Our little monster!
It’s not often that personalised art takes the shape of a cool looking monster with a very big mouth and a bright red background! I couldn’t resist this Little Monster print from KoKo Kids: very modern and fresh and cool (and very cute too, but not obviously so). The royally sized poster is giclee printed with archival print, so it has a very artisanal, matte look to it. Our little monster Pim is over the moon with his poster!
xxx Esther
Dinner with Joslyn from Shak-Shuka
Before she had her two children, Joslyn Oppenheimer was a professional chef. But she had to think of a career change after her first baby was born: late nights were spent breastfeeding and not at the stovetop of a restaurant! And thus, she started the wonderful and well-known online eco boutique, Shak-Shuka. Joslyn currently lives in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with her husband, two children (Uma (4 years old) and Zev (4 months old)), and a giant St. Bernard dog. Here is her dinnertime story!
Even being a trained chef, I find dinner time to feel like a battle: me versus the gastronomic enemies ahead. At one meal I have to think about a meat-loving husband, a vegetable-despising child, and a veggie me – all while caring for a newborn baby! At times, I like to imagine what we look like as I’m preparing dinner (picture it: child running around in a tutu while the baby cries and I’m cooking and rocking the stroller with my back side!) and I just have to laugh and give in. I think if you give into the chaos and not try and fight it (ie – control it like I think we want to do) then it works out better and you might even have fun. (more…)
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Personalised notebooks from Sloane Stationery• When do you start giving chores?
Cute knickers from I Love Gorgeous
So sweet, these girlie undies from I Love Gorgeous. They’re made from pure cotton, and available in different fun colours. Perfect for under those pretty summer dresses (and truly adorable on)!
xxx Esther
Happy Easter!
Ethnic prints at Native Belle
I was sitting at the hairdresser yesterday and having a look at the spring and summer fashion this year in one of the glossies, and I was happy to see a lot of Ethnic prints show up. I love the colours and bold graphics I saw! So about time to write about the lovely summery fashion from Native Belle. Emily, the owner and designer of Native Belle, draws much of her inspiration for her children’s label from the vibrancy of her West African culture. I’ve always had a weakness for African fabrics, so I couldn’t resist getting Sara one of the gorgeous maxi dresses… (Uhmmm, does anybody know where I can get a similar one for me?)
xxx Esther
Stitch n’ Kids: Easter decoration
With a few sheets of felt and a 6-year-old daughter who now masters the blanket stitch, we’ve had some fun creating the above Easter decoration! If you feel inspired, you can download a template for the bird and the egg-cozy here. (You can also quickly make the egg-cozies on the sewing machine, if you have one.)
xxx Esther
Stitch ‘n Kids — DIY Easter chicks from pom-poms
I remember making little chicks like these as a child! The idea is simple: make two pom-poms of different sizes, one forming the body and one the head, and sew them together.
Do you recall how to make pom-poms? Cut out two rings from thin cardboard: a big circle (about 8,5 or 3 1/2″ Ø) with a smaller circle (1,5 cm or 1/4″ Ø) cut out from the middle. To make it easier for children to wind the yarn around the disk, you can cut out a thin wedge from the ring. Start winding yarn around both the rings, until the entire cardboard rings are covered with a few layers of wool (a 4-year-old child should be able to do this).
Now the tricky part: holding the wool together in the centre (pinch it!), cut the wool in between the two layers of cardboard (sharp scissors help). When done, tie a piece of thread in between the two circles and make a firm knot. If you want to sew the pom-pom to something, leave the ends. For the chicks, I didn’t use thread but pipe cleaner to tie the wool together. I left the ends of the pipe cleaner, they became the legs of the chicks! Now remove the cardboard, and there’s your first pom-pom! Repeat the exercise with smaller rings (about 5,5 cm or 2 1/4″ Ø) to make the heads of the chicks (I used smaller pipe cleaner for the beaks). You can make the pom-poms extra fluffy by keeping them in hot steam for a second. Last step is to sew both pom-poms together, and glue on goggle eyes (I used a hot glue gun for this). My kids love their chicks!
xxx Esther
PS Yellow wool would have been more appropriate but I didn’t have any around…
An easy-to-knit baby hat!
My friend Becky just had her third baby, a little boy named Olly, and I knit him a little baby hat that first of all was extremely easy to knit (perfect for beginners like me!), and second of all looked super duper adorable on. The basics of this hat are simple: just knit or crochet a square, approximately 19 cm (7.5″) in width and 27 cm (10.6″) high. Sew the sides together (wrong side out if applicable), turn around, and presto! You could make little pompons and sew them to the two pointy flaps, or stitch through them as a triangle to make them look more like little ears, but I preferred to keep it simple…
This is what I did exactly for Olly’s hat, using a pure cashmere yarn and 4 mm (UK6, US8) needles: Cast on 40 stitches. Knit 4 rows (alternating knit and pearl), then change yarn colour, knit another 4 rows, etc, until you have knit 8 stripes. Then, knit 8 rows in the first colour (in my case blue), so you’ll end up with one extra wide stripe, and start alternating again, 8 times, finishing with the first colour. Sew sides together (wrong side out), making sure to align the stripes. Turn around, and done!
xxx Esther
PS Thanks to 2-week-old Olly for being my perfect model!
