Love this... love you. x

I challenged myself this week to use one of my least favourite items in a layout... the paper doily! It's not that they are a terrible embellishment its just I never know how to use them and so I gave myself the task of finding a way to incorporate them in my next scrapbook page. For this page I have used The Scrappery's latest kit 'Skye' The chipboard heart tab, the chipboard 'love you' banner, the sequins, tiny pearls and the doily are from their TSK (The Scrappery Kit) Kit. The 'Love this', flowers, leaf and butterflies die cuts are all from the BPK (Bits & Pieces Kit) Kit. The Skye kit is made up of a selection of items from Cocoa Vanilla's Midnight collection along with hand picked complimentary items chosen by Ronelle and the team at the scrappery. 

If you are interested in finding out more about the The Scrappery's 'Skye' kits you can find them HERE Just search for the word 'Skye'

                                             

He's Cactus!

Layout completed using The Scrappery's 'Willow Kit' 

Featured range: Good Times by Crate Paper

                                             

Back to school - Shark boy

This is my finished product

Tiny Me labels were perfect finishing touch

I found the most perfect shoes for our little shark obsessed boy. This cute little slip ons came from Big W and were marked down to only $7! BARGAIN!!

I searched high and low for a hammerhead shark school bag as requested by Mr. 3 but I just couldn't find one suitable for his first year at 'school'. I did however find this adorable Stephen Joseph shark bag! The best part about this bag is that I bought it and had it personalised by the wonderful team at 'Named' 

I was SO impressed with the bag when it turned up, the personalisation is flawless! 

Yumbox original bento lunch box from Milk tooth

Personalised by ****

First day of school lunch

My handsome little man 

                                              

Zachy's 1st Birthday - Construction Style

Ever since I first took this picture of my littlest man I knew his first birthday would involve Tonka trucks... So over the last year I have slowly collected bits and pieces for his birthday. There have been a few design changes along the way... at first I wanted a yellow and black construction theme but then decided it was going to be a little plain looking for a 1st birthday, in the end I settled on a bright and colourful construction theme.

I borrowed a few awesome idea's from Pinterest and made some traffic cone jellies, some Tim Tam traffic lights and we used our Tonka trucks to serve some Cheetos and some pretzels.

Zach's birthday cake was the one thing my mind was set on from the start, he HAD to have a digger cake! I searched high and low for the perfect candle but in the end I painted my own!

I just bought a plain old ordinary number one and painted construction stripes using acrylic paint. The finish wasn't perfect but I loved it anyway.

The cake was the perfect mix of construction and colour!

NOTE TO SELF: Put honeycomb on the cake just before serving... It likes to melt!

Seeing Zachy's little hand reaching out and stealing little bits of chocolate was one of my favourite memories from the day.

One of my favourite items from his birthday decor was his Roberts Confectionary bunting... I simply used tape to attach black and white pictures between the trucks for a cute flashback of the year. The best part is now that his birthday is over I can use the cute cardboard trucks in my scrapbooks! Win Win!

Another of my favourite decorations would be his 'Construction Zone' banner, designed by your's truly and printed through Vistaprint, this bad boy will end up in his bedroom along side his big brothers first birthday banner (a lightning McQueen 'Ron's Pit Stop version) or possibly in the lego corner of the play room ;)

All in all our little man had a pretty amazing day and he was truly exhausted by bedtime. Watching him chase balloons, dancing in the bubbles from the bubble machine and playing in his water table where just some of the highlights of the day for me... I think the highlight of his day was just playing with his toy drill... He LOVES it! 

Happy 1st Birthday to our special little guy, we love you with all our hearts!

Project Life: Whale Shaker Page

Hello Everyone! 

Lets skip the 'It's been forever since I've posted' BS and jump straight in.

Today I am sharing my first ever COMPLETED Project Life page. The photo's from this page were ones I was taking to test out a new way I realised I could photograph my toddler and my newborn, once I saw the end results I knew I had to scrapbook them! Firstly I guess I will share with you my light bulb moment... My toddler is still to little to be able to support my newborn sons head properly and so the photos I can take of them together are limited... you can only take so many pictures of them sitting side by side in the bouncer or laying on the floor before it gets old. 

I realised that if I lay the boys down on the lounge with their backs on the seat and their little bottoms and legs up against the backrest, I could take a picture from above and then just rotate the picture until it looked as though they are sitting next to each other... what I didn't expect was the giggles that followed because of the way they were sitting. The only down side to this method of photographing your toddler or baby is the fact that if they have long hair it may hang weirdly...

For this page I decided to keep it clean and simple. After browsing through my cards I decided the black and lime colour combination was perfect for this layout. I used cards from the WRMK Love Notes and Heidi Swapp's Favourite Things Collections as well as a few random cards from my unlabelled collection (these are cards I have taken out of their box and then forgotten which collection they belong to and so I have popped them into a box of random mismatched cards). The whale die cut is handmade from a printed image of a whale I found using Google Images and the sequins are from Studio Calico. The shaker card I made by printing the whale onto cardstock, I then fussy cut around it leaving a 2mm boarder. I mounted the whale element onto a piece of 3x4 cardstock of the same colour using double sided foam tape. I then cut a 3x4 pocket from a damaged page protector I had and slid the whale card inside.  

