DOT COM

Welcome to meg-made DOT COM! 

I am so excited to finally share my very own dot com with you!

I've been wanting to have my blog and shop in one place for such a long time now, and so have been working hard to make my own domain my own special space.

Soon you will be able to purchase meg-made items directly here, but for now I will still be directing you to my Etsy store, just until a few more things are sorted out. 

Come and have a look!!

meg-made it to Mallorca

Mallorca is one of the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, off the coast of Spain. We've always wanted to visit Spain, and was lured to the Balearics by the promise of unspoilt beaches, endless sunshine and tapas! In June we got itchy feet and started looking for last minute bookings and found this absolute gem in Port De Soller, Mallorca. Here is my very lengthy and snap-happy recap of our summer vacay!

Let's go fly a kite, enchantment in Hampstead

And send it soaring!!!

Living in Hampstead means living out a little bit of my childhood dreams. 

Julie Andrews is definitely a guest at my dream dinner party, I grew up with a strong love for Mary Poppins and Maria Von Trapp and love nothing more than passing this love on to my sweet girl now too. 

P.L Travers was an Australian living in Hampstead when she wrote Mary Poppins and there are little bits of it trickled throughout the book/movie.

I've always felt lucky to be living in Hampstead, but the little spoon-full-of-sugar that is sprinkled over NW3  makes living here feel a little bit enchanted. 

Madeleine is still a little young  but I hope one day she'll look back on her childhood with a little sparkle in her eye. 

Introducing Harriet

This past year has been such an exciting year amongst my friends. There have been some beautiful weddings, lots of travel, and some gorgeous babies come into the world (with one or two still in progress!!). I've blogged about my friend Saraid a few times, she's one of my oldest friends who's like a sister to me. We've been through it all together.  

When Saraidy told me that she was pregnant I was literally jumping for joy (no really, she videoed my reaction!) 

Courgette Ravioli with shredded beef

This is one of those recipes that appeared in my Pinterest feed on a Friday, and was on our plates on the Saturday. 

I haven't found many good gluten-free filled pastas in the UK (although Whole Foods in the US has a few delicious choices that I devoured when we were there) and so I was very excited to make a faux-violi!! 

He got the Train Cake

As we get ready to head to Jersey again, I thought it would be fun to share a few photos from our last visit, celebrating my nephew Morgans' 3rd Birthday. 

If you aren't Australian then you may have absolutely no idea what this post is about, but I'm going to guess that every Aussie knows exactly what fabulous baking went down to make this title possible!!!

The Australian Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book has to be the most famous cookbook in the land! 

Published in 1980 it was THE go-to book for birthday parties. Flicking through the book I can tell you which of my friends had each and every one of the cakes in the book! My favourite ones for my parties were the teddy bear, the lady beetle and the bunny rabbit. 

If I were a balloon on the wall...

meg-made it to Zermatt (Switzerland)

I can't believe it has taken me 6 months to get some of my travel photos together from our weekend away in Switzerland! 

It was 6 months ago now that we went to Zermatt to celebrate my 30th Birthday (which means now I'm closer to 31 than I am to 30, gulp, I need to stop being obnoxiously 30 now I think). 

Maybe its taken me this long  to write about because we had too many photos to look through, but if I'm really honest, its because if I extended the time it took me to post about it, it would in a little way extend the trip too. 

It was the most magical 5 days and was such a special place to celebrate my 30th Birthday.  

Zermatt is nestled in the Swiss Alps in a relatively inaccessible valley watched over by the grand Matterhorn. 

Quinoa, Pecan & Vanilla Granola (GF)

Happy Friday! 

Thank goodness for the weekend!!! The weeks when Husband travels are always a little rough, but they make us both even happier to see Daddy come through the door at night, and its never over the weekends thank goodness!!!

I thought I would post this granola recipe because its a bit of weekend bake. Its quick, easy, and makes for a delicious brunch.

I always thought granola must have been difficult to make, or why else would all those fancy cafe's be charging a fortune to have it on their menus! But I couldn't have been more wrong.

Making your own granola is SO easy.

This recipe is healthy, gluten-free, filling, and 100% delicious.

