Nursery Spruce Up

Cot sheet trimmed with Black Skipping Boy fabric from Sprout Design

Box covered in faux fur is a great space to store things out of sight

Wall Decal from Wall Allure

Recently I have had a little time out from Tees 2 Knees and despite not having a huge amount of time to spare I did find some time to get a little creative and spruce the boys rooms up for a very little amount of money and given that I was pretty happy with the final outcome I figured I may as well share them and maybe inspire others to get creative in the process.

For anyone who hasn't heard of Sprout Design then you don't know what you are missing out on. I purchased some the the very adorable skipping boy fabric in black and used it to trim a lovely set of crisp white cotton sheets for Monty's cot.

The walls of Monty's room were spruced up with a delightful decal from Wall Allure which I just love and my beautiful mum helped me recover a very daggy old rocking chair that despite not being very stylish just so happens to be super comfortable and works a treat to get an unsettled child off to sleep in the middle of the night. Practicality over style in this case unfortunately.

An old wooden box belonging to my grandfather was also recovered with some faux fur and it has proven to be a great space to hide all sorts of things away and out of sight and the artwork on the walls were easily created with a little inspiration, cheap canvases and bright paints.

Anyway it is not magazine material but it is a practical space that is bright and fresh which we love.

Kitchen Chaos

My husband and I recently renovated our home which included a new kitchen fitout and removing and relaying new tiles. It was such a learning experience for both of us and as we discovered a renovation can be a nightmare. We encountered numerous hiccups, three of which I could declare as major. Not only this we also welcomed the arrival of our newborn Monty in the midst of it all adding a whole other dimension to the mix of things. Thankfully there were no issues with his arrival.

The experience was character building to be polite and I secretly shed some tears along the way as a means of ventilation and frustration. The outrageous levels of hormones circualting in my body probably didn't help the cause however I think I did okay.

We are really happy with the final outcome and still have some finishing touches yet to make but I think we achieved what we wanted to achieve - an open and caual space that was practical and functional. We really wanted to make the kitchen a central point to gather in our home so the incorporation of an island bench with an open space to casually dine, laugh and chat around was how I thought I could do this.

One thing I did learn about this experience is that what makes a home or space beautiful is not acutally what material things are in it but the experiences and people that fill it and that is why I cannot wait to sit around our island bench as a family with our two beautiful boys and hear about their tales of adventure over a beautiful meal. That in combination with our beautiful qld climate and the beautiful sunshine that filters through the bifold window on a cold winters morning is something we are enjoying very much.

Zuchinni Bread

I couldn't help but share this delightful creation which I made yesterday for lunch. After reading the recipe which I discovered on 101 Cookbooks I couldn't resist making it out of curiousity. A combination of ingredients such as curry powder, crystalised ginger, vanilla extract and zuchinni left me wandering if this was a savoury or sweet bite. Having made it for lunch I was leaning toward it being savoury but turns out it was a lovely sweet loaf much like a banana bread and can i say the flavours were amazingly delightful on the palate. So much so that i followed up with a second helping and so to did my 2 1/2 year old. Well it was just out of the oven after all and there is seriously nothing better (any excuse). Try it for yourself and see what you think. I think it will becoming a regular on our baking list as it also proved to be a tasty start to day toasted with a little fresh ricotta and maple syrup drizzled over the top.

Little Monty Moo

Honestly I am not sure where the year has gone but as part of it we welcomed our new son Monty William into lives. He arrived on a Saturday evening and added a sparkle to the end of our not so pleasant week that we had been having. He is now eight weeks old and despite being sleep deprived and still trying to figure out a routine and adjust from one child to two and the extra workload that comes with it I am enjoying him greatly. Not sure whether at this stage he is a better baby than my first or if I am a little more relaxed with motherhood the second time around.

When Things are Clean

There is something ever so nice about having things neat and tidy. After tidying my working area the other day everything just seems a little clearer -- I think!

Hope that everyone out there had a great Xmas and New Year. Looking forward to 2009 and looking even more forward to not being pregnant after April. In saying that however, that is when the real work will start right!

