Category: interview

Fun interview with PE’s own Barbie :)

Leave a comment

You know how I said I would be giving some Christmas ideas over the next couple of weeks?
Well I started with Love My Home and the super cute onsies last week…and this week I have a bit of a treat in the form of an interview with Barbie… You know so you can have Barbie at your Christmas party, duh
Allow me to explain myself…Barbie In The Bay is a great local service where Nelson Mandela Bay children can invite Barbie to come and play with them on their birthday. It’s such a cute concept I just had to chat to Kelly Rose, our very own Barbie

 
 
 
 
Tell us about yourself and family

I am an outgoing, friendly mother of 2 daughters. A 3-year-old and 18-month-old, who keep me very busyJ  I love the outdoors and spending time with family and friends.  I run my church’s Moms Group, as well as being a Sunday School teacher.  I am a stay at home mom, but also have a side-line business Rose Events in which I do party planning; I especially love children’s parties.  And of course, I am BarbieJ        

 
What do you offer?

I offer three packages all based on a 2 hour party, but I am willing to tailor them to suit people’s needs.  My first package, I come dressed as the preferred Barbie character and interact with the children, ie play the games with them, have photos with them.  In my second package, I come dressed as the preferred Barbie character and interact with the children as well as either face paint or do manicures depending on the age of the children and what the parents request.  In my third package, I come dressed as the preferred Barbie character, interact with the children, do bubbles, face paint or manicures, balloon animals, treasure hunt, and then depending on the party and the children I read a Barbie story to them. 

 
How well has the concept been received thus far

Pretty well actually! I have been hired for quite a few parties already for little girls ranging in age from 2 upwards.  And I even have bookings in January and was recently asked for a booking in April 2015!  The girls at the parties love Barbie and Barbie loves spending time with themJ

 
How did the idea come about?

Haha!  It came about quite by chance actually and I owe my friend a big thank you for that!  She was having a Barbie party for her daughter’s 4th birthday and wanted a real Barbie to be there, so she asked me!  I’m the kind of person who wants to try do things properly and well, so I prepared some bubble wands, a story, manicures and the children loved it!  I even had a little boy have his nails painted blue by Barbie!  I then had moms at the party ask me for my details so they could hire me for their children’s parties.  I went home and googled Barbie in Port Elizabeth and found that Johannesburg and Cape Town both have their own Barbies, but not Port Elizabeth.  So I went from there, and now Port Elizabeth has its own Barbie.

 
Are you a Barbie fan yourself?

Yes I am!  I grew up with lots of Barbie and Ken dolls, and used to play for hours with them.  I had the house, the pool, the car, etc.  I definitely am a real Barbie girlJ

 
Do you still have a collection?

The ones that I do still have now belong to my 3 year old daughter who is crazy about Barbie.

 

Since they love, Barbie, what do they think about having Barbie for a mom?

It’s actually very funny, but my daughters don’t know that Barbie is their mother!  I have the thickest false lashes and dress up quite a bit so they haven’t recognised me yet.  I even “visited” my daughters at home and got told to please leave!  My 3 year old loves seeing Barbie at parties but was very uncomfortable having Barbie visit her at home!

 

What is the most memorable time you have had as Barbie?

I would have to say a recent party I did for a four year old little girl.  I got to not only be Barbie at her party, but also plan the whole party under my other company Rose Events, as she was coming down from Zambia.  I usually get hired to either be Barbie at a party or plan the party as the planner, so it was so nice to have a very pink Barbie themed party and be able to show her everything that had been prepared for her while being Barbie at the same time.    

 

Any chance of doing Disney princesses or are you strictly a Barbie girl?

 Haha!  As one of my dresses is ice blue, I have been asked quite a number of times if I can be Elsa from Frozen.  I haven’t totally decided, so would possibly consider doing them, but I would need to try alter my look a little as the little girls of PE are getting to know my face as Barbie.

