Oh Christams Tree!!!

I finally got around to making my xmas tree yesterday. Our traditional tree is currently a no go given that Archie is now walking and into anything that he can possibly lay his hands on so the next best thing was a few sticks and twigs collected on our morning walk. We then spray painted the branches white and popped a few chrissy decs on before placing it well out of reach of little prying fingers..........

Hairspray!!!!!!!!!!!!

Got my hair coloured today - thank goodness............ now I don't mind looking in the mirror again but more to the point I had to take my fifteen month old boy with or cancel. Inside me I was thinking there is no way I am going to cancel this appointment, I will just have to deal with whatever happens so......................armed with a collection of toys I attended the appointment and was rather happy when Archie discovered the perming rollers as they kept him entertained for ages - all i can say is thank god for purple haired little old ladies who still get their hair permed.....

Santas Little Helpers

A suggestion to keep your little ones on top of things and your sanity intact with the chaos that this time of year brings.

Two weeks out from Christmas appoint your kids as Santa's little helpers and award them a little suprise like a gold chocolate coin for every job they do to help out around the house. Hopefully you will have them feeding out of your hand in no time and your house looking pristine before the family begins to gather.

Can't say there is much hope for me as Archie is now walking all on his own and causing more destruction than I ever thought possible as you will see by the attached photo.

Super Easy Tortilla Pie

Tortilla Pie

I wanted to share with you all my super easy Tortilla Pie which I usually whip up when I can't think of anything to make. Also it is so tasty and I have made many times when we have had friends coming around for lunch. And of course with the various sizes of Tortilla's on the supermarket shelves you can make it as big or small as you like:

What you will need:

1 x pack of Tortillas

500 gms of beef mince

Jar of Salsa

Cheese Grated

Taco Seasoning Mix (I like to use the salt reduced one) + 3/4 cup water (as per packet instructions)

Any vegetables that you need to use up - I threw in mushrooms, red capsicum and carrot -oh and an onion.

Then............cook the mince like you would if making tacos.

Mince

Brown the mince and add the onion

Add the Taco Seasoning as per packet instructions

Then throw in the veges and simmer until cooked and mince has thickend.

To Make The Tortilla Pie

Put one tortilla on a baking tray

Spread with Tomato Salsa and spoon on some mince

Put another tortilla on top and repeat

(I sometimes like to add a sprinkle of chees to every second layer)

Repeat this with remainder Tortillas

(I usually get the six pack)

Then when you get to the last Tortilla - spread with Tomato Salsa and top with as much cheese as you like.

Bake in the oven for about twenty minutes or until the cheese has melted on top.

Serve with a side salad, some avocado or guacamole and some sour cream with sweet chilli sauce as pictured.

Bon apetit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And this is one of those things that tastes even better the next day.

Archie and Connor Taking A Break

It was hard work for the boys at the photoshoot. Connor here to my left wearing our Star Tie decided to take a break but still couldn't get away from the camera and as for Archie (below) wearing one of our Golden Holden Tees, he just decided to lay down on the job and take a break as well. The life of a star is certainly hard work.

Ozzie and Georgie

Well, after a couple of weeks of planning the Tees 2 Knees photo shoot fianlly took place yesterday. I must say a very big thank you to all who helped me out especially my mum. She is just a treasure. It was a great afternoon and despite having thoughts that seven kids might be might have been absolutely chaotic I am pleased to say that all turned out great! We eagerly await the professional photos however until then I will share my very amateur collection that I took. So here is Georgie in Ozzie Owl looking ever so quaint.

Cushions Galore

I thought I would take this opportunity to share my latest creations. I made these cushions to use in the Tees 2 Knees photoshoot scheduled for today. What do you think? I was so pleased with how they turned out and they look great just sitting in the middle of our loungeroom floor. They have also been used to construct cubby houses out of when the kids over the road come over to play. I think they will make a nice addition to our photoshoot planned for today with Katja Anton - a local childrens' photographer here on the coast. Will keep you posted on how the photoshoot goes..... with seven kids, a chocolate labrador and four mums drinking champagne it could be messy.

