{oh so grateful..} for blue skies..

We've had another week of sickness in the house this week.. BUT the little guy was tough, took his ventolin without much of a fuss and we didn't have to spend any time in the hospital..

So this week I'm oh so grateful for;
• a brave little guy who is starting to understand about working with us instead of fighting us..
• blue skies and warmer weather..
• our little herb garden which is really taking off with this glorious sun..
• committing to doing what I love.. I have received some amazing news for Kasiabear this week which I can't wait to share..

Joining in with Maxabella Loves..

{quick three..} lists

{snapshot of my pinterest board dedicated to lists..}

Oh how I love lists and Oh how I have too many going at any one point. Seriously though, I couldn't imagine running my life without lists. As I mentioned in a couple of posts I have a few little stations around the house with various lists and they really do need to get moved and organised into one central location, but I operate on lists and on ticking them off.

So to jump straight into it.. these are my 3 major lists that I live by:

{1} the shopping list..
I have a little silver cash-register-roll holder that I stumbled across in a magazine a decade or so ago, and my bro kindly hunted down for me, as back then things weren't as easy to obtain online. It lives stuck to the fridge and is absolutely awesome as its so handy to add items to and then just rip off the section with the list and take to the supermarket.

{2} to do right now..
I have two glass boards, one for home and one for work that I scribble things on with a chalk pen. Super easy to add things to and rub clean so those to-do's seem to always get done as they sort of glare at me if they don't.

{3} ideas book..
To keep all my ideas in one place, I have a gorgeous book that is very compact and travels with me pretty much everywhere. I write everything in there from ideas for my business to ideas for home, craft and jot down websites I love.. seriously everything.

{image source: life's a journal}

Now this little list... I found it a little while back and have started using it, and so far, it seems to be working like a dream. I try and fill it out the night before so I know what's coming up the next day. I tried calendars and diaries but I just forget to look into them, so this might just be my answer. I've actually made my own smaller version that is easy to slip into my bag or pocket, but it has pretty much the same info on it. It even has a water count which is something I always, always, always forget to do.

So what lists to do you live by? Any ideas on what to add to this super list?

If you'd like to join in, grab my {quick three..} button from my sidebar if you like and add your {quick three..} post below.  Please add a link back to here in your post so others can join in the fun and only link up if you are joining in the quick three.

This linky will be open all week.. we're all busy so no hurry here.. For more info go to the {quick three} tab at the top..  If you don't have a blog or haven't had a chance to do a post.. feel free to jot down your little list as a comment..

Next weeks theme will be {child friendly dinners}.. This is purely for my sanity. I need to spend the time to have a look and try out some new recipes as I'm getting really, really bored of cooking the same food over and over again... I'd love to hear about what your kids favourite meals are or some links to recipes online.. 

See you next week..

{quick three..} post it notes..

I've written about post-it notes before and I'm sure I'll write about them again.. I love them!! Recently I received an email from sew many ways.. a new blog I'm loving at the moment reminding us that the holidays are coming up, which means presents, which also means the reminder of all those presents you were meaning to make for people but ran out of time. Karen has started Make a Gift on the 25th Club, which is basically a way of getting you to start on all those pressies you want to make now and pledge to make a gift each month.

I found some super cute ideas to do with post-it notes and thought that I might just make some of these for the kids teachers and friends. They can help with the simpler versions too which would be another thing to do with them on these freezing days. This week I'm also heading to a Christmas in July dinner with the girls and need to bring along a small gift.. so one of these is on the agenda for me to make before Friday.

So my quick three this week is ways you can turn the amazing post-it note pad into a little gift..

{1} a pressie for the teachers..

{2} a pressie for my friends..

{3} a pressie for the kid's friends..

{image sources from here, here and here}

If you'd like to join in, grab my {quick three..} button from my sidebar if you like and add your {quick three..} post below.  Please add a link back to here in your post so others can join in the fun and only link up if you are joining in the quick three.

This linky will be open all week.. we're all busy so no hurry here.. For more info go to the {quick three} tab at the top..  If you don't have a blog or haven't had a chance to do a post.. feel free to jot down your little list as a comment..

