Happily married and blessed with two adorable kids, Ayzee Zainal together with her husband Khair Qawiem created Flowers & Warriors after realising the need for awesome kids apparel and accessories in Malaysia.
We took the opportunity to talk to Ayzee, prompting her to share her thoughts on motherhood, and a tip or two on decorating gorgeous parties that we lust over on her Instagram page – yes we’re part time stalkers as well.
1. Hi Ayzee! Congratulations on the arrival of your second baby. How is Melur adjusting to her baby brother, Tuah?
Surprisingly, better than expected! We thought that there will be some kind of jealousy and what not, but she seems to enjoy her little brother’s presence. Melur likes to imitate whatever that I do with Tuah to her panda stuffed toy, which includes breastfeeding her panda! Hehe.
We’re also proud when she tries to be an example to Tuah whenever possible. For example, Tuah sleeps in his own cot in the kids’ nursery and that’s made Melur want to sleep in her own bed too. (Melur’s been co-sleeping with us for the past two years so that’s definitely a milestone!)
2. What’s the one thing you’ve learned about having two kids?
Family planning! Haha!
Seriously, it’s time management. Taking a nice bath nowadays is considered a luxury! Sleeping for me is overrated. My life begins at midnight, when the kids are asleep. And I don’t even have to set an alarm because they wake me up in the morning. I used to need at least 8 hours of sleep in order to function properly, but now I’m lucky if I get 4 or 5 hours.
3. Where are your favourite places to shop for Melur and Tuah?
Aside from supporting our local, homegrown businesses (which you can find at www.fawkl.co), we also love Cotton On Kids! So cute yet affordable!
4. So we stalk your Instagram account sometimes and we’re envious of Melur’s Pinterest-worthy birthday parties. Do you have any kids’ birthday party planning tips or tricks?
Aww, you guys! I stalk other mommies’ Instagram accounts too! I’m not a pro, but I always try to come out with a theme first or at least a colour palette. Try to have at least two core colours that you want to be the highlight of the event and set aside few complementary colours. Refer to the colour palette when you’re buying party decorations, food and goodies bags. It will keep the theme in check and visually pleasing (good thing in the Instagram world!). Another good source of inspiration is Pinterest, of course 🙂
5. How about tips on decorating a nursery?
Basically the same with decorating a birthday party, it’s just that the items you pick will be there for a couple of years so I suggest opting for a white base. You can basically match everything with white. Melur used to have a pink nursery and we found it very hard to accessorise the room. One major risk to it is when your kids starts to worship crayons, and they discover the joy of ‘decorating’ and painting the wall. Guess you should just cover the whole room with chalkboard paint by then. Ok kidding!
6. What is your mummy #1 must have (example a carrier, a stroller, a diaper bag you love)
Lots and lots of wet tissue! It’s no longer the latest auto-folding stroller or celebrity diaper bag as I’ve learnt that life without wet tissue is very disastrous! You’ll never know when the kids will leave you with explosive poo! Plus children being children, they like to pick things and spill stuff, so always remember to pack wet tissue in your baby bag, mommies!
7. Where are your favourite places to go with your kids in KL?
As much as we love spending time at our neighborhood playground, the kids (and mommy) sometime demands for a trip to KLCC. Well, every mall is considered a KLCC to Melur because we visit KLCC quite often. It’s so convenient and fun for the kids, be it your first LRT ride experience, beautiful park in the city, biggest Mothercare outlet (I think), Aquaria, etc. We go to Publika just hang out or catch up with friends since there are quite a number of kid-friendly cafes there. We just love Marmalade and Wondermilk for the food and the kids’ play area.
8. What can we find in your mommy bag?
Wet tissue (what can I say, I’m a fan!), milk bottles, nursing covers, toys, flask, diapers, cookies, extra pair of kids clothing, and also the unnecessary items like second third pair of headband and bibs just to match the second outfit. Having two kids in tow, I should really bring a luggage with me!
9. Do you cook for Melur? If so, what is your mommy signature dish?
It’s got to be her favourite chicken soup! Simply because it’s easy to prepare and it’s loaded with veggies and protein. I used to go geek over Anabel Karmel’s cookbook, but my girl she just prefers ayam masak lemak. Haih, my little kampung girl (mommy loves you Melur!).
10. You co-own Flowers & Warriors KL with your husband. Do you have any advice for moms who are planning to start their own business?
I started with selling organic knotted headbands. It was my husband who then decided to come out with broader children’s needs. So now we have apparel, nursery deco and accessories. We’re still new and have a lot to learn.
I think what’s important if you want to start a business, do a lot of extensive research i.e who’s your target market, who are your competitors, how should you put your pricing in order for you to stay competitive and reasonable. Also, aside from developing your own business you can always partner with others who have been there for quite sometimes. We at Flowers & Warriors are always open for collaboration projects. We believe in a harmonious market instead of killing each others’ businesses. After all, it will be beneficial to both sides. You know what they say, two heads are better than one and together, we can do wonders! We are more than happy to share ideas and work with lots of people 🙂
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Image Credit: Ayzee Zainal.
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