Simple, pure and classic is Like a Pearl! A gorgeous mix of linen and silk clothing made for girls and sourced from Northern Vietnam, which has a rich history of hemp and cotton textiles.
Like a Pearl founder Diana has a close connection with the Hmong people of Northern Vietnam and on a recent trip was made aware of how apparent child trafficking is in Vietnam. Every 5 days a Hmong girl aged between 13-15 is taken and lured across the border in anticipation of a better life, instead they are abused and prostituted.
Diana is helping the Hmong people by using their beautiful textiles and providing an income for them to feed their families and give their children an education!
Let’s support Like a Pearl and the amazing work being done for the less fortunate people of Northern Vietnam!
The clothing is beautiful, simple, natural and individual!
Attention Mamas after the coolest brands for their Bambinos!!! Look no further than LM Bambini!
Sourcing the best designer brands from Around the globe….. think Kenzo, Stella Kids, D&G, Hucklebones London etc! LM Bambini have the newest trends available via their website.
This Stella Kids pineapple play suit and sweater is the best! Can’t wait to pack it for Bali next month!! Also accessorising with Sons and Daughters Sunnies and mix n matching outfits with the Stella denim cut offs!! Yass!!
The Kenzo range for both sexes is amazing!! Tees, dresses, sweaters or for babes cute rompers too! Check it out!!
Extreme excitement in our household leading up to Kingston’s 4th bday!! His older siblings were just as excited and bless, opened all his presents for him whilst he watched!
I planned a party in the park (risky as the previous 3 out of 4 of his parties have been rained out and this one was looking a bit dicey too)!! We proceeded even with grey clouds and thankfully we got through! The rain actually started as we just packed up the car.
Anyway, onto the party details…
With the release of the Trolls movie (fab by the way) and such a hit with the kids! Kingston decided this would be the theme for his party and planned his colourful invitations with nanny / Queen of Sugarcoated Events, including a little troll attached for each kid.
A lot of rainbows, colour and glitter feature in the world of the Trolls… which makes an easy (and fun) medium!
I found a confetti tablecloth at Kmart for $2 and loved the party range from The Gathered Store – polkadots, unicorns and rainbows! I used their Meri Meri party range for cups, plates, napkins, party hats, star Wands and candles! Love it!!
I hit up Pinterest for some inspiration and found my favourite Oh Happy Day and a beautifully styled troll party! I took a few ideas with me such as the troll cookies and ‘print your own labels’ for the party bags -“Have a good hair day”!!
On the menu…. rainbow fruit skewers, rainbow cupcakes, Troll (fairy) bread scrolls, mix of sandwiches, trolls cookies and a cheese plate.
The Troll cookies were so beautifully made! Colourful, tasty and a real hit! Thankyou Renny – Tastee Treats 4 U
The cake by LoveLaurenxx was perfect! 5 layer buttercream, with sprinkles and rainbow layers inside. I added my Yay candles (gathered store) and Troll figurines to finish off.
The park had a playground for the kids and I set up a rainbow piñata in one corner with a canopy and blankets for kids to colour in, brush Trolls hair and eat lollies.
All in all it was a success! the parents enjoyed a champas or 2 and the kids left with full tummies and little party bags with A Troll Pez and fairy dust.
Check out all the fun below, and please email with any questions.
X b
The 2 boys wore Pop Factory new season tees from My Messy Room and Seed denim shorts. Sage wore a Seed dress which I pimped with Meri Meri unicorn badges and a little flower band to wear like princess Poppy.
The Pass Woods Bangalow Tea tree lakes The Farm EwingsdaleThe shack
Lunch at the farm
Gin at the treehouse Tallow beach Folk pancakesSpell Byron
Paper daisy Wategos beach Bar beach Newcastle Habro cafe Newcastle Coffs Harbour12 years since I was in Byron Bay!! Yep, we were married in Noosa in 2005 and honeymooned in Byron Bay at Raes on Wategos. So much going on in this neck of the woods and so it was time to revisit…and revisit we did!
