Ninja Bake 2013

I have been busy today celebrating my birthday, but it has also been an exciting day due to the fact that I took part in The Sisterhood's Ninja Bake 2013.

I was assigned a few people to bake for, and also ninja-ed some others that I knew could use a pick me up. Friends with sick children and a couple with a pre-schooler and new baby were left a package, as well as people who I have never met before and know nothing about apart from their name.



My packages included Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Filling, my brownie, and Rapberry Slice.



I wasn't seen by any of the recipients and it was so much fun giving to others on a day I would usually be stuffing myself with cake! Although I did go out for lunch and have cake anyway.

When I got home, I discovered I had been ninja-ed myself!



A great day, spreading the love and the message of The Sisterhood. It felt great to be on the receiving end too! I hope my packages put a smile on someone's face today.

Sorting out my Spices

I know I said I would focus on my Laundry first for the Spring Declutter, but the weather outside is not very pleasant and my Tupperware order arrived today. Therefore, I decided to makeover and clean out the herbs and spices area of my pantry.

Now, I am the first to admit I am a Tupperware-holic, and the majority of my pantry looks like this:



However, my spices are looked like this:



Not too bad, but the dark containers were hard to see into and they end up being put back in the wrong places. Armed with my new Modular Mates Spice Set Small, I got to work.



Some of my spices were over three years old and in cellophane packets, so those got chucked out immediately. I also had multiple packets and containers for some of my spices!



I found a whole lot of spices lurking under my shelves as well.



It was so nice to get everything sorted and put into the Modular Mates. I also wiped down all my pantry shelves and checked expiration dates in my fridge, pantry, and medicine cabinet as part of my Pinterest Resolutions Spring Cleaning Challenge.



Now I can see which spice is what, how much of each spice I have, and everything stacks together nicely! All of my Masterfoods spices come in containers that have a sealed top, so I left them as is but put them all in one of the racks to keep them together.



A small area to clean, but it has made a big difference.



I hope you will join us for the Spring Declutter- there is even a chance to win a Modular Mates Pantry Starter Kit! (And if you are wondering why on earth I would like to be in the draw to win the Tupperware when I already have lots, my sister is getting married soon and it would be the perfect wedding gift for her.)

Please note- I am not, nor have I ever been, a Tupperware Demonstrator. I paid full price for these items and it was just coincidence that they were delivered when I was inspired to declutter!

Time for a Spring Declutter!

Spring is in the air, and it is definitely time for a thorough cleaning!

You may remember that one of my Pinterest Resolutions was to get my house spring cleaned. Motivation has been missing at my house lately due to flu, and so when I saw Simoney's blog post about the Spring Declutter it was the push I had been waiting for.

 

So, starting next week I will be sharing each area of my house with Before and After photos (eep!) and doing a thorough spring clean and declutter. First up will be the laundry- with multiple broken washing baskets, overflowing linen cupboards and a plethora of cleaning products, this will be a great area to get sorted.



I do hope you will join us as we get our homes ready for Spring! There is even a fantastic Tupperware prize pack up for grabs.

Kiwi Kids Book Club

I am very excited to be able to introduce The Kiwi Kids Book Club to you!



I have been working on this concept for a while, and wasn't sure if anyone would join, but I am trialling this for three months starting first November.

Sign up to receive between 3-5 books every month for a set payment of $60 for a three month period. Books are delivered straight to your door- a great idea to stockpile for Christmas or birthdays! Each kit has a specific theme targeted to children 1-5.

What kind of things can you expect to see in the kit? Here is a sneak preview of the 3 year old package for November. The theme is Fairy Tales. December's theme is Christmas, and January's theme is Summer.



Once you have filled out the form, I will be in touch with you. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. If you are not in New Zealand but would still like to participate, please leave me a comment and I will add you to the programme.

Fill out my form!

Pink Pickup

I am on a roll today creating cards for Sketch challenges. The latest Fusion challenge is out-



I was really inspired by the silver, black and pink colours in the picture, as well as the truck and presents. The circle shapes of the wheels also popped out at me. I used the sketch as well and this is what I came up with:



I am really happy with the end result, and it is perfect for my sister's birthday coming up!

Supplies used:
Close To My Heart: Cotton Candy ink, Black ink, White Daisy cardstock.
Creative Memories: Platinum Shimmer cardstock, Black cardstock, Mini Square Maker.
Imaginisce: Black and White Patterned Paper.
Miscellaneous: Pink Buttons.
Stampin' Up: Loads of Love stamp set, Up In The Air stamp set, Every Little Bit stamp set, Silver Glitter Paper.
We R Memory Keepers: 12x12 Textured Cardstock- Light Pink.

Summer Lovin'

After having the flu for the last few days, I am more than ready for Summer to make an appearance! I am trying to catch up on housework, but I need to catch up on my scrapbooking too so guess which won out in the end?

I am entering this layout in The Memory nest scrapbook challenge.



My son loves playing in his Granddad's pool, and these photos of them playing together are too sweet not to scrap. I took the blue of the water plus the yellow of the ball to incorporate into the layout, and added a photo grid.



The geometric pattern on the blue paper reminded me of the way sun reflects on the surface of the pool. The border at the bottom finished off my layout, and was inspired by the challenge picture.

I can't wait to get in the pool again!

Supplies used:
Creative Memories: Seasons Paper, Cheerful Tone-On-Tone Paper, Simply Beautiful Summer Stickers, Baby Boy Die Cuts, Border Maker with Wave Cartridge.
Echo Park: Splash SP15013 JOURNALING.

Book Exchange

Both of my children love reading books- our bedtime routine always consists of a story whilst cuddled up in bed with Big Ted and Gus.



So I've just joined a friend in an around the world book exchange.

I need 6 mums / dads who are keen to participate. You'll need to be prepared to buy one children's book to post to another kid. At the end your child will (if no-one drops out) receive 36 books in the post. The idea is that each person buys one book to post to another child, then involves 6 other mums or dads (or mums / dads to be).. It basically uses the chain letter system - but everyone actually gets something out of it. Finally, a useful purpose for that awful idea!

Another great idea is to order directly from a web-based book service like The Book Depository, saving you a trip to the Post Office and Book Store.

I do need six people to participate- so this is my call out to see who would be interested. If you would like your child to receive lots of books in the mail, please leave a comment and I will be in touch.

Plus, keep a lookout for an awesome book-themed blog post in a couple of days- I am really thrilled to be a part of something new and exciting and cannot wait to share it with you.