Romantic Flair Original

Time to have a break....but do not worry I will still be looking after you in my travels!

2012-05-30T00:17:00.001+10:00

I will be having a break to catch up my family overseas, but I have done a fair bit of work behind the scenes and have made some arrangements please read on......

We are away on a family holiday at the moment, but we are still sending out most of the products out. Please read carefully:

The larger items, such as the Teamson range, Doll Houses, Playcenters and some of the smaller items in store will be sent out within a couple of days of your purchase, it might take a bit longer due to time difference that I will be travelling to process your order.

Some of the very smaller items unfortunately I will not be able to process until I return back to Australia which is around the 12th July....You can still purchase, but that is when they will be processed though, it is worth emailing me to see if I can arrange delivery.

Personalized Items -- to those who had in mind to place any Personalized orders in the near future, you can still place your orders, I will still be able to work on designs while I am away but they will be finalized on my return mid July.. I know that on my return my Christmas orders will start to build up.!

Please feel free to contact me via email for any inquiries..........!

So while I am taking a well deserved break, I will find time to process most orders that will come in, and arrange to be sent out too you. Please be patient to get a response, as I will be in a time difference of 8hrs.

I will try and keep you updated with some of the beautiful places that I will be visiting.

About Marthese

Marthese is the face behind:

Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
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You can sign up for her newsletter
You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons

Check out our latest Giveaway & Specials

Teaching kids the days of the week, months, seasons, days of the week and the time has never been so easy…..

2012-05-22T21:18:00.000+10:00

Have you ever tried to teach your child all of the above. It can be a major exercise, as you will need the following:

a clock
a calendar
images showing different types of weather
images showing different seasons of the year
etc. etc.….

Well have a look at the above a Wooden Calender Puzzle which is all in one “prop” to learn about:

What is the date today?
What day of the week is it?
What month of the year is it?
Is it Winter, Spring, Summer or Autumn?
Is it cold, hot, snowing, raining?

Ideal to place this maybe on your kitchen bench or hang on the wall (it has hooks at the back to be hang), or maybe somewhere prominent at your Day Care Center, Play group, Kinder or Classroom.

I recommend you start the day, maybe while having breakfast, first thing in the morning before you start your activities or programme for the day, to spend 5 minutes doing this activity every day.

The Child will have to peg:

The date with the yellow peg
Pointing with the pointer to the right day of the week
The month with the green peg
Then maybe ask which season we are in
If it is cold, hot, etc. today

The clock can be used at various time of the day for various activities.

What a clever cookie, who ever came up with this whole idea. What do you think?

It has just arrived in store, and it is becoming one of my popular additions in the educational section. Before you know it will become what could have been a major task, a simple daily routine!

See more educational items in store here.

Always sourcing educational products or toys with an educational thought behind it, to make your child's play, a learning in process.

About Marthese

Marthese is the face behind:

Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
Learn more about her here
You can sign up for her newsletter
You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons

Check out our latest Giveaway & Specials

Lacing & threading activities with young children, encouraging and developing manipulative skills & co-ordination skills….

2012-05-18T11:48:00.000+10:00

Lacing & threading activities with young children, encouraging and developing manipulative skills together with co-ordination skills….

In my other article I spoke about how lacing and threading help in the development of these skills.

You can see how important to introduce different activities, as it will help them in their physical development.

Now if you have covered the basic lacing, you can move on to next stage where the end of the lace gets a bit smaller and the wholes that they are threading through, a bit smaller as well to make it a bit more challenging.

Activity sets like these will not only improve their skills but help them as well in pretend play and imaginative skills.

Other great lacing play sets are these below, which can be easily included in the Home Corner pretend play…

This awesome set covers everything from lacing,stacking,sorting,counting, and number recognition.

For something more this, letter and shapes sets will be more challenging.

Well when you think they finally mastered all the above…these gorgeous activity sets, which come in a tin box will provide them with lots of hours of activity.

I think we covered quite a few stages of lacing here

About Marthese
Marthese is the face behind:

Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
Learn more about her here
You can sign up for her newsletter
You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons

Check out our latest Giveaway & Specials

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Events that I am around the next 3 days….

2012-05-17T15:02:00.000+10:00

I found some quite time today, while I am exhibiting at Bulleen Shopping Center. I should have done this yesterday to update you with what I will be up to as in displaying where and where, but I never got around to it!

At present I am at Bulleen Shopping center…we had quite a busy morning, but in the afternoon it seems to quite down before the school run. So I thought I sit and catch up with my posting.

Tomorrow you will find me at the Caribbean Market i.e.

