Stockist details for our Playroom and your questions answered!

Blogging TWICE in one week - I know - it is a record for me at the moment! Earlier on this week I shared a look into our Playroom.

You can check out the rest of the pictures and the post here if you missed it.

As promised here are the stockist details and the answers to your questions too!  

 

Stockist details

Cube Unit

Our Cube Storage Unit is from Ikea and is part of the Kallax range. If this one is too big, they also come in a range of different sizes and colours too!

Check out the Kallax unit here.

Masters Home Improvement also sell these storage units too if you are not handy to an Ikea store. You can check out their range here.
 

Fabric Cube Inserts

These were purchased from Bunnings almost 2 years ago and are sadly no longer available. Very annoying as I have a few I would like to replace and I still adore the print!

You can pick up the correct sized fabric cubes for the Kallax unit from Ikea - they are called the Drona Box and come in a wide range of colours. Just be sure to grab the exact number you need (and maybe a few spares) as they seem to rotate their colours and sometimes your favourite never comes back in to stock!

You can check out the Drona Box range of colours here.

 

Toy Kitchen

This is a KidKraft branded item that was purchased from Big W as part of their mid year toy catalogue 2 years ago (was a gift from Santa). This kitchen gets hammered on a daily basis and it is still going strong!

I really wanted something neutral, but this proved so hard to find at the time!

I cannot see my exact kitchen anymore in white, this seems to be the updated KidKraft neutral version which I spotted at Zanui.  You can shop that here.

 

 

Hip Kids also have a gorgeous little grey and white version in their range. You can check that out here.

 

If you are after a bit of colour, Zanui have a Pastel and Brights version in the same design as we have available online. You can shop that here.

 

I must admit I absolutely love all of the storage space ours has with the cupboards and the fact it is big enough to have two little bodies play side by side at once.

 

Wooden Kitchen Toys and Wooden Market Stall

I am OBSESSED with Le Toy Van and not just because their coloured wooden toys match my colour scheme - but because they last!

The Stand is called the Honeybee Market Stall  it is available through Lime Tree Kids. You can check that out here.

The stand comes with one crate of goodies and you can purchase the other crates individually.

This is another thing that we use SO much. The kids absolutely love using it as a shop and they use the ingredients to whip up food in their kitchen too!

Most of the other wooden toys on/in our toy kitchen are also Le Toy Van, which can be purchased through Lime Tree Kids.

I also have quite the collection from Aldi who bring out amazing quality wooden food sets a few times a year with their Special Buys. Feel free to follow me on Instagram or Facebook and I will be sure to warn you when they are coming - hope it is soon!

Kmart also seem to bring out some wooden toys from time to time, so keep your eyes peeled there too!

 

 

Play Mat

This is a Bumpa Mat from Ecoviva. One of the best investments we have made.

This mat is durable, easy to clean and so comfy to play on. I love that they are reversible so that you can update and change the look of your room too.

I am waiting for the new stock to arrive so that I can put one of these in our family room instead of a traditional rug, they are that good!

You can check out the Bumpa Mat range here.

 

Dress Up Rack

 

Honestly the day I installed the dress up rack in the Playroom it was like Christmas all over again! The kids were SO excited that they could access all of their dress ups in a little wardrobe.

 

 

It also makes things so much easier to store as previously we had them overspilling in a Trofast box. The dress up accessories (hats, swords, masks etc) all live in the Trofast containers at the top of the Cube Unit.

 

The rack is from Squishy Tots and you can customise the 'tips' of the unit by selecting one of 8 different colours they offer including the DIVINE mint...

 

For a limited time, the lovely ladies at Squishy Tots are giving you 10% off the price of your rack if you enter utterly10 in at the checkout. This is valid until 31 July 2016.

You can check out and shop the racks here.

 

 

Tee Pee

 

Once again when picking the Tee Pee, I wanted something neutral that wouldn't look too out of place at the back of our lounge room!

I ended up deciding on the Mocka Tee Pee in Montana - but as you can see if colour is more your thing - they have stacks to choose from! You can shop the range here.

I also love this neutral version (with white base) from Resort Living. You can check that out here.

My only warning with tee pees is to never underestimate how much room they can take up! As you can see we have quite a good sized room, but this can really eat in to the space. I tend to take it down every few months and pop out our ride on collection or train table instead.

Hopefully that covers everything and answers all of the questions that you had? If not, please feel free to comment below or on my Facebook page and I will be sure to get back to you. Thank you for stopping by!

A look at our Playroom!

As a little girl I was super envious of our neighbour who was an only child. Instead of having to share her space with siblings, she had a playroom! Mind you this was no ordinary playroom either - it had a plastic toy supermarket which was the object of my childhood desires for many, many years...

Now I may have gotten older, but the desire to have a dedicated little play space for me my own kids has always been strong. Finally when we had the chance to extend our house in 2014, I knew that this was my chance to make my dream come true!

