A thing of beauty is a joy forever: its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness.
John Keats

I like pretty things. I find great joy in wondering around craft and antique shops and shops piled high with pretty things to give or to keep.

When we found ourselves with a shop a little bigger than we actually thought it would be, what else could we do but full it with pretty things.

Journey2Joy is about finding your joy. It is a place where local artists can show case their products and where you can walk around to find the ideal gift, accessory or just something pretty for your house.

All the products are made in South Africa and you can see all the supplier details on the left hand side of this page.

A sneak peak of some of the items we offer

Lacoco C – brownie mix in a bottle – these are the most epic brownies EVER

Swagger Products – ear rings, pendants, place mats and wrapping paper – the pretty will make you cry!!

Crafty Fox – hand made goodies for kids rooms – LOVE this room tidy.

Enchanted Charms – all you Breaking Dawn fans – we have stunning charm bracelets for you

These are just some of the products we offer – so pop in to the shop to see all the other pretty things we have for you

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Eczema is a skin condition that can cause great irritation in toddlers and babies.

It can present itself as an itchy rash with flaky dry skin. It has a variety of causes from fabric softeners to allergies to stress.

While it is not contagious it can become painful and the source of much frustration and stress for moms of little ones who suffer from it.

Our eczema range may be the solution to the problem. We have had huge success with this range of products and I personally firmly believe that if your child suffers from eczema then you need to add our range to your daily regime.

We have the cream, body wash, glycerine soap and bath oil – all three of these products are made with a combination of ingredients that will soothe and nourish the skin. It is a natural product that contains no harsh chemicals so is perfectly safe to use on all ages including newborns and all skin types.

Some feedback from clients who have used this product with great success

Greetings, My (twin) boys have really suffered terribly in their nearly 3 years of life and it seems that your product is really helping. I have been using it for 2 weeks now and they are almost cleared!! They had a big op (tonsillectomy, grommets, etc etc) 2 weeks ago, so I am not sure if this has helped improve their skin too. ….but I will def come back and get some more cream from you shortly. Many thanks for your wonderful concoction!! Andrew

Only 3 washes with @TranqBodyTreats Eczema top-toe wash & J’s scalp eczema (4 which I’ve tried many things) = almost completely cleared up! – Ankia

and that would be the eczema (spell?) cream. I was skeptical, but it’s worked like a bomb. – Jackson Mom

If your little one suffers from this skin irritation then contact us to order.

You can email me laura@tranquilbodytreats.co.za for more information.

One of the reasons I love blogging is that it manages to connect people in ways that you never expected.

Blogs have been one of my major sources for finding new, pretty things for our shop.

Lauren featured these ladies on her blog and I mailed them the moment I saw the post.

They make the prettiest stationery – note books, writing sets and address books as well as tote bags.

And we received our stock last week and LOVE IT.

Pretty aren’t they

I organised a baby shower yesterday for my friend Natasha – it went really well despite the rain

I made her a nappy cake as the centre piece and I am so chuffed how it came out

When I had my son I decorated his room in the obligatory Winnie-the-Pooh theme. While I love Winnie-the-Pooh and all the associated characters it really was far from original or even cute. It was lots of yellow.

When Kiara came along I went with a bug theme which was very cute – a lot cuter than Winnie-the-Pooh anyway :-p

Nursery decor has come a long way since then! While browsing Etsy for baby shower favours I found the cutest nursery themes. It actually made me want to have a baby just so I could decorate the nursery.

This whole range is awesome. These vinyl wall stickers are removable and come in the most amazing themes and colours.

These prints are so stunning also and you can keep them up as baby grows.

This set for me is simply beautiful

For something a little more traditional and bright these stickers are also awesome.

They even have linen to choose from – I loved these.

I wish I had found these mobiles for Kiara. She would have loved them.

These personalised door signs are also really lovely!

Etsy is full of stunning ideas and products. I decorated many many rooms while doing this post There are also more traditional ideas. Spend some time browsing and getting ideas to put together the perfect nursery.

My mom, brother and I are all lactose and gluten intolerant. The difference it has made in our lives has been remarkable.

On the suggestion of our homeopath I decided to keep my children off both gluten and lactose for the first year of their lives. It was not always easy as we had to find lactose free formulas which are generally more expensive than the normal ones. We also avoided ready-made baby food as much as we could for home-made meals.

We introduced lactose before gluten in things like yoghurt and cheese. Cameron had no reaction to either gluten or lactose but Kiaras reacted to both, so we still keep her off both to a large extent.

