Your Number 1 Skin Care Product

I can’t believe that we are at the end of November! Christmas will be here before we know it and Summer is only a week away! Now to most people summer means being outdoors for long periods and enjoying the sunshine. Some people even sun-bake (which makes me cringe) but there is still a large percentage of you who still don’t wear sunscreen, even though you know you should.

Now as some of you know, I worked as a Skin Therapist for 10 years treating everything from acne, to freckles, hair, veins and pigmentation, including pregnancy related pigmentation. It didn't matter what I was treating, sunscreen was always my first recommendation. Sunscreen should be your number one skin care product. Period. I don’t care whether it’s Summer or Winter, I put sunscreen on every single day and it’s a routine I think everyone should get into the habit of. Sunscreen prevents sunburn, premature ageing, wrinkles, broken capillaries, age spots, skin cancer and pigmentation to name a few. Sun damage can take years to actually show on the skin but by looking after your skin and wearing sunscreen you will look years younger than others your own age.

Yes, the sun has its advantages and we do need the sun but we do need to be smart about it. In the top half of Australia, it can only take 10 minutes of accumulative, incidental sun a day to cause sun damage. The southern half wouldn't take much longer. That’s not very much at all considering for most of us it takes longer to drive to work! I saw more sun damage on the right side of the face when compared to the left side of the face in about 90% of my clients. The right side is the driver’s side.

 Australia has one of the highest skin cancer rates in the world so please think before you go outside and make sure you put your sunscreen on! Make sure it’s a 30+ or higher; remembering that just because it’s a higher SPF doesn't mean you should be out in the sun for long periods of time. Lastly, sunscreen works better when two layers are applied. Two layers ensures that you have covered all areas completely so layer up and make sure you reapply if you are out in the sun for long periods or if you go for a swim. Also remember that sunscreen isn't the only thing you need to protect yourself. Most of all though, enjoy Summer!

Until next time,

Kym and Kristy x

www.totalbagenvy.com.au

Top 10 Father's Day Ideas

TOP 10 FATHER’S DAY IDEAS

Father’s Day is just around the corner so I thought that I would share some fantastic present ideas for your Partner or Dad.

1.  

          FitBit Flex- I think this is an awesome idea! If your Dad/Partner needs to get fit this little device works a treat. The Fitbit Flex records steps taken, distance travelled, calories burned, hours of sleep and even their quality of sleep. 

1.      Grumpy Old Man Pills – make Dad laugh with some grumpy pills

1.      Every kid thinks their Dad is a Superhero so this poster is such a cute idea.

1.      A Wet/Dry Razor is always a good gift for the Dad who has everything.

1.       How about a Tool Kit! If Dad is handy around the house (or thinks that he is) it’s better to have some good tools on hand – and a handy man’s phone number within reach!

1.      If you are getting tools you might need a toolbox to put them in! Even better is if he doesn’t want it or use it, you can use it to organise your makeup!

1.      How about a Cookbook?? This works in your favour as well. He gets a present and it puts him in the kitchen or on the BBQ cooking for you!

1.      Make Dad laugh again with a good old Joke Book. You really can’t go wrong!

1.      Let Dad kick back with a DVD this Father’s Day. Although if you’re going to get the one below, please make sure the kids are fast asleep!

1.      If all else fails just get him a good old box of chocolates!

Whatever gift you end up giving I hope all the Father’s out there have a fantastic day!

Spring/ Summer Photo Shoot

Wow, what a weekend last weekend was. From 6am until 5pm it was go go go with our Spring/Summer Photo Shoot. We had some gorgeous models who are actual mums (not models) join us and we are so happy with the photos. Our photographer once again did an amazing job and has managed to capture exactly what we wanted. Our morning was spent at a park and our afternoon was spent at the beautiful Strand, right here in Townsville.

There were, of course, some hiccups. What do they say about working with children? Well, that is especially true when you are at a park and they would prefer to play rather than be with their parents! The 4 month old little boy was probably the best behaved! He even fell asleep!

