Nanny Kate Design

Half way with FatMumSlim

2012-02-18T21:33:00.000-08:00

Things have been rather quiet here on the Nanny Kate blog, but not so at the Nanny Kate house.

I have been very busy creating new things for you to all enjoy and have had fun making new friends over at my facebook page. (if you haven't already, come over and join in the fun)

But on the other hand, this month has seen me participate in a fun and fabby photo challenge, over at the wonderful blog Fat Mum Slim
Beginning on February 1st, the very gorgeous, and "real" Chantelle encouraged her readers to participate in the February Photo a Day Challenge.
So far, (as a fellow blogger of mine said), life got in the way, which meant that I have missed a few days of the challenge. So I need to play catch-up and thought I would share them with you here.

Leave me a comment and let me know if you are playing along with FatMumSlim too, I would love to see you photos!

x manda

Here is the challenge list

1. my view today ( a cuppa with my baby girl)

2. words (my little one's handwriting, makes me go squishy)

3. hands (my little one's hands)

4. a stranger (didn't have the courage to whip out the phone at the cafe,
so here is a drawing my big one did)

5. 10am (the backyard at 10am)

6. dinner (well, what my little one selected for her dinner)

7. button (the Nanny Kate dolly with her button clippy)

8. sun

9. front door (the entrance to Nanny Kate HQ)

10. self portrait (me)

11. makes you happy (my two monkeys xx)

12. inside your closet (a mess of beads, bangles and scarves)

13. blue (I absolutely ADORE this top by Gingham & Heels, must get myself one of these)

14. heart (this is what I gave to my monkeys on Valentines Day)

Australia Day

2012-01-26T18:55:00.000-08:00

Happy belated Australia Day to you all. Here in Australia it was a public holiday, so NK hubby was home, and with the kids we enjoyed a lazy day around the house, besides a little trip to our local cafe for an iced coffee for hubby and myself, and a little chocolate milkshake for the kids. Here in Sydney yesterday it was a very humid day, which continued into the early evening. But by around 7.30pm it was comfortable enough to sit out on the deck and share an Australia Day dinner together...with a twist.

You see, in the NK household we are a bit of a mixed bag, so to speak. I myself am born to an Aussie mum and Italian dad, and NK hubby was born in England, to Irish parents, who then emigrated to New Zealand when NK hubby was about one, and then arrived on Aussie shores when NK hubby was 16.
So in the spirit of having a household of "mixed bags", our Australia Day dinner consisted of lamb, a nod to the kiwi's, sausages, good ol' Aussie BBQ fare, roast spuds, for the Irish and a salad of tomatoes, basil (fresh from the NK garden, unfortunately we had eaten all our ripe tomatoes last week), and fresh mozarella (which we fondly call "monsterella" in our house), drizzled with some extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. And I threw in a baby spinach, pumpkin, fetta and pine nut salad, with a lemon and olive oil dressing, just because we like it...yum.

I hope you all enjoyed your Australia Days. Let me know how you celebrated.
So that's it from here today. I am off to pack some bags for a little weekend getaway with my hubby.
x manda

A hunt, a find and the latest pickings...

2012-01-22T21:32:00.000-08:00

Good afternoon there ladies. I do hope you have all had a lovely weekend?

Nanny Kate headed back down the South Coast at the weekend, to help in a few more bits and pieces for the reno. Which consisted of NK hubby and NK dad, putting up a new ceiling in the downstairs bathroom...which involved lots of hammering, and NK and NK hubby shifting our bedroom around...which I was so very happy with the result, I wanted to stay another night (boo-hoo). And NK taking down the old curtains and curtain rail in said bedroom and putting up a new curtain rail (insert cranky sweaty NK here) and new lovely floaty white curtains...aaahhhh...(insert sigh of relief and big smile here)

Not only did I sweat a bit, I also put in a bit of treasure hunting at the local op shops. Now I must say, I absolutely love an op shop! And I have great difficultly going past one without poking my nose in to see what treasure awaits me. And it seems that the local op shops down there have a very good following, so much so, that there was really was very little in the way of treasures to be found :( But I didn't come away empty handed, I managed to find myself a little white rectangular dish, just what I was after for our bedroom down the coast, you know what I mean, a little dish to put all your bibs and bobs in, like your beads and bangles and bits. And I also found this, very stained and worn, but I have a bit of a "thing" for platters and bowls, so this one at $5 I just couldn't pass up.

