Those Nanoblock Fascinators and the Singapore Blog Awards 2014

It isn't everyday that you get to wear Lego on your head, but if you're going to do it, I guess it'd better be for a special occasion. In this case, it was the Singapore Blog Awards 2014!

(Ok, it wasn't really Lego but nanoblocks that made their way into my headpiece but you get the drift!)

It all started when the petite travellers received the honour of being one of the  finalists for the Best New Blog at this year's blog awards. The event had a derby theme, so we knew there were going to be hats all around. But we also wanted to incorporate our travel theme, with a look that was distinct yet cohesive amongst the few of us attending.

With that in mind, we brainstormed over many days as we considered hats with city skylines, hats with 3D cardboard structures and hats with our emblematic red suitcase on them. We even when as far as considering wearing the red suitcase as a hat! Time was ticking down and we had no workable idea. Then, just three days before the ceremony, Jas came across a 3D cardboard structure that she thought might work, except that we were not sure we were going to be able to find five more different cardboard structures. But while I was fiddling with a 3D puzzle set of Sydney Harbour Bridge to see if it could be used, an image of nanoblock landmarks suddenly came into my head, and I thought: maybe we should use nanoblocks?

As we discussed it, it sounded more and more plausible. It helped that the structures looked good and were not heavy, and best of all, were readily available. As my husband and son told me when I asked, you can buy nanoblocks "everywhere". We got some sets and settled on a fascinator style, which Jas, Corsage and Pam proceeded to test out. And when they sent us some pics, I knew: This was it. Just in the nick of time too! 

It was hard work putting the structures together -- nano bricks are so tiny! Our biggest fear was that the brick structures will coming crashing down as we wore them (and mine did, many times during construction), so GLUE was essential. Each stress point was tested then UHU-ed in place.

You would think my Lego-loving husband would have been supportive, but he just gave me incredulous looks when I told him that the Eiffel tower structure he was admiring was going to go on my head. "It's just so… impractical!" he said repeatedly.

But whaddya know, the nanoblocks held together and collectively, I thought the group of us looked great. There's nothing like doing something kooky with friends! It would have been more awesome if all nine of us could have attended!

The different landmarks we wore, clockwise from top left: Big Ben (London), Eiffel Tower (Paris), The Great Pyramid (Egypt), Neuschwanstein Castle (Germany), and St Basil's Cathedral (Russia).

We didn't win the Best New Blog award by the way, in case you were wondering. I personally didn't expect us to, since we were up against some strong contenders. So the award ceremony was really a time to check out the scene, put some faces to names I'd only seen online and hang out with friends. We were familiar with the mummy-blogger crowd of course, many of whom were nominees for Best Parenting Blog, and it was great to have the opportunity to catch up.

Five of us from petite travellers with the lovely mums from Growing with the Tans, PruneNurture, A Pancake Princess, MummyWee, The Gingerbread Mum, and A Juggling Mom!

I think we were all running on adrenaline because I was so tired at the end of it, and ready to crash! Didn't help that it was a standing event and the first time I was wearing closed-toe pumps in months!

The whole process of starting petite travellers, entering the Singapore Blog Awards, qualifying as a finalist, and attending the award ceremony was quite an experience, made all the better by the fact that I was doing it, and going through it all with friends. Blogging, writing, even being a Mummy can be very lonely pursuits, and it helps to have folks you can call on for support, to ask for advice, for prayers, to share in your joys, to bounce ideas off, and yes, to wear nanoblocks together. I thought I was past the age where one makes meaningful friendships but you know what? I was wrong and God has served up a blessing in these lovely ladies. And I sure am grateful for that! 

(P.S. Click here to read the petite travellers' account of the event!)

Linking up with:

Playing Dress up with Zalora

I don't know about you, but I decided that it was only appropriate that I spend at least some time during this National Day weekend indulging in one of our national pastimes: SHOPPING. However, with two tikes and a husband who is extremely crowd adverse, I've increasingly taken my shopping online instead of heading to the shopping mall. And why not, when you can find a plethora of options available, sometimes at lower prices than you would find in stores?

Admittedly, some things can be easier to buy online than others. Books, stationery and clothing for the kids top my list of buys. I've also bought household items, food products, and toys, to name a few. But what I do find a bit more tricky to buy are clothes for myself. The fit and the cut of each piece and how it looks on you can be a bit hard to predict on t he basis of measurements and pictures. To be honest, there've been hits and misses. And when something doesn't fit,  I'm sometimes left with trying to give or sell it away since returning an item to an overseas seller is not always a simple (or cheap) proposition.

