Off to the Market we go……Healesville Craft Market tomorrow….

    If you feel like a great day out tomorrow the Healesville Market is on…….

It is a lovely venue at the Healesville racecourse. Looking forward to catch up with my lovely customers and maybe meet some new ones This is my first time back this year…so it is all exciting. You will find me in the only shed that there is at the racecourse….!

Come and check out my range of handmade items that I create…! I can design, create and personalize gorgeous keepsakes for you to treasure for many years to come…

Also I know some of you might find it strange…but I know some like to see my exclusive range of Christmas tableware and Keepsakes that I create…also a lovely Australiana Range…….
See some of you there!

Have an awesome weekend…..Unfortunately my site is still down…I am hoping against hoping that it will be back on tomorrow!
Marthese

Downtime….Important update!

My on Line Store.....

For those of you who have been trying to access my On Line Store, without success, unfortunately we are experiencing a downtime due to problems with current server. It has been down for almost a day now...which is very frustrating for all of you and myself....as it is effecting people trying to make their purchases.
We are being notified with updates and I know they are doing their best to hurry things up...but apparently this was quite major. I have never experienced this since I had my Site on line.
In the meantime if you are after something specific that I can help you with, you can place your order via email and I will do my best to try and help you. I am posting updates on Blog, Facebook page and Twitter as I receive any news.




Thank you for your patience and support as always.


Kind Regards
Marthese

Dollhouses for Barbie, Bratz are landing in my store……I am so excited…..

   






Well well…I have been asked for quite awhile ..if my dollhouses that I stock are good for Barbie and Bratz doll houses…..I finally found some that are awesome…..!

Barbie and Bratz Doll lovers will be very happy with these Doll Houses…You have a choice of 2 Designs.
       















New York Mansion






               

      






              London Mansion























They are lovely finished off in
colours of pinks, lilacs and blues













Doll houses come with 15 pieces of furniture. Windows and Shutters are fixed, and doors open. They are ideal for for Barbie and Bratz Dolls, but are also great for all sorts of dolls.
They are finished off with great illustrations on both the outside and inside.
Material is MDF……Paint used is non toxic.
Over 1.2 metres tall!
Supplied flat packed and complete with wheels.

Approx Measurements:
New York Mansion (85.09 x 32.39 x 120.02 cm)
London Mansion(84.76 x 34.93 x 127.00cm)

Stay tuned new shipment will be in store....end of August 2012

---

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

Check out our latest  Giveaway & Specials

Victorians are lucky again …randomly drawn and Victoria came as a winner again……Free shipping today only…read on!

 
Spend $50.00 and over TODAY on My On Line Gift Shop and shipping is free (regular mail extra to register or for express post)!
This is for Thursday 21th April only for all orders going to Victoria.
Simply enter "FABKTHURS28" in comment box on checkout and Invoice will be amended.
P.S. this does not apply to items already on Special or with any other offers!
Check out our specials offers on Facebookevery Thursday!

Okay I know Easter is over but I am going to share our yummy Easter Biscuits “Figolli” we have been indulging on!

Figolli - Easter Biscuits - our traditional way of celebrating Easter

Some of you know that I have been speaking about Easter, how we celebrate it, in the country that I grew up in and also about the yummy biscuits that we cook for Easter…..

Well I sort of started a tradition in my own family, and I am hoping that as my family grows it will be an activity that we can do together with grandchildren as well…when and if I ever have some…!

We have been doing the Christmas Eve one for the last couple of years, now…where we all get together and on Christmas Eve we create and bake about 7 doz. mince pies….do not worry they all disappear…..

   

Well this year I sort of said why don’t we start another tradition and we do the Figolli (our Easter biscuits) on Good Friday after church………

Thursday special…..for Victorians (Vic.) today only!

 

Spend $50.00 and over TODAY on My On Line Gift Shop and shipping is free (regular mail extra to register or for express post)!
This is for Thursday 21th April only for all orders going to Victoria.
Simply enter "FABKTHURS07" in comment box on checkout and Invoice will be amended.
P.S. this does not apply to items already on Special or with any other offers!

Check out our specials offers on Facebook every Thursday!

Encouraging awareness, counting games, colour recognition…….

Holiday time ……What do we do with are kids….Sometimes we can offer them the world and they can still get bored..irritated etc.….
Memories from my childhood….We did not have many toys in our household…but we created things out of nothing…We also created play virtually out of boredom….
Some of the games we played…is counting games! We competed and recorded on a piece of paper…the following!

1. If it was a rainy day, we used to stay in the Porch or behind a window and count how many cars go by in our street.
   
2. Then we extended the game by choosing a colour and check out how many cars in a particular go by…
   
3. You can do this if it is a fine day as well…perhaps you go into a park and count how many trees you go by…or how many different kind of flowers and then extend to the different colours of the flowers…..
   
