Berlingot Jackets from Bibaloo
I know, I know… It’s still August and here I go writing a post about winter jackets! But last year I waited too long to buy my kids their winter coats and by the time I got around to it, all the best ones were sold out. So this year I’m on it early. I love the Berlingot Jackets from Bibaloo. I got this reversible one (pictured) for my daughter and I love that it’s long, hooded and puffy — it will keep her nice and covered in cold weather. I also like the Button Parkas for boys — so cute. Bibaloo is a UK-based webshop dedicated to French fashion. Their Autumn/Winter collection is now in (including the new collection from Petit Bateau)!
-Courtney
My Bread
After mentioning my love for bread baking last week, I received a couple emails asking which pizza dough recipe I use. The good news is that both the No-Knead bread recipe and our favourite pizza dough recipe come from the same source: Jim Lahey’s My Bread. We have a large stack of bread-baking recipe books, but this one is definitely our favourite. What I really love about the book is how he uses photos to walk you through the recipes, step by step, making it nearly impossible to mess up. And his pizza dough really is the best.
The book is available from Amazon (UK and US).
-Courtney
Biisoo — Handknit Luxury for Infants
How cute are all these little handknit pieces? I just love that red pom-pom hat! They come from Biisoo — a New Zealand-based label for infants. All the products are handmade from merino wool which is grown and processed on certified organic farms on the south island of New Zealand. The wool is super soft, non-irritating and oh-so cozy, making it ideal for babies. I know it’s still technically summertime here in the Northern Hemisphere, but I’ve just returned to a very dreary, cold London… and I’m in the mood for cozy! You can shop online at the Biisoo online shop.
-Courtney
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Back to School with Babyccino – on Etsy• Fruit Tiramisu (sort of)
• Travel bug
Jenga
As I mentioned in an earlier post, we’ve been spending the past week at our beach house on Bainbridge Island. The house has no television, no internet, no fancy electronics — just good old-fashioned entertainment like cards and board games… and Jenga
Jenga is a simple game consisting of 54 wooden blocks. You start by building a tower using all the blocks, then each player takes a turn removing one block from the tower and sticking it back on top. Over time the tower gets taller and more wobbly until eventually it topples. Last one to remove a block without knocking over the tower wins. Simple as that!
You can purchase Jenga from Amazon (UK
-Courtney
Blackberry Cobbler
We’re currently staying at my family’s beach house on Bainbridge Island (Washington State), enjoying the rocky beaches and cold, cold water of the Puget Sound. We’re also enjoying the delicious blackberries that grow wild everywhere around here — blackberries for breakfast, blackberry smoothies, blackberry jam, blackberries on ice cream… and blackberry cobbler! Yummmmm. I send my kids out every afternoon with a big bowl and they come back with purple hands and faces and mounds of fresh berries. Doesn’t get better than that!
Anyway, here’s the recipe we’ve always used. It’s taken from one of my very favourite cookbooks, Alice Bay, and it’s delicious! (more…)
Whole Wheat Bread
My husband and I are big into bread baking. On the weekends when we have the time, we usually make a few loafs of the No-Knead Bread, a recipe made famous by the New York Times. We also make home-made pizza at least once a week (I would eat it every day of the week if I could — it’s that good!), and we play around with new bread recipes all the time. My sister sent me this recipe for whole wheat bread which comes from the food blog Orangette. The fun thing about this recipe is you can play around with different flours to create different textures. This bread (pictured) was made with flaxseeds, flaxmeal, and garbanzo bean flour — an even healthier version.
-Courtney
Fimo Clay
I think Fimo Clay
You can buy Fimo clay from Amazon
-Courtney
Cute back-to-school clothes from Olive Juice
I know it’s August and we’re in the midst of summertime fun… and the last thing we want to do is think about it all coming to an end… but if you can be tempted to think about Autumn/Winter clothes, you should seriously check out the darling collection from Olive Juice Kids. It is all so cute, I don’t even know where to begin. I just ordered the Olivia Pants and the stripey tights for my daughter, the Liam Topper for my boys, and just check out their collection of shoes! Gosh, I’m almost excited for September! Almost…
-Courtney
Art Jar from Land of Nod
We are currently in Seattle visiting my family… and having loads of summertime fun in the sun. I think my kids have spent the majority of the time running around naked outside… bliss!! However, thanks to the I’m Not Bored Anymore Art Jar from The Land of Nod, we’ve also been spending some ultra crafty time inside making all sorts of art projects. How cool is this concept? It’s a big jar filled to the brim with arts & craft supplies — things like construction paper, googly eyes, wooden buttons, scissors, glue, pipe cleaners, wooden beads, tissue paper, etc. etc. It’s like a craft store in a jar. And when you’re finished making projects, you just shove everything back into the jar, close the lid and store the jar in a cupboard. Easy peasy!
-Courtney
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Slow Roasted Tomatoes• Take our survey and receive 15% off at Little Baby Company!
The Little House
The Little House
It’s a story about a little house who lives out in the country and enjoys the changing of the seasons and the beauty of the countryside. She notices a city in the far distance… and over time, the city gets closer and closer until she finds herself living in the middle of a bustling city with towering buildings and a subway line right below her. On one level, it is a story of time and advancement in architecture and transportation, but on another level it is just a sweet story about a little house and the observations she makes. Either way, you and your kids will love it!
It is available from our bookshop, both US and Europe. And also check out Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel — another family favourite by Virginia Lee Burton.
