ClémenceG
The new Eurostar station in London is now only 10 minutes from my flat, which means getting to Paris is now that much easier! Last weekend we decided to try it out. The new station is bee-autiful! And voila — in only 2 hours and 15 minutes we arrived to sunny spring-like Paris!
Of course I had to meet Emilie’s new baby (who is gorgeous!), and of course I also did a little shopping…
ClémenceG is a brand of super-cute musical mobiles and decorative items for children. Each unique piece is handmade using felt, ribbons, wooden buttons, and funky fabrics. They also make ‘doudous’ (both musical and not) and really cool stationery.
J’adore Paris… and ClemenceG!
-Courtney
Clever burp cloth
Right before I gave birth to my daughter, Esther sent me this burp cloth by Koeka. Koeka is a Dutch company making kid’s clothes and accessories in all sorts of funky colours. They have come up with some really useful items like a terry cloth cover that fits the bugaboo or the pocketed towel.
This burp cloth is one of those simple things that really makes your life easier. It is shaped like a sort of dumbbell…. so it stays put on your shoulder while you pat your baby’s back. The narrow point makes sure that you always put it on correctly, with the right amount of cover both front and back.
…because accidents can happen any time!
-Michela
Three little monkeys
I had seen these cute over-the-door hooks before, but I just went to my friend, Kim’s, house and saw them on display in her son’s room… and now I’m hooked! (Pardon the pun).
No need to put holes in your walls, these cute monkey door hooks just hang over the door (or cupboard, or drawer). It makes perfect use of that hidden storage behind doors– great for city living where spaces are small and storage is limited.
They’re cute AND functional, and I love the bright green! (more…)
Cute cards from coastal Maine
Maybe you already spotted them, browsing the web-shop of The Bonbi Forest… These beautiful hand printed cards are made by Pinecone+Chickadee, a company run by Amy & Noah, who left rural Brooklyn in 2006 to move to coastal Maine with their son, Darby. There, they set up a silk-screening studio and began making these cute cards!
I really admire people who make decisions like this.
I don’t personally know Amy, Noah and Darby, but I imagine a romantic cottage near the sea, on the edge of a little fishing village, with a printing studio in the backyard (behind the apple tree with the swing). Amy wears a cute sundress (it’s always sunny in Maine) and is working on a new card design at the picnic table. Noah just ran inside to fix lunch (just a casual salad, all home-grown veggies of course). Darby is on the swing. In the background they hear the sound of the waves…
Sigh. (more…)
Beautiful Baby Bird Brooches…
Don’t you think these baby bird brooches are just beautiful? Each bird is hand-made by artist Victoria Lindo and comes on its own individually illustrated card. I think they make a wonderful present, both for little girls and for big ones!
You can get them (and more cute things!) at The Bonbi Forest.
xxx Esther
Danish design for babies
One of the cutest gifts my baby girl has received so far was a present from our friend, Kim. It’s a lovely Maileg rattle — we have the princess.
Maileg is a Danish design company that creates seasonal decorations for Christmas and Easter and a small collection of toys, accessories and clothing for children.
The rattles are soft, make a lovely sound, and are the perfect size for tiny hands. They are cleverly crafted with carefully chosen organic cotton fabric. They look like they were handmade in a tailor boutique with stylish cloth remnants. The whole range is so cute — I wish I could get some more.
Unfortunately they are not sold in Italy, but you can find them in the US and most parts of Europe. In London you can buy them at Elias and Grace.
-Michela
Cocobohème slate stickers
I have been seeing wall stickers everywhere. Seriously, everywhere. And I’ve also been noticing a ton of slate. You can paint your walls with a type of chalk-board paint that you can draw on with chalk (and erase easily), and I’ve also even seen slate fabric. It’s the latest fad.
