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Chic French Fashion for kids that’s always on sale

February 11, 2015

One of things instilled in me by both my parents was to always dress well. In our home, dressing well was just as important as good manners. By dressing well I don’t mean expensively or in designer gear but smart, clean, ironed clothes that always looked more than presentable. I remember my teenage years when ripped jeans and crumpled clothes were all the rage (or so I thought!) and my father looking appalled that I would be stepping out in such clothes. But he also knew better than to argue with a sulky, temperamental teenager! That phase aside, I couldn’t agree more with my parents and I hope to teach Anya the same. Apart from the importance of looking presentable, I also think a little style in everyday life makes you feel just as good as it makes you look.

I spend time and effort buying clothes for myself but equally do the same for Anya. I like her to look good every time she goes out but at the same time I don’t want to spend crazy amounts on her clothes as kids grow so fast. I’m always looking for cool style at the best prices and so I was happy to discover Tendre Deal where you get chic French fashion for kids and babies at up to 70% off. Tendre deal is a private members site so if you want to be in the know you just have to sign-up for free with your email and you’ll be told about each new sale that comes up. New sales come up pretty often and last for about a week. In the past they have sold well known French brands like Jacadi and Chupeta shoes and also many lesser known French brands all of which still offer lots of style. And occasionally they even have French toys and decor from brands like Janod and Annabel Kern.

With each sale being up to 70% off it’s hard to resist the goodies on offer so I will be keeping an eye on Tendre Deal especially to snap up of some of my favourite French designers as and when they come up. Currently they have the chic Les Petites Choses on sale with some fab bargains for both boys and girls.

{Images shown are representative of the brands and styles on offer in the past, present and future}

This post is brought to you in partnership with Tendre Deal as part of my work with Mothers & Shakers. All content, words and ideas are my own. Thank you for supporting my work with partners that support this blog.

Get organised: A fun entrance hall storage idea

February 10, 2015

I came across this fun entrance hall storage idea a while ago and have been meaning to share ever since. This is such a colourful and fun way to get your kids organised. Everyone has stuff they need to pick up on the way out or dump on the way in so instead of messily piling everything up on a bench or table you can make these really easy storage spaces simply separated by blocks of colour. Of course you don’t have to stop at the kids but each person in your home could have their own space.

In this entrance hall created by small fry, I love the bold colours they’ve used and the painted stools that match the walls. But if stools don’t provide enough storage for you then you could do the same with shelves or small storage cabinets. And you can of course choose colours according to each persons favourite. It looks so striking and will encourage the kids and even you to be neat! This simple idea can also work in a shared kids room or any room where each person needs their own little space. You’ll find all the how to’s over at small fry.

Free Valentines card printable

February 9, 2015

Do you celebrate Valentines day? I don’t like the whole commercial side of it but I do like the sentiment behind the day. And now with a child in the mix too, it’s more a day to celebrate love not just between a couple but all kinds of love. That sounds a bit cheesy I know, but you get what I mean right? I especially like the act of giving a simple card to loved ones so I asked the very talented Lucy Monkman who is a designer and illustrator to come up with a Valentines card printable for all of you. Lucy has designed a super cute fairy scattering hearts which you can print out and the kids can simply colour in or you can make it in to a Valentines card to give out to whomever you like.

This cute free Valentines card printable is available to download in two sizes – A4 and A5. To download just click the PDF in the size you want and print it out, ideally on to card. For the A5 one you will have to choose A5 as the paper size on your printer settings before hitting print. We have printed loads and Anya wants to give them out to all her besties at school. A big thank you to Lucy Monkman for making this card exclusively for my readers.

