Mums, Mothers and Mummies!

Today it is all about Mums, go, treat them!

Helping Japan!

No-one could have missed the recent events that have happened in Japan, and unfortunately the effects of it are still going on. Many people have lost their families, their house and all their belongings. The people of Japan are having to fight weather conditions, lack of provisions and a potential radiation threat. 

They still need support and unfortunately from this far a field that often means money!

Like many of you we really want to help, so we have decided to offer something a little special!

You can get an A6, hand drawn with markers, picture on a subject of your choosing for £10.00. It will be produced on 300gsm Satin Paper (or thin card to you and me) and will be unique to you, drawn of a subject you request, whether it be to represent your children, a picture of you and the love of your life or as simple as a giraffe! 
The best bit of this is that £8.00 from each card will go to the Brtish Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal!

Please email kelly@piddleypix.com if interested!

Three by Nine Meme

The lovely Viv at Poppy Sparkles tagged me with the Three By Nine Meme, so I have to answer the following 'threes', your chance to find a little more out about me! 

Three names I go by: Kel, Mummy and MoolBoots

Three places I've lived: Lincoln, Stoke on Trent and Nottingham

Three places I've worked: Pickfords Removals, Staffordshire University and Nottingham City Council

Three things I love to watch: Chuck, Friends and Biggest Loser

Three places I've been to and love: Dominican Republic, Camden Town and York

Three people who email me regularly: My Mum, Louise from Baby Signing Mummy and Twitter

Three things I love to eat: Veggie Fajitas, Cheese and Crisps!

Three people I think will respond: Dannie, Shelly and Wendy (Hopefully as they have been tagged)

Three things I'm looking forward to: This Friday (night out with hubby!), Piddley Pix growing and The summer, playing outside with the children in the sun!

The three people I'm tagging with this meme: Dannie from Booties by Dannie, Shelly at Present Dreams and Wendy at Savette Gazette

Etsy for Japan

A small showcase of some of the Etsy Sellers who are giving to the Japan Relief from their sales

Art for Japan!

No-one can have missed the events in Japan recently and most of us want to help in some way, so I thought I would tell you about one way you can do it (and get some fab art for yourself too)!

Photo Credit - www.bbc.co.uk

Kev Brett is not only the illustrator for Piddley Pix, he is also a lovely husband (to me), a father of two and artist on the side! He has recently opened up his Etsy Shop where he is selling his own art and some fan art too! 

For the month of March all money for any Sketchcard sold will go to the Japan Relief fund. So don't delay, get over to the shop and check out what's on offer, get some art for you, a family member, a friend or even just because and Help Japan! 

Find Kev at the following places

Twitter

Facebook

His Blog

The Monkey and The Mouse

Baby Signing Mummy Mascot

If you are on Twitter you may have seen Baby Signing Mummy make an announcement last night of her new Mascot!

We have been lucky to work with Louise on this project and have really enjoyed developing her 'lightbulb moment' into reality.  We are sure that the children and parents going through classes with Baby Signing Mummy will love Baby Signing Bella as much as we do!

It is been hard keeping it a secret from the masses, especially when Booties by Dannie got involved and created a fabulous doll of Bella too, who wouldn't want to show her off!!  

Here is a small teaser of her, but to see her in full you will have to pop over to Louise's blog and don't forget to enter the competition while you are there - there is a wonderful prize to be won!

Booties by Dannie

As you probably know by now, we love all things funky and unique here at Piddley Pix, and we love being able to show off other people and businesses that we think you may be interested in.  So we would like to take this oppotunity to introduce you to Booties by Dannie!

I first came across Dannielle on Twitter and have come to love the items she sells, so thought it was time to share! Danielle loves to crochet and everything she sells is handmade by herself!

As the business name suggests, Dannie sells Booties, there is a wide range of shoes, booties and even sandals!  

I absoutely love this moccasins, they are some of the most adorable baby booties I have even seen, it is wonderful to see a selection of crocheted booties (and shoes and sandals) that are not all just the same style in different colours - your baby could look so cool in these mini converse style booties!!

It is always nice to see that someone so talented expands her range too, you can also get hats, apple cosies, crayon rolls, toys and knitwear!

  

So do go along to Booties by Dannie and check out the wonderful crocheted items coming from this lovely ladies talented hands, keep your eyes peeled too, the new products are always coming....

Winner of the Pettiskirt

And the winner is ............

Well done Bettyboop- I will send you a tweet now!

Guest Post - Handmade for illness

Judging by the facebook status updates of most of my friends, it would seem that once again illness is doing the rounds, and as I am guest posting to help Kelly out whilst sickness reigns in her household, it seemed appropriate to use that as my theme. 

For those that follow my own blog or twitter, you’ll know how I like to support and promote UK Designer Makers, so I’m going to share a few handmade comforts and toys, sure to help you nurse you and your little ones through illness.

