Market Mashup - Elements Market

I thought I would share with you some of my faves from my fellow stallholders from the recent Elements Market.  I will share some of my own market cuties next so keep an eye out for those.......

Little Red Riding Red from Baby Bird, Little Red Riding Set from Buttoflies, Goodies from Whimsy-oh!, Lou Lou Dress from Michael and Maisie, Shoe & Hat Set from Green Jean

Kid in a Bearsuit from BerriSwitchBlade, Reloved Chevron Table from Hibiscus, Reunion Bunting fabric from Fabric Fixation, Hearts from R.L.S Arthouse, Recycled Rimu Frames from Silvan Gallery

Next Market in Christchurch is the Vintage Encraftment Market.............

and Dunkleys Craft Show is also on the same weekend.........

And always remember...........

Source

Fun Lunch Series Sponsors - Keeping it Kawaii

During the Fun Lunch Series we have had businesses donate product for giveaways.  I thought it was time to share with you all a little bit about the people behind the businesses and also why they are passionate about fun lunches!

Rebecca from Keeping it Kawaii is excited about fun lunches so it wasn't hard to convince her to be part of the Fun Lunch Series.  I asked Rebecca a few questions about her fun lunch tips and how to make it exciting.........

What is your favourite accessory that you sell that would make a great go to item for making fun lunches?

My favourite accessory for making fun lunches would be our Bear Sandwich Cutter. I love how it seals the sandwich and the filling all stays in the middle! Cute for boys or girls and toddlers seem to especially like it encouraging them to eat a healthily filled sandwich!

Do you have any fun lunch tips yourself? Hmmm, fun lunch tips...... My boys love fruit so we always have lots of fruit in their lunches. I use sandwich cutters to make things a little different and exciting for them and they also love a boiled egg using one of our egg molds (fave being the car!)

Why did you decide to be a part of the Fun Lunch Series? I love to make my boys lunches different every day so they have some surprises in their lunch boxes.

And with loads of cute fun lunch accessories online at Keeping it Kawaii we can see how exciting their lunchboxes must be!  I'm in love with the Strawberry Bento Boxes *sigh*

Also a little secret....(well maybe not a well kept secret!)  Rebecca is the Becky behind Liked. by Becky

Becky had this BIG idea swimming around in her head for a couple of months. There were so many gorgeous and talented and amazing businesses out there and Becky loved the whole concept of new business ideas and getting alongside business owners to promote and encourage their ideas.  So Liked. by Becky was born.  Make sure you head on over to the blog and check it out!

Fun Lunch Series Sponsors - Remember When You Used To Be A Rascal

During the Fun Lunch Series we have had businesses donate product for giveaways.  I thought it was time to share with you all a little bit about the people behind the businesses and also why they are passionate about fun lunches!

Jane from Remember When You Used To Be A Rascal is passionate about fun lunches so it wasn't hard to convince her to be part of the Fun Lunch Series.  As you can see there are plenty of fun lunches happening at her house.

I asked Jane a few questions about her fun lunch tips and how to make it exciting.........

What is your favourite accessory that you sell that would make a great go to item for making fun lunches?

Love the egg molds, they are great for kids of all ages.

Do you have any fun lunch tips yourself? My fun lunch tips would be to keep it exciting and try new things, lots of little things make a lunch fun to eat. I often go to Kosko Asian supermarkets cause they have lots of great biscuits, crackers and treats that come in all shapes and characters.

Why did you decide to be a part of the Fun Lunch Series? I am passionate about making my daughter fun, healthy packed lunches that she will love opening up and eating. 

You can find Remember When You Used To Be A Rascal at Elements Market or on Facebook

Also spotted from Remember When You Used To Be A Rascal, these cute Angel Wing Denim Jackets now available at Hapa in Restart Mall, too cute *sigh*

How to throw a ROARRRING good party! *Stuck on You Product Review & Giveaway*

Thanks to our friends at Stuck on You releasing their new Party range we were able to throw a ROARRRING good Dino party at Lily's Preschool recently.  We decided on a Dino Party as they had been learning all about Dinosaurs so we wanted to celebrate all things dinosaur.  And they loved it.  Like really LOVED it!

The Dino Details...

It was easy to create our own Personalised Party details from Stuck on You like the Party Wall Sticker, Party Place Cards, Party Food Cards, Invitations, Party Dots Stickers, Party Water Bottle Labels and Straw Flags.

Dino Party Food...

Swamp Jelly (Lime jelly with Milo sprinkles in upcycled yoghurt cups), Prehistoric Popcorn (plain popcorn) , Bronto Bites (Ham and Cheese Sandwiches cut into dino shapes), Dino Bites (Sugarfree Dino Jellies), Cretaceous Cupcakes (Vanilla cupcakes with Chocolate frosting and Dino Toppers), Dino Eggs (grapes), Dino Toenails (Vege crisps)

Dino Party Decorations...

