Happy Birthday Mum x

 Happy Birthday Mum, love you! x

Mother's Day 2019

We had a lovely weekend celebrating Mother's Day.  

We had our mums over for dinner on Saturday night and a quiet day on Sunday.

I was spoilt with breakfast in bed on Sunday morning and the boys gave me their gifts from the Mother's Day stall and their homemade cards. I love how excited they are to give them to me.

It was lovely just to have a relaxed day together. Bliss! Just what I needed after a busy week.

How was your weekend? x

Stills - Mother's Day 2017

We had a very relaxed day here on Sunday. I woke to lots of hugs and kisses, homemade cards and gifts from the Mother's Day stall. The boys made a chocolate cake for afternoon tea then we caught up with family for dinner to celebrate all the Mums.

I hope you had a wonderful day too x

My Mother's Day - 2016

I've had the loveliest Mother's Day being spoilt by my beautiful boys (husband included)

As a present to myself, I couldn't resist buying a few bunches of tulips with the groceries on Friday and the house is full of pink blooms. Gorgeous! 

The boys let me have a little sleep in and then presented me with breakfast, presents + cuddles in bed.

I love the hand made cards the boys make at kindy/school. They always come out with the funniest reasons on why they love you! I always keep the boys hand written cards as they are the best gift ever 

We took our annual photo of our legs in bed and Finn has finally taken over as the tallest. I love having these momentos of how they have grown over the last few years.

My little #1 mum trophy makes the best vase :)

We had an afternoon tea with my mum (Simon's parents are away at the moment) and Simon made a pink pavlova in honour of Mother's Day. He always uses the Donna Hay recipe , he added a splash of pink food colouring this time. His pav's are always delicious and a favourite around here.

Topped with cream, raspberries and a drizzle of passionfruit it was amazing!

A little bag of goodies and a pot of tulips for my mum.

Mother's Day afternoon tea. Champagne + cake is the perfect combination.

Love you Mum!

I received a Methuselah of pink champagne (6 litres!) as one of my gifts.

 I'll have to have a party so I can drink it!

I felt very loved and blessed over the weekend.

How was your weekend? I hope you did something lovely xx

#mygracetale - Motherhood and what it means to me.

I'm so happy to be featured over at The Grace Tales today. 

I'm talking about what motherhood means to me and my daily routine.

I've popped the article below if you would like to take a look x

#MYGRACETALE: SIMONE DUCKWORTH, BLOGGER, 

MOTHER TO FINN, JASPER & NOAH

Simone Duckworth with her son Noah.

“Motherhood has shown me more love and happiness than I’ve ever thought possible…

It has also taught me to live in the moment and appreciate the little things. Instead of hurrying through the day to the next activity, I try to see things from my children’s point of view and show interest and take the time when they want to stop and look at the ladybug in the park or go outside and look at the rainbow. It has taught me patience and selflessness. I want to be part of the things that they are passionate about so I learn the names of Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends or who is surfing in the latest World Tour contest so we can talk about it.

I do think children are happier with structure…

They are creatures of habit and feel comfortable when they know what is coming next and so do I! I’ve followed routines with all of the boys. I found Save our Sleep by Tizzie Hall worked perfectly for us as it seemed to fit in with their natural meal times and sleep habits. I also liked knowing when I could schedule in work, a phone call or a trip to the shops. Obviously now that the boys are older, we’re a little more relaxed with things although Noah, 3, still has a 1 hour sleep/rest time and is in bed at 7pm.

I used to work in hospitality…

Everything from managing restaurants to organising conferences and events but left to be a stay at home mum when I had Finn. Later I went back into retail (more flexible hours) working at Freedom and became interested in furniture/homewares and interior decoration. Honey And Fizz originally was my online mood board, but opened up into opportunities of selling my own prints and banners and working with different brands. I’m about to launch a service utilising my love of interiors and styling by setting up home consultations for styling and online design boards. I love the freedom and flexibility of working from home and for myself. I like that each day is different and I can use my creative side and work with things that I’m passionate about.

Now that the boys are older it is a little easier…

The two eldest are at school and Noah is at pre-school three days a week. I usually don’t look at my emails until 9.30am once the school run is done, but once I start I’m quite aware how fast the day flies until school pick up time at 3pm. Usually the night before, I put together a list of what I want to achieve and a loose running schedule. I don’t get a chance to do any work in the afternoon as I’m taking the boys to their after school activities and helping with homework, so I might check my emails and do any other work once they’re in bed.

