Wardrobe Wednesday
The last of the Love to Love you posts.
Last week I got sent this AWESOME t-shirt from a friend in London (thanks Debbie!) It is absolutely perfect me – especially if you know my last name! and the fact there are 3 very important ‘men’ in my life.
The t-shirt is a reference to what Jesus said about being ‘Fishers of Men’ and being a Jesus loving kind of lass that suits me too.
It fits my desire to have some ‘fun’ top options that make me still feel fun and cool when I am doing the casual thing.
Outfit – jeans – hand-me-down, t-shirt bought at Greenbelt festival – gift, beads – worn as a bracelet 50c Marsden School Fair, Shoes – bought from Trade-Me (I bought 4 pairs for $1 so these are my 25c shoes!).
Jump over to Nin’s place and check out what some other people LOVE in their wardrobe.
B.M.W.B #9 Shearing and a Giveaway
This week we have discovered a new game together. Flip often rolls himself up in his duvet to ‘hide’ so I can find him. This week I would find him and then ‘shear’ him. When we were at the A&P show last year we saw sheep shearing the shearer slowly peels the fleece off the sheep (that’s my description anyway!) and so I pretend to have my clippers and I shear the duvet off until I have my wee sheep underneath
amidst loud giggling !
Then Bounce wants his turn and so on and so on. It’s completely ridiculous but that kind of activity suits us well.
This week is full of photos of Bounce who I have so much fun hanging out with during the day. This bear suit is one of my first ever ballet costumes (lovingly made by my mama). Bounce likes to wear it as often as possible and I ADORE how gorgeous he is in it.
Seeing as it’s almost the end of Feb it’s time for my monthly giveaway. One of my friend/readers, Juliet, has been doing BMWB with her wee ones and this giveaway is inspired by her post here. It’s a simple sewing kit for you to try with your child/ren.
I’m hoping to give it a go with Flip and maybe Bounce – I’ll let you know how we get on.
To enter I would like you to share a happy childhood memory you shared with an adult – one of mine is the paper dolls my mum would draw for us and then we made/drew the clothing.
Giveaway closes Weds 14th of March and I am happy to ship internationally. (If you have kids big enough who you think would like it do encourage them to ‘enter’ themselves!)
This year I am making more of a conscious effort to have quality moments with my boys. B.M.W.B (becoming the mama I want to be) is my way of recording and hopefully inspiring other mama’s too. Please inspire me with the little moments you are snatching with your little people OR with ideas I could do with mine. If you have blogged about it please leave a comment so we can all visit and encourage each other.
Simple. Achievable. Intentional: becoming the mama I want to be.
The Best Kind of Friends
This week we received a very special parcel from a friend in London
Bounce immediately knew ‘It’s the Olympics’ when he saw his…. ??? My boys seem to love signs and symbols (they didn’t get that from me)
Flip said ‘I can actually speak British because I was born there, aye mama?’ (he was but his accent needs some work!)
And last week a friend dropped a wrapped sheet in my letter box because she knows I am on a no-fabric for 6 months challenge and she saw this and thought of me.
I do have the best kind of friends….
but the VERY best kind of friends are the ones who are so proud to be in the same t-shirts and hug with great enthusiasm and very little encouragement.
Again I am SO grateful for the gift of these boys and the crazy-fun they bring to my life.
Make My Week #8 Kimono, Op-Shop, Nighty Dress
This dress is made from fabric I picked up at an op-shop last year.
It’s rather kimono like in its texture and I used a retro nighty pattern as the base.
It’s not a great fit but it will be nice for faffing about in during summer (and what can you expect from a nighty pattern!). Obviously the pattern didn’t include the frill and extra bits at the top. It’s also my clothing make for February.
Pause
Today is a very significant day in the city of Christchurch. Today is a year since the violent earthquake that claimed the lives of many amazing people.
Today I want to pause. I want to remember.
My sister and brother-in-law have recently written and recorded this song in the memory of a very dear friend they lost a year ago today. Please take time to listen to it and remember with me and perhaps take a moment to pray for the families still devastated by their losses.
Wardrobe Wednesday #8
Continuing with the Love to Love You theme set for February.
One of the things I am striving for in my life is to be more ethical in my spending choices. Although it is easy to pick up bargains (and I do find a good bargain kind of irresistible!) many of those bargains come at a high price for people involved in their manufacture. But then there is the economics of always buying NZ/hand-made/ ethical choice goods…..
One of my solutions to this it must be said is op-shopping and second-hand – this way every $ I spend is going to charity (most of the time) and I am not supporting a chain of supply and demand that rests on the backs of poor people in the world.
Today both my skirt and top are NZ designed and handmade and they are (in my opinion) incredibly reasonably priced. By this I mean similar prices to a place like Max but made by a real NZer who has also created her own patterns to make them from. I know she hand makes them because I have seen her at work in her lounge at home.
I love wearing this outfit because it makes me feel pretty and feminine and also because it showcases a very talented and local woman and I feel especially good about that. (also washes like a dream)
The shoes I bought about 13 years ago (I know do I ever throw anything out???? I assure you I do!) for a job interview and I haven’t worn them for ages, and I almost threw them out, but I love they way they look so I decided I had to wear them first before making the decision to chuck. I put them on again today and the love has come back! So glad I kept them – girly, comfy, cute.
