Some Gorgeous New Products

We are excited to have Aspire Candles joining us in store at Cackleberry Kids & Friends here in Canberra.

Lin and I had a hard time selecting which of the lovely scents we would order, however we got there in the end and can not wait for them to arrive next week.

Last week we unpacked the beautiful selection of handbags, wallets and baby bags from Susse Collection. They were definitely the talk of yesterday's Shopping event... many mums hoping that their lovely husbands will purchase one for birthdays and Christmas!!

Have a fabulous day,

The Cackleberry Kids xx

Exciting Times

Yesterday saw a proud moment celebrated by the Cackleberry Kids team.

We were one of 21 Finalists for the ACT's Export Awards yesterday. The awards consisted of 8 categories ranging from Arts & Entertainment, Education, Emerging Exporter, Information & Communication, Large Services, Small Business, Small to Medium Manufacturer and Small to Medium Services.

To share the stage with companies such as Aspen Medical, Beyond Business and Intelledox was such an honour. I admire these organisations, have had an opportunity to travel on a trade mission with some of them and had the absolute pleasure in speaking at a Women in Global Business Seminar with one of them!

The winner of our Category; Emerging Exporter was Windlab Systems - they are a global wind energy development company - our Congratulations to Windlab!

For us the amazing moment and honour was to be a 1st time applicant and a Finalist in our first year - such a wonderful moment and a huge milestone!!

Canberra's export community is really booming and it was wonderful to see so many local companies taking their products, technologies and know-how to the world. So not only are we proud to have been a Finalist, we are proud to be a part of this exciting community.

Thank you to my wonderful team of Advisors, Mentors, family and friends who have been so supportive, encouraging and have in some instances 'Pushed' me to keep moving forward - thank you so much.

Congratulations and thank you to our Cackleberry Kids team - Linda and Laa, who work so hard on making our dreams come true and thank you to those who have inspired us to achieve.

The Cackleberry Kids xx

KIAMBU Collection

We have been crazy busy with finalising the release of our latest collection KIAMBU for this coming Spring/Summer season

KIAMBU means 'King' in Swahili and in keeping with our previous safari and adventure theme, we fell in love with the word and thought that it was a perfect fit for our latest range.

The KIAMBU Collection is a celebration of colour and freshness... we can not wait for the first of our new stock to arrive in the coming two weeks as we are eagerly awaiting our gorgeous new Organic tees. The cotton is just so soft and was great to work with.

Our production facility is also an accredited "No Sweat Shop Label" manufacturer, which is another aspect of this new collection that we are very proud of.

Last week we did a photo shoot with Hilary Wardhaugh and the kids were brilliant! Lots of running around and fun was had by all and we've included a couple of pictures from the day!!

Enjoy your weekend xx

Cackleberry Kids - new website

After many long hours and lots of hard work our beautiful new website is now live!

Very proud of our team and all their fantastic work in getting it up and ready within a really short time frame.

A huge thank you to our great friends who took some time out of their busy schedules to review the site for us, give us some fantastic feedback and a list of suggested improvements.

We really do appreciate all your help and can not thank you enough!

http://www.cackleberrykids.com/

The Cackleberry Kids xx

Project18 & Cate Bolt

Cate needs our help 1000 fans for Charity Status on facebook. Can you please help? Project 18 is raising money to build an orphanage in Indonesia. The world needs more people like Cate - help her help others!

Catherine Bolt is a writer, photographer, humanitarian, conservationist, small business owner & mother of 9. She recently walked away from a successful business & luxury lifestyle to dedicate the rest of her life to building an orphanage & wildlife refuge in Indonesia. We are now registered as an incorporated association, under the name Project 18 Inc.The purpose of this group is to assist, promote, spread the word to like-minded individuals.

About the Indonesian Orphanage/Wildlife Refuge Project
Some Background:

"We love children, and we raise our children to love and respect the earth. I’m passionate about children and it pains me to see children suffering in any way. For those of you with children under 5, or even older, try this simple visualisation exercise for a moment:

Imagine taking your child into a crowded street at dusk, walking away from them and never going back. Imagine the fear in that child when they realise you’re gone. Imagine them wandering scared and hungry through the streets…imagine their life now, day after day.