Cream Rainbow Blanket from Rocket and Bear £55

Whilst duvets reign supreme in this modern age, I don’t think you can beat a snuggle under a soft, hand-knitted or crocheted blanket.  The soft, tactile nature of blankets and the way they drap cannot be surpassed.  

Rocket Hot Water Bottle Cover by Nickynackynoo Designs £15

For extra snuggability a hottie is a must! To help hold its warmth for longer and provide a huggable source of warmth, a hot water bottle cover is a must – who wants to cuddle a hunk of rubber?!

Children’s Travel Art Pad by Little Daydreamers £13

You know when your little one is really poorly when they’re not running round the house.  So, for when they need some entertainment, but are too poorly to leave the sofa, this crayon roll is ideal.  And, when they’re better it’s a great travelling drawing centre.

Personalised Cereal Bowl by Purple Glaze £20

And for the chicken soup, or whatever is the cure food in your household, you’ll need a special bowl to make your little patient feel extra special.

Viv Smith is the designer-maker owner of  Poppy Sparkles – creating celebration charm jewellery with sterling silver, Swarovski crystal and Freshwater pearls.  She also loves showcasing handmade talent on her blog.

A massive thank you to Viv for her post!

International Women's Day!

As it is International Women's Day I thought I should do a shout out to some amazing mumpreneurs! So, here goes:

Poppy Sparkles is run by Viv Smith, who is a mum to two littlies, blogger, business mum and support to others! You must check out her Mummy Necklaces for Mother's Day - fantastic necklaces that celebrate your child/ren with birthstone charms for each! 

Louise is the Baby Signing Mummy! Working around being mum to a little girl, supporting other mumpreneurs, working with others on other business ideas, being a bride-to-be and much more, Louise loves baby sign language, communication, and helping others to talk with their baby!

Di Mayze has recently launched the Buggy Tug, the UK’s first pram wrist strap! Di has done this around being a mum, being the owner of a fab Cafe and supporting others (including sponsoring me for Cybermummy). The Buggy Tug is a simple but effective idea that you will wonder how you ever coped without!

Sarah from Silver Birch Crafts is one talented lady who runs her business around being a mum, selling a variety of products including bags, gifts, clothing and more. Her spotty bags are selling like hot cakes too!

Sarah Wheatley is a mum and crafty lady! She is fantastic with fabrics and sells some awesome characters in her Folksy Shop! You must also check out her 'weird & wonderful world of Monsieur Alphonse Poissonnier' a collection of great performing cats!

These are just a very small selection of the great women in business out there, look out for future posts featuring more great mumpreneurs!

All About The Boys (Giveaway)

All About the Boys was started when Karen Jones (a mum to 3 boys) was continually frustrated with the lack of classic affordable clothing available for boys on the high street. She now sells carefully selected classic designer children's clothing  at affordable prices through her website and despite the name All About The Boys sells clothes for babies, boys and girls!

All the items they sell are brand new (there are no seconds either), and the Designers include Ralph Lauren, Levi, Tommy Hilfiger

The lovely Karen has offer to giveaway a fab prize to one of you lucky readers, the prize is this Pink Petal Pettiskirt for 18 - 24 months old

All you have to do to be entered is pop over to the All About The Boys website have a look around and then come back and comment with what you liked on the site! The winner of the pettiskirt will be picked at random.

Terms: Competition closes Friday 11th March at 11.59pm, you don't have to follow the blog (although that would be nice), winner picked at random from valid entries, Piddley Pix decision is final!

Spring has sprung!

So it is the first of March and that can only mean one thing - Spring is here! What does Spring tend to mean; milder waether, flowers, buzzy insects, short breaks and generally a happier outlook!

So what better than a blog post celebrating all things Springy in the world of Piddley Pix!

Good Old Boris! 

Boris is a non-limited edition print which depicts a lovely scene of him collecting nectar - a full on worker bee! If I am honest he is one of my faves as he was one of the first we designed and he is so cute!

The Mini Cars

We all like to get away but know the curses of traffic jams on our short breaks, this is a FUN non-limited edition picture of sitting in traffic! Kids will enjoy spotting a car like theirs!

Those Rolling Hills!

There is something special about walking through the countryside during the spring months, mild weather and lovely scenes, just make you feel refreshed! Maybe a limited edition picture for us older ones to remind us of the green in the land!

Dragonfly

Spring is all about the 'New' in the world, new flowers, births and the flyers coming out again! These Dragonflies are enjoying themselves with a little dance of joy. This is a limited edition picture!

Farmyard

..and to finish off those well known 'spring chickens' down on the farm. Again a limited edition piece, the one you get will be one of only 25 printed and will come with a certificate of authenticity!