mumspiration hiatus

If you've been popping over to my blog lately, you will have noticed that I have not been posting for some time now - unfortunately life has gotten in the way and blogging has unfortunately dropped to the bottom of my list of priorities. Juggling a toddler who has suddenly developed sleeping issues, plus still adapting to life with two kidlets, plus some home projects = just not enough time to devote to this blog. Thus I have decided to leave blogland for a while to take a breath, regroup, and direct all my energies (what's left of them at least!) into being the best wife, mother, friend, daughter, sister, home decorater etc that I can be. So adios for now - I've had a wonderful time with this blog and perhaps one day I will return to it, although with returning to work on the distant horizon, plus perhaps adding another child to the fam (if I can convince hubby AND solve toddler's sleeping probs), it may be a long time until I do. Thanks to all my readers, followers and those who have left me comments. xox Eira

little winter wonders - walnut desert boots

For both the little miss and the little master in your household, these desert boots from Walnut are chic yet sensible footwear for keeping cute sausage toes warm (a quick aside - I absolutely adore children's feet - they are so adorable and chubby!). Available in an array of colours and in suede or leather, every child's wardrobe should include a pair of these this Winter.

See here for South Australian stockists (boots can also be purchased online through the Walnut website, but I think you're safer to try on before you buy).

delicious design - kaiku collection

 

Rolling Toy Pushpull

Rolling Toy Strollkart

Super Wagon Zen

Aren't these wagons and push alongs from Kaiku just fabulous? Designed by Northern Californian couple Scot and Amy Herbst, these "playthings" are beautiful to look at and functional for both kids and parents. Unfortunately they are not currently available in Australia, but I recently contacted Scot who informed me that Kaiku are in the process of finding an Australian/NZ distributor. Fingers crossed this happens sooner rather than later - I'd love one of the Super Wagon Zens, as I'm sure that it would provide a novel and fun-filled way to transport the little ones around the markets and shops, or for a walk with a difference to the park!

Images from Kaiku

etsy find - personalised world map print

I have blogged about My Sweet Prints previously (see here) and I was very excited the other day to discover they have added a customised world map print to their collection. Maps make an educational yet beautiful addition to any child's nursery, so why not consider treating your budding Christopher Columbus to his or her own personalised map?!

the gruffalo - live at dunstan playhouse

A musical adaptation of the award-winning picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, The Gruffalo, is being staged at Dunstan Playhouse this week.

Suitable for children aged 3 and up, the stage show is running from 12-17 April. Tickets cost $25 for adults and $20 for children, and can be purchased through BASS. See here for a video preview of the show.

Image via modernhood

little winter wonders - crochet beanies from pink apple

The cool Autumn nights are upon us and have got me thinking about all the things that I love about cold weather - electric blankets (I thank my husband for our fabulous blanket with 10, yes 10, heat settings!), hot chocolates, ugh boots, warming glasses of a good Shiraz at the end of a day, and last, but certainly not least, the fashions!

Stores and magazines are already overloaded with the most adorable cool-weather fashions this season - beautiful little knits, traditional fabrics (think corduroy), and hip desert boots (more on those to come), so I have decided to start a series for this blog titled "Little Winter wonders" - cute clothes to keep the littlies warm this Autumn/Winter.

These gorgeous crochet beanies from South Australian online store Pink Apple are my first must-have item for your little princess. So mini-Ali McGraw in "Love Story" - too cute!

Photo by Kelly Dyett, Black Sheep Photography for Studio Bambini

exquisite fairy bedroom

I recently discovered the interior design and architecture website called freshome, and am under no illusions that I've just found another way to while away the children's naptimes!

The pictures below are of a fairy bedroom featured on the site in March. The detail is incredible - the room includes an indoor tree, birdhouses, flower-shaped lamps, a heavenly bed (take me there now!), and giant mushrooms (no wonder I was drawn to it!). Pure fairytale extravagance. I'm not too sure about the practicality or longevity of such a room (in my experience, young children tend to outgrow fads pretty quickly), but it's certainly an amazing room, and I must admit that I'd quite enjoy having it as my boudoir for a bit of fun!

Images via freshome

see "grug live" by windmill

The much-loved picture book character "Grug" is being brought to life by children's theatre company Windmill. Commencing on Wednesday this week, the live show is being staged at The Forge, Maryatville High School and runs until 24 April. The show is suitable for children aged 1-5 (and parents, of course!).

Ticket prices are $19 each (babies under 1 enter for free) or $14 each for group bookings of 6 or more. See the website for show times and to purchase tickets.

