Introducing Amanda

Hi there! My name is Amanda and I am the newest member of the My Sweet Prints team! Janette has brought me on board to take care of the social media side of things for My Sweet Prints. That means I'll be on Facebook and Twitter and will be blogging here on the My Sweet Prints blog! I have been working behind the scenes for a couple of months now, and thought it was time I introduced myself!

Janette and I actually went to the same primary school and our Mothers worked together when we were younger. We reconnected in recent years when we both attended an ABCD Meet-up! It's such a small world!

I have studied a variety of areas of design including interior design, jewellery design, textile design and more and am a qualified Graphic Designer. I have been blogging since 2009 in various forms in the areas of design, lifestyle and wedding. Just 2 days ago a relaunched my own design and lifestyle blog Kaleidoscope which is the place for creative inspiration, DIY tutorials and exploring the many facets of design. I'd love you to stop by! I love social media, especially Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. You can follow me on most social media as @AmandaFuller if you are interested.

My being a member of the My Sweet Prints team means that Janette has more time to be creative and run her business, while I take care of connecting her brand to all our lovely customers.

Feel free to say hello, and if there is anything you feel we can be doing better with our social media, please feel free to leave your suggestions!

Don't forget you can find My Sweet Prints in the following place: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest and of course keep coming back to the blog for your Interior Design inspiration!

New My Sweet Prints Designs

We are excited to share are newest designs with you today!

The first is a design Janette created for her son's room that is now available for everyone to own. We just know you are going to love the sweet sentiment and bright colours of this You Make Me Happy print!

Next is the La Bella Vita [The Beautiful Life] design. It is classic and beautiful and comes in four gorgeous colours!

This beautiful print was recently seen in the June 2013 Shop 'Til You Drop Magazine!

All the new designs can be purchased right now in the My Sweet Prints online store!

Classic Kids' Bedrooms

There has been a trend to create super modern, eclectic bedrooms for our kids over the last few years, which we love, but there is something so endearing about a room that is designed with a classic look that is timeless. It will also grow with your child. We have found some gorgeous example of classic bedrooms for the little people, that you might just want to steal some ideas from!

Aren't they adorable? 

You can add that classic look to your child's bedroom with one of our fabulous prints.

S is for Sophie Print | Reading Corner Print | Vintage Initial Print | Canvas World Map

[image sources from top: Classic Navy Boy's Room | Pink and Purple Princess Room | Twin Teddies Bedroom | Monochrome Classic Bedroom | Rustically Classic Bedroom | Red, White and Blue Classic Bedroom]

5 Beautiful Mother's Day Printables and Gift Ideas

Mother's Day is just around the corner. So to help you out in planning something special for your Mum, that fits into your busy schedule, we have gathered five of the prettiest and most unique Mother's Day printables from around the web. Simply, download, print and assemble for a sweet gift that will make any Mum smile.

Oh and they are a great way to help the Dads and Teens in our world be organised for Mum's special day too! You could just happen to leave this post open on your computer screen for hubby to find, or email the link to your teen for a not-so-subtle reminder!

MOTHER'S DAY SEED SAVER ENVELOPE PRINTABLE

This sweet and sentimental printable is perfect for the Mum with the green thumb! What a lovely way to say thank you, not only with the envelopes, but every time Mum sees the plants that came from those seeds she will remember how much you love her!

MOTHER'S DAY CARD AND RECIPE PRINTABLE

This beautifully designed printable Mother's Day card with added recipe on the back is a sweet gift for the Mum who loves to cook. The Berry Sauce recipe is an indulgent treat perfect for Mum's breakfast in bed!

MOTHER'S DAY CANDLE AND MATCHBOX PRINTABLES

Every Mother deserves a little time out to rest and relax. Simply wrap these beautiful printables around an exquisitely scented candle or two, add a covered matched bow and Mum is read for a long indulgent soak in the tub or quite time snuggled on the couch.

MOTHER'S DAY PRINTABLE CHILD INTERVIEW FOR MOTHERS AND GRANDMAS

This printable is such a sweet idea for Mothers and Grandmothers with young children. Print out the interview and ask the child the questions while recording their answers on the sheet. This could be a fun thing to do each year and see how the child's answers change as they grow. Perfect to do before hand and frame to give to Grandma!

MOTHER'S DAY HIGH TEA AND GIFT VOUCHER PRINTABLE

What Mum doesn't like High Tea? The gorgeously designed set which includes gift tag and gift voucher among all the high tea pretties is all you will need to add a little something special to your morning tea on Mother's Day. What makes it extra special in our book is that it uses the Australian spelling for Mum!!