I just adored the colours of these sequins and was so glad to find a way to use them in my layout.  I picked out the green, black and white/grey sequins from the mixed pack and popped them inside, I also added some little hearts. The hearts were originally sticky on the back but because I have had them so long when I peel them off the backing paper the stickiness is left behind and I am left with a nonsticking heart that was perfect for my shaker pocket! Last but not least I folded over the edge of the pocket and taped it down with some tape and slid it into place!

My journalling for this card didn't come together until almost the end of the page. I had so many different things to write about but ended up simplifying everything and just went with what the actual photo's reminded me of and how they made me feel. I used my printer to print text on the journaling card... It was my first attempt at printing this way so everything is slightly misaligned and believe it or not I did try to reprint and learnt the hard way that if something is too far to the left you actually need to move your next card to the left too... For some silly reason I moved my next card to the right and it ended up much worse (I'm blaming baby brain) In the end I decided that I could live with the text the way it is and popped it the pocket page and moved on... the fact that it was the last of that card that I had had absolutely nothing to do with it! 

The black and white card was my problem card... I struggled with this one. I wanted so desperately to use the 'Enjoy This' acetate but I loved the clean crisp look of the layout and so I didn't want to layer it over a photo or card but then I thought leaving it clear was a waste of a nice overlay. I also had the problem that I had originally wanted to use a clear sticker with the words 'hello baby' on the lime circle tag but it combined with the acetate and the lime 'this' chippy made the pocket too text heavy. In the end I simply brushed a few strokes of white acrylic paint to the back of the acetate card, a quick and easy fix that ended up being exactly what I think it needed. My order from Sassy Scrappy arrived along with my Simple Stories Carpe Diem fundamentals cardstock stickers and that little anchor sang out to me... a few enamel dots later and I was finished!

                                           

Mummy Genius - Truck and car toy storage.

Yesterday we were given a secondhand wooden toy storage unit with fabric baskets, the baskets were a little worse for wear (even when they are new the baskets don't survive for long in our household) and so in a stroke of genius I decided to ditch the baskets and use the frame to store my little mans large toy trucks and cars. I am so happy with the end result... especially as there was really no effort on my part. YAY!

The taller trucks go on the top shelf as they won't fit on the lower levels and because of the design of the rods all the trucks and cars are held in place by the rod at the front, this stops them from rolling out and landing on little toes. It's a perfect solution to the massive pile of trucks that toppled all over us and the floor every time the door was opened!

A wish...

A wish, a santa, a dandelion... a spider!

Sometimes the smallest thing in the world can be the most magnificent. For my son today that amazement and wonder came in the form of a dandelion puff... truth be known I am not even certain that these actually come from dandelions. It doesn't really matter where it originates, all that matters is the magic it brings to those tiny hands and the excitement in his voice when he yells

'Look Mum... spider, get it!'

There is a handful of things I really look forward to as a Mum such as the first time my baby smiles or laughs, the first time they tell me they love me and this moment, their first wish!

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Visual Tutorial - Earring Hanger

A quick little earring holder created by using an old picture frame, a piece of scrap material, some wadding and some glue :)

Book Love - My Top 5 For Children

Good books are one of those things that we often forget to share with our friends. Unlike the name of that wonderful coffee shop who makes a perfect 1/2 strength hazelnut latte, you know the one that we choose to keep to ourselves... books should be shared, reading is a wonderful way to bond with your child as well as a very fun way of teaching them the literary basics. We often talk about the awesome bargain we found at the shopping centre or a great movie we saw but we often forget to mention our great reads... especially when it comes to children's books! In the spirit of sharing and the love of books I thought I would share with you 5 of my favourite books and explain why I love them.

My most favourite book of all time would have to be Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. It is the very first book I have read to all of my babies. Dr. Seuss is one of my childhood favourites and my girls love it too. The repetitive rhyming and whimsical drawings are what makes Dr. Seuss books so appealing to the younger generation (and mine too!). The catch phrase 'I do not like green eggs and ham, I do not like them Sam I am' is iconic to this book and makes a fun way for your child to read along.    

Cuddle Up Tight is a beautiful picture story book by Rosie Reeve. The soft pastel illustrations make this book a pleasure to read and the storyline makes it the perfect pre-bedtime read. This book is one of my favourite 'read with the kids' books

My fave daddy 'humour' book would have to be My dad thinks he's funny by Katrina Germein and illustrated by Tom Jellett. I love that this book addresses all those 'Dad-isms' that dad and the kids think is funny but sometimes makes mum roll her eyes :)

My all time favourite childhood read would have to be The Magic Far Away Tree by Enid Blyton or anything by Enid Blyton to be honest. Although the characters in The Magic Far Away Tree have kind of rude names (Dick and Fanny - although they are common names for the era the book was written) the storyline is very wholesome and magical. I think I reread this book maybe 20 or 30 times during the course of my childhood.

