kasiabear... a little bit of me

there's hope for us yet..

2012-03-03T10:52:00.001+10:30

There's nothing that brings more buzz into a household than miss chatterbox turning 5!! We had a full day of celebration on thursday with pressie opening before school, a basket of freddo frogs and lollipops for Ella's classmates, return home to open up the next bundle of gifts, a gorgeous handmedown doll house arriving from the girls next door, then an evening with close family friends, more pressies and finished off with an ice cream cake.

I'm surprised our little birthday princess managed to fall asleep that night.

So now we head into party central.. Off to a friends roller-skating party and then miss Ella's party tomorrow, I think I'm all organized finally. Finished all the goodies and thank you bags for her mates an THE cake of the century arrives tonight from the amazing Belinda from Belz Bakes. Can't wait to see it!!

BUT... THE most exciting thing for me as a mumma is the fact that our 5 year old has started eating veggies again!!! There's hope yet!!

Xx
Kasia

{us..} wow!! what a month..

2012-02-25T11:55:00.001+10:30

What a whirlwind of a month in our lil family.. My tiny girl started school, I became a school mum, or should I say 'PA to a school kid', my lil man started toilet training, I joined the gym, hubby had knee surgery and now we are heading into 'Party March'.

Ella kicks the month off with the first birthday and no kidding, I think 90% of her friends have a birthday in March. So today we are keeping cool and getting goodie bags ready for her fairy party..

Each bag is a tiny handbag and we're making tiny 'fairy sized' things to go into them, including a tiny fairy dust bottles.

Seeing I missed sharing our awesome moment of first day of school with you.. Here are a few of my favorite snaps..

She looked so cute, I could have munched her all up!!

So glad I didn't go for the school backpack!! This one looks huge enough..

Checking out her new pencil case..

and we can't forget the lil man.. He's still gearing up to be the next Steve Irwin.. There's even talk of getting a pet snake, but that's a whole post in its own..
Xx
Kasia

daddy's home..

2012-01-23T19:11:00.001+10:30

I love the smiles that appear on the kids faces the very moment they realize daddy's home. I love how they run and tackle daddy each and every time he returns.. It's warm, sincere and just beautiful to watch. Sometimes you'd think he went off to war and has just stepped back in the house after months of being away.

Xx Kasia

{home..} room revamp..

2012-01-17T16:37:00.001+10:30

It's another super hot day here and we spent the morning at a play cafe with the munchkins to keep cool.. But a play cafe doesn't stay cool for long with a million sweaty kids radiating heat and isn't so cool when they start having a melt down cause they're worn out.

So home we went to keep working on Ella's room. She heads off to school in less then two weeks so we are revamping her room a little. We've had a mass clean out and got her a little desk and today we stuck up a massive tree wall decal. I'm designing a couple bus scroll prints for the red wall and she'll be set.

What an exciting time.. She is so so itching to start!!

choose joy.. an inspiration..

2012-01-16T10:28:00.001+10:30

Hey guys.. You might have heard me talk about Ashley from Lil Blue Boo before.. She's a bit of a hero of mine and one of the reasons kasiabear started.. This was the first blog I read.. I could go on.. But you can look into this amazing persons life yourself if you wish..

I just wanted to share this truly beautiful video with you.. Still a bit teary and speechless here, but this is just a real reminder of why to stay positive, why to enjoy every moment and why to hug your loved ones often.

Rite of Passage - Shaving my Head from Ashley Hackshaw on Vimeo.

Love you Ashley!!

{my creative space..} spool rack..

2012-01-13T23:14:00.001+10:30

I am falling more and more in love with my studio.. I can't even remember how long ago I bought this spool rack, but it finally has a home. Now to fill it with colour..

{us..} air dry clay..

2012-01-13T12:27:00.001+10:30

My kiddos are positively in love with mr maker.. Apart from him making cool stuff he challenges 'mum' to play with new mediums and often results in a trip to the art shop. This week mr maker made some monsters using air dry clay and cotton tips.. Ours didn't get to the finished stage as all the cotton tips fell out before we painted them, but we DID have some clay left to play with. We made some tiny dishes with patterns pressed into them and also some little pendants. Certainly a new medium for me, but it was a LOT of fun to play with.

40 bags in 40 days.. progress

2012-01-12T15:02:00.001+10:30

The 40 bags challenge has slowed down a little, but is still most certainly happening. The kitchen has had a huge reshuffle and I am loving seeing all my spotty mugs rather than having them tucked away in the cupboard. The bag count is 28 so far.. And there is a LOT more to go through still.

40 bags in 40 days.. progress..

2012-01-08T21:06:00.001+10:30

Still full steam ahead with the clutter-cull in the house.. The kitchen was the target today and although a few bags full have gone there is still the pantry..Loving my Tupperware drawer again..

{us..} freshly picked radishes..

2012-01-07T10:51:00.001+10:30

Here is our first lot of veggies from our veggie patch..

{tee design competition..} winners..

2012-01-06T17:09:00.000+10:30

OK.. so this was a really and I mean REALLY tough job deciding on the top 3 tee designs. So many gorgeous drawings came in, and each and every one of them put a huge smile on my face. I loved watching the kiddos draw up a storm at the Mummy Tree Markets in our little kids corner. Like every competition though.. there can only be one winner and a couple of runner up prizes.. so without putting it off any longer... drumroll......

the top design

(as narrowed down by me and voted on by kasiabear fans on facebook)

the skipping girl by madelyn sparrow

Madelyn wins a $50 gift voucher to spend in the kasiabear online store

as well as her winning design printed on a tshirt.

the two runners up

(as narrowed down by me and voted on by kasiabear fans on facebook)

are

the green monster by thomas hurcombe

the lil bird by olivia quinn

both thomas and oliva win a tshirt with their design printed on it.

and although I didn't pick the following tee as one of the 3 winners

the super special little cherub will still receive a tee with her design on it..

why.. cause she's my lil girl.. my little ella bella.

i was super proud of her efforts and just had to share.

the little fairy dancing in the rainbows by ella

ps.. the little blue bits on the sides are the wings i'm supposed to sew onto the back

OK.. so onto the serious part.. if your child is one of the winners mentioned here, please email me on kasiabeardesign@optusnet.com.au with your child's t'shirt size and your postal address.

Thank you to everyone that entered, I had a heap of fun with this comp and I'm thinking I might just have to introduce an ongoing competition and announce a monthly winner of a tee. Let me think about the details and look out for them in the coming weeks.

{project studio..} finally..

2012-01-05T15:50:00.001+10:30

So.. Here we are almost 3 years on and I am finally moving kasiabear into a designated workspace.. {my studio..}. It's early days yet and a lot more that needs to be done till its just the way I want it, but it feels so amazingly wonderful to have the space to play with.

Above are a few progress shots.. When it's fully up and running, decorated and fitted out, I'll get the real camera out..

Xx
Kasia

40 bags in 40 days.. progress

2012-01-04T21:13:00.001+10:30

Love, love.. LOVING this challenge.. Instead of dreading cleaning and tidying.. I'm getting excited about filling my designated bin with junk.. I've even started photographing the full bins.

Everything that is left behind has a lovely spacious home and I know it's location. Next will be beautifying all the nooks to keep me motivated to keep them organized and tidy.

I'm sure I've mentioned {i heart organizing} before, it's one of my fave blogs and I love getting Jens emails about new projects she is taking on.. AND better still.. Jen seems to have a mild obsession with IKEA, so our decorating styles are quite similar.

I'm off to tackle another nook..
Xx
Kasia

{us..} project veggie patch..

2012-01-03T08:59:00.001+10:30

Here is the initial stages of our veggie patch.. The big boy decided that as we have a massive yard both front and back and we have awesome neighbors that we would start a little community garden in our front yard.

A couple weeks in and everything is going crazy.. We've planted pumpkins, watermelon, rock melon, spaghetti squash, radishes, capsicums, beans, tomatoes, basil, chillies, lettuce, zucchini, cucumbers and then there's the herbs.. I'm sure I've missed a few too..

I'm not taking credit for it as its been daddy and our kiddos and next door kiddos that have done all the work.. I'm just the photographer and pull the odd weed.

{us..} botanical gardens..

2012-01-02T13:36:00.001+10:30

Adelaide is somewhat.. HOT today, so we set out super early for a little bit of {us..} time to the botanical gardens this morning. I just can't seem to soak up enough of my babies smiles at the moment, and in a magical place like the gardens.. It's just bliss. Their amazement of all those little things like finding a feather, touching a giant water lily leaf and walking through a 'tree tunnel' just nourishes my soul.

A big bonus for mumma was checking out the renovated nature museum. I just adore how everything is so beautifully displayed.. It's only small, but I could get lost in there for hours. Might just have to add this to a {me..} day list.

Hope you are enjoying 2012 so far.. It feels like it will be a wonderful year for us!

Xx
Kasia

40 bags in 40 days challenge..

2012-01-02T09:07:00.001+10:30

My first challenge for the year.. Which fits in perfectly with our 'clean fest' is the 40 bags in 40 days.. Shan from Missy Melly put the challenge up for grabs and I am so so IN!!

Time to declutter this place and get ready to live a little more simply this year.

list from here

what do you do with your old mags..

2011-12-30T16:48:00.001+10:30

Since buying our house a few years ago, the one thing I missed about renting for a couple of the first years, was decluttering at each move. I then decided that the week between Christmas and new years would be called 'clean fest'. I go through each nook and cupboard in the house and shed unnecessary clutter and stuff.

When it comes to magazines, I'm a flicker. I rarely read, I just flick. I now only have a couple of subscriptions, but still manage to build a lovely mountain of them by the end of each year. It never seems right to throw them out as I just never feel like I've got my money's worth..

What I did decide a couple of years back, after spending a good few nights in hospital with the little guy, is to donate them to the women's and children's hospital. A couple of piles go to our kindy and the kids cut up a few too.. So all round, it makes parting with them a whole lot easier.

do you doodle?

2011-12-29T15:59:00.001+10:30

I seriously cannot sit still. When I'm not doing anything I am still either on the iPhone playing with photos or if the kids are doing any sort of craft or art and I am sitting at the table with them, I have my black texta and I doodle. I come up with some cool stuff but seeing there is no purpose behind it, the doodles just get tossed out. I'm no good at freehand drawing as such, as most of my designs are done on the computer, but there is just something so cool about hand drawn art and illustrations.

