another gorgeous quote...

a little giveaway for a green t.. which one will it be..

As a little thank you to all my new facebook friends and fans and also my blog followers, I'd like to give away a little size 4 green t-shirt I printed last night, but I'd like you guys to pick the design which will be given away.. so here goes..


These are the two designs.. printed on exactly the same t-shirt style and size.. being size 4, and both printed in purple on a lime green t-shirt.. 'my trike' & 'my little flower garden'..

Soooo... what to do to be in the running to win one of these t-shirts...

• vote which t-shirt you would prefer on the poll on this blog
• follow this blog
• facebook, blog or tweet about this givaway
• become a fan of kasiabear on facebook

So.. get voting as the t-shirt with the most votes will be the one given away.. 

(please leave a separate comment on this blog for each entry)

Giveaway ends and will be drawn on March 31st, 2010. International entries are welcome. 

strawberry with a cherry on top please...

Here we go.. feel a lot better now.. a couple of girlie designs done.. now I can focus on the planes, trains and automobiles...

and the paint doesn't stop here..

here is a little painting by zaccy zac... can't overlook his creative side..

ella's latest artworks..

We've been a bit busy in the art department.. both with me working on designs for kasiabear kids and teaching Ella bits and bobs... she got some awesome art materials from santa and I'm not entirely sure who has been enjoying them more.. her or me...

loving geomag..

Ok.. I haven't done a post on toys lately and I'm loving these little guys that I got for my little Zaccy for Christmas... They are called GeoMag and are magnetic little shapes that you can build with etc.. they have a softer than normal white plastic section that the little guy loves chewing on and it also makes them somewhat quieter on the floorboards than most of the other plastic toys in our house..

but the best thing about these.. is that they live on the fridge.. soooo easy to clean up and put away :o) gotta love that!!

my mushrooms...

My little princess has been feeling a little left out each time I do a design.. so I had to do something girly for her... can't wait to print these on wednesday...

delicious ambiguity...

my jeep...

Had a kid free and husband free outing last night... very nice and rejuvenating mentally... but feeling a bit sleep deprived today.. oops..

anyhow... here is my next design.. inspired by last night..

I loooove jeeps..

a little fundraiser for a beautiful family..

A little while back we received a letter from my kids childcare centre informing us of a change of management.. reason being is that one of the beautiful girls who worked in the office was diagnosed with leukemia... me being ignorant and not really knowing much about the illness googled it and realised just how serious it really was and how much of an impact this will have on this little family.. Even closer to my heart was the fact that this ladies little girl is in my daughters room and I know her very well..

From the moment we stepped into this childcare centre to check it out I felt at home and put Ella on the books straight away. Its a wonderful family atmosphere and I love it for so many different reasons.. and even more so now when I found out that parents are donating goods to be sold at the centre to raise money for this beautiful family...

I wanted to add to this wonderful gesture and make some little t-shirts.. so here are the first four.. printed, washed 3 times just to make sure they're good and durable and ready to be delivered on Monday..

where has this week gone..

Ok.. this week has literally disappeared.. I got a fair bit done.. but it just went. My head has either been stuck in the computer trying to source a whole assortment of things for kasiabear kids or I've been mum.

My little girl turned 3 this week so there has been back to back celebrations including her family and friends party at a local park on Sunday, a day with mum on Monday which included shopping for all her mum's group pal's birthday presents (as they all turned 3 around the same time), chocolate doughnuts, visit to the pet shop and continuation of present unwrapping.. Then Tuesday was a joint birthday party for all the 1st generation mum's group kids at our place.. and more present unwrapping then dancing class... ok... understanding where the week went now..

I've had a ball setting up kasiabear kids.. on facebook, etsy and madeit and also starting on a couple of custom projects.. even better still.. I'm on this journey in parallel with one of my best friends from my high school days who now lives in Melbourne. Shan is also in the process of setting up a little handmade business called Missy Melly. It's really cool as we both have the same taste.. and are in the process of doing  the same thing in two different cities.. but funnily enough.. our ideas are very different. She's a mum of twin girls and is going on the gorgeous girly path and I'm taking the fun yet graphic approach with more of a focus on boys... check out her website which is now up and running.. Missy Melly.. ooooh.. and there is a giveaway happening at the moment for some gorgeous clips.. Love ya Shan and loving this little journey with you :o)

just because...

the first t-shirt order has been placed...

I'm so excited to share this little bit of info.. it took a little while as there were so many fun colours to choose from and sad to say... I couldn't have them all.. The choice was hard but I managed to limit myself to 6 colours which I will be very excited to see in real life when they arrive early next week..

I am currently testing out colour combinations, washability and wear of the paints and fabric I have chosen to work with and hoping to have some fun designs in my shop soon.. It's a bit of a long process, but I want to make sure that all of my items are durable and can handle a bit of rough treatment by their little owners..

So share in the fun of this little journey with me.. I love comments.. I love feedback and I'd love to hear of any designs you always wished you could have on a t-shirt for your little one and just never found..

my little girl is turning three..

It almost seems surreal that three years ago I was heavily pregnant and only one night away from becoming a mother. Its 9pm and my husband's out working late and I have managed to put both my monkeys to sleep and have a small army of cupcakes and a gorgeous butterfly cake decorated for my little angels 3rd birthday party tomorrow..


Ella just stirred, much like she does many times, each and every night, and although running on less than three hours of sleep I didn't fall asleep next to her as I do most nights when I resettle her. All those memories of her birth came rushing back to me and I felt so amazingly blessed to have her in my life. I thank you from the bottom of my heart my little angel for coming into my life!!


I had an amazing pregnancy with her, an amazing babyhood and toddler years, and to me she is really turning into a little girl now. Her vocab is absolutely astounding and our daily conversations endlessly put a smile on my face.


This little girl has changed my life more than I could have ever dreamed. Don't get me wrong.. she is a shocking sleeper and I cannot remember when I had a full night sleep since her birth, she is so incredibly time consuming and drives me up the wall with her stubbornness at times.. but there is something she has done for me that no one ever has. She has softened me up, made me feel strong and made me feel alive. She has indirectly encouraged me to live my life to the fullest, to stop and smell the roses, to love all the little things in life again. Ella has given me the strength to follow my dreams as a designer and showed me how to have fun again.. and she has certainly taught me how not to take life so seriously.


As your dad and I promised you on your naming day.. I promise again that..

• We will nurture you in a loving and caring environment, so that you grow into a kind, considerate, empathetic person.
• We will help you to seek and gain knowledge, ensuring that you learn to make educated choices and good decisions for your future.
• We will support you in your endeavours, allowing you the confidence to take on and complete anything you wish.
• We will provide you with a balanced lifestyle, ensuring that you appreciate all that life has to offer, family, friends and fun.
• We will provide you with the tools that you need to become the best possible person you can be, both personally and professionally.
• We will give you respect and understanding as you go forth in the world, so that you can do the same for others.
• We will not influence you with any prejudices or preconceived ideas that we have, so your future is not hindered by our past.
• We will ensure you understand that the more effort you put into your life, the more you will receive in life

I love you my little angel more than I can ever explain in words.. after all I am a photographer and I think in photographs not words.. happy birthday my darling!! may each day bring you the happiness you have bought me and my you follow your dreams without once being hindered by other peoples opinions.. you can be an astronaut if you so desire.. and don't ever let anyone tell you differently.. 

I love you!!

the first singlet sample is printed.. 'my trike'

Had a great time last night trying out the 'my trike' stencil.. it printed beautifully on paper but its a little delicate for fabric. I'm in the process of 'toughening' it up a little and then re-cut.

my little man modeling.. 

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!!