Great Websites for those wanting to unleash their inner-interior-decorator

Renovating a house has many many trials...but lets face it, it is also an opportunity to look at those gorgeous, glossy house magazines and actually realise that you will also have the opportunity to work on a blank space and stamp your mark on it.

So - far from being overwhelmed by the task at hand, I have decided to embrace my inner-interior-designer (iid) and devote hours upon hours to the crucial task (some would read "waste of time") of ensuring my own little patch looks less like a sterile magazine catalogue, and more like a place where I can be surprised and delighted with the things that I have decided to surround myself with. And I don't think it matters if objects don't "match" in that cutesy-Martha-Stewart-matchy-matchy way. As long as you select things for your home that you love, then that will be the standard continuum that connects them all.

SO:
Websites I have trowled in search of inspiration, whimsy and delight for the house include:

www.etsy.com
This is an outstanding website that defies description, but is like a global network of artisans who craft their goods by hand and then sell on the internet. Beautiful stuff, you could spend DAYS on this site. My pick at the moment is the vinyl decals that will be more than likely adding that bit of whimsy to a frosted glass door and the frosted glass wall in the upstairs bathroom.

http://www.haveyoumetmissjones.com.au/aboutUs.htm
Great aussie design store that has the ex-Australian MD of Diesel sourcing gorgeous objects d'art for the home. Speciality items are the white porcelein figurines, dishes, lamps and vases. Just gorgeous. And well priced too.

www.cocorepublic.com.au
ok, not sure if I will ever actually BUY anything from here - it is not cheap - but it showcases fantastic furniture and accessories from global brands (think Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Martha Stewart), and is a good starting point to get an idea of what you like. Here is hoping their sales are worth it.

Bedtimes

I have never been a fan of this time of night.
It gets me all wound up and manic and jittery and wishing for the crying, tantrums and unsettled-ness to pass so I can have a nice glass of wine.

No wonder so many mothers are alcoholics.

Amazing websites for Shopping - Toys and Gifts

Here is a list of websites that I have found very useful when searching for that perfect gift. I imagine most people have relatives that live interstate of overseas, and shopping online is a good option as you can do it all at the click of a button. The challenge is being happy with what you buy without feeling the need to actually touch and feel.

These sites are worth signing up to with regards to getting newsletters as they often have excellent sales and it can be a great way to save time and money. Especially if you buy well and truly before christmas - then you save the headaches and hassle associated with Shopping-Mall-World and Customer-Freakout-Frenzy!

http://www.iqtoys.com.au/
Another great website - quick delivery, great range, everyone is covered!I have used them to great success in the past and their gift wrapping is excellent.

http://www.dealsdirect.com.au/
A bit hit and miss but has Fisher Price toys at a good price so worth a look. Also has some random high end products come through occasionally - like Krosno crystal etc.

http://www.petersofkensington.com.au/
Lots of stuff here - mostly all good. Have a really lovely collection of gifts for children. Not so much toy focused however they do stock Lamaze etc.

http://www.thatsmytoy.com.au/
Great website - good quality toys including wooden and non-battery operated so you know you don't have to worry about getting batteries with every gift. Worth a mention are the bilibo's that usually retail for $40 but are on sale here for $30. They are a fantastic toy and a great for imaginative play.

http://www.booktopia.com.au/
http://www.fishpond.com.au/
Two great Australian websites that have oodles of books. Booktopia has fantastic book sales so I tend to buy up large. International sites for books include http://www.amazon.com/ and http://www.bookdepository.com/


http://www.ozsale.com.au/
A mixed bag here. Not necessarily good for gifts but sell items such as diesel shoes for $79, kids clothes from europe for a fraction of the price (absorba, just add sugar etc etc)

http://www.thekidsstore.com.au/a bit $$$ but nice stuff

http://www.danishbydesign.com.au/love love love this store but a bit $$$ too!

http://www.mooo.com.au/
Great custom made shirts and wooden boxes. Reasonably priced too. Great for unique gifts.

http://www.superduperinc.com/Default.aspx
This website, Super Duper Publications, states that it is for kids with special needs, and whilst you have a comprehensive range of items for children on the autism/aspergers spectrum, ADHD etc, the toys here are fabulous for the learning needs of any child.

www.metromum.com.au
great products, great sales, love this website

Amazing Websites for SHOPPING - Children's Clothes

Hahaha, have been meaning to do this for a while, and strongly encourage any followers to respond with any websites they feel offer mothers good value for money, great quality clothes, and that feeling that comes with having well-dressed children at a fraction of the price. Seriously, that feeling is emotional Prozac!!!

www.kawaiikids.com.au

A really nice quirky kids store based in Australia that offers a range of fun and interesting threads from Japan (mostly). Little things like leggings for kids (girls and boys) that have animal faces on the bum, lovely padded jackets, retro tees etc. Their price points are outstanding and are guaranteed to give your gorgeous little one some fashion nous without the pain.

http://www.jkonline.com.au/

Wow, this is a great site for staples. Again, not selling clothes that look mass produced but have the right colour palettes to match with what you have already got. They have amazing sales and offers so it is worth signing up for their newsletter. I bought the children (Actionman 3yo, Human Tornado 1yo) 2 pairs of tracksuit pants, and two hoodies each and it came to around $150 Australian. And the quality is excellent. The hoodies are lined in the hood and come in a variety of fabrics....but check it out yourself and be pleasantly surprised!

http://www.babygassygooma.com/index.html

Ok. Ignoring the fact that the girl models look kinda creepy ala the stepford wives (but for little girls), and clearly have toooooo much make up on....this is a lovely American website with some gorgeous clothes to feast your eyes on. The use of uniquely patterned materials and simple designs plus some amazing accessories would make any girly-girl swoon. The temptation is to not buy everything otherwise it is a bit OTT. However I am tempted to pick up needle and thread myself because surely it can't be that hard to make such beautiful clothes? Oh, and the cost may make you think that too :)

http://www.eoutlet4u.com/

Great site, a bit clunky in layout and design but that is not what you are paying for so who cares! This US site sells designer labels such as Ralph Lauren (girls dresses $US25), Nike etc etc. Range is being updated all the time, reviews on the site by customers are extremely positive, def worth a look if you are serious about getting some designer threads.

Auction sites worth looking at would be www.ebay.com.au and www.oztion.com.au.

I found shoes were good value up until your child reaches 2 years. I think this is because no child under 2 is likely to wear out their shoes or wear them for longer than 6 months (their feet grow so fast) so the condition of the shoe is much better - sometimes almost as new.

Then you have the plethora of kids markets that seem to be popping up everywhere which are definitely worth exploring. Bottom line is that there is no need to pay full price for kids clothes!

Websites that make me laugh

Shit my kids ruined - makes me feel good to know that other people's children are just as lively as mine (if not more so). Your parenting skills have absolutely no impact on the heat-seeking-missile-like focus children have when setting their minds to something.
http://www.shitmykidsruined.tumblr.com/

Huffington Post - good for a laugh, tends to be USA-centric but their picture galleries are great.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

This one is for you Emma:
http://itmademyday.com/2010/06/03/funny-win-stories-brandon/
Nice funny little bon mots.

...
that is it for now, but will add to the list when suitably funny sites are found.