Babes on a Plane...my guide to flying with kids!

I've written a few posts about flying with kids over the past few years but thought I'd consolidate it all into one comprehensive guide. 

Being Australians living in London, far far away from Grandparents means we've taken our fair share of flights to reunite Maddie with family and friends over the past two years. 

We took 42 flights with Madeleine in her first two years, and so I feel a little qualified to give some tips which may help to reduce some anxiety about flying with kids. 

I'm by no means an  expert, but other than one or two bad flights, I've been pretty proud of the number of times air hostess' comment on how well behaved our little traveller is. 

Confetti Mariposa

Happy Friday to you! I am SO glad its the weekend!

For a fun and playful Friday post I thought I'd share a little photo session we did a week or so ago. 

I have had a lot of fun making these and had such a great time with Madeleine modelling the newest listing in my Etsy store, the Confetti Mariposa! 

It is a pair of bright and playful butterfly wings filled with confetti pom poms, attached to an alligator clip so that it can be added to any outfit. 

We just wandered around our little neighbourhood, got an "i-cream" and had such a fun afternoon taking photos of our little Mariposa! 

Here's a few (okay okay, a LOT of) photos of our photo session, I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

Treating migraines with juice

I have posted before about the fact that I suffer from migraines. And I don't use those words lightly!!

It is such a horrible experience each and every time I get a migraine, and is compounded by the need to care for my daughter at the same time.

When Maddie was a baby I was getting them quite badly. I had a doula help me out in those early weeks, and then I just had to kind of figure it out myself ever since. 

I remember having to try and find my way into her room without being able to see, place her on a (numb and tingly) breast and hope that I was doing it right, I had no idea in those moments what I was doing.

These days things are a little easier because Maddie can understand a lot more now. This morning I woke up with a migraine that was already in full swing, and so just had to kind of accept it. 

The Sweetest Thing

I have always been such a baby person, and have wanted one ever since I can remember.

Holding my own baby in my arms for the first time was the most confident moment of my life.

The early feedings didn't bother me. I never minded the many nappy changes. It was all part of having my own little baby and I loved every second of it.

As each day ended, I missed it already. 

I felt so relaxed with a baby, but was a little intimated at the idea of my baby turning into a toddler.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Something I have been thinking a lot about lately is the direction of meg-made. 

Where do I want meg-made to be going? 

Who reads my blog and what do you care about? 

What do I care about? 

What do I like reading about other blogs?

What am I passionate writing about?

mum-made... Julie in the Red Shoes

Today I am so honoured to have  Julie from The Girl in the Red Shoes stopping by to contribute to mum-made.

I first discovered Julie  when I fell in love with the "Breastfeeding Diaries".

I was craving this exact sharing of experiences over new motherhood when Maddie was first born, and have been a huge fan ever since.

meg-made it to Union Street Cafe (review)

This past weekend was an unseasonably unplanned weekend for us, and so we took advantage of a family weekend and did lots of fun "London" things together. 

One of these was an exquisite lunch at Gordon Ramsays' Union Street Cafe in Borough. 

It was in such a different locale to the other two we've been to so far (Bread Street Kitchen and Maze Grill) but the Union Street Cafe has such a Melbourne charm to it that we just adored. 

My Etsy store is Frozen....

Do you want to build a snowman? Come on lets go and play...

Oh my goodness, I know I'm late to the party, but how amazing is Frozen?

I wasn't so sure I was going to like it after the first ten minutes with so much sadness from the get go, but after the initial gloominess I just fell in love. 

I found Anna to be entirely hilarious and not unlike Miss Madeleine with her mischievous ways.

But that blissful moment when Elsa sheds her dowdy dress and can be her true self in a dazzling shimmering gown, my creative "glitter thumb" practically leaps  with glee!

Banana, Date & Cinnamon Muffins (GF)

Quite possibly the best gluten free banana muffins you're ever going to eat!

And perhaps some of the healthiest ones too!!

These gluten free banana, date and cinnamon muffins tick all the boxes...