I've decided to doodle with purpose this coming year and have punched out a heap of shapes out of scrap paper, using some of my mega punches, and I have a stash near our table.. Meaning I'll grab one of these and just doodle on them.

Still no idea what I'll do with them.. But it will be cool to look back on at the end of the year if nothing else. So above are a couple of doodles I did today in-between coloring in with Lell.

{christmas craft..} toilet paper angels..

2011-12-14T08:34:00.001+10:30

Our toilet roll angel.. Another super simple and essentially free craft idea for Christmas.. You can make these more elaborate by using scrapbooking paper, glitter or by adding little balls for the head.. But we're working with 2 & 4 year olds at our place.. So simple is much more fun..

Xx
Kasia

christmas gifts from the kiddos..

2011-12-13T16:45:00.001+10:30

We've spent the day with the kiddos making lil Chrissy gifts for all their friends at kinder.. We did the reindeer food last year and this year we wanted to use our lil rudolf stamp.. Seeing the munchkins are really into stamping..

Very simple idea, but it was great as all of us could be involved. The lil man who is nearly 3 popped the noses in the cello bags, miss almost 5 put a handful of choc biscuit balls in the bag and I sealed them..

Then I cut the strips for the top and the lil man stamped the rush on each strip lil miss stamped the text and I staple them onto the bags..

Simple, fun and cheap..
Xx
Kasia

{tee design competition} for kids aged 0-16..

2011-12-01T16:33:00.001+10:30

We're calling all kids aged 0-16 to create a design that captures the energy and fun of being a kid.

the design brief

What does being a kid mean? design a tee that screams fun!! think childhood memories and simple pleasures of being a kid like hunting for bugs or blowing a dandelion and most importantly, HAVE FUN!!

the prize

the top design will receive a $50 kasiabear voucher to spend at www.kasiabear.com.au.

the top 3 designs will all receive their design printed on a tee of their choice.

the rules

Enter either by: a) emailing a scanned copy of your artwork to kasiabearkids@optusnet.com.au, b) dropping your entry off at the kasiabear stall at the mummy tree markets or the little apple markets, c) posting your entry to: PO Box 171, Holden Hill SA 5088, Australia.

Entries are open to all kids aged 0-16 both in Australia and internationally.

Entries close: 31st December 2011 and will be drawn and announced on Friday, 6th of January 2012 and winners will be announced both on the kasiabear blog and facebook page.

Winners will be drawn on the basis of the most creative and fun representation of what being a kid means. The judges' decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Kasia

{market debut} lollipop markets..

2011-11-21T19:51:00.001+10:30

I did it.. I survived and I loved it!! My first ever market at the Lollipop Markets at AAMI Stadium in Adelaide. Glad its not a close up pic of me, as the bags under my eyes would be quite a bit more noticeable, but the late nights and early morning were worth it.

Above is my stall with my two gorgeous helpers, Bel from Belz Bakes and Suzanne from Luminous Life Kinesiology. They helped me set up together with my friend T and then stayed with me for the whole of the market. It was amazing to have them hold my hand through it and a lot of laughs too!!

Thank you to all that popped in to say hi, purchased and ordered tees and other goodies and all the lovely shout outs I had before the day.

mr rudolf by belz bakes

my little ladies showing off some pendants

Here's to more fun market days ahead..

My two upcoming markets are:
The Mummy Tree Markets

The Stirling Angas Pavilion – Adelaide Showgrounds

Sunday 4th December (10am – 3pm)

The Little Apple Twilight Market
55 George St, Norwood SA
Wednesday 7th December (6pm - 9pm)

so if you want to see kasiabear goodies in real life and live in SA, pop past and say hi..

why kasiabear??

2011-11-08T20:49:00.001+10:30

I was asked the question..

What is your Why? Why do you do what you do? What drives you? Do your customers know this?

Well, this is my answer:

I love design and I love making things with my hands.. Kasiabear combines all my loves in a nice package. I love experimenting and pushing the boundaries between mediums. I love that if one of my kiddos want something specific I can jump on the computer and then have a tee for them with their request later that day.

I get a warm fuzzy feeling each time my girl sees something in a shop and asks me if I can make it for her rather than just wanting it there and then.

I love when my friends kids ask their parents.. "can you please ask Kasia to make xxx" for me.

I love that everyone around sees an alternative to mass production because of what I do..

Ok.. I could seriously just keep typing but you get the idea...

I just wanted to share why I do what I do..
Xx
Kasia

{product review and giveaway..} budons

2011-10-30T06:44:00.000+10:30

Oh my goodness.. was my first impression when I opened my little parcel from budons.. Oh my goodness because, how can I keep these lunch bags for myself and not give them to the kids, how can I give one of these to one kid and give another one away. What am I talking about.. well, do you you remember a craze that was around a while back with crocks and all the little decorations you could get to poke through the holes so you could personalise your shoes.. well, these guys have taken it to another level.

Its all about school kids here, I'm thinking. The hardware contains a lunch bag, pencil cases in two sizes, an A4 book binder, an A5 note book cover and a back pack. Each piece has a little punched in spots for a range of adorable, fun, cheeky characters to make home in. The characters are a nice size, so the younger siblings have less chance of consuming them but rather trying to steal them of their older brother or sister. Nice and easy for little and big fingers to pull out and push into another spot.. I think these guys are on a winner here.

Meet the crew.. I guess what really got me were the bright colours, but also these little guys.. They are cute but kind of naughty too. Not the regular fairies, princesses, blah blah blah.. but also not super naughty and violent either. I also loved reading the post from the designer of the characters over at mikoto. Too cool!!

Giveaway part..

For your chance to get one of these lunch bags and a handful of friends,

1. Like budons on facebook

2. Comment below telling me which little character you have fallen in love with.

Entries close Sunday 6th of November 2011 and will be drawn and announced here on Monday 7th of November 2011.

{oh so grateful..} for life's roller coaster..

2011-10-29T07:40:00.001+10:30

The last few weeks have been pretty amazing... I made the decision to start applying for markets in hopes to get into one before Christmas and in the end, I was accepted to two and incited to one.. My head has been buzzing with excitement and I'm having a ball organizing everything for my stall set-up. If you are in Adelaide.. Here are the dates..

Business is going great and kasiabear designs is being featured in treasuries, on shopping guides and magazines.. its just lovely to see my little idea flourish and be embraced by everyone.. Thank You!!
I've got my 'sew-jo' back and am sewing again which really makes me smile.

So this week I'd like to thank the universe for listening to my dream and allowing it to happen. I'm grateful for my wonderful customers. I'm grateful for super supportive friends and my kiddos which are loving all the fabric and vinyl scraps they get to play with.

I've been a little neglectful of my gorgeous blog.. but I'll try and pop in more often..

Overall.. I'm just happy... busy busy.. but so super happy!!
{image from }here

Joining in with Maxabella Loves grateful linkup..

{a day in the life..} Christine McInerney Percy from c percy designs

2011-10-24T10:11:00.000+10:30

Today I'd like to introduce you to the lovely Christine from c percy designs.. Christine is one heck of a crochet legend in my eyes.. taking such an old craft and creating such amazing timeless yet contemporary beanies for little ones. There's something special when looking at a baby all fresh and new in natural fibres and her beanies not only serve a purpose but also make fabulous photo props for newborn shoots. Anyhow... here is what Christine gets up to in a day..

Like most Mum’s no two days are the same. Monday’s in our house are usually hectic plus that fact that I’m a Night Owl doesn’t make Monday mornings the best day of the week for me.

My day usually starts with Miss H (2 1/2 years) climbing into our bed in the early hours of the morning and then I usually wake around 6.30 to my Mr A (5 years) asking for breakfast, he’s always been an early riser and he came out hungry. My darling husband gets up to the kids so I can have a short sleep in. Hubby makes me a coffee and I pull Miss H and myself out of bed to start the day.

Between 7.00 and 8.30 am our place is a bit of nut house. Mr J (7 years) has Aspersers syndrome, which makes life challenging especially in the morning. Mr J is easily distracted and does not understand the importance of time, which makes getting ready for school slightly nightmarish and a constant battle.

Hubby takes Mr J to school and I then get the kids and I ready for the day. My morning then checking my emails, working out what I have on today, what orders I need to create this week and checking that I’ve contacted the necessary businesses so I can produce this week’s Handmade Cooperative Sensational Six Post and Shopping Guide.

Then it’s off to playgroup. Our playgroup is a Supported Mobile Playgroup, which is run in our local park. Since moving 3 years ago this play group has been a life line, I love the fact that it is held in a park as the kids get to enjoy the fresh air, they can run around like nutters, climb tress, paint, read books, make friends etc. Plus the added bonus of having a chat with the other Mums.

Today is a little unusual as I have a biyearly reference committee meeting at the local School’s as Community Centre, Sanctuary Point Connect. I’m one of the Parent Representatives. The Centre offers an array of services to parents and children 0-8 years. It also allows groups such as our local Autism Spectrum group and Australian Breastfeeding Association to meet at the venue that is child friendly.

But wait the day isn’t over yet, and then it’s off to pick up Mr J from school and take him to his one-on-one swimming lesson. Finally its time to chill out at home, well it is for the kids.

This afternoon I’ll respond to emails, start dinner and I’ll spend some time working on the next newsletter for the Handmade Cooperative.

Once dinner is done and I’ve tidied the kitchen I usually hand the kids over to Hubby. I intent to spend 30-45 minutes doing bookwork, which includes working out what I’m going to do the next two days when the younger ones go to daycare, and I can devote my self to my business.

Finally I get to turn on the TV, put my feet up and start crocheting; tonight I’m finishing off a vintage edge that I’m attaching to a woollen blanket. I aim to be in bed by midnight ready for a busy Tuesday of creating and lesson planning – I’m teaching a “How to Crochet Christmas Stars” class next week at my local wool shop.

Thank you Christine.. wow.. all I can say is that we mummas are amazing!!