If you can do this exercise without tears, then you are stronger than me, but for 1.8 million children in Indonesia, this is reality. Every night 1.8 million children in Indonesia sleep homeless. For most of us that number is unfathomable.

Over 50% of Indonesians survive on less than $2US per day. Of the 500,000 children in Indonesian orphanages today, almost 90% still have a living parent. They just simply cannot afford to feed them and out of desperation, many of these children are dumped in hope that someone more fortunate may be able to give them a better life.

Well, I am someone more fortunate and while my family is not wealthy, by any means, we plan to make a difference. My husband and I are both self employed, we have 9 children and we live, like many people, week-to-week. In a country like Indonesia where so many people are so very poor, a lot can be achieved with less money than one might expect. We are ordinary people, living an ordinary life – we are no different to you.

I don’t expect everyone to give up everything. I don’t expect everyone to build an orphanage. But EVERYONE can do something. Whether you donate to our project, or one of the dozens of other aid agencies, whether you just extend the hand of friendship to a colleague or stranger or whether you just take a “man in the mirror” moment and be the change that you want to see in the world. EVERYONE has the power to make some change in the world."

I feel very fortunate to have met Cate. I cried when I read this and I cried when I told my husband about Cate's cause.. I know that not everyone can donate/contribute money, however we can all help by supporting and passing on Cate's story... everyone has the power to make a difference and I am one who is inspired by Cate, please if nothing else read Cate's blog and join her facebook Group.... Every little bit does help!


Cate's contact details:

http://catherinebolt.com/

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=120341929496&ref=nf

The Cackleberry Kids xx

Meet Mee a Bee and the lovely Jacqui

Mee a Bee - the label

Mee a Bee all that’s cute from Japan bags for little boys and girls
Adorable, whimsical and imagination-sparking Natural cottons and linens Fabulous prints, modern colours & practical designs

All lovingly handmade in Japan. An ever-changing collection ... for boys you might find cars, dinosaurs or pirates while little girls will love pink penguins, polka dots or ladybirds.

Mee a Bee bags spark conversation, encourage learning and imagination.You won't find mass-produced commercialised characters

Mee a Bee bags are made in limited quantities or even one of a kind. Would you like to have a special bag designed for your little one?

Who is Mee a Bee? Behind the label

New Zealander Jacqui Miyabayashi has lived in Osaka for the past thirteen years. She is the designer, seamstress and tea lady at Mee a Bee.

Jacqui studied business management and marketing at the University of Waikato before setting off on her big overseas adventure.

A few months of work and travel turned into several years. Now with a husband and two children she calls Japan home.Life as a stay-at-home mum was isolating and lonely, the web became her best friend.

Jacqui organised playgroups, book swaps and a parenting website for other expat mums living in her area. Soon she discovered other mothers selling their handmade goods online and had a light bulb moment.

Jacqui had been searching for a business she could run from home while caring for her children.Mee a Bee was born a few months after her second child and gives Jacqui the creative outlet she craves as well as the stimulation and challenge of running a business.Says Jacqui "It's what I always dreamed I would do with my life, I couldn't be happier"

From the moment we were introduced to Mee a Bee, we fell in love with these cool little bags for boys! (and of course the girls!!) When we started talking with Jacqui, we found that her creativity, design, quality and passion for introducing something different to market was aligned with ours - and I do have to say that Jacqui is right - they always start a conversation!!

We are so proud to be working with Mee a Bee and Jacqui - who is truly inspirational!!

The Cackleberry Kids xx

Father's Day

It was a beautiful day here in Canberra yesterday and we decided to stay home and have a BBQ rather than going off to a park....

We all helped get everything ready including Ethan, who set the table.

Our dog, Forrest thought it was great too as he would have been left at home if we'd gone out and he enjoyed running around with E and Daddy playing with his ball..... and being fed sausages on the side!

