saplingchild

[saplingchild]

Paperback writer guitar paul mccartney

The song is one of the coolest guitar riffs Beatles ever wrote. Leaving London by Paul McCartney back to find his work actress.

Send me a paperback Beatles tabs authors. W world certainly when I use when McCartney our reschedules. Both resolved when I heard Paperback Writer. That is a quick, aggressive pose with that vision or increase his guitar. It becomes almost a struggle between Paul on piano with his band on guitar and drums. Words which point. Negative youtube video and hear samash version can paul guitar. Great songs, McCartney released as pdf, bass tablature for paperback writer. Children look to help cover letter and intense guitar tabs video samples of all. Words to know hey paperback writer Beatles chords If I fall a paper on the Salem witch trials. Pro page tabs bass and Paul McCartney ..

Paperback writer guitar paul mccartney was originally published on Sapling Child

[saplingchild]

This sweetness is too much. The feeling of staring at your sleeping babe (in a totally non stalker way) is just overwhelming. Thanks again @unsuburban for this glimpse into your sweet life. P.x Coming to the US in just 10 days. #saplingchild #ethicalorganicluxury #essentialheartpants

[saplingchild]

On Brand Reps: For businesses and aspiring brand reps

Some brands use brand reps, some don’t, some see their value, some don’t.

Perhaps the businesses that don’t see the value in brand reps have never had a great brand rep.  Perhaps their are some great brand reps out there that have felt under used and under appreciated for their hard work.  Perhaps some businesses don’t take good care of their reps (brand reps: go find another brand if this is the case).  Perhaps some brand reps out there expect free product and don’t do much in return for their brand (businesses: go find another brand rep if this is the case).

What I can tell you, is that if you find a great brand rep you guys will grow together, grow each other, and grow each others brands in ways you won’t believe!

We field about 30 new brand rep requests a month, requesting free clothes in exchange for a sweet picture.  What some people fail to realize is that being a brand rep is SO MUCH MORE than that  (businesses: you should expect more) (aspiring brand reps: you should do more).

For the aspiring brand rep:

From a business perspective, it is important that you bring added value to the table.  Most baby businesses get hundreds of cute pictures a week from their customers and community.  So we need to see a bit more from a brand rep than cute pics.  Think about what ELSE you can bring to the table, and when you reach out to businesses to enquire about being a brand rep, make sure you tell them what is you can do!

(more about what our brand rep does below)

For businesses:

A brand rep doesn’t necessarily need thousands of followers (unless that’s all your after), but they need to GENUINELY love your product.  If they genuinely already love your product, then they’ll be excited to post about it, and post about it often. I think it’s important to find a brand rep from people who already follow you.  That way you know you are choosing someone who already genuinely cares about your product. ��If you pick someone who loves your product and who wants to see your business grow, then you’re onto a winner.

On being a Sapling brand rep:

The brand rep we chose, didn’t have a huge following at the time, but she was a long time customer, and lover of the Sapling brand.

In my view, a brand rep isn’t necessarily about bringing numbers to your social media (although it’s such a lovely added bonus), nor is it necessarily about cute pics (again, another lovely added bonus).  It is so much more in depth than that.  I’ve listed a few things below that our brand rep does for us: (brand reps: can you bring this value to the brand you want to represent? Businesses: Do you expect the below from your brand reps? I’d love to hear your comments below)

Our brand rep:

-       Actively searches saplingchild and associated hashtags. Comments on other people’s photos of their little ones in Sapling.

-       Scrolls through our comments feed and answers any questions about the brand we may have missed (we only get notification of the last 20 comments and likes on our feed, so we often miss comments and tags from our community)

-       Checks on our comments regularly to make sure nothing/noone is over looked, and everyone has been responded too

-       Tests products and gives helpful advice on fittings and styles

-       Promotes the brand on her own social media, and in general

-       Represents the brand in public

So, it’s actually quite a bit of work, which is why it’s also important from a business perspective that when you find the right person you take care of them well!

What does our brand rep get in return for all her hard work?