  Delicious
  Gluten Free
  Simple to make
  Filled with real ingredients
  Low in sugar/salt/processed foods
  Kid friendly (and approved by Madeleine!!)

Giant Confetti Filled Balloons for a very happy Monday!

Happy Monday!! 

What did you get up to over the weekend? I hope you had a nice weekend.

I had much-needed acupuncture on Saturday for the first time in a year or so; then we had a sweet little Birthday Party to go to in the afternoon, and Sunday was a day of family Skype sessions and playing in the park. 

And of playing with my new giant confetti-filled balloons!!

I have been selling these giant confetti-filled balloons for a few weeks without having had any time to actually photograph and list them properly.

Your baby at 2, half her adult height

Have you heard the little trick that if you measure your child's height when they turn two, that this will be half their adult height??

It seems like there is a fair amount of accuracy to it, (give or take a few inches) and so I was super excited to measure Madeleine when she had her 2nd Birthday last month. 

We did it when my niece was 2, which was almost three years ago already, and she was exactly half of my height, approximating her to be 5'10 when she's an adult. It seems like she's on track for this too, Lahna is a complete string bean!!! 

I was so excited to see what height Maddie would be, and so I made her a growth chart ready for her 2nd Birthday.

Knowing that we're going to moving around a bit throughout our childrens' lives, we can't rely on the one trusty doorframe to mark out their growing heights.

So I made a fabric height chart that could travel around with us and mark out our little family as it grows.

So as soon as the hustle and bustle of her Bunny Party calmed down, we got to measuring our little girl....

Hungry for Change

I recently watched the documentary "Hungry for Change" and it really struck a chord with me. 

Have you seen it? 

I know its two years old, but hey, I got there in the end!

I kept thinking about it over and over and the next day I made my husband watch it, and immediately we started making some changes to our diet.  

I really connected with so many of the messages of the documentary, and am excited to be making some big changes as a result!

I don't want to wait for a huge trigger point in my life to stop and take stock of what I'm putting in my body. I've had 10 years of bad health, I think that's more than enough. 

meg-made Forget Me Knots

I've been keeping busier than usual lately with a massive wholesale balloon order.

Which is now............officially shipped! Yayyy!

And in my "comedown" from uber-productivity, I am eager to restock the shelves of my Etsy store and get creative again in the kitchen too. 

The first item on I wanted to make on my creative wish list is my "forget me knots". 

I have struggled to find headbands that are feminine but not too girly and young. 

I designed these headbands to be dainty, non-fussy, but still feminine. 

Fast Diet Recipe: Green Pea Hummus

I thought I would provide a slightly healthy relief from my recent Bunny Party recipes with a Fast Diet recipe idea... 

Green Pea Hummus. 

After the past few weeks/months of indulging a little too much, travelling and trying new foods, and working my butt off with wholesale orders, I've kind of let my eating habits suffer a little. 

And I have felt the impact on my hips!! So, hello Fast Diet, I am back! 

If you read A Cup of Jo you would have seen this one listed a few months back, and I pinned it and have basically waited for a rainy day! Well, that rainy day was yesterday. 

Gluten Free White Chocolate Mudcake

I have posted my recipe for a regular White Chocolate Mudcake many times. 

I made it as the wedding cake at Saraid's wedding;

As the Grooms' cake at Julie's wedding;

And at many more baby showers than I remembered to post about too!

I wanted to have one of the cakes be gluten free at Madeleine's bunny Birthday party and so adapted my standard white chocolate mudcake recipe to use as the little cakes to accompany the main bunny rabbit butter cake. 

Gluten Free Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Treats

A week or so ago we had a little bunny party for Madeleine's 2nd Birthday. 

Amongst the bunny snacks, carrot fudge and cabbages, I did make a few non-bunny related treats too.  

This recipe appeared in my Pinterest feed a few days before her party that instantly went to the top of the list!

How have I never made these before!?

Carrot Cake Shots (Gluten Free)

There is something entirely charming about dessert in a shot glass isn't there.

I started doing it a few years ago, and can't seem to stop!

For Madeleine's Birthday Party a few weekends ago, there was a theme of Bunnies, and so I had lots of different "bunny-inspired" treats for the afternoon.