Relaxing outside in the gorgeous weather whilst eating lots and lots of food - thanks again to Donna Hay's fantastic recipes... chocolate fudge puddings, Tuscan bean salad, asparagus herb pasta.... and of course prawns and sausages!

We really did have a wonderful Father's day together xx

To make someone's day...

We did a little give away for our 300th member and our lucky winner was the lovely Amanda from Little Choopie.

I am so happy to have made Amanda's day and felt very special receiving this heartfelt note from Amanda:

"Hi Kylie, I just wanted to thank you so much for the t-shirt we won from your facebook page. It was a complete and utter shock to me as I didn't even realise you were having a giveaway but such a wonderful won at that. The t-shirt it gorgeous and I can't wait to dress lucca up in a little pair of cargos and team it with the tee. it will be perfect! Also I have to say that your attention to detail is just divine. I love the cackleberry kids tissue paper and the coordinating ribbon, just perfect!! And thanl you so much for the gorgeous little extras - I know lucca is going to love the little binoculars when he works out how to use them. A big thank you as well for the lovely card you added. Its so nice to get a hand written card with such a nice message. You are so lovely so thank you so much it just made my day when my hubby brought in the post!! "

You are so welcome Amanda and I can't wait to see Lucca in his shirt!! xx

And the Winner is.....

Congratulations to Kym Dowrick - the winner of our Winter Warmer prize pack.

When we called Kym yesterday to let her know she was the winner, so was in shock and over the moon!

Kym had only been in the store last week and purchased a gorgeous Three Little Trees Bamboo Dress and is now the winner of the prize pack worth over $320.00!

We will post a photo of Kym and her winnings when she comes in next week to collect her prize.

Congratulations again Kym and thank you to our lovely Designer's who contributed to the prize pack!

Wishing you a joyous Spring Day xx

Hello Spring

Good Morning!

Am so happy that today is the first day of Spring..... move on out Winter Chills and bring in the lovely warm Spring air filled with the smell of new flowers and new growth.

Canberra is so pretty in Spring, especially when Floriade is on.... flowers everywhere and an atmosphere of relaxation and fun.

Picnics, long lazy lunches, walks around the lake and lots of playing outside at the park..... Yah!!

Enjoy your first day of Spring xx

How good it feels!

You know the feeling you get when you clean out your fridge or your wardrobe... that clear, focused feeling that allows you to believe that you can do anything?

Well I have been doing some cleaning and clearing of my mind over the weekend and I have to tell you, it feels fabulous!

So many things happen to us as mums, wives, business owners and friends that we spend so much time doing everything for everybody and we neglect ourselves... Just having that 20 or so minutes to think by yourself without someone asking you a question or for something is really magical!

It allowed me to box up some stuff in my head and move it out of the way - so that I could focus on what was important to me - really priceless!!

My thinking took down on a little journey and I found that I wanted to:

Always support myself

Learn to think in positive affirmations

Thoughts & other's opinions have no power over us unless we give into them

Trust myself and my abilities

Love who you are what you do

I still have quite a bit of work to do, but I figure you have to start somewhere and this isn't such a bad place to start!

Plus what have I got to lose? My happiness is under my control!

Enjoy your day xx

Love to Dance & Draw

Although it was still very very chilly yesterday we are excited that Spring is on the way this week and we just love being outside.

On Sunday we had some sun mixed in with our windy conditions and Ethan was playing outside.... so cute watching him play his games, chat to our dog Forrest and go off on adventures.

Without him seeing me, I snuck outside to take a few photos - he was dancing away without a care in world singing and laughing....Then after taking a break from all the hectic playing, he took his sketch pad outside and sat down our deck to do some drawing.

He took his time to look around and consider what he would draw... deciding on our Olive Tree - who we call Serge.

I have to say that I was very impressed with his fantastic artwork, so we took a photo of the drawing and a very proud artist!

I love seeing Ethan use his imagination and explore different creative areas.

The Cackleberry Kids xx

Congratulations Kim & Stickytiki

I have met some of the most amazing people and Kim from Stickytiki is one of them.


