Money-box

I rue the day I let my toddler go on the crappy kids' ride at the supermarket. "The airplane" has become a mild obsession. You wanna know the worst bit? I did a quick shop run over the weekend, and it's gone. Replaced by some pink jeep thing. I'll have to break that traumatic news next time we visit.

So while I'm mostly saving up for the kids' therapy, ToddlerGirl is mostly saving up for these rides. All of which is a round-about way of getting to the point that she needed a moneybox. Which needed decorating.

I know my parenting falls short at times, but I don't know whether to be worshipping at the feet of Charlie and Lola's never-seen mum, or reaching for social services' phone number. She's remarkably 'hands-off' in her approach, leading to genuine concerns she may be slumped over a bottle of gin somewhere. My fears solidified after reading "I'm not sleepy and I will not go to bed", in which Charlie's told to put Lola to bed. Which he does: giving her a bath, bedtime drink, brushing teeth, getting her pyjamas on, tucking her in... and of course, being Lola it's not quite that straightforward. If I'm honest, while my lips are pursing and my bosom is heaving at such wantonly irresponsible parenting, part of me wishes I could sack off the bedtime routine so effectively...

Charlie and Lola's from the pen of Lauren Child, and even if you don't know Lauren Child's name you'll know her style. It's that collage-cut-out-effect, with the words all wibbly wobbly, different fonts and sizes. Which I would attempt to emulate but Blogger makes all that too much like hard work. Lauren Child does capture the spirit of the 4/5 year old girl very well though. In fact, I am thinking of starting a campaign for a "Talk like Lola" day. If pirates can have their own "Talk like a pirate" day, why not? It would absolutely and completely be a very fun and goodish sort of day.

For this money-box, we were aiming at a Charlie and Lola-ish decorative effect. So I cut out a selection of C&L pictures from our magazine stash, and let Toddlergirl get busy with the sticky. I picked a cocoa tub as the lid is fairly tight and so fulfils the key function of a money-box, namely being resealable. Also, the plastic lid was such that it yielded fairly easy to my knife.

Take:
1 cocoa tub (or similar)
Wrapping paper
Selection of pictures/stickers/decoration of your choice
Blue-tak, sellotape and glue-stick
Coins!

Stick some blue-tak under the lid of the cocoa tub, to cushion the impact as you use a sharp knife to cut a slot in said lid.
Wrap the tub in wrapping paper - leave some overhang at the top to fold down and secure inside for a neat edge.
Stick decoration on.
Let toddler put coins in.
Take coins out so toddler can put coins in again.
Repeat last two steps ad nauseum...