things they are-a-changing...

ele-ahbaant is coming of age...

what do I mean?

well to explain, I need to start a bit from the beginning,
I promise I'll try to keep it brief!

so here, in a nutshell, is the journey so far...

I have 3 children.

my son (10 yrs old) mister blister, although I guess he's nearly too old for that moniker

1st daughter (8 yrs old) chicken-licken, more often than not, the chookin', although she did announce at around 4 yrs old, that she was no longer "chicken", but would henceforth be known as "chicken chicken running rooster"

& the 'baby girl' who is really not a baby, "I is little girl mummy" (2 & 1/2) known as Arwi-la, or la-la

When my son was born, all those years ago, I was pretty disappointed & frustrated by most of the clothing readily available,

things hadn't changed by the time my second daughter was born.

I experimented during this time with making a few simple pieces of clothing & screen printing some tee's

pretty funky I might say, but just to amuse myself really :)

then the 'big gap' & the decision to have another child led to late nights spent on the net, most often with a sleeping baby on my lap

again, I was frustrated by baby clothes that were too pink/purple & garish, too covered in advertising, too many trucks, superheroes, cars & dumb slogans... (I'm sure you know what I mean!)

well, long story short, I began to make some simple clothing for my daughter, dabbling in some applique` which drew much admiration from those who saw it, so off to market we went!

Perth Upmarket was where it all began with ele-ahbaant, the name supplied by my husband's childhood.

but along the way I had discovered some other labels that I just 'had to have' & so I went on to grow the store, expand the range & scour the www for anything new, interesting, quirky & covetable!

so, the coming of age bit?

Mmmmnn, well that bit's coming very soon, but it involves a name change, a separation of my handmade line & my online store & a new direction for my blog, because you see, I haven't stopped looking! but honestly, there's only so much I can have (well, at once anyway) so my blog will become a broader, whimsical wish list of things I'd like to stock, things I may stock, & things I just like.

I'd love you to visit,

I'd love you to follow me,

& I'd love you to contact me if you have or discover something you'd like to see featured

see you there?

whimsychild

Funky Little Darlings

Always on the lookout for new & interesting things, 

with 'unique' & 'funky' being a high priority.

Well, need I say more, really these pictures say it all.

available now through ele-ahbaant

gorgeous prints:

Funky Wall Paper:

Wall Stickers:

& Wall Scenes: 

I think we might use this one for our youngest's room when we finally get to renovating it!

I love it!

Recent Arrival- Llum

It's been a while since I updated on 'what's coming in'.

There's loads of very exciting, beautiful clothing coming in soon to ele-ahbaant, but I thought I'd show one of our recent arrivals that I'm completely in love with.

Llum

“Llum” (pronounced "loom") means light:

light that dances on puddles, glows through pigtails and cowlicks, kisses tears as they fall, and breaks into radiant colors after a storm.  The light within the child is a pure, creative energy—one that organically cultivates individualism, personality, and style.  

Llum, creates harmony through comfort and simplicity, designing first for the child’s freedom of movement.

Adjustable pieces and relaxed cuts ensure an easy and long-wearing fit for each child.  Artful and functional forms encourage natural movement.

Reversible and interchangeable pieces create a custom look, and wear beautifully all day long, through spills and tumbles from breakfast to bedtime.

Llum clothing is rugged enough for play, but still very much dressed.  It transitions effortlessly from the sandbox, to the ice cream truck, to the main event.

Available now at ele-ahbaant

to trampoline... or not to trampoline?

It's school holidays (as I'm sure most of you know) & I'm sorry that this blog has been so sadly neglected, but in an effort to not neglect my children, I just haven't got there!

I wrote this around a week ago... here's just a slice of our holidays so far

To trampoline or not to trampoline?

In our house, that really is the question at the moment.

My sister & I had a trampoline growing up and we LOVED it!

We spent hours & hours bouncing our hearts out!

My husband & I decided to get the kids a trampoline a few years ago for Christmas. A joint present between parents & grandparents (a fun night had by all... Christmas Eve, in the dark, putting together a trampoline :)

The look on the kid's faces when they woke in the morning to a massive tramp was priceless! Straight on, & have probably been on every day since. We have a tiny yard, so our initial reaction after setting it up was 'oh no, what have we done!' It takes nearly a quarter of our yard, but after seeing how much they use it, and how much they love it, we decided it was absolutely the best use of that quarter of the yard.

