"christmas gift ideas for toddlers"

It feels like the weeks are flying by and Christmas is coming sooner than planned!  So I thought it was time to share my next gift guide where I’ve picked out some cool and unusual soft toys and dolls:

1.  Handmade baby alpaca wool doll called Balthazar by Lucky Boy Sunday from Lapin & Me.

2.  Felt elephant bag with baby elephants by En Gry & Sif from Sisters Guild.

3.  Lambswool Gerald the Giraffe by Sara Carr.

4.  A well dressed dachshund by Jipi Jipi.

5.  Knitted lambswool mono cat by Donna Wilson.

6.  A cloth lion wearing a fluro orange tee by Cloth & Thread.

7.  A pillow soft toy with one little pig by Pink Nounou.

8.  Retro mickey mouse cushion and toy by Atsuyo et Akiko from Serendipity.

9.  Pretty little hand made jade plants by Cocon.

10.  Tutu adorned dancing dolls by Evangelione from Les Petits Boheme.

11.  Mouk hand crochet doll by Anne-Claire Petit from The Kid Who.

You can also check out my other guides: gift ideas for boys, gift ideas for babies and gift ideas for mamas (who like to cook & entertain).

Playful designs…

November 19, 2012

"colourful nursery art"

I have always wanted to visit the London Design Festival but each year passes and I miss it for one reason or another.  I’ve now added it to my huge ‘to-do’ list.  Unfortunately nothing ever seems to get crossed off this list and instead it just grows bigger and bigger.  But while I’m waiting for the 2013 festival I went and had a browse of their site and found Supafrank.  Nothing excites me more than discovering a new design studio that creates unusual things and that’s exactly what Supafrank is all about.

"colourful stools for kids rooms"

Supafrank work with various brands to create packaging, stationery and more.  But they’ve also created their own line called Creature Collective which I’m loving.  The furniture is still in prototype phase but the cute artworks are available now.  I love the bright colours and the element of fun they’ve injected in to all their designs.  There’s a bit of quirk mixed with lots of playful style to create products that would be fun for any age.  The artworks are more for kids and would add some humour and brightness to any room.  In addition to this project, Supafrank have also worked on some really fabulous collaboration projects like the Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh ones which you can also see on their site.

mama & baby…

November 15, 2012

"linen party hat kids"

This week’s picks for mama and baby… this Christmas, let mama wrap her gifts in this gorgeous pompom wrapping paper while baby celebrates in that adorable linen party hat.

"wooden skipping ropes"

Once in a while a toy comes along that makes my heart skip a beat.  This is one of those times.  I mean how gorgeous are these skipping ropes?  They seriously look good enough to eat… think raspberry ice-cream or lemon sorbet!  As a kid, skipping was one of my favourite activities and I remember devising all kinds of random skipping games and competitions.  Seeing these ropes, I’m tempted to get back in to it but since my energy levels won’t be quite what they were, it might have to be my daughter instead.

There is a wonderful store in Barcelona called Nobodinoz and they have just started making their own line of wooden toys which include a beautiful bowling set and these ropes.  Both are made of 100% birch wood and use non-toxic paints and varnishes.  There are more toys to come in this range but these 2 will be available at the end of November.  I can’t wait to see what else Nobodinoz will create and in the meantime I’m adding this rope (pink or teal… can’t decide!) to my daughter’s Christmas gift list.

"gift ideas for cooks"

This is the first year that I’m bringing you gift guides for mama’s too.  So for the first one I’ve lined up a range of gifts ideas for mama’s that love to cook and entertain.

1.  Apple shaped natural wood serving board by Zu.

2.  The Smitten Kitchen cookbook by Deb Perelman from Amazon

3.  Izmir measuring cups by Anthropologie.

4.  Natural linen geometric design napkins by Linea Carta.

5.  Handmade mini serving jugs by Emilie Pedron from Neest.

6.  Sea Fowl laminated wood tray by Mina Perhonen from Coverture and the Garbstore.

7.  Handmade polka dot bowls by Made by Simone from From the Wilde.

8.  Sweet Paul Christmas/Holiday magazine by Sweet Paul.

9.  Cloud shaped coasters in assorted colours by Cocon.

10.  Tingleby porcelain snack bowls/espresso cups by Isak.

11.  Use my Beehive tea towel by Donna Wilson.

You can also check out my gift ideas for boys and gift ideas for babies.