Coloured-with-Love-A4

Coloured-with-Love-A5

Friday chat: Motherhood moments

February 6, 2015

Yesterday I posted an instagram picture of Anya at three months (for throw back Thursday) and it just got me thinking about how time has flown. I cannot believe how quickly these last six years have gone but on the other hand I feel like Anya has been a part of my life for as long as I have lived. I started thinking about what a mix of things motherhood is and how each ordinary day is filled with so many extraordinary moments – from happy ones to sad ones and pretty much everything in between. No two days are alike, yet each day brings so many little moments that we don’t always take the time to appreciate – I know I don’t always. I can’t think of any other phase in my life where the little moments have been so many and mattered so much. And besides, it’s moments that make up your memories, not whole days. So I thought I would share some of my favourite motherhood moments today just so that I remember to appreciate them even more because sometime we take these for granted:

That moment when she climbs in to our bed each morning asking for a cuddle (this can also happen at 3am when it’s not quite so special a moment!)

That moment when she’s trying desperately to be a big brave girl but her face tells a completely different story. Seconds later the tears come and she is a crumpled heap in my arms.

That moment when she steals a glance at me with a glint in her eye when she is about to do something she fully knows she isn’t supposed to, but does it anyway.

That moment when she (finally) goes to bed and we can hear a soft singing voice coming from the bedroom. Even that moment when she belts out ‘let it go’ completely out of tune, looking so pleased with herself (ok, maybe not so much this one!)

That moment when she does something naughty but oh so funny. I know I should be telling her off but sometimes I can’t help but burst out laughing!

That moment when you have to be the responsible parent and encourage her to do something you know she really doesn’t want to but it’s in her best interest, so you do it while you maybe crying a little inside.

That moment where I pretend to be a dog, a cat, a dragon or a monster and I actually think it’s completely normal!

That moment when you can literally feel your heart swelling with pride when someone else says takes a moment to say wonderful things about your child.

What are some of your favourite motherhood moments?

Happy weekend all and enjoy those extraordinary moments in each ordinary day – nomita x

{photo by Abigail Fahey photography for ebabee}

The prettiest printed skirts {on sale too}

February 5, 2015

Today it’s all about skirt love. These are a few of my favourite skirts from the ebabee shop. And in even better news, they’re all on sale. All can be worn with boots or ballerina flats, with tights or without. I love mixing and matching patterns, colours and prints and love that all these skirts are versatile enough to do just that with. The feather skirt would look great with a simple striped top, the floral one with a contrasting solid coloured top and the bear one with a polka dot top. I can’t choose a favourite but Anya’s been eyeing the bear skirt and asking for it since Christmas so I know which one she favours. Do you have a favourite?

Skirts featured: feather print skirt | benslily floral skirt | bear print skirt

{all photo’s by ebabee}

5 of the best black and white kids rooms

February 4, 2015

I am constantly looking for beautiful kids room inspiration and now more so than ever as with our house move I need to decorate Anya’s new room in the next few months. The one colour scheme I keep coming back to is the sleek and minimal Scandinavian style black and white. Apart form the stylish looks of a monochrome kids room, black and white is the perfect backdrop to allow a kids room to grow with them. I don’t want to re-decorate every couple of years so with this colour scheme you can add colourful cushions, posters and toys to get your pops of colour – as much or as little colour as you want. As the child grows, you only need to replace these decor items and you can give the same room a completely different, more grown up look without too much effort. Would you go for black and white for a kids room or too stark for you? Once you see these inspiring black and white kids rooms that I’ve found, you might just change your mind:

Even the smallest touches of colour can really pop in a black and white room like those tiny little toys on the shelf.

If not colour, natural tones compliment black and white spaces really well. Replace the cute wall decor with more grown-up stuff and this could easily become a teenagers room or even I would move in!

If you think black and white is boring, then think again – this room is anything but. It combines colour and natural tones to create a really playful and fun space.

Just add one bold and bright colour to the mix like this black and white kids room with yellow accents. With black and white as the main colours of the room, no other colour is off limits so you can always choose your childs favourite colour of the moment.

