Kids love making anything crafty… but at Christmas time, they are even more excited.  Pop a Santa hat on the kids, and yourself, and get making some of your own Christmas tree ornaments!  Like this one… You and the kids will have heaps of fun, and it will be something they remember with love and warmth for many years to come.  Pop their name and year on the back…  its so much fun!   for the full tutorial visit HERE

Popping on a Santa hat transforms any child into a world of bewilderment, fantasy and wonder.  Just look at these gorgeous faces!!!

Thank you to all La Toriana facebook fans and customers for sending in their pics.  All photo’ on this blog post is courtesy a call out on Facebook recently.

Santa just emailed me, and loves all these little helpers and thought they may like to come to ELF SCHOOL

and treats for the reindeer’s…  you and the kids can make some great treats for Santa’s reindeer’s.  You know all their names….   DONT YOU?

All these kids and their mums know that they can find hip, cool kids clothes and stylish designer baby and children’s wear at La Toriana online shopping boutique.  If YOU are looking for baby clothes, baby gifts, designer girls wear, vintage inspired clothing, great boys clothes the start shopping online at our baby/kids boutique.  We showcase and support Australian and New Zealand designers in the baby and children’s fashion industry.  Catering for premmie babies to kids 8 years old, La Toriana also have great gifts for mums and dads. 

we often have call outs on FACEBOOKfor fashion shoots, for blog posts and pics and some great competitions, facebook discounts and more. Are you part of it.

 Join up to our newsletter HERE too to get great info and be the first too see some new releases before the general public…   we love hearing feedback, seeing pics and getting to know our customers… so please feel free to contact us.

warmly

elizabeth xx

 La Toriana’s FACEBOOK  Profile       

At La Toriana we have a passion for kids fashion.

Our labels include, Alimrose, annieB, Lambykins, Princess Allure, FairyFloss Creations, Eternal Creation, Vanchi, TikiBoo Kids, Little Pearls for Little Girls, Tea Princess, Three Little trees, Tummbear, Dolly Up, babyjo bamboo baby wear, nest organics, early birds premature baby clothes, teeny weeny premmie baby wear, Oopsidaisi, boxy design, anamalz, Briit design, Bump buddy, cheeky little soles, Sounds for silence, Deshabille, eco peko, fINNIGAN fINN, gertie and me, Hey baby, huggalugs, i candy, lazybones, Knuffle Kid, Ogilvies Designs, Bethany Child,  locolili, miniwhisk, mon tresor, nana huchy, nanny pickle, OOBI baby, penny scallan, Tabitha Emma, Tippie Toes, Robert Gordon Australia, Sweetie Pie, Princess Ratbag, Alannah Rose stationary, Mulberry Muse, Vintage Kid, Wild Things of Noosa, YmamaY, Xanna,  and so many more!

We have one of the largest and most stylish, affordable collection of premmie baby clothing, premature baby gifts and newborn baby keepsakes available to buy online. If you have a baby born early, or are a friend/family looking to give a premmie baby gift… contact me and I can help you to choose the right baby gift for them.

At La Toriana we showcase great Australian and New Zealand designers as well as neonatal and NICU appropriate baby clothing as well as organic premmie clothes and accessories.  Checkout our vast range of premmie wear and newborn baby items in our secure online baby boutique.  If you are looking for a  premmie baby keepsake doll, or organic baby wear for a bub that has been born prematurely, then you have come to the right online store.  La Toriana specialise in providing great quality, stylish and affordable designer label products for low weight babies and babies born early.

Choc Chip Bikkies

100gm melted butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tin condensed milk

1 1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 pkt chocolate chips

mix butter and sugar….. add condensed milk and chocolate chips (if using melted butter choc chips will melt and turn the mix a great brony colour!) Put in baking powder and flour and combine well…….. roll into small balls place on greased tray and press with fork …..bake in a 150 degree c for 8-10 minutes approx

I like to take them out while they are still doughy and scrape carefully onto a wire rack (this makes the bikkies soft and chewy!) I sometimes double the quantities in the mix and it makes about 50 little cookies that are perfect for school lunchboxes….

