It's official, beyond pink and blue has it's own in-house label, smartly going by the name of bpab. I know I don't have to explain what these letters stand for, because if you are a fan of beyond pink and blue, you're a clever cookie! So far the only goodies we have in store under bpab, are our fabulous lucky dips. These are very popular for parties, surprises and rewards. They come in $2 and $5 value AND you can select which age group and gender the dip is for. Hooray!
I will be completing some more 'colourful fun stuff' this month to add to bpab. Will keep you up to date as things happen. If you want a sneak peek at something in the pipe lines.... checkout the new issue of My Child magazine, on the Style Collective 'buy independent' page. Hehehehe x
It's the personal touches, the thought and time involved that make gifts from the maker worth giving. You don't have to be an artist or a craft nut to use the resources around you! Need some inspiration for handmade gifts?
* handmade produce (jams, pantry stuff, veggies, fruit from your garden, a cutting or seeds from a favourite plant)
* handmade crafts (stuff you've sewn, carved, knitted, scrap booked, anything you can make with your hands!! Or your feet, if you're that way inclined....)
* Check out this great idea to make.... it's a CD case calendar!
* Got kids? Use some of their drawings from earlier in the year, laminated or framed... or made into place mats or as wrapping paper.
This year, I bought a cute cake tin which leaves heart impressions on the top of the cake (thanks Ikea!) and will be baking flourless orange cakes, using oranges from our prized tree! Then giving them out to family in re-usable cake storage containers.Chai and La (both still under 5) will be painting pictures on mini canvases for family gifts. On Mat's side of the family, they are the only grandchildren / nieces .... so everyone should get a kick out of those.
Why not support local talent and give gifts that are unique. There are heaps of craft markets on every week. You can have fun in the evening too, with the various 'twilight' markets now on during the Summer!
Look up your nearest with these links: * What's On Victoria * White Hat (this link will take you to the twilight markets page) (sorry only Vic. ones here, do a search on Craft Markets if you are in a different area.)
Here are a few of my favourite markets that are worth checking out:
St Andrews Market Kangaroo Ground Rd / St Andrews Rd St Andrews (Mel ref 250 E11) 8am-2pm. Saturdays
The Suzuki Night Market (formally 'Gaslight') Only from November 25, 2009 - February 24, 2010. Queen Victoria Market, Cnr Queen & Therry St, Melbourne Wednesdays 5.30am - 10.00pm
Kris Kringle Night Market The Northcote Town Hall is hosting a Night Market with a focus on hand-made products Thursdays 5.30pm - 10pm 27th Nov to 18th Dec. 2009 189 High Street, Northcote, VIC
Mee A Bee kids messenger bags have traveled all the way from quirky and colourful Japan to bring some extra fun to the bpab shop! Jacqui, who is actually from New Zealand, is a mother of 2 young boys and the delightful creator of Mee A Bee. She has hand made each treasured messenger bag you see here. They are adorable and will last the distance. Each bag in this range has been chosen especially for bpab. I'm pretty stoked with what Jacqui has done and am thinking you will be too!
Chai loves her Dotty Ladybird bag! Want one for your little one? Well thanks to Mee A Bee, we are giving 1 away and you get to pick your fave style from our range! Yippie!! How to enter: 1. Either follow this blog (bpab's rainbow) or become a fan of Mee A Bee on Facebook . (If you already follow me, then choose Mee A Bee and visa versa okay?) 2. Leave a comment here stating which you're following and what design you will choose if you win. I will need to contact you if you win, so make sure I can do that too. 1x extra entry for doing any of the following: tweeting, blogging, any social networking basically, mentioning this giveaway and linking back to this blog. Please leave a link comment here to get your extra entry.
Giveaway winner will be drawn on Tuesday 1st December 2009. Now show me some love!