Image from Windmill

semaphore to fort glanville steam railway

If you've run out of ideas for how to entertain the kiddies during school holidays, here's a great outdoor activity to check out (despite the grey clouds this weekend, next week is meant to bring back the sunshine).

Operated by the National Railway Museum, the 457mm gauge railway departs from the Semaphore jetty and runs for 2km, adjacent to The Esplanade and through the sand dunes, before arriving at the historic Fort Glanville.

The railway operates daily during school holidays and on weekends, from the commencement of the September school holidays until the end of the April school holidays. A steam locomotive operates on the railway between 11am and 4pm and departs roughly on the hour every hour, depending on demand.

Prices are as follows:
Adults $6
Children $4 (3 years to 15 years old)
Family $18 (2 adults with 2 children)

Further information can be obtained from the website.

Image via National Railway Museum

beautiful family kitchens at ohdeedoh

The lovely people over at ohdeedoh have compiled photos of some beautiful family kitchens. From decorative accents such as bunting, to practical yet stylish features such as blackboard walls, these kitchens are worth checking out. Click here  for some kitchen inspiration ...

Image from House Beautiful via ohdeedoh

button art

I'm currently a little obsessed with the blog Made By Joel (you may recall my recent post about Dress Up Drawings). Joel Henriques is an American artist and his blog is full of fabulous arts and crafts projects that he has come up with for his two young children.

Here's another one to try out ... art using buttons. A great way to use up random buttons that I seem to constantly collect from newly purchased garments but never end up needing to use!

Images from Made By Joel

darling invitations from Blonde Designs

I swore I would never do it, but I have succumbed this year to using commercial invitations for my toddler's upcoming 2nd birthday party. This was partly due to the ease of buying a Thomas the Tank Engine party pack from Spotlight vs making DIY invitations/party accessories (my very sweet hubby wisely advised that I didn't need another project whilst still adjusting to life with two under two) and also to cater to my little man's ever-growing obsession with "Thommy".

However, if I could have had things way, I would have commissioned Blonde Designs to make me a Thomas-inspired "party in box" pack. Check out below what they managed to come up with when asked to design Mickey-Mouse inspired invitations: elegant but age-appropriate, yet still undoubtedly "Mickey" themed. I just love what these girls come up with (I have previously blogged about them here).

Image from Blonde Designs blog

delicious design - p'kolino klick desk

Following on from my recent play room post, I thought a mention about this desk and chair set from P'kolino would be a perfect postscript!

Image from Zac and Zoe

perfect playrooms part 1

Towards the end of last year, with baby number 2 on her way, I decided to transform our seldom-used study/formal lounge into a playroom. This was in the hope that I would be able to contain the children's mess to one room - this outcome has not actually been successfully achieved, however I am happy with how the new playroom turned out.

In researching colour schemes/layouts for the playroom, I came across many many gorgeous, creative and covetable playrooms andthought that I would share a couple of them with you today.

1. Modern Indoor Treehouse by Jennifer Ward at minor details

2. Blue & red playroom via Ohdeedoh

Images from minor details (top) and ohdeedoh (bottom)

mushroom obsession

I have to agree with my good friend over at the beautiful blog hummingbird - mushrooms as a decorative feature are to love. I just think mushrooms/toadstools add a touch of whimsy to a child's room. They also conjure up memories of two of my favourite literary works, The Magic Faraway Tree and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Above are three of my current favourite mushroom decorative features. From top to bottom they are:
1. Mushroom toadstool pouffe from Habitat Baby
2. Dainty toadstool wall decals from Love Mae
3. Mushroom/toadstool lamps from Heico Germany

great eco-friendly toy shop

My cousin recently put me onto this fabulous online store - Eco Toys. The store specialises in ethically-made toys made from natural, sustainable, recyclable, biodegradable and/or recycled materials. Definitely worth checking out!

Below are just a few examples of what's on offer:

more easter crafts

Wow, I've actually managed to log onto the computer twice today (that's twice more than in the last two weeks!!). Obviously this has left me very excited and I'm trying to blog as much as I can, as who knows when the next opportunity will arise.

Anyhoo, if you're after some more fabulous Easter crafts for the weekend, head on over to Kids Craft Weekly for some cute and simple projects, including the miniature Easter buckets pictured above.

Image from Kids Craft Weekly

ride-on model steam trains at Millswood

I have been meaning to take my toddler to visit the South Australian Society of Model and Experimental Engineers (SASMEE) Park (try saying that quickly!) in Millswood for some time now, but always seem to remember on the weekends when it's not open. The Park offers rides on model steam trains, as well as having stationary steam engines on show, and a pond in which model boats can be seen.