My family comes first and I try to fit my work in around it…

I snatch time for myself with a couple of hours here and there by grabbing a coffee with a friend or getting a massage. Something that allows me to stop and not think of anything else. Although I always feel like I’m working to a clock and thinking of the next thing I have to do. My husband works Saturdays, so I feel like we really only have Sunday as a family and I’m quite protective of this time together. We will usually do a family outing or go out for lunch and just relax and reconnect after a busy week.

We have a modern style home that we built 13 years ago…

It has four bedrooms, two living areas and a fantastic backyard. We love to entertain outside when it’s warm and it is really set up for that with an undercover area, BBQ and pool. The back of the house opens up completely, so you really get that indoor/outdoor living feeling. The boys love playing outside and it’s a bit of a boy’s paradise out there with the trampoline, pool, and their own half pipe. I don’t know who loves it more, the boys or my husband Simon!

My decor style at the moment could be called white and bright…

I love neutral backgrounds with colourful books, flowers, cushions, throws. It’s decorated with things that we love. I wanted a fresh, calm look. Home is where we truly relax and with life so busy these days, it’s nice to have a place that gives you that calm feeling when you walk through the door. I wanted lots of plants and greenery and to be surrounded by the things that make me happy such as favourite books, prints, fresh flowers and photos. Also I wanted a home that reflects us and our tastes as a young family.

I find I’m doing more of my shopping online…

Instagram is a great way to find new stores and products. Down That Little Lane, Little Letter Lights Co, My Messy Room, Lark store, Rachel Castle and Blacklist Studio are a few favourites. Although I still love a browse around the shops. Domayne, Freedom, Adairs and Ikea always has something I love and they change their stock frequently. My lightbox by Page Thirty Three was from Koskela and it is one of my favourite things and always gets lots of comments. I’m always changing the message up.

I come across cute ideas on Pinterest and love to try them out on the boys for afternoon tea sometimes…

It is what they would usually eat but just served up in a different way. It’s a bit of fun for us all and you can’t imagine how much fruit and vegetables they eat when it is served in a cute way. The boys all come home from school starving, so I try to have something ready to go. Usually they will have either fruit, veggie sticks, muffins or sushi. We all still eat dinner together at around 5.30 – 5.45pm. Something we’ve been doing since the boys were little. I can’t remember what it was like to eat at 7pm!

We all love the beach…

In the summer holidays you will find us there every day. My husband is a keen surfer and has managed to instill that love in all of the boys, so they all love to get out in the surf. We all love swimming in the ocean but I might have to take up surfing myself if I want to spend time with them when they’re older. We live near the beach but all our holidays are beach holidays too! We go to Byron Bay twice a year and that is a place that we all love and time we look forward to. We’re just about to chase the sun and surf in Bali next week. We can’t wait!”.

Simone’s little list of loves: 

All the boys are into books and one of my favourite things to do is go to a book store and let them pick out something they want to read. I smile when I see them opening up their books in the car on the way home as they can’t wait to dive into them!

Drinking pots of green tea, it’s the perfect way to warm up during winter.

I love to get a facial every couple of months. It’s so relaxing and a bit of ‘me’ time.

Going to the movies with my husband, the latest movies we saw were Dior and I and Entourage. Total opposites of each other but both great in their own way.

I love the planning of holidays and putting together the perfect itinerary. We’re looking at taking the boys to Disneyland/LA towards the end of the year.

I love combining catching up with a friend and exercising. Lately we’ve been doing the Queenscliff to Shelley Beach walk and then stopping for breakfast afterwards. The omelette at Pure Wholefoods is a favourite.

On Friday’s I love wandering around the growers’ market. It’s great to have everything in the one place. Fruit, veggies, fresh bread, a bunch of flowers for the house and maybe a cake or some kind of treat for the weekend.

This winter weather is conducive to snuggling down with a good book and I’m just about to start reading Girl on a Train by Paula Hawkins.

Baking with the boys, anything chocolate is a favourite.

Sunday mornings. I love a slow, lazy morning with nowhere to be and the whole day stretching out before you.

Follow @honeyandfizz

-As told to The Grace Tales. 

The #mygracetales series puts the focus on the lives and routines of The Grace Tales’ wonderful and inspiring community of readers.

Mother's Day Gift Guide

I've popped together a few ideas for gifts for Mother's Day. 

I might have also thrown in a few hints on a present for myself!

I'll also be giving my mum the Photo Blocks and Inspiration Cards I made. 

You can see how I made them here

The other products can be found below -

Teacup

Bag

Quilt cover

Brass Jars

Bedsocks

Earrings

Marble/Wood Block

Flowers are always lovely!

