I may be jumping the gun here....but what is everyone going to do with all the beautiful used wrapping paper after chrissy?? If you are like me I have a hard time throwing gorgeous printed paper in the bin (even if it is the recycling). This inspired me to have a look around the web for some ideas of little crafty projects to do with the little fella once the excitment of Xmas and all the new toys has fadded. Here are a few of the ideas that I found. I love the bunting idea...thing we might make some and use to decorate the little ones cubby house!!

For me one of the best things about the Christmas season is all the delicious xmas baking!! Now that I have kids one of the best cooking activities is cookies!! Fun to make and fun to ice! I have found some wonderfully inspiring photos to tempt you all to dust of the cook books and hunt down those cookie cutters. For further inspiration drop by Sweet n Pretty, for amazing creations. In fact the top right corner image is one of their lovely images (the rest where found on Google Images, many for the wonderful talent at Martha Stewart, where there is a wonderful step by step tutorial for the gorgeous ginger people). For those of you wanting to branch out beyond the standard star or xmas tree, I have recently discovered a great Perth business Kool Cookie Cutters who stock over 300 unique cookie cutters. Enjoy cooking with your lovely little ones.......the more mess the more fun!!

Finally had time to sit down and put together the "girls stocking fillers under $15.00" post. This one was by far the easiest....so many beautiful handmade accessories for little princesses. The hardest part was choosing amongst all the gorgeous products out there. Hope you (and your lovely little ones) like the selection that I have chosen. Enjoy shopping!! Simone x

 From top to bottom:

1. Colouring Book $10, Liselle Kate Banks
2. Red Headband $6.50 from Lovely Little Accessories
3. Bliss Clips collection $11.95 available at Little Yon Yon
4. Hair Ties $5.00 from My Poppet
5. Floral hair pins $7.00 from Sophie & Jack
6. Vintage headband $15.00 from Mon Tresor
7. Vintage ring $8.95 from Mon Tresor
8. Ribbon wands from $8.45 from Pinwheels and Pearls
9. Wooden girl dolls $8.00 from Blue Caravan
10. Bubbushka Doll ring $5.00 from Denim Days

BOYS DAY!! Christmas stocking fillers under $15 for the boys. I really love wooden toys as I have said in the past, so no surprise there are a few wooden items on the list! There are so many cheap and ugly plastic ones out there, but the beautiful wooden ones are so affordable. I am also loving the lunch punches!! Any guesses what my two boys are getting in their stockings!!

1. Pick-up-stix, $5.00 from My Poppet
2. Acrobat boy, $6.95 from My Wooden Toys
3. Cardboard Dinosaur Colour In (comes with texters), $12.95 from My Wooden Toys
4. Punch Lunch cut-outs, $14.00 from Mon Tresor & Whimsy Child
5. Android toys, $14.95 from My Wooden Toys

Christmas is rapidly approaching (like it seems to every year!) so this weeks posts will feature Stocking Filler Ideas, all $15 or under. I will do this as three different posts to cover ideas for bubs, boys & girls.
Todays post is ideas for bubs. Quite a few of the items are from Made It stores, so not only will you be getting a bargain for bubs, you will be supporting Australian talent!

1. Onesie, $15 from Retrobimbi on Made It
2. Robot Bib, $15 from The Earthly Creative
3. Soft Block, $10 from Three Apples on Made It
4. Japanese Paper Balloons, $3.50 from My Poppet
5. Pony, $12 from Anak on Made It
6. Wooden Rattle, $9.99 from Spunky Bubs
7. Paisley Bib, $10 from Kazzalblue on Made It
8. Hooty Owl Toy, $14 from Funky Doll Designs on Made It

How adorable are these gorgeous white clay gingerbread tags!! A great idea for the kids chrissy presents. They are the creation of a very talented Tasmanian and are available through Marley & Lockyer on ETSY. Check out all the other gorgeous stuff in the shop  while you are there....beautiful neutral, vintage linen and other goodies including the lovely chrissy stockings.

There is some wonderfully talented people here in Western Australia and todays feature is on three of my recent finds.The lovely dress in the top left image is from Heart Strings Boutique, the cute stuffed toy from Pikelet Workshop and the three gorgeous dresses at the bottom are from Gooseberry Bush Kidz. All are on Facebook so do drop by and support some Aussie designers.

I love everything about todays feature....Blue Caravan is an Australian ethical online store selling fair-trade, handmade designer products. And just have a look at some of the wonderful stuff they have available for the Little People!! Watch out credit card!

Thanks to my mum for discovering todays feature! Peachie Kids Art is the most gorgeous website selling some of the most stunning limited edition canvases and prints inspired by the simplicity and innocence of childhood. It is no surprise they have been featured in a number of successful Australian magazines....the images are simply amazing.

How gorgeous is this hammock from Ila Baby. As described by Ila Baby themselves these are not only aesthetically stunning, but sure to lull any restless bub to sleep. I wonder what their kg rating is...I would love to lie down and have a little nap in one myself!!