Loving quirkiness from LARK! Here are some of my favourites: Knitted pink spotty flower tea pot set.... sweet as! $69.95 for 5 pieces. Match with knitted doughnuts or cupcakes. (They all taste the same!) Swap! pocket mirrors..... takes me back to swap card heaven! $4.95 each. I've put them in colour groups in the shop, as there are lots of different designs - you CAN choose your fav. too. I heart badges..... cross stitch that looks funky enough to wear! (Only joking, I'm sure there's loads of great cross stitch numbers out there...) $2.00 each. Again, choose what speaks to you. Could give others a 'heads up' on what will make you happy!
A bit girlie so far..... so here's one for the boys!Vintage Raleigh Chopper bag.... Mr bpab's eyes lit up when he saw it! $79.95 It's got a key ring and badges attached - bonus! (and look it's got a rainbow on it!) Meant to be...
An old friend of ours has re-emerged into our lives and I found out that she makes these wonderful cakes! Melanie makes and decorates cupcakes, birthday cakes and cakes for any occassion using certified organic ingredients, all-natural food colours and of course no preservatives or other chemicals. This means she can whip you up something that's GLUTEN FREE! (insert any other food sensitivity here) Happy Little Tummies is based in Cheltenham, Victoria. Looks like I won't need to bother making the birthday cakes anymore! Chai has her eye on this doll one already..... at least I know the kids will be eating a good ol' "wholesome" cake and not running around like crazy scary monsters! You know what I'm talking about....
Some great ideas have come out of EJ Kids and we're now selling them at bpab! All products are made by hand in Melbourne, Vic. by a lovely mum (of course!).
Truck singlets have a felt tip truck appliqued on them. Also available in Star applique.
Shiny body suits available in silver blue or silver pink.... perfect for dress ups and special occasions.
Terry towelling cover alls are fantastic to put on before and after getting wet. (Like at the beach, swimming lessons at the pool, after bath time) Available in pink, white and aqua blue.
Lastly, the 3 in 1 bag where you lay it flat and it becomes a change / play mat or a towel for baby and when you're ready to go - pop everything in the middle and draw in the straps to make a bag. Clever thinking!
Feeling a bit low today and this really cheered me up...... About a month or so ago I signed up to participate in the mega hand made swap that is the Snailblazer Swap. I had to make 10 of the same item, send them off to Cass from Snailblazer. I'd be put into a group with 10 other people doing the same thing and therefore get 10 different items back! Very exciting stuff!! Here's what I got in my parcel today:
Thanks gals for a wonderful pic-me-up! I'm not sharing anything!! hehehe Now to show you what I made....
10 knitted necklace/hanging chains in purple, pink or black. There are buttons, a bell and felt roll on each one. Here's Chai wearing her one as a necklace! (She couldn't get it off me fast enough!!)
All sets come in recycled hard paper boxes, for safe keeping, and are made by hand in Nepal under Fair Trade conditions. So really, it's Fair Trade food! Hooray!!
Hand knitted and fair trade made..... these little duckie slippers by Lark are the sweetest toe warmers I've seen in a long time! Totally old school. Available in 2 sizes: 6 months and 18 months (which by the way fits my 2 yr old). $24.95 a pair.
A local Melbourne mum hand makes all the Polka Dot Panda bags! They are specially designed for us and no one else has the same designs as bpab. Special!! I reallylove the rainbow felt bag.... wonder why?? There are some uni-sex styles in the felt range, so little boys can carry their cars, dirt and worms in something too! (You know they love your hand bag... so indulge them... when daddy's not around if it needs to be that way!)
Here's a little something to cool you off: Isn't it fantastic! I loveThe Cheekeyeswooden block play sets. This one is the Arctic complete set. Designed and made in Holland, Cheekeyes are a series of adorable wooden play sets with distinctive pink cheeks and dreamy eyes. These beautifully crafted toys are handmade from eco-friendly rubber wood and partially painted allowing the owner to appreciate the wood they were made from, making each one unique.
Each piece has been painted along the sides and left bare on it's front and back, so you can enjoy the beauty of the wood and some colour too. I love this concept, as it looks natural, but very unique. I've not seen anything like it.
