ebabee likes:wooden toys Archives

Entries Tagged as 'wooden toys'

Woody the woolly sheep

September 23, 2015

Do you know Les Jouets Libres? I wrote about their beautiful games on the go ages ago and have been keeping an eye on their creations ever since. I spotted a new lacing and knitting toy of theirs when I recently visited Anthropologie and I liked the look of it for Anya. It’s a wooden sheep with holes that comes with a needle and organic wool from French sheep. The idea is to knit the wool on to the sheep and keep the sheep as decoration after. This knitting toy is a great introduction to working with wool because it’s not as complex as knitting, it’s more like lacing.

Anya has been showing a lot of interest in knitting and sewing so this sounded like something she would enjoy. At first she found it a bit tricky as the needle is not one where you thread it but instead you have to almost hold the wool in place. But that is what this crafty toy is all about – teaching patience and perseverance. It occupied her for ages and she persevered with great concentration. She didn’t quite follow the suggested pattern but that didn’t matter as it ended up being her own pattern. I am a big fan of toys like this that teach and challenge a child. Oh the concentration on her little face while she was doing it and sometimes frustration!

Les Jouets Libres have a lovely range of eco toys and games and their range has grown quite a bit since I last wrote about them. We weren’t sent this knitting toy, we bought it because we liked the look of it and think you will like it too especially if you have kids who like to be crafty and enjoy a bit of a challenge. It’s sold as 4+ but I thought it more suitable for 5 or even 6 years. We ended up buying ours online from e-side.

*{Anya wears floral mint pyjama set}

Playful handmade wooden toys from Hungary

August 18, 2015

I am very partial to toys that allow kids to play with them using their imaginations. I have pretty much stopped buying toys for Anya but I do make exceptions for toys that let the child make up different games and allow them to play without any rules, especially wooden toys. So when I came across these beautiful handmade wooden toys from Hungary, many of which are games, I knew that these are the kind of toys that I like to encourage in my home. When the ladies behind these toys offered to send Anya one, I wasn’t going to say no.

All the toys in Eperfa’s collection are inspired by nature and childhood games. The three mums who started this collection are from Hungary and were inspired by the Hungarian countryside where they grew up, played and had many adventures as children.

What I love most about the toys is their simplicity and because of it, the amount of endless imaginative play they offer. Take these wooden eggs that are a rolling game – you put the smallest egg on the floor, stand some distance away and roll the other eggs towards it. The player who gets closest to the smallest egg wins. We’ve had fun playing this game but Anya has also used these eggs for so many other things like making breakfast, egg hunts, drawing eggs – the list goes on. I also love that the eggs come beautifully packaged in a box full of hay, adding to the endless ways in which it can be played with. Similarly the fish puzzle in their collection is a beautiful puzzle of joining up the fish but the fish can be used to play with in so many ways.

I am all for wooden toys like these but sometimes they can cost ten times as much as the plastic ones. Luckily Eperfa’s wooden toys don’t cost the earth. They are very fairly priced especially as they are all handmade and hand painted. And for me, it’s always quality over quantity. Are you a fan of wooden toys?

Colourful wooden toys and decorations

March 2, 2015

Today it’s a colourful start to the week with these beautiful wooden toys and decorations. For me, the simplest toys are always the best. They allow a child to use their imagination and what is better than that? These toys which include stacking stars and wooden puppets are not only beautiful to look at but are just the kind of toys that encourage all kinds of pretend play. And then there are the sweet decorations including that colourful elephant garland. These wooden decorations and toys are the creation of New York based designer Laura Rodriguez who wanted to make designs that were playful and simple and that appealed to the whole family. Laura’s creations called Luez designs are meant to bring a smile to your face and a bit of cheer to any room in your home which is exactly what they do.

6 etsy favourites…

July 21, 2014

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

Beautiful vintage furniture for kids

July 7, 2014

This is probably one of the best vintage shops I have come across. They have a lovely selection of vintage toys and furniture for kids as well as some stunning vintage pieces for the home too. That vintage child’s desk is stunning in it’s simplicity as is that ride-on wooden car. Most of the pieces in this shop are one of a kind and very hard to find. If you love vintage furniture then I highly recommend this vintage shop.

Animal themed wooden toys to wow

June 5, 2014

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

DIY checkers game

March 12, 2014

I love a good board game and always have ever since I was little. It does bring out my competitive side but that’s all part of the fun. As Anya is getting older, she is getting more and more in to board games and so we often spend an entire afternoon playing game after game. But she’s not the best loser but we’re working on this and hoping she will learn to try harder or at least be a better loser! Our latest obsession is this DIY game of checkers created by Marie-Laure of La Maison de Loulou especially for my readers.

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Wooden toys to stack, build & play…

January 21, 2014

These wooden toys by Karl Zahn are so beautiful and imaginative. They include a set of 5 stacking crocodiles and a range of animals that come in pieces for you to build. You can also interchange the animal parts to create new creatures. But these toys aren’t just for play; they’d look equally great displayed in a nursery or even on an adult bookshelf. My favourite is that little elephant although the stacking crocodiles are pretty cool too.

Bursting with colour {wooden toys}…

October 1, 2013

I am very much a minimalist at heart and adore simple wooden toys that are left in their natural state or painted in just white or black. The simpler they are and the less color they have, the better they look to me. But once in a while there comes along a toy literally bursting with colour and I can’t resist. This is one of those times. These Raitti wooden toys have been created by designer Aino-Maija Metsola for Marimekko. In true Marimekko style, there is bright colour everywhere and the graphics are are no less bold. My favourite is the animal adorned stacking blocks but the whole range is incredibly striking, don’t you think?

P.S. Have you entered my giveaway yet? You could win some beautiful French clothes of your choice.

September 25, 2013

I love discovering little shops tucked away in far corners of the big wide world that we live in. Before the internet you could only make these discoveries by traveling but now I keep finding little gems that make me want to go visit those places. I have a growing list of small, independent shops from across the globe that I hope to visit one day and the latest addition to this list is More & Co in Portland, Maine. I love their small but playful and fun selection of goodies many of which are their own creations. Those colourful shapes t-shirts are so cute and the wooden toys on offer are playful and beautiful. I also love that simple starry domino set. If I ever go to Maine, I know I’d love to stop by More & Co and meet the people behind this creative little shop.