THANK heaps CINDY.  this is awesom!!!  please contact me and we will give you a $10 voucher!!!

This is so easy and something he kids can help with too!  Will definately be trying this one out in the next school holidays!!

Yep… this is a great project the kids can help with in the kitchen ready for Christmas!  I can almost hear their sqeals of delight and see the look of satisfaction on their faces!   Doesnt this look FANTASTIC!!

so… after you have gone shopping online at La Toriana for all your baby clothing, designer kids outfits and baby gifts for Christmas, print out this recipe and start maing your own wonderful truffle cake for when guests arrive. 

They will be so impressed.  Its something the kids and you can do together… make sure you take a photo too…. and soon you will well known in your circle of family and friends for wonderful recipes!!

I cannot take the credit for making this, though my 7 yr old and I made one and was so easy!  here is the place to get gorgeous recipes like this from.

1 large sheet of firm white cardboard
375g packet white chocolate Melts, melted
150-170 white chocolate Lindt Lindor balls, paper removed
flowers to decorate  (or any decoration you choose)

  METHOD

diameter on the cardboard and cut a large wedge out of the cardboard slightly less than 1/3 of the size of the circle. Make a cone from the cardboard. (The cone should be about 35cm high.)

Staple ends together and tape over the staples. The wider the wedge of cardboard the wider the finished cone will be. Cut a smaller wedge for a thinner cone.

Brush the cone all over with some of the melted chocolate. Secure to a board or serving plate with a little more chocolate. Dip each ball in a little of the chocolate and place around the base of the cardboard, ensuring a little of the chocolate is between each ball so they will stick together when dry.

Continue ‘glueing’ the balls to the cone in layers until you reach the top. There will be some gaps in each layer so you will need to trim the sides of some balls to fit.

Decorate with flowers. If using fresh flowers, decorate close to serving.

Great recipes like this can be found here

mmm yummy… ENJOY!

warmly

elizabeth xx

 La Toriana’s FACEBOOK  Profile       

With La Toriana being involved with the National Premmie Foundation since their beginning, and as this week we are also involved with 2 great businesses who are also supporting National Premmie Foundation (LittleONE baby and also the Kids Fashion Review HUNT), I thought I would tell you all about this great foundation.

Who are they?
 

  6 of Australia’s prem support groups have come together to form a national organization that will unify, and act as a guiding body for existing prem support groups, help to create new ones, help to improve the treatments and outcomes available for premature infants, and represent the interests of these infants and their families in terms of health policies, funding and standards of care.

These founding groups include 2 of Australia’s longest running and most respected support groups,

• Preterm Infant’s Parents Association (PIPA) and
• Nepean Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Parent Support (NNICUPS).

The other founding groups include

• Loddon Mallee Kids (LMK),
• Lil Aussie Prems (LAP)
• Lifes Little Treasures (LLT) and
• Central Coast Premmie & Sick Newborn Support.

Although we have only joined forces in 2007, we have a combined total of 47 years experience in supporting families of premature and sick infants.

What are our aims?
To act as a parent body, guiding and assisting prem support groups by helping to:

- Raise the profile of all groups

- Raise money for family support and information, hospital equipment, education, and awareness.

- Attract members and volunteers

- Share ‘best practice’, information and resources

To be a central point of communication and publicity, providing information to families, hospitals, health professionals, relevant health authorities and the wider community.

Represent the interests of parents of prems in terms of hospital policy, Australia wide.

Raise the profile and awareness of the plight of NICU/SCU infants and their families, and issues surrounding their care and long term development. Health policy, funding and standards of care.

 At La Toriana… we have a great range of premmie baby clothing online.  Take a look here.

Warmly  Elizabeth xx

Lilli (right) modelling Princess Ratbag

We all read about our wonderful KooL KidZ and recently the delightful Sophie who was featured at StyleCollective also on the La Toriana BLOG.  Well,  here is her sister Lilli, who has also been a great La Toriana follower for a couple years now too. 

