Renovations in my lunchtime

A little project that I have just completed brought me back to my old painting days in Ireland; when painting faux finishes and murals were de rigeur. This old school desk arrived at our house a few weeks ago thanks to a lovely Playgroup friend. Taking inspiration from Danish design I chose to freshen it up with an off white and soft French grey. I found two cute chairs from Ikea and painted them up to match. My client, all 3 feet of him, told me he thought it was ''prithy'' and has etched his mark on the table already with a little crayon doodling. Nothing like getting the all clear from your harshest critic!

Present and Correct

Oh I have just found another very very clever bunch from London, who are creating stationery that make my heart sing. You know when you come across a range of products that you just think - yep, that is exactly what I like. Well these guys are it.
http://www.presentandcorrect.com/

The Six Week Boutique

The specially talented Tamara Maynes has just launched her latest venture, an online store called The Six Week Boutique. Here she will produce limited edition, handmade, bespoke pieces that showcase her unique ability to create original and exquisitely made ''art decoratifs''. Reigniting the 70's craft of macrame, her To John Denver, With Love, collection is a gorgeous homage to the wise old owl. Tamara will introduce a new collection every six weeks so be sure to subscribe and be the first to see her latest additions. http://www.thesixweekboutique.bigcartel.com/

Paper Trails

If like me, you love the return of all things handmade, then Famille Summerbelle is a website you need to visit. Full of delicate, hand cut decorations, catering for the precious enfant in your life, this husband and wife team have created a nostalgic business that is sure to please many.
www.famillesummerbelle.com

Godparents Day update

So a measly response to my proposal has resulted in the shelving of my campaign to officially recognize godparents. My (yes I admit it) single reply suggested mid year,(thanks Mum)so if I choose to reignite my currently deflated crusade I will be sure to start with June as a suggested day of celebration. Ho hum...

Not so supercool

So it happened. I was in the bathroom when I noticed an odd smell. Charlie was in his cot and Jack was playing ha-tish-ooo collapses on the bed.
First thought, "Ok I know where the boys are in case of emergency, what the HELL is that odour, something is burning I know it..."
Did I leave the oven on? Or was it the stove? As I ran through each room, sniffing the air, the smell became suspiciously stronger as I passed through the living room. Phew, no flames in the kitchen. But oh yes, a pungent plastic stench was definitely coming from... AHA the heater.
Quick as a flash I turned everything off and peered through the radiator coils to find a very sorry baby comb melted at its base. While breathing a welcome sigh of relief, a little head appeared from the bedroom with an ever so guilty grin.
Trying to explain to a two year old that it is dangerous and naughty to put a plastic comb down through a radiator vent is like giving directions to an Inuit in Mandarin. So in the end, the two most used words in my vocabulary, ''No and Danger'' once again waved at Jack and we set off to carefully extract the poor old comb from its sorry state.

Godparents Day?

We have just celebrated Mothers Day in Australia, and Europe is about to do the same for Dads. If we are to revel in the art of parenting, surely we can stretch ourselves to fairy Godparents? How can we ignore the ridiculous spoiling, and mischief-making that occurs between our children, and those that we selected to be mentors for them?
But what would be a suitable date? Could we manage to set one that worked for all countries and keep things simple? What would be the perfect gift? While my thinking cap is fitted, suggestions are welcome in that little comment box...

Beatles anyone?

Jack (my 2 year old) and I watched the trailer for the new Beatles Rockband game seven times this morning, after my ever so fantabulous sister sent it through. I have absolutely zero interest in the actual game, and have minus zero intention of introducing the X box to my son any time soon but just love the killer animation. It was created by those clever people at Passion Pictures (of which my sister is one). Have a look at their website www.passionpictures.com as they have a whole host of videos showcasing their work.

Playful Learning

Who wouldn't like to have this little set up in their studio or playroom? I have just discovered a really clever website from educator Mariah Bruehl. www.playfulearning.com provides parents with a wealth of knowledge on how to bring what kids learn in school into the home environment. It encourages families to share useful information regarding the growth and development of their children in a fun and creative way. It even provides a service on how to redesign your children's playspace for optimum learning and creativity. It's a really inspiring way of helping us to share in our kids development and if you are like me and need some 'reminding' on the importance of organisation and clarity in your living space, this will really benefit us parents too!

Good Health

You have to hand it to the Brits for reinventing usually mundane health announcements. In response to the lack of awareness and information of liver disease, one young Hep C suffererer has joined forces with Passion Pictures and The British Liver Trust to create the ‘Liver Good Life’ campaign, which will target young people around the UK. At the centre of the campaign is a four minute animated film, which brings the liver’s story to life in a format that is relevant and interesting. The soundtrack has been done by Coco Sumner (daughter of Sting).

Click here to watch the animation in full http://www.livergoodlife.com/movie.html