Media: Southern Child Magazine

The latest issue of US based online magazine Southern Child is out today. It's the June/July issue and is full of goodies. Check it out HERE


Be sure to click slowly past pages 80-81 as Giggleberry's Stars & Stripe bunting is featured in the 'Patriotic Salute' section.

Happy Friday Find

How super cute are these?!? Girls banner Stationary Set that can be totally personalised!!


Available from Ink Spot Workshop on etsy, a little thank you note would be too cute on this fabulous and fun paper! Check it out - there is even a version for boys HERE

Happy Friday xx

Customer Feedback Photos

I just had to share this photo I received from a recent customer as its such a clever idea!

Hayley from 'The Little Sweetiepie Project' emailed me to ask if I could make her a custom bunting for her new business. Of course I jumped in and together we came up with a colourful polka dot banner to match her bright and cheery logo.
Hayley plans to use this banner to hang on her market stalls but during the time she is not showing off her gorgeous handmade accessories the banner will proudly hang in her little sweetiepie's bedroom - Clever!


This could work for lots of businesses out there that have a cute biz name that can double as a 'nick name' for your kids or you can simply turn the banner around to show the blank side of the flags when using it as decor in your home then use the word side on your markets - 2 banners in one!

Happy Friday Find

When I spotted this jug on Pinterest it was love at first sight - simple, clean, fresh and of course the bunting is fab! But when I found the source of this image over at How About Orange blog I couldn't believe the jug was a DIY job using plain ceramics and some masking tape - CLEVER!!


The perfect way to make a basic ceramic bowl, jug, mug, plate - anything match a colour palette of a party or mood - with the tips from How About Orange HERE I'm soooo giving this a go (and what a great excuse to buy some more of the gorgeous masking tapes around too)

Happy Friday xx

Giggleberry's Gourmet Garden

We have a patch of dirt in our backyard that is just screaming out to be a vegetable garden. It's slightly raised, is in the sunniest part of the yard, is the perfect size and we know the soil is pretty good because it seems to grow weeds at a rapid rate while nothing is planted in it!
So the time has finally come. Milla, Harris and I got to work pulling out all the weeds early last week and I ordered a bunch of new soil and all kinds of vegetable and herb seeds online.



The soil and seeds arrived late in the week so on Saturday morning we all put on our gumboots and got back to work preparing the soil, dividing the garden bed up, planting little tiny seeds and splashing water around.




Milla's one request was that we made a scarecrow to be sure the birds don't eat our crop... we named him Conrad!


I guess now we water every day and wait to see what grows....

Happy (belated) Friday Find

It seems Blogger wanted a day or two off late last week - a case of Friday-itis I guess. No one could post on their blogs and lots of posts even disappeared for 24hrs. Never fear, it was a great chance to catch up on just reading other fabulous blogs!
So as I couldn't post my Happy Friday Find from last week I just kept it to show you all today and start your week with a warm bunting squeeze from me to you... A personalised Wheat Heat Pack from Iddy Biddy Boo.


Seriously I think these are brilliant for warming those toes on a cold night while sitting at the computer or on the couch! And with a bunch of cute designs available I bet you'll find one to suit you... I do LOVE the bunting design myself ;)

Happy Monday!

Sugar Cookie Bunting - DIY

This morning I was in a baking mood - I wanted to get out my Mix Master and create something for no reason at all. The easiest thing and best one for the kids to help me with are good old sugar cookie dough that can then be rolled out & our stash of cookie cutters could be used on.

We made up the following cookie mixture (simple & this recipe has never failed me)
1 cup of butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract
3 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Cream butter until pale yellow. Add sugar & beat until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In separate bowl combine flour, baking soda & salt. Beat into butter mixture. Chill dough for 2 hours. Roll out 1/8" thick on well floured board. Cut shapes with cookie cutters and place on un-greased cookie sheet. Bake in pre-heated moderate oven for 5-8 mins or until edges are golden brown.

When we got to the shape cutting part I divided the mixture in half and gave half to the kids to use the cookie cutters on, then decided to have a play with the other half myself. I rolled it out into a long rectangular shape and with a knife straightened all the edges. I then (using no measurements or template as you can tell) cut out 'flags'.


With a drinking straw I made holes in the two top corners of each flag.


I carefully placed them on a baking tray, trying not to warp the shapes too much and baked them until they were ready for cooling.