Healthy Kids

Our busy lifestyles and the convenience of prepackaged foods have made it easy to fill our kids up on some not so nice things which contain artificial additives and preservatives so with the New Year here and the beginning of a new school year fast approaching we thought it appropriate to share some healthy snack and lunch box ideas and do a bit of research into what really is in our food.

Slices of Fruit
Banana Slices Coated in Coconut
Dried Fruit (Apricots, Sultanas)
Fresh Dates
Frozen Fruit
Roasted Veges
Vege Sticks with Hummus/Cottage Cheese or Avocado
Raisin Toast
Pikelets with Ricotta and Honey
Rice Cakes with Vegemite
Weetbix and Honey
Jaffles filled with Baked Beans, Tuna,
Sandwiches – Egg and Lettuce, Ham and Salad, Peanut Butter (if no peanut allergy)
Mini Pizza on English Muffin
Cheese and Dried Fruit
Lavash Bread Roll Ups with Hummus, Grated Carrot, Cheese and Avocado
Frittatas or Vege Slices
Yoghurt with Extra Fresh Fruit
Baked Potatoes filled with Tuna, Creamed Corn or Baked Beans
Fruit Smoothies

Of course there are heaps more great things to put into our kids mouths so if anyone out there would like to add their suggestions then please feel free.

In terms of additives and preservatives if you are feeling confused then take a look at this site for some clarification http://www.fedup.com.au/ Here you can download some really useful information to help decipher what all those numbers mean on the food ingredient list and most importantly which ones to avoid.

Whilst visiting this site consider taking part in the Kids First Campaign which is a bid to demand Australia’s Food Standards Australia New Zealand follows the UK’s lead and puts consumers first by banning six additives in question from Australian Food. Additional information linked to this was recently featured on Sunrise and clearly outlines the colourings in question.

Also an Australian List of Foods which contain the nasty colourings in question can be found by following the below link:

http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/features/colours/colourfoods.htm

Please feel free to make commnet about this topic as i would to hear about some of your thoughts and experiences.

Merry Markets

Market Stall

What a great day the BrisStyle markets turned out to be and the setting was just lovely despite the opressive heat. The leafy courtyard where I was situated was such a quaint and intimate setting - perfect for this style of market. And I have to say that the quality of craft on offer was superb and rather impressive as were the lovely ladies that makeup the BrisStyle Group. We are definately looking forward to the next one that

is for sure. But for now we will leave you with some photos of our stall.

Orange Doggy Woggy and Lenci Ladybird Tees

BrisStyle Xmas Markets

Far Out!!!!!!! I don't know where this week has gone or the year for that matter. The BrisStyle Xmas Markets are literally here and when I wake in the morning I shall be jumping in the car and heading there to sell our wares. The car is loaded and I have double checked my list but no doubt there will be something I will have overlooked.

It is always a little nerve racking doing markets. You never know how the day will pan out and there is always those thoughts to contend with like "what if i don't sell anything?" or "what if the customers don't like my wares?" I am yet to meet the group of women who make up BrisStyle as I am new to the group but I am really looking forward to chatting with other like minded women.

As our regular customers and newsletter subscribers are aware, we will be showcasing a new collection of summer dresses at the BrisStyle Markets designed especially for for little girls. We have designed two collections. First up is our Annie Collection which features dresses created from bright and fresh fabrics that summer brings to us and secondly our Pinnie Collection which are appliqued with a variety of designs which are innocent and all about being a lady. Thre dressed will range in size from 0 - 2. You can check our a sneak peek below as modelled by our faceless mannequin named - wait for it - "Mannie"

Annie Collection - Green Tea

Babouska Pinnie

And this time tomorrow evening I hope to have my feet up reading my magazines subscriptions that haven't even been unwrapped yet.

Rudy and The Dodo Custom Design

RUDY AND THE DODO - CUSTOM DESIGN

" Rudy Robot"

I couldn't resist sharing our latest custom tees created especially for the gorgeous online store "Rudy and The Dodo" which stocks terribly fabulous stuff for little individuals.

Using the Rudy and the Dodo logo we worked to create something that fitted with the stores image and ever expanding range of both handpicked and handcrafted products, which have an individual and quirky edge.

