Nappy news!

Yes, they're here! Hooray! Woohoo! Goodness gracious! Finally!!!

It has been a long week... We had a little drama with customs (just routine stuff which holds everything up), but they have arrived and will be restocked tomorrow (Wednesday) at some stage!

I will send out a newsletter once they have been stocked on the website, so please subscribe to the mailing list (via www.minilala.com.au) if you haven't already.

I will be sending out packages to our stockists today and tomorrow aswell, so be sure to check out your nearest MiniLaLa retailer too.

In the meantime, here are some more photos of our nappies... Enjoy!

Lovely Gemma

I just had to share this beautiful photo of a customer's daughter in her MiniLaLa. How gorgeous is Gemma!?

Isn't she divine!? The photo is also stunning, and courtesy of Maureen Haynes - a very talented Brisbane photographer.

I love seeing babies in their MiniLaLa!

Brand new in Brisbane

If you're in Brisbane, you might be very excited to know that there is a new shop opening in the Paddington 'Green' precinct - Nest Nappies!

Nest's official opening is on October 14th, during Reusable Nappy Week. Elizabeth has been busily preparing the shop, and will be stocking MiniLaLa nappies, hair clips and a few other goodies.

Head down and check out the brand new shop at:

Nest Nappies

15 LaTrobe Terrace

Paddington, Queensland

Phone: 07 3217 5600

My beloved Saints!

If you're in Melbourne, you undoubtedly know all about the AFL grand final... The mighty Saints will be there after beating the Bulldogs on Friday night in a heart-stopper!

We absolutely adore St Kilda (Nicholas and Ivie have both been club members since birth), and were amongst the almost 80,000 fans at the game on Friday night (except Ivie, who was an angel for her Aunty Sare) - I just had to share some photos. How cute is Nicholas in his Saints gear?

Can't wait for Saturday!! Go Saints!!!!!!!

Mint & Lilac

Mum of 5, Fleur, is the owner of Mint and Lilac Baby Boutique - another of our gorgeous stockists.

Based in Queensland, Mint and Lilac stocks a huge and lovely range of goodies for pregnancy and baby (everything beautiful for mother and child), and is adding MiniLaLa nappies to that range.

"Having spent the best part of the last ten years either pregnant or caring for my babies, I have found I have a knack for seeking out products that not only assist in making a new mothers life easier, but also more stylish. Every item that has been chosen for Mint and Lilac is here because we believe that it is gorgeous, unique and special - something that every mother deserves!" - Fleur

Visit Mint and Lilac at www.mintandlilac.com.au

Cheeks and Cherries

Cheeks and Cherries is our one and only international stockist (for the moment, anyway)!

It is a newly launched online store based in the UK. Alix has done a fantastic job so far, and her site and range is gorgeous. You can shop based on baby's age, your budget, baby shape and even by eco-credentials!

Visit Cheeks and Cherries at www.cheeksandcherries.co.uk

Alipants

Alipants is a cloth nappy consultancy business located in Sunbury, and covering outer-western Melbourne and the Macedon Ranges. It is a brand new business, run by Mum of two, Ali (with a little help from her lovely husband!).

You can see Ali at local markets in the region, or even arrange for Ali to visit you at home where you can touch, feel and get to know the nappies - including MiniLaLa, of course - before you buy!


Get in touch with Ali to find out more:


Email: ali@alipants.com.au
Phone: 0408 254 626

Canberra Cloth Nappies

Brindabella Baby is Canberra's cloth nappy and fair trade shop. It is also another of our lovely stockists.

Look at the wall of nappies! This place is a nappy paradise!

Emma also stocks a beautiful range of fair trade toys, clothing, and gorgeous books.

Brindabella Baby hosts an Australian Nappy Network cloth nappy meet at 10am on the first Monday of each month, and will also have lots going on during Reusable Nappy Week in October.

Drop in:

Brindabella Baby
Unit 8A Level 1, 29 Lonsdale Street, Braddon , ACT
Phone: 02 6176 1400

Stevie

I just have to show you what a hard worker my gorgeous husband is - here he is on his day off overlocking inserts for me. Isn't he an angel!?

Don't tell him I showed you, though! He would kill me if he knew I was telling people about his sewing!