And I also wanted to share something else with you that makes me smile..todays pickings from my garden. Not much but oh so colourful and pretty, not to mention tasty.

Thanks for visiting.
xx manda

Nanny Kate goes coastal

2012-01-07T19:09:00.000-08:00

Good afternoon my lovelies. Well the Nanny Kate abode has finally returned home after just over a week away down the South Coast of New South Wales to a gorgeous little hideaway, Culburra Beach.
We are lucky enough to have family holiday house down at Culburra Beach just 3 houses away from the beach.
This old 50's fibro has been in my family for 25 years now, and I have spent many a summer and winter down there, enjoying the beach and surrounding areas such as Berry, Gerroa and Gerringong.
Since I was young, I have loved nothing more than fossicking for natures treasures such as shells, rocks and driftwood. I used to, (and still do) this hunting with my mum, we actually enjoyed a lovely fossick down at the Crookhaven River yesterday looking for suitable piece of driftwood for our newly renovated upstairs bathroom at the beach house. Photos of what I plan to do with my driftwood will follow when I have completed my little project :) And now my daughter joins Nanny and I on our hunt for shells, but she is usually after ones with a hole through which she can thread a piece of ribbon so she can make herself and her friends a necklace. Too cute!

Anyway, I just wanted to share with you some photos I took while on my little coastal break. Please be kind and excuse my lack of photographic skills, they were all taken on my iphone...just point and click. But I remember a little tip that the lovely Sarah from A Beach Cottage gave her readers on taking pics on your iphone....don't zoom in, as you tend to lose detail. Since that day forth, this has been the law for me when clicking away on my iphone. Thanks Sarah ;)

the view from my deck chair

Culburra Beach

our feety-feet...note the lily white skin, obviously the start of our holiday ;)

looking back at the dunes

my beach babe

yes...yet again....Culburra Beach

making sandcastle with my baby girl makes me smile

beach babe kicking back on her deck chair..such a hard life ;)

a bit of coastal decorating. The print you see if by the lovely Emma of Chitter & Chatter

coastal christmas tree created by my mum.
Branches courtesy of Culburra beach track, Vintage glass baubles from Culburra Vinnies

a coastal decoration courtesy of Emma's (of Chitter and Chatter) mum and dad...also coastal dwellers

What a find! Mum and I had a mother/daughter day our in Berry and we came across this gorgeous shop...I may have even purchased myself a pair of earrings ;)

the facade of Roots & Wings Design of Berry. This was another great find on our little dally into Berry. The building was originally the blacksmiths shop. Very appealing to the metalsmith in me.

another pic of Root & Wings Design

Bales of hay make me smile, as does "the green" of the south coast

Thanks for stopping by, please leave me a comment..comments make me smile.

x manda

Craft swap...Part 2

2011-12-02T01:16:00.001-08:00

If you have arrived here and haven't yet read my previous post, Craft swap...Part 1, please scroll down and read that post first.
So...a few months back I signed up to do my very first craft swap, at a fabulous blog called Craftaholics Anonymous. It had been arranged by a lovely lady called Linda, she is based in the US and very kindly matched us all up with various people / Craftaholics worldwide. And what a fabulous job she did. Thank-you Linda. xx
I had a fabby swap buddy named Ros, another funky mama who loves to sew. Check out her fun blog here. And leave her a comment, trust me..she will LOVE you for it.
So here is what I made for Ros.

