Jelly Bean Jam

Midnight and all is quiet ♥

2012-03-01T12:46:00.000+11:00

This is the final week of the February photo a day challenge from Fat Mum Slim.

22. Where I work
This is my creative patch - a corner of the lounge which is in grave danger of being taken over by yarn!

23. My shoes
My wet shoeprints - so much rain this week! They look a bit brighter lifted by some colour photo editing.

24. Inside my bathroom cabinet
I can't help it - when things we use are on special at the supermarket I usually buy a few.

25. Green
Rain makes everything outside seem greener!

26. Night
Midnight and all is quiet ♥

27. Something I ate
Mmmmm... roast lamb. These are the leftovers which will be used for sandwiches for lunch.

28. Money
Julia is really keen to save her pocket money in her new school bank account.

And a bonus leap year photo:

29. Something I'm listening to
I haven't bought a CD for ages! But Julia is starting to get into a few songs which she hears on the radio and she asked me to see if I could get a couple for her. So Fresh includes "Somebody that I used to know" which she plays (and sings) over and over, and MKR includes "Dynamite". I picked up a couple of specials too - Julia loves "American pie" and especially Weird Al Yankovic's version which is "The saga begins" - all about Star Wars. The Maroon 5 CD is for me!

On to the March photo a day challenge!

Christine xx

The Gallery - Friends

2012-02-29T11:18:00.000+11:00

Joining Sticky Fingers for The Gallery ... the theme this week is Friends.

These two little cousins had met only once when the youngest was just six weeks old.

We visited recently on a family holiday and these two little girls became best friends.

Christine xx

There's nobody here but us penguins...

2012-02-27T14:05:00.000+11:00

Christine xx

Listography - 5 things that make me happy

2012-02-24T12:50:00.000+11:00

I'm so happy to join with Kate Takes 5 for this weeks Listography!

1. Julia's hugs, cuddles, kisses and I love yous.

2. Listening to Julia sing to herself, especially when she makes up her own songs.

3. Finishing a craft project, particularly if it's something big.

4. Cooking something really delicious (and easy) that my family loves.

5. Lazy family weekends at home.

What makes you happy?

Christine xx

The Gallery - Landscapes

2012-02-23T16:00:00.002+11:00

Joining Sticky Fingers for The Gallery ... the theme this week is Landscapes.

Sullivans Cove, Hobart as dusk falls.

This was taken in 2005 on our honeymoon. Hobart is a lovely city; I would definitely love to revisit Tasmania and see more of this beautiful Australian state. It's on the travel list!

Christine xx

To Nan and Grandpa. I like you.

2012-02-22T10:34:00.000+11:00

Continuing the February photo a day challenge from Fat Mum Slim.

15. Phone
I created this little bunny mobile/ipod cover as part of my Easter collection - available now at Mini-Me Handcrafts.

16. Something new
The mild Canberra weather this summer has brought out new pigface flowers.

17. Time
2.30 pm - time to get off the computer, get organised, get into the car and pick up Julia from school!

18. Drink
These Contigo drink bottles are definitely the favourites in our house. They are very sturdy, wash well, don't leak, and we love all the colours too!

19. Something I hate to do
Ironing. And I'm sure it hates me too.

20. Handwriting
This letter in my own handwriting has been kept for many years by my grandmother. I guess I would have been about 7 years old.

21. A favourite photo of me
The black and white photo was taken on my wedding day and is definitely one of my all-time favourite photos of me.

Christine xx

Julia's Valentine Butterflies

2012-02-20T13:11:00.000+11:00

Julia (Miss 5) had a really lovely Valentine's Day this year. We made some Valentine Butterflies to share with her friends at school.

When I picked her up from school at the end of the day she had saved two butterflies especially for her Daddy and me. What a sweetie!

The template was printed from Skip to my Lou - such a wonderful treasury of beautiful arts and crafts.

Christine xx

The Gallery - C is for Cookie!

2012-02-17T12:17:00.000+11:00

Joining Sticky Fingers for The Gallery ... the theme this week is Embarrassing Outfits.

I'm not sure if this outfit is more embarrassing because I made it myself, or because the photo was only taken a few years ago. At least it was for a fancy dress party!

Christine xx

A little bit inspired by Andy Warhol

2012-02-16T13:38:00.002+11:00

Continuing the February photo a day challenge from Fat Mum Slim.

8. Sun
Peeping out from behind clouds.

9. Front door
These gorgeous fairy houses line the little window next to our front door.

10. Self portrait
In the pop art style of Andy Warhol.

11. Makes me happy
Hugs. Lots of hugs, cuddles and kisses.

12. Inside my closet
My closet is boring, but look inside Julia's wardrobe! I wonder if any of my Facebook friends can recognise their beautiful handiwork?

13. Blue
This little blue bunny rattle that I have made is hoping to find a new home this Easter. He has lots of sisters and brothers too!

14. Heart
A treasured drawing by Julia.

Loving this photo challenge!

Christine xx

Listography - Mugs (the ones for tea or coffee)

2012-02-15T10:55:00.000+11:00

Doesn't everyone have a mug collection in their cupboard? There are always your favourites that sit proudly at the front, followed by the guest mugs which hover within reach, and right at the back are the novelty mugs and the ones received as gifts that you just haven't the heart to throw or give away.

Perhaps this is one of the more unusual Listography collections, but here is a selection from my own cupboard:

1. A gift from my Mum, this is actually the second one because a shelf fell on the first. It was quite devastating at the time, and my Mum searched high and low for an exact replacement.

2. This one was a gift from a friend and still makes me laugh. It was used for some time at work for the all important tea break, mostly because it holds a good amount of tea and doesn't go cold too quickly.

3. I have had this mug for ages. It's slightly smaller than normal, so it's not really very good for tea. Unless you like a small cup.

4. It's plain white, but it's BIG. This is the best mug ever for soup, especially soup with noodles.

5. These are my favourite mugs. Tea tastes best in a china mug.

Join in with Kate Takes 5 and share your favourite mugs too!

Christine xx

With all my love ♥♥♥

2012-02-14T10:37:00.000+11:00

Grandma: You know, when I was nineteen, Grandpa took me on a roller coaster.

Gil: Oh?

Grandma: Up, down, up, down. Oh, what a ride!

Gil: What a great story.

Grandma: I always wanted to go again. You know, it was just so interesting to me that a ride could make me so frightened, so scared, so sick, so excited, and so thrilled all together! Some didn't like it. They went on the merry-go-round. That just goes around. Nothing. I like the roller coaster. You get more out of it.

- Parenthood (1989)

To my wonderful husband,

Happy Valentine's Day, you are awesome!

With all my love,

Christine xxx

This is my family. Aren't we wonderful? This fantastic custom Happy Family Illustration was created by the fabulously talented Katie Moon at Oohmoon - you read more about this creation on her blog post here. Thanks very much Katie!

I love the colours and everything about this amazing piece! I will be getting a canvas print made later in the year which will look fantastic on our wall.

Love to all,
Christine xx

My favourite handmade buys of 2011

2012-02-13T14:29:00.001+11:00

I have found so many wonderful and talented people over the past year who can make the most beautiful handmade delights and thought I should share some of my favourites with you. I love to shop handmade, knowing that I am supporting someone else just like me (except ten times more talented).

Handmade dresses are my weakness, and those I will share with you another day. This blog post is about those other handmade items - anything but clothes!

So in no particular order, here are my favourite handmade buys of 2011:

Jac & Skeet

This fabulous oversized order book cover was made for me by Jac & Skeet. When Jac posted a picture of this jelly bean fabric on her Facebook page, I knew it just had to be mine! My order book was a mess and pages were all over the place, but not any more! Jac can make these covers in any size and can make matching business card holders and notebook covers too.

Also from Jac & Skeet are these Eco bags, made wonderful with a terrific facelift. Both sides of the bag are covered in my fabric choices from Jac's fabric stash. I get great comments from other shoppers when I pull out my bags, especially when craft and yarn shopping!

Becca's Biscuits

My favourite gifts for others last year were these cookie decorator kits from Becca's Biscuits. My initial kit purchase included plain white iced biscuits, edible ink pens, gift box, cello bags and ribbon. Julia loved decorating the biscuits with her own designs, then gift wrapping them for special friends and family.

The ink pens were used over and over for more kits purchased later in the year. I even bought lots of plain tiara shaped biscuits for her birthday party, and her friends loved decorating them too.

Beck makes fabulous custom cookie creations, cookie cards, biscuit bouquets and cookie pops, and her designs and decorations are just fantastic! I bought the letter biscuits for my husband's birthday, and Julia set them into place on the birthday table - what a great centrepiece! The decorated tiaras were a special Christmas gift for Julia's friends at calisthenics. The beautiful work that Beck puts into each decorated biscuit is truly amazing.

There are so many delicious biscuit flavours available, but our favourites are lemon cheesecake and gingerbread. She can post all over Australia too, so take a look at her website and order a sample collection pack today - you'll be hooked too!

Lella M

My husband was searching online for a cover for his ipad so I suggested he might like one from Lella M. This cover fits perfectly and provides good lightweight protection for travel.

Michelle makes wonderful padded covers and pouches for phones, dvd players and ipads as well as a fabulous range of bags, coffee jackets, notebook covers and lots more.

The Karma Soap Company

Julia has quite sensitive skin that can dry out easily so I thought I would try some goats milk soap from The Karma Soap Company. This soap is just heavenly! It leaves her skin so soft and smooth and smells wonderful. It's so good that now we are all using goats milk soap in this house!

Felicity makes all her soaps in small batches, and none of her soaps contain preservatives, alcohol or petroleum products. I have tried several fragrances, and whilst Julia's favourites are chocolate and vanilla, my favourites so far are lavender and frangipani. Take a look at the website for more details.

There's a very special offer right now in the shop: Simply spend $20 or more on any products and include something from the seconds album to receive a free 30ml sample tube of the new goats milk moisturiser - this offer is limited so don't miss out!

Odds & Blobs

I bought this gorgeous passport cover from Odds & Blobs for our big overseas trip last year and it was great! So well made, and how nice to stand out from the usual boring blue covers that all look the same. I bought one for each of us and it made finding passports a little easier in my bag too.

Jess also makes eye masks, luggage tags and zip pouches and you can find a great range in her madeit store.

I hope you enjoy browsing these stores as much as I do. Please support handmade!

Christine xx

The Gallery - A family story...

2012-02-10T12:43:00.000+11:00

It's been quite a while since I joined Tara's Sticky Fingers blog for The Gallery ... the theme this week is A Family Story.

This is the beginning of a story.

In September 1968, my father, my mother and I left Melbourne to live in the USA for twelve months. I was two years old and that's me, in my Dad's arms, in a red coat. The photo shows family and friends all wishing us a safe journey as we leave Australia.

My father had been granted a Government Scholarship to attend the University of California at Berkeley. After his graduation we travelled extensively throughout the USA and Europe, before finally returning home in January 1970. My Mum kept a wonderful collection of letters to and from family and friends and which tell the story of our time overseas.

It's a pity that letter writing is such a dying art, as the letter collection, along with a substantial number of photos and slides, is a real reminder of a significant time in my own family story.

Christine xx

Photo a day - a new month begins

2012-02-09T11:30:00.001+11:00

It's a new month and the start of the February photo a day challenge from Fat Mum Slim.

1. My view today
The last week of school holiday activities and Julia (Miss 5) is playing tennis every morning. She can't really hit the ball, but she tries hard and she has fun.

2. Words
Some leftover alphabet stickers and a 5 year old at the craft table equals a beautiful note for me this morning.

