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Colouring Competition Winners 2015

Wed, 05 Aug 2015 14:33:06 +1200

Thanks so much to all of the budding young artists who entered our 2015 Winter Colouring In Competition...we had so many amazing entries, it was truly very difficult to pick the winners!

Congratulations to the following 3 winners of each age catergory who have won Three Bags Full clothing and some art supplies :

Under 3 Winner - Benjamin Tate of Auckland (age 2)

Age 4 - 6 Winner - Erica Forse of Christchurch (age 4)

Winner Over 7 - Austin Starr of Leure, NSW (age 7)

We also had 3 runners up, who have won some Smiggles goodies...

Runner Up Under 3 - Jimmie Greer of Havelock North (age 2)

Runner Up Age 4 - 6 - Ruby Taylor of Rangiora (age 6)

Runner Up Over 7 - Harrison McLean of Lumsden (age 7)

Kids Winter Holidays Colouring Competition

Thu, 02 Jul 2015 12:34:13 +1200

We have a very cute Snowman who is waiting to be decorated, coloured, painted, glittered....or brightened up anyway your imagination will allow! You can download your colouiring competition by clicking the link below.

Colour Me In - Snowman

We have lots of great prizes for the best-dressed snowman for 3 age categories (0-3 years, 4 - 6 years, 7 years plus) including Three Bags Full clothing! The winning entries will appear on our Facebook page and website.

Post your entries to:

Three Bags Full

PO Box 2226

Wakatipu 9349

New Zealand

Entries close 24 July 2015, so start decoarting now!!

Winter Packing for Boys

Thu, 02 Jul 2015 10:33:21 +1200

Three Bags Full

Winter Packing for Boys

It’s the final countdown to school holidays, and here in Queenstown holidaying families are already pouring into town for some time up the mountain or other winter adventures.

If you’ve got boys, packing warm and robust clothes is a must for holidays, Our favourites are…

Pick one: Flying High in Navy – or apple green

http://www.threebagsfull.co.nz/flying-high/

Action-packed and even better if you’re flying to a holiday destination, this merino packs down and is ideal for layering. Navy is ideal for messy boys, and can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion.

Pick two: Lamington socks!

http://www.threebagsfull.co.nz/lamington-socks/

Keeping the feet warm and dry in winter boots. Need we say more?!

Pick three: Boys Hoody

http://www.threebagsfull.co.nz/boys-hoody/

100% NZ Merino - 260gsm Weight

Navy and Grey Marle Stripe with Grey Marle Lined Hood

Guaranteed to keep lads of all ages warm and looking good in the process, our Three Bags Full hoody is a firm winter favourite. Easy colour-ways for going with everything packing. Too easy!

#winterthreebagsfull

#holidaysthreebagsfull

Winter Packing for Girls

Tue, 23 Jun 2015 12:17:27 +1200

Three Bags Full

Winter Packing for Girls

Winter holidays are around the corner! Whether you’re heading to the ski fields or visiting Nana, savvy packing can save time, washing, room in the car or suitcase, and a lot of stress for parents.

Our Winter Holiday packing ideas for girls are all around warmth, style and versatility.

Pick one: Pear in Navy – or raspberry

http://www.threebagsfull.co.nz/pear/

Navy is the “new black” for when it comes to childrenswear. It’s classic, can be dressed up or down, hides the dirt and goes with everything! And Pear is the perfect design for the cooler seasons.

Pick two: Lamington socks!

http://www.threebagsfull.co.nz/lamington-socks/

Keeping the feet warm and dry in winter boots. Need we say more?!

Pick three: Spotty Dotty Horse – rose, raspberry, navy

http://www.threebagsfull.co.nz/spotty-dotty-horse/

There’ s a reason this design is back by popular demand! Your little girl will definitely want this sweater packed.

Pick four: Jersey Dress – grey marle, navy

http://www.threebagsfull.co.nz/jersey-dress/

The best winter dress ever! Make sure you squeeze this one into the suitcase too. Versatile colourways of grey marle or navy.

#winterthreebagsfull

#holidaysthreebagsfull

A New Princess!

Thu, 21 May 2015 10:16:14 +1200

On 2 May, Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge arrived into the world at St Mary’s Hospital, Kensington in London.

Here in the Three Bags Full office we were a-buzz with dreams of dressing the princess in sustainable, warm, Three Bags Full babywear! It can be a little tricky sending gifts to royalty though, so we’ve contented ourselves with a little Royal Fashion Show of our own – in honour of the world’s newest princess and her boisterous older brother Prince George!

http://www.threebagsfull.co.nz/baby-girls-polkadot-set-with-hat/

Lamington socks! Too adorable – and they stay on – in rose, grey stripe and navy

http://www.threebagsfull.co.nz/lamington-baby-socks/

And for Prince George, we think he’d look very handsome in the Navy Stag top and Stripe Merino Hoody!

