I'm baaaaaccckkk...

Phew. Blogging hiatus is hopefully over. Photos have been taken, and not only that, sewing has been started.

I'm stitching up a few pretty items for summer. Here's a sneak preview:

TikiBoo Sample Sale

We are moving to a rental VERY soon, and a great deal of our belongings will be in storage until we find a new house. As I've been slowly packing up, I came across a few dresses, originally planned to be part of the TikiBoo Kids range, but never quite got there. Maybe one day they will feature, but for now I'm selling these samples at super bargain prices!
They have been worn for photographs only.

Here are a couple...more in the "Sale" section of All You Need

What's in a name?

This afternoon I ran a little competition on Facebook to name some new Liberty print hairclips. The idea was to list your child's name and their favourite colour, and I would randomly draw names to go with each clip, based on colour. Sorry to those who said red, I haven't made any red as yet - will get onto it! Some were actually a mix of colours, so those who said multi/all colours scored. Here are the final selections:



From left to right:

Milly|Emily|Charlotte|Chloe|Lola|Antonia|Jemima|Zara|Lucy|Elizabeth|Lillie|Laura

I then drew 3 of the names to receive "their" clip, those winners are:

Zara, Antonia and Lillie. Could their Mums please contact me with an address! kathryn@tikiboo.com.au

Stay tuned, we have another giveaway TOMORROW!

And the world still turns

It has been a while. A long while. So much has been happening:

- Trying to find a school we love for next year which means
- Putting our house on the market and
- Cleaning every corner and putting loads of clutter into storage and
- Spending too much time and money at Bunnings and
- Not enough time with friends and
- My camera is feeling lonely and
- I only rode my bike once this winter.

- After a lengthy delay our beautiful dresses are finally here and on the way to our lovely retailers (a post to come on that soon).

- I have been making some quirky little bits and pieces for my online store, again, that's another post alog with the promised wee competition.

- I'm off to Dubai and Paris in 10 days. By myself. Oh my goodness!!

- I'm gradually heading back to blonde.

- Miss TikiBoo is delightful and funny and a complete ratbag.

That's just some of the happenings around here recently!

What's happening in your world?

2010 Style Awards Nomination

We are so excited and honoured to be nominated for the The Kids Fashion Review Style Awards in the category of Australian Made Baby/Kids Label/Product of the Year!
Those who know me well have probably been subjected to my passionate entreaties to support locally made brands, so to be nominated in this category is perfect. We'd love your support, so please vote for us! Click on the banner and follow the links where it says Vote Here.



There are lots of other categories in which you can vote, for example your favourite boutique, kids footwear label,, emerging designer etc...and the best bit, the bit we know you will love...PRIZES. About $10,000 worth of prizes!

To celebrate, we've decided to add our beautiful new Miss TikiBoo collection to the website gallery. I know you're all keen to see these photos (taken by Rachel Richter) so have a look, and let us know what you think.
These outfits aren't available yet, but if you sign up to our newsletter we can notify you when and where you can purchase.

So, head over to Kids Fashion Review and cast your vote!

It may be a little chilly...

It's getting pretty chilly, even here in Brisbane! Given our rather mild climate, we don't tend to pack away our summer clothing, just in case a warm day happens to come along. Even if it doesn't, I'm a big fan of layering and putting summer dresses or pretty blouses over jeans and a long sleeved top or skivvy.

Miss Boo is a big fan of the over-dress look. Winter clothes tend to not be quite as pretty or flowery, so this way she gets to be warm as well as pink!

For those on a budget, this style also has benefits. Many summer dresses tend to be a roomy fit, so while they may end up being a little too short, often they will still fit in the top area. This Samba Blush dress is a size Small - designed to fit a 2/3 year old girl. Miss Boo typically wears size 5, so this type of dress would give you a few years of wearing - all year round! Starting as a dress alone in summer, then over jeans or leggings in winter - then the following summer, once your little one gets taller, it becomes a top to be worn over capri pants or shorts.




