2009 saw many Australian and New Zealand designers in baby and kids fashion, release some brilliant kids clothing.  These designers are extremely talented and we are very proud to be able to showcase their work online at La Toriana.

There was a frenzy for Tea Princess with their Winter girls designer clothing collection in 2009. The designer children’s scarfs and hats especially were so popular with  Australian mums that Tea Princess had to back into manufacturing for more!  I think my favourite of the Winter Tea Princess was the pants!  I actually popped aside a couple larger sizes as I loved them so much!  So soft and easy to wear!

We saw the introduction of Princess Ratbag Pettiskirts  at La Toriana. These pettiskirts are an absolute favourite amongst all.  Looks gorgeous on babies to adults.  We have seen our customers purchase the Princess Ratbag pettiskirts for  their daughters christening dresses, birthday party outfit, Christmas dress and for dress ups too.  We have seen them in wedding parties where the little flowergirls look adorable too!  Have you seen our blog post recently where our facebook customers and fans sent in pics of their little ones in Princess Ratbag pettiskirts?

A firm favourite this year has been the ever delightful designer collection of girls wear from TikiBoo Kids.  The Antique Rose collection has been a super hit in 2009 and we have some avid followers of this Australian designer baby and kids fashion label, so watch out for more gorgeous designs. Where kids should be kids and dress like kids!

Late December we saw the the gorgeous designer kids wear from YmamaY?  hot the shores of Australia. This New Zealand designer kids label is nothing short of unique and stunning.  So classy, stylish and very affordable in designer kids clothing ranges.  A special outfit for your special little one.  This is definitely one label you will want to know more about.  The good news?  They have stylish boys wear that I am happy to put in the La Toriana boutique… and that says a lot!

The ever popular Vanchi saw a few new additions to their designer nappy bag range.  Many new mums are ditching the “baby look” nappy bags and going for stylish and, classy, practical and affordable nappy bags.  Vanchi has all this and more and mums out there have really started to notice.  This is one nappy bag that looks like a designer handbag, but still comes equipped with a co ordinating change mat, bottle thermos, dummy safe wet pack and ample pockets, zips etc.  This just has to  be THE nappy bag for classy mums on the go.  (My baby is 7 years old now, but I still use a Vanchi bag as my every day bag.  The bottle thermos tuned into a zippered pencil case and enclosed paper for outings at restaurants, the dummy safe is the BEST EVER coin purse, and I love all the compartments)

 Alimrose is always the first port of call when anyone wants to purchase a baby gift online.  This Australian business is totally gorgeous.  Here at La Toriana we have tried to keep up with the demand in the baby rattles, baby hand squeakers, booties and bibs!  This year the matching Alimrose bib, booties doll rattles and hand squeakers have been brilliantly popular!  Though still hasn’t topped the firm favourite (same as last year) the coco the cat range.  The musical cat, the hand squeaker and rattles.  This is just a classic I guess… and am off to order more…

Ahhh.. you are never too young to have your first set of pearls.  Little Pearls for LIttle Girls  have always been a very popular baby gift for a new baby girl.  Many are purchased online at La Toriana for Christening gifts, baby gifts, flowergirl presents and junior bridesmaid jewellery.  2009 saw the release of the PINK fresh ater pear bracelet and necklaces to their collection.  Mums, aunties and grandmothers (and of course everyone else) can now choose between the ever popular white fresh water pearls and now pink.  A very popular gift for newborn baby girls to 12 years.

Tabitha Emma’s designs  are whimsical. playful and nostalgic.  The perfect gift for little girls and for mums too.  The cupcake purse and chocolate cake purse have been viewed so many times at La Toriana, and are so proud to be showcasing a very talented up and coming designer at La Toriana.  This young Australian designer must be well liked also in the BIG NAME circles though was a shame what what happened by well known Alannah Hill.   Read more here.   Tabitha Emma designs have been well received throughout 2009 and many little fashionista’s received these purses for Christmas. 

Us Australians love cooking and especially love BBQ’s.  Ogilvies Designs  was introduced in 2009 and what a gorgeous Australian label!  The dad and me designer BBQ aprons for dads and their kids was a real winner… selling out a couple designs in record time.  The mums and me was also popular and who couldn’t go past the Kids Christmas aprons.  Yep… this is a very popular designer label for kids that’s sure to be a name you will be proud to tell all your friends… and buy presents for!!

They must breed a lot of talented people up in Queensland!  Wild Things Of Noosa is also another gorgeous designer who has been popular here at la Toriana.  Seeing a huge surge in popularity, we feel so proud to be one of the few stocking this Australian designer fashion label for babies and kids online. Proudly showcased through La Toriana is national glossy magazines such as Shop 4 Kids, My Child magazine and Little One Baby magazine, its highly reguarded across the nation. Wild things Of Noosa is high quality, unique and I am extreenmly impressed with their design, quality fabrics and colours.  We look forward to showcasing more in 2010.