Overall though it was such a fantastic day and I can’t wait to see the end results! And, of course, show you! I’ll let you know as soon as we receive them!

                                             www.totalbagenvy.com.au

Until next time,

Kym and Kristy xo

Be the first to see what's coming soon!

Can the year slow down please? We are at the end of July and it has just been so crazy busy that I feel like my list of things keeps getting longer! It's growing faster than I can cross them out! That might say more about my time management skills than anything else but I'm going with it.

Anyway, we have some super exciting things coming up. Like our "Real Mums" photo shoot for our Spring/Summer Collection. That is of course if they don't pull out - they are very nervous about being in front of the camera, but they are beautiful and we feel like every women should celebrate themselves. Plus, I love getting new photos and showing you our bags in a different way. I feel like you can get a better picture of the size and shape of the bags as well as seeing that it doesn't matter what colour you choose because our colours go with everything! Yes, even orange!

Also coming up is the relaunch of our very popular Nappy Clutch. We have glossed it up, added new features and made it a must-have item for your Nappy Bag. Here is a sneak peak:

More information will come soon as well as more photos! To be the first to see our photos of our 'real mums' photo shoot or of the new clutches join our newsletter at www.totalbagenvy.com.au
You can also 'Like' us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/totalbagenvy , and follow us on Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter!

Did I really write that bucket list?

So this is a bit off topic but a few years ago I wrote a bucket list of 30 things that I really wanted to do before I turned 30. Not in-depth stuff mind you, just fun things I wanted to try and do. Reading through them my first thought was, who wrote this?

Now I did write the list in conjunction with a friend so there is her influence throughout, but as I was reading it I realised how much difference a couple of years really makes. How much a person’s views can change, their ideals, their goals in life, everything. I don’t know whether it’s the transition from your 20’s to your 30’s, or just the very simple fact that I met the love of my life and the person I want in my future.

So, can one person really have so much of an impact on your life? From reading that list, the simple answer is yes!

Now, instead of planning parties and trips away with the girls, I’m now planning a future wedding (hasn't asked me yet though ;)) and babies and houses and grown up things. When you’re single you only have yourself to worry about, you can do as you please whenever you like and there is nothing wrong with that. Introduce one person into that equation though and everything changes. 

I know that this is something most of you already know and are thinking that I’m really slow, but when you haven’t met that person and have been single for most of your 20’s, you just don’t realise how much you change. 

If I wrote that list now, vodka watermelons would be replaced with having a baby and full moon parties would be replaced with a romantic weekend away or taking my nieces and nephews and (future) step son to a water park. In fact, I think I might rewrite it now. 35 things before 35 maybe?

What would change in your list?

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Top 3 Items For Your Nappy Bag!

We often get asked the question “what do you need to pack in your nappy bag?”.  

We put the question out to the fabulous mums in our Facebook group, and the results are in! 

• 1  Nappies and wipes, kept in the Total Bag Envy Nappy Clutch (more in stock soon);
• 2    Soft muslin wrap that can be used as either a wrap or blanket;
• 3    Dummy

What are your top 3 items?

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To join us on Facebook go to: www.facebook.com.au/totalbagenvy 

The reasons behind our Photo Charm

We have had some people asking about how we came up with the concept of our Photo Charm and it is such a beautiful story that we have to share it with you…

Imagine being 27 weeks pregnant with your first baby. You are so happy and excited and have been doing everything your doctor has told you. Then, without warning you go into labour. Happiness and excitement turn to fear and anxiety about your child’s life and whether they have developed enough to survive.

This was the reality for not one but two of our relatives, two weeks apart. One had a baby girl at 27 weeks and the other a baby boy at 29 weeks. Luckily and thankfully both babies survived and are now thriving but the weeks they encountered straight after their birth were terrifying. They both said that the hardest thing was not being able to hold their baby and the only way they could keep them close was through photos on their phone.