There are only a handful of Samba dresses still available, this pink Samba Blush is available exclusively at Georgia's Garden. There are also other designs at our current retailers.



These stunning images were taken by Love Bytes, check out the web site and blog for more of Tan's gorgeous images!

No Grey Days

I wanted to try and find a few props for photoshoots, so last Friday Miss TikiBoo and I visted a few of the antique stores here in Brisbane, along with a visit to a cafe/bookstore for coffee, hot chocolate and a new book - she selected Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
It was rather slim pickings, I wanted some sort of small table and chairs, but the closest we managed to get was this stool. It's not exactly what I was after, though it will be useful and works for our mini tea parties if we are very careful!

It's rare for Miss Boo to not either run and hide, or touch every.single.thing in these type of stores, so I told her we would have another quick look to find something special for her. She really wanted something pink, however it's a rather popular colour for small vintage items so we managed to find a pretty, delicate pale green china cup and saucer set, edged in gold. It's smaller than the typical set, so perfect for a little girl and Miss Boo is very proud of her new treasure.

As soon as we got home she asked if she could have a little tea party, and how could I resist?!

Skirt - TikiBoo Kids 'No Grey Days'
Top - Myer
Headband - Seed

Flying time

Gosh, time seems to be racing at the moment, I haven't had the opportunity to stop and do anything, let alone blog!
Our new summer collection is coming along nicely, we had a photo session with Rachel Richter this past weekend - it was a little cool and breezy but hopefully Rachel managed some good shots! I can't wait to share it, it is very different from our previous collections so I hope everyone loves it as much as we do! If there are any B&M (bricks and mortar) stores in Australia who would be interested in viewing the collection, please contact me and I will let you know when the images are ready.

It's Mother's Day in Australia this Sunday, and I know that so far I'm getting a cuddle...not sure about anything else! I bought my Mum's present ages ago, and because I'm hopeless, I gave it to her straight away! Hopefully she will have time to make some of the gorgeous embroidery projects soon.

Polly in Paris at All You Need

It has been a long time since I added new items to All You Need, but I have finally found the time!
There are some gorgeous new skirts, we call them "Frilly Milly"! Here is Miss TikiBoo showing her favourite - Polly in Paris. It is the most adorable print.





There are several other designs, so I hope you find one you love! I have also added some sweet Tiki's Kitchen apron & oven mit sets. On Monday I will let you know where you can win one! Stay tuned!

Don't forget our little bunny giveaway, drawn tonight.

Time to make pretty

I've made a few changes to the blog.

New font for the titles (although the date part doesn't seem to be working, I get the month but not the date right now...hmmm.)

Best of all, a beautiful new header created by Sarah from Style Me Gorgeous. I love the little birdcage hanging from the tree - yet our birdie isn't caged, he's free to fly!


The colours also tie in much better with the TikiBoo website.

I'd love to know what you think, do you love it as much as I do?

Angelfish Dragonfly

We would like to welcome onboard a new retailer for TikiBoo Kids! Angelfish Dragonfly is a new online store full of delights, and specialising in handmade or limited edition clothing, accessories and other lovely things for children.
They are the exclusive online stockist for our "Playful Pig" Samba dress - in the delightful Olivia the Pig print which is sure to be a hit with all little girls!




What’s the story behind the name “Angelfish Dragonfly”?
It took a lot to come up with this name. My first choice turned out to be connected with a site that was not suitable if you know what I mean, and they had trademarked that name! Using my daughter’s name didn’t bring much success either as any form of Charlotte Rose is already taken! So then I thought of butterflies and there are so many businesses to do with children, with Butterfly in the name or on their web pages as graphics that I then thought of an animal that I like that is more symbolic of vintage and sophisticated than a butterfly – Dragonfly it is! Then I tried registering Dragonfly Child and got the domain name so quickly rushed in to town to register the business name (I had been advised by Qld Govt. to do it this way). I then found out they had declined this name due to a similar name – Dragonfly Kids (which I couldn’t find in any of my searches!) It was very frustrating! So over a weekend I tried doing business name searches for Dragonfly in other languages: Italian – Libellula , French – Libellule, to name a few but all taken and registered. Then decided it would be too hard for people to pronounce anyway if I tried to change the spelling. So I thought of my other favourite animal – Angelfish! These are very elegant fish and beautiful. Angel also being the start of my name. Put the two together and nothing at all came up in any searches – Hooray! I also live in the tropics – Townsville so this fitted perfectly.

