ebabee likes:Toys Archives - Page 9 of 13

Entries Tagged as 'Toys'

2011 Christmas gift guide: Paper gifts

November 8, 2011

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 (Update Sept 2014 – sadly this shop has closed down). (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.

A beautiful vintage boutique…

October 28, 2011

Ooh la, la… this shop is French and fabulous! Filled with gorgeous vintage finds but also some very carefully chosen new things to compliment the vintage feel of the store. I love the way the offerings are presented and photographed and I love the offerings themselves. It’s a space that is unique and very, very interesting. At Les Petits Bohemes you’ll find one off vintage furniture for kids including chairs and cots and lots of storage furniture. You’ll also find some unusual and cool vintage toys and vintage nursery decor bits. Then there are the new pieces which include clothes and some wonderful soft toys and hand made dolls.

If you’re putting together a vintage nursery or just looking for some vintage inspiration for a kids room, then Les Petits Bohemes is unmissable. They’re based in France as I’m sure you’ve guessed from the name and they ship worldwide.

Colour love: Orange

October 26, 2011

Today I’m feeling the love for orange. Maybe because Halloween is nearly here or maybe because I think it’s a fabulous colour for autumn. I’ve picked out some orange goodies from across the web. Some are to wear, others are to play with and there are also some orange things to decorate a nursery or kids room with.

1. Cool 70’s inspired dungarees for boy or girl by Bobo Choses. {From Custard-Online}

2. An orange and chocolate hand crocheted hat so sweet. {From Vine Street Goods on etsy}

3. An owl cushion in flame orange perfect for little people or large. {From Donna Wilson}

4. A cute hug-able cat with a retro vibe. {From Mia Hansen Design}

5. Dressing up fun with a bold orange lion mask from ZidZid Kids. {From smallable.com

6. A bicycling mama and baby owl print for a splash of orange on your kids walls. {From Orange Optimist}

7. Wonderful vintage tea-cups for pretend tea parties galore. {From Olde Tyme Notions}

8. Gorgeous good luck booties made of felt and embellished with embroidery. {From Coral & Tusk}

Vintage wooden toys so covetable

September 20, 2011

I discovered Three Potato Four quite a while ago. I carefully bookmarked it and made a mental note to come back and explore in detail. I forgot… might be time to switch to written notes! But I did see it in my bookmarks yesterday and went to have a look. As soon as I spotted this wonderful vintage wooden toy elephant I was hooked. I love his big, flappy ears and the carving in the wood. Next I saw the wooden toy bus and then the cool vintage scooters from the 1950’s. Wooden toys are a cut above but when you add the vintage element in to the mix they become super special.

Three Potato Four have a highly covetable selection of vintage goodies on offer. There’s stuff for the home, furniture and some toys too. Most of the pieces are one of a kind so once they’re gone, they’re gone. But they do keep adding to their stock so it’s always worth checking back again and again. Three Potato Four are based in Philadelphia but they do try their best to accommodate international deliveries. Just get in touch with them and they’ll see what they can do for you.

If you’re also a fan of vintage kids furniture, then check out this amazing collection of vintage childrens chairs.

Kiko Kids: Cool Japanese toys

September 19, 2011

I recently discovered Kiko, a new range of Japanese wooden toys for kids. I say they’re wooden toys since they are but they’re not your everyday wooden toys. For starters they’re beautifully designed with simplicity at their core. Beyond that, the toys are made to encourage creativity and imagination in kids.

The first is a set of 100 star shaped wooden dominoes called Tanabata. They’re numbered and can be used in many ways including learning to count. Next you’ve got 2 magnetic chalk boards with a car, traffic signals, trees and mountains. Use the chalk to create your own world and place the little wooden pieces to complete your world. Last is the tree canvas. Draw and paint on it to customise it as you wish. It’s also magnetic so you can stick photo’s, pictures and notes to create a unique work of art that can be displayed in your kiddies play space.

Created by Kaz Shiomi, Kiko toys are cool, they’re good looking and they’re great for creative and imaginative play. And to add to their list of glowing points, they’re reasonably priced too. To get these Japanese toys head to Little Fashion Gallery where they cost from €19 with delivery from €9.

7 Wonderful wooden animal toys

September 6, 2011

There’s something so appealing about natural wooden toys. It’s their simplicity and smoothness that attracts me each and every time. I’ve rounded up 7 wooden animal toys that I love. They can also double up as lovely little decorations in a nursery or play space.

1. The Cheekeyes* make fabby wooden animal playsets with just the slightest hint of colour. They’ve got different playsets on offer including a safari one, a rainforest one and this garden creatures one. Ollie & Forbes have a good selection on offer. Each set has some animals and some extras like trees and mountains and they cost £24 per set.

2. Baileys Home and Garden is a store packed with beautiful objects which include wooden animal toys. This gorgeous chubby elephant is one of their offerings and costs £18.

