and a Snail named Stanley

E found a snail in our garden some time ago and wanted to keep it as a pet... he gave him a name... Stanley ..... "Mummy, please meet Stanley, he is my new friend and he is going to come and stay with us as part of our family"

So off he went with Stanley to make a house....  with carpet to keep Stanley warm and cosy "All houses have some carpet Mummy"

Some grass out the back for Stanley to play in when he goes out to get some fresh air and instead of a paved area... he gave Stanley a tissue with some toys on it for him to play with just in case he was feeling a little bored.... all the comforts of home for our new family member Stanley!

Of course the next morning Stanley had moved on.  E handled it quite well - He told me "Mummy, it's ok Stanley is a wild animal and you really can't keep him in a house, he needs to free"  .... "I will keep his house here for him, so he has somewhere to stay when he comes to visit"    .... my little guy has such a gorgeous soul!

In honour of Stanley's time with us .... he is going to be in our new book.... we'd love to introduce you to Stanley!

Enjoy your day xx

In need of some sparkle

Always love some shine and sparkles on a grey and rainy day!

and these are just the thing to bring a smile to a girl's face.... These very gorgeous shoes are Christian Louboutin's Studio 120 Peep Toe Pumps

Wishing everyone a lovely weekend xx

Out & About on a Sunday

On my travels....  a day out and about .....

some of the things that I came across today.....

Enjoy your Sunday!

"The only way to endure the quake is to adjust your stance. 

You can't avoid the daily tremors. 

They come with being alive. 

These experiences are really gifts that force us to step to the right or left in search of a new center of gravity.

 Don't fight them. 

Just find a different way to stand." 

~ Oprah

Image: A Spring Tree Photographer:  Prozac1 

Please meet our Molly

How gorgeous is this photo?  I think it's stunning!!

Our very lovely friend Kim breeds Monarch Butterflies in Canada and recently sent us this beautiful photo after she spent some time talking to E and teaching him a little bit about Monarchs.

A few of the things Kim spoke to E about were;

• Monarchs only eat one type of plant called Milkweed 
• They migrate 3000 miles from Canada to Mexico and back every year
• Their habit in Mexico is diminishing each year

Inspired by these beautiful creatures and Kim's amazing stories, we have a lovely Monarch Butterfly in our book named Molly in honour of Kim.

Thanks for the inspiration Kim!  xx

Image:  Monarch Butterfly by Kim

and a Camel named Enie ....

Working on my new book, I am spending quite a bit of time talking about it with my little guy.  He has an amazing perspective on things and I love hearing his thoughts on the different countries, places and animals we are going to meet through the book.

It's quite interesting to listen to him tell other people about how he is an author and that he and his mummy are writing their new book at the moment - priceless!

E is helping me name the animals and I am loving the way that he is taking so much time to think about the animal, where it comes from and who he knows and loves so that he can try and name an animal after them .

Enie is the nickname my brother and I called my dad for years whilst growing up ... it is a take on his name and something we would call him when we were all mucking around and having fun.... although we are 'all grown-up' now, we still to this day call my dad that when we all get together ....  E loves this name and thinks it's very funny and cool when we say it... and so now we have a Camel named Enie from Egypt in our new book!

We also have a Koala named Ava after one of his friends, a Monarch Butterfly called Molly and a snail named Stanley....

Loving beyond words the joy that comes from working on this new book with my little guy, not to mention how chuffed my dad was when we told him on the weekend xx

Our dog

Our dog thinks that he is human, actually he thinks he is a person.

He likes to have a chat and be involved with everything that we do .... inside and outside

He gets his nose out of joint when he is treated 'like a dog' ... looks at me as if I have done something terrible to him... mind you it's only been that I have made him stay outside when we've had friends over.

He huffs and puffs all over the place when he gets to come back inside... then will proceed to ignore us all for a short period of time... just to make sure that we get the fact that we treated him like a dog.

He is kookie, he is lovable, he is smelly (like a dog) and he is oh so special.. he is a huge part of our family, quirks and all xx

Bubba Louie's Alphabet Train ....

Bubba Louie has been very busy reading and writing out his Alphabet and learning so much about the wonderful countries all over the world!

It has been so much fun travelling in his very cool magic red train that takes him from place to place ...

So far we've made a stop in Australia, where we met an Amazing Koala named Ava and ate some yummy green Apples! .... then off to

Brazil .... for some Bouncing Bagels and lots of giggles

and I can not wait for you to meet my wonderful friend Eenie the Camel from Egypt!

Next stop on my Alphabet Train will be with some Funny Friends in France.

Toot Toot ... til next time! xx

Family, Laughter & Food

"Laughter spills out of the front door as guests arrive.

Children clamour to push their chairs back from the table.

Conversations linger in the air long after the 

dishes are done....

In neighbourhoods across the country ~ 

These are the sounds of home"

Writer Unknown

Enjoy your weekend with your family & friends xx

Today's inspirational photos .... new collection

Have been so busy working away designing ... and have almost completed a new collection for our client in the USA....  just playing around with names at the moment while I continue to tinker with the prints for the tees and the final final fabric selections!

I am loving the reds in these photos and have been quite drawn to them for this particular collection... not normally a colour that I would go towards, so it has been an interesting process as I am usually "always" pulled in the direction of greens... it's nice to be working with strong, vibrant colours! 

This photo I find quite amazing... the water coming down the face of the rocks, the red just jumping right out at you, however it's still soft ... cascading.... flowing nature.

Images:  Child's Shadow, South Aftrica Photographer: Chris Jones

              Iron Rich Creek Photographer: Michael Melford

to see more images, please visit:  www.nationalgeographic.com

Kate Spade

Loving this gorgeous piece from Kate Spade ~ Palace of Mirrors Bib necklace.... so pretty!

Book Signings, Readings, Colouring ... a day of fun!

Such a wonderful array of talent was displayed in prime position on Sunday...

A very talented bunch of aspiring young author's, artists and creative little ones spent the day listening to readings of Meet the Cackleberry Kids, playing and colouring, sharing their dreams of becoming author's when they grow up!

Such a gorgeous day was had by all as we also watched the amazing talents of some budding young Chefs who took part the Jnr Masterchef cooking challenge out at Rodney's.

Congratulations to our winners;  Isabella winner of the 2-4yr Age Category, Jonty winner of the 4-7yr Age Category and Calli winner of the 7+ Age Category.

xx