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Category Archives: smitten with
our backyard is seeing a lot more of us this summer, thanks largely in part to our new springfree trampoline.
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we are always looking for ways to get our kids spending more time outdoors being active, so when we were presented with the opportunity to try out a springfree trampoline this summer, we jumped (😆) on it!
SAFETY
truth be told, i’ve always been a bit nervous about trampolines and for years i’ve been hesitant to put one in my yard despite the kids begging for one for as long as i can remember. thankfully, my childhood memories of getting pinched by open springs and being bounced off the side, are far from the reality of modern springfree trampolines.
with flexible rods located underneath the jumping mat, instead of the traditional ‘springs around the edges’ design, and the safety net around the perimeter, there’s far less risk of anyone getting hurt while bouncing, which definitely has eased my mind while the kids (and let’s be honest, the parents too!) spend hours outside.
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NOT JUST FOR BOUNCING
throughout the summer, our trailer is parked on our driveway out front and the kids have really missed having a chalk canvas the last couple years so they are pretty excited they can now draw on the trampoline instead!
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COOLING OFF
we’ve had a lot of hot afternoons (and mornings. and evenings.) this summer and one of the kids new favourite things to do is put the sprinkler underneath the trampoline and bounce around in the water. even better, just add water balloons. bonus: the sprinkler quickly washes away any left over chalk residue!
i really cannot rave enough about what an awesome addition our springfree trampoline has been to our backyard this summer. the kids are spending way more time outside than they used to and i’m hearing was less of the “i’m bored” i’m accustomed to hearing. overall, it’s a win win around here!
for anyone in the edmonton area, the springfree pop up shop and test jump trampoline at west edmonton mall are only open for another week or so, so i’d highly recommend heading over there for a bounce and to see if a springfree trampoline is a good fit for your family!
while we did partner with springfree trampoline for this blog post, all thoughts and opinions expressed are solely my own!
my good friend christine and i (and all five kiddos!) were lucky enough to spend a morning in the studio with local talent uppercase press collaborating for a brand new venture we have in the works. you’ll be hearing much more about MAKESHOP. the social co. in the coming days but for now, head over to our brand new instagram account to enter to win one of these letterpressed but first, confetti prints!
yippee!
it’s time for giveaway number three of a very hanki launch party, in celebration of my new look and the transition from pink sugar to andrea hanki! (and if you haven’t already, you can enter the first (a lifestyle session with me) here, and the second (my favourite things) here!)
today’s giveaway is a curated collection of some of my favourite things for my home (and yours!) from some awesome canadian small businesses and designers. i’ve included a few things i have stashed away for my new office, and some pieces that live in the kids’ rooms; however, pretty much everything included could work in any number of different spaces in your home!
the following goodies are included:
to enter, follow the steps in the rafflecopter giveaway below. (i hope you win.)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
huge thanks to all of the sponsors for supporting me in this new chapter and donating such amazing prizes!
hooray!
it’s time for giveaway number two of a very hanki launch party, in celebration of my new look and the transition from pink sugar to andrea hanki! (and if you haven’t already, you can enter the first (a lifestyle session with me) here!)
today’s giveaway is a curated collection of some of my favourite things for me (and you!) from some awesome canadian small businesses and designers. so often as women, we focus most of our attention on our kiddos/partners/anybody but ourselves, and this giveaway is an opportunity to take a little bit of time to celebrate you.
the following goodies are included:
to enter, follow the steps in the rafflecopter giveaway below. (i hope you win.)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
huge thanks to all of the sponsors for supporting me in this new chapter and donating such amazing prizes!
lila loves reading and dolls and art and science and fashion and a whole slew of other things. aside from books she’s been loving, here are a few things that have really caught her attention post birthday season (aside from the doll who she’ll be meeting christmas morning).
(not pictured here but totally awesome — roominate building set and giant colouring poster)
while i’m on a roll with the “gift guides” here, here are some goodies for the little boy or girl on your list that cole is either about to receive or has been enjoying lately. (and a couple that, really, are more for mom, but sure make his walls look good.)