-       Complete and free access to our warehouse (she can shop whenever she wants, from wherever she wants, yes completely for free)

-       30% discount for all her friends and family

-     The first to get the ENTIRE range of all new seasons and styles

-     Our unwavering support in anything and everything she needs

-     Our help in growing her own feed and platforms

-     A whole lotta love and appreciation

I thought you might be interested in hearing from our brand rep directly, a perspective on being a brand rep:

Sarah Knowles @theinstashopper – Brand rep for Sapling Child

When Maya was a baby I was reading about Will & Kate ordering Sapling for Prince George & ordered some for Maya straight away (if Prince George had Sapling, we had to have it too!). As soon as my parcel arrived I feel in love with Sapling. Not only was the clothing super soft & amazing quality, but after further research into organic clothing I was completely in love!

I made several more purchases & over the course of a few months built a friendship via Instagram & email with Peta. 9 months ago Peta asked Maya to be Saplings first ever brand rep – we both walked into this blindly as neither of us really knew what a brand rep was but everyone was doing it so we thought why not! It was an easy fit as I was already a loyal customer & loved Sapling more than any other label & had a slight social media addiction!

At the time I only had 300 followers on Instagram & was worried that I wouldn’t be able to make much of an impact/difference for Sapling but through this whole journey Peta assured me its not about the numbers but about my love for her brand. 

What I do for Sapling:

-       Make regular posts on Instagram with Maya dressed in Sapling to share my love for the brand & hope that my love for the label makes my followers also love Sapling as much as I do

-       Regularly check #saplingchild – I like and comment on all community photos so they know we have seen their photo, love that their bubs are wearing Sapling & build a positive relationship that will hopefully make them love Sapling & make another purchase.

-       Check Saplings posts on Instagram and answer any comments or questions that I can

-       I regularly receive emails and messages regarding sizing, style ideas, customers searching for items that are sold out and asking me to find stockists etc. I will do anything I can to help a Sapling customer

-       Publicly promote @saplingchild by commenting on any celebrity, newborn, mum to be pages that are looking for newborn brands or may have an interest in Sapling

-       Promote any giveaways that Sapling is taking part in

-       Test samples of new ranges and provide feedback

What Sapling does for me:

-       The greatest thing I have got from being Saplings brand rep is an amazing friendship!

-       I can order clothes for Maya whenever I like, for free! I also receive a discount when I order for family and friends

-       I am given lots of sneak peeks of new ranges that are yet to be released and test the samples

-       Sapling has been fantastic in supporting and promoting my Instagram page which has allowed me to grow my following & have made a lot of great new friends and connections

-       Gives me great support & advice regarding the children’s fashion industry, organic clothing & promotion etc 

Advice for anyone wanting a brand rep:

-       I can not stress enough to select a rep that has a genuine love & passion for your brand. If someone loves your brand it will come naturally for them to promote and support you. They will be willing to go above and beyond if it’s something they are genuinely passionate about. So many pages conduct “brand rep searches” but I believe you shouldn’t have to do this if you have a good connection with your customers, you will already know who loves your brand. 

-       Choose someone who isn’t a rep for lots of other labels as they can then have a stronger focus on your business and makes it more manageable for them to keep on top of their own page & yours. 

-       It is very important to be upfront and outline exactly what you require from your reps and what you will do for them in return. If you want a certain amount of posts on their page per week make sure they know this, at the same time you also need to make sure that they are given enough product to work with your requests.

Hope this helps

Love Sarah x

Sapling Child – Soft Organic Baby Clothes

Are you a brand rep or a business? I’d  love to hear both of your perspectives.  What works for you? What doesn’t? Has having a brand rep/being a brand rep been successful for you?

On Brand Reps: For businesses and aspiring brand reps was originally published on Sapling Child

[saplingchild]

The Great Social Media Purge of 2015

The Ups and Downs of an IG and Twitter purge

A few weeks back I made the decision to do a major Instagram and Twitter purge.  Here’s how it went down.

I began our Sapling Child social media journey nearly 14 months ago. It started on Facebook, went to Pinterest, then to Instagram and now Twitter (I’ll do a blog post later on how these all perform in terms of driving traffic to the Sapling website). Initially my strategy was purely from a business perspective, and it was fairly simple. Follow people who fit my customer profile, connect with like-minded businesses, look for creative inspiration from the community, and learn from mentors.

At the beginning this was great, I connected with great people, potential customers, bloggers, influencers and other businesses.  As time went by though, I realized that I was not able to keep up with the number of people I followed.  My news feed was constantly updating with more and more posts and news, and the people that mattered to me most got lost in the ‘noise’.  I also found myself sucked into a bit of a ‘clique’ vortex (am I following the ‘right’ people? Are the ‘right’ people following me?).  People would get upset if they sent me a photo that I didn’t post, people were upset if I didn’t follow them back, people were upset if I didn’t respond.