3. Hands
I love the feel of Julia's chubby little hands in mine.

4. A stranger
Lots of strangers gathering together to watch Angelina Ballerina at the Canberra Theatre. It was a wonderful performance and Julia enjoyed it immensely.

5. 10 am
A beautiful sunny day today. This watch was given to me one Christmas by my Dad about 20 years ago and I have always loved the gold on the white face. It's nothing special but it's special to me.

6. Dinner
Oops! I forgot to take a photo before dinner, so this is after the clean up. Dinner was make your own mini hamburgers, so it was fun and delicious!

7. Button
I have had a few of these buttons for years, but they needed a special place. I have made a beautiful circle vest for a friend and these buttons are perfect for this outfit.

I am really enjoying this photo challenge!

Christine xx

Listography - Phrases that drive me crazy

2012-02-08T10:46:00.003+11:00

I haven't joined Kate Takes 5 for Listography for ages, but the topic this week made me think about the things I hear constantly that really get on my nerves. Here are my top 5:

1. "Whatever"

This just grates. It's so dismissive and disrespectful.

2. "I don't remember"

A favourite of Julia (Miss 5). Especially when recalling the days events or where she last saw her hat or shoes.

Closely followed by...

3. "I don't know"

Another favourite in this house.

4. "Devine"

Not so much a phrase as a written word, I see this all the time on Facebook and I just want to cross it out with a red pen. The word is divine - use spell check please!

And one that Julia hates from her father:

5. "Minor detail"

I don't really mind this one, but it drives Julia crazy!

What phrases drive you crazy?

Christine xx

Me Time

2012-02-06T14:04:00.000+11:00

Julia started school today. It was lovely to see her so keen to start Kindergarten. She was very happy to say goodbye and join in the activities.

So, child dropped at school, grocery shopping done, washing done - time for some me time! But what to do first?

I'd like to do some more research on my family tree...

I have so many ideas for things I'd like to crochet...

I need to plan an awesome family holiday...

I'd love to take a really good look around Pinterest...

I have photo albums I need to bring up to date...

I have a few scrapbooking pages half finished...

Now if only I could find the time!

Christine xx

Me, again ♥

2012-02-01T13:56:00.000+11:00

Wrapping up the last days of the January photo a day challenge from Fat Mum Slim.

29. Inside my fridge
Ahhh - shopping day and the fridge looks full!

30. Nature
A visitor in our garden this morning.

24. Me, again
A special picture of me drawn by Miss 5.

The February photo a day challenge has just started and it looks great! Stick around for more photo fun!

Christine xx

Something old, something new

2012-01-30T22:56:00.000+11:00

Continuing the photo a day challenge for January from Fat Mum Slim. These photos are from the past week.

22. My shoes
I have come to the realisation that as a Mum I can get away with just two pairs of shoes - one for warm weather and one for cold weather.

23. Something old
I have photographed and blogged about this before, but this old object is something that I truly treasure. This gorgeous leather bound book belonged to my grandmother and has her name hand written in the front in her own writing. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame was first printed in 1908. This is a 26th edition, printed in 1927.

24. Guilty pleasure
I'm sure that there are many who have a love for yarns of all types. This is just a small sample of the yarns that I have plans for - so much yarn, so little time! My pleasure is of course creating something special from this pile of yarn, whilst my guilt is due to the amount of yarn on hand - but shhh... no-one else needs to know, right?

25. Something I made
My contribution to the Australia Day celebrations this year!

26. Colour
Beautiful rainbow bobbles from Red Bobble together with a gorgeous rainbow dress from Rainbows & Ringlets.

27. Lunch
Julia made rice paper rolls for her Gran's birthday this week.

28. Light
If it's still light outside, it can't be time for bed yet, can it? I'm too busy making soup!

Last week coming up, but I have enjoyed this so much that I may keep going with the February challenge!

Christine xx

These are a few of my favourite things!

2012-01-23T16:46:00.000+11:00

I'm still keeping up with the photo a day challenge for January from Fat Mum Slim. These photos are from the past week.

15. Happiness
Happiness is chalk drawing with Miss 5 on a sunny day.

16. Morning
The morning sun peeking through the trees in my backyard.

17. Water
Julia has been taking extra swimming lessons this week for her school holiday activity and she swam like a fish - so well that she went up a grade!

18. Something I bought
Or at least something WE bought whilst in Disneyland. This is Captain Jack Sparrow's hat. It's essentially a totally useless souvenir but it truly is the best pirate hat ever.

19. Sweet
Homemade chocolate & choc chip ice cream - yum!

20. Someone I love
My two favourite people in all the world - Daddy and daughter playing side by side.

21. Reflection
Julia loves blowing bubbles! Sunlight and rainbows captured perfectly in these beautiful bubbles.

I have loved the challenge of week three - now on to week four!

Christine xx

A handbag, a sunset and blue, blue eyes

2012-01-16T17:24:00.002+11:00

Continuing with the photo a day challenge for January from Fat Mum Slim here are my photos from the past week.

8. Your sky
The most beautiful sunsets happen nightly just outside my own front door, but usually I'm too pre-occupied with making dinner or bathing the beauty that I forget to look.

9. Daily routine
Most mornings, Julia (Miss 5) creeps into bed with me and wakes me with a kiss. The mornings that she doesn't are the ones when we have to leave the house early (usually for school). So she wakes me when I could be sleeping in and I wake her when we don't have time to sleep in. Sleeping in is definitely a thing of the past.

10. Childhood
This is a picture of me taken on my 7th birthday. I went out to lunch with my grandparents as a birthday treat. It's even in the original frame.

11. Where I sleep
On my side of the bed is a bear that I was given for my first mother's day, before Julia was born. There is also a book which unfortunately hasn't been opened for quite a while. On my husband's side of the bed is a sculpture of a lighthouse made by Julia. Above the bed is a Norman Lindsay etching given to me by my father.

12. In my bag
I like to try to be organised. So in my bag is my wallet, keys, glasses and a pouch containing everything else like wipes, tissues, bandaids and a wonderful crayon wallet. My phone is in a pocket at the side of my bag. I bought this fabulous bag in San Diego last year.

13. Close-up
Julia has the bluest of blue eyes.

14. Something I'm reading
This is Julia's bookshelf. I don't have time to read - I'm too busy crocheting! So what I am reading at the moment is the Roald Dahl collection. Julia and I read a few chapters each night. At the moment we are reading The BFG.

Week two has been fun, but I've been looking ahead to week three... the challenge continues!

Christine xx

The first week of January...

2012-01-09T10:18:00.000+11:00

Welcome to 2012! I am ready for a challenge this year, and what better way to start than with a photo a day for January. Chantelle from Fat Mum Slim has created a fabulous challenge with a guide list to follow, so I have been snapping away each day. Here goes with the first week:

1. Me
Wrinkles and all.

2. Breakfast
For a house with just three people, we have a lot of choice when it comes to breakfast. However, the Rice Bubbles are rarely eaten for breakfast; more often they are used to make yummy slices. Also, the Coco Pops only make an appearance because we've just come back from a trip - I used to love having the special little cereal boxes when I went on holidays as a child.

3. Something I adore
It's not just my daughter that I adore in this photo, it's actually the fact that she is amusing herself quietly for a change, and not making a mess either!

4. Letterbox
Just the right height for a five year old to collect the mail.

5. Something I wore
This gorgeous pendant is from Swarovski in Austria - from the actual factory shop - and I wore it on my wedding day to a wonderful Austrian man. We visited Austria together the year before we were married, and chose this pendant especially for our big day.

6. Makes me smile
My kitchen and hallway are covered with drawings and crafts that Julia has created over the past three or so years. They make the room bright and make me smile every day. I am running out of room on the walls, but I find it very hard to take any of them down!

7. Favourite
Whilst I am not a fan of the summer heat, I love summer for wonderful cherries! These are my most favourite fruit of all.

Week one completed - bring on week two!

Christine xx

Happy New Year to you all ♥

2012-01-02T19:08:00.000+11:00

Here is the recipe for Vanilla Kipferl. I should perhaps have included the recipe in my last post, but I was so busy in the week leading up to Christmas! I hope you will enjoy these delicious traditional Austrian Christmas treats with your own families.

Vanilla Kipferl
Makes 36

1 vanilla bean, halved
250g unsalted butter, softened
1 cup icing sugar mixture, sifted
2 egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups plain flour
3/4 cup almond meal (ground almonds)
1/2 cup caster sugar

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan forced. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
2. Using a small sharp knife, scrape seeds from 1 half of vanilla bean. Set aside. Finely chop remaining bean half. Set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, vanilla seeds and 3/4 cup icing sugar mixture until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks. Beat to combine.
4. Sift salt and flour over butter mixture. Add almond meal. Using a wooden spoon, stir until just combined and a sticky dough forms. Turn out onto a floured surface. Knead gently until smooth. Using 1 tablespoon mixture at a time. roll into balls. Roll balls into 6cm logs with tapered edges. Shape into crescents. Place, 2cm apart, on prepared trays. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until firm and golden at edges. Cool on trays for 3 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, process caster sugar and reserved vanilla bean half until finely ground. Sift sugar mixture into a shallow bowl. Stir in remaining icing sugar mixture. Roll kipferls, one at a time, in sugar mixture. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from Super Food Ideas magazine.Here is my secret to success - this is one of the few recipes for which I will always buy real vanilla beans!

Happy New Year to everyone!

Christine xx

Christmas traditions

2011-12-24T08:36:00.000+11:00

I usually do lots of Christmas cooking, but this year I just made a double batch of one special recipe.

These are Vanilla Kipferl, a traditional Austrian Christmas cookie, but known to my family as Oma's biscuits. My mother-in-law would always bake a huge batch of these every Christmas, but as she is no longer with us I now try to keep up the tradition. I hope that Julia will continue this each Christmas when she gets older.

Best wishes to you all for Christmas and the New Year.

Christine xx

Christmas wishes

2011-12-19T13:57:00.001+11:00

Last year, Julia (then Miss 4) asked Santa for just one thing, a Yo Gabba Gabba DVD. And whenever anyone asked her what she wanted from Santa, she would tell them very quickly and running all the words together like this:

"AYoGabbaGabbaDVDtheonewithToodieonthefront".

No-one actually knew what she was saying and I was constantly translating for her. Fortunately Santa understood, and she was a very happy girl on Christmas morning.

This year she is giving Santa a few ideas to choose from. Fortunately she knows that Santa can't fit very much in his sack as he has to carry toys for all the kids in the world, so she isn't expecting Santa to bring everything on her list.

I wish you all a safe and happy Christmas and hope you enjoy some time with friends and family. Merry Christmas everyone!

Santa - Christmas Crafts

2011-12-12T13:22:00.001+11:00

I was looking back at my Christmas blog posts from last year. Julia (Miss 5) and I cooked and crafted our way through December - wow, we were busy!

This year I will admit we are taking things a little slower. Whilst the elves have been visiting nightly and leaving a chocolate in the mini stockings, I just have one Christmas craft to share so far - this colourful Christmas wreath. Julia loved making this and it was super easy to do!

Step 1 - Visit The Reject Shop or similar discount store.
Step 2 - Purchase a tinsel wreath and colourful, wrapped lollies or chocolates.
Step 3 - Tie lollies or chocolates onto wreath with ribbon.
Step 4 - Hang on door, stand back and admire!

I have some Christmas cooking on my list of things to do, hopefully I will have time to get started on that soon!

P.S. There's still time to purchase personalised books for Christmas gifts... books are usually posted within 2-3 days of your order & payment. And postage is free!

Santa
Deluxe Personalised Children's Book
$21.50 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Superman - Everyone loves a super hero!