(not pictured but currently high on the love list, anything from play doh, lego, or sands alive.)
so, this post is coming up on being seven months late or so, but with christmas right around the corner, i figured better now than never. it may be too late to pick up most of these things in time for the holidays, but these gifts (yes my friends have amazing taste and all of these goodies (aside from the baby book i won on instagram) were given to oscar) would be perfect for the expecting mama, new baby, or small child in your life — any time of year!
we woke up this morning to fresh groceries on our door step — that was awesome.
sustainable produce urban delivery (spud) has just launched in edmonton and we were lucky enough to receive a couple of sample boxes of local organic groceries this morning. (thanks spud!!) i may or may not have already placed my order for next week 😉
if you’re located in edmonton, calgary, vancouver, vancouver island, san fransisco or la, you can follow this link to get $40 off your first order of $60 or more.
happy grocery shopping! (from home. in your pyjamas. it’s amazing.)
ps. you’d better believe i ordered more cookies.
tomorrow is lila’s first day of grade one so i thought i’d post a few of our back to school essentials! it likely would have been more beneficial to the rest of you had i had posted this a few weeks ago, but in true andrea fashion, i picked up half of what is pictured today, and the other half (aside from li’s glasses) over the course of the last week. one day i’ll learn. . .
1. lunch bag (currently 40% off) with these containers inside. this is my first time ever having to pack lunches — i’ll try to remember to report back on how this combo works out for us!
2. backpack.
3. headphones. i don’t know about you but i sure don’t remember headphones on school supply lists when i was in school!
4. shoes and laces. finding the perfect pair of indoor shoes was definitely the most stressful part of back to school shopping for us — i have about eight pairs to return this week. . .
5. water bottle.
happy september!
i’m fairly certain most people that follow along here are quite familiar with this little habit of mine, but just in case you aren’t and because i left my big camera in my bag this weekend, here are some of my favourite recent phone photos.
this all feels a bit like a love letter, haha, but there is honestly just so much i love about instagram. i love the challenge of creating art with my phone camera (i’m not always toting my big camera around when my hands are full of three kiddos these days). there’s the fact that i don’t need to spend time sitting at my computer to quickly get a photo edited and uploaded (i use the pictapgo app), and all of the fun indie shops and designers i’ve come across (from kids’ clothes to toys to home decor and on and on), but most of all, it’s the community that keeps me coming back! i’ve connected with some amazing people and opportunities (along with with friends and family near and far) in the year and a half since i joined and am still finding awesome new gems every day.
for those who are interested, you can follow along with [even more of] our adventures over there — my user name is andreahanki — and if you leave your username below, i’d love to check out your feeds as well.
hope to see you there!
(along with all of the love though, i can’t help but mention all of the accounts that keep getting deactivated these days. . . hoping there will be some clarification of guidelines and a resolution soon so that we don’t have to stop posting photos of our kids being kids for fear of losing our whole accounts!)
after looking for an initial necklace for the past few years, i finally stumbled across the perfect one a couple of weeks ago, just in time to treat myself to a little birthday/mother’s day gift. copper, geometric and locally made, i fell in love pretty much instantly.
and now you can have one too! cheryl from cloud & lolly has offered up a custom copper initial necklace for one of you! want to celebrate your children? a loved one? yourself? choose a few letters and cheryl will hand stamp them, along with a teeny heart, in copper metal clay, creating a one of a kind keepsake for you to wear around your neck.
as always, there are a few ways to enter, and you’ll have to leave a separate comment for each entry (you will have left three comments once you’ve entered all three ways).
1. leave a comment below telling me whose initials you’d choose for your necklace
2. pin your favourite piece from the cloud & lolly shop on pinterest
3. follow cloud & lolly and me (andreahanki) on instagram
contest closes sunday, may 25.
good luck!!
so in love with this little app, and so excited to get a few of these wee prints up on the wall in lila’s room.
(if you want to see our vacation through the lens of my iphone, you can check out my instagram feed from the past couple of weeks — username: andreahanki)
lila’s christmas list this year included two items: 1) a book and 2) a doll, preferably one with glasses who has clothes that she can take on and off.
the book was easy — i already had a stash tucked away for her — but the doll with glasses was a bit trickier. when i finally came across one i knew she would love (complete with glasses, fringed booties, reversible poncho, tiny skirt and secret tattoo), less than two weeks before the holiday, i knew i was cutting it close; but the lovely april from riley construction did everything she possibly could to ensure my little lady could have her own bespectacled little friend under our tree.
that all said, i can’t think of a better giveaway to start off the new year, than one featuring one of lila’s favourite christmas gifts from the holidays — an awesome handmade doll from riley construction. (and based on the fact that i’ve already received a couple of emails and comments requesting more info on said doll after yesterday’s post, i think there may be a few of you who agree!)
as always, there are a few ways to enter, and you’ll have to leave a separate comment for each entry (you will have left three comments once you’ve entered all three ways).
