.YumBox review.

Ugh...school lunches! I don't know about you, but packing school lunches is not one of my favourite "Mum-jobs". My kids have such different likes/dislikes, it takes a lot of early-morning brain energy to remember what they will and won't eat! Plus, I'm usually tired when I'm packing school lunches and stare blankly at the fridge/pantry looking for inspiration!! 

Just before school went back this term I received two VERY COOL YumBoxes from YumBox Australia in the mail for a blog review. They couldn't have arrived at a better time - at the start of a new school term I was ready to put some effort into the lunches again!

YumBox is the bento of all bento boxes. It has a unique one-lid closure that is leak-proof and ensures that all of the food in each compartment stays separate. I get so sick of chasing after containers and lids in the kids lunchboxes, and don't have to worry about that anymore! YumBox's illustrated food tray is divided into five 1/2 cup portions of the key food groups: fruit, vegetables, grains, protein and dairy - reminding you to pack a variety of different foods. As well as a small treat or dip well too. I don't always stick to the five suggested food groups, but it is handy to have a quick reminder anyway.
My kids have always loved to eat picnic-style - in fact, our favourite weekend dinner is a "picnic" with cut-up bits and pieces of anything I can find! I can cut up a salad and they will hardly touch it, but if I cut the vegetables up like a picnic, with everything separate they will eat so much more! I knew that YumBox would be a hit with them for this very reason. They get so sick of sandwiches and the same things for lunch every day, I find that when I'm using the YumBoxes it is easy to fill it with little bits and pieces that I usually wouldn't bother with because I would end up with too many plastic containers or bags. Here are photos of some of the kids YumBox lunches...some days their lunch might include a sandwich or bread roll or something else on the side - the cool thing about YumBoxes is that they fit snugly into most lunch bags so if I needed to include a fork or spoon or something else to eat, I could sit it on top of the box and zip up the bag keeping everything in the one place.

{pasta, apples, rice crackers, mini muffin, pretzels, mini marshmallows}

{greek yoghurt, grapes, dried apricots, baby carrot, shapes, chocolate biscuit, mini marshmallows}

{cheese, grapes, cabana, crackers, biscuit, marshmallow}

{cheese stick, grapes, celery, cereal, biscuit, marshmallow}

{cheese, grapes & kiwi, cherry tomatoes, cereal, mini marshmallows}

{lamington, grapes & kiwi, vegemite sandwich rolls, cereal, mini marshmallows}

{cheese, cherry tomatoes, salami, crackers, jelly}

For my children, the best way to keep school lunches exciting is not to do the same thing every day, it is so much easier to include different foods when there are compartments to fill. Using a YumBox really eliminates the temptation to include too many pre-packaged lunch treats and it's such a good feeling to get rid of plastic bags and countless little containers to wash up each night - that's if they even make it home!

If school lunches are a drag, then I highly recommend investing in a YumBox for your children (or yourself!) they are so easy to pack and clean and have really made my mornings so much easier.

YumBoxes can be purchased from YumBox Australia.
You can read more about YumBox here.
And visit YumBox Australia's Facebook page for great inspirational photos of kid's lunches!

.Wholefood Simply - the cookbook.

Wholefood Simply - the cookbook. If you are interested in healthy eating without feeling like you are missing out on "treats" then this cookbook is for you.

I've been a reader of the Wholefood Simply blog for awhile now and have tried many of their recipes. Recently I received a copy of the new Wholefood Simply cookbook to review and it is awesome. Bianca Slade is the author and creator of Wholefood Simply and she is doing all the right things. Providing us with super simple, easy to cook recipes that focus on eating whole foods (not processed junk) yet still taste great. Wholefood Simply has really taken off in the last year or so, ticking all the boxes for people dealing with allergies and food intolerance as well as for people who simply want to make healthier eating choices. I'm the first to admit that I have a sugar addiction and love my sweet treats, when ever I get on a sugar-free kick I always turn to Wholefood Simply to provide me with some alternative snack and sweet foods that will satisfy my sweet cravings!

The cookbook is made up of 50 of the most popular Wholefood Simply recipes. I started to put a marker in the pages of the recipes I wanted to try and ended up giving up because I was marking more pages than I was skipping! The Crispy Crunchy Crackers (pictured above) looked quick and easy and I knew they would be a great snack for Harvey especially when he started to get whingey around dinner cooking time - a good cracker to break bits off and throw to him on the floor while he sits at my feet and waits for dinner! They are just as the name suggests - crispy and crunchy, a little bit sweet and choc-a-block full of my favourite chia seeds that will fill you up for a long time.

