Green Valley Crafts & Little Sabine unite

OMG, just how wonderful is this...by the amazing powers of the blog world, i met the lovely lady from Green Valley Crafts (sorry the links aren't working today will update later) who now has some of her divine handmade creations in my Little Sabine Store in Nelson. Cool or what!

New songstress: Birdy

Oooh i just had to share this, i REALLY like Adele and a friend who i grew up with in the UK said that Birdy is the next big thing over there. And at only 14 this young wonderful and beautiful girl has a huge career ahead...check out "Skinny" by Birdy.

Before and after

Well, the shop is nearly finished. What a labour of love. I didn't think it would be so much hard work painting a shop, but the end of the tunnel is pretty much here. I seriously could polish of a bottle of wine *phew* 

And then whilst doing all this i made my own website, this i am actually more proud of as i am not an IT person really. But i did my research, learnt a whole lot via "googling it" and hooray...it's finished: LITTLE SABINE i would love your feedback, and if you have the time casually tell all your friends about it hehe. I will shout you a wine/coffee if you do! 

Natural beauty

Just took this pic from our back garden, the ash is obviously causing a little natural sunset pizzaz tonight. It's been a lovely quiet still day here and with not too many planes going places due to the ash it has been very peaceful (we live nearly at the end of the runway).

Spring in Winter

The season is a little crazy at the moment, daffodils are out, the sun is shinning and i'm wearing shorts (well knee length denim ones at least!). It's very spring like weather, but i haven't seen ducklings yet so i'm not completely barmy!

Silent Sunday: Yogurt covered Sabine

Give Peas a Chance...

My little monsters new favorite food is peas, the more the better. Aren't i glad more often than not what goes in comes out the same (peas and raisins bleugh! TMI). But her love for peas is so great she will bypass everything and pick out all the peas one by one. And todays talented trick...look mama...no hands!

I have also been really busy with the store, after painting, rearranging, new stock, new children's area and finding a fabulous chair and recovering it to put in the shop. Thanks to my monster's Popa, we have a wonderful chair and i found some gorgeous fabric i had left over from a Sleepy Rabbit.

Here's my sketch all ready for the new kids area of the shop, looking forward to Tuesday when we're back open and it's all finished...pic to come of the finished article!

Tea towel swap master plan

Soon, very soon...it is the tea towel swap for 2011. I have been planning my swap for a wee while, thinking if i should make something from a tea towel or simply find the most fabulous tea towel ever to give. The wonderful person i am giving too is quite a special lady, and i believe she deserves something a little extra special. So my master plan is in place *mwahahahaa* and i am pretty excited, i hope she likes it when she receives it in the mail. I haven't actually thought much about who will be giving to me, i am so excited about the giving part. Can you tell i have never done a swap before :D

Unofficial bloggy holiday is over...

*phew* a huge sigh of relief as i sit down and sip a little red wine...

So, i opened a new store, repainted over the first sunday and monday, back open on the tuesday and now have a stinking cold! Here's a before and after of what we managed:

Huge effort to get everything  taken down, repaint the walls, reposition everything and make the store super super stylee. But i managed it with the help of some amazing family and friends (a huge thank you to my long suffering husband!). Two days of non-stop painting and it's all done, never again she says (until next time!). Now, just on to the website and online shop, buzy bee's here!

The hired help having morning tea 

Long suffering husband

 Me, i could only reach the low stuff (please disregard HORRIBLE wooden fish in background, BLUEGH!)

The mighty helpful "nana's" sorting a yummy lunch. 

Hanmer...I love you!

*sigh* is the holiday finished already?? Three days away in the wonderful little village of Hanmer, bliss. Although the 3 1/2 hour drive was a little long for me, it was worth it! Lewis pass was stunning along the way, and the sun shone.  We stayed in a wee holiday home which was very retro to say the least, but it was cute and had a good fire and a baby proof garden with a swing! The good thing about Hanmer is that everything is walking distance, a handful of good shops, cafe's and activities. Although the hat spring pools were a bit steep at $18 each. But once your in the warm water you forget how much your wallet is hurting.

We stayed with another family and their little girl same age as Sabine and they got on wonderfully, little angels the entire time.  They enjoyed the pools, even mini golf which Sabine picked up quickly and could even hit the ball (child genius i think!). We even hired a babysitter and got to go out for dinner...all of us...no sober driver, no one having to stay home, all out until 9:30pm. Oooh late night ;D


When's the next holiday please?

Website making and new challenges

Going from Blogger to Wordpress was a bit of a challenge to start with, but the website i needed really had to go on Wordpress...so i haven't let it beat me and the website i am making for my store is really taking shape!

Only 2 and a bit more weeks till I take over and I am so excited! New adventures in mummy land indeed! A little daunting too as i will be going back to full time work for the first time since having Sabine, i will miss her terribly but financially i need to work so a bit of a reality shock for me.

Here's a snippet of what the website looks like so far!

Pinterest: DIY ideas i found!

My new little obsession: Pinterest (basically anything of interest people "Pin It" on the site you see the picture and follow the link to the page! Great idea!) If you haven't found this new little addictive website follow the links to a few of these DIY ideas i have found to get the drift! Quite addictive! Right...back to pinning!

Source: ideastosteal.com via Ali on Pinterest

Source: ruthiauda.com via Ali on Pinterest

Source: thebridescafe.com via Ali on Pinterest

A simple Mother's Day gift to make

If you or your kids have even the tiniest hint of craftiness they can make this simple but very cute Mother's Day gift for tomorrow! I found all the items around the house and it didn't take long to make!

