Bamboo fibre creates the ultimate baby’s fabric. It’s soft, super absorbent, naturally antibacterial and biodegradable. Bamboo is a grass, ensuring swift growth and harvest, making it much more sustainable than cotton, which requires huge amounts of water and the extensive use of pesticides. And because the fibre requires no chemical additives, the uniquely natural material can then biodegrade in landfill without any nasty chemical residue.
Interestingly for babies and toddlers, bamboo is highly water absorbent, which means that the resultant fabric pulls moisture away from the skin so it can evaporate and keep skin drier than cotton. The strength of bamboo fabric also ensures that many babies can be wrapped, washed and wiped with bamboo fabric for many years to come.
Bamboo is becoming a more prevalent cloth for children in all its guises, with beautiful handmade bamboo baby products making a more regular appearance at markets. So support the beauty, comfort, and sustainability of bamboo. Your child will be grateful.
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Guest Post written by Karina Reyne, co-partner of Handmade Emporium, the hip handmade online market. Check out the best of handmade at Handmade Emporium
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This week lets meet the lovely Sarah from Toadstools & Tails :
Tell us about your business:
Predominately my business is about providing high quality, handmade, organic bamboo baby products, hence my tagline ‘Organic luxury for little people’.
Through doing my initial research and learning of all the amazing qualities the bamboo fibre offers our little ones, it was a no brainer that I had to make use of it and make it available to other Mums. I also felt strongly about making the products unique and affordable. I design, handmake and hand embroider all the products in my home on the Mornington Peninsula.
What inspired you to start your business?
I have always had a creative side and have been embroidering for many years. After having my first son, like many Mum’s, I developed a great interest in baby and children’s products but struggled to find products that were really unique. I also had new found confidence in myself and thought how great it would be to design my own products and run my own business.
Is there an interesting anecdote behind your business name?
The thought of fairies and gnomes living under a toadstool at the bottom of my garden puts a huge smile on my face! I wanted to incorporate this theme in a simplistic way and so it all began with the toadstool. I designed my logo first and so the business name naturally developed from that.
What is the most satisfying part of what you do?
Buying a gift for a baby can be an exercise that people put a lot of thought into. For many, it is a very special time whether it’s a new grandchild, niece/nephew or their own baby. Every time I sell a product I am so flattered that it is seen to be special enough to give to a little baby.
Have you tried something in business that didn’t work as planned, or on the flip side – worked out better than expected?
I’m always looking at different types of markets that I could attend and there have been some that haven’t worked so well and others that work really well. It’s certainly a process of elimination and finding which are the best areas for your target market.
I do a market every Wednesday at Main Street Mornington and I just love it, there is such great camaraderie between stallholders. I have a second family there.
What would be your best tip for someone thinking about selling their handcrafted goods?
I’m still very much in the learning process myself but what I did learn early is to make use of social media, in particular Facebook. It’s a great way to start to get your name out there and best of all it’s free!! Follow and interact with as many relevant organisations and businesses as you can, it’s a great form of networking and there is amazing support for small business out there.
I’m finding markets are also fantastic, great networking and once you start chatting to others you will learn a lot.
What is your favourite item you make?
I can’t go past my blankets, I’m seriously considering making one for my bed! There are a few different designs but my favourite is one that features my logo where I appliqué a toadstool (using bamboo velour) and hand stitch a mouse behind it. It definitely catches people’s eye and is my best seller.
Any personal or business highlights in the last year:
I think making the decision to leave my job to concentrate on my own business was definitely a highlight. I don’t think I’ve ever been as motivated as I was then.
3 things about you that people might not know:
- I help a charity called Mummies and Babes in Need, they collect children’s and women’s clothing, nursery items, toys etc to donate to mothers and their families in need. I was so moved by what these women were doing, I had to help out.
- I love everything French! especially when it comes to decorating and food.
- I have two beautiful little boys, Jack and Harry and an amazing husband….I found him when I was living in the UK and dragged him back here!
The creator behind inspiring hand-made local business Imogen’s Angels, Fiona Holmes, will be hosting for the second year the Princess Ladybird Week, commencing 24th April 2013 to raise funds for the Make- A- Wish® Australia Foundation.
In 2010 Fiona’s daughter Imogen earned her soft feathery wings and joined the other angels after a courageous journey through illness. Known as the Princess Ladybird, Imogen was a loving, determined, smiley, loud, boisterous, happy, bossy character who was literally “louder than life” says mum Fiona.