Here is a sneak peek at some of the goodies Christine makes.. but be sure to pop past her facebook page and online stores and have a nosey yourself.

web: www.cpercydesigns.webs.com

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/C.Percy.Designs

madeit store: http://www.madeit.com.au/storecatalog.asp?userid=6284

etsy store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/cpercydesign

craftumi store: http://www.craftumi.com.au/storecatalog.asp?userid=140

{free printable..} loud shirt day

2011-10-21T07:06:00.002+10:30

It's Loud Shirt Day today in Australia..

Loud Shirt Day is a fun one day event on Friday 21 October when you can wear your brightest clothes (love ‘em, hate ‘em, whatever) and raise money to help give the gift of sound and speech to deaf children. Whether you fancy stripes, florals, polka dots or paisley, as long as its got colour and pizzazz, it will be perfect for Loud Shirt Day.

I've put together all my fabric scraps and am taking them into the kids kinder today along with a couple of t-shirt templates for them to do a collage on. Just my way of getting involved and helping to spread the awareness of the day.

Here are the pages I'm taking in.. feel free to print these off and share the love. If you are a sewer, pull out your fabric scraps and have some fun with the kids.

These should print well.. but if you are having trouble shoot me and email and I'll be happy to email these to you.

{a day in the life of..} Clair Chadwick from Scissors Paper Rock

2011-10-17T06:00:00.000+10:30

Today I'd like to introduce you to the lovely Claire from Scissors Paper Rock. I recently had the pleasure of collaborating with Claire on a little project, using one of her prints that I fell in love with and has a special place on my wall and putting this image on a tee. It's the Live Laugh Love tee.. more about it soon.. but firstly, here's Claire's day..

No 2 days during each week are the same for me....which is good in some ways, as it keeps things interesting....but also a little chaotic at times :)

If you had asked me a few weeks ago, what my average day looked like; it would contain Daycare drop-offs & pick-ups and big hours working {Primary School Teacher} 3 days a week plus working on Scissors Paper Rock at nights...with EVERYTHING else then crammed into the other few days! But now...at almost 38weeks pregnant, I am on Maternity Leave from teaching, a little slower with my energy & routine :) yet also able to put a lot more time into {1} being a Mum! and {2} Scissors Paper Rock.......which I LOVE & feel most in control!

I've randomly chosen an 'average' Monday for this feature :)

Sometime between 6am & 6:30am I am woken by an energetic little 3yr old {Ella} and we begin our day. She enjoys a milk or juice whilst I savour my morning coffee {tea whilst I've been pregnant}. She watches some kid's shows on TV, while I sit next to her on the couch, checking my Facebook, emails & do some blog reading. This is when I email the Print Shop with any orders I need printed. I love this early quiet time....snuggled up with my girl :)

I then prepare breakfast for Ella & I. She sits up & eats it {while I eat mine on the go as I start to do some housework....is that naughty??}. Hubby usually wakes & arises at this time. He then heads off for a run/swim/bike-ride...then straight off to work.

While Ella eats & plays independently {finally got her at that stage/age}, I do the housework. On Mondays & Thursdays I do a 'bigger' clean {vacuuming, mopping, bathrooms, change sheets etc} but every morning the clean up consists of; put a load of washing on, unstack the dishwasher & clean up kitchen, make beds & tidy rooms, fold & put all clean washing from previous day away, hang wet washing out, do a quick dash around & attend to anything that needs doing {mop toilet floor, tidy up toys etc etc}. I then shower & get dressed. Get Ella cleaned up & also dressed.

We always head out & about mid morning. Sometimes we meet up with friends at a park. Or we go to the beach, the library, the duck pond, the local strawberry farm, an indoor playground, the local swimming pool, find a new park we've never been to before or a have coffee & a browse through a shopping centre. We may just go for a walk or a bike ride around our suburb.....or Ella's favourite "a nature walk".

On the way home, we stop at the 'Print Shop' to pick up my recent orders, then head to the post office to send them off. And this is when we run any other errands that are the 'to do' list for the day.

We head home for lunch. Ella no longer has a day nap, but this is when she'll have some 'quiet time'...watching a movie or reading books. I use this time to reply to emails, photograph any new prints, update Scissors Paper Rock's stores/Facebook page/twitter etc. I work on any custom print designs or invitations.

I then do some one-on-one play time with Ella. We do puzzles, art n craft, sometimes bake, play out in the back yard, read books, play on the iPad, do some basic learning activities such as drawing, fine motor skills or sounds {phonics}. We listen to music & dance, we play Barbies or Dolls or with playdough. Sometimes we walk up to the local park for a play {depending if we did that in the morning or not}.

I get the dry washing in and start to prepare dinner {if I didn't prepare a slow-cooker meal that morning} at about 5pm.

Hubby gets home usually around 5:30pm {he works for himself, so this time varies from day to day}. We eat dinner between 5:30 & 6pm. I then clean up the kitchen, stack the dishwasher, run the bath. Ella baths while I shower.

Ella 'hangs' out with Hubby & they play on the computer/iPad or do puzzles or watch TV together, whilst I put the dishwasher on & clean up the bathroom.

I then read books to Ella in bed & aim to have her asleep by 7:15pm!

This is when I do another quick tidy up the house, have a cup of tea {or a sneaky dessert of some sort} & catch up on any Scissors Paper Rock emails/orders/designs etc. I usually blog at night too & upload any photos from the day.

Hubby & I will then watch some TV & then take our sleepy bodies off to bed at about 10pm.

Other days of the week consist of a similar routine but with a dash of ballet lessons, daycare, catching up with family & friends, appointments etc.....as I said; no 2 days seem to be the exact same here :) And I'm sure I will have to find a new 'groove' and routine when Bub arrives...but for now, this is what works best for me & my family!

Life is exhausting.....but beautiful :)

Thank you for sharing Claire!! Here are some of Claire's gorgeous prints and all her contact info..

Blog: http://www.scissorspaperrockdesigns.com.au/read-our-blog/

Madeit Store: http://www.madeit.com.au/storecatalog.asp?userid=22221

Website: http://www.scissorspaperrockdesigns.com.au/

Facebook Page: http://www.scissorspaperrockdesigns.com.au/

And lastly... but most certainly not least.. Claire is giving away a free mini Live Laugh Love print with any Live Laugh Love tee or onesie sold till the end of October. So why not head on over to the website and have a look. These would make a gorgeous Christmas Gift, both the tees and the prints!! The print will automatically be included with your order, but you can jot down a reminder for me in the notes section when checking out.

{product review & giveaway} Vita-Weat Lunch Slices

2011-10-16T22:06:00.000+10:30

I recently had the pleasure of test-driving the new Vita-Weat Lunch Slices as a part of the Soup Blogger Project. I've always been a fan of Vita-Weats so when this opportunity came up, I jumped at the chance. I must add in here that I have a very particular taste when it comes to crackers and crisp-bread so it's pretty much a yes or a no for me, never a maybe.

My favourite Vita-Weat product has always been the Vita-Weat 9 Grain. Just a superb little snack that is full of goodness. Love it! As my little girl got to the toddler stage and was eating all sorts of food, I was always on the hunt for nutritious and healthy food that was easy to take with me wherever I went. I then discovered the Vita-Weat Grain Snacks in a multipack, my girl loved them, so they became our pantry staple. Then we moved into the Vita-Weat Grain Sticks. Tomato & Basil in particular!

There are four flavours in the Lunch Slices range:

Soy, linseed & sesame
Sunflower, oats & chia
Sunflower, pumpkin & canola

Poppy, sunflower & rye

When I received the packs of the new Vita-Weat Lunch Slices I automatically thought this would be our natural family progression as now my kids are that bit older. I got to try out the slices over a few days for lunch in my own serenity with a variety of toppings and I must say.. the taste and texture of each flavour was great. They're much softer in texture than the 9 Grain. The size lets you pack more toppings on and experiment with the combinations. They stay together much better than I thought they would so you don't end up with everything on your lap and two slices are really quite satisfying.

I love the packaging and love the fact that they are in two separate sealed bags inside, meaning that you don't have to rush to finish the box.

I served them up on a couple of occasions when friends came to visit and the reaction to the taste was great, but as a party or get together food I could tell it was a little cumbersome as a plate was most certainly needed, which made running around after kids a little tricky. So I guess, as the name suggests, it really is a Lunch Slice rather than a party cracker.. oops on my behalf.

I served the Lunch Slices up for my kids on a number of occasions, but the outcome was a little disappointing. They were way too big for them and even with simple toppings like vegemite and cheese, just didn't get eaten. I did kind of hope for that progression to the Lunch Slices as I don't love having too many open packs of crisp type bread in the pantry at once. But the progression might just need to wait a little. The visible seeds, which put a big smile on my face when I saw them, kind of had the opposite reaction with the little ones.

So my verdict so far is that I love them as a WAHM, as I can add fresh toppings to them just before eating them, but the fam's not with me on this one. I can't pack them filled with goodies for hubby for lunch and him juggling cans of tuna when out an about would just be too messy. I still think my #1 favourite Vita-Weat 9 Grain is a much better option for a mum's group get together. The size is just much easier to manage. It's something that will definitely have a home in our pantry however, and I guess I'll just need to rotate the flavours until someone else joins me.

I'll keep testing these guys out though, and will be back to share some of my favourite toppings soon. Till then, I'd love to share the love with you, my lovely readers, and give you a chance to try these Lunch Slices yourself by winning this fab hamper full of goodies.

For your chance to win, simply leave a comment with a topping that you'd love to try out on the Vita-Weat Lunch Slices. The winner will be drawn on Monday 24th of October 2011. Each new topping suggestion gets you an additional entry, so get commenting and don't forget to check back here next week to see if you're the winner.

{a day in the life of..} Shan Sheard from missy melly & melly boys

2011-10-10T15:20:00.001+10:30

Today I'd like to introduce you to an amazing woman and friend of mine Shan Sheard, owner and designer of Missy Melly and Melly Boys as well as owner of Absolute Balance Acupuncture. So lets pop over to Shan's house and see what she gets up to in a day...

