meet the mama : sash from inked in colour

I've only recently discovered 27 year-old Sash's blog, and was initially intrigued by our commonalities. She's a single parent as I once was, she blogs, freelances and is doing her Masters. She has a mixed-race child, I am a mixed-race child! (Or was, you know.)

But I'm also intrigued by Sash because of our differences: she's a traveler. I'm a homebody (who wishes she could be a traveler but so isn't) so the way she brings her sweet 15 month-old Bo along with her on her adventures is fascinating to me.

Overall though, like most who come across Inked in Colour I fell in love with her beautiful storytelling; her thoughtful, heartfelt and compassionate posts about parenting and, well, life. I asked Sash how she has found mamahood so far. This is what she told me.

What did a normal day look like before you were pregnant?

for the newborn : the bednest

Fancy having the best of both worlds?

Co-sleeping with your wee one without worrying about babe-squishing or bed sharing? Then you will love the Bednest.

I would have loved a Bednest for my babes, especially for the kiddo who was my cuddliest infant. We co-slept for quite a while and he certainly took up more than his fair share of our bed (he was totally that baby in Baby Sleep Positions).

The Bednest is suitable from birth until your babe can sit up (approx 4+ months) and can be positioned next to the bed where the mesh panel can be opened so you can easily scoot your little one over for feeding or comforting.

The stand has 70 + settings and the basket and stand can be folded flat for storage and travel. The Bednest can also use it as a stand-alone bassinet in the nursery. So handy!

If you'd like to secure a Bednest for your little one, they're available online from mid-June at Danish By Design.

bonus for baby space readers : sheet set
Would you like to receive a FREE Bednest bassinet sheet set with your purchase? Just leave the comment 'Baby Space Free Sheet Offer' on your online order. Danish By Design also encourages you to pop a follow up email through to info@danishbydesign to ensure your comment went through.

Sweet dreams :)

room for baby : crimson jewel

One of our resident interior experts, Nicole from Little Liberty has embraced the trend for jewel tones and strong lines in the nursery, explaining, "Geometrics and trellis wallpaper is all the rage right now and I'm so happy to hop on the bandwagon, I love it!"

"I recently completed this baby room and wanted to give the space a bold splash of colour and I think it worked out really well." But as much as she loved the project, it wasn't without it's challenges. 

"It's always a bit tricky when clients like existing pieces of furniture that you need to incorporate into the room, in this case it was the brown wooden cot and a single mattress. I turned the mattress into a daybed filled with lots of cushions and tried to lighten up the space around the cot as much as possible with colour and pattern."

And her favourite part of the room? "The bold geometric wallpaper and the gorgeous dip dyed stool."

Thank you for sharing your latest bright design with us Nicole! You can find more of Nicole's work at Little Liberty.

kidspot village voices 2013 : a masterclass and a party

Coming up to the Kidspot Village Voices of 2013 masterclass and Top 100 launch party I could not have been more excited. Or nervous.

At one point in my preparations I started to slather moisturiser on my hands only to find it was shampoo. Yep, I was that nervous.

real kids : humans of new york

Do you follow Humans Of New York?

Photographer Brandon Stanton has a truly wonderful body of work: portraits upon portraits of people captured on the street, usually accompanied by a poignant quote from the subject. Sometimes fans send in their own take on his pictures, like the cartoon on the right by Johanna Trobough from Paris, France.

*   *   *

In other news, I'm excited to be attending the Kidspot Village Voices Masterclass and Voices of 2013 launch party tomorrow, I still can't believe this little blog has been included amongst so many amazing others! I'm looking forward to seeing some of the faces behind blogs I've enjoyed over the years, so if you're there, please come and say hi, I'd love to meet you :)

Have a lovely weekend! 

19/52

Portraits of one or more of my children once a week, every week in 2013.

Her: Skylarking off with her Grandma's phone.

Him: Proud as punch climbing trees in the park. This boy and his smiles!

I think one of the ideas behind this 52 week project is to have your photography evolve through the year, but I'm not so sure that is happening with mine.

However I am finding myself notice the passing of time more acutely; despite these sunny snaps autumn is turning cooler; the kiddo has started wearing his winter uniform and last night I wore a woolly scarf to Uni for the first time this year. It's May! That means it's nearly June! That means the year is nearly half over. It's been a very good year so far, I hope yours has too.

Lovely portraits elsewhere this week: fantastic pictures within pictures at typically red, a sweet offering of leaves at teacups too, a giant Miffy and a little Molly at This is Tie.

Joining in with Jodi's 52 week portrait project.

make it mine : the white party

Belinda from Nest Design Studio found this delightful wee space, saying,"I think this nursery would have to be one of my all time favourite neutral nurseries.  The use of textures, timber and soft driftwood colours really create a room that is soothing but also interesting."

Do you love it too? I have a bit of a crush on Lucky Boy Sunday, they make such unusual, quirky characters. 

To recreate this look start with: 1. Pale Nulle soft toy by Lucky Boy Sunday  2.  Molecule building set by Ferm Living  3.  Sparrow Cot by Oeuf  4.  Mini library by Oeuf  5.  Ludde sheepskin from Ikea.

Original design from Sissy + Marley. 

meet the mama : stacey from the veggie mama

Happy Mother's Day! Today one of our fave foodie mamas is spilling the beans on how her life has changed since becoming a parent. Stacey is mama to two gorgeous ladies, Abby, age two, and Pepper, who is seven months. I think I first saw Stacey on the cover of Peppermint magazine, then pregnant with wee Abby and riding a pink bicycle! This lady has the gift of making motherhood and eating your veggies look good. Here's what she had to say.

