Christmas gift guide for kids

With Christmas only a couple of weeks away, the hot question on everyone's lips at the moment is, "Have you done all your Christmas shopping yet?" I'm quite chuffed to say I am but if you haven't, don't panic. Here are some of the cutest gifts you can spoil your little one with.

1.  Audi Ride On Car - A stylish ride on car for driving around the house or flaunting at the local park.

2. Luggy Basket Yellow - a toddler sized wheeled basket perfect for storing and transporting toys and other treasures around the house. It's looks so good, we don't mind lugging it to the beach, the playground or the shops!

3. Native Jefferson shoes - They're light, they're handwashable, shock absorbent, odor resistant and come in a myraid of funky colours that is sure to please any kid (and kid at heart). Alexander has an orange and green pair and he absolutely loves them.

4. Books - If there's one thing I can never buy enough of; it's books. Alexander is somewhat fascinated with poo of late and anything with animals is bound to be a hit, so What do they do with all the Poo from all of the Animals at the Zoo - Anh Do and Pig the Elf - Aaron Blabey are my picks for the boy this Christmas.

5. Bloomingville Mini Storage Basket Bag - This  storage bag with the giggle worthy "Nothing is Lost" text is perfect for laundry as well as toys. It's gender neutral colour and design makes it a wonderful accessory for any kid's room.

6.  Decor Night Light Cactus - Night lights are tricky; they need to be dim enough to induce sleep yet bright enough for bedtime ready and not too captivating that keep already sleep resistant kids awake. This cactus night light is not only cute to look at, it casts a reassuring glow when switched on. 

7. Little Red Stuga Kebnekaise Mountain Knitted Bean Bag Pouffe - Each bean bag is made from 100% knitted cotton. The pattern cleverly and attractively portrays the snowy peak through the combination of white and navy. This gives the impression of snowfall.

8. To the Moon and Back Banner - This banner is carefully hand felted by women in a village just outside Kathmandu, Nepal, is made from 100% NZ wool felt and is 23 x 33cm with grey string for easy hanging. I always end Alexander's bedtime routine by whispering "I love you to the moon and back" so it only seems fitting to have this hanging in his room.

Alexander's "Big Boy" room + decorating tips

Alexander recently made the transition out of a cot and into a "big boy" bed, so Stu and I decided to give his a room a little makeover as well. You may remember how we had lovingly set up the nursery two years ago in anticipation of his arrival. By making a few little changes, we were able to update this space and make it more toddler friendly.

We bought Alexander a king single bed for two reasons: firstly, so one of us could comfortably lie down with him through the night if he was feeling unwell and secondly, we'd hoped that this bed would see him through to his teenage years (not so sure about that now as it's doubling as a trampoline!).

It's a low bed so if he can climb on and off with ease and with a cushioned bed head not dissimilar to our bed. Alexander is pretty obsessed with trucks and anything with wheels at the moment so we bought his rescue vehicles sheets, much to his delight - he loves pointing at each one and naming them before bed each night.

We stopped changing Alexander's nappies on the change table as he is too mobile so with the change mattress off, it now functions as a shelf for toys, wipes, nappies etc, We also installed new curtains in a neutral beige and moved the pom pom foot rest to the front of the window so Alexander can stand on it and look out into the backyard.

Apart from the cost of the new bed and sheets, this little room makeover cost us hardly anything. Simply by moving and reusing old furniture and accessories, we were able to add some style to this room. in fact you can quite easily recreate Alexander's room with this bed and 4 drawer tall chest from Super Amart who has also asked me to share some tips on how you can decorate your kid's room on a budget. Read on if you're interested...

1. Spend on furniture with longevity - The bulk of our budget was spent on Alexander's new bed as this is an item that can grow with him and has the most longevity. The fact that it's a king single size means he will likely still be able to use it well into his teenage years. Be sure to check out your local Super Amart store for their wide range of bedroom furniture.

2. Shop at garage sales and thrift stores - Stu and I spotted an old wooden chair with faded paint but was otherwise in good condition at a garage sale for next to nothing. Stu gave it a good sanding and painted it a vibrant shade of yellow and it now sits pretty next to Alexander's room, lending a fresh pop of colour. Ditto for the toy Tonka truck.

