For the past few days we’ve had some house guests from Melbourne.  They’re old friends of ours who have a 3.5 year old son.  My daughter, being an only child, has been in play heaven.  She’s absolutely loving having a ready made playmate and for me it’s been fun observing this playful duo who didn’t really know each other but have ended up becoming the best of friends.  While they sometimes make up their own cute little games, they have also been playing creatively and imaginatively with my daughters toys.  Toys that she hasn’t looked at in the past 6 months and I was beginning to wonder why I bought them in the first place.  But I’m very happy that in the last week the toys have got a much needed workout.

As a result of all this play going on in our home, I’ve got toys on the mind.  This morning while surfing facebook I came across Susha Toys from Russia and I loved them.  Creative, imaginative and attractive, these wooden toys look like bags of fun too.  They’re made and designed by a couple who wanted something special for their first born so they decided to make their own toys.  The range includes toys that encourage a child to think, to create and of course to have fun.  They offer toys for babies and well as toddlers and slightly older kids too.  I love many of the toys but my favourite is that simple set of wooden animals with their detachable ears and noses.  So cute and so gorgeous!

Today I have a fantastic giveaway for you so read on…

I have a very dear friend who is quite a bit older than me and she has 2 kids in their late teens.  I go over to her place often with my 4 year old who isn’t usually a fan of accompanying me to places where there are no young kids but this friend’s home is an exception.  Simply because my daughter always gets delightful wooden toys to play with and sometimes even gets to take a couple home.  My friend has saved many of her kids wooden toys from 15+ years ago because she loves them for the memories they hold and intends to one day pass them on to her grand kids.   That’s the thing with wooden toys, they never go out of fashion and can be played with from one generation to the next.

I too am a huge wooden toy fan and have kept all the ones that Anya has collected over the last 4 years.  I’ve perched them on some shelves in her room and for now they serve as colourful and fun decorations that bring splashes of colour to her room.  So I’m delighted to introduce you to the Wooden Toy Shop which as the name suggests, does nothing but wooden toys.  And I’ve teamed up with them to bring you a fantastic giveaway.  One lucky reader will win a £75 voucher to spend on whatever they like at the Wooden Toy Shop.  The choice is entirely yours.

The Wooden Toy Shop sell some of my favourite brands like Brio, Plan Toys and Janod.  They have toys, games and puzzles for babies, toddlers and older kids.  There’s a lot of choice so it doesn’t matter if you have a 1 year old or 7 year old, there’s something for every kid.  If the choice was mine, I think I’d go for one of their play kitchens or maybe even the BBQ set since summer is coming up but more importantly, what will you choose?

GIVEAWAY ENTRY DETAILS:  One lucky reader picked at random will win a £75 voucher to spend on toys of their choice from the Wooden Toy Shop.  For your chance to win just leave a comment below… easy!  Say hi or whatever you like but keep it nice!  One comment per person.  Sorry, but this giveaway is open to UK residents only.  The competition closes at midnight (UK time) on Sunday 5th May 2013.  Any entries after this time will not be counted.  The winner will be announced on Tuesday 7th May on our facebook page and on this post.  And finally thanks to the Wooden Toy Shop for this generous giveaway.  Good luck!

This giveaway is now closed.  Thanks to everyone who entered.  The winner is Amy Turner… congratulations Amy!

I recently came across these ‘Happy Toys’ and I wanted to share.  The toys are made by a Dutch design duo called Usuals and are carved from spare wood found on their family farm.  I’m a big fan of wooden toys and these are probably some of the most natural ones I’ve ever seen.   I love the little details they’ve put on each one without using anything but natural wood.  Very creative and very cool! 

This week’s picks for mama & baby… let mama decorate with this graphic neon striped cushion while baby keeps her dolls cosy with that neon trimmed dolls quilt.

I’m a bit of a hoarder.  I’m just not very good at throwing out stuff and tend to get (unnecessarily) attached to things.  But this year I decided that I have to change and get better at divesting.  I started by pulling out a whole load of my daughters clothes and toys that I have been saving from when she was born 4 years ago… I think I kept nearly everything she ever owned!  Going through this stuff I kept picturing her playing with each toy or wearing each outfit and ended up with a massive ‘to keep’ pile and a tiny ‘to giveaway’ pile.  So I started again but with one strict rule… I could keep 21 things and the rest had to go. While I adore some of the stuff I’ve bought her over the years, I found that the majority of the stuff I kept was her handmade things.  Cardigans, sweaters, soft toys and even little dolls house furniture, some loving handmade by her grandmother, some by her father and others bought from independent little designers who make their wares by hand.  There is something so special about handmade even if it’s bought.  I’m always on the look out for new designers that make things by hand so when I stumbled across this Spanish store full of handmade goodies I fell for it.