So… I’m sure I’m very late on the bandwagon here, but we just bought some really cool slate animal wall stickers and we’re having so much fun with them on our walls! These cool animal designs by Cocobohème are so fun. They come in different sizes (we mixed some XL animals with some small ones), and a few different colors. They stick on the wall easily and provide instant fun for your little ones. They’re also just cool to look at! (more…)
Sew Bettie
My little girl is really into rings these days (she’s not even 3 yet – where is this world going?) so when I discovered these cute DIY button-rings from Sew Bettie, I immediately ordered her some!
I’m not at all into jewellery for kids, but I think these button-rings have the right amount of innocence to make them acceptable for a little girl to wear. Or for her mum.
xxx Esther
Wooden walkers
I’ve been meaning to write about these wooden walkers by Petra Toys for a while now, but I was just reminded about them when I was browsing cute site, Tutus and Turtles.
These cute wooden creatures walk down the ramp one step at a time. So fun! There are loads of different animals to choose from: hedgehog, elephant, turtle, duck, ladybird, penguin, pig, etc., and they’re all cute.
We have the turtle, and my sons love it. I can’t tell you how many times we have watched that turtle walk down his ramp!
-Courtney
Call me crazy…
I’ve been using the same deodorant for years and years now: Rexona Cotton Dry – the spray. In fact, my husband has been using it too, for as long as we’ve been together! When we moved to the UK (where Rexona is called ‘Sure’), he was shocked to find out that – unlike the Dutch version - there it states “for women’ on the can! 
We are so convinced about this deodorant, that when we were living in the States for three years and were unable to buy it there, we had family and friends visiting from the Netherlands bring over spray cans of Rexona Cotton Dry! Insane, I know, but honestly, it’s my absolute preferred deodorant, both smell and performance-wise!
xxx Esther
Liberty Prints
Liberty of London opened in 1875 by Englishman, Arthur Lasenby Liberty. It started as a small shop on Regent Street specializing in quality rugs, furnishings and fabrics. Today, while Liberty is now a large and famous London department store, it is still synonymous with oriental rugs, furnishings and dress fabrics.
Liberty’s top-quality cotton fabrics come in an overwhelming variety of prints. If you live in London, it’s worth a trip up to the top floor of the department store, where all the prints are on display — truly amazing. (more…)
Monkey business
Last night I was sitting at the rim of the bath (both my children were in it), and I casually looked at myself in my husband’s shaving mirror, and… Aaaargh! What shock! Obviously I had forgotten to check my eyebrows in the past couple of days!
I once read in a magazine that the average time women spend plucking their facial hair can add up to about two weeks in a lifespan. Two weeks!!! That time could have been spent on the beach instead!
Fact is – I can easily imagine it adds up like that. I mean, when I work on my facial hair maintenance every couple of days I get into some sort of trance – I want every minuscule hair out – it’s like micro-surgery sometimes! I have no clue how long it takes but I’m sure it could easily be ten minutes! And it’s not even that I have a lot of facial hair or something (which you might think by now) – it’s just – the shape, you know!?
xxx Esther
PS The best tweezers, I found out, are the Tweezerman slanted tweezers. I have them in black, but you can get them in all sorts of colours (matching your bathroom, LOL). Good tips on shapes etc. can be found here.
Viva Violette!
Emilie’s baby has arrived!!! A beautiful girl called Violette. We are so, so thrilled for them!
You know, unlike her big sister, Violette decided to be late – very late. Which made Emilie impatient — very impatient. She almost believed the baby would never come out of her belly! But the waiting was well worth it, of course…
Enjoy those first precious days, Emilie, and when you feel up to it – we’d love to hear all about the 8th Babyccino Baby!!!
Love!
Cheap treats
When it comes to beauty products, sometimes it is really worth spending a lot of money. Sometimes it’s perfectly justifiable, and other times it just feels nice to buy something special for yourself — something that will pamper us, make us look better, preserve our beauty!
But every once in a while, we all run into products that are truly special despite their low price and mass-market production. It’s at that stage that you experience another feeling — the smugness of having recognised a truly effective product in the midst of an impersonal and cold supermarket aisle, without any aid from a well-trained shop assistant.
The next step is telling your good friends about your find; sharing your discoveries is part of the whole experience.
