Poppy and her dog Fred
This weekend I wore shorts for the first time this year — yay!! And my daughter wore her dress without leggings and was running round the garden with bare feet — Hurray! Time to write about the delightful summer dresses from Poppy. Bringing to mind the best from Fifties fashion, these dresses are just what a little girl needs to be girly, cute, and playful (without being pink or frilly). (more…)
National Infertility Awareness Week: April 24th-May 1st
This week is National Infertility Awareness Week in the U.S. — a movement that aims to raise awareness about how infertility impacts more than 7.3 million people in this country alone (that we know of). Not even sure what the worldwide figures are. This week, a website called Stirrup Queens is hosting a blogging event called Project IF…the “IF” standing for both “infertility” as well as posing the question (IF?) which asks women who have faced the challenges of infertility to contribute the answers to the big “what ifs” in their lives. Although the website is a bit overwhelming and clunky to navigate, there are a lot of links to very personal tales of the journey towards motherhood – many answering some tough questions and revealing a lot of brutally honest emotion. It also links into a list infertility blogs. I wish I had more time to read it all. I know many of us have been either personally affected by a bumpy journey towards motherhood or know someone who has and I think this blog event is a great way to share what women often feel, but rarely say.
For more information on National Infertility Awareness week please check out the Resolve website for other things that might be going on in your area.
-Dina
Ada Ada for beautiful beachy style
This is why I love Babyccino Kids — because my job is to discover new children’s brands… and there is nothing more exciting than landing on a good one! I recently discovered Ada Ada — a darling clothing brand all the way from Isreal.
Ada Ada was started by three sisters, all who specialise in design. The label creates unique and high quality clothes with an emphasis on comfort. The designs have a very ‘easy breezy’ feel to them — with subtle details and earthy colours. I love it! I have the beachcomber pants and ‘boy shirt’ for my daughter, but I’m dying to get my hands on the striped tank (pictured)… and check out their bloomers — cute!
Coincidentally, when I got in touch with them to ask about online retailers, they directed me to two of my favourite online boutiques (go figure). Visit Shak-Shuka if you’re here in Europe or Sweet William if you’re in the US.
-Courtney
Mother’s Day cards you want to give… and receive
When I have time, I do enjoy making greeting cards. There’s something really gratifying about it. But, of course, I don’t always have time. So if I ever buy a card I always try to pick one that reflects something of the person I’m choosing for, and it has to be beautiful. Increasingly I also try and buy one that is printed with green principles in mind.
The range from Raven & Lamb is printed in Australia (no carbon-guzzling shipping transportation effects), uses vegetable-based inks and Forest Stewardship Council certified paper stocks.
-Natalie
My Very Own Fairy Tale
I got this wonderful little book as a gift a long time ago and just recently it has emerged as one of the front-runners in the bedtime line-up. Now that my girls are deep in the trenches of learning to spell and write their names… My Very Own Fairy Tale is a colorful book where magical fairies are summoned to each bring a letter to spell out their first and last name. They are still always amazed that the fairies know!!!
What I like about this book is that it’s not one of those cheesy plug-in-the-name story books with a bad storyline but rather a real spelling book with quality illustrations. Check out the I See Me website for a virtual tour of all their personalized items — they have other great “non-fairy” choices for young boys and girls.
-Dina
Grilled Baby Romaine Lettuce
I have a new addiction — see title. Now that we’re officially and finally in full spring here in Europe, we went to the garden centre last weekend, got heaps of plants and herbs, and we also got a new grill (or gas BBQ). And I haven”t stopped grilling since. On the look-out for new and inspiring recipes, I came across grilled lettuce. Who would have thought of it? But it’s wonderful!
For 4 people, all you need is:
- 4 baby romaine lettuce (or ‘little gem’, as they are strangely called in the Netherlands)
- olive oil and fresh ground pepper
- ceasar dressing (home made or shop bought)
- freshly grated curls of grana padano, or parmasan (more…)
Beeswax crayons from Muji
I know this isn’t going to help with the whole crayon graveyard problem that Dina wrote about last week, but I just love these beeswax crayons from Muji. For one, they come in a little box with a plastic tray insert and it seems to keep them a bit more organized than normal crayon boxes. And for two, the colours of the crayons are a bit more unique than normal conventional crayons, and it seems to me they have a bolder, deeper color on paper.
Muji is great for stuff like this. Check out their recycled newspaper coloured pencils, and their 36-colour pen sets — just a bit cooler than your average pens and pencils. And after all, like Dina said… there’s nothing better than a shiny new box of crayons!