1. comment below telling me which doll you would choose should you win (i’m partial to the hipster girl, geek boy and beach beauty myself.)
2. pin your favourite riley construction doll listing on pinterest
3. add one of the dolls to your etsy favorites
contest closes friday, january 10.
best of luck!!
if you’ve followed my blog for any period of time, you’ll be well aware that we love us a good bow tie (or necktie) in this house. and because october through january is crazy time for birthday and holiday parties around these parts, cole’s been sporting a lot of them these days. here are some of our favourites!
and a few fun related gifts for the bow tie lover in your life, because. . . well, why not? 😉
happy party season!
i picked up this little ballerina doll a few months back, and gave it to lila the other morning on her first day of ballet. she is totally smitten, so i thought it worth a share here 🙂 (plus, it’s about time i get back to posting more than just photos!)
happy friday!
anyone who’s been following this little blog for a while probably knows we’re pretty big fans of adventuring around here, so when i came across this screen printed map on etsy a while back, i knew our home had to have one.
now, thanks to colleen from walsh-walsh & son, one of you can have the map of your choice (and there are lots of choices!) for your home as well.
as always, there are a few ways to enter, and you’ll have to leave a separate comment for each entry (three comments if you enter all three ways).
1. leave a comment below with somewhere you love to head when you’re in the mood for adventure, or somewhere you’ve yet to travel to, but would like to see
2. pin the map listing on pinterest
3. add the map to your etsy favorites
contest closes friday, august 30
good luck, happy adventuring, and thanks again to walsh-walsh & son for this giveaway!
. . . . .
congratulations hannah!
i didn’t take any photos today, but i do have this to share 🙂
i know i’ve mentioned it before, but it can’t hurt to repeat — i am thoroughly smitten with uh oh my deer. thank you sweet kate, for your art, and for your generosity. i think you’re great.
i’ve been looking into cotton candy machines for a while now, so when the la shop contacted me with the opportunity to review one, i jumped at the chance. because really, (even though we used blue for most of the photos) is there anything that says ‘pink sugar’ more than a sweet puff of pink cotton candy?
the whole process is super simple: add the sugar (it comes included) to the pan, turn it on, and wrap the candy floss around a cone (not included — we made ours out of striped craft paper) as it begins spinning out. it’s the perfect little single serving, and each one only takes a couple of minutes, so making up a few cones was no problem. we did have some issues with the candy melting and sticking to the sides, but a little warm water rinsed that right off. overall, if you’re looking for a fun activity to do with your kids and don’t mind a bit of sugar once in a while, i’d definitely recommend looking into one of these cotton candy makers.
and as soon as i figure out a good way to package the stuff, my clients can look forward to their packages being just a little bit sweeter! …in the meantime, we’ll snack on it ourselves 😉
thanks again to the la shop for sending us this awesome kids’ cotton candy maker to review. make sure you take a minute to check out their site and see all of the other goodies they have to offer — they carry some photography gear alongside the fun novelty items 🙂
i think it goes without saying that this is pretty much my favourite thing in the world right now.
come back next week to win one of your family 🙂
happy saturday!
alongside a few sweet treats, this is what lila and cole found in their baskets this weekend 🙂
1. silicone doodle placement: this has already been coloured on by five people and it’s only been three days — want to start fresh? just wipe with a damp cloth and begin again.
2. wooden dinosaurs: a huge hit with all of us. lila prefers them to be made “properly” but mom and dad prefer our dinos mixed up 😉
3. 32 ways to dress a fox: drawing outfits for foxes, bunnies and pigs… need i say more?
as you may have gathered from the descriptions, all of these goodies have been a big hit for people of all ages and i think they’ll be enjoyed for a long time to come! (i’m already wishing i’d ordered more than five of the wee gallery doodle books.)
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