Taking a break...

Tomorrow we embark on a three week holiday to Queensland. Family travelling from Ireland and the UK and the four of us from Tasmania, will be descending upon the Sunshine Coast where'll be have precious time to reconnect, play, share and above all else, hang out and relax. Living so far away from your nearest and dearest can be a challenge and having this time together is oh so special.
That is why I have decided to take a little break from the The Brothers Trimm and concentrate on time away from the computer. Don't worry, I won't be able to tear myself away completely! There'll be snippets and updates on Facebook and Twitter aswell as a few posts here on the blog. I'll share some beach time and we'll also show off a few new outfits! But as I know you all understand, spending time with those you love takes priority...

The Wacky World of Wallpaper

In my pre children days, I spent six years working amongst some of the best interior fabric and wallpaper companies around. One of these was Osborne & Little, a company established in the 1960's that is still loud and proud today. Known for their highly original, glossy advertisements they have also been lucky enough to collaborate with some interesting people. Their most recent children's collection saw virtuoso illustrator Quentin Blake (he of all the Roald Dahl books) create a fabric and wallpaper range - Zagazoo -  that pays homage to that trademark wacky, spindly, jubilance that is his style. I love them and all the nostalgia they evoke.

The Jolly Postman

I guess loads of you are already familiar with this gorgeous tale - you know the one that allows us join the so called Postie on his rounds to various Fairy Tale characters? Delivering letters that are beautifully reproduced within the books page sleeves, each envelope, stamp mark and letter contained is just a treat to unfold.
We finally got to read The Jolly Postman tonight and the birthday boy was rather thrilled when there was yet another birthday card to read, even if it wasn't quite for him but another equally special bear.

Storage...

Ok, it can be ignored no more. Lego has entered the building...the floor...the car...my shoes...it's everywhere, and it's up to me to set the rules NOW before we get swallowed up forever in the all consuming ever increasing vacuum of teeny tiny building blocks.
This is a cute storage idea I found on Pinterest though. Somehow I think it would be me making it look pretty and tidy every evening and not the boys.

4 Steps to Party Success

I couldn't believe how calm I was on Sunday morning, wondering whether I had majorly forgotten vital party ingredients or had I really got this organisation thing down pat? Satisfied that I had clinched the latter I allowed the day to process before sharing our happy day with you.
So in 4 simple steps, (as it was THE number of the day) this is what we did to make our now birthday boy grin from ear to ear.

1. We had the party outside. In a park. Lots of green space. Lots of fresh air.
2. We bribed Mother Nature to turn on the sunshine. It worked.
3. We asked J's carers to suggest who he is particularly connected to in his class and so invited those kids he is genuinely pals with. Girls included.
4. Keeping party games to a simple 2 or 3, I invested some time in making a giant jigsaw, which we hid in various areas of the park area for the kids to discover and collect. We then all got together to make the puzzle, each kid taking a turn to suggest where the next piece should go. Team effort = happy kids.
The puzzle was just a large board of foamcore by the way, picked up from a local art store. I drew a rather a naive forest scene and then just cut up the pieces with a stanley knife. It was all a bit 'rustic' but the kids weren't looking for perfection!
Hide and seek, Tag and Duck Goose followed. With some help from other volunteer Mums, we managed to keep everyone's short attention spans and ran ourselves silly!
Big Disclaimer - the puzzle treasure hunt was inspired by the Mother of all Party Ideas, Jen Cooper over at Classic Play - thanks again for a brilliant idea, it apparently was the birthday boys favourite party game! 


Moral of the story? Keep it simple, have a little structure and some good old fashioned playground games up your sleeve. Leave a little to spontaneity and be willing to act like a child and run around with them too.

And to our eldest who actually turns 4 'officially' tomorrow, Happy Birthday pet. Happy Birthday to you x Oh and apologies, the quality of the iPhone photos are a little less than perfect.

1.2.3.4...

While we whistle along to Feist in preparation for the big day (I'm trying to teach the boys how to purse their lips and blow, with little success),  I've been thinking that this little Step Stool would be a rather cute addition to the wishful present list. (mine of course, not Master J!)

Party planning

I'm thinking of a treasure hunt for our birthday party this weekend. Here's a fun free downloadable map for all those pirate planners out there...