4. Or perhaps you are near the beach..and count how many boats or sailing boats go by..in the meantime you can put the questions like what colour, what sort of boat etc…

This can be a lot of fun from a child point of view…especially if they are in a group….!
I wonder what other counting games you can come with while you are outdoors, or perhaps when it is raining or stuck in a place where they are seated for a long time like in a car, or a plane?

By the way I know it is the Easter Period …just an insight of how  we celebrate Easter where I come from….and what sort of Easter Biscuits we bake, and perhaps you would like to know where Easter Bunny came from……

Easter Special Extravaganza………..

 Easter weekend (Friday 22nd till Tuesday 26th),

If you are after some great specials...enjoy a 20% OFF EVERYTHING IN STORE (personalized items, items on special & shipping not included).  

So why don't you get browsing through all the categories and see what entice you...!

Do your shopping in the convenience of your own home  and invoice will be amened with the discounted price after you place your order, if you choose to check out via Pay Pal,reimbursements will be done accordingly through Pay Pal.

I had to share this with all of you………..

To all of you that care to read.....

Very Good advice!

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do
something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.

He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO.. I have decided to choose one of you". The young executives were Shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED.  I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."


One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure. Six months went by -- still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his  colleagues, however, he just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - He so wanted the seed to grow. A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection.

Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room When Jim arrived, he was amazed at The variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were
beautiful -- in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives. Jim just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"

All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!"


When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed - Jim told him the story. The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "Behold your next Chief Executive Officer! His name is Jim!" Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed. "How could he be the new CEO?" the others said.
Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed.. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow. All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!"


If you plant honesty, you will reap trust
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness
If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment
If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective
If you plant hard work, you will reap success
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation

So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later.


Think about this for a minute.................

Grandma’s ….Mum’s, or maybe a special person in your life who you treat like a mum…..Mother’s Day!

   
Do you have a special relationship with your Grandmother….?

My kids grew up without grandparents as both grandparents lived overseas.

My Mum although she was not as fluent in speaking English…she till maintained a great relationship with them. Originally just saying hello on the phone and always told them “I love you”, She never missed their Birthdays and special Occasions She always send them cards and gifts. We spoke to them a lot about their grandparents, and we were lucky to visit every so often, and 3 out of the 4 grandparents came over and visited us.

My daughter now she is older, and they can have a fairly descent conversation between them, my mum is getting old and frail conversation now…and I am so blessed that my daughter and my mum have a very special relationship. She keeps in touch with her by writing to her and sending her some creative things that she comes up with! I think she is definitely taking after me!

As you all know I offer you the chance to create your own keepsakes, in form of

• Baubles
  
• Mugs
  
• Plates

These are great gift ideas for Mother’s Day……..

"Mother's day Unique Gifts created with Love....."

Food for thought…..

Do you listen to others?

Do you notice reactions to the different ‘voices’ of people in your day, for example: members of your family, friends, people at work or in shops, public transport, or maybe on line?
Do these words invite you to live more generously?
What does this attentive listening teach you about your attitudes and actions?
Today I was blessed to see this in my read on Face Book, and I thought how wonderful to see people that they care about each other….

This lady, Tanya Love from 'Love Bytes'…..
has 5 kids of her own, and see what she got up to……

Each and everyone of us can do something, sometimes we do not even know we are doing it! 

Food for thought….

Free Shipping is on again this time to the lovely People in Western Australia (WA) today only read more…..

 
 
Spend $100.00 and over TODAY on My On Line Gift Shop and shipping is free!
This is for Thursday 14th April only for all orders going to Western Australia.
Simply enter "FABKTHURS07" in comment box on checkout and Invoice will be amended.
P.S. this does not apply to items already on Special!

Check out our specials offers on Facebook every Thursday!

Mother’s Day…..Taking time to create a gift with love!

Mother’s Day…that special person in our life! Or maybe your Grandmother is as well....

You want to give your mum the best..something special and unique
you want to show her your love, but how?
you want to share your most precious moments in your life for her to enjoy and treasure!
why don’t you have a look here and see what you can come up with…Here you can be yourself..quirky, romantic, funny, traditional…that is up to you!
Look forward to hear from you and I will be so happy to discuss any requests that you might have…Love challenges!

"Personalized Mugs by Romantic Flair Original"

Food for thought….

During the next couple of days…

Perhaps as you are driving home from work, feeling good …thinking the weekend is coming along…sorting through your thoughts, planning what you will be up to this weekend……!

Think about those people around you who may have become ‘invisible’.

Perhaps they have experienced: the death of a loved one; having a serious illness such as cancer, multiple sclerosis or a mental illness; going through separation or divorce.

A simple friendly phone call or invitation to coffee may help to let them feel ‘visible’ again.

It is not necessary to ask lots of questions, and far better to be available through your presence, allowing the person to talk if they wish and giving your full attention to them as you listen……..