And well, what's more "bunny" than carrot cake?!

And what is the very best part of a carrot cake?

The cream cheese icing of course.

So, why not up the ratio of icing to cake with these adorable and delicious Carrot Cake Shots!

Dear Blog....

Hello my poor and neglected blog! 

This is Meg here, remember me... 

...your usually loving and attentive owner... 

...I'm sorry that I have somewhat abandoned you over the past few weeks... 

It isn't you, really, its me. 

A Bunny Party for Madeleine

Last week my baby girl turned TWO! 

It is so hard to believe that it has been two years since she was born, and every day I am more and more amazed by her and by how much my heart keeps growing with love for this special little girl. 

Special events are the times that are the hardest for us to be living in London. 

We can't help but feel just a little bit sad that Maddie doesn't have Grandparents and cousins at her parties, or a big backyard to run around in, but we try to make the most of our situation and make sure we celebrate as best as we can.  

#maddieturnstwo

My baby is TWO! 

I can hardly believe I have a two year old already. 

And yet, it is so hard to believe that I haven't loved this little girl my entire life. 

Everyone tells you how much your life is going to change when you have a baby. 

But nobody could ever prepare you for how every facet of your life is made better because of their very existence. 

I've spent most of the day reflecting on the past two years and the incredible life we've had with this beautiful little girl. 

Gordon Ramsay's Home Made Baked Beans

Its been a while since I've posted a Gordon Ramsay recipe, so on this particularly grim British day, I thought I'd warm you up with Gordon's home made baked beans. 

This really should be a guest post from my Husband, but, since he'd much rather be a passive participant, he has graciously allowed me to write the post on his behalf. 

There's something very endearing about a man cooking breakfast, and certainly something I encourage. 

While Pete is definitely in his element alongside the BBQ, he also does a mean Sunday brekkie. 

Saraid's Baby Shower - How to co-host from afar

Sometimes living in London is great. 

Sometimes, it is not so great. 

Like when your closest friends are going through the most exciting time of their lives, and suddenly London feels worlds away from everywhere and everyone who are important in our lives. 

But having lived away from loved ones for a while now, I feel like I'm starting to find better ways of still being involved and part of their special moments. 

Sometimes it takes one or two planes to literally be there,  often it is just lots and lots of weekend Skype sessions, and sometimes, I need to send a meg-package to have as much of me there as possible. 

On Migraines....and my miracle eye pillow!

Macadamia Nut Brittle

A few weekends ago I attended a bloggers event for "Bake for Bumps". 

It was such a wonderful afternoon and I was so proud to be involved in such a worthy cause. 

AND well, there was some fairly spectacular baking produced!!!

Emma put together a little goodie bag for everyone as a little thank you for coming, with some traveller-inspired beauty products.

I wanted to contribute a little something to the goodie bags and so made some Macadamia Nut Brittle for everyone to chew/crunch on for the trip home. 

I haven't had Macadamia Nut Brittle in years, I had completely forgotten how amazing it is!!!

Books for Cooks: My mecca in Notting Hill

How is it that hairdressers know everything?! Its fantastic! 

I usually don't find myself terribly chatty when I'm at the hairdresser (its such a rare time to be alone and quiet, so I'd much rather just be for a while), but my last hairdresser, well he was a foodie. 

And so we chatted. A lot. 

He told me about so many great foodie things to do in London, one of which was to visit Books for Cooks in Notting Hill. 

It doesn't really need any further clarification, its a bookshop filled with cookbooks, and cookbooks alone. 

Tone It Up Tuesdays: Bikini Series

A few months ago I posted about discovering the Tone It Up girls Karena & Katrina, and in this time, have become a bit of a Tone It Up devotee.

They have kicked off the new Bikini Series 2014 and I have to say I LOVE IT!

I was all over the Love Your Body series and actually got to a point that I was finding it almost easy, but this new Bikini Series seriously kicks my butt (or should I say "booty"). 

Back in the day when I was actually kind of fit during Uni I had a few friends and I who used to love going and doing park workouts together.

I would love coming up with a circuit routine which would be lots of strength training mixed with high intensity cardio in short bursts. It was so much fun!

