"father and daughter moments ebabee"

Have you ever watched the movie ‘Father of the Bride’?  For those of you who haven’t it’s about a father who is struggling (in a humorous way) to come to terms with his baby girl growing up and getting married.  In our home, Richard has already made a few joking (i hope) comments about Anya not being allowed near boys till she’s at least 25!    But boys aside, fathers and daughters do have a very special relationship.  It’s a different bond from what mothers and daughters share.  As Fathers Day is on Sunday I wanted to share a few lovely yet unexpected differences in our relationship that I have noticed and wondered if you have noticed these too:

1.  The bonding time took much longer for Richard.  He loved Anya from the day she was born and probably before but he didn’t find it easy bonding with a baby.  And then 6 months in to her life, everything changed and the bond grew stronger and stronger from there on.

2. He notices lovely little things about her that I miss.  Little facial expressions, big new words she uses, if she’s grown a millimetre. Maybe because I spend a lot more time with her or maybe because he sees her differently than I do.

3.  He falls for her feminine wiles each and every time!  All children want to get their way.  Boys tend to be more straightforward asking for what they want whereas girls can be a bit more creative.  When Anya is plotting to get her way, I can see what she is up to from the start.  But Richard innocently falls for her ploys hook, line and sinker!  And the best part is that she knows this and takes full advantage.

4. He lovingly makes complex DIY things for her that she adores like dolls houses and magnetic fishing games.  Recently he made her a ride-on plane from a large cardboard box and when she tired of the plane and demanded a boat, he stayed up late in to the night to transform the plane in to a boat so she would wake up to it the next morning.

5.  Anya gets away with doing things to Richard that no other person on the planet could do.  Like putting frilly clips in his hair or even painting his nails!

Have you noticed any special little differences in the way you and your partner are with your daughter?  Or maybe this applies to sons too in a different way?  I’m really curious to hear.

A very happy Fathers day to all the wonderful dads out there! x

{photo by ebabee when Anya just turned 1}

"baby todler shoes suede oxfords"Yes, please to these baby and toddler oxford shoesHow delicious are they?  Popping with colour, these soft suede shoes are all lovingly handmade and are a special Summer edition so they won’t be around forever.  I only wish they came in bigger sizes too.

Tea and Kate

June 10, 2014

"unusual gifts for home shop UK"I discovered the charming boutique Tea and Kate a while ago and have been meaning to share it with you ever since.  It’s run by a mum of four called Kate (as you probably guessed) who has a passion for the prettiest things for the home and for kids.  Her collection of products, mostly by independent designers, are all so cheerful and happy.   It’s the kind of stuff that will bring a ray of sunshine in to any home.

Kate’s collections include some beautiful handmade dolls, some fun toys and gorgeous decorations for the home.  Amongst my favourites are the tutu wearing cat dolls, the simple French toy storage baskets and those pretty roll-up mattresses that are ideal for some floor seating in a kids space.  There are also lots of unusual little things to delight for the home.  Tea and Kate is a boutique to explore not just for your own home but if you ever need to give someone a special gift, then you will definitely find it here.

"wooden animal stamp set kids""wooden animal stamp set kids""wooden animal puzzle toy""wooden animal puzzle toy"

Once in a while a new toy or a new clothing line comes along that makes my heart beat a little faster.  This is one of those times.  How beautiful is that kids stamp set and this jungle puzzle.  I’m already a big fan of wooden toys especially when they are kept in their natural state.  Called Bleebla and created by a pair of architects from Portugal, this is their first collection of toys with a jungle theme.  They plan to release more wooden toys all with a wildlife theme including sea life, forest and field.  In our home stamp sets are very popular not just with Anya but with her friends too (and maybe even me :)) and this one with 10 animal stamps would go down a treat! 

*via

"organic cotton underwear for kids""organic cotton babygrows""organic cotton striped baby all in one""organic thermal pants for girls""organic striped baby onesie"

Underwear.  It’s usually not the thing that excites me most for babies and kids; that was until I discovered Goat-Milk.  Goat-Milk are a seriously cool underwear brand from New York City which I can’t believe I’ve waited this long to share with you.  Even the name is cool, don’t you think?   All their undies are made of soft organic cotton and come in a minimal palette of mostly blacks, whites and greys.  My favourite is the black & white striped range which I think is striking enough to wear as outerwear too.  All of Goat-Milk’s range is very pared back with the focus being on comfort, feel and of course style. 

"morley for kids SS14 UK""Summer shorts for girls""floral print summer dresses girls"

Fresh florals, girly cuts and soft tones make up this dreamy Summer collection by Morley for kids.  The styles, the colours and of course the floral prints all scream Summer to me.  Morley is a stylish Belgian line of clothes for kids, both boys and girls.  This collection is so fresh and pretty but still has an edginess that makes it really stand out.  Apart from the beautiful clothes, I think their photography is so striking too. 