It was these stories and knowing there are plenty more out there, some without a happy ending that inspired our Photo Charm. We wanted to design a Photo Charm so that parents were just a glance away from their premmie baby, newborn, school child or family photo. Something they could keep close to them at all times whether it’s on their nappy bag, handbag or keys. The photo is easily changeable so that it can change as their family grows and changes. Or as a memory of how small they once were and the lifetime of memories that have been created ever since. 

                      http://www.totalbagenvy.com.au/photo-charm

EOFY Year One Day Sale!

We are having an End Of Financial Year One Day Sale!! 

30th of June Only!

Hurry, get in quick because it is only for one day and only while stocks last!

www.totalbagenvy.com.au

Introducing Madison!

Introducing Madison!

Last time we gave you a sneak peak into what our new design will look like and this week we wanted to show her off completely! Madison comes in gorgeous bright Red and Yellow and what also makes Madison so Unique and special is that she also come with a gorgeous Photo Charm! This photo charm is the first of its kind on a nappy bag and makes so much sense I don't know why we didn't do it earlier! The photo inside can be removed so that you can put your own photo of your family or little angel/s inside, personalizing every single bag.

Madison still comes with a change mat, insulated bottle holder and adjustable pram/shoulder strap but we have changed the inside slightly to make two larger elasticized pockets instead of three smaller ones. This is so that you now have the choice of standing nappies up in the pockets. There is also a key fob so that you will never lose your keys again! Just have a look at how gorgeous Madison is....

 

 

Madison will soon be available on our website so make sure you keep an eye out for her! 

www.totalbagenvy.com.au

Until next time,

Kym and Kristy x

What's that?

Our new bags should be available next week!! We are so excited we can’t contain it! This bag has everything our customers have asked for - and more!

Did we mention that this bag will have 5 different areas where you can keep bottles? Here are some more sneaky photos. 

Hmmm.. what’s that hanging off the front of the bag?

Keep an eye out for more sneak peaks here, on our Facebook page

www.facebook.com.au/totalbagenvy

and on our website:

www.totalbagenvy.com.au

Until next time,

Kym and Kristy x

Sneak Peak!

Hello hello! 

What an amazing couple of weeks we have coming up and I am so excited I just had to share it with you!

The cause of all this excitement is that we have an amazing new design coming out in two AMAZING colours! If you like things bright then this is the bag for you!

 Pre-Orders will be available soon so keep an eye out! Here is a sneak peak ;)

Keep an eye out for more images on either our Facebook page: 

www.facebook.com/totalbagenvy

Or on our website: www.totalbagenvy.com.au or right here.

Until next time,

Kym and Kristy

Last Minute Mother's Day Gift Ideas

If you are like me, you have only just realized that Mother's Day is this weekend and you still haven't gotten her a present! Oops. Luckily I have some ideas up my sleeve and all are from our website. Funny that ;)

Here are my choices that I think mum would LOVE!

Charlotte Nappy Bag

Lyla Nappy Bag

Derby Clutch

Glass stone Evening Clutch

All items are available from www.totalbagenvy.com.au 

We also have Gift Vouchers available and if you are worried that you won't receive it in time, just email us and we can email a card to say that it is on its way! Plus, enter code: spoilmum at the checkout and you will also receive $20 off your order! Mother's Day done easily :)

Until next time,

Kym and Kristy xo

Adelaide PBC!

I just wanted to do a shout out to the fantastic people of Adelaide! We were lucky enough to go there for the Adelaide Pregnancy, Babies and Children’s Expo (PBC) last weekend and we had such a great time. It was my first visit to Adelaide and I loved it! Everyone was so lovely to us so thank you for coming and saying hello. Our bags also did really well there with everyone loving all of our nappy bags, especially the Lyla!

I also have to thank my mum who helped me out. She was such a great help, from helping me put together a bookcase (which took nearly 2hrs to put together), to looking after our stall while I grabbed something to eat, I couldn’t have done it without her.

