I love discovering little shops tucked away in far corners of the big wide world that we live in. Before the internet you could only make these discoveries by traveling but now I keep finding little gems that make me want to go visit those places. I have a growing list of small, independent shops from across the globe that I hope to visit one day and the latest addition to this list is More & Co in Portland, Maine. I love their small but playful and fun selection of goodies many of which are their own creations. Those colourful shapes t-shirts are so cute and the wooden toys on offer are playful and beautiful. I also love that simple starry domino set. If I ever go to Maine, I know I’d love to stop by More & Co and meet the people behind this creative little shop.
Entries Tagged as 'Toys'
More from Maine…
September 25, 2013
mama & baby…
September 5, 2013
I clearly remember the day that I got my first pair of converse shoes as a teenager. I seriously thought I was the coolest kid on the block. They were bright pink (of course!) with high-tops and I don’t think I ever took them off. All my friends had them and I really felt that I had arrived! Looking back, I think the bright pink was way over the top but I was 13 or 14 and clearly not as cool as I thought I was! Even though I’m not much of a trainers kind of gal anymore, I still love these cool shoes but these days I’m much more in to the muted colours and I especially love the simple black ones because they go with everything and look pretty stylish too. Not long ago I also bought a mini red pair for my daughter who wasn’t as keen on these shoes as me until she saw the glitter ones and is now hankering for a pair of those. I have to admit I am partial to the gold ones and am tempted to get a pair for her and me. A little bit of sparkle for the coming winter months seems like a good idea to me.
So this week with these shoes in mind, I thought I would have a bit of fun with the mama & baby post… let mama sport these cool and classic trainers while baby plays with those DIY converse wearing hens! Aren’t they so quirky-cute?
This post is brought to you in association with John Lewis. All the words, opinions and ideas expressed here are mine.
*Converse shoe image via pinterest.
A playful and stylish store…
July 17, 2013
I’m loving this cute store that I just discovered. The Modern Baby was started by Suzanne, a mama who had a vision of a store full of things that would grow with your child. The Modern Baby has lots of colourful nursery and kids room decorations, bed linen, soft toys and so much more. The product styles include modern, vintage and retro and the looks are all stylish and fun. It’s probably one of the best nursery ranges I’ve come across in a UK store. I’m especially loving the way they’ve photographed their products which perfectly reflects the stores playful and stylish personality. All the products featured are sold by The Modern Baby and the beautiful styling is thanks to talented design agency Supa Frank where you can see lots more photos to drool over. While The Modern Baby is based in the UK they ship worldwide so go take a look… there’s lots to discover.
Creative & quriky little toys…
July 15, 2013
These handmade wooden toys made me smile with their quirky and creative looks. But when I read about them, I fell even more in love. The little whimsical people are called ‘Hurbanos’. Hurbanos are people who love city life for all it’s complexity and diversity. Each of these wooden characters is unique and come with it’s own ID, much like every city dweller. In addition to the characters and their wooden cityscapes, I’m also loving that unusual circus balancing toy. All these toys are handmade in the Netherlands by The Watermelon Cat Company. Even their company name reflects their quirky creativity!
Imagine and play…
July 5, 2013
It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of wooden toys. And when they’re as beautiful as these one’s by Kedublock then it’s impossible not to fall in love with them. Besides their good looks, these toys encourage thinking and imagination. That catfish is just great. It comes in pieces and you can build a cat, a fish or a catfish. And those construction sticks are deliberately simple (and pretty) so that everything is left up to the child’s imagination. These wooden toys are handcrafted too and made of natural materials. Beautiful toys, imaginative toys and handmade too… what’s not to love?
Have a lovely, sunny weekend!
A cute little mouse house…
May 31, 2013
I recently discovered these mouse house sets and I couldn’t resist sharing. How sweet are they? The minute I laid eyes on them it brought a big smile to my face. What an absolutely adorable idea. I love the little details like the tiny vogue magazine, the storage basket, the knitting needles and that teeny cloud pillow. I thought it would be fun to imagine what kind of mouse would live in each house so I paired them up with cute little mice from Maileg’s delightful range. The mouse house sets are entirely handmade by Alessandra Taccia who has a lovely shop called Knots. Alessandra doesn’t make many things but what she does make is so creative and imaginative. I hope these mouse house sets bring a big smile to your face, just like they did to mine. Happy, smiley weekend to you all!
Imaginative & attractive wooden toys…
May 7, 2013
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!
Let’s play {giveaways}…
April 29, 2013
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!
Happy toys…
April 23, 2013
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!
mama & baby…
February 28, 2013
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.
