I was recently interviewed on another blog and one of the questions was ‘what’s your daughters favourite toy?’  The answer was easy: dressing up stuff.  While not strictly a toy, it really is the one activity that she adores and can spend all day indulging in.  It’s great for the imagination and encourages creativity so I’m happy too.  We’ve put together a dress up box for her and we keep adding bits as we come across them.  My latest finds are these delightful fox masks that I’ve completely fallen for especially the floral liberty print ones.  Aren’t they so pretty?!  You can pick one of the masks on offer at the Fox Shop or you can even choose your preferred fabric and Lucille, the designer, will make a mask especially for you.  Very tempting…

This week’s picks for mama & baby… let mama decorate with this sleek hand woven wicker chair while baby plays with that vintage inspired wicker dolls pram.

Do you often find your kids go for the simplest toys, toys that allow them to use their own imaginations?  I do and I encourage that because after all, given a chance, kids can make a game out of anything at all.  That’s why I’m so loving this new toy that is really simple and basic but has bags of play potential.  It’s beautifully designed but there is nothing fancy or over the top about it.  It’s just a few painted sheets of wood held together by a rubber band, thats really it!  Created by a London design duo and called Flat Zoo, these wood sheets can be paired up 2 at a time to create different animals and the rest is up to your kids imagination.  I don’t think the toy is for sale yet but head to Yang: Ripol the creators, to find out more. 

Via FastCoDesign

This week’s picks for mama & baby… let mama decorate with these candy coloured wooden stools while baby plays with that colour popping wooden toy camera.

Hospitals are a scary place for anybody but especially for kids.  So Hiraku Imamura, a Japanese designer decided to create toys that kids can play and interact with before they go in for treatment so they know a little bit more of what to expect.  She came up with mini models of hospital machines like CT scanners and x-rays that all work with light and sound and also come with an accompanying picture book.  Kids can pretend play doctor-patient while they get a better idea of how these ‘strange’ machines work.  There are little buttons to press, monitors that light up and even an ultrasound type probe that kids can try out.

These wooden toys are beautifully designed too using simple shapes and splashes of colour.  But that’s no surprise as the Japanese sense of design and aesthetic is second to none.  I love that each set comes with a parent bear and a baby bear.  The idea of course being to reassure the child that their parents will be with them every step of the way.  The fear of the unknown is probably the worst fear so if kids can be treated knowing a bit about the hows and whys of their treatment, this can only help.   These toys aren’t yet available but you can read more about them at Hikaru Imamura’s site where she explains her creation.

*Via Core 77

The thought of Argentina conjures up such a romantic, beautiful, colourful image in my mind and I just know it won’t disappoint.  That’s why I’m dying to visit… maybe one day.  In the meantime, while my fascination with the country continues to grow, I have discovered that there are some very cool kids toys and designs coming out of there.  It all began with some wonderful crochet toys I found and since then I’ve discovered more with my latest find being these delightful wooden construction toys.

Mamell toys are all made by Argentinian craftsmen using only wood found in Argentina.  The toys come in natural wood with bursts of colour.  Many of the toys have a strong vintage vibe which just adds to their charm and appeal.  A lot of construction toys these days are a bit too modern looking (for my taste anyway) with sharp lines and linear shapes but not these.  They are a pleasure to look at with their soft shapes and curves and I’m sure to touch and feel too.

I seriously am very taken by these beautiful toys and I don’t think I’ll be able to resist the Mamell store if I ever make it to Argentina!  In the meantime, I shall admire from afar.  The Mamell site is currently under construction but you can visit them at their blog and contact them if you wish to buy. 

French Blossom is a beautiful boutique that represents some of the finest French kids designers all under one roof.  You’ve got clothes, toys, decor and accessories on offer; all are delightful and very French.  I like to think of French Blossom as a divine little French Patisserie…  y’know the kind of place you walk in to where you’re suddenly surrounded by the most delectable treats making it impossible to choose just one?  Yup, it’s that kind of place!

Started by a husband and wife team who lived in Paris for several years, French Blossom is the first boutique of it’s kind.  The couple were hugely inspired by the elegance and creativity seen in French kids fashion and decided to bring it together in one shop.  On offer are brands like Mimi’Lou, Lale, Bakker, Eponime and many more.  While each brand is unique, they all have bags of style and charm.

Visit French Blossom to browse their complete selection and you may find a cool bargain or two as they’re  currently on sale.  But if you like something that’s not on sale, don’t despiar…  there’s a special 10% discount for all my readers.  At checkout just use the code: EBABEES.

If you drop by often, you’ll know that I have a thing for wooden toys.  They’re great for passing down from one sibling to another but also from generation to generation.  And of course they look so much better than their plastic counterparts.  Today I’ve found 4 wooden toys that are beautiful and look like they would be great fun to play with too:

1.  Mama duck and her ducklings…  while these aren’t strictly toys, I’m sure they would delight slightly older kids and for babies they’d make elegant nursery decorations.

2.  Balloon powered cars… these simple but stylish cars are handmade from timber found in the German Alps and they look like they’d be great fun to play with.

3.  Wooden iPhone… I love this cool little toy that’s an iPhone but also a set of mini blocks for little hands to play with.

4.  Wooden play camera… which kid doesn’t like to take pretend pictures?  This toy is from Japan and it’s sleek, minimal design is what makes it stand out from the crowd.

We’re big fans of kids stamp kits in this house especially since my 3 year old daughter can entertain herself for ages with her stamps.  We’ve got a couple of lovely sets so I thought we were all kitted out but now I’ve seen this new Japanese stamp kit and it’s love.  It’s unlike any other stamp set I’ve seen before and the possibilities of creating beautiful designs with this set look endless.

The stamp kit includes everything you need to make hand stamps or roller stamps and also includes 35 pattern ideas to start you off and then you can go on to create your own original patterns.  The stamps would be great for making your own wrapping paper and cards and even artworks for your kids rooms but best of all, it’s just great for letting kids express their own creativity.

This kit is the creation of Torafu Architects of Tokyo but you can buy it over at Upon a Fold (one of my favourite paper boutiques) where I found them.  It’s out of stock at the moment but more are coming soon.  I am a huge fan of Japanese designed goodies because just like this kit, you always get something unique, beautiful and very desirable.

How cool are these pull along dogs?  I was browsing Svpply when these caught my eye.  I stopped to take a closer look and I found the most unusual pull along toys I’ve ever seen.  These striking dogs are made of leather and I love them especially the dachshund with his bright blue wheels.  I’m not sure what breed the bigger dog is but he’s pretty amazing too. 

Wow… sometimes I just marvel at the creativity of people out there.  These dogs are the creation of Ellen Heilmann of Germany and they’re called Waldi Und Sprinter.  Just marvelous, don’t you think?