You’ll need:
• templates
• thick white cardboard
• pencil
• ruler
• scissors
• craft knife
• contrasting fabrics
• glue stick
• stapler

1. You’ll need two for the house base. Place them on the cardboard, trace around and cut out.

2. With the craft knife, cut out a window (get a grown-up to help), from each house base section, only cutting down the middle and across the top and bottom. Fold flaps back so they look like shutters. Staple sections together at one end.

3. Place fabric right side down. Lay house base on top. Trace around with a 5cm overhang. Cut out. Mark where windows are on fabric and cut out.

4. Glue the fabric to the house base and smooth out. Glue contrasting fabric to shutters. Roll into a cylinder shape and secure with staples.

5. Place roof on contrasting fabric, trace around with a 5cm overhang and cut out. Glue fabric to roof and smooth out. Cut in from the outside edge to the centre, fold into a cone shape and secure with staples.

You’ll need:
• small plastic container
• potting mix
• seeds

1. Make a few holes in the bottom of the container (for the water to drain out) and fill it with potting mix.

2. Write your initials in the potting mix with your finger. Sprinkle the seeds in each letter indent and cover with soil.

3. Water well and put the container on a saucer (to catch the water) in a warm, dry spot. Remember to keep the soil moist.

You’ll need:
• string
• embroidery needle
• mix of dried fruit (we used dried apple, pawpaw, craisins, apricots and sultanas).

1. Thread the string through the needle.

2. Push the needle through each piece of dried fruit until you reach the end of the string.

3. Hang it from a branch of a tree in your garden.

You’ll need:
• pencil
• cardboard
• scissors
• tissue paper or crepe paper
• glue stick

1. Draw some flower shapes on the cardboard and cut out.

2. Tear off small pieces of tissue paper or crepe paper and crush them into ball shapes.

3. Glue the paper balls onto the flower cut-outs until they’re covered.

4. Hang them on your wall, cupboard, or window.

Warning Sign: A family member’s behavior regularly makes you feel hurt, angry or undermined. You hesitate to share more than the minimum details about your life for fear of being criticized.

Mend It: In families, people tend to revert to the same dysfunctional roles they’ve had for years (the baby, the disciplinarian, the rebel). “Be the one to break the pattern,” says Bernstein. “You know your family’s most damaging routines, so be ready for them.” Before you visit, ask a friend to pretend to be your difficult family member and rehearse. How will you feel and respond when Big Sister says x or y? Humor is useful. When criticized, make a joke instead of defending yourself. “Justifying your choices only prolongs the argument,” he says.

Avoid really hot topics. And don’t ask parents or siblings for things you know they can’t give, advises Paul Coleman, a psychologist and author. For example, if your mother constantly criticizes your clothes, call someone else to share your excitement over the dress you found at the vintage store. Mom’s reaction will likely dampen your pleasure.

Instead, try to discover what’s possible in the relationship, advises Coleman. “Changing your expectations takes feelings of hurt and disappointment off the table and makes room for other emotions and experiences,” he says. When you stop feeling deflated because Mom disapproves of your fashion sense, you may be able to bond with her by asking her for financial advice (perhaps her passion and area of expertise).

End It: “Except in extreme circumstances, it isn’t a good idea. You pay too big a price,” says Bernstein. “Family members share a history and a sense of obligation.” You can minimize the time you spend with them, though. “Visit for a few days, not a week,” he says, “and plan outside activities, like dinner with friends.” If you live in the same town, setting limits is easier in some ways. Stop by for half an hour on your way to another commitment rather than spending the afternoon. Try to bring along another person, preferably someone your relation would hesitate to be rude or critical in front of.

Continued On Detox Your Life – Toxic Work

10. You Can Help Others, Too
At Christmas, you could have a collection box on the front desk for a nominated charity. Ask a charity, such as The Smith Family or the Salvation Army, to bring in a clothing bin for two weeks, then post notices that it’s coming so residents can have a big clear-out of their apartments for a good cause. You could even organise a garage sale for residents, dropping notes about the date set and the place – whether in the forecourt of your garage, or just in front of the building – and agree that everyone donates 10 per cent of their takings to charity.

11. Create Community
There’s always a delicate balance in apartment blocks. Some people choose to live in them for the anonymity and privacy they afford. Others would like them to be an extension of their social lives. Bearing this in mind, think about whether you’d like the place to be more of a community. Those who don’t want to be can always choose not to take part, or opt out. Some blocks, these days, are self-contained hives of social activities, others just have the occasional get-together. One block holds annual art meetings to which all residents are invited, so they can all help choose which paintings to rent from an art foundation to adorn their corridors.

Other blocks have enjoyed great success with a couple of functions every year. One regularly organises a BYO Christmas drinks get-together in their gym – it can always be a difficult decision whether using body corporate funds for alcohol is technically permitted, or a wise use of precious resources. Another organises bookings at restaurants a couple of evenings during the year, with a set-price menu advertised on the noticeboard.

Ray is the chair of an EC of a very sociable building. Regularly, he organises exotic trips exclusively for residents. One year they went on a bicycle trip to Vietnam and Cambodia. Another year they went on safari to Africa.

7. Think Of Ways Your Building Can Make Money
Many apartment buildings, particularly if they’re new, can go through periods of not having much spare cash in their coffers. It’s always good, therefore, to think of ways of augmenting funds. Paid advertising in newsletters and on the website are possibilities, but they do need someone to spend time organising and supervising it. There are a number of other options, too. Do you have a tall building? Telephone companies are often looking for space on top of buildings to place masts, dishes and electronic equipment. Call around all the local telcos to offer roof space for a decent yearly rental. State roads and traffic authorities also need to place cameras on high roofs to check traffic flows. You could also be a candidate for such rental income, particularly if your building is close to any major intersections or new roads.

Another way of earning money is to offer your common areas to any local film, TV or advertising companies as good sites for filming. Location scouts are always hunting for places that haven’t been used before, so why not make their job easier by emailing photos and a description of your building? One short-cut is to register your building with a locations agency. You could also ask around the building and see if any individuals want to register their apartments. That means they earn rent – and usually the building does too, because all the cables and equipment run through common property.

Continued On Make Your Building Work For You 5

3. Send Out Regular Newslatters
Some people, especially if they drive into the building and catch a lift straight up to their apartment, may not even see your noticeboard. Other owners might live outside the building and tenants might feel excluded as the minutes are of meetings in which they can’t participate.

A great solution is for an EC to produce a regular newsletter that they can deliver to all the mailboxes in the building, and have the strata manager post out to non-resident owners, along with levy notices, to save money. The newsletter can be as simple as two sides of an A4 sheet. Often, someone from the building may offer their writing or design skills to make it look more professional. If your EC has the time, local businesses could also be contacted and asked if they’d like to advertise, paying for the entire thing.

4. Call Open Meetings To Discuss Serious Issues
The worst thing for residents in any apartment block is being kept in the dark. Owners have a right to know what’s going on in their own homes. If a serious issue has arisen unexpectedly, and writing a note to all owners isn’t appropriate, then consider calling a meeting to address owners about the problem. Many of them might not turn up, but at least they’ll appreciate having been invited. Then, there’s also no way the EC can be accused of trying to hide the facts.

Continued On Make Your Building Work For You 3