2011-12-05T15:55:00.001+11:00

Julia (Miss 5) loves super heroes. She will happily play Batman on the X-Box with her Daddy and she loves to dress up in her magic cape and rescue Barbie dolls from the evil teddy bears.

But there is one superhero that outshines all others - Mario. I'm not even sure that this short Italian plumber can be classed as a superhero, except that he does have to rescue Princess Peach from the evil Bowser, and he has Luigi as his sidekick. Julia loves this guy and can play Super Mario Bros like a pro, on the Wii and the DS. She even has invisible friends called Mario and Luigi who have been visiting our house for at least a couple of years now. They usually get blamed for anything that goes wrong around here...

So for her recent birthday, I could not go past this wonderful Mario dress from Nicola at Enoch & Plonk. It is refashioned from a fabulous Mario t-shirt which has been upcycled and totally set off by the contrast sleeves and neckline. Julia loved it and I could hardly get her to take it off for several days!

If you like this Enoch & Plonk dress, you should see the others Nicola has in stock and planned! Take a look at her website blog for new collection and design news, then make sure you like Enoch & Plonk on Facebook and sign up to her newsletter to keep up to date with all the E&P happenings. You can also shop direct via Etsy and Big Cartel.

Superman & Wonder Woman
Deluxe Personalised Children's Book
$21.50 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Ballerina Princess - the princess party!

2011-11-28T13:48:00.001+11:00

Julia is now Miss 5 and to celebrate she had a fabulous princess birthday party on the weekend. The party girls played pass the parcel, steal the dragon's treasure, kiss the frog, treasure hunt and dancing games like musical cushions and musical bobs.

We ate fairy bread, sausage rolls, cocktail frankfurts and carrot fritters. We also had mini caramel tarts, chocolate brownies and jelly cups. And a birthday cake of course - a princess castle!

Julia loved her balloons and streamers, and everyone received a party bag that they filled with all their games prizes. I used mini blackboards from Sonni Lou Designs to label each of the party bags for the girls. Julia's party dress was made by Tina at Tink Handmade. Isn't it just gorgeous!

We finished the party with some cookie decorating. The whole kit was provided by Becca's Biscuits - large plain white iced tiara shaped biscuits, edible ink pens and bags & bows. The party girls loved creating their own designs on the biscuits and they were delicious too!

Ballerina Princess
Deluxe Personalised Children's Book
$21.50 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Ballerina Princess - Party Planning

2011-11-21T14:04:00.001+11:00

Last year I had a mermaid party to plan. This year Miss Julia will be turning 5 and her chosen theme is a princess party.

The date has been set, the invitations have been sent and the menu has been selected. The games have been arranged, prizes and decorations bought, and Julia has chosen a cake.

Now all I have to do is prepare the banquet and make the cake look something like a castle. Wish me luck...

I looked back at my last party planning post here, and I seem to be doing all the same things as last year. All Julia's favourite party things - balloons, streamers, fairy bread and pass-the-parcel. The main difference is the colour scheme this year will be pink and purple instead of green and blue.

All the things on Julia's birthday list this year are still the lovely, simple things that I remember from my own childhood. 5 year olds are easy to please too!

Julia's party invitations were made by Amy at Duck Duck Goose (now One Sixteenth Designs).

Ballerina Princess
Deluxe Personalised Children's Book
$21.50 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

A quick blog post - Be prepared, Batman!

2011-11-14T13:35:00.001+11:00

This is just a great quote from a fabulous super hero:

Robin: "Where'd you get a live fish, Batman?"
Batman: "The true crimefighter always carries everything he needs in his utility belt, Robin."

Just like a Mum always carries everything in her handbag. Awesome!

Batman - Deluxe Personalised Children's Book
$21.50 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Calisthenics - Miss Julia, take a bow!

2011-11-07T12:41:00.000+11:00

On the weekend Julia (Miss nearly 5) performed in her end-of-year concert for Calisthenics. She has enjoyed her year so much, and is really keen to do it all again next year. Yay!

Being the proud Mum that I am, I thought I would share a few photos of her final performance on stage this year.

If you'd like to find out more, please take a look at Calisthenics ACT if you are in Canberra like me, or Calisthenics Australia for more information about Calisthenics in other states.

Crocheted goodies handmade by me
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Gooloogong... a traveller's oasis!

2011-10-31T12:52:00.000+11:00

On our recent family car trip we took a break in a little village called Gooloogong.

The park was such a lovely place to stop.

It was so beautifully maintained with a great playground, clean toilets, barbeque facilities and a wonderful display of town history.

The town is located midway between Forbes and Cowra in NSW. If you are travelling that way, plan on a stop here!

Crocheted goodies handmade by me
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

God Loves Me - Follow that star to Parkes!

2011-10-24T12:41:00.000+11:00

On our recent family holiday we drove to Orange to visit our cousins and Dubbo to visit the zoo. We took the route through Parkes on the way home. Here is a snippet of a conversation with Julia (Miss nearly 5) whilst travelling:

Me: "We're on the road to Parkes now. Someone very special that you know was born in Parkes."

Julia: "I know... Jesus!"

Me: "Ummm.... no. Your grandmother."
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Crocheted goodies handmade by me
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

God Loves Me
Deluxe Personalised Children's Book
$21.50 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

We're off to see the Wizard...

2011-10-17T12:32:00.002+11:00

We went to the theatre on Saturday afternoon in Canberra to see Phoenix Players presentation of The Wizard of Oz.

Here is Julia, all ready to go. She is dressed in her Wizard of Oz pinny from Possum & Sweetpea. Kristy and Kylie make beautiful dresses, skirts, pants and lots of other handmade goodies which you can purchase from their madeit store.

What a wonderful performance! Julia loves the movie and was entranced by the story on stage.

At intermission I turned to Julia and said "These seats are great aren't they!" She turned around in her seat and looked at the upholstery. "Oh yes Mum, these are great seats". Miss Literal strikes again.

After the show, Julia got to meet the cast members in the theatre foyer. She was thrilled that they all loved her dress!

The show runs for another week, so you might still be able to get tickets. Take a look at the theatre company website for more details.

Crocheted goodies handmade by me
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

God Loves Me - Theology 101 with Miss Julia

2011-10-11T13:13:00.000+11:00

A curious conversation with Julia (Miss nearly 5) just the other day whilst driving:

Julia: "God can't be everywhere Mum. He's not in a tree or in a sign. And He's not flat on the road or on tiles. He's puffed up."

Me: "Like 3-D?"

Julia: "Yes, but you can't see Him puffed up until you're in heaven."

Me: "Maybe you can say that He's all around us then."

Julia: "Yes, He's all around, but not in signs."

Deep.

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Crocheted goodies handmade by me
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

God Loves Me
Deluxe Personalised Children's Book
$21.50 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Calisthenics - Final competition for the year...

2011-10-03T09:32:00.000+11:00

Last weekend saw Julia (Miss nearly 5) in her last Calisthenics competition for the year. She practised every day in the few weeks leading up to this competition and was really looking forward to performing on stage again.

Such a wonderful result! Her team placed second overall in the Tinies division of the ACT Team Championships, with places in every discipline - free exercises, rods, aesthetics and folk & character dance. It truly was a wonderful achievement for all the girls!

For most of the girls in Julia's Tinies team, it was their first year of calisthenics. All praise must go to her coach Kirsty for her wonderful routines, awesome energy and in particular the way she cares for each and every one of her girls. Huge thanks must also go to team assistants Chelsea, Sam, Caitlyn and Jess, and team manager Nicky for making the day a success once again.

Julia is very happy with her haul of ribbons for the year - she has two each of blue, red, green and yellow. Here she is ready to go on stage for her rods routine. (Hubby says she looks like she's ready for a role in Rocky Horror, but he's as proud as any Dad could be!)

Mini-Me Handcrafts - Christmas in July II

2011-09-26T13:36:00.000+10:00

I loved participating in The Oz Material Girls Christmas in July Craft Swap this year. You may have seen my crafting efforts in a previous post. Now I'd like to show you the most beautiful gift I have received from my swap partner Jo.

This craft bag is beautifully quilted in such divine fabric and will be perfect for keeping my crochet hooks and all my little bits and pieces together.

Jo also included two little gifts inside the bag: a sweet lucky owl which was happily taken by Julia (Miss nearly 5) and has now found a home beside her bed, and the most beautiful buttons. I just need to find a project worthy of such buttonly prettiness!

Crocheted goodies handmade by me
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

My Day on Sesame Street - Alphabet Cookies

2011-09-19T12:15:00.000+10:00

It was my husband's birthday last Friday so he took the day off work. Hooray! Julia (Miss four-and-a-half) was very excited to make a special birthday lunch for her Daddy. We made sausage rolls for a lunchtime treat.

Setting the table was the best part. Julia was thrilled that we used a tablecloth (we usually use placemats) and she had chosen some party hats for us to wear.

But the best part was the cookie decorations. Julia had such fun putting her birthday message together from letter cookies I purchased from Beccas Biscuits.

They made such a lovely, colourful centrepiece and Beck decorated the biscuits beautifully. Lemon cheesecake is the cookie flavour we love the most - just fabulous!

You can see more of Beck's wonderful creations on Facebook or on her website.

Crocheted goodies handmade by me
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

My Day on Sesame Street
Deluxe Personalised Children's Book
$21.50 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

The Gallery - A happy memory...

2011-09-15T16:18:00.000+10:00

Once again I'm joining Tara's Sticky Fingers blog for The Gallery ... the theme this week is A Happy Memory.

This happy memory is bringing Julia home from hospital after her birth. It was such a highly anticipated moment; everything was so new and wonderfully exciting. I could never have imagined how wonderful this journey would be!

If you would like to join in too, please take a look at Sticky Fingers!

Crocheted goodies handmade by me
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised children's books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Mini-Me Handcrafts - Mini Tea Set

2011-09-12T11:22:00.000+10:00

I have busy crocheting lots of play food and one of my most popular items is a mini tea set.

The set has 9 pieces including 2 cups and saucers, teapot, sugar bowl and creamer.

I recently made a set for auction at Raising Hope for Brittany. The generosity of bidders was so amazing that I had to add something extra for the winner - a little selection of oreos, jam drops & choc chip cookies on a matching plate.

Please take a look at Raising Hope for Brittany on Facebook - you will see there is a Spring Auction on right now for some amazing items, including another of my little tea sets.

All money raised from the auction will be going to Raising Hope for Brittany to assist with disabled equipment and medical treatment for Brittany - a 14 year old girl who has an acquired hypoxic brain injury. Every little bit helps to make a difference and a positive impact on Brittany's life.

Please be generous in your bidding - I would love to add a mini cookie selection to the tea set!

Crocheted goodies handmade by me
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Our Handmade Father's Day

2011-09-05T13:38:00.000+10:00

Julia (Miss four-and-a-half) was so excited about Father's Day this year.

First she made a card and a key tag at pre-school. She has the most wonderful teachers who put in so much effort to make sure that all the kids could take home something that their Dad would love.

The craft didn't stop at school - at home we made a book for Dad with lots of pictures and special things about Dad. Some of the ideas for the book came from one of my favourite blogs - Toni at Make It Perfect.

Julia loved decorating hankies with fabulous drawings for Dad. Fabric textas are so easy to use and can be used on so many things to make a colourful gift.

Our last craft was biscuit decorating. I bought a fabulous cookie decorating kit from Beccas Biscuits which included six large plain white iced biscuits (Julia and I chose gingerbread), presented in a gift tin with a packet of edible ink pens. Julia loved creating her own designs on the biscuits (and they were delicious too!)

Bec is going to make these kits available on a regular basis; please take a look at her wonderful creations on Facebook or on her website.

Dad loved his gifts and Julia was so proud of her creations!

