February wrap up.....

    

February is over.......
memories, ramblings,
achievements and goals 

Where do I start?

• February 1st...for me personally is a day that I celebrate my life every year...when I was five I was run over by a car ...I was hospitalized for 15 days and kept under observation as I was knocked out on my head and thrown up in the air ...a miracle happened on that day as I survived  a terrible accident with a cut lip, a chipped front tooth and swollen head...lucky enough I was not hit on my brain.....so I thank my lucky stars..my poor mum up to this day she rings me every year on February 1st ... first thing in the morning to hear my voice....it must have been a nightmare for my parents 
• This month we were all saddened by the loss of of our fellow Australians who have gone through terrifying experiences, such as floods, cyclones and some have even lost loved ones My thoughts are with all of you.
• My achievements this month..on a brighter note ..... am trilled to have launched a couple of my projects that I have been working on: Personalized Plates for Baby Keepsakes and Christening Gifts,         An Australiana range  of mugs and also created an opportunity for you to create, design a          personalized mug for all occasions.
• I have also had the pleasure to meet some of the members from the Aussie Mum Bloggers Forum in a Melbourne Meet up.....
• The greatest Challenge I took this month I joined the is the 31Day Blog to build a Blog Challenge. I am trialling behind at the moment but I am determined to catch up and finish this assignment.
• I cannot not mention the terrible disaster in Christchurch...the people that lost their lives...and how a city has been turned upside down....words cannot describe this...
• Last  but not least  February 27th  is the Anniversary of my beloved Dad...time had passed on Dad since you have left us but you know we have a special bond you and me and you are always in my heart...... xx miss you DAD

I am sure you are in a peaceful place...

A nun's tale

Three Italian nuns die 

and go to heaven        

At the Pearly Gates, they are met by St Peter. He says, "Sisters, you all
led such exemplary lives that the Lord is granting you six months to go
back to earth and be anyone you wish to be..

The first nun says, "I want to be Sophia Loren," and *poof* she's gone.

The second says, "I want to be Madonna" and *poof* she's gone.

The third says, "I want to be Sara Pipalini."

St Peter looks perplexed. "Who?" he asks.

"Sara Pipalini," replies the nun.

St Peter shakes his head and says, "I'm sorry, but that name just doesn't
ring a bell."

The nun then takes a newspaper out of her habit and hands it to St Peter.

St Peter reads the paper and starts laughing. He hands it back to her and
says "No sister, the paper says it was the ' Sahara Pipeline' that was laid by
1,400 men in 6 months."




This is something I decided to start as of today ~~ A Special Corner  ~~ where you can come  over  and enjoy  a laugh over a cup of coffee ~~ come over and check weekly...I will be adding a post every week...feel free to share with your friends and family and put a smile on someone's face !

The entangled Web...

 My never ending growing  network

  You will probably are saying what is she on about today?  I often wonder as I surf on the net.......from one link to the next and the next....where on earth this great big spider web leads me to....!

Do you ever wonder who you are meeting on line...perhaps even so one day I will meet that special person who is behind  that certain post I just read, and thank him in person for all that vital information that we all just willingly share....Many times...I go through blogs which inspire me or websites that offer fantastic products......and the web keeps on growing....my Network Circle is growing at a very fast space....My Facebook page, my follow tweeters  keep me entertained. My long life dream is constantly evolving and my creative thoughts keeps me ticking.  Okay another one you of spiders that is in my net is probably reading my thoughts at the moment...hope I am making you laugh...I am really having great fun writing this post.






I am sure my lovely daughter will be cursing me if she saw this post as she is literally petrified of spiders....mind you I do not really like them ....but at the moment they are making me laugh.

