This is a slight departure from my regular posts but I had to share.  Sometime ago I read a quote saying ‘Do more of what makes you happy’.  Obvious advice it maybe, but most of us (me included) don’t do it.  Family and friends aside, blogging, making new discoveries for this blog, promoting mum designers and learning so much along the way makes me happy.  So when my friend and fellow blogger Babes About Town asked me to join hands with her (and 6 other bloggers) to create Mothers & Shakers, there was no way I could say no.  What is Mothers & Shakers:  simply put, it’s doing the things that make me happy but instead of doing it just for me, we do it for others.  We help others build their blogs or small businesses, we help others find their online space and voice, we help others get themselves out there and we help others avoid the mistakes we made along the way.

Mothers & Shakers is made up of 8 women, mums, bloggers, social media experts, writers… call us what you will.  We’re each very different individuals who come from continents apart (Chile to New Zealand via India and everywhere in between) who found each other amidst thousands of bloggers because we share a common ground:  we love what we do, we believe in what we do and we do it well, everyday.  If you’re a small business, a blogger, or someone just thinking about carving out your corner on the world wide web we can help you do it.  And we’re especially passionate about helping mums.

From a more personal perspective I love a new adventure and this is sure to be one.  It’s an adventure that is an extension of what I love doing already but on a bigger scale and with 7 others who feel the same way.  I considered using the word ‘venture’ instead of ‘adventure’ but it lacked the buzz and excitement we’re all feeling in abundance about our new project.  So adventure it is.  If you want to know more about our adventure and how we can help you just drop us a line.

*photo via Pinterest

Yesterday I visited Bubble London – a trade exhibition which brings together many non-mainstream kids clothing brands.  On view were forthcoming Spring/Summer 2014 collections.  Entering the exhibition space was like walking in to a sea of colour with loads of neons on offer.  Neons are of course very much in at the moment and it looks like the trend will continue in to next year.  I’m a big fan of this bold trend and so I thought I would share some of my favourite neon finds with you.

I fell for the new Beau Loves collection which was dominated by that cool cat print.  The cats adorned tees, rompers, bloomers, and best of all was the cat bedding which will be available in Autumn.  I love how the black and white print beautifully compliments the neon dotted sheet.  Delightful!

Rachel Riley had the brightest oranges and pinks on offer which looked good enough to eat!  In her collection were some delectable swimwear and shoes… now all we need is the sun!  Speaking of shoes, Maa shoes were another favourites of mine.  Little mary janes and sandals in the softest leather and the prettiest colours. 

Next was Corby Tindersticks who mixed neon orange with muted greys and blacks.  Their quirky toys were super soft to the touch and that caterpillar onesie was just the cutest!  Lastly to accessorise with all this neon were Chi Chi with their cool fluoro satchels.

You’ll find all the details of all these brands and more on Bubble London’s website.

Sometimes I think I’m more drawn to kids art than to art aimed at adults.  It’s rare that I come across an affordable artist where I feel I’d love to own his work but with kids art it happens pretty often.  I wonder if that says something about me?!  Maybe I’m just a big kid at heart and maybe that’s why I am so drawn to Jon Klassen’s illustrations. You may remember a book called I want my hat back that I wrote about a while ago.  Jon Klassen was the author and illustrator and while he’s written a couple of great kids books, it’s his illustrations that really capture my imagination.  He does all kinds of projects but also illustrates for other kids authors and his pictures are so good that many are sold as prints or even originals. Jon illustrates a lot of animals and many landscapes or outdoor scenes.  While I love the landscapes and would love one for my walls one day, it’s the animal illustrations that are truly mesmerizing.  His style is so distinctive and original and each animal has so much character.  I think Jon Klassen could be my favourite kids illustrator and if you like his work too you can find a selection at Gallery Nucleus.

How cute are these elephant tablemat and coaster sets?  They brought a big smile to my face when I saw them and I hope they do the same for you.  These adorable elephants would also look sweet displayed on a wall.  You’ll find them at the beautiful Cocon boutique.  Have a lovely weekend!

This week’s picks for mama & baby… let mama decorate with this gorgeous ceremonial kite created in honour of Flora (the goddess of flowers) while baby decorates with that pretty floral toy storage case.