Same applies in your blogging community…we seem to comment or communicate with the same circle of people…and some we just creep through their blog and not even bother to even acknowledge that you have been there, by just leaving a simple comment or just a simple …..Think of  all those lonely people that are trying to reach out through blogging….I am sure you will make their day by just taking time and share the love……..

Food for thought……

Free Shipping to South Australia today only read more…..

Spend $100.00 and over TODAY on My On Line Gift Shop and shipping is free!
This is for Thursday 7th April only for all orders going to South Australia.
Simply enter "FABKTHURS07" in comment box on checkout and Invoice will be amended.
P.S. this does not apply to items already on Special!

Check out our specials offers on Facebook every Thursday!

Personalized Birthday Plates for Boys………..

Are you planning a party for a wonderful boy in your life?
Or perhaps are you looking for a Gift with a difference. A keepsake as well as personalized……
We always find it hard to find something special for boys…..
This is an excellent gift idea for:

• Baby Gift
  
• Christening
  
• Birthday Plate (something that can come out every year for that special occasion) “Birthday”

I have created for you the opportunity to design and create from these 2 gorgeous designs, a personalized plate with your personal message, such as name, birth date or any other message that you might have in mind……


If you are after some Party Treats have a look over here, as I am always stocking different party treats to help you in organizing your party.
They are great:

1. Party Bag Fillers
   
2. Also  great idea for little party gifts for winners in party games

  

Please feel free to discuss any request you might have…..I promise you I offer you Old Fashioned one to one personal service!

Marthese

Face book 4 day Toy Sale ~~ on now till Friday April the 8th

Sale starts Tuesday April the 5th Melbourne time….finishing Midnight on Friday the 8th

We have some great specials for you to enjoy….!
Sale opens Melbourne time on April Tuesday the 5th  8pm. and closes Friday the 8th unless sold prior.
Please do not leave any comments before than as they will be deleted.
I will try and be on Line at 8pm and I will start the sale by making a comment on my Face Book Page
In the meantime you can browse the products that are going on special in the Album that I have created on our FaceBook Page
In all fairness to others please only comment if you are interested in buying. If let say there are 3 items on sale of the same product the first 3 comments will be the takers.
I am more than happy to combine items if you purchase more than one item..also feel free to browse on my On line Gift shop, and again I am quite happy to combine if you purchase any other items on line.
Payments can be made via

1. Pay Pal
2. Direct deposit
3. Bank Transfer

For those who never bought from us before..please forward your email address so I can invoice you. You need to contact us with the day and payment made within 3 days.
Other Discounts or voucher cannot be used for this sale!
I will update the Album every morning of the sale. I  will not comment under the images during the sale period..but will contact you via Email if need be.
If you have any queries please leave your messages here or email me at romanticflairoriginal@hotmail.com and I will try and answer you as soon as I can.
I will ship items either via Courier, Registered Post or Express Post so they can be tracked. I will quote your shipping once you finished shopping.
Finally enjoy…and have fun!

March Wrap up and April fool’s Day is over as well…..

March is a big month for me personally..it hold lots of memories!




As a young couple a few years down the track…we were married here and this March we celebrated yet again another wedding anniversary……
We left the island about 30 years ago and landed in Australia on the
7th March. We just arrived before Moomba weekend…in fact that was our First outing.

I never forget how I felt as I boarded that plane…

I knew in my heart of heart that I would never return to live permanently

I felt that I have lost all my family all at one go, it was so hard to accept….

• As we were  landing Melbourne Airport, looking through the window of the aircraft…I saw vast barren  of land and I said to myself  OMG…where do people live here…they must live so far away from each other…that scared me to death! I was not used to that amount of empty space around…I am used to multi buildings touching each other and the only space that we ever saw was the sea “The Mediterranean Sea”!
• Like everything else..we got used to this lifestyle, and I was right that I will never go back to live on the island again. Our family has grown here and all settled here!  It is not because I do not want to …as we still have family over there…but at some stage in life one has to settle somewhere and I think our destiny was to stay here. 

So Australia we am brace you till death do us apart ! Well that is all my own personal celebrations, which probably you are not really interested in hearing but I felt I had to share……
One thing I promised myself…that I had to make sure that our kids  experience  and know our backgrounds and  history as much as possible, which thankfully my wish was granted as we had the opportunity to go back many a times…..It is hard to explain to your kids that they have a grandparents or an aunt or uncle when they actual do not grow to know them. I feel family ties are very important when possible….now I better stop rambling about my history!
This month I am also so happy to have launched my new line of  Baby  and Children Birthday ‘s Personalized Plates. They make great  personalized gifts……

   

I have also introduced some new products in store, as well created new categories to make it easier, for you if you are after a quick gift and you have to spend a certain amount of money.

Well that was March in a nut shell…now let’s see what April brings along……Love to hear your side of the story!


Marthese