Maileg Princess and the Pea set
My mom gave this adorable Princess and the Pea set to Ivy for Christmas last year and she absolutely LOVES it! She is constantly piling up all the mattresses and putting the princess to sleep. I must say, I love it too — it’s such a beautiful toy. Just look at all the pretty fabrics on the mattresses … and that little knitted pea to place under them! So cute! (If you’re not familiar with the story of the Princess and the Pea, the set comes with a little board book of the story.) It’s available from the London-based shop, Notsobig, along with other cute Maileg toys.
x Courtney
Doll’s House and Farm from Hase Weiss
We discovered these brilliant Hase Weiss creations at Playtime last weekend and fell instantly in love! Aren’t they so beautiful? The modular doll’s house (above) comes in one big box, but you can fit the rooms together in many different ways to create the perfect doll’s house. And the farm (below) opens and closes with magnetic hinges and offers quite the home for all your farm animals. My kids would go crazy for this!
It doesn’t look like these products are available to purchase from the Hase Weiss site, but they do have a shop in Berlin and it looks like they take orders over the phone if you contact them here.
xx Courtney
Potato Stamp Stars Organic Bedding
How fun is this Potato Stamp Stars bedding? Stars are such a great and versatile design, perfect for both modern or traditional decor styles, and I love how the potato stamp effect gives the star print a retro feeling. The bedding is certified organic cotton, printed to Oeko Tex standards… and is as cosy as can be. This duvet cover has the star print in cotton percale on one side and a blue, snuggly t-shirt material on the other side. It’s available from Quick Brown Fox of Dulwich along with other great bedding designs.
-Courtney
Bubble London Recap
Wow! Two trade shows in one weekend! We have seen so many great children’s brands, our heads are spinning! Here are some highlights from yesterday at Bubble London:
- The new designs at Poppy feature a little girl riding around on a giraffe through a beautifully illustrated London town, and we can’t get enough. Absolutely fabulous designs and colours in the A/W collection. Much to look forward to!
- Olive Loves Alfie is launching a new range of interiors paint and their display was awesome! So many great colours.
- We were ultra impressed with the fantastic, happy collection at Tootsa Macginty. And apparently we weren’t the only ones — her stand was buzzing the entire day long! (And we loved the new haircut of Kate!)
- As always, the Hucklebones collection was stunning. And the creators, Dan and Zoe, couldn’t be more lovely.
- Seeing the hand-crafted pillows from Lettie Belle in person made us love them even more!
- Really like the sweet prints and fresh colours in the Old Rectory collection. And excited about their new baby pyjamas.
- The ilovegorgeous stand rocked our world. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!
- Loved meeting Joanna from Babatude and seeing her luxuriously soft cashmere creations.
- The Spotty Otter outerwear collection is both functional and fun, and we think this is a brand on the rise (it’s already hugely popular at our kids’ schools!).
- With beautiful textiles from India, the entire Bouton collection really, really impressed us.
- It was really great to meet Helen from Helen Gordon and to see all her pieces in one place. We are big fans of her scrumptiously soft pyjamas and love her new circus print!
- The Aden & Anais collection is, as always, super impressive. So cool to see all their swaddle blankets hanging in one big row!
- Just listening to Yanina from Aravore discuss each piece in her collection makes you appreciate just how much thought and love went into each piece. Such a gem of a brand (and a lady!).
- The bright colours and happy messages in the Boys & Girls collection put a smile on our faces! That’s what childhood is all about!
- The NYC-based brand, Ode, which we first discovered at Playtime NYC last summer, featured a stunning collection and a new knitwear line. Such pretty textiles and loads of details!
- So nice to see the Dutch brand Kidscase both at Bubble and at Playtime. As always, it’s a can’t-go-wrong collection!
- We discovered the new label Beau Loves, and with their Zorro mask prints and playful designs, we think this is going to become a new favourite brand.
- We also discovered the new UK brand, Marmalade & Mash which made their debut at Bubble. This is a brand to watch for sure!
- We met the lovely Amynta from Tulip and Nettle who wowed us with her luxurious collection and beautiful photography.