 

How can people contact you?

roseeventssa@gmail.com
Barbie in the bay on facebook

Sometimes I interview myself…mainly because I can

2 Comments
So I have been interviewing a bunch of mom’s who blog recently and thought it would only be right if I answered the questions myself so here goes:
-What do you do when not blogging?
I work  in the newspaper industry, I take pictures, I craft, but mostly I hang out with my two favourites…Rob and Aidan

-What made you decide to blog?
When I made the move from full time reporter to working on the design side of things I knew I would miss writing so I started the blog so I would have a place to put my thoughts…Also I used to blog as a reporter and missed it.
-What was your concept your blog?
I have my photography at mybutterflylens but over here it started out being mostly fashion and events, but as I changed the blog changed with me and now I think I have 5 main sub categories: Weekend in Pictures, Being Mom, Crafts, Interesting people and Fashion (this includes hair and beauty) I always wanted to journal my journey to being a exercisy type but since that journey is still to be embarked upon I haven’t blogged about that, hehe…
-Did you find yourself nervous at prospect of letting people into your life in this way?
It’s weird I see myself as a private/shy person and I think the blog gives me a fake sense of security…it never feels like people I know read it so it doesn’t matter, hehe…you should see my shock when people comment.
-Do you ever worry that your kids will be like “mom why are you exposing my life?” 
I made a conscious decision to only be very open about him while he is still little…but the older he gets the more I want to protect him and his privacy. But for now I put a lot of safety measures in place in real life but on the net I’m like every other proud mom who just wants to brag with their baby every now and again.
-Does your family read your blog?
I’m always surprised at who reads my blog, according to stats, most readers aren’t even from South Africa…my family only really read when I tell them I mentioned them, I think I talk to much in real life they don’t still need it in writing, hehehe
-What do you hope to achieve through the blog?
This is really just soooo much fun, I love sharing places and things and especially the how-to’s. My blog is a hobby and I wrote it religiously when the only person that read was my husband and like two friends and I will continue to do so because it’s fun….But I must admit I get a real kick out of people commenting and telling me they see something the way I do 🙂
-What do you think about the blogging culture in South Africa?
All I know is that I’m still small potatoes, compared to the rest of SA but hey SA was small potatoes until recently and suddenly blogging is big in the country and it’s great because I LOVE reading about other people’s lives… I’m a legit stalker like that 
-What do you think makes for a “good blog”
I love good pictures and funny honest writing. I would go back to a blog if it has that

-How do you personally measure success in the blogging world
I think the day a pr company sends me something more than a press release I’d be like, whoa go me! hehehe, but seriously  I think everyone measures success differently, to me it’s like if I can keep my loyal readers entertained then I win, hehehe. 

The head and heart behind SA mom blogs

Leave a comment
Recently I have been raving about the moms I have met through SA mom blogs so I thought it would only be right to introduce you to the lady who started the whole initiative Heather Step…Reading her blog you get the feeling that you are listening to an old friend, she just has that comfortable niceness about her which makes you feel like you would trust her with your secrets within half an hour of meeting her…weird but true.
Here what Heather has to say:
Displaying Nicky-and-me-at-Wimpy.jpg