The coolest tree in the jungle made with the artistic talents of Lily's Preschool teachers, Dino Cupcake Toppers (small toy dinosaurs), Dino plates (plastic plates with holes cut through to sit on top of larger dinosaurs), Dino Noticeboard and Dino Bunting.

Dino Fun & Games...

Fun and Games included Pin the Dino in the jungle Canvas party game from Stuck on You, Dino Playdough, Doing the Stegosaurus dance, Dino Dig (digging for dinosaurs in sand) , Bubbles (wouldn't be a party without bubbles), Dino footprints and Finding Dino eggs (plastic eggs with dinosaurs inside).

Dressing up...

It wouldn't be a Dino party without Cave People and a cute Stegosaurus! 

Dino Party Favours...

I made these Dino Party Favours using Party Place Cards and created a Dino Dig bag full of goodies - bubbles, shredded paper, Foam Dino stickers, Bubble Dino stickers and Dino Rubber Sets.

Giveaway...

To inspire your own Dino Party, I have a Party in a Cup and I x set of Party Dots cards to giveaway.  The Party Dots can be used for so many things - Favour bags, Cake Pop tags, Food Decorations.  To be in to win comment below about your best kids party go to trick - it can be a fave food that you make, game or decorations that have the wow factor.

A big THANKYOU to Lily's Preschool Teachers Megan, Jess and Bea and Jenna our Photographer.  And to the cutest little Cave People you ever did see!  You are Party animals!

And remember Dinosaurs say ROARRRRRR!!!!!!!!!

The Fun Lunch Series : Part 1 - Hamming up Sandwiches

The humble sandwich in my day was pretty humble.  And by humble I mean Peanut Butter or Marmite.  On a good day it was ham and chicken paste (the thought of this still makes me shudder to this day). Things have gotten slightly better in the sandwich department now that I am an adult but having a toddler has definitely got me thinking on the go about different ways to make the sandwich a little more enticing.

With Sandwiches as an easy go-to lunch item for many parents, it's important to mix it up so the kids don't pull the plug on your easy fix when you need to prepare something quick, simple and healthy for lunch.
Try turning an ordinary sandwich into something cool by experimenting with these fun lunch accessories -cookie cutters, sandwich cutters,  funbites cutters, sandwich bags and a little imagination with a sprinkling of creativity. 

Cookie Cutters

Use cookie cutters to cut the bread into fun shapes, add a touch of colour with spread like the stained glass window or create some cute characters with vegie detail like the teddies.  The possibilities are endless........(no really... they are, just check out my Hamming up Sandwiches board on Pinterest!)

Sandwich Cutters

Sandwich Cutters are a great way to spruce up a sandwich, turning it from average to AWESOME. There are a few variations - Sandwich Cutters. Lunch Punches or Funbites Cutters.  They basically do all the work for you creating something magical and you look like a superstar in front of the kids - it's a win win!

Funbites

Funbites is a  a high performance curved blade cutter that quickly creates small bites and a matching popper top that pops out food instantly so hands are clean, food is untouched.  Check out the demo here of how it all works.  These girls are the daughters of the Funbites creator Bobbie Rhoads - way to help out in the family business girls (and super enthusiastic too!)

Sandwich bags

Sandwich bags are a great way to package the kids lunches as well as being an eco-friendly option at the same time. Helen from Yayah Design started making re-useable sandwich and snack bags when her daughters Preschool banned Gladwrap and it was hard work to get all the little plastic boxes in her lunchbox. Helen decided there had to be a better way and started experimenting with different types of bags and came up with a version of a plastic sandwich envelope.  We are so glad she did, as you can see there are some pretty cool designs to brighten up anyone's lunchbox.

  

 Using your Imagination

With a little imagination and help from Pinterest you can make all sorts with a couple of slices of bread and spread.  You can also disguise veges as being the super cool details, and the kids won't notice you snuck them in there.  Check out these cool ideas using a little imagination with a sprinkling of creativity.

Now you can see that the humble sandwich can be anything you want it to be and with a little imagination and a few handy tools it can be AMAZING!  To check out more ideas and all images sources head to my Pinterest board  – Hamming up Sandwiches

If you would like to win the fun lunch accessories below enter the giveaway and you can win all of these items to get you started on the road to Fun Lunches....

Bear Sandwich Cutter from Keeping it Kawaii , Sandwich and Snack bags from ya-yah design, Puzzle Sandwich Cutter from Remember When You Used To Be A Rascal, Cookies Cutters from justalittlebitcute.

