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2 September 2010

Op 10 augustus 2008 stuurde ik onderstaande mail aan allen die ik op dat moment kende. Ik was namelijk heel erg opgetogen, omdat ik net dit blog had gestart.

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Lieve vrienden, familie, kennissen, (ex-)collega’s, boeren & buitenlui,

Sommigen van jullie hebben misschien de nieuwsbrief ook al ontvangen (in dat geval mijn welgemeende excuses), maar waar het hart van vol is, stroomt de mond van over…sinds VANDAAG houd ook ik een blog bij!

Je vraagt je misschien af waarom, want er zijn er al zoveel.
Het antwoord is simpel: omdat ik het leuk vind!

Als ondernemer met een creatief bedrijf én als moeder van een ondernemende peuter (met nummer 2 op komst) kom ik regelmatig op (virtuele) vondsten die ik graag wil delen.

Van handige tips & tricks tot ‘gewoon mooie’ plaatjes en filmpjes, van prachtige peuterfeestjurken tot de ideale crèchetraktatie, van business- tot borstvoedingstips, van inspirerende beelden tot (af en toe) mijn eigen ups en downs als ondernemer/moeder en natuurlijk de nieuwste nieuwtjes van Ozowiezo.
Uiteraard ook veel aandacht voor alles wat er te koop is op internet: links naar schattige kraamcadeautjes, mooie stoffen, eigenzinnige handgemaakte produkten en handige dingen om je leven nèt wat makkelijker te maken.

Kortom: fresh pics, flicks and tricks for parents & kids. Met iedere week een paar verse posts!
En voor de mensen met een chronisch tijdgebrek en/of een ellenlange, onoverzichtelijke lijst bookmarks: je kunt een RSSfeed nemen op onze blog…

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Superleuk om terug te lezen. Helemaal omdat het nog steeds opgaat. Goed, die baby-op-komst is inmiddels een enorm uit de kluiten gewassen bijna-peuter, en de ondernemende peuter van toen is nu een kleurende-en-knutselende kleuter, maar toch… een fijne trip down memorylane!

Category: Ozowiezo | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (2) »
1 September 2010

Cute birdy bookmark which gently grips itself to pages for a better hold - and a free download too!

There’s no escape: autumn has come upon us. No crying over losing summer (as there still might be hot and sunny days ahead), but instead let’s celebrate all things you can do in autumn! Like: long windswept walks on the beach, thrilling hikes in the forest, finding acorns and golden leaves, making appelmoes and baking loads of creamy cookies. And ofcourse, the best part: sitting in the most comfy chair in the house, reading the biggest book from the library, while sometimes gazing out into the rain against the window.. Joy!

So, for that last thing, I found the cutest birdie bookmark which you can download for free at Jinjerups amazing blog, here! Make sure to check out more of her work, since she is a very creative and generous lady, offering new freebies every week…

Category: Being a Mom, Handy helps, Hip & Handmade, Inspiring!, Kids | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1) »
30 August 2010

I must admit, I’m sort of a lazy mom. I’m can’t set myself to make cute bento lunchboxes, but I do want to make my 4 year old be happily surprised when she opens up her lunchbox.

That’s why I love these mini lunchbox notes: just make a peanutbutter sandwich, toss in a mini-cheese and a banana, and then finish that off with a cute little note - easy peasy! And they come with extra stickers too, which you can use to jazz up a banana or a sandwichbag.

Another thing on bento lunchboxes for kids: my kids are good eaters, but they’re not particulary fond of riceballs and nori.. which are the main ingredients for a lot of amazing bento boxes. But today I stumbled upon the great bento blog ‘What’s for Lunch’. This mom makes bento lunch boxes for her kids AND her hubby, and she makes them with wholegrain bread and cheese - more the ingredients that normally go in our lunchboxes too. Above you see two great examples of her work, which seem reasonably doable…

— like the mini lunchbox notes? You can order them at the wonderful shop Paper Source, right here! —


Category: Being a Mom, Favors & Treats, Handy helps, Inspiring!, Kids, Ozowiezo, Tips & tricks | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Comments (0) »
28 August 2010

Love these vintage colouring plates! Found them on the amazing blog ‘Agence Eureka’. This blog is filled with a huge collection of vintage bookplates, colouring plates, illustrations, magazines, ads etc.

It’s in French, but the images speak for themselves. And there are so many of them, too!

A little tip: go here to Agence Eurekas Blog. Then click on the colouring plate you like. You will then be taken to Flickr, where you can choose the right download size (just choose the biggest available, to make sure your print will turn out nice).

— not just for kids, but great for adults too. Print and frame for a beautiful decoration! —

Category: Being a Mom, Inspiring!, Kids, Tips & tricks, Very Vintage | Tags: | Comments (2) »
25 August 2010

Summer holidays: it’s great once you’ve reached your destination, but the roadtrip can sometimes be tricky…

We went to France, by car. It was a 8 hour drive, with two kids ( a 4 year old and a 1 year old). Thankfully, it wasn’t too hot. And we prepared very well: we had a great travel snack box (a minimum of candy and of lot of yummie fruits, baby carrots, mini meatballs, little cheesebites, healthy sandwiches and gallons of water) AND I brought a big box of presents: every stop along the way they each got a little something they could play with the next part of the journey. Small things, like a little book, a doll in a bag and of course my very own handmade I spy bottles.