-I love what you are doing bringing all the SA mom bloggers together, where did the idea come from?
I guess the idea really came from frustration of getting all these USA mom blogger opportunities in my inbox, knowing that I couldn’t participate because they are overseas. I see how established mom bloggers are in other countries and I want that for us. I so enjoy writing, and it would be wonderful to start something to bring us together and see where it can go. I have just discovered this site britmums.com and have been dreaming a little!
-What made you decide to blog in the first place?
I started blogging to document my infertility journey. I attended an online fertility telesummit and got clicking away, one thing led to another and I saw this advert for the fertility blogs. I started there, then I moved to my own domain (surviveandthrive.co.za) and later after hacking, moved to onestepatatime.co.za.
-What was your concept behind the whole thing?
I started out just to survive my infertility experience and connect with other bloggers going through the same thing. Now it is about surviving the toddler years! I am just taking it one step at a time!
-Did you find yourself nervous at prospect of letting people into your life in this way?
I initially kept it to myself but now I’ve made it more public. I think the biggest risk was writing about my parenting opinions (attachment parenting, extended breastfeeding) and knowing that not everyone I know would agree. At the end of the day I am documenting my experiences and the ups and downs of trying to parent as best as I can, and although it may make me vulnerable, it also has brought some fantastic friendships and connections.
-Do you ever worry that your kids will be like “mom why are you exposing my life?” (I worry sometimes)?
I do worry about that. I think while they are little it isn’t such a big deal, but as they get older I predict my blog will probably change and I might focus on other things. We’ll see…
-Does your family read your blog?
Yes. My mom even comments sometimes. My husband helps me edit occasionally.
-What do you hope to achieve through the blog?
I hope to create a supportive platform for those going through infertility and for moms battling parenting struggles. For my SA Mom blogs site I would like to create more connections and increase the numbers on the blogroll. From there on I would like to build it up into a real blog resource for SA Mom Bloggers.
-What do you think about the blogging culture in South Africa?
I have met some awesome bloggers so far but I feel like I am a bit of a newbie on the SA blog scene. Even though I have been blogging since 2010 and connecting with the infertility community, I have only just started connecting with SA bloggers, going to events and doing sponsored posts. I am hoping to get more involved.
-What do you think makes for a “good blog”
A good blog is one where you can’t wait to read the next post. You have to be a good writer and build a connection through the story of your life.
-How do you personally measure success in the blogging world
This month’s edition of Living and Loving magazine had a list of the top mommy bloggers in SA. I think that would be success! Increasing readership, making money but still “blogging for profit without selling your soul” would be success for me.
Heather Step is a stay at home mom to Nicholas, born June 2012. After enduring five years of infertility he was totally worth the wait! When she isn’t following him around she likes writing and blogging at http://onestepatatime.co.za. She has also founded a blog directory for South African mom bloggers: http://samomblogs.co.za. Heather also used to be a Grade One teacher and has an interest in children and psychology. She has a BA (Hons) degree in Psychology and is also an Emotional Freedom Techniques practitioner. You can read more about that at http://healwithheather.com.  She lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, with her husband, little Nicky, and their two dogs.
List your blog: http://samomblogs.co.za/list-your-blog
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/samomblogs, https://www.facebook.com/onestepatatimeblog
Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/samomblogs/
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/safricamomblogs– use the @safricamomblogs when tweeting your mom blog posts and I will retweet!

Meet “The Stiletto Mum”

Leave a comment

So you guys know how I love finding out about people (the journalist in me) well this week I chatted to Charlotte over at The Stiletto Mum , she is part of the SA MOM BLOGS network and her blog is a great read.
She is one of the most honest bloggers I have ever come across and you find yourself really relating to her..

Here is what she has to say about blogging:

-What made you decide to blog?

When my eldest was a baby it was just the two of us, I had time to scrapbook every moment of her life. By the time I had my second we were a family of four with my BF working two jobs so I never had to time to continue with the scrapbooking. I felt it wasn’t fair. I started my first blog called “Imperfect Mom” but I did a total of 2 posts and left it to join Moomie (a parenting forum that can be found at www.moomie.co.za). Moomie was great, but I still felt that I’m not doing for my second that I did for my first and one day I found WordPress and started “Scaredmom’s Blog” I blogged at scared mom for just under 3 years. The Stilettomum was born because I was no longer scared of parenting and I knew who I was and what I wanted out of life. Now I blog about taking on life, love and parenting one stiletto clad step at a time.

-What was your concept behind the whole thing?

An online diary for my children so that they can see their childhood through my eyes but somehow over the last couple of years my blog became a place where I blog about my custody and maintenance struggles. I was open about everything and gave advice to so many people. I loved it. I have moved back to mostly blogging about my children and myself.

