Lil HipStar - The Creator

I thought I would give you a little insight into the world of creator of Lil HipStar, Laura.

What inspired you to start your label?
Lil HipStar launched in September 2013 in Melbourne Australia as a design and creative outlet for a stay at home mum (me!). When Oliver was born I just couldn't find the funky, hip baby blanket that I was looking for. I wanted something a little different. Before having my son Oliver, I was a full time architect. When Oliver was born with a congenial skull condition called craniosynostosis, I knew that returning to the corporate work would probably not be possible. This was a turning point and a great opportunity to have the best of both worlds: caring for Oliver, designing and creating fun exciting things for other babies that just weren't available for us! Hence as a result Lil HipStar was born.

How did you choose your business name?
Lil HipStar’s name came to be after lists and lists AND lists of names. These names were discussed with neighbors, friends and family members. A lot of back and forth went on before the name as finally chosen. Lil HipStar was chosen as I feel that it really portrays the spirit of Melbourne (which is where we live) and this funky little generation of kids. We also wanted a name that reflects the type of product we are selling: cool, modern and hip kids accessories.

Do you prefer to work with certain fabrics, colours or styles?
I absolutely love working with all fabric! I love everything about it! I love shopping for it, buying it, sewing it and the texture especially black velvety minky cuddle and jersey knit. My most favourite colours and style combinations at the moment are geometric black and white. I love the simplicity I of monochrome and the gender neutrality.

What inspires your creativity?
My creativity is this constant passion for wanting to make, create and design. For me, designing and making things has been an integral part of my life for as long as I can remember. The next step in Lil HipStar’s life is to start designing and printing our all of our own fabric designs. I think this will add an extra special touch to our product range.


You can check out Laura's fantastic products at Lil HipStar

REVIEW Stitched Into Gear - Burp Cloths

 Stitched Into Gear https://www.etsy.com/shop/StitchedIntoGear is a beautiful store on Etsy that make gorgeous handmade items from bags to cushions to quilts, but the items I was most interested in were funnily enough the baby items!!They have some gorgeous hooded towels and wash cloth sets at really good prices. Crystal at Stitched Into Gear was kind enough to send me some of these super cool burp cloths.

Now I love burp clothes, muslin clothes any kind of cloth really. As a mother, they are never far away. I am currently sitting on my sofa, in the living room and I can see one on the arm of the couch, one on the floor and one on the bookcase of all places! They are so useful and versatile. They can be use for multiple things, sick, spillages, dribbling, saliva that has dribbled down the chin from blowing too many raspberries. So I always have a few to hand.

The main thing I love about these cloths is obviously the design. I love the quirky patterns and the bold colours. The material used is really great quality, they have cotton cloth diaper on one side and flannel on the other. The are really absorbent which makes them really versatile and great for any job, however that also means they do retain a lot of water so aren't as quick to dry out. If you want a burp cloth that's more interesting than your average plain white muslin square then these are definitely for you! 

You can find Stitched Into Gear on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/StitchedIntoGear where you can see a lot of really great designs.

REVIEW Lil Hip Star - Bib

I was really excited when I was given the opportunity to review one of Lil Hip Star's bibs. This is the first item I have been sent from a company and it shows a great deal of belief in my blog and I'd like to thank Laura at Lil HipStar for giving me this opportunity.

When Laura told me I could chose my own design I didn't know if I'd be able to because all her designs are beautiful. On her Etsy shop there is a great selection of bibs, organic teething rings, blankets and even beautiful hats and headbands. The patterns and fabrics Laura uses are seriously gorgeous. She uses strong colours and gorgeous geometric styles that I really love. Eventually I plumped for this monochrome triangle print because I thought it might go best with more of Logan's clothes but I honestly could have chosen any of them. All items are hand made, so I did wonder if it would be obvious that it wasn't made in a big factory, but it isn't. The bib is really well made, it has the fabric on top and fleecy flannel underneath. It is also fastened with a snap closure which I much prefer to velcro.