Many a times I wonder who is actually crawling through my site, some leave their footprints by actually echoing something....I do love those people who love to interact and actually leave me a lovely comment under my posts, others, I hear their footsteps and leave me wondering who is that person, why don't they even stop to say hi. I am actually quite friendly, I do not bite, I do not cast spells on lovely people who are so nice to me...and actual care enough to say hello xxxxx

On the other hand  I think  if you are going to drive through....not even be kind enough to write "hello" below  I will be seriously thinking of chasing you with my broom ........
I hope you had a great laugh and hope to see you more often....in the meantime I keep stirring my cauldron and keep counting how many spiders are caught in my web...

Are you after something special for your Baby, a Personalized Christening Gift perhaps?

Well well look what  I have been creating.....I am sure you would love this range that I have on offer in 5 different designs and 3 different colours (pink, blue and green) in the range!   

This Personalized Plate is an excellent Gift for:

1. Christening
2. Baby gift

You will have the Name, Date of Birth, Length, Weight and Time all printed on the plate.

Below you will see the range that is on offer!

When Ordering you need to choose below:

1. size of plate
2. design
3. fill in details in comment box

the baby  collection

You will also find other gift  ideas for all occasions.  Please feel free to discuss any requests I am quite happy to help if  I can..... I appreciate your thoughts...

There is also the lovely Barefoot Range which is fantastic for Christening or Baby Gifts. I am also quite happy to organize  for you a selection of Baby Gifts and send them direct to receiver.

Behind the wooden picket fence....

Wooden Toy Picket Fences

This is not an exciting or great product to talk about, but stop there for a moment and I want you to put on your thinking caps!

You say they are just wooden fences. yes that is correct...but think a little bit beyond that and see what  use it can be in a lot of role play in the pretend corner...

I am sure first that first to come to mind is

1.  farm animals
2. an extension to a barn set
3. zoo set

You will find that a lot of the sets do not have enough fences to challenge them

Wooden Noah's Ark

                    

Some other  great ideas to use with is

1. train sets 
2. road play
3. garage
4. doll house play

What about a construction activity:

1. stacking on top of each other...they are very sturdy pieces..and so children will not get frustrated  using them. (manipulative skills)
2. (sorting)  small or big

These are great sought after by teachers, parents,child care workers alike...

Mini Barn 

I would like to ask you what other options or ideas  that one can use these fences for... It is great to hear from those especially that work with kids, what your thoughts are and what come to mind?

Thank you Marita from Stuffwiththing for reviewing our product

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About Marthese
Marthese is the face behind:

• Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
• Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
• Learn more about her here
• You can sign up for her newsletter
• You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons

Sign up for our free newsletter!

Take a look at the Specials at present…

Meet up with Melbourne Mums through Aussie Mum Bloggers

birdie num nums
745 Nicholson Street North Carlton

Meet up with Melbourne Mums through Aussie Mum Bloggers 


This week I had the pleasure to meet up  for the first time with some of  the Melbourne Aussie Mum Bloggers who are all involved in the Aussie Mummy Bloggers Forum

This was organized by the lovely Louisa  and we all met at the birdie num nums  in North Carlton. Louisa has a young family and has this beautiful blog which takes us into a journey of an every day mum's life... She inspires other mums with some of here experiences in her life as a mum and also is quite happy to review products. Her Blog is everything is edible  ~~ what a fantastic name...we all know that having little kids around quote Louisa's "everything is edible"


I also had the pleasure of  meeting with Annie who unfortunately is not in any of the images as I only remembered to take some shots after she left...but I guess she captures my attention, as she loves to blog about interior design, house design and decor trends. This is one of my favorite subjects...I love property, especially interior design...you will find her sharing her thoughts in A View on Design and takes you through a project she is doing here My Town Cottage


birdie num nums  the cafe we meet ... had a very relaxing atmosphere around it...it was great to see mums enjoying themselves ...in a relaxed place and have a cuppa with a group of friends. It has also a garden cafe at the back where kids can roam around freely without being in the way of anyone. I am a big fan of coffee and it was just perfect...I very highly recommend this place...


Another lovely lady that I met is Amanda she tell you all about what she wants to achieve in her blog homeage
It is nice to meet all these young mums from all around Melbourne...I am hoping that in future meets ups we would have the pleasure of meeting more lovely mums who inspires us from all kinds of life.

