Mama Banana

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Mama Banana

A mama of two lil girls aged 2 and under. Sharing posts about creative home hacks, mom tips, organisational & crafting fun.

21/12/2023

Happy Winter Solstice, even the sky celebrated with some rainbow clouds. It’s like a rainbow aurora borealis.

Sky News weather presenter Jo Wheeler explained the clouds are relatively rare due to the very specific conditions needed for them to appear.

The meteorologist said: “The cloud must be thin and contain numerous water droplets or ice crystals of about the same size.

“These iridescent clouds are also known as fire rainbows or rainbow clouds and occur when sunlight diffracts off the water droplets/ice crystals.

“When the drops are more spherical than teardrop shaped, the conditions are right for rainbow clouds to appear.”

Check out for more photos and an explanation of this phenomenon.
clouds

14/12/2023

Beautiful night out for a walk along theMalahide Estuary 🦢 ❤️

04/02/2023

Another upcycle sewing project ♻️

I used an old play mat that we loved, to make this adorable Forest Coat by . Sewing class held over the weekend .ie, loved it! Highly recommend if you want to develop your sewing skills.

I’m back to Insta & sewing again. Been heavily focused on the swimming & it’s been an effort to squeeze it into an already jam packed mom schedule. But I am motivated 💪

This is my first coat & it was only achievable with the help of the lovely Gillian from , so patient & there to walk me through every step of the way (I really hate reading pattern instructions 😬😅).

09/11/2022

Dry robes aren’t just for getting changed in, they are also great for baby wearing.

All that extra arm & body space for changing clothes means that I can easily fit baby in & tuck my arms inside for a cuddle. I love finding extra uses for my favourite products ❤️

20/10/2022

🧵 Made matching hats for my son out of our t-shirt from .

This is the perfect keep sake for our 100 baby wearing miles in September. The hat is sooo cute on Jake. We can wear them thoughout the year ❤️💚

Credits:
- Free Beanie Hat pattern from www.scatteredthoughtsofacraftymom.com
- YouTube tutorial by

18/10/2022

Gorgeous day for a walk to support & raise funds for ☀️

My favourite thing about baby wearing has got to be all the extra cuddles 🥰

10/10/2022

Look what we did! Jake & I walked 100 miles in September, while baby wearing. Together we raised €500 for the Mater Hospital 🏥 🥰

I have been very quiet lately. After health trauma at the start of the year, everything just took soooooo much more time & effort. I was feeling physically exhausted & vulnerable. Then I also had a newborn to mind, as well as two current smallies. As I got better, I’ve been taking a lot of time out to mind my own mental & physical health. Now that I am healthier & fitter than I’ve been in years, I am ready to get back to work.

Goals for 2022

- Get fit. I’ve started daily sea swims since mid July & I am feeling so much stronger.

- Lose the overhang. I deeply dislike my section & hysterectomy overhang. I really want something positive to come out of my loss, I want to take back control of my body after something was taken from me without my consent (I had lost consciousness from blood loss, my husband gave the consent as it was needed to save my life).

- Restart my YouTube channel. I actually have lots of content recorded already & soooo many ideas. But I just had other priorities on what to do with my evenings.

- Promote breastfeeding. I am passionate about supporting mothers who want to breastfeed their babies & raising awareness on breastfeeding through normalisation. This can be such a beautiful journey, I want to celebrate this. I am currently working on a pattern for a collection of breastfeeding coin purses, pouches etc. It’s just that something tangible to makes us smile, but also be functional. Hoping to launch next month, just in time for Christmas gifts.

Here’s to squeezing all this into the rest of 2022 🤞

27/08/2022

When my 2 hobbies meet. My sea swim inspired pencil case with A4 notebook elastic loop.

Made from all repurposed material (except the zip). Neoprene is from the lower leg that I cut off a wetsuit, elastic is from old pair of kiddie jeans.

Made for my friend who introduced me to sea swimming & gave me my first wetsuit ☺️

24/07/2022

Gorgeous day for a swim. My new found hobby

Of course I used my Cricut machine to cut out my name to add to my fab dry jacket from

09/07/2022

The secret to bubble solution? Glycerin! Available for online ordering from

My mixture:
4 x tsp glycerine
4 x tsp dish soap
1 x cup water

Have fun this weekend ☀️

03/07/2022

Spot the baby 👶🕵️‍♀️

This is one for the baby wearing mamas. I one found a piece of noodle on my baby’s head. I’ve since taken to laying a paper napkin on top of their head, don’t worry, there still plenty of air flow under the napkin, it’s just curtesy when you’re eating over someone 😂

I will say though, saucy, wet & slippery food is probably not the best choice when baby wearing 🤣

Anyone else find a ‘snack’ on their baby after dining while wearing? Please do share 😁

12/06/2022

When you’re just not edgy enough to pull off mismatch earring, you end up having to buy two pairs just so you can have one pair 😝

At least I love both, the cocktail will be my pretty set & the shaker is my fun pair 😊

What do you think of odd earring pairs?

