Fundraising - Bottle Tombola

Fundraising could not be simpler with a Bottle Tombla. We are about a 20 person band so we asked everyone to donate a bottle for the tombola, this could be squash, alcoholic, soft drink or fizzy.

We had about 50 prizes with a couple spares in case of breakages etc. Each bottle had a cloakroom ticket ending with a 0 or 5, the rest of the strip was thrown away and then the other side of the raffle tickets were folded and put into a box for public to buy and try and win. This gave a 1 in 5 chance of winning, it has been known to add all of the raffle ticket numbers - including duplicates to give a 1 in 10 chance of winning, however we didn't want to do this given the size of our event.

This was one of our better earners as it attracts children and adults, again we charged 50p a go - given the bottles we had on offer this seems a good deal as there were mainly branded bottles.

300th Post and Tropic Brow Define and Lash Extension Kit

I couldn't decide whether to celebrate my 300th post or wonder why it has taken me so long to get here! I have a proper Pamper Experience tonight so I thought I would just show you how exciting these products are at transforming your look in a 100% natural and chemically free way. This make up is actually good for your skin!

Before: in my en-suite, After: in my garden. No filters or camera trickery here.

This post will show you how good the Brow Define Ochre and Lash Extension Kit set really are - Using the pallet, the organic bamboo dual-end eyebrow brush and the stencils. Using just the fixing gel, natural fibres and fixing gel again on my lashes.

 Yep, this is my en-suite with only my phone camera doing my first ever use of the Brow Define Ochre, note to self take a photography class! You can see from my pictures my colouring is highlighted blonde hair but with a medium brown base - I am using the mid colour Ochre from the Tropic Make up range.

 Once I had added the powder to my other eyebrow I didn't look (or feel so strange) I think that when you wear extra make up in your eyebrows you feel a little fancier. I feel incredibly made up when I have the Lash Extension Kit and the eye brows. Yet I do not look it, I look natural. My husband who doesn't like to see a lot of make up thinks I look good so I am happy!

 Here you can see the lashes done just once on my left eye (right as you look at the picture)

Still just using the lash extension kit once, you can build up the fibres as much as you want to this was my first attempt and play around.

Family time

We have had another beautiful week of weather in the south west, which means we haven't really made much progress with any projects as such. Andy has been working on spray painting the little tykes cars we got for the babies from Ebay. If you are facebook look me up /12natalie.knight or instagram @homebirdeconomics for a sneaky preview!

Currently we are spending a lot of time on our decking as we have set up a pool with gazebo so that Belle can play without getting grass or bugs in the water but she can also be protected by the sun - there is a lot more privacy too and although our garden isn't too overlooked by close by we are at the bottom of a little valley so there are houses up the other side.

I had a coffee and chat morning at my house this week and made my first target with Tropic Skin Care in the process. I am growing in confidence talking about the products and genuinely loving this new job! I love being able to work from home - finding that balance though.... well that is fun! I will get there though, I am determined.

We have a lot to look forward to right now, our young family is in a good place. It is nice to feel like I am getting an identity as Natalie as well as all of my other roles!

I have been using the Organic Elixir for about a week now and I believe I can see a difference already, I am thinking about doing some before and after pictures. I am honestly impressed. Anything that makes me less crinkly (at 24) means it is staying in my arsenal to fight the ageing process and nourish my skin at the same time!!!

If you are interested in Tropic products or becoming an Ambassador with me, get in touch! I love to talk about Tropic even if you just fancy a chat :)

Fundraising with Carnival Games - Hoopla

This is another of Andy's makes, again using leftover wood from another project in the garden. Very simply he cut half the wood from the middle in each piece and slotted them together nicely. We screwed ours in place to keep it from wiggling around.

Then each point has a long screw holding a wooden dowel in place as the targets for the rope hoops. The hoops we used were also made from garden supplies and they were held in circle form by wrapping the end of each rope individually in electrically tape and then taped together. This held up surprisingly well!

Our Hoopla fundraising carnival game also raised a respectable amount for us charging 50p for 3 hoops. We took the same two successful hoops won a prize.

