No cold feet! With Collegien
Do you ask your children to take off their shoes when they enter the house? It wasn’t a rule for me when I was a kid (unless I wore my wellies), nor was it a common thing in other households. Even still, adults won’t take off their shoes when they step inside a house here in the Netherlands, so I don’t ask my grown-up guests, but I do ask kids (visitors and mine) to throw their shoes in a basket next to the front door when they enter. My kids and I always wear slippers in my house — it’s so much more comfortable, and hygienic, I feel!
Collegien is a French brand with the most wonderful slippers imaginable. I love these slippers for my kids, so cute and easy! There are many great designs and models — how cute are the short summer ballet flats in the bright colours and happy stripes. Adult sizes are also available, so you can treat your husband to a pair (it’s Father’s Day soon), and you probably could use a pair for yourself as well! These slippers are also great for babies who are just starting to walk — warm, comfy, and anti-slip.
Don’t you love all those sweet designs?
xxx Esther
The “Ciré” Petit Bateau
Fact: In Paris it rains – a lot (sometimes it feels it is never going to stop!). All kids need a raincoat… Not just one of those flimsy little numbers out of cotton, but a real, waterproof raincoat that can withstand the elements. And there is one classic raincoat that has been around here in France for years and years and years. The classic, yellow Petit Bateau “Ciré”, based on the coat the Breton fishermen wear out to sea. It is kind of the child equivalent to a Burberry trench — not cheap but a classic that can be handed down from sibling to sibling.
I love it, bright yellow, great for girls and boys, practical and classic. I actually have two different sized ones hanging in my hallway right now! (Oh, and they make one for women too!)
- Emilie
Singing Alphabet app from Ministry of Letters
Remember this book? And how much we LOVE it? Well, the Ministry of Letters has just come out with a new (and equally great!) ipad app. It is literally… a SINGING alphabet! So much fun, and so perfect for my daughter who is now learning the sounds of the letters. The two of us are dancing in our chairs as I type this with the sounds of letters singing their letter sounds loud and clear. It’s catchy, it’s cute and it’s educational in such a marvellous way. (Available from itunes here, and they are soon to release an iphone version too.)
x Courtney
Clara de Paris
We finally had some nice weather, here in Montreal last weekend and we were able to dress in some of our new summer outfits. My little one just learnt how to twirl, so she was more than willing to take some photos to show off her new skirt… I hope your head isn’t spinning!
We just love this little outfit by Le Petit Lucas du Tertre, courtesy of Clara de Paris, the skirt is made from the softest & lightest cotton, perfect for hot summer days and I am most impressed with the quality of the tank top. I just love how the colors go so well together although they don’t really match! I also really love the photo campaign for their summer collection; they always find a creative way to showcase their clothing.
If you love French Design then you’ll love Clara de Paris, it’s an online boutique filled with only the best French children’s brands, you will find labels such as Troizenfants, Baker Made With Love, Les Enfantines, Anton et Zoa, Baby Version Rock and the list goes on. They ship internationally and I strongly suggest you follow them on Facebook as they often have great promos and even giveaways.
P.S. I only just found out, but Karine, the owner is practically my neighbor, it’s a small world!
-Celina
Gardening time!
This weekend we had such a treat: one day without rain and even (yes!) a few rays of sunshine!! Hurray for May! Seriously, the weather has been so lousy here in Amsterdam, we’re in much need of sun. Anyway, we decided it was time to spend a day in our little garden to plant all the seedlings we’d grown in the windowsill of the kid’s room the last weeks: tomato, pumpkin, courgette, sunflowers, nasturtiums, sweet pea… They had by now grown into little puppy plants so it was time for them to hit the rough Amsterdam climate outside.
Carrots, radishes, salad and rocket are best sewn in the full ground (outside). If you don’t have a garden or balcony, you can also easily grow these vegetables on your window sill. Just one word of advice (we keep doing this wrong!) — don’t sew the seeds too close together, or the carrots, radishes etc don’t have room to grow! Plain salad and rocket are also super easy to grow (even in the windowsill), and you can keep cutting their leaves for a long time.
Of course we set the children to work immediately. They love gardening! Obviously the small scale of our vegetable garden-to-be will far from feed our entire family, but it’s a real pleasure to harvest our own grows, little as it may be, and it’s educational for the children. Here are some really fun ideas for gardening with kids:
Sara received this super cute Gardening Giftbox (from French brand Moulin Roty) as a gift and it comes filled with little pots, compost, seeds, a watering can and gardening tools — all packed in an adorable little suitcase. So cool! Sara and her friend spent hours working in the garden, preparing the soil, sewing their seeds, watering the plants, etc.