So... to not trampoline?

well, there's always that thing of broken limbs isn't there?

Eldest daughter, the chookin' was the first.

Ankle.

Nice clean break.

Tendon pulled the bone till it cracked.

Friends said: "see they're dangerous"

"that's why we'll never have a trampoline"

"I bet you wish you didn't have one now"

& multiple variations on this theme.

We defended it of course.

Despite the broken ankle, we believed the fun, enjoyment, exercise the kids got from that circle of anti-gravity was soooo worth it.

Terribly unfortunate that Kamikaze chick broke her ankle, but although we wished it hadn't happened, we didn't wish the tramp away.

A little bit harder to feel so convicted with the second broken bone.

Mister Blister.

Forearm.

Nice Clean Break.

40% of boys will break their arm... blah blah blah

As I write this I'm sitting in the ward at PMH (Can't thank the nurses & doctors enough for their treatment & care) waiting (a very long wait) to have his arm set properly.

Watching my son, pale-faced in pain.... I have to say, to trampoline or not to trampoline....

that really is the question.

a One-derful Birthday

A first birthday is always cause to celebrate, a milestone reached.

A first birthday for a business is no less cause for celebration.

Such a learning curve, such a journey of ups & downs, and I'm sure there'll be more to come, but a milestone reached nonetheless.

If you haven't already signed up for our newsletter, you may want to so you can find out exactly how we are going to celebrate- or check out the facebook page to catch up with all the 'goings on'

to all those who have helped ele-ahbaant along the way-

Thank you.

without you- there would be no celebrating :)

music, music, music!

It's hard to find the right balance- for any mum.

In my case, the balance has to be divided between my children (three of them)

my husband,

ele-ahbaant,

& my lesser known life as a musician.

yes, in my 'other life' I'm a musician.

a career in music is varied to say the least-

as part of my 'job' as a musician, I perform;

everything from performances with Orchestras, through to Jazz, to cover bands, to working in clubs with DJ's!

and I teach- music of course :)

primarily saxophone, but also piano, flute & clarinet.

I'm often asked the question by other mum's

"When should my child start to learn a musical instrument?"

to which of course the answer is,

"how long is a piece of string?"

There is sooooo much research now expounding the benefits of learning a musical instrument.

these benefits range from social, intellectual, educational, physical, emotional and many, many more, but when?

the answer lies within your child.

There are advocates for early starts, & advocates for late starts.

Personally, I advocate starting when the child is ready- & I guess this is the tough question.

I have taught 6 yr olds who have been diligent & focussed & I've taught 30 yr olds who don't practice, forget their music, fail to remember lessons & really don't seem to understand what their role in learning is.

Your child needs to be ready to take on responsibility for their own learning- to a degree of course.
They need to understand that it's not all going to be easy & they will have to work at it, but that it will be worth it in the end.
They need to have patience & perseverance.
tough call isn't it?

I also stress to parents that sometimes it may turn out to be

not the 'right time',

but it doesn't mean that it's the end.

sometimes, it may not be the right instrument,

but it doesn't mean it's the end...

Whilst we're not all going to end up being professional musicians, I could list many, many professional musicians who have broken the rules- started too late, changed their focus instrument, stopped playing for an extended period of time... the list goes on.
We might not all perform music, but we are all surrounded by music in various shapes & forms- just think of the impact music has on our mood, on setting the scene in a film or play, think about how much children love singing, dancing, clapping & moving to music.
A healthy understanding leads to a healthy appreciation.

I do encourage, for all parents, that they surround their children with music, play as many styles as you can!

surround them with instruments.

of course our kids are spoilt for choice with instruments- a perk of being in the industry, but it doesn't have to be expensive-

try filling a plastic jar with rice as a shaker- kid's love it!

lay out the tupperware like a drum kit- chopsticks are fun to use.

& cardboard tubes make great didgeridoos.

then there's the old favourite of filling glasses or jars with different levels of water-

experiment with the sounds you can get.

At the end of the day, really the only thing that counts,

the really important thing ~

teaching letting them enjoy music!