Each design on offer (rudy robot, unisex dodo and girlie dodo) is appliqued onto our own high quality cotton elastomeric tees now available in 3 colours - white, marle grey and ballet pink. Tees are available from size 00 - 4 in white and 00 - 2 in colours for $29.95.

"Girlie Dodo"

You can check them out online and I suggest that whilst there it is probably worthwhile taking a squiz at the full range of goodies on offer which includes toys, gifts, clothing, home wares, greeting cards and more from around the globe.

"Unisex Dodo"

In the Limelight - Nancy Bird

I was so rapped when my new Nancy Bird "Smith Bag" arrived the other day. Made from lucious Italian Sheep Leather this satchel style bag has lots of little detail like the little rainbow shaped design on the exterior of the bag and the coffee bean fabric underneath the flap which has been handprinted by local Melbourne makers. With a second baby on the way this bag is going to be perfectly stylish and roomy enough to hold all the little extras without going overboard. For further designs including wallets and coin purses jump onto the Nancy Bird site.

How To Take Great Photos

How To Take a Great Photo

Likened to wildlife photography you can never have too many tricks up your sleeve in order to get great shots of your precious ones. We do our own photography at Tees 2 Knees and are far from being professionals but we have learnt a few things along the way that have helped us get the shots that we need. Hope you find the following useful.

Let kids be kids: there is something magic about a child playing in their natural state so let them go for it and shoot them as they do.

Make Conversation: engage with your child in a brief conversation. Ask them about what they are doing or what they love about their favourite thing

Get Down To Their Level: try laying on the grass/ground and and focus on eye contact.

Quantity for Quality: when it comes to taking great shots Ithe secret is to getting one good shot is quantity.

Get up Close: Zoom in a little closer than you normally would and save yourself the time of cropping the image later.

Cut the Flash: if your camera has a manual setting try experimenting with the different settings. Try turning off the flash to avoid washed out faces and red eyes. Light is the key to beautiful snaps. Avoid harsh summer sun instead try mornings or afternoons for a warmer and less shadowy shot.

Don’t Pose – Compose don’t stress if your little one won’t look at you or smile. Some of the my favourite photos of kids are often when they aren’t looking at the camera.

Photo Editing: simple photo editing software seems to be standard with most cameras so don't be hesitant to have a play around. The other option of course is to elist the service of a professional photo editing service.

For further information it is worth popping over to the my new shiny shoes blog where you can get your free digital photography guide which I am certain will come in rather handy over the festive season

Fruit Platter

Well the Xmas celebrations have commenced and already I am starting to wish they were over. It has been so humid here in Queensland of late that the ability to consume food is a little off putting especially when you have to share you abdominal region with someone else. So today after a light lunch of chicken and salad we followed through with the good old fruit platter. Such a nice way to finish the meal and with no guilty conscience either.

Indie Art and Design Xmas Catalogue

Looking for some xmas present inspiration then go no further than the indie art and design xmas catalogue for 2008. There are so many lovely handcrafted wares on offer that will make fantastic and unqiue gifts for your loved ones. I can feel myself wishing and wanting as I type. Check it out for yourselfby simply going to www.indie.com.au

The World's Meanest Mother

With my second child on its way this newspaper clipping given to me by my mother will certainly come in handy. Taken from a newspaper dated 1982, my mother recalls sitting down and reading it before she went to bed in the evenings. I might just follow suit. I have retyped it for easy reading.

The World's Meanest Mother

As a child I had the meanest mother in the whole world. She was really mean; when other kids had lollies for breakfast, she made me eat cornflakes, eggs and toast. When others had soft drinks and lollies for lunch, I had to eat a sandwich.

My mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were on a chain gang! She had to know who our friends were, and what we were doing. She insisted that if we said we'd be gone for an hour, that we'd be gone for one hour or less! She was really mean.

I'm ashamed to admit it, but she actually had the nerve to break the child labour law. She made us work! We had to wash all the dishes....make all the beds....learn to cook, and all sorts of cruel things. I reckon she used to lie awake awake each night, thinking up mean things for us to do.

She always insisted on telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. By the time we were teenagers, she was much worse and our life became even more unbearable.