A tote bag and a zippered pouch, which fits in the tote bag. And these gorgeous patterns were from a lovely blog called Noodle-head, which was created by the talented Anna Graham. If you would like any of these patterns, and others, pop over and see Anna and her blog.

Well, that's it for tonight readers, must get back to the sewing machine, I hear it's sweet call.

xx manda

Craft swap...Part 1

2011-12-02T00:50:00.001-08:00

Yesterday...I heard the crunch of footsteps coming up my path....I raced to the front door...for I had been awaiting a special arrival....and there it was on my doorstep...the package from my Craftaholics Anonymous handmade gift swap buddy! And I actually squealed with delight when I saw it there, lying suggestively on my doorstep ;)
I raced back inside and ripped it open..to find the most beautiful handmade delights from my new found blog friend and funky mama, Ros.
And here they are. A gorgeous handbag with beautiful big button (vintage I think?, which is my absolute favourite kind of button!), a gorgeous Christmas apron, or pinny, as my mumma would have called it (can't wait to swoon around in this little number on Christmas day, it is sooo gorgeous!), and a very cute felt and button Christmas tree decoration, which is taking pride of place on my tree this year.

Thank you so much Ros. This was my first swap, and this has given me the desire to do more. You are a gorgeous funky mama with so much talent. xx

Please check out Ros' blog Sew Delicous, leave her a comment to let her know that you dropped by via Nanny Kate. Trust me, we bloggers absolutely squeal with delight when we get a new comment. Listen closely and you just might hear a funky mama squeal tonight.

xx manda

A little something for a rainy day

2011-11-24T16:14:00.000-08:00

Well we have had a little something for a sunny day...now here is a little something for a rainy day.
For the last few days here in Sydney the rain has been steadily coming down. I don't really want to rug up in winter style clothes, as let's face it, Christmas is just around the corner. So today I threw on a scarf and added a little brooch from Nanny Kate which has added a little sunshine to my rainy day.

x manda

A little something for a sunny day

2011-11-12T01:46:00.000-08:00

Here are some little sundresses that I have been working on here at Nanny Kate. And I must say, that I have enjoyed making these. Just selecting the fabrics is enough to bring me out in "the happy dance"

As you all know by now, I absolutely ADORE fabric! And the fabric prints for these dresses needed to be different to the fabric prints I may usually use, for say, my little dollies or the lining of my big and little sister bags, this fabric needed to suit a big dolly...a real life dolly...a little person!
So I ran these up...let me know what you think.

They are currently available in my made it store in sizes 1-2, 2-3 and 3-4
And are priced at $28 + postage.

frilly pant-a-wear

2011-09-29T16:44:00.000-07:00

Frills, frills, frills...now who doesn't love a pair of frilly knickers, or pant-a-wear as my little girl calls them! (too cute, not that I am biased or anything)
I have had so much fun making these beauties, it is actually really hard to stop thinking up all the combinations of fabric I could use. Such a great way to use those little treasured pieces of fabric up, that you just couldn't possibly part with, because they are just too gorgeous and one day surely you will find a use for them ;)
Enough of my day-dreaming / (dare I say) fantasising about fabric..mmmm
Onto the frilly pant-a-wear..these particular ones are all sized to fit the 12-18 months, but I will be making more in other smaller sizes, and am very happy to make to a particular colour combo and size requirement. Just message me if you want to order any of these, I am yet to put them up on my MadeIt site, but will get around to it. They are priced at $16 a pair or two for $30, plus postage.