We hope these finds has inspired even the most time-poor of us to be a little creative this mother's day and give Mum something special and truly heartfelt this Mother's Day.

[all images from linked sources]

Handmade Toys for Girls

Of course it's not only little boys who love handmade toys, but the little princesses in our lives love a carefully crafted toy just like those above. Websites like MadeIt are such a great resource for finding those special handmade treasures that your daughter, granddaughter, niece or goddaughter is sure to cherish for her whole childhood, and beyond. 

Quality handmade toys are the perfect tool for the imagination and the thing memories are made of.

Here are some of our favourite: Elephant Softie | Play Cottage | Little Red Ridinghoood Doll | Crochet Beauty Set | Wooden Flower Stackables

Our first family trip to Luna Park

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday we had a fantastic day at Luna Park, Sydney.

Glen's work organized a Family Fun Day with unlimited rides, catered food and drink all day.

The main height restriction for rides is 106cm and I think Will is 106.1cm tall right now, phew! So we took it in turns to take him on rides. I did the spider with him twice and the Wild Mouse roller coaster. (I was feeling pretty nervous and it was very shaky and a bit scary for me but Will just loved it and was so brave that it forced me to be braver!).

Glen took him on the dodgems and the huge slide in Coney Island. We went on the Ferris wheels all together including Lachie and that was lovely - gosh we live in the most beautiful city, and the weather was stunning.

It was a fantastic day and one we will be reminiscing about for a long time I'm sure.

What did you do on the weekend? Have you been to Sydney or Melbourne Luna park?

Have a great day,
Janette xx

Handmade Toys for Boys

There is something so special about handmade items. Handmade toys seem exceptionally special. Thinking back on my won childhood some of my dearest and most treasured toys were the ones made for me by my Mum and Grandmothers. 

While we may not all posses the skills to hand make toys for our children, the boom in handmade businesses means that there is a plethora of choice out there for quality handmade toys!

We scanned one of our favourite handmade websites MadeIt and found these fabulous handmade toys for boys! There's a little something for every age and taste. 

AlieM | School Of Fish | Toy Solider | Superhero T-Shirt Set | Wooden Cars

We'll be back soon with Handmade toys for girls, so stay tuned.

Happy Easter from me and my bunnies :)

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to wish you a safe and wonderful easter!

I hope you have a lovely break with family and friends. Here are my little 'bunnies' wishing you a Happy Easter.

I found this very sweet easter poem I wanted to share with you:

Easter Is The Gift...

Easter is the gift of HOPE
Easter is the gift of PEACE
Easter is the gift of LOVE
Let us rejoice in Him,
Who gives them all.

May God bless you at Easter,
And keep you all year through.
May God give you all the faith it takes,
To make your dreams come true.
May His love and wisdom always help,
To guide you on your way.
May His light shine down upon you now,
To bless your Easter Day.

Author Unknown 

Have a great one,
Janette xx

Lachie's allergy friendly, rainbow birthday party

 

We celebrated my gorgeous little man's first birthday on Saturday and it was such an amazing day!

I decided on a rainbow theme to match his bedroom theme.

 

 I really wanted to make sure that all of the food was safe for Lachie, so that I could relax and not have to worry about his allergies.

So the food had no wheat, egg, dairy, soy, potatos, nuts, seafood/fish.

We had rainbow jelly cups, chocolate crackles using safe rice bubbles, honey joys using safe corn flakes and nutelex butter. Popcorn without butter, home made marshmallows. Corn chips and salsa, rice crakers and veggie sticks with hummus, sushi platter and lots of fruit including rainbow fruit kebabs.

 I really enjoyed decorating. I made the tassel garlands and bought the dotty garland from www.downthatlittlelane.com.au.

 My mum made the cupcakes with all the safe ingredients and then I decorated them with the white icing and rainbow strap lollies.

 Our very talented friend Oli made the AMAZING cake, she made it so it was all safe (except for the top decorations as the store bought fondant contains soy). It was so yummy and when we cut into it it had rainbow layers inside!

Here we are cutting the cake, Lachie was a bit overwhelmed I think :)

 I set up a craft station for the kids to make rainbow cloud mobiles which they loved.

 We played pass the parcel, did bubble blowing and had a mini jumping castle.

I think everyone had lots of fun, it was such a special day to celebrate our little boy. I can't believe my bubba is one now!!!

I can't believe I have Will's birthday to organise in a months time - Ahhhhh... give me strength! :)

Have a great day,
Janette xx