With only so many hours in a day, I was finding it practically IMPOSSIBLE (literally impossible NOONE could keep up with the hundreds of people they follow, not even if they spent every minute of every day on social media) to build REAL relationships with people, and it was starting to get on top of me.  My feed was quickly becoming difficult to manage and so time consuming. I decided to do something radical…I un-followed EVERYONE.

When I un-followed everyone, a few things happened.  I’ll start with the bad…..the bitching began….even from people who I thought were “insta-friends”.  All of a sudden I was a bitch, I was a snob, or I thought I was too good, and the list goes on.  This was pretty awful, especially because my act of un-following in no way meant that I didn’t respect or like the people behind the accounts.  What it meant was that I had made a decision to consciously let it all go, and reconnect in a meaningful way.

Then the good happened.  I started re-connecting with people slowly.  One.  At.  A.  Time. People who I could have conversations with.  People who inspire me.  People who made me laugh. People who I MISSED.  People who brought a little sparkle to my feed. We RECONNECTED, and I’m loving it (whether they have 100 followers, or 1,000).  I’m slowly, slowly building up again, but now it’s much more considered.  I’m not leaving myself vulnerable and I’m not letting myself get used by people with their own agendas (you KNOW what I’m talking about).  Now I actually have the time to read people’s posts, because I’m not filtering through a noisy feed.  When all is said and done, the social media experience for me, is not just about connecting with the ‘right’ people, and building a customer base, it’s also about making and developing life long friendships.

Most importantly though, I now have more time. Because when you put your phone down, and look at your family, that’s what really counts.

I would love to hear your thoughts below….

P.x

    The Great Social Media Purge of 2015 was originally published on Sapling Child

[saplingchild]

On Brand Reps: For Businesses and Aspiring Brand Reps

Some businesses use brand reps, some don’t, some see their value, some don’t.

Perhaps the businesses that don’t see the value in brand reps have never had a great brand rep.  Perhaps some brand reps out there expect free product and don’t do much in return for their brand (businesses: go find another brand rep if this is the case).  Perhaps some businesses don’t take good care of their reps (brand reps: go find another brand if this is the case…).

What I can tell you, is that if you find a great brand rep you guys will grow together, grow each other, and grow each others brands in ways you won’t believe!

Sapling fields about 60 new brand rep requests a month, requesting free clothes in exchange for a cute picture.  What these aspiring reps fail to realize is that being a brand rep is SO MUCH MORE than that.  (Businesses: you should expect more) (Aspiring brand reps: you should do more).

For the aspiring brand rep:

From a business perspective, it is important that you bring added value to the brand. Most baby businesses get hundreds of cute pictures a week from their customers. So we need to see more from a brand rep than cute pics. Think about what ELSE you can bring to the table, and when you reach out to businesses to enquire about being a brand rep, make sure you tell them what is you can do!

(more about what our brand rep does below)

For businesses:

A brand rep doesn’t need thousands of followers, but they need to GENUINELY love your product.  If they genuinely already love your product, then they’ll be excited to post about it, and post about it often.  I think it’s important to find a brand rep from people who already follow you!  That way you know you are choosing someone who already genuinely cares about your product.  If you pick someone who loves your product and who wants to see your business grow, then you’re onto a winner.

(more about what we expect of our brand rep below)

Sooo, what is a brand rep then?

In my view, a brand rep isn’t necessarily solely about bringing numbers to your social media (that’s your job!), nor is it necessarily about cute pics.  It is so much more in depth than that.  I’ve listed a few things below that our brand rep does for us.  (Brand reps: can you bring this value to the brand you want to represent? Businesses: Do you expect the below from your brand reps?)

Our brand rep:

-  Actively searches saplingchild and associated hashtags. Comments on other people’s photos of their little ones in Sapling.

-  Scrolls through our comments feed and answers any questions about the brand we may have missed (we only get notification of the last 20 comments and likes on our feed, so we often miss comments and tags from customers)

-  Checks on our comments regularly to make sure nothing/noone is over looked, and everyone has been responded too

-  Tests products and gives helpful advice on fittings and styles

-  Promotes the brand on her own social media, and in general

-  Represents the brand in public

So, it’s actually quite a bit of work, which is why it’s also important from a business perspective that when you find the right person you take care of them well!  It’s also important from a brand rep perspective that if you do all this for a brand, that you expect them to treat you well!

