year of 52 moments - a special gift from moment watches

Just before Christmas I was gifted this gorgeous watch courtesy of Moment Watches. I hadn't heard of them before but when I read more about them and the artistry behind the watches I was captivated and more than happy to be on the receiving end of one of their timepieces. 

The watch I received is part of a very special initiative called 'Year of 52 Moments'. It's a world first, and a very ambitious task as it means creating a specially designed limited edition watch for every week of the year. Each watch will feature one of 52 personal stories translated into a modern watch design.

The great news is that little old you can submit a design that will be considered for one of the watch designs! If you have a significant story to tell or an inspirational moment to share, you are invited to register on Facebook at facebook.com/CelebrateYourMoment, and then create an illustration or artwork that tells your story or celebrates a special moment. You can also find more information at www.momentwatches.com.

The initiative kicked off on Christmas Day, so the watch I have has a very special Christmas message for me. It represents the bible verse John 3:16: 'For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life'. For me, that is what Christmas is about essentially, so to have received this watch just before Christmas was a lovely reminder of what I was celebrating, and is also a great reminder going into the new year of where my heart needs to be.

There are many more beautiful watches being produced by Moment Watches, including their John Freeman collection. John Freeman is an Australian artist who has designed a range of watches inspired by new journeys, friendship and love. I am super excited to be having a giveaway soon of three of these lovely watches.

Even if you don't submit a design for the Year of 52 Moments, it will be an interesting journey to watch all the watch designs as they are launched each week. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing them and the inspirational stories behind them.

Got any ideas for a watch design? What moment or story would you love to see be used for this initiative?

Have yourself a merry little christmas

A Social Network Christmas from Igniter Media on Vimeo.

Just wanted to share this little clip that I found via The Bonjour Family. Thought it was clever!

If I don't get a chance to pop on here again in the next few days (I actually hope I do!) merry christmas to anybody reading. Have a wonderful festive season and may the new year bring more happiness to you and your family. xx

the tree is up!

Well, we didn't manage getting the tree up a week ago, but we found the time on Saturday afternoon this weekend. Wasn't quite the happy family moment I was planning on. There were lots of tears and tantrums and time outs going on, but we got there in the end, and I'm glad we did. I wasn't really feeling too Christmassy to be honest. I'm so super tired at the moment with a newborn and the older terrible two that I just don't have the energy at the moment to be too happy. I feel wiped out most of the time.

I managed to get the kids Christmas presents all wrapped too, and placed under the tree with their stockings. I must say I'm impressed so far at their will power and the fact that no little fingers have managed to accidently on purpose open any presents. It was very cute watching Josh check all the tags and see who all the presents were for. It's the first year he's been able to do that. On finding the largest present under the tree, he yelled, "I've got the biggest present EVER!" Yes, indeed he does! It's the LEGO City Police Station that he has been begging for for so long. Can't wait to see his face when he opens it!

Excuse the dodgy photo above - taken in low light on iPhone. Here are a few more pics of the rest of our Christmas decorations:

Merry Christmas!

o christmas tree o christmas tree! {giveaway}

This weekend I finally got my act together and organised for Christmas decorations, including tree to go up! Josh was really excited this year about it, and was keen to help, so he was given the honorary role of placing the star atop the tree at the end.

I also quickly came to a deeper understanding of advent calendars and their fabulous ability to help children better understand that you need to wait for Christmas to come. Josh thought that putting the Christmas tree up meant instant presents. Ah......no. So out came our lovely little advent calendar that I bought last year. It has little paper decorations that you open each day to place in the tree. Very cute.

I also got busy putting up some wall decals - snowflakes behind our tree.....

and gorgeous Merry Christmas bunting to continue our red and white theme.

Just for good measure, here is a pic of my resident cheeky chops, trying to get up on to the table to have a look at our advent calendar that I have been trying to keep out of reach of said cheeky chops' hands!!

The lovely people at Bosco Bear were kind enough to give me the lovely Christmas wall decals to try out. I was super excited to do this as I had a look at their designs and really loved them and also the fact that they would fit right into the colour scheme we had going on here. I'm a novice with wall decals. Zoe has a few in her room but these are fully removable so I wasn't as nervous at putting them up, knowing I could easily remove and replace. I was a bit more scared about getting these ones right.

It's important to test out the decals on the surface you intend to stick them on first, and these came with a test sticker which I used all weekend, peeled off after 48hrs, and found it was perfectly fine! So I got to work arranging them. Both the snow flakes and the bunting were really easy to put up. For the bunting I just measured out two pieces of string the length of the bunting flags and taped them onto the wall and used them as a guide. Easy! The decals also came with very easy to read instructions too if you need a bit more guidance.

Overall I'm really pleased with the look. The quality of the decals is great too and the designs on the bunting are so cute and even include some vintagey looking designs.

Generously, Bosco Bear have given me an extra set of each of the decals you see in my dining room above to give away! You could win either the red and white snowflakes decals (valued at $15.95) or the red and white Merry Christmas bunting flags (valued at $29.95). Just leave me a comment below telling me your favourite Christmas carol and you could win! I will randomly select two comments and announce the winner next Monday 13 December, entries will close Sunday 12 December at 7pm Sydney time.