#tbfbaby #princesscharlotte

Growing with the merino wave

Fri, 01 May 2015 21:37:40 +1200

Three Bags Full turns nine years this year - almost double digits and tracking well into adulthood!

The company began its merino journey from various influences: one director had grown up on a Nelson sheep farm, another had an advertising and design background. Bring those two together with the arrival of children and a high quality, practical, always on trend product is born.

Any marketer worth their salt will tell you: Know your market. Three Bags Full have taken this essential piece of business acumen quite literally, and for their nine years have sold exclusively through fetes and markets, as well as online.

“It’s helped us get a hands-on understanding of our customers. Getting that face to face feedback on a regular basis is powerful, and we’ve built our business around it,” says Pip Souness.

This consumer knowledge has been particularly important given the explosion of merino products onto the marketplace in the last 10 years – and in particular, children’s merino.

“We’ve stayed true to what Three Bags Full is all about and that’s really helped us compete,” says Tracey van Herel. “We always come back to enduring style, the best quality possible and flattering cuts. People vote with their feet (and wallets!).

We’re also appreciative of our customers’ loyalty. They’ve become an extension of our business over the years, and we design with their families in mind.”

#loyalshopper #merinochildrenswear #merinokidsclothing #threebagsfullmerino

Shop www.threebagsfull.co.nz

Kiwi grown, sewn, designed and sold!

Thu, 16 Apr 2015 21:30:04 +1200

Staying true to New Zealand Made from start to finish is at the heart of the Three Bags Full merino childrenswear business.

“We’ve developed our whole proposition of merino clothing for kids around NZ Made,” says Tracey. “From the sustainable, New Zealand merino wool we use in our clothing to our manufacturing and pricing strategies.”

Three Bags Full works with ZQ Merino, who are committed to sustainable New Zealand merino:

The ZQ Merino programme was launched by The New Zealand Merino Company to help people understand that their textile choices could be a reflection of their beliefs – you are what you wear – and that Merino, done the right way, was a smart and sustainable choice.

Manufacturing in New Zealand can represent a biggest challenge, with so many retailers going the China road. But Three Bags Full is loyal to their Christchurch manufacturers, and has structured their retailing in such to keep pricing as affordable as possible.

#lnzmade #merinochildrenswear #merinokidsclothing #threebagsfullmerino

Shop www.threebagsfull.co.nz

See http://www.zqmerino.com/home/zq-merino/

Thoughtful Design

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 13:41:09 +1300

Ever wondered who comes up with the adorable, appealing, enduring Three Bags Full icons?

Although the icons are the brainchildren of the business directors, designer Amie Saxton plays a big part in bringing the styles to life.

Queenstown-based like the Three Bags Full team, and the mother of a six-year-old boy, Amie’s design signature became a fit with TBF four years ago.

“She understands our market because she is our market!” says Pip. “And Amie’s graphic design is quite artistic, so she has a deft touch with the designs she fine tunes for our merino clothing.”

#lnzmade #merinochildrenswear #merinokidsclothing #threebagsfullmerino

Shop www.threebagsfull.co.nz

See http://www.iheartdesign.co.nz/

New 2015 Range is Here!

Sun, 01 Mar 2015 20:17:28 +1300

We are super excited to unveil our new 2015 range. With new prints, colours and styles added (and more to come) we are sure you're going to love this year's range as much as we do!

Due to demand for our new range we have put the new prints and colours on our website, even though delivery of some items may be delayed up to 7 days... it is a first-in first-served basis so if you want to make sure you get your first choice then jump on over to our product pags now and place your order!
For those of you not ready to purchase just yet, rest assured we will be getting more stock in over the next month in plenty of time for winter!

Our gorgeous new hoodies are also due in next week...keep your eyes peeled on the website and our Facebook page for these!

Colouring In Winners

Thu, 15 Aug 2013 18:42:56 +1200

Here are the winners of our Three Bags Full Colouring Competition for 2013...click on the individual pictures to have a closer look!

The winners are:

Ages 3 & under

Jessica B of Timaru - Babushka Doll

Max R of Darfield - Digger

Ages 4 - 5 years

Anastasia C of Auckland - Babushka Doll

Johnny R from Darfield (talented family!!) - Digger

Ages 6 - 8 years

Emily M of Wellington - Babushka Doll

Alex of Temuka - Digger

Congratulations to all of you, and what a great effort you all made!

