Patchworkcactus

A Blogging Masterclass - Kidspot Voices of 2013

I have been lucky enough to be included in the hullapaloozsa that is the Kidspot Voices of 2013 Bogging competition and yesterday it all started with a bang. 

Now before I go on let me just tell you that I'm really freakin pregnant, like due-next-week-pregnant and in the past month I have been seriously doubting if I would be able to go to the masterclass and launch party. Needless to say I was pretty excited to be there. 

The line up of speakers was super impressive and the topics covered ranged from blog design to motivation and self doubt. To have the opportunity to sit in a room with so many other she-nerds and drink in the awesome was...well pretty damn special. 

Personally, I got the most out of the Blogging and Brands panel. Sponsored posts don't sit that easily with me. I am all for making money out of your blog, I don't think it should even be a debate - and I'll go as far as to say that it wouldn't be a discussion if blogging was predominantly a male domain. It would be an expectation. For me, monatising the blogosphere is a feminist issue - But that's a whole other post.  

It is how you actually approach sponsored posts that doesn't come naturally to me and yesterday, thanks to the great panel of speakers, I realised that the bit I was getting stuck on was how to benefit my fan-tab readers with these posts. Sure you can do a giveaway for one reader but I don't want to post anything if everyone can't get something out of it. Now I'm thinking along the lines of sneak peeks of new collections, discount codes and introductions to great new products. It's nice to have a bit of clarity on that issue.

I wish I could attribute these ideas to individual panelists but there was such a lovely consensus between the thinkers that I am having trouble remembering who said what exactly. (The journalist within has apparently left the building) Everyone seemed to collectively share the same message - That the integrity of your blog is always paramount. 

And if that wasn't enough, then came the launch party. Every one got all shiny and mingled, there was yummy food, some pretty swanky cars that provided a backdrop for photo-shoot shenanigans and of course - cake pop decoration. Because we wouldn't be bloggers without cake pops. Thanks to Kidspot and all the sponsors for two wonderful events. It has just occurred to me that throughout the day and night I didn't feel a sense of competition between the nominated bloggers who, in reality, are pitted against each other for some life changing prizes. Isn't it nice when people are just nice? 

P.S how awesome is the A Beautiful Mess App? I used it to create the images above and I think it's pretty safe to say I'm hooked. 

xoxox Babs

Montessori A Day May - A little update

We have passed the halfway point of May and I'm really excited that people have actually joined in with my monthly challenge Montessori a Day May, if you are interested then chek out the hashtag #pcmontessoriaday on Instagram- warning, brace yourself for a whole lotta cute! I am loving seeing all the pictures of little people doing-it-for-themselves. I am putting together a June challenge as we speak and getting pretty excited. The May challenge was really focused on caring for your environment (as in your immediate environment, home, garden etc.) so for June we are going to focus on our selves. There will be face washing, teeth cleaning, hand washing, nose blowing, putting clothes in the wash basket and a whole bunch more.

Waiting for the new love of my life

Is there anything as excruciating as waiting? Every twinge and poke has my tummy turning is excited anticipation. The clothes are washed, the bed is made it's time (almost) to meet the newest love of my life and it's killing me.
xoxo Babs.

Linking up with Trish for Wordless Wednesday. Thanks for hosting darling. 

Thirty Eight Weeks - A Beach-bound Mother's Day

I love this time of year at the beach. No shade tents or thick suncream, no rash vests or towels. Just us, walking (waddling) - collecting shells to throw in the water. It's a chance to travel light before our new arrival sends us back into the world of nappies and lotions. We usually spend significant days seeing family, rushing to get out of doors, driving - sharing with our ludicrously huge clans. Today it was just us. Maybe our last Sunday as a little family of three - Hopefully our last Sunday as a family of three. I hope all you mums had a lovely Mother's Day. 

xoxox
Babs 

DIY felt feather garland for a tribal inspired nursery

Sorry for the lack of craft tutorials, I have been without camera and it hurt just a little bit. Now that I have rescued it I can share with you the felt feather garland I made for the little man's nursery. 

Originally I was going to do a black and white nursery but I found a really great chest of drawers that have all these rustic earthy tones through them. I did a bit of a turn around decided to do a sort of tribal, western themed nursery. I also got given an amazing blanket from Greta's Handcraft Centre that has similar colours.

When little man comes along I will share pictures of the whole nursery space, complete with beautiful blanket and drawers but until then you will have to just be satisfied with this little tutorial. 

To make this feather bunting you will need. 

Mother's Day Gift Ideas - No shopping necessary

I like Mother's Day, it's not fashionable but I think it's nice. It is the only holiday that you can give daggy handmade gifts and get excited about slippers. Here are a few things that I wouldn't turn my nose up at. 

No Chop Salad - For the lazy guest

This is not so much of a recipe, more of a concept. Scratch that.. what a wanky sentence. Anyway, what I was trying to say is that a No Chop Salad can be made with anything that you don't have to chop. It's quick, it's not messy and you can put it together at a picnic or at someone elses house without too much effort. The added bonus is that as nothing is chopped, you can refrigerate it for days without it going soggy. WIN!

Montessori at Home - Montessori a Day May Challenge

 

Whenever I ask what people want to see more of on the blog the answer is always, "more Montessori at Home" so I thought I would do a Montessori a Day May challenge.

Lest We Forget

 

When I was a child, marching in the Anzac parade in my Scout's uniform I used to think about the 'men' who faught and who fell in the war. Now when I see the pictures and hear their stories I don't picture men, I see boys...teenagers, vunerability and fear. Goofy kids who went into the unknown to face the worst kind of fear. And it was the unknown then, a strange concept for myself and the information generation.

I think of the nurses who saved lives and the girlfriends who waited, mostly in vain. But most of all, with my own little boy on the way, I think of their parents. The ones who chopped their sandwiches into triangles instead of squares, who handwashed their favourite teddy while they were sleeping, who held them as toddlers, when they first woke up, until they were ready to get down and then waved them off to war, knowing what that meant. Lest We Forget. 

 

Image Via Belle Botanica

It was a month of thirty day challenges.

It turns out that Instagram is good for more than taking pictures of your breakfast, or your cat. Or your cat waiting for it's breakfast, or you having breakfast with your cat...or your new Frankie Magazine. 

Scratch just below the surface and you will find hundreds of memes and challenges which I'm a total sucker for. This last month I have done a few with varying levels of ADD. I know it's strange to share them at the end of the month but I wanted to try them out first.