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Creative & Somewhat Useful
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Creative Escapes - Scheduling
<p>The isolation madness has set in and as a family who thrives on routine, we are all struggling with losing them. All our sports have been cancelled indefinitely. My husband is working from home. School holidays are in the second week and the weather hasn’t been particularly supportive of outdoor activity. That, my friends, is…</p>
Melinda Kirk
Apr 26, 20209 min read


Creative Escapes - Beer Bread
<p>Today’s activity needed to involve feeding my bottomless boys, as the Tupperware container I promised to keep full is now empty! Last Sunday I baked White Chocolate and Cranberry cookies and they are long gone! I was going to have a go at some artisan, no-knead bread (the last time I kneaded dough my arthritic…</p>
Melinda Kirk
Apr 11, 20202 min read


Creative Escapes - Crochet Cats
<p> I asked my beautiful Mother In Law to make me some crochet rounds once and instead of doing that for me, she gave me a set of crochet hooks for Christmas! Luckily for me it came with free lessons – and it very quickly became a new hobby. I really enjoy the rhythm of…</p>
Melinda Kirk
Apr 8, 20201 min read


Creative Escapes
<p>It’s April 6th, 2020 and for the last couple of weeks my little family of four has been adjusting to a life lived inside our medium sized, one living area, 1970s home. The COVID-19 Pandemic, declared on March 11, has changed life for most of the world, including us. Only my husband leaves the house…</p>
Melinda Kirk
Apr 7, 20203 min read


How to Avoid To Do List Overwhelm
<p>One of the things I hear a lot of my friends saying is that its hard to keep track of all the to TO DO THINGS and that is something I’ve had a bit of success with so I thought I’d share. My to do lists are long, seemingly never ending. Messy, never in the…</p>
Melinda Kirk
Aug 8, 20192 min read


Looking After a Chronic Illness
<p>I like to think of my diagnosis as something I have to care for, rather than something I am or have. It doesn’t define me – although its so consuming it often feels that way. Having a chronic diagnosis is like being given a badly trained, enormous, ill-tempered and exotic dog. Think Newfoundland crossed with…</p>
Melinda Kirk
Jun 11, 20192 min read


My Oily Record Book
<p>Do you have your favourite essential recipes scribbled on Post-It notes? Written in 5 different notebooks (because you can’t find the first one again when you need it)? Do you have oil information about blends, properties, how-tos and other useful stuff you want to remember pinned, tagged, stuck, torn out or scribbled in the back…</p>
Melinda Kirk
May 21, 20192 min read
The Truth About Looking After A Chronic Illness
<p>In my experience, having a chronic diagnosis is like being given a badly trained, enormous, ill-tempered and exotic dog. Think Newfoundland crossed with a Mastiff. Now imagine knowing nothing about caring for dogs, having no time to train one and living in a small space with a your family of 4. Your job is to keep it healthy, train it somehow, stop it from destroying everything, still do all your usual life stuff and leave the house dressed and with your hair brushed.</p>
Melinda Kirk
Mar 1, 20192 min read


What are essential oils & why do they work?
<p>Essential oils are plants that have been distilled into a highly concentrated liquid. They therefore contain the compounds that keep plants alive and let them thrive. In humans they support body systems, health and well being. </p>
Melinda Kirk
Feb 21, 20192 min read


Why I Started Using Essential Oils
<p>I started using essential oils over a year ago now and since then there are been a quiet, but steady, revolution happening in our house. Oils are now are our go-to for cleaning, medicine, stress relief and pretty much everything else – but why did I choose oils?</p>
Melinda Kirk
Feb 5, 20194 min read


Essential Oil Roller Bottle Recipies to Match Label Sets
<p>Welcome to Creative & Somewhat Useful! These are the recipes I recommend to fill you roller bottles with once my label sets have been applied. First, a few tips on applying the labels. They are printed on quite thick adhesive paper. To get a good application I recommend ‘curling’ the label first, before applying it.…</p>
Melinda Kirk
Jan 18, 20194 min read
2018 Christmas Card Challenge – Card 6
<p>Kaisercraft First Noel – Card 6 For the basic supplies used to make the cards in the series, and to see the instructions for card 1, please refer to post one here. Supplies: Target White Metallic A6 Card Base Two Christmas Bauble, one Heart and one Small Tag Collectable from Kaisercraft First Noel Collectables Red…</p>
Melinda Kirk
Oct 31, 20182 min read
2018 Christmas Card Challenge – Card 5
<p>Kaisercraft First Noel – Card 5 For the basic supplies used to make the cards in the series, and to see the instructions for card 1, please refer to post one here. Supplies: Target White Metallic A6 Card Base Large Merry Christmas Wreath Collectable from Kaisercraft First Noel Collectables Gold Foil Stripe, Gold Splatter on…</p>
Melinda Kirk
Oct 28, 20182 min read
2018 Christmas Card Challenge – Card 4
<p>Kaisercraft First Noel – Card 4 Supplies: For the basic supplies used to make the cards in the series, and to see the instructions for card 1, please refer to post one here. Kaisercraft Square Black Card Base Christmas Stocking String Collectable from Kaisercraft First Noel Collectables The Gold Foil paper circle negative cut when…</p>
Melinda Kirk
Oct 27, 20182 min read
2018 Christmas Card Challenge – Card 3
<p>Kaisercraft First Noel – Card 3 For the basic supplies used to make the cards in the series, and to see the instructions for card 1, please refer to post one here. Supplies: Target White Metallic A6 Card Christmas Tree Collectable from Kaisercraft First Noel Collectables Gold Splatter on Black, Christmas Tree Print, Gold Foil paper…</p>
Melinda Kirk
Oct 26, 20182 min read
2018 Christmas Card Challenge – Card 2
<p>Kaisercraft First Noel – Card 2 Welcome back! If you missed Card 1 in this series you can find it here. For the basic supplies used to make the cards in the series, and to see the instructions for card 1, please refer to post one here. Supplies: Kaisercraft Square Card in Black Large Angel…</p>
Melinda Kirk
Oct 26, 20182 min read
2018 Christmas Card Challenge
<p> Every year I search Pinterest for inspiration for my annual Christmas card making expedition and every year I am frustrated. so many of the delicious pins I find are of supplies not readily available in Australia….or at least not affordably available once you account for the dismal exchange rate and postage. Often the postage…</p>
Melinda Kirk
Oct 25, 20185 min read


How to Get & Stay Inspired
<p>5 Things to Do to Get & Stay Inspired I was recently asked to give an inspirational speech, which left me at a loss really, as I don’t consider myself inspirational at all! Despite being far too normal to be inspirational, I have no trouble getting, or even staying, inspired. I have so many ideas…</p>
Melinda Kirk
Mar 7, 201810 min read
Use Less Plastic
<p>We are big fruit and veg eaters around here and every week we clean out the crisper bin at the bottom of the fridge. Every week what we throw out most is the plastic bags the fruit and veg came home from the supermarket in. The good news is that we don’t have a lot…</p>
Melinda Kirk
Jun 6, 20162 min read


10 Things you Need to Know before you sell on Etsy
<p>I recently opened a store on Etsy and even more recently made my first sale! Getting to here took some work and a few mistakes along the way, so I thought I would share what I wish I had known before I sat down to start the process of filling in all the boxes on the…</p>
Melinda Kirk
Jun 1, 20165 min read
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