So thank you again Adelaide and I hope to see you all again soon!

                                            www.totalbagenvy.com.au

Because I'm Happy!!!!

Because I’m happy  (yep like the song) we are currently crushing on all things yellow! 

To be honest, I’ve never been a big fan of the colour yellow.  The main reason is that yellow washes me out and I look like something from the Walking Dead, so I’ve never had any reason to pick up anything yellow.  But Kristy has convinced me that yellow is the colour of the YEAR and has been shoving all things yellow in my face for the last couple of weeks. She even painted our office wall yellow!

And you know what?  It made me smile and it made me feel happy!  How bad can a colour be that makes you cheery?

Armed with a mood board of yellow products, we have been at work and have been playing around with some sketches to make you feel happy.  

I can’t wait to see what comes out of this happy mood we are in!

P.S We announce things first in our Newsletter and Facebook!

www.totalbagenvy.com.au

www.facebook.com/totalbagenvy

Until next time,

Kym and Kristy xx

Our Valentine’s Day Dinners – epic fail or raging success?

So, who knew that I could cook? Neither did I!! But… my Valentine’s Day dinner was a raving success! Must be all of those nights watching My Kitchen Rules! Or the fact I received a dozen red roses and a diamond ring (not that kind of diamond ring but still diamonds…) and was feeling on top of the world!

I said last time that I was cooking a special dinner for my boyfriend seeing he was only just getting back that day. So, of course I decided to cook things that I have never cooked before. I really wasn’t sure about my cooking capabilities but my thought process was that I still had a frozen pizza in the freezer and there are a variety of take away places close to my house, so if it all went horribly wrong we wouldn’t starve.

Unbelievably nothing went wrong!! I am now cooking extraordinaire! Ok, so I did have to ask him how to use the grill in my oven (I’m pretty sure it hadn’t been used in the seven years I have lived there! :/ ) and I did take longer than an MKR contestant to get all courses to him but he gave me a 10 out of 10 so I was pretty proud of myself. That was, of course, until he decided that now I can cook I should cook dishes like them all the time…..hmmm. What’s that? I think I need to do some more bag orders up…..

What did Kym and her husband do for Valentine’s Day? Well, surprisingly, he actually remembered! And brought home a cheesecake and tub of ice-cream, which Kym didn’t eat because she went to bed. Her husband also told her that he had tried to order her flowers. Tried to.  See, told you they are romantics!

I hope your Valentine’s Day dinners were really special too!

Until next time,

Kristy and Kym xo

www.totalbagenvy.com.au

Valentine's Day - Romantic or Over Rated?

So guess what is coming up next week? That's right, Valentine's Day!!! February is the month of LOVE and romance!

Kym and I have differing views of Valentine’s Day. She thinks it is over- rated, expensive and an excuse for people to buy presents for no reason. Kym and her husband have a deal that they don’t buy each other anything. I think that secretly she does want something, but won’t admit it! Kym would be over the moon with either a card, flowers or just an ‘I love you’ but I know for a fact that she would like a weekend away! Her husband is male however so he doesn’t really catch on to Kym looking him in the eye and saying ‘let’s go away for a weekend’ hint. So, they normally completely forget most special occasions and don’t give each other anything for Valentine’s Day, Anniversaries, Christmas….

Me on the other hand, well I have had a love/ hate relationship with Valentine’s Day. I have been single for more Valentine’s Day than partnered up, so those years I hated it (although occasionally I was still given roses so I loved those years!).  Now, however, I have an amazing partner and can’t wait for Valentine’s Day! He has already told me he is buying me a present and now I have the dilemma of what to buy him! He works away and only gets back on Valentine’s Day so we have agreed that I would cook a romantic dinner for us but presents are beyond me.

