Hello Kitty Pasta

Our Hello Kitty Pasta dinner - delicious!

 Honestly who knew this even existed people??!!  A lovely girlfriend found it in a shop & of course thought of Emma & I and our upcoming party.  So the girls & I sat down and had it for dinner the night before the party on what we now refer to as "Hello Kitty Eve".  And can I say - it was delicious!  I would have it again- the pasta itself was nice, nicer than what we have been buying recently which came as a surprise to me.

Ready to go

Look at all those little pasta shapes in there.

Hello Kitty Pasta Shapes

What will they think of next?

close up of Hello Kitty Pasta Shapes

The different shapes were of a flower, Hello Kitty bow, strawberry or apple, Hello Kitty face & Hello Kitty herself.  Unbelievable.  Try it - you might like it (to quote Yo-Gabba-Gabba)

I need some Alannah Hill Fabulousness now!!!!!

Alannah Hill is one of my favourite Australian designers and one of my favourite designers ever!

Her clothes are feminine, romantic & whimsical.  She does a mean cardi and knows how to make a fabulous frock.  Her clothes make me feel good.  Her look head to toe is almost doll like in a Betty-Boop kind of way.  I like to take elements from her range and pair them back with basics and more urban finds like plain tees, tailored items & denim.

As spring has sprung here in Brizzy, I am in need of some Alannah fabulousness to add to my wardrobe.

On my wishlist are these gems.  I think I'll start shopping now x

Alannah Hill "The Wedding Tomb" cardi

Alannah Hill "Saving Face" bolero

Alannah Hill "My Melancholy Love" belt

Alannah Hill "My Perfect Revenge" skirt

Alannah Hill "La Vie En Rose" skirt

Alannah Hill "Hear My Thoughts" bag

Alannah Hill "I Mean Love Me" Belt

Alannah Hill "Give you my Heart" earrings

Alannah Hill "Story of a Girl" headband

Hello Kitty Birthday Party Ideas!

My little Mitten turned 4!  And of course to celebrate we had a Hello Kitty party.   Emma & I were inspired by Tori Spelling's party for her daughter Stella which we watched on  TV earlier in the year.  We also drew inspiration from this amazing pinterest page -  http://pinterest.com/marisab/hello-kitty-party-ideas/.  Thank you Marisa Blakley you are beyond brilliant x

Hello Kitty party invitation

This was the invitation that I did up.  I created a polka-dot pattern using the Hello Kitty bows in the background.  Then on the back it was just plain polka-dots which we folded over.

pin the bow on kitty

We played lots of party games, including pin the bow on kitty!

party games at the ready

gift bags

 These are our gift bags.  All had a thank you note included.  We hid them in the garden for the children to find them in a treasure hunt.  Inside each bag we had some Hello Kitty lipgloss, nailpolish, bracelet, tattoo & lollies.

Hello Kitty gift bag

Hello Kitty cake

 This cake was hard to make!  Do you know why?  Because it was so simple.  I am much better with lots of sprinkles & things.....  Anyhow I bought a giant slab from Woollies & then decorated it.  I used marzipan for the bow & nose which was tricky to do, black licquorice for the whiskers and black writing icing for the eyes & bow detail.  Doing the white icing was SO HARD!!!!!!!!!  After the fact I realized that I could have covered it with dessicated coconut to make it look gorgeous - so would recommend that to you if you are trying it at home.

This image is from the above pinterest page mentioned

Each kid got a Hello Kitty ring in a cupcake like the ones above.  I forgot to take of photo of mine, but trust me they were gorgeous.

cutting the cake

 Here we are cutting the cake.  It was enormous!  I couldn't get it out of the box as I did not have a platter big enough to put it on!

My girls Emma & Jessica (aka 'the mittens')

 My girls and all of their friends had a ball at the party!  Why my child is upside down I have no idea!

One very happy Birthday Girl

 Mummy loves you Miss Emma Louise - happy 4th birthday x

Waiheke Island is a little slice of heaven

Waiheke Island, New Zealand - I could live here.  Seriously.

at Rangihoua

Imagine living on a gorgeous island just off a major city.  A quick ferry ride to work or to indulge in a bit of city life, only to know where you will be returning to at the end of the day!!!!

We only did a day trip and visited two spots on Waiheke but I am hooked.

Rangihoua has the best olive oil I have ever tasted.  Apparently Martina Navratilova orders hers from here - so if it is good enough for Martina, it is good enough for me.  They also make a delectable herb spread.  Yum, yum, yum!

Then it was on to lunch at the Mudbrick Vineyard & Restaurant.

whitewashed beams with fairy lights

Here I died and went to heaven.

love what they have done to the hydrangeas here

 Mudbrick is perched up high with breathtaking views out to the water.........

Mudbrick Vineyard & Restaurant

Seriously the best meal I have EVER had in my life.  The flavours were amazing.  Their veges come straight out of their garden.  If you ever visit Waiheke you MUST go here!

I also want their garden.

look at this exquisite garden - filled with edible goodies

As soon as I got home I double balled my potted lilly pillys.  They were in triangles before.

Love this and the wine barrel it is in

As you know I love gardening, and this style of garden is my ideal.

I want my vege garden to look like this

I couldn't go home without some souvenirs.

tea towels

What a clever thing to sell at the cellar door!!  Can you make out what it says?

eye chart

A quick visit to Auckland

I love New Zealand.  We had a mini break there recently sans kids.  If you have ever considered going there maybe I can tempt you.  Here is a snapshot of Auckland from the harbour.

look at the colour of the water!!

I highly recommend staying at the Hilton located at Princes Wharf - we loved it.  Great location as you can just walk into the city.

The Hilton

It kind of looks like a cruise ship which makes a lot of sense considering where it is!  Very clever idea.

our view

There are wonderful restaurants dotted along the waterline, which are worth discovering. 

liquid lunch sweetie

enjoying Euro

Easter Bonnet Parade

Mitten 1's Easter Bonnet

 Here comes Peter Cottontail

Mitten 1

Mitten 2's Easter Bonnet

 Hopping along the Bunny trail

Mitten 2

Charlie's Easter Bonnet

The Easter Bunny

Hippity, hoppity, good time Easter Day.........

Happy Easter Everyone x

Just a spoonful of sugar.........

Mary Poppins at the Lyric Theatre Brisbane

My 6 year old daughter and I took in a matinee of Mary Poppins yesterday.  Very naughty of me to take her out of school I know..........  It was beyond fabulous, if you get the chance go and see it.