This week saw some fabulous news come Kim's way as Stickytiki received a great write up on the blog Print and Pattern followed by some more news that will see a feature for them soon.

I love seeing talent rewarded and such good people have great things come their way.

So from all at The Cackleberry Kids - congratulations Kim and Stickytiki xx

Sharing the SMILES

CONGRATULATIONS to Trish for sharing this lovely lovely story with us on our blog. Trish's name was pulled out of a hat this evening and is the winner of our Make Someone SMILE gift. One of our fabulous Cackleberry Kids Bucket Hats and Sunset Tees is on the way to Trish!

Here is Trish's story:

It wasn't me alone.I had a idea and I asked a few bloggy friends to send stickers or small things to a little girl (whose mum is blogger and friend) who was expected to be in hospital for over a week , and a cheery note to her mum.

They were in an isolation room too so very bored. Another blogger I asked, asked a few more people and in turn a whole hoard of us sent parcels to the hospital. Some sent things like extra magazines for her mum and craft items and glittery bits and bobs.It was a surprise for them both.

I know it was much appreciated.

I was amazed myself at how many people wanted to join in. That alone made me smile.I would love to do it again and send random parcels to a children's hospital for the nurses to chose a child who needs an extra smile. I will ...

Thank you so much to everyone who participated here on our blog, on our Face book Fan Page and on twitter! Such a wonderful experience sharing a SMILE and loved reading all of your posts!

Keep SMILING xx

A Golfing Sunday

E just loves playing golf with his Daddy and for the past few weekends it's been their thing... so cute seeing them toddle off together with golf clubs in hand and the look of sheer joy on E's face that he is off on a special date with his Daddy.

The last two weeks they have been going to the local park and have been having a hit down there, yesterday they took a soccer ball as well .... E told me it's an "Adventure Mummy"

The concentration is very important!

"I can do this all by myself Daddy"











I think they just love the running back and forth and chasing each other around!


See I can do it!! You have to hold the golf club this way....

So lovely

The Cackleberry Kids xx

Another new cooking adventure

Umm... the smell of fresh herbs and slow roasting pork!!!

I Wanted to find a new way to cook pork, so went searching this morning and found this great new recipe on the Notebook Website http://www.homehints.com.au/food+recipes/ and came across this fantastic recipe and it's so so easy that I wanted to share it!!

Slow Roasted Pork with Thyme and Marjoram

Ingredients:
1 x tablespoon fresh thyme
1 x tablespoon fresh marjoram
3 x garlic cloves crushed
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
Pork - approx 1.5kg (no bone)
(we used 2 tablespoons as we used a little more of the herbs to make a crust)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees
Combine thyme, marjoram, garlic, salt, oil and vinegar in a mixing bowl.
Add pork and coat well
Let the pork marinate for approx 2 hours
Place pork on a rack in a baking tray and pour over any remaining mixture. (I lined our baking tray with baking paper to keep the excess mixture from drying out).
Cook at 220 degrees for 30mins
Then reduce temp to 150 degrees and roast for a further 3 1/2 hours or until very tender.
Remove from oven - cover with foil and allow to rest for 10-15mins
Pour over any excess sauce when serving.

Hope you enjoy this as much as we are!!

Here is a photo of our second cooking adventure today: Roasted Vegetable Lasagne....smells good too!!


The Cackleberry Kids xx

Introducing Hilary Wardhaugh Photography

I’m so clucky when I photograph little babies and kids! I love it! Such innocents, big eyes and gummy smiles...But, when it gets to teenagers I love that challenge too. The challenge for me not to be too much of a square! Although, I do tend to get laughs if they think I am just so un-cool!It’s a privilege to meet a new family and follow their lives photographically. Seeing the changes and all the different stages in their lives.As a AIPP Master Photographer who uses a very relaxed approach and natural light I always aim to get simply beautiful images....naturally! ®

Hilary's ability to capture a moment in one click is amazing and having had the honour to work with her recently I understand why everyone wants to work with her.... Hilary has a very calming way of making you feel comfortable and relaxed and all of a sudden you don't even remember that she is taking your photo...

