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August 24, 2010
I would like to introduce you to my new best friend Isabella.
Isabella was sent to me by Vanda Designs which can be found exclusively at the lovely store Attil.
I was very excited when I opened my package and found Isabella hiding inside, we all know how much I love dolls.
Vanda Designs are created by a Melbourne lady with a flair and passion for all things handcrafted. Her most recent creations include a range of playful soft dolls, full of character and each with their own unique personalities and Isabella is no exception.
The dolls have great personality and uniqueness to them, from the gorgeous wool hair with felt and detailed stitching, to the very cute outfits they wear.
They are just the right size for little girls at 47 cms long, and are gorgeous and soft, perfect for snuggles I would think, or just looking cute sitting on a bed.
Each doll in the Vanda Designs range is unique, all having their own little personality quirks, it is hard to pick a favourite. They are also reasonably priced for such a lovely well made handcrafted item at $44.95.
You can view the other designs available at the Attil website. Valentina is groovy isn’t she?
July 22, 2010
Hair accessories are one of those items that always make me wish I had little girls. Though I do have to admit to putting our review items in the Little Ones hair to have a look at them in action. He quite liked wearing the headband I might add, and I spotted him several times over the next few days waltzing around in it.
Our review items today are a series of hair accessories from Ellies Pretty Things. As well as some sweet alligator clips we have some bobby pins and headband to test out on some little heads.
The clips are well constructed, I gave each one a nice little tug and pull to see how sturdy they are and was impressed as they stayed nice and put and did not come apart.
The bobby pins are a beautiful quality pin, lovely and sturdy with a gorgeous antique feel hot pink flower attached and the alligator clips all use lovely grosgrain ribbon.
We had a lovely time as mums of boys playing with our Ellies Pretty Things Hair Accessories, so check them out if you are after some sweet hair candy for your tots.
June 16, 2010
Recently we had the pleasure of reviewing a knitted cocoon from Blueberry Hen. It was the perfect timing as we had the most gorgeous tiny tester to use for this one, 10 day old baby Ethan.
The cocoon came wrapped with a sweet card and some Green Tea, that we could enjoy whilst reading over the instructions and contemplating which tiny tester we could use. A delightful and different touch indeed.
Our mums were very curious as to the function of the cocoon as they had not seen one before. We popped the just fed, sleepy Ethan straight into one. At first I was wondering how I was going to accomplish placing a tiny baby into it, but it was surprisingly easy to tuck him in quickly.
He fit perfectly into the cocoon and you could tell he was right at home straight away and enjoyed the snuggly feel. He drifted off to sleep quite quickly whilst we were trying to get a few shots.
Our Mum’s loved the Blueberry Hen cocoon and all raved over how handy it would be in place of wrapping a baby and how warm and cosy Ethan was tucked up inside. They loved the soft feel of the wool in their arms and the convenience of being able to move the baby about without worrying about a wrap falling off.
Their certainly was a lot of clucking about how cute he looked all snuggled up inside the cocoon.
Blueberry Hen cocoons would be a perfect gift for those living in a colder climate, they are so handy to use (especially for those of us, who are not skilled in the ways of swaddling).
May 11, 2010
This week we have had the pleasure of reviewing the TotallyEssential Bug Off Insect Repellent Cream and bite soothing lotion, as well as theDreamtime Spritz and soap available from Moo Woo Handmade Cards and Gifts.
Upon opening our beautifully packaged item you could smell the gorgeous essential oils immediately. I was very excited to try the Bug Off Insect Repellent as I have always been loathe to use commercially made insect repellents on my children’s skin.
The Bug Off cream not only smells delicious but it goes on the skin without being oily. I know with commercial sprays I have this huge urge after using to wash my hands and skin immediately as I dislike the sensation they leave. The Bug Off was completely unlike this and I really liked it . Combined with the lovely smells of citronella and peppermint, it was a delight to put on.
I did not get a chance to use the soothing cream as we have had no bug bites here. I was tempted to go stand on an ants nest in the yard to give it a whirl, but have decided against that for obvious reasons. I have however put it on my skin and I have no doubt it would be great. The feel is very refreshing when using it and the smells are edible, in fact I keep sniffing my arm cause it smells so nice.
The Dreamtime Pack comes with a Dreamtime Spritz which contains a calming blend of soothing lavender, chamomile and marjoram, just right for helping to settle minds off to a gentle slumber.
As well as the Dreamtime Spritz, the pack contains some Kimberly Dreaming soap from the same combination of oils which can be used to bathe children and help relax them before bedtime.
Caz was our Dreamtime Spritz & Soap tester, and here is her report:
Why didn’t I have this when my windy baby was three months old and waking every two hours? I wonder if he would have slept better – I know I would have slept through his cries as easily as my husband did using this stuff!
Okay, so I know that I’m meant to test products out on our Tiny Testers, but my kid now (finally) sleeps through the night – whilst I don’t!
For the past six months or so I’ve been waking at about 11 pm and then again at 4 am and wrestling with insomnia for an hour or so from my waking times, but I’m delighted to report that the first night I sprayed this delicious smelling lavender potion onto my pillow – I slept DEEP and WELL and LONG and didn’t wake up. I actually awoke at about 6.30 am feeling QUITE refreshed!! What a delight.