xx manda

school holiday fun..and a bit of sanity

2011-09-26T23:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a little something which I did with my kids today. I found the idea on this blog.
When I saw this idea, I put it in my memory bank, and those of you that know me well, will know that my memory bank isn't always available for withdrawls ;) But today was the day I needed this one.
It is only day 2 of holidays here, and the kids were starting to climb the walls already, and therefore drive this mama around the bend! So I dipped into the memory bank and remembered this little nature palette which I saw a while ago.
All it takes is some cardboard, (my weetbix box came in handy here) a marker, some crayons or textas, and some double sided tape...just a few of the usual things a crafty mama has at her disposal.
Draw the outline of a painters palette on the cardboard, then mark some circles for the colours and write the name of a colour under each one. Then set the kids to work on colouring in the circles with the relevant colour (this is where the big ones that can read, can help the little ones who can't quite just yet), then when they have finished that, you can stick on some double sided tape into each now beautifully coloured-in circle...then put the kettle on...open the back doors and "set the monkeys free"
Where upon they will (hopefully) happily roam free in the garden/yard and pull leaves off plants, petals off your flowers and dig in the rocks to find the bits and pieces they need to complete their nature palette.

Give it a go...you might even get some time for a quiet cuppa ;)

before...

and after.

xx manda

Happy Anniversary

2011-09-25T20:12:00.000-07:00

Well, this isn't strictly a Nanny Kate thing, but I thought I would share it with you all anyway.
Last Wednesday was my 9th wedding anniversary, and this is the card I made for my much loved hubby.
I really enjoyed making this one, and I think he quite liked it too ;)
The products I used are from stampin' up, with the exception of the 2 light blue rub-ons. If you want to find out more about stampin' up and their gorgeous products go and see my friend and stampin' mama Juliette. She is a very talented and very lovely lady, she even has classes, where you can go along and make some cards or a project. Go on, treat yourself, you won't regret it..it is sooo much fun, and trust me, anyone can do it!

xx manda

Yummy chocolate truffles

2011-09-03T00:50:00.001-07:00

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend and are ready to take on Father's Day tomorrow (for those of you who are in Australia that is)

A couple of weekends ago I shared a lovely weekend away for 30 or so other stampin' mamas in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales. And it was all organised by a gorgeous lady who is beautiful both inside and out..Marelle Taylor (find her blog here)
And on that weekend away we were all asked to bring a little something to share for morning / afternoon tea. I decided to bring some yummy choccies truffles. Now this recipe was given to me by my very dear friend Mel, a truly inspirational woman.

Now Mel assured me, as I will assure you, that they are so very easy to make...and very hard to stop eating!

Here is the recipe:

300g Oreo cookies
250g block of cream cheese
dark or milk chocolate (for dipping)
white chocolate (for drizzling)

-chuck the cookies in the food processor and whiz until finely crushed.
-chuck in the cream cheese and whiz again, until it is all nicely squished together.
-roll mixture into whatever size balls you like (I like to do mine slightly larger than the size of a macadamia nut, but it is totally up to you)
-then I put them on a tray and throw them in the fridge for about an hour.
-then you can use a toothpick if you like for this step, dip them into the melted chocolate.
-if it takes your fancy, you can drizzled some white chocolate over them (I like to do this, because it hides any choccie dipping boo-boo's and makes them look pretty!)

Have fun making these yummy treats...maybe even some for dad tomorrow? If he is lucky enough.

x manda

A rose for a rose

2011-08-16T20:40:00.000-07:00

Just a quick one to share with you all today. I wanted to liven up a little denim pinafore I bought for my daughter and thought I would try my hand at making fabric rolled roses...and I must say they were so very simple to make, and a good reason to save those little strips of fabric offcuts, not like I need an excuse though ;) And I love how there are all the little raggy bits show up too, it gives it a fun, casual feel. Oh, and of course, I had to make her a matching hairclip! Which she refused to model for me so I could take a photo. Those of you that know my little girl, know that she is strong willed and won't change her mind until she wants to, so sorry, no photos of the little one with the golden curls today.

What do you think? Have any of you out there made these little beauties before? Any tips or tricks?
Would love to hear from you all, please share what you have been up to in the crafting room lately.

x manda

made it..

2011-08-05T03:04:00.000-07:00

...the online store that is.

