mousehouse 'ABC suitcase' giveaway

I absolutely love anything to do with the alphabet- typographical artworks, abc books, alphabet posters, abc games and puzzles…I don't know if it's the teacher in me or just the simplicity of the alphabet but I have built up a bit of a collection of games, books and puzzles plus I love making my own ABC activities as well.  And I think children having some knowledge of letters and sounds before they start school is really beneficial- not in a flash card/rote learning type way, just building on their natural curiosity and interest in letters and the ABC's by reading, playing games and puzzles, and talking about letters and sounds in daily life. So I thought with Stella starting school this week I would finally sort out and share my ABC giveaway that I have been planning for ages now.  And Jasmine from Bubbalooz kindly donated one of her lovely mini suitcases for the giveaway which was perfect to keep all of the items in. I used a piece of scrapbooking card to decorate the underside of the lid of the suitcase and have filled it with a few things for one of you to win….

In the suitcase I've put...

*'My First Book of Letters' board book by Alain Gree - I love the vintage style illustrations in this book

* ABC ice cube or chocolate molds

* Aluminium Alphabet water bottle

*A sheet of my favourite ABC little house stickers

*A roll of ABC wash tape

* A lollipop pen to practice all those abc's!

So if you would like to win this all you need to do is leave a comment below telling me how old your children are (you don't need to write their names if you would prefer not to) and what they are interested in eg: reading, writing, numbers and counting, lego, pirates, dinosaurs, fairies, art, sport, space, animals…. If you don't have children you could tell me what you are interested in, don't worry about your age though ;)

Giveaway will be open until next Tuesday the 1st April.

International entries welcome.

For extra entries you can like my Facebook page - just leave a separate comment telling me you have (or already do.)

You can also follow me on Pinterest for another entry

http://www.pinterest.com/megsmousehouse/

There are other ways for gaining entries on my Facebook page as well...

Thank you for reading 'mousehouse' and good luck :)

Megan 

2013 Mousehouse Christmas Giveaway

Well I have finished putting together a little gathering of treats to say thank you once again for reading 'mousehouse'. This year has probably been my quietest blog year since I started writing mousehouse back at the end of 2009. It was a full on year selling our house and moving house mid year, as well as Jack being a fully fledged busy, loud toddler now who with my other two kiddies makes for a very busy life! Hopefully next year I will have more time to craft/sew/create and share... hhmmm it seems to be the older the kids get the busier life gets so hopefully it's not just wishful thinking! I have really enjoyed using my mousehouse facebook page to share ideas in a quick and easy way but I still want to use my blog to share ideas as well, it just takes a bit longer to write a blog post nowadays!

I have two big plans for next year on 'mousehouse'- one feature will be 'My pinterest home'. I use pinterest mainly for home ideas and I absolutely love all the clever tips and ideas that people on pinterest pin and share.  So next year I am wanting to start actually doing some of the ideas I've pinned, and then sharing them on here and my facebook page- so they will mostly be ideas in regards to organising, clever storage ideas, fun ideas for kids rooms and spaces, and where to find cool and affordable things for your house.   I also want to share lots of ideas for things you can make for your home to make it more functional and organised but also look great.

My other passion on mousehouse other than homes and interiors is young children and learning ideas so I want to have another feature next year 'Play and Learn' and share lots more ideas to help your pre-schoolers learn their ABC's and other activities along those lines such as fine motor skills, counting and a love of books, stories and reading. My middle child starts school end of March so the things that I will be doing with her I will be sharing on here or my facebook page, as well as other fun things I make or come across for young children. I have done a bit of relief teaching in the last few years mostly in New Entrant classes so I have seen first hand how the children that come to school with some alphabet knowledge and writing skills just fly once they start school. I'm not advocating getting out flash cards or stressing that your child knows all of the alphabet before their first day at school however there are so many easy and fun ways to help your child gain some knowledge before school and also instill the beginning of a love of learning.