But the smartest thing (by far!) was the seat organiser that I bought in a thrift shop. I strapped it to the back of the front seat so Lena could get her toys herself. And she liked putting them back in, so they didn’t end up on the floor - meaning I didn’t have to twist and bend like a yogi to retrieve lost toys ;-)

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Like this idea? I found my car seat organiser in a thrift shop, but later I found this car seat organiser with Pippi Longstrumpf in Blomma webshop, here! —

Category: Being a Mom, Handy helps, Hip & Handmade, Ozowiezo, Tips & tricks | Tags: , , , , , , , | Comments (2) »
24 August 2010

A little while ago I posted a craft project for DIY I Spy Bottles. I made two! For Lena I made a fairytale themed I Spy Bottle, containing a single shoe, a crown, Snow White, a pink heart, a golden coin, a real pearl and so on. I put them in a big bottle and she had a great time finding all trinkets. The pearl took the most time to find: even her 29 year old uncle had to shake that bottle for a good 15 minutes ;-)

For Jet (who’s only 1,5 year old) I made a smaller version, so she could hold it more easily. That way, she could spot something very quick too. Her I Spy Bottle was circus themed, and she liked the lion best - closely followed by the red car ;-)

All in all, I think it’s a great DIY project: the kids played with it during the whole trip,  during the holiday itself AND on the way back. And making it was fun too, and very easy.

I used this tutorial from Silly Eagles Blog. I did change a few things though, like using bigger bottles, taking a photograph of all hidden trinkets (rather than drawing, which I thougth would be too time-consuming) and I chose to make it themed bottles. But the idea stays the same!

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Want to make an I Spy bottle too? I’ll give you one extra tip: make sure to find bottles with a wide neck, so you can put bigger trinkets in them.

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Extra tip: make a bunch of themed I Spy Bottles to fill birthday party goodiebags - a garantued hit!

Category: Being a Mom, Favors & Treats, Green Living, Hip & Handmade, Kiddie Gifts, Kids, Ozowiezo, Tips & tricks | | Comments (4) »
12 August 2010

How cute are these computer games? Like this one, which wants you to help a big fat frog jumping from water lily to water lily, catching big fat juicy flies!

Or this one, in which you have to help the giant whale blow the little boat up to avoid rocks and planes:

Or this one, in which you have to help three cute little birdies to jump rock and cathc apples:

There 57 of these beautifully illustrated computer games at Orsinal, here!

They’re all very well crafted, and very easy to get addicted too, especially on those summer afternoons, when you really should be working/cleaning the house/running errands… I think they’ll be great for bigger kids too!

— like ‘em? Go check Orisinal, for all 57 free cute computer games, here! But be warned, before you know it you’ll be spending way too manu hours browsing this wonderful site… —

Category: Ozowiezo | Tags: , , , , , | Comments (2) »
10 August 2010

…and yes, they actually work! Just balance them, by the head, on the top of your finger, and these butterflies will look like they’ll fly away any moment.

I love the fact that you can make them yourself with a piece of paper and two coins. It’s a perfect craft to do with your kids, and the’ll have nice toy to play with afterwards!

Want to be on the safe side? Download a butterfly pattern. It’s available in black and white, so you can print a stack of them and turn your wednesday afternoon in a butterfly party, putting your kids to work on painting beautiful butterflies, and awe them by making them fly later on!

— like it too? Go check Ideas 4 Kids to download the butterfly patterns and the instructions —

— Love that cute kid in the picture, but can’t seem to find the blog where I found him.. Sorry! —

Category: Being a Mom, Hip & Handmade, Kiddie Gifts, Kids, Tips & tricks | Tags: , , , , , , | Comments (0) »
5 August 2010

Stitchable stationery - well, why not? Just kidding, I love these embroidery cards by Jenny Hart! They’re a great way of learning kids how to use needle and thread. And the result is bound to be cute, so it’s very rewarding too ;-)

These ready-to-embroider folded cards become mini works of art when stitched—simply follow the printed pattern lines with the included needle and embroidery floss. The pack contains:

  • 6 folded cards
  • 6 envelopes
  • 4 skeins embroidery floss
  • 2 embroidery needles

— like it? Buy your own set of Stitchable Stationery at Chronicle Books, here! —

Category: Being a Mom, Hip & Handmade, Kiddie Gifts, Kids | Tags: , , , , , , | Comments (1) »
2 August 2010

A while ago, we build a cute wooden bunk canopy bed for Lena. The lower bed is for sleepover parties, the top bed is hers. It’s really cute, but it does need some decorating. So for her birthday, I’m collecting a lot of bird posters and pictures, which I want to hang on ther wall, in unbreakable pictureframes.

Imagine my luck, finding these free downloadable posters at Feed your Soul!

Feed your Soul is a free art project that will definitely bring a smile to your face and brighten your day. It’s started by Jen Wallace, the writer behind the blog Indie Fixx. She invites artists to design a poster, which you can download for free, frame and hang on the wall. Or give to a friend. Or print on a card.

— like it? Go check all free downloadable posters at Feed your Soul, here! —


Category: Hip & Handmade, Kiddie Gifts, Kids | Tags: , , , , , | Comments (0) »