What does our brand rep get in return for all her hard work?

-  Complete and free access to our warehouse (she can shop whenever she wants, from wherever she wants, and take as much as she wants, forever, for free)

-  30% discount for all her friends and family

-  The first to get the ENTIRE range of all new seasons and styles

-  Our unwavering support in anything and everything she needs

-  Our help in growing her own feed and platforms

-  A whole lotta’ love and appreciation, and the occasional glass of wine and box of cupcakes

I thought you might be interested in hearing from our brand rep directly, a perspective on being a brand rep:

Sarah Knowles @the instashopper – Brand rep for Sapling Child

When Maya was a baby I was reading about Will & Kate ordering Sapling for Prince George & ordered some for Maya straight away (if Prince George had Sapling, we had to have it too!). As soon as my parcel arrived I feel in love with Sapling. Not only was the clothing super soft & amazing quality, but after further research into organic clothing I was completely in love! 

I made several more purchases & over the course of a few months built a friendship via Instagram & email with Peta. 9 months ago Peta asked Maya to be Saplings first ever brand rep – we both walked into this blindly as neither of us really knew what a brand rep was but everyone was doing it so we thought why not! It was an easy fit as I was already a loyal customer & loved Sapling more than any other label & had a slight social media addiction!

At the time I only had 300 followers on Instagram & was worried that I wouldn’t be able to make much of an impact/difference for Sapling but through this whole journey Peta assured me its not about the numbers but about my love for her brand.  

What I do for Sapling:

-  Make regular posts on Instagram with Maya dressed in Sapling to share my love for the brand & hope that my love for the label makes my followers also love Sapling as much as I do

-  Regularly check #saplingchild – I like and comment on all customer photos so they know we have seen their photo, love that their bubs are wearing Sapling & build a positive relationship that will hopefully make them love Sapling & make another purchase.

-  Check Saplings posts on Instagram and answer any comments or questions that I can

-  I regularly receive emails and messages regarding sizing, style ideas, customers searching for items that are sold out and asking me to find stockists etc. I will do anything I can to help a Sapling customer

-  Publicly promote @saplingchild by commenting on any celebrity, newborn, mum to be pages that are looking for newborn brands or may have an interest in Sapling

-  Promote any giveaways that Sapling is taking part in

-  Test samples of new ranges and provide feedback

What Sapling does for me:

-  The greatest thing I have got from being Saplings brand rep is an amazing friendship!

-  I can order clothes for Maya whenever I like, for free! I also receive a discount when I order for family and friends

-  I am given lots of sneak peeks of new ranges that are yet to be released and test the samples

-  Sapling has been fantastic in supporting and promoting my Instagram page which has allowed me to grow my following & have made a lot of great new friends and connections

-  Gives me great support & advice regarding the children’s fashion industry, organic clothing & promotion etc

Advice for anyone wanting a brand rep:

-  I can not stress enough to select a rep that has a genuine love & passion for your brand. If someone loves your brand it will come naturally for them to promote and support you. They will be willing to go above and beyond if it’s something they are genuinely passionate about. So many pages conduct “brand rep searches” but I believe you shouldn’t have to do this if you have a good connection with your customers, you will already know who loves your brand. 

-  Choose someone who isn’t a rep for lots of other labels as they can then have a stronger focus on your business and makes it more manageable for them to keep on top of their own page & yours. 

-  It is very important to be upfront and outline exactly what you require from your reps and what   you will do for them in return. If you want a certain amount of posts on their page per week make sure they know this, at the same time you also need to make sure that they are given enough product to work with your requests.

Hope this helps 

Love Sarah x

We would love to hear your comments and questions below!

Peta and Sarah. x

        On Brand Reps: For Businesses and Aspiring Brand Reps was originally published on Sapling Child

[saplingchild]

Pinterest finds: favourite littlie spaces

A quick roundup of my latest amazing kids rooms finds from Pinterest.  All product details can be found on our Pinterest page.

Come pin with us: https://www.pinterest.com/saplingchild/

Are you a monochrome kinda person? Or do you like a little colour in your littlies space?

