Monday, April 11, 2011

Melbourne Baby & Toddler Show



One of my Funky Monsters and I took a trip together to check out The Baby & Toddler Show in Melbourne held over the weekend. It was a nice and rare outing just for the two of us. I figured there would be lots for me to see and check out as well as things to keep my little man occupied as well. It's so nice to spend the time one-on-one chatting together, sharing a little treat ... and me having to answer a million and one questions (the kid doesn't come up for air)!!



It was a great little afternoon outing. I met some friends, new and old, discovered lots of new products I didn't know existed, watched Shrek & Fiona dance (a little awkwardly!), learnt more about a few things I had heard of but didn't know a lot about and got some great gift ideas for newborns and upcoming birthdays for little ones. Here is a snap shot of our little trip:


Stopped by the EJ Kids stall to chat with my lovely friend Rose and met the lovely Michelle from Wholesale Baby as well!


The idea of Modern Cloth Nappies has been growing on me so I stopped by the Bambooty stall to ask a few questions and discovered they also make night nappies. Thinking of converting to MCN night nappies for the littlest monster. They feel so soft and comfy!


I didn't know they made little Ducati's to match the 'Big Kids' Ducati's!



All my little monster wanted was an umbrella, and we found one! What a bargain too - $3 from SparkleT.

I hadn't attended one of these shows before but I think it is well worth the visit if you are pregnant or already parents of babies and toddlers. There are so many great products that you can try & buy, and it's a great start to researching all of the funky things you need for your little ones.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

2011 so far ...

Apologies for the lack of blog posts so far in 2011, we have been busy little monsters! Here is a snapshot of the first 3 months of the year ...

January & February flew by at the speed of light! Never in my life have I had a busier social life than in those 2 months. Parties & weddings galore!

Feb also saw the birth of my new little niece, my brother's first child. Such a little treasure that I looooooove to spoil with girly goodness (mostly handmade too!)

Personally, I have achieved 2 goals that I set for myself to accomplish in 2011. The first and most important goal for was to start leading a healthier lifestyle and to get fit! I had ended the year feeling sluggish, carrying a little extra weight and not taking the time to look after myself properly. A friend of mine had completed a Boot Camp just before Christmas and was contemplating another in the New Year. It took me a little time to convince myself that I should give it a go and I finally built up the courage to say "Sign me up". Little did I know that this is one of the most gruelling Boot Camps you can attend, based on training for our SAS soldiers :-/ After the first gruelling running session, of which I crossed the finish line last (walking!) and only just within the time frame, I wondered what the hell I was doing to myself!! Did I need to put myself through this? Was it going to be worth it? By the 2nd running session I was fully motivated to do my best and get through the next 5 weeks and show what I was really made of. I started a healthy eating plan, completed my 3 sessions per week and ended up discovering I COULD RUN! And I ran and I ran and I ran and I ran ... (you get the picture!) Never have I run so far in my life!! I used to struggle running to the corner and now I'm running 5km 2-3 times a week. This is one of the best feelings I have had in a long time! I feel proud of myself for sticking it out and getting results and it feels great fitting back into my clothes again and not fitting into some that are now a little too big ;) The 2nd goal I set for myself was to grow my nails. I have been a nail biter all my life and tried numerous times to stop chewing away but always fell off the bandwagon fairly soon after. Well, I'm happy to say I am a nail biter no more! Just decided one day that I'd had enough and quit cold turkey, just like that! My dear mum also treated me to a manicure & pedicure as a little reward and I can tell you I enjoyed every minute. So nice to get pampered and I love getting my fingers and toe nails painted :)

During all of this, Funky Monsters took a bit of a back seat to my busy life but still found me creating lots of handmade goodness. Lots of orders for baby booties, hats and a few dresses along the way as well as a number of art smocks. After a request from a friend for a personalised art smock, I found these became quite popular and have made a number of these for my lovely customers. I have also made some lovely handmade gifts too. Here are just a few.