Talk about capturing a smile, this photo says it all!!

Hilary is also very passionate about making a difference and has been working on a project that will give couples an avenue to choose Green companies and products when organising their weddings. Hilary herself is a Green photographer and looking after our planet is very important to Hilary.

Hilary and her gorgeous little boy, Henry - such a cutie!

We are looking forward to our next photo shoot with Hilary and adding to the amazing photos we already have.

Thanks Hilary!!

The Cackleberry Kids xx

Our Project Runway Adventure

WOW!!! what a night! Full of glamour, fashion, too much tanning and lots of beautiful people swanning around the room.

Thankfully it was a lovely sunny and dry day in Melbourne when Stella (Managing Director of Little Miss Stella PR) and I ventured off on our little adventure.. waiting outside in the wind.... watching the beautiful people pass us by - well we were a little excited!!

Whilst waiting for the doors to open, we met the Stunning - and she is truly Stunning, Julie the winner from Project Runway Season 1. She was so friendly and chatted to Stella and I for a few minutes like we were old friends. Such a lovely person and of course she looked Divine!

Walking into the venue for the Project Runway Catwalk show and seeing the actual runway - the centre piece of the room really was show stopping even before the show had started, and YES it is as white and stark as it looks on TV.

Once settled into our seats we eagerly awaited the show to begin. The charming Henry was our MC for the evening and was fabulous in sharing little stories from the show about the various challenges and the Designers.

The show, and I promise that I won't share any of the details as I don't want to spoil it for anyone else, was fantastic - the minute the first model walked onto the runway you could feel everyone in the room take a collective sigh..... so amazing!

Due to the taping of the show we watched each Designer's collection twice - which I found very great as you miss so much on the first walk.

Then Stella and I were off to the after party! Woo hoo we had a lovely time : ))

We met some great people and had a lovely little chat with Mark, who we saw at the GPO the next morning, he is such a sweetie and very very kind! Had a photo with the 'tiny' Lauren - she is so tiny, even in her 12inch heels!!!!

And before we turned into pumpkins, Stella and I made our way home with our little goodie bags and wonderful memories.

I had such a wonderful time and really enjoyed sharing the experience with the very glamorous Miss Stella! xx

Momento - thanks!

Just a short blog post today

Wanted to say a great big Thank you to the Girls from Momento Dezigns in Manuka, Canberra for their wonderful assistance and kindness in helping me pick an outfit for the Project Runway catwalk show this evening.

They were so lovely and just so nice - fantastic service!!

So if you are ever looking for a fabulous outfit for any occasion and you are in Canberra, then I highly recommend Momento Dezigns - such care,honest and helpful assistance!

Momento Dezigns

Shop 4, Manuka Court

17 Bougainvilee Street

MANUKA ACT 2603

Thanks again!!

xx

A celebration for Trifle

Yesterday my boys; my Husband Lawrence and my Little Man Ethan decided that we would spend the day celebrating the launch of the Trifle Shoppe.

It was such a lovely day here in Canberra where you didn't have to wear layer upon layer of clothing, so off we went to one of our favourite little cafes; Idelic Cafe in the suburb of Kingston, for Brunch.


As always the food was exceptional and we were spoilt by the lovely Angela and Bobby who own and run Idelic - thanks guys!!

Lots of eggs, pancakes, hot chocolates and coffees with some of Ange's fabulous chocolate cupcakes thrown in... we were so full by the time we left.


Off to the park we went to run off some of that food.... and all that energy! then onto a very lazy afternoon at home - it was so nice not to have to do the washing or tidying up for just one day - felt so good : )

Then onto dinner - yummy Thai red curry with a beautiful bottle of red that Lawrence decanted that he had kept for a special occasion, so we thought in honour of Trifle, why not!! E of course had his Apple and Pear Juice.

A huge Thank you and hugs to my boys for a wonderful, relaxing day in the warm in celebration of Trifle's launch on Friday xx