Absolutely in Love with the Lillébaby Carrier

I wanted to share how much I love my new baby carrier.  My son is now 7 months (I still can't believe it; I feel like it was just yesterday I was announcing his birth) and because we have been travelling I have been using the Lillébaby carrier daily with him.

I shopped around quite a bit for a carrier.  I was looking for a carrier that would allow me to carry him facing me and facing outward so he can see what we see, and something that has breathable material for hot climates.  I chose the Lillébaby Airflow carrier and here is why.

Via Fab Baby Gear

Not only did this carrier meet my list of requirements, I can also carry my son on my back or hip, it has a hood that allows me to cover his head from the sun while he is sleeping and it is comfortable.  I like the fact that the weight is balanced between my upper and lower back.  Plus it is very easy to switch from the position of facing me and that of facing out.  When my son is due for a nap I carry him facing me and when he wakes up, I take him out, switch things around and put him facing out.  He loves the carrier as he sits very comfortably in it.  I definitely recommend trying it out if you are looking for a carrier, especially if you are looking for one good for warm climates.  The 3D breathable mesh allows great airflow so we both don't get overly hot.  Even my husband and my mom loved carrying my son in it.

Via Amazon.com

I just wish I bought two so that we could carry our two year old son in one too.

Another year, another Christmas gift for our child's caregiver

Another year has gone by and I had to find a Christmas gift to say thank you to my eldest son's weekday caregiver. I'm so pleased with how her gift turned out. I ordered this calendar from Pinhole Press. I've raved about Pinhole Press in the past here. They really have unique and great quality products.

Acrylic framed photo calendar via Pinhole Press

I love that it took me just minutes to make this calendar (just upload 12 photos and slot one in for every month), that it was so affordable ($24.99 - the 25% discount they were offering), that it's a colourful simple design and that it is so child friendly in the acrylic case/frame (which comes ready to hang! Perfect!).

Our gift to our son's caregiver

We used photos of our son playing with all the kids at his daycare which my husband took throughout the year and so it will be a nice keepsake for her and fun for the children to see a new photo of themselves every month throughout the year.  It will be wrapped up with our holiday card and a gift certificate to a nearby restaurant and there you have it!

I can't say enough about Pinhole Press's quality and assortment. If you still have someone on your list to buy for, head on over and check out their gift guides!

You can check out what we gave my son's caregiver last year here and here.

Gag Gift - Stocking Stuffer

I had so much fun today looking through a bunch of Propaganda mugs (click here to see).  They made me laugh and I couldn't help but purchase this one.

Mr. P Lick - Via Propaganda

At first I thought it was dirty but then my cousin pointed out that it's a fake stain.  I laughed so much!  My husband had the same grossed out reaction when he saw it and then realized what it was and laughed as well. I can't wait to use it in the morning and start my day laughing at how silly it is (the little things that make our day!).

Propaganda is a Danish company.  They have a large collection of silly mugs and other fun items.  Click here for their website.

I found some of their mugs on Amazon.com and Kookik.com.

Mr. P Kiss - Via Amazon.com

Mr. P Thai Massage - Via Amazon.com

Guess What - Via Kookik.com

Mr. P Valentine - Via Kookik.com

Mr. P Boomerang - Via Kookik.com

These make a great gift that will put a smile on anyone's face every morning! Great way to start the day.

Another Great Gift Idea for a Two Year Old

As most parents do, I take a TON of pictures of my kids.  My oldest just went through a stage where he didn't like looking at the camera.  Most of his picture are of his head!  But recently, he is starting to like to pose and say cheese.  What's even more interesting is that he loves taking the photos.  I often find several photos taken by him on my iPhone.  They are usually of feet or the table, but once in a while I will actually get one of someone's face...haha!

For Christmas, my brother and sister-in-law bought him a Fisher Price Kid-Tough Digital Camera.  He has been having so much fun with it.  At first, he didn't really know how to use it because he was used to the phone, but now he goes around saying cheese to all of us and he even takes pictures of the view from our hotel room where we are vacationing.  The great part is that I don't worry when he drops it.  Plus he loves scanning through the photos he has taken and he makes sure to show us the picture he took of us.

Via Fisher Price

He leaves his camera along the window ready for picture taking the next day!

This was definitely a great gift idea for my almost two year old.

My latest fabulous & free find!