For those of you that follow my Facebook page, you will know that I am currently taking an indefinite break from the creative process. I just need a little time out for myself and my family. Time flies by and I don't want to blink and miss it! But during this time, although I may not be sewing, I still want to share with you the wonderful funky and mostly handmade things I find along the way and plan to do this via my blog.

So stay tuned ... and keep in touch. Who knows when my creative juices will start flowing again!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Deck the halls ...

What an exciting time of year! It's almost time to put the Christmas tree up and decorate the house for the festive season. I love thinking about different ways to decorate, challenging as it is with two toddlers around!

Here are some great finds to deck your halls from Made It!



2. Christmas Tree Wall Decal - Vinyl Design
3. Merry Christmas Bunting - The Earthly Creature
5. Merry Christmas Banner - Banners and Bags

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Funky Friday Finds - Putting the Mo in Movember

We are right in the middle of Mo-vember so to help celebrate a good cause, here are some Funky 'Mo' Friday Finds!

Can't grow a Mo for Movember but still want to be involved? Then you need a Mo Sista Brooch/Necklace available from LittleNikita on Made It

Joining Movember in their annual quest to raise awareness of depression and prostate cancer in 2010, is new Mr. Men character, Mr. Mo…! These tee's are now available at Target and 25% of the proceeds from their sales will be donated to Movember.

Felt black moustache on a stick by feltsogood on Made It



A ‘Fruity Mustache’ blank greetings card featuring crunchy, fresh ALBERTO APPLE with a real hairy, 100% new wool mustache! Available from Kikichoo on Etsy

Monday, November 15, 2010

Funky Monsters Features

Our Funky Monsters booties are getting around! We have been featured on two fabulous blogs over the last couple of days.

Jo from 'The Crafty Nomad' loves my booties. Having travelled to and lived in various parts of the world, she is currently living in outback WA and has a love of all things crafty especially sewing and papercraft. Our Reindeer Games Baby Booties were featured as part of her 'Made It Friday Focus: Rudolph the Reindeer' post.


Robyn from 'Robyn Lee Handmade' also loves my booties! She featured our gorgeous Space Invaders Baby Booties in her 'Christmas Time at Made It: Something for everyone, beautifully Australian made' post.


Thank you lovely ladies!

Saturday, November 13, 2010

'Tis the season

Christmas is creeping up on us, only 6 weeks until the bearded one visits bearing gifts galore!

To celebrate the festive season, I have released some Limited Edition Christmas Baby Booties, ideal for Baby's 1st (or 2nd!) Christmas. There are two different styles to choose from and both are reversible designs. These booties make great gifts for bubs and are the perfect finish to their little Christmas outfit.

These limited edition booties are available in sizes 0-6mths, 6-12mths & 12-18mths and are $20 a pair.

'Christmas Cheer' Baby Booties


'Reindeer Games' Baby Booties


You can order them now in my Made It store or via my Facebook page using my 'Contact Us' tab.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Funky Monsters Baby Bootie Collection

Since our humble beginnings (all of 12mths ago!) Funky Monsters bootie range has grown and grown. Most of our designs are limited in quantity as most fabric prints become discontinued over time, but we also like to keep our range fresh and exciting. In saying that, we have some old favourites that have been with us from the start like our signature Coloured Skulls booties, these are definitely still my all time favourite!


Not only have we had many different designs, we now have different styles of booties for your funky bubbas. Thought I would share our latest and our greatest with you all.
Our popular 'All Stars' Reversible booties in our original style

Our new Baby Booties for boys with elastic strap in 'Space Invaders', 'All Stars (Green)' and 'Pirate Booty'

Our new Baby Booties for girls with elastic strap in our gorgeous 'Leopard Print'

Our ever-so-sweet Mary Jane style booties in 'Funky Floral', 'Zebra Print', 'Cherry-licious' and 'Sweet Butterflies'

Our new Non-Slip range made with suede soles which also come in a larger size 12-18mths

Check out our Facebook page for more details & prices of the current range we have available. There are a number of ways you can order: by emailing funkymonsters@live.com, via our 'Contact Us' tab on our Facebook page or through our Made It store.