BUNTING!! I love it. Whether it's for the kids bedroom, playroom or as a party decoration it always adds a certain level of festivity that lifts the spirit.
Top L & bottom R are from Zippy Zippy on Made it, top L is from Vida Style on Made it, middle L is by Moonmum on Made it and bottom L is from The Earthly Creative.

I have just found the perfect cake to accompany all the great party accessories from yesterdays post. The recipe for this AMAZING Rainbow Cake is available from the Whisk Kid blog. I could do with a piece right now (probably not the best diet food though!).

I love throwing a party...and now that I have kids there is even more reason to invest in cool party accessories. There are a few really great party shops online, one of my favs is Sharnel Dollar Designs. Check out some of their gorgeous party stuff....food stands, favour bags, display jars and more :)

More ways to inspire your little ones to eat their food. Fortunatlely these ideas are achievable by the average mum/dad. For more awesome designs have a look at Funky Lunch.

I had a request to find somewhere that stocks nice kids fabrics, so was delighted to have discovered the QLD based store Funky Fabrix. Love their range - lots to choose from. I am also a huge fan of owls and they have some beautiful fabrics featuring owls in their collection.

Today I discovered the most stylish blog by Amy Atlas. If you don't know her work, then go have a look. Was fabulous to see a party designed by fellow Australian Mrs A. in the Cove featured on her blog. Doesn't this just look amazing.

The warm weather in Perth got me thinking about hats so I went to Made It to see what the creative folk out there were making. By far the most stylish range was at Winnie & Clem. I love both the stunning racing caps and long brim designs. The long brims are even reversible.....the two images on the left are actually the one hat. Great that the kids can be sun smart and look funky at the same time :)

The Inspired Occasion shared this great photo with us on their facebook page today....so creative. If only I had the time (and patience) to create these for the kids every night..would't have any truble getting them to eat their veggies!! I think the avocado man looks particularly tasty!!

{creations by Carl Kleiner, image via little.lovely}

When I win lotto i now know where I am going to spend a big chunk of my winnings...The Little Kidz Closet. I could buy absolutley everything in their shop. They have everything from beautiful furniture and bedding to toys and clothes.

One of the decorations that I am loving at the moment is the tissue paper pom-poms. I have viewed a number of stylish parties that have featured them recently, so was very pleased to discover DIY guide to making them. A very easy, affordable project with impressive results! Go to the craft page to view the how-to :)

Wall decals are all the rage at the moment beacuse they are so easy to apply, move and reapply without any marks on the walls...such an easy way to update the kids rooms!! I found the folk from Wallalure at the last UpMarkets and love the red dragonflies which I have now placed above my little bubs change table :)

I have decided to add a extra page to my blog site for free printables....I have seen a few really great ones recently and would love to share them with you all. There are some very generous designers sharing their creations for free, yes 100% free, not even a sign up here first or anything that gains them a cent of money. Having said that I am sure that some people may stay on a make a purchase as the designs are so cute and well priced!! So the first i would like to share is from Paper Glitter. The free printable section includes cupcake toppers and wrappers as well as pencil toppers. I particularly love the japanese style boxes, very cute :)

Cocoon Couture are an Australian company now selling to the global market...no surprise really given how gorgeous their designs and products are. Their range includes bean bags, wall art and other accessories. Am thinking a bean bag with a elephant for my little boys room....I just love them :)

Love the designer moses baskets available from SleepiSpaces.

While there are so many cheap toys out there nowadays finding reasonably priced wooden ones is always more of a challenge. Fortunately the Walker family from Denmark (Western Australia) have done all the hard work and created an online store My Wooden Toys. My oldest boy was given the wooden magnetic fishing boat for his birthday and plays with it pretty much every day, so it definately has my thumbs up!

One for the boys!!

Some stylish clothing from clever folk selling on Madeit.com.au. Clockwise from top left the items are from Seven Little Poppies, Little Viking Girl, Little People Clothing, Amelie Atticus & Krumpet.

For anyone looking to waste ALOT of time....visit Madeit.com.au.  This site is for selling and buying Australian handmade creations by undiscovered art, design & craft talent. There is so many beautiful childrens items, i am sure to feature a number of the stores in the future. The first to catch my eye is Birdy Numnum (although perhaps not a store for those on a tight budget) it features wall art and soft toys as shown below.

Kobie and Jemma from the Northern Territory are behind the gorgeous creations at Ollie Rose. These cute toys are just some of the products from this creative team. I also love the kids clothes!!

Go to the recipe page for my version of Zucchinni Slice...so easy to make and use for lunches, best of all the kids love it. Happy Eating :)

Gorgeous party designs

What beautiful themed parties by fairydustdesigns.net. I love this pink party, although am sure my two boys may be thinking differently!!

 Gorgeous couch by whiteandwhite.com.au

It is so refreshing to find stylish kids furniture (ones that aren't covered in branded cartoon characters!)