Friday the 18th May

8:30 am till 2:30 pm

You will find great activities for the kids as well

~~~~

Sunday the 19th May

Lardner Park

09:00 till 2:00pm

A great day out…

Hope to see some of you there, as you see a full schedule ahead of me, but looking forward catching up with different people in my travels…till then

About Marthese

Marthese is the face behind:

Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
Learn more about her here
You can sign up for her newsletter
You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons

Check out our latest Giveaway & Specials

Gorgeous pieces of furniture to adorn your Children’s Bedrooms…

2012-05-16T08:00:00.000+10:00

I am sure you would agree with me that any of these gorgeous designs from the Teamson’s range of kids design furniture, will just make their room stand out….

These awesome Drawer Cabinets would make a good start to introduce these furniture into your kids bedrooms…..the biggest thing I think would be is to choose which Design?

Which one is your favorite? These make ideal gifts for Baby’s Gifts or as Christening present.

About Marthese
Marthese is the face behind:

Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
Learn more about her here
You can sign up for her newsletter
You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons

Check out our latest Giveaway & Specials

What does Mother’s Day mean to me…..?

2012-05-15T08:00:00.000+10:00

What does Mother mean to you?

I know for me these days it is a celebration of honoring what my MUM means to me and what she has done for me and siblings, and also a joy to be blessed with 2 of my own.

Growing up as a child

one takes his MUM for granted in a way
she is always there for you, making sure you are cared for, loved and nurtured
as one grows older into teenage years, MUM becomes that person who does not know anything, she is ancient and does not understand where you are coming from
we grow into adulthood MUM all of a sudden becomes your friend, a person who is full of knowledge, and often is the one who gets asked for advise…..because of course as we all know now, she knows best what is good for her child!!!!!

Ah …how things change!

All of a sudden MUM is popular again…we start going out together for coffee, and share personal happenings in our life, and becomes more the person that you like to hang out with……

I personally was blessed with 2 of my own. I have come to a stage now that both of them are grown up and left home, still they are my 2 gorgeous children that I have raised with my husband, which I dearly thank as if it was not for him obviously I would not have become a MUM.

I do not regret one thing I have done
Yes maybe I could have done slightly better in some things…but then who is perfect
I am so proud of what they have achieved and of the persons that they have become
I still feel somehow that I need to care for them in some way and be there for whenever they need me

My mum used to say as your kids grow your worries grow with them, and in a way it is true…as they grown and start their own families more things to worry about, but on the positive side there is a lot of great things that one shares together.

One story My Mum used to tell to us as kids, I am not sure if it is a true story or one that was made up.

There was a man who was going to be hanged in prison, as a punishment for something that he done. His last wish was to see his mum.

When his mum came along, he slapped her in the face.

She said “Why did you do that?”

He said “If you did your job properly when I was young, I would not be here today!”

I know some of you might say, but it is not fair. When you really think about it, we bring our children in this world, it was our choice not theirs. We have the responsibility to guide them, look after them and teach them the right way and to respect others, and consequently to grow up to become great human beings.

I believe Mum's love is unconditional……

Hope you all had a memorable Mother’s Day. Personally I had the pleasure of spending quality time with all my family and to spend an hour talking to my gorgeous Mum on Skype.

Isn’t the Personalized Mug up top such a memorable keepsake…..! One of my customers created it for her mum!

About Marthese

Marthese is the face behind:

Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
Learn more about her here
You can sign up for her newsletter
You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons

Check out our latest Giveaway & Specials

Whimsical Princesses,Prince that turns into a frog…..brought to you by Teamson, the gorgeous Children furniture…..

2012-05-09T21:46:00.000+10:00

Every child will live the fairy-tale in a land of princess, prince, dragons with this gorgeous but also whimsical Princess & Frog Collection by Teamson……

Beautifully hand crafted Toy Chest……

Coat Tree Stand where each hook is animated with enchanted creatures…..

Rocking chair to die for…..

Rocking chair fit for a princess….

Step stool to help little princess reach up high, or can also be used as chair….

Table and chairs…where creativity begins…..

Vanity Table & Stool fit for a princess!

What else can I say…..if you want to be charmed, then have a look above and consider furnishing your princess room with some of the above whimsical furniture…all handcrafted and illustrated by talented artists.

About Marthese

Marthese is the face behind:

Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
Learn more about her here
You can sign up for her newsletter
You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons

Check out our latest Giveaway & Specials

If you would like to catch up with me the next 3 days this is where I will be exhibiting…

2012-05-04T07:00:00.000+10:00

Very busy 3 days coming up…this is where you can catch up with me….!

Friday 4th May --- Caribbean Gardens and Market

8.30am – 2.30pm

Saturday 5th May Red Hill Market

8am to 1pm

Sunday 6th May Healesville Market

9am to pm

See some of you there…hope the rain will be kind to us and stay away for a while!

About Marthese

Marthese is the face behind:

Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
Learn more about her here
You can sign up for her newsletter