Betty Bird

Thank you to Jenny from Rap Products who sent this picture of Betty Bird proudly on dispaly in their Bourke Street store in Melbourne.

She looks just delightful!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quote of The Day by Lauren Bacall

A few words of inspiration...................

"Imagination is the highest kite one can fly" - Lauren Bacall.

Mertie Martian

Another new tee to add to our growing list of designs. Allow us to introduce Mertie Martian. He is a bit kooky which we love. I am sure you will agree he is super cute.

Ozzie Owl

We have been working on some new t-shirts over the past couple of weeks so today is the start of introducing them all to you. We thought we would start with Ozzie Owl who has is an absolute hoot. He is always keeping an eye on things around here and is way to cute to just sit on a shelf keeping watch. Using some different colour combinations of dark brown, blues, yellow and orange we think he is an absolute spunk.

Choo Choo!!

As a child I can remember playing alongside my siblings and cousins in my grandfathers wood turning shed on his farm. We would play for hours with the leftover bits and pieces whilst he tinkered and enjoyed his past time. We have always had the luxury of having fine crafted furniture which of course means that when I purchase furniture now my expectations are somewhat unrealistic. But more to the point, my uncle also enjoys woodworking as a past time and has some amazing works which adorn his home but out of fun he made this little train for my little boy Archie which looks suberb perched up on the shelves in his bedroom.

Bend The Rules Sewing by Amy Karol

I couldn't help but get excited to find the time to finally sit down and read Amy Karols book "bend the rules sewing" last night. The photography is just adorable not to mention the lovely projects that I am saving for a rainy day if I can wait that long. There just isn't enough hours in the day. For the first time in ages I was able to lay in bed and read a book without it encouraging me off to lala land. My congrats to Amy on a wonderful book.

Archie's Pantry Party!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I couldn't help but laugh amidst my frustration of course when I caught my little boy Archie electively decluttering my pantry. Of course this event took place whilst I was grabbing a quick shower before having to duck off to an evening outing. It appears that as Archie becomes more and more adept with his capabilities the more destruction and clutter I seem to see in my house especially in the shoe cupboard and pantry as illustrated here.. What else can you do but relish these little moments of innoncence I guess..

Its Off To Rap We Go

With a number of orders heading out the door this week, it was great to see Friday arrive. The last order pictured here is ready to head out the door tomorrow morning bound for Rap Products in Melbourne. Rap Products are considered the gift and home-ware specialists of Melbourne and offer an extensive range of contemporary interior products combined with a selction of personal accessories. With two inner city locations in Little Collins Street and Bourke Street, their focus on style and design is commendable as is their flare for merchandising. Check them out - you won't be disappointed...............................

Thankyou Grandma

I stumbled across a couple of sewing books which were originally my late grandmothers yesterday morning. When I look at the little girl on the front of this book my mind is flooded by so many fond memories of grandma creating something awesome out of nothing not to mention the number of times that I stood on a table having the hem of a new dress measured. Thank you grandma. I hope that one day I will have a daughter who will appreciate all things handmade and be just as excited about these books as I am.

Site Foreman

Allow me to introduce our site foreman - "Switzer" my brown chocolate labrador. As you can see she is flat strap with helping us get our orders fiiled for tee shirts.

Tees 2 Knees Labels

A fresh batch of screen printed labels ready to be placed on the

backs of tees any day now.

I can see clearly now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank goodness. After being so busy over the past couple of weeks with life in general and working I was so glad to have finally found the time to reorganise my office and make it more functional and pleasant rather than just shutting the door on it all the time. I was so relieved to have finished my little spring clean and declutter that I decided to take a photo to remind myself of how important it is to keep it this way not to mention the fact that it does make finding things a hell of a lot easier. In saying that however I am not so sure nor can I guarantee that I won't be writing another declutter post in the next couple of months considering that xmas is approaching relatively quickly and that generally means even more chaos than normal. So the point is - this room probably aint going to be staying like this for much longer.