Crocheted goodies handmade by me
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Teddy Bear Land - Imaginary Friends

2011-08-29T10:14:00.000+10:00

Julia (Miss four-and-a-half) has quite a few imaginary friends. Her favourite imaginary friends are Mario and Luigi (of Super Mario Bros fame) and a handful of "bug friends" in various colours. Her friends visit our house regularly and she is always making up stories about them and their adventures. She will also quite often blame them for various things she has done! Her stories are clever and imaginative, and whilst she can talk the hind leg off a donkey, I love to listen to her tales.

Sometimes her Dad and I try to join in with her fun, but she won't have a bar of it. Here is a recent conversation:

Dad: "Your bug friends have come inside, they must be cold out there".

Julia: "No, they are still outside".

Dad: "No, they're right behind you".

Julia: "You can't tell, they're invisible".

Dad: "I can see them".

Julia: "No, you can't, they're imaginary friends".

What can you say to that? Julia 1 - Dad 0.

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Crocheted goodies handmade by me
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Teddy Bear Land
Deluxe Personalised Children's Book
$21.50 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Justice League - Super Julia

2011-08-22T11:34:00.000+10:00

Julia (Miss four-and-a-half) loves super heroes. Batman and Spider-Man are her favourites.

Here she is in her superhero cape made by Roz from Skidamarink (I love you). Roz makes magic capes in a range of colours, as well as gorgeous peasant dresses and applique tops for boys and girls.

Julia loves to wear her cape - sometimes she is a super hero and other times she is a wizard (just like Harry Potter of course). It can be a cloak of invisibility, a pirate cape or even a detective cape. It's one of her favourite dress up costumes.

She may not be big enough to save the world yet, but my favourite super hero is Super Julia of course!

Justice League - Giant Personalised Children's Book
$25.10 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

The Gallery - Black and White...

2011-08-18T09:07:00.000+10:00

Once again I'm joining Tara's Sticky Fingers blog for The Gallery ... the theme this week is Black and White.

I love this stunning black and white tiling which is located at the Hyatt Hotel in Canberra. This heritage listed hotel has been beautifully restored and offers a wonderfully indulgent morning tea on weekends. My husband and I were married there, and we like to revisit for our wedding anniversary each year.

This photo was taken a few years back with Julia (then Miss 2) sitting for her photo after our sumptuous morning tea.

If you would like to join in too, please take a look at Sticky Fingers!

Handmade crocheted goodies
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised children's books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Listography - Guilty Pleasures

2011-08-17T11:13:00.000+10:00

Once again I'm joining Kate Takes 5 for Listography, and the topic this week is guilty pleasures. Yes, I have a few...

1. Recipe books and magazines

I love to cook new things, but they have to be QUICK and EASY. The ingredients lists must be short and mostly stocked in my pantry. There must be minimal use of pots and pans.

Thanks to my wonderful Mum, I have subscriptions to two recipe mags which provide me with plenty of new ideas!

2. KFC

Popcorn chicken. Yum!

3. Yarn

Since picking up crocheting again recently, I have amassed quite a stockpile of yarn. I can't seem to walk past Lincraft anymore without picking up a couple of balls. Now I know how those who stock up on fabric feel about Spotlight.

4. Facebook games

I love to take time out and play.

5. Handmade dresses

Why do I have so many Facebook friends who make beautiful girl's dresses? Julia (Miss four-and-a-half) has so many already in her wardrobe, but I'm sure there is room for more!

(This one is from Sugar an Spice on Facebook).

If you would like to join in too, please take a look at Kate Takes 5!

Handmade children's ponchos, scarves & lots more
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Holy hot coffee Batman!

2011-08-15T12:10:00.000+10:00

Julia (Miss four-and-a-half) thinks she knows all the road rules, and is quite happy to point out give way, stop and speed limit signs to me as I am driving.

She also keeps an eagle eye on other drivers - here is a snippet of a conversation we had last week as we were travelling:

"Mum!"
"Yes, Julia".
"That man is drinking and driving!"
"What man?"
"The man in the car next to us! You're not allowed to drink and drive, are you Mum!"
"Umm, well no, but I think he's drinking coffee, and that's OK."

Silence, brain ticking over...

"But Mum, what if he spills it?"

Ouch!

Batman - Deluxe Personalised Children's Book
$21.50 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Mini-Me Handcrafts - Apples in a row

2011-08-13T21:17:00.000+10:00

I'm joining Jay for the Finki Handmade Monthly Design Challenge... the theme for August is "All in a row".

Handmade crochet apples all in a row... delicious!

If you would like to join in too, please take a look at Finki Handmade!

Handmade children's ponchos, scarves & lots more
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

The Gallery - Water...

2011-08-10T19:38:00.001+10:00

Once again I'm joining Tara's Sticky Fingers blog for The Gallery ... the theme this week is Water.

Julia has loved water since she was a baby and bath time has always been a fun time. I still love hearing her playing and singing in the bath at night. This is one of my favourite photos of Julia's creative bath play... "Look Mum, I made a word!"

If you would like to join in too, please take a look at Sticky Fingers!

Handmade children's ponchos, scarves & lots more
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Calisthenics - what a weekend!

2011-08-08T14:12:00.001+10:00

I've shared a little about Calisthenics in a previous post (a beautiful sport). Julia (Miss Four-and-a-half) loves Calisthenics. She enjoys going to practice with her team every week and she practices at home every day.

On the weekend her team placed first overall in their ACT Preliminary Competition, with places in every discipline - free exercises, rods, aesthetics and folk & character dance. What a fantastic achievement for all the girls!

It was so wonderful watching these little girls performing on the stage. All the teams put so much effort into their performances, and it was easy to tell that they were all enjoying their day.

I am so proud of my gorgeous girl! Here is Julia in her costume for the folk & character dance - A Pirate's Life. She is demonstrating her very best pirate face and arrrrrr!

Her coach Kirsty is such an inspiration, and has chosen brilliant music and choreographed tremendous routines for the girls. Kirsty's energy and care are so very much appreciated - especially by this Mum!

Huge thanks must go to Kirsty and team assistants Chelsea, Sam, Caitlyn and Jess, team manager Nicky, and everyone else who again put so much work into making the day such a success for all the girls.

If you'd like to find out more, please take a look at Calisthenics ACT if you are in Canberra like me, or Calisthenics Australia for more information about Calisthenics in other states.

Handmade children's ponchos, scarves & lots more
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

The Gallery - Birth...

2011-08-03T22:22:00.000+10:00

Once again I'm joining Tara's Sticky Fingers blog for The Gallery ... the theme this week is Birth.

My interpretation of birth is the start of a new life. I have already shared my favourite photo of the first time I saw my daughter Julia (Three Words), so here is another of my favourite photos from Julia's first days.

This photo represents not only Julia's new life but also a new beginning for my husband and me. The beginning of our family.

If you would like to join in too, please take a look at Sticky Fingers!

Handmade children's ponchos, scarves & lots more
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Listography - My Top 5 Kids Movies

2011-08-02T21:39:00.001+10:00

Once again I'm joining Kate Takes 5 for Listography, and the topic this week is movies for kids. Julia (Miss Four-and-a-half) loves movies and loves going to the movies, but these are not her favourite movies - oh no! These are MY favourite kids movies!

1. The Princess Bride

Oh, what a gorgeous movie! It has a bit of everything - romance, action, adventure and parody all rolled into a beautiful movie with something for everyone.

2. Monsters Inc.

This is definitely my favourite animation - I just love the imaginative storyline.

3. Galaxy Quest

I just love the spoofiness of this movie. I'm not sure if spoofiness is a word, but I love it anyway.

4. Polar Express

What's not to like about this Christmas movie? The story, the animation, the singing - wonderful!

5. The Pirate Movie

Maybe it's cheesy, but I can still watch this movie, sing all the songs and enjoy it!

If you would like to join in too, please take a look at Kate Takes 5!

Handmade children's ponchos, scarves & lots more
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Mini-Me Handcrafts - Christmas in July

2011-08-01T11:08:00.000+10:00

I am so happy to be part of The Oz Material Girls Christmas in July Craft Swap. I wanted to make something useful as well as decorative for my swap partner Jo, so here is my finished item which I posted to Jo last week:

A set of three crochet bags with applique.

The largest bag is 16cm high x 14cm base, the medium bag is 14cm x 12cm base and the smallest bag is 11cm high x 9cm base.

I think that I would use them for storing my embroidery cottons and other craft bits. My swap partner Jo loves to sew, so I was thinking that these could be useful for keeping her sewing threads and other little things together.

Handmade children's ponchos, scarves & lots more
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Mini-Me Handcrafts - Sushi

2011-07-25T08:15:00.000+10:00

Miss Mini-Masterchef (aka Julia - Miss 4) has been creating again. This time it's cooking in the sandpit. She loves to create amazing dishes; cakes and soups being her speciality. Her favourite ingredients are flowers, but even dandelions and clover are in short supply this winter! Fortunately there are still plenty of weeds and fallen leaves around our yard to keep her pantry stocked.

Even my Mini-Masterchef can be inspiring, so here is my latest crochet play food - a sushi selection plate.

This eight piece play set includes tuna, salmon, egg and prawn nigiri sushi, cucumber and tuna sushi rolls, inside-out roll and battleship roll.

Julia tells me it looks good enough to eat!

Handmade children's ponchos, scarves & lots more
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Collaborate for a Cause - Mini-Me update!

2011-07-22T22:57:00.001+10:00

I have just completed my contribution to a second collaboration for the wonderful Facebook auction at Collaborate for a Cause.

This collaboration is between Sugar an Spice, Little Wildrose, Karma Rocks, Shabby Shac and of course my own Mini-Me Handcrafts. The theme is "High Tea".

Here is my little bit...

A 15 piece tea set, a set of 4 fancy cakes and a set of 4 cupcakes.

... and here are the others which complete the theme!

Tracey from Sugar an Spice: Handmade Shabby Baby dress with lace and vintage doilies, elastic elbow length satin gloves, sugar bonnet, sugar evening tea headband and wrought iron cupcake tier.

Janine from Little Wildrose: Handmade satin lined High Tea clutch (fabric matched to the Sugar an Spice High Tea dress).

Tracey from Karma Rocks: Hand pressed silver High Tea necklace.

Kim from Shabby Shac: Handmade High Tea quilt.

All money raised from auction of this package will be going to Chloe at Spinakids to assist with disabled equipment, medical treatment and general resources for a bright and bubbly nine year old girl with special needs who is confined to a wheelchair.

SpinaKids was formed in September 2009 to support parents, carers, family and friends of children with spinal cord injuries or defects, and to raise awareness of the difficulties these children and their families face every day. This organisation is run tirelessly by Chloe's mother Lynne, who never stops doing everything she can to make services better for all those affected with this type of disability.

Whilst beautiful Chloe won't walk again, there are many children who can and will, if they have access to rehabilitation services, equipment and support networks. Please take a look at Spinakids on Facebook - every bit of support can make a difference.

The Collaborate for a Cause Charity Auction will begin on Friday 29th July at 8pm EST and finish on Sunday 31st July at 8pm.

You can find more information at Collaborate for a Cause on Facebook. Get ready for the most uplifting and wonderful auction the Facebook community has ever seen!

Handmade children's ponchos, scarves & lots more
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

The Gallery - Vintage...

2011-07-20T22:13:00.000+10:00

Once again joining Tara's Sticky Fingers blog for The Gallery ... the theme this week is Vintage.

I don't own a lot of really old things, but perhaps one that I treasure is this gorgeous leather bound book which belonged to my grandmother. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame was first printed in 1908. This is a 26th edition, printed in 1927. It has her name hand written in the front in her own writing. I like to think that she read and enjoyed this story many times just as I have.

