I have a one year old.

I keep saying it out loud.  I have a one year old son.  No matter how many times I repeat it, it still sounds a bit like I’m playing grown-ups except I really am a grown-up.  Apparently.

My wee man turned one on Saturday.  My mum and Auntie Moe arrived from Canada on Friday (and brought the lush weather with them!) just in time to celebrate so we had a party.  There was sunshine, little baby buddies and their parents (mainly just an excuse for us to have our friends over), a BBQ, pressies, singing and CAKE!

This is as good a family pic as we’re gonna get…

A little mild flirting with Belle…

Skyping in with Uncle Tim & Auntie Andrea

How awesome was Levi’s cake?!  I did not make it.  An awesome local cake-maker made it - Frosted Teapot - check her out.  Seriously YUM.

That was Saturday, and then on Sunday the sun lingered around so we took off to have a picnic at the beach and I FINALLY got to have a dip in the sea. 

Poor Auntie Moe hurt her back last week and is totally rocked the wheelchair look at the beach.

Lovin’ having his Nanna here for snuggles.

Safe to say, Levi did not dig his foot dip the sea.

Man, I love these two.  Anyway, not the most thrilling, thought-provoking post ever, but definitely a weekend worth documenting. 

Motherhood Monday - My Guys

I’ve just sat on the sofa to write this having completed one of the busiest weeks ever.  While I’ve been off most days and nights doing lots of activism stuff, Dave has been holding down the fort at home. 

Traffik-free chocolate for Levi!

There’s no doubt about it, the transition from being a couple to being parents brings an incredible depth to your relationship with your partner.  It also brings a little healthy dash of chaos. 

You have to add another tiny, entirely-dependent-on-you-little-person into the mix of a dynamic that once was quite simple.  The dynamic inevitably changes and the weight of priorities shuffles about to be spread out over the three of you.  It’s pretty easy to let the spread of that priority shift weigh pretty heavy on the side of the tiny entirely dependent little person. 

Really quickly you can find yourself coming into the house and asking a run-down of baby related questions before you ask how the other person is doing.  You run out of the house smothering the baby in smoochies and forget to kiss your partner goodbye.  You can be so exhausted from the demands of the day and crash out in the evening behind phones, computer and tv screens instead of talking about whats going on in your lives.  We’re so guilty of having got the priority spread really wrong at times.  It’s so easy to do and intentions are so pure.  We are learning a lot about being precious about our relationship, about our couple time, our family time and about how to prioritise each other a bit better.

With last week having been so manic for me, Levi has had a lot of daddy time.  One of the best things about being a parent has to be seeing your partner become a parent and observing them loving your child.  I LOVE watching my guys together.  Dave takes the time to teach Levi so much. 

 

He teaches him to be adventurous (“jump off the windowsill into daddys arms!”), he goes to extreme lengths to make him laugh (some of this involves a bit of a booty slap dance routine - don’t ask him to do it - it’s for our eyes only and for all our sakes, it’s better that way), he challenges Levi to try new things and develop (even when those things are climbing the stairs and I’m pretty sure we are going to regret that one). 

And this little guy ADORES his dad (evident by his constant da-da-da’ing) and even now, at just one year old I can see him imitating Dave, admiring him as he watches his every move and wanting his approval and praise when he does something.  It’s just the best thing ever. 

SO - even when we get the balance wrong; when we are consumed with the chaos of bedtime routines, food-envy, changing nappies that make our eyes sting and washing mountains of weetabix stained vests, I know to be grateful.  It will all even out eventually.

No More Traffik

It’s been the busiest week EVER.  Every day has been chocked full of events and prep for events as thousands of activists all over Northern Ireland have joined forces to highlight the crazy horror of human trafficking during ‘No More Traffik’ week. 

I have sensed such a thick atmosphere of unity and strength in our wee country over this issue and it’s amazing to see individuals and communities rising up to do something.  My hope is that Northern Ireland can demonstrate a model of unified activism on this and show other countries how real change can happen on this issue.