-Courtney
The Lambini Papoose
When my daughter was born I remember lusting after the leather, sheepskin Bill Amberg papoose… but, I just could not justify the cost. So I settled for a far less stylish middle of the road baby carrier, which not only clashed with my clothes (very much to my annoyance!) but I had to refer to the instructions every time I wanted to use it. Pretty soon I gave up as it caused me considerable stress, and sometimes even induced tears… (as many new mothers can attest; complicated instructions plus a severe case of sleep deprivation can do that). These days my babies are growing up, much too fast for my liking, but that hasn’t stopped me lusting after a new baby carrier called the Lambini Papoose. It is a gorgeous contraption, with a far more affordable price tag and so simple to use.
Firstly, it is very stylish (and co-ordinates well with most wardrobes — earthy, neutral colours). Secondly, there is no need to add blankets as it’s lined with super-soft Australian lambswool which keeps baby warm in winter and cool in summer. There is the added bonus of using the lambswool separately to line the pram or car seat. But the best thing about this papoose is that you don’t need an instruction booklet to work out how to put it on. It just slides right over your head! For online purchases, both local and international, please click here.
- Sara
Dino e Lucia at Spruced Goose
The wedding season is coming up and nowadays I don’t only have to dress myself but also two little wedding crashers.
In truth, there is nothing in the world that my girls like better than a good old-fashioned wedding. They love the dresses, the hats, the food, the games, the fun, the dances and, especially, the staying up late (I love weddings for exactly the same reasons). We also all love dressing up for a special occasion.
This year I have completely fallen in love with the Dino e Lucia range available from the lovely e-shop Spruced Goose. The dresses are stunning. They are beautifully made out of cotton and silk with lovely beading and little details. They look great on and are really comfortable to wear.
We can’t wait for the wedding season to start so that we can all slip on our fancy dresses and go and dance to silly 80’s music. Except that in this case my kids might out-do me in the dress department…
- Emilie
Cool cushions from The Nursery Company
I love the look of these handbag cushions from The Nursery Company! The one in the picture is actually the one on my daughter’s bed (can you tell the sheets aren’t ironed?), and I think it’s so pretty!
If she weren’t sharing the room with her little brother I would probably get the matching curtains as well; I just love the mix of girly but not too sweet, and grown-up but not too sophisticated. And what a welcome change from everything princessy, thank-you-very-much!
The Nursery Company offers a cool collection of curtains, blinds and accessories. There are 15 different themes, from Sailing to Jungle to my favourite, Handbags & Gladrags. You can order samples of the fabrics online and finalise your order from the comfort of your own home (the step by step guides tell you exactly how to measure). Easy as 1,2,3!
xxx Esther
The Brio Sleep cotbed– three beds in one
I first saw the Brio Sleep cotbed in the Scandinavian children’s shop Kidsen a couple years ago and totally fell in love with it. I love the minimal design and the practical features like rounded corners and wipe-clean finish. Plus, it’s designed to last until your child is 5 or 6 — going from cot to daybed to junior bed as your child grows. So functional — so Swedish! I also love the cheery colours — my favourite is the yellow.
Kidsen is now running a photo competition, offering the chance to win one of these cool cotbeds. See their website for details…
-Courtney
Decorating a kids room (part 1)
We are in the process of buying our first home after 13 years of renting. For the girl who was still playing ‘house’ when she was 13 (!) this is a big deal. Most evenings I drift into sleep dream-decorating and imagining how each room will look. The room that gets most of my ‘dream’ time is the kids’ bedroom. It is a small room but we have decided to put our 2 children in together — they like each other’s company and we like the idea of having a spare room for guests with the other bedroom. Over the next weeks I’m sure I will be posting various of my dream-decorating ideas but yesterday I made one of these ideas a reality — uh huh… I have made the first purchase for the room.
I found these lights from Swedish company, Nud Collection in Skandium. They are such a simple idea but beautifully executed (isn’t it always the way with good ones!). Textile cables with a porcelain lamp holder which takes an E27 light bulb*. My idea is to get 5 or 6 different colours (and my do they do great colours!) and group them together hanging them at different heights for a ‘chandelier’ effect. (more…)
Mommy Toolbox — clips that do the trick
Not sure what I like more about the company ‘Mommy Toolbox‘ — the name or the products it sells!