Tray

Press for Champagne

Breakfast in bed

Marble heart

How do you like to spend Mother's Day?

What do you have on your wish list?

Mother's Day Gift DIY - family photo blocks + inspirational quote cards

With only a couple of weeks until Mother's Day the time has come to start thinking of a wonderful gift for mum!  I've teamed up with Officeworks to bring you 2 fantastic DIY Mother's Day gift ideas using the Kodak Picture Kiosk available in all Officeworks stores.

I loved the idea of creating something personal to go along with the usual chocolates and flowers. Mum is always asking for photos of the boys so I thought this would be the perfect gift for her.

I loved how they turned out so much I'm also going to do some for my mother in law.

These DIY ideas were created by Katrina and I've put my own spin on it to suit my mum and her home. I've followed Katrina's steps and shown you my process below -

What you’ll need:

Photos – pop  photos on a USB stick or you can print pictures straight from your phone using the easy Kodak Picture Kiosks in store. 

Pull up a seat, use the touch screens and within minutes you’ll have your photos.  

I needed 8 photos so it cost me less than $6.40 to have these printed up.

I wanted quite a large size and chose the 6" x 6" (15cm x 15cm)

I chose the square shape as it suited most of my photos thanks to my Instagram addiction!

Blocks of wood – I went to my local hardware store and bought a 32mm thick piece of MDF offcut for $5.00 and asked them to cut it into 8 x 18cm x 18cm blocks. The cutting cost me $10.00.

It was too easy, I didn't have to pick up a tool!

Paint - we had loads of white paint left over from the renovations so I used this.

I painted the blocks of wood white so the colours of the photo would pop.

Decoupage glue - I also had some of this in my craft cupboard (Mod Podge)

Step 1.

I painted my wooden blocks. I gave them 2 coats each.

Step 2

Once the paint on the blocks are dry, paint on a layer of decoupage glue and position your photo in the centre of the block.  The reason I have used this product is because it dries clear and is an all-in-one glue, sealer and finish.

The glue goes on white but dries clear and adds a lovely gloss finish and extra texture to your photo.

Step 3

Let the photos dry for a few hours. Then use the glue again to coat the entire block all over.

I'm so happy with how they turned out.
I love the size and sturdiness of the block, such a great way to display your memories.
They were really quick and simple but I love that they have that personalised touch.

Although if you don't have the time it’s worth noting that alongside photo printing, the Kodak range at Officeworks has a wide selection of personalised items which make perfect gifts, including coffee mugs, calendars and photo canvases.

The next DIY I decided upon was Katrina's inspirational quote cards

My mum loves affirmations and quotes and often texts me one each morning.
So this combination was perfect for her.

All you need to make this Mother's Day gift is your photos, a business card holder and some printed text. It's simple and cost less than $10 to create!

Again I went with the larger size photo (15cm x 15cm) printed from the Kodak Picture Kiosk

What you'll need

Photos - pop them on a USB stick or print straight from your phone. Print them from the Kodak Picture Kiosks in store. Within minutes you'll have our photos.

Scissors

Card stock

Glue - a regular glue stick is fine

Business card display holder 
As my photos were bigger than Katrina's I used a photo frame stand instead.

That's one of the things I love about Officeworks. It has everything you need under the one roof.
You can get everything for these projects here - photos, stationery, etc.

Step 1
I gathered some of my favourite quotes and printed them out on card stock.
I printed them out on my printer at home but if you don't have a printer, pop them on a USB stick and have them printed out at Officeworks while you get your photos printed.

Step 2
Trim your quotes and stick the card stock to the back of your photos

Once you have glued the photo and the quote together, pop them under a few heavy books to ensure they stick together and stay flat while they dry.

Step 3
Pop them on your stand or in your business card holder. They make the perfect addition to the coffee table and you can create a lovely vignette with them.

Now mum can pick out a quote each morning and change the photos around as it suits her.

I know most mum's and grandmothers love a gift with a personal touch and I think this project is great as you can change the quotes to suit the person.

I used recent photos as mum had been asking for new photos of the boys but I loved Katrina's idea of using old photos and bringing back some amazing memories.

It's so good to get all of those photos I take off my phone and on display.
My next project is Photo Books but I'm a few years behind so I've got some work ahead!

What do you think?
Are you tempted to make some for Mother's Day gifts?

I really love how these projects turned out and I will be keeping these up my sleeve for gifts in the future too.

Have you printed out some photos lately or are they all still on your phone and laptop?!