And lastly Number 5: The adventures of the wishing chair, another beautiful book by Enid Blyton. The timelessness of this book to children with great imaginations is just perfect. 

What's your favourite book for children? 

Nûby Mummy Review - Prima™ Orthodontic Pacifier

Nûby Prima™ Orthodontic Pacifier

One of the things I have learnt as a mummy of four is to do what works for you. I remember when I was pregnant with my first baby and I heard many people say:

'Pacifiers damage your baby's teeth'

'Your child will not learn how to self soothe'

 'Thou shalt not use pacifiers' 

Okay, so maybe the last one is a slight exaggeration... When my 1st little bundle was born 6 weeks premature I soon realised that the benefits of her using a dummy for the first few weeks of life. Using the pacifier meant that she was able to leave the hospital and thrive out in the real world.... you see being so early Ellie didn't quite have the ability to suckle and to top that off her tiny lips just weren't able to attach to my breast at first. We used the dummy to 'teach' her how to suckle and with it's help she bloomed! 

We found that there was no need for our second daughter to use a pacifier... and so we didn't, simple as that! :) 

While pregnant with my 3rd daughter my partner passed away and once she was born I choose to use a pacifier to soothe her at times when it just was not possible to feed her on demand... such as when I was ushering her 2 sisters out the door, my arms full of nappy bags and school jumpers frantically rushing to the bus stop in hopes we hadn't already missed it.

With baby number 4 Nûby offered me the opportunity to review their Prima™ Orthodontic Pacifier and so we decided to try the pacifier to settle our new little boy Ronald while we bathed him. Our little guy just didn't like to bathe no matter what we tried and so we offered Ron the pacifier and immediately he settled and while he happily sucked away we washed to our hearts content... no stressed baby and no stressed mummy and daddy. We also offered him the pacifier when he had had enough of being in the car and had started to work himself up on family trips. Once again he took the pacifier and he even nodded off to sleep, thus the paci has earned the affectionate nickname of 'The baby Shusher' in our home. 

The Nûby Orthodontic Pacifier has an orthodontic shaped teat that Baby Ron took to straight away, I am also breastfeeding and found that there was no nipple confusion caused by the pacifier at all. Bub went back and forth from the breast and the pacifier without a hitch. The Paci also has a raised textured section where the teat meets the faceplate which are designed to stimulate bubba's gums by massaging as he soothes. The Nûby Pacifier left no marks on Ron's skin at all in the first few weeks but now that he has grown quite a lot and he consists mainly of cheeks ;) I have found that occasionally it will leave a slight line on his cheeks where the face place meets his skin.

The Nûby Prima™ Orthodontic Pacifier is also BPA Free! If you don't know BPA or bisphenol A. is a chemical found in some plastics that can cause health problems in babies and children. We definitely want BPA free products for our little ones! The Prima™ also survived our microwave steam steriliser without losing colour or damaging the paci's appearance or the teat! YAY! With all those cute designs available you really want them to keep their designs and I was very happy to see the cute patterns still on Ron's pacifiers when I opened the lid of the steriliser. 

All in all the Nûby Prima™Orthodontic Pacifier has lived up to all it claims to do and I have been very happy with it's performance. Besides the marks Ron sometimes get's on his chubby little cheeks I really can't fault them. If I was going to suggest an improvement I would probably suggest Nüby make the handle of the pacifier glow-in-the-dark making it easier to find for the parents who wish to use them during the night or for when they are dropped in the car. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the Nüby range of pacifiers so please pop on over to the Crafty Mumma Facebook PAGE and have your say!

{ NOTE } I have not been paid for this review. The opinions expressed in this review are mine and mine alone and based on my experience with the Nüby - Prima™ Orthodontic Pacifier supplied to me by Nüby Australia for the sole purpose of review.

Official Nûby Mummy Blogger

It's official... I have been selected to be one of the Mummy Bloggers for Nûby baby products! 

What does this mean? 

It means that you will see more reviews of the Nûby product range here on the Crafty Mumma Blog... 

Does it mean that I will be promoting and praising their products?

Only if they deserve it! I believe that the best review is an honest review and there are always going to be pro's and con's of each product and if I fall in love with a Nûby product then I'm going to shout it to the world ;)

Does it mean that other brands won't appear on the Crafty Mumma blog? 

Nope... if I find something I LOVE and think you will too then I will still share it on my blog! 

Why... because a good baby innovation is worth sharing no matter what brand it is :)

It means that you will be able to find HONEST reviews about a great range of baby products made by Nûby right here on the Crafty Mumma Blog, you will get to see what I think of each item! It also means that every now and then Nûby will kindly provide products for me to GIVEAWAY to you my lovely readers. YAY! I am really excited about being given this opportunity and I hope you are too!

Keep your eyes peeled as my first review isn't far away... I will also be inviting you to have your say about each product over on the Crafty Mumma Facebook page, so if you haven't popped over and liked  our Facebook page do it now! I'd love to see the feedback other Mum's have to these products too!