-Courtney
Birdhouse Wallpaper
How cute is this Birdhouse Wallpaper I’ve just discovered?! I love the worn-out background and all the detailed little birds — and it almost looks as if you could actually touch the different textures. I think it would be so cute to cover a bedroom wall with this paper, adding a bit of colour/texture to a child’s room.
My husband and I have actually just bought an old, very run-down house in London and are in the midst of planning a complete renovation (exciting but terrifying!). So I am officially on the hunt for cute interior design ideas, and I’m sure I’ll be sharing my discoveries with you along the way. If you have any good tips or ideas — please share!
-Courtney
Floating Ducks from Kid O
My sister-in law came to visit recently and brought the kids this Floating Ducks bath toy from Kid O. I’ve seen it before, and never thought anything of it… but I must say that my kids absolutely love it! It’s such a huge hit both in the bath and out. The little duckling stacks on top of its mama duck and they rock (or float) together as one. It is seriously the one thing they fight over every evening in the bath. Isn’t it funny, the things your kids are attracted to?
The ducks are available from our US Bookstore or directly from Kid O.
-Courtney
Beaba at VUP Baby
I’ve raved before about the Beaba Baby Cook — it is one of the few must-have baby gadgets I always recommend to new mums. And the baby spoons from Beaba are also my all-time favourite spoons — they’re made from BPA-free silicone and have nice, long handles for easy feeding. I have one in every colour!
Actually, when it comes to the Beaba brand, you really can’t go wrong — all their products are great. And they’re now conveniently available from VUPbaby, the ultimate source for non-toxic baby products.
-Courtney
Castlebox Melbourne
I recently discovered the Melbourne-based brand, Castelbox, and I was immediately attracted to the French-inspired pieces — the cute floral dress, the hooded knit jumper for boys (which I got for my son), and the beautiful shoes. The pieces are all produced in limited quantities and are designed for children aged 3 to 10. They’re also designed with comfort and washability in mind, which I love. You can purchase directly from the Castlebox website.
-Courtney
Win! A $100 gift voucher to Olive Juice at Tada! Shop
If you haven’t yet discovered the Tada! Shop website, then you should go immediately. It’s a one-stop shop for children’s clothes, toys, accessories, etc., which brings together so many different brands, both big and small — from the larger shops like J.Crew to the smaller boutiques like Sweet William. And it’s all gathered and sold from one site, making shopping for your kids so much easier. Just check out their Create A Look tool — how fun is it to create an outfit?! I just love that you can mix and match so many different brands. We had the pleasure of creating several different outfits for a guest editorial this week — check it out!
And to win a $100 gift certificate to spend on the Olive Juice brand (pictured), just sign up with Tada! Shop here and leave a comment below by next Friday, July 23rd, and we’ll pick one winner at random! Good luck!
This give-away is now closed.
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Bonnets for babies — vintage handkerchiefs for brides!• Wonderous Wovenplay
Imps & Elfs Footless Tights
I got a few pairs of these Imps & Elfs Footless Tights for my daughter last year and they turned out to be one of the best staples in her closet. They’re great for babies because they can crawl or walk without slipping, yet they keep bare legs cozy on a colder day. They’re essentially like leggings, but in a nice, thick, soft material. And how cool are those colours? They’re available from The Emperor’s New Clothes.
-Courtney
The Heart and the Bottle
Have you read Oliver Jeffers’ new book, The Heart and the Bottle
Oliver Jeffers takes a deeply sad topic (death of a loved one) and tries to show the emotions involved. As an adult, I think it’s such a lovely story, but my kids certainly did not pick up on that. Did yours?
-Courtney
Cute sneakers from DPam
Emilie brought a pair of canvas sneakers from the French shop Du Pareil au Même for my daughter when she came to visit last month and they’ve turned out to be the go-to shoe of the summer. My daughter, of course, LOVES them, and I love them because they’re so easy to put on and take off. My daughter’s pair has a velcro strap across the top, but they also have a bigger kids’ version (pictured) with an elasticated strap. So simple, yet so cute. And now on sale!
-Courtney
New York City — a new Babyccino Kids city guide!
In addition to our brand new design and look, we have more exciting Babyccino Kids news. We’ve launched our NYC City Guide!! Dina has been working diligently for the past 6 months to cover off all of NYC’s best kid-friendly places to eat, see, play, shop, etc., and it is finally ready to share with you. Like all of our city guides, it will be updated regularly with new reviews and other kid-friendly ideas. So, if you’re planning a trip to NYC (or know someone who is), make sure to check out all of Dina’s suggestions.
P.S. Check out all of the new city designs. The girls at Petite Alma did such an amazing job capturing each city’s look and feel. We’ve also added some handy new features which will help make your visit even easier. We are so excited about them we can hardly sit still!
P.P.S. As always, we welcome your feedback.
Bibaloo for fabulous French finds
Bibaloo is a UK-based webshop with an exclusive collection of French children’s clothes and accessories. They stock well-known brands like Petite Bateau and smaller labels like La Queue du Chat — a super cute collection of organic cotton pieces like the one pictured. Bibaloo was started by a French mother who moved to the UK and decided to create a one-stop shop for all her favourite and hard-to-find French brands. I love that I can pick up Petite Bateau staples without leaving my house.
And what’s even better is that the Bibaloo sale has now started… with discounts of up to 50% off. Hooray for summer sales!
-Courtney