I got some bags of seeds at the Balcony Gardener. These bags are really pretty and also make gorgeous gifts (I just ordered a few more of them!). They also sell beautiful quality kid’s sized gardening tools which we love.
Finally, if you live in the Netherlands or Belgium (or speak Dutch), this little Moestuinkabouterpakket is such fun and so very, very cute. It comes with seeds, bags to sew them in, labels, a little book about the garden gnomes that will help you to look after the seedlings (provided you make sure their hat and coat is hanging ready for them to wear!).
xxx Esther
Very French Gangsters
The flowers are blooming in Los Angeles and it’s really starting to feel like summer. We spent the past weekend in Malibu and one of the first things I threw in our beach bag was a pair of sunnies for Elodie. When I saw this line of glasses and sunglasses by Very French Gangsters I immediately wanted a pair for her (and myself!) The cutest kids wearing the cutest frames. And the names are…very bombe!
-Elizabeth
Picnik time!
The Magic Paintbrush
We discovered The Magic Paintbrush
Apart from The Gruffalo, of course, The Magic Paintbrush
x Courtney
Clotaire shoes
Here is my theory for kids shoes: Children grow so fast there seems to be no point to have more than a pair of sneakers, a pair of boots for the winter, a pair of sandals for the summer, and a simple shoe that can go with jeans and dresses and can be worn with a multitude of colours. A limited amount of shoes means that shoes have to be simple and that is hard to find. Most children’s shoes are way too complicated (in the case of my girls — appliqued flowers, butterflies, sequins and different shades of pink!). I also have a problem with overpriced shoes since, as I mentioned earlier, children do grow so darn fast.
I was very glad to find out that I am not the only person who feels this way. The founders of Clotaire, a new children’s shoe label, wanted to design a simple, reasonably priced shoe that works in all situations, and have done so very successfully. They have exactly two shoe designs: a derby and a low boot in several great colours, which can be worn both by girls, boys (and I reckon by their mums too). I have to say, I am completely won over by the simplicity and style of the designs!
- Emilie
Olympics-Inspired Reversi-T from Green Baby
The Olympics buzz is starting to hit London, and it seems everywhere I turn these days I see hints of Olympic fever. I love these cool Olympics-inspired Reversi-Ts from Green Baby. Get this — the Reversi-T is FOUR tees in ONE! So there are four cool designs (my favourite is the giraffe wearing the gold medal), and all you have to do is fold over the top layer to reveal the next. The tees are remarkably light-weight and streamlined, and of course are made from organic cotton! I got this one for my 5-year-old and he thinks it’s the coolest thing he’s ever seen — a magic t-shirt!
x Courtney
Bubble Bum
Every once in a while I can get very excited about a new child related invention. My latest discovery? The Bubble Bum. I grant you, it is a bit of a silly name, but check this out: it is an inflatable car seat, that rolls into a tiny bag when deflated. For non-car owners like me this invention could be the answer to a lot of problems: I spend my time dragging car seats around with me when I am renting cars which, though necessary, is such a pain.
Especially since I have started using the Autolib’ service, the great new Parisian electric cars, I have been trying to figure out the car seat situation for my girls and the Bubble Bum is a great solution!
- Emilie
P.S. The photo is of the girls on their Bubble Bum car seats on our latest outing in an Autolib’. Good times!
Monkey Feet
One of the great things about living in the Netherlands is that you’re never far from the beach. Dutch beaches are wide and sandy and perfect for wintery, windy walks, but even better to enjoy on a sunny summer day — what’s better than playing in the sand for hours and hours? Even I still like to build a good sand castle! Besides the obligatory buckets and spades, these fantastic Monkey Print Sandals found at the new web boutique Sweet Pea will also provide hours of beach fun this summer. My son has already tested them out endlessly on our wooden living room floor, he sounded like the perfect clog-wearing little Dutchman but thankfully no foot-stamps were left. I can already imagine the fun he will have at the beach pretending to be a little monkey!
xxx Esther
Clogs
Did you ever have clogs when you were a child? I did and I absolutely loved them! They made lots of noise when I walked and they made me feel tall and it was brilliant! As a lot of childhood memories, I had totally forgotten about my childhood love for clogs… until Coco was given a pair of them not so long ago.
Rarely has a pair of shoes made her so happy — in her mind they are a mixture between highheels and tap dancing shoes (not too sure what our downstairs neighbours think about that). And they do look cute; they are kind of the forerunner to crocs, easy to slip on, comfortable and more protective than sandals. I could not find Coco’s pair online, but check out this pair from My Little Attitude which are lovely and very similar! Clog dancing pretty much guaranteed.
