I wanted to wish you and your families a very, very happy (and of course stylish!) Christmas.  And a very big thank you to all my readers for the support you’ve given ebabee likes over the past year.  Enjoy your festivities, eat lots and be happy!  The above are a selection of images I liked over at Martha Stewarts site – they’re 3 crafts that you and your kiddos can indulge in plus some mistletoe.  I couldn’t resist the picture of the mistletoe – love the kissing tradition.  And lastly before I go, I hope each one of you gets all you want for Christmas.

Christmas is nearly upon us and I haven’t even started my shopping!  I’m really panicking now.  But what I have got sorted is some lovely Christmas gift tags.  I rarely buy Christmas gift tags because there are such fantastic ones available to download for free.  Many talented kiddy designers create tags every Xmas and all you have to do is print and cut.  Here are 4 that I’ve liked so far:

1.  You may know Camilla Engman’s work if you’re a regular reader as I have featured her before.  But in case you don’t, she’s a super talented designer from Sweden who creates art and more for kids and adults too.  These lovely gift tags are her creation and also the 4th one pictured (with the cute little characters) is by her.   To download these Christmas gift tags, head to Studio Moran.

2.  I liked both the simplicity of the buttons tag and the quirkiness of the reindeer girl one.  And the raindrops and star ones are nice too, especially to adorn an adults gift.  I found this over at a blog called Ginger & George where you can print them for free.

3.  Last are these simple but beautiful tags with drawings by one super creative dad called Joel.  I’ve featured Joel and his projects a few times on my blog so you may already know him.  But if you don’t, Joel makes crafts, toys and little projects for his kids and all his projects are pretty awesome!  Head to Made by Joel for these cool gift tags.

P.S. You can also check out some fab free gift tags by Haciendo el Indio and some birdy ones by Wee Birdy.  I featured both last year but they’re still available for you to print and use.  And before I go, a big THANK YOU to all of these designers for giving us such lovely tags for free.

UPDATE DEC 2012:  For more free Christmas gift tags, check out my latest selection.

This post has been a long time coming but I wanted to wait till the party season was here.  It’s officially here (yipee!) and if you want to dress up your little girl head to I love Gorgeous, one of my lovely sponsors.  They offer stunning dresses that have a strong vintage vibe running through them.  Expect beautiful flowing fabrics with lace and velvet trims, a lovely colour palette that’s both soft and bold and styles that are vintage inspired with a unique ‘I love gorgeous’ twist.  It’s not just the dresses getting me excited though, it’s the skirts, knits and jackets too.  I love the fuchsia skinny pants with can be worn with one of the sparkly jumpers to create a girly look that’s super cool too.  The shiny petrol coloured jacket and the silver bowler shoes are also winners for me.  If dressing up is your girlies thing, then I love gorgeous won’t disappoint and with Christmas around the corner, there’s no better excuse!  They’re currently offering free worldwide delivery for orders over £150 and free returns too.

It’s December!  Where has the year gone?!  But the good news is that we can officially start being all Christmas-y now.  With that in mind I thought my first post of December has to be about Christmas.  And I’ve picked these Christmas decorations by Maileg that will delight both adults and kids too.  On offer are hanging pigs, cones and candy cane but my favourite has got to be those adorable hanging pixies.  How can anybody resist them?!  Maileg are a Danish company who are best known for their little matchbox mice which are fantastic and so sweet too.  But today it’s all about these fun decorations which you can get at Whiteshore and you can also try Amstrong Ward for more. 

P.S. Have you seen our Christmas 2011 gift guide for the kiddies?

I was away on holiday when one of my regular readers contacted me looking for some advent calendar recommendations.  I had planned to do a post on advent calendars but had completely forgotten that time was running out… that’s what holidays do to you!  I know I’m still a bit late but I thought I would share my finds anyway especially since today is advent Sunday (also thanks Juliet for the reminder).  I’ve come across 3 that I love very much so they’re the ones I bring you today:

1.  These gorgeous little numbered boxes are by Noix de Coc.  Each has a wooden handle which means they can even be hung up.  The boxes can be customised by your kids who can paint, draw or sticker them and you can fill them with whatever little goodies you like.  They’re available from smallable.com

2.  I was browsing the lovely Paul et Paula blog where I spotted this advent calendar.  It was instant love.  Made up of lots of little boxes covered in pretty paper, you get a pack of frosted sweeties and a little Nina doll silhouette that can perch atop the boxes.  There’s also a special surprise gift for the 25th.  This advent calendar is sold in extremely limited numbers… just 10 available and it’s from The Kidsboutik.