If you would like to join in too, please take a look at Sticky Fingers!

Handmade children's ponchos, scarves & lots more
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Collaborate for a Cause - it's almost time!

2011-07-18T09:34:00.000+10:00

The charity auction event at Collaborate for a Cause is starting soon! You may have seen my recent sneak peek blog post... well, the collaboration between LellaM & my own Mini-Me Handcrafts is now finished and here it is...

This is a matched set of A5 fabric covered notebook & padded phone pouch in black & white damask print with crocheted applique motifs, and white crocheted bag with matching motifs.

All money raised from auction of this package will be going to Raising Hope for Brittany to assist with disabled equipment and medical treatment for Brittany - a beautiful 14 year old girl who has an acquired hypoxic brain injury.

Please take a look at Raising Hope for Brittany on Facebook - you will see there is an auction on right now for some amazing items. Every little bit helps to make a difference and a postive impact on Brittany's life.

The Collaborate for a Cause Charity Auction will begin on Friday 29th July at 8pm EST and finish on Sunday 31st July at 8pm.

You can find more information at Collaborate for a Cause on Facebook. Get ready for the most uplifting and wonderful auction the Facebook community has ever seen!

Handmade children's ponchos, scarves & lots more
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

The Gallery - Travel...

2011-07-13T21:13:00.000+10:00

Once again joining Tara's Sticky Fingers blog for The Gallery ... the theme this week is Travel.

Travelling is wonderful. Seeing new places, meeting people, so many new experiences. Getting there can be the hard part with Miss 4 so this is my picture of perfect plane travel.

If you would like to join in too, please take a look at Sticky Fingers!

Handmade children's ponchos, scarves & lots more
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Listography - My 5 favourite ice creams

2011-07-12T13:51:00.000+10:00

Once again I am joining the fabulous Kate Takes 5 for Listography. It's summer in Kate's corner of the world so ice creams are at the top of the snack list of course! Julia (Miss 4) will eat ice cream anytime it's available but I prefer to eat ice cream when the weather is hot. So dreaming of warm sunny weather, here are my top 5 favourite ice creams:

1. Soft Serve Cone

I love soft serve ice cream and McDonalds is cheaper than anywhere else so this is my summer ice cream of choice!

2. Splits

The combination of flavoured ice and ice cream will always make this one a winner for me. Raspberry is my favourite flavour.

3. Banana Paddlepop

Or chocolate. Hard to decide between the two flavours. Julia would choose the rainbow paddlepop.

4. Magnum

Original flavour for me please! These are even better in minis as mini size is diet size, right?

5. Golden Gaytime

What a classic. I love the toffee flavoured ice cream but I think it's the biscuit pieces on the outside that make it one of my favourites.

If you would like to join in too, please take a look at Kate Takes 5!

Handmade children's ponchos, scarves & lots more
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Mini-Me Handcrafts - UPcycled handbag

2011-07-11T12:56:00.003+10:00

I recently noticed a new page on Facebook called Sew Wat, a page dedicated to those who love to sew. Now whilst I cannot sew, I do admire those who can! What drew my attention to the page was the UPcycle Challenge which is on right now. I can't resist a challenge so here is my entry:

Take one old pair of jeans...

...with wonderful pockets.

A little bit of crochet around the edge...

...and along the top...

...and a frayed handle...

...makes a fabulous little bag!

It's not too late for you to join the fun - entries close 4th August. Just take a look at Sew Wat - all the challenge details are in this Facebook note.

Handmade children's ponchos, scarves & lots more
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Mother Goose - Ladybird, ladybird

2011-07-11T09:35:00.000+10:00

Ladybird, ladybird fly away home,
Your house is on fire, your children are gone,
All except one,
And that's little Nan,
And she has crept under the warming pan.

- Traditional nursery rhyme

This fabulous poncho is handmade by Helen at The Wacky Wardrobe. Julia (Miss Four) thinks it's just wonderful!

Everywhere we go, Julia gets wonderful comments on her poncho - we were recently out shopping when a leather-clad biker with a ZZ-top beard stopped us to say "That's awesome - I'd love one of those!"

Helen makes other poncho styles for boys and girls including monsters, lions and aliens. She specialises in hand crafted dress up clothes which are designed to be easy for young children to put on and play in. Her range includes capes, hoop dresses, butterfly wings, mermaid skirts and much more.

Lovingly crafted and beautifully finished, you'll love The Wacky Wardrobe. You can find out more on Facebook and also on Helen's website.

Mother Goose
Deluxe Personalised Children's Book
$21.50 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

The Gallery - Grandparents...

2011-07-06T20:49:00.000+10:00

Once again joining Tara's Sticky Fingers blog for The Gallery ... the theme this week is Grandparents.

Two beautiful photos of Julia, just a day old, with her grandmothers - Oma and Gran. Julia is gazing at each of them quite intently. It makes my heart sing.

If you would like to join in too, please take a look at Sticky Fingers!

Handmade children's ponchos, scarves & lots more
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Listography - 5 things I'd like to do this summer

2011-07-05T14:12:00.000+10:00

Once again I'm joining Kate Takes 5 for Listography - temporarily hosted by Reluctant Housedad.

As it's winter in Australia right now, I don't have to plan very much for summer until later in the year. But I do have a few ideas in mind...

1. Christmas with my family

The family came to my home last year, so we're off to my brother's house this year. It's not very far to travel, just 3 hours to Sydney. Julia (Miss 4) is looking forward to spending the time with her cousins.

2. Swimming with Julia

Last year I had plans to visit the local swimming pool frequently as Julia loves to swim. I don't really know what happened, but we only made it to the pool a few times. Maybe because it wasn't a very hot summer and the time just seemed to fly past. This year I'd like to get to the pool a little more often.

3. Scrapbooking

I have several scrapbooking projects on the go which haven't been touched for quite some time... I'd love to get back into it. Maybe now that Julia is older and absolutely adores crafts, she might like to create some projects of her own. We could scrapbook together!

4. Sleep in

I'll be looking forward to a few weeks of lovely lazy lie-ins. Julia starts school next year so I'll be rising early five days a week instead of just two days for preschool this year. Eeek!

5. Watch Harry Potter with Julia

Julia loves Harry Potter. I can't tell you how many times she has watched Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. I have promised that she can watch Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when she is 5. I haven't seen it for ages either, so we'll make some popcorn, crank up the air conditioning and watch it together.

It sounds like a wonderful summer!

If you would like to join in too, please take a look at Kate Takes 5!

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Ballerina Princess - One more summer showcase!

2011-07-04T13:01:00.000+10:00

Although summer is well and truly over, I still have a few gorgeous handmade summer outfits to show you which were made by my incredibly talented Facebook friends.

This gorgeous "jelly dress" is by Lee-Anne at Hannah Banannas Designs. I just adore the simplicity of this dress and the colours are just lovely! Lee-Anne has so many more fabulous, original designs in the most wonderful fabric combinations - just take a stroll through her madeit store. I have showcased another beautiful dress in an earlier blog post.

Don't you just love the gorgeous fabric in this swing top? This is by Bec at Little Toot creations - I admire her beautiful fabrics and simple designs. She also has a madeit store - take a look at the beautiful soft cord pinafores currently available - I am so tempted!

The most fabulous collection of hats can be found at Winnie&Clem. Anita makes hats for everyone - boys and girls and even adult sizes. This design is a reversible Ella Rose in denim and musk lifesavers - my favourite hat of the summer season! Look out for Anita's website launch on 20th July... a fantastic range of hats will be available for purchase.

I have a few winter fashion photos to share soon - more beautiful handmade outfits made by the most talented and amazing ladies on Facebook.

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The Gallery - My Weekend...

2011-06-29T22:24:00.000+10:00

Once again joining Tara's Sticky Fingers blog for The Gallery ... the theme this week is My Weekend.

My weekend was dominated by Julia's first Calisthenics competition (see my last blog post). Weekends are for spending time together as a family, so here is a weekend moment captured in Autumn last year. Julia (then Miss three-and-a-half) loves collecting leaves, twigs, flowers, stones - anything you can find outside. She is showing me something very important, I'm sure!

If you would like to join in too, please take a look at Sticky Fingers!

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Calisthenics - a beautiful sport

2011-06-27T13:49:00.000+10:00

Julia (Miss Four) started Calisthenics this year. She has been practising really hard, and in the lead up to her first competition, she practised every day.

We had to wake up early on Sunday morning... so early that it was still dark and even Julia agreed that it was still night-time. My first attempt at a bun was halfway decent (I think), thanks to copious amounts of gel and hair spray, and about a hundred bobby pins.

All those hours of practice were totally worth it... Julia had such a fun time in her first competition with her team. Huge thanks to her coach Kirsty, team assistants Chelsea, Sam, Caitlyn and Jess, team manager Nicky, and everyone else who put so much work into making the day such a success for all the girls.

Why do I like Calisthenics so much? Because it promotes teamwork, encourages physical development and co-ordination, and takes a series of routines set to music and turns them into beautiful performances.

But it's also something I did as a girl. This is me with my sister.

If you'd like to find out more, please take a look at Calisthenics ACT if you are in Canberra like me, or Calisthenics Australia for more information about Calisthenics in other states.

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The Gallery - Three Words...

2011-06-23T17:09:00.000+10:00

Today I am joining Tara's Sticky Fingers blog for The Gallery with thanks to Reluctant Housedad for the introduction!

The theme this week is 3 Word Gallery.

"She's so perfect".

These are the first words I thought when I first saw my daughter.

If you would like to join in too, please take a look at Sticky Fingers!

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Collaborate for a Cause ♥ ♥ ♥

2011-06-20T09:47:00.000+10:00

Have you seen this oh-so-wonderful Facebook page yet? It's called Collaborate for a Cause and it's bringing the Facebook handmade community together once more for a charity auction event with a difference.

Created by Jen Kennedy of Ainslee FOX, this page is all about promoting fun and friendship through collaboration on a handmade item for the auction. Collaborating Facebook partners create a handmade item for the auction and choose a charity to which the proceeds of their item will be donated.

I am so happy to be a part of this fabulous idea - my own Mini-Me Handcrafts will be collaborating with Lella M to create something special. The proceeds of our contribution will be going to Raising Hope for Brittany.

Here is a sneak peek...

Bidding on the auction will commence at 8pm AEST on July 29th 2011. Please take a look at Collaborate for a Cause on Facebook for more information, and get ready for the most uplifting and wonderful auction the Facebook community has ever seen!

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Listography - Top 5 Places I'd Like to Visit

2011-06-15T13:40:00.000+10:00

I love to travel. The world is such a fabulous place that it's always hard to decide where to visit - there are so many places I haven't seen yet! But worse still, there are so many places I'd love to re-visit.

Joining Kate Takes 5 again this week, here are my top 5 destinations that I'd love to see and show Julia (Miss 4)...

1. Disneyworld
Having just returned from a family trip to California where we finished in Disneyland, the obvious choice for our next holiday would be Florida to check out the other side of the US. Especially as the US dollar conversion is so good right now!

2. Austria
This is my husband's birthland. He and I have travelled there and seen so much of this beautiful country, but I would love to go back and show Julia her heritage. Plus, being such a small country, we could take in some of the bordering countries too whilst capturing the highlights of Austria.

3. Ballarat
Now this is so much closer to home, but I recall fondly my visits to Sovereign Hill as a child. Julia would be captivated by the hands-on experience of Australian history.

4. New Zealand
The thought of flying overseas and landing in only 3 hours is too good to miss. New Zealand's proximity to Australia makes it the perfect overseas holiday. Plus it's got so many great places and cities to explore.

