My Little Jedi at Mathilda's Markets

After a long and exciting day at Mathilda’s markets yesterday, I have finally had the chance to sit down and upload the photos of my stall. I must say after walking into the Bryon Kennedy Hall yesterday morning it was instantly clear that shoppers were in for a real treat. The hall was transformed into babies and kids shopping heaven.

I was also pleased to see so many familiar faces as well as meet many of our customer and blog followers who came past our stall and introduced themselves. I am constantly tweaking my stall set-up, seeing what works and what it best to display my products. Height and using different types of vintage props are definitely are great way to catch people’s eye. I was also very pleased with the feedback I received about my stall set up.

I would like mention that we are slowly transitioning our stationary range so we can fully concentrate on our party printables. We are also involved with so many other exciting projects including our own online magazine which will launch on the 12th of September. Hope you had a lovely time at the markets and didn't have too much pram rage. xx

{Announcement}!

{image by My Little Jedi}

Hi Lovelies, I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am about this new project I have been working on for the last 6 weeks, it is truly labour of love! Few weeks ago I talked about our brand essence & personality and as a result we have a clear direction of where our brand is heading and the first step was the change of our new logo, which I absolutely love. It’s time to reveal our next step, the launch of our own {My Little Jedi} Online Magazine.

My Little Jedi online magazine is all about vintage inspired designs, gorgeous photography, amazing party styling, sweet dessert tables, exclusive interviews, delightful diy inspirational ideas and more. And the excitement doesn’t stop here lovelies, as a part of the launch of our first issue, I would like to reveal that I had the pleasure of interviewing the one and only, the most amazing event stylist, Amy Atlas and I cannot wait to share the interview with all of you.

The launch date of the MLJ online magazine is 12th of September and I hope you love & support our magazine and in return we will showcase your amazing work. If any of your smart peeps would like to become one of our contributors and/or would like to receive our advertising rates, we would love to hear from you. Send me an email {mylittlejedi@hotmail.com} xx

{image by My Little Jedi}

yummy mummy Amanda of Tout Mon Amour

I have been fortune enough to meet so many lovely mums through the blogosphere who share similar passion as me and today I would like to introduce you to the master mind behind the online store {Tout Mon Amour}, meet the lovely Amanda.

Amanda is a mum to 4 beautiful children, Zack, Lataya, Kynan and Siara, she runs the successful online business Tout Mon Amour and also has a lovely blog ~ if you ask me I think she is a “super mum”!

Amanda describes her business as her own baby, I quote: “The newest 'baby' in the our family is an online haven of sweetness where my children and I can share our favourite finds with you... be it a cherished birthday gift, a whimsical piece of bedroom decor or the perfect party decorations to create that all important unforgettable celebration.”

I would like to thank Amanda for taking the time in answering all the questions and for giving our readers an insight of her lovely business and the inspiration behind it. Enjoy the interview xx


Tell us a little about YOU, the woman behind {Tout Mon Amour}?
I'm the younger of two sisters, am married to a very supportive, loving husband and I have 4 gorgeous children including twins! Being a typical Taurian those that know me best would say I am a bit stubborn, can be a little too ‘set in my ways’, and a perfectionist. I am a huge sentimentalist with fond memories of my ALL my childhood parties. Through Tout Mon Amour I get to share all my great loves in one place... beautiful pieces for children, the home and most importantly my "Must Have" party-ware for those very special celebrations...birthdays!! Other big passions are fine food and wine...travel and I have a slight adventurous streak...

When did you launch your business/blog and what is the inspiration behind your business?
Tout Mon Amour launched in December 2010. The inspiration behind my online store comes from the desire to source unique, clothing, giftware and party ware for my children with my focus primarily on handmade.

Who and what inspire your work?
Beautiful, Vintage and Hand-made pieces inspire me on a daily basis. I'm very much in awe of all the talented women I have met through the Australian Hand-Made community. The creativity of their ideas, the attention to detail and the overall quality is why I source and support unique handmade products for my online store.

What was the most rewarding thing that has happened in your career so far?
Definitely seeing Tout Mon Amour finally go "live" after all the months of planning! -From developing the overall design, to securing the perfect brands. It has been a very exciting period for my family and ...a real labour of love!

Can you tell us your favourite handmade item you have brought recently?
I adore the ‘Flower Fairies’ and ‘Tooth Fairies’ by my friend Jo from Purkilicious (as per the image above)
She has the most stunning range of handcrafted pieces – from her unique bunting and wall decorations, to the fairy doors and hair accessories. What I really love is the uniqueness of each fairy. Each ‘one off’ tooth fairy comes with a gorgeous enveloped note inside an organza bag. The boys are also not forgotten! ‘Tooth Pixie’s’ are also available. We have a new range of fairies and buntings on their way in the coming weeks.

Name three products you can’t live without? And why?
1. My morning coffee….thanks to my Jura Espresso Machine. I don’t always have time for breakfast so my coffee is a must have!
2. My MacBook which goes where I go – being a mum and business owner this is essential.
3. My favourite perfume…quick and easy when there is no time for make-up…this is any women’s best friend!

If you could style a party for a “well known/A list” celebrity, who would you choose and why?
I would choose Pink – the entertainment side of things would be taken care of! You could certainly think outside the square in relation to the styling and I think she would be refreshing and fun to work with and I am sure the end result would have the ‘wow’ factor.

Name your three favourite party themes and tell us what do you love about them?
I do love the usual pink, girly parties but right now I am admiring some gorgeous boys parties that have been featured recently. I think it is always challenging to find something unique for little men, especially an age appropriate theme as they get older. I loved planning my sons Robin Hood party earlier this year.