3. Add colour with accessories - Pick solid colours for furniture and choose colourful or patterned  accessories to add interest. As you can see, we've chosen a plain white bed, tall boy and walls as a base for this room, allowing for the hints of yellow, blue and lime green to bring life to this room.

4. Books and toys as decor - Alexander's collection of colourful books and some of his well made toys double up as decoration for his room. This saves us having to find storage for them.

5. Straw baskets as storage - I used straw baskets for organisation purposes and allocate each basket to toys/books, nappies, shoes. Alexander has learnt what each basket is for and assists in returning things to the baskets at the end of each day.

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Super Amart (click here for their current promotions). I was compensated for this post, however all opinions are my own.

Christmas gift guide: botanical edition

It came as a bit of a shock when someone mentioned Christmas was just 9 weeks away (how ridiculous!) so I went on a bit of an online shopping spree to make up for lost time. I decided to put together a little gift guide of some of the lovely things I found along the way, all of which have a floral touch to it - perfect for all the botanical loving friends in your life.

1. Sarah's Garden Square Lasagna Dish by Wedgewood - Hand rendered botanical motifs on this elegant earthenware makes a perfect addition to any homemaker's kitchen.

2. Rosewater Balancing Mist by Jurlique -  a treat for all the senses, this beautifully scented is great for refreshing and hydrating skin on a hot summer's day.

3. Botanical Square Cushion by Adorabella - One of the prettiest botanical print I've seen to date, to dress up any chair or sofa.

4. Wreath Ring Silver by Karen Walker - a dainty understated piece of jewellery for a special lady in your life.

5. Maryan Distinguish Rose Print Matinee Purse by Ted Baker - a gorgeous piece feature dark romantic floral print with large bow detail at top snap closure.

6. Electra small table lamp in Botanical Print Poppy by Retro Print Revival - A statement piece with a bold retro style poppy print bound to add colour to any space in your home.

7. Copper hanging planter from Corner Store - a stunning metallic planter in a copper finish for your plants to live in style.

8. Tropical Delight Personalised Stationery Gift Set by Tiny Prints - a practical and handy stationery set consisting of notepad, lined book and cards in the cutest print. Personalise with your name or preferred quote. Mine says "Pineapple of my eye".

DIY butterfly art

A week ago I had, on impulse, bought a butterfly paper punch. It makes the prettiest paper butterflies with dainty filigree like details. I love it but I didn't have even the faintest idea what to do with all the butterflies I'd so obsessively punched out that afternoon. And then I started to feel bad and was trying to justify the purchase so I thought I'd better make some art with it. Because really, you can't put a price on art, can you?

You'll need:

Paper (I used card stock)
Picture frame
Butterfly punch
Hot glue gun or craft glue

Method

1. Punch through ~15 butterflies with paper punch. Alternatively, if you have steady hands and lots of patience, you can cut out butterflies by hand.

2. Gently fold the wings up to create a 3D effect.

3. Glue the butterflies to your frame(s).

DIY glitter globe

It's December, which means...Christmas season has officially started in our household!

The tree is up, the wreath is on the front door, greeting cards are written, all ready to be sent, I'm singing Christmas carols incessantly to poor Alexander and I've started on this year's holiday craft - GLITTER GLOBES.

You'll need:

Plastic figurines
Spray paint (I used high gloss enamel)
Glass bottles
Baby oil
Glitter
Ribbon
Instructions:

1. Apply 5 coats of spray paint to figurines as per paint instructions. Allow to completely air dry.

2. Use hot glue gun to adhere figurines to lids of glass bottles.

3. Fill glass bottles with baby oil. Add glitter.

4. Screw lid onto bottles and glue ribbon to cover lid.

Review and giveaway: Air Wick Multicolour Black Edition candle

Call me easily amused, but even though I've been using Air Wick's Multicolour Black Edition candle for a couple of weeks now, I still find myself staring at its fascinating changing colours every time I light it up.

This is the first time I've used Air Wick's range of scented candles, and I must say I'm pretty impressed. I've always had this preconceived idea that their fragrances are too heady and strong for my liking but I was proven wrong. It's certainly not just the lights that's captivating, the warm smell of apples and cinnamon also creates the perfect ambiance at home. I especially like to use it at night when the temps drop and I can still pretend it's Winter time and snuggle up with Stu.