- And finally, the Spanish brand Nadadelazos is super fun and funky, and we were already fans… but even more so now!
xx Courtney and Esther
Children’s wallpaper from Hibou Home
Aren’t these wallpaper designs so stunning?! They’re part of the gorgeous collection of children’s wallpaper available at the newly launched Hibou Home. I have to admit that I’ve never been a wallpaper person before… but having seen these in the flesh, I’m seriously tempted to do up a wall in one of the kids’ rooms. The colours are so lovely and dusky, and the designs are playful but still sophisticated and suitable for older children. So… which design to choose?
x Courtney
Knitted Greens!
Somehow, over the course of this morning, I stumbled upon four different (!!) green knitted products. All SO cute, I just had to share…
- Green and white knitted jumper from Broer en Zus
- Green and white knitted doll from Dents de Loup
- Lucky Boy Sunday knitted tree from Thumbeline
- Green knitted teething ring from Unique Boutique
x Courtney
Mader Spinning Tops
Aren’t these spinning tops so beautiful? I just love all the different colour combinations and the many elegant shapes and sizes. These Mader Tops are handcrafted in Austria from a variety of woods native to Europe. Each top is made from a single piece of wood and is then hand painted in beautiful colour combinations. (You can read more about them here.) They’re so well made that they spin for minutes at a time. Fun! And also pretty just sitting on a shelf.
They’re available from Couverture in the UK and from Pucci Manuli in the US.
x Courtney
Big fish eats little fish
This is another art project inspired by an image I saw on Pinterest! I knew the minute I saw it that my kids would love this one. Plus, it’s so easy! All you need are some clothespins, some card stock or thicker paper, some crayons or paint to decorate your fish, and scissors and glue. A fun project for kids of all ages — even our 2-year-old enjoyed making her fish (we drew a fish template and she coloured it in).
Also, if you’re looking for more craft projects, you can take a peek at our Crafts for Kids Pinterest board for ideas!
x Courtney
Train Pyjamas from byGraziela
How cheerful and happy are these train pyjamas? I love the retro pattern, the snug fit and the soft & cosy material. What perfect PJs! They’re part of the vibrant byGraziela collection, a rebirth of Graziela Preiser’s award-winning brand from the 1970s.
Everything in the collection is as happy and innocent as childhood should be — defined by vibrant colours and iconic ’70s designs. (If you like the train print, you can get matching bedding, hooded towels, or this adorable crockery set!)
x Courtney
PS – Find these and other great pyjamas in this week’s Top Ten selection.
TinTin!
I read my boys (ages 6 and 4) their first Tintin book
The story behind Tintin is an interesting one. The first Tintin comic appeared in the children’s section of a Belgian newspaper in 1929. The series was so successful it was then published in Belgium’s leading newspaper, Le Soir, and then spun into its own magazine. It became one of Europe’s most popular comics and has been translated into more than 50 different languages (you can read more about the origin of Tintin here).
There is now a Tintin movie — I haven’t seen it, have you? There’s an online Tintin Shop and an actual Tintin store in Covent Garden where you can buy all sorts of Tintin goodies like posters, toys and, of course, the books
x Courtney
Image found on Pinterest
Bensimon Hi Tops from Elias & Grace
I think I have spent the past three months admiring these Bensimon hi-tops at Elias & Grace… and just this week I finally splurged and bought them for my daughter. Don’t you just love the blue suede with the purple laces? So fun! There’s also a low-top version with green laces which are equally cute.
x Courtney
Custom dolls from Warm Sugar
I’ve already mentioned the Warm Sugar dolls here before, but I just had to share them again. I ordered a couple dolls for my nieces for Christmas this year and was so pleased with them. I sent an email to Shannon, the talented creator, and asked for dolls with specific traits: one blue-eyed doll and one brown, one more girlie than the other, both with light brown hair, etc (see photo). Aren’t they so cute? I just love the mix of fabrics and that each doll can be customised for the little recipient. The dolls are available to purchase from the Warm Sugar Etsy shop, and I just think they make lovely gifts.
x Courtney
Wooden Utensils for fun occasions
Aren’t these wooden utensils so fun? They’re perfect for school lunches, birthdays, ice cream parties… you name it. There are loads of cute designs and themes to choose from, and you can even customise your own. There’s even ice cream paddles and chopsticks! All available from the Sucre & Spice Etsy shop.