You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons

Check out our latest Giveaway & Specials

Tables & Chairs for Children by Teamson

2012-05-03T08:00:00.000+10:00

A range of kids “Tables & Chairs” to choose from the delightful Teamson range.

If you are in the hunt for Kids Tables & Chairs sets, I suggest you take a look at this range offered by Teamson. Other pieces of furniture are available to compliment each range….

Magic Garden Collection...

Dinosaur Collection...

Princess & Frog Collection...

Transportation Collection...

Which one is your favourite? Personally I find it very hard to pick which one as they are all so beautiful.

I appreciate the fact, that they are all hand carved and hand painted by talented artists!

About Marthese

Marthese is the face behind:

Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
Learn more about her here
You can sign up for her newsletter
You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons

Check out our latest Giveaway & Specials

Lately I have been speaking to a Parrot in my travels….

2012-05-02T08:00:00.000+10:00

As a Child next to our primary school, there used to be a cafe, who had this Parrot outside the Cafe in a cage, and as Kids we all use to stop by and say hello to Polly the “Parrot”. Polly the Parrot used to say “hello do you want any lollies today”?

I think the owner must have done a bit of training there with Polly LOL……It must have a been a great investment back then. Well lately I have been talking to another sort of Parrot, you know we have moved forward from my childhood, and I do not need to tell you how old I am now, but it has been quite awhile.

Well as you know the world of digital gadgets is a fascination these days. I have been approached lately to talk to a different kind of Parrot, from the one I am used to speak to in my childhood years.

Initially I looked at it, it looked very fine slender piece of equipment. To tell you the truth I have never used one of these before, so I was a bit baffled as to what I am supposed to do with it. When it comes to new technology, I seem to stay back a bit to try something new.

I sat down and read the instructions which to my surprise was not very hard at all to understand (in the meantime I charged my parrot)

You can charge it directly into your cigarette lighter
or use a USB/mini-USB cable to connect the Parrot MINIKIT+ to your computer

Sorry I forgot to mention that this very handy new device that I have is called Parrot MINIKIT+! I have to say the name suits it to "T"

Installing the Parrot is very easy, you just need to slide the visor strap supplied onto your vehicle sun visor and just slide the clip located at the back of the Parrot onto the the visor strap, as simple as that!

How to operate the Parrot MINIKIT+

Simply follow the instructions in the booklet.

By turning the knob on and off, and if you do not have the phone connected to the parrot it switches off automatically. This happens mainly when you leave your car. The minute you go in your car it automatically, (thanks to its vibration detector) switches back on. Isn’t this nice, it is like having someone welcome you back into your car

Now listen to this if you have a Bluetooth phone, it also synchronizes your contacts stored in your phone. Once this is done you can use the voice recognition process, by just pressing the green button the Lovely Parrot MINIKIT+ asks you the name and contact you want to call and lets say you say Debbie, a couple of questions are followed and if you say yes the phone call starts automatically without the need of pressing any buttons.

Now isn’t this a clever parrot or what?

Receiving a phone call is even easier, an incoming call is indicated by a ring tone, the name of the caller is announced if this number is recorded in your phone-book, if you want to accept the call press the green button or say Accept or Reject, if you do not want to answer the call.

You can follow more simple instructions to get to know your Parrot MiniKit+ as you get along. To summarize as to what Parrot MINIKIT+ is all about:

Parrot, leader in wireless peripherals for mobile phones, reveals Parrot MINIKIT+, a brand new portable hands-free kit, which manages simultaneously 2 mobile phones and is controlled vocally
Simultaneous management of two mobile phones
Parrot MINIKIT+ is a portable hands-free kit capable of managing, simultaneously, two Bluetooth mobile phones, thanks to Parrot’s “Dual Mode” multipoint technology.
The driver defines one main telephone out of the two connected and the Parrot MINIKIT+ associates different ring tones to each of them.
Parrot MINIKIT+ automatically synchronises its directory with the connected mobile phones, and can memorise up to 2,000 contacts.
As for all Parrot hands-free systems, Parrot MINIKIT+ is compatible with all Bluetooth mobile phones and Smartphones available in the market.
Note: up to 10 mobile phones can be paired to the Parrot MINIKIT+ (20,000 contacts in total).
Hands-free management of calls
For incoming calls, the driver just has to pronounce the words "accept" or "reject" to take or reject a call, without any manipulation of the mobile phone nor the Parrot MINIKIT+.

If the caller is present in the phone book of the connected mobile phones, the hands-free kit will have expressed its name beforehand.
To make a call, the driver just has to press the green button of the Parrot MINIKIT+ to launch the voice recognition and then to pronounce the name of a contact of his main phone book. The Parrot MINIKIT+ will dial the number automatically.

-------

I can say I am enjoying my journey with my new found Parrot MINIKIT+, it is like having a friend, who accompanies me along my daily travels, without having to give him too much attention. Actually he looks after me, as he made my life easier in making phone calls or receiving calls. The only thing I have to say sometimes he gets confused with my accent, and does not understand the name that I have said, but otherwise, I find the reception and talking to my friends and customers while driving very clear. It gives me the peace of mind that I do not have to handle my phone to answer an incoming call, that means if a customer is calling while I am traveling I can still answer their queries.