Within a few months I’ll be walking around with a pushchair again, and will be found struggling with jumpers and scarfs, trying to keep the sun out of my baby’s eyes, and trying to keep the toys inside the pushchair instead of on the pavement! But this time, instead of faint efforts with clothespins and strings, I’ll have a few cool looking CaraBeans and Spring Beans handy. Made of strong aluminium with funky coloured lead-free rubber paint around them, these clips really do the trick.
Available from the Mommy Toolbox online shop.
xxx Esther
Neige
On a recent trip to one of my favorite children’s shops in Soho I stumbled upon a clothing line that I had never seen before. It has the same quality and sense of fashion as the many European brands that I love but is actually based out of California! Neige, which means “snow” in French, is a sweet and simple line of clothing for girls and babies (boys and girls) that was created by a mother who used to be an assistant designer for Vera Wang. I like the subtle and versatile prints and can attest that the clothes are as comfortable as they are stylish. I especially love the dress and print pictured.
You can order online from their website.
-Dina
Doll’s house to love
I recently created and styled 3 nursery rooms for real living magazine and I searched high and low for an affordable doll’s house that could be customised with wallpaper offcuts and bunting that I made. But do you think I could find one! I’d been inspired by this amazing one from Jacqui Lewis that she had created with her daughter. Of course, today, after the mag has gone on sale I find one! And it’s affordable. It’s from a recently opened online stationery store called Upon A Fold. The house comes flat and can easily pop open. It’s the design of Joe Freedman and Ilisha Helfman of Leaf Display who also create pop-up toys and cards (and check out their patchwork doll house too).
Oh, and if you want to check out the nursery rooms I styled you can see them here.
-Natalie
Smiling Planet — earth friendly dishes for kids
I’ve admired the lovely plates from Smiling Planet for months now, spotting them in a few of my favourite online shops… and I finally just got some for my kids and am so happy with them — they’re not only beautiful (I love the ‘white peace’ design, pictured), but they’re quite clever because they have an outer rim around the plate which keeps the food in place (a feature that is quite handy when you have a one-year-old who is just learning to feed herself!).
All the dishes are made from 100% recycled, high grade polypropylene plastic and contain no BPA, no lead, no toxic inks, etc. Unlike most plastic dishes, these are completely safe for your kids to use, and are also virtually unbreakable — even the designs are printed sub-surface so children can’t scratch them.
You can order them online from their website, or from Shak-Shuka if you’re here in Europe.
-Courtney
Sweet for Baby: Soft Rattles on Finns Finds
Slowly and steadily my due date is approaching… 6 weeks to go, 5…, 4… Time for some super sweet baby finds on Babyccino Kids!
These wonderfully soft and sweet rattles designed by the Israeli designer Manuella Flam are simply adorable. I don’t think a baby needs much more than a Manuella rattle in his or her little hand! Wait, I take that back — two rattles could work as well, of course…
Available through the fashionable and fun web-shop, Finn’s Finds.
xxx Esther
Shirin Kids
I have been following the children’s line of T-shirt designer Shirin Roubeni for a while now and I adore her latest collection. The lovely prints are handprinted with eco-friendly, water-based ink on super soft cotton. The designs are great, and she has now branched out and is producing great little T-shirt dresses for girls and women which are going to be perfect for this summer.
If you can’t decide whether to get a T-shirt for yourself or for your child, check out her new range of Mommy and Me couture — matching tops for moms and daughters. The Shirin range is available from their very own e-shop.
- Emilie
Roooooooooobarb!
I made this today and feel so wholesomely brilliant that I just had to write and tell you about it. It is a rhubarb compote and it is my new favourite thing for these reasons:
1. So easy to make!
2. Makes delicious dessert when served with yogurt, ice-cream or whipped cream.
3. Stores in the fridge for ages (well at least a week/10 days) so is a great fall-back for unexpected visitors.
4. It’s fabulously pink (and looks great in one of those old-fashioned jars!)
5. Soooo in season (that is Rhubarb but I hear pink is too).
The recipe is based on Nigella Lawson’s Rhubarb Fool from her book ‘Forever Summer’, which I have been making for years now. But it wasn’t until I left it in the oven for too long that I came across my own version of it… (more…)
I Like You
It was my wedding anniversary last week, so after reading about this book several times on other sites (including here and here) I decided to finally buy it for my husband in honour of the day. I Like You
It’s the most perfect gift to give someone you love, whether it’s your husband, mother, daughter, son, etc.
-Courtney