My logo – we concentrated on the Dragonfly and made it’s body the thread that passes through a sewing needle and around the wording. I had a clever graphic artist come up with this idea – I just twigged it. I have had many great comments on my logo.

What inspired you to start your online store?
There are many reasons as to how this all evolved. I have always been interested in babies fashion in particular. Although I can sew and have done some fashion design studies much earlier on (& won a few fashion design competitions) my career led me away from fashion. With an interest in quality craft markets, I have done craft markets occasionally throughout the years but find it difficult with working fulltime to get enough products together to sell. My last craft market stall before starting this business was successful but it took so much effort to get together enough products just for one market and this was done when I was on un-paid Maternity leave.

It took the birth of my beautiful daughter to inspire me to start Angelfish Dragonfly. For my baby’s Christening at 4 mths old, I managed to hand smock her gown in about two months in between feeds etc. Every time she slept – I sewed! (mind you I had never smocked much before and my last attempt I was told “ keep practicing dear” by a dear lady at the QCWA.) Her dress turned out beautifully! Then I got to thinking – I am really lucky that I know how to sew but it was hard work to get the gown finished! There must be many others out there who can sew, who are time poor and are unable to find time to create the beautiful garments, appreciating handmade Australian clothing for their little ones.

I have always been inspired by the timeless styles of vintage clothing and fabric prints, so I wanted to bring together collections that ad a new fresh or modern image to the garments as well as some timeless pieces. Along the way, I have discovered some wonderful products and I now have these in my boutique as well, so we are not just fashion but accessories and other baby products. My sister has always been telling me that I should start my own baby boutique and now I am thrilled that it is finally happening! I couldn’t do B & M due to having a small child and didn’t want to be tied to a shop all week.

I decided mid last year to finally take the plunge and make a change in my career, adding another ‘string to my bow’ – by having an online baby & children’s boutique. I wanted to find a way to earn more money whilst having more time to spend with Charlotte and this was something I could do to fulfill my life-long dream and creative side at the same time. I have actually worked with at least one designer to create certain designs exclusive to Angelfish Dragonfly.


When you’re not running your business, what do you do for fun and relaxation? At the moment – Sleep, sleep, sleep, and not enough of that! As I am currently running two business completely different and I also teach music and have an active 2 yr old it doesn’t leave much time for other activities. I love to spend as much time with Charlotte and my family as possible. Time is so precious and they are little for such a small amount of time.

But I do love to cook (my daughter is my ‘sous’ chef, we have great fun cooking), and love the cooking shows if I can ever get time to watch a whole show. I love porcelain doll making and painting but haven’t done this since Charlotte came along due to it being a very expensive hobby and very addictive (very ease to go overboard on my dolls!) I love gardening (having won a garden competition for our garden that I designed and started myself for the New Home section of the annual Garden Competition. I love to knit, sew, crotchet, anything crafty.
So, tell us more about your store!
Angelfish Dragonfly – Baby & Children’s Boutique. Vintage Inspiration with Modern Appeal. We specialize in exquisitely handmade garments with limited edition runs, with some styles exclusive to our boutique. Reminiscent of eras when children were simply children.
From Vintage styled in modern cool fabrics, organic cottons, or lightweight merino wool (cool in summer/ warm in winter), to modern styles with retro prints. From pretty pastels to bright prints there is something for everyone! We stock exquisite handmade Christening Gowns and hope to become known for these. Especially in North Queensland where there isn’t much available. We have cot rail protectors, safe from chemicals & unlike any other on the market, modern cloth nappies, hair accessories, Organic Infant Skincare and toys, unique handmade woollen dolls, room décor, knitted booties, embroidered baby clothing, shoes and much more. We are aiming to expand our boys collections in the coming months as this is an area that many are calling out for. Having spent many hours searching and also travelled across the country to meet/ source some of our suppliers, we aim to bring only the best unique, beautiful products for Newborns to 6 yrs (although we are getting requests to expand our sizes!) We are new – 2 months old but hope to expand our brand name to become one of the most well known online boutiques if you are looking for handmade Australian products and beautiful products for you precious little ones.