Once they had completely cooled down I made up some royal icing. Using three different food colours I tinted the icing and began to decorate my 'flags' - NOTE: In no way am I a professional baker or cookie decorator so please excuse these rather messy looking cookies :P


I then let the cookies sit so the icing could set (I probably should have left them a little longer than I did). Once the icing is set take a long length of ribbon and feed it through the holes at the top of the flags.
TIP: I had to use a skewer to make the holes a little bigger as they shrunk in the cooking process.. Once all you flags are on your ribbon you are ready to hang your bunting!!


These would be rather cute as a gift or hung above a dessert table don't you think???


Oh and these are the super cute cookies my babies made :)


Happy baking

Customer Feedback Photos - Professional

Anytime I open my emails to find photos from customers I have a little giggle of joy and these were no exception. Taken by the uber clever Melissa of Peaceful World Photography these are just so precious!!





Check out more of Peaceful World Photography work here: www.peacefulworldphotography.com

A little bedroom makeover

I don't watch heaps of TV - I'd rather sew at the end of a day to unwind. But if I do happen to find myself on the couch with a cup of tea I always seem to flick to any 'lifesyle', 'makeover', 'DIY' show that might be on. I LOVE seeing before and after shots of homes, gardens, rooms and always sit there thinking - I could/should do that!

Well I finally jumped in and gave hubby and my bedroom a little spruce up/makeover. This is the BEFORE:


Nothing hideous just not very welcoming or 'us'. When we moved into our home late last year we spoilt ourselves and bought a brand new bed that we love and also had white plantation shutters put in. Since then we hadn't touched our room and I was starting to let my mind wander about adding a splash of colour when I decided on yellow! Mixed with some charcoal, grey and black I had found my colour palette and went hunting for some bedroom goodies...


I decided to do this all in secret and waited till all the bits and pieces I had ordered online arrived before I put them all in our room. That night hubby came home from work to a whole new room (and loves it).

AFTER:






Not great pics but you get the idea.

L & V letters, R letter, O letter, E letter, ornate yellow frame, vintage yellow clock, custom I love you alphabet print, For Like Ever poster, Matt Blatt wingback armchair from eBay (bargain!!), floor lamp, doona cover and sheets from Sheridan POP range - you have to check them out! you can play around with a virtual bed to mix and match sheets, pillows, doonas etc!!, Pillow cases from eBay, European pillow cases the armchair cushion and the small throw cushion on the bed I made myself from fabrics I bought on etsy and eBay. Photos are ones we had and I wanted to put up to make the room more 'us'.

We have a 'new' room and I had a ball putting it together... I'm tempted to pull out as paintbrush now to add some yellow stripes to one of our walls.... look out!

Happy Friday Find - DIY

A big fat cuddly happy Mother's Day to all the mummies out there for this coming Sunday. What will you be doing to celebrate being or having a wonderful mummy?
We are planning a lazy day at home and I might just start planting some veggie seeds in our soon to be veggie garden with my babies. Then dinner with my wonderful mother in law.


I have a little gift ready to give both my mum and my mother in law but didn't have a card until I found this great and easy tutorial for Swen Paper Bunting Gift Cards on Little Wed Hen by the uber clever Belinda of Moonmum. So cute, simple and perfect for any occasion so Mother's Day it is!!

Happy Friday xx

Royal Wedding Buzz

I don't think I've come across one person who didn't watch the Royal Wedding last Friday! It was oh so lovely!! During the day I had pulled out my wedding album for Milla to look at. She asked me about my 'beautiful dress' so I pulled it out of my cupboard to show her. Of course she thought it was amazing but the dress that really caught her eye was the flower girl dress from our wedding that I also have tucked away in my cupboard.
Milla begged me to let her put it on and on it stayed for the. rest. of. the. day!


Teamed with a veil she happens to have in her dress up box Milla watched Princess Kate walk down the aisle to her Prince.




In Royal Wedding Buzz mode I took inspiration from the British flag for my latest The Handmade Hullabaloo post - check it out HERE and let me know which Union Jack item is your fav.

Customer Feedback Photos - Professional

I had to share these super cute pics. They are from Sherina of Free Spirit Foto just like the ones I posted the other week HERE and once again Sherina has captured some amazing images!!




Thanks again and again and again Sherina for these pics - I wish I had just a tiny bit of your amazing talent when it comes to taking pics!!!