Upat 5-5:30am, my girls like to get the worm..
Coffee/teafor me and milk for the girls while I make all the beds, empty the dishwasherand hang out the washing
Playingfor a little while
Checkemails/orders and add to my to do list while the girls eat breakfast
Housework– I try and get a quick job done now
Breakfastand a shower
Getthe girls dressed
Decidewhat we’re doing for the morning and then out for an outing/errands/shopping –we always do something during the day like go for a walk, go to the park, orthe beach, feed the ducks, playgroup
Lunch
Thegirls will have some quiet time/watch a DVD/listen to aCD/drawing/painting/playdough/reading while I do some sewing or cutting out
Moreplaying
Housework,bring in the washing and put it away
Getdinner started - the girls always“help” out in the kitchen
Outfor a walk when hubby gets home
Dinner
Baththe girls and tidy up
Readthem some stories
Settlethem to bed
Puton the dishwasher and washing machine
Acuppa with my hubby
Sewing/cuttingout fabrics
Alittle TV while I pack orders ready for posting
Bed– aaahhhhhh

Here is a little taste of this years Spring/Summer range... stunning fabrics, beautiful timeless lines and oh my.. what gorgeous cherubs!! Love your work lovely lady!!

web: www.missymelly.com

facebook: www.facebook.com/missymellyFB

blog: absolutebalanceacupuncture.blogspot.com

{a day in the life of..} Suzanne Leonard from Luminous Life Kinesiology

2011-10-03T06:00:00.000+10:30

The concept for Luminous Life wascreated from the idea that everyone deserves to reach their full potential inlife - whatever they choose that to be.

For every person this is different -some of us want to help others, some of us want to achieve great things insport, or at work, some of us want to simply relax and enjoy the things aroundus. Whatever you would like to do in your life - we believe its possible! Itmay seem hard sometimes, and trust me; we've all been there. But ultimately, webelieve that if you can clear away any obstacles in your path you will achieveall the things you dream of, and even more.

Luminous Life's philosophy is built on theunderstanding that we create the life we live. So if there are obstacles, wecan learn to release them, even when they seem insurmountable.

Kinesiology is one tool that helps toclear these obstacles, and travel forward to the life we really want to lead -a luminous life.

Web: http://www.luminouslife.com.au

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Luminous-Life-Kinesiology/222322091127175

The luminous kinesiology room in Stirling, SA

So here is Suzanne's day..

6:15am alarm goes off: prise my eyes open enough to find the ovulation thermometer on the bedside table and then, if I'm really lucky, put it in my mouth without waking myself up with some kind of bizarre stabbing.

6:30am realise I'm still in bed, probably with thermometer hanging out of my mouth (attractively of course), and slowly navigate my way out from under my almost conscious, impossibly heavy and angular (knees and elbows simultaneously sticking into me) 4 yr old WITHOUT waking her.

6:40am try again to navigate my way out from under aforementioned almost conscious 4yr old, who now has fistful of my hair (in her sleep) unconsciously trying to keep me nearby until she is ready to wake up. Wondering just when exactly she arrived in my bed anyway???

6:45am sit on floor collecting my thoughts as I realise I've managed to escape Houdini-like from octopus girl, whom I should also mention at this point, is impossibly cute and loveable.

6:47am decide whether to go for a walk, or attempt Zumba in the lounge room in vague attempt to get fit.

6:50am decide Zumba is safer as have spent soooo long getting out of bed that my walk would need to be a quick sprint to allow me to get home before hubby has to leave for work. At least this way, if Impossible Cuteness sleeps in I can squeeze in some extra time sweating to a barely audible (try not to wake Cuteness) Zumba.

7:30am after happily sweating away for at least 30 mins, and breathily (but of course somehow very sexily) waving goodbye to hubby on his way out the door, frantically realise that Cuteness will be awake any minute and I haven't yet made breakfast, let alone lunch, and Oh Sh@t, forgot to put out the washing before bed last night, so now have to frantically blow dry some undies with the hair dryer.

7:35am Yells of "mummy" from the bedroom: More panicking sets in…how did I get so distracted exercising (this has NEVER happened before – normally I'm watching the clock willing it to be over so I can open the choc biscuits without feeling guilty). Now I have to multi task – something I SWEAR I was GREAT at before Impossible Cuteness descended into my life – spend quality time with my Cuteness, whilst sneakily getting her dressed in those now dried undies and somehow allowing her to choose her own clothes without actually letting her out the house in the woolly leggings and layer upon layer of summer dresses that she wants to wear to school today. Oh, wait, did I say school….No Mummy, I DON'T WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL.

7:50am Managed to avoid the whole going to school conversation, and decided upon a boiled egg and pencils/soldiers for breakfast (an all time fav as next to no preparation and can make lunches while egg is cooking). Very glad to have loads of leftovers from a party the day before – making lunches easy and creative all at the same time. Am starting to feel speedy and back on track again ☺

8:00am Wow, I've managed to actually have us sitting down to eat breakfast together with minimum effort – would be feeling like supermum, but only one of us has clothes on (I'll leave that to your imagination).

8:20am UhOh, time has gotten away again….stand at kitchen counter taking what feels like a truckload of vitamins (thanks to my lovely naturopath who is helping me get fit and healthy again). Race off to have the world's fastest shower, using the time to plan what to wear today and wish I was one of those organised people who planned the night before).

8:25am Race out of shower so fast that I air dry (who has time for a towel?!), and discover Impossible Cuteness is digging in the backyard looking for the bug she caught last week at school and brought home to our house to breed (where does a 4 yr old learn about breeding??)

8:30am recommence negotiations about going to preschool. Trying to be positive and patient, don't want to create a "thing" about school whilst we're still at preschool stage….but inwardly starting to panic again as have a client to get to and a long drive fraught with semitrailers and scarily slow drivers designed to induce roadrage

8:40am Ok, so we're all dressed, but Impossible Cuteness has disappeared again – this time to the toilet. Uh Oh, its going to be a long wait.

8:50am standing semi-patiently on one foot, holding ESR points (special kinesiology trick that is a must have for all mums), to enable remaining calm in the face of running late for not only school, but work as well, due to the world's longest bathroom break. Make mental note to enforce more water into Impossible Cuteness' diet.

8:55am finally in car with assortment of laptop bags, lunch bags, school bags, library bags, coats, umbrellas….plus a helium balloon for show and tell, food for the rabbits and some leftover party cupcakes to share at school (a "mummy's on a detox so don't allow sugar anywhere nearby strategy").

9:25am having battled semi trailers and assorted nana-drivers, played countless games of "I Spy – 4 yr old version", seen how far we can count before mummy ~~goes insane~~ finds something else educational and meaningful to distract on the long car trip with, we arrive at school, only 10 minutes late.

9:45am Miraculously, Impossible Cuteness is happy to wave goodbye, busy feeding the rabbits with radish leaves mummy is now VERY pleased to have juggled out to the car this morning on top of the laptop bag (even though I realise later than one has somehow made it into my hair, and not one single person at school, the local café or the queue at the ATM was brave enough to mention – ok…so maybe I always look this scary in the morning).

9:50am pull up at local favourite café to buy quick celebratory coffee before starting work (after all – did manage to do Zumba, make a healthy lunch for all, including rabbits, get to school intact, altho a little late, with no tears from anyone), before realising have a completely empty purse, having left the last of the weekly budget cash in dressing gown pocket. Quick sob, then after remembering that first client appointment of the day has been rescheduled, justification to drive to next suburb to go to ATM and buy coffee – totally justified, right, besides, surely one coffee won't kill the detox (especially considering the party food that must've done way more damage yesterday)?

10:20am OMG did I really waste 30 mins on a roadtrip to buy coffee that I'm not even meant to be drinking on this detox? Try not to calculate the amount of money lost in not working (I get paid by the hour after all). Rush up to my office. Start work.

10:45am Remote balance for client –yes, this is as weird as it sounds.

11:45am Having a wonderful time working on a client, but getting a little confused trying to look up complicated neurochemical pathways on medical websites on the iPhone!! Note to self – MUST get proper internet connection at work as soon as can afford. Why oh why doesn't the standard Anatomy and Physiology text book (that I paid a fortune for) not have this info in it when I need it? Wondering if other kinesiologists have such complex (altho fascinating and wonderful) clients.

12:45pm Finished session for client. Feeling very proud as was very detailed and complex and hopefully will produce wonderful results. Email balance notes to client. Fill in timesheet and realise that even though Impossible Cuteness has been at school since 9:15 (well, could've been at school by then if we'd moved a little faster in the morning), and its now almost 1pm, I have actually only worked 1 billable hour. Determined to power through corporate consulting work for rest of morning (no other kinesi clients today).

1:00pm Landlord/neighbour at work pops in for chat – lovely and useful (after all, I do need to let her know that the toilet's running again) but not billable.

1:15pm OK…focus…get some billable work done

1:20pm phone call from complete stranger wanting me to help with her homework??!! Hmm…was that for real? I should mention here, this was a grown woman, not a teenager who wouldn't know where else to get the information from. Considering being nice/potential marketing opportunity/knowledge sharing versus possible hoax/more non-billable time spent if I do help. Asked her to email so that I had time to consider.

1:30pm OK….focus…get some billable work done

1:35pm Can't focus…oh yeah…need to eat lunch.

1:36pm focus and eat at same time – love working for myself, own office, no-one can see me spill pasta salad on my keyboard. Ooops…that's right….keyboard doesn't work so well when sticky.

1:45pm Clean keyboard, focussed and being productive. Go girl.

2:00pm Unsolicited phone call from telemarketer with vaguely interesting proposition. Not quite sure exactly what she means (something about Google marketing), but actually does sound reasonable so spend a little time trying to understand and deciding whether worth paying attention.

2:15pm Trying to get off the phone now….trying not to be rude…trying to packup office whilst on phone…trying to not lock self out of office while juggling phone, turning off heater etc. Trying to get off phone… trying to get off phone. OK…maybe now I need to reach back to my corporate no nonsense, no time wasting days, and just tell her to go away.

2:30pm grateful that office is so close to preschool. Pickup Impossible Cuteness, who has had a wonderful happy day. Am so grateful that kinesi has helped her to get past the separation anxiety and enjoy her time at this wonderful school.

3:00pm having collected assorted library bags, raincoats, school bags, reader bag, plastic container for rabbit food, school notices, someone else's umbrella (oops) we have finally made it back to the car. Did it really just take 1/2 hour to do a simple school pickup??? How on earth will we ever get anything done when this is an every day occurrence EEEEkkkkkk!