In other news, the nappy countdown is on, less than two weeks to go! Plus I have a few new things arriving very soon. Will update soon...

Hobart Stockist

Charlie's Bucket is our lovely Hobart stockist.

There, you'll find MiniLaLa handmade hair clips amongst their gorgeous range.

Pop in and say hello to Sandra and the gang:

Charlie's Bucket

166 Liverpool Street

Hobart

Tasmania

Phone: 03 62312881

Oz Baby Trends

Oz Baby Trends is one of our lovely online stockists. It is a family-operated shop focussed on providing eco-friendly solutions for families.

Run by the very lovely Eva, Oz Baby Trends provides fantastic service (of course, I have shopped there), and a great range.

Oz Baby Trends currently stocks MiniLaLa handmade hair clips, and is eagerly awaiting our nappy delivery. Check it out now at www.ozbabytrends.com.au

Counting down....

Yes, I'm officially counting down! I think it's finally safe to say that the nappies are on their way! If all goes well (I'm hoping, but it has been a bumpy road thus far!), they should be arriving in about 2 weeks!

Of course, I am terrified! Very, very excited at the same time. Here is a picture that my manufacturer sent me before the tabs and labels went on... It's really happening! I don't think I actually believed it before this!

We've also been sewing up a storm here, and have decided that all of the nappies will go online together. I'll be sending out email notifications closer to the date (to the mailing list subscribers through the website), and will update here again soon.

Please cross everything for me that all goes well! You'll get your MiniLaLa nappies soon!! HOORAY!

My Darlings!

Downunder, that is!

Most of you would already know my next stockist - Darlings Downunder. They have stocked MiniLaLa nappies before - though they didn't last long, and poor Tania has had to wait for me to get my act together ever since!!

I LOVE Darlings. In fact, I bought the majority of my 'stash' from there. It is definitely the most well-equipped (and prettiest looking) nappy site around.

You can visit Darlings Downunder at www.darlingsdownunder.com.au

Or if you're in Melbourne, visit Tania (and I!) at the Pregnancy, Babies and Children's expo next month.

A couple of places you might like...

Gee, I'm really getting into the blogging this week! It feels like there is so much going on here, and so much that I want to share as well!

The first thing I wanted to tell you about is Style Collective.

It's just an absolutely gorgeous looking site (just had a great makeover), showcasing even more gorgeous things! I especially love the 'Style Living' pages - I'm a sucker for pretty decor! There is also Style Fashion, Style Bridal, and Style Junior. Plus there are always great deals for newsletter subscribers. I've been enjoying Style Collective for ages, and just wanted to share something I love with you all :)

The second site that I'd like to show you is L'il Aussie Prems. It was created by a lovely lady, Julia, after her first son was born at 27 weeks gestation, and is has grown to be the most amazing support network for parents of premature babies. It is well worth a visit for any parent - it never ceases to amaze me that some of these tiny, fragile babies survive. I can't imagine what it must be like to watch your tiny baby fight to survive.

Julia does a wonderful job, and offers information and support to these families. She generously pays for most expenses out of her own pocket and doesn't like asking for handouts, but she does need help. If you are able to spare just a little, you can sponsor a Premmie Parent Bag with a small donation - your 'hope message' can be added to the bag/s you sponsor - lovely, huh?

Introducing... Bay Bee Cino, Launceston!

Well, the nappies are only weeks away, so I thought I had better introduce my stockists!

Bay Bee Cino Launceston (TAS) was my first ever stockist. They have been selling my hair clips for well over a year, now, and will be stocking MiniLaLa nappies aswell.

It is run by husband and wife team, Scott and Julia, whose children are almost exactly the same ages as mine, and who also have an eco-friendly focus. The shop is just lovely, and well worth a visit if you live in, or are visiting Launceston.




What a lovely little shop!

Visit Bay Bee Cino:
111 George Street
Launceston
Tasmania
Phone: 03 6331 1455

A few things I like...

I visited a brand new shop on the weekend - actually it was opening day! Such a lovely little shop, too - The Enchanted Closet in Armadale (Vic). The ladies there are just lovely, and the shop itself is divine! It has a very 'vintagey' feel, which I love. If you are around that area, it is definitely worth a look!