None of this tooting the horn of the car for us to go to meet friends. She embarrassed us immensley by making our dates and friends come to the door to get us. I forgot to tell you....while my friends were dating at the mature age of twelve and thirteen, my old-fashioned mother refused to let me date until I was sixteen.

My mother was a complete failure as a mother. None of us have even been arrested, or fired from a job or had our charater questioned.......and who do we have to blame for this terrible way we've turned out? You're right.... our mean mother!

Look at all the things we missed. We didn't even take part in a riotous demonstration, get chased by the police or do the million and one things that our friends did. She made us grow into God-fearing, educated, honest adults!

Using this as a yardstick, I am trying to raise my children so I stand a little taller and I am filled with pride when my children call me "mean". You see, I thank God he gave me the meanest mother in the whole world.

Author Unknown

Whole Food

My interest in nutrition and what we consume in our daily diet has always been of interest to me so when I stumbled across this book at my local fruit shop/deli yesterday I couldn't help but buy it.

It is called "Whole Food" and is simply about eating good food the natural way. Authors Gavin Pitt and Rachel Thomsom have interesting backgrounds and have observed how people feel and look better if they eat healthier and more nutritious meals. I am definately looking forward to trying out some of the recipes - blueberry truffles and coconut and lime tartlets. It all sounds to good to be true. I will deliver my experience once I have made them to see if they are as good as they sound.

And speaking of looking and feeling better - now that I am pregnant with my second child I have made a concious effort to be extra vigilant with what I consume and put in and on my body. So I have been researching some more natural alternatives to my chemical laden face cream that mind you cost a packet (more fool me right) and does absolutely nothing for my skin and probably never will.

So two products that I have found that are definately worthy of a mention and I am sure there are zillions more are:

Joliv offers an exquisite range of chemical-free, environmentally friendly and entirely natural beauty products and comes with a unique guarantee that they contain absolutely no harmful or artificial ingredients. Better still every product is freshly hand made, from scratch, to order. They even do cleaning products which is great too!

Another to consider is Simplicite. Experienced Naturopath David Lyons has turned his 2o years of experience in naturopathy and herbal medicine toward a range of skin care which is made uses natures purest plant, flower, aromatherapy and Australian bush-flower extracts. It sounds delicious!

They both sound good enough to eat!

Mathildas Markets

Mathildas Markets has hit Brisbane and was held last Saturday on the 9th November over at Nudgee College in Boondall. The number of people through the door was a little disappointing but in all we had a fantastic day and we had some truly amazing feedback about the quality our tee shirts and our soon to be launched range of little girls dresses which I just can't wait to get loaded onto the site. Anyway I have attached some photos for you to have a look at and I must say a big thank you to my mum who helps me endlessly with all of my projects and also watched my little boy for the day. She is the perfect mother and without her I just don't know what I would do.

Back To Blogspot

It has been a long time since posts on Blogspot but we are back after a relatively long absence. In the meantime we have been blogging but using a different launchpad but we have decided to return to our blogspot cause it is just so easy.

So what's news?

Lots has happenend over the past 11 months as you can imagine but my biggest news is that I am nearly 17 weeks pregnant with my second child which just horrifies me. I think my face says it all in this photo.

How am I ever going to manage with two children and running a business from home? It is going to be crazy crazy! Mind you there are woman out there with lots more kids managing so I am hoping that it won't be that bad. Gosh - I pray for a good baby. Anyway enough about that. This post is just about getting back into it. We will have more to share in the coming weeks.

The Travel Book

My husband and I received the most wonderful xmas present. The Travel Book - a journey through every country by the Lonely Planet To date we have spent many hours browsing and reminiscing about our own travel adventures. The photography is breathtaking not to mention inspiring and it just makes me want to pack my bags and take off. It is times like these that I miss my carefree days of travel and I begrudge the mortgage that controls our lives. Enjoy the few snapshots I have included.

Howdy Pardner

I recently bought this Michael Miller fabric and thought that it was way to cute to leave sitting on the shelf. So............ I made Archie some cushions to snuggle up to whilst watching the wiggles.

Lucia Ladybird

Allow me to introduce one of our latest tee shirt creations - Lucia Ladybird She is proudly worn by the gorgeous Ella and has proven to be a popular choice amongst our fans.