5. Europe
It's so convenient being able to consolidate my travel plans into one destination as I cannot choose any one country or city from the smorgasbord Europe has to offer. Yes, I have already singled out Austria, but now I have to choose between at least 30 other countries that I would love to see! When I win lotto...

Thanks again Kate - now I have my holidays planned for the next 5 years. If you would like to join in too, please take a look at Kate Takes 5!

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Mini-Me Handcrafts - Burger & Chips

2011-06-14T13:59:00.000+10:00

Julia (Miss 4) loves watching Masterchef. The show gets recorded so Julia and I can watch it together in the afternoons. She knows the names of all the contestants and calls them out at the beginning of every show. She loves to cook with me, always wearing her Masterchef apron and chef's hat.

I recently thought I would try to crochet some play food, so I created this hamburger and chips.

This 17 piece play set includes bun top with sesame seeds, bun bottom, burger, cheese, fried egg, three tomato slices, lettuce and eight chips.

I had so much fun creating this burger, I'm going to make some more! Sushi anyone?

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Listography - My Top 5 Decisions

2011-06-07T12:44:00.000+10:00

Once again I am joining the fabulous Kate Takes 5 for Listography. Kate has made me think about the choices I've made to get where I am today. Wow, here goes...

My Top 5 Decisions I'm Glad I Made.

1. Not going to University.

I really didn't have a clear picture of what I wanted to do when I left school. After year 12 I had had enough of studying so I deferred my Uni placement and joined a bank. I started at the bottom, operating an encoding machine, then teller, and worked my way up to Manager. I loved my job - dealing with people, solving problems and analysing companies. I don't regret for a second not going to Uni.

2. Buying property.

My Dad always said that I should buy property, whether it be to live in or as an investment. I think he was right.

3. Starting my own little business.

After 17 years with the bank, I was introduced to a life-changing opportunity to own my own business. After much deliberation and analysis of cash flow and business plans, I took my long service leave and gave it a go. It certainly has been a challenge!

4. Moving from Sydney back to Canberra.

For most of my primary and high school years I lived in Canberra before moving to Sydney to complete years 11 & 12. In 2003 I hit a major rough patch in my love life and moved back to Canberra. It was a huge move, but I had the support of friends and family - and I love living in this wonderful city.

5. Asking my future husband out to the movies.

Taking a chance on asking a workmate out to the movies was a huge step towards finding Mr. Right... now we are married with a gorgeous 4 year old. Fabulous!

Thanks Kate - this has been a very interesting list to make. If you would like to join in too, take a look at Kate Takes 5!

Oh, and before you go, please head over to sign the petition at Save the Children and see Thinly Spread for Kate's inspiration for Listography this week.

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Teddy Bear Land - Favourite Toys

2011-06-06T10:27:00.000+10:00

I was recently catching up on blog reading, as I had missed quite a lot whilst being on holidays. One post in particular caught my eye and stayed in my thoughts - Favourite Toys at Bub & Moo.

So as it's my birthday today, I would like to share some family photos with you...

Here are some early pictures of me with favourite toys:

And here are a few pictures of Julia (now Miss 4) with her favourite toys:

Wherever you are and whatever you are doing today, I hope your day is as wonderful as mine!

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Listography - 5 Finals

2011-05-31T21:34:00.000+10:00

Now just hold on a minute - what on earth does this mean? I might have to think REALLY hard about this one...

This week I'm joining in with the newly appointed Take 5 King (but just for a week) Reluctant Housedad - and now following his fabulous blog too!

You may recall the recent non-event when the world did NOT end - apparently it has now been re-scheduled to December 21 2012. So with 18 months to prepare for the end (again), here are my 5 finals (in no particular order):

1. Final act of stupidity - paying off my credit card just before the end. That would be just like me, having to leave things all neat and tidy.

2. Final act of futility - joining a gym. I had a gym membership once. I started off well, enthusiastically, mainly attending step classes but also frequently using the machines. It gradually petered off to dragging myself to step classes once a week, then I found more and more excuses for not going. Making excuses to myself! "Dear Christine, Christine won't be attending the gym today as she has to do the washing", etc. Yes, joining a gym would be futile as I already know the outcome. But if the end of the world was coming, maybe I would try again - after all, it wouldn't be forever...

3. Final act of madness - I guess I would go skydiving. I mean, if there was nothing to lose anyway, why not do something daring? But then again, probably not. I'm not really a risk taker or a thrill seeker, so I'd probably just watch everyone else do it on TV.

4. Final act of abandon - sleeping in. Oh yes, with nothing to get up for, I'd just like to get a really long sleep in for a change. Abandoning all responsibilities that go with rising first for the day. No lunches to make, uniforms to iron, buses to catch or places to be. Hooray!

5. Final act of friendship - saying goodbye on Facebook. Thanks to the mass communication and social networking of today, I will be able to say goodbye to everyone who has ever known me, and plenty of others who haven't yet had the chance. Of course, everyone else will be doing the same, so the chances of my little message being seen amongst the billions of others will be miniscule, even if the servers don't collapse from the incredible overload of a world saying goodbye to itself.

Thanks Reluctant Housedad, this list has required far too much thinking this week! If you would like to join in too, take a look at Reluctant Housedad & Kate Takes 5!

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Mini-Me Handcrafts - Google Android Statues

2011-05-30T08:19:00.000+10:00

I was set a huge challenge a short time ago. Leanne had seen some of my handmade creations on madeit including my little cupcake pincushion. She emailed to ask if I could create a cupcake and a froyo similar to the Google Android statues.

For those of you that don't know what I am talking about (and I didn't either until this challenge), Android is Google's mobile device software. Each new version is developed under a code name based on a dessert item - so far the updates are Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread and Honeycomb. There is a giant dessert statue for each of these outside Google Headquarters and these statues are what I was asked to recreate in crochet.

A challenge - yes! But then I made it even harder by attempting to recreate ALL of them. So I set to work, and here are the finished products:

Android - Cupcake - Donut - Gingerbread

Eclair - Froyo - Honeycomb - The whole lot!

I hope you like these Leanne! Now I'm off to make some new creations - I've found a beautiful crochet doll I'd like to make!

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Listography - Top 5 Albums by a Band (eek!)

2011-05-24T12:29:00.022+10:00

Once again I will join the party at Kate Takes 5. This week the fun is all about my top 5 band albums. Hmmm, this could really show my age but here goes...

1. INXS - Shabooh Shoobah

I completed years 11 & 12 at Penshurst Girls High School, and it was renowned that INXS had performed for the end of year school concert there in 1980 - before I attended the school and before they became Australian rock legends. Their first studio album came out later that year.

Shabooh Shoobah was released in 1982 - to me this is when INXS really started. My best friend lent her album to me, I taped it, my Dad photocopied the lyric sheet, and I was set. Who can forget "The One Thing"and "Don't Change" - High School would not have been the same without INXS. I later bought the album, and when I bought CDs to replace my LPs this was one of the first on the list; it brings back memories of high school every time I listen to it.

2. The Cars - Heartbeat City

This album was released in 1984 - just at the time when I was breaking up with a long-time boyfriend and "Looking for Love" was written about me, wasn't it? I recall first hearing this album at a party - and buying it the next day. This is another LP replaced by CD and I still sing along to it - every song.

3. Depeche Mode - Some Great Reward

1984. While "People are people" was the big hit from this album, I loved every song. My stepsister and I had a friend who died in a motorcycle accident and "Somebody" was a song which reminded us of him - and still does.

4. Pink - Try This

Fast forward to 2003. I had been through a bit of a rough patch in my love life and moved to a new city. I was introduced to this album by a friend at work - we would listen to music through headphones while processing orders on the PC. It was hard not to sing aloud! This album will always remind me of starting a new life - new city, new job, new friends, new music.

5. Maroon 5 - Songs About Jane

I think it would have been early 2004 when I walked past a music store and "Sunday Morning" was playing. I usually like to make sure that I will like at least a couple of songs from an album before I buy, but I couldn't help myself, I had to go in and purchase the album straight away. This was my favourite album for such a long time - it was played over and over again so I hope my neighbours liked it too! Still a favourite, but played at a moderate volume now.

What a blast this list has been to make! If you would like to join in too, take a look at Kate Takes 5!

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My Day on Sesame Street - The eyes of a four-year-old

2011-05-23T12:17:00.000+10:00

This travel blog post belongs to Julia (Miss 4). She took a few photos during the trip on her little vtech kids camera.

(clockwise from top left) The view from the roof of our hotel in San Francisco; a favourite on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood; Mummy on the steps of the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood; a fabulous pattern on the sidewalk (also Hollywood I think).

(clockwise from top left) Our hotel in San Diego; pretty flowers in San Diego; the shuttle bus to Disneyland; postcards in the hotel lobby shop in Anaheim.

Our family trip to California through the eyes of a four-year-old.

My Day on Sesame Street
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Listography - 5 products I couldn't live without...

2011-05-16T21:49:00.000+10:00

With thanks to a fabulous blog at Life with a Fussy Eater I have just been introduced to Listography at Kate Takes 5. I'd like to join in too!

This week's list is products you couldn't live without. I think it's sad to say that after reflection I have realised that every product I truly need revolves around the computer in some way.

1. Computer - I'm not sure how I ever got by without a computer. I can't imagine not being able to shop online, look up recipes, send email, play online games, keep business records, browse Facebook... remember the olden days of shopping centres, recipe books, snail mail, board games, ledger books and real-life friends?

2. Glasses - I know I am getting a little older (and a little wiser I hope) and so my eyes need a little help to see books, crochet patterns, television and of course, the computer. Well actually I can see them but I need the glasses to decipher what it is I am reading or seeing. Blurry is not good.

3. Paypal - how else would I pay for my online shopping?

4. Sticky Notes - kept close to the computer and essential for planning all those things to do online!

5. Ugg boots - Canberra nights (and days) get a little chilly, so I wear my ugg boots every chance I get during winter, especially when tapping away on the computer.

If you would like to join in too, take a look at Kate Takes 5!

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My Day on Sesame Street - Dreaming of Disneyland...

2011-05-16T16:02:00.001+10:00

The last stop and probably the highlight of our USA trip was Disneyland. Six fun-filled days at the happiest place on earth. It was fantastic! Julia (Miss 4) loved meeting the Disney Princesses and her favourite rides were two rollercoasters - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad & Space Mountain. Actually, those were my favourite rides too!

(left) At the Disneyland entrance.
(centre) The Mad Hatters tea cup.
(right) Sleeping Beauty's castle.

(left to right) Meeting some Disney favourites - Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy.

(left to right) Meeting the Disney Princesses - Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel.

(left) Having fun with Alice in Wonderland & The Mad Hatter.
(centre) Posing with the White Rabbit.
(right) Thinking in "Pooh's Thotful Spot".

(left) Mickey's Fun Wheel at Disney California Adventure Park.
(centre) Meeting Donald Duck.
(right) Posing with the Green Army Man from Toy Story.

(left) Riding on the Astro Orbiter.
(centre) Outside It's a Small World at Disneyland.
(right) Travelling with a 4 year old, sometimes you wish this was real...

Disneyland was so much fun! By the end we had seen just about everything and we were ready to come home. After a long flight back to Australia, it was so nice to be home.

So this is the end of my travels in the land of Sesame Street - thanks for travelling with me!

My Day on Sesame Street
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My Day on Sesame Street - Hasta la vista San Diego!

2011-05-10T15:52:00.000+10:00

The third stop on my recent family trip to California, USA was San Diego. Rich in history, this city has a beautiful harbour and a huge naval presence.

(left) Mural at Old Town, San Diego.
(centre) Watching tortillas being made by hand.
(right) Harbour cruise - San Diego city in background.

