MEET MICHELLE WILLIAMSON

From an early age, ChamonixRain Organics founder Michelle Williamson developed a lifelong obsession with healthy living and a strong appreciation of the benefits that come from using the ingredients that nature has provided us – to nurture our bodies both inside and out.

Michelle grew up in a family where her mother made her own natural skincare and cleaning products, and her grandparents grew their own organic fruits and vegetables, both on farms and in their backyard. It was always her dream to use her knowledge and love of these ingredients, to then develop her own vegan-friendly, plant-based Natural skincare brand.

Michelle’s dream then became a reality shortly after she became a parent herself. After searching for premium quality natural baby skincare products, both in the UK (where she had her first child) and then here in Australia (where she had her second child)— she found the market lacking in options. As a result, Michelle developed her very own range of natural baby skincare products, free from soap, SLS, parabens, petrochemicals, formaldehyde and synthetic fragrances. Not only do they smell amazing, but they also leave the skin feeling beautifully soft and nourished.

A key ingredient in the range is Coconut Oil, which is her absolute go-to ingredient for beauty, cooking, skincare, haircare & even make-up removal.

This magic oil is a rich source of Vitamins, Fatty Acids, and antioxidants which deeply moisturise, hydrate, and condition the skin.

Today, the ChamonixRain Organics range includes vegan friendly products for the entire family – with some very exciting announcements and new products being released very soon!! Watch this space!

MEET TANYA AND WARREN STANLEY

As a family of third-generation beekeepers with two small children,the Stanley’s story is a serendipitous one. The Beetanicals journey began in 2015 when founders Tanya and Warren Stanley’s first son Cooper was born. As a bub, Cooper had very sensitive skin and suffered from a dry skin condition. A search for natural, toxin-free products to soothe, nourish and protect his skin proved unsuccessful, so these keen and dedicated parents decided to make their own.

Being a long-time lover of bees, the Stanleys were well aware of the wonderful antibacterial and nurturing benefits of beeswax. A natural emollient and humectant, beeswax draws moisture to the skin, allow sit to breathe and seals it in a protective barrier. The product they had been searching for was right before their eyes!

A subsequent family holiday caravanning through central Australia exposed Tanya and Warren to some of the amazing powers of Australian native superfoods. And so, in conjunction with an experienced formulator and world expert in aromatherapy and essential oil safety,the first batch of Beetanicals balms were created. The Beetanicals skincare range is endorsed by Native Oils Australia as ‘Clean & Pure,’ which guarantees global industry standards for quality, purity and cleanliness from paddock to jar.

Since then, the Stanleys have built their business around kindness. Kindness for local farmers and indigenous communities; with the majority of Beetanicals ingredients grown in Australia. Kindness for our furry friends; all of their products are tested on family and friends (notanimals) and their bees are never harmed in the harvesting process. And last but not least, kindness for our skin; through their commitment to provide natural, safe, effective and transparent products for fellow Australian families.

To date Beetanicals has taken home 23 awards, reinforcing the genuine effectiveness of their natural products that continue to support more and more families across the country.

MEET MEGAN DALEY

Megan Daley is an early childhood teacher turned teacher librarian with a passion for nurturing a love of language, words and story from birth. Her website Children’s Books Daily, is a one stop shop for all things reading related and she speaks across the country at early childhood conferences and early education centres to parents/caregivers and educators. A regular presenter on ABC radio, Megan spends much time talking about how free play and immersing children in language in all forms – stories and songs and nursery rhymes – as well as creating a culture of reading in your home, encourages self-awareness, kindness and empathy, reduces stress and opens up new worlds and ways of thinking. She firmly believes that a child’s love of books begins with loved adults taking the time to read with them and cuddling up and reading with a child allows them to form powerful associations between books and moments of happiness, love and closeness. For Megan, play and story and intrinsically linked.

She says: “My favourite memories of my own childhood are of playing with my huge circle of family friends. Playing was just what we did – it was an organic part of our lives. Our parents never agonised over our choices of games or thought about creating ‘meaningful learning experiences.’ Everyone seemed to accept that free play was a natural and essential part of childhood. But of course we were learning through our play, as we constructed cubby houses and imaginary worlds inspired or enhanced by the books we were read. I cannot stress enough how play and literacy development go hand-in-hand. It is well documented in early literacy development research that parents and educators need to value play as an important and valid part in literacy development as children engage with and respond to stories,create their own stories, and learn about themselves and their world.

”Megan’s book, ‘Raising Readers’ (2019, UQP) is a gentle guide for parents and educators to help foster a love of reading in children from birth andbeyond. An award-winning teacher librarian, Megan unpacks twenty years of experience in children’s literature in this personable and accessible guide, enhanced with up-to-date research, lots of book recommendations for children from birth to the tween and teen years and firsthand accounts from well-known Australian children’s authors.

Photograph Credit: Ruby Olive

Meet Cindy

Like a lot of families who have been through, going through, or may go through in the future, devastating loss of a child, I was determined to hold onto any memory of our little boy. I felt the need to keep everything physical I had of him, right down to the wrist band from the hospital that was on my arm. These things, in a way, proved his existence to me, and everyone else, and in a way, I felt as though by keeping these things with me, he was still earthside with me in some way.

Then, I came across keepsake Jewellery for loss. It intrigued me straight away, I really wanted to have something that I could hold close to me and take with me everywhere, but the thought of sending my precious inclusions abroad scared the hell out of me, so, I decided, I would make my own keepsake.

I proudly shared my craft with my friends online; they saw magic and meaning in the piece and shared it with their own friends. Pretty soon, I had orders coming in that were referred to me by word of mouth, then I realised, wow! I think this is what my calling is. I felt as though my son, in some way of fate, had given me something to comfort me.

Although making these pieces for other mothers who were celebrating the life of their child the majority of the time, it was a little tough on my heart strings at the start. That soon turned into a comfort, and pretty soon I was so engrossed with the want to heal, connect and celebrate every family’s successes and feel like I had made a difference in their lives.

And so Breastmilk Jewellery was born.

You can now book a call to speak to Cindy in person, this can be done by visiting the website. Please only book an appointment if you are wishing to place a new order or have questions about the process. All current order inquiries can be sent through via email or FB message. For all custom order requests of gold and diamonds or unique designs, you can contact Jenny, our in-house jeweller, at breastmilkjewellerykeepsakes@gmail.com