I also have another project for 2014....something I have been working on for a couple of years now...it's a book for all of you with children or grandchildren, those of you who work with children, or those of you hoping to have children one day. It's going to be a big book full of ideas for play, learning and other fun things and I am nearly at the stage where I can start approaching publishers.  I have been working with a very clever graphic designer friend to make up some proof chapters and montages, so wish me luck!  If you like the ideas that I share on mousehouse then you are going to LOVE this book. And the really special thing about this book is that it will be a book that your own children will pore over and love as much as you hopefully will! There is nothing better than seeing kids engrossed in a book and that is one of my biggest goals with this project.  I am really nervous sharing this but I think it is about time I do so that in 2014 I actually do the hardest job which is approaching publishers...so if you know anyone in the book publishing industry in NZ I would love to hear from you.  It's really hard putting myself out there like this to be honest in regards to my book idea but I have really got to get this project off the ground next year or I never will!  There is also going to be the opportunity to be part of my book project as although I have already taken thousands of photo's already I am wanting lots more so if you are handy with a camera and have some great photo's of your children and would love to be involved than please keep an eye out for me asking for photo's in the new year :)

So anyway after all of that here are the details of my giveaway...

Each year when I start making/gathering things for my Christmas giveaway I like to choose things that reflect what I share on my blog and my Facebook page. So this year I think I've covered it pretty well ....here's what you could win....

* Vintage Christmas illustration paper napkins- I love anything with a vintage look and I love sharing ideas for parties and gatherings at home. I bought these from Perch Home.

*Kikki-K to do note pad- I am a crazy list maker and I always have a to-do list a mile long so this notepad sums up this aspect of me.  I used to love sharing my 'organised home' posts as well on my blog and hope to re start something similar to that on mousehouse next year via 'my pinterest home' feature.

*Christmas tree cookie cutter- I have a pretty big collection of cookie cutters and I love using them for cutting out sandwiches, baking, and for crafts like playdough or using them as stencils.

*Ikea honeycomb Christmas decoration- I've never been to an Ikea store but would love to-  a friend in Hong Kong did a shop for me at her local Ikea and these decorations were on my list-  aren't they gorgeous!

*a lined mousehouse drawstring bag- I love sewing and wish I had time to do more- these little drawstring bags are one of my favourite things to make. Handy to store special christmas decorations or anything else you need to keep safe!

*elastics game from Jump Elastics- I love making and buying stuff for kids, especially things that get them outside playing classic childhood games. Michelle from Jump Elastics kindly offered to donate one of her gorgeous 'jumpelastics' to my giveaway so if you win not only do you get some treats but your kids will hopefully be occupied happily outside while you enjoy them!  The jump elastics also comes with a cute little book with lots of ideas of games to play if you've forgotten some of the 'chants' from your school yard days :) These would make a great present for Christmas too if you don't win the giveaway, and Michelle's packaging is beautiful as well. Check out the Jump Elastics Facebook page here http://www.facebook.com/jumpelastics

The giveaway is open to all so international entries welcome, entries will close Saturday 14th December at midday NZ time.  You can enter by leaving a comment under this blog post or over on my facebook page under the post about this giveaway.

For your comment I would love to know what you enjoy reading about or seeing on my blog or facebook page.  I hope that doesn't come across as me trying to get a lot of compliments but I am truly interested in what you like to see/read... and maybe some of your comments would help me when it comes to approaching publishers...

Here's how to get yourself some extra entries- just do any of the following and let me know in a separate comment for each either here or on Facebook...

*if you are on Facebook like and share the post about this giveaway on your own facebook page
*share this giveaway on your blog if you have one
*like mousehouse on Facebook
*follow my boards on pinterest

Good luck and thank you again for reading 'mousehouse' for another year, Merry Christmas and a Happy 2014 :)

Megan x

PS: I have re read through this post a few times now since I wrote it on Sunday and have decided to leave it as it is even though it does seem pretty full on with my grand plans for next year!! but please know that although I have plans for 2014 I am no super mum or amazing multi tasker- I just have an absolute passion for making things and sharing ideas with other like-minded people so this blog is not a reflection on my whole life, just a part of it I really enjoy :) All of you mums out there are doing an incredible job and I hope my blog inspires you rather than makes you feel you are doing 'less' than others...that is something I really don't want and is not what my blog is about, I may make a lot of cute stuff but my hubby would probably rather I cooked dinner a few more nights instead!! So to all you mums out there have a great Christmas and I hope you get some time to put your feet up and pat yourself on the back for doing an amazing job day in day out!!