Do you have a favourite trend? {it could be related to anything}Definitely vintage and the handmade revival…up cycling….finding the beauty and the use for preloved goods. I also love the home party planner trend - anyone can now create a memorable event using the amazing range of products available online around the world. I love receiving customer photos with Tout Mon Amour products! It’s so nice to feel I played a small part in creating a little person’s special day.

What is your day-to-day like?
My average day starts at about 6am and I have the kids ready for kindy and school and in the car by 7.45am. I work part-time so on those days I arrive at work at 8.30am. Afternoons are busy with soccer training and dancing so most nights are dedicated to Tout Mon Amour – returning customer email enquiries, packing orders, to organising specials and new items.

What does the future hold for {Tout Mon Amour}?
I am hoping that I will in the near future be able to devote more time on the growth of Tout Mon Amour – it is ‘all my love’ after all!

What is your favourite place in the world?
Oh this is difficult - I have many fond memories of places I have visited but my favourite place in the world would be where my family are lucky enough to live and where we spend lots of time. A few hours at Mooloolaba Beach with my family on a warm, sunny day…..swimming, building sand castles, collecting shells, a walk along the boardwalk topped off with fish and chips at Mooloolaba Spit.

Email: amanda@toutmonamour.com.au
Website: www.toutmonamour.com.au
Blog: www.tout-mon-amour.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ToutMonAmour

yummy mummy Susana of "Citrus & Orange"

I am so excited to share another fellow guest blogger today who has provided me with so much gorgeous inspiration. Let me introduce the lovely Susana of {Citrus and Orange} blog.

Susana’s amazing work has been featured 3 times on Amy Atlas blog. I am smitten by her passion and love for vintage and romantic style. Below I have featured one of my favorite dessert tables which Susana styled for her daughter’s 9th birthday party. I am totally in love with the colour palette, white hobnail vases and the milk glass cake stands. I would like to thank Susana for taking the time in answering the questions and giving our readers an insight of her amazing work. Enjoy the interview xx

1. Tell us a little about YOU, the woman behind {Citrus and Orange}?
I’m an economist, working in corporate finance for the last 15 years. I have 2 girls (one is 9 and the other is 1,5) and Citrusandorange is my favourite place after a hard day’s work and when the kids are in bed! I live in a northern town in Portugal, by the sea, and although I’ve travelled quite a lot, I have never lived outside of my hometown. My dream is to live in a beautiful house and surround myself and others with beautiful things – wether they’d be related to home décor, dessert tables, nice gardens, glamorous parties, beautiful clothes…

2. When did you launch your business/blog?
I created my personal blog Citrusandorange when I became pregnant with my younger daughter (August 2009) – and believe me, I had pregnancy sickness and one of the things that happened was that it took me away from all the things that usually inspire me – I didn’t blog about décor or any other pretty stuff, as they seemed not to appeal to me anymore! So it was only last year, after the baby was born, that I came back to blogging and I’ve been doing it so far – always in my spare time (wish the days had 48 hours!).

3. Who and what inspires your work?
Who: Amy Atlas for table styling, Holly Becker (Decor 8) for interior styling and Leslie Shewring (A Creative Mint) for colour inspiration. What inspires me: nature, colour and art.

4. What was the most rewarding thing that has happened in your career so far?
Being featured 3 times at Amy Atlas’ Sweet Designs! As a non-professional, that means a lot to me! Plus the fact that I get to meet so many lovely people through my blog and my love for sharing the things that inspire me.

5. Name three products you can’t live without? And why?
I’m just saying two, these are the ones I can’t live without:
- Dr. Brandt cosmetics – their Time Arrest line is amazing!!

- My skin really looks better Revlon ColorStay makeup

6. If you could style a party for a “well known/A list” celebrity, who would you choose and why?
Amy Atlas! Kidding! Jude Law would be my choice – I would try make a beautiful eye candy sweet table for him, and I’m sure he would be an eye candy to me! :)

7. Name your three favourite party themes and tell us what do you love about them?
I not a theme type table / party styler, as in Butterfly or Princess party themes. My impulses come out of colours, for instance. So I guess my favourite themes would be something like:

1. nature (anything with flowers, fruits and leaves appeals to me);

2. graphics / patterns themes – I love graphics backdrops and tables coordinated accordingly (I find those hard to make – like Missoni patterns, for instance);

3. Vintage – I love a vintage touch – it doesn’t have to be all vintage, but vintage pieces always add a nice touch.

8. Do you have a favourite trend? {it could be related to anything}
I love the current vintage / romantic trend.

9. What is your day-to-day like?
Well, I wake up early, leave my daughter at school and start working at 8:30 and I have to either meet clients in their companies or work at the office. A very hectic day, as I have to travel around lots of times. When I get back home (7:30 – 8:00 p.m.), it’s time to have dinner and stay with the kids. I try to take some photos when the days are longer and there’s still light, as I only have the weekends left for that little pleasure. I don’t watch TV, as I try to have time to surf on the net, look for pretty inspiring things, do some shopping, connect with my friends and blog. Lately I’ve been able to blog only at weekends, it’s hard to find the time during the week.

10. What does the future hold for {Citrus and Orange}?
The future holds a new project – it’s still in my mind only, but usually I’m a doer. When I think of something, it’s because it’s going to take place, sooner or later. I’m sorry I’m not able to share more at the moment, but I can tell you that it has to do with party styling. :)

11. What is your favourite place in the world?
The place where my family is. And New York, for other reasons.

Email: susana.o.oliveira@gmail.com
Website/Blog: www.citrusandorange.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Citrusandorange