Stella Cove Swimwear
It’s warm and sunny in Amsterdam so time to prepare for the summer season! (Yay!) Because Sara will pass her 3rd swimming exam today (part of the test: swimming with jeans, long-sleeved shirt, shoes and a raincoat on!), and the state of her current swimsuits is embarassing to say the least, I ordered her some new swimsuits from the wonderful Stella Cove collection. The package just arrived (very fast!), and the swimsuits are so beautiful! I love the prints, the quality (all lined!), and the models. Sweet!
Do you know Stella Cove yet? They have a stunning collection of bikinis, swimsuits, shorts and adorable cotton beach dresses, both for boys and girls, from toddler to teenager. They also have a gorgeous selection of swimwear for mamas. Very, very tempting! Too bad this mama already passed her swimming exams…
xxx Esther
Big Blue Cuddle: shopping for a good cause
Not only does Big Blue Cuddle shop have a nice and affordable collection of colourful clothes, they also donate at least 15% of their profit to one of their charities (you choose which one). It works as follows: Big Blue Cuddle approaches well known, respectable brands and asks them for a trade discount on a selection of their stock. Big Blue Cuddle then sells the product for regular prices, but can give part of their profit directly to a charity! Such a clever and wonderful initiative, and I’m not the only one to think so: many lovely labels, some of which we have reviewed before here on Babyccino (like Eponime, Olive’s Friend Pop, La Queue du Chat, and Hektik Boutique), are now part of this wonderful initiative.
So if you need great basics or fun wardrobe staples for your kids, Big Blue Cuddle has a lovely selection and remember: you’re shopping for a good cause!
xxx Esther
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• This summer: jumpsuits• Home safety (and the Ouch! Box)
• Cute tees from MimiMouse
LoulouEskimo
Sweet, sweeter, sweetest… LoulouEskimo creates beautiful clothing for little girls aged 2 to 8. Using luxurious fabrics, artisan techniques and exquisite detailing, these clothes have something to celebrate: childhood, sun, love, playfulness… life!
I’m in love with the fabrics, the patterns, the bows, ruffles and little ball tassels, all so super tasteful, sweet and girly.
The LoulouEskimo collections are amongst others available through Shan and Toad and PetitHood.
xxx Esther
Easter crafts
If you’re stuck for Easter inspiration, check out this compilation of fun craft projects featured by Parent Map! (Including our cute and easy-to-make bunny masks!)
Arsène et les Pipelettes — funky French fashion
Arsène et les pipelettes is a French brand for babies and children up to the age of ten. What I really like about their collection is the slight edge to many of the pieces: it’s all very stylish and cute, but be careful, never too cute! A tiger decorating a girly T-shirt. A cool panama hat. A naughty slogan on a boy’s shirt. Cool plastic water-shoes (I used to have them as a kid!). There’s always an un-expected detail to an outfit to give it a certain cool quirkiness, or an interesting detail to make an otherwise simple garment suddenly stand out. Fun!
xxx Esther
The Rocking Company — cool retro finds!
I think little Ava might have inherited my love of chairs! I got her one of these beautiful little Tica chairs from the new French Rocking Company and she can’t let go of it. She takes it to her bedroom at night, and back down to the living room in the morning. So cute! Don’t you love the look of these chairs? The retro design and cool colours (we have the red one) appeal to me big time. And the size is perfect for children, both for Ava (now 22 months) and also for her big sister Sara (a very tall 6-year-old).
The Rocking Company also has a selection of durable, cool bibs, made from thick and soft fabrics with an unmistakable retro feel to them as well. A very nice selection of first products — I wonder what else Sandra (the owner) will come up with next!
xxx Esther
Fun(ky) leggings from Polkadot What
My oldest daughter is now nearly seven, and is starting to be more and more opinionated about what she likes and doesn’t like. And rightly so! When I asked her to choose her favourite combination of leg patterns from the Polkadot What website, she thought it was the coolest thing in the world (she chose loveable and happy). For the next week she asked me every day if her leggings had arrived, and when they finally did, she was over the moon about them!
Polkadot What offers the coolest leggings with a different pattern for each leg (you can select your preferred combination yourself from the website), made from thick and stretchy quality cotton with a bit of spandex, and printed with water-based inks. A definite winner for girls who like to express themselves!
xxx Esther
House of Balls
Ava has a new favourite toy: the ‘House of Balls‘ from stylish French toy company Vilac. The concept is simple: four coloured balls (perfectly sized for a toddler’s hand) and a house-shaped track with a little bell on the end. It’s amazingly addictive for babies and toddlers! They love to see the ball roll down the track, over and over again. The toy is really cute looking, nice and sturdy and easy to carry around, and such a perfect present for little ones aged 12 months and up!
Available through VUP baby.
xxx Esther
(Photo of Ava and her friend Luka, by Elke Mendelsohn)
This month’s cool give-aways!