-Did you find yourself nervous at prospect of letting people into your life in this way?

I have always been very open, so the idea of people looking into my life did not bother me much.

-Do you ever worry that your kids will be like “mom why are you exposing my life?” (I worry sometimes)?

As Amandalynn got older I mostly ask her if I can post x,y,z. She knows about the blog and sometimes I will show it to her on my tablet. Both my kids have Facebook pages and I tag them in every photo I take of them. People tend to think that is a bit much, but now when they turn 13 and I allow them access to the World Wide Web their entire lives will be there. I think it is awesome, maybe they will hate it, maybe not, but I will cross that bridge when I get there.

-Does your family read your blog?

My aunts read my blog and most of my friends read it as well. They aren’t always happy about what I post, but they need to then deal with it or stop reading.

-What do you hope to achieve through the blog?

I’m not doing this to make money, I’m doing this for myself and for my children. I want to be able to look back when they are all grown up and think about how good life was/is. I have started putting my book in PDF format, I want to print it in book form for my girls.

-What do you think about the blogging culture in South Africa?

I have met a couple of blogging moms and they are awesome. I do not really follow any other kind of blogs. I cannot really comment on the culture in SA but the culture for moms is we help each other and support each other.

-What do you think makes for a “good blog”

Honesty. You cannot be all happy all the time. Be honest. 

-How do you personally measure success in the blogging world?

I often get emails from moms about my struggle and how honest I am. That for me is success, if my struggle helps other then my blog is a success. 
*Thanks Charlotte you rock and I love the fb idea 🙂 

Thursday, is her day….blogger interviews (Fathima Khan of Decadently Addicted)

6 Comments

When I started this blog in 2011, I did it because I was venturing out of the writing side of media and didn’t want to lose my voice...FIRST EVER POST  But as with everything, voices change… and I seem to have gone from writing about fashion, events and weight loss (not much changed there) to writing about raising a child after losing one and about DIY and food and naturally about me (I’m self indulgent like that)…More recently I have had the chance to run cool competitions and interview cool people and my blog, which is always going to be something I can look back on to see how my life has evolved, has grown into a bit of a mommy blog…
So much show that I have joined a great network of mommy bloggers, SA.MomBlogs Although I like to think of myself more as a mom who happens to blog…hehehe
The network has exposed me to a bunch of great women and their super interesting blogs; some funny, some serious and some sinfully indulgent….
Since I’m pretty much still a rookie in the whole blogging business, I have asked some of my favourite bloggers about being a mommy blogger, or a blogger who happens to be a mom, in South Africa 🙂
The questions to the different ladies are fairly similar, probably because they are the questions I often ask myself…

Here is what my first victim  interviewee had to say:

Decadent Addiction

She is Fathima Khan of Decadently Addicted, a fun foodie blog that will make you say “diet? what diet?” she has low cal things on there too, mind you, but as I said, “diet? what diet?”…

My Photo
–What made you decide to blog? I craved a creative and intellectual outlet. I was a career crazy women for many years. I was retrenched and decided to take the opportunity to take back being part of my kids lives. As much as I love them, I also need something that is me and mine.
-What was your concept behind the whole thing? It started as a way to document my experiments, but when I started blogging this whole other persona emerged and took over. So now it’s a recipe with a little story which links together.
-Did you find yourself nervous at prospect of letting people into your life in this way? I am a fiercely private person and blogging gives you a false sense of security because you’re just typing away alone at your laptop. Your audience is not sitting in front of you! So it’s a great medium for us introverts because we too have something to say. So no I’m not nervous.
-Do you ever worry that your kids will be like “mom why are you exposing my life?” I deliberately keep my kids exposure on the blog to a minimum. They are not in a position to choose wisely and I don’t want them to regret it later on. My son has twisted my arm to make a few mentions of him though.
-Does your family read your blog? Not really and that’s fine. It makes talking about them easier ;). 
-What do you hope to achieve through the blog? Spread my love of food and the ease of creating scrumptious dishes. To let the first time cook know, step by step, what they should be doing and with pics of course. It’s not that hard, just takes practice.
-What do you think about the blogging culture in South Africa? We are at a critical stage. The international stage sees blogging as the next wave of the marketing. So it’s going to be interesting to see the extent to which SA will follow suite. The blogging space has a bad name and I would like to be part of the changing this perception.
I think we are pretty segmented as a community and this is why I started Blog Addict to create a platform for all types of bloggers. Newbie, seasoned, fashion, tech, travel, food, gender equality, social upliftment, etc. it also includes life experienced and younger bloggers from across SA.