19/05/2022

Sophie loves her see through Be Hip f***y pack ❤️

I got sick of not knowing where the girls are hiding all their little things, so for now, I’m going to make all their bags see through! No more missing toy set pieces🧸 - ok, maybe that won’t change 😅, but at least I’ll know what’s inside their bags at a glance 😄

Pattern by

***ypack

05/05/2022

📹New YouTube Video up 🚨

Reviewing my favourite baby wrap by .

Watch video to find out why this is the easiest wrap to put on and remove. The cosines of a wrap without the long long loooong wrap.

09/04/2022

My Handprint.

A little poem for Mothers Day with Hailey’s handprint from back in 2018. This little poem gets me every time. Each time I notice it on the fridge I can’t help but read it, then I can’t help but sob 😭

This little keeper holds so much truth. Do you have a Mammy momento that gets you all teary eyed?

17/03/2022

Mom Tip Thursday ☘️

I find most of these soother savers/chains clips to be lumpy & bumpy, which maybe uncomfortable for baby when you press against it as you’re carrying them. So I attach the clips backwards, with the flat part against my baby.

Do you use a soother chain? If so, let us know if you recommend yours.

So handy, I love them.

15/03/2022

🚨New YouTube video live 📢

Reviewing a cooling blanket. Keeps you cosy & cool!

Jake makes a partial guest appearance. Baby wearing was the only way I could guarantee some peace for recording. I don’t mind cos I absolutely love baby wearing. It’s like an extension to the pregnancy, sort of. Like if you’re a baby wearing fan too 😄

15/02/2022

Spent Valentines night with my main man ❤️

Fortunately after 2 days of exclusively being formula fed, he’s taken to the b**b again, minimal transition effort. I think this hungry boy is just happy to take milk of any sort in any form 😊

Who knew my husband had packed him such an occasion apt hat, maybe he knew subconsciously despite the lack of sleep? 😂

Also got a lovely cupcake 🧁 from the to mark the occasion. Good thing I shared half with my hubby who informed me that it was super light & fluffy. I wasn’t up to it yet.

07/02/2022

It was my cousins birthday a few days ago. She will be visiting, so thought I’d whip up a quick gift (not that quickly with a newborn though 😂).

Love this packing cube pattern from . So quick & easy & available in 3 sizes! Perfect practical gift 🎁

31/01/2022

Bags are packed, enjoying what’s hopefully my last meal here and we are soooo ready to go.

It’s been a pleasure . Thank you for the amazing staff & hospitality ☺️

28/01/2022

❤️ if you can guess where I am 😄

And yes the food is yummy 😋

26/01/2022

Whipped up these super cute & fun pouches yesterday & its love!

Pattern by . It’s under $3 anyways, but if you join her FB group then you can find a freebie code for it.

These are great for gift cards too as they fit a credit card sized card perfectly. I made a mini one for trolly coins. Just need to locate a €2 coin.

The pattern comes in pdf format as well as svg! Perfect if you have a die cutting machine like the Cricut.

Thank you Jen for this awesome free pattern 😄

25/01/2022

A batch of newborn nappies, ready to be soiled 😄

Free pattern at prefold2fitted.blogspot.com

YT Tutorial that I modified the pattern to & followed Johana CaudiG’s, flip style diaper.

24/01/2022

Gift Ideas for new mom 🧵

Made a diaper clutch for a soon to be twin mom & an essentials pouch. With my Cricut machine, I added a touch of personalisation. How cute is this set? Unfortunately the clutch is not made up to my usual standards. I was rushed to finish as I though I was going into labour soon, how wrong I was about this lazy lazy boy 😖😅

Diaper clutch pattern is the Clean Up Clutch by

Essentials pouch is the Crocus Oil pouch, Free pattern from

21/01/2022

Made this as a gift for a soon to be . How cute are the 2 pairs of tiny feet? 🥰

Pattern: Crocus Oil Pouch, FREE by

Fabric & Vinyl cut by my new Maker.

19/01/2022

Free pattern for baby shoes from

How cute are these little shoes? They are super easy to make, especially with the Maker. Check out the tutorial on YouTube for free pattern & instructions. My almost 3yo loves them & 4yo has requested a pair. I just measure the length of their feet, add seam allowance, then drag all the pattern pieces in Cricut Design Space until the sole is the length required. Easy!

10/01/2022

A couple of cuties for my baby boy ❤️🧵💫

Made my own lovely for baby so that we will never run out & I will always have the pattern, so if he were to have children, I can make it for them too. Pattern by Willowynn on Etsy.

Made a super cute & easy hospital hat for him. I think the pattern was free from .