Giveaway time! Today, Air Wick is giving you the chance to win one Multicolour Black Edition candle so you can enjoy its beautiful fragrance and stare at its captivating glow too.

For your chance to win, simply leave a comment below. A winner will be chosen at random on Tuesday, 17th September, EST when the giveaway closes. Good luck! (Open to residents of Australia and New Zealand only)
Update: The winner is Africanaussie...congrats! I will be in touch soon. Thank you everyone for participating.

DIY abstract art

Alright - I know nothing about art so if you're sneering at my attempt at "abstract art", I don't blame you. Call it art or not, I will let you know that this is a fun little craft project that my mom taught me when I was only a wee girl, so as you can imagine it is extremely easy, and (in my humble opinion) the results aren't too shabby either!
Materials

Paint (acrylic or watercolour)
Paintbrushes
Paper or card stock
Frames

Method

1. Cut paper to suit frame size and fold in half.

2. Unfold paper and use paintbrushes to randomly paint, dab, create spots on paper or card stock along the fold line.

3. Fold the paper in half again and press down for a few seconds. Unfold the paper and you'll have a symmetrical piece of 'abstract art'!

DIY marbleized tea light holder

I have about 50 plain tea light holders that I bought for my wedding to use as centerpieces. Two years later, they're just sitting sad and lonely in their boxes and I was thinking about giving them away when Stu convinced me to keep them, saying he's sure one day I'll find something creative to do with them. I was quite flattered he thinks so highly of my crafty ways and decided to keep them.

But then, recently, I really did get inspiration to jazz up these dollar shop purchases to make them look super cool. And you won't believe what I used to create these pretty marbleized effects...nail polish!

To create a marbleized effect of your tea light holder, you'll need:

Nail polish in various colors
Plastic tub/container (I recommend using takeaway containers that you can discard to save on cleaning)
Skewers
Tea light holders

Method:

1. Fill plastic tub/container with water to depth of ~2 cm.
2. Add a few drops of nail polish in your preferred colors.
3. Use a skewer to swirl the nail polish to create a marbleized effect.
4. Gently dip the tea light holder at a slight angle onto the nail polish.
5. Place upside down to air dry completely. (~30 minutes)

DIY clay flower magnets

I always get the itch to make something, to think up new craft ideas. But none came for a while so I resorted to wandering about aimlessly in my local craft shop when I spotted and bought some fimo clay on impulse even though I've never used them before. I think it's this pretty shade of pale pink that got me. Then I got home and thought "Now what?"

One glance at my fridge door got me thinking; I went through a phase where my fridge was plastered in magnets collected from holidays abroad. Later on, I went through another phrase where I vehemently removed and threw out all my magnets to rid my life of clutter. So my fridge is looking suitably bare for adornment of some kind. Three pretty little clay flowers can't hurt, can it?
To make your own clay flower magnets, you'll need:

Fimo clay (or other modeling clay, if you prefer)
Ceramic magnets
Skewer
Hot glue gun
Pearl/beads (optional)

First up, we need to make the clay flowers. I'll start with the simplest 4 petal flower:

1. Roll 5 equal sized balls of clay and flatten each one to make a circle of ~ 2 cm.
2. The first circle will be your flower base. With the remaining circles, use your thumb and index finger to pinch into petals.
3. Attach petals onto the base and press to secure with blunt end of skewer.
4. Pinch the rounded end of each petal.

For the chrysanthemum:

1. Roll and flatten one ball of clay to form ~2 cm base.
2. Roll 20-25 smaller balls of clay to form ~ 1 cm circles when flattened.
3. Pinch the smaller circles with your thumb and index finger to form little petals.
4. Attach around the circumference of the base.
5. Keep adding petals, making sure to overlap to cover gaps.


For the camellia:

1. Roll 10-15 balls of clay and flatten into oval thin pieces of varying sizes.
2. Roll one piece of clay into the camellia bud, by rounding, scrunching and pressing in gently.
3. Add petals around the bud, using bigger pieces of clay for the outer layers of the camellia.

