i so wish i could speak french right now..

i have just stumbled onto the sweetest blog.. 

les fifoles

it's french and i cannot comprehend a word but just adore the images.. 

here are some of my faves.. 

stunning photographs..

papier mache blog.. wow!!

some great red finds on etsy..

so cool.. loving these save the date cards that are popping up everywhere.. 

this one's by permetpat

gorgeous fabric by spin spin

such a great canvas.. look wise and the statement it makes.. gee zees

love this print by red letter words

a little quote for the day..

shopping adventure...

Had a great day shopping on Friday for art supplies... I hadn't stepped into some of these art shops since my last exhibition 6 years ago, and some since my days at uni. I started a screen printing course this week, to refresh myself on all the in and outs of the process.. If I hadn't already mentioned, I'm in the process of setting up a little business 'kasiabear kids' making simple, fun clothing and accessories for kids. You can check out more details on my other blog.

I hadn't really done anything creative since leaving official employment over a year ago to have my second bub, and even then, I had been at this job for so long, that what I did do just seemed like a production line of designs that I really had not a great deal of control over.

I'm loving being creative again, its refreshed me more than I could have ever imagined, and the freedom that comes with working for yourself is so comforting. I can create designs and not have to ask anyone for approval. I know that when I do a design it's my own and hasn't been influenced by someone's limiting brief.

Loving life at the moment, even though my little family is plodding through another round of sicknesses.. I feel alive again..

first t-shirt design is almost complete..

Had so much fun today creating this little image while the little man slept.. thanks Zaccy!! This one's for you... a little more fine tuning but it's almost there..

This image was originally inspired by a little trike I picked up on hard rubbish a couple of years ago.. one of our friends is in the process of fixing it up and painting it up for our little guy.. cant wait to see the finished product and cant wait to see him riding it wearing a little red 't' with this image printed on it..

Now the hard part.. sourcing a good supplier of funky t-shirts.. all I seem to be able to find is US based companies that do not ship to Australia.. hmmmm...

planes.. bikes.. cars..

working on some designs for t-shirts..
planes... bikes... cars...
cant decide where to start...

sticky tape... who would have thought..

i'm in love.. and with sticky tape of all things in the world.. its by a UK paper artist Rob Ryan.. now to get my hands on it somehow..

found this little beauty on the inside out blog..

back to school for me tomorrow...

I'm very excited about my first screen printing class tomorrow... I haven't done screen printing in so many years it feels like I am starting from scratch again. My little guy has been quite sick lately so there hasn't been much happening in the world of kasiabear kids.. but I am learning to work around a little one at home all the time again.

the once wine rack..

My little man has been pretty sick lately and has had a lot of time with mum to himself.. me being me and not being able to sit still and always needing to be productive in some sort of way, have cleaned out and resorted almost all of the little guys toys... Zaccy has loved helping me out, which has made it so much more fun for me... so we get to play and I get to be productive at the same time.

When my daughter became mobile two and a half years ago, our wine rack had to be cleared of all wine bottles and sat empty for a little while collecting dust.. until one day Ella popped one of her small toys in one of the holes.. Genius!!!

The once wine rack soon became a toy storage facility with lots of little compartments. The slots are quite deep and can actually fit a lot of little toys in them, meaning a small collection of toys can be kept together, such as the family of turtles or soft chickens or rubber ducks. The kids love it as they can put things in the little holes and take them out as they please, and for us its nice and easy for the evening pickup of toys as we don't have to lug everything back to their rooms.

So this little area was one we tackled the other day.. I thought I'd share this little idea as everyone that visits us looooves it, and so do we :o)

valentines..

Another year.. another valentines.. not that we really celebrate the occasion at our place, but its a beautiful day, beautiful concept.. especially for those that have just fallen in love and starting the journey with someone new... wishing everyone a full year, a full life of valentines. may each and every day of your lives be celebrated as it valentines day!!!

Its a little early but we have a big day on Sunday as my little guy is getting christened so I thought I would drop this in while I have a few spare seconds in between preparations... 

happy valentines..

wishing you all a day full of love, laughter and fun... may the rest of your life be celebrated as if its valentines day!!

where would a 3yo stick a hair-clip onto a bald man??

Had a lovely day with my monkeys today and Ella was full force into her box of a billion hairclips.. I think I had about 15 in my hair at one stage.. but she topped the 'daily funny' with the attack on my dad (who I must add is as bald as a bald man gets)... thanks dada!! you're a champ!!

the mum test

This email goes around and around and I always seem to receive it when I need a bit of a laugh... and I got it again today, so thought I would share it...

The Mum Test

I was out walking with my 4-year-old daughter.  She picked up something off of the ground and started to put it in her mouth. 