What did a normal day look like before you were pregnant?

18/52

Portraits of one or more of my children once a week, every week in 2013.

Him: Having a cuddle with his gogo (grandma) and brand new baby cousin Abigail. Big congratulations to Abbey's mama, papa and big sister Piper, Abbey is divine!

Her: Doesn't she look a wee bit sceptical? I don't think she was thrilled to see me holding little Abbey but she liked her well enough when I wasn't :)

And the three big (!) cousins having a fun time playing house together in Piper's room. Max really got into character. As you can see:

Playful portraits elsewhere this week: Isabelle and Noah playing in the leaves at Mend and Make New, tiny twins Maggie and Elisabeth on The Hut Chronicles and a gorgeous cat girl and her brother on Magical Days. 

Joining in with Jodi's 52 week portrait project.

interview with : the kiddo

A little pre-Mother's Day interview with the kiddo (5) in which he gives me some advice and tells me I might need a headband.

What do you like the most about your mum?
She kisses me.

What do you like the least about your mum?
She gets angry at me.

What do you like doing the most with your mum?
Playing games, like Settlers of Catan. (He does not know how to play this.)

What do you think your mum’s job is?
Blogging.

What do you think your mum’s favourite thing to do is?
Work on the computer.

Do you have any advice for your mum?
She could help me make craft more. Okay, what’s next?

Do you have a favourite food that your mum makes you?
Corn off the cob. (He never asks for this.)

What do you think would be a good present to give your mum?
Um, a headband? Because you don’t have one.

What’s your favourite memory with your mum?
At Christmas. When we decorated the tree with the Christmas balls that Santa gave me and Rose.

What would you like to do with your mum in the future?
Hug her. ( I hug him) 
I thought you would do that.

mother's day : to make

5 fun DIYs perfect for giving or keeping:

Make your own butterfly tote with your little one's handprints.

Design a fancy photo book with your treasured snaps using Blurb.

Get out the porcelain paint and personalise a mug.

Let your little get arty. Photograph the process + frame the painting = super cute.

Wee one an animal lover? They might like to turn their footprint into a penguin for you :)

Do your kiddos bring home gorgeous crafty surprises from school or day care? Why is it so cool to see the sweet things they make? My littles could draw a squiggle and I'd think it was the bees knees ;)

more mothers day : to wear : to give : to do

mother's day : to do

More the doing type than the gifting type? Here a five fun things you might like to do with your mum or treat yourself to:

1. Catch a movie. Have you seen First Position? I loved it.

2. See a play. True Minds by Joanna Murray-Smith and The Melbourne Theatre Company is on now for Melbournians, it sounds hilarious.

3. Pack a picnic for the park. A classic.

4. Go to the ballet. Symmetries by The Australian Ballet will be playing soon at the Canberra Theatre Centre if you're in the capitol.

5. How can you go wrong with a lovely coffee date catch up?

Myself, I'm waiting until next month and going to the ballet with my mum and the kiddo for a belated celebration -- I can't wait! This weekend I think I'll be studying.

What would your ideal Mother's Day treat be? A day alone in bed perhaps? I'd love to hear!

Movie ticket wall sign on Etsy. True Minds image by Jeff Busby. Basket from Boho Morroco. Kirsty Martin as photographed by Justin Smith. Picnic and coffee images unknown, please contact me if you know the credit.

mother's day : to give

Looking for some gift ideas? A little collection of goodies for your mum (or yourself!) for Mother's Day.

Note to my family if they are reading: I would be thrilled with any of the above, especially the boots. Or the book. Or the glasses. Or the candle. Oh, go on then, you can give them all ;)

Have you asked for anything this Mother's Day? What kind of gifts do you usually like to give your mum/step-mum/grandma/lady-type-that-brought-you-up? I'd love to hear!

Reflect Mountain Tee from Gorman, Jo Malone Candle, Triple Chevron Chain from Rare Bird on Etsy, Feather print by Louise De Masi on Etsy, Ray Ban Aviators from Vision Direct, Skyward! Arrow Cuff from Molten, The Mountain, by Drusilla Modjeska from Random House Books, Minnetonka boots from The Iconic, Abbey Studded Wallet from Witchery.

mother's day : to wear

17/52

Portraits of one or more of my children once a week, every week in 2013.

Her: Gimme!

Him and Her: Meeting our friend's brand new baby.

Lovely portraits elsewhere this week: Nona at Fuga's Prism, Janet, otherwise known as Granny, at Harper Leich and Lo rockin' her shades at Melon Pea.

Joining in with Jodi's 52 week portrait project.

mother's day : to wear

With Mother's Day coming up (but don't panic, we've still got nearly two weeks) I started thinking about some fun gifts that are also practical for everyday.

Further to my self-confessed stripe love, this outfit is fabulously versatile in that it can be dressed up (heels, earrings) or down (chucks, caps), worn by all ages, is perfect for post-baby bods (loose-fit tee!) and is so easy to personalise.

And pregnant mamas can easily steal this look with these bump friendly maternity boyfriend jeans. I wore them when I was pregnant with the lady, and I can recommend. Plus, they're currently on sale. Bonus :)

What would you like to be wearing this Mother's Day? PJ's and an eyemask perhaps? I'd love to hear!

7 for all mankind boyfriend jeans on ASOS, Hunter Wellies on The Iconic, Black leather bag by Asya Malbershtein on Etsy, Striped Tee from American Apparel,  Floppy felt hat from Seed Heritage. 

Main image of Andreea Diaconu on Citizen Couture.