Personal faves: pretty baby products

And by 'baby products' I mean completely non-essential luxury items that I think are really ridiculously good looking.

If there's one thing I can't stand (there isn't - it's much higher than that) it's blog posts listing "Essentials". "Top 10 baby essentials you MUST have" - that sort of thing.

There are very few things in life that are actually essential. And then there are some that are definitely more in the luxury category. I'm rounding these ones up because then I don't need to keep 10 tabs open in my phone browser at all times to remind me of my 'inspiration' and also,  the thing I love about many of these is that they are handmade and, IF you were the making type, you could attempt to make something along these lines yourself and save heaps of $$$.

There are so many babies in my life at the moment and with starting the Five Kinds of Happy Shop which is kind of baby/mummy focussed, I've been keeping my eyes on baby products everywhere.

Anyway, here's my little roundup of things I've enjoyed seeing available in the kidswear/sleep departments. The cushion and sheet below are both from discontinued Dwell Studio baby lines and I reeeeeally want them. The cushion would go perfectly with the quilt I am 'making' (aka hoarding fabric for but haven't done anything else) for my toddler. And the other sheet is just pretty.

Plus if you child is anything like mine then you can never have too many sheets... especially when you're on holiday and everyone gets a spew bug so you just sleep on sandy beach towels. Not that we would know.

T-Bar mocs from Little Scout

 Bloomers from Printe Bebe 

Overalls from Next

Knitted blanket from Yarning Made

Posey crib bedding & Rosette Cushion from Amazon

Obviously, I do think you should also add chewy necklaces from the Five Kinds of Happy Shop to that list.... SLOW WINK

Well, I have procrastinated the dreaded task of washing my hair for an hour now. Maybe two. Why does it always seem like such a momentous task? Boofy-hair-ladies, you know what I mean right? And then the hour of straightening after it's dried, approximately 12 hours later?

Off I go...

Easter, yummies, pretties, 20% off shop.

Thank you to everyone who has liked, shared and commented on my facebook and IG announcements about opening the little Five Kinds of Happy shop. I sent out my first order yesterday and it made me feel so productive. 

I just wanted to pop in and spam with some of the pretty (and not so pretty) things happening in our life lately. 

Last weekend we had such an amazing relaxing weekend doing gardening together, getting coffee at a great local-ish cafe in the crisp Autumn morning - passing epic scenery on the way, seeing grandparents, and catching a movie with my brother + friends. And THIS weekend is a 4 day extravaganza. 

I made some cupcakes with a square of chocolate hidden inside and cream cheese icing. So simple but looks really cute with sprinkles and a cadbury mini-egg. The silicon cupcake cases were a gift from my 'kitchen tea' before getting married and they are amazing - finally no crumbs get stuck to the casings.

[Calum got me these plates for 50c each at a closing down sale from a cafe or something. Love]

 Mmm. Don't mind if I do.

Luckily we had a church home group around that night to eat them all or I would be diabetic by now.

Speaking of easter, I had this vision of vases stuffed full with gorgeous pastel blooms.

Err...

[Close enough]

 I also posted out my first necklace order from the Five Kinds of Happy shop.

... and started an Easter special for 20% of every order until Tuesday using the code EASTER20.
How Easter-delicious are these colours together??
Both are in the shop.

We'll be celebrating Easter in a pretty relaxed way, as per usual. I haven't bought any chocolate and I don't plan to. (Health kick / trying a hyperemesis gravidarum prevention diet. Which has been challenging! I just made a failed brownie and had to test quite a few pieces...).

Although I did ask my husband to bring home "a small bag because I only need a few" cadbury mini eggs to put on the cupcakes.

A small bag, or  a giant container filled with small bags. Whichever.

And most importantly, trying to focus on the whole reason that we as a family celebrate Easter.

Hope you enjoy the long weekend!
If you are in New Zealand you'll be enjoying the start of Autumn and hopefully some more of this epic sunny weather we've been having. Hopefully...

My shop, colourful necklaces, and contentment.

There have been some new things happening in my life lately, and none exactly what I expected! It's been a weird season of feeling kind of in limbo and just not sure what direction anything is going in. And feeling totally at peace and calm about that.

I've always wanted to do interior design or architecture but my plans in those areas just kept getting frustrated. Recently I've developed a weird passion for making things (remember here and here?) and I think there was a purpose in all of that. It's small, simple and humbling compared to the big business plans I/we have had over the months/years but I've opened a little shop, on Etsy, where I'm selling little things I make. I've been surprised so far by how much I can make out of supplies I already have, and it feels good to finally have a purpose for them. I've been really enjoying putting together these little things to sell. 

I've seen a lot of 'chew bead' necklaces for sale lately, which are necklaces made from food-safe silicon beads that are meant for mothers to wear so their babies can suck or chew on them. (Anyone with babies knows that they will suck or chew on ANY jewellery you wear so it may as well be safe and chewable.) I've seen these around, but I haven't seen any like this... because my addiction to colour is a bit crazy.

[Hence why this one is called the "Gurl, You Cray" necklace...]

Don't worry, they're not all that bright! (Though I do love the bright. It makes me happy.)

I've even done some awkward selfies on Instagram. The necklace below came about because I was disappointed with the colours in my silicon bead supplies and wanted to buy more... but felt convicted (is that the word?) to just use the colours I had and not buy anything else. This lesson in CONTENTMENT is one I've been learning in a big way with our house. I wanted to apply it to the beads as well. So I just started stringing together the colours I had left. I was so surprised when this resulted! Previously I had been trying to mimic the look of all the chew bead necklaces out there and I was just SO BORED with them. So this was a happy accident and sparked a whole new style that I'll be making.

[Look down? Look up? Smirk?]

 I also have these shorter ones which I love because they go with any outfit - this one below looks great with a black singlet or tshirt. So simple but snazzy.

 Anyway, and then I still had some cushion covers from projects past! So I listed those in the shop too, and may make more, although the ones I plan to make are a little more creative than these below.

 I popped some of the spare cushions (not being sold) in my daughter's reading corner and they just go.

The shop link is here: Five Kinds of Happy Shop.
AND, you know I wouldn't be Amy MacLeod if I didn't include some kind of little sweet treat with each purchase.
I've made all shipping within New Zealand completely free. I wanted to do free shipping world wide, but the costs were just too high, so I've just put on a low shipping cost for the rest of the world.

 

Oh, and I updated my blog banner a bit to match. It was this before:

..which I like, but adding some colour felt needed.

In other news, it's the weekend when I'm writing this, and I'm so glad. Something about hanging washing in the sunshine and taking pictures of cushions and going out for coffee and breakfast with my babes is just bliss at the moment!