The Premmie baby catagory online at La Toriana has definitely been a passion of mine in 2009. So much so that we even have a designated section on our BLOG as well. The Tummy Bear premmie baby keepsake dolls were a massive hit with dozens going to families all across Australia.  The Earlybirds range is a staple favourite and ever popular as baby gifts for premature baies as well as the ideal premmie baby clothing to start with.  The Early birds range also include an organic premature baby clothing collection that’s fast becoming very popular.  Teeny Weeny prem baby clothes has given families and friends of premature babies the choice away from the traditional pink, white and blue.  With their contemporary colours and patterns that many parents are looking for.  we have sold so many of these, so that sure tells us that the uniqueness and the price (VERY affordable) is what parents of premmie babies are looking for.   Lambykins collection that was released in 2009 of organic premmie baby clothing is so beautiful.  Full of quality, grace and meaning… each garment has its own poem attached, and of course all are designed with the ease of dressing in the NICU, SCBU and at home.  We cannot forget The ZAKY either.  A premmie baby and newborn positioning pillow that gives the baby comfort to rest and sleep all whilst you don’t have to be there to pat them or hold them.  Mums can hug the Zaky to your own body to give baby the scent of you to help give your baby a peaceful, and calming sleep. The best ever comforter to cuddle and keep close with mums scent though just has to be the Cuski!  This is well loved by premmie babies to toddlers.  come in a cream, red, pink, blue and green

What a year 2009 was for La Toriana.  We have had such a heartfelt and warm response from all our customers and blog readers.  A very special THANK YOU to all our beautiful and wonderful suppliers, whom many have become amazing good friends that I know we will be friends for years to come.  THANK YOU.  A very BIG thank you to the editors of magazines and the wonderful journalists of newspapers papers who have embraced La Toriana and given so much valuable advice, tips and direction.  I know I would not be where we are right now without the wonderful support of the few who have supported us.

A VERY BIG thank you to our facebook friends too… many of the gorgeous photo’s, tips and kids recipes in our BLOG, especially the KooL KidZ section comes from customers and facebook friends… so thank you, and please keep them coming!

Wishing EVERYONE a very special 2010, may it be filled with angel wishes and pooh bear hugs, be full of love and laughter and special memories.  Please be safe over the coming months and be kind to others.  I truly believe in the philosophy of karma and the amazing things that life has to offer are all good.  Embrace them.

Take time to play and be happy, to laugh and make friendships.  Its the simplest things in life that make us happy.  Look to the stars and take one step at a time…

 warmly

elizabeth xx

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FEATURED DESIGNER

We asked a few children what Christmas means to them.  We asked the questions early – mid December aged 2-6yrs.  We just asked the simple question

“What is Christmas all about?”

Miss Jayne: 4 yrs       “Santa flies in the sky and brings presents if you are good.

Miss Tammy: 4 yrs      ” If you have been good God and Santa know and you get treats.”

Master Jinton 6 yrs     ” You put a tree up as a sign of respect to Santa”

Miss Jaimee 2.5 yrs     “um… Santa comes in the back door and leaves present and gets to eat biscuits”

Master Reece 6 yrs      ” God gave his Son to us and we celebrate his birth by giving gifts to friends and family.”

Miss Annleise  3 yrs     ” I don’t want to sit on Santa’s knee!!!”

Miss Laura 5 yrs        ” Santa, presents, food, presents and stuff!”

Lol… its always so fun watching and listening to kids around Christmas.  They are all trying to be good, writing out Christmas lists and posting them to the North Pole, though I hear Santa has email now and many kids are emailing him too.  See Santa in his workshops at the North Pole. 

I know This Christmas will be great to spend with family and friends. I am guessing, like me, you will be taking lots of happy snaps and great photo’s to look back on years later, or to proudly display in an album or frame.   The kids will be sparkling with excitement, wearing their best designer kids clothing, eating the best cooked Christmas lunch and dinner.  So what can we do to take some great lasting memories with our camera this year?

Rachel Richter photographer who took the above photo helps all us with great suggestions when taking our happy snaps this festive season:

Words by Rachel….

As the person in charge of the camera in my house, I’ve experienced many Christmas mornings and I’ve picked up a few tips along the way.

I believe the most difficult part of the day to photograph is the Christmas morning present-opening-frenzy!

My advice for successful shots at this time….

- Have each family member wear plain clothing. There are usually enough distracting elements with the wrapping paper, presents, tree and general chaos. Our family tradition is for each person to wear new (plain) pyjamas to bed on Christmas Eve.

- Make use of the Zoom function on your camera. Frame the expression on your child’s face as they discover what lies beneath the wrapping paper for the first time.

- Position your subject directly in front on the Christmas tree –

the foliage makes a great background.- If you’re lucky enough to own an external flash, then definitely use it. You’ll avoid harsh shadows and glare. If you want to avoid flash altogether, open all window coverings/blinds etc and turn on all room lights.

-          Vary your camera angle and keep shots interesting.

 __________________________

 Christmas Light Photography

There is something magical about a Christmas tree lit up at night and there is no better time of year to capture photographs of light.