3:45pm Made it back home past the semi trailers, nana-drivers, and other assorted road challenges.

4:00pm finally make it in the front door – just how long can it take to get out of the car and get inside??? Hmm…our record so far – 30 mins!!

Reconnect laptop to send/receive emails. Unpack lunchbags – how does she get through a day on the minuscule amount she eats? Save leftovers for rabbits tomorrow - best fed rabbits ever – only the best certified organic, home made, whole foods for those rabbits. Put away coats/bags/new buggy additions to family/say hi to cats (who don't like the bugs much). Put on a load of washing. Wash dishes from this morning's panic–run.

4:30pm Early dinner for Cuteness who is off to karate – in training to be Impossibly Cute AND Tough.

4:45pm Trying to be patient whilst explaining that really MUST wash hands before dinner, especially after playing with bugs/rabbits and who knows what else at preschool. Got the Emotional Stress Release technique on standby…after all, mummy's on a detox, so no afternoon chocolate to keep the energy up.

5:00pm Finally sitting down to a now-cold dinner. Did it really take 1/2 hour to get ready for dinner????

5:01pm Negotiations about watching TV whilst eating dinner. Hmm….someone is tired, and its not me! Well, ok, it is me, but I'm not the grumpy one. Wondering how we're going to cope at karate tonight on a diet of chicken and no vegetables. Manage to distract away from the idea of TV, but having trouble winning the debate on vegetables. Wishing I was one of those parents who just said "Do as I say!!". Balancing on that fine line of showing respect to my cuteness, whilst still being a strong firm mummy. Yay for the fine line balancing act – got the veges in, and we're actually ready on time to leave for karate.

5:40pm Hmm…haven't seen her go to the toilet since getting home from school. Damn, knew I should've asked before we left the house.

5:50pm Rush inside Dojo to go to toilet for first time (apparently since LEAVING FOR SCHOOL THAT MORNING). Wow, no wonder had trouble fitting those veges in! Mental note: make sure to mention to teachers that she needs reminding to drink water whilst at school. Are all 4 yr olds camels in disguise? Hmmm…that might explain the temper!

6:00pm Oh.. love watching Impossible Cuteness in the karate class. Smallest one there – but somehow holding her own, even though I'm positive she's feeling scared. So proud that she's in there overcoming her fear after being hit at school numerous times a year ago (previous preschool – glad we're out of there). So proud that this is her own choice, that even at such a young age she is learning to stand up for herself, and getting her sense of self back again after losing so much confidence. And so grateful to my brother, who owns the Dojo, who has accepted her into the kids class even though she's still 6 months younger than their normal starting point. Glad she has the focus to stay in the class and concentrate, even though I'm sure its a challenge for her being the youngest.

6:10pm Uh Oh…what happened to that focus. Impossible Cuteness is impossibly tired….such a fun, wonderful, exhausting day yesterday with a party at our house to welcome us back from interstate. Lots of emotions and excitement are taking their toll today. She bows off the mat and we go home early from class. So glad to be able to be gentle and kind when my little one is needing it. So glad to be able to leave my own stuff behind and let her decide what is best for her. (having seen dancing mums when I was younger, pushing their kids no matter what – am glad I don't need to go there now that I'm the mum).

6:40pm Home again….a group hug with daddy who's arrived home whilst we were out.

6:45pm bathtime negotiations begin. Very glad hubby's home to be creative in dealing with tired little not so cuteness anymore. Quick check of emails, work out what work needs to be done tonight, hangout that load of washing, sneak in a quick convo with hubby re who's making dinner and how to use up the rest of the party leftovers before they go off and/or green.

7:15pm Snuggled up in bed reading bedtime stories. LOVE LOVE this time of night (the bit after she's resigned herself to going to bed, and is feeling all snuggly and loveable). Lights out, I cave into lying down beside her while she's going to sleep…afterall, I haven't had that chocolate to give me energy to keep going from that afternoon crash, and oops, there I go, asleep before she is. Lucky for me being perched on the side of a single bed is not comfortable enough to let me sleep for long. That and the thundering reverberations of her snores, wakes me in time to sneak in a quick shower and hair wash before dinner is ready (love not having to cook tonight).

8:00pm Clean, fresh and warm, and eating dinner in front of the tv with hubby. Wow… how am I going to get back to work at this point???

9:00pm Ok..come on…must do some work…after all, had almost no billable hours today. Oh…what's this? Some funny emails. Oh, and should check FB…oooh, Kasia wants a Day in the Life… ooooh, maybe I could do that instead of that boring old corporate work.

10:00pm Hmm… ok… so maybe I got a little distracted. Lucky I'm a fast typist.

10:10pm oh… have reread my day, do I really want other people to read this? Maybe I should edit – besides, she didn't ask me to write the next War and Peace! And do I really want everyone else to know just how imperfect their resident kinesiologist is? Probably not the best career move. Maybe I'm a closet blogger!!?

10:15pm Oh well… I'll let Kasia decide.

10:30pm Ok… focus… get some billable work done

Midnight Off to bed xx

Thank you Suzanne!! Lots of belly laughs there!! And for the record.. I didn't edit! I copied and pasted it, as it is your day and who am I to cut out stuff?

{oh so grateful..} pajamas and pancakes..

2011-10-02T10:35:00.001+10:30

Today I'm so grateful for our little family and our own little traditions.. One of my faves is Sunday morning pancakes which have now moved into pancakes in pajamas..

We've had pancakes almost every Sunday for the past two years and as the kiddos grow it just gets more wonderful. Little Lou now knows the recipe and quantities of everything and is fully hands on in making them.. Everyone has their preferred topping and everyone gets a nice full tummy to set them up for a busy Sunday.

Now that the munchkins are a little older, they might not sleep in longer but at least get the concept of a non rushed morning. We hang out in our PJ's and just take it easy.

Joining in with maxabella's grateful linkup over at Lemon Rhodes..

{quick three..} desserts

2011-09-27T13:35:00.002+09:30

Desserts.. OMG!! why oh why did I choose this topic the week I have started training for an 18km walk. Must tell myself that pictures are good enough for now!!

Without a doubt when it comes to sweets I like the creamy variety desserts.. so so bad for you but so so delicious and such a heavenly texture. So here are my top three..

{1} Cheesecakes

I love them!! But they need a good quality base, not too sweet cheese part and a berry of sort topping. I hate the prefabricated / mass produced ones!! I occasionally go for the chocolate types but they are generally too sweet, but I did discover one a little while back with a jaffa chocolate topping that kind of looked like the image above. So the chocolate taste was there, but it did have a citrus zing.. mmm...

{2} Ice Cream

Oh ice cream how I love thee!!! See my quick three ice cream post for details..

{3} Chocolate / Chocolate Fudge

Good quality chocolate, preferably swiss milk chocolate or a good dark chocolate or a homemade chocolate fudge.

A few changes to the quick three guys.. I'm still going to do a weekly quick three post, and it will still be on a Tuesday (provided I don't get side tracked), but I've decided not to continue with the link up. If you do join in and write on the weekly topic, by all means comment below and share a link to your blog. I'd love to reading them.

{a day in the life of..} Sandy Bugg from Wrapped in Fabric

2011-09-26T07:00:00.000+09:30

To kick start the {a day in the life of..} series, I'd love to introduce the lovely Sandy Bugg from Wrapped in Fabric. This super clever lady not only runs and online fabric store but owns the label A Lillie Bug. So, she is crafty and lives in fabric heaven. So let's jump into Sandy's day, and see what she gets up to..

Every morning around 6am I am dragged from my bed by 2 amazing little people, Byron 4 and Amelia 2 demanding milo and play school!

On making them happy and brewing a hot black cuppa coffee I resort to my office to check emails that fabric lovers often send at odd hours of the evening! From there invoices are printed and stored for packing & shipping day, the bank account and paypal are checked for payments and I jump in the shower while the kids are still quiet!

Often hubby walks in from a night shift around 7.30am and heads straight to bed (after lots of hugs and kisses from the kids).

I race around picking up what ever mess has occurred through out the night! Then yell at Dylan 18 to get up for work! Saying its a Monday, I pack lunches for the little ones, dress, shoes, hair, teeth!...phew by then another cuppa is needed! Throw down the cuppa and quickly check emails again!

Pile the kids in the car for a 15 min drive to day care with my bowl of yoghurt to go! Day care starts at 9am.

I then fly by the PO to pick up any fabric thats arrived then bolt home to greet Tabitha who has already begun sorting through invoices and entering them into MYOB. I make us both a cuppa and give her the run down on what I need her to do for the day! Tab works 8ish hours on Mondays and rarely has a lunch break! She's FAB!!!

Off to the cutting room I go! With a stack of invoices at bay! I cut and place all orders in a plastic crate constantly until say 2 ish or until orders stop flowing in! Tabitha takes the crate and sorts, bags and packs the orders!

I head into the office with my Ryvitas and tomato and cheese and chomp away while checking urgent emails that have arrived!

Around 3pm I wake hubby (Brett) from his beauty sleep. At 4pm I head to the PO again with stacks of gorgeous fabric to post! Then I pick the kids up if Brett doesn't, and start thinking about dinner!

Who ever says working from home is a breeze has nuts in their head! Its great as if the kids are sick I am here for them but boy it certainly is a full time job!

Thank you Sandy! Yep.. completely agree, working from home is crazy.. but a good crazy!!

Wrapped in Fabric not only stocks an amazing range of designer fabrics, but also sewing patterns, books and specialty fabric such as chalk cloth and laminated fabric. Above is a photo of the fabric headquarters and a couple of my favourite fabrics.

Email: wrappedinfabric@bigpond.com
Web: www.wrappedinfabricaustralia.com
Craftumi: www.craftumi.com.au/WRAPPEDinFABRIC
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wrappedinfabric

{a day in the life of..} a new series..

2011-09-19T11:32:00.000+09:30

A few months back I received an invite from an dear old highschool friend to join a group of Positive Business Women. I din't think too much about it, but joined up because Shan is an amazing woman and friend who somehow finds the positive in all of life's little challenges. She is the owner of Missy Melly and Melly Boys and also runs her own acupuncture business and is a nurse.. all while being a mum to two beautiful twin girls and a wife to her lovely hubby. Yep, very proud to say, she's my friend!!

