4am wake up calls

Yawn....

Its dark, its cold, and i just want to sleep, but Lucas thinks its time to get up!
Unfortunately I have a son who does not go back to sleep if woken after 4am! 
My husband & I were both early risers as children, but i'd just like one day where i can sleep in.
I have friends who's children are the same, so i know im not alone... does anyone have any tips on what to do with an EXTRA long day for an early riser? Apart from drink loads of coffee...

Kristy.

Meet Sweet Little Birdy

The online world of shopping has grown so much - so much so that you can get almost anything you want at a click of the mouse. I want to introduce everyone to a gorgeous homewares, partywares and fashionable gifts - online store 'Sweet Little Birdy' run my Tara Hawley. She has impeccable taste! You can't help but be inspired to entertain - think cake stands and platters, baking accessories, urns and domes etc

1. How did Sweet Little Birdy come about?
Sweet Little Birdy is a combination of what I am passionate about. It combines my love of party styling, the colour pink, my decorating styles, my attention to detail, gorgeous home decor, my love of photography, shopping, social networking and the internet. It all started to come together when I started to compile a ‘scrapbook’ (of sorts) whenever I came across pictures and articles of things I loved – I didn’t really have any sort of goal in mind at the time but often wondered what I could do to combine all these fantastic things that I loved so much, and over time Sweet Little Birdy really just evolved and in June this year it all just seemed to click into place and I had a clear focus on where I wanted my dream to go.

We had no idea of the name and jotted a few down that we thought were suitable. ‘A little birdy’ was on the list, as the saying ‘A little birdy told me’ had become a bit of a running joke in our house so we put ‘a little birdy’ on the list as a bit of fun and it kind of stuck and we decided to use it. When we went to register the business the name was taken. A few of the other names on the list started with ‘sweet’ so we combined sweet with little birdy and we loved it!
 
2. What's your favourite product in the store?

I fall in love with different products all the time. One of my favourite products at the moment is our turntables with buckets ~ we used these at our launch parties as lolly holders and I absolutely loved how they worked. Our most popular items are our glass urns and jars, which are very popular for parties and events, as well as our birdcages ~ there’s just something about birdcages that a lot of people love.

3. How do you balance work, family, home and life?
I believe that a work, family, home and life balance does not mean it has to be an equal balance ~ I think the key is knowing which one needs the most attention at the time.  Family will always be first, and I am more than happy to stop what I am working on and give my gorgeous family the attention needed.  Setting realistic goals and boundaries are also important, and not being hard on yourself or expecting too much is a definite rule.

4. What do you think makes Sweet Little Birdy unique?
Not only are we an online shop, but we also want to inspire people with party styling ideas and other inspirations. We also want to help other people achieve their dream by sourcing products from the many talented and crafty people out there, and showcase them to a wider audience. Because all of our products are selected to fit within the ‘feel’ of Sweet Little Birdy, I believe it makes our store have a certain uniqueness that shines through.

5.  Whats next for Sweet Little Birdy?
We plan to continually add to our collection, introduce new ideas and inspire people with how to use our products. We also have some fun photo sessions planned, along with some local shopping days/events and some fantastic and unique wedding items are in the works.

Lucky for Chic Mother & Baby readers, Sweet Little Birdy are offering 10% off in October (and the rest of September). Enter CHIC at checkout to receive this special discount. You can also become Sweet Little Birdy's fan on facebook to keep up to date with their gorgeous products.

Toy Animals with Mental disorders...

This may be a controversial post - German toymaker Paraplush has produced a line of stuffed toy animals that suffer from common mental illnesses. There is the Depressed Turtle, Hallucinating Snake, Hippo with OCD, Paranoid Crocodile and the Bipolar sheep.

While these aren't really for kids, but more like therapist aid based on their flash card game - it surely is an interesting concept. Would you purchase these to educate your kids on certain mental issues. You'd have to be caution not to mislead! Or are these disturbing as seen by the comments on another post.

Ok so what are thoughts?

Adorable Handmade Hats

How cute are these crochet knitted hats? Some are even made from organic wool. There is the cat in the hat, little lamb for girl and there is one for boy, little lion plus many many more. These are too cute for words and ready for any themed kids party. Visit Sweetpeattoads for more unique handmade hats.

Etiquette at the park

Its been a while since we've posted a Wednesday Wonder! Wednesday Wonder is a time we hope other mums can share their views so please do join in the discussion.

I wanted to ask other mums out there, in particular mums of young children, what is the etiquette at the park?

I witnessed today a mum telling another mum (not very politely) to stop her son from riding his scooter near them as he had pushed over 3 children.