Special Days for Little People

Being a workimg mum is tough and in todays busy world it is easy to lose sight of what is really important to us such as our children. So after talking to a couple of girlfriends we came up with a few ways in which we show our children just how special they are. After all the extra time you spend with your children is the time they will be thankful for in the long run. So here they are:

1. Plan a special day just for the two of you. Mark it on the calender and count down the days together
2. Make a card for your child
3. Write a note and stick it in their lunch box
4. Read a story to your child every night
5. Look through baby photos and share your feelings and thoughts about how you felt when they were born
6. Keep a memory journal for your child
7. Use cookie cutters to cut your childrens sandwiches into special shapes
8. Display your childs artwork proudly on the fridge, your office or have it framed
9. Volunteer in your childs classroom
10.Tell them how thankful you are to have them

If anyone else out there has anything to add to this list I would be grateful to hear how you make your child feel special.

Thought of the Day

I was flicking through a mountain of clippings from magazines and found this little thought for the day and everything just fell into perspective.

"there is no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day" - Anonymous

Doily Delight

I am in heaven. My mother has just given me a basket of doilies and embroidered delights handmade by my grandmother. It was like opening a treasure chest and the handy work on some of them is exquisite to the point that I can't tell the front from the back on some of them. I have already made use of a couple throughout the house and have plans for many more of them stored upstairs. If only there was more time in a day.

Carrot Cookies

I had a few spare moments this afternoon and so thought I would take the opportunity to do something relaxing. This receipe has been sitting in the "must try" box for a while now and I have finally taken the time to do just that.......................... So here they are for you to try and I must say - it is worth it. Warning.......do not continue reading if you are on a diet!

Carrot Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups plain flour

1 tspn cinnamon

1/2 tspn baking soda

1/2 tspn salt

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup caster sugar

1 egg (I used 2 because mine were only small ones)

1/2 cup mixed dried fruit (i just threw in whatever I could find in the cupboard)

1 cup grated carrot

1 cup pecans chopped

1/2 tspn vanilla essence

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup oats

Filling

125 gms philly cheese

1 tblspn honey

Then..........................................

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees.

Sift the first four ingredients into a bowl.

In another bowl cream the butter and sugars. Add the egg(s) and beat until combined.

Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and add all other remaining ingredients.

Mix well.

Drop heaped spoons of the mixture on a tray line with baking paper.

Place in a pre heated oven and cook until browned.

Leave to cool.

Make filling by beating the philly cheese and honey together then join two biscuits together.

And Bon Apetit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's moments like these

Have you ever had a moment in your life when you have been confronted with an issue that could change your life and your families life totally?

Well I have experienced just that and after weeks of medical investigations, tears and sleepless nights I am happy to report that that moment in our life has now passed and we are breathing a huge sigh of relief.

I must say though that I have learnt a lot from this experience and I have re evaluated the way I think and approach life. In saying that I just wanted to thank all my wonderful friends and family for their support during this time and I have attached a photo of my little boy which I took last week on his swing when I was probably feeling my most saddest and anxious I have ever felt in my life. When I look at this photo I realise that it is sometimes the little things in life that keep us going.

A Tip

A tip for the day............................ feed your kids before you get dressed to avoid my catstophic start to the day. I ended up wearing my sons breakfast thanks to his newfound overarm bowling skills. And of course it had to be today of all days when we are meeting with new customers for tees 2 knees

It's All About The Me Tee

We have just finished making this gorgeous Me Tee for little Sophie who arrived safely into this world last week. Created by Tees 2 Knees as requested by Sophie's Aunty Liz it is a little something made especially for her that nobody else has. We hope you enjoy it and although it is probably still a little big, Iwe have no doubt that it won't be to long before Sophie will be cruising around in it looking super spiffy.

Busy Busy Busy

Talk about busy............ we have been filling orders and working on some new tees and we are also proud to announce that Tees 2 Knees is now available whoelsale to anyone who is interested in stocking a range of tees2knees tees. We are really flexbile in what we can offer and are happy to create tees especially for you or your business. We love being able to provide this service to our customers and based on our customers feedback they love this too. One more thing before we go. We have attached a sneak peak at a few tees that we have been working on.