"colourful girls wellies"

I remember when I was growing up I dreaded rainy days because I knew my mother would bring out the wellies.  I absolutely hated wearing them as they were so blah and boring and came in the most uninspiring green colour {remember the ones?}.  Even as a kid I was fussy about what I wore and those bland green wellies just didn’t cut it.  Fast forward to today and it’s a completely different story with my equally fussy daughter.  She loves wellies and it’s not difficult to see why.  The ones you get now are bright, colourful and stylish and are anything but boring.  We’ve been looking to buy a pair and these boots by Joules caught my eye and my daughters.  She loved the bright blue ones with the floral print and has told me she wants to wear them everyday, come rain or shine!  My favourite was the polka dotted ones but I liked them all.  They’re girly and fun without being cutesy and that always gets my vote.  Apart from girls wellies, Joules also do some cool ones for boys like the stripey navy blue pair which I think would even work on a girl.  But it’s the colourful ones that I fell for because they look great with muted Autumn colours and besides, who doesn’t need a bit of brightness on a rainy day.

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"christmas gift ideas for boys"

For my second Christmas gift list, it’s all about the boys.  Boys can sometimes be hard to buy for so hopefully this list will give you some inspiration.  If you haven’t already, you can also check out my Christmas gift ideas for babies.

1.  ‘Favourite place’ play house by Lucky Boy Sunday from Molly-Meg.

2.  Wooden toy boats to build by Papafoxtrot.

3.  Bu Blanket peek-a-boo sheet by Fine Little Day.

4.  Nigel shark lunch bag by Beatrix NYC from Peanut & Pip.

5.  Machi London wooden town set by Kiko Kids (soon to be available)

6.  Hand made steel cars, tanks and trucks by Floris Hovers from Buisjes & Beugels.

7.  The Game of Sculpture book by Herve Tullet from Amazon

8.  Arctic stamp set with 6 stamps by Ink + Wit.

9.  Moulin Roty explorer case from Little Fashion Gallery.

10.  Handmade wooden dinosaur set from Romp Store.

11.  Little Experiences aliens & superheros mask kit from Liberty London.

mama & baby…

November 8, 2012

"handmade soft toy doll"

From now until Christmas I will be bringing you gift ideas in the weekly mama and baby posts.  Hope you enjoy them.  This week’s picks for mama and baby… give mama this striking polka dotted bowl and give baby that cute handmade doll.

"circus themed cushions, posters and mugs"

Recently I’ve been really keen to take my daughter to the circus.  Last week I discovered the Insect Circus and it sounded like the perfect opportunity.  I was all set to book tickets when illness struck and we ended up going nowhere.  The Insect Circus has since left town so we’ll have to wait till it’s back.  But while I was thinking about going I remembered a lovely collection of circus themed cushions, mugs, posters and trays for kids that I had seen over at Mimi’s Circus shop.  It’s created by Famille Summerbelle, {who’s city cutout maps you may know}, who are an Anglo-French husband and wife team that design a small collection of things for the home.  This ‘Performers’ collection immediately caught my attention because of the bold and bright colours as well as the cool illustrations.  And after all which kid doesn’t like a bit of circus action in their life?  Apart from the kids stuff there are also some colourful and fun tea towels that would brighten any kitchen.  Head over to Famille Summerbelle to see the whole collection and when you’re there, do check out the cutout city maps if you haven’t seen them before.

Happy, pretty things…

November 6, 2012

"cute home decor"

I love discovering little shops full of pretty things that maybe you don’t necessarily need in your life but if you surround yourself with, you know they will brighten your day each time you see them.  Paper Plane Home is one of those stores where I want nearly everything they sell because I know when I see those goodies dotted around my home, it will always bring a smile to my face.  The store has lots of cute objects to decorate your home with and there’s plenty for kids as well as mama’s.  I’m especially loving the apple shaped cushions, the pretty gift tags and also the rainy day tray.  Visit Paper Plane Home to see more.

Update Sept 2014:  Sadly Paper Plane Home has closed down.

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