'Message in a Bottle' Kickstarter Kick Off: 5 Reasons to Get Involved

I've been part of a book launch team behind the scenes for a little while now and I'm delighted to share that the wonderful team behind this new personalised children's book has now kicked off their Kickstarter campaign. The next phase of 'Message in a Bottle' is here and you can be a part of it.

There are a couple of reasons I got involved in this book:

1. As an expat, I love the idea behind this book. You compose the message and it gets delivered in a personalised book to that special child in your life. For those of you who don't get to live on the doorstep of grandchildren, nephews, nieces, godchildren or your friends' children, this is a great way of letting them know you're thinking of them - and whenever they read the story they are reminded of you. This is such a great way to say something special that will always be remembered.

2. My boys LOVE seeing their own names in a book, with them being woven into a story. What child doesn't?

3. The illustrations in 'Message in a Bottle' are just gorgeous.

4. The message you can send a child is flexible. And that's unique. Often a message is restricted in a personalised book, or comprises just a name and one line. Message in a Bottle goes above and beyond the normal idea of a personalised book!

5. I love books. My kids love books. The End.

So how can you get involved too? Head over to the 'Message in a Bottle' Kickstarter page and watch the video, which tells you lots more and introduces you to the story maker and ilustrator. Then pick one of the great Kickstarter rewards and make your pledge. It's as easy as that.

Sticker Kid Name Labels (With Discount)

I have three boys in three different classes at school. That means there are a lot of belongings flying around outside our home: lunch boxes, beakers, coats, gym clothes, school bags, scarves, hats, and the peskiest of all, gloves. And I have to ask where something is on a weekly basis when my children come bounding out of school at lunchtime or home time.

So my sons have labels and stickers on everything they own. They are actually lucky I haven't covered them in name labels......

The latest stickers I've gotten my paws on are from Stickerkid, a Swiss company that operates worldwide. I ordered a starter pack that contains 94 stickers: 60 name labels for practically all non-clothes items, that can withstand the microwave and dishwasher and freezer, 20 iron on clothes stickers and my favourite, 14 shoe stickers. The latter came in particularly handy with the children having to leave their shoes everywhere for Sinterklaas......

They have name labels for just about anything you could imagine! And all those stickers are a great stocking filler idea for older kids......

If you'd like to get your hands on your own supply of Stickerkid labels head over to their website and

get a 10% discount on your order simply by using the code: 

10discountSGSTICKERKID

*This is a sponsored post. I received the starter pack of stickers free to test and review. I receive no further compensation for any items purchased.*

The Gift of Family Memories: Eye for Life Photography

Looking for a festive gift that doesn't clutter? A gift that lasts forever? A gift that any family would cherish? Then I have just the perfect idea for you.

The gift of a photo session. 

My family has had a few photo sessions and the results hang in our home. We see them daily and they make us smile. That's a special gift to give - even to give yourselves!

Sinterklaas Present Tip - Get Dutched Up!

Sinterklaas is weer in het land! So it's time to get your thinking caps on and fill those shoes! Get Dutched up! for that expat or Dutchie in your life.......

"Dutched Up! is a compilation of stories from Expat Women Bloggers living in the Netherlands. The book covers a wide range of topics about everyday life as seen through the eyes of a foreigner. Some are funny. Others have a wealth of professional information. Yet other stories are sad, shocking or surprising. 

There is one thing we can guarantee about this book. If you have ever lived in the Netherlands, at least one story in it will resonate with you. In all likelihood, there are a lot of stories that will sound familiar and have you nodding your head in agreement or shaking it in shared frustration. This book will help you appreciate the many moments of beauty, learning and growing."

Get Dutched Up! for Sinterklaas

If you go down to the ABC bookshop in The Hague today you're sure to get a surprise.

If you go down to the book shop today you won't believe your eyes.

Dutched Up! is there adorning the shelves in the company of some amazing expat books.

If you can't make it to The Hague then you can also grab yourself a copy with a few strokes of your keyboard:

 

Or if you live local to Zoetermeer than you can get a copy from me.

With Sinterklaas fast approaching this book makes a great gift for the expat in your life - as well as all your Dutch friends!

Perfect Gifts to Capture Your Expat Stories

Sometimes you find a product you love so much you need to shout about it - and that's why I'm putting Gadanke journals in the spotlight. It's that time of the year when we're all looking for those perfect Christmas gifts and Gadanke products are very special indeed. Gadanke is an award winning handmade journal shop using eco-friendly materials. That's it in a nutshell, but there's oh so much more.

The Story Behind Gadanke

The story of how Gadanke came about is wonderful, the idea behind the journals is heart tingling and the journals themselves are awesome.

The Expat Bit

Katie Clemons is the face behind Gadanke, (which comes from the German word for idea or thought). Whilst living in Berlin with her German husband she crafted her first journal.

And here's another awesome bit: Katie now lives in a converted airplane hangar in the Rocky Mountains in the US, having just moved out of a tire house. You can follow the couple's creation of and move into their dream home via Katie's Making This Home blog.

But what I like best of all is that Katie's journals are more than pieces of paper strung together so that she can make a living. To Katie, it's much, much more and that is so evident in the pieces she handcrafts. She doesn't just make and sell journals, she prompts journal owners to celebrate their story, to get memories down on paper, to record the past for the future. In her own words,

"I believe story is power. It enriches our lives, challenges us to dream bigger, and strengthens future generations."