Today was the day that I took the dive and finally set-up my madeit.com.au store.
It has been ages since I have meant to get my backside into gear and list some things on made it.
Please check my store out, look around and see if there is anything you would like to take-away with you!
This is the link www.madeit.com.au/NannyKate

Before and after

2011-08-02T02:39:00.000-07:00

Hi there everyone! Well we have been blessed with another beautiful day here in Sydney. The sun was shining and the washing was drying.
Today I thought I would share with you the before and after pics of my desk. Where all Nanny Kate products are made. My lovely hubby designed and made the fabby set of shelves over my desk. Which helped me get all the 'stuff' off the floor under my desk.
As you can see by the photos, I have A LOT of stuff that goes into creating all the things I love to make.
And the photo doesn't show the cupboard full of fabric and felt that also makes up my supplies for creating.
So now I have a more workable space. A place where I can create my work and have all the bits and pieces I need within easy reach.
Thanks gorgeous hubby!

I would love to see your workspaces. Please leave me a comment and a photo of your workspace and one lucky winner will receive a Nanny Kate prize!

x manda

Getting ready

2011-07-10T03:51:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of clips that will be coming with me on the journey to the market in Glenbrook on Saturday 16th July.
I am returning to Glenbrook after a four month break, and I must say, that I am looking forward to going back there. Not the freezing cold early morning start mind you, but the experience of the day. The natter that Emma and I have, she is my market buddy, she is the designer/maker behind Chitter & Chatter, and seeing our "regulars", the people that come and visit us every market, whether it be to pick up something new from us, or just to pop by and say hello. Both Emma and I love these little interactions and look forward to them each and every time.
I am looking forward to seeing you all up in the beautiful Blue Mountains on Saturday, don't forget to drop in and say hello. Any of you who stop by and let me know that you follow me on my blog will receive a free little gift!

Felt necklaces at Purely4Kids

2011-07-04T23:10:00.000-07:00

Here we are inside on a very windy, wintery Sydney day. As my mum says, "it's a good washing day"...but that is about all the kids and I can manage to do today outside.

It really is a day for staying in, and maybe doing a bit of blogging, playing with play-doh, colouring-in, baking, and maybe even some buying from the latest great kids website, Purely4Kids

Today I wanted to share with you these felt necklaces that I have for sale over at Purely4Kids, a website that is supporting local Australian designers and makers, and providing fabulous products "for babies, teens & in-betweens"
Please follow the link I have provided and see what this fabulous new website has to offer. There are a whole range of beautiful products to peruse, not just Nanny Kate.

xx manda

Edie and Marty

2011-07-03T00:20:00.000-07:00

Meet the latest additions to the Nanny Kate family, finger puppets 'Edie the Elephant' and 'Marty the Monkey'. And no, I haven't forgotten to add an extra 'd' in Edie. She is a...well...a 'she', and has been named after my best friends little girl Edie.
Ever since the day this little girl arrived into the world, (a whole 13 days before my boy Jack), I have fallen in love with the name, and also this very wonderful little girl. She is such a gorgeous girl who is stacks of fun, and we are looking forward to catching up with her and her yummy mummy during these school holidays.
You see, before Jack and Edie started school they were pretty much inseparable, we spent on average one day a week together the four of us, the kids and us two mums. We shared endless cups of tea, coffee, and juice, many cupcakes and bikkies, and all sorts of other mischief.
Hope you all enjoy the school holidays and find some time to catch up with the people you love the most but maybe haven't had much of a chance to spend time with in the last few months.

xx manda

Dollies

2011-06-20T03:37:00.000-07:00

I thought that today I would share with you some of the latest additions to the Nanny Kate family that are now in the hot little hands of the lovely ladies over at Purely4Kids
Please go and check out this fabby new website that 3 very lovely and very funky mamas have put together. I am sure you will find something that tickles your fancy.

xx manda

More clouds

2011-06-18T02:44:00.000-07:00

I promised these a while back, and here they are. Some more clouds, these ones have little coloured satin ribbons coming from them, and I must say, I quite like them. What do you think?
The first image is of brooches, and the second is of a hair-clip, which after the photo, my daughter didn't want to take out of her hair...It has 'little one' approval, that must be a good thing.

xx manda

A cloudy day

2011-05-21T05:16:00.000-07:00

These are the latest creations for Nanny Kate. They are the first two, so stay tuned for the following clouds...