Open from 2 until 4.30pm on the first Sunday and third Saturday of every month, the Park is located at Millswood Crescent, Millswood. Admission costs $5 for adults and $3 for children 3 years and up.

The park does not have an official website, but you can go here for more information. Also keep an eye out on the "What's On" section of Saturday's Advertiser for details of when the trains are running.

Easter crafts

If you're not heading away for Easter this weekend, and are looking for crafty activities to keep the little ones occupied, here are a few I've found in blog-land:

Bunny masks by Khali at little.lovely (found at Bloesem Kids)

Easter egg rocks from This Little Project

Paper mache eggs and Easter bonnets from Lottie Lulu

Images from little.lovely, This Little Project and Lottie Lulu

make your own silhouette cards

These silhouette cards made by book designer Brooke Reynolds over at the lovely blog inchmark are just exquisite. Brooke was a former Senior Art Director at Martha Stewart Kids and Martha Stewart Living and her blog features some beautiful projects that she has undertaken.

I love the simplicity of the silhouettes, and it's a delightful alternative to the usual photo cards. See here for tips on making your own family silhouettes.

Images from inchmark

missing in action!

I can't believe I haven't blogged for almost 2 weeks - I must admit I've been missing it desperately, but have been unable to find any time to sit down and concentrate on blogging recently as my 7 week old baby likes to be held constantly and I have not yet taught myself how to type efficiently using only one hand!

Luckily I have found a few spare minutes this morning to finally jump online and complete a few posts. Sorry for the delay, but I hope you stay with me!

pregnancy, babies & children's expo this weekend

Just a quick note - the Pregnancy, Babies & Children's Expo is on this weekend (starting today!) at the Adelaide Showgrounds, Wayville. Open 10am-4pm today and 10am-5pm Saturday and Sunday, the Expo includes stalls showcasing products and providing expert advice. See the website for full details.

nurseries to make you swoon!

I have been neglecting my blog this week and I apologise - things have been very chaotic with multiple appointments and still getting used to life with two littlies!

I have also had very little time to check out my favourite blogs, but have just had a few minutes to myself during which I lept over to my fave design blog table tonic and found these gorgeous nursery photos. Bliss.

Here a few of the nurseries featured, but I urge you to follow this link and check out the other 11!

Images from iheartbaby

juice box boats

I'm loving this juice box boats craft project from gorgeous blog inchmark. I can just imagine making these and then floating them in our wading pool.

Image from inchmark

delicious design - table and chairs from kidsonroof

I'm always on the lookout for interesting children's furniture, and it was love at first sight when I came across these wooden tables, chairs and benches from Dutch company Kidsonroof.

product of the week - hug a bub baby carrier

Shortly after bringing my new daughter home from hospital, I discovered that she is a baby that will often only settle when she is held. Obviously this poses a bit of a problem when also trying to care for ,and play with, a very active toddler. I already had a Baby Bjorn Active carrier, but, just as I had experienced with my first child, this felt a bit unsupportive for such a tiny baby with very little head control! After a lot of research and an afternoon spent trying out slings at my local baby mecca Baby Bunting, I settled on the fabulous Hug a Bub carrier. Basically, this is just a very long piece of lycra that you wrap around your body in a specific way as demonstrated on the dvd that accompanies the carrier (at first this tying technique is a bit time consuming, but, trust me, it quickly becomes second nature).

The beauty of the Hug a Bub is that you can carry your baby close to your body, and it feels very secure and comfortable. By tucking my baby's head under one side of the sling (called the "Peapod" method), I can even bend over without worrying that she will fall out or hurt her neck. There are four carrying positions that are demonstrated in the DVD.

Retailing from $79 upwards, the Hug a Bub comes in various colour combinations, and can be purchased with or without a front pocket. See here for stockists.

Image from http://www.hugabub.com/

delicious design - fabulous bunk beds

I can't remember where I came across this photo recently (it may have been ohdeedoh), but I recall instantly loving the symmetry and clean lines of these bunk beds - they make great use of a small room, and would be perfect for multiples! The addition of drawers under the bottom bunks add practical storage space.

last weekend to visit 'amococo'

If (like me) you haven't yet taken the kiddies to visit Amococo at the Fringe, this weekend is your last opportunity. Based in Rymill Park, 11am-7pm until 14 March, Amococo is a giant inflatable "luminarium" of interconnecting tunnels and domes illuminated by light and colours created by Architects of Air. Suitable for all ages (children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult), Amococo has received rave reviews, not least from my cousin who recently took her two little ones (aged 2 1/2 and 1). Entry is $2 per person. Arrive early as lines will undoubtedly be long, and it may be worth taking along a harness for any toddlers who may try to run off!

Images from http://www.fringefever.com.au/