Lastly but not least...the lovely Norlin...who was so excited as she finally has all her 3 children in school this year and is finally finding some freedom to move around and does what she pleases to a certain extent. She has 2 successful blogs running and very interesting to follow...Just us kids and Baubles,Bubles & Bags  you will find more about her and what she offers .She also offers reviews....

What an interesting bunch of bloggers...I am so looking forward to the next one..till then why don't you pull a chair and a cuppa and check out these wonderful mummy bloggers

If you want to know more about me hmmm let see this is where I have vented out

My list for Keepsakes!

Keepsakes for all Occasions

Definition of Keepsake:Some object given by a person and retained in memory of something or someone; something kept for sentimental or
 nostalgic reasons. 


A while back in my long lost years,  a lovely lady approached me, I was displaying my Christmas baubles and asked me if I do Keepsakes......At that point in time....it never occurred to me that people would look at my Christmas ornaments as Keepsakes...(this lady lost a child and apparently she organizes one for her every year......).So this is was the start of my Keepsakes journey...Well my creative mind did  not stop there it took me to quite a few different levels... This is what I offer as a keepsakes these days.

1. Baby's first Christmas, Christening, Baby Name days.
2. Engagements, Weddings....can be just to say thank you to someone as a favor or as a memento another word for keepsake.
3. Birthdays...special birthday like the one above ...this particular customer organized all the great grand kids...and I created this Special Keepsake for her Gran....
4. Teacher's Gifts
5. Corporate Gifts
6. Souvenirs...I created an Australiana range which I am proud of as they are designed and handmade by me in Australia.
7. Capturing special moments in your lives, holidays or events
8. Creating a family tree
9. Remembering those who passed on .....being a child, parent, friend, or pets
10. Favorite Pets.

The List can be endless and people always surprise me and I am quite willing to listen...so if you have some exciting ideas...I am all ears...this is what one of my customers had to say in her Guest post on my blog

Another interesting guest post is this.......

About me.....

The Pleasure of GIVING is far greater than RECEIVING......


Here I talk about the great range of Special & Unique Gifts that I offer in store,and also share my life experiences with all of you. 

                                                                                                         

Romantic ~ Love the Sound of this word!

  

Flair ~ yes I have it.....

Original ~ strive for it!

What am I going on about........?

Yes you guessed it. This is how I came about the name for my "blog" which is also the name of my "On line Gift Shop" Romantic Flair Original”

Me.......

 I love the chapter of my life I am in now...I am happily married and we are the proud parents of 2 wonderful kids (adults) who have now have left our nest. We are experiencing a new stage of our life.

Growing up I always endeavored to be different ......my school holidays were always spend learning a new craft. Creating  anything and everything  from any scraps of different materials that I used to find around....

Okay stop rambling.....  I am only trying to give you an insight of what I have created here...

Another passion that I had was reading...I can literally say I was a bookworm. One of the books that fascinated me is  "A Woman of Substance" by Barbara Taylor Bradford. Emma Harte one of the characters casted a spell on me and lived in a fairly land for a very long time, thinking of one day opening my own "On Line Gift Shop"

Anyway time passed...I worked in the Hospitality Industry for a while as I qualified as Hotel Manageress. I enjoyed that period of my time. My kids came along...and I could not make myself go back to work.  It was a full on career job, and I decided to give it up.  I ended working with kids from home where at the same time looking after mine...Well  25 years later when I decided that my kids do not really need me anymore...I thought I go back to fairy land and make it a reality.

My On Line Gift Shop....

My dream came a reality.....I have combined my creative side, with my endless experience working with kids, and all my other endeavors in my life... to offer you:

1. Personalized Gifts created and designed to your needs for all Occasions
2. Original Christmas Products
3. Source out Educational toys and other unique product
4. A Blog 

My Blog......