Need something to entertain the kids these holidays?

Thu, 18 Jul 2013 10:49:30 +1200

With the winter school holidays upon us, and the cold temperatures truly set in, we’re sure there’s more than a few of you looking for something to entertain the kids indoors, so you can sit down to that well-deserved cup of tea for 5 minutes!

Here’s your chance to get the crafts box out and get creative with the kids (or more ideally let them get creative while you sit down to that cup of tea!) and also go in the draw to win some cool prizes…it’s time for the annual Three Bags Full Colouring Competition.

This year there are 3 categories: Under 3s, 3-5 years and 6– 8 years. There’s a digger for the boys to get creative with, and the Babushka Doll for the girls…so get busy and let your imagination run wild…it doesn’t just have to be pens and paint…anything goes! Download and print your entry form:

Colour Me In - Digger

Colour Me In - Babushka

We're turning 5! WIN one of 5 $100!

Fri, 18 May 2012 12:27:24 +1200

We’re 5 this year…WIN 1 of 5 $100 vouchers!

We thought we should mark this milestone with a reward to you, our customers, who have helped us to successfully grow our brand both in New Zealand and internationally.

Every order placed between now and 30 June, 2012 goes into the draw to win one of 5 $100 Three Bags Full vouchers. Each purchase puts you in the draw. For a bonus entry “Like us” on our Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Three-Bags-Full-Merino-Childrenswear/116559751706034) page and you’ll get an extra chance to win! Start shopping now!

What's Hot This Month...

By popular demand we now also have our Tunic Dress available in Raspberry for all your pink-mad little princesses!

Recipe of the Month:

Kumara, Spinach and Mushroom Salad

(Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side)

This simple, but very tasty warm salad is a current favourite in our household - very comforting on those colder nights. We often serve it with Fish or just on it’s own - a good vegetarian meal option.

2 T olive oil

2 medium sized kumara (cut into small cubes)

4 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)

4 Portobello mushrooms (sliced)

3 handfuls of spinach leaves (stalks removed)

2 zucchinis (cut into cubes)

Handful of Pine nuts lightly roasted

4 T Sundried Tomato Pesto (or can use Roasted Red Pepper Pesto)

Salt & Cracked Black Pepper to taste

Blanch kumara in boiling water and cook until just tender (be careful not to overcook, as it needs to keep it’s shape).

Meanwhile, heat Olive Oil in large fry pan on gentle heat. Add garlic; keep on Med to Low head so as not to burn it.

Add the sliced mushrooms and zucchini along with a good amount of cracked black pepper. Stir occasionally until lightly cooked. Add the blanched kumara, Pine nuts, and Pesto to the fry pan and stir through. Take off heat and fold through the spinach. Season and serve as a salad on it’s own or as an accompaniment. Enjoy!

2011 Photo Winners

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 09:13:41 +1300

Wow, what an amazing selection of photos we had entered for this year’s Photo Competition... making our decision on the winners that little bit tougher!! We loved seeing all the photos you sent in of your children (and grand-children, nieces, nephews etc!) in their Three Bags Full gear... it made us really proud to see them being worn in so many different locations around the country and even internationally.

Without further ado, the winners are:

City
Samantha Fawcett in Wellington Harbour, Wellington

Snow
Hannah Buchanan at Castle Hill, Canterbury

Surf
Sebastien Fraser at Brown’s Bay Beach, North Shore

Congratulations to our winners, who each have won a $100 voucher to spend on Three Bags Full clothing.

Recipe of the Month - Crunchy Caramel Truffles

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 19:50:37 +1200

Crunchy Caramel Truffles

These delicious little treats are much healthier than you’d think – I’ve even managed to trick my 7 year old into eating them who swears he doesn’t like dates! A great lunch box filler or treat for morning tea.

2 cups rice bubbles	1 egg
75g butter	few drops vanilla essence
1/3 cup brown sugar	½ cup coconut
1 cup dates, pitted & roughly chopped (can use handful of dried finely chopped apricots as well)

Mix rice bubbles and finely chopped apricots together in large bowl.
Melt butter, sugar and dates together in saucepan over low heat until combined.
Gently bring to boil, stirring constantly until mixture begins to caramelise (about 2-3 minutes).
Cool caramel mixture for 5 minutes then beat in egg and vanilla essence.
Mix together with rice bubble mixture and roll into small balls. Roll balls in coconut and refrigerate to set.