Next weeks theme will be {lists}.. I write many and there are many more I would love to write.. what lists do you love, what lists does your household revolve around? See you next week..

{snippets..} goodbye tippy toes..

Today started off like a pretty run-of-the-mill sort of day. My little girl had a craft/dance morning at the fairy shop with her bestie, then we went out to lunch to our favourite cafe.

A couple of years back Ella received a 'Bella Dancerella - Tap is a Snap' DVD from the girls next door. This DVD has had her glued to the TV each time it's on. She has watched it with incredible concentration and has taken in each and every word, dance move and step. So needless to say, when her teacher offered to move her up to the 5+ age group to do tap next term, I jumped at the opportunity.

Next week is the beginning of a new term and also the start of tap dancing lessons. So following lunch we headed to the dance shop to pick out a brand spanking new pair of tap-dancing shoes.

This dance world is a a whole new thing to me. I can vaguely recall a dance lesson when I was young, but it is a vague memory and that's as far as it goes. I never had an inclination to dance nor do I now, but watching my little girl dance is just beautiful, its something else.

As soon as we got home the itty bitty tap shoes were on her feet and stayed on till bath time. I think the DVD went all the way through three times and my little girl danced and tapped away to the music.

So goodbye tippy toes for now and hello tappy toes.



PS.. if you have any idea where to get more tap dvd's aimed at 4-5 year olds.. I'd love to know.

{our creative space..} papier-mache fairy mask..

It's the school holidays here in South Australia so I've been trying to keep the little princess busy while at home for the extra couple of days. Yesterday she was booked in to do fairy crafts with her little buddy but unfortunately the class was cancelled.. so mumma had to have a little sneak peak into spotlight to see what she could come up with.

One item that we've purchased a couple of times now is a little fairy mask so she can dress up like Harmony or Rhapsody.. and each time they fall apart within a couple of wears.. that dancing gig is quite taxing on the masks by the looks of it. So needless to say, when I stumbled upon a papier-mache mask that was nice and sturdy and just waiting to be glitzed up and decorated, I grabbed one for her and one for her little buddy and figured they could still do a little bit of fairy craft while at home.

It really was a simple project and although tired, they both seemed to rush through it and tackled it with ease. The girls painted the mask first and we sprinkled glitter all over it while the paint was still wet. Once dry I punched a couple of holes on the sides, thread through some thin elastic and Ella added a few more sparkles to it. The total cost of the project was less than $5 as we used paint and glitter we already had at home.

Pop past our creative spaces blog for more creative inspiration..

{quick three..} diy..

My name is Kasia and I'm addicted to DIY.. there.. I've said it!! No seriously, I am! It's on the verge of annoying to say the least. I've tackled projects that I really had no business doing, but I managed to fumble my way through them, the end result was great and I saved us a heap of money. Hence I just keep on doing things that I really have no business doing.

I made my dog a kennel, renovated the bathroom, repainted the house, paved, painted the gutters plus an abundance of little things. Every-time I see something in the shops there is a little lightbulb that goes on and a little voice that says "you could do this.. and you could do it for a lot less than that". So another project is added to the list of things to do.

I have my own set of tools which I keep meaning to spray paint pink {and I really hate pink} to stop my hubby taking off with them. I just love the fact that my kids see me doing all these things and don't categorise certain jobs according to gender. They call the shed "mums shed" and if they need something fixed they usually come to me first.

So getting to the quick three.. I've picked my three according to things I want to make in the near future that I've seen around on pinterest that just popped out at me..

{1} the daily system.. from pottery barn

I just looove the look of this little space. I have a few spots around our kitchen with a magnet board, pin board, chalkboard and hanging clip boards, but I think I really need to dedicate a wall and do something like this, so its all in one space and its the place to go to for everything..

{2} a stone alphabet.. from here.. 