(left) Statues at the entrance of Balboa Park.
(centre) Inside the Botanical Building at Balboa Park.
(right) Posing at Balboa Park.

(left) Waiting for one of the shows at Seaworld.
(centre) The Dolphin Show - Blue Horizons.
(right) Meeting the Count at Seaworld.

(left) Lego Darth Vader at Legoland.
(centre) Miniland - awesome models.
(right) A face-painted Julia roaring as a lego lion.

(left & centre) Flying planes on the USS Midway.
(right) The giant sized kissing couple statue near USS Midway.

San Diego was such a lovely city to visit with so much to do. There was just one disappointment at Legoland for Julia: "I thought the toilets would be made of Lego!"

Just one more California stop to go - can you guess where?

My Day on Sesame Street
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My Day on Sesame Street - Hooray for Hollywood!

2011-05-02T12:10:00.001+10:00

Here's another glimpse of my recent family trip to California, USA. Our second stop was Los Angeles - staying right in the heart of Hollywood. This place is bustling with tourists and a never ending allusion to stars and celebrities.

(left) Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
(centre) Hand & footprints outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre. Julia: "I wish the ground was wet so I could do my footprints".
(right) One of many out of work actors posing for tips along Hollywood Boulevard.

(left) Griffith Park Observatory - the show in the planetarium was awesome!
(centre) The mammoths at the La Brea Tar Pits.
(right) "Urban Light" sculpture at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

(left) Santa Monica beach.
(centre) Outside Universal Studios.
(right) Julia with Shrek and Princess Fiona at Universal Studios.

(left) Hollywood Bowl.
(centre) Shopping on Rodeo Drive.
(right) The famous Hollywood sign.

While we were staying in LA, there was night shooting for the Wonder Woman movie on Hollywood Boulevard, Penelope Cruz received her star on the Walk of Fame, and Helen Mirren left her hand and footprints at Grauman's Chinese Theatre just a few days earlier.

LA was a wonderful place to visit - more California travels soon!

My Day on Sesame Street
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My Day on Sesame Street - Gazing at the Golden Gate Bridge

2011-04-24T21:38:00.001+10:00

I have just returned from a family trip to the USA - the land of Sesame Street! It was such a fabulous holiday with many new experiences and wonderful memories.

Our first stop was San Francisco - what an incredibly friendly city with so many things to see and do. The cable cars, Fisherman's Wharf, Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz are all magnificent icons and wonderful sights.

(left) One of our first places we visited was the Golden Gate bridge.
(centre) On the same tour a stop at Twin peaks for a magnificent 180 degree view over San Francisco.
(right) Historic streetcars travel along the waterfront area to the city centre.

(left) The streets really are steep, but provide for awesome views at every corner.

(centre) Julia loved the beautiful heart sculptures at Union Square.
(right) These mooring bollards lined the street along the Fisherman's Wharf area - Julia called them "Shrek ears".

(left) Cable car views from our hotel balcony.
(centre) The gorgeous setting at the Palace of Fine Arts.
(right) This beautiful park is Transamerica Redwood Park in San Francisco city - surrounded by tall buildings in the financial district it is a real oasis of beauty.

(left) We stayed only a few blocks from Fisherman's Wharf.
(centre) Lombard Street was fun to walk down and the gardens were very well maintained.
(right) A feast of delicious sourdough bread from Boudin Bakery.

San Francisco has definitely won a place in my heart - more California travels soon!

My Day on Sesame Street
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Circus Star - A Trip to the Circus

2011-03-21T08:27:00.000+11:00

Memorable moments from our trip to the circus on Saturday...

Julia (Miss 4) is thrilled to be at the circus. We are sitting ringside and she is looking around, noticing everything, from the disco ball lights to the number of cactus painted on the backdrop. She is very excited to see the cannons, but I have to explain that although they are cannon-shaped, they are actually lights.

The performers are dancing - a flamenco type of dance - to set the scene for the next act. Julia turns to me and says "It's a bit boring Mum".

At intermission, Dad offers to buy Julia some fairy floss, which is gratefully accepted. She eats about half of the packet. Then she notices that blow up hammers, flashing light sticks and other toys are being sold nearby. Of course she asks for one, but is turned down. I tell her that she has had enough treats today, to which she laments "Oh why, oh why did we get fairy floss?"

Julia is fascinated by the most daring act - the Wheel of Death. As the performer completes his act, he pulls his long hair out of a hairband before he leaves the stage. Julia says "Mum, he looks just like a girl now".

Her favourite act - the clowns of course! I think her love of slapstick comedy comes straight from her father :)

I will be away on holidays for a few weeks - but I should have plenty to tell you about when I get back!

Circus Star
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When I Grow Up - Love, Animals & Bugs

2011-03-14T09:28:00.001+11:00

Julia (Miss 4) has a beautiful book called "No Matter What" by Debi Gliori. I bought it some time ago as I just adored the sentiment behind the words in the story - and well, let's face it, I wanted the book for myself.

"I’m grim and grumpy," said little Small,
"and I don’t think you love me at all."
"Oh Small,” said Large, “grumpy or not,
I’ll always love you, no matter what."

"If I were a grumpy grizzly bear,
would you still love me?
Would you still care?"
"Of course,” said Large. “Bear or not,
I’d always love you, no matter what."

It's become a game (and a good one for the car) for me to say something like "Would you still love me if I were a giraffe? - I'd be too tall to kiss". Julia then replies, "I'll always love you, no matter what. I'd get a ladder and climb up to kiss you".

Julia brought the book to me today and pointed to a picture inside. "I want to be just like this one, Mum", she said. I took a closer look. The cartoon-style picture is of a large green bug, sitting at a dinner table, slurping soup through a long proboscis. "Why would you want to be a bug?" was my immediate question. "So I can eat soup all the time", was her reply.

Don't grow up too soon, my gorgeous child.

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Barbie - Celebrations & More Giveaways!

2011-03-10T16:54:00.001+11:00

Julia (Miss 4) loves Barbie dolls. She loves to undress and dress them, cook for them, play fairy tales with them and sleep with them.

Barbie's birthday was yesterday, March 9th. It's hard to believe that Barbie has been around since 1959! So whilst Barbie is celebrating her 52nd birthday (and she looks so good too!) I'm having a double celebration of my own.

Jelly Bean Books has just reached 1700 Facebook likers and Mini-Me Handcrafts has just reached 100 likers so let's have another giveaway!

Here's a Barbie prize package - a limited edition personalised book "Barbie goes Camping" from Jelly Bean Books and a gorgeous Barbie sized hand crafted poncho from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

For a chance to win this package, all you have to do is visit & "like" both of my Facebook pages, tag yourself in one Barbie competition photo on each page, then send me an email to chris@jellybeanbooks.com.au to confirm your entry.

Entries will close at 9.00pm (NSW) on Sunday 13th March 2011 at which time all tagged names which have been confirmed by email will go into a random draw for the package. The winner will be notified by email, then I will let you know the winner on Facebook.

Good luck and thanks for all your support!

Handmade Children's Ponchos & more
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

G-o-o-oal! - Joel's Hopes & Dreams

2011-03-07T11:15:00.000+11:00

Joel is 13 years old and has a dream. Like so many other boys, he would love to play for the Socceroos one day. He has been playing soccer for the past 8 years and soccer is his passion.

What sets Joel apart from others is his amazing dedication to soccer which has enabled him to play and to play well. You see, Joel has Aspergers Syndrome and also has Type 1 Diabetes. His parents were told that he would never play team sports but his absolute love for soccer has spurred him on and he has now been selected to play for Wide Bay U13's. This is one step away from making the State team!

Unfortunately, there is quite a significant cost to play at such a high level and so the Facebook community has banded together to help Joel's parents Tracey & Sebastian meet this cost. There's an auction on Facebook right now at Help Joel Kick a Goal. The auction opens at 9.30am Monday March the 7th and finishes at 8.30 pm AEST Sunday March the 13th.

There are many absolutely fabulous items donated by amazing friends and very talented people on Facebook. Please take a look and place a bid on something to help support this amazing boy and help him to reach his goals, surpass his hopes and live his dreams.

G-o-o-oal! A Soccer Story
Deluxe Personalised Children's Book
$21.50 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Noah's Ark - Oceans & Floods

2011-02-28T10:58:00.000+11:00

Julia (Miss 4) was quite amazed by the pictures on TV of the recent floods in Queensland. She has been playing with her Noah's Ark and we have talked about that story, and the local creek recently rose quite high and flooded the community paths so she has seen what too much rain can do.

It seems now that every large body of water is a "flood". We live near a large lake and last time we crossed the bridge she exclaimed "Hey Mum, look at that huge flood!"

We are planning a holiday to the USA and have been talking to Julia (Miss 4) about it. She is very excited to be going on an aeroplane to get to our destination.

A few days ago, we passed by a shop with a range of world globes, so we stopped to look at them. Julia showed me where Australia is on the globe, then I showed her where we will be going.

"It's a good thing we are going on a plane to get there", she said. "Because there are a lot of floods on the way".

Noah's Ark
Deluxe Personalised Children's Book
$21.50 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Sesame Street: No More Nappies - Starting school

2011-02-21T10:54:00.000+11:00

My little girl has grown up and has started pre-school this year. Julia (Miss 4) is so happy to be there that she hardly gave me a second glance as she walked in the door.

I've enjoyed her baby stage and her toddler stage and I'm really looking forward to this pre-school year because she is going to learn so much and have so much fun while doing it. I love watching her grow up and develop new skills and friendships, and experience so many new things.

We were talking about school a short while ago and had a memorable conversation that strikes me as one of those beautiful simplistic views of the world as seen by a 4-year-old.

Julia: "I'm looking forward to high school!"
Me: "You've got a while to go yet - first you go to pre-school, then primary school, then high school and then university".
Julia: "What do you do at university?"
Me: "You can learn how to be lots of things, like a teacher or an accountant".
Julia: "What does an accountant do?"
Me: "Works with numbers".
Julia: "Oh, like The Count - you know Mum, from Sesame Street".

Priceless.

Sesame Street: No More Nappies
Deluxe Personalised Children's Book
$21.50 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Giveaway winners & my own handmade endeavours

2011-02-14T22:26:00.000+11:00

Drum roll please! Here are the winners, drawn at random for each handmade package and advised via email.
Package 1 goes to Kim Scott and Package 2 goes to Lib from Lib Creative.
Congratulations to you both!

Thank you so much to everyone who took a look at my blog, visited all those lovely Facebook pages and websites and sent in competition entries. I hope you all found lots to like on those wonderful FB pages. Thanks also to my amazingly talented FB friends who let me share their goodies with you!

I am now dabbling in the handmade world myself too! I have a new Facebook page Mini-Me Handcrafts with my own handcrafted items - at present I am busy with children's crocheted ponchos. It's wonderful to be creating something to share and I hope you will take a look and "like" my new page.

These ponchos are currently available in sizes 1-2, 3-4 & 5-6. Actual sizing & prices will depend on the type of yarn and individual stitching for each poncho. I use both natural & acrylic yarns, depending on what suitable yarns are available - I have made some gorgeous ponchos in an alpaca/wool mix which are ready to go on my page, and currently working on a very colourful acrylic in a thicker style yarn which will keep a lucky girl very warm this winter!

This is just the start of my new handmade ventures...

Handmade Children's Ponchos
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

A Handmade Celebration & Giveaway!

2011-02-07T08:31:00.000+11:00

You should all know by now that I love beautiful handmade clothes, and Julia's wardrobe is full of gorgeous outfits made by so many talented friends on Facebook. But my love of handmade extends past dresses & skirts to the many other wonderful handmade goodies that can be found on Facebook, and I'd love to share some with you too.