Giveaway Details :
- to enter, leave a comment describing something you love about me. Just kidding. You can leave a comment about your favourite go to lunch trick or tip either here or on the Facebook page. Sharing is caring.
- one comment per person
- you must live in New Zealand
- giveaway closes on Wednesday 24th July. 

Good to know:
- if you like our Fun Lunch sponsors on Facebook you can stay up-to-date on all their goings-on and know about any deals or promotions that pop up, including giveaways. Check them out up there on the sidebar- 
- if you like justalittlebitcute and our sponsors on Facebook you will be the coolest kid in town. Or something like that. 
- these things will not earn you a second entry, but it will make me and my sponsors appreciate the love
- you can get discount at Yayah Design on Sandwich bags using the coupon code "FunLunch" during the Fun Lunch Series
-you can also get discount from bubbalooz (discount is 15% off on purchases over $25) during the Fun Lunch series.

IMPORTANT 

- make sure there is some way for me to contact you! Leave an email, or have your name clickable to a profile or something.  If there is no way for me to reach you then I'll have to draw another entry!! This has happened previously, so I wouldn't like to do this and disappoint someone!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Market Mashup - The Dead Of Winter Market by The Craft Collective

A bright sunny day was the perfect weather for a market in Christchurch on Saturday, The Craft Collective's Dead of Winter Market.  It was jam packed at 11am when I ventured to CPIT and I couldn't believe how busy it was.  Now I am a bit of a scaredy when it comes to crowds, I like to wander and not have to worry about zig zagging others and obstacles like prams and rather tall people or having to worry about holding people up.  So I tend to dash through and then if I feel comfortable will go back around a second time.  Lucky I did as I spotted a few things I didn't see the first time.  I have compiled a little collage of cuties for the littlies and cuties for the big kids (you). I think you will agree about their cuteness. If you went to the Market let me know what your faves were.

1. The Land of Nod Pillowcase by Marcel and Bear....2. Felt Crown by Felt like Celebrating.....3. Angel Wing Denim Jackets by Remember When You Used To Be A Rascal.......4. Upcycled Woollen Dress by Snippet.......5. Everyday Pirate Pants by SlipStitch......6. Lion Polar Jacket by Polarjacks.....7. Rocky Doorstop by YaYah Design....8. Unicorn Polar Jacket by Polarjacks

1. Mix Tape Stitch Kit by Stitchology....2. Interchangeable button pendants by tlb....3. Teapot brooch by Random Little Things ......4. Myrtle & Maude ......5. to dry for teatowel by Little Drop Design....Polka dot bicycle purse by Ameliorate Designs.....7. Print by Hello Lemon....8. Teacup by Sh*ts about to get dainty

Pinspyed it Friday - Cute Cupcakes

It's all about cute cupcakes today, some of the cutest little cupcakes I have come across and such simple ideas - why didn't I think of that!!!  My personal fave is the Milk & Cookies *sigh* and #drool# at the same time!

Bears in Bubble Bath

I heart cupcakes

Pancake Cupcakes

Cupcake Sundaes

Fluffy Sheep

LOVEly Cupcakes 

Smiley Faces

And always remember......................

Source

For more cute cupcakes check out CutestFood.com or Cute Cupcakes on Pinterest

A little bit of magic by melissa artifex photography

I quite often come across kids photographers and sigh at the cuteness of their photos, but it is very rare that I want to sell my soul to the devil to pay for a session.  This happened recently when I came across melissa artifex photography and the cutest little video featuring one of her storybook sessions.  

Immediately I wanted Lily in that forest atop of the Unicorn, sprinkling fairy dust among the trees all the while someone snapping those cute little moments.

Check out Melissa's storybook session complete with Unicorn, magic, fairy dust and the cutest little Princess!

Melissa is a freelance photographer in Christchurch and has been for 3 years.  She specialises in child and family portraiture with a little bit of magic thrown in.  As you can see in the video the magic is what makes the sessions so special and different.

Melissa loves every part of her job - 'the sessions, planning, marketing and all the business side, packaging, I'm a little bit obsessed with packaging to tell you the truth!'.  She's a girl after my own heart.

'I love what I'm doing now with the storybook sessions because they are all personalised to the client so I get to do things that are super creative and really get to become a part of the family for the day!' And you can see this in these images below

I have 3 little envelopes here with some promo cards from melissa artifex photography, any storybook mini session booked before 07.07.13 will receive a complimentary 16 x 24 fine art wall portrait of an image of their choice from the session on top of the goodies that usually come with a mini session (3 full resolution digital files). 

 If you want the chance to win one of these promo cards tell me below what type of session you would love for your little one/s! 

If you would like to get in touch with Melissa you can contact her through her Facebook page