So what is gluten and lactose? And what does it mean to be gluten and lactose intolerant?

Gluten is

1. The mixture of proteins, including gliadins and glutelins, found in wheat grains, which are not soluble in water and which give wheat dough its elastic texture.
2. Any of the prolamins found in cereal grains, especially the prolamins in wheat, rye, barley, and possibly oats, that cause digestive disorders such as celiac disease.

Lactose is

1. A disaccharide, C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁, found in milk, that may be hydrolyzed to yield glucose and galactose.
2. A white crystalline substance obtained from whey and used in infant foods, bakery products, confections, and pharmaceuticals as a diluent and excipient. Also called milk sugar.

Celiac disease is a disease of the digestive system that damages the small intestine and interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food.

Lactose intolerance refers to the inability of the body to digest lactose.

Dealing with a baby with an intolerance to these products is easier than dealing with a toddler or older child. Once they start attending school and/or parties it does become more challenging. Parties pose the greatest challenge as birthday cakes, cup cakes, ice cream and even cheese curls are a no-no. Schools are a little easier to manage as most schools that serve meals are willing to leave out ingredients or will allow you to provide meals/snacks your child can have.

It has become a way of life for Kiara so for the most part she won’t accept things she can’t eat or will tell the person she can’t eat it. When she does have something she is intolerant to the reaction can sometimes be instant. If she has ice cream, her chest closes almost immediately, her nose will start running and she has often started scratching her skin asking me to take it out. I have often had the same reaction when I have eaten something I shouldn’t have. If it is lactose she has had it is guaranteed that she will have tonsillitis or an ear infection within 2 days of eating it.

Some of the symptoms she experiences

• Coughing
• Running nose
• Wheezing chest
• Itchy skin
• Irritability
• Sore throat
• Low blood pressure
• Ear infection and tonsillitis

It is also a challenge to find products that we can eat that taste nice. A lot of shops do now stock a range of gluten free products but you need to still check the ingredients and your reaction. Buckwheat and millet are gluten free but I react badly to both of them – worse than my reaction to normal bread. These products are also expensive and often tasteless or not very nice.

A few of the products we have found that have worked for us

• Woolworths rice cakes (not the organic ones)
• Woolworths rice milk (it is a sweet milk so not suitable for sauces)
• Rice noodles (from the various the Chinese supermarkets)
• Sweet William Dairy Free Rice Crackle Chocolate Bar from Dischem is gluten, nut and dairy free
• Natures Choice Rice Flour (best for baking)
• Rinas Muffins – found at the Pretoria Farmers Market. Her muffins are wheat free as she uses rye flour and cremora which do contain traces of gluten. You can contact her on amvw@webmail.co.za
• Maizena can be used to thicken sauces as well as for baking.

A few items that contain lactose and gluten that you may not have known

• Tab (lactose)
• Smarties (gluten)
• Bacon (gluten)
• Oats (gluten)
• Liqourice All Sorts (gluten)
• Tomato Sauce (gluten) – All Gold does not but most of the others do.

For recipes that contain ingredients found in South Africa I use ‘South African cookbook for allergies and food intolerance by Hilda Lategan’

Definitions from Answers.com

Pregnancy takes a huge toll on your body. Your hormones are all over the place. You are tired a lot and there never seems to be enough time in the day to get all the things organised.

It doesn’t get much easier after baby arrives which is why having a mini pamper session before you give birth is the perfect way to relax and re-charge.

Tranquil Sanctuary offers a lovely “Mom To Be” package where you receive a facial, massage, manicure and pedicure. For three hours you are pampered and forced to relax.

If you would like to take a friend and spend the day at a spa then Hakunamatata offers a Pregnancy Package which includes 3 hours of treatments and lunch or breakfast.

Both packages are reasonable priced and well worth it.

So off you go and book now!

Pregnancy is an amazing thing. To feel every day for nine months another life growing inside you is the most awesome experience.

Becoming a mother means you are forever more responsible for the well being of another person. This can be rather scary in the beginning because, while there are books and lists of things you need, you never feel fully prepared for the arrival of your baby.

That is where we come in. We will help you prepare, not only for the first few weeks of babies life but also for your hospital stay.

We provide a variety of services including, new born packs containing everything you will need for your baby, hospital bags for both mom and baby as well as personalised linen and baby-grows.

Our newborn baby packs are ideal gifts for

• Office baby showers
• Baby showers for family/friends who live far away – we can package and send/deliver the gift on your behalf