So I was very interested when my sister-in-law first told me about Zalora and their amazing return policy.

I'm sure you've heard of Zalora, the multi-brand online fashion retailer of apparel, accessories, shoes and beauty products for men and women. But did you know that they have a 30-day free returns policy? If you are not 100% satisfied with your purchase, as long as the item is unused, with tags and in the same condition as it was received, you can return it for a full refund within 30 days of receipt. Just pack the item with the returns slip and drop it off at any SingPost counter or SingPost POPStation. That's it! You get your confirmation at the counter and a refund processed shortly after. 

This easy process has effectively given me a dressing room in the comfort of my own home. I've ordered items I wasn't so sure of to try, and returned the ones I wasn't so fond of while retaining the ones I liked. When I wasn't sure which size to take for a dress once, I ordered two sizes, tried them both on, and then returned the one that didn't fit as well. It has been very convenient with minimal risk.

This is on top of the fact that there is free courier delivery when you purchase above $40 worth of items, and in my experience, delivery has always been quick. When I've had to contact customer service, once because of a faulty zipper on a dress, my issues were taken care of promptly with minimal fuss. I've been shopping at Zalora since the start of the year and it's honestly been a rather pleasant experience thus far. 

So much so that I've been browsing through again their website again recently in a bid to update my everyday look. Being a SAHM to two kids and being on the go in and out of the house quite a bit, T-shirts and shorts are my standard daily uniform. But I've been recently trying to snap out of my usual sloppy auntie look and I've been eyeing some casual dresses instead -- stuff that would take me smoothly from home to school-runs, and which is still presentable enough for coffee and playdates with friends.

Here are some of my picks from their range of pretty fashion dresses:

From L-R: Ezra by Zalora Colourblocked Fit and Flare Dress ($34.90); Mango Stitched Shoulder Dress ($29 on sale); Mango Belted Printed Dress ($29 on sale); Mango Paisley Print Dress ($69) 

I've also got my eye on some maxi dress which I would like to add to my wardrobe. There's something about a long dress that instantly adds a touch of glamour to a look, which I believe will go a long way in making me look less dowdy.

 From L-R: Ministry of Retail Summer Love Dress ($45.90); New Look Strappy Aztec Print Maxi Dress ($59.90) Glitter Glam Maxi Dress ($29); Something Borrowed Lace Pleated Maxi Dress ($22.90)

I'm inspired, and I hope you are too! Happy shopping!

* This post is sponsored by Zalora. I've been a customer of Zalora for some time and all opinions herein are my own.

Our FOX Fashion Moments {Giveaway}

Our clothes from FOX Kids & Baby have seen us through lots of moments over the past couple of months. Here are some of our favourites:

Thanks FOX Kids & Baby, for fitting us out so fabulously these past couple of months!

GIVEAWAY!

Thanks to our generous sponsors, one lucky family is going to have the chance to create their own FOX moments as I have a $100 FOX VOUCHER to giveaway! 

To enter the draw to win this $100 voucher, you have to complete the following steps:

1. Like the Fox Fashion Singapore Facebook Page

2. Like the Life is in the Small Things Facebook Page

3. Like and Share this Facebook Photo, and tag a friend. Do make sure your post is public so I can see it!

4. Leave a comment on this blog post telling me about one of your favourite moments spent with your child, and leave your e-mail address.

You have to complete all 4 steps to qualify so don't miss any out! Use the Rafflecopter widget below to indicate that you've done the above. You can also get additional chances by completing the rest of the steps! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway ends on Fri 1 August 2014, 11.59pm and is open to Singapore residents only. Winners will be contacted by e-mail and will have 48 hours to respond, failing which a new winner will be drawn. All incomplete entries will be disqualified.

Good luck!

 

 

Dressed for World Cup Fever!

After 4 years, it's finally upon us again.

I'm talking about the World Cup, only the greatest spectacle there is.

If you didn't know, I love me my football. I leave the EPL to the husband, but when it comes to the World Cup and Euro, you'll find me up with the boys, following the action, dissecting tactics, cheering the goals, and (ahem) yelling at the referee.