If you can’t do without lots of colour, then this room shows just how much colour you can add to a black and white space. Lots of red, yellow, green and blue all work so well against the monochrome walls and furniture.

These are my current favourite black and white kids rooms that are inspiring me right now. Use a little bit of colour or lots of it; either way you can create quite a stunning space. And each of these rooms would grow with your child just by changing the decorations. So do you think you would go for black and white?

Image credits: 1. miniwilla | 2. mommo-design | 3. boo & the boy | 4. la de dah kids | 5. art marble

DIY Valentines Tic Tac Toe game

February 3, 2015

This is such a simple DIY that I wasn’t sure whether I should post it here. But I decided that since it’s quick and easy and you get a fun little game out of it, I would share it. In fact it’s easy enough for the kids to do by themselves so with that in mind here is our Valentines inspired DIY tic tac toe game.

We are big fans of all kinds of games in this house – from the more involved to the really quick ones. But I find that when time is short and Anya is still insisting on playing a game (like at bedtime) I like to pull out the quickest little games. The ones that we regularly play are snap, connect 4, tic-tac-toe and a few others. Since I have all the other games but not a tic tac toe board I thought why not make one. And with Valentines day coming up, I chose to go with heart counters. So you can make this for Valentines but of course you can play with it for ages after.

The instructions are very simple. The make this DIY tic tac toe game I bought some wooden heart craft shapes from ebay which I painted red and black. I then got some thick card to make the board. I cut the card in to a square and also cut strips of the same card to make the dividing lines. You can also use washi tape for the lines as I was planning to but then I quite liked the simplicity of the black and red colour against an all white background. And that is all there is to it! I think it makes a sweet little Valentine craft for kids to do with or without you.

Fairytale cushions

February 2, 2015

Are your little girls crazy about the Disney princesses and characters? Anya isn’t obsessed with them (thankfully!) although she does like some of the characters – I don’t know too many little girls who don’t. But I am not a fan of all those plastic dolls and the synthetic, shiny clothes that come along with them. If you feel the same way then you’ll love these adorable alternatives that I recently came across. These Disney inspired princess cushions are colourful and so cute. They’re a great doll substitute and also double up as sweet little decorations when not being played with. The range isn’t very big at the moment but I’m hoping it will grow soon. So next time I get asked for a fairytale princess doll, I shall be opting for one of these no-plastic, natural ones.

Friday finds: Fun things from around the web

January 30, 2015

It’s finally Friday! It feels like it took a little longer to come this week, but it’s here. Today I’ve got some fun things from around the web to make you smile. To begin with, this room has to be one of the most playful kids rooms I’ve come across. So much fun and personality to this room where anything goes and yet it all comes together as a dream space for any little kid. To see more of this room and loads more images of seriously cool kids rooms visit Nynneetliloujos.

This head teacher shows us the ultimate way to announce that school is closed due to snow (hilarious – watch it!)

Got loads of broken crayons lying around? Turn them in to this cute heart shaped Valentines DIY.

How many of these lies have you told your kids? I’m guilty of nearly all of them and often everyday.

Looking for some kids fashion inspiration? Check out how this mum beautifully styles her little girl.

For a Valentines sweet treat, it has to be said that this is too stinkin’ cute!

I never thought I would say this about clothes hangers, but these DIY ones are so pretty!

Have a wonderful weekend friends and don’t forget our shop sale is still on. See you next week – nomita x

Pretty pink and grey nursery decor

January 29, 2015

When you think of a baby nursery, you probably think of colours like white, yellow, powder blue or pink. The one colour that probably doesn’t come straight to mind is grey and yet it’s such a fantastic colour for a nursery. It can be mixed in with any other soft colour to create a calming atmosphere. My favourite colour combo right now is dusty pink and lightish grey. I can’t seem to move away from these two colours together so I thought I would go looking for some pink and grey nursery decor ideas and here’s what I found. I’m especially loving that three little pigs mobile – so cute!