Outfit run down:
Top – Also Sailor Spy but from her last season collection (I think around the $40-50 mark)
Skirt -$89 Sailor Spy (click on shop tab at top)
Cardi – hand-me-down
Shoes – Hannahs bought in 1999
Earrings – gift/giveaway win (I love them I wear them HEAPS!)
Rings – engagement ring made at Camerons in Palmerston North, Wedding ring designed by us, engraved and made by Manawatu Manufacturing Jeweller, (both in 1999) Silver ring bought for me by The Atlas in Austria on holiday from a small boutique type shop.
To see what other lovelies are wearing head over to Nin’s place.
** I realise this may seem like a) an ad for Sailor Spy – just so we are clear Nin is not aware I am doing this, b) condemning of purchasing things from chain stores, especially cheap ones – when I buy new (which is seldom nowadays) I still do go to places like K-Mart, Farmers, Glassons… so I’m not judging I’m just saying I find it weighs on my conscience so I am trying to do something about it.
**** Also, I realise this is a bit of a novel! I can’t help myself the minute someone compliments me on an outfit or comments on something I have to tell them the WHOLE story of whatever it is I am wearing – I’m a bit tedious that way.
This is a day early because tomorrow is the anniversary of the big quake and I want to mark that.
B.M.W.B #8 Crayon and Dye
(A day early again – Wednesday is a special day for Chch so I have moved my posts around a bit – you still love me don’t you!??)
Flip is right into mysteries and clues and being a detective at the moment (I put that down to Paddington Bear, The Famous Five and The Hardy Boys – books he loves)
So I went at the crayon and dye with a secret theme – you draw something in white that can’t be seen ‘but I can see it mama’ (sigh – sort of can’t be seen!) and then you use the dye to bring it to life.
We just used watered down food colouring again. Loving the watered down food colouring!
I also had a great afternoon after school one day when the boys were playing happily together in their room I went in and lay on Flip’s bed and we just chatted about all sorts of things. It did my soul good.
This year I am making more of a conscious effort to have quality moments with my boys. B.M.W.B (becoming the mama I want to be) is my way of recording and hopefully inspiring other mama’s too. Please inspire me with the little moments you are snatching with your little people OR with ideas I could do with mine. If you have blogged about it please leave a comment so we can all visit and encourage each other.
Simple. Achievable. Intentional: becoming the mama I want to be.
Happy Thoughts Friday
Grateful for free, out-of-doors, hilarious and clever plays. (the Outwits do the ‘Complete History of Christchurch – abridged’)
Parties for friends at our house.
A daddy who invests quality time into his boys.
Parcels in the post. One a win.
And one a thankyou. Bloggers are so awesome.
My new necklace wall – so over the tangled ones in the box so a half hour and some push pins and a new ‘art’ display!
Anticipation – a group of men banding together to cook their ladies a meal. Bring on ‘Man Can Cook’ (and even if it turns out they can’t it still makes me feel all gooey that they want to try)!
And I loved reading about this WONDERFUL playhouse created by Megan….it’s absolutely gorgeous. Makes me realise why I love having pretty things in my kitchen – makes it feel like my playhouse! (photo from her blog)
Other grateful people here.
Make My Week #7 – A Collaboration
Thursdays are my day with Bounce. On Thursday mornings this year I have decided I am not available for coffee dates or last-minute errands (unless they are truly urgent) because I have a boy who is growing up fast. Already he is at kindy 3 mornings and these ‘me and he‘ times are for treasuring.
Today we made cupcakes. This afternoon friends are coming to play and one of them turned 4 today so we’re having a little impromptu party.
Although I am trying to live simply I also believe in excess in a big way when it comes to people and baking. Bounce is his mother’s child. While we were mixing our cupcakes he said ‘I like it when you put chocolates in the middle’. We had no chocolates, but we did have marshmallows.
And instead of icing we made chocolate mousse. And then we added sprinkles and jaffas because when you are 4 you are not counting calories and you are probably not that worried about perfect icing.
For some time in my life I felt like people thought I was ‘too full-on’ or a bit of a ‘try hard’ when I went unnecessarily over the top, for no good reason. But I’ve come to believe that people are worth going over-the-top for. Not when it causes stress and upset to do it, I agree. But I like surprising people with more-than-expected and I enjoy a good bake up with my 3 year-old.
And actually I think the world needs a bit of ‘full-on and crazy’ now and again and it’s up to those of us to who like it to get on and do it, even when people roll their eyes or tell us we really don’t need to try so hard or go to so much effort. Maybe if I’m feeling very brave and some one says that to me I’ll tell them to ‘stick a cupcake in it’!
You’ll be pleased to know we licked the beaters after we made the mousse and Bounce said to me – ‘this is good for your heart and throat isn’t it mama?’. Oh yes little Bounce it is good for your heart for sure (just not the heart the doctor checks – aye Grandad!).
After getting through that marathon of reading – other creative people can be found here.
And the Winner is …..
only 2 days late and I still need to finish making something for make my week!!
Congratulations to Ange of the lovely blog - Tall, Short and Tiny.
Thanks to all who entered. x