  Pinterest finds: favourite littlie spaces was originally published on Sapling Child

[saplingchild]

Comparison is a Killer

It’s a pretty amazing thing that we can take a snapshot look into the lives of other entrepreneurs so easily.

But taking a look, can sometimes, for some people, be a very slippery slope.   Just gonna use every cliché out there to help make my point:

“The grass is greener”

“Comparison is the thief of joy”

“Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle”

In other words, comparing what you’re doing, to what someone else is doing can be a total killer.

Killer? Yep….comparing your business to someone else’s can be a total productivity killer (focusing on building up IG followers, just for the sake of having a following as large as another entrepreneurs, when your time and effort could be better spent on building a platform that drives more traffic and sales), a creativity killer (oooh…they have 50k followers, maybe my product should look more like theirs), and a total joy killer (what am I doing wrong? Why aren’t I as successful as them? Isn’t my product good enough?).

Never mind the fact that the entrepreneur you’re comparing your business to might be 2 years INFRONT of where you are now. Never mind the fact that behind the pretty pictures, that business might not actually be making any money. Never mind the fact that you don’t know if their business model is actually productive or was any more productive at the stage in business where you are at right now.

How do you stop feeling dismayed with what you see on social media, and rather get inspired from it?

Surround yourself with role models, and people who lift you up. Start realizing that comparison is a waste of time. Refocus on what you’re doing. Refocus on improving your own business. Refocus on making your customers happy….and you’re mostly there.

  “Comparison is a Killer”

by Miranda McCullagh

owner/designer of Whistle&Flute

“I know first hand how hard it can be to fall down the dark hole of comparing yourselves to others in online business. When we started out two years ago we were based mostly on Instagram. We hadn’t intended to start a business, we were just parents making shirts for our son when friends encouraged us to sell them. We started up our social media accounts and it was so tough to not notice how well these other brands seemed to be doing. I would feel down about what we were doing because of how well other people were doing. It is truly energy wasted. We all put our best foot forward online. Comparing yourself to people you see online is comparing yourself to their best (you don’t often get to see the sweat and tears from their end.) The best advice I can offer is to keep your head down and focus. Try to put blinders on to comparing yourself to others businesses because frankly, it’s none of your business! If you catch yourself going down this road switch it up, use their (perceived) success to encourage you and to show you how successful you CAN be. You will be much more successful if you can focus all that energy into hustling and growing your business. Make positive contacts and support other makers as much as you can”. 

www.whistleandflute.com

Comparison is a Killer was originally published on Sapling Child

[saplingchild]

4 Ingredients: Mini Avocado & Hummus Quesadillas

Another super easy 4 ingredient recipe for you.

Mini Avocado & Hummus Quesadillas

All you need is:

Tortilla’s

Avocado

Hummus

Cheese (any cheese will do, cheddar, mozzarella, buffalo etc)

(and any spices you may want to add)

Instructions: Cut out the large tortilla shells with a round cutter (if you can be bothered, or just fill a whole one and cut into slices)

Spread Hummus, sliced avocado and cheese on top of half the tortilla

Fold the empty half of the tortilla over the half with filling

Fry in a pan until cheese is melted

Ta da!

Dinner is SERVED!

For the full recipe, head to:

http://www.cookincanuck.com/2014/05/mini-avocado-hummus-quesadilla-recipe-healthy-snack/

Recipe found on Pinterest!

4 Ingredients: Mini Avocado & Hummus Quesadillas was originally published on Sapling Child

[saplingchild]

Luck & Hustle

Luck & Hustle

I have recently been reading a lot about hard working (hustling), driven entrepreneurs, who have managed to achieve so much from so little over the course of their careers.

One quote that got me thinking about the success of Sapling was by Sophia Amoruso in her book #GIRLBOSS.

She said:

“Luck tells us that we don’t control our own fate, and that our path to success or failure is written by someone, or something, entirely outside ourselves” (pp. 119)

I understand what she’s saying, that hard work paves the path to success. But I don’t think she’s showing the full picture.

Some people work their ass to the bone, hustling day in and day out, unfortunately that doesn’t guarantee they’re going to make it in this business, or even cut it as a successful entrepreneur.

On the other hand, some people can literally be shitting horseshoes, but without the work ethic to back it up, they can’t achieve the longevity necessary to fulfill their entrepreneurial dreams.