The little waistcoat is sooooo cute! I’ve made one for each of my girls & then adapted the pattern to make one for my baby as there’s no newborn size. Pattern is the Sammy vest by . I wasn’t bothered with ordering hardware for a strap buckle at the back, so I used ribbons for the girls & elastic for the boy. But I think for the next one, I will sew the elastic at the back for a neater scrunched finished, maybe. I can never do anything to pattern 😅

Next on my to sew list:
- another waist coat or two for my boy
- a little pair of booties to keep his feet warm
- a really cute hat with ears, one to keep forever.
- Bags!!!! My one true love ❤️
My bags to sew list is growing sew much…. I also have to pick up some items from the Toki Retreat release… can never have too many fuel cells i say😁

06/01/2022

💫Another custom Jujube bag

Made a light weight petite diaper bag from a Jujube SuperBe in the print Admiral. This is now hands down my favourite bag, I love it so so much.

Original pattern was the Collette from . But of course, being me I modified it throughout.

Changes:
- Widened base for a more triangular shape
- Removed curves from side gussets
- Increased base depth
- Added insulated side pockets
- increased height of where the zips come down to
- Angled straps slightly so the handles sit better.
-Added d rings for cross body strap where the zips end
- Altered overall size so that I can best maximise the material out of the SuperBe.
- Handles had to be created from exterior & lining fabric again as I did not have enough of the exterior fabric to complete the handles.

I still have some scraps left that I can make a matching pouch. Will have to mull over what pouch I want…

This may well have to be my last custom bag before baba arrives. I’ve hats & a few small bits & bobs to make for the baby that I should really get cracking on 😬😅 Just bags are soooooo much more fun..😂

05/01/2022

Introducing my custom Jujube, Mini’d Lola by .

I absolutely adore the Black & Bloom print by . It’s just so joyful & beautiful. Using the changing pad from my Jujube Hobobe bag, I made my first handbag, the Beijing Bag by . But the bag was just a bit too small for me currently as I’ve 2 smallies & ideally I need a bag that can stand up by itself so I can leave it open & grab whatever I need quickly. So I took the bag apart & with the recovered materials I made this gorgeous Lola bag, pattern by Swoon. Unfortunately I did not have enough fabric for this pattern so I had to reduce the height & use canvas fabric to create side panels & the base. I also didn’t have enough fabric for the handles either so I use the B&B print for outside & the Gingham Style lining print for the inside of the handles. I think they turned out beautifully ❤️

But since this is quite a petite bag, it’s more of an errand bag, so I will be adding tabs to allow for crossbody wear. Also, my youngest is trying to claim this bag as her own. I am willing to share, but not hand over ownership just yet 😅

Sadly this will be the second last Jujube custom handbag before baby comes. I’m currently 36 wks & likely to be induced @38 wks. Then who knows when I will have time to make handbags again. I’m sure I’ll get to squeeze in a few quick pouches, but not likely much else for a while 😅

28/12/2021

New bag make 🧚‍♀️🪄

Introducing my first Colette Bowler Bag. Love this pattern from , huge big opening & so so stylish.

It wouldn’t be me if I don’t try to change it. For my next attempt, I will increase the depth & width of the base, add side pockets, raise where the zip ends to add cross body D-Rings & maybe adding a 3D pocket to the front.

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Videos

When my 2 hobbies meet. My sea swim inspired pencil case with A4 notebook elastic loop. Made from all repurposed material (except the zip). Neoprene is from the lower leg that I cut off a wetsuit, elastic is from old pair of kiddie jeans. Made for my friend who introduced me to sea swimming & gave me my first wetsuit ☺️ #lambbayisland #vitaminsea #bagmaker #bagmaking #irishsea #wildswimmingireland

Mom Hack 🔨 🔒How to lock any pouch/bag Quickly & easily secure any bag contents from tiny hands. I’ve had to add a lock to my gestational diabetes glucose testing kit to ensure kiddos & contents are kept safe. You can fancy this up & using grommets to create a larger hole, and leather strap or chain to create a locking loop if using this trick for a handbag. #momhacks #momhack #momtips #momtipsandtricks #gestationaldiabetes

Jujube Order Unboxing!!! As much as I love to make bags, I still love buying bags. Love love love my new DSS 2.0 SuperStar. Can’t wait to pack this up as my hospital bag. So pretty 😍. Shout out to @jujube_intl in EU for fulfilling my request for a flower 🌸 PP on my mBFF. Did you score anything for the JJB DSS 2.0 launch? #jujube #buyallthebags #bagmama #tokidoki

Fun @malahide_castle Watch the first one with sound. No need for fairies or goblins. Fun is everywhere when you live in the moment ☺️ #toddlersofinstagram #wetwetwet #irelandtravel #malahide #enjoymalahide #malahidecastle #malahidecastleandgardens #irishweather #irishmammy