Ideally we wanted to have a closed off play space (so I could shut the door on mess), but when we were drawing up the plans we just couldn't make it work. Instead we ended up having to combine this space with part of the existing lounge area. In some ways, this should serve well down the track if we ever decide to sell, or when the kids outgrow their toys, as this space can be converted in to a large theatre room, an open study space etc.

Because the space does sit at the rear of our lounge room, I have selected a colour palette that fits with the rest of the room - soft grey and white with touches of teal and yellow.

My kids are OBSESSED with dress ups so this rack is the perfect way to display their costumes. It also teaches them to hang up their clothes after they have used them - let's hope they remember this in 10 years time?!

The Teepee doubles as a relaxing/reading space as well as a place to hide when you have stolen Mummies phone and you want to play games! I rotate this corner with various items throughout the year such as a train table, ride ons, dolls bed/change table etc.

Our toy kitchen is fantastic as it has loads of cupboard space (oven/fridge/microwave/dishwasher) to stash all of the wooden kitchen items and play food neatly.

We are very fortunate that when we build the extension, we added a mud/storage room. This storage room is where we have our games and puzzles.

We also have an art and craft station and space in our family room. I originally wanted to have it as part of the play area, but with carpet in here (enough said!) it seemed more practical to create a dedicated space where we had floorboards - will be sure to share this space with you soon.

Questions?! Please feel free to fire away and I will be back with a dedicated stockist post as well as addressing any questions you may have on the room too. Like the dress up rack?! I will also have a special reader offer to purchase one too on the blog!

 

Big W Family and Friends Weekend - 10% off!!

I am a bit late with posting this (blaming a crazy day involving a load of washing with a nappy in it - enough said!!). But this Family & Friends offer from Big W is valid tomorrow too (Sunday 29th May 2016).

 

To download your 10% off voucher click here.

 

Amid the chaos that was today, I did manage to sneak down and get a few cute things for my Winter wardrobe and a few cute basics for the kids too. I will be sure to share my buys over on my Facebook and Instagram during the week.

 

Hope you enjoy the discount if you get in to stores tomorrow!

Seed Family and Friends 30% Off!

You know that you are a bit of a Seed fan when your local store sends you a message on Instagram to let you know when there is a discount day - fantastic customer service!!

 

30% off is a HUGE discount for one of my favourite chains, too good not to share...

 

 

The online code is 10402 and this kicks off tomorrow (Wednesday 25 May) and runs until Sunday 29 May. I am not affiliated with Seed but gee I wish I was - that place is a money pit for me!!

 

Happy shopping :-)

Part 2: Miss C's Pink and Gold Minnie Mouse 1st Birthday Party!

Thank you so much for the lovely comments on the Part 1 of Miss C's First Birthday post. If you are wondering what Part 1 was about, you can catch more details about the party, why I chose the theme, who designed the printed materials and just view more photos of the event here.

Today I am going to share a few more details about the food and drink side of things!

 

The main feature of the event was the Dessert/Candy buffet table that I designed and put together ( a little under the weather with my pregnancy sickness mind you!).

On this table we had an assortment of candies/lollies, wrapped chocolate, cookies and cupcakes- all that matched the soft pink, gold and white theme.

I don't think you can have a party without jelly - so we had some pots of pale pink jelly on the table with super cute Minnie spoons created by Merc and Jones.

The personalised wrapped chocolate bars were simply Aldi Choceur bars that were wrapped with a personalised wrapper by Mint Imprint. This design co-ordinated with the candy jar tags, banner and table signs. More details on the printed materials over in the Part 1 post if you missed it.

 

I had someone ask me specifically about the lollipops on the table. These were purchased for $1 from Kmart. They weren't a perfect colour match, but with a cute little sticker they easily tied in with the table theme.

 

The cake was made by BJ Cakes who also did the super cute mini cupcakes too. The inside was a Chocolate Mudcake and it was divine!

The cake topper was designed by Merc and Jones who used the same font as the printed banner to ensure a consistent look (I am a sucker for matchy, matchy!). They also did the little 'Chloe' and Minnie Mouse head cupcake toppers too.

One of my favourite things on the table has to be these cookies created by Sweet Creations by Sharms - how adorable are they?! I have had the pleasure of working with Sharmila on nearly every single party/event I have had over the years (big or small) and she is just beautiful to work with and a pretty darn handy cake maker too!

Sweet Creations by Sharms also made these divine macarons. I always love to have macs on my table and inevitably they are the first thing eaten, especially when they look this good!

We also had a second, less styled table at the party. This table was primary for beverages, but also had the plates, cutlery etc.

 

You can see below that there were some empty spots for the little dishes friends and family kindly donated to the party - some hot finger food, fruit skewers and an amazing cheese platter were added to the table after this picture was snapped.

