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Wooden toy boats to wow!

December 13, 2011

I can’t believe I’m getting so excited about a boat… yes a boat! But when you see these boats you’ll know exactly why. They’re truly beautiful toys that have been made with such precision and attention to detail. These wooden toy boats are actually ships (I just like the word boat!) that are scaled down versions of real ships. They’re the creation of a design consultancy called Postler Ferguson made for a small toy company called Papa Foxtrot. I love the soft blue colour, I love that you put them together yourself and best of all I just love how stunning they look. I first came across them at Flora & Henri which is a lovely kids store based in Seattle. There’s a lot more to be said about Flora & Henri but I’ll save that for another day. For today, I just want to stare at these utterly beautiful toys. You can check them out and buy at Papa Foxtrot.

Goldilocks as you’ve never seen her

December 12, 2011

Wow! Goldilocks, Rapunzel, 3 Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling… they’re all here but not as we know them. When I came across these kids room posters of classic fairytales, I couldn’t quite believe my eyes. I never imagined it would be possible to strip down these cute kiddy classics to such a level of minimalism. And it works. At least it works for me. I don’t think it will suit everyone’s taste but I like it for it’s creativity and wit. I also love the warm colours Christian Jackson, the artist has used. And even if it’s not for you, don’t you think they’re still very worth looking at?

I can see these fairytale posters adorning a super modern kids room but I can also imagine them equally at home in an uber minimalist adult space. I’m finding it hard to choose a favourite but I am quite partial to Goldilocks and the 3 Bears and The ugly Duckling ones. Having said that, the Pinocchio and Rapunzel posters are pretty cool too. You can see the complete collection at Square Inch Design or if you want to buy, Modern Child have a selection on offer.

P.S. I love searching for cool, unusual nursery and kids room art. So if you want to see my other finds, head over to the Nursery Wall Art area.

Nursery style: Simple & stunning storage ideas

December 9, 2011

Since I started writing this blog, I’ve come across so many beautiful nurseries and kids rooms. Each one is unique, individual and has been designed by the mama (or papa) in question with bags of creativity and love. So I thought I would start sharing some of my lovely finds. Today I’ve picked 3 simple nursery storage ideas that I love. These 3 ideas are for small storage and show how, with a little imagination, you can make a real feature of stuff that you would probably otherwise have to find a storage space for:

1. Inexpensive wire planters hung on a wall to store and display soft toys. It looks amazing, the toys can be seen and it adds real style to the room. This is the creation of a Texan mama called James (yes, a mama – see her blog for an explanation) who blogs at Blue Bird Vintage.

2. Vintage suitcases look super cool, you can often pick them up for pennies at a flea market and they make very useful storage boxes. I love how they’ve been used to keep the babies books tidy and besides looking chic, the books are easy to reach for little kids. This is part of a delightful room created by an Aussie mama who blogs at One Claire Day.*

3. Instead of a chunky wardrobe this is a wonderful and stylish way to store clothes. They look stunning hung on this rustic, minimal, eco-friendly hanger. Perfect for when space is tight but I would choose this even otherwise as it’s such a great feature for a room. I found this at a blog called French by Design.

P.S. If you’ve still got all your Christmas shopping to do (like me!) have a look at our Christmas gift guide… it might just help! x

* Via Ohdeedoh

Hand made toys or hand made art?

December 8, 2011

While browsing the marketplace that is Etsy, I found these Spanish hand made cardboard toys called ‘Paper Friends’. These whimsical art toys are the creation of an illustrator called Blanca Helga who is enamoured with the world of children and it shows. The art toys can be played with or can be decorations too. But I think they would make fabulously unusual kid’s room art – just pop them in a frame and job done. I’m really loving the folk art vibe coming through the creations and I’m loving their all round quirkiness. If you’re looking for kids room art that is truly unique and individual then I can’t think of anything better. You’ll find these hand made cardboard art toys over at Blanca Helga’s etsy store or you can check out her own site too.

Hand made dolls extraordinaire

December 7, 2011

What amazing dolls. I’m not sure words can do them justice but I shall try! These enchanting dolls have been hand made in Malaysia by a super talented lady called Yeo Mei Ying. There is something so life-like about them, I almost expect them to get up and start talking! Each doll is oh so unique with her magnificent outfit, her amazing hairstyle and her personality that comes through. So, so beautifully made, I am honestly completely mesmerised and am struggling to take my eyes off them. I first discovered them at Les Petits Bohemes which is a fabulous store that I’ve featured before. They have a small selection but to see all the dolls, visit Evangelione and just scroll through the pages where you’ll also find a list of stockists. Seriously do it, you won’t be able to tear yourself away. STUNNING!