3. This little wooden monkey can be a playmate or just left on a shelf to be admired. I’m loving his dangly legs and arms. The wooden monkey comes from Not on the High Street and costs £10.50.

4. A natural wood teething ring in the shape of a hippo. So simple, so sweet! Easy to grasp and chew on as much as your bambino likes. This hippo teething toy comes from Little Sapling Toys on Etsy and costs $12 with international shipping available.

5. These beautiful beaky birds come in 3 sizes – small to represent children, medium to represent parents and chubby to represent grandparents (poor grandparents!). They’ve got removable heads so your kiddos can mix and match the heads with the different sized bodies. They cost between $52 and $79 depending on the size and come from the lovely American store Modernchild who ship internationally.

6. Soopsori hand make natural wood toys with good looks and they’re fun too. This cute elephant cart with dominos is a perfect example of their lovely wares. To get this wooden elephant head to Red Lilly where it costs £21.95.

7. This lovely little whale by Areaware isn’t just eye-candy. It slides open to reveal a hidden compartment where your bambino can hide his precious treasures or you can. There’s a range of animal boxes available but the whale is my favourite. I first discovered it at Oeuf NYC but they only ship in the US. For UK readers, you can get the whale at SCP where it costs just under £31.

*Cheekeyes discovered via Babble

Rubber stamp sets to wow

September 5, 2011

When I came across Tara Hogan’s shop I was smitten. Rubber stamp sets don’t usually have that effect on me but these ones are oh so lovely. On offer are a range of beautiful animal stamp sets including a safari one, an elephant one and the cutest ‘darling dachshund’ one. Just check out the boots on that dachshund! Also on offer is a ‘Day in Paris’ set which is adorable too. But it’s not just the stamp sets that I’m excited about, it’s the lovely packaging too. Little match box like cardboard boxes with a ribbon to open them is what you get. Every detail in these sets has been injected with beautiful little touches. While these stamp sets are perfect for kids, I don’t think I could resist having a go myself. To check out Tara Hogan’s beautiful rubber stamp sets head to her etsy store. The sets cost from $18 and shipping is worldwide.

Colour-tastic outdoor rides

August 15, 2011

Who wouldn’t want to hang out in a playground filled with these colour-tastic rides? When I spotted these slides, see-saws and bouncy rides my excitement was off the scale and I couldn’t wait to share. The sea of hot pinks, aqua blues and sunshine yellows immediately got me hooked. Made by a Barcelona based company; they create all manner of creative outdoor furniture and play equipment for children and adults too. To find out more visit Colomer, their website. It’s all in Spanish and there are no prices but there is a contact button. You never know, they may sell you one or two outdoor rides for your back garden. Or one of the bouncy rides for a cool indoor play space… now that would be quite something. I’m off to write to my local council to convince them to bring these rides to a park near me. Hey, surely it’s worth a try!

Mr Kulfon: the quirkiest acrobat ever

August 8, 2011

I don’t know what it is but my radar seems to be focused on detecting the coolest soft toys around. Just last week I brought you the amazingly funky Knuffels a la Carte who have the whackiest collection of soft toys. And today I have found another fabby soft toy destination. Started by a mama, she began by making toys for her daughter. Her daughter loved them so she (thankfully) thought why not let others enjoy the toys too. And Kalimba was born. All the toys are handmade and hand sewn making them even more special.

While many of Kalimba’s goodies are yummy, it’s the handmade soft toys that are the yummiest. Quirky, funky, fun looking characters and animals are what you can expect. My favourite has got the be the hilarious acrobat chap with his stripy leg warmers! But the chubby soft toy pigs with their skinny legs are also very high up on the want list. How cute are they? All the soft toys are quite large making them perfect for hugging too. And the best news of all is that prices range from around €5 to €20. International shipping is offered too. When you check out Kalimba don’t miss the happy couple – Mr Fat and Mr Thin!

*Via Unruly Little Things

A stripy hand made doll. Sweet!

August 3, 2011

I so wish this had been my attic toy. You know your favourite soft toy that your mama can’t bear to part with it so she puts it away in the attic. Fast forward 20 years when you find it and all those warm, fuzzy feelings rush back and you give it to your bambino. My attic toy was actually quite creepy so it never came out of the attic (mum, what were you thinking?!). Nowhere near as cool as this oh so adorable hand made doll. If only…

This stripy knitted doll is by Dents de Loup (wolf teeth)… I love their store name too. They come in other colours including yellow, orange, green and pink. Perfect for your newborn or a gift for someone else’s. The little knitted doll can hang out in the cot or pram keeping your bambino company until it graduates to a clutch toy. So sweet. I’m not normally a knitted doll fan but then I’d never seen this one. To get this hand made doll, head to Dents de Loup’s etsy store where they cost $18 plus $5 shipping to anywhere in the world. And while you’re there, don’t miss the doll with the red shoes and super fancy coat.