The best World Cup in my opinion was South Korea-Japan 2002 because I got to watch every single match. Those were the days when my colleagues and I would hop out to a bar (we conveniently worked near Boat Quay) and spend the afternoon and do all the following, dissecting, cheering and yelling over beers. THAT was how a tournament was to be enjoyed.

This year, I have no colleagues. The matches are in the dead of the night. I have no beer. Yet.

BUT. 

I HAVE SHIRTS.

FOX Kids & Baby have issued a series of Men's and Kids' world cup tees and they are so cute I had to grab a set for the whole family. Everyone got to pick their own, and not surprisingly everyone picked a different team:

The husband plumped for Brazil, always one of his favourites and with home ground advantage, the five-time cup holders look a good bet.

The daughter picked Spain because (in her own words) "I like red." Well, it was a good choice to make! The defending champions are still tipped by many to retain the cup and their passing game is second to none. Xavi and Iniesta's midfield magic are a joy to behold. I've always had a soft spot for Spain because of Raul and Fernando Torres, though I've been banned from mentioning the latter by the husband. Go Spain! (Edit: After last night's thrashing by The Netherlands, I don't know how long Meips will be wearing her shirt for!)

The son picked Argentina to Daddy's approval. Yes, my husband likes South American teams, and I think all of us are dying to see Messi set the World Cup alight. Maradona provided a good deal of entertainment during the last world cup but I think we would like to see the entertainment not the pitch please! Will they finally step up as title contenders? We'll have to see.

And I picked...

Italy. Which if you know me, should come as no surprise since I've been supporting Italy like, forever. I was honestly undecided this time round since I haven't been following the Italian team since Carnvarro retired, and because Joachim Loew's German squad has won me over with their swashbuckling play in the previous few tournaments.

"Who's in the Italian team this year?" I asked the husband not too long ago.

"Balotelli," he said wryly, "though he isn't really why you usually support the Italian team…"

That may be true, but it's hard to fight tradition. Besides, there are 22 other members of the squad, aren't there?

World Cup, here we go!

* The FOX World cup tees are retailing at all FOX Kids & Baby outlets. Kids tees retail at $19.90 each or $35 for two. Men's tees retail at $29.90. There are no women's tees but I got a kids' size 14 for myself! Hee. Besides the four designs we got, they've also got Germany, England and France.

Looking Spiffy with FOX Kids and Baby

I don't consider myself much of a shopper.

(Ok husband, you can quit rolling your eyes now.)

Seriously, I don't buy many things except for groceries, books, and erm, maybe many random frivolous items for my ever-growing craft stash. But kids' clothes are a different matter. I admit I have a weakness for buying kiddy clothing for my kids. For one thing, it's so cute! Have you seen the options that they have available these days, especially for little girls? I don't know how many times I've picked up an item and wished that it came in my size.

I shop a lot for the kids online, but when I buy clothes for the kids in-store, one of the stores I've come to rely on over the years is FOX Kids & Baby. Here's why:

1. Attractive clothing for both boys and girls. 

Anyone who tries to shop for their sons will know that girls get 10 times the number of choices that boys do. There are more shops catering just to girls and the selections for girls are much wider. At FOX, I am able to pick up clothes for both my son and my daughter in the same store. The boys also get a more than decent selection of tees, shirts, berms and jeans. The girls have more clothes to choose from, naturally, but there was enough for my son to be pleased with (think tees with images of trucks and bikes and cute-but-not-too-cute prints) and which still met Mummy's taste test.

 

As for little girls, there are dresses, shirt dresses, tops, shorts, skirts, and leggings galore! My little girl was gleefully picking out her own outfits. She came running up to me with the top she is wearing in the picture below, excited because "it's Rapunzel!" she said. Of course it had to go into the bag, it looked super cute with the heart-print jeans shorts, don't you think? 

2. Good selection of basics. 

Never underestimate the value of good basics. Plain shorts, and leggings and tees in simple basic designs that are comfortable and go with everything are very useful. I buy them in different colours! FOX has a good selection and I like the quality.

 

3. Reasonable prices.

Reasonable prices are always a plus, especially when you're shopping for fast-growing kids. FOX scores in this regard, with a good prices made even better by regular promotions. Better yet, when you spend a minimum of $80 at FOX in a single receipt, you can sign up for FOX-C membership, which will entitle you to accumulate points for your purchases. These points can be redeemed for vouchers to offset your next bill. Every $1 gives you 1 point, and 150 points can be redeemed for $10 while 250 points can be redeemed for $30. What's more, you can enjoy a whopping 25% discount in your birthday month. May is my birthday month and I was super pleased with the bargains I was getting with the birthday month discount.