This month, we have some amazing give-aways again! Two gorgeous quilts from MoochicBaby, block-printed by hand in India with a sweet little penguin pattern. The amazing flexi-bath, so handy! Whitestep is giving away four, and the winners can choose their preferred colour. A darling summer outfit including a dress, matching headband and warm hoodie from Boutikids, in the preferred size of the winner. Which little girl wouldn’t love that? And last but not least, we have 4 sets of two amazing hand-sanitizers from Pureberg to give away as well. It’s moisturising, smells so good, and kills 99% of the germs on your hands — perfect for in your handbag or car.
So enter now for your chance to win!
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Japan — call to action• Black for a Kid’s Room
• Esthex Travel Collection
Decorate your own shield — a knights’ party
For Pim’s ‘knights’ themed birthday party last week, we had the idea of letting the boys decorate their own shields. I always like to do something a bit creative with the kids to offer some ‘downtime’ before the more active games we played later. My husband had made 8 shields out of thin beech plywood, with bands (from cheap winch straps), and rivets. He used a round plate to make the design, and an electric jigsaw to saw out the shields. I was impressed by how fast he made them, by the cool-looking end results, and by the sturdiness of the shield! Oh, and the materials we used were really cheap — I think we didn’t spend more than 10 euros for the 8 shields together.
Shields in the making
I printed some different images of coats of arms like dragons, lions, and unicorns, and bought carbon paper (didn’t know it still existed, but it does!). As a first party activity, each boy transferred a drawing onto their shield using the carbon paper. Taping the printed paper and carbon paper to the shield helped to keep everything in place. The magic of tracing the drawing and automatically transferring it to the shield kept them interested! Afterwards, they used markers to colour and personalise their shields. I was so impressed by their concentration — they loved this activity and were so serious, and so proud of the results!
Transferring the design using carbon paper
Colouring and decorating
Of course we couldn’t resist sewing 8 tunics for the knights the night before the party (including a tiny one for Ava!), and to get a few plastic party helmets to go with the outfit. (Swords were forbidden — for obvious reasons…)
Baby knight
Games (or ‘knight’s challenges’) included: Obstacle course in the kids’ bedroom (under the bed, over the bed, jump 10 times, somersault, etc.), pin the fire to the dragon’s mouth (like pin the tail to the donkey), mastering the yoga warrior pose, and killing the piñata dragon (finally they were allowed to use a sword!). All the kids got a score card around their neck, and each time they had surpassed a challenge they earned a sticker. Only with a full card did they earn their official ‘knight certificate’, which, printed with a Medieval type font on brownish paper and with burned edges, looked impressive enough!
Pin the fire to the dragon
The party bags (do you remember the stamp we made?) and the knight certificates
It was a fun party and the kids loved it! We were pretty exhausted though. I’m glad I don’t have five overactive 5-year-old boys in our house every day!
xxx Esther
Dinner with Esther from Babyccino Kids
Dinner time usually occurs around 6.30 pm in our house, because that’s when my husband comes home from work. Cooking is my thing — my husband usually takes care of breakfast (I’m worthless in the morning!), but dinner-time cooking is my task and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I love to cook, I love the creativity of it! With three little and hungry children it’s not always a relaxing time though, so I often turn on a movie when I start to cook so they can relax a bit and I can focus on what needs to happen in the kitchen. Or, when I have enough patience and time, they like to give me a hand. Six-year-old Sara already makes a fantastic salad Caprese, and Pim (5) is quite proficient at slicing cucumbers and other salad ingredients. I also quite often ask our nanny Katherina to stick around ’til my husband gets home to help me keep little Ava (1) entertained. This is a huge help and it makes this time of day much more pleasant than what it used to look like: me cooking with an upset, crying one-year-old on my arm, and often ending up overly tired, frustrated and angry. Not worth it!
Because I work full-time and often don’t start cooking until 5.30 or 6 pm, I usually cook something within an hour, or even half an hour. But since my work is fairly flexible, on occasions I am able to prepare dinner beforehand and I can make more time-consuming dishes. Sometimes I’ve had such a crazy day and I’m un-inspired to cook, and we order in: usually pizza, Thai food, or sushi (our favourite!). Or we prepare an easy dinner like cheese fondue (exception to the homemade rule: this comes from a package — always handy to keep in the fridge for an easy and quick dinner that we all love). On weekends, we occasionally take the kids to a restaurant, a treat! (more…)
Dinnertime Series
Dinner time can be a stressful time when you’re a parent. The kids are hungry and tired, YOU’re hungry and tired, but dinner needs to be served in order to bring the day to a good end. How do other people handle this time a day? Do they cook in advance, do they order in, do they organise help… What do they cook? Could they share an easy recipe?
Because of our rather curious nature, we decided to start a little series called ‘Dinner with…’, where we will invite other mums (or dads) to share their dinnertime with us. But to be fair, first we’ll give a peek into our dinner rituals ourself. I’ll go first! Hope you love our new series!
xxx Esther