"superhero-cape-tshirts-kids"

Anya loves dressing up.  Like any 5 year old girl she is very in to the whole Disney princess thing but I’m relieved that she is equally keen to dress up as a pirate or a witch or her latest obsession of being a superhero.  That’s why she was delighted when she received this cute bunny superhero t-shirt with attached cape.  Of course she wanted to try it out immediately and we thought that it would be even more fun if we went the whole hog – with mask and tights and all.

"superhero tshirt for kids""superhero cape tshirt"

With the caped t-shirt on and the mask painted, Anya took her superhero role very seriously!  Running through the park, jumping off wooden poles and even pretending to fly.

"superehro outfits for girls"

Being a girl superhero, Anya of course had to stop to collect daisies.   That’s what I love about these t-shirts by Le Macchinine Design – they’re great for boy or girl and they’re so comfy too.  So even though they can be for dressing up, they’re perfect everyday wear too.  We got the bunny one but there are cool foxes, lions and owls too.  It’s such a sweet and simple idea to attach a cape to a t-shirt and once worn, Anya took on a completely new persona.  I love clothes like these that encourage pretend play and allow a kids imagination to fly.

"superhero dress up costume""superhero tshirt unisex"

While superheroes always save the day, every once in a while, even they need a helping hand from their daddys! 

{photos by ebabee}

I’ve linked up to honest mum’s brilliant blog posts.

Kids and babies don’t actually need a lot of space.  Their things need space but they are happiest in cosy little spaces.  So I’m really loving the idea of creating a little space for your child within your bigger space.  Maybe taking a corner of your living room and putting in a cute desk or carving out a small wall area in your bedroom and placing your new baby’s cot there.  I love that doing this allows you all to be in the same space but you can still be doing different things along side each other.  And this a great way to maximise the space in your home especially if it’s limited.  I’ve picked out a few inspiring examples of where this is done really well:

"creating a nursery corner in your bedroom"

When Anya was born, we didn’t decorate a nursery for her because we knew we wanted her to be in our room for quite a while.  So instead we decorated a small area of our room with a cot, a mobile, a storage basket and a poster.   That was not only much easier to do but it was also really nice to be all together.  I didn’t take any pictures at the time but I’ve found these two baby spaces that are lovely.

"create a nursery corner in your bedroom"

Just as these two beautiful nursery spaces pictured above show, you don’t need to take up too much room to create a little haven for your baby within your bedroom.  And you can easily choose a style to complement the rest of your room.

"vintage and modern desk spaces for kids"

Another great way to share your living space with your kids is to create a desk or play area in your living room, your kitchen or wherever else you spend a lot of family time.  I love the first picture that has used the corner of the living room so well and the washi tape house helps to creatively mark out the space.  But if you prefer to keep it simpler and use even less space, you could create a more minimal and contained spot like the second and third pictures. 

When I enter a home where I know there are kids, I like to see some evidence of them.  I’m not talking about being untidy and having toys strewn all over the place, but of seeing a little play space or a shelf full of kids books and toys;  something like the spaces above.  Kids things add character and charm to a space and besides it’s lovely to be able to share all your living spaces as a whole family.  With the lovely and budget friendly kids furniture and decor available at the moment from high-street brands like George Home, there’s no excuse to hide it all away.

This post is brought to you in partnership with George Home.  All content, words and ideas are my own.  Thank you for supporting my work with carefully selected partners that allow me to bring you content like this.

Image credits: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

"6 etsy favourites for kids"

Here are 6 things I’m currently loving on etsy:

1.  Cute animal alphabet cards…  2.  a bouquet of pom pom flowers…  3.  organic cotton raindrop baby blanket…  4.  Mog the cat lambswool soft toy…  5.  double sided bunny ears hairband…  6.  hand-knitted detachable baby pierrot collar.

"illustrated board games for kids"

In the UK, we’re on half term school holidays this week and after having a glorious week of sunshine last week, this week is rain, rain and more rain.  So we’re inside more than out and one of our favourite indoor activities is board games.  We’ve been playing all our old favourites like checkers and snakes & ladders but I love finding new games to play too.  So I went looking and came across these beautiful board games from Hungary.  Inspired by the magical world of fairy tales and the vivid imagination of a child, these games are beautifully illustrated in great detail.  Mostly made by hand, these games are made to last through generations.  Even the counters aren’t the usual plastic pieces but instead the bases are made of wood and they come with detailed drawings on cardboard that slot in to the bases.  These captivating board games are made by Marbushka who only have retailers in Hungary but they ship worldwide.

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