I'm finally getting around to decorating our newly painted and therefore, very naked walls...I've had some pieces ready to go up for some time now but there are still some spaces left to fill...Enter The Handmade Home's free download and I could not be happier as there's a perfect spot in our "nursery nook" for these. Just download here, print on quality/thick paper and hang with mini clothe pins on the wall. A-d-o-r-a-b-l-e!

Free printable via The Handmade Home

Free printable via The Handmade Home

They also have numbers!

Free printable via The Handmade Home

Follow Yolanda's advice from her latest post and package these in colourful tissue in a pretty box, add a bow and you've got yourself a sweet and very inexpensive gift!

West Elm is in town!

I had to share a little secret I discovered late last summer...West Elm is now in Montreal! I call it my secret because it does not seem that many people are aware that they opened their first store in the province this year.

Montreal store via West Elm

I went by a while back and I am crazy for their collection...Some of their larger furniture pieces are a little too traditional for me but I love their mix of modern, clean & sleek accessories with their twist of ethnic & organic pieces. There is so much to fall in love with!

I thought I would post my top 5 West Elm gifts for the holidays as well as my top 5 favourite West Elm pieces for the home on my wish list this year!


TOP 5 GIFTS

GIFT FOR HER: Mosaic triangles jewelry box via West Elm

GIFT FOR HIM: Moscow mule copper mug via West Elm

HOSTESS GIFT: Diffuser via West Elm

GIFT FOR THE JET SETTER: Travel Kit via West Elm

HOUSE WARMING GIFT: Modernist bowls via West Elm

MY TOP 5 FAVOURITE PIECES:

Chevron tile wall mirror via West Elm

Onyx flatware via West Elm

Various gallery frames via West Elm

Carved wood coffee table via West Elm

Souk wool rug via West Elm

You should definitely drop by and have a look! The staff is super friendly and the vybe is so laid back!

Home Sense - Storage Boxes as Gift Boxes

As you know, I LOVE Home Sense.  I love the variety, especially when I shop for my home.  I used to hesitate, however, when buying gifts from there because almost nothing comes with a box.  If I did buy a gift it would never include anything breakable.  I used a basket from Home Sense to put all the items in.  The package looked great all wrapped up in cellophane and tied with a nice bow.

But recently, I'm all about the boxes.  It seems like lately Home Sense is carrying more storage boxes and I've started to use them when giving a gift that is breakable.

The other day I had two house warming visits and placed the items in a storage box and made it into a gift box.

The bonus is that the box is also part of the gift as it can be used for storage purposes. I chose the colours of the boxes to suit the colours of the home I was visiting.

Since I am talking about Home Sense, I thought I would share that they have a Holiday site.  Click here to check out great ideas for gifts, decor, gift wrapping and much more.

DIY Paper air balloon mobile

I wanted to create something special to place over the change table to keep baby busy while being changed. I came upon quite a few mobile ideas on Pinterest and chose to make something myself. I had been into air balloons, elephants and stars while planning for this baby and so air balloons it was!

My DIY air balloon mobile

There are so many tutorials online...You can follow this one from Simply Frugal.  I followed a few and worked with a free air balloon template I found using Google. I used paper from a pad of cute scrapbook pages in various prints (something like this) and some wood dowels in the craft aisle at Walmart and voila! Not sure how long a paper product will last in our house but it's definitely a cute inexpensive addition to the space.

I used a small clear 3M Command hook to hang the mobile from the ceiling. I love these as they can easily be removed without any damage to your walls. Amazing!

3M Command Hooks via Walmart

This would make a sweet gift to give at a baby shower or to gift over the holidays.

DIY Dinosaur tails and dino party!

My beautiful boy turned 3 and a dino party it had to be!

We kept it small at his daycare but he had a lot of fun! I made the dino tails I mentioned in a previous post and they were a definite hit!  You can find the tutorial by Jessica from the Running with Scissors blog here.

My DIY dino tails

The kids each put on their dino tail and we proceeded to have a little dino dance party! Love that my hubby got it on video for him to see when he gets older!

Ready for a dino party!

Every day fun with his dino tail!

I also made the kids dino cupcakes and dino treat bags but of course forgot to take pics of both...

Simple and sweet!

These dinosaur tails would make a great Christmas gift for any young child! The parents of the other children at the daycare thought I bought them! Everyone will be surprised when you tell them you made it yourself!

DIY dog bed cover!