Bath time reminiscing, new 'Baby by Earthwise' products...and a giveaway

When we had our first baby Amelie 6 and a half years ago I read Gina Ford's 'Contented Baby' book- a little bit of it when I was pregnant, and a lot after I had Amelie. She recommended a bedtime routine of feeding baby around 5, then doing the bath, then feeding baby again around 7. So we did as the book said and it seemed to work with us even though Amelie screamed blue murder from the second she was taken out of the bath until she was fully dressed but we kept it going because it was a way to keep her up for a bit longer before 'bedtime' and hey maybe the screaming wore her out so much she went to sleep easily...who knows but she was a good night sleeper from reasonably early on! So we stuck with that routine for her, and then for Stella and then Jack as well.  Probably because to be honest we were scared to change anything as whatever we were doing seemed to be working but also it is nice to have them all clean and smelling good at least once in the day! It's taken a lot of effort over the years, we have hardly ever missed them having a bath, I remember getting to a bach for a holiday when Amelie was about 6 months old and the hot water hadn't heated up in time for bath time so we filled up a plastic container using the kettle just so she could have her bath...I laugh now that we bothered -we must have really been paranoid that if she didn't have her bath she would somehow not sleep well all night! Anyway now that all 3 are older we still do the bath every night, it is the only time Jack is clean in the day and the 3 of them do have a good time in there most nights. There are certainly a lot of times when we really can't be bothered but I guess the routine is so ingrained in them now they just automatically get ready for the bath after dinner so they would probably spin out if we said no bath tonight (well Jack would anyway!) It's a hectic/loud/crazy time in our house and we are looking forward to them just being able to jump in the shower but I bet we'll still miss their little faces all squeezed in the bath together too :)

So when Hayley from Earthwise contacted me about reviewing some of the new plant based Earthwise Baby products I jumped at the chance- I already use their lavender laundry powder which I love. And I like that they are NZ based, environmentally friendly and have been around a while now- Earthwise was actually started 45 years ago! So here are the goodies I was sent to try out- the
Baby bath wash, Baby shampoo, Baby bubble bath, hair detangler, sleep spray, baby soap, plus some samples of their other soaps, bathroom and general use wipes, and their laundry and whitening powder.

From the Baby by Earthwise press release "Earthwise has developed their new range to be gentle on the skin, the result leaves skin and hair feeling divine with the love and nourishment Mother Nature intended.  The products are also gentle on the environment, all ingredients in Earthwise products are ethically and sustainably sourced, carefully selected to provide gentle natural cleaning properties while maintaining our earth. Baby by Earthwise is free from parabens, artificial colouring, toxic petrochemicals and laurel sulphates, it’s not tested on animals and made in New Zealand."

The kids loved the bubble bath- I don't actually use bubble bath very often so this was a treat for them, well until there were tears about who had the most bubbles and arguing over who got to sit in a certain place in the bath to get the most bubbles...but as bubble bath goes it has a nice subtle scent, plenty of bubbles and is a good price for the amount in the container- $7.49 at Countdown for 275mls

The bath wash and shampoo were great too, again a nice subtle scent, cute containers and a reasonable price for the amount you get.

The hair detangler has a been a big hit- I mentioned on Facebook that I went hunting for this a while ago and could only find one with a very strong strawberry scent so this one is much nicer!

The sleep spray was popular with the kids as they liked spraying their pillowcases themselves although they did go a bit crazy with it and ended up with rather damp pillowcases! It would be nice to freshen up a baby's bassinet or cot sheets or even the actual bedroom.

So all in all I will definitely be buying these products in the future, on price alone they are the same if not cheaper than what I normally buy, and much cuter too!

So if you would like to win your own pack of Earthwise baby products just leave a comment here or over on my Facebook page either telling me what you do for bathtime in your family or just leave a comment saying you'd like to win the prize- but be quick... you've got until midday tomorrow- Friday 27th Sep to leave your comment. This giveaway is for NZ readers only sorry. I will be giving the winners details to Hayley at Earthwise and she will be sending out your prize :)

Megan 

Happy Christmas (and giveaway winner)

Hello all, well I've got time for one last post for 2012 and to share a few things I've been up to crafting wise in the last few weeks...