You’ll need a steady surface for this technique, so dust off your tripod. (Otherwise an ironing board will suffice)

Mount the camera on the tripod

Turn off any distracting light (ie, fluorescent tubes, room lights etc)

Set your camera to Manual and choose a long exposure (the shutter speed of the image here was 2.5 seconds. Typically anything over ½ second will work –  

remember the longer the shutter is left open, the more the “glow”) Choose a high ISO (ie, 800 if possible)

Turn your Flash OFF (unless you want to photograph a subject in front of the tree or show how the tree has been decorated)

If possible, to avoid camera shake, set the timer on your camera.

Line the tree up, press the button, sit back and wait.

To get the best result, I recommend taking a series of photographs, varying the settings each time. Compare the differences between each and choose your favourite (don’t forget to write the settings down for next year!)

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

 

 

 

 

don’t forget too to join our face book page… we have heaps happening

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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.

 

 Above are Shellies KooL KidZ… mitch and lochie are just so adorable!

Shellie and the kids have been doing lots of things getting ready for Christmas…

and shares some ideas.

January we are doing a theme on celebrations and party time/celebrations.  Maybe you made a great cake, did a theme for a party, had a BBQ party, pirates or princess party… maybe you have a pary business?   let us know… send in some great pics and ideas and we might pop it up here.  We would love to see you.

dont forget too to join our facebook page… we have heaps happening

 La Toriana’s FACEBOOK  Profile       

 Our Preemie Journey.   Written by Nicole .

Twin girls Olivia and Tayla born 6^th May, 2008 at 30+3 weeks gestation at King Edward Memorial Hospital, Subiaco Western Australia.  Weighed 1115g and 1560g respectively.  Current age 19 months.

Olivia and Tayla spent their first week of life in NICU where they were on CPAP for a short while and also had phototherapy.  They spent another 5 weeks in Special Care and we took them home at 36 weeks gestation.  Their hospital stay was quite a smooth one compared to others but a very difficult experience nonetheless.

I found the hardest part of having our girls early and the ensuing 6 weeks in hospital was trying to juggle spending time with our tiny babies and with our almost 4 year old son Hayden.  I worried that he would feel left out or resentful that since the babies came along I had forgotten him L

One thing that has stuck in my mind when our girls were in NICU and were so tiny and helpless was when our son was visiting at the time.  My husband was holding Tayla and Hayden was standing next to them just looking at her and he started to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to her, needless to say my husband and I shed a tear….

The hospital was fantastic in caring for our baby girls, however I found that support for the parents was something you had to seek out for yourself.  Once discharged we attended a preemie playgroup run by the Physio Dept for the first year of their life to keep track of their progress and to seek assistance for any issues should they arise.

 Buying clothes was difficult as there are not a lot of stores that sell a preemie range (particularly smaller than five zero’s) and we had to find double!

A for tip for a new preemie parent, take each moment as it comes.  You are your baby’s advocate so take everything in and do your own research so that you are able to make informed decisions for your baby…

 Olivia and Tayla now 19 months old. 

Thank you Nicole for sharing you beautiful story.

If you have a premmie story to share, please submit it to info at LaToriana.com.au

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also give a thought this holiday season to the many many mums who have precious little premmies who are not able to be home for the Summer holidays.  Many premature babies will be in need of specialised NICU and hospital care and cannot be home with their family and friends.  Spare a thought too for the parents who will be torn between spending too little time with family at home, and also who need to be with their precious baby at hospital.  Its such a difficult time.

PREMMIE HERO AWARDS …..   Find out more about how you can help give recognition to those individuals who help make a difference to premature babies and their families.  Nominations Open Feb 1st 2010

www.lilaussieprems.com.au/hero

If you are a business or individual  and can spare some sponsorship $$,   you may like to assist the Premmie  Hero awards… so please contact the above link.  Its a wonderful cause.

The www.lilaussieprems.com.au website is part of the National Premmie Foundation.  The National Premmie Foundation and the founding groups are what La Toriana support, so would love you to support them too.

We would also love to hear from families of premmie babies to share their story like Nicole has.  Please feel free to email me pics and your journey, we will pop it on the blog and also our Premmie baby section starting in 2010.  Helping awareness and providing information for all families of premature babies.

warmly

Elizabeth xx

Anyone who knows me, knows I am not the greatest in cooking…  ( I can hear you Christie yelling “thats so true!  She failed the No fail Banana cake!”).  Yep  I did!!

When Tiana asked if we could make some little Christmas cakes and some Christmas chocolates, I immediately said yes!  (though after 2 seconds… thought gee… what did I say!!!)

I had a recent Donna Hay magazine so I got some inspiration from her and decided to look in the pantry.  Now I know I should have got a recipe from my countless number of cook books, but I really didnt want to throw another batch of failed cooking out.   When I spied a no name labelled fruit cake, I got inspired.  Yep, above is a combination of no name labelled fruit cake, and the end result actually suprised Tiana… let alone myself.   With a little decoration, they dont look half bad!

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