The rain doesn’t seem to want to leave us alone here in London.  My loud and repeated chanting of ‘rain, rain go away’ hasn’t done the trick.  My 4 year old daughter is luckily a big fan of board games so we do spend time playing these on rainy days.  But once you’ve played Snakes & Ladders 14 times in a row, it’s either time to scream or move on.  The other rainy day activity that is always greeted with squeals of delight is crafting and DIY.  So I went looking for a few fun and most importantly easy crafts and here’s what I liked: 

These DIY paper beads are easy to make and look so pretty too.  The ones pictured are made of origami paper but you can use any paper you like.  So really all you need is paper and a bit of glue.  Once made, these can be threaded to make bracelets, necklaces or even a garland for your kids room. These over-sized face masks on a stick are so cute!  Very easy to make and your child can get as creative as they like with the faces.  Make hats or crowns, glue on straws for the hair or use glitter to add a bit of sparkle… the possibilities are endless. I love these DIY {edible} finger paints because not only can you make as many colours as you like, but this is one DIY that will entertain even babies.  Since the paints are edible, babies and get as creative (and messy!) as they like without you needing to worry.

Mixing prints and patterns is bang on trend at the moment.  Polka dots with stripes, bold florals with graphic patterns and clashing colours can all work so well together in an outfit.  Maybe the theory of ‘opposites attract’ is true after all.  Being more of a minimalist, this is one trend I haven’t fully got the hang of but I’m trying.  I’ve been looking for inspiration and guess where I found it?  You guessed it… in these cats!  Taking fashion advice from a cat seems more than a bit crazy but these cats really know how to mix patterns and make them work, don’t you think?  I just love each and every combination on offer. This new cat shop is called You Little and all the soft toy cats are handmade by a French mama.  The cat is called Kim but she takes on many exciting looks from colourful vintage florals to pastel polka dots.  Apart from their chic fashion sense, there is so much more to love about these cats even for non-cat lovers like me.  The oversized bow-ties, their sleepy expressions and not to mention their cuteness levels.  Oh, and I’m sure the kids will love these soft toys too!  You’ll find these lovely soft toys at You Little where you can even have your child’s name embroidered on or you can also find a selection at the stylish Little You boutique.  And next time you see me wearing bold patterns and prints, you’ll know where I got my inspiration!

Today, I’m delighted to introduce you to my newest sponsor Petit Home.  As the name suggests, Petit Home is a shop filled with delightful home accessories and decorations for babies and kids.  The owner Amelie is French so you’ll find many beautiful French brands in her store including some of my favourites like April Showers, Mimi’Lou and Zu.  In addition to the French brands, Amelie has carefully selected a few other brands that also have bags of style. 

In the UK it’s not always easy to find some of the most covetable French kids decor brands but with UK based Petit Home you have exactly that and all under one roof.  From bedding to wall art and lighting, you could easily kit out your entire nursery or kids room from Petit Home.  I love that Amelie has chosen products that are sometimes fun, sometimes quirky and sometimes beautiful, giving us a range of styles to choose from.  While Petit Home has some of my favourite kids decor brands on offer, today I’m really loving that whimsical baby rabbit lamp…  so crazy cute!  I’m so glad to have Petit Home on board and I hope you enjoy their offerings as much as I do. 

Finally, finally we have a hint of summer here in London.  The sun is shining and we are wearing short sleeves and sunglasses.  While I am celebrating the desperately awaited arrival of the sun,  there is one Autumn/Winter collection I can’t resist sharing with you right now.  I know chunky knits and woolies are the furthest things from our minds but once you’ve seen this collection you’ll wish winter was back!

Paade Mode is a newish Latvian brand that makes clothes for boys and girls aged 0-8 years.  I’ve pictured a selection from the girls range but there are equally cool knits and more for the boys too.  In the girls collection I love the deep emerald greens and ruby reds that perfectly compliment the more neutral tones.  And the chunky knits paired with sheer, delicate skirts looks so cool.  The leggings in the collection too deserve a mention.  The Autumn/Winter collection like all the other collections, is designed to be dressed up or down so the clothes can be worn for an occasion or as everyday wear.  I visited Paade Mode’s site a few days ago because I wanted to order this dress for my daughter from the current collection.  But now that I’ve seen this newest collection, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop at just one dress!  This collection isn’t available yet but should be towards the end of the Summer.  Have a great weekend and enjoy the sunshine!

This week’s picks for mama & baby… let both mama and baby get these matching mini Japanese space-saving desks.  How cute are they?  Want!