Price and availability
The Parrot MINIKIT+ has been available since late last year at AU$99 MSRP.
Technical information available at www.parrot.com

Parrot has came along way since my childhood!

Disclosure: I was given sample to try and I wrote a review. No financial payment was offered nor accepted for this post. All opinions expressed are purely my own.

About Marthese

Marthese is the face behind:

Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
Learn more about her here
You can sign up for her newsletter
You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons

Check out our latest Giveaway & Specials

Winners of Giveaway for “Healthy Family, Happy Family” by Karen Fischer

2012-05-01T20:49:00.001+10:00

Winners of Giveaway for “Healthy Family, Happy Family” by Karen Fischer

The lucky 2 winners to receive a copy of “Healthy Family, Happy Family” by Karen Fischer are:

1. aonia @ naturalnewagemum

2. Jessie Hay

Ladies you are going to enjoy this book and I am sure you will learn a lot from it to.
Thank you Karen Fischer for giving us this opportunity.

Can you please leave a comment below to acknowledge your win.

About Marthese
Marthese is the face behind:

Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
Learn more about her here
You can sign up for her newsletter
You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons

Check out our latest Giveaway & Specials

Dinosaurs, no not what you are thinking, but Teamson Children Furniture are landing in Australia with ……………….

2012-05-01T13:14:00.001+10:00

Dinosaurs, no not what you are thinking, but Teamson Children Furniture are landing in Australia in this awesome Dinosaurs design.

This gorgeous new addition to the Teamson range is sure to please,entice and adorn your kids rooms with these 12 pieces of furniture available in this design. From Dinosaur coat stand, to pushcarts, toy chests, bookcases, tables & chairs…. Have a look for yourself here..

Travel back to the Jurassic period with Dinosaurs large & small, let your explorers enjoy a foreign land full of adventure and excitement with this gorgeous Dinosaur Theme.

A volcanic landscape, home to cutest Dinosaur range fun and exciting, becoming the setting for a great game of imagination.

All pieces are hand-carved and painted , meaning the level of detail and consistent quality is something Teamson guarantee

Bring durable, lasting pieces, wonder and adventure into your child's playroom with a whole world of Jurassic creatures.........

These lovely collections, will make great gifts, for any occasions in your child's life.

Excellent idea for Christening, birthdays or any other special occasions.
You can purchase one piece or perhaps combine a few pieces to start your child collection.

These will enhance your child's bedroom or play area, and will be an envy to many......

They will be docking in Melbourne mid May. Because Teamson products are all hand carved and hand painted limited stock will be coming in as these are not heavily mass produced. Orders are being taken now, you also have the opportunity to place items on lay-by. They will be shipped the minute they arrive in the warehouse.

Please remember that anything over $150.00 or combined items of over $150.00 are shipping free.

Enjoy this new range in store…and also feel free to have a look at the other designs available.

Which piece of furniture do you like best?

About Marthese
Marthese is the face behind:

Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
Learn more about her here
You can sign up for her newsletter
You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons

Check out our latest Giveaway & Specials

Exhibiting tomorrow at the “Isabella & Marcus Fund Charity Market Day”

2012-04-27T19:07:00.001+10:00

Exhibiting tomorrow at the “Isabella & Marcus Fund Charity Market Day”

A great event for a very important cause!

Isabella & Marcus Fund Charity Market Day will be a great day for families with over 60+ stalls, jumping castle & kids fun, cafe, and lots of delicious food.

Gold coin donation on entry - raising awareness and funds for research into brain-stem tumours in children. Come along for a great day!

Personally I will exhibiting there, so I might see some of you there, Please feel free to share with your friends to support this great cause.

Contact: Daniela Ruberto
Phone: 0412 339 673
Email: info@isabellaandmarcusfund.org.au
Website: www.isabellaandmarcusfund.org.au
Facebook: www.facebook.com/IsabellaAndMarcusFund

Event Happening at (Pitman Classic Cars)

47 Governor Road
Mordialloc
Victoria

Saturday 28 Apr 2012 - 09:00 – 15:00

See you there…..!

About Marthese
Marthese is the face behind:

Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
Learn more about her here
You can sign up for her newsletter
You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons

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How Manipulative & co-ordination skills are helped to develop through Lacing & threading activities in young children

2012-04-26T07:45:00.000+10:00

How Manipulative & co-ordination skills are helped to develop through Lacing & Threading activities in young children

Why is developing Manipulative & co-ordination skills so important in the development of young kids?

Lets start first of all to understand what Fine Motor skills are! Okay it is the ability to use the mussels that control the movement of fingers, thumb and hand, in co-ordination with the eyes.

By preschool age, a child normally will be able to these simple tasks by themselves:

button up a shirt
using a pencil or a crayon
paste objects
pick blocks and stack them
use of a scissors
cut pieces of paper into small pieces
tie a shoe lace
pour water from a jug to a cup
the use of cutlery

More skills are continuously developed into later years. Now how can we develop these skills? There is a lot of activities one can do and encourage the child to do. With a little bit of planning of different activities you can help them along.

Some activities that I would recommend is firstly simple every day things that we do around the house, such as:

engaging in household chores
gardening
watering plants
cooking

These give a great workout to hand muscles and eye co-ordination.