Now I know this child, and this is far from his character. Although I did not see this, I really doubt he pushed anyone over (he was probably more likely riding too close to them on his scooter & they fell over themselves - they looked around 12mths)

But what is park etiquette these days? Is it wrong of me to think that this mum was a bit rude? That she clearly does not understand he is only 4, and didn't mean it?

I say this, as I'm usually the mum apologising for my son's path of destruction, but i would never get angry at another parent if their child did something that was likely to be an accident.

Kristy.

Image courtsey of Frangipani Designs - Claire Miles.

Adorning AL Mirrors

We are proud to announce we are stocking these gorgeous acrylic mirrors by Adorning AL. It was love at first sight - these Australian made mirrors adds a timeless yet cute decorative touch to any nursery/kids room. Choose from elephant, tree, owl, rocket, bird, car and more... (we simply can't choose which ones is our fav).

Check them out at Chic Mother and Baby! You may remember seeing them in latest issue of Shop 4 Kids.

A vintage nursery

How beautiful is white nursery wiyh a touch of blue. I am a contemporary kinda girl but I absolutely love the way this vintage nursery has been put together.  Oh and the detail...particularly recycling an antique frame and using it as a feature to 'frame' the things you love. And who doesn't love tissue pom poms!?

See all the details In the Fun Lane.

Fancy Coloured Feet

We are starting to wear our sandals now! So after you’ve taken care of getting your feet in shape, finish off with a few coats of nail polish or at least treat yourself to a manicure and a pedicure at a nail bar. We are loving the bright coral and peachy pink or neutrals that compliment the khaki colour trends this spring.

To be honest I don't like the cosmetic brands that the nail bar uses, and there is no harm in bringing your own! There is fun and vibrant collection from Kit Cosmetics. Neutrals collection from Blossom Cosmetics, Butter London ($19.80) and Bernhard Willhelm Nail Polish ($34.95) available online at Honey Honey.

Sangria Sippin'

A rough week = well deserved drink! Lets go Sangria for wine time.

Sangria is a light and refreshing beverage that is super easy to make. Start with a bottle of wine, sparkling water, ice and of course fresh fruit. Love sangria cause its tasty and cost effective (compared to a cocktail at the bar).  In my opinion for wine, the cheaper - the better. This drink is my summer favorite because it makes the most of the fresh citrus and berries of the season, and goes with brunch, lunch or dinner.

Basic Sangria Ingredients:
  • 1 Bottle Dry White Wine
  • 4x cups Fresh Strawberries
  • 5x Oranges - sliced
  • 2x Lemons - sliced
  • Ice
  • 1L Sparkling Water
  • Optional - mint
For summer fruits I also think of peach, pommegranate, watermelon - ahh the fruit combinations are endless!

I 've never actually tried the Landsdowne Vineyards wine from Adelaide Hills but it the wine label design just looks chic fabulous!

Have a great weekend all!

September Blog Love


Evie.s – things of beauty is an amazing blog.

Evie is a designer, crafter, artist and mother who shares a lot of cool projects on her blog like making garlands and pinwheels. You'll finds lots of nifty step by step tutorials for gift ideas and decoration. I particularly love the handmade gift toppers as part of her paper week celebration.

Cannelle et Vanille

Food check. Recipes check. Fantastic photography check. Everything also looks so fresh and delicious, great blog for cooking inspiration with a focus on fruit and sweets for every season.


A creative mint

As a graphic design when I am stuck in a rut for colour palettes I visit a creative mint. Fabulous photography on colour moodboards. Love a touch of neon pink! It's very colour me happy!

DIY Kid Grocery Store

As you all know I am fascinated by kids stuff :) Especially this DIY Grocery Store for Kids. It is a homemade divine creation!

If you look closely at it, you'll see that this store was created mostly from IKEA items. I see the shoe rack, wooden boxes and woven baskets.

Quirky 'Real' Juice Packaging

Here at Chic Mother and Baby we showcase a lot of fashion, stationery, party and accessories but we also love to share interesting packaging ideas.

This brilliant packaging solution designed by  product designer Naoto Fukasawa for fruit juice box to imitates the feel of real fruit skin.

“I imagined that if the surface of the package imitated the colour and texture of the fruit skin, then the object would reproduce the feeling of the real skin.”

I wonder how it is produced, so good I want to eat the packaging :D and if it's biodegradable!?
Image source via The Dieline

Jewellery Trees

Jewellery trees can be beautiful art sculpture for your bedroom or home decor that also holds your fashion accessories like necklaces, rings, bracelets, watches and earrings. Very stylish and practical!
For luxe, I splurged on Scandinavian designer Louise Christ's Jewellery Tree Stand from Top3 Design which was awarded in 2008 Red Dot Design in the Interior category. I love the stylish organic form of the tree. It's one of my favourite decor pieces.