Yes, I agree that Valentine’s Day is expensive and an excuse to buy something for someone but what is wrong with that? What is wrong with wanting one night in the whole year when it is just about the two of you, showing each other how much they mean to you? I know that telling and showing each other how much they mean to you should be done every day but how many people actually do that? Especially when there are children involved and then most things revolve around them and they don’t understand that mum and dad need some time out from them! Their worlds revolve around them remember!

Either way, Kym and I wanted to share our picks for what we would be happy with. Kym is a mother to three lively boys so she would love the Lyla bag! It has heaps of room for everything her three boys would need and she thinks this would be such a gorgeous present for other mums or mothers to be.

                                                http://www.totalbagenvy.com.au/nappy-bags

My pick, being without children, would prefer one of our gorgeous handbags, clutches or evening bags. I have had my eye on a couple for a while, just didn’t know how to sneak them past Kym!  I also think they would be the perfect present because they are all ON SALE!! That means getting an amazing present without the expensive cost. You could also just buy one for yourself and tell your partner he bought it….or it has been in the cupboard for ages! lol.

http://www.totalbagenvy.com.au/handbags

 

http://www.totalbagenvy.com.au/evening-bags

So whether you have Kym’s views of Valentine’s Day or mine, we both hope you have a fantastic (and romantic) day. You can view the rest of our bags at www.totalbagenvy.com.au

Until next time,

Kym and Kristy xx

2014 - Such Possibilities!!

I like the thought of 2014.  It’s a nice even number, and already January is almost over and this year is looking pretty good.  I can’t say that I’m sad to see the back of 2013 for so many reasons, both personal and business wise.

First our factory just “disappeared”.  Yep, that’s right. One day we were skyping about a new design and getting emails about material prices, and literally the next day we got nothing.  No phones answered, emails returned, and even our agent in China could not get through to speak to anyone.  Very strange and very stressful!  It took us a long time to find another factory that was able to produce our designs and vision with the quality we expect and you deserve. 

But… we did find one that we are very happy with, and as a result, we have the stunning Lyla and the elegant limited edition Charlotte. 

                                                   

                       

www.totalbagenvy.com.au/nappy-bags

This year, we have so many exciting things that we can’t wait to share with you.  Our factory in China is now closed until mid -February for Chinese New Year celebration, but after that it is full steam ahead.  While the factory is closed, it allows us to focus on finalising new designs and work on some other projects we have in the pipe lines.

We are also doing a little bit of travelling this year and heading to Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane for the first time, so keep an eye out for dates and come and say hello. 

 We are also having a big spring clean of our office, so ‘Like’ us on Facebook to be sure that you grab a bargain in our Sample/Hurt sale.  Also, make sure you sign up to our newsletter to be the first in the know as well as get additional exclusive offers. You can sign up at www.totalbagenvy.com.au

Until next time

Kristy & Kym xxx 

Going Back to Work...

How do you cope with going back to work after the holidays? I think this is probably the most asked question after the Christmas/New Year period. Immediately the brain goes to ‘I don’t want to’ because even after a short break, you’re in holiday mode and want to stay there! Any kind of decision making or work is way too hard to even begin to comprehend.

The good news? After a few days back at work it won’t even feel like you went on holidays! Ok, I’m still trying to decide whether that is the good news or bad news.

My advice? Do a job you LOVE! You know that old saying, ‘If you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life’? I happen to think it’s true. Try to find enjoyment in your job and really, if you applied for the job, there must have been something that you thought you would enjoy. Otherwise, just take things one day at a time and look at your bank account at the end of the week. J

If you still hate, and I mean hate, being there, you should probably quit and find something that you will enjoy. We spend more hours at work than with loved ones at home so you may as well make the most of it and find a job that not only challenges you but fulfills you.

Apparently January is a big month for people changing jobs and I say good on them. I believe life is all about taking chances. You took a chance with a first date and a first kiss with someone and the only bad thing that may have happened was that it didn’t work out. If you change jobs and it turns out you don’t like it, at least you took a chance. 

What if you did like it? What if it was exactly what you wanted to do?

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