We used rope along the ground with tent pegs holding them in place as adult and child lines.

My first sales with Tropic Skin Care

I am so lucky to have my friends, last night I made my first two sales and have a pamper evening lined up. Luckily for me the ladies were brilliant, it was really informal and we had chinese take away. The ladies asked me all sorts of questions that I thought I would struggle to answer but found myself doing well!

We had the children running around so at times it did get a bit complicated, Belle still loves playing with the products so it was interesting trying to get her interested in something else! Zak wasn't keen being away from me but that was just tiredness.

I decided last night that I would have an open coffee and chat morning to show the products and catalogues but to answer questions too. I will also have a recruitment folder and hope to get a team started too. That way we can encourage each other whilst staying home with our babies - like minded positive empowered women! I sound like a liberation advert but I am so blessed to have this opportunity to make an income from home that truly fits around my family and if I can help others achieve the same then is there anything better? Baby snuggles. But baby snuggles are a part of my job!

Enough work talk, we are off to see my mum because I haven't seen her in ages! I am really looking forward to a catch up.

Why I chose to become a Tropic Skin Care Ambassador

This past week has been a very busy one for us. We obviously had our fundraising event for the local town band on Sunday, Monday I joined Tropic Skin Care, Tuesday Andy and I went to MTV Crashes, Wednesday I had my training for the Tropic Skin Care range. Tonight we have a committee meeting for the band! Busy, but so blessed. This week I have found a whole new focus and motivation for where our life is going.

I am so grateful and appreciative of the ability to stay at home with my babies, but since having Zak I have felt the same feelings as I did with Belle. The overwhelming feeling of loosing my identity, tidying and cleaning is my contribution to the house, trying to make healthy meals and encouraging learning and development in my children everyday was feeling a little less motivating. Even demoralising at times. I LOVE being home and I wouldn't change it but I needed a new focus for me.

So far I am really enjoying using the products myself, practising facials on my friends and contacts and generally promoting the products. Products I am 100% behind. I have written before about my love organic, non-harmful products/recipes/lifestyle. I am not quite living that life just yet but this is such a big positive step. I had even started looking at recipes to make my own cosmetic products because I am becoming very aware of what I want not only on my skin but my children's too.

Isabelle is constantly watching and listening, repeating and learning what happens around her. I parent from a trial point of view and she will learn by doing and making her own choices. So when I am putting my make up on or washing my face she wanted to join in, I love this. It's like bonding time, but also looking after your skin is important. It is the only one you have - it may constantly renew but that foundation stays.

This is just my first week of starting with Tropic and I am so grateful for the amount of support and training I have received, I am thankful to have the opportunity to build a successful business from home. Watch this space, I have big plans!

**As an Independent Ambassador for Tropic Skin Care Ltd, my Facebook/Instagram/Blog activity including comments, images/videos, posts and updates are my own views. I take responsibility for any libel or litigation that results from my Facebook/Instagram/Blog content. **

Fundraising with Carnival Games - Whak a Rat

Luckily for me Andy is happy to give making things a go, he had a look online to find the best looking Whak a Rat fundraising carnival game. He had some wood from taking down his old shed and the building materials of the new one. So this cost us very little. We did have to buy the drain pipe brackets but the drain pipe was a spare too. Honestly our garden is full of 'useful' things. But I can't complain because my craft room is full of equally 'useful' things!!

Anyway, the back board is from the old shed, the legs are from the left over shed materials and attached with screws. Obviously the further back the legs go the less of an incline making the rat slide slower. We painted ours with a brick effect and think that this worked well!

I used some ends of brown spotty material and plaited woollen tails to make the rats - double stitched to ensure the filling of split peas did not come out! As this was all being used for a Town Band fundraiser it had to cost as little as possible. We are thinking about using the games in the garden when we have Belle's birthday and Zak's baptism.

We brought a foam bat from our local B and M so that hopefully players nor the board got damaged. It seemed to be a success!

We ran the fundraising game so that two or more hits won a prize. This seemed to work well because we charged 50p for 3 hits and made a reasonable amount from this carnival game.