For less, I think Little Bird Decor's wooden tree is a gem for holding your young ones, hair ties, bracelets and accessories! Valued at $10.

Sweet Monday

Hope everyone had a delightful weekend and spoiled dad rotten for Father's Day. What makes you happy on a Monday? (cause I list many unhappy things for Monday!) Maybe these photos will bring a nice sweet thought and put a smile on your face.

{1} Pretty Coloured Candy Sticks from Candy Soirees {2} Authentic French Macaroons {3} Bubble & Sweet cupcakes from our budding blogging friend Linda V!

There's a Birdy in the house!

What is it about birdcages or bird houses (without the bird) that we all want in our house to display as hanging ornaments, candlelight holders or as party/wedding decorations. The antique like textures add that vintage charm to them.

Soon available at Sweet Little Birdy. Im excited!!

Baby Celebrity Style: Honor Marie

Ah wouldn't we love to raid celebrity mums and their kiddo's wardrobe. Jessica Alba and her darling Honor Marie Warren are always looking very urban casual chic. Ah the white denim jacket on a toddler is very brave (I wonder how long that lasted ultra clean). Think floral bold printed dress with a cheeky pair of sandals and two cute ponytails for summer. Both fashionistas look so gorgeous..always!

Moustache Printable Ideas

Here are some different ways to use the moustache printables. Get a bit creative and cheeky :)

1. Cupcake toppers
2. Stick on to dad's favourite jars or on things that he would definitely need to use (like jam on toast)
3. Stirring stick in his mug of coffee
4. Let your little one draw dad's face with a moustache
5. Note cards attached on to different clues leading up to the gift

There is plenty of more ways to surprise dad for Father's Day.

Moustache Party Printables


I have been working on my own side project Dandelion & Grey blog where I have started a line of party printables. You can see my inspiration and progress of this new journey over there. The logo is not yet developed but it is all getting there, I'd love for you to be a part of it.

For Father's day I have developed printables for a spring/summer moustache party.

As a special offer in time for Father's Day these printables are only $6! Just print, cut and style! Perfect for that suprise Father's Day celebration. Leave these moustache note cards all over the house to suprise 'daddy'.
  • 4x Note Cards (business card size – 90x55mm)
  • 4x Cupcake Toppers (2.5″ can also be used as goodie bag tags, stickers, bottle labels plus more)
  • 1 x Card (105x148mm)
  • Text can be removed or customised. 
Email me for more information or to purchase and customise these printables.

Copyright Dandelion and Grey 2010. Not available for resale. For personal uses only. Australian Dollars. No prints would actually be sent for the father's day special. Payment must be made before PDF files are sent.

Guest Post: Grow Photography

Today's guest post is written by Kris Leigh, stunning photographer of Grow Photography...because your little ones grow so fast. I am so honoured to feature her on Chic Mother and Baby's blog.  Her photography is full of powerful emotions that capture the innocence of a baby/child and the intense love and gentle care from a family. I love that she leaves all these wonderful comments on our blog too :)

************
I hate having my photo taken!

I always look terrible in photos!

I'm not very photogenic!

Sound familiar, lol! I must say, even as a photographer I'm guilty ofsaying these things over and over again and it's something that I hearfrom my clients a lot. While talking to a lovely lady the other day, shementioned to me that she would like some photos of her boys but that herand her husband didn't like photos of themselves and so I told her alittle story:

I went to the hairdressers the other week for a new colour and cut. My mumhad asked me to take a couple of photos afterwards and put them onfacebook so she could see how it looked. I of course cringed and thought "Well, I'm never doing that, I hate photos of myself!". But I came out of the hairdressers feeling refreshed and decided that this time, I was going to ignore that little voice in my head and do what my mum had asked.

After a little photo session with myself, (and if you've ever taken a self-portrait you know how difficult that is, lol!) I uploaded the images to the computer and slowly started to sort through them, deleting the undesirables. My 5yr old overheard the sound from the computer and came over to see what I was deleting. She looked at the images of me, realised that I was deleting them and said "Mum, don't put your images in the trash, you look beautiful!".

I'd never thought about it before but that little comment made me realise that my girls, my gorgeous girls, see me very differently to how I see myself! They don't see my bad skin, my messy hair or this or that, they see their mum. Someone who loves them unconditionally and who tells them they are beautiful, gorgeous, amazing girls "every single day!"

To me, all my clients are gorgeous not only because of what they look like but because of how they share their day with me, and how they share their love for each other with me. I am honoured and feel so utterly blessed when I'm chosen to capture a beautiful newborn, a gorgeous baby or an amazing family.

So put that little voice aside, YOU are as much a part of your childrens history as they are, and it's important that YOU are captured too!

******

Wow Kris, Wow. Thanks so much for being a part of our blog. Love your work! Find her on Facebook too!
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