I'm always on the lookout for cool things to make with the kiddos. I like LOVE the fact that Ella comes to me when she likes the look of something and says "mummy can we make this" or "mummy can you make me a dress/skirt like this" or "mummy can you print me a fairy t-shirt", instead of just asking for the item itself. It just melts my heart. It is time consuming and somewhat crazy at times, as my kiddos are just over 2 and 4 and I seem to take on projects aimed at a much older age group with them, but they love it!! AND I love the results of handmade items around our home. So this little stone alphabet is on the to do list these school holidays.

{3} utensil holders.. from sewmanyways..

This is simply genius!! I always grab a heap of paint swatches on our visit to bunnings (and we're there quite often). We use them to punch shapes out of and then the kids do collages with the shapes. They are just fantastic but this is just genius!! I don't have a party coming up but when time allows I'll start making up some of these for any occasions where we are having guest over and I use disposable cutlery.. How cute would these look in greens and browns with the new eco friendly bamboo utensils??

So what diy projects have you tackled of late or are on your to tackle list?? 

PS.. if you live in Sydney and would love to attend the Organic Expo.. Go to the post HERE and enter by leaving a comment for your chance to win one of 3 double passes. 

If you'd like to join in, grab my {quick three..} button from my sidebar if you like and add your {quick three..} post below. 
Please add a link back to here in your post so others can join in the fun and only link up if you are joining in the quick three. 

This linky will be open all week.. we're all busy so no hurry here.. 

For more info go to the {quick three} tab at the top.. 

If you don't have a blog or haven't had a chance to do a post.. feel free to jot down your little list as a comment..

Next weeks theme will be {post it notes}.. I just love these guys and have recently stumbled on so many cool ideas to do with post it notes.. what do you use them for? See you next week..

{new in my shop} personalised name prints..

I've been re-inspired recently with the redecorating of my little man's room and a couple of first birthday celebrations to do a new Name Print design.

These would make a beautiful gift for a little girl who is turning one or for her naming day / christening. Just print the file at your local print shop or on your home printer, pop it into an ikea Ribba frame and you have a one of a kind gift.

If you are a new mumma, you could also use these as name announcement cards.. I'll just adjust the file to be a little smaller.

I offer gift vouchers for my store too if you would love to give one of these prints to someone but are unsure of their colour preferences. Just convo me and I'll arrange an electronic or printed one to be sent out to you.

{oh so grateful..} for documentaries..

{image source}

A number of years before we had kids we started a collection of dvd's and a good portion of these were sets of documentaries predominantly about wildlife. They sat there still in their packaging and were the only dvd's that weren't stolen when we got broken into..

A few months back I did a huge clean-out and de-clutter and the DVDs were taking up too much space as far as I was concerned. I bought a couple of dvd albums (kind of like photo albums but for dvd's) and got rid of all the cases.. I figured if they're too hard to get to.. There'll never be opened not to mention watched.

It took about two days for the little man to find them and since that day, they are on continuous rotation. All he wants to watch is animals and predominantly snakes.. We've had a number of battles between the munchkins as Ella is somewhat frightened of the life in the wild and especially snakes, but she's getting used to them slowly. She kind of hasn't been left with much of a choice really.

It's truly phenomenal how much kids absorb from that box.. Seriously they both know so much about animals it just makes my jaw drop.

So this week I'm oh so grateful for documentaries.. I'm grateful that we build up a massive collection when we had spare cash and I'm grateful that the mongrels that broke into our house way back then left the doco's behind. I'm also grateful that my kids don't know commercial tv and are happy to stick to dvd's and abc4kids..

This week I'm also grateful for my gorgeous hubby who bought me a bunch of tulips, just because. I'm grateful that I managed to focus and finish all the new designs for my t-shirt range and got them to the photographer for a photoshoot this weekend.

And lastly I'm grateful for the opportunity to give my lovely readers 3 double passes to the Organic Expo & Green Show in Sydney.. ps.. don't forget to enter if you'd like to go..

Joining in with the inspiring, gorgeous blog that is maxabella loves..

organic expo & green show {giveaway}

If you are a regular reader of my blog you will probably know that I try and look after the environment wherever I can, I love recycling and reusing wherever I am able and try to stick to organic where possible. I much prefer natural remedies and alternative/preventative medicine than going to a GP, but do have a healthy respect for modern medicine. I am trying to instil these values into my kids, but often find it hard to keep up with new products that fit into the above categories or with new technologies that lessen our impact on the environment.