Colour love: Blue

December 5, 2011

If you’re a regular here, you’ll know that I’m not a blue for boy and pink for girl type of mama. Blue can be just as much for girls as it can be for boys. So with that in mind, I’ve found some lovely blue nursery decorations, toys and clothes some for boys, some for girls but mostly things that are for both.

1. Soft and girly butterfly wings to wear or even hang on the wall by Christa Davis.

2. A little car kit that you put together and decorate with the included crayons by Fidoodle.

3. Sweet, sweet bamboo elephant mobile with big blue ears by Petit Collage.

4. A beautiful powder blue bench for a kids bedroom or a play space by Guy and Brown.*

5. A cute hand made felt singing bird soft toy by Colourland on etsy.

6. A house shaped toy storage box by Rice DK available from Nettle Green.

7. Adorable birdie coat pegs or door handles by Zachary Dickory Dock.

8. A cool ribbed hooded jumper in electric blue by Stella McCartney kids.

P.S. Have you seen our Orange colour love goodies? Also, if blue floats your boat, you can check out our turquoise nursery furniture and decor ideas.

*Via Handmade Charlotte

Kalma & Violeta

December 2, 2011

Kalma & Violeta is a small shop started by a mama who has an eye for beauty. Simple, subtle, stunning beauty. It’s filled with colourful little objects of desire to decorate kids rooms. I discovered the lovely Mar Gomez and her shop ages ago and I’ve been meaning to write about it ever since. All the goodies in Mar’s shop are handmade in Madrid where she lives and as Mar says “…each order we do with love with the desire that the child who receives it, will feel very happy with it.” It’s this feeling that comes through all the goodies and makes the shop so special.

On offer are lovely coat pegs and hooks, wall clocks, cute hangers, the sweetest bird magnets and more. It’s little objects like these that take a room from nice to wow. Kalma & Violeta is a beautiful little store because right from their shop logo to all the shop wares, everything is lovely. Visit Kalma & Violeta to see the full collection.

Delightful decorations for Christmas

December 1, 2011

It’s December! Where has the year gone?! But the good news is that we can officially start being all Christmas-y now. With that in mind I thought my first post of December has to be about Christmas. And I’ve picked these Christmas decorations by Maileg that will delight both adults and kids too. On offer are hanging pigs, cones and candy cane but my favourite has got to be those adorable hanging pixies. How can anybody resist them?! Maileg are a Danish company who are best known for their little matchbox mice which are fantastic and so sweet too. But today it’s all about these fun decorations which you can get at Amstrong Ward.

P.S. Have you seen our Christmas 2011 gift guide for the kiddies?

5 little trucks went out one day…

November 30, 2011

5 little trucks went out one day, over the hills and far away… sorry, I couldn’t resist and now the song won’t leave my head! Moving on to the wooden trucks (not ducks!), I think wooden toys are just the best. They’re keepers that can be handed down from child to child, even generation to generation. And of course they look beautiful too. Today I’ve rounded up 5 fabulous wooden toy trucks or lorries as some may call them. Some are colourful, some are natural wood but all are fine looking toys that can be treasured forever:

1. A smooth natural wood truck and a crayon holder by Country Side Gifts on Etsy.

2. Bold and bright yellow, is it a truck or a tank?! It’s by Kids on roof.

3. Natural wood again but this time it’s a cool log transporting lorry by Bella Luna toys.

4. A chubby looking little wooden dump truck in glorious lipstick red from a store called Theo.

5. Another dump truck but in green with a slim body and chunky wheels by Manny & Simon.

P.S. Have you seen our Christmas 2011 wooden toy gift selection?

Teardrop cushions so cute!

November 29, 2011

How absolutely adorable are these cushions? I love the teardrop shape, I love their sleepy expressions and I love their quirkiness too. Propped on a chair in a kids room or in the bed, they’d make the cutest huggable companions. They come as a family of 3, all in muted colours except there’s also a black polka dotted one which perfectly compliments the others. They’re made by Zu, a French brand that also makes some other very cute stuff. So sweet!

P.S. Have you seen our Christmas 2011 gift guide yet?