3.  Last are these drawstring bags with matryoshka dolls.  I have a big soft spot for these Russian dolls so I was instantly drawn to this advent calendar when I saw it.  These can be hung up and filled with little treats or tiny toys.  Also sold in extremely limited quantities, just 6 available, they’re from Thymbyl Designs on etsy.

Have you seen our 2011 Christmas gift guide?  There are lots and lots of gift ideas for the kids.

Today I bring you the next lot of goodies in my 2011 Christmas gift guide for kids.  And this one is all about wooden toys.  It’s no secret that I love wooden toys so I’ve searched the web to bring you some of the loveliest ones around.  Here’s the list:

1.  A modern dolls house that’s so cool.  By Hase weiss.

2.  Create your own city with these chalkboards, cars, traffic signals and trees.  By Kiko Kids from Sisters Guild.

3.  Cute little wooden cat and dog toy from Baileys Home & Garden.

4.  A push along giraffe by Manny & Simon.  It’s from Huggle (you’ll need to call as they’re not selling online yet).

5.  A wooden matching memory game from Little Sapling toys.

6.  A sweet hand painted necklace that’s also a stamp from e-side.

7.  Colourful and beautiful alphabet blocks with a wagon by Uncle Goose.  From Peanut & Pip.

8.  Very simple but stylish doctors set all in wood by US based Soopsori.  (International shipping’s available but it’s not cheap).

9.  A cool wooden laptop that’s a chalkboard.  It’s called i-wood and comes from Oliver Bonas.

For lots more gift ideas for kids, check out our other gift guides: Paper gifts, gifts for newborns and babies, kids books and soft toys.

Here is my next Christmas 2011 gift guide for kids and today it’s all about paper.  I’ve picked out some fun puzzles, some stationary and some paper toys (even though it’s hard to believe they’re made from paper).  I’m a huge fan of paper gifts to give and to receive so I couldn’t have a Christmas gift guide without a paper list.  So here it is:

1.  Love these circus prints to liven up a kids room.  From Haciendo el Indio.

2.  Fifi Mandirac is the queen of paper goodies.  Today I’ve picked her colour pencils that come in beautiful boxes but there’s lots more paper goodies to be had.

3.  Lots of quirky little characters create this punch out and make puzzle by Ingela Arrhenuis.  From Hus & Hem.

4.  A fantastic punch out animal puzzle that’s for play and display.  Called Magical Menagerie it’s by Junzo Terada. 

5.  A paper dolls house so gorgeous.  Called ‘Storybook Cottage’, it comes with 5 pieces of paper furniture.  From Upon a Fold. (The monkey should be part of no.4 on the list but it escaped!)

6.  Note cards and stickers set by Donna Wilson.  A bit of quirky fun to get creative with.

7.  A modern and stylish looking paper matching memory game from Binth.

8.  Reusable wall stickers in the guise of dress up dolls.  What fun!  They’re from Love Mae on Etsy.

9.  Cool notebooks to draw in, to colour or to keep notes.  From Ask Alice.

You can lots see more Christmas gift ideas here: Wooden toys, gifts for newborns and babies, kids books and soft toys.

My next Christmas 2011 gift list is here and today it’s all about gifts for newborns and little babies.  While newborns don’t need much more than milk and their mama’s, it’s always so nice to spoil and indulge them and Christmas is the best excuse.  There are some wonderful goodies out there for babies, so I searched the web and found you some of the absolutely best little toys, gifts and clothes for the newest arrivals in your life.  Here’s the lovely list (almost making me want a newborn again!):

1.  Beautiful liberty print bib and booties gift set by the gorgeous French label Eponime.

2.  Soft and so cuddly is this floppy little sheep by Les Petites Emplettes.  From Smallable.com

3.  Cute little body with a simple bunny drawing by WoWo.

4.  A quirky royal blue elephant musical toy by the colourful Clemence G boutique.

5.  A book full of bold black and white images – perfect eye candy for little babies.  Called Mesmerised it’s by Katey Love.