There are 4 play sets in the range at the moment: Arctic, Africa, Farm and Dinosaur. Each set has animals plus extras. (like trees, rocks or fences.....) We are selling them separately too, so you can build up your set, or mix and match as you wish. (But you'll save money if you buy the complete sets.) Papoosehave made felted play mats that match the themes above and are available to purchase too. (Again more savings when you buy the set and include the play mat!)
These wooden toys will be a favourite in your home for many generations..... and you may find yourself sneaking a few to display around the house too! (That's what I'm thinking of doing...)
What a mouthful! Alphalfabeetroot...... (there's the alphabet hidden in it somewhere) This is our new alphabet range and the first lot of products at bpab are the textured letter canvases. Measuring 25x25cm, there are 3 layers to explore by touch and sight. Hand made in Melbourne using partial recycled materials. You choose the letter, we whip it up in a day... ready to hang! And they're only $30 each!
Lark have done it again! Another gorgeous hand-knitted product made under fair trade conditions. How can you resist! A denim tool kit bag with a strap that goes around the waist and secures with velcro, holds 3 knitted tools - hammer, screwdriver and saw. Each tool has a rattle encased within for some good old fashioned rattlin' fun! Lark knitted tool kit $39.95 for the set.
Hey there! Welcome to August - the last month of Winter (in my part of the world anyway!). We have been enjoying the cool weather this year.... surrendering to layers of clothing, hot chocolate drinks, even cooking outside in the chiminea (roast vegies and damper). Spring is peeking her head up here and there, as blossoms start to appear, the sun shines a bit more frequently and we get the chance to play at the dewy wet play ground now and again. Lovely! Anyway, time for some news etc... Have a beautiful August, Monica @ bpab
Pram Outings off to UK
Well, the talented girls that are Pram Outings are relocating themselves (and business) to England! We will still be stocking there beautifully quirky clothing and giant softies and supporting there venture whole heartedly. I'll be keeping in touch with Pascal and Kim so we will have new things in the future.
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Monstar Kids Spring / Summer (sneak peek)
Some cool threads will be hitting the bpab virtual shelves in September.... Does anyone want to pre-order any items? I won't be stocking the whole collection, so if you'd like to have a proper look at all the clothing on offer for summer, please email me and I will send you the pics. I'd need orders in quickly. Aren't I nice?!
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NEW STUFF IN:
Poss Bloss (new brand)
I've been blogging about Jodie's stuff already, so to read more on Jodie the PVC queen....... ***Comp: buy something from the Poss Bloss range of creative mess (protective) gear this month and you may get your purchase for free! Yes, we'll refund the cost of your Poss Bloss purchase (not postage though). Only 1 lucky duck will win!
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Still feeling a bit on the chilly side?
There are some hand knitted scarves and some limited edition beanies (that were once jumpers!) under the Made for bpab label.
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Opinions on products mailing list
You may already be on the Opinion list and if so Thank You for your valuable input! We are getting summer shoes in store sometime in August and at the moment we're deciding on a family organiser pack.
If you are not on THE list and want to have a say on potential products (plus special deals to do with them), email me with "I wanna say!" in the subject line. I'll then get back to you with more info. I'd really appreciate your help!!
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Just for fun, I'm starting a COLOUR theme a week kinda thing!
Every Monday morning (better remember this!) I'll kick off a colour for the week. I'll be exploring the colour through out the week AND the shop will celebrate the colour with SALE items of said colour too!
You can join in by leaving me comments (at the rainbow blog) on anything to do with the colour of the week or send me an email of photos / comments celebrating this colour. Hope you find it fun and let me know your favourite colour when it comes up!!
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Lastly......
You will be receiving an email from me in the coming months to find out if you want to be on the newsletter list and some other stuff too. It will be a long process, so I hope you don't mind when you get an out of the blue email that's not a newsletter. Thanks for your support in all things related to bpab, it's lovely to know there are many beautiful people out there in this crazy world we live in! Enjoy...........
It's official, beyond pink and blue has it's own in-house label, smartly going by the name of bpab.
