Introducing Frank and Miss- Little Threads For Little Ones

This weekend I was fortunate enough to attend the launch party for the exciting new Frank and Miss Clothing range, a beautiful new range of clothing for little people designed to be comfortable and practical, allowing kids to be kids while looking super cute. Most importantly- their pieces are priced very reasonably (bearing in mind that these are bespoke items). Here are some of their beautiful pieces:

Their range is a mix of baby stuff and clothes for older kids, both for every day and for special occasions- practical but different enough for your angels to stand out from the crowd. They also specialise in wedding attire- think pretty flower girl dresses without all the fuss and scratchy taffeta. They do beautiful everyday dresses too- just look at these!

The passion and enthusiasm that Elli and Claire, the two lovely ladies behind this proudly South African collaboration, is apparent. Claire's own beautiful pigeon pair were the perfect models for the range, sporting Frank and Miss couture at the launch party.

What I thought was quite a nice concept is that they also do matching sibling outfits, e.g. a dress for sister with a shirt with a matching bow tie in the same fabric for brothers. Noodle is going through a phase where she likes to match her baby brother (for example I dressed Squish in a nautical navy and white striped top for the party so she rushed to fetch her dress with navy and white stripes). I know the matchy-matchy idea would get her stamp of approval!
 
The party was a child-friendly event, set at the lovely Happily Ever Laughter in Bedfordview. If you are looking for a great child friendly restaurant in the East Rand, this one is sure to be a hit with the little ones- I know Noodle and Squish certainly enjoyed it! I think the live minion at the venue was a highlight for them (although Squish was a bit conflicted- he loves Minions but is a bit wary of characters in suits).

Thank you to Frank and Miss for hosting us!

Noodle and Squish left the party with their very own adorable Frank and Miss t-shirts, which they love.

I am sure you are dying to know where you can get hold of this stunning range for your little ones. You can order your Frank and Miss couture from their website (click on the link to be directed their online store). They deliver across South Africa.

Exploring Jozi- Melville's New 27 Boxes

This morning we explored the newly opened 27Boxes in Melville, a unique shopping centre which replaced an old abandoned park with shops made up almost entirely of shipping containers.

If the thought of shipping containers makes you picture dark and dingy, think again, while it is of course very hipster (as expected for the very Bohemian Melville area), this development is also very chic and trendy. It is surprisingly light, airy and colourful inside, contrary to expectations.

The development has a good mix of stores, ranging from designer clothing, jewellery and homeware to flowers, candles and art pieces. Oh and there is food, lots of food, from quirky takeaway stores, deli's and coffee shops to quaint little patisseries and a home-made ice-cream store. This is a foodie's dream. As expected, there are also stores that cater for those seeking food of the organic, green variety.The sweet aroma of coffee, waffles, macaroons, cronuts and cupcakes wafting through the air made me wish that I was not fasting today. 

My two favourite stores were a baby store upstairs, which had very cute little formal outfits for boys (something that is hard to find) and Krag Drag, an eclectic store downstairs with funny t-shirts and all sorts of proudly South African ware. I loved the Marie biscuit scatter cushions and Black Cat peanut butter chairs.

There is an outdoor area with an amphitheater which will apparently be used for live performances. There is also a little play area above the amphitheater, which was a bit on the sad side but looked like they were still busy working on it.

A couple of minor complaints- the centre is not particularly wheelchair or pram friendly, I had to leave the pram behind in the basement parking lot (which is made of brick and concrete by the way) to navigate the steep staircases up to the shopping levels. I am happy to see parking in the area though- we often frequent Bambanani just across the road and I always battled to find parking on the road.

Also, most of the shops are a bit on the pricey side, but I guess this is to be expected given their bespoke offerings.

It seems like work was still being done in some areas so it will be interesting to see what things are like when everything is done. One thing is for sure, this is nothing like your typical Johannesburg shopping center. 

Where to find it: 4th Avenue, Melville (aka the famous '7de Laan').

(Disclaimer: this is NOT a sponsored post and I am in no way affiliated with 27Boxes.)

Quick Kids Art Using Recycled Waste Products

Noodle always likes to do something arty when she is home with me and Squish is napping.

Here are some of the things we have been up to lately. These are all quick and easy and primarily use waste materials which otherwise would have been discarded.

COUTURE FOIL HAT AND BANGLE

The bangles are literally just scrunched up foil.

The hat is lined with a re-used disposable plastic bowl, which gives it the firm shape. The flower is cut out from a cardboard tray.

EGGTRAY FLOWER

This is so easy that Noodle was able to do this on her own with a bit of supervision.

1.Cut out four 'egg holes' from the egg tray (with a bit extra cut out from in between to create the petal shape).

2. Tape a straw at the back as the stem. (We twisted a green pipe cleaner around the straw but you could use a green straw or paint the straw green).

3. Paint the flower as desired. 

FINGER PUPPETS

These ones came pre-cut in a craft set, but could just as easily be made with off-cuts of felt, stiff cardboard to line with (toilet rolls or foil inners will work well), some glue and a few googly eyes.

Five Things That I Really Love Right Now

My most treasured things are of course those things that you cannot place a price tag on- my family, friends, beliefs, values and memories. 

That being said, these are some of my current favourite shop-bought fixes.

(This is not a sponsored post and none of the items listed below have been sponsored in any manner or form.)

LINDT HELLO CHOCOLATE

All Lindt chocolate is delicious of course, but their new Hello Line is particularly indulgent. My husband is wise enough to know this and got me one of each flavour for Mother's Day. So far the strawberry shortcake and caramel brownie flavours are winners.

CONVERSE WEDGE HEELS

Now shorties like me can look casual, funky and laid back while still getting a height boost. People either love or hate these but for me it is true love.

DARK CHOCOLATE AND ORANGE MUFFINS

The double chocolate and orange muffins from Food Lover's Market are the yummiest I have tasted, especially if you happen to get them hot out of the oven. (Their panini rolls are also amazing).

FELT TIPPED LIQUID EYELINER PENS

The only make-up item I cannot go without is eyeliner and the new felt-tipped liquid liner make application super easy for those of us that do not have the time or inclination to spend hours on make-up. I like the Essence brand with the super-fine tip, which is inexpensive and easy to find but works well. 

METALLIC SHARPIES

I am sure these have been out for a while but they are my newest toy and are just so cool. They are like regular permanent markers but waterproof, with a metallic finish and work on most surfaces (even black ones). The possibilities are endless! I hope to post some of my experiments with these soon.