Anyway, whilst there, I did make a couple of purchases and wanted to share them with you, firstly, I had been wanting an excuse to buy some Babyjo goodies for a while, and finally I have one - a friend's new baby. Everything is made from the most deliciously soft and silky bamboo! I just adore it! You won't even believe how luscious it feels, and of course, being bamboo is perfect for delicate newborn skin, and even better for sensitive skin. Take a look



I also got a gorgeous little dress for Ivie (not that she needed any more - but I couldn't resist!). It is made by Brusselsprouts. I hadn't heard of them before - they're a mother and daughter team, and their stuff is lovely! I love the crocheted features :)

All way too pretty not to share, right?

Down to business...

Post 3 for the day - woah!

OK, so nappies. I know you are all eagerly waiting. I thank you all so much for your patience, and support!

The past few months have been beyond stressful! Moving, manufacturing, the supplier dramas and things not arriving! Plus all the usuals - kids, sewing etc etc. Nothing has gone smoothly, or as expected, of course.

I did say that we were on track for a late August stocking, but after the dramas regarding the waterproof fabric, we are behind *sigh*. It should happen in the next couple of weeks though!

And as for the manufactured nappies, we have also had a few *issues*, and therefore these will be arriving later than expected. I'm hoping for late September to Early October. I have everything crossed!

I will be so glad when everything starts running smoothly - I am confident that there will come a day! It feels like I'm constantly getting nowhere at the moment, which is very frustrating! I am usually en extremely organised and punctual person, and for everything to feel so late and out of control... It's driving me insane!


While I'm here, I am going to show you the patterns that are being manufactured. There will be lots of these to go around

I'll be back to update when I have more information!

A quick one - my kids!

It's been a while since I posted anything about my little darlings! I just can't resist showing a few new photos. Time just whirs by!

Ivie (my little baby) is now 16 months old! She started walking about a month ago, and I just love seeing her toddle around.

Nicholas (who is 3, going on 30!) adores his little sister (most of the time)! He is so sweet, and there is nothing cuter than seeing him hold her hand, cuddle, or kiss her.

And finally, one of 'my boys'. Aren't they lovely? Nicholas has a bit of a thing for band-aids at the moment, so that's what's on his chin...

I just have to mention Steve (my darling husband) this time aswell. I know I don't talk about him much, but I need to tell you how great he is. He deserves an award! Can you believe he sews and makes hair clips?! What an awesome man (though he would kill me if he knew I told you that!). Hehehe.

An Ordinary Life... A worthy humanitarian cause

I have recently been made aware of a project, of an amazing woman, Cate Bolt. Her website is titled 'An ordinary life', though it's anything but (ordinary, that is). I have been so inspired by what Cate and her family are doing, so I wanted to share this.

Cate is a mother of 9 from Queensland who is working toward a special project. Here is a little about the project (from Cate's website):



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.

FUNDING FOR THE PROJECT

We are counting on the kindness and generosity of the greater community to raise a large percentage of the money required for this ambitious project. I have also started a program which will be continued by the house mothers in the village to raise a residual income to maintain the program – this is recycling unused/unwanted clothing and fabric items and making them into saleable fashion and homeware items, such as bags, placemats, quilts, aprons, pillow covers etc. We are also making wedding items from donated wedding dresses (including my own). I should have enough stock made up for a decent stall at the Eumundi Markets by summer (hopefully mid-late October) continuing indefinitely.

Other than that I have committed all the profits from my art & photography sales, and my husband and I have committed to donating 50% of the profits from our small online business also. Long term we plan to start a sponsorship program – as the major foreign aid agencies do.

We will be setting up an affiliates page on the website in the coming weeks, if you click on these links and make a purchase a percentage of your purchase will go to the IO&WR project.

Look out for charity events in 2010!



Amazing people, right? I have been touched by Cate and her family's generosity, and have just sent a box of bits that I don't need up to hopefully help with the project. Cate doesn't ask for monetary donations. The address for donations is also on the website.

Amazing. I am so glad to know that there are people out there who are so willing to give unto others. It takes a very special person to do what Cate is doing, and I hope that she gets all the support that she needs. Good Luck Cate!