Lilli looked gorgeous here at a recent photo shoot modelling Princess Ratbags newest collections, and I think they all had a wow of a time.

Lilli is no stranger to wearing good quality designer girls clothing, and her mum has purchased many outfits over the time from La Toriana and sent in great photo’s.

Lilli in soft pink pettiskirt an Dolly Up Singlet

Here is Lilli in Tea PrincessWinter 09 collection.  I love the vintage designer girls clothing dont you?

 Lilli and Sophies mum share tips

Getting ready for the photo shoot

I really can’t pretend to be an expert on photography, thank heavens for digital camera’s and automatic settings.

• When taking photo’s of the girls I find that natural light is best, outdoors if at all possible. I usually try to take them earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon, it’s too hot and bright towards midday. Check out what is in the background, comb the kids hair and wash any food of their face - it sounds simple but trust me, the number of times I have taken a photo just focusing on how gorgeous my girls are to me and loaded it up on the computer to see bed hair and messy face.
• Make sure everyone is fed and has had a drink, or use the food as a prop.
• Try to make it fun - posed shots of the kids sitting together are hard work and can end up with everyone looking unhappy. Take the kids to the park, to a safe tree to climb or the local bush walk, if they are having fun it will show.
• If you miss a really cute shot, just move on, no matter how much you try you will not get that moment back and you will waste valuable time and energy.
• If you know how, try to pop the camera on the right settings, mine is an inexpensive canon and has one for kids and pets. Once I tried my brother’s super expensive SLR and I couldn’t work it properly as it was to technical.
• Pretty dresses make pretty pictures.
• Little kids have little attention spans.

The girls have been on a couple of shoots with professional photographers. Some are a breeze, the clothes are great and the photographers just follow the kids around as they play - sure to get a great shot with the girls having fun. Others where they are looking for a specific shot are not quite as easy.

• Once again make sure you have snacks - make sure the snacks will not stain clothes or make a mess of teeth (eg, sultana’s, cheese cut into small pieces etc).
• Bring water in a bottle/ container that does not spill. If possible get the kids to sleep before hand, but you are working on someone else’s schedule usually so sometimes this will not work.
• Bring a colouring book and crayons (once again which will not stain fingers or clothes). If you need to bring a DSI or other game that will keep them occupied for lengthy periods of time.
• Do not put any makeup, tatoo’s, nailpolish, etc on the kids unless it is requested beforehand. Make sure hair is washed and clean, if possible check before hand if a certain style will be required, otherwise leave it neat and loose.
• Bring a small bag with hairbrush, hair ties in various colours, safety pins and anything else you might need. Wipes and tissues are a must.
• See if you need to bring any accessories, shoes etc. Even if they say no pop a couple in the car if you have space.
• Before you leave double check you have the food, water, games, wipes, tissues and other essentials. Pack everything except the food into the car the night before if at all possible. Make sure you know where you are going and have a map.

If you know that your kid is going through a shy stage, sick, will be tired at the requested time - don’t try to do it - everyone will end up in tears.

Have fun, in the end the photo’s just capture your journey,

Thanks Linda… EXCELLENT advice

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

We invite you too to send in your pics of the little ones wearing anything purchased from La Toriana.  If you have a great tip, recipe, craft idea please send that in too.  We will happily send you a $10 gift voucher  if we use them in return (some conditions do apply)

why not email me your pic, tip, recipe etc and we will tell you what day it will be featured.

also… if you purchased a Tea Princess Summer  outfit this season… send a pic in… we are giving away a whole Winter 2010 outfit to one lucky customer.  All you need to do is send in your kids/baby pic….. all details on the back of the La Toriana catalogue you received with your order.

so if you are looking for a designer baby clothing for Christmas and this party season… why not check out the vast array of gorgeous items at La Toriana.

we invite you to

grab a cuppa

sit back

relax

and enjoy

the La Toriana shopping experience

~  we know you will.

warmly

Elizabeth xx

 we already have some excellent ones sent in.  we will give a sneek peak soon.

 La Toriana’s Profile