I took the item away from her and I asked her not to do that. 

'Why?' my daughter asked. 

'Because it's been on the ground; you don't know where it's been, it's dirty, And probably has germs,' I replied. 

At this point, my daughter looked at me with total admiration and asked, 'Mum, how do you know all this stuff?  You are so  smart.' 

I was thinking quickly and replied, 'All mums know this stuff.  It's on the Mum Test. You have to know it or they don't let you be a Mum.' 

We walked along in silence for 2 or 3 minutes, but she was evidently pondering this new information. 

'Oh ...... I get it!' she beamed, 'So if you don't pass the test you have to be the dad.' 

'Exactly,' I replied with a big smile on my face.

a little bit of colour.. yellow

its pretty hot today.. muggy.. sticky... eeek!! 

but there is no sun, so no real shadows.. 

i'm a photographer..

i like shadows!!

a little bit of... yellow... 

to make my day a little bit more sunny.. 

choose what you want to remember...

"every life has its dark and joyful hours... 

happiness comes from choosing which to remember" 

author unknown

I had one of those days yesterday and running on 3 hours of interrupted sleep didn't help a great deal either...

Ella was a bit wound up after a big weekend and a disrupted Monday evening as my hubby, Zaccy's soon to be godmothers and I had to go to a christening info session. Zaccy had been sick so he just wanted to be up to catch up on everything he had missed out on the previous days. It took me till about midday to get 'my' girl back to normality, by which time she started to turn on her cranky pants as she was tired and these days refuses to have a midday sleep...

We took Zaccy to the doc's to get a checkup and make sure he was on the mend and Ella was so sweet.. she distracted Zaccy while the doc, poked and prodded him. Made him laugh and giggle so I could sneak in a speed-grocery-shop of the staples and then sat quietly while I put him down for his nap when we got home.

I was so incredibly tired last night and when I closed my eyes as my head hit the pillow, all I could think of was Ella making Zaccy smile at the doctors and the supermarket, and the smiles and giggles and tackles they gave dad upon his return...

I know I didn't choose to forget what exactly made my day so crazy as I was intending to write about it today... but I'm so glad my head works the way it does..

and the winner of the itty biddy taggie blankie is...

Congratulations to Katherine from The Savannah Room.. you are the winner of the itty biddy taggie blankie!! Please email me an address where you would like me to post your blankie on kasiabearkids@optusnet.com.au.

Thank you everyone who started following my blog, became a fan of kasiabear on facebook (despite of my hiccup with deleting the original page and having to restart from scatch), commented on my giveaway post and also who posted a link to the giveaway.

This was my first giveaway (ever) and it was so much fun! I'm still very new to this blogging business... facebook business page and even more so.. starting a new business from scratch.. so thanks everyone for your support!!

and the winner of the itty biddy blankie is...

Congratulations to Katherine from The Savannah Room.. you are the winner of the itty biddy blankie!! Please email me an address where you would like me to post your blankie on kasiabearkids@optusnet.com.au.

Thank you everyone who started following my blog, became a fan of kasiabear on facebook (despite of my hiccup with deleting the original page and having to restart from scatch), commented on my giveaway post and also who posted a link to the giveaway.

This was my first giveaway (ever) and it was so much fun! I'm still very new to this blogging business... facebook business page and even more so.. starting a new business from scratch.. so thanks everyone for your support!!

little zaccy is sick again...

We have a running joke with my husband that Zaccy keeps getting sick because he needs some time alone with mum.. well.. he's pulled a sickie again :o) Oh my little man, I so wish you would just have a couple of weeks in a row without any sicknesses!!

I was planning to do a bit of sewing for kasiabear kids, but that's just not going to work with my little man's fascination with electrical cords.. so instead we are sorting through some much needed areas in the house.. I'll post some pics a little later..

It is kinda nice when its just us two.. so the computer is getting turned off now.. till midnight and me and the boy... we're gonna have some fun!!

my little man is a bit sick..

My little man needed some alone time with mum so has pulled a sickie.. so needless to say.. there won't be a lot of sewing going on today.. hopefully Friday.. 

I have a few fun patterns ready to go so look out for a few samples being posted soon..

The itty bitty blankie giveaway ends midnight tonight (yes.. I'm staying up) so get your comments in..

Also a quick mention.. check out my personal blog sometime.. kasiabear... a little bit of me, as I will try and keep this blog just for kasiabear kids. I will post most of the happenings on here to my personal blog too.. as this IS a little bit of me..

Whatever you are doing.. have fun doing it!!

the itty bitty taggie blankie giveaway..

the first giveaway on kasiabear kids is closing at midnight tonight.. 

the cutest itty bitty taggie blankie...