Little did I know what this gathering of women would turn into. In only a few short months I have gained so much knowledge, inspiration and advice from all these wonderful women who also juggle families while building a business. Some are just starting out and some are simply booming in their field. The Business are an eclectic mix of handmade clothing businesses, natural therapists, tupperware managers and even a mum who makes and sells cookie dough.

We've all became very close and share things from how to solve business dilemmas, tips on housekeeping, organisational tips and we even have a little health kick group. Its amazing what positivity can do in your everyday life and how a group of 'positivity' focussed women can help each other in so many different ways.

Each day I log in and touch base with my new buddies and each day I am grateful for my gorgeous friend Shan for starting, building and continuing such a wonderful group.

I feel extremely blessed to have met all these wonderful women and wanted to share just how they do what they do. Each week I will introduce you to a new amazing business woman and their business. There's nothing like a kicking the week off with a bit of inspiration so Monday's the day.

Be sure to pop in weekly so you too can meet these awesome women behind these businesses in the new series {a day in the life of..}.

{quick three..} favourite dinners..

2011-09-19T10:53:00.000+09:30

Quite simply said.. I love seafood but absolutely hate cooking it. Doesn't make sense really, but that's the way it is.

So whenever I go out for dinner I try and eat seafood of some sort. I love everything from the good old butter fish at the local fish and chip shop to lobsters and crabs.. give me a sea creature and I'll probably eat it with w a big smile on my face.

So, jumping into my top three dinner choices we have:

{1} Salt & Pepper Squid
{2} Garlic Prawns
{3} Seafood Marinara

So what dish can you not resist when going out for dinner.. or better still, what dish do you just rock at making at home?

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 {favourite dessert}.. following dinner there has got to be dessert.. right?

{image from here}

{oh so grateful..} for home haircuts..

2011-09-17T15:32:00.001+09:30

Today I'm grateful for home haircuts.. Seriously grateful!

I've been buzzing my hubbies hair since we met and I'm far from a hairdresser, but those clippers are, oh so easy!! Whoever came up with the idea of having them readily available to the unqualified public.. I LOVE YOU!!

So with a decade of haircutting up my sleeve to only one dedicated client, but still a decade, I feel quite comfortable cutting my little mans hair. He's special, in the sense that he either likes something or he doesn't. To add to his aries stubborn ways, he also is a VERY effective communicator. I shake at the though of having to take him to an actual hairdresser. So the decade of practice has came in very handy.

We now have a bit of a family hair cutting tradition. I cut the little guys hair, while my 4.5yo cuts my hubby's hair. Zaccy laughs his head off at dad being tortured and forgets about the buzzing sound around his head. OK.. so his hair is super snow blond and you can see every cut mark, making him look like a freshly shawn sheep.. but hey, its short and there were no tears.

PS.. I do tidy hubby's hair after the Ella attack and I am forever grateful for him being such a champ and being brave enough to let a 4.5yo cut loose on his head with a sharp pair of scissors.

{image from here}

Joining in with Maxabella's grateful link up over at Mira Narnie's today..

{wordless wednesday..} royal show..

2011-09-14T09:22:00.001+09:30

Playing along with faith hope and a whole lotta love..

{treasury} the colours of fall..

2011-09-13T15:03:00.001+09:30

{view live version here}

I haven't curated an etsy treasury for a while now.. but with all these beautiful oranges popping up all over the place, I just couldn't resist.

This one features my fellow etsykids team members.. aren't they a clever bunch?

{quick three..} favourite lunch..

2011-09-13T14:30:00.000+09:30

So today is all about lunch.. I don't love the lunch hour, break or whatever you might call stopping to eat in the middle of the day. I get hungry about 10:30am as I eat brekky so early and I much prefer not to stop what I am doing to eat. This is probably a huge downfall in the whole, eating well thing for me. I tend to grab something out of the cupboard and keep going. I'm am trying to change my ways though.. So at this stage these are probably what I eat for dinner but really should move to lunch.

my quick three are:

{1} Shushi..

Without hesitation my favourite food when I go out any time after 11am. Everyone in our house doesn't go there, so anytime I am out by myself or with friends and sushi is an option, it always wins.

{2} Nachos..

So so so incredibly bad, but so full of flavour, crunch and memories. I had quite an addiction to nachos in my uni days and they bring back a lot of memories, as well as make my taste buds dance.

{3} Focaccia..

Now there is a particular blend of ingredients that are a must, being: chicken, avocado, swiss cheese, sundried tomatoes, marinated mushrooms and any other roast veggies available. I prefer an open grill version, where everything is there on display.

Another set of ingredients that do the trick on a focaccia are; smoked salmon, sour cream, asparagus and a heap of pepper.

So what tickles your fancy or makes your taste buds dance in the middle of the day?

{image from here}

{oh so grateful..} for a wonderful week..

2011-09-09T16:14:00.000+09:30

The past week has been huge for me, and I'm grateful for an absolute abundance of things..

I'm grateful for getting my act together and organising my website. I was terrified of the job of getting it all organised but I'm so glad I persevered. The launch was today and it went beautifully. I feel like a huge weight has lifted and I can focus on doing cool designs for the kiddos and kiddos at heart again.

I'm grateful for not listening to many peoples advice to not attend the Adelaide Royal Show. We went as a family on Tuesday with a couple of friends and had a ball. The kids had smiles on their faces the whole time and haven't stopped talking about all the things they saw since.

I'm grateful for my extremely supportive and positive friends. You guys truly rock, and although those kicks up the butt are rather gentle, they still help me get the job/s done.

I'm grateful for going to my first ever scrapbooking class on Wednesday night.. I almost didn't go as I still had so much to do on the website before the launch, but going completely took my mind off things and I'm super stoked for keeping up with the pro-scrapbooking nannas and making 4 gorgeous cards.

I'd love for you to check out my new website and give me feedback. If you do want to shop use the code { BANANA SPLIT } and you'll receive 10% off your order.

Joining in with Maxabella Loves.. you should too!!

For those of you who join in with my Quick Three.. Sorry for the no show.. I was at the show, and completely forgot about my little blog. I'll be back with it on Tuesday.

{oh so grateful..} for online sharing

2011-09-03T09:07:00.000+09:30

Every day I am amazed by the incredible generosity of the online world..I have so much to say, yet feel quite speechless at the moment, so I'll use my {dot point} backup here..

Today I am grateful for:
{1} online tutorials - so much free information out there on absolutely every topic
{2} free printables - so wonderderful to see that people can share something the do so well for others to enjoy
{3} forums - I can't say I have ever been a part of one, but have heard amazing stories of support
{4} online groups - I'm part of one on facebook and I get incredible inspiration, ideas and information from like minded business ladies daily
{5} blogs - goes without saying, its just incredible to be able to read someone's story and know someone out there who you might never meet is going through the very same thing you are.

Here is a link to one tutorial (a list really) I fell in love with this week.. 10 Eco Friendly Play Kitchens..

Joining in with Maxabella Loves' Grateful Saturday.. hosted by Emily at The Beetle Shack..

{image from here}

{quick three..} breakfast..

2011-08-31T08:39:00.000+09:30

Running a little late.. sorry guys!! Madhouse-bears around here with the upcoming website launch and getting everything organised for it. It's looking amazing and I'm so super excited about it..

But jumping straight into the quick three.. This week its breakfast and one thing that I love is going out for brekky. I love the vibe at a cafe in the morning and the smell of freshly brewed coffee while I eat my brekky. So whenever I have the chance.. yep, I try and organise a breakfast catchup with friends rather than lunch or dinner.

My faves when I'm out would have to be:
{1} A full breakfast which includes, poached eggs, bacon, spinach, mushrooms and tomato.. a hash brown on the side is also a bonus.
{2} Eggs Benedict.. oooh, yea!! That's all!!
{3} Pancakes topped with fresh berries and a drizzle of cream and maple syrup.

At home I go for:
{1} Soft boiled eggs
{2} Pancakes
{3} Scrambled eggs with chives

Alright.. now its your turn..

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 {favourite lunch food}.. following the brekky theme.. this just seems like a good choice..

{image from here}

{oh so grateful..} for the power of me

2011-08-27T07:49:00.000+09:30

A couple of years back we had a few quotes done on getting our roof restored, and if you've had a roof restoration done, you'll know its quite a hefty cost. There was one company that we weren't able to get a quote from, simply because my husband was not available to be at the appointment. Their reasoning for not quoting a roof restoration to just me was that they needed the man of the house to be present so a decision could be made. Hmm.. thanks for that!!

Last week that very company knocked on our door, asking if they again could quote on a roof restoration. I was blunt and honest and said "Yes, of-course you can, but my husband will not be present at the appointment. Is that alright?" The salesman stuttered all over the place, made the appointment for me. The morning of the appointment, I received a phonecall to say that a few people have called in sick and there won't be anyone available to come out today. Mind you, I was not offered another appointment time.

I really was amazed at the whole situation, and kind of peeved. I mean, far out!! I am the decision maker when it comes to stuff like this and it wouldn't have mattered if hubby was here or not. Hubby and I had a chat about putting in a solar system a couple of days later and decided that the roof DOES need to get done so we can move on the solar.

Then next day I booked a home consultation from the company that gave us the best quote last time and with the solar people so I could book it all in. I'm happy to say that the sales people came, quoted and I (that ME solo) booked the jobs in and next week, we are getting a new roof.

So, this week I'm grateful for:

{1} a hubby that trusts in my decisions and treats me as an equal..
{2} trust in myself to make the right decision being a woman and all..
{3} companies that are not sexist in who they quote big jobs to..
{4} the opportunity to paint the eaves (I kind of LOVE painting)
{5} my life.. it really is swell!!

Joining in with the ever so wonderful link up of the week over at Maxabella Loves..

{image from here via pinterest}

{quick three..} favourite tv shows

2011-08-22T21:01:00.000+09:30

I really could be classified as one of those types that don't watch telly.. perhaps if I had a telly that looked like this, then I'd look at it more. I watch one telly show a week (if allowed) and then it's the kids and dad that use up the rest of the telly time.