As you can see the design is beautiful and the quality is fantastic. All her products can be found on the Etsy store: Lil HipStar (https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LilHipStar), you can also find the products at www.bubbabling.com.au , www.downthatlittlelane.com/au and as of the end of October she has a UK stockist in Bonne Nuit UK

Ready, Steady, Wean! Cow & Gate 5 Step Weaning Plan

Cow & Gate have been helping mums feed their babies for 110 years, so they know how messy, fun and frustrating weaning can be. That's why their team of nutritionists and baby feeding advisors have created the online 5 Step Weaning Plan to help parents take their baby from first spoonfuls to 3 meals a day, in 5 easy-to-follow steps.

When Cow & Gate got in touch and asked if I wanted to take part in the launch of their 5 Step Weaning Plan I jumped at the chance. Being in the relatively early stages of weaning any help or guidance is appreciated.

As a first time mum, weaning can be one of the most nerve wracking things to start. There are so many questions and for me I found it quite hard to know where to start. Cow & Gate have answered my, and I assume lots of mums, prayers and have introduced a really fun and easy to follow 5 Step Plan.

Step 1 First Spoonfuls
Step 2 Introducing Breakfast
Step 3 Introducing Variety
Step 4 Meat, Fish & Alternatives
Step 5 Establishing 3 Meals a Day

Each step of the plan includes a great selection of easy-to-follow recipes, designed specifically with baby in mind. The plan also includes tips and advice from the Cow & Gate careline team to help make the weaning journey as smooth as possible.

Its really simple to use and easy follow.  You can create your baby's own personal weaning plan with different recipes, track your babies likes and dislikes and get Cow & Gate money off coupons tailored to each step.

You can sign up online at https://www.cowandgate.co.uk/five-step-weaning-plan. 

6 Month Update

Half a year old? My oh my! Another 6 months and I'll have a one year old! Aaaaahhh!

Weight: I haven't manage to get Logan weighed this month. He never looks as if he's putting weight on though he always looks longer and stays perfectly in proportion.

Height: I think I will take this out of the updates because since he was born I've never known what height he is.

Food: Weaning is well under way! Bananas are still the firm favourite. He also seems to like Butternut squash, Avocados and Carrots.

Routine: Logan has just started lasting a little longer between feeds, only half an hour or so. So that gives us slightly longer between feeds for games and stories! 

Sleep: We've tried to move his bed time an hour earlier, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. He has his last feed anywhere between 19:30 & 20:30 and he sleeps right through to 7am! He has started to nap now but it's still bit hit and miss. Sometimes he can nap around 9/10 and 2/3 sometimes it's only the one around 1 or sometimes it's none at all. It's something we are still working on.

Clothing: He is in 6-9 month. Although like last month the trousers are still too big for him round the waist but 3-6 are too short on the leg so H&M jogging bottoms are the answer at the moment. A few of his baby grows seem to be on the tight side so I fear we may need to go up a size in these soon! 9-12 Months?? Eeeeeek!

Likes: Jumperoo! We bought this mid-way through the month as I felt he was getting bored. Playing on his mat was no longer cutting it, he was getting agitated with his toys and I felt like he needed something that would get him up and bit more mobile and he has loved it. Best purchase ever! 

Dislikes: Being left on his own. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing but he rarely likes to be left alone to just chill out, which make the naps so important. He constantly want to be doing things, playing, jumping, rolling, wriggling. He loves to be on the move, he never want to just lie for half an hour and cuddle or chill out. 

Milestones: Logan had just managed to master rolling from his back to his front at the beginning of month 5 so now he has turned his attention to crawling. He can hold his upper body up with his arms and he can kneel perfectly fine, he just hasn't worked out how to do them together. So he has become an expert and shuffling around on his knees and his nose! I'm pretty sure this won't last long because I don't imagine it's too comfy. He still hasn't mastered how to sit up on his own. I'm not sure if it's because he can't or because any time we try and sit him up he just wants to chew on his feet so just bends forward to grab his toes and stick them in his mouth! Hopefully it won't be too much longer though.