I was given many loveys, blankies, teddies and cuddly things when both of my kids were born. Although adorable for their first year, they were all very big, bulky and a little too cutesey for my liking. I didn't want either of my kids to become dependent on these purely because of their size... but since, I have read a lot about the benefits of having a security object. 

I made one of these itty bitty blankies for Zaccy and when making it, remembered about the fascination kids have with tags so I thought I would add these too... if he never bonded with it, at least it was a good little sensory toy for him while he was a bub. 

So I would love to start my pre-launch giveaways with this little guy..

 

This itty bitty taggie blankie is made with snuggly blue minky fabric on one side and a gorgeous floral design by Kitty Yoshida on the other. I have used gross-grain ribbons for the tags and included a matching ring to clip the blankie onto pram straps when on the move. The fabric section measures 13x13cm, which makes it just a lovely size to slip into any pocket. This would make a gorgeous baby shower gift or a newborn gift. 

For your chance to win this itty bitty taggie blankie, leave a comment telling me what you think of this little idea as a permanent item for kasiabear kids.

If you really want to win you can earn up to 4 additional entries;

• become a blog follower of kasiabear kids
• write about this giveaway on your blog and leave the URL
• become a fan of kasiabear on facebook
• share this giveaway with your friends on facebook

(please leave a separate comment for each entry)

Giveaway ends and will be drawn on February 1, 2010. International entries are welcome. 

introducing kasiabear kids

kasiabear kids

is all about fun.. the simple sort of fun that people just tend to overlook...

its about wearing fairy wings to the supermarket..

its about dressing up as a fireman and going to the park..

its about skipping around the block instead of taking a walk..

kasiabear kids

is clothing and accessories that will make you smile...

you can check out the kasiabear kids blog here

I am a mum of two beautiful kids, Ella my soon to be 3 year old girl and Zaccy my 9 month old little guy... I love them to bits and want to make their childhood an adventure, a journey filled with fun and laughter while they learn about the world.

My background is graphic design and photography, so in short.. I'm a visual sort of person. I like things to look nice, I love dressing my kids up, just so I can take gorgeous photos of them in the park for no special occasion apart from it being a Tuesday. There are some great kids clothes out there and I have a lot of fun trying to 'hunt' them down... and often by the time I do my kids have grown out of the sizes available...

... So I decided to create my own fun clothes and accessories for kids including BOY's... yes BOY's clothes, as there only seems to be a very limited amount of anything for little guys that is not, either branded with the latest cartoon character or make a baby look like a miniature grandpa in brown pants and checkered shirts or brown t-shirts...

so here goes... my official launch date is the 4th of July 2010 but I would love to share my journey with you and love feedback on the items I create along the way..

A mum only really has 5 years with her kids when she can truly submerse herself if everything they do 24/7 and have any sort of influence how they spend their day. Then they head off to school and wear a school uniform.. then university maybe.. then to work where (in general) you have to be kind of serious and fun becomes something you have on weekends...

so have fun now... any minute you can.. have fun!!

beautiful quotes

"when i approach a child, he inspires in me two sentiments: tenderness for what he is and respect for what he may become." louis pasteur

Lil-L is going to be an astronaut... it all came about one day when we were getting out of the trampoline and she looked up and saw the moon. She asked me to lift her up to touch the moon. I wished I could have, but I am after all only 162cm tall. I apologised and explained to her that she would need to become an astronaut to touch the moon.. this was when she was just two years old.

Almost a year later she still remembers our little conversation and often talks about this and is quite dead set on becoming an astronaut. Who knows.. will keep you updated :o)

little squares..

I love these little squares Ella did last week for me!! One of my favourite pieces of her artwork...

a bouquet for ella's room..

Had a great time with Ella today making a bouquet of flowers for her room... she loves art, craft and getting messy in general!! she got hold of a packet of cupcake cases the other day and made them somewhat unusable for cupcakes, so I put them aside for a future project... alright.. so I couldn't bare to throw them out and was getting sick of them sitting on top of the bookshelf :o)

here is our little creation..

diy matchbook favors

these are so adorable... pity they're probably not appropriate as favors for a christening...
will have to remember them for another occasion... found them here

sooo white, clean & crisp...

ok.. so i love white too..

i soo wish i had a bigger house sometimes..

imagine these beautiful crisp white floors

i love this room!!

my friend got these for her birthday..

they are measuring cups!! how fantastic!!

urban ears... mmmm...

oh.. little man..

couple of Ella's chrissy decorations...

had to pack away christmas... so thought i would post these so i can have a look at them whenever i like

she is soooo sweet!!

love these red kids rooms...

just had a look at the design dazzle blogspot and fell in love... a few inspiring ideas for Ella's room I'm thinking.... hmmm....

love those little square shelves

soooo lovely and minimalist... hmmm..

little peter rabbit had a fly upon his nose...

lil'L just started singing this as we sit outside enjoying this glorious weather... really have no idea of the words or the song but am so loving learning them all and especially so when lil'L sings them is such an adorably sweet little voice.