 

4. Availability of licenced characters in cute designs.

Ah, special mention has to be made of the cute characters which won my daughter's heart. The moment she walked into the store and saw Hello Kitty, her eyes lit up. Of course one or two (or more) Hello Kitty items made their way into our basket. I admit that I don't really like such licensed characters but the kids definitely do, and the designs at FOX are way nicer than the ones their grandmothers happily ply them with, which are bought from markets and void deck shops. (Those I confine to the home and try to bury when the kids are not looking!) They had little Mr Men series tees which I thought were really cute and am eyeing for my soon-to-be-born new nephew!

5. Clothes and accessories for every age and every season.

Swimsuits, hats, shoes and slippers, hair accessories, costume jewellery, sunglasses… You name it, they have it. Better yet they have clothes from 3 months right up to 14 years so you can carry on shopping at the same store for some time to come! That makes it a very convenient one-stop shop. Too convenient in fact. As I was purchasing items to top up the kids' wardrobes recently, my little girl kept running up with items she was merrily picking off the accessories rack as I was paying. She did manage to score a hairband that way!

6. Fun events for members.

More than just clothing, FOX also has fun events for members, like the upcoming Ice Cream Making Workshop, which will be happening on 8 June 2014! A slot is just 150 Fox-C points + $15 for a parent and child. I hear there are limited slots left so sign up quickly if you're interested! I know my kids would have loved to attend this, but Sunday is out for us. You can be sure I'll be keeping an eye out for this the next time it rolls around!

After that long list, I have to say that the the main reason that I go back to FOX is that that the kids like the clothes. I've had many hits and very few misses. Also, although I am an avid online shopper, there's nothing like being able to touch the material and ascertain if it is too thin or uncomfortable. And let my daughter experience the joy of the changing room! (She loves it, save when I want to change her out of the new clothes that she HAS TO WEAR IMMEDIATELY.)

We are all shopped out for the Summer season! Thanks FOX for the great shopping experience and for keeping us looking spiffy!

* As I mentioned previously, we are privileged to have FOX Kids and Baby is our clothing sponsor for this period, and the clothes pictured are part of the all-new Summer season at FOX Kids! All opinions remain my own. All the smiles? Courtesy of my two tikes and FOX!

Elly's The Horse Parade CNY Collection {Giveaway}

Christmas and New Year's Day are behind us, but there's still no time to rest because we are speeding on to Chinese New Year!

As the shops did their quick change over to take all the Christmas music off their playlist and replace it with the dreaded dong-dong-chiang music, we are immediately faced with the two most important questions for the season: What are we going to EAT? And what are we going to WEAR? (Also, how am I going to manage our usually manic CNY schedule, though that's a totally different post altogether!)

While I merrily contemplate how I'm going to squeeze in as much yu sheng as possible during this period, the other problem of what to wear, or at least what the kids are going to wear has been easily resolved, thanks to Elly.

Hot on the heels of their highly successful 2013 Absolutely Elly collection comes Elly's latest Chinese New Year offering: The Horse Parade! As a nod to the fact that it'd be the year of the Horse this year, this entire collection has been created from 6 different exclusively designed fabrics featuring horses and horse-themed icons. And to ensure that there'll be something for everyone, the collection comes in 32 mind-boggling styles. I love that the collection has been designed to provide variety and be wearable the year round, so there aren't just cheongsams and more cheongsams, but also dresses and a blouse-skirt combi for girls with enough redness to be appropriate for Chinese New Year. And in true Elly-fashion, there are options for boys too. Not just shirts this year but also berms! And the best part for this mummy? There are plenty of boy-girl matching sets. Yay. 

The only problem: Everything is so nice I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to get!

Here are some of the matching brother-sister options:

#1 -- Noey: Mandarin-collared shirt in Red Horses ($45/49) | Meips: Cheongsam in Red Horses ($65/69)

#2 -- Meips: Cheongsam in White Horses ($65/69) | Noey: Mandarin-collared Shirt in White Horses ($45/49)

 #3 -- Meips: Cheongsam in Pastel Horses ($65/69) | Noey: Mandarin Collared Shirt in Red ($45/49) and Berms in Bright Horses ($39/$42). For that same-same-but-different look.