What you'll need:


Baby food glass jar or similar
Household paint
lace/twine/raffia/wool
A tag (bought or make one)
dirt
Stolen flower from the garden, or you could use a little fern?

1. drop a bit of paint into the clean glass jar, twist the jar around until the paint covers the inside, turn it upside down onto a cooling rack placed on some newspaper. Pop this in the airing cupboard over night to dry.

2. Once dry, tie round the raffia and lace and attach the gift card, i wrote happy mother's day (of course).

3. Much to my husband disgust i used a tea spoon to pop the dirt into the jar, then pop in the flower (don't forget to get some good roots on the plant). Finished!

LOVE love loveing

Linking in with the wonderful Paisley Jade again: Things I'm Loving

Peek-a-boo with Papa

Watching planes from the window

Little fairies playing in their rooms nicely

Snail mail paper cranes

*sigh* don't you just LOVE snail mail that turns up looking as gorgeous as this:

And the contents are as wonderful as this:

And you get an extra wee piece of goodness like this fabric crane...sooo cute! Thanks Free Range Baby :D

Wordless wednesday: How to walk a dog, by Sabine.

A note to my mum for mothers day

Just about sums it up really :D

Via Paper Crave

Story time

There is something wonderful about seeing your child enjoying reading (well probably just looking at the moment) a book. Sitting quietly, engrossed in the pages. Enjoying time with Popa and being a very good wee girl. Now picking up on pictures and noticing her favorite animals cats and ducks, giving us the signs for those animals and trying her best to say the word. Learning, aren't little people fantastic, sponges for everything around them!

Oh and i couldn't resist this photo, little miss monster, still up at 11pm watching the Royal Wedding! Yay for cutting some molars and keeping you awake (good excuse for watching the wedding hey! 

Inspiration for my store

4 weeks till we take over the shop and re-design, inspiration is overloading in my wee head. Here are some of the beautiful things i have seen to set my creative mind alight!

Via: Lanalou Style

Via: This Is Glamorous

Via: Florence & Florence

Q&A

I read the following on Latte Junkie's blog:


"There's nothing quite like reading a blog and thinking "Wow, great idea" and then discovering that you have been tagged to do it too"


Then i had the same done to me...he he. I love these so there is no stopping me now!!!

Q & A

Which living person do you most admire, and why? I know it sounds corny, but my husband. He is the most ambitious, driven, determined person i know. He always see's things like it is, no fuss kind of guy. Has the ability to say no (i'm a yes to everything person and i need to say no every once in a while). He sees the potential in people, i love that.

When were you happiest? Pretty much now, life is good.

What was your most embarrassing moment? Goodness, where do i start! Child birth was up there :D

Aside from property, what’s the most expensive thing you’ve bought? 
A car, ouch! took me 3 years to pay it off, never again.

What is your most treasured possession? A Boh Runga necklace my husband bought for me and a picture of my daughter that my husband brought back to the hospital room from the SCBU unit when she was ill.

Where would you like to live? Central Otago, maybe Arrowtown.

What’s your favorite smell? Crisp clean linen.

Who would play you in the film of your life? Geeze, i hope they don't make a film about me! But maybe Aurdy Hepburn if she was still allive.

What is your favorite book? Lately, Decorate

What is your most unappealing habit?  Biting my nails...gross!

What would be your fancy dress costume of choice? A pirate. 

What is your earliest memory?  Sliding down a slide in my friends back garden.

What is your guiltiest pleasure?  Wine and cheese and crackers. I would have that every night if i could.

What do you owe your parents? A lot, i am adopted. I am thankful they picked me! How lucky are they hahahaha.

To whom would you most like to say sorry, and why? Hmm probably to my parents for being a little madam when i was younger.

What or who is the greatest love of your life? My aunty Audrey, she died of cancer when i was younger. She was my most treasured relative and i miss her.

What does love feel like? Everything and anything all wrapped up into one!

What was the best kiss of your life? Hmm hard choice between my husband on our wedding day and kissing my daughter when she was born.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Everything happens for a reason

What is the worst job you’ve done? Bleugh, cleaning toilet blocks as part of the job whilst working at an outdoor adventure camp.

If you could edit your past, what would you change? Nothing, i will learn from my past so i can change my future.

What is the closest you’ve come to death? Suspected meningitis whilst traveling in Ireland, and nearly breaking my neck at uni where i was carried off neck brace and backboard. both pretty frightening. 

What do you consider your greatest achievement? Ha ha getting this far without killing myself! Oh and having my daughter.

When did you last cry, and why? Hmm probably the other day, i cry a lot (but in hiding so no one can see me cry at the silly things).

How do you relax? Run, cycle, etc. Or a good cuppa and a magazine!

What single thing would improve the quality of your life? An early night!

What is the most important lesson life has taught you? Dream big, live life and most importantly laugh! 


Hmm i tag a couple of mama's:
Mama J'adore
Mama wears jandals

Wordless wednesday: This is your life...

Via: Holstee

Good Friday: Abel Tasman

Initially we saw rain clouds, wondering why we hadn't stayed at home with the heat pump. But the sun came out, it was lovely and warm, i wore shorts and jandles and we wished we had brought our togs for a swim! Instead we had a picnic and a lovely drive. A well deserved break from daily life, fun at the beach and monster eating sand! We even ate subway at Ruby Bay beach too, something that doesn't happen very often but it was YUM!

Were not religious in any way, apart from our own "beliefs" but we are planning "egg day" and dawn service on monday. Happy Easter everyone!