Busy Busy

We are off to Melbourne today to see our sister Jen who has just found out she is pregnant. An exciting time as we have two new babies on the way both due around a similiar time. We have lots planned for Tees 2 Knees whilst in Melbourne but high on my list of priorities is some time to indulge in all the precious handmade bits and pieces that are on offer. I love it as Queensland just doesn't seem to offer the same variety at this stage. Well until our return.........

Fossicking

I had a day to myself today after my gorgeous mother offered to take my little boy off my hands so I could have some "me time". The only problem was I didn't know what the best way would be spend the time afterall I didn't want to waste it on something frivolous and non productive. After deliberating and having a few thoughts, I decided to trapse around the local area and do some fossicking to see what I could find. It doens't take much to excite me but during my time I found an old book with these gorgeous illustrations in. I couldn't resist them as they conjured up inspirational thoughts in my head and made me want to do something creative. So I have made a promise to myself that after getting back from Melbourne next week, I will dedicate some real time to letting my creativity take me somewhere away from the rush of daily life. I cannot wait!!!!

The Sun is Shining

Well the rain has finally cleared which is lovely. My son and I were able to get out the house over the weekend and take our very boisterous chocolate labrador for a much needed walk. After staying in for most of last week and the a good part of the weekend I was fiddling around with some bits and pieces and made myself a couple of brooches to brighten my day. Inspired by the little things around me I rumaged through all my beads and fabrics to create two little pieces. I did realise however that I seriously need to clean up my collection of fabrics and bits and pieces but who knows when I will find the time to do that. Somehow I just know where everything is.

Its Raining Its Pouring

It is raining like you wouldn't believe here on the so called sunny Sunshine Coast. Perfect weather for just being inside with a hot chocolate on the couch. So whilst my little on is sleeping and the washing machinge is washing away, I will take the opportunity to catch up on blogging (not that I know what I am doing) and other computer things for Tees 2 Knees. It has been a bit hectic of late. We celebrated my little boys 1st birthday on the weekend which was heaps of fun - not that he really had any idea as to what all the fuss whas about. I attach a couple of pictures including one of the birthday cake which I spent ages on the night before not without mishap. Thankfully the icing was thick enough to cover the pot holes. It was devoured with gusto despite the green icing so that was reassuring.

Anyone out There

I am still trying to get the hand of this blogging business and just envy all the people out there who have such fantastic blogs happening. Thursday here and my little boy is sleeping at the moment - he has such a big mornig sleep when he goes down do I can usually get plenty done although this morning I have become totally frustrated by how slow my internet has been so things haven't moved as quickly as I would have liked them to. Drives me up the wall. My husband has just texted as he is getting on a flight home from Melbourne after a couple of days of snowboarding so I will be hitting the highway soon to go and pick him up. Anyway I thought I better try to keep on top of this blogging so that I too can have a site that I love to blog on. I had to go and get some fruit and veg this morning and I had such a lovely comment from a young girl about my tees that I make and sell on-line. She had seen an article on me in our local paper which was just so great. It is always hard starting out in business so it was a great opportunity to do some marketing too. Well until next time..... Chow!!!!

Swish Fish by Tees 2 Knees

Tees 2 Knees would like to introduce two "Swish Fish" in blue with slate for boys and pink with camel with girls. Designed and hand cut from gorgeous amy butler fabric these appliques prove to be an absolute delight on a clean crisp white t-shirt. Absolutely perfect for casual or smart wear. Avaialbe in sizes 00 - 4 these tees also prove to be a fantastic gift for the little people in your life. For more designs and information please visit www.tees2knees.com.au

First Time for Tees 2 Knees

Well this is my first time to blog here so I may as well introduce myself. My name is Sherilyn and I am married to Gary. We have one son together called Archie who is 11 months old and a gorgeous chocolate labrador called Switzer - named after Switzerland. My husband Gary works in Singapore at the moment and I run an online children's tee shirt boutique (www.tees2knees.com.au) which features handmade tees which are appliqued with fabric I have sourced from all over the world during my travels.