- Emilie
Cushions from Yellow Velvet
We moved into our house a little over a year ago, and the project of decorating it is still an ongoing task. Walls need artwork, sofas need cushions, we still desperately need a mirror in our bathroom (the list goes on)! I only just managed to get some very much-needed hooks up in the kids’ rooms — it’s amazing how long it can take to do something as simple as putting hooks on a wall!
Anyway, in my quest to buy new cushions for our home, I have discovered the most wonderful webshop specialising only in cushions and pillows. Yellow Velvet is a stylish and well-organised site with an even more stylish selection. They have cushions for every setting: living room, bedroom, outdoor areas, children’s rooms, etc. There are so many great options, my only problem was choosing! I ended up buying a selection of these embroidered linen cushions for the yellow sofa in our living room (see below).
And now I’m super tempted to buy some cushions for the kids’ rooms. There is no end to decoration it seems! Do check out Yellow Velvet if you’re also in a decorating mood…
x Courtney
gorgeousness from Minikin
What a pleasure to look at, these images that Anna took of her daughter for the Minikin Lookbook! I love the styling, and what a beautiful little girl she has… Take a look at the Minikin boutique — you’ll discover even more gorgeousness to drool over. I couldn’t resist getting Sara the long tutu in grey which she’s actually wearing today — a super piece!
xxx Esther
Livly Clothing
Livly is a new and exciting brand from Stockholm. I love how they take a classic piece and give it a contemporary feel. Every one of their pieces has a detail which makes it unlike anything else… whether it’s a bright and funky colour, a bold zipper, lace detailing, ruffles on the shoulders, or modern silhouettes. It’s clothing your kids could safely wear to a party or a playground. And of course, being Swedish, it’s all about exceptional quality just as much as distinct design. Livly Clothing is now available for the first time in the UK at the wonderful Scandinavian Minimall. (I just got the Essmiralda Dress for Ivy, and it is adorable. Such a fun green colour!)
x Courtney
Maud & Mary-Jane
A few weekends ago we went up to the Matakana Farmers Market which is about an hours drive north of Auckland. There was so much yummy, fresh, locally produced food. Its worth the drive just for that! As well as food they had some craft stalls and I came across Maud & Mary-Jane. Sandy who is the founder of Maud & Mary-Jane designs and makes everything herself. I just love the vintage wool blanket cushions and how cute are the Blankiesauruses? Check out her website here.
Steph xo
Love it Love it Love it
When it comes to buying clothes for my kids, I usually go for subtle colours — lots of greys, navy blues, browns, etc. Which means that when my kids spot a bit of colour in their wardrobe, that item then becomes their favourite thing to wear. I am especially having a rather head-strong battle with my daughter who wants to wear only pinks and purples (and the brighter the better for her). It goes to show that kids really do love the brighter, happier types of clothing.
Love It Love It Love It is a UK webshop which fully embraces the bright and colourful. You can find romper suits in every colour, bright and happy tees (like the ones pictured above), and plenty of playful accessories. Not a single grey in sight… and I must admit, it is quite fun!
x Courtney
Potato Stamps
Last week I was so caught up with my sewing projects I forgot to write a post for you — so sorry! For my last project I decided to sew up some one-piece pajamas for the kids from some organic cotton I had. The kids and I collaborated — the kids got to choose the fabric color and an animal for the all over print, and then we created a potato stamp together.
As my daughter napped, my son and I got to work; we printed the all over pattern on the pajama fabric and it was so much fun we even stamped on a t-shirt. It was only later I had the idea to add little bow ties with a green sharpie pen.
If you are looking for a potato stamp tutorial, here’s one from one of my favourite blogs — Llevo el Invernio or here is a really easy tutorial by Homemade Serenity which uses cookie cutters. Careful it’s addictive — I had so much fun, and I now want to print everything in my home…
And if you are curious and would like to see what else I put together last week, everything is on my flickr.
-Celina
Nixie Clothing
We Parisians (I still get excited that I can call myself a Parisian!) do like our fashion. A friend of mine recently had a minor operation which required her to go under general anesthetic. When she was coming to, she overheard the nurses discussing her shoes. They were trying to figure out if they were real Isabel Marant shoes or fakes. Even in her anesthesia haze she managed to join the conversation and clarify the situation. The nurses were both male!
Now I do like my fashion as much as the next Parisian and I do also like to dress my children well. I have been trying to be a lot more conscious about buying ethical and environmentally friendly clothes. Nixie Clothing is one of the brands I have recently discovered and I love it. The clothes are beautiful and whimsical, perfect for the upcoming few months. The fabrics (mostly vintage) are sourced locally in the UK and the clothes are made locally too. Question is: when are they going to start making clothes in my size?
- Emilie
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Personalised charm bracelets from Merci Maman• The delightful Anne Taintor
