Pampering With Difficulty....

Bonjour mon ami's and how are we all today?? So far here the sun is shining and there's not a cloud in the sky and I'm hoping it stays that way for a few days as we've had a cold and wet start to November.

 

So anyhow last night after a looong day I decided to go have a nice long hot shower to de-stress and relax while hubby did a workout. Have you ever just needed to soak in the tub or stand under a hot shower...?? I'm sure most of you have at some point and that's exactly what I did, I stood under a lovely hot shower and just relaxed (our tub is just way too low for me to get in and out of now).....though it is a little hard to relax when you're pregnant and standing in one place for a long time leads to sore feet eventually.....so I tend to shuffle from foot to foot.

 

I washed my hair with my fave shampoo and conditioner (will tell you which one soon), cleansed my face with a scrub I couldn't live without and did the rest (will not give details here hehe) with a lovely body wash. Then just stood and let the water run.....I'm one of these people that really doesn't care how long I take in the shower when I have time to take as long as I want. At our old house we were on storage water system so you had between 10-15 minutes before you lost all hot water....very frustrating when you have a head full of shampoo...!! However we're now on instant hot water and I love it......So anyhoo with all that done I looked down and realised my legs really needed shaving...hmm dilemma....it's getting hard enough to bend over to pick up something off the floor let alone shave my legs...but I don't like being in pants all the time and am dying to get back into my dresses....so an attempt at shaving the legs it was......

 

Now I had to navigate how I was going to do this as I would usually do it while in the shower but last time I did I almost slipped over and ended up with a sore back so a more practical idea was needed now I'm getting bigger.....So I hopped out of my nice hot shower and decided it would be easiest sitting on the edge of the bath tub...which proved to be a lot easier than I thought it would be...mission accomplished, I no longer have hairier legs than a gorilla and feel much better...

 

Smooth hair free legs and new comfy pj's....bliss..

I have noticed my skin has been a bit drier than usual lately, again more than likely from being pregnant, so I made sure I moistuised well after my shower and I have found an amazing cream that helps with the tummy while skin is stretching and accomadating bub....

But before I get to that cream I'll share a few of my favourite products I like to use. I like to keep things as chemical free as possible at home after learning years ago about what really goes into shampoos and body washes....

Alchemy has been my fave shampoo for years and completely natural...

I love cocoa butter smell..it's intoxicating..

If you need a new exfoliator then you have to try Dr Lewinn's...I use it almost everyday...couldn't live without it...

My fave night cream and is really good for sun damage and pigmentation....my skin always feels so soft in the morning....

 

I have beenusing Garnier since running out of my Dr Lewinn's day cream and it's pretty good...

 

I love these in summer as it cools your whole face right down...if you haven't tried one try it this summer....

 

When I worked in Priceline years ago I sold heaps of this to new mums and other women but until recently didn't need it myself....now though it's a saver for hiding those dark circles under the eyes...

 

I never used to be a Vaseline lover as I found it too greasy but being this one has cocoa butter I thought I'd try it and I have to say it's very hydrating especially on just shaved legs...

 

And this is my absolute fave product at the moment...I wish they had something like this 21yrs ago when I had my first son...would have saved a lot of stretch marks....though I have noticed since using it it's fading old stretch mark scars as well as scars from surgery when my gall bladder was removed...

 

So there you have it these are my fave things I use and it seems like a lot doesn't it...?? The things we women do...but if they didn't work I wouldn't recommend them...I have been using Dr Lewinn's for four years now and happily recommend it....when I find products I love I like to share the news and pass it on.....so if you have any questions about any of these products or others feel free to ask me and I'll give you an honest opinion....

 

Well have a great night I'm off to make Taco's for dinner tonight and I have a special post tomorrow...it's something I've neglected of late but didn't even realise it until recently so I will share more tomorrow.....Au revoir for now and take care...xo 

BB Cream Is B.B. Brilliant......

Bonjour mon amis, I hope you're all having a good Monday morning so far....it's a little on the chilly side here and I'm so longing for the warm weather.