I made these key rings for Jack and Stella's lovely teachers- I got the heart shaped key rings from a bead shop close by- Uncle Black Beetles Beads. I got the idea after seeing this project via pinterest

I also made a couple of my waterproof make-up purses for Amelie's awesome school teachers but forgot to get a photo of them!

I made a Christmas cracker for Lindsay at her blog Arohanui Vegan Love as part of Katie's fun Christmas Cracker Swap.  Lindsay is going to open hers on Christmas Day so I won't share what I put it in yet but lets just say this shop is very cool if you are wanting vegan or ethical and eco friendly products- I was pretty relieved when I found it!

I bought a new Christmas tea towel from one of my favourite gift shops in Tauranga- Mainly Gifts in Cherrywood.

 

And the girls had a nice surprise for one of their advent pockets one morning- the dollhouse had a little Christmas tree and one of the dolls even dressed up as Santa! After umming and ahhing for a while over this Lundby Christmas tree I finally bought it, shame I could only get one of the lights on it going though!

  

And the winner of my christmas giveaway is comment number 97...

Dianna Townsend- congratulations Dianna, please email me your postal adress to megan(at)mouse house (dot)co(dot)nz. I'm sorry I didn't do the draw in time for a Christmas delivery!

Thank you so much everyone for reading mousehouse this year- I truly appreciate your comments and feedback and really love writing this blog -my 'happy place' I call it :) Hopefully in 2013 I will have a bit more time to write and share even more! It's pretty funny seeing how many half finished posts I have written this year including at least 5 'organised home' posts so hopefully next year I'll be more organised and will be able to finish writing them! Merry Christmas to my fellow bloggers and all of you blog readers and a Happy New Year to you and your families.

Megan x

Mousehouse Christmas Giveaway 2012

Once again I've had lots of fun making and gathering up a few goodies to say a big thank you for reading 'mousehouse' this year- I really appreciate you all! It's been a really busy year with Amelie starting school which dramatically reduced my crafting time (and I thought I'd have more time when she was at school...) and Jack becoming a very busy toddler so my blog posts aren't quite as prolific as they used to be so thank you for still reading! Also a big thank you to all of you that like and comment on my facebook page- I have really enjoyed using my facebook page this year to connect with readers and share ideas.  So here are my Christmas treats for one lucky reader...

* a fat quarter of Riley Blake's Santa's Workshop "White Santa Snowflake" fabric

* an Owl topper pencil

* a Birdy notepad

* A mousehouse waterproof make-up purse

* 4 sheets of Cath Kidston stickers and labels

* a roll of green/white striped washi tape

* a toadstool eraser and pencil sharpener

* 5 metres of christmas coloured bakers twine

* a Babushka christmas decoration

The giveaway is open internationally so anyone can enter- entries will close Wed 12th Dec. To enter all you have to do is leave a comment telling me where you are from. If you would like to you could tell me something you like doing in your hometown/city in the lead up to Christmas - maybe it's going berry picking at a favourite orchard, ice skating at a local rink, going to an annual Christmas market... I'm just really interested in where you're from, how you celebrate christmas in your part of the world or something fun to do in your hometown! (I have a bit of the travelling bug at the moment so can live vicariously through your comments ;) Anyone can comment (and I've taken that word verification thing off) and if you don't have a blog you can comment as an anonymous user- just make sure you leave your email address in the comment. 

I would love to be able to use my Facebook page for you to enter the giveaway by leaving a comment on there but after reading their huge list of rules I can't see how I can (if you know how to let me know!) However if you share this giveaway post on Facebook and let me know in the comment section here you'll get another entry! (I'm pretty sure that's allowed!)

So leave a comment to enter - if you're a Facebook liker as well leave another comment for another chance to win, and if you share the giveaway on your blog, facebook or pinterest leave another comment to let me know. 

Thank you so much again for reading mousehouse and I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas.

Megan x

A Mousehouse Kids Crafty Suitcase Tutorial and Giveaway

Hello all, well I've finally got a chance to share my latest project- these little crafty suitcases I made back in April - it takes a while to write a long post like this nowadays! The pink one was for my daughters 5th birthday which she has absolutely loved.  I had the idea to make one after seeing these beautiful Moulin Roty ones in a magazine a few years ago- however they were pretty expensive and only had knitting supplies really so I thought I'd make one that had a bit of everything- knitting, beginner stitching, and lots of other kids crafty stuff. (Funnily enough I looked on pinterest last night to see if there were any other DIY kids craft kits and came across this gorgeous one made back in 2010 inspired by the same Moulin Roty suitcases!)