6.  Soft and beautiful are these gorgeous cotton quilts by Ketiketa.  From Smallable.com

7.  Gorgeous ruby red booties by the stylish Album Di Famiglia. From Little Fashion Gallery

8.  Soft and pretty cloth blocks for decoration or to play with by Mimilou. From Orfeo Design.

9.  Gorgeous little hanging musical toy for the pram, car seat or cot.  Made by one of my favourite stores – Esthex.

10.  What an adorable little vest sweater with a mustache on it.  Love it.  This is one you’ll have to knit yourself but you’ll find the pattern here.  Lucky for me, my mother in law is a fab knitter so I’m definitely getting one of these.*

For lots more gift ideas for kids, check out our other gift guides: Paper gifts, soft toys, kids books and wooden toys.

* Via Mimi’s blog

Books are one of my favourite things to give and receive.  I can’t imagine not giving ebabee no.1 at least a couple of books every Christmas, birthday and many, many times in between.  Children’s books are magical and you can never have enough.  For this year’s book gift list I’ve picked out many children’s books that we’ve enjoyed and there are a few that I have yet to buy, but they’re on my Christmas list too.  All the books offer something special either for their clever stories, beautiful illustrations, creativity or even their quirkiness.  Here’s the list of books mainly for 2 year olds to around 6 year olds:

1.  ‘The Life of Mr Mustache’ by Studio Violet.  Charming and oh so creative is this book from Fine Little Day.

2.   ‘My Friends’ by Taro Gomi is a sweet and simple book and is a firm favourite in this home.

3.   ’100 Things’ by Masayuki Sebe is a happy book that gets the little minds counting and observing.

4.   ‘The Book with a Hole’ by Herve Tullet -  I haven’t got this yet but it looks rather cool and quirky.

5.   ‘A Bit Lost’ by Chris Haughton is a cute story with really beautiful illustrations in the most wondeful colours.

6.  ‘Beware of the Frog’ by William Bee is an entertaining read with a great twist and some retro-esque illustrations.

7.  ‘Not a Box’ by Antoinette Portis.  A book about a box that’s not a box… it’s a car, a house or whatever you child’s imagination wants it to be.  We all know kids adore boxes and this book captures the magic of the humble box so well.

8.  Made to Play!: Handmade Toys and Crafts for Growing Imaginations by Joel Henriques.  A book full of fun, simple and beautiful toy making crafts by talented dad Joel.  I haven’t got this yet but I know Joel’s work well and he is one super imaginative and talented guy.

9.  ‘The Blue Pebble’ by Anne-Gaelle Balpe.  A sweet story with a little moral that has been drawn out in beautiful pictures that have a bit of a old fashioned feel.

10  ‘Animal Alphabet Circus’ by Tupera Tupera (a couple ot Japanese illustrators).  The entire alphabet is illustrated through circus animals beautifully drawn.   All the words are in Japanese and English.  This is a real feast for the eyes and one I can’t wait to get.

You can lots see more Christmas gift ideas here: Wooden toys, gifts for newborns and babies, paper gifts and soft toys.

I am starting to share my Christmas gift ideas from today as it’s November so we can officially start thinking about Christmas!  Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll bring you lots of different gift ideas for kids from toys to books and more.  To kick off this years Christmas gift guide, I’ve rounded up some of the coolest, quirkiest and most beautiful soft toys and dolls around.  Some are old favourites, others are new finds.  But they’re all unique and for me represent some of the best soft toys and dolls from across the world wide web.  They may be from far and away but all come with worldwide shipping.

1.   Hugely loveable ‘Wanda worm’ softies by KLT: Works.

2.  Quirky Mitten Kitten by Donna Wilson.

3.  A circus rabbit in a ringmaster coat by Miko Design.

4.  Possibly the most beautiful rag dolls ever by Jess Brown.  From Selvedge Dry Goods.

5.  Cool hand made dolls for which you can get clothes and accessories.  By Kalimba.

6.  Gorgeous hand made ‘Little Deer Doll’ by Evangelione.  From Les Petits Boheme.

7.  A smile inducing funny character by My Name is Simone.  From smallable.com

8.  Cute little pair of dolls by Trousselier, one happy and one very angry.  From Noeuf Boutique.

9.  A sleeping fox so lovely and hug-able by an old favourite Haciendo El Indio.

10.  An adorable, stripey ant eater by Mondays Milk.*

*Discovered via the lovely Oh Eskimo! blog

Lastly have you checked out our amazing and beautiful giveaway yet?