Today I wanted to share with you a wonderful little cream I found, I'm sure most of you have heard of it but until I saw a report on Today Tonight, I had not heard of all the new BB creams. It's unusual for me not to have heard of a new product as I am a Beautician by trade and try to keep up with new products. At the time I saw the report they covered a lot of different brands but in the end it was found by the women asked that the Garnier BB Cream was the best.

I like to try things for myself and not just take someone elses opinion as gospel. I didn't think too much else of the report until I was in Priceline a few weeks ago and saw that BB cream was on special. I decided to have a look and a feel and see what it was like. Now this was probably not the best time to investigate as we had the girls with us and they were getting restless and bugging us about how long we were going to be. (Chris was looking at something else.) So I had a quick try and thought the coverage was good and even though I have quite olive skin I decided the 'light' coloured cream was the right choice. However I didn't buy it at the time because I couldn't concentrate on wether I really liked it or not with the girls nagging to go elsewhere.

Again I didn't give it too much thought until I saw it on special in Woolworths last week. As the girls were bugging Chris I had a chance to read the box and get the information off it I didn't get in Priceline and this time I bought it. I have noticed in the last few weeks due to being pregnant I have been getting red in the face and major dark circles under my eyes which I never usually get even when I'm not pregnant. Luckily for me it was on special again so home it came.

Love this cream...yey for Garnier....

 

The amazing thing is this cream really does do all it claims to do on the box...I've tried tinted moisturisers many times but find too many of them are too oily, a feeling I don't like on my skin. However the BB Cream is so light I forget I'm even wearing it and it leaves your skin feeling soft and fresh, what more could we girls ask for?? As I said earlier I've been getting quite dark circles under my eyes which I don't usually get but I have really noticed how well this cream conceals them, so now I don't look so washed out and blah when I leave the house. I have also found that it spreads a long way so you don't need to use too much and while I've been using it every day it's not clogging my pores and leaving my skin feeling yuck.

 

So we've established the fact I'm converted to BB Cream and I'm happy to only be using this for the time being and maybe longer but how many of you have given it a try?? I would love to know if you have and I'd love to know what you think of it...

 

A must have in every womans makeup bag, draw or cupboard....

 

 

Well I must be off as there are children to wake up and get ready for school, so I hope you all have a great day and I'll be back soon with some more things for YuppyBubby and an update later today on The Baby Journey.....so until then Au revoir for now and take care...xo

 

Michelle

 

 



Finding A Balance....

Bonjour on this lovely sunny morning mon ami's. I hope you all have a great day to look forward too and plans for the weekend.

Well as you all know I have been busy sewing, sewing, sewing and still there is more to do. I have some how ended up with more girl bibs than boy bibs but that will be sorted very soon, the main thing is I actually have quite a few bibs to list on etsy now and yesterday I found just what I needed to make up some burping cloths.

More bibs to list on etsy and my first girls pack of 5 is ready to go...

I also made bubs first sheet set and it came out really well beside the fact I thought I had cut the bottom sheet too long so re-adjusted the length only to have it just fit the mattress......don't you hate it when you ignore your first instincts.....I completely forgot that once I ran the elastic through (it's a fitted sheet obviously) the sheet the elastic would pull it all in and adjust the size any way.....oh well live and learn as they say, the main thing is it fits and looks great...I made the top sheet in a sleeping bag style so even if bub is wriggly and kicks alot his little legs and feet will still be covered....Luke was a real wriggly baby and always kicking his blankets off and I was always covering him back up but I will win with this bub......

My first sheet set....I love this fabric with the sharks...the next set is turtles and it's gorgeous...

 



So while the sewing has been going great and in full swing my blogging has been suffering terribly...it's always in the back of my mind I want to blog and have stuff to tell you all but usually by the time my day is over from the school run (which I'm so over by the way, if there's one time of day I hate it's the end of a school day), sewing, cleaning the house and everything that goes with it, organising dinner and getting kids to bed I'm just too pooped to sit down and blog.....I'm finding I'm really starting to feel more tired at the end of the day lately and that's probably because I don't go back to bed once Chris goes to work, so I'm up from 5:30am and then with bub getting bigger and bigger and taking all my energy and the girls messing around when they should be going to sleep...well I'm ready to close my eyes myself and veg out...I've been falling asleep on the couch lately before I even make it to bed...lol.....but I am determined to find some time somewhere to keep up with my posts, so bear with me if I'm a little lax and I appreciate all of you who still come and visit and read even though I'm not here...xoxo