My family migrated to Australia when I was 8 years old so I don't remember any of the nursery rhymes from Poland and was too old to learn the Australian ones... but am so loving this journey with my little monkeys!!!

things that made me smile today... little bunnies...

just such a cute little blog.. the little bunny just made my visual day...

fifi-lapin

beautiful quotes

"children reinvent your world for you." susan sarandon

so incredibly true... and in so many different ways... they reinvent the way you do things, the way you look at everything around you and also the way you manage to somehow exist on half the sleep (if not less) than you used to...

goodnight

itty bitty blankie giveaway

the first giveaway is here.. the cutest itty bitty blankie...

I was given many loveys, blankies, teddies and cuddly things when both of my kids were born. Although adorable for their first year, they were all very big, bulky and a little too cutesey for my liking. I didn't want either of my kids to become dependent on these purely because of their size... but since, I have read a lot about the benefits of having a security object. 

I made one of these itty bitty blankies for Zaccy and when making it, remembered about the fascination kids have with tags so I thought I would add these too... if he never bonded with it, at least it was a good little sensory toy for him while he was a bub. 

So I would love to start my pre-launch giveaways with this little guy..

 

This itty bitty blankie is made with snuggly blue minky fabric on one side and a gorgeous floral design by Kitty Yoshida on the other. I have used gross-grain ribbons and included a matching ring to clip the blankie onto pram straps when on the move. The fabric section measures 13x13cm, which makes it just a lovely size to slip into any pocket. This would make a gorgeous baby shower gift or a newborn gift. 

For your chance to win this itty bitty blankie, leave a comment telling me what you think of this little idea as a permanent item for kasiabear kids.

If you really want to win you can earn up to 4 additional entries;

• become a blog follower of kasiabear kids
• write about this giveaway on your blog and leave the URL
• become a fan of kasiabear on facebook
• share this giveaway with your friends on facebook

(please leave a separate comment for each entry)

Giveaway ends and will be drawn on February 1, 2010. International entries are welcome. 

who's your favourite hairdresser?

I am sooo very tired and exhausted after a 41 deg day spent at home with my little ones, parents and hubby... I think we all well and truly got cabin fever by the end of the day and it was pure chaos!! The only quiet moment was when my dad and EPL took Lil-L to the pool for a swim.

Cabin fever and chaos aside we still managed to get in so many laughs during the day that my stomach muscles are hurting once again.. I just had to share this one with you before I head off to the land of nod myself...

Lil-L and babu (my mum) are playing hairdressers... babu is combing Lil-L's hair and making her look pretty then its Lil-L's turn to play hairdresser so she simply says to babu...
"your not pretty.. you need to sit down so I can be your hairdresser"

This whole hairdresser thing started off when I was doing my final Christmas Pressie Drop-Off and took Lil-L with me to drop of a bottle of wine to my hairdresser. As we were walking out the door she turns around, looks straight at my dad (who is completely bald and the little hair he has, he shaves #1) and asks..
"who is your favourite hairdresser dziadzia? Followed up a couple days later with, "did a dentist cut your hair?"

Classic!!

beautiful quotes

"give a little love to a child and you get a great deal back." john ruskin

for my mama and tata...

You will never really know what kind of a parent you were or if you did it right or wrong. Never. And you will worry about this and them as long as you live. But when your children have children and you watch them do what they do, you will have part of an answer... robert fulghum

Having my parents back in the country after over a year of living in Australia completely family-less apart from my gorgeous husband and beautiful babies.. I am feeling really blessed to have them both back and in our everyday lives. The smiles that are shared between grandparent and grandchild is just an absolute pleasure to observe from a distance.

Each parent has a different approach and different style in parenting and although I may do a few things differently than my parents did.. I am who I am because of them and simply put it... I love my life.. I love my kids and I love being me..

Thanks mum & dad!!

xx

welcome 2010!!

What a year 2009 was!! A complete and utter roller-coaster in our family... but so many wonderful memories were made during the ride, I am kind of sad that it's all over.. but simultaneously am so excited about what amazing adventures with my beautiful family 2010 will bring...

Wishing each and everyone of you a gloriously, beautiful, fun and laughter filled new year... treasure each and every second with your kids and loved ones... catalogue it in your head, so when you get old you can go through the filing cabinet and put a smile on your own face...

welcome 2010!!