A cool cape and more…

January 21, 2013

"dress up cape and mask"Dressing up is such a big thing in this household.  Soon after my daughter wakes up each morning, she heads to her dressing up box and pulls out an outfit.  These days it’s a fairy so if you come by my home at breakfast time you’ll be confronted with me eating breakfast with a fairy!  I’m always looking for things to add to her dress-up box and lately she has been showing interest in wearing a cape.  We’ve used blankets and shawls to make pretend capes but I thought I would also have a look to see if there were any new and exciting cape and mask sets out there to share with you.  I’m really not a fan of the synthetic stuff you get in abundance so I always look around for natural materials.  Just as I was about to begin my search I remembered the above image that I had bookmarked a while ago and I knew I had to share.  What a great photo and a lovely cape and mask set.

"cool bibs and bloomers"These pictures are by Udder, an Australian brand of kids clothing, toys, and accessories.  While it was the top image that first drew me in, I also found some cool clothes that look very wearable and playful.  The styles are simple and summery {as it’s summer in Australia} and often complemented with fun little touches.  I really like the clothes but it’s their accessories that I’m totally in love with.  The nappy clutches, the cape and mask sets, the bloomers, the bibs, the metal mobiles are all just too cool.  And that picture at the top… isn’t it just the best? 

Before I end, I just wanted to say sorry for the lack of posts last week.  I’m away on holiday and the internet isn’t the best.  I shall try and post more regularly this week but as I’m still away I can’t promise.  I am however enjoying the sunshine in the southern hemisphere and thought it would be nice to share a summery post even thought I know it’s snowing in the UK and the US.  Besides I don’t think I could wait any longer to share this wonderful brand!

 Via Mamaes Sabe Tudo

"a long piece of string"

I always feel that I don’t share enough books on my blog and this year I would like to change that.  I’m a big fan of kids books and can’t stop buying them for my daughter.  So every time I come across a book that I think is a must have I will share.  This was a book I bought a year ago and we really love it.  Originally published in 1963, it made a comeback in 2010 and I’m not surprised.  It’s a simple book where you follow a long piece of string that takes you from one wonderful illustration to another all ordered from A to Z.  While it’s an alphabet book, it uses illustrations instead of letters to show the alphabet.  It’s fun for kids to guess what the drawings are and I love looking at the simple but delightful illustrations.  A Long Piece of String by William Wondriska is a must have in any kids library.

"handmade soft toy cat"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

mama & baby…

January 10, 2013

"cloud cushion pillow"

This week’s picks for mama & baby… let mama decorate with these cute cloud shaped tags while baby decorates with that pretty  cloud cushion.

"princess and the pea doll set"You might be wondering what exactly the picture above is… I wondered the same when I saw it but I knew that I had to find out more.  It’s a Princess and the Pea playset.  How cute is that?  Seven handmade mattresses have been covered in vintage fabrics and topped with a wool felt pea.  They all come packaged in a muslin bag with an embroidered quote from the story.  Any kid who knows the fairytale will delight in playing with this.  This is the creation of 2 mums who were armed with little more than a sewing machine, bags of unwanted wool and fabrics when they decided to start a little boutique called Seven Smooches.

"fox elephant finger puppet"

Everything is hand made at Seven Smooches who also make clothes, hats, blankets and other cute little things for kids.  But it’s their play things that really got my attention like these adorable finger puppets each of which come with a little accessory.  It’s the imagination and the level of detail that go in to their creations that really make them special.  Seven Smooches don’t seem to have updated their site recently as there are only collections from 2011, but you can go here for the Princess and Pea set and here for the finger puppets.

Stylish storage…

January 8, 2013

"toy storage sacks"

My daughters birthday is in December, just a couple of short weeks before Christmas.  That means come December we have an overload of new toys, games, books, clothes… the works!  For the first time this past December we had a proper birthday party for her which meant even more stuff.  Come the new year I seriously feel like her things have increased 10-fold.  While the big things always find a home, it’s the little bits and pieces that cause the problems and the mess.  Apart from giving a load of stuff to charity, I’m always on the look out for new storage solutions and when I last went looking, I found these super stylish storage sacks by Varpunen.  They come in 3 different sizes which are perfect for storing small and medium sized toys and besides they look great.  I love their geometric patterns; some subtle some bold but all cool and classy.  I’m loving the idea of having 3 or 4 of these lined up holding a range of different toys.  Of course these Varpunen storage sacks aren’t just for kids, they’d be equally at home in an adult space keeping your things tidy.

April showers…

January 7, 2013

"French kids bedding"

April Showers by Polder is the perfect combination of Scandinavian style with French charm.  Started by a pair of Dutch sisters who now live in Paris, this kids bedding, clothes and accessories collection is just divine.  I love the muted colours with unexpected pops of neon, the subtle prints and the timeless designs.  This is their current Autumn/Winter collection and I want everything in it especially those leggings!  You can shop this collection at Smallable.comwhere there are quite a few items on sale too.  

Pretty pastel rooms…

January 4, 2013

"pastel girls room"

"pastel kids room ideas"

"mint green room kids"

I’m thinking about re-decorating my daughters room.  When she was born I knew she would be in my room for ages so doing up her room wasn’t a priority.  When she eventually moved out we did up her room bit by bit rather than plan it fully from the start.  While it’s sweet, I think we’re ready for a change.  So I’ve been hunting around for some inspiration especially for the colour scheme but I keep coming back to the idea of pops of bold and bright colour with lots of white which I think can be fun for a kids room.  That was until I saw these pastel rooms.  I hadn’t really considered a pastel room but now I’m totally smitten with the idea.  The soft, pale colours, especially the minty green with an abundance of white does look stunning and very elegant I think.  I love all 4 of these rooms but my favourite has to be the first one.  Pastel may just be the way to go!

Image credits: 1 & 4. Mokkasin  2. Nordic Bliss  3. Jordgubbar med mjolk

mama & baby…

January 3, 2013

"linen baby bib"This week’s picks for mama & baby… let mama decorate with these smooth matte ceramic bowls while baby wears that linen bib with contrasting straps.

Cute baby knits…

January 2, 2013

"hand knitted baby clothes"Happy new year! Hope you all had a fun and relaxing Christmas break and a great new year.  I had lots of family time which was just what we needed.

During the holidays I was on a mission to find knitting patterns as my mother-in-law is an amazing knitter and asked me to find things I liked so she could make them for my daughter.  While I was hunting for patterns I also came across this little store with the sweetest hand knitted clothes for babies.  The simple, minimal aesthetic of the clothes really appealed to me and I also loved the colours for this time of year.  But most of all these baby knits really reminded me of the ones my mum-in-law knitted when my daughter was a newborn {I’ve saved them all in the hope that one day my grandchildren will wear them!}.  Apart from knits, Lili Grenadine also makes some cute little baby clothes like that adorable bodysuit and baby girl dress.  The collection only has a few pieces but each one is just lovely.

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