Tuesday I decided to take some time out and get my hair done (yet again) and it was good to sit and relax and chat with my hairdresser while she did all the work.....once again I have gone back to my natural colour, although I love the blonde the maintenance drives me crazy after a while and being brunette is so much easier to touch up quickly than blonde.....so brunette I am again...Some of you might remember my post about Blonde vs Brunette and this has been going on with me for 20yrs however I'm determined to keep things simple in my life so I think staying a brunette is one of the easiest way of doing this...for now....lol....

 Back to my natural colour and enjoying it...

 

Well I'm off for now, I have some children to wake up and get ready for school and lots more sewing to do today as well as washing, cleaning etc...So I will be back soon...if you'd like to follow me on instagram to keep up with what's happening with Yuppy Bubby you can follow me at HOME_LOVE_LIFE so take care and have a great day...xo

Yuppy Bubby's Ago....

 

Bonjour mon amis and how are you all today?? I'm hoping everyone is well and loving the fact it's Friday and looking forward to the weekend as much as I am.

 

I have been really busy this week getting bibs, hats and other stock together for the opening of Yuppy Bubby on etsy and am pleased to announce we officially opened last night!!! yey...!! I would like to thank everyone for their input as to what to call the store and special thanks to Lauren from ladaisi who informed me I could use both names because etsy allows for a tag line....so here we have Yuppy Bubby - Bits & Bobs For Bub. Now the only thing is and I'm not sure why but Yuppy Bubby is one word on etsy, for some reason it wouldn't allow a space so you'll find it as YuppyBubby but other than that all systems are ago. I listed just a couple of things last night so I could have the shop up and running and plan on having more listed soon. I've already had two sales in the last two days and hope things keep going the way they are.

 Country boy bib and hat set....first sale...

 

Transport bib and hat set....second sale...

 

These are the two sets that sold in the last couple of days and I enjoyed putting them together so much. I can't wait to see what everyone's bubs look like in their matching sets, even my bub, he has a country boy set waiting for him and I'm busting to be able to put it on him but we have a few more months to go yet..lol.

 

Strawberry Delight bib...I love this fabric..

 

Flower Power bib...I couldn't resist this gorgeous pattern..

 

These are the two bibs I listed on etsy last night and they've already had 10 views...there will be lots more coming it just takes time getting it all together being as it's just me cutting all patterns out and then sewing them up as well as running the house and having kids under foot but I am getting there. I have a pile of bibs to put together today and then some hats to cut out...

 

Today's bibs waiting to be put together....

 

I never thought I'd like sewing so much in my life as I've always found certain items difficult and tricky to make but I wake up every morning and I look forward to deciding which fabric to use for hats and bibs, which fabric will be used for burping napkins and even how much time I can realistically allow myself in a day to spend on the sewing machine.

 

I will share prices here on products but everything will be listed on etsy as well...individual bibs are

$2 each or a pack of five for $5.95, bib and hat sets are $9.95 each, individual hats are $5.95 each, Burping Napkins are $6.95 each or two for $12, bassinet sheet sets will be $9.95 each and change mats will be $12.95 each, postage and handling is a flat rate of $5.95. I'm really trying to keep things as reasonably priced as possible and have really worked out prices by what I would be prepared to pay in the shop and trust me girls, if you know me, I am a bargain hunter and won't pay exuberant amounts for necessitites of having a baby.

 

Last night I also sat down to design some cards with the help of vista print (got to love that company) and came up with the design that's at the top of this post....LOOK UP...Does this card not say Yuppy Bubby..?? Everyone who purchases from YuppyBubby will receive a card with their parcel....xo

 

Well mon ami's I must go as I have children to get to school, washing to get on, floors to vacuum and sewing to do, so it's another busy day here at Home, Love & Life and I look forward to checking in with you all again very soon......and please let me know what you think of the pricing, also as I have more products put together I will share them with you here as I list them....take care and have a great day...