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

manda

Anyone for a cuppa?

2011-05-15T03:38:00.000-07:00

Hello there, I hope you have all been having a lovely weekend. Today saw us celebrating our daughters 3rd birthday, with a party at home. It was an all girl occasion, except for daddy and big brother, who were both a great help, particularly big brother who was in charge of "Oli's Lollies", a little lolly shop we set-up so that the guests could make a selection of their favourites to go into their lolly bags, which our son then got to spoon into the lolly-pink lolly bags. Needless to say, he relished his role and was fantastic at it too. (Thanks buddy...you really are a "super-dooper-helper-trooper")

I thought I would share one of my favourites with you today. These little ones are called "tea-for-two"..they come as two fun tea bags and two yummy bikkies. I have lots of fun doing these, even though they are very time consuming, (every little hundred and thousand is hand sewn on) but I still love the look on peoples faces at my market stall when they see them, it makes all the hand stitching worthwhile! Enjoy!

Take-away treats...

2011-04-06T02:30:00.000-07:00

that is the title of these little lovelies. Take-away treats of a healthy kind that is.
They are just another little addition to the felt playfood I have been making.
I must say, I absolutely love making the apples, they just look super yummy!
And they are a lot of fun to make.
I sell them in a set of one apple (colour of your choice), two small strawberries, and one carrot, topped off in a little take-away container. Hopefully it might encourage your little one to desire more healthy treats...well a mum can dream can't she?

Feel free to email me if you are interested in purchasing a container of
"take-away treats"

xx manda

This one is for you Ailsa...and all the others!

2011-04-04T21:51:00.000-07:00

Hello Ailsa and everybody else that has been missing me! Firstly I must apologise for my total lack of blogging in well... too many months to mention really :(

Life in "Nanny Kate and family land" has been pretty busy and also very fun. To be honest, I have been enjoying life so very much lately, that Nanny Kate Design has fallen by the wayside a bit. But as always, I have been creating lots of different things, just not necessarily Nanny Kate things. Card making has taken my world by storm,(am thinking I should actually start a bit of a side blog with all my other creations? Let me know what you think. xx)

And my lovely group of friends, both school and pre-school mums have become a constant source of laughter, support and love. Love you girls! XXX. Actually...the school mums and I are heading out tonight for a ladies/sassy mums dinner tonight, and I know that each and everyone of us is looking forward to it greatly. And then this Saturday night sees me hosting a "ladies night" at my place for my pre-school friends, another group of yummy mummies. They are such a lovely group of ladies all of whome I love very much. We have such a fun time sharing with each other, whether it be a favourite recipe, a walk, a zumba class or just a chuckle, we love spending time together.

And just over a week ago our family joined in celebrating my hubby's gorgeous and very lovely...did I mention gorgeous! little sister's wedding. It was such a beautiful day here in Sydney and the happy couple were just so...well happy! You just couldn't wipe the smile off their faces if you tried. They both absolutely shone on the day and a great time was had by all, including my two little people.
We also really enjoyed having so many family members come over from New Zealand and New York.

So here are a few pics for you all.

My baby girl...so very pretty

My boy and I

Daddy's girl

Thanks for stopping by...and let me make a promise to you all...I promise to return to blog again in the next 48 hours! Yes that is right...believe it or not!

xx manda

M.I.A...and felt playfood

2010-07-30T23:57:00.000-07:00

Firstly I would like to say sorry for being M.I.A for so long. I don't even have a decent excuse...just that the life of a wife, funky mama and happy (if not slightly obsessive) crafter takes over at times. But I am back, and wanted to share with you my latest creations. Those of you who have visited me at Glenbrook Markets would have seen them, but for the rest of you...this is what I have been having lots of fun with lately! ....Felt playfood!!!