Rose Gold, Liberty and Tule Oh My! (Etsy Update)

This fine and sunny Friday afternoon I just wanted to share some new bows that are in my Etsy store this week.

I have a list of new items that I am itching to make!!

But before I start those, I noticed that I didn't have many hair accessories in my shop, so wanted to restock the shelves first! 

So my kitchen table has been a sew of tule and glitter once again, and I thought I'd just show you the three new editions to my store this week! 

Baby Taggie Giraffe

My friend Saraid is nearing the end of her pregnancy and I am nesting right along with her! 

I'd love nothing more than to be in Brisbane with her as she prepares for this hugely exciting time, choosing crib-beddng, painting the nursery and rubbing her beautiful big belly (as all pregnant ladies love). 

But, as I am in London, with a well feathered (and at-capacity nest), I am helping to feather Saraid's nest instead!!

I made this little sweet guy a few months ago and sent it along with the bunting that I made for her nursery. 

Apple + Peanut Butter + Cinnamon + Walnuts + Honey + Coconut

I just couldn't think of a name for this snack

other than "this is definitely not a donut" 

and so alas, here you have it.... 

an apple, 

topped with peanut butter, 

sprinkled with walnuts that have been dusted with cinnamon, 

all drizzled with honey and scattered with coconut (is that enough verbs for you?).  

Bloggers Bake for Bumps

Anyone who knows even the slightest thing about me knows that I love to bake. 

And I LOVE babies. 

To combine these things, makes for a happy Meg.

When I was pregnant with Madeleine we rode the usual emotional roller-coaster rides at every doctors appointment.

I had a high risk pregnancy and have a whole swag of medical problems, which I was terrified I was going to pass on to my baby. 

"Sparking" up

Oh hey there, I'm back in the land of the living!! If you follow me on Instagram you'd have seen that I've been a little out of action this week, having been struck down with gastroenteritis. 

Without going into the gory details, it was brutal. Having been dealing with IBS & IBD for years, I'll say that this was the absolute worse I've ever experienced. I really can't believe just how sick I have been.

Well actually I can, because I have a souvenir from Tuesday night...

Zucchini, Sweet Potato & Polenta Slice (Gluten Free)

This recipe is an adaptation of a Zucchini Slice recipe that I used to love growing up. 

I have reduced the amount of butter and cheese (both by half!), and substituted creamed corn for regular corn and polenta for flour, and yet to me, it tastes every bit as good as the original! 

I played around with this recipe a few times, but have finally settled with one that I love. 

It has the right texture and right balance of flavours. 

I used to use gluten free four but then thought I would give polenta a go and I love it! It gives it a great spongy texture and is more wholesome than flour so you get a few extra slow burning calories. 

Raspberry & Lime Financiers (GF)

Ever since becoming gluten intolerant a year ago, Financiers have been my go-to cake. 

Made with almond meal they are dense and sweet, and I make mine with polenta for a little extra crunch! 

12 months ago I posted a recipe for Blueberry & Lavender Financiers, and today I wanted to share a new flavour combination, Raspberry and Lime. 

My friend Meeche is a coeliac and Saraidy makes her the Blueberry Financiers every time she wants to sneak some sweet baby cuddles, and so I thought I'd share a new flavour for you girls to enjoy!!

The ingredients and method are largely the same, but to refresh you...

On being Thankful

I just wanted to take a few moments to thank you for reading my blog.

Thank you for commenting, I love hearing from you!

Thank you for liking a post on Facebook.

Thank you for pinning a recipe.

Thank you for retweeting something small I have written.

Thank you for liking a photo on Instagram.

And thank you for visiting my Etsy store and perhaps even making a purchase.

Homemade Chickpea Falafel Wraps (GF)

I made my first chickpea falafel years ago when we were living in Melbourne and they've been on regular rotation ever since.

My funniest memory of them though was two years ago just after my daughter was born. I had a doula for the few weeks who was very healthy, a little alternative and VERY surprised that "I" had made falafel (not even "she" made them herself!).

I was as much insulted as I was pleased for surprising her!