I thought a little diary of what we did each day might be the best way to share the details so here we go….
9/01/17
Road tripping….Close to a 10 hour drive from Sydney to Byron so we broke it up a little….First stop… Newcastle, we picked up some takeaway lunch from very cool and white Hasbro and sat by Bar Beach taking in the stunning view! A few more toilet breaks on the way until we reached Coffs Harbour for a little rest and recuperation. A simple motel but the kids loved the pool and slide and we had a lovely dinner out in Sawtell at The Spare room.
10/01/18
Back on the road…but first coffee! I found a cute place called Supply for a quick caffeine hit and muffin for the road.
About 3 1/2 hours from Coffs and we hit The Farm in Ewingsdale (just 15 min from Byron) which was the perfect lunch spot for the kids to stretch their legs, pat the animals and enjoy a yummy lunch! We ate at Three Blue Ducks and it was so lovely sitting outside surrounded by beautiful gardens and farm life. The kids played in the playground and ordered gelato from the little cart outside. We sat with delicious prawns and Aperols and were as happy as pigs in mud!
Next stop our little beach house in Byron (The Shack) Only 10 mins walk from town, our coastal abode was perfect for us. Newly refurbed, all white, 3 bedrooms, lovely bathroom, kitchen and deck. I do think with the Jan weather being so hot a pool is necessary so we did miss that and the house itself was not very private, we could see and be seen from neighbouring properties and noise levels were very apparent so if I am going to point out the negatives then there we go.
Other than that, the house was cozy and well fitted out. We even had bikes to ride into town and a great outdoor shower.
11/01/17
First morning in Byron and we headed for Tallow beach. A gorgeous open stretch of sand with the clearest water. As we made our way onto the sand a pod of dolphins greeted us ahead in the surf! We set up our umbrella and chilled here for a good few hours. Feeling the heat I dropped the gang home and took an hour for lunch at Top shop (great corner caf with smoothies, salads, burgers etc) this became our fave!
I then hit Spell!! A Byron Bay (and Instagram institution)! Such a beautiful beachy white weatherboard corner shop with stunning lace and print dresses, boho handbags etc plus a beautiful courtyard reminiscent of Palm Springs . I may have bought myself a gorgeous white dress from here!
We head out to Treehouse on Belongil for dinner and what a find this was! Such a cool and buzzing beach vibe, live music, wood fired pizzas and just an all round great restaurant! The kids loved this place (maybe it was the ice cream cones they do too)!
12/01/17
Husbands bday!!
My girlfriend Sal was arriving to spend 3 days with us so Troy picked her up from the airport and we met at Combi for coffee and smoothies. Combi is a must visit! wood paneling, cool neon lighting, pastels and amazing smoothies, acai bowls etc…the avo toast with seeds and lemon was life changing!
It was raining so we decided to drive to Bangalow as I had read about Woods cafe and thought we should give it a go.
There is something about the Byron/Bangalow cafe scene! So cool, nothing like I have seen and so relaxed. Woods was cool, we just decided to grab coffee as the sun was coming out and we thought a coastal long lunch was the way to go for husbands bday.
No one does this better in Byron than Raes on Wategos…look it up if you are going! Stunning! We drank crisp whites, ate spanner crab salads and a special mousse dessert to sing happy bday. The kids were so good during this lunch that the long lunch I dreamed of became a reality!! We ended up stripping to our swimmers and spending the afternoon on Wategos beach on boogie boards and chilling under the umbrella til the sun started fading.This was my favourite day of the trip!!
13/01/27
Went for a run to The Pass beach (beautiful spot on the way around to the Lighthouse).
I had organised to meet a girlfriend at Halcyon House in Cabarita (40 min drive from Byron). This place is stunning!! A former surfers motel turned luxury! All white, navy striped umbrellas poolside looking out to beautiful Cabarita beach, not to mention the stunning fit out of the rooms! Total luxury! Will need to book a stay soon! We ate at the lovely Paper Daisy. This gorgeous restaurant by the pool is so sophisticated in style and relaxed beach vibes! The fried prawns with Chilli and ginger were amaze! As was the mango sorbet meringue with lemon myrtle and caramelised milk!