I must admit it wasnt 't my favourite to start with but the pastel horses print looks really sweet on Meips!

#4 -- Meips: Flutter Blouse in Red ($39) and Twirly Skirt in Pastel Horses ($45) | Noey: Mandarin Collared Shirt in Red ($45/49) and Berms in Bright Horses ($39/$42)

Want something for Chinese New Year but don't want a cheongsam? This is one of my favourite options for girls: the Red Flutter Blouse and Twirly Skirt combi, which I think looks absolutely adorable! She paired it herself with her red boots which I think gives the whole outfit a certain attitude. Love.

#5 -- Noey: Mandarin Collared Shirt in Red ($45/49) and Berms in Bright Horses ($39/$42) | Meips: Tinkerbell in Pastel Horses ($52)

#6 -- Noey: Mandarin Collared Shirt in Red ($45/49) and Berms in Red Horses ($39/$42) | Meips: Tinkerbell in Red Horses ($52)

If you ask Meips which is her favourite dress, she'd tell you it's the Tinkerbell. And her favourite feature? The pockets! Good for keeping those angpows, I say. With the ruffles and the pretty ribbon trimming, it's one of my favourite designs too.

I'm sure you can see why it took me really long to finalise what I wanted to get! And yes, it included a Tinkerbell for Meips too, which she chose herself.

GIVEAWAY ALERT!

Good news for all blog readers: I have ONE TINKERBELL DRESS (worth $52) from Elly's The Horse Parade Collection to give away! The winner gets a Tinkerbell dress of his/her choice from one of the following designs:

1. Pastel Horses

2. Rainbow Horseshoe

3. Red Horses

The sizes run from 9M to 7Y.

This is a great opportunity to grab a dress for your little one that would take her through CNY and beyond! To join this giveaway, just follow the steps in the Rafflecopter widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can now purchase Elly's The Horse Parade Collection from Elly's online store: www.ellyloves.com. Just for this month (Jan 2014), there's a special FREE LOCAL SHIPPING promotion! Just key in the code "FREESHIPPING" at checkout.

Have a little boy instead that you'd love to put in cute boy's togs instead?

Hop on over to Brunch With My Baby and join their giveaway of Elly's CNY Bermuda Shorts!

Thanks Elly for sorting us out for the festive season!

Elly
501 Bukit Timah Road, #02-29
Cluny Court
Singapore 259760
Tel: 64668718
Web: www.ellyloves.com

Behind the Scenes of Absolutely Elly

If you thought you saw a familiar face while browsing Absolutely Elly, Elly's CNY 2013 collection, well, you thought right. 

Noey rocking his pensive emo-model-look in the official catalogue photos.

Noey got take-two as a model for Elly in their latest collection. He was one of the models for one of their first shoots more than a year ago as a nearly-3-year-old. This time as a 4-year-old, I must say that it was much easier to get him in and out of the clothes, and in the right positions, but it was more difficult to capture that natural carefree joy. Attempts to ask him to smile yielded not-so-ideal results.

Ugly smile, if you can call that a smile!

Then again, that was probably also a function of the venue of the shoot. While we were at the beach the last time, the shoot this time was in an urban setting that didn't offer as much for the kids to play with.

So what has a parent to do but to whip out the sweet treats! Not unexpectedly, they worked a charm.

Concentrating on his jelly. Not the right choice of treat though - that jelly cup was a bit distracting.

Of course Naomi had to have one too.

No playground? Noey finds something on his own to climb. Fortunately, no damage was done to the elephant!

"Are we done yet?"

A light-hearted moment with Mummy while I was changing him. I can't remember what we were talking about but I love his smile here.

This is one of the official shots used by Elly. Wondering what they're doing? They're comparing M&Ms they have in their hands! These two bonded really well over chocolate!

Incidentally, if you haven't checked out Elly's Absolutely Elly collection, you really should! It's full of lovely pieces that are perfect for the upcoming Chinese New Year season. You can even order these piece online through Elly's online store. I only wish they had some of these pieces in adult sizes! The kids are all set for the upcoming festivities with a few sets of these clothes. I'm so glad to have gotten their shopping out of the way so quickly! And terribly excited to have the kids parade around in their new togs too.

By the way, if you're wondering about what he was thinking about when the photographer captured that emo shot of him in that first picture, we have absolutely no idea! It gave us a good laugh though!