-What do you think makes for a “good blog”? A passionate blogger who produces honest, informed content on their area of interest.  Blogging for me is written by the heart and guided by the head. Someone so aptly described it as a familiar friend’s opinion.
-How do you personally measure success in the blogging world? Success to me is a very personal barometer. For some it’s ad space or number of followers or just getting the content out into the blogosphere. For me it’s reaching a person with my words and making a difference in that person’s life.
-Please give us a link to your favourite recipe – I haven’t posted that yet! But 

Support creativity by supporting “Kiley’s Purple Hat”

Leave a comment

Inside view

I have found out about an awesome book, chronicling a mother and daughter crafting team. The book itself is handmade, covered in purple fabric with foil stamping with sewn sides…
The book is in it’s final stages and if they get all the support they need HERE in the next 9 days all backers receive a copy of the book, stickers, social media badges and even a letter from the books heroin Kiley.

This is what the creators have to say about the project:

On May 19th, OSAAT Entertainment, a family-owned publishing company creating a 
buzz in modern literature, has enlisted the help of Kickstarter to crowdfund the production of their 
handcrafted, one-of-a-kind children’s story, Kiley’s Purple Hat written by Jaxon Barnes and illustrated by Nathalie Beauvois.
Kiley’s Purple Hat, a beginning reader picture book that encourages self-esteem, creativity and spending quality time with family, will be available for purchase this coming holiday season. The story introduces us to Kiley, a young girl who falls in love with colours, textures and the possibilities of creating something with her own hands. After an eye-opening visit to a fabric store and with the help of her mother, Kiley creates the purple hat she had imagined and painted. The handmade collector’s edition makes an excellent gift 
for little artists and their families and a digital format will also be available for Kindle and iPad.
Through the Kickstarter campaign, OSAAT Entertainment seeks to enter the final stage of production for an on-time holiday delivery of the handmade, Singer side-sewn, fabric-covered book. By paying great attention to the details of the production, OSAAT Entertainment hopes to restore the lost art of storytelling and family story time, providing a product that can be passed down for generations to come.
Kiley's Purple Hat, available in print and digital

I got the chance to speak to the creators myself and this is what they had to say…

– What is the concept behind the book?
Spending time with your kids, encouraging them to do what they love.

– How did idea come about?

The author, Jaxon Barnes, is an avid reader and her love for pictures books inspired her to write Kiley’s Purple Hat.

– Who are the creators?

Author Jaxon Barnes – A fashionista at hear and experienced jewelry designer. 
Illustrator Nathalie Beauvois – specializes in illustrating children, women and fashion.
Publisher OSAAT Entertainment – family-owned publishing house with a mission to create entertaining print and digital books, one story at a time.

– Why did you chose the hand made feel of the book?

The mother and the daughter are really into fashion and we wanted a really fashionable book.


– What is the kickstarter program?
Kickstarter is a way to fund creative projects. Creative individuals and small business owners can showcase their projects in areas of films, games, music, art, design and technology. Kickstarter helps projects come to life through direct support of people like you. 

– How can people get their hands on the book?

Right now, we are in the final stage of production for the book. 

If people support the project on Kickstarter and we reach our funding goal, you will receive a copy of the printed book, stickers, social media badges and a letter from Kiley. 


For more info: