I am very happy to introduce you todayto a fantastic company that's looking out for two very precious things - our kids and our planet. Little & Loved is owned and operated by Zoe Salmen, who is passionate about living sustainably. With two beautiful wee boys of her own, Zoe knows the importance of natural and organic products. She carefully selects suppliers who share her values, and stocks a large range of qualityNew Zealand made products, as well as internationally recognised brands.
Adorable cushions, garlands, and mobiles by Needle&I feature happy clouds, plump bunnies and friendly ghosts - even the skull and bat are cute! Some of these are limited editions, so be quick to secure your favourite.
Hours of fun will be had with the Flatout Frankie range, designed in New Zealand and made from natural kraft board. They easily pack down for storage and travel.
I'm a huge fan of Lindi Kingi jewellery, and Little & Loved stock a range of divine bracelets lovingly handmade by Lindi. It's never too young to be stylish.
A beautiful range of wooden baby products are made by Zoe's Dad with Zoe's design input. With gorgeous organic forms, these tactile pieces are perfect for tiny hands and mouths.
This is just a small selection of the Little & Loved products. Pop over to their website to see the full range, which includes Zoe's own range of baby care products. And 'like' them on Facebook to keep up to date with all new products, special offers and giveaways.
I do a lot of my shopping online, and I always get excited when the package arrives. It's even more exciting when you're not expecting anything. That's what happened yesterday, when the courier handed over a beautifully packaged box with a colourful Happy Little Poppets sticker on top. I opened the box to find pink tissue paper cushioning a little brown bag.
The range is the newest addition to the NZ Skincare Company family. Born by Mother Nature, it's designed to nourish and protect skin naturally, keeping your precious little ones happy inside and out. Young skin is thinner and more fragile than adult skin, so it can more easily absorb potentially harmful ingredients found in some skincare products. Happy Little Poppets contains only safe, plant-based ingredients, like lovely manuka honey, renowned for it's healing properties, calendula oil for it's anti-inflammatory and regenerative benefits, and calming lavender oil.
The products look and sound just perfect, and I'm so impressed with the packaging (that's the graphic designer in me coming out!). My own little poppets are quite big now, but I know a little baby boy who will love these. I can't think of anything better than using gentle, all natural products on someone so precious. Thank you Catie, and NZ Skincare Company. And there's something else I've been meaning to share with you. Ingrid Anderson, our very own New Zealand textile designer, has been working with a Christchurch rug company to translate her Pohutukawa and Kaka Beak designs into pure New Zealand wool rugs. Inspired by a love of New Zealand's native flora and fauna, Ingrid's designs have an innate connection to our local heritage, with a beautiful contemporary style.
The result of her rugs is a lovely, thick tufted finish with explosions of colour on a straw background. A beautiful lasting piece of local design to add to your living room, and particularly complimentary to natural wood flooring. The Kaka Beak would also be perfect in a corporate setting.
Both rugs are available to purchase through the Cush & Nooks online shop. I highly recommend you go and check them out. These are the sort of pieces that will become family heirlooms, and you know how I feel about rugs - they add warmth, texture, and are perfect for pulling a room together - big love!
I am really excited to have added this delicious, and beautifully photographed recipe book to the Cush & Nooks online shop. The recipes that you'll find in Petite Kitchen will inspire you and nourish every aspect of your life.
Created by Eleanor Ozich, each recipe comes from her heart, and is as nature intended it to be, simple! Her road to simple eating began when her 4 year old daughter, Izabella, developed what was seemingly incurable, severe eczema. After countless doctors and specialists visits, still no one could explain the cause of Izabella's condition, nor the impact it had on her behavior.
Finally naturopath, Jennifer Garrett, was able to provide them with the answers they were looking for. She explained that Izabella was suffering from Gut and Psychology Syndrome (also known as GAPS), which is an imbalance of bad gut bacteria causing toxins. The result was her eczema and her extreme mood fluctuations. The remedy was simple - change Izabella's diet. Eliminating grain, sugar, additives and preservatives, and adopting a simple, clean way of eating has made a world of difference. Izabella is now healthy and happy, and her eczema and behavioral problems are a distant memory. The change of diet has also had a massive impact on Eleanor, her husband and their one year old son - the whole family has a new lease on life, and the energy and positivity is phenomenal.
Petite Kitchen is the nurtured result of this transformation. It is inspiring that food, the very thing that is causing obesity, depression and health epidemics of unfathomable proportions, is also the answer to curing, cleansing, and fixing our body and mind. Simply by exchanging sugar and grains for whole, natural and unprocessed alternatives, you can enjoy life's delicious pleasures whilst creating positivity in both your mental and physical life.
I encourage all of you, in fact, I think you owe it to yourself to give Eleanor's recipes a try, and see how they can turn your life around. Don't think because it's healthy, it's boring, far from it. You can enjoy such scrumptious delights as Espresso Fudge Brownie, White Chocolate and Raspberry Almond Muffins, and how about Garlic Beef Burgers with Smokey Chilli Tomato Sauce?! It will be the best $30 you ever spent!
