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!

This week’s picks for mama & baby… let mama carry her mobile in this quirky iPhone case while baby plays with that eclectic bunny soft toy.

*Bunny soft toy discovered on pinterest.  Are you on pinterest?  If you are, here’s where you can see my pinterest boards.

I saw these gorgeous floppy DIY sheep soft toys and I had to share them with you.  If you are a knitter, how can you resist making them?  I’ve come across these sheep before to buy but making them yourself is even better.  You can choose your colours, the sizes and you can make as many as you want.  I love the colours chosen here but the choice is yours.  My mother-in-law is the knitter in this family so I’ll be asking her to make a few of these.  I discovered these softies at Fawn & Forest but for full instructions visit Lebenslustiger.

Whenever we go on holiday my daughter Anya is allowed to take one soft toy along with her.  She almost always chooses her Maileg matchbox mouse and takes great pleasure in carefully packing him in to her suitcase.  Even when we’re at home, she lovingly tucks this mouse in to his matchbox bed each night and after we give her a goodnight kiss, we are expected to do the same for the mouse!  It’s really quite sweet seeing how fond she is of this little creature that i couldn’t resist buying for her a couple of years ago. 

Yesterday I saw the new collection of bunnies by Maileg and it was love once again.  I have been wanting to buy Anya a doll that she can dress and change clothes on and I think one of these bunnies may be just the thing.  Not only are they adorable with their elongated bodies and long floppy ears but they also come with the sweetest little outfits.  There are a range of outfits to choose from but I’m loving the bunnies with their little tutu’s and leg warmers… just too cute for words!  The Maileg bunnies come in a range of sizes from micro to mega and you can even get furniture for them.  If you’re in the UK then you’ll find lots of these bunnies and their clothes at Sisters Guild.

Today I wanted to share a few things and spaces I found and fell for:

Beautiful vintage inspired kids room and I’m going crazy for that chequered floor.

How cute is this mouse ballerina?

Loving the colours and the simplicity of this kids space.

That sheep soft toy is just adorable and I love the black, white and grey nursery too.

Have a wonderful weekend and try to stay warm!

I’m always dreaming of re-decorating every room in the house.  Today I’m loving pink and grey for my daughters room.  Grey isn’t the most obvious choice for a kids room but with a dash of pink I think it works so well.  Personally, I’d even go for just grey with lots of white but today I wanted to add a bit of pink to the mix.  This kind of colour scheme and decor also really appeals to my minimalist side.  When i started putting this board together I knew I would like the end result but I didn’t realise quite how much this colour scheme would appeal to me.  Hope you like it too…

1.  Harlequin wallpaper… 2.  Knitted flag garland… 3.  Circus print… 4. 3D Olephants mobile… 5.  Soft pink lacquered chair… 6. Beauty baby doll… 7.  Sonny angel doll… 8.  Floral print beanbag…  9.  Starry cloud cushion…

I have a folder on my laptop called ‘little things’ where all the inspiring and beautiful things, humorous things, quirky things and the things that make me smile get put away.  Today I thought I would share some of my current favourites:

Love this simple DIY shelf to store all those little toys.

I want to adopt these quirky hand made twins!

I want to try and make this gorgeous DIY pierrrot style collar.

 Love the neon and pastel colour scheme and that beaded hanging light.

Meet Fedor… a cute Norwegian forest cat who likes to try his hand at various professions.  When I first saw this creature, I thought the idea of a cat taking on all these different jobs was too cute!  He can be a seaman, a painter, a woodsman, a janitor and probably any other profession you can think of.  What fun for a kid to play with this friendly cat and dress him up in a new outfit every day.  Dress up dolls are always great fun and even better when they’re as creative as this adventurous cat.  Fedor is handmade by a Russian designer called Ania Druzhinina who doesn’t have an online shop but you can contact her through her website where you’ll also find Fedor in his many other guises.

*via Petit Poulou

This week’s picks for mama & baby… this Christmas let mama stay warm and cosy in this glove and hat set while baby plays with that cute handmade snowman.

Once in a while a drop of sunshine falls in to my inbox and brightens my day.  This is definitely one of those times.  When I visited Sunday in Colour I felt like someone had just given me the warmest hug ever.  This is a new US store that has the most colourful European brands on offer and sells quilts, soft toys, nursery decorations and more  Started by a French mama now settled in San Francisco, Sonia is addicted to bold prints and patterns for both boys and girls.  You won’t find separate boys and girls sections in this store but instead it’s lashings of colour and vibrant, eye-catching prints for all.  Apart from the wonderful offerings, I also love the way that Sonia has photographed and presented everything.  This is such a charming little store and one that really makes you feel all warm and fuzzy when you visit.  Sunday in Colour only ships to the US at the moment but they plan to start international shipping in the new year.

UPDATE Jan 2013: Sunday in Colour now ships internationally.