You should also encourage activities that they like doing as obviously it will be more enjoyable.

Encouraging computer games and making shapes with clay also improves these skills immensely. But hey wait a minute, what about the simple activity of Lacing & Threading?

You can start with a very basic lacing activity such as these apple & cheese lacing activity, which are very simple, all they have to do in the case of the cheese, place the mouse through the whole and thread, same with the apple.

or maybe these different shapes, where it also encourages the learning of shapes, colours and enriching their vocabulary at the same time

I will take you to the next level of lacing activities in another post….

Till then what are some of the activities that you do with your children, that you think are developing their Fine Motor & co-ordination skills?

About Marthese
Marthese is the face behind:

Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
Learn more about her here
You can sign up for her newsletter
You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons

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What is procrastination?

2012-04-25T11:21:00.000+10:00

What is procrastination?

For those who are wondering which I think you would be in the minority it means “to put off or delay till another day or time”

Are you nodding your head, that you may be a culprit of this!

I think we all are culprits from time to time. I am sure we all have things or chores that we do not like to do, but yes we have to do them!

I can name a list of things that I get caught procrastinating on. But I think that one of my worst thing that I hate doing is BOOKWORK. The main reason maybe is that it is not something that is creative, so for me it can get very boring doing it. I do not know how, in my previous life, I worked for a company doing their books for over a year, I actually up to this day, I do not know what on earth made me do it. I remember the day came along when I decided point blank to resign and back to what I like best, which in those days was, Reservations in the Hotel Industry.

I think we all have something that we try to get out from, but then we ended up suffering as we have to catch up with all the work that we were suppose to have done before.

Every year, I say to myself, I have to keep my books up to date! I have to allocate myself, maybe half a day a week or 2 days per month, and keep on track. I end up doing it for a while, but then my busy season hits in and everything gets piled in a box, and the work starts building up. So then come this time of year, when I have to be organized and hand in my books to my lovely Accountant, I start procrastinating…………and it takes longer and longer. You know how easy it is to be tempted to go on line and browse, and time flies, and my bookwork is still waiting for me piled in a box LOL!

Ah well I am happy to say I have just finished and I am actually up-to-date. So I decided to write a Blog Post, so perhaps it will entice me to stay on track, and when I fall back, I come to this post and maybe I will be reminded of how much I will end up procrastinating if I do not keep my bookwork up-to-date.

I feel a free woman and I can move forward again ahhhhhh. Why did I procrastinate in the first place?

Thank you for listening to my confession, I am wondering if you have any dislikes or weakness that you procrastinate on?

About Marthese
Marthese is the face behind:

Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
Learn more about her here
You can sign up for her newsletter
You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons

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8 New Google+ Changes and How They Impact Your Business | Social Media Examiner

2012-04-20T09:03:00.000+10:00

8 New Google+ Changes and How They Impact Your Business | Social Media Examiner

This is a great article by Mike Delgado, where it explains clearly how Google+ has changed its appearance and you can make the alterations...I need to do a few changes on mine as well.

About Marthese
Marthese is the face behind:

Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
Learn more about her here
You can sign up for her newsletter
You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons

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Winner of the Mother’s Day $30.00 Gift Voucher is ….

2012-04-19T21:11:00.000+10:00

Winner of the Mother’s Day $30.00 Gift Voucher is ….

I am pleased to say that the winner of the Mother’s Day $30.00 Gift Voucher is Jessie Hay.

Congratulations Jessie, please leave a comment down below to acknowledge your win. You have till the 25th April to claim your prize. If the prize is not claimed by then, I will have to redraw it.

To all of you others who have entered our Mother’s day Competition, thank you for doing so, but unfortunately there can only be one winner. Please feel free to follow us through our social networks below and also a great idea to sign up to our Newsletter where you will be kept updated.

Thank you once again. For those who missed out, orders need to be in by the 1st of May for Personalized Gifts to be finished and delivered for Mother”s Day.

For those who do not realize we do beautiful keepsakes and personalized Gifts for all Occasions. Check out our categories below, and create something special for that special someone.

Mothers Day Personalized Gifts

Personalized Gift, Keepsakes

Personalized Gifts for Kids...

Personalized Gifts for Pets

Personalized Memorial Keepsake

Wedding & Bridal Personalized Gifts...

About Marthese
Marthese is the face behind:

Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
Learn more about her here
You can sign up for her newsletter
You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons

Check out our latest Giveaway & Specials

Sign up for our free newsletter

3 Little Pigs and Jungle Hand Puppets are back in stock……

2012-04-17T12:51:00.000+10:00

3 Little Pigs and Jungle Hand Puppets are back in stock……

These popular Hand puppets are back in stock.
3 Little Pigs, one of the most favorite story rhymes of all times and the Jungle Animal hand puppet, which many creative stories can be told.