{New Design} Blush

New in at Georgia's Garden boutique, Samba Roses in "Blush".

I asked Alexandra if we could take some more photos. She's not always the most cooperative of models, hower she agreed on the condition that she could wear gumboots and have her umbrella. Here she is - waiting for the bus. Actions from Sheye Rosemayer's Eye Candy.

Eye Candy "Fairy Floss" action

Eye Candy "Purple Haze" action

Don't forget about our gorgeous craft giveaway. We still need more followers to ensure the whole prize pack can be given away, so spread the word...!

Still here...

Things just never seem to slow down, do they?! We have a few new dresses here just waiting to be photographed, I'm hoping to do that tomorrow. There is also a large pile of gorgeous skirts here cut and waiting for me to find the time to sew them!

There have been a few glitches over at the All You Need website, however you can find a range of our designs over at the gorgeous Trifle Shoppe.

What else is happening? Miss TikiBoo has to have a triple whammy operation in less than two weeks. Tonsils and adenoids out and grommets in. I must admit I am a little scared, it is the first time she has been in hospital, but she really does need them removed, poor poppet!
It's starting to get hot here, we've been spending a lot of time in the pool already, and looking forward to many more lazy days of swimming. I'm not a fan of Brisbane summers, the pool makes it bearable!

TikiBoo Kids - in stores now!!

I have just realised that it's been many weeks since I last blogged! It has been a BUSY month, probably the busiest ever for TikiBoo Kids, with three new retailers added to our list of stockists!

First up, you can now find TikiBoo Kids at SQUIRREL AND NUT, 6 Hedges Court Mount Martha in Victoria.

CHOCOLATE FRECKLES 194 Buckley Street Essendon, VICTORIA

Plus, another great online store LITTLE BARE BEAR.

What's new?

Do you notice anything different about our logo?

Yes, we're now a registered trademark!

TikiBoo Signature singlets

Once upon a time in a magical garden
there lived two sisters, Georgia and Nicola
who loved frilly, funky and fabulous
clothing and accessories...

I have had a few queries as to where people can buy our signature singlets!

We have a brand new retailer on board this summer, the beautiful new store "Georgia's Garden". Georgia's Garden stock a large range of TikiBoo Kids clothing, including our beautiful samba dresses, boy's shorts and our gorgeous new signature outfits pictured!

*If you are a retailer looking for a fabulous new limited edition range to stock, please contact me via www.tikiboo.com.au for our wholesale details!*

My Child

Have you bought the latest edition of My Child magazine? If you have, turn to page 91 and you'll see the ad for TikiBoo Kids. This is the first advertisement we've done so I hope it pays off!


And yes, reminding you again to enter our GIVEAWAY. You could win one of our gorgeous new limited edition TikiBoo Birdie singlets.

Celebrating our new website with a giveaway!

To celebrate the launch of our new website we are giving away two of our brand new TikiBoo Birdie signature singlets!



All you need to do is make sure you are following our blog, and leave a comment on this post. The winner will be drawn on Saturday night, 8pm.

Summer Snaps

I can finally share with you some of the gorgeous photos from our session with Rachel Richter a few weeks back! These limited edition designs will be in selected stores soon, you can see our new website www.tikiboo.com.au for more information on where to buy, or apply to become a TikiBoo Kids retailer.




Aren't the kids just adorable!?

Aproning up

Sassy aprons to wear at the markets. Remember - Mathilda's Market, City Hall this Sunday. 9am-1pm.
See you there!