Over the week there have been flash mobs (watch it happen here!), there have been forums, the launch of Northern Irelands first All Party Group on Human Trafficking in Stormont (our government), concerts, graffiti, skimboarding (yeah, I still don’t know what that is - but I’m pretty sure if I tried it I’d break my face), stories of hope, documentary screenings and on Thursday night Craigavon A.C.T. and The A21 Campaign collaborated to highlight a more global side to the trafficking world. 

Fashion and chocolate.  Things I am passionate about in equal measures.  

Over 200 people flocked into our venue at The Dock Cafe in the new Titanic Quarter of Belfast to feast on a BBQ of sausages and fairtrade buns and cakes.  That was about 100 more people than we expected (amazing but CHAOTIC!) and the place was BUZZING! 

Above:  Laura & I with the boys from The Meat Cleaver who donated all the BBQ meat.  Such awesome guys.

Students from Belfast MET made amazing pieces of fairtrade/ethical/upcycled clothing for a fashion show and then we shared stories of people who have been trafficked into both the fashion and chocolate industries around the world. Check out this dress made of recycled fabric and coffee bags!

We then challenged the crowd to not just be moved, but to ACT.  Over 200 people signed a pledge to eat only traffik-free (fairly traded) chocolate.  Over 200 people signed letters of pressure to our Justice Minister to call him to help us challenge the chocolate companies that are using sources where trafficked children are exploited and abused on farms.

Above: Awesome activists signing the pledge

These are our new Craigavon A.C.T. info cards about the Chocolate Campaign.

It was a truly amazing night.

Thrifty Thursdays - 3 Step Collar!

You like my new peter pan collared top?

Oh you do, do you?

Well guess what - it’s not even a top!  It’s a detachable collar and I made it!  I KNOW!

I’ve had a bit of a penchant for this peter pan collar look at the moment and have seen loads of fabulous ones in the shops for a pretty penny.  I figured it couldn’t be hard to make one myself so I had a whirl.  Honest to goodness, it was even easier than I thought.  I am still quite excited by the possibilities of this make-your-own collar thing, because it means that I can jazz up SO many of my boring old tops and dresses! Hurray for giving new life to old things!  Thrift at its best!

I now present you with your very own 3 step tutorial on making this for your sweet self.

Pick your fabric (I went with a soft leather) grab a pair of sharp scissors and a couple of longish bits of ribbon to coordinate or accent your fabric (I went for a thin ribbon for the tie at the back and a bit of light blue lace for the front).  You will also need to cut out two half moon shapes on a bit of paper as a template.  Have a go at placing them around your neck and check in the mirror for size and shape and adjust as necessary.  It’s easier to do this now than get in a fuss with the fabric by trying to resize it.

Pierce two holes in your fabric/leather at the bottom corners - they should meet right in the middle of your collar bone.  Feed your ribbon or lace through both holes to meet at the front and tie a little knot to keep it in place.

Pierce two more holes at the top corner of the fabric/leather at the other end of the moon.  Get two more bits of ribbon and tie and knot each of them onto both the holes seperately to create your tie for the back!

Harness that beauty round your neck and play around with the adjustment of the tie at the back.  This will obviously vary according to what top you wear it with. 

No joke, it’s just that easy. 

What do you think?  For me it just adds that somethin’ somethin’ to a plain top to bring your outfit to life!

Behind The Scenes with Magpie Events!

I had a lovely afternoon yesterday up in Bushmills hosting a Magpie Events Hen Party.  It was the first time that I had hosted for people that I didn’t know or had some connection with, and with it being over an hour from home (meaning I couldn’t pop home if I forgot some crucial bit of kit), I was so anxious that it all went smoothly. 

Luckily, my beautiful friend Jen was over visiting from London.  Jen and I met in High School in Canada and got up to all kinds of trouble in our sewing class when we were 15.  She’s SUPER creative and crafty and was the perfect assistant to have with me in the prep and on the day.