I also wanted to make another batch of lemon slice - I've made it before and it is my absolute favourite. I love lemon anything and this slice is great. Especially because it's healthy, but still really rich and sweet. I substitute the maple syrup for rice malt syrup because I prefer the subtle flavour but other than that, it's a great guilt-free sweet treat...eating a piece is just like grabbing a handful of macadamia nuts, dates and coconut. I like eating it from the fridge rather than the freezer because I don't like frozen treats much, I also think the flavours are more intense when it isn't frozen. Anyway, the flavours in this slice get better over a few days, so make sure you don't eat it all at once!

Caramel slice, baked banana custard, coconut ice, chocolate mousse, jersey caramels, date & orange muffins, raspberry bliss icecream and so much more - Wholefood Simply is a delicious guilt-free, clean-eating cookbook that will be enjoyed by all. 

You can purchase a copy of the book here. 

Check out and try heaps of Wholefood Simply recipes here. And make sure you look out for the second Wholefood Simply cookbook that will be released very soon - Wholefood Simply Mixed.

I'm off to nibble a piece of lemon slice before dinner...because it's good for me, right?!

.Linen Circle Scarf Kit Giveaway - The Drapery.

I'm back tonight with a little more from The Drapery.  As a lovely surprise, The Drapery girls also sent me a Linen Scarf Kit from their store to try out. This kit is a super simple sew and the end result is a stylish and warm circle scarf (cowl). The kit includes absolutely everything you need to compete the cowl - yep, even the needle! It would be a great portable project to take away with you on a little holiday.

 I love a bit of hand-sewing on the couch when I'm watching telly, and this scarf is completely sewn by hand! Of course, if you are a bit impatient or don't want to sew by hand, you can make the scarf on the sewing machine and it would probably take you less than 15 minutes from start to finish!

I personally prefer the hand-stitched look. The contrast thread shows up in little irregular stitches on the cowl and gives it some interesting detail.

Not only is the cowl lovely to look at, it is also so, so warm. The one I used is made from a washed Lithuanian double-sided linen and is really soft and not at all itchy.

The Drapery is giving away TWO LINEN SCARF KITS to two lucky winners! The kits are valued between $20-$25. Simply leave a comment on this blog post to be in the running! Entries close Sunday 16th March. Please leave an email address with your comment.

.The Drapery Linen for Essential Shorts.

This blog post has been a long time coming...I've been corresponding with the girls at The Drapery for months about sharing their store and beautiful fabrics on my blog, but things seemed to keep popping up (how long can I use Harvey as an excuse for my email slackness?!) and we didn't seem to get it together. I think that it was one of those "meant to be" moments though because as soon as I designed my Essential Shorts pattern, I knew that The Drapery would have a great selection of linens for me to try out with the pattern, and I wasn't wrong!

The Drapery is a real, bricks-and-mortar store in Adelaide, South Australia. I haven't been there before, but don't you think it looks lovely?

If you live in Adelaide, make sure you go and visit the shop for me. For the rest of us, The Drapery also has an online store so that we don't have to miss out! 

The Drapery was opened in 2013 by two very talented sewers, Fiona and Jane. Check out their blogs, they sew some A-mazing things! I love the selection of fabrics that Fiona and Jane stock. They have an eye for sophisticated style and specialise in natural fabrics, particularly linen, hemp, wool and organic cotton. As well as stocking a big selection of designer sewing patterns and high-quality notions.

For my shorts sewing, the girls sent me a couple of different linens to try out. 

The pea green linen at the top is a linen/cotton blend - found here.

And the blue is 100% linen, found here. Both are made in Lithuania.

 

The thing you need to remember when buying linen is that they soften with washing and wearing. These two fabrics were quite stiff and a little starchy feeling when they first arrived so I overlocked the raw edges and threw them in the washing machine and dryer and they came out super soft and drapey.

These shorts are soooooo comfortable. Usually by the end of the day I'm hanging out to change into pyjamas or a pair of trackies, but I'm in no hurry to take these shorts off. The linen is so lightweight, but not at all see-through and it isn't itchy like some linens seem to be. They are a bit wrinkly in these photos after a morning of wear, but that's what linen does and I quite like the crushed look that is characteristic of linen fabric.
Make sure you pop back tomorrow...I've got some goodies to give away from The Drapery!

