Polka Dot Baby....

She wore an itsy, bitsy, teeny, weeny, RED polka dot bikini...

My family have been wondering what I am up to considering Summer is almost over here in New Zealand but I bought this fabric while away on my design course in January and it has been screaming out to be 'played' with.

I also had some vintage 'looking' lace that seemed to fit just perfectly in various ways.

This is not meant to be a practical swim suit but rather for the little girl who likes to look the beachy part while remaining cute and every piece in place ;-).  Cotton polka dot pants with lacey frills and a matching top that has a hint of the lace across the front and elegant halter ties.

I also made a cotton pettiskirt with folded layers of tulle (no scratchyness on legs - although this is the softest of tulle anyway) which can be worn alone or covered up by the spotted skirt with white cotton frill exposing only a kiss of tulle and giving plenty of bounce.

Then there is the little 100% cotton voile over top - very light and comfy but staying in theme with the vintage look lace on the ends of the sleeves.

I could go on and on about what I was thinking when making this and all of the different options, but I wont.  I will however go on to say that there will be some red and white striped leggings coming that would also look fantastic underneath either or both of the skirts, especially with the cooler weather about to hit us here downunder.

Paris Pink Ballerina Tutu Skirt Giveaway...

Only a couple of weeks until I will have my new, with shopping cart, website ready to go.  So to celebrate I am giving away on Facebook a gorgeous little ballerina princess tutu skirt which will be drawn on March 2nd at midnight (NZ time).

This little skirt was a sample I made up and at this stage will not be making again.

It has a 100% voile cotton underskirt that is attached, while the softest of soft tulle layers lays flat over the skirt.  The waistband is a soft pink satin that lays flat on the front and has all the gathers in the back.  The gathers are generous and offer lots of room to grow and years of wear (although little sister might want her turn).  Also a very twirly skirt that will be perfect for those little ballet lessons or those moments of whimsical fantasy that are indulged during childhood - a princess, a fairy, a ballerina, a Cinderella ball gown......

What makes it very special are the two pink sequined 'loops' which enable a ribbon to be threaded through and these can change as fancy is taken by the little princess who cherishes it.  There are also of course the Return To Eden label with the Tibetan Charm Butterfly.

It is modeled on a form that is size 3 but measured for a 4-5.  However the stretch is very generous and would fit for years beyond that.  If the little girl is smaller then a ribbon could be tied to draw it in.

It is so soft and pretty and could be worn for many special occasions.

If you would like to enter then simply suggest, like, tag and/or comment to let me know that you are interested.  Also if you suggest the Return To Eden page to a friend then tell them to mention that you referred them and then you will get an extra entry into the draw for each referral.

If you have any questions then feel free to email me - dreams@returntoeden.co.nz.

 Thank you to you all

What inspires me to create Return To Eden....

I have been working with the designers for my new website and with doing so, I made some time yesterday to sit and actually reach down inside of me for the words that convey what Return To Eden means to me and what I want to deliver.

It is true that with age comes wisdom.  The best piece of 'wisdom' I have gained in my years, has been to value the contribution I make to this world.  That can be in many different ways, whether it be through my children, my partner, my home, my career, with my friends, my relationships and interactions with others and most importantly what I do for me.  To best enable myself to do this, I am true to who I am and express this by imparting a piece of my heart and soul in to all that I do, the best that I can.

Return To Eden was not just an idea or a whimsical venture, it is something that I have always wanted to do since being a child, I simply was not aware of that desire.  However, once I was aware I felt it selfish to pursue my own dream as I felt so obligated to spend my time doing what I was conditioned to think I should be doing, but with the love and support of some very special people I felt encouraged to give birth to what was eagerly awaiting to break free from within me.

Every thing about Return To Eden has a meaning to me and represents something special about who I am, events in my life, people in my life and most importantly my core values.  I have found it difficult to express some of those things through words to share with you as it is more about feelings than words for me, but as I mentioned earlier, with working on my website I put pen to paper and just let it flow in its most simplistic form. 