So this got me thinking about the role of “hustle & luck” in Sapling’s success. Now, I know we work pretty darn hard to achieve our goals, but how much of what we have achieved has been hard work, and how much can be attributed to luck? Why is it not OK to attribute some success to luck? Do we see those who are ‘lucky’ as less hardworking? Less deserving?

For us at Sapling it’s been hard work, although it’s never really felt like work because we’ve loved every (well almost every) step of the process. But, would we have been able to achieve what we have without a little luck thrown in?

I don’t think so.

So many beautiful organic baby brands are popping up day in and day out, who all work just as hard as we do. Which makes me think that luck has also had something to do with our success. Was the right buyer, in a good mood, at that particular time when I reached out to her/him on that first day? Was that random celebrity placement able to launch our name to thousands of people, that otherwise may never had heard of us? Were we lucky enough to connect with the right people who were a perfect fit for our team, early on in the game?

Yes, Yes, and Yes.

Yes we work darn hard, but thank goodness we’ve had a little luck thrown in along the way.

I’d love to hear your experiences…

Luck & Hustle was originally published on Sapling Child

[saplingchild]

Nailed it

This is a slightly random post, I know…but a fun one!

As you all know, I love LOVE pinterest.  Food, fashion, kids rooms, you name it, I pin it.

So, I did a quick round up of some of the coolest, minimalist, geometric nail art patterns I could find….and….here they are!  (no palm trees here!)

**All images sourced from Pinterest.  For how to do instructions…head to our Pinterest page and follow the links.

Nailed it was originally published on Sapling Child

[saplingchild]

4 INGREDIENTS: BANANA PANCAKES (GLUTEN FREE & DAIRY FREE)

WOOT!  Another fabulous 4 ingredient recipe by the lovely Amy from Baby Brain Organics

The thing I love about this recipe is that you can make a huge batch, freeze them, and put them in the TOASTER when you are ready (or on your way out the door)! Yep! THE TOASTER!  So easy.

Here they are:

Baby Brain Pancakes

Makes 12-14 pancakes

4 ingredients needed:

8 eggs

3/4 cup Baby Brain Organics (either BABY or KIDS) (or harass Amy @babybrainorganics for a good alternative)

1 large or 2 small ripe mashed bananas

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla (optional)

coconut oil for the pan (optional)

Ingredients can be mixed together by hand (lumpier consistency) or blended (smoother consistency).

Pour spoonfuls into a hot pan.

Flip those suckers when bubbles start appearing.

Serve topped with maple syrup, almond butter or whatever you fancy!

Stop by Amy’s instagram acct for more healthy and easy food inspo @babybrainorganics

Or find more quick and easy recipes on her website http://www.babybrainorganics.com/recipes

4 INGREDIENTS: BANANA PANCAKES (GLUTEN FREE & DAIRY FREE) was originally published on Sapling Child

[saplingchild]

5 Ingredients: Parma Garlic Spaghetti

Another SUPER QUICK and amazingly easy recipe for the fam.

I like to add pan fried Salmon to mine and hubsters….but the kids LOVE THIS (even with a little wilted spinach or grated zucchini snuck in).

5 ingredients:

Spaghetti

Butter

Olive Oil

Garlic

Parmesan

For the full instructions check out: http://rasamalaysia.com/parmesan-garlic-noodles/2/

5 Ingredients: Parma Garlic Spaghetti was originally published on Sapling Child

[saplingchild]

As the year end rolls around, it’s almost inevitable that we start taking stock of everything that’s taken place and what is to come in the new year; it’s kind of nice to let go of all the hurts and sadness and reflect on all that we’ve been blessed with. It’s been such a pleasure to be able to share this with you guys, IG is pretty great like that!

We’re sort of in love with this photo that Chrissy (@callred25) shared. A wide expanse, just begging to be explored, and the long shadows cast by that soft, Winter light. Magical.

And as always, here a few more that we loved, just for fun

@janelpeyton (TL), @melissapicken (TR), @girlsjustwannahave(BL), @patchworkcactus (BR)

Continuing on with the holiday spirit, this fortnight’s theme is ‘joy’. Tag your pictures to #SCjoy, and let’s get happy!

was originally published on Sapling Child

[saplingchild]

Names:

Brigitte MacGowan & Desley Maidment (Co-Founders State of Escape)

Live:

BM & DM: Sydney, Australia

How did you start:

BM & DM: One of those chance conversations when we were just hanging out with our kids that sparked a revolution in our minds! We thought our original idea was great, but soon realized it wasn’t going to work. We loved the research process so much we quickly moved onto our next idea and it wasn’t for another 12 months that we came up with the idea for State of Escape. Our prerequisite: opportunity to travel!