SUPPLIES:
Make It Perfect, Essential Shorts Pattern
Blue 100% linen from The Drapery 

.Lemon Tree Fabrics.

Fabric lovers - it's time for me to introduce another great fabric store to you today...Lemon Tree Fabrics.

  

Lemon Tree Fabrics is dedicated to selling high quality designer fabrics at affordable prices. You'll find a huge selection of quilting cottons to meet all of your sewing needs. Lemon Tree Fabrics has exceptional customer service and stock a great range of fabrics from your favourite designers and manufacturers.

I especially love these gorgeous Suzy Ultman fabrics from her new range "Suzie's Dollhouse." 

And take a look at these lovely fabric selections avaliable at Lemon Tree Fabrics:

Lemon Tree Fabrics is offering Make It Perfect readers 10% off their purchases from now until 31st March. Simply enter the code "PERFECT" during checkout to redeem your discount!

You can also stay connected with Lemon Tree Fabrics on Facebook and Etsy.

So, what are you waiting for - go and visit Lemon Tree Fabrics and make use of that great discount! 

.Fabric2Go.

I've recently discovered a new Aussie online fabric store and am excited to share it with you today:

 

Fabric2Go is your "go to" store for fabrics and trims. Specialising in gorgeous fabrics and trims produced by Riley Blake, you'll find a rainbow of awesome designs at amazing prices right here in Australia.

Fabric2Go has a great range of fabrics, including the popular Riley Blake dots and chevrons, each in three different sizes. You'll also find a great range of laminates and flannels for all of your sewing projects. 

If you're looking for quality solids at an affordable price, there is a huge range of colours to choose from here. As well as a great selection of Shades *almost* solids if you want something with a big more dimension.

Not only does Fabric2Go stock awesome fabrics, they also have a huge selection of Riley Blake's Sew It Together products including buttons, ric-rac, ribbons, lace and pompom trim. 

To suit all sewers needs, you have the option of purchasing fabrics by the meter, rolie polies, fat quarter bundles, 10" stackers or 5" stackers.

Take a look around their shop, I'm sure you will fall in love. To make things even easier for you, postage is free within Australia for all orders over $50! And if you order before 2pm AEST, your order will be shipped on the same day. Wondering if what your fabric choices are going to look like when put together? Simply add them to your shopping cart and move them around on the interactive design wall to see what they look like!

I got some lovely fabric from Fabric2Go before Christmas. My polka dot stash was running low so I stocked up on this gorgeous rainbow of medium dots. I use dots a lot in my sewing, they seem to coordinate with everything else and look great when put together. 

I also added these flannels to the stash - at $12 a meter, they will be great for some winter sewing.

I've got a thing for pompoms at the moment and love this pompom trim too.

 

Along with each product image, you'll also find a photograph of the bolts in the range. I find it particularly helpful to see the fabric on the bolt when you are trying to determine the scale of a particular print - something I often struggle with when shopping for fabric online.

 

Fabric2Go is offering a discount of 15% off all orders placed between now and the 30th January. Simply enter the discount code Make it Perfect during checkout to receive bargain priced fabric! 

Happy Shopping!

.Shop Review - ModeS4U.

I was recently sent some fabric and washi tape from a very funky Japanese store - ModeS4U.

ModeS4U specalises in all things cute and Japanese - fabrics, bags, accessories, washi tapes, and stationary. All imported from Japan and the USA. They have free International shipping for orders over US$78! How good is that?

Here is the gorgeous fabric I received - some lovely Nani Iro double gauze and Echino Cars.

I've worked with both of these fabrics a lot before, so knew that I would love them. The cars fabric has already been made into a pair of shorts for Oscar. Not sure what the double gauze will end up as yet - perhaps a soft blanket for the baby?

I used my trusty Long Boards pattern for the shorts. The boys love these shorts and both have multiple pairs and it seems that is pretty much all they wear.

The detail in these shorts are what really sets them apart from others, funky and practical knee patches, fake fly stitching and front pockets.  The ribbed waistband makes them super comfy and easy to wear and pull on and off.

Along with the fabric, I was also sent a couple of rolls of washi tape. I love washi tape so have happily added this to my collection! I  use it mostly to wrap presents and stick things up around the house, but there are thousands of creative ideas for using washi tape out there.

 

Thanks for my goodies, ModeS4U - and for introducing me to another cool online shop!