I am very good at rambling and "over wording" things (when at Uni while others struggled to find words for essays, I struggled to minimise words for essays).  So I will get to the point and share with you the simplified version.

Each Return To Eden item and collection celebrates the innocence and beauty of childhood and what it represents.  A time when life is just beginning.  A time when love comes so easily and so much is expressed with a simple hug and a kiss.  A time filled with love and laughter in a world that is playful and exciting, fun and carefree.  A time when dreams are endless and will always come true.  A time of preparation to becoming a beautiful butterfly that flies through life gracefully and with freedom. ©Return To Eden

I also want to share a quote that means a lot to me and has also inspired me.

"How does one become a butterfly" she asked

"You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar" 

 ©Trina Paulus - Hope For The Flowers

Like I said this is a very simplistic view of what inspires me when creating Return To Eden and creating for Return To Eden.  There is so much more but hopefully there is something in what I have written for now that you can relate to.

This weeks giveaway... inspired by the Hollywood Red Carpet

Ok, if you read my earlier post here on the RTE blog you will know that I posted at 3am this morning.  By the time I actually got the post up it was 4am so it has been a very long and arduous day I must say as I was up again at 8am and busy doing everything else other than what I wanted to be doing.  Isn't that always the way - plans are made but emails and telephones always set out to ensure those plans are disrupted.  (Not to mention partners and children - bless them).

So just before the sun disappeared I managed to get some photos of the dress I am giving away on Facebook this week.  The photos are a major disappointment to say the least but they serve much like a space saver tyre - they will do the job in the meanwhile and get you from A to B.  I would like to say that I will upload some that are better and show the true glamour of the dress but my mother taught me not to lie so I wont.  All good intention will be there but once again the day to day grind will have it's way and sabotage all good intentions without a doubt.

Back to the dress - it is a different take on the Patience dress that you might have seen in an earlier blog.  This is a silver satin and I would say best fit a size 4 although it was intended for a size 5 however due to the lack of stretch in the fabric I am playing it safe with size 4 (or even 3 just to save face).  Perhaps we can think of it like a new school uniform that one is to "grow in to" ;-).

I apologise for my chaoticness (whoops spell check has picked up that word so as I thought, it is not actually a word but we shall ignore that today) but I am busy with the new website and trying to sort stock for it as well as the day to day orders that come in.  Things will adjust very soon *crosses fingers*.

So how have you all been anyway......????

3am in the Morning, red carpet and butterfly cupcakes (so tired I am not even sure this post makes sense)

It is 3am on Wednesday morning as I am writing this. 

Just after midnight I decided to forgo sleep and make something different from what I already had ready to go for the Win a Treasure Wednesday (or is it Wednesday Win a Treasure?? - a little on the tired side).

My darling fiancee has been away a lot over the past week so while he is gone I get to indulge in trash tv and watch E Channel while I sew on beads or make flowers etc.  I have watched hours and hours of red carpet looks for all of the different Hollywood award ceremonies being held of late.  While watching I wanted to make something inspired by what I was seeing.  However, I gave in to the pressure of time constraints and decided to giveaway something that was more of a sample piece rather than something I loved.  Nope - not good enough to do that in my world and it bugged me so much I have since made something that is a bit more "red carpet" as I had visioned and desired.

I don't yet have photos and probably wont have any until approximately mid day Wednesday (NZ time).  Actually that is only 9 hours away, the 8 sleep rule will not be happening tonight that's for sure (I hear those of you with young children saying "when does it ever!!").

But rest assured there will be something to giveaway - it is simple but stylish and a little bit shiny.  In the meanwhile I have attached a picture of something quite gorgeous - totally irrelevant but hey I should be dreaming right now and I think these butterfly cupcakes in butterfly wrappers would make quite a nice dream......