Gift With Purchase & Winter Newsletter

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 11:41:18 +1200

Gift with Purchase
Purchase over $100 worth of Three Bags Full product between now and August 30, 2011 and you will receive a FREE copy of the current issue OHBaby! Magazine. Packed full with great articles, recipes and also each magazine contains a unique code for you to enter their Ultimate Competition to win $25,000 worth of baby gear!

On the subject of competitions, we are also going to be running our Three Bags Full Photo Competition next month, so start snapping now for one of the following three categories – Snow, Surf and City. For those of you new to the Three Bags Full Club all you need to do is take a photo of your little cherub in his or her Three Bags Full clothing in one of the above settings, for your chance to win Three Bags Full clothing…it’s that simple! Keep your eyes peeled for more details to follow next month…

Recipe of the Month
These delicious little treats are much healthier than you’d think – I’ve even managed to trick my 7 year old into eating them who swears he doesn’t like dates! A great lunch box filler or treat for morning tea.

Crunchy Caramel Truffles
2 cups rice bubbles   1 egg
75g butter   few drops vanilla essence
1/3 cup brown sugar   ½ cup coconut
1 cup dates, pitted & roughly chopped (can use handful of dried finely chopped apricots as well)
Mix rice bubbles and finely chopped apricots together in large bowl.
Melt butter, sugar and dates together in saucepan over low heat until combined.
Gently bring to boil, stirring constantly until mixture begins to caramelise (about 2-3 minutes).
Cool caramel mixture for 5 minutes then beat in egg and vanilla essence.
Mix together with rice bubble mixture and roll into small balls. Roll balls in coconut and refrigerate to set.

And the winner is…
Congratulations to Katie Wesney of Devonport, who is this month’s lucky winner of a Three Bags Full merino top.

Don’t forget to keep your camera handy to catch that perfect shot for our upcoming photo competition!

Until next time stay safe & warm,

Tracey & Pip

Colouring In Winners

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 20:29:37 +1200

Here are the winners of our Three Bags Full Colouring Competition for 2011...click on the individual pictures to have a closer look!

The winners are:

Ages 3 & under

Emily Russell - Fairy

Jake Wilson - Tractor

Ages 4 - 5 years

Jasmine Neale - Fairy

Lochie McKenzie - Tractor

Ages 6 - 8 years

Sorraya Dodunski - Fairy

Ethan Weber - Tractor

Congratulations to all of you, and what a great effort you all made!

Delivery Delays Expected

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 14:36:38 +1200

With this wild and crazy weather we're having all over the country, we are expecting some delivery delays over the next few days.

Roads are currently closed both into and out of Queenstown, as well as Queenstown Airport, making freight deliveries very difficult!

If you have any queries about your order, please contact us directly on info@threebagsfull.co.nz.

Three Bags Full Colouring Competition Closes

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:31:19 +1200

We were so surprised with the amazing response and amount of entries we received for our first Colouring Competition!

We are busy perusing all the entries to choose a winner in all the relevant categories...the winners will be announced here by the end of the week, and a selection of our favourites will appear on our Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Three-Bags-Full-Merino-Childrenswear/116559751706034.

Winner Announced!

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 21:06:00 +1200

It’s been a strangely warm and pleasant start to winter for us in the deep South, but we are now waiting with baited breath for some snow to fall on the mountains…not only for us to enjoy, but for the thousands of guests due to file into town for next week’s Winter Festival.

We’ve had an amazing response to our promotion, to win a trip for two to Winter Festival, and are very excited to announce our lucky winner below.

NEW Products

We’ve had a few new items grace our shelves over the past few weeks, which are both, at this stage, one-off designs. For the girls we have a gorgeous cross-over top with cute polka dot trim, and for the boys a new stripe top in North Sea and Milo, which has been flying off the shelves! Be in quick to make sure you don’t miss out…these may not be repeated. The cross-over tops are on the website for pre-orders, due to arrive in-store late next week.

American Express Winter Festival Street Parade & Teddy Bears Picnic –

Saturday 25 June 2011.

We are working hard on our inaugural float entry in the American Express Winter Festival Street Parade and are hoping to get as many people down there as possible for the event…if you are in the area we’d love to see you there!

Our Float will be parked up at Earnslaw Park after the Parade for the Teddy Bears Picnic, and will be giving away balloons and Three Bags Full product…it will be a great day out for the kids!

And the winner is….

Congratulations to Jo Doyle of Ashburton, South Canterbury who is our winner of our Win a Trip to Queenstown promotion. It was such a thrill to make that call to let Jo know she had won!

Jo will be enjoying return flights for two to Queenstown on Air New Zealand, 2 nights accommodation at Novotel Gardens, dinner at Winnies Pizza Bar and breakfast at Vudu Café and Larder.

