Bazaar Mania!

A great big thanks to all the Mama's who came out to the Shanghai Toy Club BACK TO SCHOOL Bazaar today at Paulaner. Such an absolutely fabulous turn-out, despite the call for rain and last minute change of venue.
It is always nice to meet members of the Mama community, as well as mingle with entrepreneurs from far and wide. It never ceases to amaze me how many creative businesses set up shop here in Shanghai; inspiring!

Hope to see everyone this Saturday at the Shanghai Mamas Picnic!
Coco & Co. have donated a gift certificate for their raffle, so pack your kiddies and picnic basket for a Fall day on the green grass!!!

Nest Obsessed

My hubby fears felt gitch are in the forecast!

Anytime we put something on the list for baby-to-be, I insist I must be able to make it with felt!
Not unlike my dear, old Gran who had a phase of crocheting the beans out of every household item, I have a slight obsession with this very forgiving fabric of sorts.

Nesting.
Every mama does it. Others may overdo it until the nest becomes one, fluffy giant piece of felt!

Shanghai is the hub of DIY and I first discovered felt at the famous Yu Yuan when I came upon a box of make-your-own-sushi. Too cute! After a long day of teaching kindy...I would settle down to sew little sushi's...longing for the day that there would be a wee one at home to appreciate my efforts.
After sushi came cupcakes.
After cupcakes came a positive pregnancy test (okay, I took 5 in a row!) and good news on the upcoming adoption.
Now the house is overflowing with felt toys, diaper caddies, cot pillows...& Baby Daddy fears his undies are next;)

Ahhh...I hope the baby arrives eager to play;)

PICTURED:
Stack of felt (feeds my addiction to COLOUR!) I ohh and ahh at it every day!
Sushi & Coco
Wee bite of cupcakes (100% vegan;)

Little L (a lotta cute in a little package!)

Little L is about to be a Big Sis!
To commemorate such a cool job, mom has ordered a little something for L's own nest, here in Shanghai. To be honest, her room is already a blast of pink perfection with gorgeous white furniture that gives L's sleep space a crisp, clean edge. So creating this Big Sister Scroll was a piece of cupcake!

In order to compliment the white furnishings, the finial ends and wall brackets tie in with a solid, smooth white finish. The canvas scroll hangs 2.5 feet long by 1.5 feet wide, adorned with a creamy name banner & curly central "L" in fuchsia-coloured font. Each end of the banner is 'bunched' with wildflowers; watermelon & white Stargazer Lilies, alongside tangerine poppies. A dainty fairy with purple petaled dress stands beside the large "L" while turquoise, fuchsia and purple dragonflies swirl around the banner tails. Large white and bubblegum pink diamonds dot the background and finish the piece off with a royal trim.

Sending lots of warm wishes to the Big Sis-to-be as she preps for the family's latest addition!
What a lucky little newborn on the way!

Project One Done-Little Hoot

Project Nursery; One? Done!
Little Hoot Pram Bling!
Hubby and I have scoured the Shanghai area for foreigners selling their gently-used baby gear and completely scored several times in a row! For example, this BEAUTIFUL 'playground brown' Quinny bassinet, which now sports mini baby bling: Little Hoot.
Using the colour scheme and theme for baby's nursery, Little Hoot is adorned with eyes, beak and belly on both sides for all viewers. A chocolate-coloured ribbon with white threading snaps around the bassinet handle to dangle, while the other end of the ribbon can hold a soother or bell.
Felt is such a friendly fabric! No machine necessary;)

Stay tuned for Project Nursery; Number Two (not that kind of number two!)

Italy-Bound Safari

Two little cuties living in Shanghai are soon set to return to Italy with their parents. Before their big move back home, they have ordered some personal pieces for their shared bedroom. Mom has chosen a unique colour scheme; lavender, camel, white, cream, chocolate, periwinkle and cinnamon heart red, to flow throughout the three piece set.
Each of the two name canvases measures 12x24" and sports the childrens names in Gigi font, with stripes or polka-dot backgrounds. Chocolate-coloured Coco swings in with an apple to greet the birdie perched on the 's', while a not-so-ferocious lion takes cues from the red birdie for her hair accessories.
The large focal canvas measures 3x4 feet; safari friends include a monkey, giraffe, zebra and several tiny birds atop the tree of crispy white Asian blossoms. Once framed and ready for shipment to Europe, these pieces will offer a whimsical atmosphere for quiet nights and play dates alike.
Wishing the beautiful family a safe journey home & happy trails always!