This has happened to me a few times, and I’m going to tell you about them… (more…)
Babycook hits the States!
While ‘home’ in the States over Christmas, I wrote about how I missed my handy Beaba Babycook, and wondered why on earth it wasn’t sold in America!
Thankfully, Elaina at Fun Finds For Mom is on the case… She just wrote this week that the beloved European Babycook is now available in the States for the first time! Hooray!
The Babycook is true genius. It steams, blends, warms and defrosts all in one little machine. It’s quick, tidy and easy.
It can now be found at William Sonoma!
-Courtney
Vondeltuin
We FINALLY enjoyed a nice spring day yesterday in Amsterdam – what joy! I had lunch with a girlfriend in the ‘Vondeltuin‘, a lovely café/restaurant with a huge terrace AND playground in the most northwestern tip of the beautiful Vondelpark, and it was perfect – I still feel the sun burning on my cheeks! (more…)
Imps & Elfs
Children are sometimes very naughty (Imp)… sometimes very sweet (Elf)… but mostly (unfortunately for us, poor parents) both at the same time: Imps & Elfs!
I just had to tell you about Imps & Elfs — one of the coolest kid’s clothing brands around! And it happens to be Dutch, like so many other cool things!
The philosophy behind the brand is ‘a child should be a child’. And this philosophy is present in every aspect of the clothing line.
I think what is so cool about Imps & Elfs is that their clothing is designed to be fitted, concentrating on the shape of the child’s body. That hollow back, that big belly with those tiny shoulders and that short neck… – isn’t that just what makes little children so adorable? At Imps & Elfs, they try to accentuate these features instead of hiding them in over-sized or bad-fitting clothes. And they make THE coolest skinny jeans – you should see Courtney’s little boy in them, big belly and all – adorable! (more…)
Petits Démons
I was in Antwerp a couple weeks ago with Esther. It was my first time to that beautiful city, and I LOVED it. Esther has always raved about the shopping in Antwerp (particularly the children’s shops), and she wasn’t exaggerating –Antwerp is home to the most amazing children’s boutiques and labels.
I think it’s the mix of Dutch, Belgian and French styles. In Antwerp, you can find the best of everything from those three countries. Heavenly. Honestly the place to go shopping for your kids.
While in Antwerp, I discovered the French brand, Petits Démons. Their collection of musical cushions, bed linens, and zig-zag decorations is beautiful. I love the bold colors and fun designs. What I loved most were the cute rattle cords (the photo on top), which you can hang on a cot or on a buggy. (more…)
Food and clothes all under one roof
A supermarket is not naturally the place to go to buy children’s clothes, but over here in Paris, I cannot resist buying a little dress or a top every time I need to shop for a bag of potatoes.
Our local supermarket is a Monoprix and they stock some of the loveliest baby and kids clothes. They sell cute little cotton summer dresses and even little cashmere babygros. I especially like they organic cotton infants line. It can be hit and miss but it is always worth having a look for that lovely little dress that would not look out of place at Bonpoint, for a fifth of the price.
The only problem is that I am not the only mom that has discovered this particular treasure trove. I dropped my daughter off to play school the other day and about 3 other little girls were wearing the same dress as she. Oh well, I guess it shows that we all have good taste…..
- Emilie
Automoblox
My nearly 3-year-old son is a ‘car guy’. He can spot a Toyota Prius (the care we drive) from a mile away. He can also point out the brand of scooter my husband drives, and the kinds of cars our friends drive. When we are on holiday and are renting a car, he’s interested in the name/make of the vehicle, and will continue to point out the other matching cars along our journey. It’s really incredible, and he obviously gets this from his father because I can’t tell a bicycle from a bus.
So, it makes perfect sense for him to have a car of his own. But not just any car… he should obviously have a ‘designer’ car. Like this 2007 orange A9 compact car by Automoblox.
Of course there are other models, like the C9 sportscar, the S9 sedan, or even the T9 pick-up, but the A9 being the smallest car and looking the most like our Prius, is the perfect car for him. (more…)
