Last Day to WIN Little Innoscents Pack

It's the last day to go into the draw
to WIN the Little Innoscents Pack

Be quick!

Competition Ends at Midnight Tonight.

Good Luck
xo

Sweet Source on Rathdowne

l had a "baby" free morning on Friday.
It was heaven.
Don't get me wrong l love my son to BITS but a girl has
to have morning tea alone sometimes.

I've been dying to try Sweet Source on Rathdowne St in Carlton.
They serve fresh quality cakes and desserts.
l only had time for a quick latte and a
small cupcake but oh my goodness it was worth it.

Now l would love to say l took heaps of photos so you could all see, but to be honest l was too busy drooling over the selection of muffins, tarts, gingerbread and slices.

Not at all good for the waistline but who cares!

Sweet Source is not really "built" for the baby crowd - although they are quiet welcome.
It's a very small and intimate place.

The up side though is the Christmas "goodies" menu.
If your pressed for time (like myself) then you
can organise your Christmas treats in one easy order.

You will be spoilt for choice with fresh Puddings,
rich Fruit Mince Pies and Sweet Torte's to pop on your Christmas table.

My personal favourite was the Gingerbread House.
A beautiful centre piece for a magical family Christmas day.

(For all orders contact Sweet Source before the 16th December)
**Image by Estelle Judah**

We Love the Rain

We are loving all this lovely rain!
Great for our gardens and good for our farmers.

We found two more cafes for our website yesterday.
Very excited.

Stay tuned.
xo

North Adventures

Another week - another few more cafes to add to our growing list.

We now welcome Pearl Oyster cafe to our site
This lovely little cafe is situated in West Preston and definitely worth a visit.
A retro cafe with loads of heart.



We also welcome The Nursery Cafe in Essendon.
A bustling spot with loads of mums and bubs.
It seems to be a favourite with the local ladies.



And to top the week off brunch at the Red Door Corner Store Cafe in Northcote.
We love the this place but unfortunately they have
no highchair, changing facilities or things for the kids to do.


But we still love them anyway!

Worth a visit if your having a weekend "date" with hubby and the
grandparents are babysitting!

If you've seen a cafe you love please let us know!

**See website for full reviews**

Fresh flowers

l would love to take credit for these.
Beautiful blooms from my mums garden to brighten your day.

Vintage Stamps

There is a little old man down the street from me who has a stamp shop.

He has been in Brunswick for over 60 years in the same shop.
His Dad ran the shop and passed it onto him.
The shop is filled with old stamps from all over the world.
So many colourful designs and prints that date back to at least the 1900's.

Here a few of my favourites

I'm going back to get some vintage Christmas stamps to make gift tags with.

Delightful!
xo

John and Betty

We ventured out to Doncaster this week to check out the John and Betty Exhibition.

An old book from the 50's, 60's and early 70's (well before my time to may l add!)
bought to life by a variety of artists. Take a nostalgic look back on early
childhood and pop down to the Manningham Gallery.

Entry is Free and the exhibition runs til 21st November.

Babies and children welcome at the gallery, so get
out of the heat and pay them a visit this week.

A lovely way to spend the day for all you lovers of vintage books!

We Love the Magic Faraway Tree

So many childhood memories...

Getting lost among the pages of these books on a
rainy winter's day was something l loved to do.

So many adventures and wondering what land lies above the tips of the trees.

They are indeed my favourite.

They were passed down by my mum and l can only hope my
children get as much enjoyment from them as l did.

It still amazes me why it hasn't been made into a movie yet

That would be truly magical!

xo

Feel like shopping in another country?

Don't get me wrong, l love our local supermarket.
Your run of the mill type...rude check-out chicks and buy 12 get one free deals.
Great!

So if your feeling like you need a change with the food variety, then sink your teeth into these little great shopping spots around Melbourne and try something new.

A little Italian maybe...
Mediterranean Wholesalers in Sydney Rd Brunswick.
Amazing Italian oils, breads, cheese, wines and sweets. l could go on. Very reasonably priced and a great variety of everyday ingredients that you use - cheap pasta and canned goods.

A little Middle eastern perhaps....
Bas Foods in Brunswick also offer a wide variety of dried fruits, nuts and spices. Very inspiring to walk through and grab a can of something unusual. l purchased a huge jar of Tahini which keeps forever and is great to make home made hummus with. Yum!

Or something spicy and Asian influenced instead...
Laguna Oriental Supermarket is located at QV. Tucked away out the back this great little gem offers everything that is Asian from curries to satay. They have an excellent noodle range and also all those lovely sauces and toppings for homemade soups and stir fry.

Hope we have given you some ideas that
inspire you to travel the world without leaving the kitchen!

Ciao for now!
xo

Some Cafe's from last month.....

October was busy.
We manged to squeeze in loads of places.
They were all lovely and two do stand out in my mind - although don't get too excited as they didn't tick all the Hey Bambini boxes for the kids, and wont be on the website, but l feel they need a mention.

Need a caffeine fix - and a good one at that.
Try Sevens Seeds located in Carlton, I swear l could smell the coffee as l got out of the car. Loads of room to move, but it's really more of a "business crowd" in here during the week. Staff were friendly and helpful. Not only do they have a food and drinks menu they also have a fantastic coffee menu where you can choose from a variety of beans and blends to take home. l got the Deadman's Espresso Blend for my hubby's morning coffee. Great name for a coffee blend and it's a smooth brew that packs a punch.

Then we ventured to the "other side" of the river to Kanteen. Situated along the Yarra River this picturesque cafe is good to take people who are from out of town. It's nice to experience something a little different. Great outdoor seating but as you are right on the Yarra l wouldn't advise taking a tribe of young children - unless you're a great swimmer! Need to be on your toes with that! Kids love water - especially dirty water. Food was good, staff nice enough - they didn't offer me a highchair which l was unaware they had until l saw another wee one sitting who arrived after us. Oh well!

Be sure to check the website as we visited a lot of country cafes in October. With the weather being nicer it's fun to leave the city behind for the day.

Oh and l must say we visited Pearl Oyster on the weekend in West Preston and it was AMAZING!!
Will be up on the website soon!
xo

November Newsletter

Hot off the press!!!

Our monthly Newsletter...

Grab a cool drink and enjoy

xo

We Love....

Old movies!

Classic black and white movies are perfect for a Sunday afternoon.
Or a Thursday!

One of my favourites is Top Hat with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers

They just don't make them like this anymore.
Beautiful costumes, stunning sets and magical dance steps.

Enjoy!
xo

Check out the link and click on the movie poster to be taken back in time...

Free Babycino!

If you are ever heading down to Harbour Town in the city to check
out all the new shops pop into Le Cirque Fine Foods.
They serve light lunch's, coffee and yummy cakes.
Oh and also with every purchase you get a FREE babycino for bubba!

Delicious!!

The shopping complex also has changing facilities
and on some weekends free family entertainment.

On a sunny day you can sit on the board walk and watch all the pretty boats!

xo

We Love Coco Boheme Bibs!

Amazing colours and good for the environment.

Coco Boheme Bibs are not only cute, funky and stylish they are also biodegradable.

Made from potato starch these little numbers will deteriorate in one to two years.

Wow!

Don't worry they wont fall apart on your little one after a huge meal, they need
to be buried in compost,thus breaking down returning them to nature!

What will they think of next!

xo