Have a look at this cute little video created by Mumma’s Mini Mes when she reviewed our product. The little girl is telling the story in her own way “Hansel & Grethel”, using her own hand to hold the hand puppet….

As reviewed by Mumma’s Mini Mes

You will also find this in store. Feel free to browse the large selection of puppets offered to entice your children and your imagination.

I am a firm believer that Puppets help young children develop in lots of different ways:

social skills
language development
interaction with others
imagination
expressing their thoughts or worries through the use of a puppet.

You can read another post of mine regarding puppets here

I am so excited with our new range coming in store soon.

About Marthese
Marthese is the face behind:

Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
Learn more about her here
You can sign up for her newsletter
You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons

Check out our latest Giveaway & Specials

Giveaway & Book Review~~ “Healthy Family, Happy Family” by Karen Fischer

2012-04-16T07:30:00.000+10:00

Giveaway & Book Review~~ “Healthy Family, Happy Family” by Karen Fischer

I have not done any serious book reading, especially this sort of reading for a while, but Karen Fischer with her book “Healthy Family, Happy Family” broke the spell for me.

We all struggle to do the right choices when it comes to eating healthy, I know I do!

Just to give a little bit of background about me for those who do not know me. In my previous life I qualified in Hotel Management. I am a mother of 2 grown up kids, and have worked with kids for about 25 years. Now you probably are making 1+1 and realize why this book caught my eyes.

Now to tell you a little bit about Karen Fischer, yes that one that we all see or saw on our TV Screens in different shows. Well perhaps you did not realize that Karen Fischer is a nutritionist, health writer and an award-winning author with extensive experience in television, radio, event hosting and print. You can read more about her over here.

“Healthy Family, Happy Family” is a complete healthy guide to feeding your family.

enjoyable to read
very down to earth, with a twist of humour
explicit resource of benefits and nutrition value for each vegetable, fruit and other ingredients
great advice on what we should eat or avoid

She covers these subjects:

Five important reasons to dish up healthy food to your family
Nutrition in a nutshell
Marketing Magic
How to make healthy cooking happen
Kitchen essentials
Menus
A healthy lunch box
Recipes

As you can see she takes you on a journey from

where why you should start eating healthy
to how to go about it
advise also to people who have issues such as gluten-free, eczema and psoriasis
guides you how to follow the menus, shopping and cooking her delicious recipes

This book is ideal for all of us, but especially if you are a mum with young children, and you want some guidance as to how to entice your children to eat healthy, then this is a must read. It is one of those books that you need to have on your shelf for everyday guidance. Quoting Karen "Cooking for both yourself and your family is one of the most loving and kind things you can do for them(and for you)". As mums, I think we become more conscious and aware of what we are feeding our kids. We seem to question if we are doing the right thing by them. The majority of us have issues of children refusing to eat vegetables, grainy bread spicy food etc. If you have nodded your head to all of these issues then seriously think of getting a copy of this book. You can purchase this book here, for $24.99 and if you prefer to purchase it as an ebook you can purchase it here for $7.49.

Well I saved the best for last because Karen Fischer is giving two copies of her book "Healthy Family, Happy Family to two of my lovely readers.

What do you have to do to win a copy of "Healthy Family, Happy Family". Just follow these simple rules. (This is open for Australian Residents only)

Leave a comment (30 words or less), here after visiting her website and tell me which other books has she written and why you would like to win one?

The Above will entitle you to one entry for the Giveaway

If you would like to gain more entries:
Leave a comment for each of the social networking that you follow us or maybe you consider to follow and you will gain another chance to win this fabulous Personalized Plate. Maybe you consider joining our Newsletter. You need to share by Tweeting or share the Giveaway by Tagging on Face Book or Pinning on Pinterest etc. …if you decide to do so.

Join our social networks

This Giveaway ends Monday 30th April 2012 23:00Hrs
Winner will be chosen for one of the comments and announced on Wednesday 2nd May 2012.
2 lucky winners will receive a copy of "Healthy Family, Happy Family" by Karen Fischer

Winners of this Giveaway are ....

About Marthese
Marthese is the face behind:

Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
Learn more about her here
You can sign up for her newsletter
You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons

Check out our latest Giveaway & Specials

Free Printable / Print your own colouring pages great resource for your kids

2012-04-14T08:00:00.000+10:00

Free Printable / Print your own colouring pages great resource for your kids

Sharing with you these images that I found for you, when you need something to entertain your child on boring days!

Just click on the images and print them or save into a file for future print outs.


Unicorn

Fairy

Dragon


Birthday Cake


Dinosaur

About Marthese
Marthese is the face behind:

Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
Learn more about her here
You can sign up for her newsletter
You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons

Check out our latest Giveaway & Specials

Time to make space for new stock arriving and what a better way to create some specials for you….while stock last:)

2012-04-12T14:16:00.000+10:00

End of line sales…specials coming your way…while stock lasts!

For those who love a bargain, check these end of line specials…

Some of the items that are going out for 15 % off the normal prices check them out here

More Specials at 35 % OFF