Although Magpie Parties are very dear to my heart and I love doing them SO much, there really is a whole lot of prep work that goes into making each one really special and detailed.  I thought I’d give you a little insight into what goes on leading up to a Magpie Party and show you some snaps from yesterdays festivities. 

 

Above:  I like to send guests home with a little goodie bag to put their crafty bits into along with any leftovers, so we made a little extra special personalised tea bag for them to enjoy at home!

Above:  Each one handmade!

Above:  Checking on the baking…

Above:  Icing these mini-cupcake bad boys with my new Pampered Chef icers - GREAT purchase.

Above:  Just a small bit of the gear that has to be lugged along to each event…

Above:  The venue for the party was the most beautiful home of the bride-to-be’s parents up in the countryside near Bushmills.  It’s always a treat when you arrive up to such an idyllic home - it was like something out of a magazine!

Above:  Decking the halls! (check out that LUSH Belfast sink!)

Above:  Setting the table with all my china & bits and bobs

Above:  I made the little pom-poms to go on to of the cake - saw it on good old pinterest!

Above:  After tucking into the tea party we served in the kitchen, I sat down with the gals and talked through each of the crafts they were going to do…giving ideas, doing demonstrations, showing some samples etc.

Above:  And of course there are always some hiccups - I sat on the harth of the fireplace to chat and got coal on my bum!

Above:  My beautiful assistant Jen!  Doesn’t she look like she just fits right in at that house with her pretty frock?!

Above:  Some of the finished crafty bits - Bow shoe clips & a jubilee inspired tea-light lantern!

Above:  Magpie Ladies!

And there you have it!  It’s so brill to see how into it the guests get, how much time they take pouring over their choices of fabric, ribbon and buttons and then proud they are of their little creations when they finish - I hope Magpie Events can be proof that absolutely anyone can be crafty and how easy it is to make lovely things from the simplest of supplies. 

I’ll be posting some more pics from the party over on the Magpie Events Facebook page.  If you’re not already a ‘liker’, come on over and join the fun!

Thrifty Thursday - Vintage Style

Well hello there strangers…it’s been a while. You good?

I was swanning around Cardiff visiting my brother and sister-in-law over the bank holiday and things with work and Craigavon ACT stuff have been really busy, but I thought I’d get back on the blog horse with a little thrifty thursday fashion post.

As much as I try to avoid the high street clothes shops, sometimes I succumb. As much as I try to rummage around charity shops for clothes and accessories, sometimes there is very little on the rails that fits/isn’t stained/doesn’t look like something a granny would wear (and I’m not even talking about the cool granny-chic look…that I can just about manage).

In the middle of all of that there are vintage shops. They mainly get their stuff from charity shops, but they have such an eye for the good stuff - often getting there before us misers get a chance and scooping up the wear-worthy bits. There are a couple of online vintage shops that I look through regularly. I used to love going into the different vintage shops when we I lived in London. Camden has a load of them; Notting Hill and Covent Garden too, although they can be ridiculously over-priced.

Despite some of the crazy prices for vintage clothes (which they can get away with now that it’s really cool and more mainstream fashion than minority fashion) the thrifty power in buying from these shops is that you aren’t contributing to the fast-fashion market - buying new all the time. Buying vintage means you are reusing, reloving, rewearing something that someone else doesn’t want. Although you aren’t giving to charity when you buy this stuff, it’s likely that the shops have - and so there’s a bit of good in there somewhere (at least that’s what I tell myself).

Anyway, I’ve picked a few dresses from a couple of online vintage shops for you to see that second hand clothes can be really on trend and beautiful.

1. Mint Dress from Rokit - £40

2. Floral Shirt Dress from LoveMissDaisy - £40

3. Pleated Floral Dress from Steptoes Dog - £36

4. Multicoloured Strip Shirt Dress from Rokit - £40

What do you think? Would you buy from second-hand vintage shops? Do you know of any good ones online or local to Northern Ireland? Are these dresses worth the asking price?