The kids and Troy played on Cabarita beach whilst I was lunching then we headed back home to chill and cooked dinner on the bbqs located at Wategos beach where we watched the moon rise behind the lighthouse.
14/01/7
The girls headed to Folk cafe for breaky (same owners as the cool Woods caf in Bangalow). A cute little shack backing onto a camping site (you would be so happy camping with this at your front door) I had the buckwheat banana pancakes and a coffee but too hot to sit long so off to find the Tea tree lakes! These lakes are hidden and we had to do a little snooping to find. We loved it here!! A) gorgeous tea coloured water dyed from the tea tree plants growing nearby which made it very appealing! B) water was a beautiful temperature and shallow enough for kids to stand c) no waves meant I could relax whilst they swam! I think this was our fave find!
The girls left the boys at the lakes and headed into town to have our nails done and check out the shops. I didn’t take too much notice of all the shops names but some gorgeous creative finds tucked around corners and main strip of Byron.
Back to the treehouse for dinner…because Pizza!
15/01/17
Took the bikes out for a spin and kids rode scooters to our fave Top Shop caf – starting to feel like locals!! We dropped my gf to the airport and checked out Killen falls on the way home…started raining so we just walked to the lookout but a beautiful National park and the waterfall would have been fun to dive in to.
Final night at the very hyped Miss Margherita – little Mexican cantina, food was ok but wouldn’t rave about it and to be honest my stomach hasn’t been right since.
16/01/17
Car packed and sad to be leaving!! Grabbed a coffee at little Sparrow cafe (great coffee) in town and feeling queasy from last nights Mexican!!
We stopped in Bellingen and met my Insta friend Kate and 3 kids at Hyde cafe. Great to get a glimpse into people’s worlds whom you feel you know so well! We couldn’t stay long as we were way off schedule and drove all day!! Didn’t arrive to Nelson Bay til 8.30pm! Booked a Mantra hotel in town to rest out weary heads and the kids swam all morning before checkout on the 17th Jan.
In house cafe is a cute one in Nelson Bay but didn’t really have time to check much out.
Lunch back in Newcastle at the little kiosk on Main beach but man was it hot!! Actually happy to be in the air conditioned car! Arrived home about 4.30 in the arvo….it all came and went so quick but loved Byron!!! Hope this helps with some of your questions x b
I have been a huge Volkswagen fan since I bought my very first car in 2001. A Silver 4 door VW Polo. I thought it was the best thing ever and was devestated when I had to sell it a few years later to fund my overseas adventure. On returning I purchased a blue 2 door VW Polo and again cruised the streets of Sydney without a care in the world! Just me and the blue beast!
In 2008 I fell pregnant and upgraded to a white VW Golf which was a super comfy and reliable car and carried around my first born! I guess you can say I am a VW girl at heart!
Fast forward 8 years and Of course when asked to test drive the New VW Tiguan I jumped at the opportunity!
I’ve been driving the Tiguan Comfortline with optional luxury package, and it really was easy to forget I was driving a family car… it has so many luxuries! Leather seats, roomy boot, electric Windows, keyless access, panoramic electric sunroof and damn nice to look at! and drive!! The cruise was super comfy. A quiet engine, slick feel and all the latest safety features as well as plenty of room for the kids!
I may have shed a tear dropping Tiggy back (the kids named the Tiguan), however, we are currently in the market for a new car so this may only be see you later, not goodbye!
A picture perfect day for our Sculptures by the Sea walk (Tamarama to Bondi).
We were lucky enough to be invited by Hyundai to take advantage of their special service which was to pick us up from home in one of their 7 Seater Santa Fe models (kids car seats and all) and drive us to Tamarama to explore this years exciting exhibits.
There is a Hyundai pick up and drop off point at Tamarama and Bondi which shuttles tired legs back and forth if you have seen enough one way. This service is perfect for families when the kids are tired and walking any longer may result in meltdown mode!!