and some imperfect at 50% OFF

Enjoy these great savings and Happy Shopping…do not forget our Free Shipping offer when you spend $150.00 and over….

About Marthese
Marthese is the face behind:

Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
Learn more about her here
You can sign up for her newsletter
You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons

Check out our latest Giveaway & Specials

Our Annual Family Day making Figolli (Easter Biscuits) happened again this weekend….

2012-04-11T23:42:00.000+10:00

Our Annual Family Day making Figolli (Easter Biscuits) happened again this weekend…. a tradition we started a couple of years ago!

Do you follow any traditions in your family, or perhaps have you started one of your own?

Since my kids have grown up, I find it a pleasure to organize family days and we all do something together as a group. Well during Easter we started this tradition of getting together on Good Friday early morning and we start baking Figolli, For those who do not know what Figolli are, they are Easter Biscuits which we normally do or buy back home (Malta) and have on Easter Day, instead of the Chocolate Easter Eggs. They are usually made in shapes of a bunny, bird, fish which is suppose to represent "New Life", which Easter is all about. For those who would like to know how we do them the recipe is over here.

So here we go…we started by preparing the pastry which usually is my job, as I have good hands for kneading pastry…

Others do the filling…which goes between the 2 pastries

Then we start cutting the shapes of the different Figolla

You need to do 2 of each shape, one pastry to go on the bottom than the filling is spread and then top it up with pasty again.

We baked them all and let them cool down, while we went to Good Friday Service. On our return, my daughter in law treated us with homemade ravioli……oh yum, I can still taste them in my mouth.

The beauty of it …we are all very casual on the day as we are all covered with flour etc. etc.…

Then we get stuck in decorating our own Figolli with Royal Icing, Smarties and finished off with a small Easter Egg.

And you guessed it, we couldn't wait for Easter to start indulging, and yes we did believe you me and by the way we still are

Hope your Easter was as much fun as ours!

About Marthese
Marthese is the face behind:

Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
Learn more about her here
You can sign up for her newsletter
You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons

Check out our latest Giveaway & Specials

A Special Birthday Cake for a one year old girl….!

2012-04-10T20:40:00.001+10:00

Happy Birthday to a special Girl who turned one!

A few weeks ago, this gorgeous girl had her First Birthday!

Her Mum, wanted to create a Birthday Cake which she saw on an old Woman’s weekly Magazine of her Mum’s. She started hunting for some miniatures which she can use to decorate her Birthday cake with. She wanted to create a scene of Dolls having a picnic and the cake being the table.

She put a search on line and came along my store. After going through the miniature section, she realized that she found the products she was looking for. Now these miniatures are usually for Doll House miniatures, but people forget that they can be used for all sort of craft projects, and look in this case Cake Decorating.

She skilfully decorated her sponge cake and made it look like it had a table cloth over it, then she placed some biscuits to pretend they were place-mats, on top of which she placed the miniatures she bought:

the cutlery set with napkins

the cups and saucers

the silver tea set in the middle

the miniature birthday cake

and she ended up with this creation

Well that was not all…..she was after some vintage dolls look. I suggested to use the Fairy Finger puppets and sit them around the cake….!

So from a……..

a wish to create something she saw in an old magazine
search on line for some ideas and miniatures
discuss her project with me

Mrs C…..ended up with this amazing Birthday cake for her 1 year old princess. This lovely Birthday cake could make any girl’s imagination go to Fairyland.

Thank you Mrs C for sharing this with us, I am sure there will be some thinking caps going on out there:) Finally we both agreed that all the miniatures that she bought will come in handy when her little princess grows up and she can play with them as well. The Fairy finger puppets will be a great addition to their story telling, creating language skills an imagination.

About Marthese
Marthese is the face behind:

Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
Learn more about her here
You can sign up for her newsletter
You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons

Check out our latest Giveaway & Specials

Good Friday as celebrated in Bormla Malta

2012-04-06T00:44:00.000+10:00

Good Friday (Passion of Christ) as celebrated in Bormla Malta

I just thought I share some memories that I have when I used to live in Malta and how Good Friday and the Passion of Christ is celebrated.

Good Friday is a very important day in Malta. At 3.00PM we commemorate the death of Jesus Christ with a service at Church.

A parade with all these statues (representing the Passion of Christ), happens along the streets of each village during the day.

These statues happen to belong to the parish that I grew up in. Thank you Adrian Sammut and Marco Saliba for sharing this on your site. I am so glad to be able to share them with my readers on my blog, who probably some have never seen anything like this!

Hope some of you have enjoyed this as I have enjoyed sharing it with you!

About Marthese
Marthese is the face behind:

Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
Learn more about her here
You can sign up for her newsletter
You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons

Check out our latest Giveaway & Specials

Who loves Avocado's? ~~ Guacamole by FressureFoods

2012-04-05T23:17:00.000+10:00

The latest Avocado’s products that I am sure if you like avocado's you will fall in love with!

Well lately attending a Bloggers event organized by Kids Business I was introduced to these delicious Avocado Spreads by FressureFoods, that just hit the Australian Market.