Some of it such as the knitting needles and the knitting spool are a bit too tricky to use for now but will be great in a few years time. It was so much fun collecting up the bits and pieces for the suitcase- some of it I've had for over a year as whenever I saw something cute such as the knitting needles or the animal measuring tape I'd just buy it and pop it away until I got the chance to get the suitcase done. And I also thought of some things I could make for the suitcase as well- a drawstring bag for her fabric stash, a needle book and pin cushion, a pencil case and a crayon roll. 

So I thought I'd share how I made the suitcase and what I put in it in case you would like to make your own version one day. 

Kids Crafty Suitcase Tutorial

1. Find a kids sized suitcase (mine is approx L29cm x W20cm x H9.5cm).  I bought mine from Bubbalooz- a NZ based website that has heaps of cute suitcases.  Or try searching online for mini suitcases, nesting suitcases or kids cardboard suitcases. You could also search ebay or trademe for a vintage suitcase!

2. Choose a piece of scrapbooking card for the inside lid of the suitcase- Spotlight has a good range.

3. Lie the suitcase upside down on your card, trace around it and cut it out. Then cut about 1 cm in again so it fits inside your lid (bit of trial and error here!) I then glued the card to a piece of black card to make it stronger.  

4. Decide what you would like to put on the inside lid part. I chose some embroidery thread bobbin cards printed from this fab blog here, a knitting mushroom (also called a knitting spool or knitting nancy), some kids knitting needles and some scissors. I got the knitting mushroom from here as part of a seedling kit or you could search Etsy as I saw a few on there too). The scissors were from Bernina here in Tauranga and the kids knitting needles were from the Tauranga Knitting Centre.

Place the items you want on your card and mark with a pencil where you need to make the holes for the elastic to go through to hold the items in place. Now place the card on a piece of wood and use a large nail and hammer to make the holes (see pic 1.) Thread hat elastic (tight but not too tight) through the holes and knot on the back (see pic 2.) Check that your items fit well. Use craft glue or PVA to glue the back of the card to the inside lid of the suitcase.

5. Fill up your suitcase with whatever crafty things take your fancy- here's my list of ideas- I didn't use all of them as mine ended up being more of a sewing/stitching suitcase than an arts and crafts one. I did include beads, pins, buttons etc so you'll have to decide whether they are appropriate for your kids (Amelie's pin cushion was put away very soon after she got her suitcase!!)

Stitching/Knitting

• Childrens knitting needles 
• Knitting mushroom 
• crochet hook
• 2 x ball of yarn
• 4 x embroidery threads
• hessian and Aida cloth (cross stitch fabric) for stitching practice - cut to fit into your suitcase
• Felt rectangles for stitching practice - cut to fit into your suitcase + scraps of felt for projects
•  Plastic needle for hessian for young stitchers
• Large stitching needles for Aida cloth and felt for older children
• embroidery hoop
• Small sharp scissors - sharp enough to be able to cut fabric and felt
• ‘Practice stitching’ cards- buy or make your own
• Small plastic compartment container for beads, buttons etc

Sewing

• fabric scraps
• Pins
• Novelty tape measure
•  2 x rolls of ribbon
•  buttons
•  ric rac/other trims
• elastic
• safety pins for needle book
• brooch backs

Art and craft

• crayons, felts, glitter pens, glitter glue pens, 
• mini paint box eg:  http://www.smallacorns.co.nz/product/Djeco-Watercolour-Paints-12-Classic-colours?i=438 
• beads and thread
• washi tape
• sellotape
• glue stick
• stickers
• paper, card, envelopes
• notepad or notebook and pen
• blank luggage tags
• bakers twine or string
• stamps and ink pad

6. If you're a crafter you could make some things to go in the suitcase as well-as mentioned above I made a small drawstring bag, a needle book and pin cushion, a crayon roll and a pencil case. 

Right, that's it I think! Feel free to ask any questions- I'll write a post soon with some ideas for getting your kids into some beginner sewing and some simple things for them to make using the supplies in the suitcase.