 

Michelle xo







Taking A Poll.....

Bonjour lovely friends and how are you all today? It's lovely and sunny here in little old Busselton today and slightly on the cool side.

I would like to say thanks to everyone for all your support with the etsy shop idea...I appreciate everyone's feed back and am so glad you all liked the bibs I have made so far.

Now I have a favour to ask....I'm stuck between two names for the etsy shop....either Yuppy Bubby or Bits And Bobs For Bub.....what do you think?? Yuppy Bubby came up as a complete accident as the Paris bib I made just looked so fancy I said to Chris, 'it's for the yuppy bubby hehe.' However it seems to be popular already and I'm wondering if it's the way to go....I don't want people getting the wrong idea with the name and thinking that because it's called yuppy bubby that products will be over priced.... I thought of Bits And Bobs For Bub as I love the saying bits and bobs and being that I'm making a variety of items I thought it would say variety.....

Bits and Bobs for Bub.....Or

 

Yuppy Bubby....

 

So what would entice you to click on the name to look in the 'shop' Yuppy Bubby or Bits And Bobs For Bub..?? I'm looking forward to all your opinions so don't be afraid to leave a comment and tell me what you think.....take care and Au revoir for now...xo

Listing Creations...Etsy Here I Come...

Bonjour and how are you all doing today? Well I hope and if you're unwell then I hope you're feeling better soon :)

As most of you know (espescially if you follow me on instagram) I've been on a sewing mission lately....It started with making a change mat for bub because I was bored and then I decided to make some bibs....my mum had made a ton of bibs for me when I had James so I thought I'd give it a go...after doing some research on patterns and finding a couple I like I got the machine out and whipped one up...I was amazed at how easy it was, I knew it couldn't be too hard but to be so easy was a little surprising......once I had a couple of bibs done I thought I'd try a summer hat as well....so once again I did some research on how to make a hat and although it was slightly tricky it was still on the easy side....

So some of you may be asking 'why bother making bibs and hats when they're readily available in any shop?'.....Well the reason I have started making them is because after doing clothes shopping for bub I have noticed that bibs and hats are in my opinion, ridiculously over priced..!! Bibs and hats don't take much fabric and they don't take much time to make either....and when you have places like K-Mart, Big W and Target as well as other stores asking $14 for a pack of 8 - 10 bibs and between $5 and $10 for a hat for a baby, I personally think and know those prices are crazy when they can be made so much cheaper......Any way I'm not here to retail bash the stores as I shop at all of them for plenty of things and just want to share with you some of my creations I've made over the last week....

The first bib I made..love how easy it was to do...

 

Followed by the first hat I made...love the bee button..

 

I love this fabric...

 

This was when I realised bibs didn't have to be solely from 'baby' fabric...

 

My absolute fave...for the yuppy bubby...lol..

 

For the little misses out there...

 

This is my starry, starry night bib...

 

Without the pocket...

 

I love this hat and the button finishes it off...

 

As you can see some of the bibs have pockets and the last one shown doesn't have one, I've also made another Paris bib without the pocket....I love putting the buttons on the hats as it finishes them off and makes them a little more unique.....I also plan on making some winter beanie hats and burping bibs...for those of you like me who don't know what a 'burping bib' is it's a throw over the shoulder cloth for when you're burping bub.....we've all thrown a spare towel, tea towel or towelling nappy over our shoulders to protect our clothes from spit up but until I was putting some clothes away from my sister for bub I'd never actually seen one or even knew they'd been made as such....so I'm putting my own spin on them and whipping a few up....I will show you when I've made some....

 

I've been on such a roll with sewing and happily making things for bub and fighting with the tension on  my machine that while I was busy I had an idea......I'm going to set up shop on etsy.com very soon with very reasonable prices....I feel strongly that when things can be made so reasonably priced there's no reason we should be over charged for them......I will be providing bibs with and without pockets, hats for summer and winter, bassinet sheet sets (as they're impossible to find in stores), burping bibs (though mine are called something else which I'll share soon), change mats...'traditional' and some new designs of my own and whatever else I can think of.....if you have any suggestions I'm happy to hear them....