1. Obviously I talk about my products, specials, new items in store etc...
2. I try to have most of my posts with a purpose, like for example

• Activities one can have with a particular product..
• Sharing experiences 
• Showing my designs in different colours or styles...so I give people more options...I find that a lot of people do not have the gift of creating  or seeing something finished...so they need to visualize. 
• I also like to share my every day journey through my life...as I feel it is very important for you to know that I am a simple person like you and you and you....... 

Now let see....have I bored you to death...Oh No I hope not as I would love to have you here again....I would like to share my life time experience with you ...and I am also looking forward to learn from you when you share your thoughts .....So why don't you join me for a cuppa!

Marthese

(for those who have never heard this name before it is short for Mary Therese)

The Personalized Mug is here in store...Excellent gift idea...

The Personalized Mug  is here in store...Excellent gift idea

Personalized  Mug 

My new project "The Mug Is here"...are you looking for something different, do you feel creative, ready to have fun and perhaps make someone happy, bring a smile to someone's face, or perhaps you want to enjoy it yourself.....

Yes that is right...have I started you thinking...now you know what I go through my creative mind does not leave me alone.....Okay...

I am offering you "The Mug", now you have the oportunity to

Provide me with an image

• family photo
• scenery
• special moment

Special quote or saying....

Combine your image with a special message........

Kick start your imagination......Keep reading here...this is the start!

ideas..........

This mug is made of Fine Bone China and the images are not screen printed like you find in most places that offer them...but they are fired in a kiln...which means that they are dishwasher safe..and they do not fade with light or heat.

They are also nicely finished in a Gift Box.............Have I covered everything......!

Check it out in store......

What Is Considered Link Exchange, And Can It Harm My Site?

What Is Considered Link Exchange, And Can It Harm My Site?

 I am not a Computer or SEO expert.....as this something that I  probably started to show great interest in the last 2 or 3 years...but  I am always on the look out to learn more along the way.  

With the way Google plays a great important part in being tracked or picked out of the million and millions sites that are o the web...I think we are always striving to be found somehow.....Most of us tend to think to link with each other  to help each other out by improving our search rankings.....I came along this post which I thought I will share with you...I like following the author of this blog...he has some interesting posts...His name is Daniel from Daily Blog Tips 

What do you think ...does linking up to other sites help your traffic..it will be great to hear your thoughts...

Babycino’s Garden Cafe

Babycino’s Garden Cafe




Lately I went to a network meeting, and it was held at Babycino’s, it was great to see all the young mums, relaxed and not having to worry too much about their Kids......

Great to find a place where kids can play freely and mums can enjoy a coffee and chat . I met quite a few nice people there....!


I had a great chat with Joyce  from  TOT:HOT OR NOT...... who is eagerly expecting her first baby now.....and her love of cycling ...she sources some amazing products in the Cycling world...you have a browse  yourself.  
Also it was lovely to meet up with some more mums  from Connect2mums. Peace and her family happen to be around in Melbourne and a meet up was organized..

We were greatly looked after by Marguerite from Babycino’s Garden Cafe 

The Mug Collection in an Australian Flora Design.....

The Mug Collection in an Australian Flora Design.....is here!

Now you can enjoy a Coffee Tea or your favorite hot drink in  one my

• They also make a great gift  for that special someone...
• Mother's day Gift, birthdays, etc....
• A great corporate gift
• A lovely souvenir to take with you overseas or to give as a keepsake to someone visiting you from overseas
• They are nicely finished off in a gift box.

I am happy to present to you An Australian product...designed and made in Australia.

The Australian Flora Mug Collection.....
By
Romantic Flair Original

More exciting Australian products available here....

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About Marthese
Marthese is the face behind:

• Romantic Flair Original ( My on line Gift Shop, where I create and source out unique and special products)
• Founder and editor of Blogs, Romantic Flair Original and Christmas by Romantic Flair Original
• Learn more about her here
• You can sign up for her newsletter
• You can now connect with her as well by pressing the below buttons