The kids were so excited to see the amazing Rhinoceros sculpture and giant Haviana thong in the sand! We wondered around Tama for a bit and took in all the wonderful sculptures, I really liked the Bob Cat which had pink paint sculpted as if it was falling onto the floor in the shape of Australia (my son pointed the map bit out to me)!
We slowly made our way along the cliff face (and I mean slowly! I knew the pram was not a good idea and the stairs proved me right) if you can avoid this then is better to all walk!
Always more amazing sculptures at Marks Park! And of course The Grounds Pop Up cafe!! We walked Bondi promenade taking in the stunning day and enjoyed a delicious lunch at The Bucket List. I had heard so much about this place and the vibe, view and food made me realise why Sydney is so good!
A few pina coladas down and possibly the best fish tacos ever consumed (great kids menu too) we were happy as pigs in mud!
When we were ready our driver picked us up out the front of the restaurant and drove us to our door! Seriously! What a day! a) my worst nightmare is driving to Bondi to find a park! Solved! b) Walking to find your car with kids crying to find a parking fine! Solved! C) not being able to drive because you may have had a few Piña Coladas…solved! Love it Hyundai! Thankyou!
I’m loving the World Explorers initiative exclusive to Woolworths! Not only is it fun to collect the 56 flip cards and stickers but so informative and educational for the kids!
Also available is the Collectors Album which is divided into 7 regions – Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, Oceana and South America. Each card contains interesting facts about Culture, history, cuisine etc.
The kids and I had a ball learning about the different ways people live and eat and matching the stickers to the World map so they can visually see where the regions are and people come from.
We had a few little cooking sessions, choosing a card and creating a meal that best describes the place. One night we picked Italy and made pizza together, the kids helped me decorate and bake.. We also had a Sushi day in honour of Japan which we shared with my Sister and Niece.They swapped cards, we talked about where the food came from and showed them how to use chopsticks.
The little Explorers loved looking through the cards and learning about culture and Geography the fun way!
There are lots of fun activities inside the album too! Keeping the kids busy, interested and learning. I’m just hoping we can share the one album and cards with all 3 kids!!
If you follow my Instagram, you will be no stranger to Laikonik. I have shared Josephine’s beautiful Once a Year books here before and am happy to share the new stunning gold foil Memory Book collection too.
The Memory book is not just for the kids but also anniversaries, weddings or any moments you want to keep together. You can insert your favourite photos and create your own stories (also adding special dates or memories on the reverse of each page). I like the idea of a family holidays keepsake.
The books are acid free, packed in a beautiful wooden box and handcrafted in Australia….. The new gold foil horse or bird print would look perfect under the Xmas tree too!!
Stay tuned for a stunning giveaway I will be hosting this month featuring the gold collection.
Always on the search for cool clothes for the kids! The girls definitely have more variety and focus when it comes to threads, however I have been introduced to Band of Boys and like what I see!!
This edgy New Zealand brand are decking out the boys in Boardies, basics, pjs, caps, jackets and all with cool prints and simple monochrome tones.
Love mix and matching tees and bottoms in their range and especially their new Summer range which is out now.
Check out Band of Boys for your little dudes this Summer!
So big in her grown up bed!!! It’s been 3 months since our Greywing mattress arrived, so I thought I would do a little review.
Originally I had this mattress in mind as a little floor set up for a guest room, however, the kids kept running in to sleep on it and Sage was about ready for a bigger bed so I moved it into her room, with a new Incy bed and gradually added a few soft touches… Neon Poodle heart light and Olli Ella rug.
We felt the mattress was too good not to be used on a daily basis! It has been perfect! Infact she is sleeping in til 9am some mornings!
Super happy with everything from easy delivery to unfolding out of a box and boom! Straight onto the bed!
Probably the most aesthetically pleasing mattress on the market! Not to mention comfort plus!!
So there you go! We have tried, tested and Greywing delivered!