Guess WHOOO's Expecting!!

BIG BELLY NEWS!
WE ARE VERY PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE ARE EXPECTING!!
We have been in China for two years and working hard to have the adoption laws changed in favor of expat Canadians. In March, we finally found out that we will be DOUBLY-blessed; the birth of our first child in November AND the adoption laws have finally been approved for Canadian expats! This year has been nothing but happy baby news for Adam and I!

OUR FAMILY NEST
All this time waiting for motherhood to arrive & over 15 years of experience with baby nurseries...I have had plenty of time to pick my brain for ideas; I am ecstatic to have the chance to design a nest for our own children. With all of the ideas I have floating around..we may need to expand our family quite generously!

COLOUR & INSPIRATION
Because we would like the baby's sex to be a surprise, a gender-neutral theme has started the brainstorming process. Since "Bun" will be a Fall baby, the colour scheme has created itself (brown, orange, green and some turquoise for colour punch. Adam does not understand how these colours will work together, so he is happy to be in charge of furniture assembly!). After scouring the internet for other craft-minded mommy businesses, I have been deeply inspired by their constant creativity to offer quality products to family's from their home office (spaces that make an artsy mom go ga-ga!)

'CREATING A NEST' TIPS
Currently, I am making a framed "Inspiration" board for collecting cloth material samples, coloured paint tabs, magazine cut-outs of furniture ideas & personal sketch snippets. Anything that works with the nursery theme & colours. Any items that catch my eye. Our goal is to create a cozy nursery nest with as many handmade/home-found features as possible, which means incorporating things that remind us of our family & Canada. And what says love more than something handmade? Our 'Woodlands' theme will give us plenty of options for creating a nostalgic environment.

CUSTOMER CREATIVITY
When my customers are wanting to part of the creative process, I encourage them to do the same; create an 'Inspiration' board.
1. Pick your palette (or several colour combo's to narrow down later)
2. Start collecting samples of things that catch your eye; greeting card illustrations, make-up palettes, cloth samples, toys, books...anything! Take your camera everywhere.
Soon enough you will see a pattern in your style and can start to focus in on your colour and theme choices. Once you have decided, keep the colour tabs in your pocket & start picking out supplies for baby bedding, curtains,
lamps, furniture...all the things that you want/require for the space. Try not to overdo the theme (for example; monkey's everywhere!) but you can never overdo the colour scheme. Start simple. Usually the main mural & possibly some images on throw pillows or stuffed toys make the theme stand out with style.
Definitely incorporate personal items from your family or childhood; pictures, furniture, trinkets or heirlooms. If someone in your family has a talent, ask for a special gift to make your nursery unique. Collect & create. Have pieces passed down & created pieces to pass along.
Baby is all about celebrating new life & past generations.

So stay tuned...Coco & Co. will continue to publish the process for our Bun's Owl Nursery.
Is there anything better than Baby Bliss?

Kickin' It Old Skool

Every rite of passage tends to make us reflect on our past. Somehow moving from one stage of life into another, takes us back and then sends us forward into the future. Weddings are a great example of this. How many reception speeches are based on good times from days gone by, as family and friends wish us well on our new adventures to come?

Our trip to Canada this summer was driven by my little sister's announcement of her wedding date. Over the years, I have been collecting stories that I was sure would be perfect for her big day; tales from our childhood..and even some of our more recent adventures. However, I ended up looking to Sesame Street for inspiration as well as to Steph's friends and some of our family members to help me re-create a version of Guy Smileys, This is Your Life. This meant connecting with some of my kid sisters greatest fans; far more fun than sitting at a computer and trying to type out a speech (something I am neither good at or enjoy delivering!)

To continue the retro vibe & add to the evening's visuals; a painting in orange, brown & blue with the Hensen-created character, complete with my sisters old & new surname's.

Needless to say, the day was extraordinary. And when it came time for my 'speech', she didn't try to beat me up for telling things that are best kept ours!

Wishing YEARS of love and happiness to my sister and my NEW BROTHER!
Thank-you for putting on an amazing celebration for all of us to share!