PS. I'll still allow you an entry for leaving a comment without a favourite carol too, just for reading this far!

fa la la la la, la la la laaaaaa

Deck the halls with boughs of holly! I've decided that this weekend it's time to put up the Christmas decorations. I'm going to get Josh to help with decorating the tree this time - he is very excited!

Stay tuned next week for an awesome Christmassy giveaway too. Two prizes up for grabs to help you get into the Christmas vibe!

Aveagoodweekend!

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christmas tree tips?

For those with small children, what do you do in regards to Christmas trees? Any tips for me?

Do you put one up at all? Do you only decorate the top half? Do you decorate it at all? Am I better off with a wall decal? (Though that might end up getting peeled off.....)

For the first time, I'm actually scared to put the tree up this year. I actually think Josh will enjoy it the most he hast his year being that bit older again, but I'm scared of Zoe and the tree. I think she's going to enjoy pulling things off and I'm worried I will spend my days keeping her away and telling her to stop pulling the decorations off!! Am I crazy that I want to put it up though. Maybe the pain is still worth it. 

We are a bit busy this weekend but I'm hoping that if we do go ahead with it, we will put it up the following weekend. Maybe I should only have the tree up for a few weeks......

And I'm definitely NOT putting presents underneath, I think. I mean that would be torturous to them wouldn't it?

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what's been going on around here?

We've been busy little bees around here. I've been busy with my two little munchkins, socialising, as well as running a little business. 

And then in between all that, we've had some lovely little moments at home just playing and imagining. Not too long ago I came across this racing track tape online and promptly ordered it! It's nothing short of brilliant!! If you have or know little boys and need a great little stocking filler for Christmas, then this is the thing for you.

Josh and Zoe have both been enjoying this, and it's a great little toy to take out with you when visiting, as it's so easy to set up, provides hours of entertainment if you have a little story teller on your hands, and super easy to pack up! 

My hot tip is to order now while they are in stock too. The store had just restocked recently and I had a short wait, but don't you miss out for Christmas.

little miss zoe - a giddy girl

Look who is a 'giddy giddy' girl.

I made this post a few months back about how much I love their hair clips. Teri from giddy giddy asked me if it would be ok to add Miss Z to the giddy gallery. So there she is in the number 1 spot!

Phew! How is everyone recovering from Christmas? We had a great time with family and friends, though I went on a bit of a photo strike and now have no photos from the special day. I'm a bit sad about that now. I received Wii Fit Plus from hubby, so I really have to get going on my next project - '2010 - the Year of ME'. I might blog about that later.....

Anyway, I am now enjoying some time at home with hubby around, who is also on hand to help with the kids. I was even able to duck away to the shops the other day where I pampered myself with a manicure and pedicure, bought a new dress and scoffed some peanut butter Lindt balls!!! So good!

Tomorrow hubby is out for the day and my mum is coming over to help me with my little chair project. We should have them all painted up by the end of the day. Yippee!!

merry christmas one and all!

Wishing you many presents

under your tree

in your stocking

in your tummy

and in your heart.

Merry Christmas. xo

christmas has come early

 

 I've just received the best early Christmas present ever. Ever. Ever. Ever.

At the moment for my little boy's day sleep, I need to lay down with him while he falls asleep. It never usually takes very long. Today I had been out all morning shopping. I came home while he was finishing lunch and I told him we would go and lay down for a sleep. He really snuggled up next to me today, like he had missed me. I closed my eyes and prepare to catch 5 mins of zzzzzz's myself when I heard a little 'i love you mummy'. For a split second I thought I had heard wrong, so I went, 'mmmm?'. Again I heard a little sleepy 'i love you mummy'. I wanted to cry...I was so moved.

Now I know my boy loves me, and if I ask him he will of course always say he loves me, but this was the first time he has ever said it to me completely naturally and because he wanted to right at that moment. He was happy, content and expressed that to me by saying 'i love you mummy'.

I don't need any presents this year. That's all the gifts I could ever want wrapped up in one sentence.

Image: Deep Fried Kudzu

at least i know what zoe will be wearing

Have you decided what to wear for Christmas yet?

I'm not enjoying thinking about it this year, as my options are really limited given the amount of weight I need to lose to fit into anything in my wardrobe......

But as this blog post's title suggests, at least I know what Zoe will be wearing!!!

I just made an online trip to Little Styles and this is what I picked up.

I can't get enough of those giddygiddy hair clips. They are just too adorable.

I'm banking on Christmas Day being quite warm so thought I would go with bloomers this year rather than prettying her up in a dress that will probably end up coming off anyway. My mum also bought her the sequined tank top from Seed (just thought I would put the pic of it with the rest of the outfit above) so she will wear that with the bloomers and ballets and the little Christmas gingerbread clip in her hair. I think it will be cute. Just have to hope it arrives on time now, especially with these AusPost strikes that have been happening!

What's your little one wearing for Christmas this year?

le jeune Christmas bunting

A few of you commented on how lovely the Christmas bunting I hung up is and so I wanted to share the lovely store where I purchased it from.

Alexandra at le jeune hand crafts items with vintage paper, fabrics and trims, and she works right here from Sydney. Go have a look at her store.....I'm sure you will find something you love. I also love the Dr. Seuss bunting. So very cool for a little boy or girls room.

{christmas} continued.....

I caught wind of this little DIY advent calendar project from Cici Art Factory via Babyology yesterday and I printed it off last night and have prepared it this morning.

I've put little pegs at the top of each number of mine and I'm going to peg them all onto some string in our kitchen/living area.

What have you been doing for Christmas so far?

{christmas} sunday sneaky peek

nearly done

I've been at it again. Shopping that is. And I'm pleased to report that I'm nearly done with all my Christmas shopping. I will probably buy little bits and pieces closer to Christmas, such as photo frames but mostly I'm done! I can't believe it. This would have to be the most organised I have been for Christmas. Ever.

To share with you again, here are some more of the stores I have been supporting in my 'buying online/handmade/small business' venture.

As well as all that, I have already ordered my Christmas cards and stamps too. Since having children I decided to get cards printed as I just find it so difficult to sit and write lots of cards now. This way I can still add a small message if I like but otherwise they can be sent as is. The first year I did a photo card but since having Zoe and Josh becoming a toddler it is impossible for me to get decent photos of the two of them together so I opted for a Christmas design this year instead.

Image: tiny*prints

This year I decided to use tiny*prints  for my cards and I have to say I was VERY impressed with their customer service, reasonable postage, fast delivery from US and outstanding quality of the cards/printing. I will definitely be using them again.

Spring cleaning is going well. Trip to Ikea will happen tomorrow while my mum can look after children. I have been crazy enough to take both kids in the double pram to Ikea before, but not keen to try it again. My aim now is to finish styling our dining room by getting the bookshelves  and the Christmas tree up on the weekend, tidy up my work space corner and then add further Christmas decorations. Phew! And I still have my bedroom to attack after that.

{giveaway} piper + lily

I've been continuing my online Christmas shopping and wanted to share this store with you too. piper + lily sells gorgeous little handmade wares for little people. When I saw these fabric necklaces I was totally in love and knew my nieces would be too. I have stocked up on some of these necklaces and they will be wrapped and ready for Christmas this week. Aren't they great?

Natasha is the lovely owner of piper + lily and she sells lots of other beautiful things - cotton slippers, skirts, bibs, tag blocks, jewellery - all wonderfully handmade. This week, for one lovely reader of this blog, Natasha is offering  a fabric necklace. Go take a look at Natasha's store and leave a comment below sharing your favourite item and you will go into the draw to win. It might just make a lovely Christmas gift to a special little girl in your life.

Natasha also has a blog you can follow here.

The giveaway will be open all week and I will draw a winner next Monday morning.

Good luck!!

zoe will be a softie

Isn't this doll just divine? I'm so glad that I recently stumbled across the nooshka store on Etsy. Casey at nooshka makes the most gorgeous dolls and softies including custom made designs. Her dolls are adored worldwide and are even being sold in boutiques in Switzerland and France now. The detail in these dolls is just amazing - the faces, beautiful outfits, their character.

I have asked Casey to make me a doll for Zoe for Christmas and I'm so excited about it. I've enjoyed every minute of looking through many photos of dolls Casey has made in order to pick and choose the elements I especially like and that will make the perfect Zoe doll.

And I can't wait to share a photo of the final product and the two Zoe's together!

virtually shopping

I'm being pretty organised for me at the moment. I've made a spreadsheet of all the people we have to buy Christmas presents for and am slowly buying gifts......and I haven't even been out to the shops yet!

I'm trying to do all my shopping online...

This year I decided that I want to buy handmade or support small business with my gift giving. I'm tired of giving gifts that you can run down to the local shopping centre to buy. I want gifts that will really surprise people and hopefully bring them joy in receiving something a little different. And I'm happy that my money is going towards creative individuals or people with a passion instead of big, profit-focussed corporations.

I just thought I would share some of the stores with you that I have been buying gifts from:

 

 

 

 

Go and check them out and support them too. I love that all the pressies come straight to my doorway all the way from overseas. I have gifts that no-one will likely have seen before and all I have to do now is wrap and put them under the tree.

{monday giveaway} DabberDoo

Are you feeling lucky?

Last week I shared some of my favourite Christmas themed finds from Etsy, and I'm pleased to announce that this week you can win your very own Christmas Advent Calendar with drawers from DabberDoo. Each calendar from DabberDo is unique and made with love out of quality papers and embellishments.You can count down to Christmas this year (and many more to come!) with your own little surprises and sweet treats in each of the drawers.

All you have to do to enter is to pop over and take a look at the DabberDoo etsy store and leave a comment below telling me your favourite thing about Christmas. The giveaway closes on Sunday 25 October and I'll draw a winner the following Monday morning!