I also tried the “Kimberley Dreaming Soap” – same ingredients as the spritz = smells GORGEOUS – in the bath for my little monster and normally pre-bed time he is quite boisterous and energetic, but with the bath soap, he seemed to be a little less frenetic and even sat on my lap (for about 1 minute) and drank his bottle – a rarity indeed. Whilst on first sniff the soap smells strong when using it, it is the perfect blend and leaves your skin with just the right amount of scent.
The Handmade Kids team love these products – we love that they are made in the Kimberley, aren’t full of harmful chemicals and actually work!
April 26, 2010
Recently we had the pleasure of testing out one of Cha Cha Rose’s delicious tutus.
Being Mum’s of boys we had to recruit some help for this review. Armed with our lovely tutu, we hit the playgroup Mums for a try out.
This resulted in the older girls wanting a turn wear it and lots of “ohhh it is so pretty can we have it’s” from them as well. The tutus are gorgeous not worn, but then you pop them on and you can hear really hear the mum’s exclaim just how gorgeous it is.
The tulle is soft to touch and so is perfect for little ones. The flower detailing adorning the skirt, just adds that extra pizzazz to the creation, giving it a unique touch.
We found the sizing to be great. We tested a size 3/4 and tried it on a 3 yr old and also a 15mth old (who can resist tiny chubby legs in something like this) and both could wear it easily with a slightly different effect, shorter and funkier for the old children, but still very much wearable for a smaller child. Always a plus for Mums that know they can get a lot of use out of an outfit. Paired with a pair of tights, it looked super cool.
The Cha Cha Rose tutu is lovingly made and this is obvious with the attention to detail, and it makes a fabulous fashion statement. It gets a huge double thumbs up from the HMK team and our playgroup mums.
February 9, 2010
Today I was required to complete my very first craft review. To say I was scared is an understatement, Caz was scared as well, she used her baby sleeping as an excuse to get out of it.
Our project was sent to us by Modern Retro Texiles. A fabulous fabric store full of suprises, and our mission was to complete a Saffron Craig Softie.
I cheated and enlisted the help of my friend Karen, who has a sewing machine and can sew a line much straighter than me. If it was Caz & I tackling it on our own, I am not quite sure how it would have ended up – probably would have involved wine and a few pin pricked fingers.
If you are a beginner sewer, without a doubt this is a project for you. You can create a really cool and funky softie, without the stress of figuring out how exactly you are going to do it.
If you are an expert sewer, then you have a softie you can whip up with ease, probably whilst multitasking something else because it is that easy.
Our end result is a cute owl, that looks impressive, but did not take impressive skills.
Modern Retro Textiles offer a fabulous service and they have a huge array of fabrics and patterns for sewers of all skills alike.
Our end result, whilst not perfect, it still looks good. I can thoroughly recommend giving this a go if you are looking for a small project. The service you receive from Modern Retro Textiles will definately have you back looking for more.
November 23, 2009
This week I have been lucky enough to review a sweet skirt from Lillipilli Lane.
Lillipilli Lane’s influences and inspirations include the vintage and retro. Fabrics are selected for their individual characteristics and often inspire the designs themselves.
These little girl skirts feature an elastic waist and hemline that sits just above the knee. The style is a classic slip on skirt that is very versatile. I love the fabric of this little skirt, it has a vintage feel about it, but is classically beautiful, plus apple green happens to be one of my favourite colours.
The ric rac edging along the skirt is a gorgeous little touch and I have to make mention of Lillipilli’s sew in tags, they really are fabulous and a great feature on the skirt. The handstitched nature of them is really sweet indeed.
I could just imagine this skirt with an off white shirt in summer, cool little flower brooch (which I am sure if you asked Lillipilli Lane nice enough they would be clever enough to do that  – or even in winter over a pair of tights and long sleeved top.
The skirt has been beautifully finished and is very well made, and available in some unique fabrics, you are bound to find that one just perfect for you.
The skirt is available for purchase from HERE if you just have to have your own.
October 8, 2009
The Handmade Kids Facebook Page is giving you the chance to win the fabulous Handmade Home Book by Amanda Blake Soule.
The book is full of wonderful inspiration and projects, I have been busy flicking through them many times.
So what do you need to do? Join our Facebook Page and then have a guess at how many fans you think we will reach by the end of October 2009.
Guesses will close on 20th October so late entries won’t receive an unfair advantage.
Also you may notice on the left hand side a little picture showing we are a finalist in the Business Mums Network – Australia’s Favourite Blog Award. We are up against some fantastic blogs, so would love your support to vote for us!
August 19, 2009
For all those who have fabulous stores making items, you can now join our Handmade Kids Top 100 List
Hopefully soon I will figure out how to make it pretty as well
June 30, 2009
Recently I received these little cuties from Moo Woo Handmade Cards and Gifts.
Moo Woo Handmade Cards & Gifts is a lovely new online shop which is run by Kellie. It is also very handy if anyone lives in the Kimberly region of WA, as that is where Kellie is based. If you have ever been there would know how isolating it is in terms of shopping, so it is great to see a new business up there to help all those looking for handcrafted items.
The cards were packaged lovely and each one has been handcrafted and cut, and features some cute little characters seen above, which I am sure the kids will adore.
Moo Woo Handmade Cards and Gifts have a very extensive range on offer, with lots of choices for young and old!
If you are after a unique card that someone has taken the time to handcraft from scratch, then have a look at Moo Woo Handmade Cards & Gifts.
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