in your hand, the main thing is to make something tangible. Author Florina Schwander is an editor at Fritz+Fränzi and a hobby craftswoman at home with her 2.5-year-old twin boys and 4.5-year-old daughter.

Speaking of Pinterest ...

We at ElternMagazin Fritz+Fränzi are now also involved in the image search engine and have great fun «crafting» the graphics for our articles. Take a look and follow our pinboards.

... and why don't you pin our picture and this article to your Pinterest boards?
... and why don't you pin our picture and this article to your Pinterest boards?