Oaty Chocolate & Cinnamon Cookies

These quick and easy little gems are a great lunch box filler and really just a twist on the traditional Anzac biscuit recipe…very easy and quite healthy too! My kids love them fresh out of the oven with a glass of milk after school…yummy!

½ cup flour 50g butter

1/3 cup sugar 1 tbsp golden syrup

2/3 cup coconut ½ tsp baking soda

¾ cup rolled oats 2 tbsp boiling water

1 tsp cinnamon 2 handfuls chocolate chips

Turn oven to 170 degrees C, and line or grease a baking tray.

Mix all dry ingredients together (except for chocolate chips)

Gently melt butter and golden syrup together – do not boil.

Dissolve baking soda in hot water, then add to butter mix and whisk to combine.

Add butter mixture to dry ingredients and mix gently, then add in chocolate chips and mix to combine.

Roll walnut size balls and place on baking tray, and flatten slightly before baking for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

To make these Gluten Free, I substitute flour for Bakel’s Gluten Free Health Flour Mix.

And the other winner is….

Congratulations to Jolene Garrett of Rotorua who is the winner of our Three Bags Full Club prize-draw for a Three Bags Full top of her choice.

We hope you are all keeping nice and warm wherever you are, and we hope to see some of you at the Parade or Teddy Bears Picnic next week.

Thank you for your continuing support,

Pip & Tracey

WIN a Trip for 2 to Queenstown Winter Festival

Wed, 11 May 2011 14:16:58 +1200

Hope you all managed to get some ‘rest and relaxation’ on Mother’s Day… I certainly enjoyed my cooked breakfast in bed… (even if the scrambled eggs my 7 year old made were completely overcooked…!). Us Mums certainly deserve a few treats every now and then, with the busy lives we lead…don’t we!

On the subject of treats…this issue we are really excited to tell you about our mid-winter promotion…which we are sure any busy parent would love to win….

One lucky customer will win a trip to Queenstown for 2 nights with a friend or partner for the Opening Weekend of the American Express Queenstown Winter Festival.

The prize includes return flights for 2 to Queenstown with Air New Zealand and 2 nights accommodation for 24 – 26 June, 2011. Also included is a meal for 2 at Winnies Pizza Restaurant & Bar, and breakfast for 2 at Vudu Café and Larder. Just the midwinter getaway you deserve…

To enter just make a purchase online at www.threebagsfull.co.nz between now and the 15th June 2011. The winner will be contacted by the 17th June 2011, and announced in our next Newsletter.

Whilst in Queenstown you will be able to witness the inaugural Three Bags Full float entry into the American Express Queenstown Festival Street Parade. Be sure not to miss it if you are in our neck of the woods.

Event Calendar:

If you’re out and about in Arrowtown on 28th or 29th May, head down to the Hall for some great bargains from local designers, including Smith & Western, Claire Bloom and Tamsin Cooper…and of course Three Bags Full!

Arrowtown Hall Designer Sale 28 & 29 May 2011 Arrowtown Hall, Arrowtown

Best-Ever Chocolate Cake (A.K.A Easiest Ever Chocolate Cake!!)

Now I know everyone claims to have a “best-ever” chocolate cake recipe, but this one is so fail safe and I have been asked for the recipe so many times, I thought perhaps it’s about time I gave it away!! It takes less than 10 minutes to make and I have even used it as a wedding cake base before…it’s that good! The other bonus is it also makes equally good cupcakes…so very versatile!

2/3 cup cocoa 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar 2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 eggs 3/4 cup buttermilk or plain runny yoghurt

1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 tsp vanilla extract or essence

¾ cup warm water

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease a small round tin or line 24 cup-cake pans.
Mix all ingredients together with electric mixer for 3 minutes, until smooth.
Pour batter into cake tin, or divide evenly among lined cupcake pans.
Bake, until tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes for cake tin or 15 – 20 minutes for cup cakes.
Delicious filled with Raspberry Jam, iced with chocolate icing and served with a dollop of cream!
Too easy!! I often use Bakels Gluten Free Health Flour Mix, and just drop the baking powder from the recipe. Double the recipe for a large cake (ideal for birthday cake size!).

And the winner is…

Congratulations to Diana di Corrado of Greenvale, Australia, who has won this month’s draw, and will be receiving a Three Bags Full top in the mail!

Also congratulations to Terressa Moyle (Australia) and Mel Hornby (New Zealand) who also won a recent promotion we ran with Kidspot in Australia and New Zealand.

Don’t miss out on your chance to win a trip to Queenstown – every purchase puts you in the draw!

Hope you are all keeping well and warm,

Tracey and Pip