Katie has a Facebook page where she regularly poses questions that often make me stop what I am doing to cast my mind back. Here's an example:

"You and I are 10 years old. It snowed 12", and now we've got the whole day to play. What should we do?"

Where do you go when you think about the answer to that question? I was instantly taken back to my childhood days with my younger brother wrapped up in winter coats, woolly hats, scarves and gloves, playing in the garden trying to make a snowman. We'd beg and forage for all the bits we could use for the snowman's eyes, nose, arms...... I hadn't been to that place for a long time! It was so great to pause and rewind to the past.

Gadanke Journals

Gadanke journals are made predominantly from recycled papers and contain not only writing prompts but embellishments such as tags, little envelopes or library cards, stickers or carnival tickets. The themed journals make the perfect gift for expats.


Take the "Love where we Live" journal. Many expats move from place to place and this journal helps expats capture the essence of the place they call home. Not just bricks and mortar but what makes the town you live in tick? How does it smell? What happens there? What does the room you play in look like? Capture it. Record it. Celebrate it. When your expat adventures are over you'll have a collection of stories and memories to treasure and share with your children and their children.

What Expat Stories Have you got to Share?

Stories about expat life cry out to be captured, as Katie so wonderfully sums up,

"As expats, we're venturing into this all-new territory. Even the simplest things like grabbing a few towels at the store becomes a challenge because first you have to figure out which store sells towels! You can have the funniest experiences as well as the most frustrating. I still remember my classmates in language class pronouncing my name "Kevin"! But how much of these stories would you and I remember if we didn't pause to document them? I think that it's so important for an expat to journal. Trust me. It helps you work through your experiences. It helps you celebrate them! So many former expats have told me, "I wish I'd written that down. I wish I could remember how I felt and what it was like."

Your story matters. This adventure you're navigating through matters."

And I couldn't agree more.

I haven't even gotten round to mentioning the baby and wedding journals, kids' journals and the journal to help you find direction, to capture your travel adventures, the mother and son or daughter journals, to record recipes.... phew, you know what there are so many more why don't you head over to Gadanke and check it out for yourself.

Links to Gadanke are affiliate links.*

Christmas Gifts Crafted by Creative Expats: La Petite Lulu's Soft Toys

Meet Beckett the Bassett Hound
who is soon to join our family
(c) La Petite Lulu

It's nearly here.... the festive season is approaching fast. Sinterklaas is about to hit town so it's time for those gift ideas I promised courtesy of creative expats. This week something very special for the little people in your life. Or come to think of it, for the big people too.

First up is La Petite Lulu's wonderful handmade soft toys for babies and children. Unbeknown to my children they will each be the proud and happy owner of a unique cuddly animal on the 5th December. That's if I can wait that long to give the softies to them and not put them in their shoes before pakjesavond. I've seen them with my own eyes, and felt them with my own hands - they are unbelievably cute, so soft and brilliantly unique. I know these are the toys that my boys will have stashed away in years to come as a memory of their childhood.

Luana, an Australian expat living in the American state of California, lovingly crafts these softies from recycled fabrics and they are all incredibly affordable, even if you take postage from the USA into account.

Some of you expats here in the Netherlands may know Luana already as up until March this year she called the Netherlands home. That's how I came to be a follower of her expat adventures from pregnancy through to first time motherhood via her La Petite Lulu blog. And now, whilst her son is napping Luana is busy crafting these little masterpieces.

Custom made Monty the
Monkey
(c) La Petite Lulu

From dinosaurs to cars, and fairies to flowers, La Petitie Lulu has a range to fulfill every boy or girl's wish. However, if your child's favourite animal or item isn't on display.... she's happy to take custom orders. That's how Monty the Monkey was born - I asked Luana if she could make a monkey and two days later she sent me a photo of her creation. You can't get a more unique gift than that!

Here are just some of the cuties she has created:

Monty's cousin Moe
(c) La Petite Lulu

Little Gray Car
(c) La Petite Lulu

Blossom the bird
(c) La Petite Lulu

Bernard the beaver
(c) La Petite Lulu

To make one of these little treasures a member of your family head on over to her Etsy shop. But wait, one more thing before you disappear... for readers of this blog there is an exclusive discount of 15% off La Petite Lulu's softies. Just enter the code DOUBLEBUGGY at the Etsy checkout.

**I would just like to mention that I am not receiving any commission for promoting any items in this blog series - I am just sharing the love for creative expats because their products are awesome!! :-)**

Gift Ideas Courtesy of Creative Expats

Tis almost the season of giving...
Photo: Desing123

The season of giving is almost upon us. If you are here in the Netherlands then the good Sint is about to hit town and children are about to go insane with excitement as we build up to pakjesavond on the 5th December. Then of course we have Christmas a few weeks after. I'm already in gift buying mode on full throttle because much of the gift list will have to be sent to other countries, by virtue of the fact that I'm an expat.

So I've found some gifts that are worth sharing with you for the festive season, and the creators or business owners are all expats or have an expat link.  Whats more, and something I am soooo excited to share, watch this space for exclusive discounts for some of the amazing gift ideas coming up over the next couple of weeks.