I have really enjoyed labouring over these. The strawberries look almost edible, the donuts look like you could just pick them up and give them a quick bite...and the cupcakes...well let's just say that I still haven't exhausted all the combinations that are possible. (I even think of flavours they could be...like honey spice cake with lemon frosting...yum!)

fabric baskets

2010-06-01T01:16:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I send my apologies for it being so long since I last added a post. I have been working on these new fabric baskets and having a lot of fun in the process. They will be coming along with me to the next Glenbrook market, Saturday 19th June, where I am hoping they will find some happy homes to go to.

Fabric baskets....you might just say...what could you do with those...well as every good woman knows...store stuff in them!

The first one I made is now in my little girls room and holds all of her 'sparkles' (necklaces and bangles and bits), and I should probably make her a smaller one for her collection of hair clips....which of course, mummy makes for her too.

Until next time..

xx manda

broooch-a-rama!

2010-05-17T21:16:00.001-07:00

Here I am again, this time with some actual finished pieces!
I have had so much fun making these brooches. They are made out of felt and vintage buttons, and anyone who knows me knows that I can't resist a bit of felt and a vintage button or two, throw in a bit of stitching and I am in handmade heaven!
But these colourful adornments wouldn't have been possible without the help of a dear friend of mine, Juliette, who has inspired me with her papercraft creations and very kindly lent me her super-dooper die to allow me to cut these fabby flower shapes. (Thanks Juliette, one of these has your name on it, you just choose. xx)
These little creations have kept me busy for the last few days, as I have had no voice due to laryngitis, so here I am, resting and creating...not a bad combination if I do say so myself.
I will be taking them to the next Glenbrook Markets, but if anyone wants one before then, just let me know.

xx Manda

Glenbrook Market

2010-05-14T23:58:00.001-07:00

Today should have been the day that Emma and I headed to our regular date at Glenbrook Markets (in the beautiful Blue Mountains), but unfortunatley we have both been sick with the dreaded lurgy. And it has been extra lucky that I didn't go today, as I have lost my voice...so yes, I think Sean is feeling a little more at peace with the world today.

On that note, I wanted to share with you all a little snap that my wonderful hubby took of my market table back in March, things have changed a little since then, and there is always new things to be seen there...as you all know...I really just can't help myself!

xx Manda

urchin stack

2010-05-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

I know that this is technically not a Nanny Kate thing, but I just couldn't resist this.
I love sea urchin shells that have been washed up on the beach and these ones came from my favourite, Culburra Beach (a hidden gem) I have them just sitting in a little group displayed on a tray in my entrance hall. Yesterday afternoon I came in and saw them stacked up just like this...I didn't necessarily have to ask, but I did anyway...they are the result of my gorgeous boy, Jack, and I just had to take a snap. Hope you like them too.

xx Manda

my muse

2010-05-12T21:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the world of Nanny Kate Design

2010-05-12T21:26:00.000-07:00

Welcome and thanks for coming to see us...as this is my very first blog post, (please go easy with me!) I wanted to let you know a little bit about the passion behind Nanny Kate Design....well it all came about just over six months ago...when my beautiful daughter Olivia (then aged around 18 months) was carrying my handbags around with her...I set forth in the hope of finding a fun and funky handbag for a little girl, to no avail...so out came the sewing machine and the "little sister" bag was born, followed by a "big sister" bag, and then the "funky mama" bag (thanks to the prompting of my very talented and fun market buddy, Emma Donlevy)

As they say...the rest is history, and a lot of it is still in the making.

I am really one of those people who just can't stop making things! And I know that there are others of you out there that have been bitten by the making bug...so I hope you enjoy the first efforts at creating a blog and come along with me for the journey...wherever it may take us.

xx Manda