So to celebrate 1500 Facebook "likers" for Jelly Bean Books, it's time for another giveaway competition! I have two little packages of beautiful handmade goodies to give away, all made by my wonderful Facebook friends.

Package 1:
Covered diary by Anita at Winnie&Clem
Little Shopper Tote by Amanda at appleberry kids
Set of Lunchkins reusable sandwich & snack bags by Kelli at KelliOne & Lunchkins
Ultimate design dress (size 4) by Tracey at Sugar an Spice
Strawberry bows & clips by Katrina at Bowlicious Boutique
Button ponytail ties by Eloise at Itty Bitty
Pandora bracelet by Sonia at Sonni Lou Designs
Chockitty Rocky Road by Chivonne at Chockitty Rocky Road
Coin purse/mini pouch by Michelle at Lella M
Business card holder by Jac at Jac & Skeet

Package 2:
Covered diary & pouch by Kerry at MyOneBrownMouse
Charlie cap (50cm) by Anita at Winnie & Clem
Happy Bugs skirt (size 3) by Melissa & Scott at maggiej designs
Pink Korker Streamer Hair Ties by Bec at Pretty Things Distract Me
Owl clips by Simone at Incy Wincy Bows
DS Duffel with shoulder strap by Jac at Jac & Skeet
Dolly bracelet by Lorraine at Punky Pixie Bracelets
Chockitty Rocky Road by Chivonne at Chockitty Rocky Road
Zippered coin purse by Jacq at Feralique
Sewing companion by Leila at Ila Star Creations

I must tell you that these are all new items - I'm only giving these away because I have purchased some for myself too! If you would like to know more about these beautiful items, please take a look at the photo album on my Facebook page.

For a chance to win one of these fantastic handmade packages, all you have to do is visit & "like" these wonderful Facebook pages, answer the 18 questions below, then email your answers to me at chris@jellybeanbooks.com.au. One entry per person please! Entries will close at 9.00pm (NSW) on Monday 14th February 2011 at which time all correct entries will go into a random draw for each package. The winners will be notified by email, then I will let you know the winners on Facebook.

Winnie&Clem - Name four styles of hats currently available from Winnie&Clem.
appleberry kids - How many sizes are available in the Shopper Tote bags, and what are they called?
Bowlicious Boutique - Name four different types of hair accessories made by Bowliscious Boutique.
Itty Bitty - Name three types of accessories that use fabric buttons at Itty Bitty.
Punky Pixie Bracelets - Name four types of dolly bracelets that you can find at Punky Pixie Bracelets.
Chockitty Rocky Road - Take a look at the website www.chockittyrockyroad.com and name four types of Chockitty Rocky Road available.
Lella M - What two items make up Lella M's "Out & About Set"?
KelliOne - Please visit Lunchkins Facebook page and tell me what three sizes are available in Lunchkins reusable sandwich & snack bags?
MyOneBrownMouse - Name four different items made by MyOneBrownMouse.
maggiej designs - What two creatures are available as soft toys from maggiej designs?
Pretty Things Distract Me - PTDM has recently gone wholesale only. Please visit the website www.prettythingsdistractme.com.au and name two of their stockists.
Sugar an Spice - Name four of the dresses in the "Outfits for Sale" album.
Incy Wincy Bows - Name three different types of bows available.
Sonni Lou Designs - Name three available Valentine's Day cards.
Feralique - Name three different items made by Feralique.
Ila Star Creations - Name four different items made by Ila Star Creations.
Jac & Skeet (formerly Jac Be Nimble) - Name four of the available Toddler BackaPackas.
And finally... which package would you like to go into the draw to win?

For an extra chance in your package draw, just make a comment below to let me know which is your favourite handmade package and why!

Good luck and have fun everyone!

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

My Day on Sesame Street - Friends & "likers"

2011-01-31T08:40:00.000+11:00

On Sesame Street, everybody is friends with everyone else. There are best friends, like Elmo & Abby Cadabby, roommates like Ernie & Bert, and Oscar the Grouch has a pet friend named Slimey.

Julia (Miss 4) has a few good friends, and I expect she will make a lot more at pre-school this year. I asked her what a friend is, and she said "a friend is someone who you love and who you like, and you play with them, and visit them, and talk to them".

I have met so many friends on Facebook for which I am so grateful. Kate from Indigo Magenta was so nice in her recent FB post - "Finding like-minded, talented & supportive business mums on Facebook has been such a nice surprise" - I couldn't agree more, Kate.

I love to share with you all because that's what friends do, right? So to celebrate 1500 "likers" on my Facebook page, I have a special blogpost planned for next week - a handmade giveaway! I'd love you all to enter for a chance to win a package of gorgeous handmade items made by some of my favourite friends on FB. More details next week...

To finish, here is a fabulous quote that I think sums it all up nicely:
"A friend is absolutely the best thing to have in the whole world."
-- Sesame Street

My Day on Sesame Street
Deluxe Personalised Children's Book
$21.50 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Ballerina Princess - My addiction to beautiful handmade clothes ♥

2011-01-24T10:33:00.000+11:00

As this is now my fourth blogpost showcasing gorgeous handmade outfits made by highly talented Facebook ladies, I think it must be obvious that I have an addiction to which I'm afraid there may be no cure. In my defence, who could resist such beautiful fabrics, designs & workmanship?

This beautiful dress is by Tracey at Sugar an Spice. This is just one example of her ultimate design dress, featuring a pretty shirred top, flowing skirt and wonderful fabric combinations. I couldn't resist the gorgeous soft apricot and cream of this fabrics in this dress.

This pillowcase dress is by Kerry at MyOneBrownMouse. To me, Kerry's use of denim and contrasting fabrics is her feature style, although she makes so much more, including fabulous boyswear & gorgeous accessories, and all with such beautiful detail.

I adore the gorgeous, bright fabric in this dress, which is by Danielle at Two Little Munchkins. Danielle uses pretty fabrics and simple designs to make wonderful, affordable clothes for boys & girls.

Whilst this pretty, cotton halter dress technically isn't handmade, the stunning hand-dyed rainbow colours are by Robyn at Rainbows & Ringlets. Robyn uses such bright, vivid colours to make beautiful happy rainbows in a wide range of clothing items, from socks, singlets and tees to dresses, hats and headbands.

So whilst my handmade addiction can't be cured, at least it is something that I can share with you all. My own little princess Miss 4 has the most amazing wardrobe full of beautiful handmade outfits made by the most talented and amazing ladies on Facebook. Stick with me and you will probably get to see plenty more!

Ballerina Princess
Deluxe Personalised Children's Book
$21.50 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Noahs Ark - Continuing action for flood relief

2011-01-17T09:23:00.000+11:00

I continue to be amazed by the generosity of people everywhere during such a time of devastation and loss. It seems that the spirit of Noah's Ark continues as many hands are extended to help others.

Following my last post, I have been fortunate to have participated in many auctions, some as a donor, and some as a bidder. It is heartwarming to see the Facebook and blogging communities banding together to continue the fund raising to assist with the Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal for the Queensland floods. There are also charity auctions with funds going to the Salvation Army and the RSPCA Queensland.

I have found a wonderful auction site called Possum Pouches. This amazing website is run by Robyn who operates regular charity auctions and her current charity of choice is Angel Flight - auctions are running concurrently with Flood Relief auctions for this month. Please take a look at the website and see how you can become involved in this fantastic community resource.

The Make It Perfect: QLD Flood Auctions Master List has now been published, so please take a look at all the blog auctions up and running - so many generous people including Toni who has put this all together.

To make a donation to the Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal, please visit Donate to the flood relief appeal.

Please continue to share these links so that others can participate in the fund raising. You can also see many links to Facebook and blog auctions in my last blog post. If you would like to share a link to any other fund raising effort, please let me know by commenting below.

Noah's Ark
Deluxe Personalised Children's Book
$21.50 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Noah's Ark - Raising funds for flood relief

2011-01-14T14:37:00.001+11:00

Amidst the current devastating flood crisis in Queensland, the Noah's Ark in this story is all the wonderful generosity shown by so many people across Australia and the world. The Facebook and blogging communities have banded together to raise funds to assist with the Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal for the Queensland floods.

Facebook: Premiers Disaster Relief Appeal

I'm sure that everyone I know on Facebook has donated to this cause in one way or another. I would like to commend AnK Bowtique on their recent wonderful auction, but most importantly all those that donated and bid on each item and made it a resounding success.

There are many more auctions on Facebook, some underway and some to start shortly - please take a look and place a bid on some beautiful handmade and generously donated items:

An auction is being held at RSPCA Charity Auction on Facebook to raise funds for the Queensland RSPCA. Unfortunately animals do not receive government funding, so please spare a thought for our four legged and winged friends and bid at this auction if you can.

Another Facebook page helping kids with something special is Sponsor a T-Shirt for a Toowoomba Child. This is a page where a small donation can help in such a big way.

There are also auctions being held on Blogs, co-ordinated by Toni from Make it Perfect, which feature so many gorgeous handmade items:

Also in Blogland, some fabulous raffle style giveaways:

There are many more bloggers joining in this weekend, so please check with Make it Perfect for a list of blog auctions which I am hoping will be available soon.

To make a donation to the Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal, please visit Donate to the flood relief appeal.

Please share these links so that others can participate in the fund raising. There are so many people and businesses who are donating in their own way, some by sharing part of their sales or profits, some by making their own personal donations. If you would like to share a link to any other fund raising effort, please let me know by commenting below.

Noah's Ark
Deluxe Personalised Children's Book
$21.50 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Ballerina Princess - still more beautiful handmade clothes ♥

2011-01-10T09:00:00.002+11:00

I have more gorgeous handmade outfits to show you which have all been made by the many talented ladies I have met on Facebook. How can I resist such beautiful clothes!

This beautiful flip skirt was made by Kate at Indigo Magenta. Kate's use of stunning fabrics and contrasting trim details is wonderful. Kate makes boys and girls outfits in all sizes and I think I have about five pieces in Julia's wardrobe already!

Another skirt, this one by Kylie at Possum & Sweetpea. Kylie uses very pretty fabrics and makes gorgeous shirred & pillowcase dresses as well. Her sister Kristy makes fabulous crayon rolls which are really popular.

This dress is sewn by Melissa at maggiej designs. Scott & Melissa design gorgeous kids clothes, soft toys & hair accessories and their fabrics are so bright & colourful.

Last dress, this one by Jo at Dalabri Designs. I love Jo's simple dress styles and gorgeous fabrics. She makes boys and girlswear in a wide range of styles and I'm quite sure that she can sew anything!

I have such a handmade addiction that I still have more to show you, and will get some more photos together soon.
♥♥♥ ♥♥♥ ♥♥♥ ♥♥♥ ♥♥♥
Meanwhile, to celebrate 1400 Facebook "likers" for Jelly Bean Books, it's time for a giveaway competition! In keeping with the Ballerina Princess theme, I have a copy of this beautiful personalised book to give away.

This is a 24 page 23cm x 15cm personalised children's book featuring your child's name, age, friends and more throughout the story. And what a gorgeous story - your little girl will attend a fancy dress ball, dance in a ballet and have tea with the King and Queen when she becomes royalty!

For a chance to win this fantastic personalised book, all you have to do is visit Indigo Magenta on Facebook and "like" Kate's page. Then tell me your favourite outfit from her photo albums. Please comment below this blog post and make sure you leave email contact details to be in the random draw on Sunday 16th January at 9.00pm (NSW). (You can email me your contact details if not included or attached to your comment). I will email the winner and also let you know on my FB page.

Ballerina Princess
Deluxe Personalised Children's Book
$21.50 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.