x Courtney
Petite Alma Birthday Card Packs
Petite Alma have recently launched some new birthday card packs (for grown-ups and for kids) and they’re so cheerful and happy and just the perfect thing to have on hand for all upcoming birthdays this year. I love the vibrant watercolour illustrations, the fun greetings on each card, and I’m so smitten with that adorable little mouse on the ‘You’re a Star’ card in the Furry Friends set (above). So cute!
x Courtney
Muller Stacking Bed
I get asked all the time if I know of any good, stylish children’s beds for kids who have outgrown their cotbed but who are still young enough to need/want a child’s bed. There is such a hole in the market here because I have literally searched and searched and the pickings are slim. The one bed I love is the Müller stacking bed by Rolf Heide. I just love that the beds stack so that when needed, you always have an extra bed for sleep-overs and other guests in the house. I have several friends who have these beds either for their kids or for guests (I even have a few German friends who grew up with them!), and everyone only has good things to say.
The beds were designed in Germany in 1967, before the age of modern flat-packed furniture, and were highly innovative for the time. Inspired by smaller spatial living in the 1960s, the beds were meant to be a sofa or daybed by day and a bed(s) at night. So brilliant! For more information, you can download the catalog from here. And, if like me, you’re interested in buying them in the UK, they’re available from The Home Online shop.
And if you know of any other great single beds for kids, please share!
x Courtney
The High Street by Alice Melvin
Mo sent me an email last week with a short message: Alice Melvin’s newest book, The High Street
‘The High Street’ tells the story of a girl named Sally who walks to the high street with a list of ten items she must buy. She visits the pet shop, the tea shop, the grocer, etc., gathering the items on her list. Each page is a lift-the-flap page and reveals an inside look into the shop, and all the lovely things Sally can buy. The charming illustrations are so detailed, each shop a true treasure… and it really does make you wish all high streets were (still) like this.
x Courtney
p.s. If you’re wondering why you haven’t heard from Mo in a while, it’s because she is taking a (hopefully brief) blogging break while she awaits the birth of her third baby (due in February!). xx
(Images found here)
Walnut Mice
I am wholeheartedly addicted to Pinterest! And it turns out… it’s not only a place to find a million cool products you wish you had (damn that Pinterest!) but I’ve also found loads of great craft projects I’m hoping to try with the kids. Like these little walnut mice. How cute! Originally blogged by the lilla a design blog (which has loads of cute craft ideas), I stumbled upon her images on Pinterest and decided to give it a go with my kids. The only trick, we found, was cracking open the walnuts without breaking the shells. But we managed to keep a few shells in tact and made some charming little mice. Find the full tutorial and materials list here.
-Courtney
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Pixie Lily — heirloom clothing, for baby• Natural Paint Kit from Shak-Shuka
Mancala – the simple counting game for all ages!
Did you play Mancala when you were a child? My siblings and I played all the time! I had forgotten all about it until recently stumbling upon it on Amazon
There are all sorts of boards you can buy, from simple folding ones
x Courtney
Hedgehog Shop
I had the great pleasure of meeting the lovely Teresa, founder of the brand new Hedgehog Shop, a few weeks ago when she opened up her London studio for a little pre-Christmas shopping. I knew immediately that I would LOVE her online shop. Her knack for sourcing the cutest toys, craft items, dress-up pieces, party gifts and loads of other adorable treasures from around the world is SO spot on. I got my Christmas crackers from her shop and they were a huge success at my dinner table. I also found the most charming toys and other little winning gifts. The online shop is now up and running, and I just know you will all love it as much as I do.
x Courtney
Bizzy Bear on the Farm
My husband got an ipad for Christmas (woohoo!) and we are very quickly catching ourselves up to speed with the rest of the ipad loving world. I’m not sure who loves the ipad more — my husband (he reads the news) or the kids (they play the games)! We have discovered the world Nosy Crow, which Mo has written about before (here and here). Nosy Crow offers clever and innovative storybook apps which not only tell a story, but also engage children the entire way through. Their newest app, Bizzy Bear on the Farm, lets toddlers (aged 2 to 4) help Bizzy Bear with all his chores on the farm. It’s amazing how many clever things the kids can do — each page is filled with different activities (pick apples, feed the piglets, run the horse, round the sheep up, drive the tractor, etc.). The Nosy Crow apps are available from the itunes store.
*And if you visit our Facebook page today, you can enter to win one of five promo codes for a free Nosy Crow app!
x Courtney