Our dog beds are getting old and used up...I shopped around online and found modern dog beds that actually match our decor but are a little pricey for my liking. Then I saw this pic below and thought I can do that! It's pretty much just a pair of extra big pillows!

Dog bed inspiration pic via it's my visual life!

I had a few minutes Saturday afternoon while my husband and eldest were out and baby was sleeping...I whipped out some grey fabric that I had been hoarding for a while :)...perfect for a dog bed as the weave is very tight which makes for a nice durable and pet-friendly fabric!

Star sleeping on his new bed

Star on his new bed

Mookie enjoying his bed

Mookie on his new bed

It literally took me less than 10 minutes per bed cover! I just made a very simple giant envelope type pillow case. Follow this tutorial if need be and just adjust to dimensions wanted for dog bed. Mine was approx. 3ft by 2.5ft.

Easy pillow case tutorial via Decorating Vacation Property for Profit

Last but not least I just stuffed them with the old dog beds! Not bad for 20 minutes of my day and no $$$!

The beds fit perfectly on either side of the sideboard.  Now onto the next item on my list...finding an extra large (affordable) mirror to go over our sideboard...

This DIY would be so easy and inexpensive to do in a fun print or plushy fabric to revamp an old pet bed as a Christmas gift for your favourite furry friend!

Bose SoundLink Mini Bluetooth Speaker: Best.Gift.Ever.

My husband is the ultimate music lover. He lives, breathes and works with music. I wanted to find a portable speaker he could play music on from his Iphone/Ipad/Laptop/Computer using bluetooth technology (no wires!) for his birthday. I did my research and chose the Bose Mini Speaker and have to say it is AMAZING. The sound is fantastic quality, it's very compact to travel with, it comes with a sleek charging base and it can connect via bluetooth to all your gadgets!

Bose SoundLink Mini Bluetooth Speaker via Best Buy

Aside from using it in his office while working, we also use it in our main living space, we also carry it onto the back deck with us or even up to the bathroom to play music while giving our son a bath. The other day I was watching a movie on my laptop and the max volume was too low...with one click I connected to the speaker and had loud clear volume...It really is fantastic and quite affordable. This would make a great Christmas gift for any music lover, young or old!

Bose SoundLink Mini Bluetooth Speaker via Best Buy

Bose SoundLink Mini Bluetooth Speaker via Best Buy

Our baby boy has arrived!

Hello! It has been way too long! My last post was mid August and I have not seen these past months fly by! We welcomed our brand new baby boy at the end of September and have been swept up in newborn world!

Thankfully our eldest is in love with his baby brother and so it has been a fairly smooth transition. However there's really been no time for blogging...as any new parent knows, just fitting in a daily shower is a challenge the first few weeks months! However I do miss it and have lots to catch up on and share! So many posts to come very soon!

I couldn't help posting this picture of his little foot! Babies feet are the best no? :)

A Celebration Gift

A few weeks ago we celebrated with a friend who got married this past weekend.  He and his fiance are combining two households.  They do not have a wedding list and are having a very small wedding.  We took him out to dinner and as a gift we gave him a bottle of Veuve Clicquot.

Via LCBO

Simple yet perfect!

They can enjoy their bottle just the two of them when the hectic times of the wedding planning are over.  A perfect celebratory gift.  My husband and I got a very nice bottle on our wedding as well from a friend of my father's and we shared it with my family on our first anniversary.  It was a special time.

So when you don't know what to buy a friend or a colleague when they are celebrating a special occasion, why not some bubbly!

Best Early Christmas Gift for my Almost Two Year Old

If you have a two year old kid in your life, you know that they absolutely love pretend play.  Actually our son has loved pretend play for a while now and some of his favourite toys are anything that has to do with the kitchen.  Back in the summer we bought him a kitchen from Ikea and he plays with it all the time.  We love it because it is compact.

Via Ikea

As an early Christmas gift he received this amazing pretend play food set by Learning Resources.  

Via Amazon.com

I found it online at Amazon.com but I know it can also be found sometimes at Costco in store.  It kept my son and his friends really busy.  They would take the items out of the baskets and put them back in; then they would make the food; then they would carry the food in the baskets from one end of the room to the other; and finally they would keep busy asking me the names of the items and repeating them after me.  We spent quite some time playing with the toy, so it is now on top of my list of perfect gifts for a two year old.  It is very hard to keep them interested in one toy at that age, but this one succeeded.

Thank you Kyko and family!!!