 

I haven't registered with etsy yet as I want to get the brand of my items copyrighted before I start but as soon as that is done I will let you all know, oh  and I want to have a decent pile of items to list as well....Also the items I've showed today are for my little mr as these are all test run items but the blue and pink bib will be up for grabs....if anyone is interested in wanting that bib now just leave me a message and I'll get back to you...

 

Well I hope you will all pop over to etsy when I'm registered and have a look....for now take care and I'm headed off to spotlight soon for some more fabric so I can get busy now that my little man has plenty of bibs and hats......Chris and I both keep saying he'll be the most fashionable baby in Busselton with the matching bib and hat sets.....they are after all one of a kind.....have a wonderful day and I'll be back soon....Au revoir for now...xox

Made To Last.....A Sisters Love...

Bonjour on this lovely but strange morning...it looks like the sky can't decide if it's going to rain or be fine.....either way it's a perfect day for me to do some more sewing.....

Speaking of sewing....have you ever had something made for you that has lasted forever? Well I have. 21yrs ago when I was pregnant with my first baby my lovely sister Charmaine was busy making me a patchwork quilt....only I didn't know about it because it was a present and she was doing it as part of a school project....any how when James (my then baby, now 21) was born she gave me this lovely quilt she'd made with her own two hands and I'm sure some of her blood, sweat and maybe tears.....I loved it straight away as it was quite big and easily fitted the cot and in the pram, so it went straight into James' cot, as he got bigger it got used as a blanket for him to play on, it went in the pram to keep him warm and it went over him to cover him up if he ever fell asleep on the couch or in his play pen. Then Luke came along and it was Lukes' turn to use the quilt in the same way, then Lauren came along and it was her turn....now the difference with Lauren was that because she was the youngest she got to use the quilt the longest....in fact she used it up until she was a bout 7 - 8yrs old when I eventually had to pry it off her......Lauren always called it her blanky and especially when she wasn't feeling well she would grab her 'blanky' and pillow and hop on the couch and watch t.v and fall asleep.....she loved it so much and hated parting with it and just a few years ago made me promise to pass it down to her when she gets married and has kids.....she believes in planning ahead..aye.

So my quilt has lasted through three kids, hundreds, possibly thousands of washes, being pooped on, spit on, thrown up on, weed on and dragged from home to staying away to wrapping up dolls, out in the sun on the line, thrown in the dryer in winter, folded, unfolded, stored away in linen cupboards to being included in bedding and still it is going strong.

And now after 10yrs of being packed away it's come out again to welcome a new baby into the crazy Bergeron/Lisle clan.....I never in a million years thought I'd be using this quilt again until I had grandchildren but life has a way of changing things....I took my quilt out of the cupboard last week and I am amazed how well it has held up after so much use....some of the fabrics have faded a little while others are still bright and colourful......it's still fresh and clean, oh and amazingly after 11yrs of straight usage it hasn't one stain on it..!!

The patchwork quilt made by my sister Charmaine, 21yrs and three kids later it still looks like new..

 

The reverse side, a little faded and slightly thinning but still in immaculate condition..

 

After 21yrs the only mending I have to do is a slight tear in this corner...

 

There is a little more to this story that a lot of people don't know...first of all, all the fabric used in this quilt was left overs mum had and most of them she had made us shorts and tops out of...I remember having a shorts and top set made out of the blue and white checked fabric with pineapples on it....mum made me school shorts out of the navy blue and white striped fabric and I know the other fabrics were used for my sisters clothes as well......

 

When I met Charmaine for coffee last week I told her I'd pulled the quilt out of the cupboard for the baby and she was surprised it was still going and that I still had it.....she also informed me her sewing teacher gave her a D for the quilt because it took too long to make.....I couldn't believe it.....I told her she needed to find the teacher so I could tell her she could reverse the grade and that it had lasted 21yrs..!!

 

I just said to mum last week, I don't know if I will be able to pass it on to Lauren now as it has so many memories and is the only thing I have left that has done all the kids and is about to serve another baby......

 

So to my sister Charmaine I say thank you, I love you and you did a wonderful job creating something that is obviously going to last forever and because of this gift you have helped to make so many wonderful memories through this quilt....xoxox