And if you would love to get started on making your own crafty suitcase or would just like some crafty treats I've made up a few things to giveaway- a drawstring bag, needle book, pin cushion, notebook, crayon roll and a little container of craft supplies.

...Edit 27 July Giveaway is now closed...

Just leave a comment here to enter...unfortunately I don't think you can enter by leaving a comment on my Facebook page as Facebook have tightened up the rules about running promotions (comments or questions are welcome though!) so to enter you'll need to leave a comment on this blog post - if you don't have a blogger account. just sign in as 'anonymous' and be sure to write your email address in the comment.  For extra entries let me know whether you are a Facebook 'liker', a blog follower or you could share this giveaway on Facebook or on your blog- just leave a separate comment for each one (I've taken off the word verification for comments so it'll be a little easier to comment now.)

International entries are welcome and the giveaway will close in 2 weeks time Friday the 27th July 7pm NZ time.

Happy crafting and thanks for reading!

 Megan x

A Mousehouse Christmas Giveaway

Happy 1st December! To say a BIG thank you to all of you that read my blog and follow mousehouse on facebook  I'm having another Christmas giveaway... here's what you could win...

• a mousehouse waterproof 'Babushka' purse (I bought the fabric for the purse from Stitchbird and I think it's my most favourite fabric yet which is saying something!)
• a Cath Kidston notebook
• 20 metres of red/white bakers twine
• set of 6 gift tag stickers
• fat quarter of christmas fabric

I've really enjoyed my second year of writing this blog and I so appreciate the feedback and comments I receive and being part of this awesome crafty / mum blogger community.  Thank you for the emails, the comments on my posts, the feedback and answers to my questions on my facebook page, and for reading my blog- the connections made from my kitchen bench are just fantastic.

For my christmas giveaway last year I asked readers to comment with their Christmas family traditions and have added quite a few to my list of things I would like to do this year- even if I get a a few done I'll be happy as there's quite a list now! So this year if you are like me and haven't done a whole lot of present making/buying yet I thought it would be great to share some ideas for presents- either homemade or store bought.  So to enter... leave a comment telling us something(s) you'll be making or buying this year for someone in your family or a friend.  

For extra entries (if you'd like to) you can...

*follow my blog 

*like my facebook mousehouse page (you can also enter the giveaway on my facebook page by leaving a comment below this post on my page.)

*follow me on twitter or share this giveaway @megsmousehouse

*share this giveaway on your blog or FB page

 Just leave a comment telling me for each extra entry. Giveaway closes Thursday December 8th and is open to all so international entries are welcome.

Good luck and thank you again for reading 'mousehouse' :)

Megan x

an apple a day giveaway

I've been wanting to do a giveaway for a while now to say thank you to all you lovely mousehouse readers, followers and 'likers' out there, especially as I've gathered quite a few more of you since posting about my dolls house last week!
I got the idea to do an apple themed giveaway after the lovely feedback from my apple cosy and my crochet apple.  Also, one of the first purses I made was using some apples fabric.  I mentioned my apple themed idea to Kirsty at Sew Pretty the other day when she shared my apple cosy post on SewPretty's facebook page and she very kindly offered to donate a fat quarter of two of her apple fabrics to each of the giveaways thank you Kirsty!

So Prize one is....

• a mousehouse 'Red Apples' waterproof zip purse
• a crochet apple
• 6 apple buttons
• a set of 10 apple, button and yarn stamped mousehouse gift tags
• a bow brooch
• a fat quarter of Sew Pretty's 'apples in red' fabric

And Prize two is....

• a mousehouse 'Orchard Apples' waterproof zip purse
• a crochet apple cosy 
• handmade peppermint lip balm
• a set of 10 apple, button and yarn stamped mousehouse gift tags
• two sheets of cute stickers
• a fat quarter of Sew Pretty's 'apples in green' fabric

To enter all you have to do is leave a comment telling me whether you would like to win Prize one or Prize two. You could tell me where you're from too as I love seeing where everyone is from! If you don't have a blog you are still welcome to enter, just leave your email address in your comment. Or you can tell me which prize you would like under this post on my Facebook page.  International entries welcome! 

Thank you so much again for all your lovely comments on my posts, for the awesome emails I get, for reading my blog and for being such a great community of like minded souls!

Megan x