Baby Shower gifts...

In the last post I wrote about the baby shower for DsD2 and said I would write about the gifts DH and I gave, in a separate post. 

We did pay for the super dooper pram that the young parents had decided on, but of course some extra goodies were collected ready for the baby shower...and wasn't it fun buying those!! 

This is the little bundle of gifts, presented in a basket which I had bought from Howard's Storage World.

We don't know what sex the baby is, so I used blue, pink and yellow gift paper, with a blue/mauve bow attached to the basket.

One of the gifts, we bought way back in August from a shop in Sausalito...

From the Karuna Hospice Christmas markets, we had bought a cloth book, (no photo), and this item...

Looks like a giant clutch purse doesn't it? Lol

Open the flap...

The bird fabric is actually laminated fabric...

Unroll a bit more...some flaps...

Open up the flaps...

Lots of waterproof 'space' there...but what about those flaps?

They are actually pockets...

And now you probably know for sure what this 'giant clutch purse' is...

Yes, a change mat! With a couple of disposable nappies in one pocket and a small packet of baby wipes in the other flap, and a waterproof surface, it's all set up for nappy changes when mum and baby are out. 

There were a lot of young mums there and they had never seen something like this...they clustered around to examine it, looking carefully at how it was made. I had bought something similar at the Canberra Bus Depot Markets in 2009 to give to my niece. She had always said it was the most useful gift she received when she became a mum. I'd remembered that and was determined to find one (or make one if I absolutely had to) for DsD2. So a big tick there for this stepmum! Lol

There was also a 'burp towel' that my friend Beryl makes...a good quality white towelling nappy (diaper) on which she cross stitches the word 'Burp' with other little designs embroidered as well...a very swanky towel to mop up food 'overflow'. 😊 (forgot to take that photo too)

And I wrapped up one more gift. DsD3 bought a onesie while we were in Canada for us to bring back on her behalf...and I did photograph it!

And that's a wrap of the gifts we gave...

Shopping trip....

Early in November this year, I had put on my 'Santa list' that I would really like a 2 tier fruit bowl. Having a tiny kitchen with very little bench space I've been finding my fruit bowl can't handle the volume of fruit. We refill it a few times a week with the overflow going into various other bowls. Which means less bench space for food prep. So one day I had the 'lightbulb moment' that a 2 tier bowl could be the answer. 

I remembered those ones from my 50/60s childhood...you know the ones that were a wire framework with thin plastic tubing woven through the wire? I thought a more recent design in wire would be nice, so it went on that list. Now Santa maybe couldn't find one...or more likely, his intermediaries ( the family) couldn't find one????? 😳 Lol.

So today DH and I went to the nearest Howard's Storage World store, and what did we find? Yep...those tiered bowls were there. And now one of them is on our kitchen bench! 

Still lots more room after emptying the contents from the old bowl into the new...

And look what else came home with us...just pure indulgence! Up until now, we've kept the pods in the boxes they come in, but now they have a new home...hmmm, wasn't I trying to clear up bench space???

And instead of 2 small utensil containers, we bought one big one...

So much for decluttering...but I think I have a little bit more bench space. 

(Purely for photographing purposes, the coffee pod holder and the utensils' holder were moved from their 'spots' to get the best light)