Minina Loves makes cute rag dolls, adorable little beds and bedding for them and also some mobiles, cloud cushions and jewellery for kids.  I absolutely love the little beds and bedding for the dolls and the way that each dolls room is decorated.  The rooms are so pretty that I wouldn’t mind having a similar life-size one for my daughter!  The cloud cushions with the little gold polka dots are really sweet too and the bird and cat necklaces are so adorable for little girls.  There’s lots of little details in every piece making each one unique.  Minina Loves’ creations are all limited edition and are all made with great care and love which shines through each piece.

This week’s pick for mama & baby… let mama stay warm with this 2 tone scarf while baby plays with that wooden toy camera.

When I watch my daughter Anya play, it’s always the simplest of toys that encourage her to use her imagination and create little make-believe situations.  She talks to the toys or she talks on their behalf and together they have tea parties, they have sleepovers, they adopt imaginary pets… the list is endless.  The other day I found that she had stuck a plaster on the edge of our coffee table and was pretending that it was a diving board.  She had managed to make a game out of a humble plaster!  So I’m all for simple toys that don’t do much but instead allow the child to imagine what they will and these beautiful animals and cars are a perfect example.  No batteries, noise or shiny buttons here, just a piece of smooth wood in the shape of an animal or car and the rest is up to the child. 

These gorgeous toys are made to order by a London based design house.  They have their workshop in Brick Lane and all the toys are made at the back of their shop.  It reminds me of how things used to be done when our parents were kids and sometimes I wish we could go back to more of those ways.  But before I get all nostalgic, I’ll stop myself there and go back to admiring these beauties made by Unto this last.

I’m finally back from my wonderful holidays but have had a rather hectic Monday morning.  So I thought I would do a quick Monday post and share this charming vintage tricycle with you.   As you know, I do love a good vintage find and fell for this tricycle the minute I saw it.  It’s from the 1920′s and looks beautifully made.  I’m sure it would be as much of a  joy to ride as it is to look at. 

Every time we have a play date, the one thing my daughter and her friends always ask to play with is her circus tent.  I set it up and in they disappear.  They often have tea parties in the tent and I supply biscuits as it pleases them no end.  But otherwise they just stay in there with a few select toys and all I hear is squeals of delight.  I think it’s the whole idea of having a hideout, a place where the adults are unlikely to come that really appeals to them.  All children love this kind of play and I even remember loving it as a kid where me and my brother would make tents out of sheets and chairs and play under there for hours.  I still think the best way to play ‘tents’ is to make your own hideout but if you want a ready made hideout then I love these ones by Such Great Heights.

From Australia, these Wonder Tents are covered in lovely geometric fabrics, plain fabrics or in some retro inspired ones which are my favourites.  They fold up and come with their own carry case so can be stored and moved around easily.  Which kid wouldn’t delight in owning one of these?  Such Great Heights also make some adventure capes which would add to the whole pretend play fun but I think it’s these tents that are the stars of the show. 

You might be wondering what exactly the picture above is… I wondered the same when I saw it but I knew that I had to find out more.  It’s a Princess and the Pea playset.  How cute is that?  Seven handmade mattresses have been covered in vintage fabrics and topped with a wool felt pea.  They all come packaged in a muslin bag with an embroidered quote from the story.  Any kid who knows the fairytale will delight in playing with this.  This is the creation of 2 mums who were armed with little more than a sewing machine, bags of unwanted wool and fabrics when they decided to start a little boutique called Seven Smooches.

Everything is hand made at Seven Smooches who also make clothes, hats, blankets and other cute little things for kids.  But it’s their play things that really got my attention like these adorable finger puppets each of which come with a little accessory.  It’s the imagination and the level of detail that go in to their creations that really make them special.  Seven Smooches don’t seem to have updated their site recently as there are only collections from 2011, but you can go here for the Princess and Pea set and here for the finger puppets.