My hubby and I made the decision not to have any adult telly on while the kids are around. So in our house its pretty much dvd's and abc4kids 90% of the time. So jumping right to it.. these are the shows that I like..

{1} Better Homes and Gardens

This is mummy's show for the week. The kids know that on Friday mum watches telly and have finally accepted this and no longer fight me on it.. yaaay!!

{2} Tinga Tales

Yes yes.. its a kids show but when it comes on in the mornings, I generally stop and watch it.. it's just cool and Zaccy loves to snuggle up and watch it with me.. as normally it's only me and him that are up.

{3} Poko

Yep.. another kids show.. I think the main reason I like it is that reminds me to stop and enjoy the moment of a hug with the saying "hug a monkey, hug it tight.. hug it till you feel alright". Since picking up on this line, anytime I'm feeling a bit crappy I grab one of the kiddos and give them a big squeezy hug and say.. 'hug a monkey, hug it tight.. hug it till you feel aright". They have now stopped giving me funny looks when I do it and give me smiles instead.. and usually a pat on the head.

So that's me.. What are your fave telly shows.. please tell me I'm not the only mum that actually likes the kid's shows!

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 {favourite breakfast food}.. I'll see if I can come up with three.. so I'd love to know what three tv shows you love and just cannot bare to miss?

{image from design milk}

{oh so grateful..} for the handmade community..

2011-08-20T08:58:00.001+09:30

I've always loved art, craft and making my own things. It's so wonderful to see the handmade community grow so much and handmade becoming a wonderful, original and beautiful option for everything from clothing, toys, jewellery to kitchenware. It's no longer looked as as second best but rather.. better than the standard commercial items.

I love being a part of the handmade community and am amazed each day how encouraging and supportive the people within it are.

So this week, I'm oh so grateful for being a part of this community.. for being able to make and create my own clothing range and being able to turn this love into a business that helps support my family.

Joining in with Maxabella Loves.. you should too!

{image from family fun via pinterest}

{new in my shop..} the vintage collection..

2011-08-17T23:48:00.003+09:30

Introducing the {vintage collection}..
Although not quite complete, I just had to release this collection. I absolutely loved working on these designs as it bought back a lot of memories for me as far as photography equipment and cars I love.
These designs are all now available in my etsy store..
Available in sizes 0-16 in most styles and in an array of colour options.

Let's ride..

vintage girls and boys bike..

featuring a large vintage bicycle image centre front of the tee

bicycle cogs on the bottom and a small bike image on the sleeve.

Let's talk..

vintage telephone..

featuring a large black telephone image centre front

and small coloured telephones wrapping from front to back.

Let's take photos..

vintage cameras..

featuring four large vintage cameras on centre front of the tee.

Let's drive..

vintage car & ute..

featuring large vehicle images centre front of the tee..

{quick three..} technology..

2011-08-17T02:00:00.008+09:30

Funnily enough I found it quite hard to pin point three gatdgets that I love. There really are just two, but the third is quite a big thing in the house purely because of the kids and the big kid.. so my three for this week is:

{1} Computer.. Macbook Pro to be specific..
Running and online business and a blog kind of makes this little gadget somewhat important to me. Most of my designs are also created on the computer so I guess it goes without saying, but this is also my chill out zone. I love playing with family photos, reading blogs and in general just looking at images, photos and hence my love of pinterest..

{2} iPhone..
I seriously have become far too reliant on this little guy. It holds so much information for me I think I would have a mild heart attack if I had to go back to another type of phone. Since upgrading to the 4 I have made a decision not to put any, well only a couple, of kids apps on this phone and keep it as 'mummy's work phone'. In saying this, I do have a heap of apps which would mainly fit into the productivity and photography categories.

The kids have the hand-me-down 3's for their apps, and oh my there are some absolutely awesome educational apps available. The little guy is into bugs, snakes and dinosaurs and the little miss into the fairies, princesses etc, so I've picked out a heap of apps that are educational, but fit into their areas of interest. They don't get onto the phone too much, probably a couple of times a week, but its nice to have the old phone that has only kid appropriate apps to hand to them, and know that they can't call China when you are not looking.

{3} The telly..
I hate the fact that I am listing this as one of my top three, as I'm not a TV watcher by any means. I love a couple shows but rarely get around to watching them. The TV does play a big part in our house and its even a part of our routine. My little man usually gets up super early (I'm talking 5am here) and seeing he is the docco watching type, I pop a docco on for him, he chills in his beanbag and has his milk, while I peal open my eyes and make myself a coffee and get brekky ready for everyone.

The telly stays on for a little while in the morning and then we have a TV free day. About 4pm when I want to get onto the housework and get dinner ready, it comes back on for the afternoon shows on ABC4kids.

So what are your 3 gadgets or pieces of technology that you can't function without?

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 {tv shows}.. I'll see if I can come up with three.. so I'd love to know what three tv shows you love and just cannot bare to miss?

{image from here via pinterest}

{quick three..} ice cream

2011-08-08T14:49:00.002+09:30

I said today was going to be an easy one.. well, for me it sure is. I love ice cream any time of the year. There is no such thing as calling it a summer food around this place. Although I must say we consume a lot more during the hot months of the year.

Although nothing beats a nice creamy ice cream, I also love to make sorbets during summer with all sorts of fruit for the kids. They call it ice cream.. and thats just fine with me. I basically cube fruit and freeze and then when the kiddos want ice cream I fill the thermomix with the frozen fruit and a dollop of natural yoghurt and whizz and its ready in less than a few minutes.

But seeing this is my quick three.. these are my favourite flavours..

{1} chocolate..

{2} boysenberry..

{3} blueberry..

You may have noticed a few changes.. well there is also a new button on the side bar for quick three... 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 {technology}.. what three pieces of technology do you rely on.. or just simply purely love?

{image from here via pinterest}

See you next week..

{new in my shop..} the damask collection..

2011-08-06T13:29:00.000+09:30

introducing a new collection of designs for little or big girls..
{the damask collection}
each tee is hand screen printed onto your choice of tee colour and ink..
available now through my etsy store..

all photography by the lovely Koroli from Memorable Moments Photography..

{oh so grateful..} for steve irwin..

2011-08-06T13:01:00.000+09:30

I never met Steve, nor visited Australia Zoo, or even stepped foot on Queensland soil for that fact, but this guy has brought many belly laughs into my life. Many of them were while I was living in the states and everyone.. and I mean e.v.e.r.y.o.n.e would ask me to say "oh crikey". I never really got into the whole Crocodile Hunter fad when it was big, but recently.. things have changed.

I wrote a few weeks back, about my little man having a slight obsession with documentaries and this by no means has changed. What has changed however is that Steve's little girl's DVD's are now a big hit with both my kids. Zac gets to watch all the animals and Steve interacting with them in such an amazing way and Ella just loves Bindi and her tree house.

I as a mother love watching the Irwin family and how they interact with each other. We're kind of the flipped version of the Irwins. I'm from Australia and hubby is the one from the States and rather than my hubby being into animals he's into fish and plants.. with as much enthusiasm as Steve was into animal conservation. My heart goes out to little Bindi as I know how much of a part my hubby plays in my daughters life and if she ever lost him, I'm not sure that she'll be able to cope as Bindi has.

So this week I'm grateful for
{1} my hubby and the amazing relationship he has with my little girl..
{2} steve irwin for being himself and following his passion..
{3} the irwin family for being such an amazing example of what family can be..
{4} my kids for taking interest in their dad's passions of gardening and fish..
{5} my awesome family.. each one a little different yet still respectful of eachother..

joining in with maxabella loves.. you should too..

{quick three..} child friendly dinners..

2011-08-02T13:07:00.000+09:30

Quite simply.. I'm sooo over cooking fantastic meals, to have my kids pick out what they want and leave 90% on their plate, to then dash to the fridge for a yoghurt. So from this day forward, I pledge to make cool food for them that they will eat and leave the fancy pants dinners for us big kids. When, they're ready, they can be big kids too.

So in saying that, I need to find kid friendly dinner and lunch options that are both easy for me to make, healthy and will be eaten by them. I don't have an issue with getting fruit into them.. its the veggies that let me down. With a bit of searching around, I've came up with my first three that I will try out on them. May the force be with me!!

{1} kid style sushi.. there are lots of variations you can have here.. and with brown bread and good fillings it might just work..
avocado and tuna sushi sandwiches..
sushi style rollups

{2} sneaky muffins.. I once had a theory.. that if you put it in a muffin they will eat it. So out comes the blender and its all going in a muffin. Veggie muffins here we come.
cheesy vegetable and ham muffins

vegetable muffins

{3} sneaky meatballs.. another food that is not rejected so in go more veggies than normal..

vegetable meatballs

chicken meatballs with spinach

{image from 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 {ice cream}.. Easy peasy one next week.. what are your favourite flavours.. or do you make your own?

See you next week..

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

2011-07-30T12:06:00.001+09:30

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

2011-07-25T21:58:00.002+09:30

{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..

2011-07-19T01:29:00.000+09:30

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..

2011-07-18T22:16:00.001+09:30

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..

2011-07-14T13:29:00.002+09:30

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..

2011-07-12T17:15:00.003+09:30

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.

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..

2011-07-11T06:30:00.000+09:30

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..

2011-07-08T15:53:00.003+09:30

{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}

2011-07-07T20:54:00.003+09:30

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..

2011-07-05T06:13:00.000+09:30

{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??

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..

2011-07-02T09:43:00.000+09:30

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}

{in my studio} stencils..

2011-06-30T13:14:00.000+09:30

Big week this week as I finish off designs that I've either been working on for ages or have been floating around in my head and needed to get out. Then its time to get all the different tees out and match them with designs and print, print, print so they are ready for a photoshoot early July, that I have booked with the lovely Koroli from Memorable Moments Photography. I'm so excited, I can hardly concentrate on the work that needs to be done.

So to keep me motivated.. here is a sneak peek at a stencil of one of the designs that will be a part of the new "tattoo" range.

Joining in with Our Creative Spaces..

{happy monday..}

2011-06-27T06:15:00.000+09:30

{image source vol25}

{oh so grateful..} for a kid's perspective..

