Father's Day

Need some ideas for Father's Day? How about one of the following. A bloke's cookbook, a BBQ special, or a new, fantastic breakfast recipe book to liven up your family weekends? How about an activity book - 'Things to Do With Dad' for little kids (and big ones!). Or the history of Flight, Daft Cars, or the sinking and final discovery of the HMAS Sydney. Dad can even create his own cars and trucks with our Car, Truck and Emergency Vehicle Origami Set. Go on! Keep him entertained.

Faraway Tree

So what have I been up to over the last few days? Apart from receiving a huge amount of fabulous new books, I have also received some fabulous games, puzzles and crafty toys from my favourite French Company, which I will blog about soon. Not to mention some great eco-friendly fun outdoor games for adults and kids alike. Watch this space!

But most importantly (for me), its my godson's 4th birthday in a week or so, and he is absolutely crazy about the Faraway Tree series at the moment. At the end of last week I got a cry for help from his mum, who needed cake decorations for the party.

She (he) requested Moonface, Silky, Saucepan Man and the Angry Pixie.

So the scissors, glue, cardboard and textas came out, and I set to work.




And here is the result. All packaged up on Tuesday and sent to England where I hope my godson will be happy to receive them. Perhaps Enid Blyton could have done better.... what do you think?

Our First Author!

It was our pleasure to have Dee White at New Leaves this morning to chat with us about her latest book 'Letters to Leonardo'. It was a real privilege to be able to find out more about Dee's process when writing the book, and learn about the many years of work it takes to reach the final product. We also discussed the difficult themes of the book, and how the main character Matt deals with finding out the truth about his mentally ill mother, whom he had thought dead.

Dee also read excerpts from the book, and no one could wait to start reading their own copies - which Dee kindly signed.

There are still a few signed copies of the book at New Leaves. So if you missed the talk, why not drop in and see what its all about. Or better still, if you want Dee to visit your school, or organisation, she can be reached through us at New Leaves.

Letters to Leonardo

Letters to Leonardo - by Dee White

On his fifteenth birthday, Matt receives a card from his mother - the mother he grew up believing was deceased. Feeling betrayed by both his parents, Matt's identity is in disarray and he begins writing letters to Leonardo da Vinci as a way to sort out the 'mess' in his head. Through the connections he makes between his own life and that of Leonardo, Matt unravels the mystery that his life has become and discovers his mother's secrets and the reasons behind his abandonment.

Tomorrow - Saturday, at 11am Dee White will be at New Leaves to read from her new young adult novel. She'll tell us about the process involved in writing the book, and even sign copies! Come and join us for our first Author event.

Hope to see you here!

Beauty from the Kitchen?

Here's our latest delivery. Gregory Landsman is a beauty advisor to some of the world's best known Supermodels. In this invaluable little tome, he gives us his secret formulas - all made from things you would find in your kitchen!
Cheap, easy and natural - ingredients such as milk, yoghurt, honey, eggs, are all used to create effective equivalents of expensive branded cleansers, toners and scrubs. Couldn't we all do with a secret weapon that won't cost the earth, or the Earth? Just $7.95 girls (plus the cost of your groceries).

Post Salvation

Over the weekend I discovered these beautiful solid wood photo frames, and quickly snapped them up for New Leaves. They are made from recycled fence posts, and the workmanship is just superb. They are beautifully finished with natural oils, avoiding nasty chemicals and stains. This allows the beauty of the wood to really stand out, and its better for you, and the planet!



Each one is unique and there are various woods available. They come in all the standard photo sizes, and some not-so-standard sizes for your tricky images. They are supplied with a stand which allows vertical or horizontal display, and they are also equipped to hang on a wall, in either portrait or landscape style. Also, the backing on the glass section is acid-free professional framing quality card, so your photos won't deteriorate or become damaged.

My favourite ones hint at their utilitarian past, with old nail holes and railing joins still visible. Others are completely flawless. I am SO happy with the price too! Compared to some frames, crafted SO MUCH LESS responsibly, with new materials, in factories, imported from far away dragging, dragging heavily on the earth, these are amazingly reasonable, and so much more beautiful!

Prices start at $28, with the frame for a standard photo around $38-$40 depending on the width of the wood used. A very wide frame for a 6x4 (standard) photo would be around $60, and the stunning stunning wide frames for an 8x10 or A4 photo are between $90 and $99. So you can avoid IKEA, and get beautiful, solid, unique frames for $28, $99 or anywhere in between.

What a beautiful way to reduce waste, and create new from old! We could always post them to you if you don't live nearby!