Once you have made the flowers, pop them on a baking paper in a baking tray to bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 110 degrees Celsius.

Once baked, allow to cool to room temperature so the clay completely hardens.

Add pearls/beads to centre of flowers if you like, using a hot glue gun.

Hot glue the ceramic magnets to the base of each flower.

DIY paper doily table runner

Stu built us a new deck and awning earlier this year and salvaged all the old timber in the process to make a beautiful 10-seater outdoor table. Only problem was, because it's not a standard size table, it was impossible to buy table runners/cloth that fits. And that's how I came up with the idea of making my own table runner.

I've seen some really beautiful handmade cloth doily runners on Pinterest, but since (what I call) 'the doily revival', doilies have actually become quite expensive to buy. The paper option was by far cheaper and great for one-off events.

To make your own table runner, you'll need: paper doilies of various shapes and sizes, and double-sided tape

1. Position the doilies so that they slightly overlap at the edges. Once you are satisfied with the way it looks, tape the edges together.

2. Continue adding paper doiles until the desired length and width is achieved.

All done!

Nursery for our little one

As soon as our bathroom renovation was complete, I felt an overwhelming desire to work on the nursery. I remember waking Stu up at 4 one morning to talk about cleaning out the 3rd bedroom aka study/storeroom so we can get started. I don't think Stu heard anything I said that time but he sure got the message.

That weekend, he cleaned out what was the old study room, scrubbed and sanded the walls, gave it a fresh coat of paint so I could get started putting furniture in and decorating. Today, I'd love to share a few photos of the nursery, put together with both our love for our little one.

We envisioned a room that was bright and light with little pops of colour to add interest and fun. We went for off-white walls and furniture so we had a clean canvas to work with. We found a surprising great range of nursery furniture at Big W that not only had rave reviews but was also very affordable, leaving us with extra dollars to splurge on accessories.

I fell in love with this Down to the woods felted ottoman as soon as I laid eyes on it and it really provides the perfect addition of colour and texture to the room.  On the chest of drawers are: a squirrel night lamp and baby's first gift from me - a set of puffin children's classics.

As baby's gender is still a mystery to us, we went with a jungle safari theme (Both boys and girls enjoy the company of animals, right?). I found this jungle mobile with six delightful hand-knitted animals from etsy store Patricija to keep baby entertained while in the cot. Above the change tables, we've added four baby animal prints from The Animal Print Shop so baby can get acquainted with them while I change his/her nappies.

The nursery is most definitely my favourite room in the house. Just being in it makes me so happy. Every morning, I sit quietly on this rocking chair (a relica Acapulco from Sokol) with Frankie for company; imagining baby's presence - sleeping, crying, playing, and that brings a big smile to my face.

DIY Daisies frame

When I saw these paper daisies (aka strawflowers or everlasting daisies) at the florist a few weeks ago, I fell in love with them. They are so vibrant and gorgeous, plus they dry beautifully, so they are perfect for crafting with. I used them to line a plain picture frame, I think it makes for cheerful home decor! The daisies retain their colours really well when dry so this will last for years.

To make your own daisies frame, you'll need: picture frame with flat edges, dried paper flowers and a hot glue gun. *To dry your paper daisies, simply air dry upside down in the dark.

1. Once the daisies are dry, cut off stems as close to the flower as possible as well as any foliage.

2. With the hot glue gun, glue the flowers close to each other so the frame doesn't show through. I used flowers of varying sizes to make it visually more interesting.

DIY scented soy candles

In the days leading up to Christmas, I dusted a huge box of candle supplies off and proceeded to spend one lovely afternoon making scented soy candles.

Making your own scented soy candles is so painless and simple, I often wonder why people still buy them from the stores...truly! I'm re-posting this tutorial today, just in case you would like to give this DIY project a go too.

You'll need: soy wax, glass container (old jam jars work just fine), wicks, fragrance oils, warning labels, adhesive tabs, and paddle pop sticks (with holes drilled in the centre). You can buy all these from a candle supply store, I personally use these guys, as they do recommend wick types to suit different sized candles and they have an amazing range of fragrance oils available - from fruity to floral to spicy to yummy (blueberry muffin, anyone?).

1. Heat the soy wax in the cooking pot over low-medium heat on stove.

2. While the wax is melting, attach the adhesive tabs to the bottom of the wicks tab and place the wick in the centre of the jar, then press down.

3.Stick the warning label and safety instructions on the bottom of each glass container.

4. When the wax has melted, measure it out and wait to cool (I wait till the measuring jar is comfortably warm to touch).

5. Add fragrance oil and stir well with a paddle pop stick. The general rule for adding fragrance oil is to use 10% of the wax volume. So in the case I added 70 ml of fragrance oil to 700 ml of melted wax. Note if using essential oil (which is more concentrated) to only use 5%.

6. Pour into prepared glass containers. Use paddle pop stick with hole drilled in center to straighten your wick until your candle is completely set.

7. Leave for 3-4 hours or until completely set.

8. Trim the wicks to about 1 cm in length. Decorate with ribbons, lace, etc

Cleaning tip: Use hot water and soap to effortlessly clean soy wax from pot and measuring jar as well as any spills.

I like to keep a supply of scent candles handy to use, as well as for gifts. This batch of candles went to my lovely neighbors for Christmas. My street really smelled gorgeous over Christmas!

inHomewares giveaway!

The lovely Nicole over at inHomewares in sponsoring a very awesome giveaway today!

inHomewares is an small online boutique store that specialises in carefully selected unique and beautiful homewares and gifts that are only available in limited quantities. I just spent a very enjoyable half an hour or so browsing the store and picking out these items to add to my Christmas wishlist (Stu, are you reading this?).

1. tineKhome white tea and ginger soap - handmade and so sweetly packaged -  this soap would make a wonderful addition and make showertime more luxurious. I can just imagine how beautiful the white tea and ginger scent would smell.

2. Post Stamp Wooden tray - this would be so perfect for entertaining with in the garden this summer. Plus makes a beautiful decorative piece. Love.

3. White Metal ice bucket with rope handles - bring on the champagne! I want the large one so I'll never run out of chilled bubbly this summer.

4. tineKhome shopping basket - great colour and perfect size for slinging on my arm while shopping. I can just picture a baguette or two sticking out of it!

5. Steel/nickel plated water jug - what a gorgeous metal jug. I would love to use it as a vase for flowers - how stunning would it look as a centrepiece!

inHomewares is also where you can find Nicole's very own label "Cheeky Charley" that features the most gorgeous bespoke bedroom decor such as quilts, cushions and bunting, made with love by Nicole herself. Isn't she neat?

And now for the good news - Nicole has generously offered my readers the chance to win a AUD$50 voucher to use on any item in the store (excludes shipping)...YAY!

To enter, you must like the inHomewares Facebook page and tell me as a comment in this post, which is your favourite item from inHomewares. The giveaway is open to international readers, note shipping fees will be confirmed when address is provided. This giveaway ends Friday 23rd November 2012 5pm EST. Good luck!

As a bonus for you, use code 'lock and key' at checkout to receive 20% off all items (excluding postage) This code is valid til 31st December 2012 so you can get all your Christmas shopping done at inHomewares!

Update: The lucky winner is Sarah S! Congrats, Nicole from inHomewares will be in touch with you shortly.

Diy botanical prints

DIY botanical prints, anyone? You don't even need to be artistic, I promise.

I love botanical prints but I'm not at all talented when it comes to art. So when I first saw this lovely diy over here, I got really excited and rushed out to buy myself some watercolours so I can create my own easy botanical prints at home. I was feeling rather chuffed with my efforts so I've decided to share this tutorial so you too can be an "artist".

First you need to collect leaves and press them until they're flat. For my prints, I used a fern leaf and a couple of mint leaves.

To create the print of the roses, I used the stem of a bok choy.

Secondly, paint one side of leaves/stem with watercolour. Make sure to do a few test prints to make sure you're really happy. Be creative, experiment!

Once you have worked out the desired print and colour, you're ready to print on clean sheet of paper sized to fit in your chosen frames.

Place leaves/stem gently on paper in position, paint side down. Use another clean sheet of paper and press down over the top of the leaves/stem, then rub your fingers over them to transfer the print and create an impression. Leave to dry completely before placing in frames.

And that is it. Looks pretty good, if I dare say so myself.