“While Imogen left us nearly 3 years ago, she is still very much with us and by creating Princess Ladybird I can help myself and my family to remain close and connected to her and at the same time we have a chance to give back to an organisation that helped Imogen to fulfil a wish of her own.”
Imogen had a unique fondness for ladybirds, something she shared with her mum and the women in Fiona’s family. For them the ladybird represents luck, innocence, magic and joy. During one of Imogen’s treatment sessions a little ladybird somehow made its way into the completely sterile treatment room, earning Imogen the nickname Princess Ladybird from the nursing staff at Princess Margaret Hospital.
During the week of 24th April to 1st May each year, Fiona sells Princess Ladybird brooch pins to raise funds for the Make- A- Wish Foundation with 100% of the profits going directly to the foundation. This helps to support Make- A- Wish to grant wishes to other seriously-ill children and their families so that others can experience the magic that Fiona, her husband Jason, big brother Kody, little brother Ashton and Imogen were able to experience when they went to Queensland thanks to Make-A-Wish in 2009.
Imogen lives on each and every day in the creative magic Fiona shares with her range of high quality products she hand-makes with love and sells through Imogen’s Angels.
For more information and to purchase your own Princess Ladybird - click here
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Guest Post by:
Imogen’s Angels
Fiona Holmes
040 777 6549
fiona@imogensangels.com.au
www.imogensangels.com.au
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Messy play may not sound like the easiest thing for mums, but there are some very important benefits to letting your little one enjoy messy play on a regular basis. When we allow children to explore their environments with their bodies, their brains are being stimulated in specific ways, which is important to their overall physical and mental development. Find out why messy play for littlies is so much fun for them, and pick up some helpful tips so that it can also be fun for you too.
What is Messy Play?
Messy play is where young children are given the opportunity to play and explore their environment through their five senses. They are able to explore in their own way and at their own pace, and it is very much self-directed play.
The Benefits of Messy Play
Messy play helps children in a number of ways. It gives them an opportunity to relax and play creatively while learning about their surroundings. Experimenting with various materials and textures, such as water, paints, sand or clay encourages children to discover new things. As they spend time splashing, slopping, pouring, mixing and scooping, messy play also helps to develop a child’s hand-eye coordination and gross and fine motor skills. Because messy play stimulates all of a child’s senses at once, it can capture their attention and concentration for a long period of time.
Messy Play Ideas
Messy play can include almost anything that has taken a child’s interest. It may be setting your toddler in a high chair and giving them some avocado or a fresh mango to squish through their little fingers and eat if they wish. It may involve a large piece of paper and finger paints. Messy play can involve water, sand, play dough or clay, with the child mixing, pouring, scooping or cutting. Setting your child in an empty paddling pool and giving them some bowls with dried pasta in it can keep her attention for a significant amount of time as she experiments with scooping and pouring dried pasta from one place to the next.
Combine these messy play materials with various sized cups, spouts, funnels, spoons and sieves, as well as implements for cutting, shaping and imprinting. Children will enjoy experimenting with all types of implements.
Make Messy Play Easy and Enjoyable
Children enjoy getting messy. Often we adults can only think about the cleaning up afterwards and resist giving in to letting a child indulge in messy play. We understand the cleanup that is required, from mopping tables and floors, to washing clothes, to getting food, paints or play dough out of their hair. But there are some simple ways to make messy play easy and enjoyable for those who have to clean up the mess afterwards. Plastic floor matting is inexpensive to buy and can protect carpets, tiles or wood floors from spills and splashes. You can wipe the mat down afterwards or take it outside and hose it clean.
Finger paints, clay and play dough can be kept off children’s clothing by putting long-sleeved protective shirts over the top of their outfits. Plastic art smocks and aprons are easy to wipe clean and keep your child dry if splashing around in water. You can even decide to put fun name labels on your child’s messy play apron, so they know that when it comes time for messy play, the labelled apron is to be worn. Be sure to dress them in old clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty or stained.
Don’t be afraid to join in with your child in messy play. Let your child direct how they play and go along with their suggestions. It can be a great bonding time and your little one will enjoy your company and attention. Let them see you getting dirty, experimenting and being creative. You can always encourage conversation, learning, singing and discussion as you join your child in messy play.
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About the Author: Megan Jones is an early childhood education teacher who has been working with pre-school aged children for the past 11 years.
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My name is Kylie, self confessed handmade addict, fabric hoarder and mummy.
Here you will find the very best handmade items for kids.
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