We all know how much Avocado's are so high in nutritional value. Well thanks to a Kiwi brilliant thinking, we have on our Supermarkets shelves these convenient packs with 2 separate sealed 100grms portions inside each pack. Each pack is equivalent to 2 avocados.

They come in 3 flavors..

All natural Avocado Spread
All natural Mild Guacamole
All Natural Spicy Guacamole

They are delicious on toast, as an alternative to your regular spread, or served in salads, or as a base for your own dips…You can follow some great recipes that they have shared on their website.

This is what I did for myself for lunch today using one of the spicy guacamole pack

I spread the spicy guacamole on the bread

layered it with fresh spinage, mushrooms, tomatoes, ham & cheese

and viola, a very healthy sandwich for lunch………

So yes I am quite happy to recommend this delicious, healthy spread. The only thing that I found for my taste, it is a bit on the salty side. Maybe I tasted it more, as I do not use salt to cook. A suggestion that I would make is to have it available also in a low salt option, as it may hinder those people who cannot have as much salt in their diet to use it.

Thank you FressureFoods for coming up with this awesome idea. I am sure that it will find a place in my fridge and enjoyed on various occasions.

Disclosure: I was given samples to try and I wrote a review. No financial payment was offered nor accepted for this post. All opinions expressed are purely my own.

About Marthese
Marthese is the face behind:

Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
Learn more about her here
You can sign up for her newsletter
You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons

Check out our latest Giveaway & Specials

Romantic Flair Original

Time to have a break....but do not worry I will still be looking after you in my travels!

Teaching kids the days of the week, months, seasons, days of the week and the time has never been so easy…..

Have you ever tried to teach your child all of the above. It can be a major exercise, as you will need the following:

Lacing & threading activities with young children, encouraging and developing manipulative skills & co-ordination skills….

Lacing & threading activities with young children, encouraging and developing manipulative skills together with co-ordination skills….

Events that I am around the next 3 days….

I found some quite time today, while I am exhibiting at Bulleen Shopping Center. I should have done this yesterday to update you with what I will be up to as in displaying where and where, but I never got around to it!

Gorgeous pieces of furniture to adorn your Children’s Bedrooms…

I am sure you would agree with me that any of these gorgeous designs from the Teamson’s range of kids design furniture, will just make their room stand out….

What does Mother’s Day mean to me…..?

Whimsical Princesses,Prince that turns into a frog…..brought to you by Teamson, the gorgeous Children furniture…..

Every child will live the fairy-tale in a land of princess, prince, dragons with this gorgeous but also whimsical Princess & Frog Collection by Teamson……

If you would like to catch up with me the next 3 days this is where I will be exhibiting…

Very busy 3 days coming up…this is where you can catch up with me….!

Friday 4th May --- Caribbean Gardens and Market

Saturday 5th May Red Hill Market

Sunday 6th May Healesville Market

Tables & Chairs for Children by Teamson

A range of kids “Tables & Chairs” to choose from the delightful Teamson range.

Lately I have been speaking to a Parrot in my travels….

As a Child next to our primary school, there used to be a cafe, who had this Parrot outside the Cafe in a cage, and as Kids we all use to stop by and say hello to Polly the “Parrot”. Polly the Parrot used to say “hello do you want any lollies today”?

Winners of Giveaway for “Healthy Family, Happy Family” by Karen Fischer

1. aonia @ naturalnewagemum

Dinosaurs, no not what you are thinking, but Teamson Children Furniture are landing in Australia with ……………….

Exhibiting tomorrow at the “Isabella & Marcus Fund Charity Market Day”

Exhibiting tomorrow at the “Isabella & Marcus Fund Charity Market Day”

How Manipulative & co-ordination skills are helped to develop through Lacing & threading activities in young children

How Manipulative & co-ordination skills are helped to develop through Lacing & Threading activities in young children

What is procrastination?

What is procrastination?

8 New Google+ Changes and How They Impact Your Business | Social Media Examiner

Winner of the Mother’s Day $30.00 Gift Voucher is ….

Winner of the Mother’s Day $30.00 Gift Voucher is ….

3 Little Pigs and Jungle Hand Puppets are back in stock……

3 Little Pigs and Jungle Hand Puppets are back in stock……

Giveaway & Book Review~~ “Healthy Family, Happy Family” by Karen Fischer

Giveaway & Book Review~~ “Healthy Family, Happy Family” by Karen Fischer

Well I saved the best for last because Karen Fischer is giving two copies of her book "Healthy Family, Happy Family to two of my lovely readers.

What do you have to do to win a copy of "Healthy Family, Happy Family". Just follow these simple rules. (This is open for Australian Residents only)

Join our social networks

Free Printable / Print your own colouring pages great resource for your kids

Time to make space for new stock arriving and what a better way to create some specials for you….while stock last:)

End of line sales…specials coming your way…while stock lasts!

More Specials at 35 % OFF

and some imperfect at 50% OFF

Our Annual Family Day making Figolli (Easter Biscuits) happened again this weekend….

Our Annual Family Day making Figolli (Easter Biscuits) happened again this weekend…. a tradition we started a couple of years ago!

A Special Birthday Cake for a one year old girl….!

Good Friday as celebrated in Bormla Malta

Good Friday (Passion of Christ) as celebrated in Bormla Malta

Who loves Avocado's? ~~ Guacamole by FressureFoods

The latest Avocado’s products that I am sure if you like avocado's you will fall in love with!

They come in 3 flavors..

All natural Avocado Spread

All natural Mild Guacamole

All Natural Spicy Guacamole