little. lovely. - Life's better when you add a little lovely.

Artkive - a great way to store children's art

Charlotte is our little artist and brings home between ten and twenty drawings every day from preschool. I have a hard time throwing them out, which has quickly created an issue of where I should store her masterpieces.

Enter Artkive. Artkive is an app that allows you to take, tag and save images of your children's artwork in seconds. You can also then turn their art into keepsakes.

Thanks Artkive, mothers of prolific artists everywhere have just breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Super hero pops

What little boy wouldn't love these super hero pops posters created by Chungkong?

Totally awesome. I'd love to frame a set of four for Hunter's bedroom wall.

Who's your favourite super hero?

Basil pesto + Electrolux Turbo Pro stick mixer giveaway

I was watching this lovely video by Tiger In A Jar recently and had the urge to make pesto. I love fresh pesto, especially in a ricotta lasagne. Ricotta lasagne is one of those dishes I love so much that I make it with a frequency which makes my little family sigh slightly at dinner time. ("Oh not this again.") 

I love the utilitarianism of the Tiger In A Jar method of making pesto, but I have to admit I'm more of a modern girl when it comes to making pesto myself.

I prefer to use a stick mixer to make pesto because it's less mess and fuss so when Electrolux contacted me to see if I would like to try their TURBO Pro stick mixers my mind immediately thought of making basil pesto. 

Using the TURBO Pro stick mixer made maxing pesto so quick - and washing up a whole lot easier.

I also have one of their Electrolux TURBO Pro stick mixers valued at $139 to give away. You'll love how the TURBO Pro stick mixer helps you take your cooking to the next level - whether you're whisking an egg, grinding up a curry paste or blending your favourite icy cold summer cocktail.

To enter join our facebook page and leave a comment below telling me what you would cook with the Electrolux TURBO Pro stick mixer.  

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Terms and Conditions: A comment will entitle the reader to one entry in the giveaway. One comment per person. Competition opens 8:00am Thursday 8th November and closes 5:00pm Thursday 22 November 2012. One winner will be chosen at random on Friday 23rd November and the winner's name will be published on this post.

Inspired by Karolina Henke

Today I'm inspired by these beautiful photographs by Karolina Henke for La Petite Magazine. What inspires you?

Join me for Lovely Bootcamp & Win

There are ninety stairs.

They sit at the halfway point on my morning walk and every day I try to run up them. They're steep and it gets my heart pumping. So far I've only conquered fifty-six. Each day, a voice on one shoulder says "Be happy you ran up fifty-six, you could have walked them all."

"Be happy? You should be running the whole track instead of walking. Fifty-six isn't enough", the voice on my other shoulder contests.

Before I had children, I took how easy it was to maintain a healthy lifestyle for granted. I worked out at the gym most nights on my way home from work and I rarely worried about my weight. After Charlotte's birth things changed; life seemed to get in the way.

I know the challenges I face (struggling to schedule regular times to exercise, lack of motivation especially when exercising alone) aren't unique so I've created the Lovely Bootcamp.

What is the Lovely Bootcamp?

It's like a regular bootcamp, without the early starts and mean instructors. This virtual bootcamp will help you reach your health and fitness goals, whatever they are. You'll be supported by a community of people who will help you get started, cheer you on and keep you motivated. It will make fitness fun.

How does it work?
It's really simple.

1. Send an email to little.lovely@hotmail.com to join the Lovely Bootcamp Community (LBC). If you feel comfortable, include a fitness goal.
2. Get inspired by the list of activities below. There's one for each day for you to tailor to your lifestyle and fitness level.
3. Share your progess with us. Update the LBC with your progress on the Little Lovely facebook page or on twitter and Instagram (@lttl_lovely) using the hashtag #lovelybootcamp.

Still need additional motivation? There's also a range of great prizes to be won over the coming weeks. 

Sign up and Win 
Sign up for the Lovely Bootcamp before Thursday 8 November and you'll go in the draw to win a $50 Lorna Jane gift voucher and Lorna's book recounting her personal active living story, Move Nourish Believe. 

If you have any questions, please comment below or send me an email. I hope you'll join me!

{Image: Kevin Lange Photography}