So in short.. I'm a bit bummed at the fact that I don't live in Sydney nor can I affort to take a trip early August to attend the Organic Expo & Green Show..

But on the bright side.. 
I do have 3 double passes to giveaway to those of you who are in Sydney on either the 6th or 7th of August and would love to attend...

A little bit about the Expo..

{when}
Saturday August 6 open 10.00am-6.00pm
Sunday August 7 open 10.00am-5.00pm

{where}
Hall 3, Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour

{who}
There will be a huge variety of products from fashion, beauty, food, wine, gardening, home wares and baby products. Celebrity guests this year include popular chef Kylie Kwong, who will take you on a journey from paddock to plate with her cooking demonstrations; gardening gurus Costa Georgiadis and Jerry Coleby-Williams; plus Beauty Chef Carla Oates who will reveal how to make your own skincare products at home using the ingredients from your fridge!

{why}
• Feast on a huge selection of organic food, both fresh and packaged
• Sip on delicious organic wine, beer and spirits
• Watch celebrity chefs prepare delicious meals using only the best fresh organic ingredients
• Spoil yourself and try out the latest beauty products and treatments
• Play with the kids as they pet the baby farmyard animals and pot up their own veggie seeds to take home
• Explore the sustainable fashion, homeware and building exhibitors to find out how you can live a greener lifestyle

{cost} 
General Pass $18 / 2 Day Pass $30 / Family $55 (2 x general + 2 x kids)
Concession $15 (kids 12-16, seniors & students) / under 12 free

So.. for your chance to win.. comment below letting me know what you'd most like to check out at the Organic Expo & Green show. Visit the website if you like and check out what other cool stuff there is.. 


I will draw the winners using randomorg on Friday the 29th of July.. good luck!!

{quick three..} herbs..

{image by: lisa hubbard photography}

I've been hanging out to do this post for a while now and since have actually planted a little herb garden. The kiddos joined in and a month later the herbs have all taken off and are almost ready to pick and use in cooking. So what herbs are in our little garden.. well.. there are more than 3 {garlic, flat leaf parsley, curly parsley, dill, oregano, marjoram, lemon thyme, creeping thyme, mint and rosemary}.. but my all time favourite herbs for cooking are:

{basil..} oh how i love thee.. in pasta sauces and especially in pesto.. 

{dill..} in mashed potatoes and on hard boiled eggs with a little mayo.. 

{parsley..} i love my garlic and parsley helps get rid of garlic breath so well.. i also love it in salsa verde.. 

So what are your favourite herbs to cook with.. and do you have a herb garden??

If you'd like to join in, grab my {quick three..} button from my sidebar if you like and add your {quick three..} post below. 
Please add a link back to here in your post so others can join in the fun and only link up if you are joining in the quick three. 

This linky will be open all week.. we're all busy so no hurry here.. 

For more info go to the {quick three} tab at the top.. 

If you don't have a blog or haven't had a chance to do a post.. feel free to jot down your little list as a comment..

Next weeks theme will be {DIY projects}.. what are your favourite diy projects that you have done yourself or perhaps seen on better homes and gardens and are itching to do? See you next week..

{oh so grateful..} for wet wipes..

Since having babies I've discovered wet wipes.. I knew they existed before those days but never did I realise how truly amazing they are. Their obvious purpose is ample to give thanks to the person who thought of them along with the person who invented disposable diapers.. but there are just absolute endless uses I have for them.

I wipe grubby hands when we are out, clean the dashboard and inside of my car when waiting at traffic lights, I wipe the table, highchair, floor, toilet seat and the list goes on and on. We have a box in the little mans room, one in my bag, in the toilet, kitchen and one in the car. I am conscious of the environment and do try to use them sparingly.. but they are just so amazingly handy!!

Joining in with Maxabella Loves.. pop past and check out some other fab grateful post..

{wipes case cover from: creative cuteness on etsy}