All the instructions can be found via the Tangarang blog

Pandaring to Feeding Time

Wouldn't this just be the cutest present! Look at how his frown changes to a smile once the last sips been sup! Super duper.

Birthdays and Holidays

This next few weeks is going to be helter skelter for us Trim's. But in a good way. A very important birthday is looming as is a magic holiday up in Queensland with extended family. So as I prepare for both party and travel, I'm going to share with you my preparation pick-ups via our wonderful online highway.

Holiday inspiration
My parents would always bring our favourite bedtime pillows with us on car journeys, the smell and comfort of home would always ease us into a new hotel or hire car. Taking that idea a little further, this is a neat idea created by Amazing Mae. Pocket for books and special friends, a handle to carry your cosy treasure. Road trip

Roadside Projects

My fancy for foxes continues with this super cool paper cut from the lauded leaves of Fantastic Mr Fox by clever with his hands Mr Jayme McGowan. He also has other scenes from such favourite Roald Dahl reads as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach... go have a look at his 'Roadside Projects'.

Tooowhit, twoo-hoo!

My hasn't Marks and Sparks come a long way! We are in desperate need of a new night light and these little owls (spotted at Smudgetikka) would be perfect for the boys bedroom. Combining wintery cheer and reassuring comfort, they could even help them find their way to the loo at first light! Let me know when you see them in-store UK and Ireland readers, perhaps I can suggest them to "Santa".

Something BIG's coming...

Brrrr, it's ridiculously cold down here in Tasmania. I'm sitting by the fire with a bickie and cuppa Earl Grey fighting off a bout of the seasonal snuffles. I think it's time for some warm and cheery posts this week!
I mentioned recently that the wonderful people at Anorak were about to launch Ploc, a new magazine for preschoolers? Well closer to home, two pioneering women, Jo Pollitt and Lilly Blue are currently working around the clock in preparation for the launch of their new and VERY exciting new magazine BIG. Folks, this looks ain't big its HUGE and I'm totally chuffed to be contributing to the very first issue (mini combined skwee and sneeze).
BIG magazine's goal is to promote and nurture creative thinking and play, de-pressurising childhood and slowing things down to a more genuine level. Hooray I say, HOORAY!
BIG stands for Bravery, Imagination and Generosity. Three invaluable tools that will set any child in excellent stead on their journey of life. If you'd like to learn more about BIG magazine, you can sign up to receive all the latest updates, saving you from missing any vital pieces of information from their informative blog. It also means you have no chance of forgetting their launch date either! I'm counting down the days...

Some of the illustrations to look forward, specially created by co founder Lilly Blue

Midweek Manifesto

Lark keep bringing us a treasure trove of treats and this latest offering is no exception. I think everyone needs one of these posters on their walls.

A Novel Idea

Being a children's bookseller, I am always looking for ideas for upcoming events. I'm planning one soon that will involve the creation of your own book, it's still in secret planning stage so I can't divulge TOO much right now. However, I did get giddy this morning when I saw this fabulous post on lmnop, highlighting the Scribble Press studios on the East and West Coasts of the States. What a fantastic idea to help nurture literacy. Anyone been to a class yet or made their own storybook? We'd love to hear about it.

Flip Book Invites

I have now realised I need to step up a gear if I am to organise a vaguely decent birthday party for our eldest. Turning 4 is a big deal you know? If I had the time, the talent and the tenacity, I would love to make something like these flip book invitations by My Paper Crane. Terrific aren't they!

Sealed with a Kiss

This is possibly THE cutest thing I have ever seen.  Known as 'the baby seal' this 100% Icelandic wool suit is made by VÍK PRJÓNSDÓTTIR, a creative brand from Iceland who design and create warm and sumptuous blankets with a cosy factor of a billion. Don't you wish they'd make an adult sized seal outfit? Well guess what, they do!

Seek and you will find...a book!

So I'm off for a weekend away, sans boys, to see a special old friend in Melbourne. To thank both Daddy and the boys for getting up at.. ahem... 5am to bring me to the airport, I bought them award winning illustrator Bob Staake's zany seek-and-find book Look! A Book! It's all set to have them glued for hours!