Australia Day's yellow and green BBQ

Australia Day is always a nice excuse to have a day off work and spend time with family and friends. Just like Australia Day last year (that I blogged about HERE) we had a BBQ at our place so I took the opportunity to play around with decorations.
The BBQ wasn't decided on until the last minute so once again I went to my 'Party Cupboard' to see what I could pull together. I wanted to be a little different to last years red, blue and white theme so went with the Aussie green and gold.


A yellow table cloth thrown over two tables to make one big square table was easy enough. I was then trying to think of a 'centre piece' while hanging some clothes on my line when I spotted some yellow flowers (I don't even know what kind they are) growing in our garden. So a few of those and some greenery went in glass jars that had yellow fabric tied around them and the middle of the table was looking complete.


I went through my spare flag stash and pulled out any that were green or yellow and ended up with quite a decent amount of bunting to hang above the table alongside some green and yellow paper lanterns I had shoved in my cupboard.



Hanging from the lanterns I had green and yellow ribbons then a handful of Australia slang words that were based around eating were made from old magazine letters onto cardboard gift tags. Words like Tucker, Grub, Barbie & Coldie were used and added a bit of conversation fun.


With a lunch menu of lamb leg, sausages, corn cobs, roast potatoes, salad and of course pavlova mixed with a splash in the kiddie pool, listening to Triple J's Hottest 100 and quality time spent with family the day was just lovely!


What did you get up to?

Happy Australia Day

A public holiday is always a great excuse to get together with family and friends so I thought I'd take it one step further. With today being Australia Day I took the excuse to have a blue, red & white Australian flag themed BBQ lunch.
It started when I spotted these Australian flag paper lanterns from Moonlight & Whimsy


So I made a few tissue paper pom poms to hang with it then found some Australia flag themed table decor like the plastic table cloths, serviettes, cups and the plastic pin wheels that I found on ebay for an absolute bargain!



I couldn't believe my luck when I also found this Australia ribbon on ebay - I bought it not knowing exactly what I would do with it but am pretty pleased with the straw flags and lollie jar ties I used it for in the end.



Then with a pair of good old Aussie flip flops with a bit of flair hanging on the front door to welcome guests our house was ready.


And no Aussie Day is complete without a pavlova (the cake pops might not be too 'typically Aussie' but they were a hit with the kids)


Hope you all had a lovely day and were able to stay out of the heat!

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie - Oi, Oi, Oi!!!

This weekend is Australia Day Long Weekend so that means a hot weekend at the beach or around a barbeque with family and friends and NO WORK on Monday - Woo hoo!!


So my family and I are packing the car and heading North to my parents place for the weekend - along with my two sisters and brother and their families. We actually are having our family Christmas this weekend as my brother is a fireman and my dad is a paramedic and neither of them had the 'real' Christmas off so more presents and stuffing ourselves with too much food is ahead!!

In the spirit of Australia Day I thought I'd post about the great Aussie finds I have come across in the past few weeks and months through my Etsy shop and blog.

First is a great Aussie Street Team on Etsy - Kookie Kids.


A team of dedicated shops of quality, unique children's products & artwork from Australia only for kids only. We are a newish team but are growing strongly and would love any new members who are interested. Just contact tidabellamonkey about membership. The team also has a great blog - Kookie - that showcases all the great things the team has to offer and what each of us are up to.

Next is a great blog I'm a follower of - Handmade Kids, Unearthing funky handmade finds for kids.


This blog was started by an Aussie mum who says "For quite some time I have had an avid interest in items that someone has put the time, effort and skill into making. Being a mother I love finding items for my children that are different and I believe that handmade offers a wonderful world of undiscovered talent. Handmade Kids is your place to find beautiful, original items for kids right here in Australia. All items featured on Handmade Kids are created by artists, crafters and independent owned businesses, there is nothing mass produced here. Let us help you to find those fabulously unique items for your kids."

Next are two great website I have recently come across for Aussie sellers of handmade goods to list their goods.
The first is Made it


Madeit is an online community where you can buy, sell and talk independent. Buy unique independent goods or sell your own. You can visit the directory for Australian independent designers or talk independent in the community forum.
The second website is Kidspot


Kidspot is not only has the 'Market - buy and sell' section but also tones of information for parents and a forum for chatting all things that come with parenting. Here are 5 reasons why Kidspot is a great place to visit, shop and sell at -
1) NO Auction - just an honest price
2) Easy to use with familiar categories
3) Created specifically for parents to buy & sell
4) With targeted listings - it's all about the kids!
5) Oh and.......It is completely FREE to list your items on Kidspot!!!

My last Aussie point out is to the MANY MANY MANY Australian sellers on Etsy..... if you head to Etsy and type Australia in to that magic and wonderful little search bar (where I spend too much time - LOL) you will see at least 300 pages of listings - approx 6918 listings!!!! Surely in all these there is something that will grab you and have you supporting an Aussie seller in no time at all!!!

Happy blog reading, web hopping and shopping and Happy Australia Day!!!