2011-06-25T12:47:00.000+09:30

{image by modernwalls on etsy}

Our little girl is now in Kindergarten and absolutely absorbing everything like a sponge. She doesn't forget a thing and the words she learns are just amazing. They're currently learning about animals and last week had an excursion to Urbrae Farm.. I seriously can't keep up with what she's learning. We have our chats in the car about what she did and how her day was and she tells me a fair bit but the detail always comes out when we are reading a book that hits on a topic she has been learning..

Conversation while reading an animal book.. We come across a picture of an owl..

The book read - "owls sleep during the day and fly at night"

Ella - "that means that they're nocturnal mummy"

Me - "very good Ella!! What other animal is nocturnal?"

Ella - "a possum"

Ella - "a baby horse"

Me - "why are baby horses nocturnal?"

Ella - "because they wake their mummies up"

Me - Belly Laugh..

Ella - "me and Zaccy are nocturnal"

Me - An even bigger belly laugh (the one that produces tears)..

Me - "I guess that does kind of make you nocturnal, hopefully one day you won't be and mummy can get sleep.."

Zac - "My not a tunnel!"

Ella - "You are nocturnal"

Zac - getting angry now.. "MY NOT A TUNNEL!!"

This went on for a while while I was in tears laughing.. God these monkeys crack me up!!

So this week, I'm oh so grateful for my little cherubs. Their perspective on life and the fact that they can just make me laugh and laugh till I cry.

Joining in with Maxabella Loves..

{in my studio..} spool rack..

2011-06-23T06:21:00.000+09:30

OK.. so I keep talking about this {project studio}.. well its a project alright!! It involves a lot of steps and a lot of reshuffling of our life as it is. It involves finishing my hubby's workspace so he can move out of our back room, it will then involve me gutting out the room, re-lining it with new walls, putting in new flooring and then setting it all up.

So needless to say its not a weekend project by any means. Its a good couple of months away, but thats ok. I have a heap of planning to do and I'm loving gathering ideas for my space. A space that will be my own. A space that will be amazing and I'll love working in.

Pinterest has been a god send for inspiration. I've found some amazing sewing spaces and studios. Have a sneak peak at my little collection of pins if you like.

One of the things that leaped out at me.. and I mean LEAP (like a massive bullfrog type of leap), was the wall mounted spool holder. Oh how I hate hunting around for the right colour and how I hate unstacking my current spool boxes.

So despite the fact that my room won't be ready for me to physically hang one of these up for a while, I started hunting.. and I found this little guy. He is now on the way to my house and will get a lovely coat of white before he enters the studio.

{available from: sewing-embroidery.com.au}

If you are on pinterest and have a little pinboard of sewing rooms.. pop your link below.. I'd love to have a sneak peek..

Pop past our creative spaces blog to get inspired by others creative adventures..

{wordless wednesday..} zoo..

2011-06-22T06:39:00.000+09:30

joining in with faith hope and a whole lotta love..

{new in my shop..} pony tail holders..

2011-06-20T09:05:00.000+09:30

I've been creating a lot of goodies of late and focussing so much on this {project studio} that I have forgotten to share on my little blog.. I've been making literally tons and tons of little fabric covered buttons, for a wholesale order, to go into a hair and beauty salon and for a couple of other projects I'm working on.. which I promise to share soon.

I've finally got around to uploading some of my favourites to my etsy store and these little guys will also be available to purchase online through my lovely new stockist Purely4Kids.

I love the colours and textures of this classic collection. Perfect for winter with lovely soft cords and denim and a couple of cute options for summer with a lovely polka-dot dress.

{happy monday..}

2011-06-20T06:00:00.000+09:30

{image source here via pinterest}

{oh so grateful..} for cardigans..

2011-06-18T12:53:00.002+09:30

It's winter here in Australia.. and although not snowing and not below zero.. it's pretty darn cold. We spend a lot of time outside even during the cold months which shouldn't be an issue, provided we're all dressed appropriately. But what does 'appropriately' mean??

Well.. you see, our little princess believes that a short sleeved tee, skirt and shoes is plenty. I as a mumma have a somewhat different view. She's even got her first nickname at kindergarten 'freezer legs'.

We did have a few little battles but in the end what was the point as me winning mean she wore a jumper to the car and before she got buckled into her seat in it was off.

So, I admit defeat. I mean, whats the point... She's always warm to touch, she never gets sick and after all, I'm pretty warm blooded and hate being too hot myself.

I must admit that although I gave up fighting her, I have kept an eye out for warm alternatives to what she has. Most have been dismal failures but then.. I stumbled onto a couple super cute short sleeve cardigans which she loves. She wears them for approximately 20-30minutes before taking them off and actually looks for them when she feels a little cold.

So this week I'm grateful for cardigans!! oh so very grateful for cardigans!!! I'm also grateful for being patient with my little girl, letting her decide for herself, trusting in her to tell me if she is cold and not being an overbearing mother. I'm grateful that I can step back and see the situation for what it is.

Now I'd be super grateful if there was a cardigan type pant that she would adore as much as she does her cardigans.

Joining in with Maxabella Loves.. you should too, and if not pop over and get re-inspired for the week..

{image from gilt.com}

{etsy love..} pdf doll-house pattern..

2011-06-16T08:49:00.029+09:30

I've been on a hunt for a doll house for my little girl for a while now and have even contemplated making one myself. No big dramas either way, but I guess what has been stopping me is the question of whether it will just be another big item in her room that will get used once in a while but mainly just take up space. We've got a little castle and a few of the Little People range buildings which do just that.. take up space.

So when I stumbled upon this little treasure, the Eco Friendly PDF Dollhouse Pattern from a fellow Etsykids Team member, DollsAndDaydreams.. there was a huge smile on my face and finally an answer I was happy with.

There are even printouts to decorate your house and turn it into a farmhouse, dollhouse and a school house.. So potentially you could have a whole little village.

What I really love about this idea is that you get to teach your kids about recycling and making things yourself rather than buying a manufactured product. It gives you the chance to make something with the kiddos and gives them the chance to decorate the house themselves. Great for all ages and such a cool idea for school projects too.

Well.. I'm off to purchase this little download and its going on the rainy day to-do-list.

{wordless wednesday..} project studio progress..

2011-06-15T11:46:00.001+09:30

Joining in with faith hope and a whole lotta love..

{happy monday..}

2011-06-13T06:34:00.001+09:30

{project studio..} paving..

2011-06-12T08:32:00.001+09:30

Project studio is in full swing.. A small shed is going up for storage and the area around the sheds is getting paved today.. MEANING.. I can start clearing out our outdoor room, oh so very soon, and make way for the kasiabear studio.

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am.. We started the project about a year ago and it just got put in the too hard basket with the kiddos were that little bit too small and the work-zone would have been too dangerous.

The kids are now loving all the action and the trailer loads of sand.. They're fully involved in the whole process.. With the added bonus of being totally worn out by the end of the day, which means early nights..

So this week I am grateful for being able to wait.. For being able to turn a space into my own.. for embracing dirt and being able to let the kids enjoy the process..

Joining in with Maxabella Loves..

{hello}..

2011-06-09T17:30:00.000+09:30

kasiabear on pinterest

Still all systems go here and working towards the studio.. Little by Little.. but its getting there. I've been spending far too much time on pinterest drooling over creative spaces and studios to keep the motivation up.. So I just wanted to drop in and say Hello..

{this week i'm grateful..} for happy days..

2011-06-04T18:53:00.001+09:30

This week I'm grateful for happy days that are filled with smiles and not too many meltdowns. I'm grateful for drawings like these that just happen with no foreplanning and I'm grateful for a backyard which is big enough to have a veggie patch..

Joining in with Maxabella Loves..

{wordless wednesday}.. first kindy excursion..

2011-06-01T06:00:00.000+09:30

I watched on yesterday as my little girl got onto the bus for her first kindy excursion...

joining in with faith hope and a whole lotta love.. you should too..

{quick three..} a little break..

2011-05-31T18:55:00.000+09:30

Hi guys.. sorry about the no-show last week.. It's madbears around here at the moment as its all systems go on the kasiabear studio as well as some really cool happenings in the pipelines for kasiabear. In saying this, the poor blog gets a bit of a rest. I'll have a few weeks off from the {quick three..} linkup and hoping to be back in July.

Looking forward to sharing all the exciting news soon!!

{happy monday}

2011-05-30T06:12:00.000+09:30

"she coloured her throughs with only the brightest hughes.."

~ unknown

{snippets} of our weekend..

2011-05-29T19:48:00.001+09:30

Another lovely family weekend.. We hung out with no plans on sat. All the craft boxes and playdough were out as it was a little miserable outside..

Sunday we spent most of the day at a friends place to celebrate a 5th birthday.. Animal Capers bought along a snake, lizard, possum, ferret, squirrel glider, a frogmouth owl and a baby crocodile.. And yep.. Mumma was required to hold the snake and crocodile.. Oh the things I do fir these monkeys..

Zac was completely in his element.. He's been watching documentaries on snakes and crocodiles over kids telly for the past few weeks, so now he got to see and touch the real deal..

Ella in her usual self.. Sat back and watched. She patted a couple of the animals and although she didn't jump into all the action, felt ok. The fear of all things living other than humans is finally gone. So although I would have much preferred to do the same with the snake and croc I pushed myself a little too.

Joining in with point + shoot over at sunny & scout..

{this week i'm grateful for..} my little guy..

2011-05-27T12:37:00.000+09:30

We had another trip to the hospital this week with my little bear. He needed a new set of grommets so no big dramas, but I still hate the whole anaesthetic bit. I hate holding him while he dozes off and then leaving him. He was in and out in less than 10minutes and within 10minutes of getting out of theatre, he grabs his balloon and the teddy he got from a nurse and stands up and goes "Let's go ma".

He truly is a trooper and makes this mothering gig so sweet. He takes whatever comes his way and goes with it. He doesn't whinge for no reason. He just is. He's my little rock when the big rock isn't around and reassures me that I'm doing alright as a mum. He lets me know he trusts me and makes me feel like a queen.

So this week I am so incredibly grateful for my little guy and his ability to make a potential icky situation into just another thing that needed to be done. I'm grateful that this little guy rather than whining, managed to entertain all the kids in the waiting room, make the nurses smile and laugh and made me feel brave.

I love you my sweet!!

joining in with maxabella loves.. you should too!!