It's so fun to watch his little personality shine through. As every day changes he becomes more content and happier and its a joy to watch him grow. I don't know where I'd be without my little baby!

Kirsty x

REVIEW Beauty Kitchen Moisturising Oil & Hand Scrub

Beauty Kitchen are a company based in Glasgow who manufacture and sell 100% natural beauty products. Their products claim to be 100% Natural, 100% Affordable and 100% Effective.

The contents of their products are not hard to check. Their website (www.beautykitchen.co.uk) is very open and honest about the ingredients they use. A quick glance at the site and you can see their products really are 100% natural. I often think that company's stick buzz words like 'Natural' and 'Organic' on the front of their products without actually living up to that name but Beauty Kitchen does. Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm for instance. Bet you thought that was 100% Natural, as it claims on the tube. I know I did. 100% Natural to me means no chemicals, Limonene and Tocopheral don't sound too natural too me. However you'll be hard pressed to find any chemicals in these products.


Great affordable products are what everyone wants these days, aren't they? Now although I was fortunate enough to be sent these products by the beautiful Kirsten at Beauty Kitchen (who just so happens to be a good friend too) the products are so reasonably priced. Beauty Kitchen offer Bath and Body Hampers from £39.95 to Make Your Own Experiences at £25 where you can visit their Glasgow store and be shown how to make your own products, both of which make fantastic Christmas gifts.

100% Effective though? This was the one I was dubious about. In the past I've found the Organic/Natural stuff doesn't usually work as well as the stuff packed full of nasty chemicals! I mean surely there's a reason these chemicals are there! So although I thought the products might be good, I didn't know if they'd be great.

The first product I tried was the Inspire Me Shimmer Dry Moisturising Oil. When Kirsten asked if I wanted to try any of their products I asked if I could 'pretty please have something moisturising'. My body is still recovering from having a baby and there's a lot of skin that still needs moisturising and stretch marks that still need a bit of help. On first try I was a bit unsure about the smell. It's slightly too citrusy for me. However the scent doesn't linger too long so it's not something that would put me off the product and there are plenty other scents on offer. Beauty Kitchen say 'This dry oil absorbs quickly into the skin for a smooth, soft and non sticky finish' and I can't think of a better way to put it. It really does just that. Being an oil I thought it might be quite similar to Bio Oil, where I find Bio Oil takes forever to sink in and I find myself walking about like a naked scarecrow waiting on it to dry, a few moments and this oil had absorbed right in. I was able to dress pretty quickly without worrying that it was going to seep into my clothes. A little goes a long way. I didn't need to use a lot to cover the areas I wanted to and because it dries in quickly I wasn't left with the horrible oily mess on my hands that is murder to try and wash off. It made the areas that I had used it on super soft which I really liked. It straight away felt like it was working.

The second product I tried was the Indulgent Hand Scrub. Your hands get tired of looking after the rest of your body, so look after them with an amazing skin smoothing and renewing scrub. It's so good we all use it as a face scrub as well. Suitable for Vegans and 100% natural. Its a really simple, effective product. Its easy and quick to use. My main problem with nearly all beauty or skin products is that I forget to use them. I'm in my bed by the time I remember I should have cleansed and toned and I can't be bothered getting back out my bed to do it. I sit this scrub beside my bathroom sink and use it when I wash my hands. My hands feel all soft and nourished after using.

For now Beauty Kitchen can be found in their store at 117 Saltmarket, Glasgow and online at http://beautykitchen.co.uk/ but they have a wonderful collaboration happening soon with a leading UK retailer! Keep your eyes peeled for more information on that soon!


Kirsty x

BOOTD

Today's Outfit

Jumper: Next. It was a gift so I have no idea how much it was an it was bought in January. Sorrryyy!

Jeans: Next £9.50