 

Pink and gold bubbles for the adults were very popular. Unfortunately this mamma (being 9 weeks pregnant) had to go without.

 

 

My beverage dispensers were filled with water and my Festive Fizz punch (non alcoholic version). If you are after a crowd pleasing drink at your next event - this is it! You can grab the recipe here, never lets me down!

Another super easy sweet treat that I put together were these rice krispie treats - so easy and so yum!

Also on the table, my strawberry mouse with super cute Minnie spoons. I always try and stick with items that can be made ahead the night before so that on the day all I have to do is set everything up and enjoy the party.

I think that covers all of the food and drink details. Don't forget if you want more details, feel free to check out Post 1 here.

 

You can also check out some of my other parties on the blog here including Mr B's Peter Rabbit Baptism, Miss C's Glitter and Lace Baptism, Mr B's Elephant Themed 1st Birthday and Mr B's Modern Farm Yard 2nd birthday- there have been a few celebrations!

 

All photos have been taken by the amazing Emma from Haven Lifestyle Photography. Emma is also a regular fixture at every single milestone party we have hosted and just captures the most beautiful images.

 

Of course if you have any questions, please feel free to comment below. I cannot believe I am now just over 3 months away from having Mr T's 1st birthday. Time to get cracking on that... 

Part 1: Miss C's Pink and Gold Minnie Mouse 1st Birthday Party!

Yes, yes I know that she is now 2 years and 4 months old but better late than never!

 

So WAY back at the start of 2015 (sounds positively ancient huh?!), Miss C turned 1.

 

 

And unfortunately for me, I was feeling super under the weather as I was around 9 weeks pregnant with Mr T at the time. Still I pressed on and tried to give her a pretty special little celebration...

 

   

 

 

So why Minnie Mouse? Honestly - no idea! I just wanted something cute and girly! I also wanted to do something a bit different to the traditional hot pink, so I went with a soft pink and gold glitter theme.

 

   

 

To create the printed materials - banners, tags, chocolate bar wrappers and invites - I worked with the AMAZING (and ever so patient) Ally from Mint Imprint. I shared my vision with Ally and she developed the printed range to absolute perfection.

   

 

   

The other paperie - spoons, cupcake and cake topper, and the ONE sign were all created by Merc and Jones.

 

All of the stunning photos were yet again captured by Emma from Haven Lifestyle Photography who also snapped Mr B's 1st birthday bash too.

 

Stay tuned for Part 2 as I share all of the food and drink details from the day.

 

 

Love to know what you think....

 

 

Healthy Gluten Free Chickpea Chocolate Chip Brownies (Thermomix Version Included)

These Brownies are fool proof. Not only are they super easy to make, but they are delicious and gluten free, contain no refined sugars (depending on the choc chips you use) and packed with the goodness of Chickpeas.

I live for chocolate or sweet things in my diet each day, so at least I don't have to feel guilty about tucking in to these when I need my 3 pm sugar hit!

The recipe does contain nuts, so if you are planning on making this for kids, please be mindful of your lunchbox regulations.

You'll Need

• 1 Tin of Chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
• 1/2 Cup of Natural Peanut Butter (or Almond Nut Butter) - see notes to make your own!
• 1/3 Cup of Maple Syrup (or Honey)
• 1/3 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips or Lindt 85% Cocoa (see note)
• 1/4 Cup Almond Meal
• 1 Tbs Cacao Powder (love the Living Earth one!)
• 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Bicarb Soda
• Sea Salt for Sprinkling (if desired)

Normal Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees (350 degrees F)
2. Place all ingredients in a blender apart from the chocolate chips
3. Blend until smooth
4. Fold through the Chocolate Chips/Chunks
5. Spread batter in a small pan with a spatula
6. Sprinkle on a few extra chocolate chips
7. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes (test with fork/toothpick)
8. Try and resist eating (I dare you!) and let cool down, sprinkle with sea salt if desired 

Thermomix Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees (350 degrees F)
2. Place all ingredients in a bowl apart from the chocolate chips
3. Blend on speed 5 for 20 seconds (you may need to scrape down bowl half way through)
4. Place Chocolate Chips/Chunks in bowl and Mix on Speed 1 on Reverse or 10 seconds
5. Spread batter in a small pan with a spatula
6. Sprinkle on a few extra chocolate chips
7. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes (test with fork/toothpick)
8. Try and resist eating (I dare you!) and let cool down, sprinkle with sea salt if desired 

 Notes

• These are absolute at their best when eaten while warm - delish!!
• You can omit the raw cacao and make these 'blondies' if desired
• Make sure you go for a natural peanut butter, or better still whip up your own, it is so darn easy with this recipe
• I absolute love Lindt 85% Cocoa Dark Chocolate cut in to chunks as a 'healthier' option to commercial dark chips. You could also use cacao nibs if desired too.

Love to hear how you go with these at your place...