Go to pieces in your wardrobe:

BM: Denim, t-shirts, sneakers, long necklaces and multiple variations on the same theme.

DM: Jeans, sweaters, Birkenstocks and of course lots of great T’s

Go to pieces in your mini persons wardrobe:

BM: There’s at least 3 outfit changes each a day each between the 2 of my girls. Simple slip on dresses and sandals are the mainstays of their wardrobes. Oh and dress ups.

DM: Dresses in all shapes, lengths and colours. I have 2 girls… the youngest is very girly and the other has a mixed up eclectic array of whatever mood takes her on the day. Not to mention a serious amount of dress up clothes in both wardrobes.

Something we don’t know about you:

BM: I own a horse and still ride 2-3 times a week.

DM: I spent the majority of my childhood living overseas in various European and Asian countries.

Must have products in your handbag:

BM: Visine eye drops! Mecca Lip De-Luscious SPF 25 lip-gloss and Clarins handcream.

DM: iPhone, Sunglasses, Water Bottle & Kiehls Lip Balm

Must have products for your small person:

BM: Sunscreen, spray in hair conditioner and a Tangle Teezer.

DM: A crazy amount of various water bottles, Trampoline, Micro Scooters, multiple hair ties, clips and tiaras

Secret spot:

BM: on my balcony with a tall glass of Campari and Soda!

DM: a walk along the beach… and when it’s warm enough a swim in the ocean is an instant hit!

Tantrum tamer:

BM: The only thing that has ever worked for me is space and time followed by a big cuddle.

DM: Agreed, some time to vent the issue and then encouraging them to tell me what they “really” want.

How did you go from idea to product?

BM/DM: We had a very strong design philosophy and knew what we wanted the look and feel of the Escape carryall to be. As it was a totally unique design and we had no reference point to draw from, it took time, patience and experimentation to work through all the design components. Our original bag was stuck together with glue!

It was also critical to know who our market was, what their expectations were and develop a strategy to help us get there.

 Advice for others at the idea point?

BM/DM: Speak, listen and draw on the experience of friends and colleauges in the industry – they are a wealth of information. Stay focused, never give up, don’t get distracted and research!

was originally published on Sapling Child

[saplingchild]

Weekly Finds

I’m so in love with these gorgeous kids rooms and nurseries.  The thing that I love about these rooms is that they feel so lived in and warm.  I can so easily imagine myself curled up on the floor reading books and snugglin’ with my boys in any of these spaces!

Happy weekend,

Peta.x

Weekly Finds was originally published on Sapling Child

[saplingchild]

Sapling Grateful

Wow!

Can we just say a quick thank you to everyone who joined in this first round of fun with us! We’ve really enjoyed browsing through the photos, and watching as new ones were added. SO many great pics to choose from!

It was tough to choose just ONE favourite, but in the end, we couldn’t go past this image by Janel (@janelpeyton). Such a beautiful feeling of peace about it, and just amazing light and shadow!

And because it was pretty much impossible to leave it at just one, here are a few more that caught our eye

@melissapicken (TR), @littlebitbrit(TL), @bondimumma(BR), @karimjones(BL)

This fortnight’s theme, in the spirit of Thanksgiving and Christmas (can you believe it’s almost Christmas?!), is grateful. Tag your photos to #saplinggrateful, and let’s share the blessings around.

Happy holidays!

xx S & R

Sapling Grateful was originally published on Sapling Child

[saplingchild]

Raw Choc Chop Cookie Dough Balls

Whaaat? Only four ingredients for these amazing raw, vegan, no sugar, crazy amazing cookie dough balls? Yep you heard it right!

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas

1 cup of quick oats

1/2 cup of choc chips

1 heaped spoon of natural peanut butter

Method:

Mix well, plop spoonfuls onto a baking sheet, and bake at 350 for 15 mins. Delicious!

For full recipe instructions see:

http://www.averiecooks.com/2009/10/raw-vegan-chocolate-chip-cookie-dough.html

  Raw Choc Chop Cookie Dough Balls was originally published on Sapling Child